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object with a sentinel (similar to the wrap function above). The returned sentinel has the ability to detect when it, or any of its nested objects, are mutated. The library also provides you the ability to globally configure: mutationHandler — called whenever a mutation is detected. — called whenever a mutation is detected. shouldIgnore — if shouldIgnore(obj) returns true, then obj will not be wrapped with a sentinel. Using mutation-sentinel in practice Due to the size of Flexport’s app, we decided to purify our components incrementally. Since the sentinels can be reconfigured dynamically, we enabled and disabled the mutationHandler on a route by route basis. Here is the general approach that we took: Wrap all of our flux store records with makeSentinel. For the route we want to purify, configure the mutationHandler to log mutations to the console in development, and Sentry (our error reporting service) in production. Deploy sentinels to production and fix the mutations as they are detected. Once all the mutations are fixed, change mutationHandler to throw in development and no-op in production. Our configuration looked something like: Sentry has been extremely useful for us, especially in this use case. With their support for source maps, we were able to use the stack trace to pinpoint exactly where the mutation was occurring. To fix the mutations, we used a combination of array spreading, object spreading, and the immutability-helper library. Success! 🎉 Limitations Unfortunately it isn’t possible to polyfill the Proxy object. For browsers that do not support Proxy, makeSentinel simply returns the original object and no mutation detection occurs. object. For browsers that do not support, simply returns the original object and no mutation detection occurs. Since the detection happens at runtime, sentinels can’t find mutations in code that isn’t executed. We left the detection on in production for about a month to catch as many mutations as possible. It wasn’t feasible to wrap every object in our app with a sentinel, which means the unwrapped objects are still susceptible to undetected mutations. Gotchas While a wrapped object behaves the same as the original object, it is not equal to it makeSentinel(myObj)!== myObj. . Shallow copies of sentinels are not themselves sentinels…but the nested objects of the shallow copy are sentinels. Appending a File that is wrapped by a Proxy to FormData does not work properly (tested on Mac Chrome 60.0.3112.113). We got around this issue by adding a check in shouldIgnore to ignore File instances. Conclusion Equipped with our army of sentinels, we were able to remove a large majority of mutations from our app very quickly. However, the limitations above show that there are some mutations that sentinels cannot detect. We’ll cover how to catch the remaining mutations in a future post. PS: static analysis We also explored using static analysis to detect mutations via a custom eslint rule similar to eslint-plugin-immutable. However, this approach didn’t allow us to easily remove mutations route by route, and trying to fix all the mutations in our app at once was impractical.Flickr/anamobe We at Bon Appétit eat at a lot of restaurants. A lot. And none of us more so than resident restaurant-goer Andrew Knowlton (the guy ate three dinners a night in his search for our Hot 10). But if an escape-from-reality evening out is what keeps us going, there are few things worse than spending the money, time, and OpenTable refreshes for a great restaurant meal—and then having it all just flop. You ordered wrong. The wait made everyone cranky. There wasn't enough wine. It's happened to the best of us, but somewhere around the millionth muttering of "Ugh, I coulda made these green beans better at home," we realized a few things about what makes a successful night out. Here, some tips and tricks we've picked up from eating out like it's our job—because, well, it is. 1. When to go: Early… "If I'm eating out on the weekend, I like to go around 5:30 or 6. That way, you'll always get a table (or a spot at the bar), the staff is super attentive, and the lighting is better for Instagramming. Kidding! Sort of." —Alison Roman, senior associate food editor …and in a Small Group "Eating out with a big group is a crapshoot. Somewhere past four people, the experience becomes less about the food and more about the conversation and company. At that point, I'd rather be at home, or somewhere super casual, doing dinner family-style." —Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor "If I'm critically interested in a restaurant's food, I never show up with more than three other people—there are several varieties of torture I'd prefer to negotiating a menu with a large group." —Amiel Stanek, assistant to the editor in chief 1a. Eating Alone Is Cool "If there's a new no-reservations restaurant you're desperate to try, make a point to go crazy early, or go by yourself and eat at the bar. Dinner out with five of your closest friends is not the time to try the buzziest place in town." —Meryl Rothstein, senior editor 1b. Make Tuesdays Special "I just don't go to dinner on a Friday night." —Alfia Muzio, test kitchen contributor 1c. Waiting Is Better With Drinks "If I'm going to a place where I know there will be a wait, I'll go around 7 p.m. with the intention of eating around 9. Pick a bar nearby for waiting. Manage your expectations and no one will be mad you had to wait." —AR 2. Where To Sit: Wherever You Want… "If you are unhappy where you're sitting, just ask to switch. It sounds fussy, but is likely not a big deal in the end, especially if you see open tables with the number of people in your party." —AR 2a. …Although Really, We Recommend the Bar "If it's just you and one other person, always sit at the bar. There are plenty of diners who (for whatever reason) will take an hour's wait over a bar seat, so there's a higher chance you'll get seated right away. And service at the bar is just as good, if not better, as a prime table on the floor. There's a certain rapport to be had with a waiter who's always right in front of you. Of course, for more than two people, a table is the only way to go." —AK 3. What (Not) To Order: Be Adventurous "Unless you're doing so purely for research purposes, never order something you love to cook at home—you'll be disappointed." —Matt Gross, web editor "Always order the weirdest thing on the menu—it's probably there for a reason. As for that side of spinach? It's probably gonna taste exactly the same as the sautéed spinach you make at home." —Carey Polis, senior web editor 3a. Identify the Restaurant's Strengths, and Play to Them "Always order breakfast food at a diner (unless you're going to order a grilled cheese). If you're going to a restaurant for a second (or third time, etc.), always order something you didn't get last time." —MR "If you're not at a steakhouse, don't order a steak." —MG "Never order pasta at a pizza place. The pizza will just be better." —Adam Rapoport, editor in chief "If the dessert offerings are limited to panna cotta, chocolate pot de crème, and ice cream, do not order dessert." —Julia Kramer, associate restaurant editor "I always order the chicken dish and the tongue. Roast chicken is a great barometer of how much the chef cares. Chicken went from ultimate homey comfort food—the thing you'd never order—to the simplest expression of a chef's talent. As for the tongue, well, it's an overlooked dish. Sometimes the odder the cut, the more attention the chef gives to it." —AK 3b. Entrées Not Required "Don't feel like you have to order an entrée. There's often more creativity in bar snacks and starters." —AK "Plus, you get to try more that way." —CP 3c. Mix It Up—Within Reason "I always make sure to order something different from my dining companions. I expect them to share with me, and I want to try as much as possible. Corollary: If trying to curate people's orders makes them angry, just let them all get the salmon and shut up about it. Remember that not everyone treats restaurant-going like something you can win." —Belle Cushing, editorial assistant 3d. Share Strategically "If you're with a group, ask how many of each thing comes in an order. Ordering a plate of fritters for a group of six? There may only be four to an order. I ask if they can bring six, even if that means additional charges. If they won't, just go for two orders." —Alison Roman 3e. Pro Tip from a Hot 10 Chef "Don't be afraid to ask us to cook off-menu for you! We are constantly getting exciting product that might not necessarily be on the menu yet." —Eli Kulp, High Street on Market, Philadelphia 4. Kids Can Come, Too "We usually order our son's food first and talk while he is eating. He can play a game (or color or yes, use his iPad) while we eat. We carry dice, crayons, and paper, and Highlights magazines in his bag so that he always has quiet toys to play with." —Stacey Rivera, digital director 4a. Well, Sometimes "We don't take him with us to a restaurant we haven't been to before (or is not obviously a kid-friendly joint) so that we aren't making other people, or him, uncomfortable. You need to know what you are walking into with a kid." —SR 5. Be Nice "It's common sense: Everyone at the restaurant is just doing their job." —AK 6. Rules Are for Sticklers Lest we forget that going out to dinner is supposed to be fun, chef Chris Gould of Hot 10 restaurant Central Provisions, reminds us to take all of the above and throw them out the window. "Go to have fun and be open-minded!" Oh right. That is what this is all about. Now, go forth and eat (early, at the bar) at one of our Hot 10 restaurants. More From Bon Appetit: The Top 25 Restaurant Trends of 2014 The 5 Best New Cocktail Bars in America 2014 The 9 Trends of Coffee Shop Design in 2014 The Most Overblown Restaurant Trends of 2014 How We Cook Weeknight Chicken Dinners Without RecipesDon’t Be a Dick – 4 Tips for Following Wheaton’s Law I’ve been gaming a long time and for the most part I’ve had very positive experiences. This is especially true when it comes to public-play gaming. The people who come out to my FLGS to play D&D Encounters, Lair Assault, LFR, D&D Game Day, Free RPG Day, or just a pick-up game are for the most part really good people. I’ve found this to be true when I’ve gone to conventions as well. Gamers in generally are pretty good people who enjoy the hobby and want to have fun. However, every now and then you get a player that is the exception. In some cases they’re genuinely trying to be extra helpful and come off as the Gaming Jerk, and in other cases their inexperience and lack of gaming protocol leads them to step over the line. At the end of the day it’s important to follow Wheaton’s Law: Don’t be a dick! Obviously, no one comes to the gaming table planning to break Wheaton’s Law but it happens. Regrettably I’m seeing it happen more often so I felt it was time to help the newer players by sharing a few words of wisdom and providing four tips on how to avoid breaking Wheaton’s Law. 1) The DM’s ruling is final When there is a dispute over the rules it’s up to the DM to make the call. If the player impacted doesn’t agree with the DM our house rule is that the player has until the beginning of his next turn to find something in the rules to settle the dispute either way. After that the ruling stands and we drop it. The idea is that it’s more important to keep things moving than it is to debate one call. The only exception is if the ruling will result in a PC death in which case we stop to make sure we get it right. After the game is over we make a point of finding the correct rule so that in the future we know we’ve made the right call. At my FLGS I play with a lot of newer players, many of whom have little previous gaming experience. So when there’s an ambiguous ruling, especially one that doesn’t go their way, they feel it’s their obligation to find the correct ruling. Now I’m all for making the right call, but once the DM’s ruled you need to move on. Yet some players won’t relent. They keep searching through the books until they find something to back up their argument. I’ll admit it sucks to be the player and have a ruling that you know or suspect to be right overturned by the DM, but you’re not going to win over the DM by wasting time looking for the right rule. More importantly if you do find that the DM was indeed wrong, making a big stink of it at the table isn’t going to make the game go any faster or smoother. I’ll admit there are times when I’ve made the wrong call, but my expectation is that once I make the call the table will live with it (at least until the end of that session). In my opinion the correct way to handle this is to speak to the DM privately after the game and discus the rule. Alternatively you could send the DM an email with relevant sections of the rules copied from the online compendium or a book and page reference so they can look it up themselves. 2) Ensure your character sheet is accurate Having an accurate and up-to-date character sheet is your responsibility as a player. Although it’s possible to create a character the old fashioned way using pencil and paper, there is so much material out there now for 4e it’s practically impossible to build a character without Character Builder. This is all well and good if you’ve got a DDI subscription, but there are players who don’t have the money or don’t want to incur the expense for DDI. However, you still have an accurate character sheet even if you don’t have Character Builder. I see a lot of newer players downloading the old Character Builder to create their first couple of characters. This is not something I encourage simply because the old builder is just that: old. It hasn’t been updated with the latest errata nor does it have any of the newer powers or feats. If you’re still using the old Character Builder it’s your responsibility to double check that the powers are still correct as printed. If the DM challenges a power or tells you a power has been errataed than you have to accept their ruling (see #1 above). If you’re unsure how a power works ask the DM before the game how they’d rule on certain elements or just pick a different power. Don’t spring it on the table half way through the encounter. First of all it will slows things down and secondly there’s always a chance that you’re not going to like or agree with the DM’s interpretation (again, see #1 above). One other aspect of having an accurate character sheet includes recording expenditure of resources. It’s your responsibility to track your own damage, healing surges, and power use. I know a lot of players like to print new clean copies of their PC every time they play, but make sure to transfer that hand-recorded information from one sheet to the next. I’m sure this kind of omission is accidental, but I’ve had some players that seem to do it with alarming frequency. The DM has enough to keep track of, they shouldn’t have to track your damage along with the monsters’ just to make sure you’re doing it right. 3) Be ready to act on your turn When I’m tracking initiative I always announce whose turn it is now and whose turn is coming up next. This allows the player to review how the encounter is progressing and get ready for their turn. Yet even with these constant reminders I’d say about half the players I play with are not ready when their turn comes around. If you see that the player acting just before you in the initiative is doing something that won’t have any impact on your actions, pre-roll the attack and damage. This way when the DM moves to you in the initiative you can call out what you’re doing. Announce your standard, move and minor actions; inform the DM which creatures you’re attacking, the attack result and any corresponding damage. And most importantly when your turn’s over clearly state that you’re done so the DM and the other players know your turn is over. Before pre-rolling anything, make sure you check with the DM. I’d recommend doing this before the game and not during someone else’s turn. Some DMs want to witness rolls and if this is the case with your DM pre-rolling may not be an option. Other DMs may just ask you to leave the dice, as rolled, on the table so that they can see them. This can be helpful if you roll a natural 20. For strikers who do a lot of extra damage dice (sneak dice, hunter’s quarry, warlocks curse) I can’t recommend strongly enough the benefit of pre-rolling at least these extra dice ahead of time. Roll the extra dice numerous times and record the results. When you hit, apply the next number on your list. Pre-rolling can really save a lot of time, especially if the table has players who are bad at math. If pre-rolling is not an option than at least roll your attack and damage dice together on your turn. 4) Help the DM One thing I take a lot of heat for from my group is when I help the DM by remind him of conditions that are harmful to the PCs. Things like getting a +2 to attack from combat advantage or reminding him that the monster can take an opportunity attack. The DM has a lot of things to do whereas the players really only have to worry about one thing – their own PC. There are a lot of times when these little reminders mean the difference between a hit or a miss, and that’s when I take the most crap from the other players. But the way I see it is that we’re all in this together. By not reminding the DM of these little details it’s almost like cheating. I want to defeat the monsters but I’d like to know we did it without cheating. We have a standing rule at our table that if you’ve got a condition on a monster it’s your responsibility to tell the DM when that monster takes its turn. This includes ongoing damage, debilitating conditions, defenders’ marks, or anything else. If you don’t remind the DM then he assumes all is good and proceeds with the monster’s turn. This also goes for effect duration. If the monster’s condition is save ends then remind the DM to make the save. Many DMs are quite good at tracking a lot of these, but it never hurts to have the players remind the DM of these things. In many groups everyone takes a turn as DM and what goes around comes around. Help the DM and make his job easier. It might mean that a PC takes a hit or two but when you’re the DM you’ll appreciate the assist. Remember that at the end of the day we’re all in this together. D&D is just a game and the objective is to have fun. By following the four tips I’ve suggested above you’ll find that the game will run smoothly and there will be fewer instances where Wheaton’s Law is violated. As this is by no means an exhaustive list, what other tips would you add to help players (new and experienced) from breaking Wheaton’s Law? Do you disagree with any of my suggestions? What adjustments would you make? Related reading: Looking for instant updates? Subscribe to the Dungeon’s Master feed! Pin 19 SharesWhat’s a “Utica”? That’s the first question. “It’s in New York,” you answer. “Oh, I’m jealous! Times Square! Central Park! Broadway!” they say. Not quite. There’s a single traffic light always flashing yellow at the intersection of Seneca Street and Oriskany Street in Utica, which automatically drummed up visions and a comparison to the town of Radiator Springs from the movie Cars. An old-fashioned, quiet town with kind people. It’s no New York, New York, but it’s got character and heart. Hearing how important the Comets are to Utica, it’s clear the comparison fits. The American League franchise coming to the heart of the Mohawk Valley is akin to Lightning McQueen bringing flash, dazzle and ka-chow to Route 66. When it comes to the Comets, Utica is as animated as any cartoon out there. The team has played in Utica, a town of 60,000 located in Oneida County, for two seasons, and after the initial excitement of having a team return to Utica wore off, fans realized the Comets are good – real good. The community also started coming together like it hadn’t in a while; flash, dazzle and ka-chow was back. “We’re kind of an old industrial city, we’re trying to reinvent ourselves here and the Comets have really taken the lead in this,” said Steve Lachacz, a 50-year-old born and raised Utican. “As a city and a community, we’re very proud of the Comets and of ourselves and we’re trying to use this as a springboard to the future. We’re very appreciative of the Canucks for the Comets; it’s really brought the community together and a lot of good feelings and we’re excited about it.”Theresa Marcus and Jonathan Chamrad like the time saving for them and the freedom for their teens that the new Uber service could offer them. (Photo: KOMO News) SEATTLE -- Who doesn't wish that someone else would shuttle teens to and from practice? Uber has rolled out a new service in Seattle to do just that. The biggest concerns aren't for the parents, but for the drivers. Alison, a single mother of two and an Uber driver herself, told KOMO that "there's more safety that needs to be addressed." Uber said that it has been working on the new service for more than a year and that safety is its biggest priority. Parents will receive multiple notifications and have the ability to track the location in real time and call the driver during the ride. Theresa Marcus and Jonathan Chamrad like the time saving for them and the freedom for their teens. "My first impression was, uh, no. but then I thought about soccer practices, track events," said Marcus. "If the drivers would take them where they're supposed to go and not have any detours," said Chamrad. And that's the biggest concern for Uber driver Alison, especially because drivers won't be notified if its'a teen they are driving. "All the time you get people who say, 'Hey, I want to stop here' They change things all the time, because that's the nature of it, and I don't know if I'm dealing with a 17-year-old or a 21-year-old." Uber says only experienced and highly rated drivers will be eligible. Drivers can also opt out. Alison has opted out for now. She thinks background checks for everyone should be more stringent. "Doesn't seem thorough enough to take a kid." Still, she hopes changes are made and that the service becomes more widely available. "I'd be banging down their door to do that, I'd love to do that." Uber says the service will cost an additional $2 to pay for the development. None of it will go to the driver.Posted by Steve Bottjer, June 3, 2015 Email Steve Bottjer On Twitter: @BottjerRNO Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device Canadian soccer fans will get a preview of the 2015 Amway Canadian Championship Final on Wednesday when the Vancouver Whitecaps face off against the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo. With Vancouver pushing for top spot in the Western Conference and the Impact battling to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture following a successful run to the CONCACAF Champions League final, both sides will be focused on league play and on earning all three points. However, Wednesday’s match will also allow both teams the opportunity to get a psychological advantage for a Canadian Championship final that both teams will be desperate to win. Vancouver have never won the tournament and will certainly be motivated to right that wrong this year. As for Montreal, two of their biggest successes in franchise history have come via their participation in the CONCACAF Champions League. Thus, Frank Klopas’s squad will be extra motivated to once again lift the Canadian Championship trophy towards getting back to CONCACAF’s premier club competition as soon as possible. Keep thinking With both teams having played on the weekend, both the Impact and Whitecaps will likely see some rotation with their starting elevens for Wednesday’s fixture. In terms of form, Montreal Impact are coming off a 3-0 loss to Chicago Fire and have very much been a Jeykll and Hyde team due to the squad’s super hectic schedule to start 2015. Prior to the big loss to Chicago, the Impact had looked impressive in two straights wins over quality opponents in Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. As for the Whitecaps, Carl Robinson’s squad has been one of the top teams in the league and is coming off of a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Vancouver will enter Wednesday’s match in second place in the Western Conference with 23 points from 14 matches. Given that Vancouver is travelling from the West Coast for this midweek fixture, the Impact will be hoping to take advantage of a jet lagged Whitecaps side in front of a home crowd playing the role of the 12th man. However, another big factor for Montreal comes with the fact that they are currently a banged up squad missing eight players due to injury, including forwards Dominic Oduro and Kenny Cooper. In terms of a key match-up, the main one to watch will be Impact defender Laurent Ciman versus Whitecaps striker Octavio Rivero. Acquired over the offseason by both clubs, both the Belgian defender and the Argentine striker have quickly become key players for their respective players. While Rivero currently leads the Whitecaps in scoring, he has slowed down a bit recently after a glittering start to his MLS career. Ciman was a tower of strength for Impact during their run to the Champions League final and he has not made a wrong step since moving to MLS and quickly establishing himself as the leader on the Montreal back line. In the end While Montreal have the home pitch advantage for this match, Vancouver have been a very impressive road team to date. They will enter play on Wednesday with a record of 3 wins, 2 losses and a draw away from BC Place. With keeper David Ousted leading Vancouver effectively from the back, the Whitecaps having only conceded twice in their six away match. Historically, Vancouver has also dominated Montreal in league play, with the Whitecaps previously outscoring the Impact 5-0 in three previous matches while earning two wins and a draw. Given the fact that the Whitecaps have both a healthier and a more talented squad, expect Vancouver continue their MLS domination of their Canadian rivals on Wednesday evening. Prediction Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Montreal ImpactRounded granite knobs and sweeping valleys in the Lost Creek Wilderness set the stage for this spectacular 27.6-mile loop that rewards with rugged panoramas and killer riverside campsites. This route begins at the Lost Park trailhead and follows Lost Creek east crossing several meadow streams and cresting a saddle to a string of beaver ponds. You'll turn south on the Goose Creek Trail and wind through aspen and pine to an overlook of a granite-filled valley. Steep switchbacks drop sharply toward Refrigerator Gulch and several valley campsites before the long climb begins near the loop’s halfway point. The path switchbacks uphill before turning west on the Brookside-McCurdy trail below towering granite massifs—popular climbing destinations. The uphill slog eases at a treeline saddle and from there it’s 3.5 miles of easy-grade traversing below McCurdy Mountain to the route’s high point. The above treeline stretch offers spectacular views of the Continental Divide to the west, and glimpses of Pike’s Peak to the east. Below Bison Peak the trail turns downhill for the final meadow-skirting stretch that bee-lines north toward the trailhead. Though this trip is possible as a one-nighter, campsites abound: consider spending extra time exploring, climbing, and enjoying views along the way. And, bring cash to pay overnight parking fees at the trailhead. -Mapped by Kristy Holland ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website PLAN IT MAP: >> Order the USGS topo quads listed above at store.usgs.gov. >> Order a custom map of this route by selecting the "Print MyTopo" option in the left-hand menu bar. >> For more information on detailed USGS maps, contact the individual Ranger District office that covers the area that you are interested in visiting. The Lost Creek Wilderness is managed by two different Ranger Districts. South Platte Ranger District manages the east side and the South Park Ranger District manages the west side. CONDITIONS: Check weather for Jefferson, CO (80456) Weather PERMIT: No permit is required to access Lost Creek Wilderness. Sign in at the trailhead when entering and sign out upon departure. INFO: For more information on the Lost Creek Wilderness, go to Pike and San Isabel National Forests website. OTHER RESOURCES GAS Jefferson Market US Highway 285 Jefferson, CO (719) 836-2389 jefferson-market.com GEAR REI 1416 Platte St. Denver, CO (303) 756-310 rei.com GROCERIES King Soopers‎ 17171 South Golden Road # A Golden, CO 80401 (303) 279-5458 kingsoopers.com‎ RESTAURANTS Cut Throat Cafe 157 Main St. Bailey, Colorado 80421 (303) 816-5099 Hog Heaven Pit Bar-B-Que 63658 US Highway 285 Bailey, CO 80421 (303) 838-8814 ‎ hogheavenbar-b-que.com 18 Gallery 18 Images Trail Facts Distance: 44.4 Waypoints LCL001 Location: 39.284264, -105.508384 Park at the first lot in Lost Park, but walk east through the campground to begin the hike at the Wigwam Trailhead. The campground has a pit toilet and self-registration kiosk, but no water. LCL002 Location: 39.281891, -105.501999 Sign the log book at the wilderness boundary before proceeding alongside Lost Creek as the trail turns south. LCL003 Location: 39.26759, -105.466866 The trail crosses several creeks on small log bridges before and after this Y-junction at mile 3.5. Stop for a snack break on the rocky outcropping perched at the base of the valley, but continue left on the Wigwam Trail through to continue on this route. LCL004 Location: 39.277037, -105.434637 Atop the saddle small aspen grow around deadfall. Up ahead, you'll come to the first of several beaver ponds alongside the trail. LCL005 Location: 39.274901, -105.421791 You'll cross more than a dozen streams on this loop, but log and stone bridges will keep you from getting wet most of the time. In early summer, muddy paths are a more likely culprit for soaked boots. After this bridge at mile 6.7, there's a picturesque riverside campsite. LCL006 Location: 39.271287, -105.411293 Bypass the Rolling Creek Trail at this 3-way junction at mile 7.3. LCL007 Location: 39.266523, -105.40139 Turn right at this 3-way junction onto the Goose Creek Trail. You'll pass several campsites in the next quarter-mile and climb 2 miles beneath granite spires and balancing rocks to a viewpoint. LCL008 Location: 39.239772, -105.402553 From this overlook the trail switchbacks 1.5 miles downhill losing more than 1,000 feet. LCL009 Location: 39.232159, -105.407251 Bear right at this Y-junction to continue downhill on the McCurdy Trail. LCL010 Location: 39.234641, -105.416695 Several well-used trails meander through Refrigerator Gulch. The campsite here can accommodate several tents. To continue, bear right and follow the main trail uphill to the west. LCL011 Location: 39.239113, -105.425782 After this small creek crossing you'll pass an established campsite about 50 yards off the trail to the left. LCL012 Location: 39.237465, -105.431384 This campsite at mile 13.3 is a favorite. It's placed badly for a 2-night trip (perfect for a 1-nighter), but even if you continue hiking, stop to enjoy the winding creek that flows out of the rocky hillside. There are a few more campsites in the next valley to the west. LCL013 Location: 39.2394, -105.435619 After this bridge, the trail turns uphill and begins a long climb toward the route's high point just before mile 22. LCL014 Location: 39.235212, -105.441971 You'll pass another campsite before at the base of this small ravine. There's a beaver pond up ahead before the trail turns uphill again. LCL015 Location: 39.217891, -105.448494 The climbing continues, but mellows as the trail enters a valley meadow. You'll pass a couple of grassy campsites on your right and cruise below rugged granite-covered hills on both sides of the valley. LCL016 Location: 39.204857, -105.452871 Turn right at this 3-way junction nestled between the Terryall and McCurdy Tower massifs. The Brookside-McCurdy Trail climbs a saddle to the west and then levels out for an above-treeline traverse below McCurdy Mountain. LCL017 Location: 39.230457, -105.50446 Continue the gentle climb through this alpine meadow to a panoramic view of the Continental Divide from the route's high point just below 11,900 feet. The trail heads south from the saddle down several switchbacks toward treeline. LCL018 Location: 39.226996, -105.51475 Turn right to stay on the Brookside-McCurdy Trail at this T-junction at mile 22.8. The trail ahead descends gently toward Indian Creek. There are several rock-hop crossings, but the trail sticks mostly to the valley's east side. LCL019 Location: 39.269869, -105.521099 At this gate, you're less than 1.5 miles from the trailhead. Continue north and look for signs of civilization--the road, more hikers, and a wilderness registration kiosk--between here and loop end. LCL020 Location: 39.281982, -105.509944 You'll be able to see the trailhead parking area on your right, but to access it, turn left at this T-junction and cross a small creek, the trail loops eastward on it's other side. High Point Location: 39.227865, -105.500851 A large alpine meadow leading up to picnic-perfect outcroppings and the route's high point. Wilderness Boundary Location: 39.281915, -105.502106 Sign in, listing the people in your party and your anticipated destination, at the wilderness boundary. Wigwam Location: 39.267647, -105.466669 These small outcroppings are a good place to rest near the trail junction at mile 3.5. Blow Down Location: 39.276982, -105.43386 Near the summit of a small saddle, the young aspen forest grows around deadfall from a massive blow-down. Beaver Ponds Location: 39.274989, -105.427101 Looking east over the beaver ponds on the Wigwam Trail. You'll pass three distinct beaver-pond areas before the Goose Creek junction. Bridge Location: 39.274889, -105.421865 Most of the bridges on this loop's northern side are made of haphazard side-by-side logs. Watch your step! Trail Location: 39.271534, -105.412488 Winding downhill from a rocky outcropping (a great spot for lunch) before the Rolling Creek trail junction. Refrigerator Gulch Location: 39.234613, -105.416822 The aspen-shrouded meadow in Refrigerator Gulch is a prime campsite or rest spot just before mile 12. Rocks Location: 39.238469, -105.420299 There are large rocks alongside and overhanging the trail heading south and west. Lost Creek Location: 39.237372, -105.431457 This wilderness area's name comes from the disappearing nature of it's major waterway. Here, the creek flows out of a cave. It's not lost, afterall. Camp Location: 39.237372, -105.431371 This riverside campsite is well-established and perhaps the loop's most appealing, but it is near the route's half-way point making it a 13-14-mile trek from the trailhead to get here. Aspen Location: 39.233849, -105.442657 The trail
relationship to the material subjects of our lives is revealed: what you do with your gold, and what you do with your reputation, and what you do with your life, become paramount concerns. These things cannot be kept: they must therefore be used. Noble men spend their gold, their fame, and their lives wisely. Cowardly men do not. From within this, the story of the Beowulf’s contest with the dragon becomes the high point of this struggle. The dragon is an image of greed—it hoards its gold and does not share it. And in this terrible image we ought to see ourselves; we are tempted, even now, to keep and hoard our gold; to be deceived by the allure of wealth into thinking that the more we have, the better off we will be; that the measure of a man is in the accumulation of his possessions. Beowulf preaches the opposite ethic. It is not in possessing, but in giving, that a man is revealed. And hence the dragon must be destroyed. Beowulf knows that taking this task will not earn him earthly fame—a contrast to his struggle with Grendel. There he stood to win gold and fame through that mighty deed. With the dragon, however, there will be neither wealth nor fame. There is only the deed. And here the character of Beowulf is proved once for all: is he a mercenary, we ask, out only for gain? By no means! “Then for the first time,” the poet observes, “he had to show his strength without Fate allotting him fame in battle” (Beowulf, xxxv). An action undertaken without the promise of earthly reward—an action, that is, of self-sacrifice—is thus the most noble of all. Beowulf takes eleven companions with him to fight the dragon, and here the parallels to the Passion of Christ should not be overlooked: Jesus, of course, had twelve disciples, but one (Judas) abandoned the ranks before his passion. Ten of Beowulf’s companions abandon him in cowardice; one, Wiglaf, remains to fight at his master’s side. Ten of Jesus’ remaining disciples also abandoned him—but John alone remained. Thus, as Jesus goes on to fight the dragon of human sin alone, so Christlike Beowulf advances on the dragon of greed alone—a final, brave act to display the grand selflessness of true manhood. Consequently, faithful Wiglaf becomes our stand-in. He is our way to enter into the story of Beowulf. He models for us how we are to respond to the tales of mighty, selfless deeds—that is, with mighty, selfless deeds of our own. Will we be the loyal servants, or the cowardly earls? The poet has no qualms identifying which he thinks is the right path, and Wiglaf declares that: God knows that, as for me, I had much rather the flame should embrace my body with my gold-giver. It does not seem fitting to me, that we should bear shields back to our dwelling, if we cannot first fell the foe, guard the life of the prince of the Weders. I know well that, from his former deeds, he deserves not to suffer affliction alone among the warriors of the Geats, to fall in fight; sword and helmet, corslet and shirt of mail shall be shared by us both. (Beowulf, xxxvi) But of those who ran, he only says this: “Death is better for all earls than a shameful life” (Beowulf, xxxix). How you spend your wealth, how you spend your fame, and how you spend your very life are, according to the ethics of Beowulf, the factors that determine the ultimate value of your life. It is the knowledge of death that determines your choices and actions in the present. Keep your death in mind, and you will make right choices about the currencies you possess. This is a critical voice we continually need to hear—especially in an era which praises what Beowulf’s poet would surely see as the cowardly determination to preserve life, rather than the righteous goal to spend your life-currency justly. To Beowulf, a good death is better than a long life in cowardice. This is a reminder we desperately need, for in this nothing has changed: as with Beowulf, death comes to us all. It is an engagement none of us can avoid. And when death arrives your wealth, your reputation, and (of course) your life cannot go with you. What you have not spent will be accounted to you as waste. Therefore learn to spend your life, your wealth, and your reputation rightly, in the now. Make a study of selflessness and right living. Learn from the ancients how to be a man. Read Beowulf.It has been a major recruiting weekend for Oklahoma with the 2016 class, but the Sooners have added one more piece to their 2015 puzzle. Junior college wide receiver Jarvis Baxter confirmed Friday night he is going to be a walk-on at OU with hopes of earning a scholarship either during the season or next semester. Baxter, who is 5-foot-11, was ranked No. 43 in the Scout juco 100 last season and had signed with South Florida. He was released from his letter of intent with USF two weeks ago when it became clear he was not going to qualify academically. Baxter, however, will make OU’s requirements and said he is going to report to Norman on Tuesday with everybody else. Baxter said USF only allows someone to use nine credit hours in the summer to meet the required GPA. Baxter took more than nine hours but those extra hours couldn’t count for USF but do count for OU. OU allows for more than nine hours in the summer, which is what Baxter needed to reach the required GPA. Baxter was a star at Trinity Valley where he played against fellow OU juco transfer Dede Westbrook. That’s where it all started. Once Baxter talked with Westbrook, Baxter called offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley about joining OU. “I talked with him, and he said they have a walk-on spot at wide receiver open,” Baxter said. “I talked to my family about it and decided this would be the best thing for me to do. “I’m going to have a chance to earn it during the season. Pretty sure I’ll end up with that scholarship because nobody is going to work harder than me.” Baxter visited OU initially for the 2011 OU-Texas A&M game. He remembers it well and said OU has been his dream school ever since. “I got an autograph from Corey Nelson,” Baxter said. “I talked with Jamell Fleming. I wanted to get his gloves, but he said he couldn’t do that.” In the last week Baxter has started to receive full scholarship offers from other schools, but in the end, decided OU was the place to be. “Because of the institution,” Baxter said. “The kind of school OU is. It’s a great community, and I can get a great education.” Baxter said he is a 3-for-2 kid with three years to play two seasons’ worth of eligibility.– Tension between the international community and Iran is mounting. With the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ready to issue a report on Tehran’s attempts of developing nuclear weapons, with recent claims that scientists from Russia, Pakistan, and North Korea have all played an important role in helping Iran come close to full nuclear capacity, and perhaps most crucially, with Israel warning of the possibility of launching a pre-emptive attack, every move now made in the international arena is crucial. While the US and UK weigh up their military options, we must ask: should the UK really get involved? The IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear developments is scheduled to be released to the 15 members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday. However, as details of the report begin to emerge from leaked information in today’s Washington Post, the gravity of the situation is becoming clearer. Namely, the details demonstrate Iran is at a particularly advanced stages of designing a nuclear explosive. The Telegraph’s Alex Spillius describes this well in his recent article on the IAEA report. He emphasizes that Iran is currently designing a nuclear explosive device small enough to fit in a warhead that involves an R265 generator. The R265 generator has been described in the Washington Post as ‘a hemispherical aluminum shell with an intricate array of high explosives that detonate with split-second precision. These charges compress a small sphere of enriched uranium or plutonium to trigger a nuclear chain reaction.’ Additionally, although tests have not yet been carried out, the IAEA states’ satellite images have confirmed a site in the Qom region that is supposedly being used to house a completed a steel container. Iran’s build up of nuclear technology has been aided by foreign assistance. Vyacheslav Danilenko, a former Soviet atomic scientist, has recently been named as having played a key role in Iran’s nuclear development. Not only is he said to have given lectures, but he has also contributed substantial technical information to Iran’s nuclear developers. However, nuclear scientists from Pakistan and North Korea are also said to have supplied formulas and assistance as well. Most importantly, the way that the international community now plays its cards is absolutely fundamental. Although particular countries such as France and China have condemned Iran’s so called ‘obsession’ with nuclear development, anger at perceived USA hypocrisy only seems to be spurring Iran on even more. In fact, Saeed Jalili, Iran’s nuclear negotiator, has claimed that the USA is waging terrorism against the country. However, tensions with Israel are also starting to mount. Shimon Peres, the Israeli President, has warned of the possibility of a pre-emptive attack. If this materialises, it seems highly unlikely that the US and its allies would not interfere. Therefore, the role of the UK in this matter is substantially more important than the media is portraying it to be. Namely, if the US seeks UK support in targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, enormous decisions will have to be made. The UK is not really sitting in the sidelines. It has already stated it is upping its contingency plan to join any potential offensives. Although the UK might be giving the USA a reassuring pat on the shoulder, if crunch time really comes and the UK becomes heavily involved, then we will all have to step back and reassess. It has to be said that despite concern of these recent developments, it is pertinent that other issues are addressed; focus cannot be lost. The UK needs to handle its current involvement in Libya and continue playing an active role in bringing solutions to the table regarding the EU crisis. Furthermore, it needs to ensure domestic happiness before it pursues what could potentially become an extremely regrettable war. To reiterate, The UK should not start any more unnecessary and preventable wars but should focus on its agenda that is already full of issues far from easy to tackle. Advertisements“Thinking about Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer.” Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images. James Comey has quietly been on Twitter since 2014, but since that time, the former FBI director had only tweeted once—and it was only after Gizmodo blew up his spot. Then last week, as though suddenly possessed, he started tweeting, posting five times in six days, a fairly rapid rate for someone whose previous output was a single Will Ferrell joke. Still using the name Reinhold Niebuhr, for the theologian he wrote his college thesis on (and still not bothering to change the default profile picture), Comey decided to allow us a peek into his post-FBI, country-spanning, decidedly Under the Tuscan Sun–like journey of self-reflection, which has taken him from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Iowa. Yes, Iowa—the very place you go to kick the tires of a presidential run. (Comey’s wife is from Iowa, but c’mon, we all have “relatives from Iowa.”) Whether Comey is trying to lay that particular groundwork or simply feels inspired to connect with regular Americans (who can one day buy his book, which is conveniently forthcoming) is anybody’s guess. For now, all we have to go on is the tweets themselves. Let’s review them, with the forensic attentiveness Comey would no doubt demand, one by one. We begin at the beginning, back in March, with Comey’s response to the Gizmodo investigation by Ashley Feinberg: It’s a macro of Will Ferrell in Anchorman, and it feels a lot like Dad trying to pretend he’s in the know with what the cool kids are doing—the outdated movie reference (Daad), the way he capitalized the F in Fbijobs.gov (Daaad), the laissez-faire “I don’t even care that you found my secret Twitter” attitude (Daaaaaaaaaaaad). Not cool, Dad. Grade: D Beautiful fall day at West Point. Lone kayaker on the Hudson. pic.twitter.com/gcJ730VD7p — James Comey (@Comey) October 18, 2017 Reinie Niebs was quiet until this past Wednesday, when he was so moved by nature and the view at West Point that he decided to fire up the ol’ Twitter and to post what is essentially an out-of-place Instagram. It’s still the work of an old who doesn’t understand the platform or how most people use it, but instead of repeating the embarrassing try-hardery of the Anchorman tweet, it’s endearing. He loves his country and his country’s historic military academy, he loves rivers, and he finds beauty in images of men striking out on their own. Which, reminder, he does too from time to time. Lordy! Grade: B Little Round Top, Gettysburg. Good place to think about leadership and values. pic.twitter.com/o1cKBXrLCl — James Comey (@Comey) October 19, 2017 This photo is of a bunch of rocks, but not a very aesthetically pleasing pile of rocks. Comey still gets points for being at Gettysburg, the Mecca of late-middle-age patriots. He loses points for “Good place to think about leadership and values,” which is a bit too transparent. You’re not supposed to tell people you’re thinking about leadership and values, Jim, you’re supposed to imply it with your constant self-seriousness. Anyway, what, pray tell, would all that thinking about leadership and values yield? “Ah! Here I am at Gettysburg. Now I will reflect on leadership as well as values. Both … are good?” Grade: C Good to be back in Iowa. pic.twitter.com/TGJHOhQ9KF — James Comey (@Comey) October 21, 2017 First of all, this is just a nice picture: nice sky, nice sunset. There’s a “Where’s Waldo?” aspect of it, because you have to find the former FBI director hiding among the corn, and that’s always satisfying. (But then you imagine Comey asking his wife to go take a picture of him hidden in the corn, and it’s back to being weird.) The text itself is an understated gem: Yes, it is good to be back in Iowa. Iowa is real America. By the transitive property, James Comey is real America? It seems like Comey wouldn’t be mad if that was your takeaway. Exactly. Grade: A- Watching migrating white pelicans in Iowa thinking about Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer. pic.twitter.com/TCAU4gs0Jw — James Comey (@Comey) October 22, 2017 Why is this guy so obsessed with Niebuhr! Confidential to James Comey: Most of us still have no idea who that is. And, please, show don’t tell: A picture of birds in a V formation, subtly reminding us that Comey believes in following procedure and the chain of command, is much better than stating, piously, that you’re thinking about a prayer that happens to be your favorite theologian’s claim to fame. Grade: B- Goodbye Iowa. On the road home. Gotta get back to writing. Will try to tweet in useful ways. pic.twitter.com/DCbu3Yvqt3 — James Comey (@Comey) October 23, 2017 Another one presumably taken by Comey’s long-suffering wife: “Hon, could you get one of me in the street here?” That he wanted a shot of him looking plaintively into the Iowa distance is understandable, though it’s somewhat undercut by his giantlike stature. Still, he’s learned: He doesn’t tell us that he’s thinking about leadership and values, but clearly that’s what he wants people to read into this photo, even if one gets lost trying to envision the scale like the tweet is a math problem on the SAT: “If he’s 6 foot 8, then how wide is the road??” Hiding in plain sight amid the strange composition, Comey finally mentions what he’s really been up to with this slow-form tweetstorm: “Gotta get back to writing.” I think you forgot the #ad hashtag there, buddy. Then (note the hapless two spaces between sentences), “Will try to tweet in useful ways.” What could he possibly mean by “useful” here? Can we expect a tweetstorm with instructions on how to dismantle the government? Trenchant commentary on the Russia investigation? So far, his tweets are the opposite of useful. But in their entertaining bizarreness, they offer a small insight into the mind of a guy who wants to say more than he’s been able to, and, we hope, one day soon will get a chance to. Instant follow. Grade: B+Gay journalist Chadwick Moore – who recently came out as a conservative – spoke at Portland State University in a speech that drew protests and prompted Moore to boldly engage demonstrators who heckled him. The speech, “The Joys of Being an Infidel: Challenging Orthodoxy and Standing Up for Free Speech in America,” drew roughly 60 students and community members, including about a dozen student protesters. They held signs declaring “No sympathy for alt-right trash” and “Destroy your local fascist,” and at times disrupted the speech with verbal outbursts. Moore responded in sometimes feisty rebuttals as the two sides clashed. Moore entered the national spotlight after coming out as a conservative in an op-ed in the New York Post in February that detailed the intense backlash and hatred he received from his once beloved and supportive gay community for writing a feature on Milo Yiannopoulos for Out magazine. “If you dare to question liberal stances or make an effort toward understanding why conservatives think the way they do, you are a traitor,” Moore wrote in his coming out piece. “It can seem like liberals are actually against free speech if it fails to conform with the way they think. And I don’t want to be a part of that club anymore.” Now, as an emerging defender of free speech, he finds himself a target. ‘The Joys of Being an Infidel’ In opening his Portland State speech on April 28, he alluded to its title with an Islamic greeting: “As-Salaam-Alaikum,” he said. “That’s how they say it in France.” The event was organized by Freethinkers of PSU, a nonpartisan classical liberal and humanist student group. Blake Horner, one of the leaders in Freethinkers of PSU, said that some protest was expected given that dozens of flyers promoting the event had been vandalized or torn down during the preceding week. “It seems that many people at PSU were motivated to halt public knowledge of this event,” Horner said. “We were also confronted by someone who was determined to intimidate us.” On the day of the speech, messages plastered on the group’s display case called Moore a “fascist defender.” Moore reserved strong criticism for PSU’s Queer Resource Center at the beginning of his speech. He pointed out what he perceived as the center’s political bias for refusing Freethinkers’ request to place a flyer in its space while socialist promotional material is displayed on its windows. “Here I am, a public gay person who was working for the two largest gay magazines in the world as their top investigative journalist, and they can’t put that up there because they don’t like my politics,” Moore said. “Maybe the Queer Resource Center should rebrand itself as something less misleading.” Moore suggested the center call itself the “Ministry of Propaganda” or the “I’m with Her Memorial Museum and Gift Shop,” referring to Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid. The audience burst out in laughter. .@Chadwick_Moore christens the PSU Queer Resource Center the “I’m With Her Memorial Museum & Gift Shop.” Full video: https://t.co/vqhlAw0GBn pic.twitter.com/0medDT34P7 — Andy C. Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 7, 2017 Moore later read from a “power and privilege” training document he received from a PSU student. He criticized the training material, which defined white people, heterosexuals and English-speaking people, among other groups, as “agents of oppression” due to their privilege. After addressing the training material’s arguments point-by-point with counter facts and statistics, Moore ripped up the document. “Anyone who gets this in a future class, this is what you have to do to it,” he said. “Sign up for a new class.” ‘We can punch you too’ Protesters began to heckle and disrupt Moore further in his speech as he continued to ridicule social justice activism and the political far-left. “Can you not wait until the Q&A and be polite?” Moore responded as the interruptions continued. “Why don’t you shut up and have respect for your fellow students?” Later, an audience member called out the rude behavior of some protesters. “Stop being homophobic, let the gay man talk!” he shouted. “You’re stifling gay speech.” Moore carried on with his lecture but about midway through another student yelled at him from the middle of the room. “I am black, I am disabled, I’m a woman,” she shouted. After a back-and-forth, Moore invited her to speak during the Q&A. The student stormed out of the room and pounded on the window with her fists. “Girl, there’s still time, we can punch you too,” a student shouted to Moore after he mocked the disrupters’ low energy. “Sorry, not a threat,” she said after the audience gasped. Some students in the audience recognized her as a candidate for student government. 1 in 5 gay Americans are conservative Moore closed his speech by reading part of a letter he received by a gay man who thanked him for “coming out” in his New York Post op-ed. “This touched me so much and I cried a little because I was thinking about how much the gay community has meant to me my entire life,” Moore said. Citing a Gallup survey that estimates 1 in 5 gay Americans are conservative, Moore shifted his ire to queer resource centers across the country. “If you decide to shun a huge percentage of your community simply because they might not agree with your political views … you’re denying people a chance to true happiness of living authentically,” he said. During the Q&A, audience members used the opportunity to express support, criticism or gratitude for Moore’s partisan views. “I was one of those people who wrote you a message when you came out,” said a young woman in the audience. “I want to personally thank you for being as loud as you are because you’re speaking up for people like me.” Later on, one of the protesters who earlier held a “Black Lives Matter” sign asked Moore about his views on racial matters. “You talk about how you feel like you don’t have free speech in some places,” she said. “Are you also fighting then for the free speech of black gay Americans?” Puzzled by the question, Moore asked her to clarify. “Knowing people who side with the right-side … they tend to be racist,” she said. Moore stated that he supports free speech full stop. “Why would I not want black people to have a voice?” he asked. “I want everyone to have a voice. More speech is more speech.” Freethinkers After answering questions for about 40 minutes, Moore thanked the audience and some of the protesters for voicing their dissent in a respectful manner. Several attendees expressed their gratitude to event organizers for hosting the event. “I was impressed by Chadwick standing up to these bullies and speaking his mind,” said Mykle Curton, a self-identified leftist who graduated from PSU in 2013. “Just because I disagree with him on politics doesn’t mean I can’t like and support him. I agree with him about his rejection of identity politics. They argue that you can lump people into groups and generalize their experiences and beliefs.” Marko Balogh, a student leader of the Freethinkers, expressed concern that the event was too politically polarizing and didn’t further the mission of the organization. “While I think free speech—including the freedom to offend—is an absolutely vital component of an intellectually healthy society, I don’t think the excessively combative demeanor of the speaker was helpful,” he said. “If we are going to reduce political polarization and make our society better for everyone, we have to approach politics from a charitable and well-meaning mindset.” Balogh said he hopes future events organized by Freethinkers would encourage conversations in which “all sides of the issues are considered wholeheartedly.” Editor’s note: Andy Ngo was involved in organizing this event. Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter PHOTO CREDITS: Main, Twitter screenshot; Top, Collin Berend; Bottom, Andy NgoPulling a rabbit out of a hat, or tricks of a similar ilk, may have dazzled generations of children. But the future of live magic could be under threat, thanks to the rise of the YouTube magician. The rising popularity of online videos is leading to a loss of key skills which could damage the very existence of live magic in years to come, a leading Magic Circle member has warned. Jamie Raven, who belongs to the prestigious inner magic circle, said amateur magicians are increasingly learning their trade behind the camera, perfecting one trick on film to post for "likes". But while YouTube and social media may spark an interest in magic, he warned essential skills such as interacting with real people to control or misdirect their attention are being lost. If the current obsession for online profile continues, he said, in generations to come "there will be no magic shows, there will be no live interaction".The driver who left a woman trapped inside a burning, crashed car on the Gowanus Expressway wasn’t heartless — he was a hero, the man’s brother told The Post. “He did not just run away from the scene. He lost his phone in the car [and was] unable to call the ambulance,” Waheed Ahmad, 21, said about his brother Saeed Ahmad, 23. Ahmad crashed a 2007 Infiniti G35 sedan into a concrete barrier Friday morning and hailed a cab while his friend Harleen Grewal, 25, sat burning inside the passenger’s seat, police said. “He tried to get her out. That’s how his hands and his legs and his neck got burned. He couldn’t get her out. The fire got too crazy. It just burned so quick,” said Ahmad’s distraught brother. Saeed Ahmad “was in pain” and since “the ambulance wasn’t coming” he asked the taxi to take him to Maimonides Hospital in Borough Park, his brother said. Police tracked Ahmad down to the hospital where he was charged with criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and speeding. His family was told by cops that they couldn’t visit or speak to Ahmad until after his arraignment, the family told The Post at their Brooklyn home. The hospital contacted Ahmad’s friend listed as his emergency contact who spoke to him before police arrived, the family said. “Everything is chaos right now. We are shocked. It’s horrifying for the girl and her family,” said Waheed. He added, “He’s emotionally distraught. Every time they ask him about what happened, he’s crying and screaming. His friend burned alive.” Ahmad is being treated for burns to his extremities at the Staten Island University Hospital.The House vote on the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill is down to the wire, with dozens of Republicans waffling as “undecideds.” What’s the holdup? Ninety-six percent of people who have to buy their own insurance stand to benefit from this bill, which will likely drive down premiums by double digits. The remaining 4 percent — those with pre-existing conditions — will be protected by a federal fund to subsidize their insurance costs. They won’t get priced out of the market, because the fund will pay the lion’s share of their premiums. But some Republicans are running scared. Although the bill solves two problems — lowering premiums and protecting people with pre-existing conditions — these fence-sitters are worried about something else: getting re-elected. As a member of the New York delegation put it, the issue is “optics.” They’re cowed by the media’s false reports that the GOP is abandoning people with pre-existing conditions. In fact, no one wants to do that. There is a consensus that people with pre-existing conditions should be able to get insurance. The issue is who pays the hefty price tag. ObamaCare forced healthy buyers in the individual market to foot the entire bill. That’s why their premiums have doubled since the law went into effect. The new House bill sets up a fairer way: a $130 billion pot of federal money to pay for people with pre-existing conditions. The entire nation chips in, not just people stuck in the individual market. see also ObamaCare replacement bill is on the verge of dying WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders frantically trying to convince moderate... Under ObamaCare, the healthy and the chronically ill paid the same premiums. It’s called community pricing. Healthy people would never reach their sky-high deductibles. Instead the premiums extorted from them would be used to cover huge medical bills for the chronically ill, who consume 10 times as much medical care. In fact, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini reports that less than 5 percent of ObamaCare enrollees consume over half of the health care. Most healthy people saw that being charged the same as these sick people was fundamentally unfair and refused to sign up. ObamaCare’s community pricing was the single biggest reason premiums have doubled since 2013, according to actuarial consultants at Milliman. The GOP bill offers a solution. States can choose to get a waiver from ObamaCare’s community-pricing rule, so that insurers can sell to healthy people at a far lower cost. States that get the waiver should see double-digit premium decreases for the healthy almost immediately. Naysayers claim the federal fund to subsidize people with pre-existing conditions won’t be adequate. Nonsense. How many people will need help? Not as many as Democrats claim. Before ObamaCare, 250,000 people a year with pre-existing conditions were denied coverage for health reasons by major insurers. Most of them got help through state high-risk programs, but these no longer exist. In 2010, the ACA established a temporary program for people not being helped by the state high-risk programs. About 115,000 enrolled there. Adding the two figures together, count on 365,000 people to need help paying for their premiums because of their medical histories. To be safe, call it 400,000. Based on the $32,000 per person the ACA’s temporary program spent insuring people with pre-existing conditions, the federal fund will need $12.8 billion a year. So the $13 billion a year the GOP bill provides is likely adequate. New York ruined its individual insurance market two decades ago by imposing community pricing, which drove out healthy buyers. Don’t count on the state Legislature here to wise up, get a waiver and offer low prices to most buyers. But several states — Alaska, Minnesota, Idaho and Oklahoma among them — have already acted, without waiting for Congress. They used state funds to help cover the sickest people, and relieve pressure on healthy premium payers. Alaska averted a 40 percent premium hike that way last year. Let’s see, the funding is adequate, and the approach works. Spineless politicians whining about “optics” should look in the mirror. What they’re really missing is backbone. Betsy McCaughey is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and author of “Beating Obamacare.”MEPs have revealed they want boys to learn about traditionally ‘female’ activities and should be taught domestic work and care at school. The Brussels politicians said they want to stand against ‘sexist’ education by encouraging children to take an equal interest in all subjects ‘beyond gendered stereotypes’. They hope that girls will take up scientific and technical subjects while boys could take up activities such as cleaning the home. MEPs have revealed they want boys to learn about traditionally ‘female’ activities and should be taught domestic work and care at school Textbooks showing old-fashioned stereotypes about male and female roles would also be thrown out of schools, under the European Parliament’ proposals. The suggestions were made in the report on Empowering Girls Through Education from the Parliament’s FEMM Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, with MEPs approving the proposals by 408 to 236. The report says it 'encourages girls and boys in the education process to take an equal interest in all subjects, beyond gendered stereotypes, in particular as regards scientific and technical subjects, including boys’ learning about activities regarded as female, in areas such as domestic work and care’. The Brussels politicians said they want to stand against ‘sexist’ education by encouraging children to take an equal interest in all subjects ‘beyond gendered stereotypes’ Another point says that schools should be guided ‘to embrace a gender perspective and gender equality, and to ensure the elimination of stereotypes and sexist distortions that textbooks and teaching materials may include in their content.' It added: '[This will then] encourage them also to combat this sexism in literature, film, music, games, media, advertising and other areas that can contribute decisively to changing the attitudes, behaviour and identity of girls and boys’. Portuguese socialist MEP Liliana Rodrigues, who spearheaded the proposals, said: ‘We are still living in an unequal Europe…women continue to be a prime target for discrimination and violence. I believe that school plays a fundamental role in changing this. ‘[We want to] create a school culture of gender equality, critically oversee the curricula and educational materials, ensure gender equality with regard to personal and professional decisions and improve the percentage of women in positions of responsibility.’ But Leading Labour Eurosceptic MP Kate Hoey told The Daily Express: ‘I have confidence in our nation’s ability to deal with educating our own children. It is time for the EU to stop wasting money on interfering in matters that are none of their business.’Texans' attitudes shifting along with U.S. on legalizing pot Gov. Rick Perry’s objections to a law designed to halt prison rape appear to be about his aversion to federal involvement. Gov. Rick Perry’s objections to a law designed to halt prison rape appear to be about his aversion to federal involvement. Photo: Justin Hayworth, FRE Photo: Justin Hayworth, FRE Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Texans' attitudes shifting along with U.S. on legalizing pot 1 / 25 Back to Gallery SAN ANTONIO — Whether it's for economic, medical or personal liberty reasons, more and more Texans are taking the position that marijuana should be legal. About half of Texans — 49 percent — support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, and 77 percent support legalizing medical marijuana, according to a University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released this week. Nationally, 58 percent of Americans say pot should be legalized, according to an October Gallup poll. “Texas, like the rest of the country, is coming to the realization that we can no longer afford to imprison thousands of our citizens for consuming a substance much less harmful than alcohol and much less addictive than cigarettes,” said Gerry Goldstein, a nationally renowned defense attorney based in San Antonio who has represented drug cartel kingpins and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, among others. About 73,611 adults in Texas were arrested last year for marijuana possession, according to Department of Public Safety data, accounting for 59 percent of all drug possession arrests in the state. Goldstein said the state spends more than $50,000 a year to house each prisoner. “We could be sending these folks to Harvard,” he said. Mike Helle, president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, said his organization has “so many different pressing issues right now that legalizing marijuana is not a priority,” but that if police did not have to worry about Class B misdemeanors for pot possession, “you could free up thousands, if not millions, of dollars in manpower alone.” “You want to talk about freeing up resources,” Helle said. “But as police officers, we enforce the laws, not create them.” In Texas, an offender with less than 2 ounces of marijuana can be sentenced to up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000. An offender with more than 5 pounds faces up to two years in jail. Ana Yañez-Correa, executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a policy research group advocating for criminal justice reform, said she isn't surprised at the poll results. “People in general understand arresting someone for the use of marijuana is more likely to waste taxpayer dollars and law enforcement's time than to deter use,” Yañez-Correa said. “That's why you see libertarians, members of the tea party and Democrats all saying the same thing on this issue.” At an international conference last month, Gov. Rick Perry touted Texas drug courts and forms of decriminalization, or lessening of criminal penalties, for marijuana use, calling it an economic issue. Perry made clear he does not support legalization, but said he supports individual states' rights to legalize the drug and predicted Texas would not do so anytime soon. The governor's comments added fuel to an already burning issue across the country and state. Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational use for adults last year, and more than 20 states have legalized pot for medicinal purposes. State Sen. Wendy Davis, a Fort Worth Democrat running to replace Perry as governor, has said she supports medical marijuana. Attorney General Greg Abbott, the likely Republican candidate for governor, has said he opposes decriminalization or legalization and that Texas' current laws — outlawing any use of marijuana — should be better enforced. “Legalizing drugs would encourage drug use, which affects every sector of society, straining our economy, our health care and criminal justice systems, and endangering the lives of future generations,” a spokesman for Abbott said last month. The Texas poll, which surveyed 1,200 registered voters, found only 23 percent
Survey showed us some incredibly important data that supplemented information we already had about the experiences of transgender people in the United States," NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling said in a statement sent to NBC News. "Now, this report will allow advocates to do similar work that is targeted specifically at improving the lives of Latino/a transgender people." According to the results, 21 percent of the survey's Latino/a transgender respondents were unemployed, more than three times the national unemployment rate (5 percent), and 43 percent said they were living in poverty. More than 30 percent of respondents said they had experienced homelessness in the past due to their transgender identity, and 45 percent said they experienced serious psychological distress in the month before taking the survey. "Having specific information about trans Latin@s in the United States is one of the most important elements for us to be validated," TransLatin@ Coalition President Bamby Salcedo said in a statement. "This report will provide people the opportunity to better understand our needs so that policymakers can ensure that those needs are met." The report also observed the relationship between the transgender Latino/a community and law enforcement. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they would feel somewhat or very uncomfortable asking the police for help, compared to 53 percent of white transgender respondents.The health insurance industry is planning to warn members of Congress that extending Obamacare’s open enrollment period, which a group of Democratic senators have begun to urge the White House to do, could have a disastrous effects on insurance premiums. The proposal to extend the open enrollment period, which has been endorsed by 10 Democratic senators, is a reaction to the well-documented problems with HealthCare.gov in its opening month. With many people having trouble applying for insurance through the website, and the administration setting a Nov. 30 deadline for the site to be fully functional, the senators say people need more time to sign up for coverage. The enrollment period is scheduled to end March 31. The senators haven’t asked for a specific new end date yet. But expect to start hearing a significant amount of pushback from the industry, with a message focused on the fact that insurance premiums could skyrocket in 2015 if the enrollment period is extended. “We are focused on educating lawmakers and the broader policy community about why the individual mandate and defined open enrollment periods are essential to achieving broad participation in the marketplaces,” Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, a major industry lobbying group, told TPM. “Without these enrollment incentives, many young, healthy people may wait to purchase coverage until they need it, driving up premiums for everyone else.” The problem, according to the industry, is that an extended enrollment period could skew their calculations for 2015 premiums. Here’s why. Right now, insurers need to submit 2015 rates to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services between April 1 and April 30, 2014. If the enrollment period ends in March, as currently scheduled, insurers will know exactly what their customer base looks like as they make projections about their 2015 rates. But if people can still sign up after March 31, either while or after insurers are making those calculations, it creates a few problems. Here’s the big one: Most experts assume that young and healthy people — who are crucial to making the law’s finances work by offsetting the costs of sicker and older enrollees — are more likely to wait till the last possible moment or until they get sick to sign up for insurance. If that’s true and they can’t be accounted for when insurers are projecting their 2015 rates because of extended enrollment, that could lead to an older and sicker pool when those calculations for 2015 are being made. That would likely increase rates. And generally, the uncertainty about the pools could cause insurers to err on the side of caution. “We think it’s important for everyone to understand that the individual mandate is critical to making the insurance reforms work and to ensuring affordable coverage for consumers,” the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Association said in a statement to TPM.”Unless everyone is covered, the reforms included in this law fundamentally do not work. An extension of the open enrollment season is effectively a delay of the individual mandate, with the same serious consequences for consumers.” As AHIP put it in a separate statement issued after the senators’ Friday letter, an extension “could have a destabilizing effect on insurance markets, resulting in higher premiums and coverage disruptions for individuals and families.” “Moreover, if these vital enrollment incentives were to change, the premiums health plans filed for next year would have to increase to account for fewer young and healthy people signing up for coverage. Extending the open enrollment period could also cause significant uncertainly and instability in 2015 premium rates as health plans would have to start submitting premiums to regulators before knowing who is enrolled in their insurance plans.” Administration officials have told TPM that they aren’t currently considering extending enrollment. But the concern within the insurance industry is that calls for an extension from more lawmakers, especially Democratic ones, will increase pressure on the administration to act. So the industry sees their lobbying effort an important way to preempt that pressure. Image by Shutterstock/Sergey NivensPope Francis waves as he leads the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican March 5, 2017. REUTERS/Tony Gentile VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday called on people to carry and read the bible with as much dedication as they do their mobile phones. Speaking to pilgrims in a rain-soaked St. Peter’s Square, the 80-year-old pope asked: “What would happen if we treated the bible like we do our mobile phones?” He continued: “If we turned around to retrieve it when we forgot it? If we carried it with us always, even a small pocket version? If we read God’s messages in the bible like we read messages on the mobile phone?” Francis called the comparison “paradoxical” and said it was meant to be a source of reflection, adding that bible reading would help people resist daily temptations. The pope poses regularly for “selfies” with pilgrims who flock to his weekly audiences wielding smartphones, while his English- and Spanish-language Twitter handles have more than 23 million followers. Francis last year called the internet, social media and text messages “a gift of God” if used wisely. “It is not technology which determines whether or not communication is authentic, but rather the human heart and our capacity to use wisely the means at our disposal,” he said. But in 2015 Francis told a young girl he was embarrassed to admit that he did not know how to use computers and was an overall “disaster” with technology. He has also said smartphones should be banned from the family dinner table and children should not have computers in their rooms. The pope spoke during his last public appearance this week. He and top members of the Roman Curia, or its central bureaucracy, will begin their annual Lenten retreat later on Sunday that will run through Friday.India has always been rich in culture and tradition, and games have been an important part of Indian culture since forever. Be it Lord Shiv and his consort Parvati playing Pachisi, the Pandavas loosing Draupadi over a game of dice or the Mughals enjoying an afternoon of chess – games and sports have always played an important role in the history and mythology of India. Gradually the time changed and so did our sports. In a time of Play Stations, video games and gadgets, we all have almost forgotten the traditional games of India. Remember the times we couldn’t wait to come back from school so that we could go and play a couple of rounds of kith-kith (Hopscotch) with our friends? So why not recall and replay all these traditional Indian games this summer? Here is the list of 10 such games and sports- 1. Satoliya The game is also called Pithoo or Lagori in some parts of India. Any number of people can play it. It needs seven small flat stones; every stone size should be less than the other stone. Keep the stones on each other in decreasing size order. Hit the pile with a cloth ball from a fixed difference. Read the complete rules of the game here. You can also buy this game online. 2. Gutte [embedvideo id=”V70P0ydBCck” website=”youtube”] This traditional game is played by both children and adults. This simple game requires 5 pieces of small stones. You spin one stone in the air and pick other stones from the ground without dropping the stone in the air. This game can be played by any number of people. 3. Kancha Kancha was one of the most popular games among children in the neighbourhood. It is played using marbles called ‘Kancha’. The players are to hit the selected target ‘kancha’ using their own marble ball. The winner takes all Kanchas of rest of the players. 4. Kho Kho It is one of the most popular tag games in India. It consists of two teams. 1 team sits/kneels in the middle of the court, in a row, with adjacent members facing opposite directions. The team that takes the shortest time to tag/tap all the opponents in the field, wins. 5. Gilli Danda The game requires two sticks. The bigger one is called “danda” and the smaller one is called “gilli“. The player then uses the danda to hit the gilli at the raised end, which flips it into the air. While it is in the air, the player strikes the gilli, hitting it as far as possible. Having struck the gilli, the player is required to run and touch a pre-agreed point outside the circle before the gilli is retrieved by an opponent. 6. Poshampa Two people stand with their hands locked together above their heads and sing a song. The other kids pass from under that bridge and the one who gets caught (when the hands come down like a cage at the end of the song) is out. 7. Chaupar/ Pachisi Each player’s objective is to move all four of their pieces completely around the board, counter-clockwise, before their opponents do. The pieces start and finish on the Charkoni. 8.Kith Kith See an open surface and a chalk to draw? Lets play Kith Kith! A popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object. This popular game is also played in other countries and is loved by all. 9. DhopKhel Dhopkel, a game popular in Assam is similar to Kabbadi. Dhop is the name given to a rubber ball that two teams throw across a central line into each other’s courts. Each team sends a player into the opponent’s court; the aim is to catch the ball his team throws and make his way back to his team without allowing the opponents to touch him to earn points. 10. Pallanguli This board game with 14 cups is set out with six seeds in each cup; the players distribute these seeds into the other cups until there are no seeds left. The person who reaches two consecutive cups without seeds has to bow out of the game. Go why not reconnect with our roots and enjoy these lesser known traditional games of India?Inter agree Soriano terms? By Football Italia staff Inter have reportedly agreed personal terms with Sampdoria’s Roberto Soriano, but are relying on Fredy Guarin’s move to Jiangsu Suning going ahead. The Nerazzurri’s Colombian midfielder is believed to be on the verge of an €18m move to China, but the transfer is now under the spotlight after Luiz Adriano’s move from Milan to the same club fell apart. Gazzetta dello Sport reports today that Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio met Soriano’s agent and that they have agreed a five-year deal worth €1.6m per season. Sampdoria must now be convinced, but the report says that the Blucerchiati have extended the expiry date of the midfielder’s €15m buyout clause to tomorrow, 21 January. After that date Inter will no longer be able to rely on getting the Italy international for that price, so further developments are expected today.The War Breaks The Spine of Ukraine’s Economy Ukraine was already limping along, but the Russia-backed separatist rebellion in the east has crippled its economy Maxim Eristavi Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 13, 2014 By Maxim Eristavi What you need to know: Ukraine’s hryvnia is in freefall, now the second-worst performing currency in the world Ukrainian economy is in the middle of a two year-long recession that is expected to deepen later this year Ukraine was already limping along, but the Russia-backed separatist rebellion in the east has crippled its economy. The country struggles to afford paying its war bills In Kyiv, barely a day passes by without hearing of someone being laid off or getting their paycheck cut. Usual traffic jams have almost vanished, and on Saturday nights bars and restaurants are half-empty. Post-revolutionary Kyiv It’s easy to spot the frustration of locals as they pass by currency exchange offices: the hryvnia is in free fall, having plunged to record 40 percent against the U.S. dollar this year. It’s now the second-worst performing currency in the world—even than the Syrian pound is doing better. Over the past half-year, Ukraine has gone through a bloody revolution, lost a chunk of its territory to Russia, and is now in the midst of its worst military conflict since the World War II. Funds have all but run out; the Ukrainian economy is collapsing under the weight of the war, and patriotism won’t be enough to blunt the recession’s impact. “There are two news stories in today’s world economy. First: Argentina announced a default, second – Ukraine didn’t. And will never announce it” “There are two news stories in today’s world economy. First: Argentina announced a default, second – Ukraine didn’t. And will never announce it”, Ukrainian prime-minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk triumphantly boasted on July 31st after the parliament cleared the way for another $1.4 billion installment of an International Monetary Fund loan. Ukrainian prime minister’s triumphant speech after resignation rejected In fact, when it comes to parallels between Ukraine and Argentina, economic data does not back up the government’s optimism. True, both countries have seen three recessions in the past five years, and both are caught in a prolonged and dangerous inflation spiral. But this year Ukraine’s GDP will fall 7 percent, prices will rise almost 20 percent, the local government and the IMF predict. Ukrainian economy shrank even further in the second quarter of 2014, new data shows. The recession has been ongoing for over two years, but this year’s political crisis has severely worsened the country’s economic woes. Ukraine was already limping along, but the separatist rebellion in the east has crippled its economy. Ukraine was already limping along, but the separatist rebellion in the east has crippled its economy. Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund, backed by other financial institutions and foreign governments, threw Ukraine a $27 billion lifeline to avert a default. It is Ukraine’s third aid package since 2008, and IMF chief Christine Lagarde suggested that Ukraine may need even more aid this year. Exchange rates in Kyiv on August 13, 2014. Ukrainian hryvnia sinks to record lows against US dollar On the world’s financial markets, Ukrainian bonds are already junk-rated. They returned just 0.2 percent in July, one of the worst performances in all of eastern Europe—but not worse than Russian bonds. Now, analysts warn that the Ukrainian economic mess has clouded the outlook for all of Europe, right at the time when Eurozone recovery was finally speeding up. Among ordinary Ukrainians, the impact of the downturn is acutely felt. Many put their businesses and careers on hold in order to help the Maidan revolution, but after that job was done, there was still no relief. “Everyday I ask myself when is this crisis going to end? Months have passed, but I still cannot even make a wildest bet,” Olga Ivanova, an owner of local event-agency, told me. One of the youngest leaders in this industry, she opened her first business a couple of years ago. Things were going well for her, until suddenly the market collapsed at the end of 2013 with the start of the revolution. “For months I was hoping for quick recovery right after the revolution. But then the war came and now I simply cannot afford to wait any longer,” Ivanova says. She has had to merge her small company with a struggling competitor so that both can have a chance to survive. “Everyday I ask myself when is this crisis going to end? Months have passed, but I still cannot even make a wildest bet” Despite increasing economic pressure, many Ukrainians continue to donate as much as they can to support the Ukrainian army in its fight against pro-Russia rebels in the East. The government is scrambling to pay the bills for the war, so the army’s poorly equipped soldiers depend on these donations. “If the Ukraine army enters our city, this will be the next Stalingrad” On July 31, in a last-minute vote, Ukraine’s parliament authorized an additional $743 million for the army, which otherwise would be left without a cent starting August 1. Lawmakers decided to finance these military expenditures with additional tax hikes, including a mandatory “war-tax” of 1.5 percent for all Ukrainians. “If the Ukraine army enters our city, this will be the next Stalingrad” To repair the war devastation in Eastern Ukraine, the country needs at least $600 million, according to the Finance Ministry. Kyiv has, at most, half of that, and the fierce fighting in the region continues. That won’t come close to covering all of the war’s costs, however. To repair the war devastation in Eastern Ukraine, the country needs at least $600 million, according to the Finance Ministry. Kyiv has, at most, half of that, and the fierce fighting in the region continues. Eastern Ukraine, utterly devastated by the war Still, newly-elected president Petro Poroshenko and his government promise billions of dollars in pending foreign investments as soon as the war is over. Ukraine remains one of the hardest places in the world to do business, and crucial anti-corruption reforms have stalled. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s recent attempt to resign following tensions within parliament just highlights the political turbulence that Ukraine still cannot overcome. Parliamentary elections, scheduled for this October, will only lead to more political and economic uncertainty. So after a popular uprising full of hopes and dreams for a better future, the deepening economic crisis has been a cold shower for Ukrainians. Literally. So after a popular uprising full of hopes and dreams for a better future, the deepening economic crisis has been a cold shower for Ukrainians. Literally. Vitali Klitschko, the newly elected Kyiv mayor, announced on August 4 that he will cut off all hot water for the Ukrainian capital, at least through the end of September. This move, supported by municipalities all around the country, is supposed to save energy so Ukraine can survive the upcoming winter without depending on Russian gas. Without hot water, millions of low-income Ukrainians will suffer; the country still relies heavily on a Soviet system of energy-inefficient centralized heating. Vitali Klitschko, the newly elected Kyiv mayor, announces on August 4 that he will cut off all hot water for the Ukrainian capital The growing gas shortage could be the last red line for the Ukrainian economy. As major Ukrainian industries are also rolling out emergency plans to save on gas consumption and heating costs, analysts cannot imagine this happening without additional and significant output cuts. This will force Ukrainian economy in another deep dive, the one it have no strength to survive. Maxim Eristavi is an independent writer based in Kyiv. He’s been covering the 2014 Ukrainian revolution since the very first day and previously worked as CEO of Ukraine’s first international news-radio station, Voice of the Capital, and as a journalist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Follow him on Twitter @MaximEristaviA leak from inside the Boy Scouts of America last month about discussions on possibly ending the group’s national ban on gay members changed the debate itself by creating an impression that change was imminent, according to scouting officials and taped comments from a meeting of scouting’s executive board obtained by The New York Times. Those apparently false expectations were dashed days later when the board, under intense scrutiny it had never intended, deferred action. The proposed shift in policy has been portrayed in news accounts mostly as a kind of trial balloon, floated to gauge sentiment about where scouting might go on a hugely divisive question. But the proposal, though seriously in consideration, was not supposed to become public at this moment, Scouts officials confirmed. The plan for the meeting this week was a quiet discussion behind closed doors, they said, free from the outside pressures that have buffeted scouting, especially since summer, when the organization reaffirmed its ban on gay scouts and leaders after a two-year review. Instead, the exact opposite of quiet deliberation broke loose with a fury on Jan. 28, when word of the proposed change was confirmed in a statement from Boy Scouts headquarters, followed by further reverberations this week when the Boy Scouts said the decision would be deferred until the annual national meeting in May. Groups on both sides said on Friday that the three-month window to marshal their forces and tactics in influencing opinion inside and outside scouting would be exploited with gusto. Without the leak, and the expectations about sudden change that arose as a result, there would not have been a window at all.The Blue Jays play as if Mike D’Antoni should be their manager. They have a seven seconds or less offense – but a six seconds or less rotation. The AL East is wide open, but as currently constituted Toronto would have to be the NBA team that gets to the postseason winning games 126-123. The Blue Jays had a textbook victory Monday, taking a 4-0 lead, falling behind the Angels 5-4 and persevering 10-6. A playoff spot could be secured that way, but an 18-22 record (last in the AL East) reflected how perilous that would be. They were averaging an MLB-best 5.2 runs, but their rotation ERA was an MLB-worst 5.29, which also was further burdening an underwhelming pen. Yet, the Jays were still just 4 1/2 games back, which is why I think they should be aggressively offering Jose Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion in trades to try to add pitching. This is not to surrender. This is about taking from a strength few have (offense) to address a weakness. The Blue Jays went thee-for-three in offseason positional acquisitions with Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin and Devon Travis. Thus, the lineup would be weakened without Bautista or Encarnacion, but far from weak, especially with Jose Reyes expected back from the DL soon, and Michael Saunders perhaps by the All-Star break. However, the Jays might already have missed the window with Bautista. He gained 10-and-5 rights to waive any trade seven games into this season plus incurred a shoulder injury that currently has reduced him to a DH. Encarnacion earns 10-and-5 rights on July 3, so Toronto might have just six weeks to act. Positively, Encarnacion could be sold as a first baseman, left fielder or right fielder (the same as Bautista, when healthy) and he would be the best hitter available. Encarnacion has 121 homers since the start of 2012 — second to Miguel Cabrera — plus a.905 OPS. Negatively, just about every AL East squad (among other teams) needs starting pitching, Cole Hamels’ no-trade clause includes Toronto and he would not go there, the White Sox (Jeff Samardzija) and Reds (Johnny Cueto) are unlikely to consider a move until late July, and it might take a third team so that a club that needs a bat – Seattle or Pittsburgh, perhaps, heck maybe the Mets – can find a way to move pitching to Toronto. And Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told me this: “I would never talk openly about trading any of our players. At the same time these are two of the best position players in the game. Anything we do, we want them as part of the team. If we add, we don’t want to affect the core and take something away from the middle of our order.” That is Anthopoulos’ public face, but his reputation is openness to all ideas and here is why he should be open to this one: 1. Toronto has gone the longest without making the playoffs (since 1993), and Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons might both be performing for their jobs. 2. The Blue Jays had to give up major prospects (Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud) for R.A. Dickey and (Franklin Barreto, Sean Nolin) for Donaldson. Those are win-now moves, but more win-now moves that involve giving up prospects such as center fielder Dalton Pompey or lefty Daniel Norris could be calamitous to the near future. 3. Bautista ($14 million this season, $14 million option or $1 million buyout next year) and Encarnacion ($10 million this year, $10 million next year or a $2 million buyout) are on team-friendly deals. But the likelihood the Blue Jays would re-up with Bautista, 34, or Encarnacion, 32, at big dollars after 2016 is unlikely. Thus, trading one or the other now would likely bring the greatest long-term value. 4. Toronto lost presumptive ace Marcus Stroman to a shredded left knee in spring and what was left was an old (Mark Buerhle, Dickey), young (Drew Hutchison, Norris, Aaron Sanchez) combo that has not worked. Norris is trying to find himself in the minors. The Hail Mary is Jeff Hoffman, taken ninth overall by Toronto last year, though he had Tommy John surgery the month before. He makes his first pro start Wednesday in the Florida State League and because of his combination of velocity (94-99 mph), repertoire (also a well-regarded curve and change) and command, the Jays think he could come fast to the majors from last year’s draft as Brandon Finnegan (Royals) and Carlos Rodon (White Sox) already have. But Hail Marys seldom work. So Bautista and Encarnacion should be in play. No Faith in Gee The Mets like Noah Syndergaard enough that they just might keep him in the majors as their No. 5 starter. But this is also about how much they do not care for Dillon Gee. Here are the facts: They tried to trade him all off0season. Before an injury to Zack Wheeler, Gee was ticketed for long relief. Now, as he is getting close to completing rehab from a strained groin, the organization refuses to commit to him in the rotation and there is this from a rival executive: “They (the Mets) have had Dillon Gee out there (on the trade market) for a long time. He has been out there for a while. I don’t know if teams are worried about his shoulder or that he makes $5 million, but no one is jumping out of their chairs for Dillon Gee.” Tomas coming around Yasmany Tomas had the air of a bust about him in spring training. He was struggling with the Diambondbacks forcing him to play out of position at third base and not hitting like his $68.5 million price tag demanded, and Arizona sent him down to begin the year. But an injury to third baseman Jake Lamb meant a recall for the Cuban import and, while no one will confuse him with Brooks Robinson, he was signed to hit and he has at least begun to do that. In his past 16 games, he was batting.357 with an.844 OPS, and Arizona had moved him to cleanup. Ultimately, he would be best served back in the corner outfield and the Diamondbacks already have a lot of candidates. It will be interesting if to clear room for Tomas, Arizona decides to market another righty-hitting corner bat – Mark Trumbo, who has six homers and an.849 OPS. The other two big Cuban bats signed in the offseason also were newsworthy. Yoan Moncada, who the Red Sox outbid the Yankees to sign, played his first pro game Monday, going 0-for-3 at Low-A with a walk and an error at second base. Hector Olivera, who got $62.5 million from the Dodgers, passed his physical, which is not inconsequential. There had been rumors he needed Tommy John surgery. Instead, he will go to Arizona with the hope that in about a month he could be a third base factor for Los Angeles.Two Georgia lawmakers who endorsed Donald Trump’s plan to bar Muslims from entering America are now backing the so-called “religious freedom” bill.Back in December 2015, long before the president introduced an immigration ban on seven majority-Muslim countries, Republican State Sens. Michael Williams and Burt Jones put their faith in then-candidate Trump’s proposal to temporarily halt the intake of Islamic migrants “until we figure out what is going on.”Now Williams and Jones are co-sponsoring Senate Bill 233, Republican-pushed legislation aimed at preserving people’s religious freedoms by creating a localized carbon copy of President Bill Clinton’s 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The federal RFRA states that the government must provide a “compelling governmental interest” before interfering with a person’s right to free religious exercise.State Sen. Vincent Fort, who’s backing Savannah’s Democratic Sen. Lester Jackson’s new state civil rights bill, SB 119, said that Williams’ and Jones’ sponsorship of the RFRA is “ironic.” “There’s a whiff of hypocrisy involved, since they would be for a Muslim ban but also try to promote religious freedom,” he said via phone.Asked if their support of Trump’s early travel restriction plan would have any impact on how well-received SB 233 will be, Williams told Creative Loafing, “Absolutely none.” Jones did not respond to CL’s calls, emails or visits to his office as of press time. Nor did the legislation’s author, Sen. Marty Harbin, R-Tyrone, or Sen. Josh McKoon, the Republican from Columbus who spearheaded last year’s religious liberty push.Progressive activists, some Georgia businesses and much of the LGBTQ community claim religious freedom bills — this one hit the legislature Feb. 21 — could clear a path for legalized discrimination, suggesting they could protect Christian-run businesses that want to deny services to same-sex couples.But when McKoon began teasing the potential for a new RFRA at the beginning of this legislative session, he marketed the proposal with the story of a Muslim woman whose college professor asked her to remove her religious veil, or niqab. McKoon said a state RFRA would have protected the student if she was charged with Georgia’s anti-mask laws.Still, some legal professionals question the bill’s necessity, due to the federal law that supersedes it.Andrea Young, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Georgia chapter, condemned the new bill in a Feb. 22 statement, noting that her upbringing during the era of Jim Crow laws lent some perspective: “People claimed a religious purpose then, saying that God meant for the races to be separate,” she said. “It was wrong then, and it is wrong now, to use religious belief to harm and discriminate against others.”“No one should be turned away from a business, refused government services or evicted from their home just because of who they are,” she continued.Edward Mitchell, the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Georgia director, is among the lawyers who don’t see any need for a state-level RFRA. “The fact that SB 233 mirrors the federal legislation is really why we don’t need it at the state level. The constitution already protects churches and religious-based nonprofits from having to violate their religious beliefs, so a state law would just cause unnecessary political drama and financial strain on the state,” he said, referring to companies that threatened to pack up their Georgia offices if last year’s religious freedom bill became law.What the state needs, Young said, are protections for people based on sexual orientation or gender identity. “The state has been silent on that,” she said. “For example, if you were denied housing because the person running the rental company does not want to rent to same-sex couples, you have no recourse.”Young recently praised Jackson’s “comprehensive civil rights legislation,” which would ensure that “all persons would be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation without discrimination or segregation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin,” according to the ACLU statement. Young said that bill, SB 119, would cover the ground that supporters of SB 233 are attempting to address.After falling off the project two years ago, all eyes are on John Singleton to return to Morgan Creek’s untitled Tupac Shakur biopic — a film he’s long wanted to make. Singleton has closed a deal to rewrite, direct and produce the biopic about the iconic rapper, which would follow his rise to being one of the most popular hip-hop artists as well as his murder following a boxing match in 1996 in Las Vegas. Morgan Creek is co-financing the film with Emmett/Furla/Oasis. “Tupac was the guy who I planned to do a lifetime of films with,” Singleton said. “His passing deeply affected my life as well as countless people in this world. His life story is as important to my generation.” The next move is to find the actor to play Shakur. Singelton will soon dive into rewriting the script, with hopes of beginning production sometime this June. Singleton had once been linked to the project, but the deal fell through and the film has been in limbo ever since. James G. Robinson and David Robinson, along with Program Pictures’ L.T. Hutton, are also producing the pic. The film’s long history also includes a legal battle between Morgan Creek and Shakur’s mother, Afeni, over the rights that eventually led to a settlement and Afeni becoming an exec producer on the project. “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua attached himself after Singleton’s original flirtation, but bowed out after he couldn’t get the right script in place or find a lead (Morgan Creek tried an open casting, but that didn’t pan out). Morgan Creek announced that the film was greenlit and would start filming this spring at the American Film Market in November. Singleton looks to be an ideal choice to capture Shakur on film, due to the relationship the two shared after working together on “Poetic Justice.” He has grown close with the Shakur family since the rapper’s death. Singleton is repped by WME, Underground and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.Mahatma Gandhi tells us that "Love is the strongest force the world possesses." Love comes in many forms, and each has different translations. Today, we are introducing three new features to Google Translate that help to distinguish among translations of a word, because no love should ever be lost in translation. Reverse translations . Our users often tell us that they check our translations by translating them back into their original language. Reverse translations can distinguish translations of different meanings and reveal subtle differences among similar words. Each translation is now annotated with its most frequent reverse translations. With reverse translations as a guide, you can pick from dozens of languages to tell your love that they are your darling ( querido ) and not just your hobby ( afición ). Frequencies. The French novelist Gustave Flaubert was known to spend hours on end in pursuit of le mot juste —the perfect word. At Google, we prefer to deliver results in an instant, ranked in order of relevance. Frequency indicators now mark each translation as common, uncommon, or rare, based on the vast number of translations we use to train our system. The rarest translations are hidden by default, but appear easily with a click. Your search for the perfect translation should now be more efficient than ever. Synonyms . Languages often contain different words that share a common meaning. Instead of one long list, our results now group synonymous translations together, so that you can quickly identify clusters of related words. This feature is currently available only when translating into English, but we intend to support more languages soon. We hope that these new features will help you explore the grand variety of words in the world's many languages. Consider this new, smarter dictionary for translation as one more way of saying “love” from all of us on the Google Translate team to you. Posted by John DeNero, Research Scientist and Minqi Jiang, Associate Product Manager, Google Translate.(covers information from several alternate timelines Multiple realities The following is a list of unnamed Federation starships in service during the 24th century. Contents show] By assignment Edit Chakotay's first assignment Edit This starship was the first assignment of Chakotay's out of the Academy. During his tenure aboard, the ship was assigned to make first contact with the Tarkannans. Chakotay envied the role so much that he pestered the Captain into letting him be part of the diplomatic team. (VOY: "Innocence") This ship was only mentioned in dialogue. According to the script, in an ultimately unused line, this vessel was identified as the Providence. Kim's deep space assignment Edit In an alternate timeline, this deep space vessel was assigned to exploration in the region of space directed toward the Delta Quadrant. Following Chakotay and Harry Kim's successfully returned to Earth in 2375, aboard the Delta Flyer, and at the cost of the loss of USS Voyager, Kim experienced incredible survivor guilt. He signed onto this, the first deep space vessel he could find, in order to locate Voyager. According to Kim, "We tried to calculate where Voyager might have fallen out of the slipstream." They searched for four years, and according to Kim, "We were close, I could feel it!", but Starfleet Command had other ideas, and called off the search in 2381, citing a "low probability of success," forcing Kim to ultimately resign Starfleet and pursue his own search. (VOY: "Timeless") Hanson's starship Edit Admiral J.P. Hanson commanded a starship before and during the Battle of Wolf 359. From this starship, he coordinated the mobilization of a armada for engaging Locutus' cube. Later, he transmitted a message to the USS Enterprise-D informing them the battle was not going well and that he was ordering for the fleet to withdraw and
mastering, and you should feel free to experiment.My preferred order usually is: Equalizer* Dynamics Post Equalizer Harmonic Exciter* Stereo Imaging* Loudness Maximizer *I use these processors less frequently. While you should educate yourself about the function of individual tools in your toolbox, ultimately the tools themselves do not make the sound. They are designed to help the sound, so you’ll want to decide what sort of help the sound needs. If there is something that comes close to being an iron-clad rule, it is that when you’re using the Loudness Maximizer and Dither, they should be placed last in the chain. The fact is that nowadays we have digital signal processing (DSP) tools that are vastly powerful and allow you to change, twist, repair, and contort your sound a million different ways. It is also true that the more involved the processing, the greater the potential for harming the original sound. A multi-band tool will do much more “damage” than a single-band tool. A Mid/Side process will create problems that a standard stereo processor will not. Be careful! Before deciding you need the latest whiz-bang feature, figure out what the goal is. Then you can decide which tool is best to use. Audio Mastering Basic Tips 1. Have someone else master your mixes for you! In many project studios, the same person is often the performer, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer. If you have the tendency to add too much bass or not enough top end due to your listening environment, those tendencies will be compounded in the mastering. It’s common for the mix engineer to be too close to their own music. You’ll focus on some things other listeners won’t hear, and you’ll miss things that everyone else does hear. [The SoundLab at Disc Makers is an affordable, professional option for your mastering needs.] 2. Take breaks and listen to other CDs in between sessions. Refresh your ears in terms of what other CDs sound like. Even seasoned pros, who instinctively know what sound they’re working towards, will take a moment to listen to a familiar recording and recalibrate themselves during a session. 3. Listen on other speakers and systems. Burn a few different tracks to a CD player and play them on your home stereo system, or drive around and listen to it in your car. Don’t obsess over the specific differences; just remind yourself what other systems sound like. 4. Check how it sounds in mono. This can’t be stressed enough. A good ratio between mono (correlated) and stereo (uncorrelated) information is very important in many contexts; broadcast, LP/vinyl cutting, and even MP3 creation. When you listen in mono and important instruments vanish, or if the level drops significantly, you might need to rethink what you are doing. 5. Monitor at around 85dB SPL (C-weighted). How loud is that? Turn up your speakers until you can still have a conversation with someone who is a meter away without having to strain your voice. That’s just about right. When you listen at low to medium volumes, you tend to hear more midrange (where the ear is most sensitive) and less of the lows and highs. This is related to something called the Fletcher-Munson effect, which involves how different frequencies are heard differently depending on the playback volume. So check from time to time how it sounds at different volume levels. 6. Take a break. When you think you’re done, go to bed, and listen again the next morning. The 2015 Edition of Mastering with Ozone was revised by Jonathan Wyner, iZotope’s Education Director. Jonathan is the Chief Mastering Engineer and founder of M Works Mastering Studios (m-works.com) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over the past 25 years, Jonathan has mastered more than 5,000 CDs, with notable credits include Aerosmith, David Bowie, Cream, Aimee Mann, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Nirvana, and many more. In addition to his mastering projects, Jonathan regularly opens eyes and ears to the art of mastering as a faculty member at Berklee College of Music. Download your free PDF of Mastering with Ozone. Learn more about iZotope at iZotope.com. Read More Audio mastering – the mysterious post-production art form Dithering – adding “good noise” to improve your home recordings Your home studio mix – recording tips for better results Ear Fatigue and Mixing Music – Know the Signs, Avoid Mistakes Home studio posts – recording tips for producers, engineers, and musicians Are your home studio acoustics killing your mix?To think of the biblical unicorn as a fantasy animal is to demean God’s Word, which is true in every detail. Some people claim the Bible is a book of fairy tales because it mentions unicorns. However, the biblical unicorn was a real animal, not an imaginary creature. The Bible refers to the unicorn in the context of familiar animals, such as peacocks, lambs, lions, bullocks, goats, donkeys, horses, dogs, eagles, and calves ( Job 39:9–12 ).1 In Job 38–41, God reminded Job of the characteristics of a variety of impressive animals He had created, showing Job that God was far above man in power and strength.2 Job had to be familiar with the animals on God’s list for the illustration to be effective. God points out in Job 39:9–12 that the unicorn, “ whose strength is great,” is useless for agricultural work, refusing to serve man or “ harrow (plow) the valley.” This visual aid gave Job a glimpse of God’s greatness. An imaginary fantasy animal would have defeated the purpose of God’s illustration. Modern readers have trouble with the Bible’s unicorns because we forget that a single-horned feature is not uncommon on God’s menu for animal design. (Consider the rhinoceros and narwhal.) The Bible describes unicorns skipping like calves ( Psalm 29:6 ), traveling like bullocks, and bleeding when they die ( Isaiah 34:7 ). The presence of a very strong horn on this powerful, independent-minded creature is intended to make readers think of strength. Courtesy: Domenichino, Virgin and Unicorn, [working under Annibale Carracci], Fresco, 1604–1605, Farnese Palace, Rome) [Image by Never covered, via Wikimedia Commons.] The absence of a unicorn in the modern world should not cause us to doubt its past existence. (Think of the dodo bird. It does not exist today, but we do not doubt that it existed in the past.) Eighteenth century reports from southern Africa described rock drawings and eyewitness accounts of fierce, single-horned, equine-like animals. One such report describes “a single horn, directly in front, about as long as one’s arm, and at the base about as thick.... [It] had a sharp point; it was not attached to the bone of the forehead, but fixed only in the skin.”3 The elasmotherium, an extinct giant rhinoceros, provides another possibility for the unicorn’s identity. The elasmotherium’s 33-inch-long skull has a huge bony protuberance on the frontal bone consistent with the support structure for a massive horn.4 In fact, archaeologist Austen Henry Layard, in his 1849 book Nineveh and Its Remains, sketched a single-horned creature from an obelisk in company with two-horned bovine animals; he identified the single-horned animal as an Indian rhinoceros.5 The biblical unicorn could have been the elasmotherium.6 Assyrian archaeology provides one other possible solution to the unicorn identity crisis. The biblical unicorn could have been an aurochs (a kind of wild ox known to the Assyrians as rimu).7 The aurochs’s horns were symmetrical and often appeared as one in profile, as can be seen on Ashurnasirpal II’s palace relief and Esarhaddon’s stone prism.8 Fighting rimu was a popular sport for Assyrian kings. On a broken obelisk, for instance, Tiglath-Pileser I boasted of slaying them in the Lebanese mountains.9 Extinct since about 1627, aurochs, Bos primigenius, were huge bovine creatures.10 Julius Caesar described them in his Gallic Wars as, ... a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied.... Not even when taken very young can they be rendered familiar to men and tamed. The size, shape, and appearance of their horns differ much from the horns of our oxen. These they anxiously seek after, and bind at the tips with silver, and use as cups at their most sumptuous entertainments.11 The aurochs’s highly prized horns would have been a symbol of great strength to the ancient Bible reader. One scholarly urge to identify the biblical unicorn with the Assyrian aurochs springs from a similarity between the Assyrian word rimu and the Hebrew word re’em. We must be very careful when dealing with anglicized transliterated words from languages that do not share the English alphabet and phonetic structure.12 However, similar words in Ugaritic and Akkadian (other languages of the ancient Middle East) as well as Aramaic mean “wild bull” or “buffalo,” and an Arabic cognate means “white antelope.” To think of the biblical unicorn as a fantasy animal is to demean God’s Word, which is true in every detail. However, the linguistics of the text cannot conclusively prove how many horns the biblical unicorn had. While modern translations typically translate re’em as “wild ox,” the King James Version (1611), Luther’s German Bible (1534), the Septuagint, and the Latin Vulgate translated this Hebrew word with words meaning “one-horned animal.”13 The importance of the biblical unicorn is not so much its specific identity—much as we would like to know—but its reality. The Bible is clearly describing a real animal. The unicorn mentioned in the Bible was a powerful animal possessing one or two strong horns—not the fantasy animal that has been popularized in movies and books. Whatever it was, it is now likely extinct like many other animals. To think of the biblical unicorn as a fantasy animal is to demean God’s Word, which is true in every detail. Editor’s note: Originally published in Answers in Depth 2 (2007), https://answersingenesis.org/answers/in-depth/v2/.It's just a sideshow attraction in Guardian Heroes, but Arcade Mode embodies all of the inimitable, brash creativity that has made its maker, Treasure, one of the best-loved game studios. Imagine, having selected your character in Street Fighter IV, that you were made to fight not one but every character in the game, all of whom piled on you simultaneously in an endless survival gauntlet, without so much as a stutter in frame-rate. It's mayhem. And not the kind of conservative, Saturday morning children's TV mayhem of so many Smash Bros. titles. It's bona fide wild-men-picking-fights-with-rocks mayhem, the sort that, in the blur of colour and shape, makes it difficult to know where your character ends and an enemy begins. But it's also the kind of mayhem that, in some deep place in your being, unlocks the abandoned joy we all play video games in the hope of rediscovering. Guardian Heroes is the eldest of Treasure's three seminal releases for Sega's Saturn (the others being Silhouette Mirage and Radiant Silvergun, which was also recently re-released on Xbox Live Arcade). It mixes the side-scrolling fantasy beat-'em-up play style of Golden Axe with the combat complexity of Street Fighter II and threads them into an OutRun-style branching structure. As a result, the Story Mode is at once familiar and, in the unique combination of these iconic designs, fresh and enthralling. You have the choice of five characters to play as (four initially - female knight Serena Corsair is unlockable). Alpha male Samuel Han's brutish sword attacks can swipe through enemies even as they cower behind shields, while the lithe, agile Ginjirou Ibushi complements his super-fast attacks with lightning augmentations. For players who prefer the magical approach, the unlikely-named sorcerer Randy M. Green can employ various types of elemental magic, while Nicole Neil is the only character who can heal herself, an advantage counterbalanced by the fact she has the weakest attacks. The game is unusually story-heavy for a Treasure release, fully embracing an anime knights-and-castles aesthetic and spinning a tale of regal intrigue that spirals up to the gods themselves. It's told via regular cut-scene interjections between the short, sharp missions. Unlockable game pics are found deep within the game, badges of honour for those who can find them. Normally these kind of narrative interruptions would irritate, but in Guardian Heroes, each micro-exchange is followed by one of three Choose Your Own Adventure choices, each sending your team off to a different numbered stage. The branching paths lead to a variety of different endings, and within the stacking choices you make as you play through the game, you have the opportunity to define what type of player you want to be, killing or saving civilians, defending or crushing the weak, and showing mercy or cold justice to repentant enemies. The writing is robust rather than electric (and often the phrasing makes branching choices difficult to distinguish from one another). But the narrative structure ensures that you'll want to play through multiple times as you work to collect all of the endings and unlockable characters, which subsequently become available in the Arcade Mode and player-versus-player online modes. For all its structural cleverness, the jewel at the heart of Guardian Heroes is the battle system, which allows attacks to be elegantly strung together into creative chains. It works a little like Street Fighter's cancelling, except the windows for combo-ing moves together are far more generous and there is no limit in the number of attacks that can be executed in quick succession. For example, you can trigger Han's 'Finale', which sees the character spin his arms around in a helicopter circle in order to juggle an enemy high into the air. Then, as you and your foe begin your descent to the ground, you can air-dash forward before executing a Han Maximum, weaponising your fall and adding a magical element to slice through your enemy mid-air.Why would a country which gets half of its revenue from the export of energy make an aggressive power play that tells every last one if its customers that it can't be trusted and that they had better wean themselves off Russian oil and gas sooner rather than later? That's precisely the message Moscow's annexation of Crimea sent to Europe which currently imports 40 percent of its energy from Russia. The message was so stark it was not lost even on Germany, generally regarded as the European country with the closest ties to Russia. In a speech before parliament on Thursday Chancellor Angela Merkel drove that point home when she proclaimed energy diversification and energy security as a European goal. Countries with closer proximity to Russia like Poland or the Baltic states not only made that call earlier, but are already investing heavily to limit their dependence on Russian energy. So what makes Putin tick that he is ready to jeopardize his country's primary source of income? "The key thing here is that Russia doesn't want to play Europe's game," says Iver Neumann, a Russian specialist and professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. Moscow, notes Neumann, is still caught up in the politics of the 18th and 19th century where you grab a piece of land and see if you can get away with it. Military might trumps economic power Europe has moved on since. "We are now playing a game where we are investing in long-term trust between European states," says Neumann, which means that "we are free to give priority to economic concerns and that we have a better foresight of what will happen in the future because we trust the moves of the other states more than we otherwise could." The Kremlin however is not playing an economic game. Instead, says Neumann, "Russia will play the old game." A major reason why Putin's Russia does not want to play the West's economic game is simple: It can't. "Since Putin took over in 2000 he has had 14 years to overhaul the economy," argues Neumann. "Nothing, absolutely nothing has happened. So the very basis of Russian state power is becoming weaker and weaker." The West let Russia's intervention in Georgia go unchecked That wouldn't be much of an issue if Moscow were simply content with sitting on the sidelines of the Western game. However, the problem for Russia's self-image as a great power is that most of the countries in what it still considers its sphere of influence are attracted to and keen to join Europe's economic game instead of orbiting around Moscow. Great power ambitions Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Kremlin has witnessed this gravitational shift toward the EU with the result that Russia's sphere of influence as well its buffer zone from NATO territory has been shrinking continuously. From Moscow's domino theory perspective, Ukraine was only the last, but most important stone to fall under the West's spell. That's when Putin felt he needed to step in as he explained in his speech justifying the annexation of Crimea. "I think his grand strategy is the recreation of the Soviet Union 2.0, perhaps consisting this time predominantly of Russian speakers," says Marcin Zaborowski, director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw. And so Putin's first priority is to make sure that Ukraine does not join the Western camp, he adds. But Putin's high stakes power grab has also sent a strong warning to other countries mulling closer ties with Europe. "He is changing the rules of the game on the ground without actually doing anything to another 10 or a dozen former Soviet republics around Russia," explains Matthew Rojansky, director of the Kennan Institute in Washington, a think tank focusing on Russia and the successor states to the Soviet Union. Getting away with it "He has set the precedent that anything is possible in Russia's relations with those former republics. And I think if he is able to get away with South Ossetia and Abkhazia and after that with Crimea who knows exactly what will come next?" The lesson the West should learn from Moscow's behavior is this, says Neumann: "First with Georgia in 2008 and now with Crimea in 2014, Russia amply demonstrates that it is not interested in playing the Western game." In other words: the strategy to try to bind Russia into a Western-oriented interdependent, rules-based system has failed. At the same time, Putin has issued a clear challenge to Europe and the US. He is counting on the West to let his power grab stand without tough sanctions that would really make Moscow rethink its strategy. High stakes gamble All eyes are on the West's reaction to Moscow's power play "His assessment, I would imagine, is that the West does not have the guts and the tolerance for pain to impose these kinds of sanctions because in the short-term if there were an embargo on energy trade between Russia and the West, there would be as much pain for the West as there would be for Russia in the short-term," says Rojansky. As for the long-term, Putin is banking on the West's forgetfulness, lack of unity and stamina to uphold tough sanctions and to wean itself off its Russian energy addiction. And if the past is any indicator, argue the experts, he may just be right. On the other hand, Ukraine is a far more important country than Georgia. "I certainly hope he is not right," says Zaborowski. "This time we are really facing an issue which is of potentially existential nature for the EU itself. If he is proven to be correct then the Europeans will start to make very different calculations."We talk to Gerry Pond and Jevon MacDonald this month Since this is a longer interview than normal, here are direct links for each question for your viewing pleasure...enjoy! Questions: 1. What do you think the next step for local startups should be? 2. Where are we going to find the talent? 3. Do companies need to have connections to Silicon Valley to be successful? 4. What happens when startups in the region start to fail? 5. If we have a startup which is doing very well, when is it OK to take talent from other startups? 6. Are there too many accelerators in the region? 7. What should the startup community do when groups or induividals prey on the vulnerable? 8. How are we going to get coding into schools if so many other programs are being cut? 9. How are we going to get the whole region working together? 10. Final advice?But Telegraph Sport can reveal there is no prospect of a Neville return even if he is asked and the FA and Allardyce will have to look elsewhere for his assistant. Neville was appointed to Hodgson’s backroom staff in 2012 and spent four years with the national team, but is now considering his next move after a difficult spell in charge of Valencia and England’s failed Euro 2016 campaign. The departure of both Lewington and Neville leaves two vacancies open under Allardyce in the England set-up, meaning he could bring in one of his own trusted allies and still leave space for the FA to appoint a former player or a young coach who could be groomed for the top job. Sammy Lee, who worked under Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers and was a part-time England coach under Sven-Goran Eriksson, is available after leaving Southampton following the departure of Ronald Koeman.Video Transcript: You called Shengya Company today but a nice robotic voice on the other line said… “The number you called is now disconnected.” “Disconnected huh! How can that be uncontactable, this is the same database I used two years ago!” Savvy Marketer: Wait, did you just say two years? Hey, that’s a lifetime of wasted time and effort on dead contacts. Did you know that 35% of business data becomes obsolete every year? And if you’ve been using the same database a year or more ago, you’re more likely to be calling invalid or the worse, dead contacts. Get your database some life man! Let me share with you some secrets on how to increase your database with qualified contacts. Run a customer profiling campaign! If you’re not equipped to do the job, outsource an expert who has thought processes and tools to do the following jobs on your behalf. Verification of Data Data Scrubbing Deduplication Database Management Here’s How to Get Targeted List in Singapore with the Help of an Outsourced Lead Gen Company Caller: “Are these four different from one another? Can I just pick one process instead?” Savvy Marketer: Different, yes, but they are linking processes that work as one. Take a look at how it’s done. First Your service provider will send Initial Email copies to their email addresses to test the accuracy level of your database. “Delivered” emails, which return replies and show actions signify the activeness of the contacts. Second Data Verification: they telephone the contacts to verify all details like, business name, contact name, business address, phone numbers, emails, social media accounts and other important information. Third Data Scrubbing: missing details and goneaways are replaced. Fourth Deduplication: duplicates are deleted to give room for fresh, active contacts. Fifth Database Management: Remember to keep your database well-managed, updated and fully locked and loaded with qualified contacts. Once that’s done, you’ll discover embedded knowledge that would result to a productive, successful campaign. Caller: “Will I get someone to answer my call if I follow your tips?” Savvy Marketer: Go on and call. “Hi, thank you for calling Shengya Company, this is Mulan how may I help you” Improve sales performance by keeping your database updated! Learn more about our Data Cleansing and Management Services Talk with our Marketing Consultant Dial +65 6248.5023 or +65 3159.1112Anyone who knows me knows one simple thing: I really, really hate being wrong. Everyone does. Nobody likes the feeling you get when you realize you’re going to have to eat some humble pie. Mmmm… pecan humble pie I had one of these moments recently while registering a new car here on the island – a long process that takes several hours and visits to 4 different places. (Traffic police, bank, insurance company, inland revenue) At the very first stop, the police traffic division, we realized that we were missing one of the two vehicle identification numbers. (Unlike American cars, Japanese vehicles have two VINs) The number had not been entered on any of the previous documentation. I had this situation with a previous car, and they went ahead and entered it with just the one number. This time they insisted they needed both numbers. I pushed back and tried to explain that there was no number to be found. Several officers came out and looked over the car. They couldn’t find the number either, but suggested that maybe it was hidden by dirt. We actually drove to the store, bought some cleaning wipes, and wiped down the area where the officer thought the number would be. Still no number. After much more back and forth, they finally insisted that I take it to a mechanic because they would know where the number is. I was absolutely sure there was no number, but agreed to visit a mechanic, figuring I could get some kind of number that I could bring back. So we drove to the mechanic. It took him less than 30 seconds to wipe off some dirt and reveal the number. This was the exact instant I realized I had been wrong. A flood of anger, excuses, and blame filled my head: Stupid car. Stupid place to put a number. Stupid construction with all that dirt that covered up the number. Stupid traffic cops for not just taking the one number and wasting all this time. A second later, however, I was able to kick back to rationality. I smiled at the young mechanic, thanked him warmly, and give him some money, even though he wasn’t expecting or asking for any. I got back into the car and immediately explained how I had been wrong and the traffic cops had been right. There was a number, and just like they suggested, it had been covered by dirt. We went back, got our form stamped, and sailed through the rest of the steps without incident. Specific lesson learned: Sometimes the thing you need is right in front of you, but obscured by filthy buildup. General lessons learned: 1) Don’t be bull-headed. 2) Don’t be afraid to ask an expert for help. Admit to yourself that you’re wrong Admit to others that you’ve made a mistake Apologize if your mistake has harmed others Resist the very human urge to blame others – at least some of the blame lies with you Most importantly, think about what you can change to avoid making the same mistake again It’s not at all easy, but if you can follow these steps, you’ll grow, evolve, and become better at everything in life. If instead you don’t admit it, blame others, and refuse to learn from your mistake, you’ll fail, stagnate, and keep making the exact same mistakes… over and over again.By Todd Starnes It was a bad day for America. It was an ugly day. A former Bernie Sanders campaign volunteer who hated President Trump opened fire on Republicans during baseball practice Wednesday. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is in critical condition. Two incredibly brave Capitol Police officers were also injured along with a House aide. Click here for a free subscription to Todd’s newsletter: a must-read for patriots! Rep. Mark Walker told NBC News it appeared the “gunman was there to kill as many Republican members as possible.” Rep. Rodney Davis blamed what he called “political rhetorical terrorism. “This political discourse has led to gunfire,” the Illinois Republican, said. What I’m about to say is politically incorrect, but it needs to be said. Our great nation is teetering on the brink of political anarchy. And the blame lies with Hollywood and public universities and left-wing activists. Their hateful rhetoric over the past year — their quest to remove President Trump from office – has now given birth to bloodshed. This time at the hands of a man who hated President Trump – a man who wanted to kill as many Republicans as he could. Good people gunned down because of their political affilaition. Make no mistake – the man who pulled the trigger bears the responsibility for the bloodshed. But we would be foolish if we did not address the festering anti-Trump cancer that has infected the left. What about the D-list comedian who beheaded the president or the taxpayer-funded production called, “Killing Republicans” or the Shakespearean drama where Caesar was depicted as President Trump? What about the high school teacher who made a bet on whether the president would be assassinated or the one who pretended to execute the president inside her classroom? Or how about the professor who said Republicans must be executed and the president must hang? Or the other professor who said House Republicans should be lined up and shot? On Wednesday – those professors nearly got their wish – when a baseball field came perilously close to becoming a killing field. We can be better than that, America. We must be better than that.Banta writes: "The difference between the extremely rich - the top 0.1% - and all the rest of us has turned into something with the potential for destroying the fabric of our society and reducing our democracy to a hollow shell." Occupy protesters warn of class war ahead. (photo: AFP) For Class Warfare, There's the 1%, and Then There's the 0.1% By Henry Banta, Nieman Watchdog he problem of income inequality has at last become a subject for political discussion. Commendable as this is there is something misleading about the current discussion that the press needs to help correct. There is a point where sheer magnitude can change the fundamental nature of a thing – when something becomes so big, so large, so immense, that it morphs into something very different from all else that otherwise would be in the same category. The staggering growth in the wealth and income of the top 0.1% is just such a thing. It is not just bigger than the gap between the 1% and all the rest, it is so big that it presents a vastly different set of problems. I'm not suggesting that the difference between the top 1% and the other 99% is not a problem or even that the differences between the top 5% or even top 10% and all the rest of us is not a problem. They are very serious problems. But the difference between the extremely rich – the top 0.1% – and all the rest of us has turned into something with the potential for destroying the fabric of our society and reducing our democracy to a hollow shell. This is not a new idea. Some time ago David Cay Johnston (who won a Pulitzer for his tax reporting) suggested that the really important gap was not between the top 1% and all the rest of us, but rather between the top 0.1% and everyone else. Indeed, looking at the gap between the top 1% and all the rest is misleading because it hides how insanely large a share is taken up by this tiny 0.1% – even when compared with the share of the bottom half of the top 1%. All this is not to say that the gaps within the bottom 99% are unimportant. They are, of course, a big deal, but in no way are they as big a deal as the gap at the top. Talking about it in the same way obscures the enormity of the gap at the top. Johnston shows that the disparity within the top 0.1% is actually greater than the disparity within the remaining 99%: "In 2009, the income entry point for being in the top 1 percent was slightly less than $344,000...The median income taxpayer – half made more, half made less – made slightly less than $33,000 that year (and their average adjusted gross income was under $15,300, or less than $300 per week). The median income taxpayer would need 10.6 years to earn as much as someone at the low end of the top 1 percent. Using 2010 estimates, Emmanuel Saez (University of California) reports that the average income of those 140,550 families in the top 0.1% was $2,802,020. Within this tiny fraction income is even more highly concentrated; the top 15,617 families in the top 0.01% had an average income of $23,846,950. (Editor's note: The New York Times ran a profile of Saez on April 16th.) Again, none of this suggests that the broader issue of inequality is not important. It goes to the basic values of economic opportunity and fairness that are the ultimate justification and moral foundation of our market system. Unfortunately a large part of the upper class has opted out of the world that most Americans live in. Perhaps Charles Murray (Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010) is right when he identifies a new upper class that lives apart in affluent upscale neighborhoods with people much like themselves in terms of income and education. They send their children to private schools, never serve in the military, and almost never come in contact with people who do not have at least a college education. He may be right in seeing the increasing isolation of this class as a serious problem, but what Murray may be wrong about is its power – certainly relative to the very top. There are at least three things that distinguish the lower ranks of the well-off from the very rich, the top 0.1%. First, the very rich are uniquely able to dramatically affect the political process. The current Republican primary season has given us a spectacular demonstration. Without Sheldon Adelson's wealth (about $24.9 billion, according to Forbes) how long would Newt Gingrich have been able to keep his campaign alive? The bottom part of the top 1% may be rich but how many can buy TV time to promote their own causes and candidates? How many can hire scores of lobbyists to promote their own legislation? How many can afford battalions of consultants and lawyers who can endlessly parse the economic opportunities available in a global market? How many can use off-shore financial institutions to avoid taxes? The corridors of power are uniquely the territory of the very rich. Second, about 60% of the income of the top 0.1% comes from the corporate and financial worlds. The sources of income for those a notch or two down from the very top seem to be far more persified than those at the top. This lower end of the scale appears to include very successful physicians, lawyers, corporate middle managers, entrepreneurs, sports figures – people whose wealth and income may be in multiple millions, but not billions. In contrast, those with the very highest incomes come from the top ranks of corporate management and finance. What is most notable about this group is that their income has absolutely exploded over a very few decades without a decent explanation. Perhaps an argument can be made that the wealth and income of those below the top 0.1% represent the rewards of success. But this argument has a hollow ring when made for the very top. The enormous increase in top management compensation has defied all efforts to relate it to performance. In several articles on wealth in the Washington Post, Peter Whoriskey (June 13, 2011, June 23, 2011, Sept. 22, 2011, Dec. 5, 2011) reported, among other things, that executive compensation in major firms has roughly quadrupled since 1970s. No compelling reason has been offered as to why virtually all the benefit of the economy's increase in productivity should go the very top while middle class wages stagnate. After the financial crisis of 2007-8 the financial sector's claim to its massive share of the GDP is nothing short of ludicrous. This issue of the income source is often ignored by those who would confuse the question of the astronomically rich with the ordinary rich. In a recent op ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Phil Gramm and Steve McMillin attributed the growth of inequality to changes in the tax code that reduced the personal rate below that of the corporate rate, creating an incentive to turn what otherwise would have been corporate income into personal income. They also attribute it to Reagan's promotion of a golden era of entrepreneurial enthusiasm. But this explains very little regarding the inequality at the 0.1% level. The third important aspect of this monstrous skewing of income to the very top is that dealing with it may present an insurmountable difficulty for anyone who thinks that it is a problem that public policy should address. The conventional approaches to inequality, education and tax reform are plausible enough in the context of the 99% versus the 1%, but the concentration at the very top presents a special problem. Education is hardly relevant; except in very rare cases it is implausible that the top 0.1% owe their wealth and income to superior education. As to tax reform, it most certainly could provide a solution. But tax reform on the scale necessary to make a dent in the position of the top 0.1% would have to be on a massive scale, restoring a degree of progressivity not seen since Eisenhower. The Tax Policy Center notes that the top 0.1% received 38% of all capital income in 2011. The pursuit of better education and modest tax reform has broad appeal. As a means of restoring some measure of economic mobility they are essential, and in a political sense they are also safe. They are not likely to trigger cries of "class warfare;" indeed they can be used to avoid confronting the problem of the very rich. Three things will be necessary to face this problem. First, real progressivity must be restored to the tax code. This requires very steep rates at the very top, and it requires the elimination of the vast opportunities for avoidance or evasion in off-shore tax havens. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the question of corporate governance must be honestly addressed. Corporate boards of directors must be discouraged from incestuously and unconscionably wasting resources on extravagant management compensation. Finally, the sheer scale of the financial sector must be reduced. At present the financial sector is able to suck far too much out of the economy for the service it provides – both in terms of money and talent. It can do this because of insanely generous tax treatment and the excessively permissive regulatory environment it currently enjoys. None of this will be easy. The very rich are unlikely show any remorse over their success in accumulation a massive share of the nation' wealth. They can be
de Lacun, ki fut curatori de Canpitanu, Cumita d'Orrù (... ) du, A. Sufreri et Iohanni de Serra, filiu de su curatori, Petru Soriga et Gosantini Toccu Mullina, M(... ) gi Calcaniu de Pirri, C. de Solanas, C. Pullu de Dergei, Iorgi Cabra de Kerarius, Iorgi Sartoris, Laurenz(... ) ius, G. Toccu de Kerarius et P. Marzu de Quartu iossu et prebiteru Albuki de Kibullas et P. de Zippari et M. Gregu, M. de Sogus de Palma et G. Corsu de sancta Ilia et A. Carena, G. Artea de Palma et Oliueri de Kkarda (... ) pisanu et issu gonpanioni. Et sunt istimonius de logu Arzzoccu de Maroniu et Gonnari de Laco(n) mancosu et Trogotori Dezzori de Dolia. Et est facta custa carta abendu si lla iudegi a manu sua sa curatoria de Canpitanu pro logu salbadori (et) ki ll'(aet) deuertere, apat anathema (daba) Pater et Filiu et Sanctu Ispiritu, daba XII Appostolos et IIII Euangelistas, XVI Prophetas, XXIV Seniores, CCC(XVIII) Sanctus Patris et sorti apat cun Iuda in ifernum inferiori. Siat et F. I. A. T. ^ Ego Benedictus operaius de Santa Maria de Pisas Ki la fatho custa carta cum voluntate di Domino e de Santa Maria e de Santa Simplichi e de indice Barusone de Gallul e de sa muliere donna Elene de Laccu Reina appit kertu piscupu Bernardu de Kivita, cum Iovanne operariu e mecum e cum Previtero Monte Magno Kercate nocus pro Santa Maria de vignolas... et pro sa doma de VillaAlba e de Gisalle cum omnia pertinentia is soro.... essende facta custa campania cun sii Piscupu a boluntate de pare torraremus su Piscupu sa domo de Gisalle pro omnia sua e de sos clericos suos, e issa domo de Villa Alba, pro precu Kindoli mandarun sos consolos, e nois demus illi duas ankillas, ki farmi cojuvatas, suna cun servo suo in loco de rnola, e sattera in templo cun servii de malu sennu: a suna naran Maria Trivillo, a sattera jorgia Furchille, suna fuit de sa domo de Villa Alba, e sattera fuit de Santu Petru de Surake... Testes Judike Barusone, Episcopu Jovanni de Galtellì, e Prite Petru I upu e Gosantine Troppis e prite Marchu e prite Natale e prite Gosantino Gulpio e prite Gomita Gatta e prite Comita Prias e Gerardu de Conettu... e atteros rneta testes. Anno dom.milles.centes.septuag.tertio ^ Vois messer N. electu potestate assu regimentu dessa terra de Sassari daue su altu Cumone de Janna azes jurare a sancta dei evangelia, qui fina assu termen a bois ordinatu bene et lejalmente azes facher su offitiu potestaria in sa dicta terra de Sassari... ^... L'Alguer castillo fuerte bien murado / con frutales por tierra muy divinos / y por la mar coral fino eltremado / es ciudad de mas de mil vezinos... ^ Jacinto Arnal de Bolea (1636), El Forastero, Antonio Galcerin editor, Cagliari - "....ofreciéndonos a la vista la insigne ciudad de Càller, corte que me dixeron era de aquel reino.....La hermosura de las damas, el buen gusto de su alino, lo prendido y bien saconado de lo curioso-dandole vida con mil donaires-, la grandeza en los titulos, el lucimientos en los cavalleros, el concurso grande de la nobleza y el agasajo para un forastero no os los podrà zifrar mi conocimiento. Basta para su alavanza el deciros que alcuna vez, con olvido en mi peregrinaciò y con descuido en mis disdichas, discurria por los templos no estrano y por las calles no atajado, me hallava con evidencias grandes que era aquel sitio el alma de Madrid, que con tanta urbanidad y cortesìa se exercitavan en sus nobles correspondencias" ^ Juan Francisco Carmona Cagliari, 1610–1670, Alabança de San George obispu suelense: Citizen (in Spanish): “You, shepherd! What frightens you? Have you never seen some people gathering?”; Shepherd (in Sardinian): “Are you asking me if I'm married?”; Citizen (in Spanish): “You're not getting a grasp of what I say, do you? Oh, what an idiot shepherd!”; Shepherd (in Sardinian): “I'm actually thirsty and tired”; Citizen (in Spanish): “I'd better speak in Sardinian so that we understand each other better. (in Sardinian) Tell me, shepherd, where are you from?”; Shepherd: “I'm from Suelli, my lord, I’ve been ordered to bring my lord a present”; Citizen: “Ah, now you understand what I said, don't you!””. (“Ciudadano: Que tiens pastor, de que te espantas? que nunca has visto pueblo congregado?; Pastor: E ite mi nais, si seu coiadu?; Ciudadano: Que no me entiendes? o, que pastor bozal aqui me vino; Pastor: A fidi tengu sidi e istau fadiau; Ciudadano: Mejor sera que en sardo tambien able pues algo dello se y nos oigamos. Nada mi su pastori de undi seis?; Pastor: De Suedi mi Sennori e m’anti cumandadu portari unu presenti a monsignori; Ciudadano: Jmoi jà mi jntendeis su que apu nadu”). ^ Jn Dei nomine Amen, noverint comente sende personalmente constituidos in presensia mia notariu et de sos testimongios infrascrittos sa viuda Caterina Casada et Coco mugere fuit de su Nigola Casada jàganu, Franziscu Casada et Joanne Casada Frades, filios de su dittu Nigola et Caterina Casada de sa presente cittade faguinde custas cosas gratis e de certa sciensia insoro, non per forza fraudu, malìssia nen ingannu nen pro nexuna attera sinistra macchinassione cun tottu su megius modu chi de derettu poden et deven, attesu et cunsideradu chi su dittu Nigola Casada esseret siguida dae algunos corpos chi li dein de notte, pro sa quale morte fettin querella et reclamo contra sa persona de Pedru Najtana, pro paura de sa justissia, si ausentait, in sa quale aussensia est dae unu annu pattinde multos dannos, dispesas, traballos e disusios. ^ Andrea Manca dell'Arca, an agronomist from Sassari (a city which, like most of Northern Sardinia, had been historically more exposed via Corsica to the Italian culture than the rest of the island) had so illustrated how Italian was still perceived by the locals: "Italian is as familiar to me as Latin, French or other foreign languages which one only partially learns through grammar study and the books, without fully getting the hang of them"[...] (Original text: [...]È tanto nativa per me la lingua italiana, come la latina, francese o altre forestiere che solo s’imparano in parte colla grammatica, uso e frequente lezione de’ libri, ma non si possiede appieno[...]). Ricordi di Santu Lussurgiu di Francesco Maria Porcu In Santu Lussurgiu dalle Origini alla "Grande Guerra" – Grafiche editoriali Solinas – Nuoro, 2005 ^ The introduction of Italian as a foreign language to the Sardinian villages is exemplified in a passage from the contemporary Francesco (Frantziscu) Masala's "Sa limba est s'istoria de su mundu", Condaghes, pg.4: <<When I was a little kid growing up in the village, we all used to speak in the Sardinian language. We did not speak any other language in our homes. And I began to know all the things of the world in the native language. At the age of six, I went to first grade and the school teacher forbade me as well as my peers to speak in the only language we knew: from that moment on, we had to speak in Italian, "the language of the Fatherland", he told us seriously. Thus, the children of our village would come to school bright and happy, and walk out of school empty-headed and with a gloomy look on our faces.>> (Original text: "A sos tempos de sa pitzinnìa, in bidda, totus chistionaiamus in limba sarda. In domos nostras no si faeddaiat atera limba. E deo, in sa limba nadìa, comintzei a connoscher totu sas cosas de su mundu. A sos ses annos, intrei in prima elementare e su mastru de iscola proibeit, a mie e a sos fedales mios, de faeddare in s'unica limba chi connoschiamus: depiamus chistionare in limba italiana, «la lingua della Patria», nos nareit, seriu seriu, su mastru de iscola. Gai, totus sos pitzinnos de 'idda, intraian in iscola abbistos e allirgos e nde bessian tontos e cari-tristos.") ^ Problemas e aficàntzias de sa pianificatzioni linguistica in Sardigna. Limba, Istòria, Sotziedadi / Problemi e prospettive della pianificazione linguistica in Sardegna. Lingua, Storia, Società, Youcanprint] Istanza del Prof. A. Sanna sulla pronuncia della Facoltà di Lettere in relazione alla difesa del patrimonio etnico-linguistico sardo. Il prof.Antonio Sanna fa a questo proposito una dichiarazione: < Lilliu ). La Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia dell'Università di Cagliari, coerentemente con queste premesse con l'istituzione di una Scuola Superiore di Studi Sardi, è pertanto invitata ad assumere l'iniziativa di proporre alle autorità politiche della Regione Autonoma e dello Stato il riconoscimento della condizione di minoranza etnico-linguistica per la Sardegna e della lingua sarda come lingua < > della minoranza. È di conseguenza opportuno che si predispongano tutti i provvedimenti a livello scolastico per la difesa e conservazione dei valori tradizionali della lingua e della cultura sarda e, in questo contesto, di tutti i dialetti e le tradizioni culturali presenti in Sardegna (ci si intende riferire al Gallurese, al Sassarese, all'Algherese e al Ligure-Carlofortino). In ogni caso tali provvedimenti dovranno comprendere necessariamente, ai livelli minimi dell'istruzione, la partenza dell'insegnamento del sardo e dei vari dialetti parlati in Sardegna, l'insegnamento nella scuola dell'obbligo riservato ai Sardi o coloro che dimostrino un'adeguata conoscenza del sardo, o tutti quegli altri provvedimenti atti a garantire la conservazione dei valori tradizionali della cultura sarda. È bene osservare come, nel quadro della diffusa tendenza a livello internazionale per la difesa delle lingue delle minoranze minacciate, provvedimenti simili a quelli proposti sono presi in Svizzera per la minoranza ladina fin dal 1938 (48000 persone), in Inghilterra per il Galles, in Italia per le minoranze valdostana, slovena e ultimamente ladina (15000 persone), oltre che per quella tedesca; a proposito di queste ultime e specificamente in relazione al nuovo ordinamento scolastico alto-atesino. Il presidente del Consiglio on. Colombo, nel raccomandare ala Camera le modifiche da apportare allo Statuto della Regione Trentino-Alto Adige (il cosiddetto "pacchetto"), < >, ha ritenuto di dover sottolineare l'opportunità "che i giovani siano istruiti nella propria lingua materna da insegnanti appartenenti allo stesso gruppo linguistico"; egli inoltre aggiungeva che "solo eliminando ogni motivo di rivendicazione si crea il necessario presupposto per consentire alla scuola di svolgere la sua funzione fondamentale in un clima propizio per la migliore formazione degli allievi". Queste chiare parole del presidente del Consiglio ci consentono di credere che non si voglia compiere una discriminazione nei confronti della minoranza sarda, ma anche per essa valga il principio enunciato dall'opportunità dell'insegnamento della lingua materna ad opera di insegnanti appartenenti allo stesso gruppo linguistico, onde consentire alla scuola di svolgere anche in Sardegna la sua funzione fondamentale in un clima propizio alla migliore formazione per gli allievi. Si chiarisce che tutto ciò non è sciovinismo né rinuncia a una cultura irrinunciabile, ma una civile e motivata iniziativa per realizzare in Sardegna una vera scuola, una vera rinascita, "in un rapporto di competizione culturale con lo stato (...) che arricchisce la Nazione" (Lilliu)>>. Il Consiglio unanime approva le istanze proposte dal prof. Sanna e invita le competenti autorità politiche a promuovere tutte le iniziative necessarie, sul piano sia scolastico che politico-economico, a sviluppare coerentemente tali principi, nel contempo acquisendo dati atti a mettere in luce il suesposto stato. Cagliari, 19 Febbraio 1971. [Farris, Priamo (2016)., Youcanprint] References [ edit ] Bibliography [ edit ] Alberto G. Areddu. Le origini "albanesi" della civiltà in Sardegna, Naples: 2007. , Naples: 2007. Roberto Bolognesi & Wilbert Heeringa. Sardegna tra tante lingue: il contatto linguistico in Sardegna dal Medioevo a oggi. Cagliari: Condaghes, 2005. . Cagliari: Condaghes, 2005. Roberto Bolognesi. The Phonology of Campidanian Sardinian: a Unitary Account of a Self-Organizing Structure. The Hague: Holland Academic Graphics, 1998. . The Hague: Holland Academic Graphics, 1998. Roberto Bolognesi. Le identità linguistiche dei sardi. Cagliari: Condaghes, 2013. . Cagliari: Condaghes, 2013. 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Antonio Lepori, Dizionario Italiano-Sardo Campidanese, Castello, Cagliari, 1988. , Castello, Cagliari, 1988. Antonio Lepori, Gramàtiga sarda po is campidanesus, C.R., Quartu S. Elena, 2001. , C.R., Quartu S. Elena, 2001. Francesco Mameli, Il logudorese e il gallurese, Soter, 1998. , Soter, 1998. Giuseppe Marci. In presenza di tutte le lingue del mondo. Cagliari: Centro di studi filologici sardi/Cuec, 2005. . Cagliari: Centro di studi filologici sardi/Cuec, 2005. Mauro Maxia. Lingua limba linga: Indagine sull’uso dei codici linguistici in tre comuni della Sardegna settentrionale. Cagliari: Condaghes, 2006. . Cagliari: Condaghes, 2006. Mauro Maxia. “La situazione sociolinguistica della Sardegna settentrionale”, in Sa diversidade de sas limbas in Europa, Itàlia e Sardigna. Bilartzi: Regione Autònoma de Sardigna, 2010. . Bilartzi: Regione Autònoma de Sardigna, 2010. Guido Mensching. Einführung in die sardische Sprache. Bonn: Romanistischer Verlag, 1992. . Bonn: Romanistischer Verlag, 1992. Guido Mensching & Eva-Maria Remberger. “Sardinian”, in The Oxford Guide to the Romance Languages, eds. Adam Ledgeway & Martin Maiden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 270–291. , eds. Adam Ledgeway & Martin Maiden. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 270–291. Giuseppe Mercurio. S'allega baroniesa. La parlata sardo-baroniese, fonetica, morfologia, sintassi. Milan: 1997. . Milan: 1997. Giulio Paulis, I nomi di luogo della Sardegna, Sassari, 1987. , Sassari, 1987. Giulio Paulis, I nomi popolari delle piante in Sardegna, Sassari, 1992. , Sassari, 1992. Marcello Pili, Novelle lanuseine: poesie, storia, lingua, economia della Sardegna, La sfinge, Ariccia, 2004. , La sfinge, Ariccia, 2004. Michelangelo Pira, Sardegna tra due lingue, Della Torre, Cagliari, 1984. , Della Torre, Cagliari, 1984. Massimo Pittau. Grammatica del sardo-nuorese. Bologna: Patron, 1972. . Bologna: Patron, 1972. Massimo Pittau. Grammatica della lingua sarda. Sassari: Delfino, 1991. . Sassari: Delfino, 1991. Massimo Pittau. La lingua Sardiana o dei Protosardi. Cagliari: 1995. . Cagliari: 1995. Massimo Pittau. I nomi di paesi città regioni monti fiumi della Sardegna. Cagliari: 1997. . Cagliari: 1997. Massimo Pittau. Dizionario della lingua sarda: fraseologico ed etimologico, 2 vols. Cagliari: Gasperini, 2000–2003. , 2 vols. Cagliari: Gasperini, 2000–2003. Vincenzo Raimondo Porru, Saggio di gramatica sul dialetto sardo meridionale, Cagliari, 1811. Vincenzo Raimondo Porru, Nou Dizionariu Universali Sardu-Italianu. Cagliari, 1832 . Cagliari, 1832 Gerhard Rohlfs. Le gascon: Études de philologie pyrénéenne, 2nd edn. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer; Pau: Marrimpouey Jeune, 1977 (1st edn. 1935). , 2nd edn. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer; Pau: Marrimpouey Jeune, 1977 (1st edn. 1935). Antonino Rubattu. Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna. Sassari: Edes, 2003. . Sassari: Edes, 2003. Antonino Rubattu. Sardo, italiano, sassarese, gallurese. Sassari: Edes, 2003. . Sassari: Edes, 2003. Giovanni Spano, Ortografia Sarda Nazionale. Cagliari, Reale Stamperia, 1840. . Cagliari, Reale Stamperia, 1840. Giovanni Spano, Vocabolario Sardo-Italiano e Italiano-Sardo. Cagliari: 1851–1852. . Cagliari: 1851–1852. Shigeaki Sugeta, Su bocabolariu sinotticu nugoresu – giapponesu – italianu: sas 1500 paragulas fundamentales de sa limba sarda, Edizioni Della Torre, 2000 , Edizioni Della Torre, 2000 Shigeaki Sugeta, Cento tratti distintivi del sardo tra le lingue romanze: una proposta, 2010. , 2010. Salvatore Tola, La letteratura in Lingua Sarda. Testi, autori, vicende, CUEC. , CUEC. Max Leopold Wagner. Historische Lautlehre des Sardinischen. Halle an der Saale: 1941. . Halle an der Saale: 1941. Max Leopold Wagner. La lingua sarda: Storia, spirito e forma. Berne: 1950. German translation: Geschichte der sardischen Sprache. Trans., ed. and bibliography added by Giovanni Masala. Foreward by Giulio Paulis. Tübingen: 2002. . Berne: 1950. Max Leopold Wagner. Dizionario etimologico sardo, 3 vols. Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1960–1964. , 3 vols. Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1960–1964. Heinz Jürgen Wolf. Toponomastica barbaricina. Nuoro: 1998. Media related to Sardinian language at Wikimedia Commons“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.” —Leo Rosten Financial success is a powerful motivator. And it controls the lives of many. It chooses occupations. It dictates how time, energy, and resources are spent. It influences relationships, schedules, and families. To some, it even becomes an all-consuming passion that leaves broken people and morality in its wake. Unfortunately, it is not the greatest call we have on our lives. In fact, compared to significance, it fades quickly. Consider the limitations of success: Success ebbs and flows with the economy. As recent years have proven, financial success is always at the mercy of a national economy and increasingly, a world economy. When the economy takes a downturn (as it always does), so does net worth. As recent years have proven, financial success is always at the mercy of a national economy and increasingly, a world economy. When the economy takes a downturn (as it always does), so does net worth. Success ends on the day you die. On the day you die, all wealth and possessions will be immediately transferred to someone else. And even if you get to pick where they go, the reality is that person is always someone other than you. On the day you die, all wealth and possessions will be immediately transferred to someone else. And even if you get to pick where they go, the reality is that person is always someone other than you. Success is never enough. Financial success will never satisfy the inmost desires of our soul. No matter the amount of financial success earned, it always leaves us wanting more. On the other hand, compare the advantages of significance: Significance always lasts. Significance will always outlast you. Even when you are no longer present, your significance will still be yours. And nothing can ever take that away from you. Significance will always outlast you. Even when you are no longer present, your significance will still be yours. And nothing can ever take that away from you. Significance carries on. Significance keeps on giving. When you positively change the life of another human being… and that person changes the life of another… who impacts the life of another… who influences another… Significance keeps on giving. When you positively change the life of another human being… and that person changes the life of another… who impacts the life of another… who influences another… Significance satisfies our soul. While the thirst for success is never quenched, significance satisfies our deepest heart and soul. It allows us to lay our head on our pillow each night confident that we lived a valuable and fulfilling day. Unfortunately, many people spend most of their lives chasing financial success. And while some achieve it more than others, almost all find it unfulfilling in the end. When they begin to shift their life focus to significance instead of success, they wonder why they wasted most of their life chasing something different. Don’t waste any of your life. Seek significance today. Here are just a few practical steps to get you started: 1. Realize life won’t last forever. Everyone knows that life will come to an end – but no one likes to think about it. That’s unfortunate. As soon as you start thinking about the end of your life, you begin to live differently in the present. You are never too young to start thinking about your legacy. How do you want people to remember you? And what do you really want to accomplish before you die? Make a list. Post it somewhere… because rarely will “drive a really nice car” ever appear. 2. Live a life worth copying. Live with character, integrity, and morality. Your life should look the same in private as it does in public. And while no one is perfect, just begin striving for a life of integrity. It will be noticed. 3. Focus on people. Not dollars. Begin to transfer your life’s focus from your banking account to the people around you. Rather than worrying about the next get-rich-quick scheme, spend that energy focusing on your child, your neighbor, or the disadvantaged in your community. 4. Start with one solitary person. Find one person who needs you today. Start there. Significance may be as inexpensive as one cup of coffee or as simple as one heartfelt question. If you are unsure where to start, try this, “No, how are you really doing?” 5. Find a career outside your job. Sometimes, our day job leads to significance. But if yours does not, find a “career of significance” outside of your job by volunteering in a local organization. Most likely, your gifts, talents, or expertise are desperately needed. Use your job to pay the bills, but use your “new career” to pay your soul. 6. Realize significance is not dependent upon success. Too many people fall into the trap of thinking, “Once I make it rich, I’ll become significant.” This is rarely the case. Choose significance today. Begin striving for it now. If, then, financial success comes your way in the future, your mind will be in a better place to truly use your new success for broader significance. 7. Reduce your expenses. Learn to live with less. Living with less frees up your life to invest into others. And living with reduced expenses allows you the freedom to not spend so much time at the office and more resources on others. 8. Read biographies of people who sought significance rather than success. If you prefer recent history, read about Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela. If you prefer older stories, give Mahatma Gandhi or Harriet Tubman a shot. Either way, their lives will inspire you to make more of yours. Rarely do people look back on their lives and savor their professional achievements. Instead, they celebrate the impact they have had in the lives of others. Give yourself much to look back and celebrate. Stop chasing success. Start seeking significance. Image: Roberto TrmBILL O'REILLY: The Family Policy Institute of Washington State asked some students at Seattle University about gender. [...] O'REILLY: Again, that was a legitimate survey, not "Watters World." Joining us from Santa Barbara, the sage of Southern California, Dennis Miller. You know, things are different since we attended college, Miller? DENNIS MILLER: I couldn't see anything else but the difference in college for four years. O'REILLY: Me too. MILLER: These kids can't see the forest for the lack of a tree, for God's sake. What, are they kidding me? You know what I see in that video, Billy? I see fear, honest to God. People will say, oh they're stupid. They're not stupid. Kids aren't stupid. Are they brainwashed a little? Yeah, sure they are. But mostly I see fear. If you say anything on a college campus now, you're going to be ostracized. They can't even listen to "Smoking in the Boy's Room" by Brownsville Station. It's got to be "Smoking in the Transroom." Nobody can do anything over there. O'REILLY: But it is -- what I think is happening, and I think that's a pretty good analysis, is that they're scared. Alright, they don't want to say anything politically correct. They don't want to say, you know what? There is a pretty big difference between men and women. There's a difference in the way -- MILLER: You hope it's a big difference. You hope it's a big difference. O'REILLY: Well, look, the difference is in the way they dress, the way they conduct themselves in the marketplace. Men are usually savages, where women are kind and gentle. [Bleeps] O'REILLY: We're going to have to bleep that, Miller. We just bleeped Miller, he said an anatomical word, but we bleeped it. But what I'm trying to get at here is, you're right, they're afraid. And you're right, they're not all as dumb as they look. But they really believe that equality means there shouldn't be any difference in gender. That's what it should be, Miller. That's what the rainbow pot is. MILLER: Maybe I'm not smart enough to follow all of this, but I remember when I was in high school. And if you are going to give high school guys -- and I remember three or four lunatics in my high school -- a reason to show up at school one day and say they feel like women that day and they want to go into the girl's locker room, I can't exactly express specifically what's going to happen, but it ain't going to be pretty. It ain't going to be pretty. O'REILLY: Well, here is my solution to this whole problem, that President Obama, the Supreme Court, and Congress should all gather in the nation's capital and be shown the movie Animal House. Alright? They should all have to watch the movie with your pal John Belushi, and then afterward we'll have a big discussion. Because there are differences between men and women, and people on both sides, there can be extremes.Place in Northern Province, Sierra Leone Lungi is a small coastal town in Port Loko District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The town lies approximately 40 miles north of the district capital Port Loko[2] and had a population of 4,185 in the 2004 census [1] with a recent population estimated at 8,091 [3]. Lungi is best known for being home to the Lungi International Airport, the international airport that serves Sierra Leone. The sea separates Lungi from Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. Some of the most luxurious hotels and restaurants in Sierra Leone are based in Lungi. There are frequent commercial helicopter, hovercraft, buses and ferry-service to Freetown and other parts of Sierra Leone from Lungi. History [ edit ] Dala Modu Dumbuya, a Susu trader from Wonkafong, Sumbuya settled here in 1806 after being based in Freetown for over ten years. However he was accused of slave trading. The town was previously called Madina, but that name is now used for Madina, Port Loko District, a small settlement to the south. Under Dala Modu the location became an important trading centre between Freetown and the rivers further north. It was also the major Muslim centre along this stretch of coast.[2] References [ edit ] ^ Republic of Sierra Leone: 2004 Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report on Population Distribution, Migration and Urbanisation in Sierra Leone. Ibrahim Mohamed Sesay, Andrew A. Karam, Jinnah J. Ngobeh. Published November 2006. ^ Mouser, Bruce; Graf
28 runoff.Dismantling Canada: Stephen Harper's New Conservative Agenda Brooke Jeffrey McGill-Queen's University Press (2015) So many books have been published about Stephen Harper (most of them hostile) that they have become a literary genre of their own. "Harperlit," as I call it, is a distinctly Canadian form of political horror story. Tories Promise Balanced Budget, But So What? read more Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners ‘Punch to the Gut’ Musical on Residential Schools Returns to Vancouver Children of God has been shaped by intense audience reactions, says director Corey Payette. Like other horror genres, this one involves the release of some awful monster, which was long thought safely buried. In Harperlit books, the monster is his own record; Harper's early outrages have been forgotten under layers of more recent scandals. Harperlit authors know that the print and online news media have left us with 24-hour attention spans at best, so the old stuff has the nightmare shock of a PTSD (Post Tory Scandal Dismay) flashback: F-35s! Attawapiskat! Robocalls! The effect of these nightmare flashbacks is to make Stephen Harper look not only omnipotent but like the fulfilment of ancient prophecy: we can see where he's going in those early years as he founded Reform, then took over its successor the Canadian Alliance, and devoured the vestiges of the once-great Progressive Conservatives. He couldn't be stopped then, and still less can he be stopped now in the last year of a majority government. Harperlit springs from two ancient beliefs: First, that if you can name and explain your enemy, you can defeat him -- like guessing Rumpelstiltskin's name. Second is the superstition that "if only the Tsar knew," he would end the injustices we peasants suffer. In Harperlit the Tsar is the Canadian people, all-powerful yet willfully ignorant of what's being done in their name. Baffled by the rise of this starkly anti-Canadian man, his opponents resort to the traditional defence of writing polemics against him. Like Crown prosecutors going after Mike Duffy, Harperlit authors dig into his known background, marshal their documentary evidence, summon their witnesses, and make the most logical argument they can to show how subversive Stephen Harper and his allies have been. That's how you're supposed to argue a case. But Harper supporters don't read Harperlit. It's a genre confined to a specific audience: educated people who would never vote for Harper in the first place and don't even know the people who do. So why review yet another Harperlit book by yet another academic? Brooke Jeffrey's book is standard Harperlit in many ways, especially its summary of Harper's career since 2006. It's well written and well documented as she guides us through almost a decade of Harper horror stories. Her Liberal bias is visible but not excessive. She used to be the federal Liberals' research director and published an earlier book on the Liberals' Chrétien-Martin civil wars. A key insight Harper's critics have been quick to point out the cultish influence of the Austrian economist Friedrich von Hayek and the think-tanks inspired by Margaret Thatcher. Many have commented on his "visceral" hatred of the Liberal Party. All true, no doubt, but only Jeffrey identifies the fatal implication of these influences, and that makes her book the best of the Harperlit polemics: Stephen Harper knows he's right, and being right is all he needs to justify his authoritarian style. This certainly is what leads Conservatives to view opposing policy positions as not simply different, but wrong, and hence easily dismissed. "The rigidity of [Conservatives'] policy positions," Jeffrey says, "can be traced back to a firm (and unprecedented) conviction in the rightness of their beliefs. This certainly is what leads them to see opposing policy positions as not simply different... but wrong, and hence easily dismissed. As a result, neither compromise nor conciliation are acceptable or even possible.... Thus the phrase 'not letting the facts get in the way of their opinions' is literally correct in describing the new Conservatives' approach to governing. "As a result, neither compromise nor conciliation are acceptable or even possible. Thus the phrase 'not letting the facts get in the way of their opinions' is literally correct in describing the new Conservatives' approach to governing." Because Harper's right, everyone against him must be wrong -- not just the Liberal Party, but all opposition, as well as the institutions that have supported liberal democratic Canada over the past two centuries. Jeffrey argues that the whole idea of a liberal parliamentary Canada is alien to him because it's based on respect for your opponents and a willingness to compromise. When you're absolutely right, though, any compromise is a falling-away toward wrongness. Parliament, the Supreme Court, elections, even science and history mean nothing when you're right and everyone else is wrong. "He believes his authority, and that of his government, are the source of legitimacy for all of his acts, and are sufficient justification for them," Jeffrey says. Harper's genius, as Jeffrey sees it, lies in his pragmatic realism. He understands that Canada is a liberal parliamentary democracy. As such, it's bigger and stronger than he is. But just as a powerful and dangerous bull can be lured into the arena and dispatched by a weak but wily enemy, small-l liberal Canada can be distracted, crippled, and then finished off after a few careful manoeuvres. Nixon as inspiration Like many colonial Canadians before him, Stephen Harper turned to the U.S. for inspiration. Jeffrey shows that he was a close student of the Republican party under Richard Nixon and his successors. Harper recognized the parallels. Nixon rebuilt his party on the southern whites who hated civil rights for blacks; Harper exploited the self-pity of Albertans with "The West wants in." (He was less successful in pandering to Quebec alienation.) Harper was quick to develop Nixonian message control, intimidating his own caucus (inclined since the old Reform days to bozo eruptions about gays, abortion and evolution). He bullied the civil service and the mainstream media, both of which had too many connections to the Liberals and the old Progressive Conservatives. He also seized on Nixon-style attack ads, with spectacular success against Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff. Once in power, Harper continued in the Nixonian style of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. In opposition, he criticized the Liberals for not following Bush into Iraq. But once in power, he extended Canada's commitment in Afghanistan and has now launched his own air war in Iraq and Syria. Working slowly and pragmatically, Harper has hollowed out Canadian institutions. He has cowed the civil service, silenced researchers, threatened advocacy groups with tax investigations, and reduced his caucus to robots, uttering endless talking points. Since the justice system has a known Liberal bias (in his view), he takes shots at the Supreme Court and games the judicial system with stalls and appeals from his defeats. In the case of Omar Khadr, Jeffrey cites right-wing columnist Dan Gardner, who was appalled by the Harper government's tactics: "The government has disregarded the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Arguably it has even been contemptuous of both." Endorsing an 'un-Canadian' The mainstream media buckled to Harper long ago. Jeffrey cites a Vancouver Sun commentary in 1994 that called the new Reform Party's policies so bizarre they were "un-Canadian." But the Sun (like the Globe and Mail and most Canadian papers) endorsed Harper in 2006, 2008 and 2011, and likely will again this year. Perhaps his greatest triumph, in Jeffrey's view, has been to sell Canadians on the idea that Conservatives are economic wizards, when, in fact, they're economic incompetents. In the process of cutting taxes, Harper has also run up the national debt and cut services that are far more valuable than the few bucks taxpayers might get back. He's determined to make the state wither away to "night watchman" status by starving it of funds except what it needs to snoop on his own people. For a decade, Jeffrey argues, Stephen Harper has had two advantages. First, his opponents still try to play by the liberal democratic rules, which he flouts as a matter of principle. He may despise those rules, but he understands them well enough to game them -- and to neutralize those who still respect them. Jeffrey mentions his unauthorized joyride on an ATV down an Arctic runway. When queried about this dangerous stunt, Harper replied, "I think I make the rules." Second, Stephen Harper has millions of supporters, not only ambitious politicians but businesspeople, media moguls, and ordinary people who don't like liberal parliamentary democracy any better than he does. He and they belong to a long-ignored fringe in Canadian political life, the fringe that produced Ernest and Preston Manning and Maurice Duplessis. Harper's supporters love his contempt for his adversaries, and hate us at least as much as he does. This is the real separatism in Canadian politics, the deepening gulf between the believers in democracy and the believers in an all-powerful, always-right prime minister. Brooke Jeffrey concludes with a ray of hope, seeing Harper as not quite as brutally effective as he wishes he were. No doubt she's right. But until the democrats are prepared to confront their authoritarian-leaning fellow-Canadians and make them realize the nightmare they've supported, Stephen Harper will provide new horrors for the growing genre of Harperlit.The answers to solving our nation's problems with crime, prison over-crowding and criminal justice have been with us all along, and they were all contained in "The Wire." President Obama, a fan of the much-more-popular-after-it-ended HBO show, said he sees it playing a role in changing criminal justice policy in the U.S. He sat down with "Wire" creator David Simon for an interview the White House published on Medium. Calling the show "one of the greatest -- not just television shows, but pieces of art in the last couple of decades," Obama said it, "made you start thinking about the culture of the drug trade and its impact on the inner cities." He added that the show humanized "what so often on the local news is just a bunch of shadowy characters, and tell their stories," an important step to solving criminal justice problems. Simon said when he lived in Baltimore in the early 1980s, police "thought they could arrest their way out of the drug problem" and drug-related arrests went up while other arrests went down. These arrests didn't happen in a vacuum, Simon added, noting that there's a generation of children who grew up without a father at home, and that the unemployment rates among young black men are higher than the national average. "[Those arrested] come back out completely tarred," he said. "They can't vote. They can't participate in their community. They've lost track of family." Obama's administration has pointed to television as a force for humanizing and shifting public opinion before. In 2012, Vice President Biden voiced his support for same-sex marriage and said, "I think 'Will & Grace' probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far." Since "Will & Grace" ended in 2006, support for same-sex marriage has risen from 42 percent to 55 percent in May. Obama can only hope television is half as effective at changing opinion on crime as Biden said it was for LGBT issues.On Thursday, NASA astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins completed their second spacewalk in as many weeks, installing new external components on the International Space Station (ISS) and conducting maintenance on existing ones. The mission marked Mr. Williams’ fifth spacewalk, and Ms. Rubins’ second. When Williams, commander of Expedition 48, returns to Earth, he will have spent 534 days in orbit over four missions – a US record for space endurance. Last week, Ms. Rubins became the first person ever to sequence DNA in space. But it takes a lot to keep a space station running, and this mission was more about upkeep than personal (or national) bests. The two astronauts were tasked with retracting a 44-foot-long thermal radiator on the outside of ISS. Williams folded the panel with a power tool as Rubins floated nearby as a spotter. The radiator was originally extended in an effort to stop a coolant leak in 2012. A different team attempted the radiator retraction after the leak was discovered elsewhere on the station, but were unsuccessful. “The reason why we’re retracting this radiator is it’s not in use anymore, it’s fully extended and kind of exposed to the external environment and susceptible to any orbital debris or damage that may come its way,” flight director Zeb Scoville told CBS. “It’s one of our high priority spares, we really want to be able to get it retracted and covered up so we can count on it in the future should the need arise.” Having completed their primary objective, Williams and Rubins tightened struts on a solar array joint and installed a high-definition television camera on the station’s exterior. The camera will provide HD imagery of the Soyuz vehicles that crewmembers use to return to Earth, allowing for better safety inspection. “There’s going to be some great opportunities for Earth observation as well as inspections of the rest of station,” Mr. Scoville said. “I’m really expecting to see some just fantastic imagery coming out of these cameras.” Get the Monitor Stories you care about delivered to your inbox. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Williams and Rubins were later informed of an explosion at Cape Canaveral just an hour into the spacewalk. At that time, SpaceX was conducting a test launch of its uncrewed Falcon rocket. The explosion did not cause any injuries, according to a spokesperson for the aerospace company. The rocket was slated to take off on Saturday with an Israeli satellite, as part of a communications experiment spearheaded by Facebook. The two US astronauts installed a new docking port on a previous spacewalk, Aug. 19.Alexander Galchenyuk, who played internationally for the Soviet Union and Belarus, was serving as an assistant coach with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League when Alex began his junior career there. Alex had 31 goals and 83 points in his first season, drawing notice from NHL teams. The No. 3 selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, where his father, Alexander Galchenyuk, was playing in the American Hockey League. The family would move back to Europe when Alex was 4 and live in Germany, Italy and Russia. The No. 3 selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, where his father, Alexander Galchenyuk, was playing in the American Hockey League. The family would move back to Europe when Alex was 4 and live in Germany, Italy and Russia. Alexander Galchenyuk, who played internationally for the Soviet Union and Belarus, was serving as an assistant coach with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League when Alex began his junior career there. Alex had 31 goals and 83 points in his first season, drawing notice from NHL teams. A knee injury limited him to eight games, including playoffs, in his second season, but the Canadiens were undeterred and drafted Galchenyuk that summer. Healthy again for 2012-2013, he was putting up big numbers for Sarnia and had helped the United States win gold at the World Junior Championship when the NHL resumed play after a lockout. Galchenyuk joined the Canadiens and had nine goals and 27 points as a rookie, playing all 48 games of the abbreviated season. In 2014-15, his third season, he reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in the NHL. His two goals at home in the 2015-16 finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning gave him 30 for the season. At 22 years and 57 days old, he became the third youngest player in Canadiens history to reach that mark. Bernie Geoffrion and Stephane Richer were the others. NOTES & TRANSACTIONSRaghubar Das is on his way to become the state’s first non-adivasi CM. After being nominated by his peers earlier in the day to be the leader of the BJP’s legislative party, Raghubar Das met the Jharkhand Governor on Friday evening and staked claim to form the government, which would make him the state’s first non-Adivasi chief minister. By nominating Das (59), the BJP seems to be sending a message that it is willing to consolidate the Hindu vote bank rather than woo tribals, much like the Chhattisgarh model. Advertising When he takes oath on December 28, Das will be the 10th CM of Jharkhand and the sixth individual to ascend to the chair. A national vice-president of the BJP, he won from the Jamshedpur East constituency for the fifth consecutive time. Das’s name as the leader of the legislative party was announced around 12.30 pm after a brief meeting at the party headquarters. BJP ally AJSU Party too had a meeting later in the day, formally declaring support for the party and nominating Chandra Prakash Choudhary as its leader in the House. The alliance has a total of 42 legislators the 81-member Assembly. By having a CM in place swiftly — counting of votes was held in Jharkhand on December 23 — the BJP ended speculation about any rifts within the party, as well as about the future of former CM Arjun Munda, who lost from Kharsawan. Munda, who initially considered contesting a bypoll, held a press conference on Thursday to declare that he was not in the race to be CM. Advertising Munda’s announcement came after BJP president Amit Shah let Jharkhand-based leaders know in no uncertain terms that Das was his preference. After the party’s parliamentary party meeting on December 24, Das was asked to get all other prospective candidates on board. Accordingly, he met Munda the same day and former speaker C P Singh and Saryu Rai on Thursday. At the meeting of the legislative party meeting on Friday, Das’s name was proposed by Khunti legislator Nilkant Singh Munda, currently the senior most Adivasi legislator of the BJP who is considered close to Arjun Munda, and was supported by Singh and Rai. Veteran, a hard taskmaster Raghubar Das, set to become Jharkhand’s first non-tribal chief minister, has climbed almost every rung in the BJP’s organisational ladder during his 34-year-long association with the party. Considered approachable, a quality which helps him listen to views of grassroots workers, Das’s image among bureaucrats is that of a hard task master — someone who can be demanding to the point of being obstinate. Born on May 3, 1955, in Jamshedpur to late Chawan Das, a labourer at Tata Steel, the CM-designate has been associated with the firm since 1986. He is currently on special leave without pay and stays at the company quarters. Das, a law graduate, entered politics with Jayaprakash Narayan’s “Total Revolution movement”. A Teli by caste, he emerged in political circles as an election agent of Janata-and-later-BJP leader Dinanath Pandey in 1980. Das has been district general secretary of the BJYM, mandal president of the BJP and district general secretary of the party before becoming state president twice and overseeing the two Assembly elections, in 2005 and 2009. By 1995, he had grown enough in stature that his party denied a ticket to three-time MLA Pandey and offered him an electoral opportunity. He has not lost in Jamshedpur-East since, winning five on the trot. This time his margin of victory was 70,157 —the second-highest in the state. He also served as a minister under three CMs: he handled the Labour portfolio under Babulal Marandi in 2000, was urban development minister between 2005 and 2006 in Arjun Munda government, and served as deputy to Shibu Soren from 2009 to 2010. Das’s relationship with the Sorens and the JMM has been excellent. In that respect, he has an edge over Munda, whose relationship with the JMM, the main Opposition party, is riddled with hostility. Advertising According to his affidavit, Das has seven cases against him and mostly of defacement of property, arising out of leading public agitations. He has movable assets worth Rs 41,64,016 against his name and Rs 11,08,040 against wife Rukmani and son Lalit Kumar.Shares Who would you guess authored a 250-page report which begins with this Preface? This report marks the culmination of an intensive four-year review of quackery and its impact on the elderly... As this report details, quackery has traveled far from the day of the pitchman and covered wagon to emerge as big business. Those who orchestrate and profit from the sale and promotion of these useless and often harmful “health” products are no longer quaint and comical figures. They are well organized, sophisticated and persistent. [We estimate] the cost of quackery – the promotion and sale of useless remedies promising relief from chronic and critical health conditions – exceeds $10 billion a year. The costs of quackery in human terms, measured in disillusion, pain, relief forsaken or postponed because of reliance on unproven methods, is more difficult to measure, but nonetheless real. All too frequently, the purchaser has paid with his life. While the impact of quackery on our lives has been increasing and growing in sophistication, public and private efforts designed to address and control this problem have diminished, been redirected or disbanded. The author defines quackery as: The promotion of medical remedies known to be false or which are unproven for a profit, usually by means of false representations that they will “cure” or aid in the cure of various diseases and problems. Quackery is pseudoscience at its best. And offers the same observation we’ve made here at SBM that: one of the most appalling elements of quackery [is that it amounts to] uncontrolled tests on human guinea pigs... Humanity as well as science demand that new remedies be tested and proven safe and effective before wide dissemination. The author goes so far as to suggest that this: is reminiscent in its callous disregard for human life of some of the worst atrocities of World War II. The report concentrated on quackery’s effect on the elderly, and consequently focuses especially on cancer and arthritis. Yet the author makes clear that quackery defrauds all ages and extends to many other diseases and conditions. In an exhaustive search for information, the author’s investigators gathered information from federal agencies, such as the FDA, the FTC and the Department of Justice, as well as state and local sources, like state Attorneys General and law enforcement. They also contacted charitable organizations focused on specific diseases, like the American Cancer Society, consumer advocates and individual victims. Health claims were evaluated by medical and scientific experts and their conclusions included in the report. The author found many quack beliefs and practices that will be familiar to SBM readers. And the author is... It wasn’t us, although we consistently make many of the same points. This comprehensive report, entitled “Quackery: A $10 Billion Dollar Scandal” was issued by the Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care of the House of Representatives Committee on Aging in 1984. The effort was promoted by the Subcommittee’s Chairman, Claude Pepper (D-Florida), who made advocacy for the elderly the centerpiece of his political career. The report is significant not so much for its findings, as interesting and as seemingly contemporary as they are, but rather for its attitude toward pseudoscienctific health care products and practices. What thirty years ago was called “quackery” is known today as alternative, complementary and integrative medicine and promoted by the very government that was so deeply concerned about its deleterious effects on the American public in 1984. And it is not only the government that has devolved from science to pseudoscience since the report came out. The medical experts who evaluated and roundly criticized quack practices came from the very institutions that have allowed these same practices to infiltrate their operations: Georgetown University Medical School, the Cleveland Clinic, the University of Maryland, Harvard, and the Mayo Clinic. Compare, for example, the Report’s conclusion on acupuncture with integrative medicine’s current enchantment with this “ancient” Chinese remedy. There has been a great deal of skepticism in the United States among the traditional medical community as to the effectiveness of acupuncture. Western experts have traveled to China to study the ancient art. For a while, acupuncture seemed to be finding support within the medical community, but the results of carefully controlled tests have turned the experts away from it. For more than a dozen years the Arthritis Foundation did not take a position on acupuncture. Its position now is as follows: We now have enough data from solid scientific work to express a view about acupuncture. Three studies – one on chronic shoulder pain, one on osteoarthritis and one on rheumatoid arthritis – have demonstrated that the beneficial effects of acupuncture are: (1) only on the symptoms of arthritis and not on the disease process itself; (2) due entirely to the placebo effect; and (3) are short lasting. The Report then goes on to describe these studies, which compared real acupuncture given to one group with a control group, for whom the needles were “placed only lightly on the skin and, instead of being inserted in the traditional points, were positioned all over the body.” The result? The amount of pain relief was the same. Thus, “there is no good evidence that acupuncture is of any specific value in treating any form of arthritis.” Of course, as the Report noted, there are nevertheless “promoters who have sought to seize on the oriental mysticism of acupuncture.” With these results, one wonders why acupuncture continued to be studied in trial after trial (including additional studies on osteoarthritis) for the next 30 years, all with the same result. Can you imagine that over 30 years of studies of a particular surgical procedure, all negative, would nevertheless result in continued promotion of the very same procedure? Some devices covered in the report seem like caricatures of quack inventions. No longer available (to my knowledge) are the Dynatone Facial Exerciser (for wrinkles), Rado Pad and Uranium Wonder Gloves (radioactive gloves for the cure of arthritis), the Radon Generator (produces radon gas, to be mixed with water), Zerret Application (a dumbbell-shaped device filled with “zerret water,” to be held for 30 minutes while the “healing rays expand all the atoms of your being,”) or the Mark Eden bust developer (“a clam-shaped tension device that supposedly exercised the breast” to make it bigger). (Remember ubiquitous ads for these in women’s magazines of the day?) I would note, however, that none of these devices are any more implausible than reiki, therapeutic touch or homeopathy. While the technology of pseudoscience may have changed since 1984, the toolkit of the quack is remarkably similar. These guidelines from the Arthritis Foundation are offered for spotting the unscrupulous promoter : He may offer a “special” or “secret formula” or device... He advertises... “case histories” and testimonials from satisfied “patients.” He may claim to know the “cause” of arthritis and talk about “cleansing your body of “poisons” and “pepping up” your health. [Today the language would likely be “eliminating toxins,” “increasing your energy” or “boosting your immune system.”] He may say surgery, x-rays and drugs prescribed by a physician are unnecessary. He may accuse the “medical establishment” of deliberately thwarting progress, or of persecuting him... but he doesn’t allow his method to be tested in tried and proven ways. The report displays none of the reverence for alternative practitioners that you find in government or in integrative medicine practices today. In fact, it puts them on a continuum that includes witches: The tradition of healing which combines elements of religion, magic and medicine has probably always existed in various parts of the world. In modern times, these techniques range from the practices of medical mountebanks and “alternative” health professionals to witches, faith healers, nutritional faddists and spiritual healers. Unfortunately, in the current “modern times,” “these techniques” are found in academic medical centers which form “integrative practices” with the very same alternative health professionals and nutritional faddists, except that we now call the latter naturopaths. Speaking of nutritional faddists/naturopaths, who claim they invented prevention through healthy lifestyle practices, look at these thirty-year-old (at least) dietary guidelines from the American Cancer Society, reprinted in the report: Avoid obesity. Cut down on total fat intake. Eat more high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole-grain cereals. Include foods rich in vitamins A and C in the daily diet. Include cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi and cauliflower. Be moderate in consumption of alcoholic beverages. Be moderate in consumption of salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured foods. The Subcommittee made several suggestions to alleviate victimization of the public by quacks: increased government enforcement efforts, increased criminal penalties, more funding for research into diseases (such as cancer) which make patients particularly vulnerable to offers of miracle cures and other pseudoscience, more consumer education, strengthening medical licensing statutes to make practice of medicine without a license a felony and more patient protection when non-standard therapies are offered. The only suggestion for reform apparently taken up by future Congresses was to establish a federally-sponsored mechanism to evaluate evolving medical technologies and procedures for safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, the purpose of the “federal mechanism” actually created by Congress, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, was to “validate” alternative medicine. All in all, you’d almost think the state and federal governments spent the last 30 years in a deliberate attempt to thwart Rep. Pepper’s and the Subcommittee’s goals. They certainly did a good job of it. In its conclusions, the Report takes on a criticism often directed at those who support science-based medicine: that we automatically reject anything that doesn’t originate with conventional medicine. It responds in almost the same terms we have used. Does that mean that the Committee condemns each unproven remedy mentioned in the report? No. Many of the so-called “cures” listed in this report have been proven false. Others are so ludicrous that the commonsense indicates they cannot be of much value. Others have a scintilla of credibility. It may be that the next major breakthrough in medical science is listed in this report, although that is highly doubtful. What the Committee is saying [is] that a cure or remedy, before it can be proclaimed as such, must be proven to be so through the established procedures of the scientific method. There must be unbiased, scientific evidence that a remedy is helpful and that it does not provide harm or untoward side effects before society can allow its widespread use by the general public. We have gone terribly astray in the last 30 years. What went wrong?Students have flocked to law schools in recent years, with nearly 52,000 enrolling during the 2009-10 academic year across 200 schools. That’s up 19% over the past decade. Compare that to the previous 10 years, when annual enrollment actually fell 2%. Many students are drawn in by the six-figure starting salaries paid by the biggest law firms. Elite schools advertise starting salaries in the private sector for their graduates of $160,000. The reality is much different. Only a very small percentage of students ever get jobs in this pay stratosphere. Starting pay is important at law schools, but many grads at elite schools choose prestigious clerkships right out of school that pay peanuts. More important is mid-career compensation when many lawyers are typically on a more lucrative career path. With this in mind we turned to the experts at PayScale who track the compensation of their 24 million unique users. The best school if you want to get paid well is Stanford Law School, which tops our list with mid-career median pay of $236,000. Stanford beat out Duke University School of Law, which ranked No. 2 with median pay of $221,000. In Pictures: Best Law Schools For Getting Rich The origins of Stanford Law School date back to 1893, when Leland Stanford recruited President Benjamin Harrison, who had just completed his one term in office, to teach in the Law Department in its inaugural year. Over the next century Stanford Law developed into one of the top law schools in the country, with alumni that included leaders in business, government and in the courts. Grads include Supreme Court Justices (Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist), Washington D.C. elite (Max Baucus, Josh Bolten and Warren Christopher) and billionaires (Riley Bechtel and Penny Pritzker). The school has also produced alumni with business chops including Paypal founder and billionaire Peter Thiel as well as TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. If you want to be general counsel at a leading technology firm, head to Stanford. The GCs for Cisco Systems, Ebay, Google and countless other tech firms attended Stanford Law. William Neukom, Microsoft’s first and long-time general counsel who retired in 2002, attended as well. Neukom is now owner and managing partner of the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Stanford’s location in the heart of Silicon Valley offers some unique advantages. It gives easy access to many top tech and venture capital firms. The location fosters an entrepreneurial spirit at the school, according to Dean Larry Kramer who says, “I don’t know if it is the people coming in or it is in the air and water.” Stanford is also unique in its size. While many other elite law schools have ballooned in size, Stanford is the smallest of the top schools with an incoming class of 180 students last year (Harvard Law is closer to 600). The small size promotes interaction among students and faculty. Stanford is not resting on its laurels, despite its success. “Standing still is moving backwards,” says Kramer. He has implemented a plan over the past five years to integrate the law school more closely into the overall university. The idea is to teach better skills than just legal analytics. The first year is at Stanford is a traditional law school year where students are taught traditional skills and how to think like a lawyer. Students go out into the broader university the next two years. A student interested in patent law might hit the engineering school and take basic science classes. He can follow that up with a class in problem solving. Alumni are on board with the new campaign. The school had a record fundraising campaign of $220 million to implement the changes. The money went to new faculty, facilities, clinical program and financial aid. The Law School now offers 30 joint degrees. “The University is the Law School,” says Kramer. To determine the schools with the highest-pay, PayScale culled its database for 98 popular law schools. There is a massive range in pay for law school grads, but our compensation figures are all medians where half of a school’s grads make more and half less. The ranking is based on mid-career median total compensation for those in the private sector, while public sector salaries were excluded. We included private sector employees now working in both law and non-law professions. The median years of work experience for the data set is 16, with a median age of 45. Debt loads for law school grads have soared in recent years making school choice even more critical. The average amount borrowed to attend a private law school is over $100,000, compared with $70,000 10 years ago, according to the American Bar Association. Lawyers do have a unique advantage, according to Al Lee, PayScale's director of quantitative analysis. He says it is one of the few professions where there can be a significant gain in pay after 20 years on the job. That is not typically the case in other careers. The location of a school plays a big role in compensation for its grads. Many of the schools that make our top 25 on mid-career pay are based in or around urban centers like New York and Boston or throughout California. The trade-off in these places of course is higher costs of living. While Stanford’s elite reputation translates well into pay, some other top schools fall a little short. Harvard, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the world, ranks No. 7 with mid-career median pay of $203,000. Yale Law School which topped US News & World Report’s annual ranking last year fares even worse, tied at No. 33 with pay of $159,000 in the private sector. In Pictures: Best Law Schools For Getting Rich Follow me on Twitter: @kbadenhausenI recently read an article on the results of the “reforms” of the Chicago Police Department from the Obama “Just-Us" Department and the American Criminal Lovers Union. And the results: Study: Chicago stop-and-frisk numbers drop, more work needed Lets look at those numbers. Assume 650,000 investigatory stops per year, you've now dropped to around 110,000 per year now. One fifth of the previous numbers. What are the results?: Chicago murders per year: 2013: 422 2014: 428 2015: 495 2016: 747 2017: 134 (As of March 28, 2017) You read that right, murder increased 50% in one year. Not to be outdone, Los Angeles CA: Police arrests are plummeting across California, fueling alarm and questions In 2013, something changed on the streets of Los Angeles. Police officers began making fewer arrests. The following year, the Los Angeles Police Department’s arrest numbers dipped even lower and continued to fall, dropping by 25% from 2013 to 2015. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Police Department also saw significant drops in arrests during that period. The statewide numbers are just as striking: Police recorded the lowest number of arrests in nearly 50 years, according to the California attorney general’s office, with about 1.1 million arrests in 2015 compared with 1.5 million in 2006. It is unclear why officers are making fewer arrests. Some in law enforcement cite diminished manpower and changes in deployment strategies. Others say officers have lost motivation in the face of increased scrutiny — from the public as well as their supervisors. …In Los Angeles, the drop in arrests comes amid
3). Finally, in areas that do not fulfil the former questions (i.e. cliffs in peri-urban areas) climbing intensity or type could be more flexible, becoming “free climbing route” (i.e. climbing routes with high potential for frequent climbing, even the more accessible equipped routes for climbers and walkers called "Via Ferrata")(Decision 4). In regulated climbing routes (strict and mild regulated ones) and free climbing routes stakeholders must play an important role in establishing specific regulations, in proposing and accepting commitment to good practices, and in preparing and disseminating user-friendly information about regulations and good practices. These might be established by means of participation process guided by administration managers. PPT PowerPoint slide PowerPoint slide PNG larger image larger image TIFF original image Download: Fig 3. Pathway decision scheme showing the proposed guidelines for the assessment of rock-climbing routes (see text for further details). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182414.g003 Conclusions On the basis of this study, we conclude that the impact of rock climbing on the plant community (in terms of cover, richness, and composition) is detrimental and that it strongly depends on climbing frequency, being especially worrisome for overcrowded routes. Closure or controlled access to frequently climbed areas would be necessary to prevent species loss and avoid changes in cliff plant communities. However, implementing unpopular measures such as total or partial closure of existing climbing routes, must be supported by solid information and assessment. Managers would need to make an initial assessment of the impact before giving permission for a route. For this reason, studies might relate the effect to several predictor variables that allow managers the impact to be foreseen in a given area. On this basis, managers could make a decision or request more data. This is a particular need in areas with relict, and/or endemic, and/or threatened plants. Therefore, it is necessary to study more sites, with different rock types and different environmental conditions in order to clearly define the patterns of impact and the peculiarities concerning this growing management challenge that is jeopardizing the conservation of this original and fragile Mediterranean habitat. Acknowledgments The administration of National Park of Sierra Nevada provided logistic support for the sampling. A.J. Herrera helped to select the sampling areas, provided information and made very useful comments on the manuscript. We also would like to thank David Nesbitt for linguistic advice.This author has not credited anyone else in this file The Atom Cats' New Digs at Red Rocket What's up, jive turkey! You ever wonder what the Red Rocket up by Sanctuary might look like if Zeke's crew took a fancy to it? Ever wonder what it might look like if Red Rocket Co. had invested a bit more into that particular station? Wonder no more. This build has it all! An huge secondary garage to fix up your pre-war ride or your smokin' hot Power Armor A fully loaded bar above the main garage so the Atom Cats can cut loose The wasteland's only fully operational car wash, so you can keep your hot rods squeaky clean A junkyard with its own campfire for those slammin' poetry nights when the weather's just right One in-house barber to keep your 'do's lookin' sharp Four retro-fitted trailers to keep your Cats' heads dry when they lay down for the night A bunch of old wrecks that do double-duty as 'bedrooms' as well as walls to keep out the riff-raff A perimeter fence and some damn fine elevated turrets to keep 'em ne'er-do-wells out A couple of bathrooms, because for some reason Red Rocket's never bothered building a place to drain your fluids Installation Instructions: DO NOT SKIP THIS PART!Because this build is so extensive, there was A LOT of scrapping that went on. Over 300-some trees, tires, junk, and other stuff was removed from the vanilla Red Rocket. I've included a special script file that you MUST RUN PRIOR TO IMPORTING the blueprint. This is a separate download, so do not miss it! It will disable most of these objects. When you run the script, you may get a few syntax errors, but that's alright. See below for what to do... Extracting the Files: NMM Install Instructions: Download with manager and install. Manual Install Instructions : Download and unzip to..\Fallout 4\Data\F4SE\Plugins\TransferSettlements\blueprints\<slot number>\.. IMPORTANT! Place the DonaldStrong_RedRocket.txt file in your..\Fallout 4\ root directory! Running the batch script & importing the blueprint: Load your game or start a fresh character. Make your way to Red Rocket. Remove ALL objects you may have placed down at Red Rocket prior to downloading this blueprint. Ideally, the import will work best on a character that has never built there at all. If you've placed a lot of things, you can use the "Nuke" option on import. Open up the console (~) and enter the following command: bat DonaldStrong_RedRocket This should scrap a lot of objects and junk that conflict with the placement of objects in this build If some errors occur, it likely means that there's a wrench or some other item that you can run around and collect off the floor before you begin the import. Open up your PipBoy and begin the import. Wait patiently. If you have difficult with the import, try changing your TS settings to a more stable preset (less effects). REMEMBER to save, then fast travel away and back a couple of times so that the import can properly integrate with the game (i.e. pay attention to the prompts from Transfer Settlements). Return to Red Rocket. You'll need to reset (select and then cancel) 4 wall-pass-though conduits (described below) - two on either side of the car wash, and one near each door of the large garage. See the end of the video above for more exact instructions. Troubleshooting: One current known issue is that once an import is complete, power may not be transmitting properly throughout the settlement. This is likely due to an issue with the Wall Pass-Through Power Conduits mod (or incompatibility with Transfer Settlements). To fix this, find these conduits select them (both sides) in the settlement builder, and then cancel the placement. This should reset them. The first of these conduits is on either side of the wall of the car-wash, near the Fusion Generator (to get to the interior ones, you'll need to disable clipping in the console or select one of the garage doors, walk through it, and cancel your selection)... It's possible that the import will launch a couple vanilla trucks around the area, in which case you may need to re-place them manually after the import. Frequently Asked Questions: Q: The mod list for this settlement is huge, can you make it smaller? If you want a more minimal version of this with far less required mods, get the UNDECORATED version (see below)! There are a lot of mods because this wasn't originally built with the intent of becoming a blueprint. Q: Can you make this a standalone mod? Q: I don't already have Snap 'n Build and it's not available anymore! There are some floors and foundations that you will need to fill in (floor of the car wash, the second story bar, and possibly the big garage). The car wash will be missing some greenhouse irrigation pipes and water FX, which you might be able to find in another mod. The main catwalk that wraps around the big garage and connects to the second floor of the main building. I have no current plans to release a version that replaces these parts, as this blueprint was uploaded as-is. This may change in the future, but don't rely on that. It would be easier and quicker to just fill in those gaps yourself. Q: I have a question you haven't answered... Builder's Notes: I did not originally build this with a settlement blueprint in mind, otherwise the required mods listed below would be a much shorter list. I've been asked a lot about uploading the settlement, and with the new version of TS being able to support imported wiring, decided to upload it. This is my first published Settlement Blueprint, and I'm uploading it AS IS. [Resources] As the Atom Cats are not farmers, this build does not include crops or other food sources . I recommend feeding your Cats by way of provisioners & supply lines to other settlements. You could always use some PC console magic on the Workshop as well, if you wanted to set it and forget it. With the Car Wash, the settlement produces a decent amount of water, and it should easily house about 20 Atom Cats. [Build Limit] I went WAY over the vanilla build limit in making this settlement. It's big enough that you might see framerate issues depending on your system. So unless you have used console commands or mods to increase your normal settlement budget, you won't likely be able to do much in the way of decorating or modifying what's imported. [Wiring] There are some minor issues described above regarding the wiring. You should also know, in case you decide to rewire lots of things, that around the front of the build I sank a number of conduits and connections under the ground. I did this to avoid having tons of power lines between every single lamp-post, as the build is already pretty heavy on visible wires. Most of them lie a couple feet directly beneath the lamp posts by the road. BONUS: Undecorated Blueprint! Want to make this Red Rocket truly your own? There's an optional file that you should download instead of the main file. It contains the new buildings, derelict cars, some of the old world lighting, and NO furniture or decorations - as though the Atom Cats never made it their own. It's less than half the size of the main file, and may leave you with a bit more room in your settlement budget! Best of all, it requires FAR LESS mods! (Click that link for a list, as the list below pertains to the Main Blueprint) Use all the DLC and Mods listed below if you want your imported Atom Cats' Red Rocket to look as it does in the video tour! Required DLC: Automatron Far Harbor Nuka World Wasteland Workshop Vault-Tec Workshop Contraptions Workshop Required Mods: (without these, nothing will look right) Recommended Mods: (highly encouraged; without these, some key stuff will be busted) [ * - denotes a mod that isn't a technical requirement in the blueprint, but is highly recommended] Optional Mods: (you can get by without them, but why would you want to? these really help bring the place to life) [ * - denotes a mod that isn't a technical requirement in the blueprint, but is highly recommended] Please don't reiterate these in the comments thread unless you're asking something new.I have no plans to make this a standalone mod, sorry.The blueprint CAN be imported without that mod if you don't already have it. Here's what will be missing:Also, if you're a mod author, please don't just arbitrarily delete your long-standing popular mods - this creates HUGE headaches for everyone.Make sure you read the full description (there's more below), and watch the Installation tutorial video if you have a question about that.Feel free to ask any other questions in the Posts tab.About Monument to Steve Jobs in Palo Alto, CA My name is Vitaliy Skugaryev. I am an entrepreneur and inventor in the field of IT. I want to suggest an idea of a monument to Steve Jobs, in the home of Apple in Palo Alto. I believe that a monument to such a man of genius, like Steve Jobs, should not be simply poured in bronze. It should be like an interactive gadget which Steve had been creating through all his life. He wanted to bring people together, and not to be the richest man on the cemetery or stand chained in the cold metal. When I was creating a prototype, I have used a basic principle of Steve Jobs - minimalism and functionality. It will be a 3-D apple with an iPhone-styled button in the center (on the site of a bite). But the main idea is that the button will actually work! Every visitor to the monument will be able to click on this button and thereby put iFan to Steve. To do this, he will need to register in our social network ifan.co. directly on site. Hereby confirm that he is a fan. iMonument prototype Apple is cut in half, which symbolizes the heart dissection, and the death of Steve Jobs. There will be a monitor-screen at the top of the apple and there will be keyboard at the bottom (of the fallen part of apple), generally from behind the monument will resemble Macintosh and have similar functionality. iMonument MAC interface concept iFan automatically raises user rating and adds him to a privileged category of users who personally visited the monument. This will immediately shared to all his friends and subscribers. iFan interactive button From a distance, the entire monument will resemble the letter «i» with an apple instead of a point. It will be a monument that will develop and expand the audience, will receive new software updates like iPhones and Macs do. The usual monuments, even very beautiful ones, are not capable of doing so. Pixar-styled lamp for Board of Honor It will be the world's first interactive monument, the first monument connected to the Internet, the first monument to be a social network which will be dedicated to Steve Jobs and all progress in general. Apple Inc. does not have its own social network, and fans of the company's products do not have a platform for communication. Our social network will become just that platform, with real potential to grow larger than Facebook using the name and authority of Steve and Apple. I guarantee mass pilgrimage to this monument. All the world's media will write about this new state of contemporary art. I believe that Steve's character is not in an apple, nor it is in his famous glasses, Mac computer, iPhone or iPad – it is all in his one button. It symbolizes simplicity, which was always emphasized by Steve and the incredible opportunities which he has given to mankind, by creating his own extremely popular gadgets. And of course, this button should work and have a purpose rather than be static. This monument is very symbolic and fully comply with the spirit of Steve Jobs and his active life position. I think that original static "dead" monument, only insults the memory of him and his genius. About iFan.co project Project iFan.co – is a chronological social network, where each day in the history has its personal page (example – 10january2014.ifan.co). We are planning to transfer historical archives and encyclopedias to iFan and to collect information from other electronic historical sources and encyclopedias and structurize it at iFan. People will be able to fill information about the events of the day. Historical archives and encyclopedias can be transferred to iFan too. Project iFan.co - global online chronicle, where all the information is structured with six levels. So it can always be easily found. Here are several problems that iFan project is solves: Communication Networking with the right people (who can help get almost everything) Maintaining personal stories that will be hosted forever. Personal diaries. Ability to obtain any kinds of information - encyclopedia, history and news, music, movies, and any content. Opportunity to make purchases from any kinds of shops. Usually all articles, news and events slides down while new information is being added at common websites. iFan stores information at a permanent basis and can’t be removed. By the way, Google has defined its mission in its early days as the cataloging of all the information on the planet. Since 10 years passed they didn’t do it. Our project was designed to solve this problem too. In fact iFan is a mix of social network, encyclopedia and chronicles, and that makes the project totally unique. iFan has no direct competitors. In iFan social network people can stick together around a specific event or calendar date, and not just because of personal interests like in usual social networks (ex. Facebook, MySpace). Project allows you to receive relevant information about the day in the past or future. For example, a person is planning a flight to a conference in London on the next week. He selects a date on the calendar through the conference website, gets to the desired day and creates an event with the country and the city, language, exact time and address of the conference. Once the event was created, other people can find that event and connect to it, discuss all the details with others, learn travel map, hotel reservation possibilities, etc. iFan has all usual attributes of a social network - profiles, photos, videos, file storage, personal date, chat, tracking tools. But it’s only a small part of the project functionality. iFan growth potential is unlimited, it has a goal to become the most popular social network in the World. iFan is an innovative global information repository. Project can host and hold all the information about the world. iFan will collect news and events of each particular day, it will be like a snapshot of history with indefinite time limit. Information would be added mostly by users. The world itself will write its own history. We summarized the experience of popular websites about the problem of information trust. There would be some moderation of information for some categories: encyclopedias, news, financial deals, celebrity biographies and historical events. But any information, even untruthful, will find its place in the project. iFan will list prices and information about products and services. With just one click you would be able to find all information about the price of Marlboro cigarettes in Cuba at 1966 year. It is difficult to describe all the features and value of the project at this moment, because it’s constantly developing in different directions. We feel that it would be a beginning of something big and it is impossible to predict what might happen. Project would be a beginning of a Web 3.0 era uniting people life both offline and online. Core team Core project team consists of 3 members: Vitaliy Skugaryev Vitaliy Skugaryev – the author of the idea, CEO and founder of the SoftVit LLC, project manager and coordinator. He has launched several startups in IT field and have a huge entrepreneurial experience. He is purposeful, responsible and reliable partner. He has a good marketing knowledge, which he will use to create a good advertising campaign for the project. Vitaliy's role in the project: creation of an idea, its subsequent improvements and changes. Organization of transactions: purchase of land, ordering of the monument, its installation, legal registration, organization of the working process, recruitment and negotiations with investors. Vitaliy is a big fan of Apple products and Steve Jobs talents. Igor Filakhtov Igor Filakhtov - partner, co-owner of the Softvit LLC. Web-developer, high-level system administrator, designer, marketer. He has an extensive experience in programming. Role in the project: development of iFan social network and its further support and service. Igor is a huge fan of Apple products and Steve Jobs talents too. Michael Skrychevsky Michael Skrychevsky - partner, co-owner of the Softvit LLC. iOS and Android developer. Michael has an experience in the development and launching of his own applications. Role in the project: development of iFan social network for mobile devices. Advertisement and promotion in mobile market. Team leader and project manager of mobile development team. He is a big fan of Apple products and Steve Jobs talents. All team members work together around 1,5 years. We are a cohesive team of young, motivated and ambitious people, who are capable of handling projects of any complexity. We are confident that we are able to bring an iFan project from concept to a full-featured working version. We will use the contributed money efficiently. About rewards If you contribute $20+ you can choose from one item from this list: cap, T-Shirt, iPhone or iPad case with “iMonument co-founder” label and iFan logo. Your name will be published in the online list of iFan contributors. You will also get an access to the privileged section of iFan social network. Special “iMonument Contributor badge” will be available for you (in case you want/need it) in social network. White iFan accessories Black iFan accessories (Please note, that additional shipping fee will be applied for the international shipping) Contribute $1000+ and you will be included at the Board of Honor that will be located next to the monument itself! There are only 56 vacant places in the Board of Honor - one per each year of Steve Jobs life. The greater the contribution is - the higher in the list you will be. In that way the world will know about those people who are the biggest fans of Steve Jobs and who made this monument a reality. The Board of Honor will contain the name of the contributor, the amount of contribution and e-mail to receive votes and thanks from other fans. VIP access to the iFan social network will be provided. Special “VIP iMonument co-founder badge” will be available for you (in case you want/need it) in social network.Trump aide Sebastian Gorka (Screen capture) Embattled Presidential Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka has resigned from his post in the White House, The Federalist reported. In his resignation letter, Gorka cites “forces” at odds with the “Make America Great Again” dream as the reasoning behind his exit. “[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” Gorka’s resignation reads. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.” Gorka has been linked to racist anti-Semitic groups in his home country of Hungary, causing much of the media and Internet backlash against him. Read more of Gorka’s resignation letter below and at The Federalist.Photo “I think our experiment failed,” the young graduate student told me, referring to our attempt to take her off the antidepressant she’d been on for seven years. She was back in my campus office after a difficult summer break, and as she talked about feeling unsettled and upset, I wondered about the broader experiment playing out on college campuses across the country. Antidepressants are an excellent treatment for depression and anxiety. I’ve seen them improve — and sometimes save — many young lives. But a growing number of young adults are taking psychiatric medicines for longer and longer periods, at the very age when they are also consolidating their identities, making plans for the future and navigating adult relationships. Are we using good scientific evidence to make decisions about keeping these young people on antidepressants? Or are we inadvertently teaching future generations to view themselves as too fragile to cope with the adversity that life invariably brings? My patient had started medication as a college freshman, after she’d become depressed and spent much of her time in bed. She was forced to take a medical leave but improved quickly, returned to school and graduated. She married soon after and worked for a few years, feeling well all the while. Professional guidelines recommend six to nine months of medicine for first episodes of depression. But my patient had never been advised to stop taking it. She reluctantly agreed to my recommendation to taper off her antidepressant. For a couple of months she didn’t feel any different, except, she said, things “moved” her more than before. It wasn’t that she was sad more frequently. Rather, she was having emotional reactions, including tearfulness, more readily. This didn’t seem problematic to either of us. When I recommend to my patients that they come off antidepressants, I encourage them to choose a relatively transition-free time in their lives, so that we don’t mistake what might be a normal reaction to a stressful situation for symptoms of recurrent depression. But because I work with university students, it’s close to impossible to find such a time. Indeed, the psychologist Jeffrey Arnett calls the young adult years “the age of instability.” Dr. Arnett coined the term “emerging adulthood” to define a new psychological developmental stage for 18- to 29-year-olds in industrialized countries. But now, growing numbers of young people experience rapidly changing living situations, classes, jobs and relationships only while taking an antidepressant. My patient had moved away from her husband to start graduate school, since his job kept him in another state. She’d expected the temporary separation to be hard but navigated it smoothly, focusing on school, with occasional visits. In the summer, she moved in with him and was surprised to feel emotionally “muted.” It was nothing like her college depression, but she worried. She’d counted on the reunion being easy. As she looked back, she acknowledged that moving again, leaving behind new school friends and routines, and not having the structure of school or work to fill her time might have challenged anyone. She noticed small ways in which she and her husband were growing in different directions, and this alarmed her. She wanted to resume medication, thinking that maybe the summer would have gone better with an antidepressant. Major depression in adults is often recurrent: half of people with first episodes will have a second episode. The current standard of care is to recommend medicine indefinitely after three or more recurrences, or even after a second episode if certain other risk factors are present. However, these recommendations are based on evidence gathered in clinical trials of moderate-to-severe depression in adults older than the students I treat. Many studies were short-term; few followed patients for longer than two years. Some were funded by the pharmaceutical industry, which has a financial stake in keeping people on medicine indefinitely. Children and adolescents increasingly take antidepressants. In 2009, a large trial called the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study showed that those who took an antidepressant in conjunction with therapy for nine months were much less depressed, and less suicidal, in the year after stopping treatment than those without treatment — so clearly treatment is critical. But for how long? And is medicine on its own, without therapy, sufficient? More students arrive on campus already on antidepressants. From 1994 to 2006, the percentage of students treated at college counseling centers who were using antidepressants nearly tripled, from 9 percent to over 23 percent. In part this reflects the introduction of S.S.R.I. antidepressants, a new class of drugs thought to be safer and have fewer side effects than their predecessors. At the same time, direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs also became commonplace. Some of this very helpfully reduces stigma, allowing people who are suffering from depression to get much-needed relief. But it also creates demand where genuine need may be less clear. College deans have written about incoming freshman being “crispies” or “teacups”: the crispies so burned out by the pressures of high school that they get to college unable to engage in the work, and the teacups so fragile or overprotected in their formative years that they fall apart at the first stress they encounter. In my experience, the attempt to stop antidepressants in college students goes well less often than the prevalence of depression suggests it should. Some students probably do have chronic mental health issues that require long-term treatment. But others are also drinking alcohol heavily, or using drugs like marijuana or their roommate’s Adderall, or suffering from other problems, such as eating disorders, that they’d rather not confront. Others have just experienced loss, or rejection, and medicine may have become a panacea to which they turn at the first signs of unhappiness. Some resume antidepressant use on their own, and by the time they return to see me it’s impossible to assess whether they in fact had a recurrence of their depression; we’re often then committed to another course of treatment. We now know that the young adult brain is still changing and developing much more than previously assumed. But we still lack a clear understanding of how psychiatric medicines might affect this brain development. My patient and I reviewed her symptoms, and I assessed her for serious risks, such as thoughts of suicide. This is a critical part of psychiatric care, and often where the psychiatric encounter ends — with a prescription. That may be completely appropriate when driven by clinical judgment. But sometimes it’s a matter of expediency. The doctor doesn’t have the time to go into all the other treatment options, or the student lacks the time or motivation to pursue therapy, or stop drinking, or work on self-care. Insurance often doesn’t cover much therapy; medicine is cheaper in the short-term. My patient was not in another major depressive episode, but she didn’t want to wait “until it got to that point.” We discussed the milder and more chronic form of depression known as dysthymia. Though she hadn’t had symptoms long enough to warrant that diagnosis, the most conservative approach was still to just resume the medicine. But my patient’s symptoms were only one part of a compelling life story: that of a young woman trying to balance personal aspirations with intimacy. She was discounting her emotional reactions to difficult life events. These struggles might be the very moments that precipitate personal growth. Emerging adults are at such a critical juncture in their lives; it seemed important for my patient to have a chance to explore her relationship with her husband and her expectations about work and love and herself. She agreed, opting to try therapy first and defer medication. We walk a thinning line between diagnosing illness and teaching our youth to view any emotional upset as pathological. We need a greater focus on building resilience in emerging adults. We need more scientific studies — spanning years, not months — on the risks and benefits of maintenance treatment in emerging adults. Maybe someday, treating people like this young graduate student, I won’t have to feel like we’re conducting an experiment of one. Photo Doris Iarovici, a psychiatrist at Duke University, is the author of “Mental Health Issues and the University Student.”By “Solidarity with Chinese Workers’ Struggles”. For more on the December 3 crackdown and solidarity efforts, see “Solidarity with Chinese Workers” and the Facebook page “Free Chinese labour activists now 馬上釋放中國勞權人士”. —– Information about the December 3 crackdown on Chinese labor activists is now widely available in English and several other languages, but there has been little satisfactory analysis of its significance—in relation to business as usual in China, to comparable situations in other countries, or to workers’ struggles as such. Comrades from various parts of the world have been asking similar questions, such as: why should we focus on supporting “reformist NGO staff” when workers and peasants are regularly arrested, beaten and sometimes killed for participation in forms of resistance more likely to improve their conditions or lead to more transformative movements? Also, how could we support these detainees in ways that might hasten their release, affect the legal precedent being set by this crackdown, or increase international solidarity among workers—as opposed to the merely symbolic actions proposed so far? In response to such questions, we wrote the following theses, which we may develop into a more coherent statement after receiving feedback from comrades in China and elsewhere. This crackdown is unprecedented in the number of workers’ organizations and individuals targeted at the same time, and in the severity of criminal charges being brought against them. On December 3 and the following days, five worker-support organizations were raided, and at least 40 of their staff, affiliated workers and family members were taken in for questioning. At present, seven remain in state custody, six confirmed as facing criminal charges which could result in lengthy prison sentences, setting a legal precedent for more intense repression in the future. While both the mainstream media and initiators of the solidarity campaign have been calling the detainees “labor rights NGO staff,” these groups must also be understood as workers’ organizations, mainly formed and run by workers to support workers’ struggles. All but one (Zeng Feiyang) of the six activists confirmed as criminal detainees started out as migrant workers, and either founded or became active in these organizations after being involved in their own struggles. All five of these organizations have focused on supporting workers’ collective and/or individual resistance, increasingly touching on “political” issues (not merely “economic”), in the sense that some of the actions they supported targeted not just individual private employers, but also the state (e.g. struggles regarding social insurance, and the outsourcing arrangements of local state services such as sanitation). The Chinese state has tended to regard the latter “political” struggles as more threatening than the former “economic” struggles focused on wage demands and targeting individual private employers, as indicated by the focus of repressive measures since 2012 and the direction of policy reforms. However, these organizations’ relationships with the state have been typical of NGO-type organizations in their ambiguity, at times collaborating in certain ways, while at other times encountering repression—not only now, but repeatedly over the past few years. At least three of these organizations have received some state support for certain of their activities (framed as “social work”) in the past (like many such NGO-type organizations), but they have also been targeted as objects of investigation and repression. While the December 3 crackdown is the latest in a series of suppressions of workers’ resistance and other oppositional social forces (conventionally labeled as “civil society”) that has increased since 2012, this repression must be understood as part of a dual strategy also attempting to integrate some of those oppositional forces, and to channel popular discontent into institutions it can control, such as the ACFTU (All- China Federation of Trade Unions) and affiliated “social work” centers. Among possible reasons for the crackdown, crucial determining factors were the slowing of economic growth (in China and globally) and industrial relocation away from the Pearl River Delta. At the same time, the militancy of workers has been growing in this region, with the number of recorded strikes doubling since last year. A few months ago, the Chinese stock market crashed, signaling problems of growth and restructuring in the real economy. Although the size of the Chinese stock market is small compared to GDP, stocks and the financial market play a key role in the transition from an export- and investment-driven economy to one more driven by internal consumption. According to China Labor Bulletin, the number of recorded strikes in China nearly doubled from 1,379 in 2014 to 2,741 in 2015, with those in Guangdong doubling between July and November of this year: “The vast majority of the Guangdong incidents occurred in the manufacturing sector with workers demanding payment of wages in arrears etc. after factory closures, mergers and relocations. In many of these cases, workers marched on local government buildings to demand restitution after the boss vanished. […] Police were deployed in nearly half of the 75 factory worker protests in Guangdong over the last two months and arrests were made in nine cases.” Many commentators have emphasized the role of Xi Jinping’s distinctively authoritarian mode of governance, but that mode itself might be better understood as a response to these changing economic and social conditions. In contrast, we would rather highlight similarities between this increasing repression in China and developments in so-called “democratic” polities. Recent examples of “democratic” countries adopting comparable authoritarian responses to popular unrest range from the 43 murdered Mexican students to the 1,100 killings by US police in 2015—a figure which has only grown since the protests in Ferguson began. More directly comparable to China’s crackdown on labor activists is the recent charging of South Korea’s union federation leader with “subversion.” This was in response to protests against state reforms of the labor law, and against the rewriting of history schoolbooks attempting to whitewash Korea’s history of state repression and popular resistance. Meanwhile, in response to the Euro-crisis and struggles in Greece, the EU has imposed a technocratic redefinition of “democracy” itself. And in the historical heartland of liberal democracy, the UK is preparing a new set of laws dismantling traditional rights of workers to strike and operate through unions. As in China, these governments’ responses have occurred in the context of tightening economic conditions, making it difficult for them to simply buy consent from the protesters. Although politics should not be oversimplified as merely a deterministic reaction to economic developments, general economic and social conditions set the frame to which politics must adapt sooner or later. Several commentators have described the crackdown as unlawful, or as undermining the rule of law. We neither advocate the capitalist rule of law, nor do we deny that a predictable rule of law can have advantages over other forms of domination. However, in the way the law is being used in this crackdown, we see an attempt to set a legal precedent for repression and enhance a certain rule of law, rather than an unlawful abuse of state power, such as the conventional beating or disappearing of activists without legal procedures. At least two of the criminally charged activists, Zeng Feiyang and Peng Jiayong, were beaten up by unidentified thugs earlier this year. Those behind these attacks got away with it, and would do so again if they were to repeat this kind of extra-legal repression, as has been common in China and elsewhere since time immemorial. We thus regard it as significant and necessary to explain why the state has now bothered to conduct extensive investigations into these activists in order to build legal cases against them. The reasons behind this may include the activists’ refusal to stop their workers-support activities after being beaten up, or the state’s desire to create a highly visible precedent, sending out a loud and clear message that certain forms of labor activism are illegal—or may run the risk of being treated as such. In any case, it is important to mark the difference between these legal charges and the mere hiring of thugs. This interpretation is reinforced by the smear campaign against the detainees, focusing on Zeng Feiyang, launched by state media on December 22. This is an extremely rare occasion that state television has reported so prominently about labor NGOs in any context. Many people have responded to this campaign critically on social media, leading to the blocking of WeChat posts and even accounts. While these popular reactions are unpredictable, the campaign itself supports the interpretation that certain actors in the state want to use this as a highly visible warning case. The crackdown hurts not only these particular organizations, activists, and the workers whose struggles they have been supporting. If the detainees are pronounced guilty and stay locked up, this could set a precedent for further persecution of other workers’ organizations, and discourage other workers and their supporters. Labor NGOs have been criticized for channeling workers’ unrest into legal and solvable wage negotiations and other pacified forms to integrate workers. Although this critique may be valid in some contexts, we want to highlight the difference between a critique from below and one from above. State repression against workers’ organizations, labor NGOs and trade unions is not the same as when workers refuse to let professional activists represent themselves in bargaining or decision-making. If the charges are dropped, there is a chance that the channeling of workers’ struggles into reformist directions will increase. If the arrested activists and their organizations are allowed to continue operating, it will probably be under the premise that they collaborate more closely with state efforts of social control. However, this would still be less discouraging for workers and
6 10.4 7 Clemson 19.6 16 7.0 3 11.9 8 Penn State 18.9 6 9.9 17 7.7 9 Washington 18.7 8 8.6 12 8.7 10 Wisconsin 17.4 15 7.0 9 9.4 11 Stanford 16.7 30 4.7 8 9.7 12 USC 16.3 18 6.7 15 8.1 13 Georgia 15.6 36 3.5 5 11.1 14 Louisville 14.9 21 6.3 14 8.4 15 Florida 14.5 46 2.6 7 10.0 16 Miami (FL) 14.4 40 3.3 11 9.3 17 Notre Dame 14.2 14 7.2 22 6.0 18 Michigan 13.7 26 5.2 19 7.3 19 TCU 13.5 11 7.6 27 5.2 20 Tennessee 13.4 22 6.2 25 5.4 21 Oregon 12.3 4 11.6 61 -0.1 22 North Carolina State 12.2 19 6.5 23 5.7 23 UCLA 12.1 34 3.8 18 7.4 24 Texas 11.8 41 3.3 16 7.9 25 Washington State 11.7 13 7.3 29 4.3 26 Oklahoma State 10.6 12 7.3 46 2.2 27 Texas A&M 10.6 43 2.9 21 6.1 28 Baylor 8.7 27 5.0 32 3.6 29 Northwestern 8.6 48 2.5 26 5.4 30 Kansas State 8.5 24 5.5 48 2.1 31 Virginia Tech 8.2 74 -1.4 13 8.6 32 South Carolina 8.0 39 3.3 31 4.0 33 Mississippi State 7.6 23 6.1 55 1.4 34 Kentucky 7.4 31 4.6 45 2.3 35 North Carolina 7.3 42 3.1 35 3.3 36 Arkansas 7.0 25 5.4 58 1.1 37 Georgia Tech 6.8 32 4.6 54 1.4 38 Ole Miss 6.8 44 2.9 34 3.4 39 Iowa 6.6 62 0.0 24 5.4 40 Arizona State 5.6 53 1.3 39 2.9 41 Missouri 5.6 20 6.4 67 -1.0 42 Colorado 4.9 51 1.9 40 2.9 43 Memphis 4.6 28 4.9 69 -1.6 44 Pittsburgh 4.3 17 6.9 77 -2.6 45 Duke 4.2 55 1.3 43 2.5 46 Syracuse 4.1 37 3.4 57 1.2 47 Vanderbilt 4.0 58 0.4 33 3.5 48 Texas Tech 3.9 7 9.3 102 -5.1 49 Brigham Young 3.8 60 0.2 37 3.0 50 Utah 3.7 72 -1.4 30 4.0 51 South Florida 3.5 35 3.6 59 0.2 52 Oregon State 2.0 67 -0.9 44 2.4 53 West Virginia 2.0 56 0.6 53 1.5 54 Wake Forest 1.9 76 -1.6 36 3.1 55 Arizona 1.6 29 4.7 79 -2.8 56 Boise State 1.6 47 2.6 65 -0.8 57 Nebraska 1.5 82 -2.2 38 2.9 58 Michigan State 1.4 66 -0.9 50 1.9 59 Houston 0.8 70 -1.2 47 2.2 60 Indiana 0.8 79 -1.9 41 2.9 61 Minnesota 0.8 78 -1.7 52 1.8 62 California 0.8 33 4.1 89 -3.7 63 San Diego State -0.1 88 -3.3 42 2.8 64 Colorado State -0.2 45 2.8 80 -2.8 65 Toledo -0.3 38 3.4 86 -3.2 66 UCF -0.6 84 -2.8 49 2.0 67 Tulsa -0.9 52 1.9 73 -2.3 68 Iowa State -1.2 54 1.3 78 -2.6 69 Maryland -1.5 83 -2.3 60 0.1 70 Western Michigan -1.8 65 -0.9 62 -0.5 71 Navy -1.9 49 2.4 88 -3.7 72 Boston College -2.0 112 -6.6 28 4.3 73 Virginia -2.1 90 -3.9 51 1.8 74 Appalachian State -3.1 75 -1.5 66 -0.9 75 Army -3.2 57 0.4 75 -2.4 76 Troy -3.4 77 -1.7 70 -1.6 77 Western Kentucky -4.4 73 -1.4 74 -2.4 78 Tulane -4.5 98 -4.9 56 1.2 79 Southern Methodist -4.9 71 -1.3 81 -2.9 80 Wyoming -5.2 68 -1.1 83 -2.9 81 Louisiana Tech -6.6 61 0.1 105 -5.6 82 Temple -7.3 97 -4.9 72 -2.1 83 Illinois -7.3 114 -6.8 63 -0.6 84 Arkansas State -7.5 108 -6.0 68 -1.2 85 Miami (OH) -7.5 93 -4.5 71 -2.0 86 Middle Tennessee -7.8 63 -0.5 113 -6.5 87 Marshall -8.1 89 -3.4 95 -4.3 88 Rutgers -8.3 117 -7.4 64 -0.7 89 Central Michigan -8.3 86 -3.0 93 -4.3 90 Cincinnati -8.5 99 -5.1 82 -2.9 91 Ohio -8.6 100 -5.1 87 -3.3 92 Air Force -9.1 64 -0.9 118 -7.4 93 Old Dominion -9.5 69 -1.2 115 -6.9 94 Northern Illinois -9.5 96 -4.8 92 -4.0 95 UTSA -9.7 102 -5.2 91 -3.9 96 New Mexico -9.8 50 2.0 130 -11.2 97 East Carolina -9.8 87 -3.3 103 -5.4 98 Purdue -9.8 105 -5.6 90 -3.8 99 Utah State -10.0 94 -4.7 98 -4.7 100 Southern Miss -10.1 109 -6.2 84 -3.2 101 Florida Atlantic -10.6 92 -4.4 107 -6.0 102 Kansas -11.0 123 -8.4 76 -2.5 103 UNLV -11.1 59 0.3 129 -10.3 104 Akron -11.2 80 -2.1 122 -8.1 105 Ball State -11.3 81 -2.1 124 -8.5 106 Nevada -11.9 106 -5.7 106 -5.6 107 Hawaii -11.9 91 -4.2 117 -7.2 108 Fresno State -12.0 113 -6.7 101 -5.1 109 Louisiana-Lafayette -12.1 122 -8.3 85 -3.2 110 San Jose State -12.4 115 -7.2 94 -4.3 111 Bowling Green -12.6 104 -5.6 112 -6.3 112 Eastern Michigan -12.9 85 -2.8 127 -9.2 113 Coastal Carolina -13.2 101 -5.1 116 -6.9 114 Georgia Southern -13.3 111 -6.4 110 -6.2 115 Massachusetts -13.4 103 -5.5 114 -6.6 116 Kent State -13.6 121 -8.3 96 -4.4 117 Louisiana-Monroe -14.1 110 -6.3 109 -6.1 118 Rice -14.5 107 -5.8 121 -7.7 119 Idaho -14.6 95 -4.7 126 -9.1 120 Connecticut -14.8 126 -9.3 97 -4.6 121 South Alabama -14.9 116 -7.4 111 -6.3 122 Buffalo -15.0 124 -8.5 99 -4.7 123 Florida International -15.3 129 -9.8 100 -4.8 124 Georgia State -15.5 120 -8.3 104 -5.5 125 North Texas -15.6 118 -7.5 120 -7.6 126 New Mexico State -16.8 125 -8.8 108 -6.0 127 UAB -16.9 127 -9.3 119 -7.4 128 UTEP -19.0 119 -7.8 128 -10.0 129 Charlotte -19.2 128 -9.3 123 -8.5 130 Texas State -21.2 130 -11.1 125 -8.9 There will be multiple iterations of preseason FPI to capture the most up-to-date information on returning starters and other factors that affect the rankings. Complete season projections, which will include a team’s chance to win its conference, projected win total and more, will be available this spring. For more on the model and how it was created, please read this article or this companion piece from last season's release.Kyoto Animation updated its website on Friday to reveal that voice actresses Ayana Taketatsu and Minako Kotobuki are joining the cast of the ongoing Hyouka television anime. The Hyouka cast now boasts all five main voice actresses from Kyoto Animation's earlier K-ON! anime. Honobu Yonezawa's original Hyouka novel follows an unassertive boy named Hōtarō (played by Yūichi Nakamura) who was ordered by his older sister to join the classic literature club (kotenbu). In the club, he gets close to the truth about a mystery that has been buried for 33 years. Taketatsu and Kotobuki will play the manga club members Kimura and Henmi, respectively. Their fellow K-On castmember Satomi Satou plays the classic literature club member Eru Chitanda, while Aki Toyosaki and Yōko Hikasa play Rie Zenna and the quiz study group chair. [Via Ota-Suke] Image © Honobu Yonezawa, Kadokawa Shoten/Kamiyama Kōkō Kotenbu OB-KaiMicrosoft Safety Scanner 2 minutes to read Contributors In this article Microsoft Safety Scanner is a scan tool designed to find and remove malware from Windows computers. Simply download it and run a scan to find malware and try to reverse changes made by identified threats. Safety Scanner only scans when manually triggered and is available for use 10 days after being downloaded. We recommend that you always download the latest version of this tool before each scan. NOTE: This tool does not replace your antimalware product. For real-time protection with automatic updates, use Windows Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 and Windows 8 or Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7. These antimalware products also provide powerful malware removal capabilities. If you are having difficulties removing malware with these products, you can refer to our help on removing difficult threats. NOTE: Safety scanner is a portable executable and does not appear in the Windows Start menu or as an icon on the desktop. Note where you saved this download. System requirements Safety Scanner helps remove malicious software from computers running Windows 10, Windows 10 Tech Preview, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server Tech Preview, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008. Please refer to the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy. How to run a scan Download this tool and open it. Select the type of scan you want run and start the scan. Review the scan results displayed on screen. For detailed detection results, view the log at %SYSTEMROOT%\debug\msert.log. To remove this tool, delete the executable file (msert.exe by default). For more information about the Safety Scanner, see the support article on how to troubleshoot problems using Safety Scanner. Related resourcesAshton Agar paid tribute to his one-time Test teammate Phillip Hughes by remarkably, and poignantly, scoring 98 in Perth grade cricket on Saturday. It was the same score Agar made on his Test debut at Trent Bridge last year, when he and Hughes combined for a then Test record 10th-wicket partnership of 163. Hughes posted an unbeaten 81 in that match as he and Agar blasted of total of 21 boundaries and two sixes in the memorable stand that catapulted the West Australian to stardom. Their record partnership was broken earlier this year when England's Joe Root and James Anderson put on 198 against India, also at Trent Bridge. The Hughes-Agar partnership remains an Australian Test record for the 10th wicket. Playing for his club side University against Bayswater-Morley on Saturday, just two days after Hughes passed away, Agar was once again dismissed for 98, an innings that included 16 fours and a six. It was one of several incredible scores from club cricket on Saturday as the Australian cricket family honoured the memory of Hughes. In country Victoria, a batsman denied himself the chance to break his club's scoring record by deciding to declare as a mark of respect for the left-hander. Shaun McArthur, captaining Haddon in their match against VRI Delacombe, had moved to 220 not out late in the day, just 11 runs shy of club's highest score in Ballarat Cricket Association district division two. But after a quick glance at the scoreboard that read 6-408 from 63 overs, McArthur decided to call the innings closed, much to the initial shock of his teammates and opponents. McArthur had noticed the symbolism of his team's total - Hughes's Test number is 408 and his final innings was a score of 63 not out. The scoreboard from Haddon's match against VRI Delacombe "Everyone walked up and shook his hand," Haddon spokesman Vincent McDonald told The Courier. "It was a chance innings. You can't plan to have scores like this - 220 runs for a player and 408 (total) - in the standard of cricket we play. "Shaun must've just noticed the score and thought, 'That'll do'." In a tribute of sorts to the partnership between Agar and Hughes, a father-son combination in WA produced a record 10th wicket stand of their own to secure a remarkable win in a Peel Cricket Association match. With Halls Head Cricket Club struggling at 9-61 in pursuit of Warnbro Swans Cricket Club's total of 199, No.11 Joe Lovell joined his father David at the crease. The pair added a record stand of 168 as Halls Head finished on 229 to secure victory on the first innings. No.10 David finished unbeaten of 123 - including 12 fours and six sixes - while his son hit a career best 36, having earlier taken 3-41 with the ball. It was part of an emotional weekend of club cricket around Australia, as teams wore black armbands and observed 63 seconds of silence in memory of Hughes.TAMPA, Fla. — When Garrett Jones was traded to the Yankees in December, he was hoping to bring with him his good-luck charm of a number, 46. When the Yankees acquired shortstop Brendan Ryan, he knew he would be denied his favorite childhood number, 7. And when Jacoby Ellsbury signed a free-agent contract with the Yankees, he realized that even though the team was giving him $153 million, the Yankees would not give him a jersey with 2 on the back. When players join the Yankees, they are afforded all manners of privilege to play for one of sports’ marquee franchises, one with a tradition of winning and of sparing few expenses to do so. But wearing their favorite number is often not one of them. If the Yankees like to imagine they do things bigger and better than anyone else, they approach retiring numbers with the same gusto. They have retired 18 numbers, and by the end of this summer, another three will be decommissioned: the No. 20 belonging to catcher Jorge Posada, pitcher Andy Pettitte’s 46 and the 51 worn by center fielder Bernie Williams. And it will not be long before Derek Jeter’s 2 joins them.In terms of sheer numbers, the “Dump Starbucks” campaign, launched by the conservative National Organization for Marriage (NOM), looks like it could use a shot or two of espresso. Last week, Starbucks SBUX ) became the target of a religious right international boycott after the coffee giant joined a number of prominent corporations including Microsoft NIKE RealNetworks ( RNWKD) , Group Health Cooperative, and Concur in their support for same-sex marriage legislation in the Washington State legislature ahead of lawmakers voting on a gay marriage bill. “We are urging customers across the globe to 'Dump Starbucks' because it has taken a corporate-wide position that the definition of marriage between one man and one woman should be eliminated and that same-sex marriage should become equally 'normal,' “ reads the statement on NOM’s website . “As such, Starbucks has deeply offended at least half its US customers, and the vast majority of its international customers.” As of today, nearly 19,000 people have signed the group’s pledge to boycott Starbucks. Impressive? On its face, possibly. That is, until you consider the over 234,000 signatures the liberal advocacy group SumOfUs has acquired to put on a “Thank You” card to Starbucks for its marriage equality stance. SumOfUs originally set its counteroffensive into motion with a goal of just 40,000 signers. The organization more than tripled that number within the space of 48 hours. But with threats by NOM to intensify its campaign, including running ads throughout the US, as well as in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, SumOfUs has reconstituted its effort with a new goal of 250,000 signatures. “We need to show Starbucks and other big corporations that standing up for gay rights is good for business!” SumOfUs wrote in an email sent to subscribers. Last month, the Washington House and Senate passed the measure recognizing same-sex nuptials and it was signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on February 13. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Senator Ed Murray, credited support from the business community for its passage in Congress. “It’s how we got moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats to vote for this,” he said. But over the past few years, American public opinion has shifted in favor of gay marriage. Contrary to NOM’s assertion that Starbucks has outraged at least half of its US customer base, an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted earlier this month shows that 52% of Americans believe gay and lesbian couples should be able to get married while 43% think it should be illegal. And you have to wonder how much of that 43% are the latte drinking type.Claressa Shields made history in Rio as the first U.S. boxer to win back-to-back gold medals. But while the major media outlets praised her historic win, they forgot about her most important personal win. On Monday, the 21-year-old credited God for her success on Good Morning America after ABC anchor Amy Robach referenced her “difficult childhood.” How Shields’ past was difficult, Robach didn’t say. But it’s a story well worth telling. Shields grew up in Flint, Michigan with a father in jail and a mother with drug problems and male “acquaintances” who, Shields said, raped and sexually molested her. Her family relied on food stamps that, she believes, her mother sold for drugs – because food rarely appeared on the table. And when her cousin begged her for abortion money, Shields decided to adopt the baby as her own while a teenager. Shields revealed to ESPN the story of how she adopted her cousin’s baby in 2014: A lot of people don't know, but I adopted a little girl. She's about 6 months old now. Her name is Klaressa Shields like mine, just spelled with a K. My cousin had her. She already had two kids; she didn't want to have another. I told her I wanted to have a baby after the Olympics but with my career and everything, I can't afford to get pregnant right now. So she decided to keep the baby, and now the baby lives with me. I was there for her birth and got to cut her little cord. It was scary seeing her come out. I was like, "What is going on here?" We're still going through the adoption process, but I have her when I'm at home. When I leave, my best friend's mom and her birth mother have her. A year later, at 19-years-old, she told Yahoo Sports even more about baby Klaressa. Her cousin had wanted to abort Klaressa, but didn’t have the $500 to pay for it. When she asked for money, Shields refused, writer Kevin Iole reported. "I told her I didn't believe in abortion and so I wasn't giving her any money to do that," Shields stressed. When her cousin later raised $400, she again asked for Shields’ help – to pay for the last $100. That’s when Shields pointed to another option. A photo posted by ClaressaTheChampishee!!! (@claressashields) on Aug 7, 2014 at 6:58pm PDT "I really wanted a baby myself and I wanted to have one when I turned 18 right after I won the [2012] Olympics," she told Iole. Because she couldn’t get pregnant while training for the 2016 Olympics, she told her cousin, “You have the baby, and I'll adopt her.” And that she did. Shields took Klaressa home and readjusted her schedule to care for her. On the days she couldn’t find a sitter, she opted for training at home instead of going to the gym. "I'd shadow box for an hour-and-a-half with the baby right there," she said. And it’s obvious little Klaressa stole her heart. A photo posted by ClaressaTheChampishee!!! (@claressashields) on Dec 24, 2014 at 6:23am PST "I'm going to give her the best of everything, and I'm going to protect her like no mother ever protected her baby," Shields stressed to Iole at the time. "I just love having her, even though it's a huge responsibility. It makes me slow down and think, and that's a good thing." But she (and longtime boyfriend Ardreal Holmes) only lived with Klaressa for about eight months, according to USA Today editor Bob Velin in 2015. “It didn’t go through like it was supposed to,” Shields admitted to Velin. While her cousin “didn’t want anything to do” with Klaressa at first, she later changed her mind and demanded visitation rights as well as “a lot of other things.” The situation climaxed when Shields confronted her cousin about stealing something from her. “[T]next day she showed up with the cops at my house and said that I had kidnapped the child,” Shields told Velin. “I could’ve went to jail when she called the cops on me. I had to explain to the cops that this child has been staying with me the last eight months,” Shields said. “Everything she has is here. Her milk, her car seat, all her clothes, everything is here.” In the end, Shields forgave her cousin and gave Klaressa back to her. “It was very hurtful, but after all that I still forgave her and wanted to talk about the baby,” she said. “But she wanted all these exceptions put in the adoption contract. It was too much for me. I said, ‘I’m not going to let you control my life.’” Afterward letting Klaressa go, Shields became sick for weeks and lost a significant amount of weight. But for Shields, setbacks translate into a challenge to move forward. “[N]ow I’m able to focus more on training,” she said, looking at the silver lining. “I still think about the baby all the time but it was like, maybe it wasn’t time for me to have a child.” But it was time for her to save a child – a child that likely wouldn’t be alive today if not for her. A photo posted by ClaressaTheChampishee!!! (@claressashields) on Nov 29, 2014 at 2:20pm PST And, as she told Iole, she has an important message for other girls struggling to survive life’s challenges. "If you're a girl and you're having a bad day and it seems like it's never going to get better, think of me,” Shields said. “Look what I've done. Look what I overcame. I did it. I dreamed about reaching a goal and I made it happen. You can, too. I'm living proof of that." A photo posted by ClaressaTheChampishee!!! (@claressashields) on Jun 4, 2014 at 5:26pm PDT A photo posted by ClaressaTheChampishee!!! (@claressashields) on Jul 29, 2014 at 7:31pm PDTOriginally published Nov. 2014 Ever since Mattel chose to sell the Intellivision platform by proclaiming its incredible graphical realism relative to Atari's 2600 -- our stick figures are better! -- technology has been the gaming business' preferred battleground. But technology marches ever onward, and while this year's system may trump the competition with its jaw-dropping power, next year it'll be nothing more than a dusty relic. So it went for Nintendo, whose Super NES offered the slickest graphics and most convincing audio of the 16-bit era... right up until the point at which it didn't. By 1994, a mere three years after the console's American debut, the Super NES had grown long in the tooth, and enthusiasm began to wane. All throughout the 16-bit era, Nintendo had managed to fend off threats to the monopoly it built in the '80s with great software and some ruthless business decisions. Sega made headway with its Genesis, but even that juggernaut couldn't quite dethrone Nintendo as the industry's big player. The looming specter of Sony's PlayStation, however, painted a different picture. Its awe-inspiring 3D capabilities were a far cry from the clunky visuals produced by limp also-rans Atari Jaguar and 3DO, and even early glimpses of the likes of Ridge Racer absolutely shamed the meager polygons Nintendo's FX chip produced. USgamer's Daily Classic for January 23, 2014: Donkey Kong Country Donkey Kong Country Developer: Rare Rare Manufacturer: Nintendo Nintendo Format: Super NES Super NES Release Date: October 1994 While it doesn't look quite as impressive in hindsight, the dusky diorama graphical stylings of Donkey Kong Country didn't just make it look better than its 16-bit competition -- it trounced most early 32-bit software as well. Unfortunately, Nintendo's own Super NES successor, the Ultra 64, was still a year away from prime time (actually, as it turned out, two years). All the company had to combat the promise of PlayStation and Sega Saturn was an aging console and increasingly expensive add-on chips that couldn't begin to measure up to what the competition had in store. So Nintendo, a company that got its start as a playing card manufacturer, did what any card player would do with a losing hand: It bluffed. Nintendo's bluff came in the form of Donkey Kong Country, a total reimagining of the franchise that had catapulted the company to the big leagues in the first place. It was a game a long time coming; outside of that summer's largely overlooked remake of the original arcade title for Game Boy, Donkey Kong hadn't featured in a new game since Donkey Kong 3 a decade prior. In fact, besides the occasional cameo in unrelated works and the mysterious Return of Donkey Kong for NES (announced but never shown), the former arcade superstar had all but vanished. Kong's disappearance was quite an ignominious twist for a character who had once been one of the medium's most recognizable faces. Perhaps Nintendo was simply holding him back for the right moment. Certainly DKC had profound impact. It brought back an '80s arcade staple in true '90s style: As the furry hero of a snarky platform action game. DKC was no mere Sonic clone, though. Not only did Kong have a valid claim on the genre despite his lengthy absence -- the original Donkey Kong being one of the format's seminal works -- the game was nothing short of astonishing from a visual perspective. Somehow, developer Rare managed to squeeze graphical fidelity from the wheezing Super NES that put the game's visuals on par with anything yet seen on more advanced hardware... and all without the use of one of those fancy add-on processors Nintendo was so fond of. Clever use of shadows and darkness weren't just an artsy chiaroscuro effect. The deep pools of black hid the seams between graphical elements and heightened the sense of depth. Of course, it was simply an illusion, a trick of clever graphical design. But what a trick! Rare fostered the perception that DKC was a game running on an advanced, 3D-capable system, despite the fact that under the hood DKC was arguably a step behind launch titles like Super Mario World and Super Castlevania IV. It eschewed the Super NES's built-in graphical modes, foregoing the platform's standard bag of gimmicks (rotation, transparencies, etc.) in favor of a game that impressed strictly with its basic visual design. But that design really was impressive. Quibbles about the main character's radical '90s redesign aside, DKC banked on the public's general inexperience with 3D graphics to wow the masses with a game whose technological advancements happened entirely on the development side. There was nothing special under the hood of the DKC cart or the Super NES. Instead, Rare put cutting-edge computer techniques to use in the crafting of the game. Never mind that DKC was, at heart, a fairly standard platformer. Kong and his sidekick Diddy could run and jump per usual, attack with an open-palmed ground slap, roll into foes like Sonic, and ride around on a variety of animal pals. There was really nothing about DKC that hadn't been done dozens of times before by dozens of other platformers, often in a much more fashion. But it didn't matter. DKC wasn't about revolutionizing the way games played; it was about convincing gamers not to trade in their Super Nintendo systems for something better. And it worked. For everyone who ever wondered what Myst would be like as an action platformer starring monkeys, Donkey Kong Country held the answers. It worked because Nintendo and Rare's hunch was right. Most people didn't have real experience with true 3D game worlds in 1994, so DKC's fixed perspective didn't betray it as a relic of 16-bit hardware. When people thought of advanced computer graphics, they thought of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park or the previews they'd seen of the upcoming Disney cartoon Toy Story. DKC looked much more like Buzz Lightyear than the boxy dominatrices of Toshinden did; in many ways, DKC's 3D fakery was better than actual 3D. Certainly it was more satisfying to look at. DKC's design and legacy have left it open to considerable criticism over the years. The flimflammery of its visuals and the relative mundanity of its actual game design make it easy for critics to paint it as a classic case of style over substance. There's also the (seemingly apocryphal) claim that Donkey Kong creator Shigeru Miyamoto found DKC lackluster and amateurish, leading to the creation of the elaborately lo-fi Yoshi's Island as a reactionary piece. But while those criticisms have some merit, they're not entirely fair, either. Sometimes, style is substance, and DKC is a masterful example of that axiom in action. This was no slapdash half-effort; Rare's designers didn't simply punch some numbers into a supercomputer and wait for the game to emerge fully formed from a slot on the side. On the contrary, DKC exudes craftsmanship. Rare went to great pains to create a consistent, seamless world that managed to convey trompe-l'oeil immersion despite being made of the same flat bitmap tiles that every other 2D platformer on the market used. This was no trivial matter, as countless games that attempted to borrow DKC's production techniques would prove: Few looked as clean or consistent as Rare's work, which committed to the illusion and pulled it off impeccably. Before too long, actual 3D games would become commonplace, and "2.5D" platformers like Crystal Dynamics' Pandemonium! would expose the illusion upon which DKC was built. But in 1994, it didn't matter. Nintendo stood at the brink of obsolescence and made the biggest bluff in its century of existence. Incredibly, it worked. As Sony and Sega ushered in the 32-bit era, the creaky old Super NES enjoyed its strongest sales ever. Perhaps even more amazingly, people cared about Donkey Kong again for the first time in a decade. Not bad for a crazy handful of nothing.It's been reported that SKE48 research student Inuzuka Asana has been suspended from her activities. A message was posted on the group's official website stating, "Yesterday, research student Inuzuka Asana sent a message by mistake through SKE48's mail service 'SKE48 mail'.�We would like to inform that�Inuzuka Asana's activities will be suspended�until we confirm the facts.�As a result, she will not be participating in tomorrow's events for AKB48's 4th album '1830m'. We have caused worries and troubles to the fans, but we ask for your kind understanding." Meanwhile, Inuzuka commented on her Google+ account, "Half asleep,�I sent the mail I got from my friend to SKE mail. It was a portion of love advice I've been receiving, so maybe there are many people who misunderstood it... But this is the truth, so please believe me." Source: SKE48 Official Website, Inuzuka Asana's Google+ Tip: KudoShinichi TagsDOVER — Parents of about 8,000 children in Delaware no longer have to worry about their kids losing health care coverage at the end of the month. The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday night they reached an agreement to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program for five years. The program, which covers about 8.9 million people nationwide, was set to run out of federal funding Sept. 30. CHIP, as it’s known, offers health care to children whose parents earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. In Delaware, individuals no older than 18 are eligible as long as their family earns less than 213 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that’s about $51,500 a year. Enrollees pay monthly premiums of $15 or $25 depending on their income. They do not have copays. Delawareans covered through the program receive a wide range of services, such as mental-health counseling, drug-abuse treatment, physical therapy, x-rays and lab work. While lawmakers have not yet introduced the bill authorizing continued funding, they expect to do so within a few days and the measure should receive strong support from both sides of the aisle. Had Congress failed to extend funding, Delaware would have exhausted
based on the information you have disclosed to date, we consider your client a tipster, not a whistle-blower. Allegations won’t carry the day, by a long stretch. [There are specific laws that protect “whistle-blowers" but do not recognize any protection for 'tipsters.']" Dickieson: "Karen – Call our client a 'tipster' or 'whistle-blower' or whatever you wish at present, but don’t minimize the importance of the information that our client is about to give the government. This is a 'once in a career' case for the lucky government attorneys willing to follow up on the hard leads that our client is prepared to provide." Kelly: "Just what I need, a 'once in a career case!!'" It was a clear warning shot to be ignored at one’s peril, say attorneys familiar with the way Downing ran his cases. A veteran prosecutor — a New Yorker known for playing hardball — Downing looks as Irish as his name suggests: “Tall, dark and handsome,” said one former adversary, who quickly added “bully, snide, insulting and dismissive” to round out the list. Karen Kelly is cast of the same mold, said several attorneys who have faced her: tough with “a grating personality.” Full immunity was a non-starter until Birkenfeld showed his cards, the prosecutors said. Birkenfeld rolled the dice, leading Downing, Kelly and a special agent from IRS Criminal Investigation through his trove of UBS documents over three marathon sessions at DOJ headquarters in Washington in June 2007. The cumulative picture that emerged was one of a rogue division within one of the world’s biggest banks not only blatantly breaking U.S. law, but actively covering its tracks. Birkenfeld wanted to help prosecutors catch them in the act. He provided a phone and email list for the Geneva-based cross-border bankers and senior management who traveled to the U.S. in service of the alleged fraud. Mapping their travel to the United States and the clients they met with was a matter of a few wire-tap warrants, Birkenfeld suggested. He says he offered to travel to Switzerland, meet his old bosses and wear a wire to gather evidence. His enthusiasm rubbed the DOJ lawyers the wrong way. “Downing said to me, ‘You watch too much TV, Brad — that’s Hollywood,’” Birkenfeld recalled. “I was telling the DOJ how to do its business, and they fucking hated that.” As tension mounted, Birkenfeld’s attorneys sought immunity from future prosecution with increasing urgency, but the government suddenly moved the goalposts further down field. The insider detail Birkenfeld was providing about the wider scheme was invaluable, but Downing wanted more: The names of all of Birkenfeld’s clients. But there were some secrets Birkenfeld wasn’t prepared to disclose, and that’s where it all came crashing down. Go to the next story in this 5-part series: A reversal of fortunes. Michael Bronner, a New York-based investigative journalist, previously worked for the weekday edition of CBS News/60 Minutes. He has been a freelance contributor to Vanity Fair since 2005. A screenwriter, producer and director, he was also a co-producer on the Universal Pictures/Working Title feature film “Green Zone” about Iraq and an associate producer on the Oscar-nominated “United 93.” Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the title of Martin Liechti, who is the head of UBS Wealth Management Americas International.I recently visited Germany Pavilion in Epcot searching for delicious treats from Karamell-Küche. This caramel kitchen is filled with delectable goodies made with Werther’s Original caramel. Instead of sweet treats, I was surprised to find the Disney Delivery Guy. The 2016 International Food & Wine Festival returns to Epcot from September 14 through November 14, 2016. Artwork for this year’s event merchandise was created by Disney Design Group. Drawing on the success of previous festivals, the team created new designs for popular merchandise programs such as “Brews Around the World,” and a character program featuring Figment. Guests will also find new art for the “Taste Your Way Around the World” program that incorporates nods to the early days of Epcot. Disney Design Group artist Richard Terpstra incorporated vintage iconography and symbols from Epcot into several of his designs. In addition to items shown in the video, we will have apparel, hats, drinkware, accessories, dinnerware, magnets and much more. Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak will also return for another year. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog in the coming weeks as I’ll share a first look inside the Festival Center at Epcot.WASHINGTON — All same-sex couples who are legally married will be recognized as such for federal tax purposes, even if the state where they live does not recognize their union, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday. It is the broadest federal rule change to come out of the landmark Supreme Court decision in June that struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, and a sign of how quickly the government is moving to treat gay couples in the same way that it does straight couples. The June decision found that same-sex couples were entitled to federal benefits, but left open the question of how Washington would actually administer them. The Treasury Department answered some of those questions on Thursday. As of the 2013 tax year, same-sex spouses who are legally married will not be able to file federal tax returns as if either were single. Instead, they must file together as “married filing jointly” or individually as “married filing separately.” Their address or the location of their wedding does not matter, as long as the marriage is legal: a same-sex couple who marry in Albany, N.Y., and move to Alabama are treated the same as a same-sex couple who marry and live in Massachusetts.Former Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference has been on biking excursions over 100 km this summer so his damaged hip, which needed major repair, is holding up on the trails and the open road with low impact exercise, but the defenceman hasn’t skated or run since his March surgery. His NHL career is basically over, although there’s no official retirement. “What is the terminology? I have a career-ending injury,” said Ference, 37. “That’s the way I’m looking at it.” “I got 16 years. I don’t feel I missed out. The people close to me walk on egg-shells until I tell them it’s OK. I told my wife it’s like graduating from high school. You go to high school, have a blast, have all these great parties but by the time you get to the end of high school, you say, ‘All right, I’m ready for the next step.’ You have fond memories. If I hadn’t won a Stanley Cup (2011 in Boston), that would be tough to swallow now.” Ference, who has a healthy life outside the hockey rink and is heavily involved in environmental issues, has his diploma from Harvard in corporate sustainability and is part of a company that gives seed money to investors of environmentally-conscious start-ups and has been heavily involved with a company Full Cycle Bioplastics which converts organic waste into biodegradable plastics. He was also the driving force behind the NHL’s energy conservation strategy. He has lots on his plate, outside of banging heads with attacking hockey players. Related “It’s been a good escape (from hockey) … it’s been a good balance,” he said. “If everything in your life revolves around sport, you can’t help but ride the wave of success or failure.” He has one year left on his $3.25-million Oilers’ contract and when he goes to training camp for medicals in 10 days he’ll likely fail it and be put on long-term injured reserve by the Oilers, which means they’ll pay him but they’ll get some cap relief. It’s not the way he wants his career to end but, really, he knows it was effectively over last season, long before his surgery, when the team was looking at younger players and were sitting him out. Ference, who played 907 league games and 120 more in the playoffs and signed a four-year free-agent contract here in 2012, feels his hip issue started in Boston about six years ago. He spent his pro career playing above his weight, never afraid of physical confrontation or tough battles. “There was a playoff series and I snapped my adductor muscle in my groin and wound up having sports hernia surgery,” said Ference. “There was a tear in my abdominal wall … I’m pin-pointing it (the problem with his hip) because from that year on, the hip would always flare up.” “The doctors think I got a tear in my labrum, the way the hip was shoved out of place. Over the years, the tear gets bigger, the bone starts rubbing, the cartilage starts to go,” he said. “They went in and took out all the bad cartilage, fixed the labrum tear, then they had to shave the bone because it was impinging. To promote new cartilage growth, they take a drill and drill into the hip socket. The bone bleeds and forms a pseudo cartilage. That’s where it (the recovery) turns into months instead of weeks. I guess football guys get it quite a bit and it’s usually six to eight months before you’re cutting as a football player.” Ference, who says he had micro-fractures in the right hip, has checked in all summer with the Oiler doctors, and he expects at the team medical to get the news he can’t play. He can bike or swim, but can’t push it farther than that. He’s always biked, forsaking a car often to pedal to practices wherever he’s been. “I’m trying to introduce more weight-bearing with the gym to work on my (range of) motion but I’m not even jogging … that obviously comes before skating,” he said. He says he came to the realization his career was over last year. He only dressed for six games with the Oilers going with younger people like Brandon Davidson and Darnell Nurse in the top six and, as the season wore on, Griffin Reinhart and Jordan Oesterle, too. “I wasn’t playing and I came into camp healthy. The messaging was fairly clear,” he said. “We rolled into Boston (mid-December) and I didn’t get to play there. If I was going to play anywhere … that was a tough one to swallow.” Ference wore the C for the first two years of his Oilers contract but last fall the team went with alternates. He got an A when he played. Now, it looks like Connor McDavid, at 19, will be captain. Is he ready for that right now? “Absolutely,” said Ference. “ No doubt about it.” “He’s so mature and who he is is who he is. He’s not faking it.” “He’s a super hard worker, ultra-competitive. It’s real. He’s not bluffing.” “I don’t care how old a guy is, if you have those qualities, you’re ready, 100 per cent.” “It’ll be a real fresh start with the culture of that room, too. That’ll help him immensely. It’s his culture,” said Ference. Older veterans like Matt Hendricks and Milan Lucic can help with the transition, too. “Looch will be great. He’s as honest as they come,” said Ference, who drove his former Bruins’ teammate Lucic to Rogers Place after he came to town July 1. “They’re (Hendricks and Lucic) good messengers to back things up. Their word will carry some good weight,” he said. Ference has no real interest in getting involved in, say, hockey ops after his career ends, but as he says, ‘I grew up in Edmonton and I remember Glen Sather’s teams were always heavily involved (charities and in the community). I’d love to stay involved in that side,” he said. [email protected] On Twitter: @NHLbyMattyA fire burned through one of the most well preserved medieval castles in Slovakia Saturday, destroying a significant portion of the 14th-century national monument. The fire at the Krasna Horka castle started after the last tour of the day had ended, the BBC said. There were no visitors inside when flames from a nearby grassfire spread to the castle’s wooden roof. The grassfire was set intentionally, firefighters told the Slovak Spectator, the only English-language newspaper in Slovakia. Krasna Horka is near the Slovak town of Roznava. It is considered one of the most well-preserved castles in the region and is a National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic. The BBC said many of the artifacts inside the castle may have been destroyed. More from the GlobalPost: Slovakia votes in early elections with left tipped to win More from the GlobalPost: Chinese cars made in BulgariaLyor Cohen has been named the new head of global music at YouTube. The media company made the announcement official today (Sept. 28). Cohen's new role at YouTube will include overseeing relations between the video giant and record companies as well as helping the development of the YouTube Music app. Cohen is a 30-year veteran to the music industry and his résumé shows it. The 56-year-old served as president of Island Def Jam Music Group from 1998 to 2003 and is a former chairman/CEO of Warner Music Group’s recorded music division. Most recently, Lyor's job title has been founder and co-CEO of his own independent record label 300 Entertainment, which he launched in 2012 with fellow execs Kevin Liles and Todd Moscowitz. 300 Entertainment is home to acts like Young Thug, Fetty Wap, Rich The Kid and more. “I hope that together we can move towards a more collaborative relationship between the music industry and the technologies that are shaping the future of the business,” wrote Cohen in an open letter to YouTube upon the announcement of his hiring. The news also comes right on the heels of major record labels suing websites that allow users to rip YouTube videos and download them as MP3 files. This new addition to the YouTube team comes as the media giant battles to mend relationships between the music industry. Outspoken critics of YouTube have said in the past that the site doesn’t pay fair royalty rates to artists and hasn't done enough to fight piracy of music. What will this mean for Cohen's position at the label he helped create? Variety reports that according to YouTube, Cohen will continue to act as CEO of 300 until December 5. After that, the company's management "will transition Lyor’s day-to-day responsibilities to the leadership team within the company." XXL has reached out to 300 Entertainment for comment but have yet to hear back.Usually, Marshawn Lynch gives Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls a text message head’s up when he’s coming to games. Sunday night, though, was a surprise visit from Beast Mode, and with it came some very Marshawn-esque medical advice. Rawls left the win over the Panthers in the second quarter after being hit in the head by a pair of defenders. He headed to the locker room as part of the league’s concussion protocol but returned for the start of the second half. Somewhere during that timeline, Rawls said Lynch offered him some advice about how to absorb the impact better. “He was just telling me to brace,” Rawls said in the locker room after Sunday’s dominating 40-7 win. “He was scared because I was holding my head after that play. After getting tested for the concussion, he was just telling me to just make sure to kind of give him a little bit of my body next time. Just listening to him, man. Big brother.” This advice makes sense on multiple levels. Lynch knows a thing or two about taking and dishing out punishment, running with devastating power throughout his career that ended at the end of last season. Lynch’s legendary compassion for teammates is also nothing new. After former WR Ricardo Lockette’s nearly fatal neck injury, Lynch was among the first to arrive at the hospital and reportedly took care of Lockette’s family. Rawls, an undrafted second-year back, has taken over the power-rushing tailback spot from Lynch, often seeking contact and hoping to run over defenders. However, at 5 foot 9 and 216 pounds, the physical style has taken a toll on his body, as he missed 13 games since Week 13 of last season – a broken fibula knocking him out of the last six games of 2015 and another leg injury keeping him out for seven this season. Rawls barreled forward for the best game of his season Sunday against the Panthers, though, rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He was grateful that Lynch was on the sidelines to see him for the performance. “I was so excited when I seen him,” Rawls said. “He came to the right game, too. We won. Me and the offensive line got a good chance to run up the yards on them but I was so excited, man. That’s big brother right there. I get so excited.” Rawls was not the only person who was pumped, as Beast Mode’s star-power still extends beyond his influence in the locker room. Throngs of fans made a halo around Lynch as he walked outside CenturyLink about two hours before kickoff, snapping cellphone photos and calling his name. The sold-out crowd exploded in cheers when the Jumbotron cameras caught Lynch grinning in a bright orange jacket on the sidelines. Lynch’s eccentric personality and brand has also been a hit nationally, with his appearances on Conan being among the most viewed clips the late-night show has. Meanwhile, Lynch’s Beast Mode Store in Oakland has expanded to Seattle, and he is also collaborating with the Seattle Chocolate Company as a pseudo real-life Willy Wonka. Lynch was in town because of an engagement with Amazon, driving the deals-on-wheels truck out on Saturday and handing out Beast Mode-skinned Amazon Echos and Beast Mode hats. Despite his off-the-field interests, Lynch still makes time for his former teammates. That includes Rawls, who felt like Lynch’s visit was the gift of the day, even as he held onto the game ball. “He surprised me ‘cause usually he texts me,” Rawls said. “I didn’t get that text, though. I was so excited to see him. … I love whenever I get a chance to see him, man.”\| Jim Killock Misinformation about mass surveillance: IMP is back Some commentators are speculating that the new budgets for Intercept Modernisation Programme (IMP) are not what they might seem, but something smaller and less instrusive. We are certain that IMP is back on the cards, however. On Wednesday, Julian Huppert MP asked David Cameron: Can the Prime Minister reassure the House that the Government have no plans to revive Labour's intercept modernisation programme, whether in name or in function, and that he remains fully committed to the pledge in the coalition agreement to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties and to roll back state intrusion? Cameron replied: ... We are not considering a central Government database to store all communications information, and we shall be working with the Information Commissioner's Office on anything we do in that area. This is very telling. Our Prime Minister had a chance here to state plainly that no such plans was being considered. Instead, he ruled out what was ruled out by Labour. Labour, after all, abandoned plans to intercept Internet traffic and create a centralized database. What they chose to delay was a plan to intercept communications data and have ISPs store it. Mass interception and storage of data are both highly intrusive and we believe illegal under EU law. The current Data Retention Directive – which requires ISPs to “retain” communications data – is under challenge and could be ruled illegal. Several member states have already rejected it as unconstitutional as mass data retention breaches their citizens’ privacy rights. Interception goes a step further. It is difficult to see how mass, pre-emptive interception could or should be legal. But that doesn’t seem to be worrying the officials in the Home Office who want IMP, whatever the colour of the government. It is vital that MPs and Ministers stand firm against the views of these officials. If you haven’t already, please sign our petition to demand that Cameron, Clegg and Theresa May protect our privacy.Jerome Murray/Alamy Stock Photo There’s something fishy going on. Juvenile Atlantic salmon with shorter telomeres – normally considered a sign of poor health – have a higher chance of surviving the epic migration from their home river to the sea and back again. Telomeres act as caps on the ends of chromosomes, preserving the DNA after cells divide. But the telomeres shorten with each division and eventually become so short the cells can’t divide any more. In humans, shortened telomeres are associated with cardiovascular diseases and cancer in adults, and are thought to reflect overall cell ageing and health. No wonder Darryl McLennan at the University of Glasgow, UK, and his colleagues were puzzled by their results. In the spring of 2013, McLennan’s team tagged over 1800 juvenile salmon, or smolts, in the Blackwater river in northern Scotland just before they migrated to sea. The team also took a small fin tissue sample from each fish to measure the telomeres. Advertisement In the autumn of 2014 and 2015, when McLennan expected the salmon to return to the river to spawn, his team trapped the tagged fish and took a follow-up fin tissue sample to measure telomere length. Only 21 of the original salmon remained and the survivors were significantly more likely to have shorter telomeres than when they began their migration. Shorter lifespan “When we started this project we hypothesised the juvenile salmon with shorter telomeres would have a reduced lifespan and found the complete opposite,” he says. It’s an unexpected result, but Terry Burke at the University of Sheffield, UK, points out that the analysis ultimately relies on data from very few of the original salmon: only about 1 per cent made it back to spawn. He would like to see the study replicated before we can say with any confidence that young salmon with shorter telomeres outperform their peers carrying longer versions. But Kjetil Hindar at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Trondheim is not surprised by the dismally low survival rate. He says it’s the same return rate he sees in Norway these days. “Salmon survival at sea is much lower now than it was thirty years ago,” he says. “We had twice as many fish returning in the ’80s.” A migrating salmon’s life isn’t easy. While it is one of the world’s most studied fish species, we know relatively little about what happens to salmon at sea. Ultimately, predation from coastal birds and larger marine fish, coupled with higher levels of fishing, mean that very few ever make it back to their freshwater birthplace. Fishy telomeres Burke says it’s nice to see this kind of telomere work being done with fish – most often these studies examining life history are done with humans and birds. But he points out that there might be other reasons to explain why McLennan’s team found a result that runs contrary to popular wisdom. “We’re not observing these fish dying from illness, but mostly from predation or being caught at sea,” he says. “So there’s a different kind of selection operating here than on humans. The salmon aren’t living long enough to die of old age.” McLennan’s has his own ideas about why fish with shorter telomeres seem to fare better. Salmon have to undergo physiological changes to prepare themselves for both the taxing migration and the challenge of moving from a freshwater to a marine environment – for example, altering their gills to deal with higher levels of salt. McLennan thinks that fish who invest more energy into preparing themselves for life at sea do so at the cost of maintaining their telomere length. What’s more, unlike humans, fish can repair their telomeres. Whatever the ultimate outcome of the research, McLennan thinks the salmon are evidence that we need a better understanding of telomeres’ role as proxies for ageing and cellular health. “Telomere dynamics are not universal,” says McLennan. “You need to focus on the species you’re interested in because telomeres tell you different things depending on what species you’re looking at.” Journal reference: Functional Ecology, DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12939 Read more: Climate change drives salmon evolutionLeft: the graffiti message that was spray painted at 31-19 Newtown Ave. on Sunday. Right: the message that was written on March 20. View Full Caption Sen. Michael Gianaris' Office ASTORIA — A building that houses the offices of two elected officials was vandalized with an anti-gay slur referencing President Barack Obama for the third time this month, officials said. The words "Obama f----t" were spray painted on the outside of Pistilli Towers at 31-19 Newtown Ave. Sunday night, according to Sen. Michael Gianaris, whose offices are located in the building along with those of Rep. Aravella Simotas. Vandals hit the property with the same message earlier this month, officials said. The first graffiti was scrawled in red letters and discovered on March 13, while the second appeared a week later written in blue marker, according to Gianaris' office. The NYPD released surveillance footage of the suspect involved in the second incident, described as a man wearing a baseball cap and a jacket with its hood pulled up. Police did not immediately have information on Sunday night's incident. A photo of the third instance of graffiti released by Gianaris' office shows the words written in black spray paint. Gianaris called the messages "disturbing." "It is clear this bigot is trying send a message of intolerance to our community, but it will not work," he said in a statement. "It will take more than a bigot with a magic marker to stop me from fighting for the values of tolerance and inclusiveness." The 114th Precinct will be increasing patrols around the building, according to Gianaris. Police released this video of a suspect involved in the second vandalism incident on March 20. (Credit: NYPD)From the moment the Giants signed Buster Posey to an eight-year, $167 million extension before the 2013 season, the club insisted that Posey’s premium and critical position behind the plate contributed to the deal’s hefty price tag. Brandon Belt’s new five-year extension, which runs through 2021, confirms the lack of any secret understanding between Posey and the Giants that he ultimately will move to first base full time to preserve his bat and health as he ages. First base is now filled, and Posey no longer has to answer questions about a position shift. “I’m glad Brandon is going to be here and he’s locked up, but it didn’t bother me to have to answer it every couple of weeks,” Posey said, smiling. “I really do believe it’s been more speculation than anything.” Posey said the front office never sought his opinion on a potential Belt extension or discuss what it might mean for the catcher’s future, confirming for Posey that team officials have been truthful when saying publicly they want Posey to keep catching because of the value he brings behind the plate. Posey said yes when asked again Sunday whether he wants to catch for the rest of his career. But he paused and added a vague qualifier, saying, “I want to be as productive as possible, however that is, as productive as I can be for the team the rest of my career.” Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Leading off Affeldt hasn’t changed: Retired pitcher Jeremy Affeldt said he tumbled off the lift on a bunny slope at Mount Spokane on his first ski trip in 24 years. — Henry Schulman On deck Monday Off Tuesday at Rockies 5:40 p.m. CSNBA Samardzija (0-0) vs. Chatwood (1-0) Wednesday at Rockies 5:40 p.m. CSN+ Peavy (0-0) vs. Lyles (0-1)With the acquisitions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Suk-Min Yoon, the Orioles have fixed – or at least attempted to fix – some weaknesses of theirs in 2013 which were the number of quality starts and amount of innings pitched from their starting rotation. However, there is still one glaring weakness, and that’s team on-base percentage (OBP). The Orioles ranked 19th in MLB and 10th in the AL in team OBP with a mark of.313. Why is team OBP so important as compared to AVG and SLG? Last season, only four out of the top ten MLB teams in either AVG or SLG made the playoffs. However, eight out of the top ten teams in OBP made the playoffs. The Orioles were in the top ten in both SLG (3rd) and AVG (10th) and as we know missed the playoffs. The top two teams in team OBP (Red Sox and Tigers) were in the ALCS and that top team battled the third best OBP team (St. Louis) for the World Series. Generally if you have a good team OBP, you’ve got a pretty good shot at the playoffs unless your pitching is absolutely terrible. Some stats that go along with OBP are pitches per plate appearance (P/PA) and walk percentage (BB%) and those are going to be crucial to separate those who get on base purely due to their batting average or those that get on base because they work the counts and are willing to take a walk if they don’t get something they like. The latter is what the Orioles need because they have too many of the former, and that’s why a lot of opposing starting pitchers are able to last longer vs. the Orioles than some other teams like the Red Sox. So with that background, the Orioles can only improve their OBP externally via a few positions as many are filled with long-term options. There are a ton of candidates for left field and multiple candidates without MiLB options, so it seems pretty unlikely the Orioles would add OBP in the outfield. Second base has multiple candidates as well with some promising options in Flaherty and Weeks, so there’s another spot that is unlikely to be upgraded. That leaves the DH spot, which does have some internal candidates, but not really any that have a good OBP in MLB, save for Steve Pearce who could be an option vs. LHP only. There are four external options that have been talked about as solutions: Free agents Nelson Cruz and Kendrys Morales and the Mets’ Ike Davis and the Mariners’ Justin Smoak as potential trade options. We’ll look at all four in the following categories: OBP, BB% and P/PA for their career and what they did in 2013 as well as their splits vs. RHP and LHP. So taking a look at this, Ike Davis has the best total career stats in these categories, and career splits vs. RHP, while Nelson Cruz has the best career splits vs. LHP. Let’s see how they did last season. So looking back at 2013, Morales held the overall lead in OBP only, Smoak had the best OBP vs. RHP, but only.005 better than Davis, who had a terrible first half but still managed an overall.356 OBP vs. RHP. Davis’ BB rate vs. RHP and P/PA were simply outstanding and he would have easily led the Orioles in both categories. Cruz did well against LHP as his career numbers show and only missed the sweep by 0.05 P/PA. What does this all mean? Who is the best fit for the Orioles? Out of all four options, there is no one outstanding option vs. both RHP and LHP, so the best option still appears to be a platoon. Let’s bring Steve Pearce back into the conversation. Here are his career stats and also what he did in 2013: Looking at his stats vs. LHP, he easily is the best option internally or externally, and last year he also improved vs. RHP as well in terms of his patience and his on-base ability. So if Pearce is one part of the platoon vs, LHP, who should bat vs. RHP? If you look at both career stats and what they did in 2013, Ike Davis is the clear favorite, followed by Justin Smoak. Davis and Smoak are both under team control through 2016. They could both backup Chris Davis at first base and also be part of a future platoon solution if the Orioles can’t extend – and thus need to trade – Chris Davis in the next few seasons. Considering both are in competitions for their job as the Mets and Mariners have other options for first base, the price for their services shouldn’t be that high and a one for one deal for somebody like Zach Britton or Brian Matusz would likely work. As for Cruz and Morales, not only would they be more expensive and cost a second round draft pick, but they wouldn’t have the stats like a Davis/Smoak and Pearce platoon could. As platoon partners, they are also too expensive to justify the cost. Cost is also a key for considering Davis or Smoak as the Orioles would still have some financial flexibility for future acquisitions during the season if they acquired one of the pair that they wouldn’t have with a deal for Cruz or Morales. For the Orioles to fix the weakness in team OBP they’ve been unable to address this offseason, it’s clear a trade for either Ike Davis or Justin Smoak is their best option.November 25th, 2013 marked the kick off date of the Team Slayer Top 200 program, which highlights the best players in Team Slayer weekly in a blog post on Halo Waypoint. Every two months, CSR will be reset in the Team Slayer playlist (similarly to Nov 25th’s reset) and a new Season will begin. The first Top 200 list has been posted on Halo Waypoint today and we’d like to show you the Top 10 players of Season 1, Week 1. Season 1 – Week 1 \| Top 10 Players You can check out the remaining 190 players over at Halo Waypoint by clicking here. A huge congratulations to ‘Da Blind Duck’ for being the first person to reach CSR 50 and also the first person to be number one in the Top 200 program. Be sure to check back next week for Season 1, Week 2 of the program and be sure to discuss this over on our forums.Randomized controlled trial Abstract Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's Wort) is a complex herb that has been used for centuries for its putative medicinal properties, and has current therapeutic relevance as a treatment of mild to moderate depression. Recently, two studies in rodents have suggested that hypericum may also have memory-enhancing effects. It has a complex pharmacology, in that acute administration modulates numerous neurotransmitter systems that have previously been observed to either augment or impair a variety of memory processes in humans. This study aimed to examine whether acute administration of standardized hypericum extract could exert a nootropic effect in normal human subjects. The study employed a double-blind, crossover, repeated-measures design. Twelve healthy young subjects completed the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) memory battery, following administration of placebo, 900 mg and 1800 mg hypericum (Blackmore's Hyperiforte). The findings suggested that hypericum does not have an acute nootropic effect in healthy humans at these doses. However, there was some evidence for an impairing effect on accuracy of numeric working memory and delayed picture recognition at the higher dose. This observed impairment could be due to a sensitivity of these specific tasks to modulation by neurotransmitters that have been noted to have memory-impairing effects (e.g. y-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin).The Search Mirage I Can Quit Whenever I Want Patrick's Day A Girl At My Door So there I was, searching for information to add to my site’s festival calendar, and I happened upon the Palm Springs International Film Festival. A mere two hours drive away, and held during the month of January, which meant I wouldn’t be battling the awful desert temperatures. It’s also pretty affordable. This year, a 6-pack of movie tickets only cost $60, and due to the off-peak season, I was able to find a respectable resort hotel for only $90 a night just a few miles from the handful of theaters showing the movies. Here’s a quick rundown of 5 international films I saw during a nice long weekend in Palm Springs (the one documentary I watched, 1971, is not covered here – but is recommended.) The Search Country: France Genre: Drama Directed By: Michel Hazanavicius Written By: Michel Hazanavicius Starring: Bérénice Bejo, Annette Bening, Maxim Emelianov, Abdul-Khalim, Mamatsuiev Zukhra Duishvili The Search, set during the 2nd Chechen War which kicked off in 1999, explores the conflict from the point of view of a 9-year-old Chechen boy, and a young Russian teenager. The boy, Hagji (Abdul Khalim Mamutsiev), witnesses the murder of his family at the hands of Russian soldiers, and manages to escape with his infant brother. The Russian teenager, Kolia (Maksim Emelyanov) is arrested for a minor offense and is co-opted into military service instead of going to jail. Out of all the films I saw at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, this was my favorite. At a little over 2 hours long, this film accomplishes a lot in a relatively short period of time. At its core, are two heartbreaking performances from Abdul Khalim Mamutsiev and Maksim Emelyanov, as well as great supporting turns by Annette Bening and Bérénice Bejo. Beyond that, writer director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) successfully delivers a broad view of this conflict, and while the story clearly blames the Russian government for the hostilities, it doesn’t lazily opt for a black and white interpretation of the situation. This story is painted in shades of gun-metal gray, and manages to deliver an extremely effective message about human nature, and the cyclical nature of war and violence. Mirage Original Title: Délibáb Country: Hungary, Slovakia Genre: Action, Drama Directed By: Szabolcs Hajdu Written By: Szabolcs Hajdu, Jim Stark, Nándor Lovas Starring: Isaach de Bankolé, Razvan Vasilescu, Orsolya Török-Illyés, Dragos Bucur, Tamás Polgár If I take away anything from the experience of watching the film Mirage it’s this; I’ve
aesthetic signatures he established with his first film: monochrome stillness undercut by an omnipresent rumble; an obsession with industry and modernity desecrating a lost idyll; and above all, a conviction that intuition is a more-than-adequate substitute for explanation. That last part especially seems tailor-made to upend a medium as notoriously plot-dependent as television, which is why no one but Lynch has had the temerity to even try. (For all its visual flair, Legion was a cut-and-dried superhero story; The Young Pope came closest to Art Film As Peak TV, though it stopped just short of setting a bottle episode inside a nuclear explosion.) The Return is still the same story as the late-’80s nighttime soap; for one thing, it’s wonderfully fitting for Lynch and Frost to locate the start of their ’50s-iconography-spoofing tale in the actual ’50s. But this isn’t the same as any hour of television we’ve seen before. We’re at a particular moment of peak nostalgia, creator leverage, and yes, TV, that all converged to make The Return happen. It’s unlikely that a director of Lynch’s sheer eccentricity will ever rise to such prominence in Hollywood again, let alone make a network TV series, let alone see that series gain enough of a second life on streaming to accrue demand for its unfiltered revival. Let’s treasure the convergence while it lasts, knowing that it won’t soon come again.The Google Home, Home Mini and Home Max can be great party companions, filling the room with music or podcasts and taking occasional breaks to answer questions. But what if your guests want to play something from their own collection rather than talking to it directly? Well that's what "Guest mode" is for. Once you set it up, anyone in the same room as your Google Home can connect to it and send data from any app on their phone that supports Google Cast. Here's how you get it done. Once Guest mode is enabled, it remains enabled until you choose to turn it off. How to use Guest mode With Guest mode enabled, people in the same room as your Google Home will be able to access it and play content just as if they were on your Wi-Fi network without actually being connected to it. Make sure your Google Home is plugged in and its microphone is unmuted. Have your guests open an app that supports Google Cast, and tap the Cast button. Because they're not on a Wi-Fi network, the phone will automatically start searching for "nearby devices." If the phone is able to, it will automatically connect to the Google Home that has Guest mode enabled. If the auto-pair doesn't work, there will be an on-screen prompt to enter the four-digit PIN generated earlier. The Guest mode PIN is available in your Google Home app. Enter the PIN and tap Connect. Once connected, guests can send commands to the Google Home just as if they were on the Wi-Fi network. This includes managing content queues, switching apps and even pausing and playing remotely from the phone. For some people it will be easier to just give out their home Wi-Fi network password and let people play directly to the Google Home, but if that's not possible the Guest mode does work as a nice backup option. Just follow the steps closely and you'll be rockin' out to everyone's tunes in no time.It’s time to soar in 2011 By: Roshawn Watson Happy 2011! The beginning of the year is always a great time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Such introspection can be very beneficial, especially with respect to goal-setting. Goals are powerful tools that allow you to get the most out of your life. They harness the same power as the laser beam: focused energy! Dr. Steven Covey called goal-setting “the common denominator of successful individuals and organizations.” Not Having Goals Without clear goals, you merely have pipe dreams! While pipe dreams may give you the warm and fuzzy feeling, they lack the substance to create meaningful and sustainable change within your life. Moreover, without goals, you also don’t even know who belongs in your life. Your goals should define every relationship! For example, I have no interest in pursuing counsel from someone unqualified to give it. Constantly evaluate your circle of influence. Qualify those who have access to you. This isn’t to be calculating as much as to make sure that those who surround you share values and passions congruent with the direction of your life. Disengage from toxic and unfulfilled relationships. Go where you are celebrated instead of where you are tolerated! On New Year’s Day, my wife and I discussed our goals for the year in the six major areas: financial, fitness, spiritual, mental, career, and relationships. Being mindful that over-emphasis in any one area can create a deficit in another, we aimed for some semblance of balance. Most of our goals were not very surprising to us at all, as we discuss and work towards our goals continuously. While this is good, our familiarity with our goals also disturbed me somewhat because one of the last things I want is to become complacent. In fact, one of the benefits of goal-setting is to unlock your passion for your dreams: to develop a plan to bring your vision into reality. The concern is that if your goals no longer excite you, then you run the risk of pursuing them with a half-hearted effort or giving up on them altogether. My friends, if you have been goal-setting for any length of time, complacency may threaten your passions. Don’t let the mechanics of goal-setting or the cares of life rob you of the life you deserve! If your priorities change, that’s fine. Discover what interests you now, and stir yourself up for your future! Boundaries What about goals that you are afraid to set out of fear of failure? Remember, many of the boundaries we face are internal. We have greater influence over our destinies than we give ourselves credit for. I want to encourage you to take a fresh look at what you want to accomplish, and remember to STRETCH yourself. Take a pen, and treat it as a magic wand. BELIEVE that everything that you write will come true. What would you accomplish if you knew you couldn’t fail? Don’t dismiss this as some trivial exercise. As hokey as it sounds, I did this a year ago while at a conference, and literally every thing that I wrote came true. In three cases, the goals were things that I had been working on for years, yet it came to fruition once I began to release faith and aggressively towards them. In more than one case, I exceeded expectations. Perhaps one of the greatest moments was after I had finished a BIG goal, one very high-level boss commented that I knocked it “out of the part” and someone else mentioned “I want you to know in the 5 years, that was your best you have ever done.” Some of the circumstances surrounding these events still amaze and confound me! I will simply say that writing those items down created such a focal point in our lives that to the abandonment of everything else, we knew they had to be done. We had great respect for those goals, and “what you respect, you attract!” (Law of Attraction) I mention this example not to brag (on the contrary, I’m rather private) but to offer anecdotal support for why it is important to stretch yourself. As I look back over 2010, I am filled with such gratitude for what we were blessed to accomplish and for the people who helped us. An Over-rated Virtue Shouldn’t goals have a basis in practicality? Perhaps, but keep in mind that practicality can be over-rated! We often allow practicality to keep us contained. Also, note that as you endeavor to expand your context, your reality will change. For instance, accurate times for the one-mile run started to be recorded in 1850, yet it wasn’t until a century later, that the major breakthrough occurred. For many years, it was believed that no man could break the four minute mile barrier without causing significant damage to the runner’s health. It was on May 6 1954 that Roger Bannister achieved the first recorded four minute mile. His victory stunned the world. Importantly, by the end of 1957, 16 runners had logged sub-4-minute miles. I maintain that Bannister didn’t just break a speed barrier: he broke a mental barrier! How else can you explain 16 runners achieving in just three years what no others accomplished in the previous century. In short, as the context changed (now a post four-minute mile world), so did reality. Moreover, just think about the implications of Groupon generating $2 billion in revenues in just 2 years! There’s nothing really proprietary about Groupon either, other than its name, yet look at what they have accomplished! Now, that this mental barrier is broken, the sky is the limit. Additionally, I’m biased. I fail to understand what is so attractive about being normal and practical anyway. Normal is broke, busted, and disgusted. Normal is paycheck to paycheck. Normal is retiring at 65 and barely able to write a $5,000 check out of fear running out. Just yesterday, I met someone who was just waiting until she reaches 65, so she can “move on” with life and stop working “so hard.” Without Social Insecurity, what would many do? I challenge you to move beyond what’s normal and practical for your socioeconomic status, gender, race, age, class, disabilities, or anything else that keeps you in the bondage of yesterday. Don’t check with reality before you check with your heart! When did you decide that it was okay to give up on your dream? Somewhere deep inside you know you were meant to dominate! It’s not time for a dose of reality. You’ve had that already and are none the better for it. It’s time to get radical, to pursue something that makes your heart flutter, to announce a goal that creates energy to all that hear it!Hospitality Jobs Portal - 12 Total Jobs. DCVB takes hospitality seriously – it’s how we helped Durham bring in nearly ten million visitors last year. But to do that, we need to attract and keep talented people working in hospitality jobs. This portal is a service to help businesses fill their openings and to help job-seekers find a position that suits their skills. Assistant Restaurant Manager Durham, NC, USA Full Time Banquet Setup & Banquet Servers Durham, NC, USA Part Time Become the Heart of What We Do - Meat Grinder/Butcher Durham, NC, USA Part Time Food & Beverage Director Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time AM or PM Restaurant Server Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time Dishwasher Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time Housekeeping Supervisor/Room Inspector Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time Houseperson Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time LEAD PM Restauarant Server Durham, NC, USA Full Time Full-Time Line/Prep Cook Durham, NC, USA Part Time Full-Time Room Attendant - $200 SIGN-ON BONUS! Durham, NC, USA Full Time“24 years ago I saw the first Skateboarder in my life. Since that day I had the dream of being a Skateboarder. 24 years later we took our Skateboards and travelled to the other side of the world, to create that dream for someone else.” Sebastian Linda The Journey Of The Beasts Co-Produced by Titus.de (The boards and shirts from the movie will be available soon.) A film by Sebastian-Linda.de – FB: on.fb.me/1xVxHAX Language:German, English now Russian subs! Preorder Mr. Elektro now! Release tomorrow. vimeo.com/ondemand/mrelektro OCTAVIO TRINDADE – RICHARD NAUMERTAT – TOM KLEINSCHMIDT – ERIK GROSS – DAVID RADERECHT – THOMAS MEINEL – VLADIK SCHOLZ – CHRISTIAN DÖBRICH – STEFFEN KRONES – JULIUS DITTMANN – SEBASTIAN LINDA – SUNOTO Stills by erik-gross.net FB: on.fb.me/WVITmd Bali Timelapse Shots Daniel Kelly Brown – danielkellybrown.com/ Jakarta Timelapse Shots – Iphelo Lastiko&Rama Sutjipto Thanks to Laksama Skateboarding and Kieron Brodie Laksamana Skateboards facebook.com/LaksamanaSkateboards Temple music by Fuzz Me soundcloud.com/fuzz-me, facebook.com/FuzzMe?fref=ts Thanks to Chris Heck for pushing me back on the board. Thanks to Zeal for their sunglasses which kept our view perfect. zealoptics.com/ Music will be updated within the next days. City Part: Thanks to Indonesia, Bali and all the happy people on our trip. Mr. Elektro will also be released within the next days. Share for the love of skateboarding and the freedom our generation has. Please do not use any footage in musicvideos, remixes or that kind without asking or licensing. Shot on Fs700 Canon 5d Mark III Raw Lumix Gh3 Canon Lenses Samyang 14mm 2,8 Canon 24mm 1,4 L Canon 50mm Canon 100mm 2,8 Macro Lumix Lenses Tracklist in order of the film City Of Souls (2039/5) Darren Leigh Purkiss (PRS) / Terry Devine-King (PRS) Race To Destruction (2039/4) Darren Leigh Purkiss / Terry Devine-King The Big Stare Out (1098/2) Chris Blackwell Wish For It (2100/2) Christopher Brooke Tall Tales by Human Pyramids Delta Detective (2113/4) Lincoln Grounds / Thomm Jutz City Of Souls (2039/5) Darren Leigh Purkiss (PRS) / Terry Devine-King (PRS) ( 5 different versions combined. ) Creation 2 (1780/17) Paul Ressel Yarrow (1943/3) Richard Lacy Chase The Pig (1095/4) Barrie Gledden / Richard Lacy Bring The Action (2098/5) Adam Drake / Tom Jenkins Way Of The Warrior (1525/18) Darren Leigh Purkiss Thunder Approaches (1909/4) Alex Arcoleo Shine (1589/6) Chris Blackwell Little Meteor (1607/3) Helen Jane Long Fuzz me – Undestroyable Beasts Stratosphere (1378/2) David O’Brien / Gareth Johnson Spirit Of Indo (1525/3) Darren Leigh Purkiss Sophie (1996/1) Philip Guyler / Lily Bell (instrumental and normal version.) Tony Anderson – Rise (feat Salomon Ligthelm) Keep Me Warm (2091/9) Tom Rosenthal / Alex BrenchleyIt had been a while since the last scandal featuring a Mexican politician or their relatives. This time, a 17-year-old minor only identified as Cinthya reported that she was beaten up by the daughter of the mayor of Bustamante, Nuevo León, Mexico. RELATED: Ignacio Segura Jr., Son Of Mayoral Candidate In Mexico, Runs Over And Beats Up Guy For Dating His Ex Jacqueline Galván, daughter of Mayor Adrián Galván allegedly attacked a minor while she bragged she "owned the town." Although police officers were in the scene, they completely ignored the altercation and didn't intervene to break up the fight. It all took place on July 14, when the minor was walking downtown Bustamante accompanied by three people, when a red Pontiac where the alleged attacker was approached the group. She began to insult Cinthya and got off the car with another girl only identified as Briana, who appeared to be approximately 22 years old. Both Jacqueline and Briana pushed Cinthya to the ground and started beating her up. The three other people that were with the victim didn't try to help her either. RELATED: 'Candigato Morris', Feline Candidate For Mayor In Mexico, Wins Thousands Of Void Votes [VIDEO] "Briana started to pull my hair on the right side and said, 'You don't know who you're messing with. She's the mayor's daughter and we're gonna f*k you up'," said the minor in the police report she filed. When Jacqueline was beating Cinthya, Alonso Cantú, 32, a third attacker, got off his vehicle escorted by police. "Two police officers approached and saw that Briana and Jacqueline were beating me and pulling my hair. They just watched what happened but never did anything even though I was screaming for help," said the minor. RELATED: María Guadalupe Mancera González, Mexican Official, Recorded Performing An Erotic Dance [VIDEO] She later added that Jacqueline got even more upset at her and said, "You don't know who I am, I'm the mayor's daughter," while continuing to pull her hair, slap her across the face, and punch her in the back. Cinthya also said that Alonso punched her twice in the face but let her go. She finally ran home and soon after went to the police station with her mom, where no one wanted to hear her case, forcing the alleged victim to go to another town to finally file a complaint. Although Jacqueline Galván was detained temporarily, she was let go and investigators later concluded that the victim was the one who started the fight. RELATED: Patricia Botello Platas, Official Of Mexico Public Ministry, Caught On Camera Flattening The Tires Of A Car [PHOTOS] After the case went public, many took it to social media to express their disgust with the abuse of power in politics and many demand justice for Cynthia, referring to her attacker as #LadyBustamante.A new zipline and bus loop would be introduced to Mt Coot-tha under a re-elected Liberal National Party council administration, Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will announce on Saturday. The LNP has promised to spend $11.4 million over four years at Mt Coot-tha if the Quirk administration was re-elected on March 19. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has promised to install a zipline at Mt Coot-tha should he be re-elected in two weeks' time. Credit:Andy Zakeli "One of the key components of this investment will be the introduction of a Coot-tha shuttle service, which will provide a loop bus service every 15 minutes starting at the Legacy car park at the base of the mountain and loop past key locations including the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens and summit," he said. "This investment will also see the introduction of a zipline, which will be delivered through a partnership with the private sector, and will provide another exciting addition to Mt Coot-tha's recreational foundations.Multiple shots were fired at tonight’s El Row party that took place at the Blue Parrot during the 2017 BPM Festival in Playa Del Carmen. We were live at the scene as this event took place during Santé back-to-back Sidney Charles set when shots went off. What seemed to be the sound of fireworks turned into screams and panic as attendees rushed towards all exits of the club. Attendees and our team hopped over the fences at the back of the venue and dashed along the beach to any nearby safe zones. Jackmaster tweeted soon after the event that 4-5 people are dead and multiple wounded. All closing BPM Festival parties have been shut down. Edson Portillo, a fan who was at the event tonight, had this to say: We started hearing shots but everyone thought it was fireworks. Till we saw security run after someone and we saw the shots coming out of the guns. So everyone dropped to the ground. Then all of a sudden it got calm, and then on the beach side of the hotel someone else was running away shooting back at security. Then after a couple seconds we all got up and started running for the exits. On our way out we could see people laid out bleeding…dead… Global Dance Electronic is reporting live at the scene and will deliver updates as they become available. After alleged reports of shots fired this morning at Blue Parrot, all BPM parties are shut down while police investigations are underway. — The BPM Festival (@TheBPMFestival) January 16, 2017 We advise you to remain indoors and check with your companions to make sure everybody is safe. — The BPM Festival (@TheBPMFestival) January 16, 2017 Caos en las calles de playa del carmen. NO SALGAN. Chaos on the streets. STAY SAFE. #blueparrot #bpm pic.twitter.com/ZHJZRq7PD3 — Pipe Llorens (@pipellorens) January 16, 2017 Someone has come into the club in Playa Del Carmen and opened fire. 4-5 dead and many wounded. Stay in ur fuckin hotel if you’re here at BPM — JACKMASTER (@jackmaster) January 16, 2017 Apparently now more shots fired at another club in the area — JACKMASTER (@jackmaster) January 16, 2017 Gunmen opened fire at Blue Parrot in Playa Del Carmen at BPM. Hope everyone is safe and stay off the streets please 🙏🏼 — Wax Motif (@WaxMotif) January 16, 2017 I’m shaking. I saw 3 people dead. Club shooting at Blue Parrot — g e n n 💿 (@g_livesfordance) January 16, 2017 Apparently gang turf wars kicking off and people shoot at two clubs during BPM including Blue Parrot!!! At least 5 dead and several injured — Maarten Puddy (@PUDDYuk) January 16, 2017 From what we are being told at least 3-6 people are dead and many more are wounded during the shoot out at Blue Parrot #BPM — NYCTechno (@NYCTechno) January 16, 2017 Shooting at Blue Parrot during elrow. Mother fuckers shot through the back where it’s all open. I’m afraid it doesn’t look good — BPM prtymnstr (@Party_Mnstr) January 16, 2017 Possible terrorist attack/cartel shooting in blue parrot WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON — George de Menezes (@georgedemenezes) January 16, 2017 Hearing word that there was a separate shooting at The Jungle for the only other BPM closing party as well — ✌alerie (@valerie___lee) January 16, 2017 omfg life just flashed in front of my eyes. gun shots were fired at elrow — BPM 💥 LUPITA (@macjamesward) January 16, 2017Metra expansion plan gains traction hello Metra could extend service on the BNSF Line to Oswego, Montgomery and Yorkville. Daily Herald File Photo A proposal to expand Metra service west on the BNSF Line to Oswego is gathering steam with the possibility of adding a stop in Yorkville. Metra board directors on Friday supported increasing a consulting contract by $439,631 for a total of $2.26 million to review the Yorkville option. The funding for the engineering study comes from a federal grant, earmarked in 2003 by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Yorkville. The agency has been considering locating stations in Oswego but Yorkville is being added since it offers an optimal site for a yard to house trains. Montgomery is also in the mix as a new station. But how to pay for operating the expansion and related construction -- since most of the route is outside the six-county region that Metra serves -- is an unknown. A sales tax in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties subsidizes part of the costs of running Metra, but it isn't levied in Kendall County. Oswego and Yorkville are located in Kendall, while Montgomery is in Kane County. "Kendall County will ultimately need to take this information... and figure out how to make this happen... so that it does not occur using six-county area tax revenues," Executive Director Alex Clifford said. "This is a good project but any expansion with our current needs is problematic," Metra Director and former Kane County Chairman Mike McCoy said. "There's a lot of hurdles to jump through before it comes to fruition." Metra has many requests for expansion of service in the six-county region including more express trains on existing lines and more stations in McHenry County. "We've got needs in Marengo," said Director Jack Schaffer of Cary, but he noted that going outside the six-county region is not unprecedented. Metra already goes to Kenosha in Wisconsin. "If Kendall County can work out a system to pay for their share, I see no reason why we would not go to Oswego." Preliminary estimates from 2007 projected that a Oswego station alone would draw about 140 riders a day. "Extending to Yorkville makes all the sense in the world, if we do it," Director Norm Carlson of Lake Forest said. Still, experts said the challenges involved in negotiating an agreement that ensures Kendall County towns pay their fair share, deciding what constitutes a fair share, getting approvals from stakeholders and finding a guaranteed source of revenue at a time of economic restraint are mammoth. State law stipulates that operating costs for any expansion beyond the six counties must be born by the benefiting municipalities, Regional Transportation Authority Chief of Staff Jordan Matyas explained. "We're looking forward to seeing what the study finds," he said. Oswego Village Administrator Steve Jones said the Metra station was "extremely important. Up until the housing crash, Oswego and the immediate area was one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. As residents move to the area, they have some expectations for transportation for employment and cultural matters... just being linked to the city." Consequently, Oswego built a popular park-and-ride site that ferries commuters to the Aurora Metra stop. It caters not only to Oswego residents but workers from nearby towns. Regarding contributing to the project, Jones said the hope was that federal or state grants could help pay for capital costs such as stations or siding. With the park and ride, which is located at the site of the proposed station, Oswego already has some infrastructure in place. As for operating costs, Jones said the Metra study will let the village know what to expect so it can plan accordingly. "One of the most common questions I get is, when is Metra coming to Oswego?" he said. The full Metra board must vote on the consulting contract increase later this month.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. On Friday, a federal judge in Seattle put the brakes on Donald Trump’s widely-reviled “Muslim Ban.” The next day, Trump attacked the judge personally on Twitter. Later Saturday night, an appellate court rejected the government’s request to lift the earlier judge’s stay. So, as of Sunday, Trump’s executive order is not being enforced because multiple judges have found it not to pass legal muster. In response, the president took to Twitter with what may be some of his more ominous statements yet: The judge opens up our country to potential terrorists and others that do not have our best interests at heart. Bad people are very happy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2017 Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2017 I have instructed Homeland Security to check people coming into our country VERY CAREFULLY. The courts are making the job very difficult! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2017 Needless to say, people are not “pouring in.” Only travelers who already had been vetted and issued visas are coming. (It’s really hard to get a visa!) But if America suffers a terror attack, Trump will blame the judicial branch—which, with Congress largely standing pat, happens to be the one real check on his power, just as the founders intended. He’s telling us this in advance. As former Obama aide Jon Lovett put it:Advertisement Last time we put our life in the hands of a robot car, it managed to park itself without crashing or abducting us. Robot cars also know how to drive like maniacs, and even how to powerslide. These are all very neat tricks -- tricks that might save your life one day. But what's going to happen when all cars are this talented? Efficiency. Scary, scary efficiency. It's not just the sensor-driven skills that will soon be common to individual cars that will shape the future of automotive transportation, but also the ability for cars to communicate with each other, sharing constant updates about exactly where they are and where they're going. And with enough detailed information being shared at a fast enough pace between all vehicles on the road, things like traffic lights become completely redundant: Seriously, just watching this simulation (which comes from Peter Stone, a computer scientist at the University of Texas at Austin) makes me more than a little nervous. I'd have to go through that intersection with my eyes closed and probably screaming, but on the upside, I'd get through it without stopping, saving time and gas and (as long as all the robots behave themselves) actually preventing accidents. So, how close are we to something like this? It's hard to say. In a lot of ways, we're just about there: we have cars that can drive themselves just about as reliably as a human can, and many automakers are working at inter-car communication. But as we've discussed before, there are a lot of legal and social issues standing in the way of widespread adoption, and it's going to take a concerted effort to provide a framework in which we can safely allow progress to be achieved. Via [ The Atlantic ]“No and yes. It all depends on what you mean.” Such is the conversation I sometimes have with seminary students new to the writings of Cornelius Van Til. In this series I will attempt to offer a more complete answer to the question, something I am never able to do when teaching in the classroom setting. This question of common ground usually arises in the context of learning about Van Til’s doctrine of the antithesis. This doctrine states that principially a Christian and a non-Christian have no common ground. In other words, believers and unbelievers think differently. This strikes readers new to Van Til as odd since they think they share common notions with unbelievers all day, every day, in every way. After all, doesn’t the Christian baker use the same recipe and ingredients as the non-Christian baker when he bakes chocolate chip cookies? This is a good question and it deserves a thoughtful answer. The confusion over common ground usually occurs in discussions about apologetic methodology. Would-be defenders of the faith think that they share at least a modicum of common knowledge with non-Christians and so they can meet the unbeliever on the ground of these common notions and from there lead the non-Christian to faith in Jesus Christ because they start with shared ideas. I want to go behind the apologetic encounter and look at the underpinnings of Van Til’s notion of the antithesis and the bearing it has on the reality of common ground. Biblical Foundations We start with the biblical witness. The Bible begins with God’s existence and the narrative of his variegated creation. Man is the crown of the biblical storyline and he was created to worship, fellowship, and enjoy his relationship with God. However, this self-same man disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil even though God warned them of sure death on the day they ate of that tree. From the point of the fall onward, the Scriptures record the unfolding of God’s wondrous plan of redemption, which centers around God’s covenant relationship with the patriarchs and Israel which culminates in the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ holy life, death, and resurrection constitute the basis of the Christian church and the ongoing life of individual Christians. The whole story of salvation will wrap up with the return of Christ for his church and the general judgment that ends in the destruction of the wicked and the eternal felicity of the saints in glory with the Triune God. This overly brief description of the biblical narrative reveals two significant facts. First, there is a difference between God and his creation. Second, there is a radical rift between God and his creation. God the Creator The first is a fact we must reckon with. It is not a problem from God’s point of view and it shouldn’t be from ours either. The second is a problem. The story of redemption in Christ is the point of Scripture and it is God’s answer to the radical rift between God and his human creatures. What about this difference between the Triune God and creation? It is a basic insight of Scripture that God is supreme in the universe and that human beings are finite creatures. God is the source of all that he has created. God created everything not God from nothing (creatio ex nihilo) and he upholds it in existence. This is typically referred to as the “Creator-creature distinction” and it is basic to understanding who God is and the world in which we live, move, and have our being which he has created. In terms of our existence or being, God is God and we are not. Alternatively, we are creatures and God is not. This truth has a bearing on our existence. God is self-existing and self-sustaining. The theological term for this reality is aseity and that God is a se. God is from himself and not another. God is not dependent on anything else for his existence. In particular, God is not dependent upon us since he is Triune and there exists within the Godhead Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who have eternal loving fellowship with one another. God did not have to create because he was lonely. We also need to know that God’s knowledge of himself and his creation is exhaustive and wholly comprehensive. God does not need to learn anything whatsoever. He knows everything there is to know. God is omniscient. God knows everything and all the relationships between the different elements of reality. God knows in a divine way and in a Trinitarian way, which is to say he knows intuitively or/and all at once. We, on the other hand, learn seriatim or step by step. As Scripture tells us, God knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end and everything in-between. God also knows perfectly well what could or could not have been. God is also simple which lies behind what we have said about his being and knowledge. God is not dependent on more basic parts or elements. A car is not simple (I am not a mechanic!) but a complex entity. It has a body, an engine, wheels, and an interior. The thing we call an automobile is made up of thousands if not millions of parts, which we might call building blocks. There are no building blocks with God. There is no before and after. God is timeless. God is fully present in every location within the universe. There is no here and there with God. God cannot disintegrate. Unlike our automobile, God does not need regular upkeep nor will he rust out and fall apart. In a word, God is infinite. Man the Creature We human creatures are finite. We are dependent upon God for existence, knowledge, and proper behavior. This true apart from any consideration of a fall. God has not created us to be either self-sustaining or self-sufficient. The fact that we are dependent or contingent should be obvious to us if we keep our wits about us. If we stop eating or drinking, we will eventually die. If our health fails, we quickly discover our dependence upon doctors and nurses. And we are created for fellowship. As the poet John Donne put it many years ago, “No man is an island.” If God were to withdraw his sustaining power, we would vanish in an instant. We are dependent upon God and his creation for our very existence. We are equally dependent upon God for what we know and how we know. If God did not create us and our environment with natural revelation of himself and if he had not designed us to know truth as we live in this world and if he had not spoken in pre-redemptive special revelation, we would know neither him nor anything else at all. In other words, every facet of our capacity to know God and his world comes from God. And every aspect of God and his world that we do know is absolutely dependent upon God. Our environment is not simply a given that just happens to be there. God created it and us with a purpose. We are to know and love and enjoy God. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism asserts, we are “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Everything in creation speaks to us about the creator God. Knowledge is not true knowledge that doesn’t take this God connection into account. True knowledge involves knowing individual facts and their circumstances. In other words, true knowledge of a given fact requires that we understand how that individual fact relates to God and his plan. If we deny a single fact relates to God we undermine our knowledge of that fact. This is the worst sort of atomism. We are also dependent upon God for how we ought to behave. We are not the product of chance evolutionary forces and so enabled to create our own codes of behavior. The meaning of life is not something we get to make up as we go along. As creatures we are to mirror God in our character and behavior. Who we are and how we behave matters to God. This was true in the Garden of Eden before the fall into sin. As creatures we are already in a relationship with the creator. God gets to determine the nature of the relationship. We are called to hear God’s Word and obey him. We are called to know God and be known by him and follow his will. We are therefore dependent upon God for the standard of our ethics. All of the above about us is true apart from the fall. When Adam fell, we fell with him and suffer guilt and corruption. We did not lose our humanity in the fall. We are still human and are still the image of God. While Adam and Eve were holy and righteous before the fall, afterwards the image became twisted and tarnished. The image was marred. The entrance of sin into God’s world necessitates redemption if any human being is to fulfill his divinely intended purpose. God would have to give further redemptive revelation, which was tied inextricably
, she learned that a new mage in court, Iago, had wormed his way into Garon's inner circle, and was the main cause Nohr was stalling on the peace talks. He was stirring up the court, according to her sister, going on about how Hoshido couldn't be trusted and how he was sure to guide Nohr to victory. In Arete's words, "he's your typical power-hungry creep spouting typical political bullshit, but he's good at making it sound convincing." There wasn't much they could do about him, besides stooping to murder—which Arete was loathe to do—so in the end they resumed efforts to find a compromise that would benefit both countries, one that would convince Garon even with Iago about. She heard her sister groaning through the stone and could easily envision her pacing, the way she always did when frustrated. "I'm telling you, the only way Garon will accept Hoshido raising the export taxes is if you offer him a valuable, fertile piece of territory in return." "Sumeragi will never agree to that." She was outside today, relaxing in the palace garden. It was a bit of a risk to be in a public area, but she had Reina standing guard near the entrance; the blue-haired woman wouldn't question her actions and would announce visitors if they came. Mikoto stared out at the blooming cherry blossom trees, fiddling with the edge of her kimono. It had been another month since Sumeragi's return from the tribes, and the peace talks still hadn't gone anywhere. She'd been debating with her sister for almost twenty minutes now; there was one idea she'd been toying with for a while, but she wasn't certain how Arete would react. Still, she was getting desperate, and it had always been her duty to bring potential solutions to light, even if it earned her the ire of her sister. "We're going about this wrong. Let's set that aside and go back to the main cause of all this—the reason Hoshido raised the taxes in the first place. We did it because we're in a bout of economic trouble." "Yes," Arete snarked, "the land of wealth and prosperity is telling the land of barrenness they're having economic trouble." "Arete, please." She could practically see her sister's eye-roll, but she did apologize, and Mikoto continued, "Our exports are primarily agricultural crops. The farmers who harvest those crops pay tribute to their respective feudal lords, who pay tribute to Sumeragi and me. Leftover harvest is given to us, and we give it to merchants. The merchants travel to Nohr to sell the extra harvest, then return and give us most of the money, keeping a portion for themselves. "However, recently the head of one of the merchant clans found his cut of the profits to be unsatisfactory and started demanding more. He was able to rally the other merchants around him, and soon we had a near-uprising on our hands. We could put them down with force or press Nohr for more money; we chose the latter." "And we can't give you that money," Arete explained, sounding tired again. Mikoto sighed. "I'm aware. However, we wouldn't need the increased taxes if we were able to pull money from other ventures, such as what we pay Nohr to protect our merchants. If Nohr offered its' protection freely, we could use the money originally used to pay you to pay the merchants, so we could return the export taxes to their original prices. That, of course, means an alliance, which means—" "Sealing it with a marriage." "More specifically, Azura and Kamui's." Her sister's tone was unreadable. "Any pair could get married and solve the problems with Hoshido and Nohr, so why them in particular?" "Because their marriage is the only one that would solve that succession crisis." Her loyalties may be to Hoshido now, but she still had to account for a future where Valla could be rebuilt. As the current Vallite king's firstborn son, Kamui was technically the crown prince of Valla. But Anankos was a usurper who had stolen the throne; with that in mind, any surviving Vallites might consider Kamui taking the crown as stealing it from the true princess, Azura. With enough people with that mindset, factions could form and a civil war over the crown could happen, which would likely ruin whatever was left of Valla. But marrying the cousins to each other would avert that entirely. A side effect of keeping marriage in the upper class was that it wasn't uncommon for first cousins to wed; Hoshido, Nohr and Valla, as well as many noble houses, all had at least one such marriage in their history, Mikoto knew. If you wanted a lasting alliance with a noble house or a different country, you had little choice but to continually marry your line to them. It was also useful for cases like this, where two people had equal claims to something, but you didn't want to war over it. So having Kamui and Azura marry was the best solution; it would not just seal an alliance between Hoshido and Nohr, but an alliance with Valla as well, and both would be able to take their claims on the Vallite throne, satisfying all but the most extreme of Vallites. Silence was all she received for a few moments, and Mikoto braced herself for the worst. But when Arete spoke again, she sounded thoughtful, not angry or opposed like Mikoto had been expecting. "It sounds…almost perfect," Arete finally said, slowly. "It won't be easy, of course; Nohr's primary source of income is our military services, so we won't be willing to just give it up. And your country's isolationist and xenophobic tendencies probably makes accepting free services from outsiders a sticking point. But it's probably our best shot." "I think it is. I was expecting you to be angry," she admitted. Her sister sighed. "I've known that Azura would probably have to have an arranged marriage; it's part of royal life. I've accepted it, and she will too, in time. Still, I can't help but worry: what if it makes her unhappy? Having to choose between a loved one's happiness and the good of my entire country…that's a nightmarish choice." Mikoto could understand that. She wanted her son to be happy, of course she did, she wanted him to fall in love and have a wonderful marriage and beautiful children and all the good things in the world. But he had a duty, as did all royalty, to do what was best for his country and his people, even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness. She had done it, Arete had done it, and their children would have to do it too. Little wonder some royalty could be selfish, after giving up so much. "Well, we saw them getting along in Izumo," Mikoto offered. "If we could talk our husbands into letting them visit or write letters over the years, they'd probably build a friendship. So their marriage wouldn't be unhappy, at least." "There is that," Arete agreed, sounding more cheered. "So we're agreed, then." "We're agreed." Mikoto let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding. "Good. The suggestion should probably come from Nohr; Sumeragi might try to put forth Ryoma as a candidate instead, since Hoshidans usually try to get their eldest son married first." Which would still work for Hoshido and Nohr, but it would make things even harder for Valla. "Whereas if Nohr presents these terms—these very agreeable terms—he'll be less likely to argue with them, in case it makes us change our minds," Arete finished, "Yes, that makes sense. I'll bring it up to Garon tomorrow." The raven-haired woman nodded, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. She watched the pink petals drift lazily down from the trees, inhaling the scents of the flowers. Mikoto loved the gardens in spring; it was tranquil. She wished she could bring her sister and niece here to see it, someday. Maybe she could, if this went through. "You know, Arete? You've mellowed," she said finally. Her sister chuckled. "And you've gotten more considerate. You could be kind of a secretive bitch when it came to your plots." "Gee, thanks." "I'm just saying, the old you would have tried to manipulate me into agreeing, not told me upfront." "And the old you would have yelled at me for doing so." "Hm, I wonder why?" Mikoto rolled her eyes and shook her head, glad Arete couldn't see that she was smiling. "Did you hear about Duchess Hiromi?" Mikoto asked as she and Sumeragi prepared for bed, six weeks later. Her husband ran a hand through his spiky hair, his mouth pulling down sadly. "Yes, I did. It's tragic; she may have been eccentric, but she was mostly harmless. I don't know why anyone would want her dead." The letter from Izumo had come earlier that day. Sumeragi had been out training Ryoma, so Mikoto had received it in his stead. It had announced that Hiromi was dead and Izana the new duke; information from their spies confirmed this, adding that Duchess Hiromi had been found floating face-down in the lake a few days ago, the water filled with blood and a red smile on her throat. None of the Izumites had any idea how someone could sneak onto the palace grounds and just assassinate the duchess like that, but she had her suspicions. Anankos…what are you doing? You'll kill the duchess, but not me? I don't understand. It was a warning, that much she knew. No good assassin would be so obvious. A fall from the balcony, for example, could be construed as an accident, but a slit throat was always the work of outside forces. You only were so overt in your actions when you wanted a message sent. She just couldn't work out what the message was. He'd already told her he knew where she was, and he was still letting her live. Was he trying to scare her again? But why, what was the point? There wasn't any strategic benefit to be gained from it. The uncertainty and fear that had died down in the weeks after Izumo rose up again. Making things worse was that Nohr had yet to offer the betrothal, so the cold war was still dragging on. The last time she spoke with Arete, her frustrated sister had said that she was having trouble at court. The concubines were being worse to her than usual—they'd almost killed her—and Iago was interfering with her attempts to get Garon to suggest the betrothal. "Izana has his work cut out for him," Sumeragi continued, pulling his wife out of her racing thoughts. "Poor boy, he only came of age…what, five months ago? It's not easy to take up the mantle of rulership so soon, especially after losing his mother in such a way." "We'll send him a letter of condolences and offering to help," Mikoto murmured. She turned away from the mirror, where she'd been pulling pins out of her hair, and embraced her husband from behind. Ignoring the long hair tickling her nose, she pressed her lips to his shoulder blades. "Sumeragi?" she whispered into the warm skin, fear sticking in her throat. "Mmm?" "I love you." She felt him turn in her arms and drop a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too." Mikoto hadn't seen the Brightwood since before Valla's destruction. Stepping out of a river into it was almost surreal—although the forest had had years to regrow, it was still devastated, charred black trees fallen like corpses among the soil. The river she'd emerged from was murky and dark, the once-clear water clogged grey with soot and ash. It had taken a lot of verbal trickery on Arete's part to tell her the meeting place. "Woods that were once bright but are now burned" was vague enough to dodge the curse, but only a Vallite would glean what destination it meant. Though she couldn't understand why Arete would want to meet here; sneaking into Anankos's territory was an invitation for trouble, especially if he was behind Hiromi's death as she suspected. But she had understood the anxiety in her sister's voice, so she came, against her better judgment. Mikoto tilted her head back, squinting against the sunlight. There were…islands in the sky? No, her eyes weren't deceiving her; huge chunks of land, floating in the sky, some sideways or even upside down. How in the world…? "Anankos's doing, probably," Arete said darkly, emerging behind her. "Literally ripping apart a country and putting the pieces in the sky is the sort of unnatural that only happens with the assistance of very powerful magic." Her sister's hair was cut freshly short; last time Mikoto had seen her it had reached her lower back. Her makeup did a poor job of hiding the bags under her eyes, and she looked thinner. Concern spread through Mikoto, but before she could ask what was wrong, Arete cut straight to the chase, pulling out a woven blue bag. "Let's make this fast, I don't like staying here long. This bag has the project I've been working on as well as some research notes. It took me months to make the stave—I used the resources in Nohr's library along with my knowledge of Anankos's barrier spell—oh, damn it—" Her sister fumbled the bag, and its contents, sheets of paper and a gleaming, decorative stave, spilled onto the ground. The Nohrian queen cursed and bent to collect them; Mikoto noticed she looked like she was going to cry. She grabbed her sister's arm. "Arete, wait, what's going on? Are you alright? Why did you call me here?" Arete stalled, slowly sweeping everything back into the bag. When she finished she straightened up, clutching the bag to her chest, looking very young. "I'm going to tell Garon about Valla." For a moment Mikoto thought she'd misheard her. Once the words registered, her heart dropped to somewhere in her stomach. "What? No! Arete—" "That mage I've been complaining about, Iago?" Arete wiped at her eyes with one hand. "He works for Anankos. He's been going around telling people about how they should stop worshipping the Dusk Dragon and worship Anankos instead. He brought the subject up in court a few days ago, talking about how Anankos would deliver our country into greatness, and the courtiers were listening to him. Garon was listening to him. That's why the peace talks have been stalled; he's starting to think that Anankos will save Nohr. If he does, he'll invade, both our countries will be destroyed and Anankos will win." She leaned forward and grasped Mikoto's hands. "Mikoto, I love Nohr. I love the sky at sunset, when it's awash in indigo and orange. I love the buildings carved artfully into stone. I love the people, who are good-natured despite their hard lives. Nohr has a lot of bad things, but it has a lot of good things, too. I want to save it." "I can understand that, but you don't have to do this, Arete," Mikoto begged. "We can—we can find a way around the curse, somehow—" "I've tried," Arete interrupted, the despair evident in her words. "I came here once to write down all the information about Valla and brought it into Nohr, but as soon as I pulled the note out it dissolved into water. I've been using the royal library to research ways to break either the memory or the speak-not curses, and it's just not possible. When our mages cast the spells, Anankos infused them with his power, his very life; they'll only break when he dies." "But the other one—" "—was weakened, yes, but only broken completely when your Anankos contributed. We don't have the resources necessary to weaken these spells, and we can't break them either." Ignoring her protests, Arete pushed the bag into Mikoto's hands. "Take this. Use it. It'll be helpful in protecting our countries, and I've left instructions for you in case I don't survive. "I'm not going to tell Garon verbally, I'm not a fool. I'm going to write everything down, while he watches. Maybe an indirect mention won't trigger the curse, and if that's the case we'll be saved. He'll know the truth, you'll be able to tell Sumeragi, and once Kamui and Azura get betrothed an alliance will be formed and we can unite against Anankos." Mikoto took the bag slowly. It seemed to contain the weight of the world. "And if it does?" she whispered, almost unable to bear the thought, "If even writing the information down kills you?" Arete closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Then you'll hear about my death and you'll know indirect communication isn't safe. And you and Azura will still be around to help Kamui." "Azura? Wait, you've been telling her about this?" "You haven't told Kamui?" "No! He's a child, why would I? How could you?" "Because my daughter lives constantly in danger and not knowing about it is liable to get her killed!" Arete snapped, bristling. "She's mature enough to not speak of it outside Valla, and she knows not to use our song unless necessary." "But what will the weight of that knowledge do to her? How stressed and afraid is she going to be? Arete—" She stopped, her face going pale. They'd been raising their voices without realizing it, and it had attracted the wrong sort of attention. Arete's brow furrowed, and she looked over her shoulder. The blue-haired woman swore lowly, instinctively moving to press their backs together, one hand reaching for a tome. Black fear swallowed Mikoto as she watched the figures climb out of the river and fan out in front of it. The glowing purple eyes, the Vallite insignia on their armor, the slight stiffness of their limbs and rank smell of their flesh. Anankos's undead soldiers. Her hands immediately went to her yumi, nocking an arrow, and her eyes scanned them, mentally weighing their odds. But instead of attacking, the one in the lead stepped forward, opened its mouth, revealing a set of jagged yellow teeth, and, to her horror, spoke. "Hello, princesses." She recognized the voice immediately and barely stopped herself from screaming. It was warped by the raspy throat and the timber of the previous owner's voice, but she recognized it. You don't forget the voice of your husband, after all. "Anankos," Arete hissed, ever defiant, ever bold, even in the face of a god. The soldier's cracked lips pulled up into a macabre grin. "Not quite in the flesh, but yes. You should consider yourselves honored. Pathetic gnats like you aren't worthy of being in the presence of even my corpse puppet. Though it seems to disturb you." It hummed mockingly. "Would you like these better?" The water bubbled; glistened; then more soldiers emerged from it. This time Mikoto really did scream, while Arete let out a strangled shriek. Her horrified eyes swept over the new ranks of undead that had emerged. Her parents were there; Mother astride her horse, axe held firmly in her grasp, Father running a hand along the bowstring of his yumi. And there was Ikona, her naginata hoisted over a shoulder; Theophilus on his horse, with his sword and tome in hand; Damaris and Keiji… All of them had glowing eyes and blank expressions, and the animals were just as dead; the feathers on Damaris's kinshi were falling out, and the horses were skeletal, thin fun clinging to bone. Theo had a gaping hole in his chest, and Damaris and Keiji's bodies were still bearing the marks of the explosions that had killed them. I think I'm going to be sick, Mikoto thought, horrified. And then: Oh gods, what if their souls are still in there? And then: Oh gods, we're going to die. His soldiers were between them and the water, and while she and Arete did have their weapons, there were only two of them. There were at least three dozen opponents right here, not counting however many more Anankos could summon. Nausea filled her and she swayed; she was going to die because of one stupid, stupid lapse in judgment. "Oh, don't worry," Anankos said, as if reading her mind, faux comfort evident in his voice, "I'm not going to kill you right now. I just wanted to deliver a message again, and watch you squirm in fear. It's amusing." As her mind tried and failed to process that, the corpse drew its lance and twirled it experimentally. "You see, I could have sent someone to kill you, like I did Hiromi—yes, that was me. She was becoming an annoyance, sticking her nose where it didn't belong, so I eliminated her. But unlike her, your living benefits me more than your dying, currently. I can tolerate letting a few knights run amok if it means I capture the king in the end. "Because the truth is, my pathetic little princesses, you aren't threats to me. You've been patting yourselves on the backs, been proud of escaping Valla and seducing kings and sitting on new thrones, but don't fool yourselves. Your achievements are nothing. You can't stop me. Hoshido and Nohr can't stop me. I was sovereign when your people were crawling out of the muck, and I will be sovereign when the land has forgotten the names of your nations." Then, shockingly, the gathering of soldiers stepped aside, like a mockery of a royal procession, giving the sisters a clear shot to the water. Anankos's puppet smiled. "So go ahead. Make your alliances, warn your kings, gather your armies. Bring them to me, and I will sweep them aside just like I did Valla. Because in the end, you're only human, and humans are weak, fallible creatures." "Do you plan to ever act on your threats, or are they just empty air?" Arete taunted, voice bold on the surface but quivering just the tiniest bit underneath. Mikoto wanted to shake her, but she knew her sister was only scared; when Arete got scared, she got snippy. Mikoto, on the other hand, just froze, much like she was now. Father—no, just his body, surely his soul wasn't still in there—nocked, drew and released an arrow in the span of seconds. It whipped by Arete's face, leaving a thin red line on her cheek. Her sister recoiled backwards slightly, involuntarily raising a hand to the cut, staring at him with stunned eyes. Anankos's puppet's lips curled into an ugly snarl. "I am letting you live, you miserable worm. Be grateful for it, because if you ever speak to me like that again, I won't just kill you; I'll raise your corpse and use it to strangle your daughter to death. Now get out of my country." Mikoto's mind raced—was he really so overconfident, so arrogant, as to just let them go? Her eyes drifted to the water a few meters away, then back to the assembled soldiers. Or was he just toying with them, offering them a glimpse of hope before snatching it away? She took a few tentative steps towards the water, yumi in one hand, Arete's bag in the other, but Anankos's soldiers made no move to stop her. The nauseating scent of decomposition filled her nostrils as Mikoto passed through the gap offered. Unnatural silence filled the air, and she was acutely aware of the dozens of eyes upon her. Arete was behind her, unnaturally quiet. Damaris' undead kinshi shook itself as Mikoto brushed it, snapping its beak at her face irritably. She flinched; Damaris—no, her body, not Damaris—laughed. Dark amusement was somehow sparking to life in her dead eyes, and the eyes of her fellow corpse soldiers. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, yet the short trip to the water seemed to last forever. Shaking, Mikoto fought the urge to immediately rip open a portal and dive through it; she wouldn't give Anankos the pleasure of seeing how afraid she was. Gathering their dignity around them like cloaks, the sisters slowly, calmly opened a portal to their respective kingdoms, and retreated. "I'm doing it tonight." Huddled behind the door to the pantry, Mikoto closed her eyes, feeling wetness clinging to her lashes. It had only been two days since that terrifying encounter with Anankos, and she was still shaking off the vestiges of fear. Her dreams had turned to nightmares of undead soldiers grabbing at her and dragging her under the water, drowning her screams. After Anankos had basically dared them to come at him, she'd hoped that maybe Arete wouldn't call his bluff. That maybe she wouldn't go through with her plan to tell Garon. That maybe—but no. If anything it would have only strengthened her sister's resolve. "Alright," she whispered, knowing she couldn't change her mind. Her sister hesitated, "Mikoto, I know you don't agree with me telling Azura—" "I don't," she interrupted. "But I don't want to argue. Not…not now…" An exhale. "I'm glad." A heartbeat. "I love you, sis." "Yeah, I know. I love you too." Silence. Mikoto tried to think of something to say, but words failed her. What could either of them say? Nothing would change Arete's mind, and nothing could capture how much this scared her, how much she hated this, how much it hurt to know her sister was going to leave her behind again. She wouldn't be saying anything Arete didn't already know. I just got you back! It's not fair! But this was Arete's choice to make. Finally, softly, Arete breathed: "Goodbye." The lights of the runes went out. Mikoto hugged the stone to her chest and let the tears run down her face, begging any god that would hear her that Arete would survive. Three days later, in the midst of a council meeting, a courier arrived and informed them that Queen Arete of Nohr had died in mysterious circumstances. While Sumeragi and his advisors began buzzing with this news, wondering how it would impact their talks with Nohr, Mikoto heard nothing but the pounding of the blood in her ears. She managed to keep herself together for the courier to leave the room, then, claiming to need a chamberpot, rose and left. She entered the first empty room she found and slid the door shut. Then her shaking hands pulled out the tanto she kept up a sleeve. Eyes blurry with tears, she blindly grabbed at her hair and chopped at it in vicious but clumsy strokes. As the black locks fell and curled on the floor, a choked sob erupted from her throat. Mikoto buried her face in her hands, crumpled to the ground, and wept. A/N: Next chapter's the big one, folks.Copyright by WAVY - All rights reserved Lisa and Cita at the elephant exhibit at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. Nov. 3, 2015 (WAVY/Rico Bush) Copyright by WAVY - All rights reserved Lisa and Cita at the elephant exhibit at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk. Nov. 3, 2015 (WAVY/Rico Bush) NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Officials at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk confirmed Tuesday morning that both of its elephants are moving to Zoo Miami. Lisa and Cita are expected to make the trip to Florida in the Spring where they will join two other elephants there. The zoo's executive director Greg Brockheim said the relocation is due to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums requirement that zoos with elephants have at least three of them. The zoo announced it plans to turn the elephant exhibit into a white Rhino exhibit. "We care for all the animals at the Zoo and Cita and Lisa are especially loved," Bockheim stated Tuesday. The zoo issued a packet on Tuesday listing 10 reasons why Zoo Miami was chosen for Lisa and Cita, which includes the size of Zoo Miami, Florida's climate and Miami's future plans to expand its elephant program. Officials said they are unsure if they will ever bring elephants back to Norfolk. Lisa and Cita are in their 40's, the elephants in Miami, Mable and Peggy are 39. The curator for the Miami Zoo, Matt James, told WAVY.com, "We've kind of branded them the Golden Girls. We're going to have four girls all over the age of 39 which in the elephant world...you know that's kind of up there. So we're looking at hosting the Golden Girls and letting them retire in Miami." 6 Photos Copyright by WAVY - All rights reserved The elephants at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk are moving to Zoo Miami. Photo taken Nov. 3, 2015 (WAVY/Rico Bush)Petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of Americans seeking permission for their states to peacefully secede from the union have now been filed for all 50 states on the White House website. The secession petition push began last week on the site's We The People section after a Slidell, La., man filed a petition on Nov. 7 to allow Louisiana to secede. Residents from other states followed suit. As of Wednesday afternoon, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas—all states that voted for former Gov. Mitt Romney—as well as Florida each had accumulated more than 25,000 signatures, the threshold needed to trigger an official response from the Obama administration. Collectively, the secession petitions now have more than 700,000 digital signatures. Texas is in the lead with more than 99,000, but Gov. Rick Perry said on Tuesday that he does not support secession. "Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it," a statement from the governor's office read. "But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government." Meanwhile, residents of Austin, Texas' stubbornly liberal stronghold, have petitioned the White House to allow the city to "withdraw from the state of Texas [and] remain part of the United States." Of course, the petitions are little more than symbolic—and nothing new. Similar petitions were filed after the 2004 and 2008 elections. And at least one petition filed on the site asks that the president sign an executive order to strip U.S. citizenship from anyone who signed a petition to secede and requests that they are "peacefully deported." Secession, though, is not the only thing people are petitioning the White House for. Included among the 140 petitions currently displayed on the site: two seeking federal legalization of marijuana, one asking for the halt of U.S. drone strikes and one demanding a recount of the election.If you ever thought there was a group of smart people who really understood the economy and you were just too stupid to figure it out, now is the time to disabuse yourself. Despite putting on a brave face for the cameras, some of our best economic thinkers — from central bankers to business leaders to economic scholars — find themselves adrift as they try to get the global economy back on track. And while that doesn't mean we should despair, it tells us we can by no means be sure of an imminent end to the world's economic turmoil. As Japan steps boldly through the looking glass into the world of negative interest rates and the globe continues to spend its labour and capital pumping out more crude oil than anyone wants, it would be fair to think that this is a problem that has to work itself out eventually. Greece, Italy, China, Russia, South America and even Finland are struggling. Despite falling unemployment, many fear the United States may be returning to recession. Clever economist needed You might think some clever economist would come up with a solution to put workers back to work and calm jittery financial markets. The Bank of Japan has negative interest rates on central banks deposits, but so far stimulus plans have done little to reignite consumer confidence or inflation. (Reuters) As someone who reads about economics for pleasure on days off, I can tell you there are lots of solutions on offer. The difficulty is that it is not clear which, if any, will work. This was struck home hard last week while reading an economics commentary from the venerable and relatively non-ideological Martin Wolf, at the similarly venerable London Financial Times. The article, titled Why it would be wise to prepare for the next recession, was interesting in its own right. But perhaps just as valuable was the reaction expressed in the many thoughtful comments that followed. Wolf had essentially offered several potential solutions should Britain go into recession — but the prescriptions could be applied elsewhere. 'Cleansing depression' One solution was to let the economy crash and rebuild itself following what Wolf described as a "cleansing depression," similar to the catagenesis offered by Thomas Homer-Dixon. Wolf didn't like this idea. And it seems to me that the other proposals offered by him, and what is actually being done by our various central banks and governments, are all desperate attempts to avoid such an outcome. Other suggestions include more quantitative easing, where central banks further flood the economy with invented cash, and negative interest rates. Japan seems to be trying this out in desperation after everything else has failed to stimulate their economy. Wolf's final proposal is helicopter money, which has nothing to do with Canada's long-delayed plan to replace the Sea Kings with Cyclones. Instead it comes from a thought experiment by U.S. economist Milton Friedman. Helicopter money. Any cash in there for me? (Reuters) "Let us suppose now that one day a helicopter flies over this community and drops $1,000 in bills from the sky, which is, of course, hastily collected by members of the community," Friedman imagined in 1969 The idea is that rather than hand out money to banks so they can lend it cheaply to those who can afford to borrow, as is the case in quantitative easing or low interest rate policy, governments could distribute cash willy-nilly to everyone. Certainly the poorest of us would be inclined to spend the cash immediately on things we need, thus stimulating the economy. In some derivations, helicopter money is funneled into a basic income, or a guaranteed annual income plan, making sure that everyone has enough for rent and food. Interestingly, Wolf says the helicopter-money plan is his favourite, though he stipulates it must be controlled by the central bank as part of its monetary policy. No clear consensus No offence to some of the wiser web commenters out there, but the response to Wolf's column was far above the standard fare of ad hominem attacks so often found in online forums. In addition to most comments being thoughtful and well-reasoned, the alternate solutions presented were diametrically opposed, even mutually exclusive. As more than one commenter pointed out, there is absolutely no evidence that monetary stimulus, up to and including negative rates, has had any beneficial effect on the economy. We sink despite stimulus, all the while becoming more unequal. Many commenters — especially those who sounded as if they had money and assets — rejected a return to inflation, even though so many economists say it's the only way of heading off one of those "cleansing depressions." In fact, a surprising number backed the depression option; though were it to come to that, I suspect they may find they don't like it so much. Most of all, as with so much other economic commentary, there was no single obvious solution. There was definitely no consensus on a strategy that governments could use to fix the economy while keeping voters and other powerful interests happy. And here is the problem. For leaders who make policy, it is almost impossible to try radical and unproven medicine that might work, for the simple reason that it might instead precipitate a crisis for which they would be blamed. So long as the global economy seems to be muddling on, governments and central bankers prefer to kick the can down the road just a little further, and keep praying for a miraculous, spontaneous cure. Follow Don on Twitter @don_pittis More analysis by Don PittisA CCTV image showing a woman suspect linked to the death of a North Korean man said to be Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of the country's leader Kim Jong-un, at the Kuala Lumpur low-cost terminal airport in Sepang on February 13, 2017. — Malay Mail pic KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — A nationwide hunt is underway for two women suspects behind the death of a man widely believed to be Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last Monday. Malay Mail has managed to obtain these CCTV images of one of the suspects from a source at KLIA2 before she reportedly left in a taxi. The women, said to be North Korean agents, were reported to have splashed liquid on the victim near a luggage check-in kiosk at the departure hall on Monday morning. Police have yet to establish how her companion left the airport. World media have proclaimed the dead man as Jong-nam but local police have so far only identified the North Korean male traveller as Kim Chol, 46, based on his passport. The North Korean government has also requested for the body of its citizen from Malaysia, but local police have indicated that authorities need to carry out a post-mortem examination first. The North Korean was reported to have died while being rushed to the Putrajaya hospital for medical treatment after complaining of dizziness following the attack at the airport. His body has since been moved to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for the autopsy.Paul Ryan’s latest method for evading Church teaching is catching on. Home Depot founder Ken Langone warns that a “
The first of several packages mailed by a man who shot three people at a Florida State University library was delivered in Texas, a law enforcement official said Friday. Authorities thought the packages could contain videos and journals from Myron May, who was killed by police officers outside the library Thursday, according to the official, who requested anonymity because that person wasn't authorized to release information about the case. Police obtained videos and journals Thursday that indicate May feared he was being watched and targeted by the government. Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said May was trying to get that message out. May sent friends messages before the shooting saying they could expect packages Friday. Authorities were trying to intercept them, but they weren't sure where each of the packages was to be delivered. They believe they are being sent to several states. Police Said FSU Shooter Said He Was Hearing Voices Through the Walls NBC 6's Dan Krauth takes a look at who the FSU shooter, Myron May, was in his final months before Thursday's shooting. (Published Friday, Nov. 21, 2014) "To date, letters identified do not appear to pose a threat or contain hazardous items," The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said in an email to The Associated Press. The packages were in flat-rate, priority mail envelopes. May graduated from Florida State in 2005 and earned a law degree at Texas Tech University. He worked as a lawyer in Texas and New Mexico before returning about three weeks ago to Florida. He has family in Ohio, where he was born. May posted on his Facebook page links to information on alleged government mind-reading and he believed the government was spying on him. He made rambling statements to police and a former girlfriend. He abruptly quit his job and headed back to Florida, staying with friends and giving no hint about his violent plans until early Thursday when he headed to his alma mater. "Mr. May's sense of being and place in our community was not what most people would refer to as a normal," DeLeo said Thursday. "He had a sense of crisis and he was searching for something." At Strozier Library, about 450 students were studying when May showed up and opened fire. When police arrived, the 31-year-old alumnus had wounded two students and an employee and reloaded a.380 semi-automatic pistol. He refused to put down the weapon and a gun battle erupted. Between May and police, 30 rounds were fired. May didn't get past the lobby, but the sound of gunfire set off screams among students, who scrambled for cover among the bookshelves and barricaded themselves in rooms. Police Looking for Motive in FSU Shooting Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for why former student Myron May opened fire on students at Florida State University. (Published Friday, Nov. 21, 2014) Students and university administrators gathered Friday morning as the library reopened with a heavy police presence. Friends called May sweet, smart and understated. He returned to Florida to get a new start in life. "His fraternity nickname was 'Sensitive Joe' and it was fitting," said state Rep. Matt Gaetz, who belonged to the same Florida State political club as May. "I was so surprised that someone with this docile nature would have something happen in their lives that would have this outcome." There were signs of his unraveling. Police in Las Cruces, New Mexico, said a former girlfriend called to report he came to her home uninvited and claimed police were bugging his house and car. Danielle Nixon told police May recently developed "a severe mental disorder." "Myron began to ramble and handed her a piece to a car and asked her to keep it because this was a camera that police had put in his vehicle," a police report said. Police were still going through May's writings and social media posts, but it was clear something was wrong. "Mr. May had a written journal and videos where he expressed fears of being targeted and that he wanted to bring attention to this issue of targeting," DeLeo said. "Mr. May was in a state of crisis." Abigail Taunton, who runs a foster home in the Florida Panhandle, let May stay in a guest house. She knew him as a teenager who moved to rural Wewahitchka in the Florida Panhandle to live with his grandmother after having problems with his parents in Ohio. "We're just all astounded," Taunton said. "Obviously, he was not in his right mind." May was licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico and Taunton said he was preparing to take the Florida bar exam in February. "He was having some financial issues and moved back home and decided he'd come back to Florida to work," she said. "My heart's broken." In New Mexico, Third Judicial District Attorney Mark D'Antonio said May worked for his office as a junior attorney from Jan. 18 until his unexpected resignation Oct. 6. He said he didn't know why May stepped down, leaving a formal resignation letter on his desk. "He performed his job with great distinction," D'Antonio said at a news conference. "He was friendly and kind. Everyone liked him." Copyright Associated PressToday, the Government launches the Strategic Defence and Security Review. This is an opportunity to rethink our strategic assumptions, and it is all the more essential that we do so in light of the recent Paris attacks Put simply, jihadist terror blurs the boundary between external defence and internal security. Our secret intelligence agencies are as much on the front line as our troops serving in northern Iraq or Cyprus. Defence spending must reflect this. "We need to strengthen our partnerships with democratic allies around the world" We need to strengthen our partnerships with democratic allies around the world, not merely those members of NATO with whom we joined forces to counter the old Soviet threat. With unprecedented pressure on our public finances, and some extraordinary new and demanding security challenges, now is the time to rethink how we convert money into military muscle. The brutal truth is that we have not always been very good at getting bang for our buck. That tended not to matter during the post-Cold War interlude when we could all sleep safely at night under the protection of the American hyper power. Long may the Pax Americanacontinue - but even Uncle Sam was not able to avert the Paris atrocity. We face what academic Mary Kaldor has termed “new wars” – asymmetric threats waged between a combination of states and non-state networks. This is not a reason to carry on with clumsy Cold War era defence procurement, but all the more reason to ensure that we are nimble in developing and researching new weapons. For too long, UK defence procurement has been plagued with problems. Major projects routinely come in late and over budget. Some, like the Nimrod MRA4 spy plane, never get off the ground at all. Complications in these projects and others have left us without key military capabilities. "UK defence procurement elevates the vested interests of defence contractors above the national interest" UK defence procurement elevates the vested interests of defence contractors above the national interest. Elements of the defence budget have been spent as if they were part of a job creation scheme. This needs to stop. Even in World War II, we relied on our allies for key munitions and equipment. Britain’s defence industry today would not function without collaboration with foreign manufacturers. Successive governments have consolidated the UK defence industry. In doing so, they sought the advantages of scale. What they also did was constrain supply. In any market where supply is constrained, the seller sets the terms of trade. So, too, in defence. This is just one of the reasons why “defence inflation” is so high. Its also explains why despite having the fifth largest defence budget in the world, our armed forces are often ill equipped. Ministers need to move towards more “off the shelf” procurement. Yes, there are certain weapons systems that we need to manufacture entirely ourselves. But there are many bits of kit that frankly we should buy off allied countries. Various governments have tried collaborative production of different weapons systems – with mixed results. We ought to do more to try joint purchasing to shift the terms of trade away from contractors and drive down costs. Thanks to the UK’s absurdly complex procurement system, the UK defence budget currently has to pay for more than 10,000 officials to manage different contracts. Think of it as PFI gone mad. Yet in the last Parliament, the regular army was cut by 20,000. Ministers last week announced an additional 1,900 intelligence officers. How many more we might we yet have if we did not have such a cumbersome procurement system? The West faces serious threats. We do not have the luxury of misspending. Now is the time to change.Most Americans live in states that have rejected the federal government's marijuana prohibition policy, and if you're not one of them you may be soon. Voters in Portland, Me., and three Michigan cities just passed measures legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana by adults — small but notable wins in a movement that has taken on the federal government at the state and local levels. In Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal, voters approved a 25 percent pot sales tax, which will generate millions of dollars to regulate marijuana sales and help build schools. And activists in Massachusetts are pushing to put a full legalization referendum on the ballot in 2016. Meanwhile, the legal marijuana industry is one of the fastest-growing in the country, poised to create a potential $10.2 billion cannabis market by 2018, according to a recent report. Here are a few other things that may happen as prohibition loses its grip on the U.S.Saudi Arabia will allow families into three sports stadiums for the first time from next year, authorities said Sunday, in a landmark move that would open up the previously male-only venues to families. The announcement is in line with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious reform drive shaking up the kingdom, including the decision to allow women to drive from next June. “Starting the preparation of three stadiums in Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman to be ready to accommodate families from early 2018,” the General Sports Authority said on Twitter. Last month authorities allowed hundreds of women to throng a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to mark Saudi Arabia’s national day. Saudi Arabia is changing rules as part of its “Vision 2030” plan for economic and social reforms, which aims to boost female employment. Last Update: Monday, 30 October 2017 KSA 00:14 - GMT 21:14WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - Lasers, microwaves and other directed energy weapons could soon be used more widely by the U.S. military, top armed forces officials and U.S. lawmakers told an industry conference on Tuesday. The officials described weapons that are in various stages of development and testing by the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army, but said more work was needed to develop tactics for their use and to ensure sufficient funding. “Directed energy brings the dawn of an entirely new era in defense,” Lieutenant General William Etter, Commander, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, told a conference hosted by Booz Allen Hamilton and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment in Washington. Directed energy refers to weapons that emit focused energy in the form of lasers, microwaves, electromagnetic radiation, radio waves, sound or particle beams. Etter and other officials said such weapons could lower the cost of current weapons, speed up responses to enemy attacks and cut deaths of civilians in the battlefield, but tough policy questions remained about their deployment. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told the conference the Navy was encouraged by testing of a laser deployed on the USS Ponce in the Gulf, which can destroy small boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, and can also be used as a telescope. Mabus said the Navy was extending deployment of the laser on the Ponce, and using lessons learned to help produce a 100-150 kilowatt laser prototype for testing at sea in 2018 or sooner. He said a powerful new railgun that could hit targets 100 miles away would also be tested at sea next year. A railgun is an electrically powered electromagnetic projectile launcher. He said the Navy would release a comprehensive road map this fall for developing, acquiring and fielding high-power radio frequency weapons, lasers and directed energy countermeasures. Mabus said Iran and other countries were already using lasers to target ships and commercial airliners, and the U.S. military needed to accelerate often cumbersome acquisition processes to ensure that it stayed ahead of potential foes. Major General Jerry Harris, vice commander of Air Combat Command, said the Air Force had developed a high-power microwave weapon that could be used to disperse crowds in a non-lethal manner by rapidly raising their body temperature. He said the system could be used on drones or other aircraft and be put to use immediately. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Bill Rigby)Police and eye-witnesses are reporting on a New York incident that bears a resemblance to European terrorist attacks. 8 Dead, 15+ Injured. A motorist, described as a 29-year-old middle-eastern male, driving a rented Home Depot truck drove several blocks (reported eight) in New York City hitting pedestrians and bicyclists along a bike/pedestrian path in the city. The mayhem happened at West Street and Chambers Street at 3:15 p.m. The suspect was shot and is in police custody. –NY Post– It is being reported another driver, witnessing the mayhem, attempted -successfully- to stop the truck by driving his empty school bus into the pathway of the Home Depot vehicle, at which time the driver of the truck exited his vehicle screaming something and began firing weapons upon the crowd. There are reports of multiple fatalities. The driver/shooter was shot by arriving police and is in custody; however, it is reported his carried weapons were a pellet gun and paint-ball gun. Fox News is reporting via NYPD the driver/shooter/terrorist shouted “allahu akbar” as he exited the vehicle to engage the crowd. Additional report showing the number of fatalities might be as high as six with many more people injured. The New York Police Department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody. A man who was riding in an Uber along the West Side Highway near Chambers street reports he saw several bleeding people on the ground after a truck struck several people. Initial suspect ID – Suspect who killed 8 people in NYC attack reported as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov ( Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov) from Tampa, FL, originally from Kyrgyzstan NBC News: Suspect in the New York City attack is Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov. He was born in February of 1988. Came to U.S. in 2010. — Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) October 31, 2017 JUST IN: Photo of Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, of Tampa, Florida, suspect in deadly NYC terror attack https://t.co/zof4fpEths pic.twitter.com/Oq0Trli4UG — CBS News (@CBSNews) October 31, 2017 BREAKING: Police and witnesses: Motorist drove onto bike path near World Trade Center, hit people, fired what appeared to be gun. — The Associated Press (@AP) October 31, 2017 Screenshots of the Snapchat story around the shooting in NYC. pic.twitter.com/FcYPFbx8TX — Mike Morrison (@MikeKMorrison) October 31, 2017 URGENT: Reports of Multiple People Shot In Manhattan After Man In Truck Ran Over Pedestrians RAW VIDEO >> https://t.co/mzvV2FkPZO pic.twitter.com/UZ7TMwexpH — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 31, 2017 Video shows large police response in Lower Manhattan after reports of shots fired. https://t.co/kcQD2fXckk pic.twitter.com/vdUmF6UXGS — ABC News (@ABC) October 31, 2017 BREAKING IMAGE: One body lays covered in Lower Manhattan…. pic.twitter.com/byLvltLuCq — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 31, 2017 Due to police activity, avoid the area of Chambers Street/West St. One person is in custody. Expect many emergency personnel in the area. pic.twitter.com/rSECr0LRCN — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017 WATCH: Witness describes incident in Manhattan: "I saw a truck – a white pick-up truck – going down the bicycle lane & running people over" pic.twitter.com/ZRVoOiariH — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 31, 2017 LATEST: Up To 6 Dead In Manhattan Truck Attack, Suspect In Custody – https://t.co/mzvV2F3f8g pic.twitter.com/TCA9AG9ley — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 31, 2017 JUST IN: There are fatalities after a truck drove the wrong way down the West Side Highway bike path in Manhattan https://t.co/lSZwdt3Rux pic.twitter.com/hqLnTIhsIr — CNN (@CNN) October 31, 2017 AdvertisementsBrands live. They speak to people and they do it in so many different ways, some aloud, some silently. Every contact with a brand is communication, a chance to excel or to fail. Great brands are brilliant at communication. World class brands aren’t created by accident. To make people want them as part of their lives, they need to look great, feel great, work great and be great. They need integrity and consistency. They need to understand and be understood. Once you know where you want to get to, you need to work out how to get there. Sadly, there’s no satnav for business and you’re probably competing with other brands trying to get to the same place. An incisive strategy is key. What do customers really think? What are competitors doing better than you are? How could you sharpen your brand to cut through and drive the bottom line? Skilful research can answer these questions, save time and money. The Dent Consultancy is a branding consultancy that specialises in sharpening brands to cut through increasingly cluttered marketplaces and win share of mind, share of screen and share of wallet. If you are after a cutting edge, why not call us on 01525 221016?OK, my German's a bit rusty, so I'm not completely sure about the details of the following video, which comes from Microsoft Germany. It appears to be some kind of event/party to promote Windows Phone 7.5, and the theme has something to do with Ghostbusters. Party-goers received some Windows Phones that they used to see virtual ghosts and interact with Zool (I think). Again, shouldn't have dropped out of German 101 in college. Here's the Google Translate translation of the YouTube video: A key and a Windows Phone: these utensils explored the invited guests, the rooms of the Windows Mobile 7.5 Hotel. Before it went to the secret movie, the visitors had to use a special Windows Phone app to solve problems. The Windows Mobile team has accompanied the guests. As the expired, you can see here! Note to Microsoft: Have parties like this in the USA! [ Free download: 6 things every IT person should know ] Read more of Keith Shaw's ITworld.TV blog and follow the latest IT news at ITworld. Follow Keith on Twitter at @shawkeith. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter and Facebook.By THOMAS FLOYD Darlington Nagbe may only have five MLS goals to his name, but he has sure made the most of them. Last year, the Portland Timbers midfielder-forward saw his first career strike — a spectacular juggle-and-volley effort against Sporting Kansas City — claim league Goal of the Year honors. And this season, during a 3-2 loss to Real Salt Lake on March 31, the 21-year-old notched about as stunning a brace as one will see, using a deft touch and driven shot to score the first goal before setting himself up for a wicked volley on the second. As Jeld-Wen Field erupted, Timbers TV analyst Robbie Earle may have put it best: "MLS has found a new star." "It doesn't surprise me at all," said D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen, Nagbe's teammate at the University of Akron. "He would do that in college all the time in practice, hit upper-90 shots and just walk off like it was no big deal." After hernia surgery slowed the start to his rookie campaign, Nagbe went on to record two goals and three assists in 28 appearances (21 starts) in 2011. But in six matches this season, Nagbe has already netted three tallies to surpass that goal total. While he only went the full 90 minutes once all of last season, Nagbe has gone the distance in Portland's past four games, playing on the flank or as a withdrawn forward for coach John Spencer. In handling his increased success and the attention that has come with it, Nagbe said, "I just try to be modest." Adding fuel to Nagbe's fire has been his deep desire to experience the playoffs after Portland was eliminated from contention in the final week of last year's regular season. With the Timbers sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 1-4-1 record, Nagbe knows he and his team need to pick up the pace if they are going to achieve that goal. "We've had a rough couple of games, but as a team we're not looking back — we're just looking to move on, turn things around and make the playoffs," Nagbe said. "Watching the playoff games on TV, it's a bad feeling. You want to be out there competing." For Nagbe, his hot start is an indication that he may be ready to live up to the expectations that made him the No. 2 overall pick in last year's MLS SuperDraft after he led Akron to a national title in 2010, claiming the Hermann Trophy along the way. "He's a young player that's stepped into a big league in MLS and done well for himself," said Portland midfielder Freddie Braun, a good friend of Nagbe's off the field. "I still think there's a lot more to see from him. And we're definitely going to see it." Nagbe's flashy play has naturally led to speculation about his international prospects. A Liberia native who moved to the United States at age 11 but is not yet a citizen, Nagbe said he recently has had minimal contact with the Liberian federation and none with the U.S. program. Perhaps further tilting the odds in Liberia's favor is the fact that Nagbe's father, Joe, is a former captain of the West African country's national team. Nagbe, however, noted he hasn't spent much time thinking about the international game just yet. "I've just been trying to become a better player," Nagbe said. "But definitely, it would interest me down the road. I think it's everyone's dream to be in a World Cup." It's a focused-on-the-field mentality that is clearly evident in Nagbe's approach to the game. While he's a calm, somewhat withdrawn personality away from the pitch, there's little doubt about his competitive nature once game time rolls around. "He's just a real nice, chill kind of guy," Braun said. "But he definitely brings the right attitude. When everyone looks at Darlington, everybody knows that he wants to win." To make that happen more often, Nagbe said his personal objective remains what it has been for most of his career: "Be more dangerous and create more chances." If he succeeds in doing so, consider the rest of MLS properly warned.Heck Van Tran had worked at the Jade East Restaurant in Memphis for a few weeks before he joined three other young men in robbing the restaurant in 1987. He admitted shooting two of the three employees who were killed in the robbery. Sentenced to death on August 28, 1989 after he was convicted of three counts of felony murder for his role in an October 20, 1987 triple murder during a robbery at a Memphis restaurant. The victims were Arthur Lee, 24; his grandmother, Kai Ying Chuey, 70; and Lee's sister-in-law, Man Yin Huang "Amy" Lee, 23. Supreme Court of Tennessee September 27, 1993 STATE OF TENNESSEE, APPELLEE, v. HECK VAN TRAN, DEFENDANT-APPELLANT. CRIMINAL COURT. SHELBY COUNTY. Hon. L. T. Lafferty, Judge. (Lower Court Nos. 88-01443, 88-01444, 88-01445, and 88-04384) Drowota, III, O'Brien, Anderson, Reid, Daughtrey The opinion of the court was delivered by: Drowota The Defendant, Heck Van Tran, appeals his convictions of felony murder in the deaths of Kai Yin Chuey, Amy Lee and Arthur Lee and the sentences of death imposed in each case by the jury. On appeal he challenges, inter alia, the sufficiency of the evidence used to convict him, the failure of the trial court to suppress certain statements, the use of a relative to act as an interpreter for an eyewitness, the introduction of a video tape and color photographs, the refusal of change of venue and individual voir dire, alleged errors in the Judge's jury instructions, and the constitutionality of the death penalty. We have carefully considered all of the issues raised by the Defendant and, for the reasons that follow, we affirm his conviction of felony murder and his sentence of death as to Kai Yin Chuey. We affirm his convictions of felony murder as to Amy Lee and Arthur Lee, but reverse his sentences as to them and remand for resentencing for the reasons set out later in this opinion. The Facts On the afternoon of October 20, 1987, Arthur Lee, Amy Lee, and Kai Yin Chuey were found dead in the Jade East Restaurant in Memphis. The restaurant had not yet opened for business that day, and the victims had apparently been inside making preparations for the evening. Jewelry with a wholesale value of $25,000 had been taken from the restaurant. The State's critical proof included: a statement taken from the Defendant in which he admitted his involvement in the crimes; Defendant's fingerprint on one of the jewelry cases taken during the robbery; and the eyewitness identification of the Defendant by a survivor of the robbery. The victims were all related and worked in the restaurant, which had been owned and operated by the Lee family for years. The family had emigrated from China. Arthur Lee, 24, managed the restaurant for his father, the owner. Amy Lee, 24, was married to Arthur's brother, Chester Lee. Kai Yin Chuey, 74, was Arthur's maternal grandmother. Ging Sam Lee, 75, Arthur's paternal grandmother, survived the robbery. She had been beaten and knocked unconscious; and two diamond rings, a necklace and a watch were taken from her. The Defendant, Heck Van Tran, was born on November 8, 1966. His mother was Vietnamese; and his father, an American serviceman, died in Vietnam in 1968. The Defendant started school when he was six years old but stopped when Saigon fell. In 1983 a Catholic relief agency resettled the Defendant and his mother in Memphis. The Defendant briefly attended school before dropping out in 1984. After his arrest by the Houston, Texas, police, Defendant gave a statement in which he acknowledged his role in the robbery and murders. He stated that he had worked briefly at the Jade East Restaurant a month or two before the crimes and that Mr. Lee had fired him because "he didn't like me" and "said I cooked too many egg rolls." The Defendant implicated Hung Van Chung, Kong Chung Bounnam and Duc Phuoc Doan in the robbery. He stated that the four men entered the back door of the restaurant and he talked to Arthur Lee "for about ten minutes before there was any shooting." The Defendant had a.22 revolver, Bounnam a.44, Chung a.22 and Doan a.25. The Defendant described what happened after the group pulled out their guns: Mr. Lee grabbed Nam's [Bounnam's] hand with the gun and elbowed him in the chest. Nam fell back and hit the old lady. The old lady fell on me and when she hit me it caused the gun to go off. I don't know what I hit that time. Mr. Lee then kicked Hung. I heard Hung Chung shoot one or two times and then Mr. Lee tried to grab the gun and Hung Chung shoot him. While Mr. Lee was trying to get Hung [Chung's] gun, I told him not to or I would have to hurt him. He turned and tried to get my gun and I shot him. He fell and was moving around and I shot him in the face somewhere. Then I walk through the door where they kept the money and gold. I looked up and saw the old lady roll over. I thought she had something in her hand. I shot her in the back of the head. While the Defendant was in the office collecting the jewelry, he heard more shots. He stated that he did not know "who was shooting or what" or who had shot "the young girl," Amy Lee. Upon leaving the office, the Defendant saw Bounnam holding Ging Sam Lee. The Defendant told Bounnam not to hurt her. Bounnam hit Mrs. Lee on the back of the head, and all the assailants left. Outside the restaurant, the Defendant discovered that Bounnam had been shot in the left leg near the groin. Bounnam claimed the Defendant had shot him. The group fled in Bounnam's Camaro to an acquaintance's apartment. From there, the Defendant, Bounnam and Chung drove Chung's car to Washington, D.C. Bounnam's Camaro was left in Memphis. Doan remained in Tennessee. From Washington, the trio drove to Houston, Texas. Once in Houston, the Defendant went to the Saigon Pool Hall and talked with a Vietnamese man about selling some gold. The man took the gold and returned in about ten minutes with $4,000.00. The Defendant paid the man $200 and divided the rest three ways. Later, Bounnam flew to North Carolina and Chung went to Dallas with a friend. On April 28, 1988, almost six months after the robbery, the Defendant was arrested in Houston. At this time, he was advised of his Miranda rights. When asked if he knew why he was being arrested, he replied, "For a shooting in Memphis." He was taken to the main police facility and later to a municipal court Judge who read Defendant the statutory Miranda warning required by the Texas Code. His written statement was taken May 2, 1988, after he had been advised of his rights a third time. On his return to Memphis the Defendant was fingerprinted. The print of his left ring finger matched a latent fingerprint found on one of the jewelry cases. A TBI firearms examiner testified that two.22 lead bullets, one recovered from Mrs. Chuey's head, the other from Mr. Lee's brain, could have been fired from the revolver used by the Defendant in the robbery. The two bullets were so mutilated and damaged, however, that the examiner could not positively state that they had been fired from that weapon. Jerry Lee, Arthur Lee's brother and grandson of Mrs. Chuey and Mrs. Lee, arrived at the restaurant after the robbery and triple murders. He testified that he ran a jewelry business out of the restaurant. On the day of the robbery uninsured jewelry with a wholesale value of about $25,000.00 was stolen from the restaurant office. At trial, Jerry Lee identified certain jewelry cases taken in the robbery, one of which had Defendant's fingerprint on it. He identified the Defendant as a former cook who had worked in the restaurant for a week, approximately one month before the robbery. He stated that Defendant had no occasion to go inside the vault and touch any of the jewelry cases while employed at the restaurant. Ging Sam Lee was 77 years old at the time of trial and had lived in the United States for thirty years. She was the only surviving eyewitness to the robbery-murders. She testified, through a translator, that three or four oriental men had robbed the restaurant and identified Heck Van Tran as one the robbers. She also identified Hung Van Chung as another of the men involved. She stated that Chung, while not an employee, had helped out at the restaurant. She was beaten and robbed. She heard gunfire but did not see anyone being shot. She was knocked unconscious; and, when she awoke, she saw a body lying in the restaurant. One of the State's witnesses testified that on October 20, 1987, he was driving his automobile into the parking lot of the Jade East Restaurant when he saw a blue 1970 Camaro leaving the parking lot. The Camaro was four to five feet away from him, and he identified Bounnam as the driver. He also noticed at least two passengers in the car. Bounnam's brother testified that at eight o'clock on the morning of the robbery his brother and the Defendant drove him to work in his brother's blue Camaro. He further testified he had not seen his brother since that time. Another State witness testified that he knew the Defendant, Bounnam, Doan and Chung. He stated that Bounnam owned a blue Camaro and further testified that on the day of the Jade East robbery, he saw jewelry boxes like those taken from the restaurant in the dumpster outside his apartment. Another witness testified he was at a friend's apartment and saw the Defendant trying to get a bullet out of Bounnam's leg. Chung and Doan were also present at the apartment. During their investigation the police discovered small pieces of jewelry scattered on the floor of the restaurant and in the rear parking lot. They also collected six spent.22 caliber cartridges from the restaurant floor. One of the officers videotaped the entire inside and outside of the Jade East Restaurant. Another officer took photographs showing the location of the three bodies, and the exterior of the restaurant, and the parking lot. The State's final witness was Dr. O. C. Smith, an expert in the field of forensic pathology. He had performed autopsies on the three victims. He testified that Amy Lee died as a result of a contact gunshot wound to the head. He described a contact wound as one in which the muzzle of the weapon is up against the skin surface at the time it is fired. The bullet entered Amy Lee's right forehead about a half inch below the top of her head and was recovered in the left back of the head after going through the brain. After being qualified as an expert in firearms and firearms identification, Dr. Smith gave his opinion that the recovered projectile was a.22 caliber bullet. Dr. Smith testified that Kai Yin Chuey had bruises under the right collarbone, over the right chest and breast region, on the left upper arm, at the left elbow, and over the knees, all of which were made while she was alive. She died as a result of being shot twice: once through the jawbone and neck thereby severing her windpipe (this wound was six inches or less from the muzzle of the gun) and once through the back of the head through the brain (this was a contact wound). Dr. Smith stated that Arthur Lee died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. There were eight wound tracks on his body: to the back of the right hand, to the right chest, to the right side of the jaw, a grazing wound to the left side of the neck, a wound to the back left shoulder at the neck, a near wound to the right back, a wound to the back of the upper right arm and a contact gunshot wound to the right temple. He identified one of the recovered projectiles as being a.22 caliber bullet. He also testified that there was no way to determine the sequence in which these wounds had been inflicted. The Defendant was indicted for felony (robbery) murder and premeditated murders of Kai Yin Chuey, Amy Lee and Arthur Lee and also for robbery with a deadly weapon of Ging Sam Lee. Based upon the above-described evidence, the jury found Heck Van Tran guilty on three counts of felony murder and fixed his punishment at death for each offense. The same two aggravating circumstances were found in all three cases: (1) the murder was especially cruel in that it involved depravity of mind; and (2) the Defendant committed "mass murder." T.C.A. § 39-2-203(i)(5) and (12) (1982). The Defendant was also convicted of robbery by use of a deadly weapon. The trial court sentenced the Defendant to 30 years imprisonment as a standard of fender, Range I, to be served concurrently with the above sentences. I. Sufficiency of the Convicting Evidence The Defendant initially argues that, while the evidence admitted at trial may be sufficient to support the guilty verdicts when tested against the standard enunciated in Rule 13(e), T.R.A.P., and Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S. Ct. 2781, 61 L. Ed. 2d 560 (1979), if the Court holds certain evidence inadmissible, such as the Defendant's confession or the eyewitness's identification of the Defendant by Ging Sam Lee, the proof may no longer be sufficient. We shall treat these evidentiary questions in Sections II and VI. The Defendant also contends that the evidence is insufficient to support the sentence of death because it does not support the two aggravating circumstances found by the jury. We shall address these issues in Sections XI, XII, and XV. II. Motion to Suppress Confession The Defendant avers that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his written and oral statements given to the authorities in Texas. The Defendant filed a pretrial motion to suppress his confession given to the Houston police on May 2, 1988, four days after his arrest. In his motion, Defendant asserts that, because he was born in Vietnam, his knowledge, understanding and comprehension of the English language is limited, and his understanding of legal terms is so poor that he was unable to make a knowing and intelligent waiver of his constitutional rights to remain silent and to have the assistance of counsel. At the evidentiary hearing on the motion the State presented six witnesses while the defense offered four. The Defendant's mother, Mia Tran, testified that Defendant was presently 21 years of age. She explained that the Defendant, had been ill as a child and that he had not spoken until he was six. The Defendant had not studied English in Vietnam, where he had attended school until the third grade. After his arrival from Vietnam in
out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration. More newsletters Schnicke said turning the former golf course into a site for homes and a preserve made sense. Here’s why he says it’s a trend that likely will continue. •“During the boom time (of golf), developers were wanting to put in golf courses. That led to an oversupply,” Schnicke said. •Millennials aren’t playing golf. (That’s supported by National Golf Foundation research on millennials that is ongoing but suggests that the youngest of millennials, 18-29, aren’t playing much, although many have expressed a desire to do so.) •“Municipalities think it’s important to manage golf courses,” Schnicke said, “but there are not enough people playing.” Prices to play go down, and the course can’t make enough money. Other communities in Greater Cincinnati are also in the process of transforming golf courses into home sites. Green Township is getting a home development, Greenshire Commons, in place of the former private Hillview Golf Course. Rakesh Ram, senior sales vice president for Coldwell Banker West Shell and developer of the property, said the community response has been “unbelievably” good. Greenshire Commons will have homes beginning at $300,000, Ram said. “In 90 days, it’ll look like a little city.” Can we play through? Blue Ash speeds play But there are still lots of communities that don’t want to give up on their golf courses. Instead, they are working to enhance their offerings at the courses. Blue Ash, for one, has found alternatives to boost use of its Blue Ash Golf Course. “We have increased the pace-of-play significantly in the last three years, making the course highly competitive,” said Mary Grace Fitzgerald, community and public relations coordinator for the city. Blue Ash Golf Course has actually increased its rounds in the past four years. From 2001-2007, number of rounds consistently came in around 37,000 per year. Since 2010, the course has been averaging 39,000 rounds each year. City officials partially credit the upturn to the opening of Cooper Creek Event Center in 2012. Before the event center opened, the city provided about $365,000 per year to the course. Since then, the city subsidy to the course has dropped to about $220,000 per year, she said. The National Golf Foundation has recommended better marketing of golf courses including less emphasis on the “exclusive” nature of the sport, making it more an “inclusive” activity to better target millennials. Buy Photo SiteWORX begins the ground work as they level the land and install sewer pipes for the 168-acre housing development on the former Crooked Tree Golf Course on Wednesday. Golf isn’t what it used to be, and some properties are becoming sites for homes or other purposes. (Photo: The Enquirer/Madison Schmidt) NKY counties subsidize courses, seek efficiencies Kenton County is paying $20,000 for the foundation to eye its Golf Courses of Kenton County, consisting of The Pioneer, The Willows and Fox Run. Boone is paying $26,000 for the assessment of Boone Links and Lansing Point. “None of us is a golf course expert,” Kenton County Judge-executive Kris Knochelmann said. “We are in a situation where we’ve been losing money.” Kenton Fiscal Court spent $56,697 to subsidize county courses in 2013, and $276,666 in 2014. Both 2014 and 2015 were further in the hole by $135,000 each year for payments not made to the county for past loans, Knochelmann said. Reinvestment also is needed at the courses, he said. Among the problems? The county learned that bathrooms “were quite nasty,” with plumbing leaking behind the walls, Knochelmann said. Joe Shriver, county administrator, said the county has no intentions of eliminating its golf course. “The question is, how do we make this a valuable asset? We are looking to maximize it as best we can.” Could the county leave the golf business? Sure, says Knochelmann. But it’s way too soon to say if that could happen. “Ultimately, if the county as a group agrees to pay $200,000 a year, that’s fine,” Knochelmann said. Boone and Campbell officials say their counties’ golf courses also are working toward enhancing their properties’ viability. “Our discussion has been, how can we improve our operations? How can we advance our efficiency?” Boone County Administrator Jeff Earlywine said. “We’ve been operating well for the last several years.” Buy Photo A muddied golf ball lays among the housing redevelopment site on top of the former Crooked Tree Golf Course in Mason, Ohio. With younger generations expressing less interest in golf, some courses have begun to sell their land for other uses. (Photo: The Enquirer/Madison Schmidt) Boone County’s general fund has subsidized its golf courses some years. In the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, the county provided no subsidy. In fiscal year 2014, the county paid a $200,000 subsidy, said Earlywine. Campbell County’s A.J. Jolly Golf Course – and the entire park, for that matter – was acquired with a conservation grant from the federal Department of Interior. The grant was to maintain public green space, said County Administrator Matt Elberfeld. So if the county ever sold the land or did not use it as public green space, the Campbell Fiscal Court would be required to purchase an equal value of green space elsewhere. The Jolly course has had its struggles. Excluding one-time expenses, the Campbell Fiscal Court supported the ongoing operations of the golf course with about $150,000 in the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to county records. “The golf business is a tough business at the moment,” Elderfeld acknowledged. Guide to area golf courses:https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/2014/04/12/guide-area-golf-courses/7650181/ Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1Nv0bulRemember the dire warnings and shrill allegations of voter fraud surrounding the 2008 election? That ACORN would steal it, that the New Black Panthers were intimidating voters, that fraud across the county would be “rampant?” They never panned out. ACORN no longer exists. (Although that hasn’t stopped 20 percent of the American public from believing they’ll try to steal the election.) The DOJ found that the New Black Panthers incident was isolated — although that case found new life in allegations against the Justice Department itself (more on that below). A five-year effort by the Bush DOJ to weed out fraud, an effort the Obama team said was designed to suppress minority voter turnout, turned up “virtually no evidence.”Voter fraud “exists, and anyone who denies it has no credibility,” J. Christian Adams told TPMmuckraker recently. “But it doesn’t affect the outcome of elections as much as people say. I don’t think that if there’s 100 or 1,000 dead voters in, let’s say, Texas … I don’t think it’s going to affect the outcome of statewide elections.” And yet, with all the evidence against them, the fearmongers of voter fraud — a mantle most recently taken up by the tea party — soldier on. Take Rep. Darrel Issa (R-CA), poised to become the chairman of the oversight committee, who this July sent a letter to the Minnesota secretary of state directing him to save all records concerning the hotly contested 2008 election that put Al Franken in the Senate. Issa says his staff “has uncovered the concerted efforts of nationwide organizations to subvert the American electoral process,” and makes ample mention of ACORN and convicted felons. Much of the right-wing rage focuses on the perception that racial minorities are disenfranchising whites. The most prominent example, of course, is the aforementioned New Black Panthers case. After the Obama administration decided only to act against one member, ordering him away from polling places in Philadelphia until 2012, Adams and other Bush appointees cried foul. They allege that Obama’s DOJ, under Attorney General Eric Holder, is purposely dropping cases against black defendants, and got the conservative-dominated Commission on Civil Rights to investigate it. Gail Heriot, who sits on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, expressed concern in one meeting that the New Black Panther who held a nightstick at the polling place could “just hop on a bus” and intimidate other voters on election day this year. That case has gotten new life in the headlines as the election nears. Last week, the former head of the voting rights division, Chris Coates, defied the DOJ and testified before the commission. Before that, the DOJ’s inspector general announced he would investigate allegations that the department is handling cases based on race. Other cases trumpeted by the right have similar racial undertones. In Harris County, Texas, a tea party offshoot called True The Vote and the Republican registrar of voters have accused a low-income voter registration program of falsifying thousands of applications in an effort to conduct “an organized and systematic attack.” True The Vote says they found the alleged fraud by scouring voter registration records in districts with a high number of households with six or more registered voters — which also happened to be the predominantly poor, black voting districts. True The Vote is now advocating for proof of citizenship to be required at the polls. And the Tea Party Nation has told its members to “steal their good idea.” Then there’s former ACORN employee Anita MonCrief, a self-described whistleblower who’s making the right-wing conference circuit and urging tea partiers to take up the cause of voter fraud. They should keep an eye on places like welfare offices and bus stops, she says, where liberal vote-stealers look for marks. As she tells it, the successors of ACORN use diversity as a ploy. “I called it ‘Operation Darkie Shield,'” she said at one recent conference. In Wisconsin, the state GOP scrapped a planned operation with tea party groups to “investigate” possible fake registrations — but someone still put up billboards featuring dark-skinned, jailed figures who admit to voter fraud to warn Milwaukee residents of jail time if they vote illegally. Those who fear voter fraud in Wisconsin have a friend in the race for governor. “As governor, I will sign into law a bill to require a photo ID to vote,” Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker has said. Amidst the fears, voting experts say they want to make sure that those who become poll watchers know the rules of the polling place so legitimate voters are not unfairly challenged. “We just want to make sure that everyone is clear on the rules — that voters know their rights, that these groups know what they are and aren’t allowed to do,” said Tova Wang, Senior Democracy Fellow at Demos. “Every single election there are these allegations of voter fraud that turn out to be mostly untrue and every year we find that there might be a very small handful of voter fraud cases but nothing on the order of what is alleged,” Wang said.00:43 Hurricane Matthew Victim Found Months Later Authorities identified the body of a North Carolina man missing since Hurricane Matthew. Meteorologist Danielle Banks explains that his death is being blamed on the storm. At a Glance Police in Fayetteville, North Carolina, have identified another victim of Hurricane Matthew's flooding. The man's body was discovered on April 21 after being reported missing in November 2016. Months after Hurricane Matthew, police have identified the body of a missing North Carolina man that they believe was a victim of the storm’s flooding. The Fayetteville Police Department issued a statement saying 49-year-old Rodney Terrell Williams’ body was discovered near an apartment complex on April 21, the Associated Press reports. Officials say he was reported missing on Nov. 2, 2016, and was last seen during the torrential rainfall from the hurricane. His body was discovered by a person walking on a path connecting the apartments to a nearby business, according to the Fayetteville Observer. (PHOTOS: Flooding, Tornadoes Turn Deadly in South and Midwest ) “The deceased subject was in an advanced state of decomposition and the body will be sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification and cause of death,” police said in a statement obtained by WNCN.com. Matthew hammered the U.S. in October, causing 43 deaths, 22 of which were in North Carolina. Fayetteville saw 62 mph winds and more than 14 inches of rain, which triggered major flooding that left Interstate 95 underwater. MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Hurricane MatthewThe Silver Element It started with my first class at age 12. The instructor gave us a package of jewelers saw blades, a dozen hair thin pieces of steel with tiny teeth cut into one side. He told us to expect to break all of them within the first week. But by the end of the three-month course, I still had half a package left. I’ve often said that I was born to be a metalworker, for the techniques and the tools I use have always felt familiar, as if I worked with them in another lifetime. It’s been 40 years since that first class, yet I still feel a thrill when the process takes me over, and the wax or metal begins to transform through my hands into the vision of my inner eye. I was born on the East Coast, in a small town with lots of natural beauty. I drew and made sculpture from a very early age. My early exposure to jewelry making and the skills I learned in the classes I took helped me get my first job in the jewelry trade when I was 16. I worked in my craft all through high school, moving on to earn a BFA degree from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. When I graduated college, I refined my skills by working with European masters on Jewelers Row. I was lucky to have had such formal training, for my mentors introduced me to numerous tricks of the trade that I still use every day. In 1991, I moved West and started a small craft business in Spokane. I began to produce jewelry in limited editions, and started touring the region doing fine craft festivals. Under the trade name Argentum Aurum, which means silver and gold, I worked in a partnership creating whimsical family oriented charms and pendants, which became very popular. In 2004 I open a retail store in Spokane, and after several years, moved it downtown to Main Street. There, I had a retail space which I presented as a gallery. It was also home to my workshop, where I physically made each piece. I enjoyed having the finished pieces on display in the same location where I crafted them, in an atmosphere of creative sharing. I changed the business name from Argentum Aurum to Silver Element Jewelry in 2012, and shortly after changed my personal name as well, from Debra Brehren to Ruly Deen. I made these changes to reflect my evolving artistic sensibility. My craftsmanship and symbolic references continue to become even more honed and focused as I pursue life as a working artist. After two years under the new name, I closed my brick and mortar store in 2014. Now I show work from all phases of my recent career on Etsy, and my own website. I also do various art shows around the country. My greatest passion is being able to make new work. I look forward to refining my techniques as I continue to weave deeper and more significant emotional concepts into my visual imagery. I often say I am a sociologist, since I am so fascinated by world culture. Sometimes I am more of an anthropologist, becasue it is ancient symbolic systems that capture my attention more than anything else. This love of learning imbues my work with the concepts I absorb through my hours of reading and research. Those ideas flow into my drawings, and hence, my carvings and finished work. I hope my symbolic art brings you as much pleasure in wearing and sharing as they did when I first created them. Wear them in good health, and happiness! Namasté, RulyOn Friday afternoon, the Twins announced that they have invited 18 non-roster players to major league spring training. Among others, top prospects such as JO Berrios, Byron Buxton, Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers will report to big league camp. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Tyler Duffey) The Twins announced today that six pitchers will be there to open spring training. JO Berrios is officially invited to his first big league camp, although he was there with the team when he was working out before the WBC two years ago. Right-handers Tyler Duffey, Mark Hamburger and Adrian Salcedo will also be there. So will left-handers Ryan O'Rourke and Taylor Rogers.The team always needs plenty of catchers. Dan Rohlfing recently signed to remain with the organization. Stuart Turner will return for his second big league spring training. Tyler Grimes and Mitch Garver will participate in their first spring training with the big leaguers.James Beresford and Doug Bernier return to the organization and to big league camp. They will be joined by newcomers Argenis Diaz and Heiker Meneses.Byron Buxton will return to big league camp in 2015 along with fellow outfielders Eric Farris, Danny Ortiz and Shane Robinson.Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino also tweeted that the Twins have brought back former 49th round draft pick Brock PetersonEverything You Need to Know About Circus Peanuts Disclaimer: They are NOT peanuts. While Circus Peanuts are not as popular as they were during the day of the famous "penny candies," many Americans — especially older generations — are familiar with the sweet banana-flavored treat. Here is everything you need to know about the bite-sized snack with a love-it-or-hate-it reputation. What are circus peanuts? While this shouldn't come as a shock, circus peanuts are not real peanuts. Rather, they are a peanut-shaped marshmallow candy with a soft and spongy texture. The most popular modern variety is orange in color and comes in an artificial banana flavor. What ingredients go into them? They are made from a mixture of sugar, pork gelatin, corn syrup, food coloring, soy protein, artificial flavors, and pectin (a gelling agent extracted from citrus fruits). How are they made today? The mixture of ingredients is squirted into molds made of starch — the starch extracts the excess moisture and helps to create the peanut shape. The candy is then crystalized in a temperature-controlled room for 24 hours before its packaged for distribution. In Andrew Zimmern's Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Foods Zimmern writes: According to sources from Spangler, one of the only companies still making Circus Peanuts, this candy is one of the most difficult to make. They need the perfect conditions to have the correct consistency — too much moisture creates a thin, crusty deposit; too little and the peanut will cave inward. When were they invented? Created in the 1800s, Circus Peanuts are one of the original "penny candies" and remained popular through the 1960s. Penny candies — dubbed so because of their 1-cent price tag — were individually wrapped hard or chewy candies that were sold by the piece at soda fountain, candy, and 5- and 10-cent variety stores. While the first known penny candy was the Tootsie Roll introduced in 1896, other popular varieties included Sweethearts, Hershey Kisses, Bottle Caps, Candy Corn, and Jawbreakers. Who created them? The inventor of this artificially-charged candy has not been pinpointed. In Food Bites: The Science of the Foods We Eat, authors Richard and AnnaKate Hartel write: The history of Circus Peanuts is clouded, as with most foods, but perhaps for Circus Peanuts it's because nobody wants to admit that they're responsible for developing this much-maligned product. What type of person would come up with the idea of an orange peanut-shaped marshmallow candy with an indeterminate flavor? When are they traditionally served? Once a seasonal item available only during the spring, the invention of polyethylene film in the 1940s allowed them to be packaged so that they could be sold year round. Why are they banana-flavored? While the reasoning behind making the candy in banana flavor is shrouded in mystery, Zimmern tackles the topic in Andrew Zimmern's Field Guide to Exceptionally Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Foods: Rumor has it, the weird choice to make them banana flavored stuck after a freak banana oil accident. Are they responsible for the creation of Lucky Charms? According to the General Mills blog, Lucky Charms were created in 1963 by General Mills employee John Holahan after he chopped of pieces of Circus Peanuts into a bowl of Cheerios and fell in love with the flavor combo. Today, those small marshmallow bits are called "marbits" and are what makes the cereal so "magically delicious." Where can I buy them today? Many manufacturers produce the chewy snack. Top Circus Peanut makers include: Brach's Confections (19111 Dallas Parkway, Dallas, TX) Melster Candies (4017 Whitney St., Janesville, WI) They can also be purchased online at: Candy Warehouse Spangler Candy Old Time Candy Video: Watch what happens when Circus Peanuts are microwavedGENEVA (Reuters) - CERN researchers said on Monday they have spotted a particle reshaping into two others in their Large Hadron Collider, a breakthrough that could be crucial in exploring physics frontiers once the realm of science fiction. The mutation - in a process known as decay - was predicted under the so-called Standard Model (SM) of physics which describes how the universe works at the most fundamental level, but until now scientists had never seen it. The discovery, announced at a conference in Japan, will sharpen efforts to find evidence for super symmetry, dubbed SUSY, a theory explaining some cosmic mysteries, and for other “New Physics” ideas beyond the SM’s confines, CERN experts said. The LHC, which went into operation at the research centre near Geneva in early 2010, had confirmed the model as its initial target, but its longer-term goal is to push beyond that into new realms envisaged by theorists. “The detailed implications of this latest result will take a while to work through, but one thing is easy to state: the Standard Model has survived another test,” U.S. physicist and CERN-watcher Matt Strassler said in a blog post. A decay of the type recorded by CERN’s LHCb experiment, in which a Bs meson particle was transformed after a collision in the LHC into a muon and an anti-muon, was foreseen under the model, developed in the second half of the 20th century. Scientists had been trying to spot the decay - which in the arithmetically-intense world of particle physics had been correctly predicted to happen to one Bs meson in every 300 million - for well over a decade. Oliver Buchmueller, of the Geneva research centre’s CMS experiment, told Reuters that although the nature of the decay narrowed the energy range where SUSY traces might be found, it also left plenty of room for these to turn up later. “This is another piece in the puzzle and with it the world appears even more SM (Standard Model)-like,” he said. “It supports SUSY, because that is the only theory that can include the Standard Model in a wider concept of New Physics.” SUSY, which provides for the existence of unseen heavy “super-partners” to all known particles, is controversial, with some physicists expressing doubts about it as an explanation of cosmic oddities like the strange speed of rotation of galaxies. The doubters have more than once pronounced the theory dead. But it would find its place in New Physics, which includes science fiction-like constructs including dark matter, dark energy, string theory and extra dimensions. CERN hopes that some of these, and other concepts yet unspecified, might transmute from theory into fact when in late 2014 it doubles the power of the LHC, which runs 27 kms (16.8 miles) in a circle under the Swiss-French border. The decay development follows the CERN announcement in July of the sighting in the LHC of a new particle - believed to be, although it remains to be confirmed - the Higgs boson, a key building bloc of nature that gives mass to matter. The discovery, after three decades of searching in three different colliders, put the last major missing element into the Standard Model, drawn up by scientists on the basis of what was known and seemed likely about the universe. The decay reported in Japan, at a Kyoto gathering of particle physicists, emerged - like the presumed Higgs - from light-speed collisions in the LHC that recreate the primeval disorder that followed the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago.Coffee, like wine, can be hard to characterize. Sure, it’s easy enough to identify bitter, or sweet, or even herbal flavors—but professionals in the coffee biz rely on a more nuanced lexicon to classify beans. It’s not enough to characterize a coffee's taste as “green”; terms like “peapod,” “hay-like,” and “fresh” are all preferred descriptors. And to further complicate the already complicated task of classifying taste, those professionals all need to agree on what each word in that lexicon means, palate-wise. Specialty Coffee Association of America That’s where the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) comes in. For 20 years it’s published the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel, a color-coded guide to identifying and discussing flavors found in coffee. Everyone on the coffee supply chain—from farmers to roasters to baristas—treats the terms on the wheel as a shared vocabulary. Last month, in collaboration with World Coffee Research, a not-for-profit research organization, the association updated its Flavor Wheel for the first time. “It’s more descriptive and less jargon-y,” says Peter Giuliano, senior director at the SCAA. World Coffee Research developed a new "Sensory Lexicon" in collaboration with researchers at Kansas State University's Sensory Analysis Center. The goal of that lexicon, its authors write, "is to use for the first time the tools and technologies of sensory science to understand and name coffee’s primary sensory qualities, and to create a replicable way of measuring those qualities." That’s important, says Giuliano, because a lot has changed in the two decades since the inception of the original Flavor Wheel. Climate change has forced farmers to develop heat-, drought-, and disease-resistant coffee varieties. At the other end of the supply chain, the success of boutique coffee roasters like Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia suggests consumer tastes have become more diverse. Between farmers and consumers, there’s been another shift in the coffee industry; professional coffee tasters have begun embracing a growing field of research known as descriptive sensory analysis. The Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University is largely devoted to developing a standard set of flavor descriptors that can be applied across all food and beverage sectors. Panels of professionals who taste according to this lexicon “taste dispassionately,” and “can work on wine one minute, chocolate the next minute, Saltine crackers the next minute,” Giuliano says. Those professionals work on coffee, too. In order for the sensory panels to be effective, however, the SCAA needed to do away with coffee jargon left over from the 1990s, in favor of a language that’s replicable, no matter where or when you're drinking. Consider this: there used to be a term for a certain harsh flavor found in coffee, called “Rioy.” Rioy isn’t a compliment: beans from Rio de Janeiro were often overly fermented, leading to an iodine-like taste. No one outside of the coffee world would know that, so “now we would call that medicinal,” Giuliano says. In this way, the updated chart draws on the bank of research that’s being compiled at the Sensory Analysis Center. Like its predecessor, it's rainbow-hued—but these colors were chosen very carefully. Once the new lexicon and its hierarchy had been put in place, Giuliano and his colleagues asked London design studio One Darnley Road to revitalize the color palette. Lots of charts use color to organize information, Giuliano says the team at One Darnley Road went the extra mile to see that these colors corresponded as closely as possible to specific flavors. To do that, the designers studied photographs of different foods, elements, and objects, and distilled each item into a specific color; when selecting a color to connote malt, or jasmine, or molasses, they based that color one the hue of actual malt, jasmine, and molasses. Giuliano makes their process sound painstaking: "They studied all the colors that oranges [i.e. the fruits] can take, and they found the average orange [i.e. the color].” The chart's hues, then, like the new lexicon, have been defined as quantitatively as possible.The NY Times calls her a former Fox commentator but she was never a paid employee and now she is saying a Fox anchor and Fox News itself raped her. Scottie Nell Hughes filed a lawsuit Monday claiming Charles Payne raped her. She also claimed she was raped again by Fox News who she said retaliated against her. “In July of 2013, I was raped by Charles Payne. In July of 2017, I was raped again by Fox News. Since then, I have been living an absolute hell,” Hughes told the New York Times. Payne, host of Fox Business’ ‘Making Money’, was suspended in July when she came forward originally to say she was coerced into a three-year relationship. After Fox investigated, they put Mr. Payne back on the airwaves. Hughes’ claim was and is that she was threatened into the relationship. She feared possible reprisals though she didn’t even work for Fox. She was a CNN commenter and they dumper her too. The LA Times reported: “The woman who filed a complaint with Paul, Weiss was never an employee of Fox News but appeared as a guest across numerous Fox News and Fox Business Network programs with the hope of becoming a paid contributor. She has told her lawyer, who is preparing a legal complaint against Fox News and Payne, that she stayed in the relationship with the host because she believed he would help her chances of landing a position at the network. She alleges that her opportunities diminished after the relationship ended in 2015 when Payne’s wife learned of their involvement.” She’s trying to say he coerced her into a three-year relationship from 2013 to 2016. Oddly, it was a very open affair according to The Daily Mail. They shared at least one hotel room on a trip. Payne acknowledged a “romantic relationship”. The New York Times reported Monday: In her lawsuit, Ms. Hughes said that Mr. Payne had “pressured” his way into her hotel room in July 2013 and coerced her to have sexual intercourse with him, even though she had refused his advances by telling him “no” and “stop.” She didn’t bother to report it at the time or during the three years as she appeared to have been sleeping her way to the top. According to the suit, Ms. Hughes was “shocked and ashamed” and did not immediately report the incident. She said that over the next two years she was forced to engage in a sexual relationship with Mr. Payne. In exchange, she said, she received career opportunities, including increased appearances on Fox News and Fox Business and the promise that Mr. Payne would help her land a contributor contract, a job that can pay several hundred thousand dollars a year. In fact, Hughes is a screw up and made a lot of on-air gaffes like calling Molotov Cocktails, Mazel Tov Cocktails.California Republican Tom McClintock isn’t among those who believes that his party has learned their lesson yet: Speaking at an event last week in Orange County, CA, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) said he expected big gains for his party at this year’s election, but said he worried that Republicans would squander the victory, as they had in the past, by nominating a slew of “bad candidates” and having a lackluster commitment to conservative principles: The American people are about to give Republicans a second chance that we know we don’t deserve, that we haven’t earned. … The American people have every right, and every reason, to blame a Republican president and a Republican Congress for the mess that confronted the Obama administration on January 20, 2009 — let us be honest be about this. (…) McClintock — a tea party favorite with a strong libertarian streak — had particularly hash words for his party’s nominee for governor, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman. Asked about Whitman following his remarks, McClintock suggested she is not loyal to the “principles of the American Founders,” and said he agrees with her Democratic opponent Jerry Brown as much as he agrees with Whitman:The Omega 2, a $5 Linux Module concentrated on ease of use and accessibility, managed to surpass its Kickstarter funding goal in just a few hours after being published. With integrated Wi-Fi and on-board flash storage, the Omega 2 is a tiny Module that aims to deliver a simple and affordable solution for any IoT project. A full computer running Linux, the module is just 1/4th of the size of the Raspberry Pi. It appeared on Kickstarter with a goal of $15,000 and got fully funded in just a few hours. Based on the MIPS-based and Wi-Fi enabled Qualcomm Atheros AR9331 system-on-chip, Omega 2 is a leap forward from its predecessor. The Omega launched last year via a successful Kickstarter Campaign by Onion. It is a $19 module that has enabled Wi-Fi running at 400 MHz. In comparison, the new module runs at 580 MHz and offers fifteen GPIO lines, two new PWM lines, two UART lines and a I2C, SPI and I2S lines. Onion also provides IoT enthusiasts the $9 Omega 2 Plus, which offers double the built-in storage and memory. Backward compatible with all of the modules of the Omega, the new board launches with a plethora of new expandable docks. Just some of them are the Expansion Dock, the Mini Dock, the Power Dock, the relay Expansion Dock and others. There is also an Arduino Dock R2, which makes the Omega 2 Arduino compatible. Cloud-integrated and modular, the Omega 2 aims to deliver a seamless programming experience, regardless of the programming language one uses. Onion also offers its users an App Store, where people may find natural solutions for their home IoT (Internet of Things) projects. Could the Omega 2 Replace Raspberry Pi? The Omega 2 has a number of diverse features and a relatively low entry price point. This can make the Omega 2 more accessible and easy to use than the infamous single-board computers offered by Raspberry Pi. A cheap solution for every IoT project, the Omega 2 is as functional as a Raspberry Pi board. This is further possible with the diverse and affordable expansion docks of the $5 module. However, it’s hard to tell which board will be more suitable for one’s needs. While the Omega 2 has almost the same functionality, the Raspberry Pi already dominates the market. This results in hundreds upon thousands of online guides one can easily use to make their homes smarter. Furthermore, while the new $5 Omega board runs Linux, the $35 Raspberry Pi 3 offers customers a range of operating systems, including Snappy Ubuntu Core and the Windows 10 IoT Core. This results in more diverse projects and gives a wider range of possibilities. With this in mind, the Omega 2 is a long way off from dethroning the Raspberry Pi. Nonetheless, it’s an exceptionally affordable and an easy-to-use solution for anyone who would like to get into IoT projects. For more information on the Omega 2, feel free to visit their official Kickstarter project page. Also, make sure to stay tuned to Build Your Smart Home.co for everything IoT related!As Jamaican dub and roots reggae makes a heavy resurgence and mark on the music scene, Bunny 'Striker' Lee, pioneer of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, and record producer in his own right, is promoting his book and documentary. They explain the journey of reggae from the beginning to the present time. And, perhaps there is no one more qualified than Lee to embark on such a project, having been closely connected with the artistes and musicians from the inception of the music, and having promoted and produced almost every early artiste of distinction in Jamaican popular music. With perhaps the largest catalogue and clientele ever in the history of Jamaican popular music, Lee had in his fold luminaries such as Derrick Morgan, Stanger Cole, Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, Roy Shirley, Ken Boothe, Pat Kelly, Max Romeo, Slim Smith, John Holt, Sugar Minott, Alton Ellis, Johnny Clarke, Cornel Campbell, Bob Marley and the Wailers and U-Roy. The book - Reggae going international 1967-76, The Bunny 'Striker' Lee Story, and the documentary, I am The Gorgon, Bunny 'Striker' Lee and The Roots of Reggae, have already received worldwide reviews. They have been dubbed as the reggae Bible, internationally, going deep into the roots of reggae and telling the stories of many unsung Jamaican music heroes. In the book, Lee singles out record producer Leslie Kong as one such hero. "Leslie Kong produced the most international hits, but no one talks about him now. He's one of the founding fathers of the business. He recorded Bob Marley first, you know," explained Striker. From that fate-deciding moment in 1967, when Lee, the self-acclaimed Gorgon, recorded his first production by Lloyd and the Grovers, titled, Do it to me Baby, there ensued an endless flow of hits that cemented his position as one of the top record producers in the land. Archiving Music History In the past, there have been those who wrote the history of Jamaican popular music, based on what they were told by others. Now here comes a man, who, throughout a four-decade period, lived with the artistes and was an ever-present figure at recording sessions, to tell the story as he saw it. The book, by Noel Hawks and Jah Floyd, introduces the history of Jamaican music, peopled by larger-than-life characters, who have been included to archive the importance of the music's development. It is an interesting tale of how reggae went international and, along with the documentary, are valuable assets to reggae's history and Jamaican culture. The book also brings to light Lee's creativity of new sounds, like the development of flyers, which is an emphasis on the drummer's use of cymbals. A release from the Bunny Lee syndicate, stated, "The Gorgon played an essential part in starting King Tubby's career and also contributed to Tubby's
he said, adding that the committee understands it is bound by the regents’ policy on course content. “Is there a box where you check it off? I don’t think so. But everyone involved in course approval is aware of regents policies — including this one.” The Palestine course was among 194 student-taught classes this semester at Berkeley. Subjects run from serious subjects like cancer, sustainability and genetic disorders, to lighthearted topics: Pokémon, songwriting and UC Hogwarts: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, lead author of the letter to Dirks and director of the Amcha Initiative, which tries to identify anti-Semitism on college campuses, exulted in the suspension of the course. “This is a great day for students at Berkeley,” she said in a statement. “We applaud UC Berkeley’s Chancellor Dirks and his staff for their swift and appropriate response regarding this course. However, there is still work to be done to ensure that all new courses at UC Berkeley are adequately reviewed for compliance with university policies prohibiting misuse of the classroom for political indoctrination.” Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @NanetteAsimovGilly Willikers only appears during events and may not be currently found in game. "Clown" redirects here. For other uses, see clown costume "Gilly" redirects here. For other uses, see Gillie Groats Gilly Willikers is a clown who works for Balthazar's Big Raffle. During a raffle, he can be talked to once a day to claim an extra raffle ticket for use in the raffle, unless one has already been gained from a daily challenge. When a raffle is active, Gilly will teleport to one of the lodestones in Asgarnia and Misthalin and wander around every 30 minutes. A hint regarding his current location can be obtained from Balthazar. He featured in the 2016 Easter event, taking a tour of Sliske's chocolate factory as one of the five golden ticket winners. During the event, he briefly became one of Sliske's wights. He returned once again during the Winter Weekends in December 2016 and 2017, and Summer Weekends in 2018 during their respective clue scroll weekends. He handed out a free clue scroll once per day when found. The player's skill total determined what the difficulty of the clue scroll would be. Total Level Clue Scroll 37-1400 Easy 1401-2000 Medium 2001-2500 Hard 2501+ Elite As of 29 August 2017, players can now obtain Gilly's outfit from Balthazar's Big Raffle by handing in 5 raffle tickets for each individual piece. Locations During the Balthazar's Big Raffle and the clue scroll weekends, he could be found at one of these locations: It is possible for Gilly to teleport back to his current location. Dialogue TriviaLet's see what we can't do to get you outfitted for a relaxing weekend of mobile fun. I don't mean "mobile" as in you go anywhere, goodness no. I mean fun on your mobile device. I suppose that still applies even if you never leave the house. Anyway, here are some sales. Apps MathStudio – $4.99 from $19.99 Bass Booster Pro – $0.99 from $1.99 Action Launcher Pro – $2.99 from $3.99 Games The Great Fusion – $0.99 from $1.99 Kids Brain Trainer – $1.49 from $2.99 Waking Mars – $1.99 from $2.99 Mount Olympus – Free from $1.99 (Amazon) Sonic Jump – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic CD – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic The Hedgehog – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic 4 Episode I – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic 4 Episode II – $0.99 from $2.99 Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing – $0.99 from $3.99Star Wars fans were none-too-pleased when animated cable TV show The Clone Wars was unceremoniously cancelled last year following Disney's purchase of LucasFilm. The show was in the middle of production on its sixth season when Disney pulled the plug, and fans were left with lots of open storylines. The completed episodes were later released on Netflix, but there were still plenty of loose ends. Now the show's creators are releasing four incomplete episodes to give fans every piece of The Clone Wars possible. The four-part story, known as the "Crystal Crisis on Utapau," is now streaming on StarWars.com free of charge. The animation is far from complete, but voice acting for the episodes was captured before Disney cancelled the show.The result is a final taste of Star Wars under the control of George Lucas. The Clone Wars is officially considered canon alongside the six motion pictures, and these are likely the very last pieces of the show that will ever be seen. A couple of other storylines for the sixth season were planned but never produced — one was turned into a Dark Horse comic last year, and another is being adapted into a novel. And don't worry, this is far from the last of the Star Wars universe. A new animated show, Star Wars Rebels, will premiere next week, and several new films are on the way.CNN caught pushing untrue claims that Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis utilized an ‘AR-15 shotgun’ Mikael Thalen Storyleak September 17, 2013 After initial reports about an AR-15 rifle being used in the Navy Yard shooting were retracted Monday, CNN went on to continuously claim that the shooter’s shotgun was actually an “AR-15 shotgun.” While the facts of Monday’s horrific shooting were still coming in, political pundits wasted no time in exploiting the tragedy by immediately claiming an AR-15 rifle was responsible. Several media figures including CNN’s Piers Morgan began their usual calls for a ban on the rifle despite the fact that it is involved in less than 2.5% of murders and used responsibly by millions of Americans. After reports revealed that a shotgun was the primary weapon, CNN continued its demonization campaign by deceitfully labeling the shotgun as an “AR-15 shotgun.” The report comes after Anthony Gucciardi revealed that top voted CNN comments were already calling for a complete gun ban following the Navy Yard shooting. The caption not only presents a mythical weapon, but also claims this weapon was legally purchased by Alexis. In fact, it was the shotgun that was legally purchased and an AR15 is thought to have been rented and returned prior to the incident, details that seem unimportant to CNN’s producers. Other inaccuracies regarding the incident including the capability of the non-existent AR15 continue to be pushed by the media as well. Throughout the incident gun control advocates have continued to make bizarre claims in order to justify continued tragedies in disarmament zones. Monday evening, Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton went on to claim that Washington D.C. is the “safest city in the United States” despite the staunch reality that it is actually one of the most dangerous big cities in the country. CNN and other media outlet’s attempts to push gun control based on emotion, not fact, has only increased the public’s disillusionment with the corporate media. Information such as the establishment’s admission of a 49 percent drop in gun homicide since 1993 is seemingly irrelevant to the gun debate according to CNN and others. Other pertinent information such as the 1993 law passed by former President Clinton that forbids military personnel from being armed on military bases has also been swept under the rug.An Ebola vaccine being developed by British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has been deemed safe enough to be trialled soon. Healthy individuals in West African countries, where the virus has rampaged, will be the first to participate. In an announcement reported by the Associated Press, Marie-Paule Kieny, the assistant director general of Health Systems and Innovation at the World Health Organization, revealed that both the GSK vaccine and one licensed by Merck and NewLink, have "an acceptable safety profile." According to Kieny, who is helping coordinate the hunt for an Ebola vaccine, six-month-long trials will begin in West Africa and health workers could be among the first to receive it. Doctors, nurses and volunteers continue to put themselves in harm's way everyday in affected areas of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, with WHO revealing this week that around 800 have been infected since the outbreak. More than 8,000 people have died from the disease in total, including 500 health workers, and more than 20,000 have been infected. A vaccine could not come soon enough, and the acceleration of research has been astounding, with teams working on a solution or conducting trials in the UK, the US, Germany, Russia, Kenya, Switzerland and beyond. There were reports of NewLink's vaccine causing "mild" joint pain in the hands and feet, but this was ultimately deemed not serious enough to hold up research. GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine, being developed in conjunction with a biotechnology company it acquired and the National Institute of Health in the US, could be produced in the thousands—all going well—later this year. Back in November, the British pharma published the results of its phase 1 trial in the New England Journal of Medicine. It showed that all 20 healthy volunteers exhibited an immunological response after the vaccine was administered. The vaccine itself has been developed from chimpanzee adenovirus type 3—essentially a cold virus. This was modified to carry genetic information from two strains of the Ebola virus. Alongside this, GSK is also working on a one-strain vaccine, which focuses on the Zaire strain, prevalent today in West Africa. Trials in the UK are being funded in part by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and the UK Government, and GSK is already looking into options for largescale manufacturing of the vaccine if it proves successful. The UK's Wellcome Trust has separately made a set of pledges to help fund Ebola research, committing £40m in funding to various initiatives. These include research investigations covering diagnosis, diseases control, ethics and protection; experimental therapies and vaccines for Ebola; and the launch of a new group called Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science Africa (DELTAS Africa), designed to help advance homegrown research in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to this strong Ebola research presence in the UK, a vaccine engineered using a human cold virus and the smallpox virus has begun testing in the UK. Developed by Johnson & Johnson, it's at phase 1 and so a little behind the others. But it holds promise, having been shown to provide monkeys with protection against the Zaire strain. 72 healthy volunteers will receive a dose.I don't watch much TV, but strangely I have watched most episodes of HBO's new series Girls. Of course, the show is produced by Judd Apatow, the man who gave me my first good acting job, playing a freak on the television show Freaks and Geeks, and my first great comedy role, Saul Silver in Pineapple Express, but that's not why I've been watching. I got pulled in at the beginning simply because it seemed to portray my world -- the one inhabited by struggling creative types in New York. I'm not saying I have to struggle to pay the rent like Lena Dunham's character, Hannah, but there was a point, right before Judd cast me in Freaks and Geeks, when my parents cut me off because I wanted to go to acting school instead of UCLA. I worked at McDonalds, and my first suggestion to Hannah would be this: get a fucking job. If you really want to have experiences to write about, go to work; and if you really want to be an artist, take responsibility for yourself and wait some tables. You might mature a little in the process. That leads me to my other connection with these young women just out of college: I've spent the last five or six years in classes with people like them. I'm not making any judgments about my ex-classmates -- I'm sure many of them have plenty to say about an actor invading their M.F.A. bubbles -- but I will say that many of the movies and stories they produced in those programs featured storylines that would have fit right in on Girls. But Lena Dunham has an advantage those graduate students don't. Hannah can be as big a loser as Lena wants because, in the end, Lena is anything but a loser: she is a writer-director-actor spearheading a show on HBO. No matter how many stupid things Hannah says to strangers, how embarrassing her sex scenes are, how awkward she is with adults, or how little writing she actually does, Lena will always shine through as the admirable creative force behind everything on the television screen (or, in my case, computer screen). Lena's character never has to write her book because the series is her book. A young woman who does it all on a show that is on everyone's lips -- that sounds pretty great to me. Still, I'm aware that not everyone thinks it's great, that many people -- especially non-white women -- have said they feel unrepresented by the show, whose lead characters are all white. This is a pretty hot topic, and one I like to ask my female friends in New York about. On the graduate-school circuit, the answer I usually get is that it's a controversy over nothing: people just need something to write about on the Internet. I agree that Internet discussions about nothing are all too prevalent these days, but I also think that it's valid to ask what popular television shows say about us as a society. Supporters of the show usually say its lack of diversity reflects the social segregation of our country, and they have a point. Going to high school in Palo Alto, I definitely saw cliques form along racial lines. But the argument is harder to swallow when the subjects are educated twenty-somethings in New York City. Maybe I have a limited perspective, because the programs I was in were extremely diverse, but I've found that my friends and collaborators hail from a rich background of races and nationalities. I guess all I have to say about the topic is that, because TV is such a popular medium, HBO has a responsibility to represent its subjects accurately, especially when the network is selling a show as a representation of young New York. There's no obligation to be kaleidoscopic, but there is a difference between writing a short story or essay about a bunch of white people that only a handful of people will read and creating another show about white people that millions of people will watch, especially when you've chosen to set that show in one of the most culturally mixed cities in the world. (HBO says it doesn't tell its creators what to do with their shows, and Dunham has written at least one African-American character, played by Community star Donald Glover, into Season 2.) I've read comments about Girls that said, in a nutshell, "I like the show, but I can't see me in the show." I feel the same way. The guys in the show are the biggest bunch of losers I've ever seen. There is a drip who gets dumped because he bores his girlfriend; a dad who hits on his babysitter; a bevy of wussy hipsters who are just grist for the insatiable lust of the too-cool girl with the British accent; and the king of them all, the shirtless dude who talks funny and hides his stomach all the time. I know this sorry representation of men is fair payback for the endless parade of airheaded women on the West Coast male counterpart to Girls, Entourage, which in turn was fair payback for the cast of male dorks on Sex in the City. (They seemed like dorks to me, at least, on the occasions when my ex-girlfriend tuned in while I happened to be around.) I am fine watching a show about women dealing with men I would never want to be. I watched Steel Magnolias incessantly when I was in junior high school, and I can get off on female bonding. Done right, it's more interesting than male bonding. I'm also aware that I may be giving myself too much credit: for all I know, but for the grace of Judd Apatow I would be just like those struggling male idiots I see on the show. And of course it's often more entertaining to watch people be irresponsible and make mistakes than it is to watch them lead stable lives. And yes, Lena Dunham gives the female characters just as many flaws as the guys. But the twist is twofold: we get to hear the girls' insider conversations, so we side with them against the men, and Lena is the ultimate creator, so no matter what she puts the girls through, she is always in control. Her name is always at the end, where it says "Created by." They say living well is the best revenge, but sometimes writing well is even better.TEHRAN (IQNA) – The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Yemen warned of a deepening food crisis in the country, which is reeling from a Saudi military aggression, saying almost a quarter of the country’s 27 million population are facing starvation. "Seven million Yemenis do not know where their next meal will come from and are ever closer to starvation,” Jamie McGoldrick said in a statement released on Tuesday. He also estimated that more than 17 million Yemenis are not able to adequately feed themselves and thus forced to skip meals while "women and girls eat the least and last.” The UN official further voiced concern about rising food prices, food shortages, disruptions to agricultural production, and lowering purchasing power, Press TV reported. "Given that the country is 80-90 percent dependent on imported food staples; I am compelled to raise the alarm. If left unabated, these factors combined could accelerate the onset of famine,” he said. Elsewhere in his statement, McGoldrick expressed deep worries over the escalation of conflict in the western coast of Yemen, saying the fighting is restricting the flow of life-saving commodities into Hudaydah Port. The airstrikes conducted by Saudi fighter jets have destroyed critical roads and bridges across Hudaydah Province. On Monday, the UN International Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that 462,000 children were suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen. Earlier this month, the UN appealed for $2.1 billion to provide food and other life-saving aid for some 12 million Yemenis expected to need assistance this year. Three UN agencies further said in a joint statement that the number of food insecure people in Yemen had risen by three million during the past seven months, reaching an estimated 17.1 million people. Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in a bid to reinstall the country’s former government and crush the Houthi Ansarullah movement. The Houthis and the Yemeni army have been defending Yemen against the Saudi offensive. The Saudi military aggression has claimed the lives of over 11,400 Yemenis, including women and children, according to the latest tally by a Yemeni monitoring group.Ghana's president, John Evans Atta Mills, has died suddenly, aged 68. Mills, who was only months away from completing his first term in office, cancelled meetings and was taken to hospital at midday on Tuesday suffering from an unspecified illness. A statement from the president's office, signed by the chief of staff, confirmed his death several hours later, after growing speculation and a near communications blackout in the capital city, Accra. "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the republic of Ghana," the statement said. The announcement prompted an outpouring of grief as people across the political divide united in paying their respects. "This is our president who has died in office, we join all Ghanaians in mourning, we send our deepest condolences to his wife and family," said Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, the chairman of the opposition New Patriotic party. "As a mark of respect, the party is suspending all its activities." MPs were summoned to Ghana's parliament house to swear in John Dramani Mahama, the former vice president, and given reassurances that the death of Mills would not spark a constitutional crisis. No president has ever died in office in the history of Ghana, which gained independence from Britain in 1957. Mahama, who made an emotional speech describing Mills as a "father, friend, mentor and … senior comrade", said that the country was "deeply saddened and distraught" and declared one week of mourning in Ghana. News of the president's death follows weeks of rumours about his health, prompted by a decline in public appearances and a medical trip to the US, which he insisted was for a routine check-up. When Mills was elected in 2009, questions were raised about his fitness to lead the country. At least two false reports announcing his death have previously circulated in Ghana. Mills was preparing to seek a second term in elections due in December. Mills, a professor of tax law for 25 years, who studied at the University of London, was expected to lead a close contest for the ruling party, the National Democratic Congress. The news has shocked other African countries, where there have been a number of deaths in office in recent years. Nigeria's president Goodluck Jonathan, who succeeded president Umaru Yar'Adua after he died in office in 2010, expressed his condolences. A statement from the Nigerian presidency said: "On behalf of himself, the government and people of Nigeria, President Jonathan extends sincere condolences to late President Mills' family as well as the government and people of Ghana. "The president assures the people of Ghana of the sympathy and solidarity of the people of Nigeria as they mourn late President Mills who did his best during his tenure to carry forward the process of democratic consolidation and socio-economic development in Ghana." Ghanaian commentators praised the relative speed with which Mills' death was announced, two hours after doctors at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra failed to resuscitate him.This Parking Enforcement Services officer was photographed after parking his work vehicle in a disability space in Christchurch at lunchtime on Monday. A Christchurch parking warden may well be regretting his Monday lunch choice after he was snapped with his work car parked in a mobility space while he collected his food. A shopper took a photo of the man and his Parking Enforcement Services car, which was parked in the mobility space outside an Indian restaurant in the suburb of Hornby. The photographer, who did not want to be named, said the driver looked "very abashed" when confronted after buying his lunch and said "I was only here for a minute". ROSS GIBLIN/STUFF Wilson Parking, of which Parking Enforcement Services is its ticketing division, have around 300 parking facilities in New Zealand. He said the driver did not appear disabled and the vehicle did not display a mobility parking permit. Motorists wrongly parking in a mobility parking space can be fined $150. Parking Enforcement Services is the ticketing division of Hong Kong-based giant Wilson Parking. JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF Wilson Parking is New Zealand's largest private parking company. The company has attracted public criticism for its $65 tickets for motorists overstaying their welcome in Wilson parks, a charge increased to $85 if unpaid after three weeks. The rough state of its parks in post-earthquake Christchurch has also attracted flak. The company runs nearly 300 parks across New Zealand. Parking Enforcement Services says on its website that it is a professional operation with professional, trained, security-licensed enforcement officers. A Wilson Parking spokeswoman said they were disappointed their strict operating procedures for staff, both on- and off-duty, had not been followed. "This was an error in judgement and while the officer was off-duty collecting his lunch, he clearly stopped in a mobility park for which he did not have a permit. "We take this incident very seriously and expect our employees to respect parking bays which have been designated as mobility parking. "We have followed up with the officer in question who is being taken through the appropriate processes to address this." About 130,000 Kiwis have mobility parking permits. Charity CCS Disability Action issues the permits and advocates to improve public attitudes to mobility issues. A New Zealand Facebook page called "You've got my Car Park, want my Disability too?" has been set up to name and shame able-bodied drivers using mobility parks. * Comments on this article are closed.Foriegn demand for chinese exports is being blamed for the country's pollution (Image by Greenpeace) Guess who should be the latest victim of China’s environmental crisis blame game, according to some Chinese officials? It’s the foreigners. A provincial environmental official said recently that foreigners should be blamed for China’s pollution, People.com, the official website for People’s Daily, reported. Miao Xuegang, Director of the Anhui Provincial Environmental Protection Authority, said foreigners were being “hypocritical” when criticising China’s pollution problems. “China is a big exporter and many foreigners have been benefiting from China’s green products. However, the pollution incurred during the production process are left in China. ” The smoggy weather and the alleged ground water pollution have given environmental issues unprecedented high profile media coverage and aroused great public concern for pollution. Miao’s “hypocritical” comment, which came amid strong public outcry for firm and efficient handling of the environmental issues, upset China’s green activists. Liu Jianqiang, chinadialogue’s Beijing editor and a veteran environmentalist, wrote on his Sina Weibo: “following this logic, even Chinese people criticising China’s pollution would be hypocritical, for we ourselves are responsible for the pollution.” Feng Yongfeng, founder of the Beijing-based NGO Green Beagle, told chinadialogue that officials lack the courage to face the gravity of environmental issues. “Sometimes, they say it (pollution) is a necessary byproduct of development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Other times, they blame China’s world factory status for environmental issues,” Feng said, adding “it doesn’t matter who the products are selling to or whether China’s the world factory. The only thing that matters is whether every act of production has complied with the basic requirement of environmental protection principles.” As controversial comments goes, Miao’s “hypocritical” comment was not the only one that attracted media attention. Days ago, deputy secretary of Yunnan’s provincial Communist Party Committee, Qiu He, a charismatic official in China who already has quite a few memorable media soundbites, said that water resources flowing to neighbouring countries were wasted. Qiu suggested at the Two Sessions, annual meetings for China’s parliament and political advisory body, that China should use dams to store water so that it won’t all flow to other countries and be wasted. However, blaming foreigners for China’s environmental issues or benefitting at other countries’ costs is, perhaps, not the best way to reassure China’s green activists or honour China’s commitment to an Eco-civilisation. Commenting on Qiu He’s suggestion, Feng Yongfeng said “only those stupid officials would spend all their time thinking of ways to appropriate all natural resources for one single country’s use...those who did so should resign as soon as possible”.BP will book $10bn tax credit against costs of cleaning up Gulf oil spill, meaning US and UK governments will lose out BP is poised for fresh controversy after it emerged today that the UK Treasury will lose hundreds of millions of pounds as a result of the oil clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico. The cost of the clean-up has pushed BP into the red, meaning the oil company will be able to book a near-$10bn (£6.5bn) tax credit, slashing its tax bill in the US and Britain. The loss comes on top of a plunge in tax revenues after BP halted its dividend payouts to shareholders. The news will dismay politicians in Westminster, since the coalition government needs all the tax revenues it can get as it introduces austerity measures to deal with the deficit. The majority of the tax credit is likely to relate to the US, but the exchequer is also likely to lose out badly. BP paid $8.4bn of corporate taxes last year, with roughly £930m going to the UK government. Tax experts reckon it paid a similar amount in US taxes. While the spill will reduce the level of BP's corporate taxes, the news comes on top of the hundreds of millions lost to the exchequer in the form of lost dividend taxation. Under fierce political pressure from Washington, BP scrapped its lucrative payouts to shareholders this year and there is currently no plan to reinstate payments. BP announced today that it is making a $32.2bn provision for the cost of the spill caused by the explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April. That pushed BP's second-quarter results into a record loss of $17bn, compared with a profit last year of $3.1bn. The company explained, however, that the net impact on BP's bottom line will only be $22bn because the company will be able to record a $9.9bn tax credit. BP's UK tax bill will also be reduced, the firm added. Both the US and UK governments receive hundreds of millions of dollars from the company in tax payments each year. News that BP will be able to write off against tax the cost of plugging the well, cleaning up the spill and compensating the thousands of people who have been affected is likely to anger politicians of all political hues. Only the fines that might be imposed by the US authorities would definitely not be tax-deductible, according to tax experts. Three years ago, aircraft manufacturer Boeing flew into a storm of protest when it sought to write off against tax a $615m fine levied by the department of justice that settled an investigation into the improper hiring of a Pentagon official and the theft of data from Lockheed Martin Corporation. The fine was levied in order for Boeing to avoid criminal charges. Three Republican senators wrote to the US attorney general at the time to say that allowing Boeing to deduct payments to the government "would be unacceptable".(KGTV) -- They say it’s the 11th hour. The Chargers need a Hail Mary. Only a miracle will keep the team in San Diego. Well, a crazy idea from a TV sportscaster would certainly qualify as a miracle, but at this point, why not? Let me start by saying I’m not a businessman, financier, politician, real estate mogul, NFL owner, or anything else that would make me qualified to offer up a stadium plan. The power players in this drama reside in a different stratosphere, and I’m assuming they can punch about 47 holes in my idea in no time flat. But I am a lifelong fan of the San Diego Chargers, I’ve paid close attention to the stadium saga for well over ten years, and I’m not ready to watch the Chargers take their moving trucks up to L.A. yet. There have been dozens of stadium plans in San Diego over the years. Or at least, there have been fractions of plans. None of them have worked. But maybe they just need to be stirred together in a giant pot with the right seasonings. I’m starting this plan with a few assumptions based on the events of the past year: 1) If the Chargers are staying in San Diego, they want it to be downtown. 2) AEG wants to build a new arena and work their development magic in San Diego 3) The hotel industry wants a contiguous convention center expansion 4) Nothing requiring a 2/3 vote would ever be successful Here’s my idea: A quartet of city council members recently offered the Chargers a chance to lease the land at Qualcomm Stadium for $1 per year for 99 years – but I think we can do a little better. Offer that land to AEG instead. The worldwide sports & entertainment company has been itching to get into San Diego. They recently submitted a (rejected) plan to build an arena at Seaport Village. I have no doubt AEG could create a magnificent sports and entertainment complex in Mission Valley, including either a traditional arena – or even better – a 30,000-seat retractable roof venue that can be used for concerts, MLS, and SDSU football. It would be the anchor for restaurants, shops, office space, and anything else AEG can dream. Prime real estate in America’s Finest City. All they’d need to do is help bridge the funding gap for a downtown NFL stadium for the Chargers. Instead of a $1.8 billion convadium, the Chargers would need to scale down their plans. I recently exchanged e-mails with stadium architect Dan Meis, and we both agreed that a great – and I mean GREAT – football venue for San Diego doesn’t need to be a top-of-the-line Jerry World or Kroenke Kingdom. Open air, great sightlines, good places to get food and drinks – this is all most San Diego sports fans crave. Absolutely, the Chargers should have great luxury suites, state-of-the-art advertising, and a few special touches to help bring in new revenue. After all, they’d be committing at least $650 million to the project. But San Diego doesn’t want marble concourses and art galleries and Mazerati dealerships in a football stadium. We just want a nice, new, comfortable football stadium where we can have fun rooting on the Chargers. We want a football stadium that is a great fit for the East Village – just like Petco Park. Meis writes, “Look at how popular Fenway Park is, or Wrigley, or Portland in the MLS...stadiums should reflect the place they are in.” I believe the Chargers could end up being very happy in a stadium that could be built for $800-$900 million. Meis concurs: “There is simply no clear explanation why the AVERAGE NFL stadium now costs $1B+ other than it is a small group of architects and contractors that are designing and building them. I believe the industry suffers from a lack of innovation and competition in the marketplace. Owner envy, and the power of the league, all play a part. One needs only to look to Europe for several example of world class stadiums recently built for much less than $1B." So, $650 million from the Chargers and the NFL, plus, let’s say, $200 million from AEG ($2 million a year for a 100-year lease sounds like a steal, right?) for the right to develop and prosper in Mission Valley = enough for a great new stadium in San Diego. I do believe the onus should be on the city of San Diego to pay for a bus yard move and some of the surrounding infrastructure downtown. It’s something that has to be done, hopefully sooner rather than later, no matter how we decide to develop the area east of Petco Park. At least if they do it now, they’ll be reaping the rewards of nearly a billion dollars of direct investment plus what could be a staggering amount of additional tax revenue flowing out of Mission Valley and ancillary development downtown. It’s actually a public stadium investment that might make financial sense. As for the hotels…well, they’d still be free to pursue their contiguous convention center expansion, almost certainly with the support of the Chargers. There’s enough room on this playground for everyone. As you’ve noticed by now, there is no tax increase involved in this plan, so it wouldn’t require a 2/3 vote to pass muster. In review: · $850 million open-air stadium downtown ($650m from Chargers/NFL, $200m from AEG) · AEG develops Qualcomm Stadium land for $2 million per year · City of San Diego is responsible for moving the MTS bus yard and associated infrastructure improvements · Hotels are free to pursue a contiguous convention center expansion · No tax increase (and no 2/3 vote) I’m sure there are Swiss cheese holes in this plan you could drive a moving truck through on the way to Los Angeles. But at this point, what is there to lose? Just 55 years of history and memories.Thursday David R. Hall, the Utah engineer who has been purchasing land in Sharon, Strafford, Tunbridge, and Royalton, with plans to build a massive development, has been meeting with reporters and local officials (set up by his PR team, Ellis-Mills Public Affairs firm) this past week. On Thursday June 2, he sat down with local news organization, Valley News, to talk about his project. In the afternoon, he visited the local regional planning commission TRORC, which included members of the staff and the executive committee members, to discuss his vision, and to talk about what projects are already in the works in Provo Utah. Advertisement: Content continues below... Since the first article published on March 22, the NewVista project has been the focus of conversation between neighbors, but has also been the focus of local officials' meetings. This project has brought up concerns from local citizens. If brought to completion, the four villages would have an influx of 20,000 people. Mr. Hall said that he would like to not only see this development happen in this region, but would like to see 20 million people in 20 connected communities in the state of Vermont, noting that Vermont is surrounded by 50 million people. “I really appreciate this opportunity to meet with local planners,” he said. Mr. Hall went on to introduce the NewVista Foundation ideas, and what the foundation has been working on. Following the introduction, people were invited to ask him questions, and comment on his project. Gus Speth, a prominent environmental lawyer and resident of Strafford, criticized this project, saying “I think you made two pretty big mistakes, honestly. Perhaps, because of your affection for [the Joseph Smith memorial] site and homestead, you have selected the most incongruous place imaginable to plop this huge experiment in social engineering. And it’s going to destroy these communities. It is the biggest existential threat to this area that I can imagine. And that leads to the second mistake. You may not have known this, but you have landed in a field of warriors, and the people who live here are going to fight every step of the way to be sure that this doesn’t come to fruition. We will fight in the plans, we will fight in the permits, every one of them. We will fight in act 250, and if necessary in the courts, and in the environmental courts,” adding that most of the people in the region don’t want this project. “It is not going to happen, Mr. Hall”, he added. Mr. Hall tried to reassure Mr. Speth, saying that this will not happen in Vermont for a very long time. “The only part that Vermont is currently well suited for is agricultural”, arguing that once other communities are running well, Vermonters will want to adopt this project. Mr. Speth also shared concerns, that many in a Facebook group have been sharing, that Mr. Hall has
Singh government after the Mumbai attacks. But there remains no meaningful senior-level dialogue between the two states — last August’s planned meeting between the two national security advisers was cancelled after disagreements about Kashmiri separatists. There may be little the United States or the world can do to forestall this conflict still looming just over the horizon. Nevertheless, the tremendous dangers of this situation require U.S. policymakers to devote more time and energy in trying to do so, and some small steps may help. The United States should work hard to catalyze confidence-building measures between the two sides, seeking to open more peacetime channels to create dialog and potential conflict mediation options for the future. Neither nation’s military currently has any direct communications. Quiet, off-the-record meetings between senior military leaders would help lessen tensions and establish some degree of mutual dialog and understanding before a crisis erupts. The United States should also sponsor unofficial tabletop exercises involving representatives of each side to explore how escalation in a nuclear conflict could unfold. The United States should also reach out to current (and former) civil and military decision-makers on both sides to develop and grow bilateral relationships that could prove vital in the next crisis. Both the United States and NATO should also emphasize the limited battlefield utility of TNW, as well as their well-researched estimates of the damage that would have been wrought by using them to defend Western Europe from a Soviet armored invasion. And the United States should continue to encourage Pakistan to slow its fielding of tactical nuclear weapons, and keep them under tight central control well away from vulnerable forward-deployed positions. The lack of any tangible results from the U.S. government’s recent outreach to Pakistan on this topic should only encourage renewed efforts. A nuclear war between India and Pakistan would dramatically alter the world as we know it. The damage from fallout and blast, the deaths of potentially millions, and the environmental devastation of even a few weapons detonations would suddenly dwarf any other global problem. There are no shortage of conflicts and crises around the world demanding the attention of policymakers in Washington and other capitals. But the stakes of a war between two of the world’s most hostile nuclear powers deserves attention before the next inevitable flare-up. Taking a series of modest steps now to try to avert the worst outcomes from this dangerous pink flamingo hiding in plain sight is an investment well worth making. Lt. General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.) is a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, and Dr. Nora Bensahel is a Distinguished Scholar in Residence, at the School of International Service at American University. Both also serve as Nonresident Senior Fellows at the Atlantic Council. Their column appears in War on the Rocks every other Tuesday.Przewalski horses on a snow covered field in the Orenburg Reserves, a cluster of six nature reserves near the border with Kazakhstan (AFP Photo/Tatjana Zharkikh) Moscow (AFP) - If the world's only surviving wild horses had a say in the matter, they might opt for a cosy stable and fresh daily oats, scientists studying them joke. But the path out of oblivion for the species known as Przewalski's horse -- which only two decades ago was extinct in the wild -- lies in getting on a plane to China, Mongolia and, most recently, the Russian steppes with their deep snow and icy winds. Six animals born at a reserve in the south of France are now spending their first winter in Russia's flagship reintroduction project for the species. Eventually scientists hope to have 100 of the endangered animals on the site in the Orenburg Reserves, a cluster of six strictly protected nature areas along the border with Kazakhstan. The area spanning more than 16,500 hectares (40,770 acres) is "the largest unbroken, strictly protected plot of virgin steppe in Russia," safeguarded, ironically, by the fact that it belonged to the military for decades, said Przewalski's horse expert Tatjana Zharkikh, who heads the reintroduction project. - 'They are quite happy' - "They are quite happy," she told AFP in an interview, despite the harsh climate in the region, with extreme snowfall which in January trapped several drivers on a local highway, leading to a man's death. The animals actually enjoy rolling around in the snow, scratching their backs on the crusty surface, she said. "They are not afraid of wind, snow, cold.. If the Przewalski's horse has enough food, it is practically invincible." Yet, she quipped: "If you ask them, they will tell you: we want a warm stable, daily oats, fresh grass and maybe strawberries and cream. But this is a wild animal and it has to be in its natural habitat." Despite its hardiness and monumental efforts by conservationists to save the endangered species, there is "still a long way before the Przewalski's horse can be considered saved from extinction," said Frederic Joly of the Association for the Przewalski's horse (TAKH) in France, which provided the animals for the Orenburg project. Native to China, the stocky, tan-coloured horse with a spiky mane once inhabited the Eurasian steppe extending through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). - Bred to be wild - The species was discovered by Russian explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky who described it in the 19th century, leading to a surge of interest in Europe, followed by a brutal campaign to capture these animals. Herds were chased down to exhaustion to capture the young foals, said Zharkikh, but in the end the process secured enough animals to save the species after they had gone extinct in their natural habitat. All 2,000 animals existing today are descendants of just 12 wild-caught horses, including a mare from Mongolia called Orlitsa, gifted to Soviet chairman Kliment Voroshilov during a visit in 1957, and breeding a viable population from such a limited gene pool has been a headache. Adding to that headache is the fact that the Przewalski's horse can breed with domestic horses to produce fertile hybrids, threatening to dilute the species decades down the line. Although the Russian project meant to set the horses completely free in the wild, scientists eventually rejected this idea as too risky after studying the experience of other reintroduction centres, opting instead to build a fence around the entire area. The problem is, young mares who venture out of a protected park can breed with horses kept by herders in nearby villages and then bring hybrid offspring back to the population of Przewalski's horses. - Not 'cute shaggy-haired horses' - "Even a few hybrids can cancel out all conservation efforts," said Zharkikh. "What is the point of protection if they are just cute shaggy-haired horses rather than a species?" A wild population would only work if the protected area is much larger, she said, 100,000 hectares or even more, and if such a park is created in the future, it can be populated with Przewalski's horses from the project. "Our goal is to form a reserve of genetically pure animals," said Rafilya Bakirova, director of Orenburg Reserves that hosts the project, dreaming of expanding the project and cross-border cooperation with Kazakhstan. "For now we just want to survive the winter," she said. Although the species is considered a conservation success, Joly of the TAKH association in France conceded that it is becoming nearly impossible to find a place where Przewalski's horse can be truly wild. "Even sites that look wild like Russian or Mongolian steppes are not completely devoid of human activity," he said. "It indeed shows that there are very few places with no human influence in the world."Since she lost her brother in March, Georgeanne Koehler's vocation has been to tell people how he died: slumped over his steering wheel because his defibrillator battery ran out. William Koehler, who worked as a pizza deliveryman and would have turned 58 in the spring, couldn't afford to replace the battery because he lost his insurance when he lost his job as an electronics technician in 2003. No insurer wanted anything to do with his arrhythmia. That's why Georgeanne Koehler, a 63-year-old hospital worker in Pittsburgh, found herself standing in front of the Capitol steps on a frigid Thursday in Washington, D.C. -- her third visit in three months. "I'm here to talk about my brother," she said, holding a small piece of poster board with his photo. "Without health insurance, he couldn't get necessary cardiac care to keep him alive. This is the face of uninsured Americans whom we loved most dearly. Without meaningful reform, there will be many more. We just don't know their names yet." After her brother died, Koehler started building walls from paper bricks, which she planned to tear down after the president signed reform into law. Then she began attending rallies, to which she always carried a bag filled with her brother's EKG charts. She told the Huffington Post that she'll talk to anyone about health care reform, that she goes door to door in her Pittsburgh neighborhood and even chats up strangers at bus stops. Koehler first traveled to Washington in October, when she attended a labor-organized rally outside a conference for industry trade group America's Health Insurance Plans. She returned on Dec. 7, to attend a press conference with Senate Democrats. She visited Washington on Thursday to promote her own "No More Empty Chairs" holiday health care campaign. An empty folding chair at her side, Koehler made a brief speech in front of the Capitol before an audience of just 10 health care and labor activists and one reporter. "This Christmas we're going to have an empty chair at the dinner table," she said. Koehler didn't seem to mind that so few people came to her event, or that the Capitol Police wouldn't let her unfold the chair. She focused on telling her story and the stories of people she's met since she became a health reform activist. "Once this is all done we'll see where I'm at with the grieving," she told HuffPost after personally delivering a bag of letters to the office of Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.), where a staffer encouraged her to keep telling her story. "I'm very appreciative of Mrs. Koehler's visit to Washington to share her family's heartbreaking story and to deliver so many messages from Pennsylvania in support of health care reform," said Schwartz in a statement to HuffPost. "Mrs. Koehler's advocacy, and the advocacy of so many other Pennsylvanians, is invaluable and it is stories like hers that compel us to pass meaningful, affordable health coverage for all Americans." And Koehler met with Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) in his office, dropping off a letters in a bag decorated with a snowman in a green jacket.The senior vp also dishes on what he learned from Steve Jobs, why the company won't be buying a Hollywood studio anytime soon and why agents should be "very, very excited." The morning after the Golden State Warriors earned a spot in the NBA Finals, it was Eddy Cue — caught on camera celebrating with Stephen Curry from his courtside seat — whose face was splashed across the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle. That moment signaled just how far Cue has come in his 27 years at Apple. Once an under-the-radar dealmaker, Cue, 51, has become one of the more prominent executives at the world's most valuable company (now worth more than $520 billion) as it grows its media business. The key lieutenant of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been a rare content-minded executive at a 110,000-employee company that has prioritized its devices. As iPhone sales have slowed, Apple has turned its attention to Hollywood. And the man who spent many years warming music labels to the idea of iTunes has, in the past two years, spearheaded Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, overseen the launch of Apple Music, orchestrated a redesign of the Apple TV and sparked speculation that Apple someday will buy a studio or launch a streaming TV business. Cue brushes off questions about his Hollywood aspirations (he and Apple won't comment on reports Apple wants to buy Jay Z's Tidal streaming service), but there's no denying the Miami-born exec is behind the company's recent original programming efforts. Starting with a Taylor Swift tour documentary designed to entertain Apple Music's 15 million subscribers, Apple also is experimenting with series, including a show about apps with producer Ben Silverman, called Planet of the Apps, and a scripted drama from Apple employee Dr. Dre that Cue won't confirm ("I've heard that he's been filming in L.A.," he says). A son of Cuban immigrants, Cue — married with three children, including two adult sons who now work in tech — is defined as much by Apple as he is by his love of Duke basketball, rock music and expensive cars. He invited THR to his sports memorabilia-adorned office in Cupertino, Calif., to reveal what he learned about Hollywood from Jobs, why TV distribution is broken and to whom he turns for advice. Why is Apple placing such an emphasis on media? We all consume and love the stuff that Hollywood does. We just didn't always love it in the way that they got it to us. So, what we could do is really make it easier for their customers, their fans, to be able to consume content in a much better way. There's huge opportunities. Is your goal with Apple TV to replace the cable box? It's a lot better box than a cable box. It gives content providers the ability to do things that are interactive, which they've never had. Now, whether it replaces the cable box or not — who knows? Will we see an Apple skinny bundle or live-TV streaming service? Whether we're providing it or somebody else is, it really doesn't matter to us. What we're trying to do is build the platform that allows anybody to get content to consumers. If a Time Warner [Cable] or a DirecTV wants to offer a bundle themselves, they should do it through Apple TV and iPad and iPhone. As a matter of fact, I'm not a big fan of the skinny bundle. Why not? I think it's a misconception. Most people, at the end of the day, end up paying more, not less, for the things they love. With TV content being at an all-time high, why are people asking for less? It has a lot to do with the way it's being provided. If I feel like I'm not getting my money's worth, then I want to pay less and I want less things. But if it were being provided in a rich platform with the capabilities I'm talking about, I don't think people would feel that way. People pay for Netflix as an add-on to TV, and they're happy doing it. And why is that? Because they're happy with what they're getting from Netflix. So the question to ask about skinny bundles is, why are customers not happy? So, why aren't they happy? They're not getting the features that they want. The fact that I have to set things to record seems idiotic. And channel guides — I get home and I want to watch a Duke basketball game; why do I have to go hunting to find out what channel it's on? Why can't I just say, "I want to watch Duke basketball." Or, even better, why doesn't the system know that? "Here's the Duke basketball game." Those technical capabilities exist today. They just don't exist for television. In 10 years, how will we be watching TV? TV is made up of three things. One is the actual, physical TV set. Obviously, in the last 10 years, the amount of innovation that's happened on the TV is incredible. If you look at the content side of the business, it's never been better. The quality of TV, I think, is at an all-time high. The problem with it is the way that we end up consuming it — generally a cable box. A satellite receiver is, to me, nothing more than a glorified VCR. And so I think there's huge opportunities in that space because people now want to watch on their phones, they want to watch on their iPads, and they want to watch on their TVs. How have your conversations with Hollywood executives evolved over time? It started with Steve [Jobs]. When I met Steve, he was running Pixar and Apple at the same time. So I learned to appreciate and learn a little bit more about how that side of the business worked. And I think it gave me and Apple just a great level of appreciation of how hard it is to do what they do. There's been a lack of appreciation, honestly, of the level of skill and talent that it takes to do what each side does. The relationships have gotten better and better because, over the years, the fear of Silicon Valley has gone away and now we've had these working relationships for a long time. What are the similarities between the industries? One thing that doesn't get talked about is that if you actually look at it from the core of the creator — let's say the person writing the script — versus a programmer, the similarities are actually much higher than people think. At the end of the day when you're writing code, you start with a blank screen, and when you're writing a script you start with a blank piece of paper. You need to be creative, so the process is actually somewhat similar. But for some reason people haven't looked at it that way. How much time do you spend in Los Angeles? This is not new, but I've been going there probably five times, six times a month. I've been going a little more often since we did Apple Music, because we now have a much larger team in L.A. But I don't even think of going to L.A. as a trip. It's like a normal day at work because I can fly there in the morning and back at night. To whom do you go for advice in Hollywood? I've had a long relationship with Bob Iger. He's amazing, and we're lucky that we've got him on the board [of directors] now. We've met people like Brian Grazer and J.J. Abrams — incredible individuals that have accomplished a great deal. But what I love more is they've already had all these successes, but they're on to the next thing, and they're as charged up and as motivated and excited about doing the new things. That's how I feel about Apple and what we try to do. It's still very unclear what Apple plans to do in the original content space. We are only going into the content business [with projects] that we think are really tied to our products. Right now, that's Apple Music. The rest of it is about giving [talent] a platform that allows them to be creative in new ways. If I was an agent, I would be very, very excited about what Apple is doing because it lets the people that I represent be able to do more. So if an agent came to you with a show pack-aged with a big star, you wouldn't take it? Probably not right now. We're not in the business of trying to create TV shows. If we see it being complementary to the things we're doing at Apple Music or if we see it being something that's innovative on our platform, we may help them and guide them and make suggestions. But we're not trying to compete with Netflix or compete with Comcast. But you have the app show with Silverman, so how does that fit into your strategy? It's his show, but we felt we could help. We felt like there were things that he wanted to do in the show that, if we helped him with it, it would be way better or only possible if we did it. And that's the reason we got involved, because we actually think we bring something to the table. And what about the Dr. Dre show? We've got nothing to announce, so there's nothing to say about it at this point. But Dre is an amazingly talented individual and he's always working on projects — from a radio show to a new album. It's great to have somebody as talented as him working with us. It's exciting. Will Apple buy a Hollywood studio? And if not, why not? That's the great thing about Apple, it's very focused on the things that we know how to do very well and not try to extend ourselves to areas that we know very little about or don't have a lot of expertise in. So when we look at a studio, for example — this was discussed for why didn't we buy a music label with iTunes — I'm not sure why we should do that. We're always looking at things that come to us that make us better at things that we want to do or are doing. It's not that we'll never do anything, but I'm not sure why [we should] buy a studio. We like the fact that we're working with all the studios. There have been reports that you spearheaded acquisition talks with Time Warner. What was your pitch? Look, I read [the reports,] too. In general, there's always a lot of speculation across many different companies, and some of that relates to the fact that we have a lot of money and so, therefore, we can afford to make acquisitions. So we have a lot of discussions with [Time Warner], but I don't want to speculate. We're not — at this point, certainly — actively trying to buy any studio. How do you make Apple Music stand out against Spotify and other competitors? It can't be about a service that's just providing the songs, because anybody can do that. It starts by the level of integration that we have within our product. Second of all, we do a lot of curation. Third is radio. The internet radio that you see are really long playlists. We've been trying to do live radio where you have actual DJs that are telling you the history, the things that are going on with an artist or with a song. Where does Apple stand in the music industry's fight on digital copyright law? I don't want to talk specifically to the requests. But I do know that we agree 100 percent with artists that they should have the right to decide where their content is available — whether it's free or when it's free, when it should be paid or how much it should cost. We've always, from day one, felt that this is their content and they should decide how they want to make it available. What do you want to be remembered for at Apple? I bleed Apple. The products themselves is what should be remembered, and, yes, I, along with my team, have been a part of that. So I hope that we're making game-changing products that people just love to use. A version of this story first appeared in the July 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.IRISH Life is set to set to become a major force in the health insurance market after buying Aviva Health and GloHealth IRISH Life is set to set to become a major force in the health insurance market after buying Aviva Health and GloHealth Canadian-owned Irish Life confirmed that it has now taken control of both companies. The move will reduce the number of health insurers from four to three. The deal is the biggest in the sector since Aviva's larger rival Laya Healthcare was sold to AIG last year in a deal understood to have been worth in the region of €90m. Aviva Health is Ireland's third biggest health insurer after VHI and Laya. It sis 70pc owned by Aviva with AIB holding the other 30pc. Irish Life is buying the Aviva stake. Irish Life was already a 45pc shareholder in GloHealthcare, and the Aviva Health deal will catapult it close to second-ranked Laya in terms of market share. The new Irish Life health insurance business will have 400,000 private healthcare customers. Insurers across Europe are being forced to assess their deployment of capital as a result of incoming regulations known as Solvency 2 which will force institutions to hold more capital as a precaution against potential losses. It is understood that capital raised from a sale of the Aviva health business would be invested back into the other Irish arms, and that the decision to review the assets was driven by a review of the group's relative return on capital across different businesses. VHI will continue to dominate the market with around one million health insurance customers. Laya has around half a million private health insurance customers. Online EditorsWelcome to the TV Roundtable, where some of TV Club’s writers tackle episodes that all deal with a central theme. Now through March: some of our favorite episodes of all time. Battlestar Galactica, “Unfinished Business” (season three, episode nine; originally aired 12/1/2006) Zack Handlen: I was going through a rough patch a while back, and a friend of mine offered some advice. She said that while most of us are familiar with the Kübler-Ross model of grief—those five stages of coping with loss that have been referenced and parodied in pop culture for decades now: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance—and while those stages provide a pretty good idea of what to expect from a major life change, the assumption that we pass through each stage in turn, like some kind of sorrow-based obstacle course, isn’t entirely accurate. At least in her experience, getting over a loss wasn’t a slow, steady march toward recovery. It was more a spiral that dipped into various stages throughout the process. You may be angry one day, and depressed the next, and then get over it, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be angry tomorrow, or depressed next Tuesday. Even acceptance isn’t necessarily the end. The truth about grief, be it over death or the end of a relationship or even just change itself, is that it’s messy. It has recognizable elements, but those elements don’t always arrange themselves neatly for our comfort, no matter how ready you think you are to face them. Battlestar Galactica was a bunch of different shows—a sci-fi thriller, a space opera, a story of political intrigue, a delivery system for an increasingly awkward mythology involving religious organic robots—but while all these aspects had their moments, for me, it was always a show about grief. And that grief never came in the form you’d expect. BSG was not a neat show, or a polite one, or a reassuring one. It rarely let its audience feel comfortable about which side they were rooting for, and even the noblest characters could behave selfishly or cruelly. At its worst, the messiness fell into chaos. The attempts at a cohesive, series-spanning mythology collapsed into a black hole of random, unnecessary complications by the end of the run, marring the final season with a series of increasingly unnecessary reveals. But I never stopped being invested in the characters and their fates, and a big part of that was how well the show handled sorrow. The premise has a comparatively small group of survivors fleeing the destruction of their race by an invading force (the Cylons, the aforementioned robots, which… well, it’s complicated), and whatever else happens, this loss is a constant presence in the lives of the entire ensemble. There’s no Very Special Episode that lets everyone move on. There’s just the knowledge that millions are dead, and the constant pressure that the entire future of humanity hangs on the choices these people make. Advertisement So that’s the context for “Unfinished Business.” That’s not the only context, admittedly. This isn’t the episode I’d pick if I wanted to introduce someone to the series. (Given how serialized BSG is, your best bet is to start from the beginning—fortunately, the show starts strong.) In watching it again for this roundtable, I realized that I have no idea how this plays if you haven’t seen the rest of the show leading into it. Because the conflicts here, while well drawn and clear, depend a fair bit on knowing the context. New Caprica, which plays in flashbacks throughout the hour, was a temporary home for the fleeing colonists, introduced at the end of the second season in one of the ballsiest time jumps I’ve ever seen on television; things went disastrously (things tended to go disastrously a lot on BSG), and the larger picture of the fighting and the angst here is the knowledge that everyone on the ship briefly thought they’d found safety, only to have that safety taken away from them. If you want to put it in symbolic terms, for a few months, everyone had accepted the past and was trying to move on; but then rage and death and despair found them again, taking even more lives as it did, and now it’s time to just keep surviving again, no matter how much it hurts. Sounds a bit like The Walking Dead, come to think of it, but where that show often struggles to give us reasons to care past the (admittedly high) stakes, BSG had one of the best ensembles on television, with some of the richest characters and performances I’ve seen in a genre show—or any show, really. “Unfinished Business” focuses primarily on William Adama (Edward James Olmos), Chief Galen Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), and Lee “Apollo” Adama (Jamie Bamber), although other important figures flit around the edges (Laura Roslin gets enough screen time to remind me just how amazing Mary McDonnell was on the series; Baltar (James Callis), one of my favorites of the show, barely registers). Story-wise, nothing much happens: Two pairs of people fight to air out their grievances, but not much is resolved. I’ve read that some fans of the show criticize this episode because it seems like a pause or a break in the story, and the important information it does provide—namely, just what the hell happened between Kara and Lee on New Caprica—doesn’t exactly set the world on fire. BSG often danced on the edge of melodrama, and at times here, it basically just closes its eyes and dives right in. If you’re here for the badass space battles and suspense, or if you’re not sure why the fractured love affair of two decent but deeply fucked-up people matters much, this one might not work for you. It works for me, though, and watching it again, I was immediately reminded how much I loved this show— even with all the awkward “Final Five” bits. It’s messy and raw, and nobody comes out of it clean. Adama’s fight with Tyrol, in which he attempts to once again distance himself from those serving under him because he needs that distance to do his job, is the most clear-cut arc of the episode, and even then, it’s hard to know just how right he is and how much his actions are driven by an understandable, if doomed, desire to make sense out of what happened, to take control of it. Adama (and Roslin) were the strongest authority figures on the series, and what made them fascinating was how regularly wrong they were, how many choices they made out of anger, or just the need to make any choice at all. His speech to the men and women serving under him at the end of the fight makes sense, but it’s clear that the person he’s really trying to teach a lesson here is himself. What happened on New Caprica, and every other disaster that preceded it, left a mark, and Adama is trying to make sense of the calamity by taking personal responsibility for it. Those deaths weren’t just bad luck; they were brought on by his own failings, by his weakness, by his desire for peace. If he can only make sure he never lets down his guard again, he can save everyone. (One of the harshest lessons of the show is that you can’t.) Advertisement Kara and Lee’s fight is harder to parse, depending as it does on the history of their relationship; the fact that Kara was once with Lee’s brother, who died (and Kara blames herself for the death); and the nature of both characters. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite character on this show full of walking open wounds, but Starbuck is up there, and it’s still a revelation to see Sackhoff in the role. At times her rawness is almost too much to take. But that rawness makes what could be contradictory impulses into something cohesive. Bamber is solid as well, but one of the things I always appreciated about watching the two of them square off is how out-matched he clearly is. Lee’s efforts to find himself throughout the run of the show sprang from a deeply held conviction that he’d never live up to his father’s legacy, that he just wasn’t enough of a hero to live up to the demands of his time, and Bamber makes that insecurity painfully believable. He’s a good-looking, well-meaning dude who is in way over his head. Just like all of them. And God, that final shot of the two of them, all beat to shit and exhausted, holding each other in the ring and knowing that it’s never going to get any better than this moment—that no matter how much they might wish it, they’re never going to have a relationship or even manage a friendship that doesn’t end in misery—just sums up so much of what makes this show work for me. I haven’t even talked about the episode’s use of flashbacks to tell its story, but I’d like to hear what the rest of you thought. If this was your first BSG viewing experience, did any of this make sense at all? And if this was not, how did you feel about this episode when you saw it in the original run? Has watching it again changed those feelings? Advertisement Carrie Raisler: I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Watching this episode, this time and in this context, made me angry. I can’t recall exactly how it made me feel the first time I watched it—I was an ardent fan of BSG when it first aired, but as time has passed, that ardency, and even the very memories of watching the show the first time around, have both faded significantly—but cueing up this episode and being dropped into the middle of a narrative puzzle was disorienting, to say the least. Why are we thrust into the middle of an ugly, brutal boxing ritual? What is the significance of these New Caprica flashbacks? And why does everything feel so nerve jangling, so tonally dissonant? But as I got to the end and saw how the episode resolved, I realized that anger is part of the point. Zack, you mention Lee and Kara’s story as being a bit harder to parse than a few of the others in the episode, but for me it was the one that actually completely worked, and a lot of that was due to the episode’s undercurrent of anger. Stuck in these dire circumstances, Lee and Kara have become staggeringly angry people, albeit in slightly different ways; Kara wears her anger like a calling card, a giant neon sign flashing “steer clear,” while Lee’s is a more simmering, resentful, reactionary anger, lying dormant as he plays the straight man as best he can. I can’t recall exactly what happened in the season up to this point, but the episode itself makes their dynamic very clear: These two have a giant gulf between them, for whatever reason, and the only way they can figure out how to resolve it is to beat the ever-loving shit out of each other. This is tremendously dark stuff, even for this show. It’s almost as if the episode realizes just what a landmine it’s stepped in, valiantly attempting to mitigate the fallout by chopping the story of how Lee and Kara finally declared their love, only to have Kara completely betray Lee by marrying Sam, up into dream-like fragments, saving the sucker punch of her ultimate betrayal for the very end. And the fallout is emotionally devastating, as the flashbacks of Kara’s betrayal and Lee’s shock are intercut with this desperately violent present-day fight in the ring, purposely daring the audience to react negatively to the pure emotional hideousness playing out before them on-screen. Advertisement None of this would work, though, without the blatantly manipulative and somewhat schlocky montage of Lee and Kara’s happier moments the episode sneaks in just as the betrayal fully reveals itself. This is when all of the anger I felt watching the episode dissolved away and pure, cathartic sadness took over in the form of (this is a safe space, right?) actual wracking sobs. Because although these are two pathologically angry people, you can’t help but feel a sort of bottomless sadness as the episode cuts between their happier times and what they’ve become, these shells of souls who only know how to reach each other by hurting each other, their inner scars becoming outward, open wounds. Lee and Kara’s story here might not be some great surprise or giant paradigm shift, but it’s character specific and tragic in a way BSG excelled at throughout its run, and the only way to make that fully land here is to go fully schlocky and manipulative. I realize now that, like Zack, I got lost in the emotion and barely touched on the structure of the episode and how the flashbacks, and even more specifically, the score, inform the story. Genevieve, what is your experience with this episode? Does the structure affect your feelings about the story the episode is attempting to tell? Advertisement Genevieve Koski: Maybe it’s because I previously wrote about this episode for an Inventory on bottle episodes—which admittedly utilizes a loose definition of the term in relation to this episode—but I have a hard time not thinking about the structure when watching this episode, because I know it’s essentially a patchwork quilt. Briefly: The New Caprica flashbacks were all previously filmed, and intended to be spread out throughout the third season to fill in some of what happened during that aforementioned time jump. Instead, the showrunners filmed a boxing match and a couple of supplementary scenes on existing sets, and used it as a framing device to get all that flashbackin’ out of their systems at once. It was a smart move, to my mind; as Zack said, this episode really drives home how open everyone’s emotional wounds are at this point in the series, and being able to see those first cuts on New Caprica, interspersed with their (literally) bloody consequences in the ring, is much more effective than doling out bits and pieces over the course of a season would probably be. However—and here’s where I turn into the party-pooper—I find I have a much harder time connecting to the Starbuck-Lee-Anders relationship this time around, divorced from the rest of the series. Maybe it’s knowing where all those characters are heading after this cathartic boxing match—more anger, more betrayal, more all-consuming guilt—or maybe it’s just the lack of momentum inherent in viewing it out of context, but this time I found Lee and Starbuck’s midnight tryst a little eye-rolling, which somewhat tainted their final embrace for me
following JavaScript code as an example – it should be all good, but TweetDeck wasn’t sanitizing the input which caused the code to execute in the browser. This is why, someone injected this into their tweet. When you logged into TweetDeck it triggered the vulnerability: As you can see, the XSS attack was set to automatically retweet via this: data-action:retweet causing a chain event for anyone that logs into TweetDeck. This is a very serious security flaw. TweetDeck says they have already addressed the issue: To be safe though, we recommend logging out of Tweetdeck, revoking access in your Twitter profile and resetting all connections if you want to continue to use the application. What is very annoying about this is that you can’t undo the automatic retweet, making it very difficult to remove from people’s timeliness. Thankfully, the attack is mostly benign and appears to be intended to making a statement than causing harm, but it’s clear example of how the largest of applications can be exploited.TORONTO — Any talks to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement would involve all three member nations, a top Canadian official said on Tuesday, dampening speculation the United States might seek to sit down with Canada first and then Mexico. “We very much recognize that NAFTA is a three-nation agreement and were there to be any negotiations, those would be three-way negotiations,” Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told a conference on the future of North America. U.S. President Donald Trump — who says free trade treaties have cost countless thousands of American jobs — wants NAFTA to be renegotiated with a focus on cutting his country’s large trade deficit with Mexico. Trump says he needs only to tweak trade ties with Canada, prompting one Canadian official to suggest to a newspaper that Washington would want to negotiate with Ottawa first. Mexico opposes the idea, which trade experts say is almost unworkable. “NAFTA is a three-party agreement and any conversation we have regarding that … will be a three-party conversation; it has to be,” Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters in Toronto after Freeland’s comments. Mexican Economy Minister Guajardo Ildefonso earlier told the conference that the bulk of the NAFTA talks would have to be carried out on a trilateral basis to give investors confidence that the same set of investment rules applied everywhere. Trump has revealed little about his intentions for NAFTA, which took effect in 1994, except that he wants large changes with Mexico. This under-the-bus stuff is for losers, not for winners The Mexican government expects the talks to start this summer, said Guajardo, who stressed several times how well Canada and Mexico had worked together in the past on trade. Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who helped launch the original NAFTA talks, dismissed the idea that Canada might abandon Mexico to its fate. “This under-the-bus stuff is for losers, not for winners,” he told the conference. Freeland noted that Trump’s choices for commerce secretary and trade representative had yet to be confirmed. “We all have to collectively be careful not to get ahead of ourselves,” she said. One idea floating in Washington is that of a border tariff, which could hit Mexican exports. “Nothing in the new NAFTA should be a step backward. We will definitely not include any type of trade management measures, like quotas, or open the Pandora’s box of tariffs,” Guajardo said. “That will be disastrous in any process moving forward.” © Thomson Reuters 2017There's this guy named Sam Hurd and he's really good at playing football. He's so good at football that the Chicago Bears paid him millions of dollars to play football for them. He wasn't good enough to become a "star" or have his face on billboards or anything, and he became one of those steadily employed but faceless special teams guys who is ignored by the media unless they get arrested for attempting to buy five to ten kilos of coke and 1,000 pounds of pot, which is what happened to Hurd on Wednesday.Oops. There's a stereotype that pro athletes are a bunch of criminals constantly in conflict with the police (coughracismcough), but according to everyone who knew him in his hometown of San Antonio, Hurd wasn't that sort at all--he gets described as a Christian and a "role model." He was well-liked by his coworkers too, and I've yet to read anything about him getting arrested ever before. His only character flaw appears to be that he was a fairly major drug-dealer, or wanted to be. And by "big-time," I mean that in that Daily News article linked above, it says that if he sold as many drugs as he told the undercover cop he was selling, he might have been making more as a dealer per week than as a football player all year. (Shades of Pee Wee Kirkland?) Predictably, Hurd's name has now been marked down in the media's scorebook as a Bad Guy. That isn't surprising—sportswriters are traditionally defenders of every facet of conventional morality—but it's annoying when columnist Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times compares Hurd to drunk-driving cop-brawler Tank Johnson and links him to violent Mexican drug cartels, painting him as a twisted criminal lunatic. Because drugs are bad, and dealing drugs is super duper bad, mmmkay? As of this moment, no one has said that Hurd hurt anybody. He bought a commodity at wholesale prices to sell at retail prices, just like literally every businessman in history. The problem was that the commodity in question is illegal--but if, like me, you think it shouldn't be, you're forced to conclude that the only thing he did wrong was he got caught. A guy who is by all accounts an upstanding member of society is facing up to 40 years in prison—a life-ruining punishment—for a nonviolent crime, and it seems to me that instead of tut-tutting and publicly shaming him, everyone should be yelling, "WHAT THE FUCK? WHY ARE THESE LAWS IN PLACE THAT DESTROY PEOPLE'S LIVES BECAUSE THEY SOLD SOMETHING SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE?" The response of, "Wow, he sold drugs! And he seemed like such a nice guy!" shows you just how fucked our thoughts on drugs have gotten. There are a bunch of drug dealers who do all sorts of horrible things and kill people, but I suspect a lot of that is because the only way to become a really serious dealer involves being able to defend your business through extra-legal and usually brutal means, since you can't report it to the cops if your heroin-selling operation is jacked. And anyway, don't businessmen and companies do all sorts of horrible things and kill people even when they don't sell drugs? I'm pretty sure I heard that somewhere. There are also a lot of good, nice, friendly, lovable people who sell drugs. Sometimes they get forced into it because of poverty or because they are addicted to drugs themselves, sometimes they do it because they're in college and it seems like a cool way to meet chicks and get some extra cash, sometimes they figure that the money is going to be worth the danger of getting caught. Maybe we'll find out more stuff about Hurd in the future and it'll be revealed he was an awful man who killed kittens for fun, but at the moment I'm inclined to believe he was both nice and a drug dealer. And I hope whoever is on the jury at his trial knows a thing or two about jury nullification. Previously-Cops are Dick Pig AssholesYes, Walt Disney kidnapped then-Vice President Richard Nixon and his family in 1959 – but it wasn’t exactly a sinister plot. The Nixons were on hand at Disneyland to help dedicate the brand-new, never-before-seen Monorail system. It was a hot day, so Walt invited the Nixons into the Monorail’s air conditioned cab. It had to be on for the AC to work, of course, and since the state-of-the-art transportation was all geared up and ready to go, Walt thought it would be an opportune time to show the Vice President what it could do. So they took off. The problem? His entire Secret Service detail stood on the platform outside. The Monorail successfully made one lap and was approaching the Secret Service agents at the platform. They were running alongside as it slowed, seemingly to stop... until Nixon’s daughters cheered, “Again!” and the Monorail resumed full speed, again abandoning the dismayed Secret Service who still lacked a Vice President to protect. Tricky Dick “roared with laughter,” according to Bob Gurr, the Imagineer in charge of the whole operation. “You should have seen your expressions,” Nixon told the men when he finally exited the Monorail. It was later revealed that the Monorail had only made one lap on the track prior to that – it hadn’t been tested well and Gurr was a bit concerned that it would catch fire with the entire Second Family aboard. Here’s a video of the Monorail dedication – the wooden scissors being used to cut the ribbon in the ceremony would famously not slice through, so Walt took matters into his own hands and just tore it:A Collective Subconscious Both Breton and Benjamin sought a fusion of Freud’s insights with a Marxist framework in order to navigate the mediated nether space between base and superstructure, the gearing of the “psychoanalytic account of the unconscious toward the forces of material determination at issue in Marxism.” It is well known that Marx nowhere really divulged how the relationship between superstructure and infrastructure should be conceived in individual cases. All that can be said with confidence is that he envisioned a series of mediations, as it were transmissions, interpolated between the material relationships of production and the remoter realms of the superstructure, including art. (Benjamin, cited in Cohen) As Cohen notes, Benjamin took aim at what he saw as the insufficiency of Marxist criticism, “now swaggering, now scholastic,” by exploring this mediation. While Benjamin, unlike many of his would-be followers, never rejected the basics of Marxism and dialectical materialism, this arena of study led to accusations of “undialectical” thinking — in particular from Adorno — implicitly or explicitly tied to Benjamin’s past Jewish mysticism. Benjamin argued that a wish-image arose from this collective subconscious marked in “traces in thousands of configurations of life” — a constant revision of human subjectivity through a long historical process. Benjamin’s role, the role of the critic, was to “awaken the world from the dream of itself” — a social outcome not dissimilar to the personal outcome of Freudian analysis. This privileged role, assigned here to the critic, is unfortunate. While this process is useful for understanding and producing art and culture, the “awakening” that Benjamin is searching for is not possible from art, let alone art criticism. That awakening is necessarily the product of large social forces. The detritus of capital is a marker of the dream: “The arcades and interiors, the exhibition and panoramas.” The ambiguity of the ruin is “dialectics at a standstill” — a vision, for Benjamin, of utopia. The wish images of capital create a kind of nostalgia at war with itself, a “striving for dissociation with the outmoded… These tendencies direct the imagistic imagination, with has been activated by the new, back to the primeval past.” It is here where the libidinal impulse thrives in the collective subconscious. The wish images seek “both to sublate and transfigure the incompleteness of the social product and the deficiencies in the social order of production.” In Breton’s Nadja it is the ghosts of murdered communards. In the Arcades Project it is the 19th century salons, cafes, shops and promenades. In the 21st century there are more ghosts and ruins. The origins of this mediated consciousness are bound up with the origin of human beings as a unique and distinctive species. Our cultural logic is still marked by social infancy and childhood. It was the Austrian Marxist art critic Ernst Fischer who provided the first materialist accounting for this “magic” in art — springing from a collective subconscious (although Fischer does not call it that). His argument about art’s origins was part of a Quixotic attempt to liberalize Eastern European cultural policies in his 1959 text, The Necessity of Art, Fischer argues that art has a dual social-spiritual function because of its role in human evolution. He bases his account on the classic Frederick Engels essay, “The Role of Labor in the Transition from Ape to Man” arguing, “art is almost as old as man. It is a form of work, and work is activity peculiar to mankind.” Human beings became human beings through the use of tools. The use of tools created an entirely different relationship between homo sapiens and the environment. This process altered the human mind. Our interaction with nature became mediated — and from that mediation came consciousness. This would also be the origin of Breton and Benjamin’s social subconscious. The almost universal existence of shamanism in pre-class hunter-gatherer societies buttresses Fischer’s explanation of art’s magical origins. The South African archeologists Davis Lewis-Williams and Thomas Dowson were the fist major proponents of the idea that much cave painting had a shamanistic origin. Other anthropologists have since embraced this interpretation of prehistoric art—experts like Jean Clottes, the former research director at Chauvet Cave in France. Lewis-Williams based his research on first hand observations of San rock art in South Africa and Clottes on his studies at Chauvet. The presence of phosphenes in the cave motifs—phosphenes are patterns and lines of light that appear in the eye that are not caused by the external light input—tend to confirm this analysis. As a product of mild hallucinations they are evidence of a key aspect of shamanism—the practice of entering altered states of consciousness, visiting the “spirit world” or “underworld” and then bringing that narrative experience back to the group. In its prehistoric formation (what would become) art was conceived equal parts magic and science; realism and phantasmagoria; mythology and history. Even before human beings divided into exploiter and exploited, and oppressor and oppressed, art and culture were bound in a cosmic dream. Gothic Marxism and Epic Theater While Brecht’s “Epic Theater” does not confront the psychological aspects of a mediated mass subconscious as directly, Brecht does deal with the same historical and anthropological concerns as Benjamin and Breton. In terms of anthropological scale, Brecht looted the entire history of theater as well as history itself. As Stanley Mitchell argued: Epic theatre is a product of a historical imagination. Brecht’s “plagiarism,” his rewriting of Shakespeare and Marlowe, are experiments in whether a historical event and its literary treatment might be made to turn out differently or at least be viewed differently, if the processes of history are revalued. Brecht’s drama is a deliberate unseating of the supremacy of tragedy and tragic inevitability. Echoing his own “Theses on the Philosophy of History,” [Walter] Benjamin comments: “It can happen this way, but it can also happen quite a different way—that is the fundamental attitude of one who writes for epic theatre.” There is an obvious relationship between this final concept and Breton’s confrontations with Parisian ghosts and Benjamin’s interrogation of 19th century anachronisms. Brecht’s use of history proper projected a geologic sense of time—not in terms of contradictions frozen in a dream, but in the pathos of proletarian morality. The pessimism [of Bertolt Brecht, Antonio Gramsci and Walter Benjamin] was strategic, designed to engender hope. Not for foreseeable victories or reversals of fortune, but for the survival of the species as such. This was not yet the nuclear age, but Brecht spoke prophetically: “They’re planning for thirty thousand years ahead.. They’re out to destroy everything. Every living cell contracts under their blows… They cripple the baby in the mother’s womb.” In his friend, Benjamin discovered “a power that sprang from the depths of history no less deep than the power of the fascists” … Brecht and Benjamin thought in millennia, geologically, of new dark and ice ages. The Romantic Dialectic The gothic dialectic in capitalist culture is not separate from a material base. Like the Romantic dialectic, outlined by Michael Löwy, it comes from the inherent contradictions of broadly moving social phenomena. The Gothic and Romantic are closely linked. Both Breton and Freud based much of their interest in dreams on the Romantic tradition. The echoes of a pre-capitalist past, in which qualitative value (in morality, aesthetics, philosophy, military skill) trumped quantitative value (mere holding of money) are bound up in the “magic” of the Gothic object and the Romantic cultural impulse. As Löwy argues, Romanticism is often: …reduced to a nineteenth century literary school, or a traditionalist reaction against the French Revolution—two propositions found in countless works by eminent specialists in literary history and the history of political thought. This is too simple… Romanticism is a form of sensibility nourishing all fields of culture… in opposition to the melancholic mood of despair, to the qualifying mind of the bourgeois universe, to commercial reification, to the platitudes of utilitarianism and above all, to the disenchantment of the world. As I have written elsewhere: Romanticism was, according to Löwy, the product of the contradiction between capitalism’s celebration of individual personality on the one hand, and capitalism’s debasement of that personality on the other. The late medieval/early capitalist intelligentsia found itself in material conflict with the utilitarian worldviews of the new ruling-class. As they were trained to see everything in terms of its qualitative value (good art, good philosophy, good ethics, good writing, etc.) the artists, poets, monks and philosophers of early capitalism bristled at how the new system valued everything by exchange. They looked back to an idealized pre-capitalist (sometimes pre-class) past. They counterposed “spiritual” and “humanistic” values against the “rational” world capitalism claimed to be. They wrote against the “Dark Satanic Mills” of industry (Blake) and celebrated the night (Novalis) — because at night industry ceased (or slowed) and the possibility of magic returned to the world. Because an advanced and complex capitalism requires an intelligentsia that deals in qualitative as opposed to merely quantitative values, but at the same time sees these values as alien and hostile, capitalism continually recreates the conditions that first gave rise to late 18th century Romanticism. Löwy writes: Capitalism gives rise to independent individuals who can carry out socioeconomic functions; but when these individuals evolve into subjective individualities, exploring and developing their inner worlds and personal feelings, they enter into contradiction with a universe based on standardization and reification. And when they demand their imagination be given free play, they collide with the extreme mercantile platitude of the world produced by capitalist relations. In this respect, Romanticism represents the revolt of repressed, channeled, and deformed subjectivity and affectivity. Kollontai’s Gothic Bolshevism Alexandra Kollontai was a prominent leader in the October 1917 Revolution in Russia. She was a member of the Bolshevik Central Committee and later helped lead the Workers’ Opposition to the degeneration of the revolution. Kollontai, one of the first to support Vladimir Lenin’s “April Thesis” calling for the overthrow of the provisional government, was, before her ultimate capitulation to Stalin, consistently located on the far left of Russian Marxism. After the revolution, Kollontai was elected commissar of social welfare, but left her post after joining the Workers’ Opposition. After the defeat of the Workers’ Opposition she helped spearhead the Zhenotdel, the women’s department of the Russian government, formed in 1920. Kollontai and other Bolsheviks aimed to educate workers about the liberalized divorce laws, etc. and spread projects to collectivize child-care, housework, education and elder-care. While the Zhenotdel was supported (with varying degrees of enthusiasm among some male comrades) in the early days of the Soviet Union, there was little to no funding available to support its projects. Post-revolutionary civil war and economic sanctions had crippled the Russian economy. All efforts had been pushed into defending the cities and major industrial areas. People were starving and manufacturing did not have sufficient inputs to function. The New Economic Policy (NEP) aimed to reintroduce limited free market relations in order to jump start the Russian economy; giving peasants an incentive to send food to the urban workers who were starving to death at their machines. The NEP was partially successful in these terms, but it also became associated with a new breed of charlatan and opportunist—the “NEP-man.” With the Russian aristocracy and bourgeoisie all but wiped out, a layer of opportunists arose, largely from the old Tsarist bureaucracy, seeking to find their way in the chaos. These layers would produce the cadres of the Stalinist machine that displaced the old revolutionary Bolsheviks in the late 1920s. Eric Naiman, in his article “When a Communist Writes Gothic,” offers the intriguing theory that Kollontai, also a writer of fiction, produced an essentially feminist allegory of the degeneration of the Russian Revolution in a Gothic novella, Vasilisa Malygina. The novella tells the story “of a committed young Communist in the early 1920s” who “leaves her housing commune to visit her lover, now a factory director, in the provinces.” Vasilisa discovers her lover has fallen prey to corruption and has taken on a mistress with bourgeois tastes. Vasilisa finds herself trapped in her lover’s new mansion in a classic storyline (think of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca). The story begins, Naiman argues, as if it were a Russian propaganda novel, like Nikolai Chernyskevskii’s What is To Be Done? (the title later taken by Lenin for his classic pamphlet) but ends in “established Gothic lines.” As in classic Gothic novels, Vasilisa is stripped of her subjectivity and her modernity as the domestic patriarchal space (the mansion) and its (bourgeois rather than aristocratic) trappings consume her. Naiman interestingly draws a comparison to the subjective corruption of Vasilisa and the language Kollontai used to describe the degeneration of the Russian Revolution during her role as the spokesperson for the Workers’ Opposition. The bourgeois specialists, the NEP-men, were described as “immigrants from the past.” The opportunists were corrupting Soviet society with “an alien spirit” The “flesh of the flesh” of the working-class was corrupted. “The red blood corpuscles — the working class — are leaving us.” Vasilisa is (almost) the paragon of communist virtue. She finds herself surrounded by an alien spirit, by “immigrants from the past.” As Lenin himself argued, the NEP was a step backward (essentially re-animating the corpse of capitalism) so that the Bolsheviks could buy time. The NEP corruption, however, threatened the proletarian revolution itself. Vasilisa’s mansion represented all this: “This step backward into time, moreover, [that] might threaten to place the proletariat in the position earlier occupied by the bourgeoisie” — the creation of a Gothic Bolshevism. After Stalin consolidated his power in 1929 all the gains of the October Revolution, of workers and women alike, were rolled back. Abortion and divorce were heavily restricted. The social role of women was curtailed. Kollontai lived out her days in diplomatic exile as ambassador (in Norway, Mexico and Sweden) while her former comrades were killed one by one in Stalin’s dungeons. Gothic America In Kerry James Marshall’s Our Town (1995), the artist presents a semi-abstracted and semi-corrupted idyllic image of the Great Society era. The hopes of the Great Society and the “War on Poverty” were dashed early — crashing against the reality of the Vietnam War. What happened to the poor would soon happen to women and the American working-class in the following decade. Roe v. Wade (1973) turned out, in hindsight, to be a high-point for the women’s liberation movement. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was defeated by a renewed right-wing onslaught. Middle-class feminist organizations progressively dropped demands that fused class and gender. Child-care, abortion funding, elder-care, and similar issues that were at the forefront of the radical phase of second wave feminism fell to the side as a narrow legalistic defense of abortion became central. In the 1990s and 2000s it became the norm for leading feminists to point away from active struggles. Susan Faludi and Naomi Wolf, in the 1990s, decried “victim feminism” and counterposed it to so-called “power feminism” which focused on the psychology of a handful of rich and powerful women. The retreat to psychology mirrored the internal retreat of Kollontai’s heroine. America’s patriarchal mansion was badly damaged but remained intact. In the 1970s two other battles waged — the battle of the left and the battle of the American industrial worker. The “New Left” that had been produced by the 1960s student and Black liberation struggles was trying to gain a foothold in American society. Tens of thousands of radical activists aimed to build Leninist revolutionary groups (of different taxonomies) among American workers, in organizations like the Communist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Workers World Party, the Progressive Labor Party, the Revolutionary Communist Party, Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist), the Communist Labor Party, and the International Socialists. Within a few decades, of these groups, only the organizations that descended from the International Socialists and one or two other organizations would be of (modest) importance. Most of the rest of the revolutionary left crumbled into largely irrelevant sects. This process was related to the decline of the industrial working-class. The 1970s were a decade-long battle between the far left and the right for the soul of American workers. Jefferson Cowie, in his book, Stayin’ Alive, cites Gil Scott-Heron: “America doesn’t know if it wants to be Matt Dillon or Bob Dylan.” A truck driver, in 1968, put it more bluntly, remarking that he would either vote for the racist candidate George Wallace or the Communist Party. As the liberal post-war consensus collapsed in the wake of Vietnam and Watergate, and under the pressures of the 1970s economic crisis, Cowie argued that the American working-class was pulled in a thousand political directions. The 1970s were the decade of wildcat strikes in coalfields, and in auto and steel plants, in the post-office and in trucking. The ultimate failure of the left, and success of the right, in capturing the imagination of white male industrial workers eased the U.S. neoliberal shift, ultimately deindustrializing and liquidating the bulk of the industrial workforce. A universe of cultural signs and artifacts was left behind as the Great Society, Women’s Liberation, Black Liberation, the New Left and the New Deal working-class were dismantled. It took a few hundred years but the United States finally became as Gothic as its Old World, living in the defeats of liberation struggles and within the limits of tyrannical "realisms." A Thousand Lost Worlds The point of understanding this dynamic is that the “average” left-wing cultural producer can use it — to understand that mere didactic propaganda, while needed, is insufficient within the Janus-faced culture of contemporary capitalism. There are limits to what can be explained. There are limits to what can be communicated without the invocation of the Gothic artifact. That artifact evokes worlds that can no longer exist—worlds that wither in the digital light. Its mythological quality is part and parcel of its weight — whether it is the mythology of a chivalrous medieval world or the mythologies of the bygone heyday of the industrial worker. It is not merely a false consciousness embodied in these myths and projections of meaning — it is genuine mourningfor universes and people lost to ruthless novelty. It is an imagining of what was and what could have been, in a time and place when what one did might still have mattered. It is also, however, a frightening artifact — reminiscent of past tyrannies and the demise of then-contemporary worlds. It is the monster in the child’s closet — seductive and horrible all at once. There is much more exposition and unpacking to do on this question of a Gothic dialectic in capitalist culture. Of primary importance for us, in the United States, is the post-industrial ruin, the shells of the 1970s, when hopes for feminist, Leninist, Black Nationalist and working-class radicalism all crashed on the shoals of the neoliberal future. To let history wash over you is to be consumed by a past of horror and nostalgia, a history of autonomy gained and lost, repeatedly, and on various levels. Cultures (within capitalism) die everyday, sublimated into new cultures, which in turn will die. Capital imagines the world after its own negation — but only in its dreams. Writ large, capital can only reproduce.Knights & Dragons Hack Cheat Tool will ensure that you get use ofunlimited Gems and Golds which often is going right ahead of time inyour account. And that is certainly don’t assume all! Among the that youenter hundreds of issues of expertise which often can make you end upbeing the greatest knight inside the overall kingdom. Is certainly notfantastic? But the advisable thing is that it’ll assist you to utilizegod setting throughout the overall game. Such as, you can becomeimmortal when you want. Additionally, Knights & Dragons Hack Tool ispretty user-friendly and uncomplicated, Automobile Kept up to date andrisk-free (Guard Safeguard Script) significance undetectable.. Moreefficiently not necessarily put it off any kind of tiny for a longertime! Download this marvelous Knights & Dragons Hack and easily loveyour best online game!This pool is now kept here for historical purposes only. The millionth article has already been certified; it is Jordanhill railway station. This is a non-serious pool for predicting the title of the millionth article (as defined by the official article count presented on the Special:statistics, and determined by the powers that be) in the English Wikipedia. The person who comes closest to the actual topic is the winner (bonus points for guessing the exact title). The current number of articles in the English Wikipedia is 5,810,624. This poll closed when the 995,000th article was created. Other milestone pools that are still open include the following: Wikipedia:Ten-million pool, Wikipedia:500th language pool and Wikipedia:Last topic pool. The Wikipedia:Two-millionth topic pool, and the Wikipedia:Five-million pool are also closed. The subheadings below were meant to be kept nonspecific and in line with current Wikipedia subcategories, and in alphabetical order at every level. An example guess would have been: Anatomy of David Hasselhoff's right shoulder, which might have gone under the subheadings: Science/Biology/Anatomy. Please do not create useless (as of 2019) articles just because they are listed on this page. You may not make any more guesses. Culture [ edit ] Art [ edit ] Arts [ edit ] Comics [ edit ] Entertainment [ edit ] ...for the tenth time. --Barista \| a/k/a マイケル \| T/C 12:34, 7 January 2006 (UTC) Excuse me, what does phrase... on wheels mean? I can't find a wikipedia article about it... It's a parody of "Willy on Wheels", a notorious Wikipedia troll. — J I P \| Talk 12:04, 4 August 2005 (UTC) Attractions [ edit ] Film [ edit ] Literature [ edit ] Brilliance(Book)Angrynight 06:29, 13 February 2006 (UTC) Poetry [ edit ] Music [ edit ] Radio [ edit ] Sports [ edit ] Television [ edit ] Theatre [ edit ] Video games [ edit ] Religion [ edit ] Philosophy [ edit ] Geography [ edit ] History [ edit ] ...Electric Boogaloo --Barista \| a/k/a マイケル \| T/C 12:47, 7 January 2006 (UTC) 21:41, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC) 21:45, 24 Jun 2005 (UTC) Life [ edit ] Bloody hell, and we won't have even hit 1.0 by then... ～ J. K. 23:08, 10 January 2006 (UTC) .. 23:08, 10 January 2006 (UTC) Then it will have to hold edit wars with itself. — Indi [ talk ] 14:22, 22 February 2006 (UTC) Death [ edit ] Death-related humor -- anonymous 6:41 4 June 2005 (UTC) We already have that. Accessing Wikipedia in Hades -- SeekerVI 09:44, 18 February 2006 (UTC) Education [ edit ] Not if you use double quotes around your search, as you should do. "Sacred heart school" gets 86500 hits... Fram 10:55, 19 August 2005 (UTC) Family [ edit ] Food and drink [ edit ] But wouldn't that redirect to 0? --Midnighttonight 08:05, 23 February 2006 (UTC) Freedom [ edit ] Health [ edit ] Hobbies [ edit ] Home [ edit ] Interpersonal relationships [ edit ] Pets [ edit ] Time [ edit ] Mathematics [ edit ] Science [ edit ] Astronomy [ edit ] 07:19, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC) Biology [ edit ] Linguistics [ edit ] Sexuality [ edit ] I AM PETRIFIED, YOU INCESTITIVE CLOD! Project2501a 13:34, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC) Man! The Millionth article isn't so far ahead! CG 20:09, July 27, 2005 (UTC) Chemistry [ edit ] Medicine [ edit ] Physics [ edit ] Meteorology [ edit ] Society [ edit ] List of people alive in the world today. The article will consist of five red links, but once it hits AfD, the author will write twelve paragraphs on why it should be kept. Doctor Whom 18:09, 30 January 2006 (UTC) see Category:Living people --T-rex 19:50, 24 February 2006 (UTC) Awards [ edit ] Business [ edit ] Politics [ edit ] Politicians [ edit ] thon one above's a good one. Why didn't I think of that? Because I'm stupid. Greatgavini 16:25, 20 February 2006 (UTC) Sport [ edit ] Natalie Darwitz--Lkjhgfdsa 19:53, 19 February 2006 (UTC) You can bet she'll be at the 2008 Olympics but her definition of competition is quite different if you know what I mean. Douglasr007 23:48, 25 February 2006 (UTC) Technology [ edit ] 15:33, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC) Me [ edit ] These articles are not valid in the article namespace under current policies. They will be moved to the wikipedia namespace shortly after creation. and also: --Lord Snoeckx 13:34, 22 February 2006 (UTC) It'll redirect to Category: Bearded Wikipedians. -Ikkyu2 07:01, 30 January 2006 (UTC) --TexasDex July 1, 2005 06:28 (UTC) I'm so going to be on Wikipedia as it reaches 999,999 articles, then reload the page. The Main Page will then say that they have 2,574,953 articles because so many people will be trying to make the millionth topic. OneofThem 00:46, 10 November 2005 (UTC) They'll never make it, someone will sue them (probably apple)BROSSARD, Que — On Monday morning, Michael Bournival entered the locker room at Montreal’s South Shore training facility to find an open stall with his nameplate hanging overhead. It was a small step in his recovery from post-concussion syndrome, but a massive coup for his sense of self-worth, for his ego, and for his confidence. Another was joining his Canadiens teammates for a practice, as Bournival did later that morning for the first time since last February. “The guys were teasing me a bit,” said Bournival in French. “I also think they were happy for me because it’s been a long time that this situation has been lagging, so it’s good to again be a part of some little jokes.” He arrived at Canadiens camp in the best shape of his life, prepared to win back the spot injuries and the team’s depth at forward had robbed him of last season. But after participating in some off-ice drills on the very first day, Bournival failed a baseline cognitive test. Thus began an unexpected spiral down the unpredictable path of post-concussion recovery. “It was a huge disappointment,” Bournival said of being shut down by team doctors in September. “It was frustrating. I had every intention of coming to training camp and earning my spot on the team, but I had to think about my health first, try to put this behind me and come back after at 100 per cent.” Bournival was trying to recapture the spark that made him an impactful rookie with Montreal in 2013. He had led the team’s first-year players with 14 points in 60 regular season games before appearing in 14 of the Canadiens’ 17 Stanley Cup playoff games in 2014. If 2013-14 was a dream come true for the Shawinigan, Que., native, the 2014-15 season proved to be a nightmare beyond his wildest imagination. After a flat preseason showing, Bournival couldn’t crack Montreal’s lineup through October. When he finally broke through in November, this happened. After returning to action a month later, Bournival couldn’t keep pace. His role continued to diminish until the Canadiens finally demoted him to the Hamilton Bulldogs at the end of February. Five games into his AHL stint, the Bulldogs became aware he had been hiding symptoms of dizziness from a concussion and immediately closed the book on his season. Bournival wasn’t officially given a clean bill of health until May. He suffered no setbacks in his summer training, so what happened to him at this year’s camp both shocked and scared him. Days turned into weeks before he re-emerged for solo skating sessions in Brossard
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He's going to go out and give you his all and he's going to get guys' attention. He's going to get people focused and I think [he's among the] very great that I've been around, whether it's been Junior Seau or [Tom Brady] types of the world or Jason. They all have that kind of innate quality about themselves that it's something that's just bred into them that they're going to go out and be ready to go every day."As an Xbox based gamer, I find Xboc LIVE to be a necessity to enjoy gaming. I picked this particular type of membership thinking this would mean 6 months of Xbox live followed by an extra month of Xbox gold for a total of 7 months. A great bang for my buck, or so I thought. This membership gives you one month of Gold membership within the first month of your 6 months of your Xbox live. After that, it is renewed automatically or you can cancel the GOLD membership. I did not realize the date to cancel and cancelled a day late. Unfortunately I couldn't ask for the $9.99 back from Microsoft but that wasn't a big deal. Overall, if you want to experience the month of Xbox LIVE Gold, this can be an option for you. As you will have a month to explore if you truly benefit from that higher tier subscription. However, if what you are looking for is a longer time of Xbox LIVE for your money, you may want to consider other options available. Read moreNational Park Visitation How the 59 U.S. national parks rank by the number of visitors By RON LIZZI - GoOutsideBook.com Below are 2017 annual visitation statistics from the National Park Service for the 59 U.S. national parks, in three tables: The total number of recreational visitors to all the national parks in 2017 was 84,053,610, up 1.4% from 2016, with 38 of 59 parks seeing increases.* Visit the American Park Ratings page to see ratings from Consumer Reports and GoOutsideBook.com of many of the most popular parks, plus an interactive map with photos and links. SORTED BY NUMBER OF VISITORS SORTED BY PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF VISITORS SORTED BY PARK NAME * Visitation figures for remote Alaskan parks that have no facilities or roads may be crude estimates. RELATED American Park RatingsIn the small town of San Dimas, a few miles away from Los Angeles, there are two nearly brain dead teenage boys going by the names of Bill S, Preston ESQ. and Ted Theodore Logan, they have a dream together of starting their own rock and roll band called the "Wyld Stallyns". Unfortunately, they are still in high school and on the verge of failing out of their school as well, and if they do not pass their upcoming history report, they will be separated as a result of Ted's father sending him to military school. But, what Bill and Ted do not know is that they must stay together to save the future. So, a man from the future named Rufus came to help them pass their report. So, both Bill and Ted decided to gather up historical figures which they need for their report. They are hoping that this will help them pass their report so they can stay together. Written by John WigginsSan Diego, California Submit your own pictures of this city and show them to the World OSM Map General Map Google Map MSN Map OSM Map General Map Google Map MSN Map OSM Map General Map Google Map MSN Map OSM Map General Map Google Map MSN Map Please wait while loading the map... Population in 2016: 1,406,622 Males: 711,531 (50.6%) Females: 695,091 (49.4%) Median resident age: 34.6 years California median age: 36.4 years Estimated median household income in 2016: $71,481 (it was $45,733 in 2000) San Diego: $71,481 CA: $67,739 Estimated per capita income in 2016: $36,954 (it was $23,609 in 2000) San Diego city income, earnings, and wages data Estimated median house or condo value in 2016: $567,400 (it was $220,000 in 2000) San Diego: $567,400 CA: $477,500 Mean prices in 2016: All housing units: $663,679; Detached houses: $741,133; Townhouses or other attached units: $507,347; In 2-unit structures: $418,865; In 3-to-4-unit structures: $415,527; In 5-or-more-unit structures: $441,797; Mobile homes: $77,737; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $44,225 $71,481 ($45,733$36,954 ($23,609$567,400 ($220,000$663,679;$741,133;$507,347;$418,865;$415,527;$441,797;$77,737;$44,225 Median gross rent in 2016: $1,552. Business Search - 14 Million verified businesses Search for: near: Most recent value % change since 2k Data: Median household income ($) Median household income (% change since 2000) Household income diversity Ratio of average income to average house value (%) Ratio of average income to average rent Median household income ($) - White Median household income ($) - Black or African American Median household income ($) - Asian Median household income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median household income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median household income ($) - Multirace Median household income ($) - Other Race Median household income for houses/condos with a mortgage ($) Median household income for apartments without a mortgage ($) Races - White alone (%) Races - White alone (% change since 2000) Races - Black alone (%) Races - Black alone (% change since 2000) Races - American Indian alone (%) Races - American Indian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Asian alone (%) Races - Asian alone (% change since 2000) Races - Hispanic (%) Races - Hispanic (% change since 2000) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (%) Races - Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone (% change since 2000) Races - Two or more races (%) Races - Two or more races (% change since 2000) Races - Other race alone (%) Races - Other race alone (% change since 2000) Racial diversity Unemployment (%) Unemployment (% change since 2000) Unemployment (%) - White Unemployment (%) - Black or African American Unemployment (%) - Asian Unemployment (%) - Hispanic or Latino Unemployment (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Unemployment (%) - Multirace Unemployment (%) - Other Race Population density (people per square mile) Population - Males (%) Population - Females (%) Population - Males (%) - White Population - Males (%) - Black or African American Population - Males (%) - Asian Population - Males (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Males (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Males (%) - Multirace Population - Males (%) - Other Race Population - Females (%) - White Population - Females (%) - Black or African American Population - Females (%) - Asian Population - Females (%) - Hispanic or Latino Population - Females (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Population - Females (%) - Multirace Population - Females (%) - Other Race Likely homosexual households (%) Likely homosexual households (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (%) Likely homosexual households - Lesbian couples (% change since 2000) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (%) Likely homosexual households - Gay men (% change since 2000) Cost of living index Median gross rent ($) Median contract rent ($) Median monthly housing costs ($) Median house or condo value ($) Median house or condo value ($ change since 2000) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, detached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 1, attached ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 2 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure by units in structure - 3 or 4 ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - 5 or more ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Boat, RV, van, etc. ($) Mean house or condo value by units in structure - Mobile home ($) Median house or condo value ($) - White Median house or condo value ($) - Black or African American Median house or condo value ($) - Asian Median house or condo value ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median house or condo value ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median house or condo value ($) - Multirace Median house or condo value ($) - Other Race Median resident age Resident age diversity Median resident age - Males Median resident age - Females Median resident age - White Median resident age - Black or African American Median resident age - Asian Median resident age - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Multirace Median resident age - Other Race Median resident age - Males - White Median resident age - Males - Black or African American Median resident age - Males - Asian Median resident age - Males - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Males - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Males - Multirace Median resident age - Males - Other Race Median resident age - Females - White Median resident age - Females - Black or African American Median resident age - Females - Asian Median resident age - Females - Hispanic or Latino Median resident age - Females - American Indian and Alaska Native Median resident age - Females - Multirace Median resident age - Females - Other Race Commute - mean travel time to work (minutes) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (%) Travel time to work - Less than 5 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 5 to 9 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 10 to 19 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 20 to 29 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 30 to 39 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 40 to 59 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (%) Travel time to work - 60 to 89 minutes (% change since 2000) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (%) Travel time to work - 90 or more minutes (% change since 2000) Marital status - Never married (%) Marital status - Now married (%) Marital status - Separated (%) Marital status - Widowed (%) Marital status - Divorced (%) Median family income ($) Median family income (% change since 2000) Median non-family income ($) Median non-family income (% change since 2000) Median per capita income ($) Median per capita income (% change since 2000) Median family income ($) - White Median family income ($) - Black or African American Median family income ($) - Asian Median family income ($) - Hispanic or Latino Median family income ($) - American Indian and Alaska Native Median family income ($) - Multirace Median family income ($) - Other Race Median year house/condo built Median year apartment built Year house built - Built 2005 or later (%) Year house built - Built 2000 to 2004 (%) Year house built - Built 1990 to 1999 (%) Year house built - Built 1980 to 1989 (%) Year house built - Built 1970 to 1979 (%) Year house built - Built 1960 to 1969 (%) Year house built - Built 1950 to 1959 (%) Year house built - Built 1940 to 1949 (%) Year house built - Built 1939 or earlier (%) Average household size Household density (households per square mile) Average household size - White Average household size - Black or African American Average household size - Asian Average household size - Hispanic or Latino Average household size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average household size - Multirace Average household size - Other Race Occupied housing units (%) Vacant housing units (%) Owner occupied housing units (%) Renter occupied housing units (%) Vacancy status - For rent (%) Vacancy status - For sale only (%) Vacancy status - Rented or sold, not occupied (%) Vacancy status - For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use (%) Vacancy status - For migrant workers (%) Vacancy status - Other vacant (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level (%) Children below poverty level (%) Poor families by family type - Married-couple family (%) Poor families by family type - Male, no wife present (%) Poor families by family type - Female, no husband present (%) Poverty status for native-born residents (%) Poverty status for foreign-born residents (%) Poverty among high school graduates not in families (%) Poverty among people who did not graduate high school not in families (%) Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - White Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Black or African American Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Asian Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Hispanic or Latino Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - American Indian and Alaska Native Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Multirace Residents with income below the poverty level (%) - Other Race Air pollution - Air Quality Index (AQI) Air pollution - CO Air pollution - NO2 Air pollution - SO2 Air pollution - Ozone Air pollution - PM10 Air pollution - PM25 Air pollution - Pb Crime - Murders per 100,000 population Crime - Rapes per 100,000 population Crime - Robberies per 100,000 population Crime - Assaults per 100,000 population Crime - Burglaries per 100,000 population Crime - Thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Auto thefts per 100,000 population Crime - Arson per 100,000 population Crime - City-data.com crime index Crime - Violent crime index Crime - Property crime index 1996 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Clinton) 1996 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (Dole) 1996 Presidential Elections Results - Other 2000 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Gore) 2000 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (Bush) 2000 Presidential Elections Results - Other 2004 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Kerry) 2004 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (Bush) 2004 Presidential Elections Results - Other 2008 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Obama) 2008 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (McCain) 2008 Presidential Elections Results - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Other 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Democratic Party (Obama) 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Republican Party (Romney) 2012 Presidential Elections Results - Other Ancestries Reported - Arab (%) Ancestries Reported - Czech (%) Ancestries Reported - Danish (%) Ancestries Reported - Dutch (%) Ancestries Reported - English (%) Ancestries Reported - French (%) Ancestries Reported - French Canadian (%) Ancestries Reported - German (%) Ancestries Reported - Greek (%) Ancestries Reported - Hungarian (%) Ancestries Reported - Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Italian (%) Ancestries Reported - Lithuanian (%) Ancestries Reported - Norwegian (%) Ancestries Reported - Polish (%) Ancestries Reported - Portuguese (%) Ancestries Reported - Russian (%) Ancestries Reported - Scotch-Irish (%) Ancestries Reported - Scottish (%) Ancestries Reported - Slovak (%) Ancestries Reported - Subsaharan African (%) Ancestries Reported - Swedish (%) Ancestries Reported - Swiss (%) Ancestries Reported - Ukrainian (%) Ancestries Reported - United States (%) Ancestries Reported - Welsh (%) Ancestries Reported - West Indian (%) Ancestries Reported - Other (%) Educational Attainment - No schooling completed (%) Educational Attainment - Less than high school (%) Educational Attainment - High school or equivalent (%) Educational Attainment - Less than 1 year of college (%) Educational Attainment - 1 or more years of college (%) Educational Attainment - Associate degree (%) Educational Attainment - Bachelor's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Master's degree (%) Educational Attainment - Professional school degree (%) Educational Attainment - Doctorate degree (%) School Enrollment - Nursery, preschool (%) School Enrollment - Kindergarten (%) School Enrollment - Grade 1 to 4 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 5 to 8 (%) School Enrollment - Grade 9 to 12 (%) School Enrollment - College undergrad (%) School Enrollment - Graduate or professional (%) School Enrollment - Not enrolled in school (%) School enrollment - Public schools (%) School enrollment - Private schools (%) School enrollment - Not enrolled (%) Median number of rooms in houses and condos Median number of rooms in apartments Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities (%) Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities (%) Density of houses Urban houses (%) Rural houses (%) Households with people 60 years and over (%) Households with people 65 years and over (%) Households with people 75 years and over (%) Households with one or more nonrelatives (%) Households with no nonrelatives (%) Population in households (%) Family households (%) Nonfamily households (%) Population in families (%) Family households with own children (%) Median number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in owner occupied houses Median number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Mean number of bedrooms in renter occupied houses Median number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in owner occupied houses Median number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mean number of vehichles in renter occupied houses Mortgage status - with mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with second mortgage (%) Mortgage status - with home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - with both second mortgage and home equity loan (%) Mortgage status - without a mortgage (%) Average family size Average family size - White Average family size - Black or African American Average family size - Asian Average family size - Hispanic or Latino Average family size - American Indian and Alaska Native Average family size - Multirace Average family size - Other Race Geographical mobility - Same house 1 year ago (%) Geographical mobility - Moved within same county (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different county within same state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from different state (%) Geographical mobility - Moved from abroad (%) Place of birth - Born in state of residence (%) Place of birth - Born in other state (%) Place of birth - Native, outside of US (%) Place of birth - Foreign born (%) Housing units in structures - 1, detached (%) Housing units in structures - 1, attached (%) Housing units in structures - 2 (%) Housing units in structures - 3 or 4 (%) Housing units in structures - 5 to 9 (%) Housing units in structures - 10 to 19 (%) Housing units in structures - 20 to 49 (%) Housing units in structures - 50 or more (%) Housing units in structures - Mobile home (%) Housing units in structures - Boat, RV, van, etc. (%) House/condo owner moved in on average (years ago) Renter moved in on average (years ago) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1999 to March 2000 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1995 to 1998 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1990 to 1994 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1980 to 1989 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1970 to 1979 (%) Year householder moved into unit - Moved in 1969 or earlier (%) Means of transportation to work - Drove car alone (%) Means of transportation to work - Carpooled (%) Means of transportation to work - Public transportation (%) Means of transportation to work - Bus or trolley bus (%) Means of transportation to work - Streetcar or trolley car (%) Means of transportation to work - Subway or elevated (%) Means of transportation to work - Railroad (%) Means of transportation to work - Ferryboat (%) Means of transportation to work - Taxicab (%) Means of transportation to work - Motorcycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Bicycle (%) Means of transportation to work - Walked (%) Means of transportation to work - Other means (%) Working at home (%) Industry diversity Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining (%) Most Common Industries - Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (%) Most Common Industries - Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (%) Most Common Industries - Construction (%) Most Common Industries - Manufacturing (%) Most Common Industries - Wholesale trade (%) Most Common Industries - Retail trade (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Transportation and warehousing (%) Most Common Industries - Utilities (%) Most Common Industries - Information (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Finance and insurance (%) Most Common Industries - Real estate and rental and leasing (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Professional, scientific, and technical services (%) Most Common Industries - Management of companies and enterprises (%) Most Common Industries - Administrative and support and waste management services (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services, and health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Educational services (%) Most Common Industries - Health care and social assistance (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Arts, entertainment, and recreation (%) Most Common Industries - Accommodation and food services (%) Most Common Industries - Other services, except public administration (%) Most Common Industries - Public administration (%) Occupation diversity Most Common Occupations - Management, business, science, and arts occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management, business, and financial occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Management occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Business and financial operations occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer, engineering, and science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Computer and mathematical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Architecture and engineering occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Life, physical, and social science occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Community and social service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Legal occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Education, training, and library occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Health technologists and technicians (%) Most Common Occupations - Service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Healthcare support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Protective service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Fire fighting and prevention, and other protective service workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Law enforcement workers including supervisors (%) Most Common Occupations - Food preparation and serving related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Personal care and service occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and office occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Sales and related occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Office and administrative support occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Construction and extraction occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production, transportation, and material moving occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Production occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Transportation occupations (%) Most Common Occupations - Material moving occupations (%) People in Group quarters - Institutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - Correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Federal prisons and detention centers (%) People in Group quarters - Halfway houses (%) People in Group quarters - Local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups) (%) People in Group quarters - Military disciplinary barracks (%) People in Group quarters - State prisons (%) People in Group quarters - Other types of correctional institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Nursing homes (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards, hospices, and schools for the handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals/wards and hospices for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospices or homes for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Military hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Other hospitals or wards for chronically ill (%) People in Group quarters - Hospitals or wards for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Mental (Psychiatric) hospitals or wards (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the deaf (%) People in Group quarters - Institutions for the blind (%) People in Group quarters - Orthopedic wards and institutions for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Wards in military hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere (%) People in Group quarters - Juvenile institutions (%) People in Group quarters - Long-term care (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for abused, dependent, and neglected children (%) People in Group quarters - Residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children (%) People in Group quarters - Training schools for juvenile delinquents (%) People in Group quarters - Short-term care, detention or diagnostic centers for delinquent children (%) People in Group quarters - Type of juvenile institution unknown (%) People in Group quarters - Noninstitutionalized population (%) People in Group quarters - College dormitories (includes college quarters off campus) (%) People in Group quarters - Military quarters (%) People in Group quarters - On base (%) People in Group quarters - Barracks, unaccompanied personnel housing (UPH), (Enlisted/Officer), ;and similar group living quarters for military personnel (%) People in Group quarters - Transient quarters for temporary residents (%) People in Group quarters - Military ships (%) People in Group quarters - Group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Homes or halfway houses for drug/alcohol abuse (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally ill (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the mentally retarded (%) People in Group quarters - Homes for the physically handicapped (%) People in Group quarters - Other group homes (%) People in Group quarters - Religious group quarters (%) People in Group quarters - Dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Agriculture workers' dormitories on farms (%) People in Group quarters - Job Corps and vocational training facilities (%) People in Group quarters - Other workers' dormitories (%) People in Group quarters - Crews of maritime vessels (%) People in Group quarters - Other nonhousehold living situations (%) People in Group quarters - Other noninstitutional group quarters (%) Residents speaking English at home (%) Residents speaking English at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking English at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking English at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking Spanish at home - Foreign born (%) Residents speaking other language at home (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Born in the United States (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Native, born elsewhere (%) Residents speaking other language at home - Foreign born (%) Class of Workers - Employee of private company (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed in own incorporated business (%) Class of Workers - Private not-for-profit wage and salary workers (%) Class of Workers - Local government workers (%) Class of Workers - State government workers (%) Class of Workers - Federal government workers (%) Class of Workers - Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business and Unpaid family workers (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in houses and condos - No fuel used (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Utility gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Bottled, tank, or LP gas (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Electricity (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Coal or coke (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Wood (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Solar energy (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - Other fuel (%) House heating fuel used in apartments - No fuel used (%) Armed forces status - In Armed Forces (%) Armed forces status - Civilian (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Veteran (%) Armed forces status - Civilian - Nonveteran (%) Options Get link Loading data... Based on 2000-2016 data Loading data... 123 Hide US histogram Races in San Diego, CA (2016) 602,167 42.8% White alone 421,965 30.0% Hispanic 236,310 16.8% Asian alone 86,405 6.1% Black alone 50,895 3.6% Two or more races 4,907 0.3% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 1,958 0.1% American Indian alone 2,015 0.1% Other race alone Races in San Diego detailed stats: ancestries, foreign born residents, place of birth Mar. 2016 cost of living index in San Diego: 138.0 (high, U.S. average is 100) Latest news from San Diego, CA collected exclusively by city-data.com from local newspapers, TV, and radio stations Ancestries: American (3.2%), German (3.0%), Irish (2.9%), English (2.1%), Italian (1.9%), European (1.9%). Current Local Time: PST time zone Elevation: 40 feet Land area: 324.3 square miles. Population density: 4,337 people per square mile (average). For population 25 years and over in San Diego: High school or higher: 86.9% 86.9% Bachelor's degree or higher: 44.2% 44.2% Graduate or professional degree: 17.6% 17.6% Unemployed: 5.2% 5.2% Mean travel time to work (commute): 22.2 minutes For population 15 years and over in San Diego city: Never married: 40.1% 40.1% Now married: 44.4% 44.4% Separated: 1.8% 1.8% Widowed: 4.0% 4.0% Divorced: 9.8% 375,368 residents are foreign born (11.2% Latin America, 9.2% Asia). This city: 26.7% California: 27.2% According to our research of California and other state lists there were 1,556 registered sex offenders living in San Diego, California as of February 27, 2019. The ratio of number of residents in San Diego to the number of sex offenders is 904 to 1. The number of registered sex offenders compared to the number of residents in this city is near the state average. Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2016: $4,179 (0.7%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2016: $2,496 (0.5%) Single-family new house construction building permits: 1997: 2814 buildings, average cost: $183,500 2814 $183,500 1998: 2819 buildings, average cost: $194,000 2819 $194,000 1999: 2233 buildings, average cost: $199,900 2233 $199,900 2000: 2014 buildings, average cost: $261,300 2014 $261,300 2001: 2209 buildings, average cost: $254,400 2209 $254,400 2002: 2588 buildings, average cost: $205,900 2588 $205,900 2003: 1926 buildings, average cost: $190,500 1926 $190,500 2004: 1301 buildings, average cost: $167,100 1301 $167,100 2005: 1059 buildings, average cost: $175,800 1059 $175,800 2006: 815 buildings, average cost: $184,800 815 $184,800 2007: 748 buildings, average cost: $196,200 748 $196,200 2008: 641 buildings, average cost: $323,700 641 $323,700 2009: 374 buildings, average cost: $289,000 374 $289,000 2010: 557 buildings, average cost: $255,900 557 $255,900 2011: 451 buildings, average cost: $349,000 451 $349,000 2012: 535 buildings, average cost: $372,900 535 $372,900 2013: 821 buildings, average cost: $366,800 821 $366,800 2014: 712 buildings, average cost: $345,900 Number of permits per 10,000 residents Average cost (in $1000s) Latitude: 32.78 N, Longitude: 117.15 W San Diego nicknames or aliases (official or unofficial): America's Finest City, City in Motion, Plymouth of the West, Silicon Beach Daytime population change due to commuting: +198,707 (+14.1%) Workers who live and work in this city: 559,526 (78.2%) Area code commonly used in this area: 619 Crime rates in San Diego by Year Type 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Murders 47 65 62 51 68 59 55 41 29 38 47 39 32 37 50 per 100,000 3.7 5.1 4.8 4.0 5.4 4.7 4.3 3.1 2.2 2.9 3.5 2.9 2.3 2.6 3.5 Rapes 330 406 373 376 348 296 376 318 300 293 304 316 371 566 572 per 100,000 26.0 31.9 29.1 29.6 27.5 23.5 29.6 24.2 22.8 22.2 22.7 23.4 27.1 40.4 40.5 Robberies 1,627 1,626 1,650 1,862 2,164 2,095 2,019 1,905 1,636 1,456 1,517 1,456 1,318 1,378 1,387 per 100,000 128.3 127.8 128.8 146.4 170.8 166.1 158.8 144.9 124.6 110.6 113.3 107.9 96.3 98.4 98.1 Assaults 5,189 5,269 4,689 4,314 3,811 3,882 3,597 3,667 3,651 3,317 3,661 3,492 3,493 3,601 3,323 per 100,000 409.1 414.0 365.9 339.1 300.8 307.8 282.9 278.9 278.0 251.9 273.5 258.8 255.2 257.1 235.1 Burglaries 7,639 8,076 7,305 7,462 7,746 7,679 7,743 6,693 6,387 5,840 5,902 6,355 5,115 5,129 4,743 per 100,000 602.3 634.5 570.1 586.6 611.4 608.9 608.9 509.1 486.3 443.5 440.9 471.0 373.7 366.2 335.6 Theft 24,577 25,739 25,168 24,613 24,125 23,264 21,945 18,057 17,977 17,610 19,188 19,230 16,691 18,933 18,042 per 100,000 1,937.7 2,022.3 1,964.2 1,934.8 1,904.3 1,844.6 1,725.7 1,373.4 1,368.7 1,337.2
dog,’’ Gottfried said. For all the college losses, Smith enjoyed only triumphs at Trinity Christian. He owns two state-title rings, though one of the jewels was earned as a de facto assistant coach and early-enrollment college student as he rehabbed his knee. As a freshman, Smith’s team advanced to the state finals. As a sophomore, Smith made sure the team returned to Fayetteville with the state trophy, sinking two free throws with 1.5 seconds left to win the championship. Vandevender, though, was more impressed with his response. “We won it on Saturday,’’ he said. “We’re back to school on Monday and Junior is carrying a basketball inside a trash bag. I asked him what’s he’s doing? He said after school he was going to the gym to work on his ball-handling. He had one day off after winning the states. That’s a different breed.’’ The torn ACL prevented Smith from experiencing a second title on the court. One month before his senior year, in August 2015, Smith tore his ACL in an AAU contest in California. Well before that, N.C. State’s Early had confirmed Smith’s pedigree at an AAU Christmas tournament in Las Vegas. The sophomore put up 36 points against a more talented club from Canada that featured Thon Maker, who now plays for the NBA’s Bucks. “Maker’s team was way better, but you could see it in Dennis’ eyes in warmups,’’ Early said. “His tenacity, toughness, the drive he had to win the game, understanding every shot was going in.’’ N.C. State offered him a scholarship the next day, and Early still refers to it as “The Thon Maker Game.’’ However, 18 months later, Smith’s high-school career ended in an AAU Adidas showcase weeks before going back for his senior year. As many such injuries occur, he took a bad step on a fast break. “To say we weren’t worried wouldn’t be totally honest,’’ Early said. “But with his unbelievably competitive nature, I knew he’d attack his rehab at a high level.’’ Smith missed his senior year, but not before doing everything possible to sway his way back. Way ahead of schedule on rehab, Smith phoned Early and asked him to research the number of games he would need to be eligible for the famed McDonald’s All-American Classic. All parties convinced Smith, who had become fixated on the game, to let it go. His future was too bright to rush. Into January, Smith attended almost all of Trinity’s practices, games and team meetings, essentially the club’s point-guard coach. With the McDonald’s goal torpedoed, Smith came up with another brainstorm while driving in the car with his dad. “I wish I could say it was my idea, but it was his,’’ Early said. Having already loaded up with enough high-school credits for graduation, Smith decided to enroll early at N.C. State. He took a full 15-credit course load and attended N.C. State practices, traveled with the team and saw his rehab monitored by the school’s medical staff. “It was very advantageous,’’ Gottfried said. “He’s always been a student of the game. He wanted to get a head start.’’ Technically, Smith, when he declared for the draft, is a one-and-a-half-and-done. “I really believe that getting hurt was one of the best things that happened to me before college,” Smith said during his freshman year. “He’s just a very bright kid,’’ Early said. “I remember him telling me he wanted to finish all his classes so second semester senior year he could chill. [Enrolling early] helped him learn a lot about scouting and watching film at this level.” The ACC Freshman of the Year has to dispel some myths to NBA executives. Smith’s agitated on-court state wasn’t a good look amid the losing. Early knows it, admitting the visage of a scowling Stephon Marbury is a fair comparison. “When you’re a point guard, there’s leadership things you need to grow into,’’ Early said. “Dennis doesn’t hide his emotions. When we’re struggling, he can’t hide it. It’s something he has to work on.’’ “I’d rather see a kid mad at losing compared to seeing a kid who goes with the flow and doesn’t care,’’ Henderson said. “It was his competitive nature.’’ The good news is that same eighth-grader throwing balls off the glass in a high-school game hasn’t lost explosiveness since ACL surgery. “His quickness and athleticism is NBA-ready right now,’’ Early said. “His ball-handling and court vision is NBA-ready. Had we had a good year, he’d be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick.’’Are you looking for a natural way to fight common illnesses? Essential oils might be the answer. Nandini Weitzman, a licensed clinical nutritionist in the state of New York and an alternative health practitioner who has been using Young Living essential oils and oil-based products for 13 years, recommends that you keep five essential oils on hand to help ward off or reduce the severity of a cold, cough, virus, fever or flu. These oils are oregano, lemon, peppermint, a respiratory blend and Thieves. A respiratory blend is a mix of myrtle, spruce, peppermint, pine, lavender and marjoram oils and three varieties of eucalyptus oil. Thieves is a blend of clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus radiata oils. While all five oils work to ease common illnesses, they have their specialties. Thieves and oregano are best for the flu. Lemon oil is most effective in warding off or reducing the severity of a virus. Thieves and oregano can be good at controlling a virus, too. Peppermint is best known for reducing or preventing a cold, cough or fever. RC works well when it’s applied to the chest or back or when it’s diffused or inhaled for sinus or chest relief. Thieves works well to combat a cough. The essential oil can ward off the illness if you act quickly as soon as you feel the first signs of getting sick. The oil helps reduce the severity of the sickness if you act after you’re sick. How to Use These Oils You can breathe in these oils so they enter the body through the nose and lungs, rub them on the skin for quick absorption, or consume the oils in a capsule or lozenge. Nandini recommends using a cold air essential oil diffuser to diffuse the oil into the air and breathe it in. She says this method is especially effective because smelling is our most direct sense, sending the oil directly to the amygdala, the part of the brain where the seat of emotions is located. Breathing the oil into your sinuses and lungs can help prevent or alleviate the mucus buildup from a cold or a cough. Cold air diffusers also protect the oil quality, unlike heat, which can damage the oil and make it less effective. You also can boil any size pot of water, add four or five drops of oil to the boiled water, cover your head with a towel and, while holding your head over the liquid, let the steam enter your sinuses and lungs. The oils, carried by the steam water molecules, will start to release and neutralize the pathogens that have taken residence in these areas. Applying Oil Directly on the Skin For flu you can apply the oil in strokes to the back, right next to the spine. The skin absorbs the oil quickly as essential oils naturally penetrate the cell wall and work inside the cell. Nandini also suggests putting a drop or two of oil on a warm washcloth and then placing the washcloth on your chest to help ease chest colds. She recommends rubbing some oil directly on your chest or back to fight a cold or a virus. Naturally Reduce Your Baby’s Fever An easy way to reduce a fever in a baby is to put a drop of peppermint oil on the tip of your finger and then run your finger along the bottom of the baby’s foot. Let the oil sit on the baby’s foot for a short time and the fever should decrease. You can let the baby smell the remaining oil on your hand. This method also can work on older children. If a child complains about the scent, simply put a sock on the child’s foot to mask the smell. Lozenges for a Cough For coughs, you can try a Thieves oil-based throat lozenge, spray or mouthwash. If you take a lozenge, Nandini recommends keeping it between the back teeth and cheek to allow the juice of the lozenge to drip along the back of your throat. So, the next time you feel like you’re getting sick, perhaps consider one of these essential oils for a natural road to recovery. Nandini Weitzman can be reached at [email protected]. – By Jessica Braun Jessica Braun is a writer and an editor at WholesomeONE. She can be reached at jessica.braun[at]wholesomeone[dot]com.This article is from the archive of our partner. Yes, we once called for a stop to this whole Mitt Romney-strapped-a-dog-atop-his-car story, but we can't help getting giddy over how The New Yorker got Rick Santorum to stand in for Seamus on the cover of its latest issue. Though by now you're likely familiar with it, the cover refers to the story of how Romney once strapped a crate with his dog, Seamus, to the top of his car for a 1983 road trip, causing the dog to become so terrified he soiled the back window. Cover artist Bob Staake's strapping Santorum atop red car (maybe a Cadillac?) driven by Romney hints at the bumpy ride Romney's giving Santorum in the primaries. (The cover's title is "From State to State.") It may also be a less-than-subtle reference to Santorum's notorious Google problem. (Any sly dig at Santorum's comparison of homosexuality to "man-on-dog" relations in 2003 is purely coincidental, we're sure.) In any case, as Dylan Byers points out, somewhere Gail Collins is smiling. Meanwhile, inside the magazine you'll find Ryan Lizza's report on why these GOP primaries have been so chaotic. This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.How To Do Entralink RNG Abuse In BW1 zapdos44 Oct 1st, 2017 ( edited ) 297 Never 297Never Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features! rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 6.25 KB How To Do Entralink RNG Abuse On An Emulator (Black And White) by: /u/ zapdos44 Special Thanks To /u/ ApoxAlpha and Smelt --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things You Will Need: - RNG Reporter (Lastest Build; I used 10.2.1) - DeSmuMe (Make sure it has the _dev suffix) - The lua.dlls for DeSmuMe - Pokemon Black or White - The BW Entralink Scripts for your language - runasdate (Optional) - A save with access to the C-Gear (And with the profile/calibration set up) - Suloku's Gen V Save Tool (Note: /r/ PokemonTrades doesn't allow injection of Entralink Pokemon. Please make sure you are aware of trading policies in the community that you are in.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why Bother? Entralink RNG Abuse seems fairly pointless at first to most. However, Entralink allows you to get things like Rock Climb Sheer Force Tauros and Inferno Misdreavus. It also allows for Dream Ball Arceus and Dream Ball Rayquaza (KOR Only). Above all, its very different from other Generation 5 RNG Abuse forms and can be a breath of fresh air. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things You Should Know Very much like Generation 4 RNG Abuse, you need to hit a Delay. This will ensure that you hit your C-Gear seed, which is mandatory for Pokemon BW. Also, you need to pay attention to the IVRNG Frame instead of PIDRNG Frame. PIDRNG Frame is less important in this RNG because the only thing affected by it is Nature. Also, when you interact with the Pokemon, make sure to account for the fact that it will advance the IVRNG Frame by 13. You can use this to hit higher up frames. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Cool RNG Ideas The Hidden Ability Starters (KOR and JPN games only) Dream Ball Rayquaza (KOR games only) Inferno Misdreavus DBHA Rock Climb Tauros Sucker Punch Nidoran Sludge Wave Ghastly and Koffing Morning Sun Solrock/Moonlight Lunatone Dream Ball Arceus Now onto the guide! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Do Entralink RNG Abuse in BW1 1. Choose an RNG Target - Open Suloku's Gen V Save Tool. - Add the Pokemon you want to RNG 2. Finding a Frame/Target Seed/IVS - Open RNG Reporter and go to Generation 5 Time - Set up Time Finder like so: https://snag.gy/ne0CK3.jpg - Change Delay/Frame as you see fit - Make sure that you at the very least set the minimum frame to 21, as its not possible to hit anything lower. 3. Finding the Delay you need to hit - You may notice that the seed listed is significantly shorter than normal Generation 5 seeds. Unfortunately, you still need to hit the Initial Seed (The 32 Digit one) - Right Click your selected spread and hit "Generate Entralink Nature Seeds" - Choose some natures that you want. - Hit Generate 4. Hitting C-Gear Seed and Initial Seed - Chances are, you know how to hit an initial seed. For those who don't want to use runasdate, change your PC time to one of dates listed on the Entralink Seed Search. If you have runasdate, set it so that it will load the Emulator on the time under C-Gear Date\Time and check Immediate Mode. Immediate Mode essentially makes it so you can retry the RNG over and over again without setting up your PC clock again. Make sure to have the lua script active at this time. If you are using runasdate, don't worry about the initial seed being different. It is because you loaded it on the date where the C-Gear has to be to hit your initial seed. - Go to the text where it says "[Player] warped to the Entralink!" and make a save state. Pause the game and note the delay. We will be finding out how long it takes for the C-Gear Seed to generate after pressing A. Press "A" and in the output, the lua will tell us what the C-Geaer Seed we hit was. - Go back to RNG Reporter and go to Generation 5 Tools > Seed To Times - Type in the C-Gear Seed you got. - Subtract the Delay where you pressed A from the Delay you hit when the C-Gear Seed was generated. - Now take the result and subtract the result from your target delay. For example, if my target delay was 4288 and the difference was 200, I would hit delay 4088. - Hit your Initial Seed again and do Delay advances. You can inch closer by pressing N, which will add 1 to the delay. - If you failed, just try again. Sometimes you think you hit it, but there was a small gap between when you unpause the emulator and press A. 5. Advancing the Frames - Subtract 13 from your target frame. You will be advancing Frames until you hit that. - You advance frames by walking around. Make sure to only have 1 Pokemon in your party, or else it will advance too many frames at once. - When you hit your IVRNG Frame, interact with your target Pokemon immediately. Make a save state and enter the battle. - If you did it correctly, you will get the correct IVS on your target. Yay! ^-^ - To get your Nature, you can either move onto Step 6 or reload the Save State and re-catch the Pokemon. 6. Getting a good Nature - Go back to RNG Reporter and go to Entralink Seed Search. Notice the Frame. That is the PIDRNG Frame you need to hit. Go back to your save state and wait until you are 6 before the frame listed in RNG Reporter. Then enter the battle again and catch the Pokemon. - Make sure to have the correct Gender ratio set up! CONGRATS! YOU HAVE JUST COMPLETED YOUR FIRST ENTRALINK RNG ABUSE! :D --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hopefully this has been helpful. Feel free to PM me with questions if you are confused or have a suggestion on how to further improve the guide! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAW Paste Data How To Do Entralink RNG Abuse On An Emulator (Black And White) by: /u/ zapdos44 Special Thanks To /u/ ApoxAlpha and Smelt --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things You Will Need: - RNG Reporter (Lastest Build; I used 10.2.1) - DeSmuMe (Make sure it has the _dev suffix) - The lua.dlls for DeSmuMe - Pokemon Black or White - The BW Entralink Scripts for your language - runasdate (Optional) - A save with access to the C-Gear (And with the profile/calibration set up) - Suloku's Gen V Save Tool (Note: /r/ PokemonTrades doesn't allow injection of Entralink Pokemon. Please make sure you are aware of trading policies in the community that you are in.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why Bother? Entralink RNG Abuse seems fairly pointless at first to most. However, Entralink allows you to get things like Rock Climb Sheer Force Tauros and Inferno Misdreavus. It also allows for Dream Ball Arceus and Dream Ball Rayquaza (KOR Only). Above all, its very different from other Generation 5 RNG Abuse forms and can be a breath of fresh air. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things You Should Know Very much like Generation 4 RNG Abuse, you need to hit a Delay. This will ensure that you hit your C-Gear seed, which is mandatory for Pokemon BW. Also, you need to pay attention to the IVRNG Frame instead of PIDRNG Frame. PIDRNG Frame is less important in this RNG because the only thing affected by it is Nature. Also, when you interact with the Pokemon, make sure to account for the fact that it will advance the IVRNG Frame by 13. You can use this to hit higher up frames. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some Cool RNG Ideas The Hidden Ability Starters (KOR and JPN games only) Dream Ball Rayquaza (KOR games only) Inferno Misdreavus DBHA Rock Climb Tauros Sucker Punch Nidoran Sludge Wave Ghastly and Koffing Morning Sun Solrock/Moonlight Lunatone Dream Ball Arceus Now onto the guide! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How To Do Entralink RNG Abuse in BW1 1. Choose an RNG Target - Open Suloku's Gen V Save Tool. - Add the Pokemon you want to RNG 2. Finding a Frame/Target Seed/IVS - Open RNG Reporter and go to Generation 5 Time - Set up Time Finder like so: https://snag.gy/ne0CK3.jpg - Change Delay/Frame as you see fit - Make sure that you at the very least set the minimum frame to 21, as its not possible to hit anything lower. 3. Finding the Delay you need to hit - You may notice that the seed listed is significantly shorter than normal Generation 5 seeds. Unfortunately, you still need to hit the Initial Seed (The 32 Digit one) - Right Click your selected spread and hit "Generate Entralink Nature Seeds" - Choose some natures that you want. - Hit Generate 4. Hitting C-Gear Seed and Initial Seed - Chances are, you know how to hit an initial seed. For those who don't want to use runasdate, change your PC time to one of dates listed on the Entralink Seed Search. If you have runasdate, set it so that it will load the Emulator on the time under C-Gear Date\Time and check Immediate Mode. Immediate Mode essentially makes it so you can retry the RNG over and over again without setting up your PC clock again. Make sure to have the lua script active at this time. If you are using runasdate, don't worry about the initial seed being different. It is because you loaded it on the date where the C-Gear has to be to hit your initial seed. - Go to the text where it says "[Player] warped to the Entralink!" and make a save state. Pause the game and note the delay. We will be finding out how long it takes for the C-Gear Seed to generate after pressing A. Press "A" and in the output, the lua will tell us what the C-Geaer Seed we hit was. - Go back to RNG Reporter and go to Generation 5 Tools > Seed To Times - Type in the C-Gear Seed you got. - Subtract the Delay where you pressed A from the Delay you hit when the C-Gear Seed was generated. - Now take the result and subtract the result from your target delay. For example, if my target delay was 4288 and the difference was 200, I would hit delay 4088. - Hit your Initial Seed again and do Delay advances. You can inch closer by pressing N, which will add 1 to the delay. - If you failed, just try again. Sometimes you think you hit it, but there was a small gap between when you unpause the emulator and press A. 5. Advancing the Frames - Subtract 13 from your target frame. You will be advancing Frames until you hit that. - You advance frames by walking around. Make sure to only have 1 Pokemon in your party, or else it will advance too many frames at once. - When you hit your IVRNG Frame, interact with your target Pokemon immediately. Make a save state and enter the battle. - If you did it correctly, you will get the correct IVS on your target. Yay! ^-^ - To get your Nature, you can either move onto Step 6 or reload the Save State and re-catch the Pokemon. 6. Getting a good Nature - Go back to RNG Reporter and go to Entralink Seed Search. Notice the Frame. That is the PIDRNG Frame you need to hit. Go back to your save state and wait until you are 6 before the frame listed in RNG Reporter. Then enter the battle again and catch the Pokemon. - Make sure to have the correct Gender ratio set up! CONGRATS! YOU HAVE JUST COMPLETED YOUR FIRST ENTRALINK RNG ABUSE! :D --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hopefully this has been helpful. Feel free to PM me with questions if you are confused or have a suggestion on how to further improve the guide! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Chicago Cubs hired a Wrigleyville-area lawmaker to work for them as a paid lobbyist this summer just as the battle over renovating Wrigley Field was hitting its peak. The team late yesterday confirmed that, for two months, North Side Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey was retained to give it "advice and counsel" — not on the Wrigley zoning plan that then was pending in the City Council, but on a closely related bill in Springfield. Neither Mr. Fritchey, whose district extends to within three-quarters of a mile of Wrigley, nor the team will say how much he was paid. But both say the job was temporary and has been completed. At issue is Mr. Fritchey's work on a then-pending measure that was opposed by the team and strongly pushed by the Cubs' archenemies: the rooftop clubs that surround Wrigley. Specifically, the bill proposed to protect the rooftops against the Illinois Liquor Control Commission, which had warned owners of the rooftops that their sale of daily admission on the Internet might well be a violation of the state's ban on drink-all-you-want "happy hours" at public establishments. The bill did so by exempting the rooftop clubs from the happy hours ban. Mr. Fritchey, who served in the state House before running for county office, said the subject of the bill arose when he had lunch with a team official in early summer, by which time the bill had cleared the General Assembly and was awaiting final action by Gov. Pat Quinn. The subject of his going to work for the team "just sort of came up," Mr. Fritchey said, and he was hired for 60 days in July and August to "advise and consult on the pending legislation." Mr. Fritchey said he never lobbied any lawmaker but registered as a lobbyist on the matter for the two months as a precaution. As I reported yesterday, Mr. Quinn ended up signing the bill into law earlier this week, despite the reported strong opposition of Cubs' part-owner Laura Ricketts, a major Democratic fundraiser. Another Cook County commissioner, Evanston's Lawrence Suffredin, also is employed as a registered state lobbyist. But I'm not aware of him getting involved in an issue this controversial that directly affected his district. Mr. Fritchey says there was no conflict of interest in his decision to accept the temporary gig. "By the time I was hired, it clearly was on the governor's desk." Cubs spokesman Julian Green described the bill as "a state issue, not a county issue. The person we hired has definite experience at the state level." The team did oppose the bill, but "we abide by all rules set by the state," he said. Another local official, Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, has been criticized for accepting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from rooftop owners and then often taking their side in the battle over how to redevelop Wrigley. The Wrigley renovation plan passed the City Council in late July, but the team and rooftops still are jostling over what happens in a decade, when their current revenue-sharing deal is due to expire.Evil: It's the new good! / Shut up and drink your high fructose corn syrup, sucker The devil isn't evil, he just has lousy PR. Examples? They are legion. Here's one the Powers That Be desperately hope you'll swallow, a nasty piece of marketing gall meant to stab at your intelligence and bitch-slap your intuition, but which is nevertheless being force-fed to you as happy environmental manna, a viciously deformed version of something called "progress." Here is "clean coal." Isn't it beautiful? Truly, the hell-bound ad agency that coughed up that one even had the nerve to film a commercial featuring Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate" playing over perky scenes of manic Americans sucking down electricity like John McCain sucks down extra oxygen, claiming that coal is America's namesake resource and we should therefore kneel before it and worship it like apple pie and horrible sex-ed and Lindsay Lohan's nipples. Did I mention the coal industry's PR people are going to hell for this? Count on it. There is, of course, no such thing as "clean coal." It's as impossible as a humanitarian Republican, as insulting as Homeland Security. Even Obama gets it wrong in his support of this lethal oxymoron. There are only two options: Brutally pollutive coal extraction and burning techniques, rapacious strip mining and millions of acres of destroyed forest and contaminated water tables and toxified air and one of the most environmentally destructive energy sources on the planet; or new and slightly less horribly pollutive coal extraction/burn techniques that attempt to rein in a few of the more toxic pollutants, but not including carbon dioxide or, you know, cancer and death. That's about it. Translation: "clean coal" is not only one of the most insidious, repugnant oxymorons -- right up there with "friendly fire" and "conservative think tank" and "Alaskan teen virgin" -- it's also one of the deadliest. Not good enough? Don't you worry. Here is high-fructose corn syrup. It appears the corporate whiners down at the Corn Refiners Association, unhappy with the billions they've already made on the staggering rise of their dreadful product and apparently tired of their gunk getting such a bad rap from every doctor and health mag from here to the Mayo Clinic, have launched a sweet little counter-offensive aimed at proving their goop is, well, slightly less evil than you thought. Here is their cute little commercial: Two generic moms, one pouring her kids a big, fat glass of bright red HFCS-laden pseudo-juice, as the other frowns and says gosh golly Susan, you feed your kids that crap? That has high fructose corn syrup in it! And the first irresponsible mom just smiles an 'oh you stupid bitch' kind of robotic smile and says hey, HFCS is really no worse than sugar, it's natural because it's made from corn, and it's perfectly OK in moderation, so shut the hell up and drink your nauseating food-colored crap, Marjorie (please note: I might be paraphrasing slightly). Isn't that lovely? To be fair, they have a meager point. Despite its highly processed nature, HFCS might very well be exactly as bad for you as plain ol' sugar (by the way, thanks to the wishy-washy FDA, "natural" is a completely bulls--t term that means nothing; calling HFCS "natural" is like calling Cindy McCain natural). But its manufacture is simply awful, from the tons of pesticides used to grow all that needless industrial corn to the ridiculous and devastating farm subsidies that force farmers to grow far more of it than our country can possibly use. Which is why HFCS is everywhere and in everything, from soups to whole-grain bread, crackers to ketchup to pickles to tomato paste. Thanks in part to the violent ubiquity of HFCS, bloated Americans now consume a total of 100 pounds of sweetener a year, per capita. Go read your "Omnivore's Dilemma" or rent the "King Corn" DVD to see just how awful this stuff is. The Corn Refiners Association is praying you don't. On it goes. Every major oil company has a pseudo-green, false-front "Let's take care of our planet" BS campaign underway, whitewashing their evils so insultingly it's like Dick Cheney wearing a PETA T-shirt to a canned pheasant hunt. Even the king of consumer mediocrity, Microsoft, launched a "Vista: It's not quite as awful as you've heard" campaign to help stifle the low-level groans of 20 million bug-addled users. And recall, won't you, a couple of years back, when Wal-Mart launched its own ad campaign to counter all the negative press it was getting about its nasty labor policies, the lawsuits and infractions and claims of forced overtime, even lovely hints of sexism and racism and blurry photos of secret underground lairs where 10,000 paunchy middle managers met to skin live kittens and drink the blood of sweatshop workers and sacrifice their dreams as they chant Shania Twain lyrics in their underwear (again, paraphrasing). Of course, Wal-Mart, rather than actually improve its policies, instead spent millions to make itself merely look friendlier, touting all the (low-paying, often part-time, generally miserable) jobs they bring in to a community, and gosh, just look how happy those cashiers seem to be, and never you mind the vague threats that if anyone tries to unionize, a pale army of sexless managers will follow you home and kill you in your sleep with this 20-pound tub of cheese-coated popcorn. Mmm, wholesome. But perhaps none of these examples can top the scabrous GOP, suddenly being repackaged and resold to exhausted, Bush-ravaged Americans as "the maverick party," with John McCain desperately trying to distance himself from the worst and most abusive administration in a lifetime, all the torture and warmongering and pandering to the religious right, even as he so obviously plans to continue it all. It's a rather sickening marketing ploy, made even more contemptible by McCain's choice of VP, not someone of sharp political acumen who will challenge his decisions and offer insight and inspire confidence, but Sarah Palin, former mayor of a piddling, eyeblink of a pee-stop town in rural Nowheresville, a shrill woman of zero political accomplishment clearly brought on board to lure both confused white women and the hard evangelical right, a minor state governor who thinks Creationism is dandy and who just got her first passport in 2007 and who would happily pass a law to force your daughter to have the baby if she'd been raped. Charming. Truly, Palin is that most dangerous of self-aggrandizing right-wing politico, a potentially very powerful woman full of moxie and nerve and intensely intolerant, extremist views who actually hates women. Really, you can't get much more Republican than that. And lo, in the spirit of Wal-Mart and the Corn Refiners Association and the clean-coal cretins trying to make their rampant evils seem slightly less, well, evil, we humbly offer to McPalin this new marketing slogan: "The Republicans: An entirely new kind of contemptible you hadn't even thought of yet." Just trying to help, really. Mark Morford's latest book is 'The Daring Spectacle: Adventures in Deviant Journalism'. Join Mark on Facebook and Twitter, or email him. His website is markmorford.com. For his yoga classes, workshops and retreats, click markmorfordyoga.com. Mark's column appears every Wednesday on SFGate, and is frequently cross-posted to Huffington Post. To join the notification list for this column, click here and remove one article of clothing. To get on Mark's personal mailing list, click here and remove three more. This column also has an RSS feed and a very handy archive page.SANAA/DUBAI (Reuters) - An Arab coalition bombed a Yemeni industrial site in the capital Sanaa on Tuesday, damaging what the Saudi-led alliance called a workshop making missile parts but which businessmen said were several plants making pipes and building materials. Among the buildings struck was a factory used by Yemen’s Alsonidar Group to make and sell pumps under a long standing arrangement with Italian water specialist company Caprari, both companies said. That strike caused a fire that destroyed half the premises and resulted in several million dollars worth of damage, said Caprari managing director Alberto Caprari. There were no casualties in the attack on the Alsonidar site in al-Rawda district in northern Sanaa, which the Yemeni company said also destroyed a red brick factory and damaged another plant producing metal pipes. The Saudi-led coalition has been supporting an offensive by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government against Iran-allied Houthis who control most of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. In Saudi Arabia, a coalition spokesman said warplanes hit the Alsonidar plant because it “is now becoming a military manufacturing unit specialised in producing pipes Houthis use to assemble local-made missiles.” “This strike was necessary to protect Saudi border cities and eliminate the use of such missiles in Houthis attacks against the Yemeni national army and Yemeni citizens,” it said. “The coalition takes its responsibilities under international humanitarian law seriously, and is committed to the protection of civilians in Yemen.” Caprari said the site was purely civilian. “We are very angry. We have been operating in Yemen with our partner for more than 20 years, helping to produce pumps which are for civilian use,” Caprari said by phone from the company headquarters in the northern Italian city of Modena. “This is a forgotten war. The Gulf nations are taking advantage of the situation and are ruining the industrial fabric of Yemen.” The fighting in Yemen has intensified since U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait ended last month without an agreement. The coalition has been supporting an offensive by Hadi’s supporters aimed at recapturing Sanaa from the Houthi group. The Houthis have in turn been firing rockets across the border into Saudi Arabia, killing and wounding a number of civilians, including several children. The Saudi-owned al-Arabiya satellite channel reported that several field commanders of the Houthi group were killed in an air strike on a cave near the border with Saudi Arabia. There was no immediate comment from the Houthi group on the report.On 6 May 2013, Greta van Susteren told U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that Fox News has information that CIA Director John Brennan has threatened Agency employees who might provide information to Congress regarding the 11 September 2012 raid on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya with polygraphs. Sen. Graham said he had heard the same thing: Van Susteren: We have information that people from the CIA want to come out and testify, but they’ve been told by the CIA director, Brennan, specifically they will be polygraphed if they are tied to this. Do you have any information to corroborate that? Graham: I’ve heard that same story. I know there’s some CIA agents reaching out. They feel frustrated…. The exchange occurs about two minutes into the segment, which may be viewed on-line here. It should be noted that polygraph “testing” has no scientific basis, and polygraph operators can manipulate outcomes to satisfy the wishes of management. Also with regard to Benghazi and polygraphs, on 3 April 2013, former CIA and State Department employee Larry C. Johnson reported on his No Quarter blog in a post titled The CIA Playing Hardball on Benghazi: When I first heard of this from a friend who had first hand knowledge, I was still skeptical. What did I hear? The CIA is conducting weekly polygraphs of officers who work in paramilitary activities (I knew it as Special Activities Division back in my day) and were involved in supporting the operations at Benghazi, Libya last September. So, I asked another friend to run his traps. He reported the same plus that the Intelligence Officers are being pressured to sign an additional Non-Disclosure form. AntiPolygraph.org welcomes any information readers may be able to provide regarding the use or threat of polygraphs to deter whistleblowing.UPDATE 6:58 p.m. ET: Toyota will temporarily stop selling the Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports said the SUV carried an unusually high risk of a rollover accident during certain types of turns. In a statement, the automaker says it will suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own testing. EARLIER: Consumer Reports is warning consumers not to buy the Lexus GX 460 SUV because it is a safety risk, the magazine editors say. Despite
M8 LV80085 LVB00BS LVCH1NK LVCHINK LVMBIG LVMUF LVMYBM LVMYH0 LVMYH0E LVT0FRT LVT0FU LWH0P LWITHU LXIX LXIXME LYFSUX LZS0B LZSTUD M M00N69 M00NER M00NER1 M00NER2 M00NER3 M00NER4 M00NER5 M00NER6 M00NER7 M00NER8 M00NER9 M00NINU M00NME M00NU M00NUM M0BDIK M0EF0E M0EFAUX M0F0 M0F001 M0F01 M0FACKU M0FUGAS M0NX3S M0RBID M0RE6AS M0REBS M0RFIA M0SEX M0SHIT M0THERF M0UNT1 M0UNTEM M0UNTR M0VBISH M0VBTCH M0VURX M0VYRX M14PLAY M16KIL M1N3RSX M69E M69J M82XTC MABVER MACV69 MADASS MADDAS MADDAS1 MADKKK MADTRD MADUSA MAFAKA MAFEA MAFFIA MAFIA MAFIA1 MAFIA2 MAFIA3 MAFIAH MAFIAI MAFIAS MAFIAWR MAFIAX MAFUZZ MAGZ669 MAGZ69 MAIN69 MAKEME MAKLUV MAKUWET MANDY69 MANH0R1 MANH8R MANI8 MANURE MARA13 MARAG10 MARAG1O MARAGI0 MARAUJ0 MARC000 MARC011 MARC6T9 MARCASS MARDE8O MARDENI MARDONI MARIJ MARIJNE MARWANA MARWANU MBARAS MBTCH MCMADAS MCSL0B MDMA MDNJAP MDSTD ME ME0DI0 ME69 ME69U2 ME6U9 MEANMF MEANSX MEAT69 MEATWAD MEB6U9 MEBSER MED0U MEDAG0 MEENMFMEFFUTS MEG0D MEGA69 MELAU MELAYU MEN469 MEN4MEN MENSUCK MENSUK MENTAL MENU69 MERD MERDE MERDEV MERDM MERDR MERWANA MES69 METH METHMAN METR06L MEXDG0 MFBIRD MFCHR MFDVR MFE0 MFFDVR MFFMAN MFKR MFPOSC MFRAT MFUFU MI1O85I MI1TANG MI68U2 MIB0XX MIBICH0 MIBX MICACA MICKFU MICUL0 MIERDA MIFFUTS MIFUKU MIHTUR MILF MILFLVR MIMI96 MINIH0 MINIH0S MIREARS MIS0B MISEZ MISG0D MITWANG MITWUK1 MITY69O MITYROD MITYW0P MIUNIC0 MIVANT1 MIXME12 MIYAK01 MIYAKOI MIYTLKS MIZELLI MIZFUFU MIZFUZZ MIZLAT0 MIZUIR0 MJ069 MKESUX MKGBACN MKNGLU MKNGLUE MLW69 MN4SUC MN4SUCK MN4SUCS MN4SUK MN4SUKS MNJ69 MNKYBUT MNRSCM MNS2HEL MNSUK MNSUX MNUSUK MNYSH0T MNYSHT MOFAUX MPHU0C MPR06UL MQQNEM MR69 MRATE MRBS MRC0P MRHARD MRJEW MRJIZZ MRKSH0E MRKYKE MRLA69 MRPIMP MRS MRSAZZ MRSHEET MRSJEW MRSPSS MRSTIF MRSTUD MRZAZZ MSBITCH MSBITZ MSBTCHY MSCH1NK MSCHINK MSGAY MSHELL MSJEW MSLSD MSMUFF MSP00P MSPIMP MSPISI MSPISSY MSPISY MSPIZ MSS0B MSSRS69 MSSUC MSSUCK MSSUCKS MSSUCS MSSUK MSSUKS MSSUX MSSUXS MSTHNGS MSTRB8 MSTRB8S MSTUD MSUCKS MT69 MTHERF MTR06UL MTR0SXL MTXSUKMTYWHTY MUC0US MUF4FUN MUF4MAN MUFD1VR MUFD5R MUFD5V MUFDIV MUFDIVE MUFDIVR MUFDV MUFDVE MUFDVR MUFDVR1 MUFDYV MUFDYVR MUFF1 MUFFDVR MUFFED MUFFRN MUFFUR MUFHER MUFIS MUFIT MUFJ0B MUFMAN MUFPI MUFPIE MUFUS MUFWEST MUFWETE MUFWRLD MUFYAUT MUFYPIE MUFYTXI MUGGERS MUGUPUQ MUHAIR2 MUHAIRI MUHELER MUKDMUK MUKERJ1 MUKRUPR MULATOE MULATTO MULELIP MUMZA MURDER MUYASS MVEBTCH MVURX MVY0RX MWMNMWM MY MY MY0FB MY48UUP MY4PLAY MY68U2 MYA55 MYAS5 MYASH MYASIN0 MYASS MYAZ MYAZCAR MYB0X MYB0XX MYBACHS MYBUTT MYBX MYD0NK MYDIC MYDICK MYDIK MYDRUG MYDUPA MYEX8U MYFFUTS MYFRUK MYG0D MYGSP0T MYH0 MYH0E MYHEINE MYIMHI MYJAP MYLF MYM0F0 MYPUSI MYPUSSY MYPUSY MYREARS MYS0B MYSHHT MYSHYT MYSLT/GMCSLT MYSPRM MYSQUAW MYSTUD MYSTUDD MYTBIG1 MYTPNS MYTW0P MYTYT MYX8U MYXIH8 MYYANG MZBITCH MZCH1NK MZCHEEB MZCHINK N N N0 N00D N00DE N00KE N00KEE N00KEM N00KEY N00KI N00KIE N00KIE1 N00KIEE N00KIEI N00KM N00KUM N00KY N01BCH N01PIMP N01S0B N01W0P N02F1BS N02FIBS N04N1S N04NBS N05HIT N0ASS N0B1MB0 N0BFD N0BL0W N0BRA N0BS N0BUSH N0BVDS N0CEUM N0CHET N0CHIT N0CHT N0CKERS N0CRACK N0CRAP N0DICK N0F1BSN0FATYS N0FC N0FIBS N0FNWAY N0FUPA2 N0G0D N0GSUS N0H0M0 N0HYPE N0IPIMP N0JAP N0JAPHP N0JAPN N0JPAN N0M0BS N0NE N0NJAP N0NMBR N0NUTS N0NUTZ N0P00P N0PIMP N0PLATE N0SEX N0SH1T N0SHET N0SHIT N0SHK N0SHT N0T0P4U N0TAFIB N0TC N0TFIB N0TGAY N0TJAP N0WUCE N0YFB N0YFC N1CEASH N1CEASS N1CERAK N1GAPLS N1GAPLZ N1P N1PPLE N1SRAK N24PLA N24PLAY N24PLY N2CUFFS N2GIRLS N2GIRLZ N2ME2 N2PSY N2PUSY N2SKIN NA NAAK1D NAAKED NAAKID NADDS NAKADD NAKD NAKID NAKIT NAMBLA NAMTNT NAPALM NAST69 NASTY/AS NATAS NATAS6 NATAS9 NATSI NAWDAM NAY69 NAZ1 NAZI NCP1MP NCPIMP ND1469 NDARAW NDCNT NDNP0NY NDP69 NDSAP NDSENT NE1469 NE146D9 NE146T9 NE14A69 NE14CEX NE14CX NE14SEX NE14SX NE169 NE1Y69 NEDRG NEI469 NEW NEW269 NEWD NEWDE NFNT0FU NGAWHT NGGA NGGR NGYS0B NHEAT NHEET NI2X2N1 NI3URTS NICAS NICASS NICEAS NICEASH NICEASS NICERAK NICNBIG NIG NIGA NIGAPLS NIGAPLZ NIGAWHT NIGER NIGGA NIGGAR NIGGER NIGGIR NIGRIG NIGS NIGSX3 NIGUA NIKKI69, NIL8 NIMF0 NINYFU NIP NIPPL NIPPLE NIPPS NIPT0Y NISBUNS NISBUNZ NISRAC NISRAK NITEBOY NITEGAL NITEJAZNIZBUNZ NIZHORS NJ0YSX NJBAIII NJDEVL8 NKDBCH NKNFU NKNFUT NKNFUTS NKNFUTZ NM4SUX NMBLNTZ NMBNUTS NRIDINK NRSHIT NT2NITE NTCC0P NTEBTCH NUBS NUBSY NUCEEM NUCEM NUCHIE NUCKY NUCKY1 NUCKYI NUD0 NUD04U NUD1ST NUDBCH NUDE NUDE1 NUDEIT NUDERU NUDEST NUDEST1 NUDIE NUDIST NUDST NUFAQ NUGET NUHKEY NUK1NGM NUKCCCP NUKCCP NUKEEM NUKEGM NUKEM NUKEMU NUKEUM NUKEY NUKIE NUKIE1 NUKINGM NUKIRQ NUKIT NUKM NUKNFU NUKNFUT NUKUM NULLPTR NUM0F0 NUMNUTS NUMNUTZ NURFACE NUTBUT NUTDR2B NUUDE NUWDE NVMIB0X NVMYB0X NVMYTA NVY69 NX2SX NXN0UT NYCERAK NYCRAK NYJAP NYMAN69 NYMF0 NYMPH0 NYSBUT OMG ONE1O22 ONE2SK1 ONE4OPP ONE4PLA ONE4SNO ONEMOFO ONENASO ONENESI ONEOL69 ONEREDI ONESPAZ ONESQAW ONEZEEI ONIGIRI ONIMPHO ONISE13 ONJUICE ONLY1CE ONLY35O ONLYBR0 ONLYPRN ONLYSH0 OPECSUX or P000L0C P000NU P000P P00DTNG P00H0NU P00HC P00HL0C P00KIN P00L0CK P00NER P00NR P00NTNG P00P P00P0NU P00PA P00PAS P00PB0X P00PE P00PEA P00PED P00PEE P00PER 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SANDM SANM SAPFU SATAN SATAN1 SATANX SATN SAXMCHN SAXME SAYTEN SCHEENY SCHIZ SCHL0NG SCHMUC SCHNUTZ SCKCAD SCKS2BU SCMNCMN SCR0T0 SCR0TE SCREW SCREWD SCREWIT SCREWME SCREWS SCREWU SCRUIT SCRUIU SCRUU SCRWME SDUCE SE2ABLE SECKS SECS0K SECSCAR SECSUX SEDUCE SEDUCR SEDUCT SEDUSE SEDUSR SEKS0K SEKX0K SELLSX SEMENS SEPPUKU SEX2000 SEX2SEX SEX2XES SEX4ALL SEX4EVR SEX4FEE SEX4FRE SEX4WIL SEX4YOU SEX7 SEXB0Y SEXBUS SEXCH0C SEXCME SEXD0G SEXDV8 SEXER SEXG0D SEXH0G SEXIST SEXKITN SEXMCHN SEXME SEXME2 SEXMEUP SEXN01 SEXN69 SEXNE1 SEXNEI SEXNUT SEXP0T SEXPLAY SEXPRES SEXSEX SEXSEX0K SEXSUK1 SEXSZ SEXT0Y SEXTY9 SEXUAL SEXUUP SEXVAN SEXWAS SEXWAX SEXXEN SEXYBCH SEXYMF SEXZBCH SEXZEEI SEXZEEZ SEXZMEX SEXZUKI SEXZZZI SEXZZZY SEZWHOI SFBALLN SFBALLR SFBICHO SGRDIK SH00TEM SH0L SH0L2 SH0LE SH0T2KL SH0V1T SH0VE1T SH0VEIT SH0VIT SH0WDEM SH0WURS SH1IT SH1T SH1TE SHADUP SHAFU SHAG0N SHAG69 SHAGERN SHAGFU SHAGG SHAGGER SHAGME SHAGR SHAGRN SHAGU SHAGUAR SHAGUR SHAGURN SHAGYA SHAGYA1 SHAGYA2 SHAGYA3 SHAGYA4 SHAGYA5 SHAGYA6 SHAGYA7 SHAGYA8 SHAGYA9 SHAGYAS SHANK SHANKER SHAPNS SHE8ME SHEC01 SHEEC0 SHEEDE SHEEIT SHEEK0 SHEEN1E SHEENE SHEENIE SHEENY SHEETE SHEETI SHEETY SHETEE SHEYT SHFLYS SHGNSHK SHGNWGN SHHHHHT SHHHHT SHHIKN0 SHHIT SHHPNS SHIDDY SHIEK0 SHIKSA SHINHD SHISTIT SHIT SHIT0 SHIT00 SHIT2U SHITB0X SHITE SHITSU SHITTY SHITU SHITUA SHITZ SHITZU SHPNS SHRTSHT SHSABCH SHSABTH SHT SHT/IM/L8 SHT10 SHT2K1LSHT2KIL SHT2KL SHTANT SHTB0DY SHTB0X SHTB0X1 SHTBIN SHTBRD SHTBS SHTBUS SHTBX SHTCAR SHTD0NU SHTDNG SHTDPUX SHTHAP SHTHBD SHTHD SHTHEAD SHTHED SHTHPN SHTHPNS SHTHPNZ SHTHPS SHTKIKR SHTKKR SHTMETL SHTNSAS SHTPNTS SHTR SHTR0C SH
Freddie Mac, and the affordable housing goals of the Clinton and second Bush administrations. The Republican commission members even voted in private to ban phrases like 'Wall Street,''shadow banking,' 'interconnection,' 'deregulation,''magic,' and 'alchemy' from the final report." [Accounting Today, 12/21/10, emphasis added] [back to top] Author Of Top Book On Financial Crisis Says There Is No Evidence For Blaming Either The CRA Or Fannie And Freddie "Bailout Nation" By Barry Ritholtz Was Named Among The "Best Business Books To Make Sense Of [The] Financial Crisis" By USA Today. [USA Today, 12/24/09] Ritholtz Blames Deregulation, Weakened SEC Funding, And Wall Street Practices, But "Could Find No Evidence That [The CRA Was] A Cause Or Even A Minor Factor." From Barry Ritholtz, who wrote the book Bailout Nation about the housing bubble and ensuing financial crisis: When writing Bailout Nation, I tried to steer clear of partisan finger pointing. I kept the focus on what actually occurred, what could be proven mathematically. I blamed Democrats and Republicans - not equally, but in proportion to their actions, and what they did. Unsupported theories, tenuous connection, loose affiliations were not part of the analysis. To be blameworthy, every legislative change, each regulatory failure, any corporate action had to manifest themselves in actual mathematical proof. This led me to ascertain the following 30 year sequence: -Free market absolutism becomes the dominant intellectual thought. -Deregulation of markets, investment houses, and banks becomes a broad goal: This led to Glass Steagall repeal, unfettering of Derivatives, Investing house leverage exemptions, and a new breed of unregulated non bank lenders. -Legislative actions reduce or eliminate much of the regulatory oversight; SEC funding is weakened. -Rates come down to absurd levels. -Bond managers madly scramble for yield. -Derivatives, non-bank lending, leverage, bank size, compensation levels all run away from prior levels. -Wall Street securitizes whatever it can to satisfy the demand for higher yields. -"Lend to securitize" nonbank mortgage writers sell enormous amounts of subprime loans to Wall Street for this purpose. -To meet this huge demand, non bank lenders collapse lending standards (banks eventually follow), leading to a credit bubble. -The Fed approves of this "innovation," ignores risks. -Housing booms... then busts -Credit freezes, the markets collapse, a new recession begins. You will note that the CRA is not part of this sequence. I could find no evidence that they were a cause or even a minor factor. If they were, the housing bubbles would not have been in California or S. Florida or Las Vegas or Arizona - Harlem and South Philly and parts of Chicago and Washington DC would have been the focus of RE bubbles. [The Big Picture, 5/13/10, emphasis added] Ritholtz: "I Have Called Them 'Phoney And Fraudy'" But "Even I Cannot Reconcile Reality With The Movement To" Blame The Crisis On Fannie And Freddie. From Barry Ritholtz' blog The Big Picture: "Nor do I blame Fannie and Freddie. Now understand, there is no love lost between myself and the GSEs. For years, I have called them 'Phoney and Fraudy.' Since George Bush and Hank Paulson nationalized them, I have accused the government of using these two as a backdoor bailout for banks - a hidden PPIP/TARP used to buy all the garbage mortgages that banks are desperate to get off their balance sheets. Longtime readers will recall we very publicly shorted Fannie based upon their fraudulent practices and horrific balance sheet when FNM's stock was in the $40s (it soon after collapsed). But even I cannot reconcile reality with the movement to place all of the world's troubles at the feet of the GSEs. Not, at least, according to the data." [The Big Picture, 5/13/10, emphasis added]Louisville Democratic Sen. Gerald Neal introduced the resolution last Friday during a special session on the state budget. It was adopted without objection in the predominantly Republican chamber. Neal said that Paul's extreme beliefs have made Kentucky "a laughing stock." Rand Paul made the comments during an MSNBC interview. In it, he criticized the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Paul said in an MSNBC interview that he did "not like the idea" of telling private business what it should or should not do, including, for example, forcing restaurants to serve minorities. business owners don't want to Later, Paul stated that criticisms that the Obama Administration made of oil giant BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill were "un-American." This is despite the fact that many Americans are upset over bailouts made to large corporations by both the Bush and Obama administrations, in addition to being upset with BP. The Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, said the following on Fox News Sunday after Paul's remarks, "I believe his philosophy is misplaced in these times. I don't think it's where the country is right now." Paul received criticism from both sides of the aisle after his statement regarding the Civil Rights Act. For some, the remark smacked of blatant racism. For others, it was simply a reflection of Paul's Libertarian leaning, but made without filtering for the reality of the times. Written by Michael Santo HULIQ.comThe Fallout Cascadia project is an upcoming new world-space mod for Fallout 4, and is being touted as having ‘more quests and locations’ than the game’s official Far Harbor DLC. When the first three DLC packs for Fallout 4 were first announced, Bethesda stated that the Far Harbor expansion was the largest add-on that the company has ever created. Those claims turned out to be accurate as the expansion features 20 hours of content, as well as a new landmass so big that it takes 30 minutes just to walk across. But if the claims of an ambitious new mod project are to believed, then Fallout 4‘s Far Harbor expansion is going to be dwarfed by this new mod. Titled Fallout Cascadia, this mod is an ambitious expansion that will take players to a brand new landmass set in Seattle that’s “just a bit smaller than Fallout 3,” and will feature “more quests and locations than Fallout 4‘s Far Harbor DLC.” The mod will be a standalone adventure that will be set decades after Fallout 4, and will not only feature the city, but also the surrounding areas of Mercer Island, Redmond, Bellvue, as well as forests and airports. Since this mod is set well after Fallout 4, a new save file will be required, and players won’t have the option to travel to and from the Boston Commonwealth. Development of Fallout Cascadia started six months ago with a team of 18 members, and work has since been ramped up with the release of the Fallout 4 Creation Kit. Aside from a couple of screenshots, not much is currently known about the mod’s story, but interested modders and gamers can offer up their services towards the expansion’s development over at the project’s Tumblr page. While the Far Harbor expansion was no slouch in giving players additional Fallout content, several PlayStation 4 owners have reported some major performance issues related to the DLC. Considering how ambitious the Fallout Cascadia mod is aiming to be, there could be a risk that the expansion could run into similar issues. With the release date for the mod still unconfirmed, hopefully the 18-member team will be able to iron out any bugs before releasing the expansion. The development team has stated that Fallout Cascadia will be made available on the game’s Nexus website and Bethesda.net for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, although there is currently no guarantee that the mod will work on consoles. We will keep you posted on the mod’s progress, as well as any Fallout 4 related news and announcements. Fallout 4 and its Far Harbor DLC are out now and available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Source: Fallout Cascadia – Tumblr (via VG24/7)Advertisement Shooter at large after two men fatally shot in West Palm Beach Wife of victim speaks out Share Shares Copy Link Copy A West Palm Beach woman whose husband was killed over the weekend wants everyone to know what a wonderful husband and father he was.Erica McCartney gave her only television interview to WPBF 25 News reporter Ari Hait on Monday night."Carlton died doing what he loved to do: helping somebody," McCartney said with tears in her eyes.Carlton McCartney, 42, was killed early Saturday morning. He had just finished helping a friend move from his West Palm Beach home and was walking out the door with Sean Latiff, 19, when the two were shot and killed.Carlton McCartney was carrying party favors he had bought earlier in the day for his son's first birthday, which is next week."They shot him when he was walking out with the decorations," his wife said. "And that broke me."The shooter remains at large, authorities said.Erica McCartney is certain her husband was not the gunman's target. He was just months away from completing his master's degree.McCartney was active in his church's youth ministry. He had four children: three daughters and a son."Every day, every night, I ask God why," Erica McCartney said. "Because it's not fair."Now, I have to bury my husband," she continued. "I had to go today to pick a plot and I wasn't supposed to, not at this age. I wanted to grow old with him."Erica McCartney said she will make sure her husband's children know everything about their father and know how much he loved them.Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-458-TIPS.On Monday night, early renderings of a potential mixed-use development at the corner of Ocean and Capitol avenues in Ingleside were released to a packed room at the Ingleside Public Library. In the current proposal, four structures at 1601-1633 Ocean Ave would be torn down and replaced with 54 market-rate units and six affordable housing units in a four-story tall building. The development would also include 27 parking spaces and four retail spaces on the ground floor. The proposal is the latest in a string of plans to develop the buildings on the corner of Ocean and Capitol avenues. Plans to develop the lots have been filed going back to 2005. Between 2005 and 2009, property owners filed at least four different plans for housing developments on the same corner, according to city records. Each time, the developments were stopped. A packed room greeted the developers behind 1601 Ocean Avenue. \| Photo: Will Carruthers/Hoodline In November 2014, TJ Development bought the lots for $6.7 million and offered tenants leases of 12 to 18 months with no option of renewal, according to the Chronicle. The development team—represented by two architects from SIA Consulting and two representatives of TJ Development—argued that their plans would bring greater density and more foot traffic to the commercial corridor. However, residents were concerned that eight businesses currently on the corner would be displaced, changing the character of the neighborhood. "It's so painful to see all this development happening, especially in this area," said Miles Escobedo, an Ingleside native and owner of the Ocean Ale House at 1314 Ocean Avenue. "We're dealing with family-owned businesses that have a particular legacy in this neighborhood." Two other recent mixed-use development on Ocean Avenue––280 Brighton Ave and Avalon Bay––felt different because they were built on previously empty lots, Escobedo added. One business owner said that the being forced to leave would "delete his goals and dreams." “We've haven't had any promises of assistance or promises to relocate,” said Yony Recinos, who has owned A-1 Shoe Repair at 1611 Ocean Avenue for 15 years. "My business is struggling, but I really want to stay in the area. It took me 15 years to be what I am." Brian Bauer, project manager for TJ Development, said that promises could not be made for existing commercial residents. He added that if one of the current businesses could afford the new space, it would be good business to deal with a local company. "We're earnestly trying to work with you. All those extra units are extra business, those are [people] that service the retail stores," Bauer said, adding that many of the current businesses were "anemic." Ocean Avenue today. Reza Khoshevisan, one of the architects on the design team from SIA Consulting, estimated that the project is two years or two and half years away from completion, depending on whether or not plans are approved and construction occurs on schedule. Responding to concerns on how the project would impact neighbors, SIA Consulting's architects said that the eight outreach meetings about its design for 280 Brighton Ave had resulted in "considerable changes" to the designs. Khoshevisan said the design team had already responded to feedback from the Planning Department and District 7 Supervisor Norman Yee, whose reelection campaign had previously rented out space from the developers at 1601 Ocean Avenue. Changes made included splitting the ground-floor commercial space into four smaller spaces and added 3-bedroom units. However, Yee's relationship with the development team has raised eyebrows. Between May and October 2016, Yee's reelection campaign had rented a 1,950 square foot retail space at 1601 Ocean Avenue for $1,071 a month from TJ Developments, according to campaign filings. At approximately 55 cents per square foot, the rate was far below market rate. “A discount of this magnitude raises serious questions about what special favors his developer landlord might expect,” Ben Matranga, one of Yee's opponents for District 7 Supervisor, told the Ingleside-Excelsior Light back in October 2016.WASHINGTON -- A high-level military advisory panel is set to recommend that the armed services overturn its policy barring women from serving in combat roles, a step that would remove a key structural barrier for women trying to advance their military careers. Women currently make up 14.6 percent of the active-duty military. Since 2001, 137 female service members have been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 1994, women have been barred from serving in units at the level of battalion and below that engage in direct ground combat. A draft report by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, a group established by Congress in 2009, concludes that the current policy is outdated and discriminatory. Commissioners include 24 senior retired and active-duty members of the military, in addition to leaders in the business community and academia. "The Commission recommends that DoD and Services remove a structural barrier for women," reads the report, which commissioners met to review Thursday and Friday. "The current DoD and Service policies barring women from direct ground combat career fields and assignments have been in place since the early 1990s. As previously described, these policies constitute a structural barrier that keeps women from entering the tactical career fields associated with promotion to flag/general officer grades and serving in career enhancing assignments. The Commission considered four strands of argument related to rescinding the policies." In many ways reflecting the debate over allowing gay men and women to serve openly, the commission's draft language rejected the argument that integrating combat forces would hurt unit morale and cohesion, saying that experience does not bear out that claim: First, the Commission addressed arguments related to readiness and mission capability. One frequently-cited argument in favor of the current policy is that having women serving in direct combat will hamper mission effectiveness by hurting unit morale and cohesion. Comparable arguments were made with respect to racial integration, but were ultimately never borne out. Similarly, to date, there has been little evidence that the integration of women into previously- closed units or occupations has had a negative impact on important mission-related performance factors, like unit cohesion.... Furthermore, a study by the Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (2009) actually found that a majority of focus group participants felt that women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a positive impact on mission accomplishment. Additionally, panel members on this topic at an MLDC meeting cited the need to bring to bear all talent: The blanket restriction for women limits the ability of commanders in theater to pick the most capable person for the job. The National Organization for Women first passed a resolution supporting women acting in combat roles in 1990. "Women in the military are exposed to the same kind of dangers that combat service exposes a soldier to, but the difference is that the women are not getting combat pay, and they're not getting combat-related opportunities for promotion," NOW President Terry O'Neill said in an interview with The Huffington Post. "So it's only fair to recognize that women belong, as much as men do, in combat units." Joe Davis, director of public affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his organization has no resolution opposing or supporting the women in combat issue. "The current DOD policy is to not assign women to combat units, yet irregular warfare, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, places those in combat support or combat-service support units in just as much risk as the infantry," Davis said. "Regardless of what the commission recommends, this issue will be an open debate for some time." Marty Callaghan, the media director at the American Legion, said that while they have not yet taken a position on the draft report, last summer at its national convention, members passed a resolution saying the Legion would "initiate efforts to encourage the repeal of the Department of Defense's policy governing the assignment of women in combat situations." The commission's report is expected out in March. "DOD will look at the recommendation and go from there," Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan said. "We'll see what the nature of the report is when it's done."Georgia’s Sixth District election: American workers and immigration enforcement not a priority Candidates have apparent similar positions: It doesn’t look good for immigration enforcement in Georgia’s special election Unsurprisingly, national attention being given the tight special election here in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District to replace Dr. Tom Price has so far overlooked the immigration issue. Some insight on Republican candidate Karen Handel now may save some surprised disappointment from immigration skeptics when the June 20 runoff is over. While it is mostly ignored by the GOP faithful in Georgia – where we host more illegal aliens than Arizona – Republican candidate Karen Handel’s position is much closer to Paul Ryan than to Steve King. Shorter: So far, she’s a squish. Handel’s opponent, Democrat Jon Ossoff, working on a campaign budget surpassing $8 million and counting, has predictably, but quietly, taken the standard pro-amnesty position one would expect. “The only real solution is comprehensive immigration reform that secures our borders and provides a path to legal status for non-felons who are here without proper legal documentation,” Ossoff told the audience at a pre-primary candidate forum covered by the liberal Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper. At the same event, former Secretary of State Handel offered a similar and decidedly ambiguous statement on legalization that echoes the “yes, immigration and victims of borders are a problem, but we’ll talk about it later…” response so familiar to those tuned in to the Republican House establishment. “These immigrants have come to our country and blatantly disregarded our laws,” she said. “We cannot, we should not reward that. No amnesty. No ability to vote. Get those borders secure and then deal with that situation. I’m not prepared to talk about hypothetical.” The “path to legal status” from Ossoff and Handel’s “no ability to vote” is notable in that it sounds like both may be getting some experienced guidance from the “it’s not amnesty if they don’t immediately become Democrat voters” incremental-path-to-citizenship faction of the Gang of Eight crowd. It is easy to imagine the marches protesting “second class citizenship!” and “no taxation without representation!” that would quickly follow passage of a non-citizenship amnesty. On the “issues” page of her campaign website, Handel has a paragraph on immigration that omits any mention of E-Verify but supports the promised Trump border wall and improving the “reliability of temporary visas.” But it seems that she is on the side of the Chamber of Commerce regarding the beleaguered American workers. She is actually campaigning on creating “a viable guest worker program” and assures us she believes “we should be welcoming of those who wish to migrate to our great country.” Handel doesn’t say how many wishful migrants we should welcome – maybe all of them? BTW: “The current immigration system is broken.” Sound familiar? Recently endorsed by the Georgia and U.S. Chambers of Commerce, Handel, former CEO of metro-Atlanta’s North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, has a much more detailed section on her website when it comes to “Jobs and the Economy.” There is no mention of E-Verify there either, but we do get this: “I believe that the only way we can grow our economy at a more robust pace is through lower taxes and fewer regulations.” Along with Georgia’s corporate-funded anti-enforcement GALEO and the ACLU, the Georgia Chamber actively opposed 2011 state level E-Verify legislation. The U.S. Chamber joined La Raza, the SPLC, and a host of open borders, identity politics groups in unsuccessfully challenging Arizona’s 2007 immigration crackdown in the Supreme Court. Handel, who has raised more than a million dollars since the April 18 non-partisan primary, declined to respond to the NumbersUSA candidate survey on immigration and mailed out an issues survey of her own asking 6th district voters what the issues were – without any mention of immigration. We have actually heard GOP voters express the hope that if she is successful in replacing now HHS Secretary Tom Price and the Republicans keep the now purple 6th District, Handel will move to the right and adopt a more pro-American worker and beneficial immigration policy position after she is sworn in. Maybe President Trump asked her about that while he was here in Atlanta for a Handel fundraiser Friday.At the dawn of human spaceflight, we weren’t even sure people would be able to eat in space. Today, we’ve moved on to bigger questions like, “what happens to your brain in space?” This is what researchers at the University of Michigan wanted to know when they scanned the brains of a few dozen astronauts. They found some interesting, consistent changes to the shape of the brain. The study used MRI scans of a total of 26 astronauts. 12 of them were in space for just two weeks on shuttle missions back before that program was cancelled. The remaining 14 were on the International Space Station for as long as six months. Interestingly, all the subjects experienced the same additions and losses of gray matter (the outer layer of brain tissue), but the extent of the effect varied based on how long they were in a weightless environment. The team saw in the MRI images a consistent loss of gray matter across all subjects. This was chalked up to the way microgravity affects the body itself. Without the pull of gravity, cerebrospinal is not pulled down the spinal cord. This leads to a “puffy” appearance that astronauts tend to get. It may also cause a shift in brain density from compression. The University of Michigan team believes the expansions of gray matter in certain regions is due to actual activities in space and how the brain copes with them. Parts of the brain that control and process sensory input from the lower extremities had marked growth in all study participants, even those who were in space for only a short time. The researchers believe this is due to the brain essentially re-learning how to move the legs in freefall, and astronauts are experiencing this every moment they are in space. The study does not indicate whether the changes in the brain actually result in different functionality. For that, cognitive and motor tests would need to be administered before and after spaceflight. That’s on the agenda for future studies. U of M researchers also want to determine if these brain changes are permanent or if they’ll be reduced over time once back on Earth. This is currently an open question, as most of those in the shorter exposure group were in space back in the Space Shuttle days. A better understanding of astronaut brains could help scientists figure out how neuroplasticity works. That may have a profound effect on treating neurological disease here on Earth.The Lies We Tell Ourselves Life is full of illusions. We all need them to survive: Hard work and honesty really do guarantee success, we tell ourselves; I really am indispensable at work. But illusions seem particularly abundant in politics, policy, and governments’ behavior — where they do more harm than good. On the domestic side, illusions keep turning up like weeds in a flower garden. Hardcore Democrats and Republicans believe that their respective parties have all the answers to what ails America, Tea Partiers yearn to recreate an America that is no longer practical or possible, GOP ideologues hype a fiscal fix that can somehow avoid both tax increases and entitlement reform, and Barack Obama’s supporters and detractors respectively think he’s either one of the greatest American presidents or the latest manifestation of Satan’s finger on Earth. Idealized conceptions of reality have long characterized American foreign policy, too. Here is a collection of my favorites, which have marked Democratic and Republican administrations alike. "American foreign policy must be principled and consistent." It’s not and rarely is. We have upheld our principles in the past, and we will do so again in the future. But the world is just too complicated, the need for flexibility is too imperative, and American interests are too diverse ever to imagine doing so all the time. Even consistently supporting a set of general principles — freedom and democracy, say — is a bridge too far. We support an Arab Spring in Egypt (at least in the beginning), but not in strategically located countries like Bahrain; we intervene in Libya and overthrow the evil Muammar al-Qaddafi, but won’t intervene in Syria to get rid of the equally evil Bashar al-Assad. We can talk to jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan who have the blood of Americans on their hands — but we’d never consider engaging with Hamas or Hezbollah. Contradictions and hypocrisy are part of the job description of every great power — and many smaller ones too. We can try to iron out the bumps, but holding out hope for consistency and principle? Give me a break. I’d be happy if every Democratic and Republican administration would mean what they say, say what they mean, and think carefully about the consequences of America’s actions before they acted. "The key question for U.S. action is: ‘Can we do it?’" There are bigger questions to ask. Too many times we act because we can, without thinking through the consequences or the objectives of what we’re doing. We embark on massive nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan and try to make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Because hey, why not? We’re America, and we need to fix things. But capacity is hardly the only variable, particularly when military force is involved. There are at least three other central questions that need to be debated before we launch ourselves into any endeavor — political or military. What are we doing it for? Should we be doing it? And what will it cost? These questions are the holy trinity of foreign policy. Answering them won’t guarantee success, but we have a better chance of reducing the odds of failure if we ask them. For a country now emerging from its two longest — and arguably among its most profitless — wars, they are now more imperative than ever. "Trying and failing is better than not trying at all." Not necessarily. The notion — to quote both former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State John Kerry — that there’s nothing wrong with being caught trying really is in need of some serious work. The old college try is precisely that — it’s appropriate for the Michigan Wolverines (Go Blue), but it’s not a substitute for the foreign policy of the world’s greatest power. Failure has costs. So does inaction, to be sure. The two have to be constantly weighed against one another, and a balance has to be found. There is no way to guarantee success — but if you’re basing your approach on a wing and a prayer (see: the Iraq war, the 2000 Camp David peace summit, the Geneva peace talks on Syria), you’re headed for trouble. Even the Camp David and Geneva talks might have been OK if we had some sort of plan B. But we didn’t, and left the kind of vacuum that leads folks to believe (correctly) that we don’t know what we’re doing. "Domestic politics and foreign policy should never mix." Sure they do, and they must. Diplomats are generally purists on this subject: They hate domestic politics, and many also can’t stand Congress. They view politics as a dirty affair compromising the nation’s true interests, which only the foreign-policy elite can understand. This is ridiculous. Domestic politics matters even in authoritarian societies — who are we kidding to think it doesn’t matter in a democracy, particular one in which power is diffused? In a democracy, a sustainable foreign policy depends on a sustainable domestic consensus. And that consensus is in turn shaped by many factors in our system — public opinion, interest groups, lobbies, and the media. It’s a competition, really — and it’s in the very nature of our system. Get over it. Whining about domestic lobbies (see: AIPAC) makes little sense, as does blasting presidents when they turn to domestic politics because they have other priorities other than Middle East peace. Indeed, strong and willful presidents pursuing smart policies can hold their own — even trump domestic pressures. "It’s the 21st century: Doesn’t the rest of the world get it?" No they don’t. And it’s perfectly understandable why. When Kerry talks about Russian President Vladimir Putin behaving in a 21st century world as if he were still living in the 19th century, I wonder if we really get it. America may not pay attention to history and geography, but other nations are bound by them. 9/11 notwithstanding, we are detached from the cruelties of the world in a way no other great power has ever been. We may ascribe to the notion that all countries have a stake in one another’s success in this newly globalized world, and that concerns over political identity, survival, national honor, and dignity are relics of some long-forgotten world when dinosaurs walked the Earth. But just ask the Iranians, the Palestinians, the Egyptians, the Israelis, the Turks, or the Chinese whether they’ve gotten over the past and feel as secure and upbeat as we do in this supposedly reformed world. I think the world is actually getting better and that the present has been informed positively by the lessons of history. But that doesn’t mean the transition is complete or that the past doesn’t cast a long shadow over the behavior of other nations or leaders. "American exceptionalism is dead." No it’s not. It’s just not for export. Travellers to the United States in the 19th century, from Alexis de Tocqueville to Lord Bryce, reported the obvious: America was different from Europe. It is unique, really — and that’s still true today. Three elements define American exceptionalism: The detachment and physical security that two oceans and weak neighbors provide, our physical size and abundance of resources, and a political system based on the idea that individuals really do matter and that they can advance by virtue of their merit. No other democracy in the world today could have elected a man of color and made him the most powerful leader in the world. The Brits couldn’t elect a man of color to lead them; nor could the French, the Australians, or the Israelis. None of this makes us morally superior, nor the keepers of g ood governance. But it can position us well to be a force for good in the world. What we need to understand is that our exceptionalism is idiosyncratic: It cannot be shipped abroad as a model for others to follow. We get ourselves into trouble when we lecture the rest of the world about how they should try to be like us and follow what has worked for us. The best we can do is to use our power to help create an environment in which countries are free to make their own choices consistent with their values, history, and geography. And as we now see with Ukraine and Syria, that’s easier said than done. * * * I’m under no illusion that we’re going to give up our illusions anytime soon. Most of these flow from the most basic of conditions — who we are, or at least who we think we are, and our own conception of America. These kinds of things don’t change easily, or sometimes at all. We’re preternaturally optimistic, hypocritically principled, convinced we’re morally superior, incredibly judgmental, and at times quite pragmatic. This mix can make us insufferable, endearing — and quite influential, too. Indeed, when we articulate a clear foreign-policy objective, get the means and ends right, are risk-ready, and don’t allow our aims to exceed our capacity, we can actually accomplish quite a bit (see: Jimmy Carter’s mediation for an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, or Bush 41’s Iraq war). But who are we kidding? Those are the exceptions not the rule. Most of the time, we’re flapping around and just trying to get by — caught up in a world that’s largely beyond our capacity to control. We may wish it weren’t so, but I think many of us are secretly relieved that our days of trying to save the world are over — at least for a while.Right Sector threats succeed again in Kiev, this time limiting the rights of Ukraine's LGBT community. The West however remains silent As reported a few days ago, Right Sector has demanded cancellation of Kiev’s gay pride parade due on 6th June 2015 and has threatened to disperse it by force if it goes ahead. In face of these threats what did Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitschko do? Another famous victory for the heroes of Maidan Did he report Right Sector’s threats of violence against peaceful citizens who want to parade peacefully to Kiev’s prosecution service and police? Did he publicly complain about Right Sector’s blackmail and demand action against them? Did he say that putting public pressure on him to ban a peaceful parade was totally unacceptable? Did he in fact do any of the things one might expect from a world champion boxer, a hero of Maidan, a protege of Germany’s CDU and the toast of Berlin (where gay pride parades are so much the fashion)? No, what he did was ask the organisers of the parade to call it off. What about the Western media, vigilant defenders as they are of LGBT rights everywhere but especially in Russia? Are they loudly denouncing Right Sector for its homophobia and Klitschko for his weakness? No. They are saying nothing.The global hacktivist collective Anonymous called for a boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) movement against the United States in an effort to take down the Trump administration. In the statement posted online late Monday, accompanied by a video of clips of President Trump's campaign, Anonymous called on countries, entities and individuals to "establish travel bans on United States citizens, boycott U.S. made products, divest of U.S. or Trump-related business interests, and apply sanctions on the Trump regime and all of its associates until the danger the United States today possesses against the world is resolved." "Reciprocity measures must be enacted against the United States to challenge its shameless actions under the Trump regime. Global response must also come in the form of economic sanctions on products directly associated with the Trump corporate brand," the statement continued. "As citizens of the world we must unite against tyranny wherever it emerges and challenge it. As Trump reveals himself to be a danger not just for the U.S. but the rest of the international community it is our right to protect and defend ourselves from the madness of rogue entity with no regard for international law, human rights, or common decency." Public discontent with Trump among self-identified Anonymous hackers has increased in the first days of the new administration, with members of the collective posting a guide on how to hack the unsecured Android phone Trump still uses and members warning others that an executive order on internet security is forthcoming. Since the election, though, Anonymous has warned that the group is poised to release damaging information on the president. "You have financial and personal ties with Russian mobsters, child traffickers, and money launderers," a heavily followed Anonymous account tweeted at Trump on Jan. 15. "This isn't the '80s any longer, information doesn't vanish, it is all out there. You are going to regret the next 4 years." In response to Trump proclaiming his inauguration day the National Day of Patriotic Devotion, Anonymous declared a National Day of Resistance, proclaiming, "A new humanity stirs the Anonymous hearts and inspires the Anonymous actions. We are united as one and divided by zero." After Acting Attorney General Sally Yates was fired by Trump on Monday evening, Anonymous called on federal employees to go rogue: "To all U.S. government officials: It should now be abundantly clear you're working for a fascist. Resist. Refuse. Leak documents. We need you," tweeted a high-traffic Anonymous account. In the new BDS call, Anonymous asked "the international community from all backgrounds and ideologies, across social stratas and religions, to resist the madness leaking out of the United States." "We call for the creation of global boycotts against U.S.-made products, we call on you to contact your representatives and members of parliament and congress to apply sanctions on the Trump regime, we call on you to take part in divestment of U.S. shares," the statement continued. "BDS the US until the maleficent Trump regime is brought to justice."Image caption India is seen as a growth market for smartphone and mobile devices India has said it will delay a ban on Blackberry devices for 60 days while it reviews proposals from the gadget's maker, Research in Motion (RIM). A ban had been threatened from Tuesday, as India said its security services needed greater access to encrypted services. It wants the ability to monitor secure e-mail and instant messaging services provided by the firm. RIM has said it will support the country's need for "lawful access". But it maintains that it does not do "specific deals" with countries. The firm said earlier that it had offered to "lead an industry forum focused on supporting the lawful access needs of law enforcement agencies". It said that the forum - which would include other telecoms firms - would work with the Indian government to develop "policies and processes aimed at preventing the misuse of strong encryption technologies". Scramble India, along with many other countries, believes the device and the Blackberry infrastructure used by business customers are a threat to national security. The country fears the device could be used by militants and insurgents in a repeat of the 2008 attack on Mumbai that left 166 people dead. Blackberry handsets automatically scramble messages and send them to servers in Canada and other countries. Authorities have said they want access to these messages and
be the “real one.” And these former staff will also relaunch the official Suprbay forum, though, the “new” torrent engine is no longer listing Suprbay in its links section. To cause a little more havoc, due to Pirate Bay’s prolonged downtime, various spin-offs made their way into light and accumulated millions of visitors with a steady userbase. Such as Isohunt’s OldPirateBay.org domain, which is currently the largest and most active version which has earned itself the number one search term for Pirate Bay in Google. Another major change is The Pirate Bay’s hosting provider. In the past, The Pirate Bay used their own self-built hosting solutions, then they moved across a number of hosts, then to their own virtual machines among various other solutions. Now The Pirate Bay is running on CloudFlare, a web performance and security company. The change is huge as CloudFlare is based right in the heart of the United States (San-Francisco), a country that is not fond of The Pirate Bay or copyright violations. As CloudFlare still requires the site to be run on a backend webhost, The Pirate Bay’s hosting solution remains masked by CloudFlare for the moment, but it will be interesting to see what will come of The Pirate Bay, CloudFlare and the law. What will come of the Pirate Bay’s reopening will be seen in time. One thing is for sure, there is a lot of decision making to be done among users and staffers.The Sept. 24 stampede in the Saudi Arabian city of Mina during the hajj pilgrimage has become another fault line in the Middle East’s most contentious rivalry. Iran, which suffered 464 deaths in the tragedy, had one of the highest death tolls. The Associated Press reports total fatalities of 2,177, a figure disputed by Saudi officials, who place the number at 769. Most troublesome for Iran, 28 individuals are still unaccounted for, including Iran’s former ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will raise the issue with both the United Nations and the International Red Cross, according to Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs. Abdollahian said Iranian hajj officials have inquired about Roknabadi’s status to Saudi officials and the Saudi charge d'affairs in Tehran has also been asked about the matter. Roknabadi’s brother, Morteza, said in a Nov. 4 interview with IR Diplomacy that Zarif had written a letter to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir inquiring about Ghazanfar Roknabadi’s status. Morteza Roknabadi said he did not know if a response has been given. The article said that, given Ghazanfar Roknabadi’s history, “Speculation about his abduction is not far from expectations.” Roknabadi was the target of a 2013 bombing at Iran’s embassy in Lebanon and some Iranian media have accused Saudi Arabia of kidnapping the former ambassador to interrogate him about Iran’s activities in Lebanon, where Saudi Arabia and Iran compete for influence. The suspect in the 2013 bombing was a Saudi national belonging to al-Qaeda. A day after being taken to a military hospital in Lebanon, the suspect died, reportedly of kidney disease. Morteza said that the last time any Iranian official had seen his brother alive was when Ghazanfar was put into an ambulance belonging to Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry. According to an official who works with the Iranian hajj organization, rescue workers had tried to put another Iranian in the ambulance along with Roknabadi, but the driver would not permit it. Morteza Roknabadi said Saudi security and plainclothes officials had arrived at the scene immediately; some helped with the rescue effort while others surveyed the scene. Saudi officials have not publicly addressed Ghazanfar Roknabadi's situation, but Saudi-funded Al Arabiya said that, according to Saudi sources, Roknabadi had entered the country under a false name. Tensions over the stampede have become so high that when Iranian and Saudi officials are in the same room, arguments erupt. During a Nov. 3 meeting of Islamic culture ministers in Muscat, Oman, the Saudi and Iranian ministers exchanged accusations against one another. Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati has said the hajj pilgrimage should not be limited to Saudi management and has called for each country to manage its own hajj affairs. Saudi Culture Minister Adel al-Tarifi said Iran was turning a cultural issue into a political one. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged Iranian officials to continue to raise the issue of the stampede and seek answers. He also claimed that, contrary to other reports, 7,000 people were killed in the stampede.As an avid young reader, I tore through every Nancy Drew book — both the originals and the cheap paperback updates — twice, experiencing my favorites up to five or six times. Even more sacred was my semi-annual ritual of re-experiencing all of L.M. Montgomery’s major novels, including the entire eight-book Anne of Green Gables series, alternating with my personal favorite, Emily of New Moon, and its two sequels. For weeks I would go back to Prince Edward Island and dwell with those characters. This journey was supplemented by a solemn re-reading of The Lord of the Rings every four or five years, an experience so intense that my dreams would begin to look like Peter Jackson’s set designs, even before those designs existed. As I got older, I switched out some of these childhood classics for adult ones, going back through the “Austen six” again and again, while also making a point of re-watching my favorite Austen miniseries and the Lord of the Rings films in marathon fashion. Yet the last Austen novel I re-read was in early 2010 — two apartments, three jobs, and five years ago. Until this week, I hadn’t sat down and re-read a favorite book for pleasure since, and my re-watching had slowed to a trickle, too. I have given up a treasured part of my cultural life, a staple since I was in elementary school. So why did I stop? And what have I lost? The answer to the first question is complicated. The obvious, superficial, answer is time and priorities. Those re-reading binges of childhood and even college were enabled by long summers, school vacations, family trips. And they offered a pleasant reprieve from the stresses of class-required reading and writing, a chance to reclaim those activities for myself. Now, almost all the reading I do is for a different homework — the social kind. Even popular series like The Hunger Games and the Sookie Stackhouse series make my reading list at least partly to keep me “up on the conversation.” I walk around with a stack of books I “need” to read, as well as a full Instapaper queue and a stream of essays, articles, and stories by friends that I genuinely want to read to help them evaluate and offer support. And when I am reading for pleasure, I’m often tearing through new books, hoping to find “the one” that will remind me of reading a Montgomery book or an Austen book, and coming up short (well, with the lone recent exception of Ferrante). I’ve come to understand that I’ll rarely experience that first rush of discovery again, and perhaps that’s the problem with re-reading. It reminds us both of where we’ve been and where we can’t go again. Once, when I was in elementary school, I sat on my carpet and grabbed Little House on the Prairie, looking forward to an indulgent re-read. But I couldn’t do it — it was too clearly written for children, too simple. It no longer had the power it once had to pull me into its world. That feeling explains the trepidation that accompanied my downloading Emily of New Moon onto my Nook this week. It’s a sophisticated children’s book, sophisticated because it’s thematically preoccupied with the question that brought me to its pages. In fact, its heroine regularly reconsiders her own poetry and diary entries and burns them, seeing them as trash, when months ago she thought they were resplendent. It never stops. Emily spends most of the book writing out her frustrations in letters to her dead father, “But when she again tried to write a letter to her father she found that it no longer meant anything to her…. A certain door of life was shut behind her and could not be reopened.” Re-reading Emily itself provides that reminder of doors that have been shut behind me. The book once seemed dense, and now it seems light. But it also gave me insights I didn’t expect. As Nabokov famously said, The element of time does not really enter in a first contact with a painting. In reading a book, we must have time to acquaint ourselves with it. We have no physical organ (as we have the eye in regard to painting) that takes in the whole picture and then can enjoy its details. But at a second, or third, or fourth reading we do, in a sense, behave towards a book as we do towards a painting. A re-read allows us to fly over the pages and absorb more of the secondary meaning of the book, rather than just its initial plot, characters, structures. But it also means a suspension of our willing disbelief, an understanding that what we’re seeing is a false creation. Anyone who has seen his or her favorite band in concert multiple times on the same tour might recognize such a feeling. The first show you’re too euphoric to hear anything but the music and see anything but the showmanship; the second show you start to notice the choreography of certain moments, the little things the roadies are doing to make the show seem effortless, the way the singer sounds strained. You know a bit more about the band’s way of working and being, but the curtain of magic has been lifted. This time while reading Emily of New Moon, I recognized every single minor character, every event, and relished re-encountering them. Yet something changed, too: I found myself thinking less about the novel’s heroine, while being more and more curious about the novel’s author, about both the idealism and bitterness she put onto the page, how she accomplished her tone, and what her emotional and literary sources were. In other words, I saw Emily more as a crafted construction than as I used to see her, which was as a friend and spirit guide. But that doesn’t mean the book lost its healing or inspirational power for me; rather, that power’s locus had changed. The power came not from the story itself, but from the writer’s ability to create such a singular and charming heroine, down to details like Emily’s high forehead and overactive imagination. Similarly, when I get teary at the end of Pride and Prejudice after four or five reads, it’s not because Lizzy is so amazing or because she and Darcy are finally together — in fact, I see her faults quite clearly now. Instead it’s because I’m amazed that Jane Austen created them, moved them around, and made me still care, even if I see the strings being pulled. Re-reading offers something that few other cultural experiences do, really: a mix of gentle stability and sharp new insight. In childhood, “as we become accustomed to a world in which change is the only real constant, the familiarity of the book at bedtime is something to cling to. Adults aren’t immune to those feelings, either,” Hephzibah Anderson wrote last year. “Except that often, that’s not quite the case. We notice fresh details. Our interpretations change as we evolve.” Throughout My Life in Middlemarch, Rebecca Mead writes about how with each read of her favorite book, her character identifications and sympathies change. Indeed, re-reading means constantly assessing one’s own growth and loss of previous innocence, which can be spiritually gratifying but also painful. But that mix of ease with struggle, of nestling into the familiar while learning hard truths, is the core of any kind of spiritually infused practice, whether it’s meditation or a creative pursuit. Taking the time to re-experience the art we loved best in our past can be a way of spending time with ourselves, and though its rewards are mostly unseen, that may make them all the more important to seek out. Now that I’m done with the first Emily book, I plan to re-read the whole series, and try to work my favorite books back into my life, without being afraid of losing “productive” time.The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Swiss Supervisory Markets Authority, FINMA, on Wednesday announced penalties totaling $3.4 billion (2.7 billion euros) following probes into foreign exchange rigging. The fines were imposed on US banks JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, as well as on Britain's Royal Bank of Scotland and HSBC Bank. Switzerland's biggest bank, UBS, received the biggest penalty, paying $661 million to US and UK regulators, and 134 million Swiss francs to FINMA. British Barclays Bank was still being investigated for manipulations, FCA said. "Today's record fines mark the gravity of the failings we found and firms need to take responsibility for putting it right," said FCA Chief Executive Martin Wheatley. He also called on the banks to ensure that their traders don't "game the system to boost profits" again. Watch video 04:02 Share A Crisis in Trust - The case of Deutsche Bank Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/1Ayi3 Crisis in Trust - The case of Deutsche Bank In global foreign exchange markets, some $5.3 trillion change hands every day, with about 40 percent of trades being made in London. However, the fixing of benchmark rates for the US dollar and the euro is controlled by a group of major banks, whose decisions have a huge impact on mortgage rates and asset prices. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, market regulators in the US, Great Britain and Switzerland uncovered that traders at those banks colluded to share information about client activity to improve their individual trading positions. They organized into groups using nicknames such as "The Players," "The 3 Musketeers" and "1Team," crafting trading strategies to ensure that their banks make a profit. In a statement, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chairman Philip Hampton accepted the fine, condemning the actions of his traders. "Today is a stark reminder of the importance of culture and integrity in banking and we will rightly be judged on the strength of our response," Hampton said. The banks fined have already factored in the prospect of stiff penalties, with Citigroup, for example, having set aside $600 million and JPMorgan Chase about $400 million. uhe/sgb (AFP, Reuters, dpa)PHILADELPHIA � Jason Richardson believes. Asked before Wednesday night�s game against the Celtics if he expects to play this season, Richardson replied, �No doubt in my mind.� Richardson hasn�t appeared in an NBA game since a Jan. 18, 2013, home victory over the Raptors. He missed more than a year with left knee surgery, then suffered a stress fracture in his right foot while �overcompensating and working too hard,� according to Richardson. Richardson, a 14-year pro, said he�ll �definitely be back before the all-star break or January or maybe even before this year is over with. I�ll see how my body takes all this training and getting ready for it.� Richardson said he�s making progress with the right foot and left knee, though he has to ramp up his on-court work and get into game shape/drop a few pounds after months of shooting standstill jumpers and being in a walking boot. Sixers coach Brett Brown said one month ago that the Sixers were �going to know soon what�s going to happen� with Richardson and implied there was a decent chance the former Michigan State star wouldn�t be able to play. In the meantime, Richardson�s role is to continue providing some much-needed veteran leadership on a team with only one other player (seventh-year pro Luc Mbah a Moute) beyond his third season. �I�ve seen it all in 14 years in this league,� Richardson said. Richardson, 33, is the highest-paid Sixer this season, earning $6.6 million in the final year of his contract. The formerly high-flying Richardson has averaged 17.3 points in 838 games for five teams and hit 1,577 3-pointers. He is a two-time NBA slam-dunk champion. Kentucky beats Sixers? Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, who played his college ball at Kentucky, said on SiriusXM radio Wednesday that the 2014-15 Kentucky squad would beat the current Sixers 4-1 in a best-of-seven series. �I�m definitely taking Kentucky,� Bledsoe said. �I know (the Sixers are) going to be mad, but I love my Wildcats � even though Philly�s got one Wildcat (Nerlens Noel) on the team.� Richardson said a college team couldn�t defeat the Sixers or any other NBA club. Up next The Sixers host the Suns on Friday evening, visit the Knicks on Saturday and host the Trail Blazers on Monday before the Nets come to town next Wednesday. Tom Moore, 215-345-3127; email, [email protected]; Twitter, @tmoore76ers To subscribe, go to www.theintell.com/subscribe/I know this was posted long ago, but I was pointed to this discussion today by someone on SO. I included the words "Thank you so much in advance" at the very end of my question post. About 5 minutes later I noticed it was edited and (along with changes to the title and the tags) my "thank you" at the bottom was removed. I rolled back the edit and told the person I didn't know why he would remove a "thank you" since I was just trying to be polite. And he said that SO was "not a discussion site, but a Q&A." I responded with the following post: Wasn't aware "Thank you so much in advance" caused so much "clutter" in the question. Personally, when I read these answers on here, or on other sites yes, I'm looking for answer y to my question x, but I don't think the polite "please" and "thank you" detract from that question and/or answer. I was raised to have good manners and I respect those who exhibit those manners, even when it comes to black and white Q&A sites like SO. Now you're probably going to flag this post or call me out for this comment being a "discussion" not a strict "Q&A" but I felt this needed to be said. Personally, just like the above post states, I feel like a simple greeting or a "thank you" at the end doesn't detract from the answer/question at all, nor does it add "clutter." I haven't read each of the posts here on this page, but I like how one person said they feel "refreshed" to see polite manners exhibited. I feel the same way. If I'm reading a post and the person gives an answer and says something like "hope this helps" or something to that effect at the end, it gives me the feeling that they actually care if I get the right answer. If I, on the other hand, read a post and it gives me an answer and that's it, just a blunt, quick answer, it can sometimes come off as snobby. I don't mean to be judgmental, by any means. Each individual has a "tone" when they speak. This tone even comes out when someone writes, types, etc., any form of communication, believe it or not, your tone comes out. I know I'm beginning to ramble a bit, but in conclusion, I believe when someone exhibits polite manners in their posts, in their talk, whatever form of communication they may be using, that, to me, gives off a positive tone. And if I were given the option of reading two posts, where both posts contained the same info, except one used these manners mentioned above, I'd prefer to read the post that exhibits a positive attitude, the post that says its "pleases" and "thank yous", the post where I feel the person is actually putting effort into helping me out (which is what SO is for)--I'd prefer that post over the other any day. Some people have taken this argument too far and are being sarcastic about what we mean. I'm not saying that I support the idea of saying "Hey my name is X and I have 3 children and wouldn't you know it little Billy got into the dog food again today" and then go on with the question--that's ridiculous. Plain and simple: I don't think a post should be edited for the sole purpose of removing a polite greeting or "thank you."Telescopes around the world are turning towards a bright supernova that has flared in one of the most famous galaxies in the heavens, M51 in the constellation of Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. Though I say bright, this is in relative terms because you would need a telescope to locate it. But amateur astronomers equipped with today’s sensitive cameras should be able to record it fairly easily. M51 – the 51st item in Charles Messier’s famous catalogue of fuzzy objects – is known as the Whirlpool Galaxy and has a special place in cosmological history. That is because it was the first to be identified as having a spiral pattern,an observation made by Lord Rosse with his mighty 72-inch telescope at Birr Castle in Ireland in 1845. However, at this time it was still not recognised that such objects were separate galaxies far beyond our own Milky Way in a wider universe rather than gas clouds or star clusters within it. M51 is now known to be around 23 million light-years away from us. The supernova, currently around magnitude 14, was apparently discovered by French amateur astronomer Stéphane Lamott, whose images appear in this forum. The Google translation into English can be found here. An independent discovery was made by one of the new automatic sky surveys, the Palomar Transient Factory, which has subsequently appealed for any amateur images of the galaxy taken in the days before and during the outburst. Our updated image with this post was taken by Gain Lee, an amateur astronomer from Huddersfield, England, using a Faulkes Telescope Project robotic instrument over the internet. The supernova is marked on the photo – click it to enlarge. See details and more or Gain’s images at his website. Another image was taken by Pete Lawrence, of Selsey, England, who is a regular on the BBC’s The Sky at Night. The supernova is thought to be a Type II where a massive star has burned up all its hydrogen and the core collapses, causing a catastrophic explosion. The discovery comes six years since the last supernova in M51 was discovered by German amateur astronomer Wolfgang Kloehr in June 2005. A supernova in another bright and relatively nearby galaxy, M82, apparently went unnoticed recently because it happened behind dense dust. Reporter: Paul SutherlandWelcome to Journey to Planet JoCo, an interview series where science fiction and sometimes fantasy author John Scalzi talks to musician Jonathan Coulton about science fiction and science fiction songs. Every morning at 9 AM from now to May 29, John will talk to Jonathan about one of JoCo’s songs, getting in-depth—and possibly out of his depth—about the inspiration and construction behind them. Which ones? You’ll have to come back every morning to see! Today John talks to Jon about “Still Alive.” Audio and the chat transcript are below. Audio: John Scalzi asks Jonathan Coulton about his song “Still Alive.” Download the chat here. Transcript: SCALZI: Hello, everyone. This is John Scalzi. I’m here at Tor.com to talk to you about an up-and-coming new musician that you may not have heard of called Jonathan Coulton. That’s a lie. You’ve all heard of him before. COULTON: Well maybe. Maybe. You never know. SCALZI: There might be a few. And I don’t know what those people have been doing with their sad and pathetic lives to this point, but we’re here to educate them. We’ve been talking about science fictional-based songs of Jonathan Coulton’s, and today we’re talking about his, I think his number-one hit so far, the one that the lighters come up for, as it were, which is “Still Alive,” the theme song to the video game Portal. So, I actually don’t know the story behind this one yet. Did they get hold of you? Did Portal get hold of you? Or did you approach them? Because occasionally people will approach musicians and go, “Hey, will you do this for me?” So. COULTON: Yeah, that’s exactly what happened. I was doing a show in Seattle, and Kim Swift, who is actually the lead on the Portal team at Valve, came to the show and came up to say hi afterwards, and said, “Hey, would you ever think about writing music for video games? I work for Valve.” And I said, “Well yeah. Sure.” “Still Alive,” over the credits to the Valve game Portal SCALZI: So you didn’t do that thing like, “No, man. I’m a musician. My music is pure.” COULTON: No. Well, my music has never been very pure, so there was no danger of that. SCALZI: Okay. COULTON: And I went into their offices and met them and played through an early version of the Portal game, and it became pretty clear immediately that exactly where our sensibilities aligned was with the character GLaDOS. And we decided that that was what we are going to do together, is that I was going to write that song for that game. SCALZI: Song from the point of view of GLaDOS. COULTON: GLaDOS, who is a murderous, passive-aggressive artificial intelligence. SCALZI: I love GLaDOS, I got to tell you. She’s just a fantastic character. COULTON: She is a great character, and I say all the time that this song was not hard to write. And I give credit to the writers and Erik Wolpaw—I worked with him in particular. We had an almost daily phone call where I would call and we would talk about GLaDOS. He had so much backstory that he had written about her just in order to understand her better so that he could write for her. SCALZI: Sure. COULTON: And it was very helpful to have a character that was so clearly defined and so strong. SCALZI: Right. Is this the first song that you wrote that was going to be sung, at least initially, by someone else? COULTON: Yeah, probably. I can’t think of a time before then that I did that. Yeah, yeah, that was interesting having to think of somebody else’s voice doing it. But it was fun. I mean, it was another interesting challenge that made it a vibrant process and not something stale. It was something that I hadn’t done before. SCALZI: Well, it was really helpful, I guess, that—was it Ellen McLain is the …? COULTON: That’s right. SCALZI: She sings, right? She’s done this before. COULTON: She does. She’s a trained singer and she was “of the stage,” and so I think that comes across in her performance. It’s just very believable and, I don’t know, she’s the nicest woman in the world, so I don’t know where the mean stuff comes from, but it was funny going in to—Sorry, go ahead. SCALZI: No, no, no. Well, I was just going to say that it’s the nice people that you have to look out for, right? COULTON: Yeah, right. SCALZI: Because, quite frankly, they’re the ones you never see coming, and I’m—part of it is, just voicing this character I’m sure she was sitting there, and she’s like, “Oh, I can totally…” Because you seem nice, right? I mean, don’t get me wrong, but you really are when you meet you in person, Jonathan Coulton. You are nice and polite and friendly and all this sort of stuff and out of your brain hole comes songs about monsters and evil scientists and homicidal computers, so…you tell me. COULTON: That’s true, well I guess the nice people spend so much time controlling their inner monsters that when it comes time to actually express those voices a little bit, there’s a lot of stored-up monsterism. That’s one theory. But it was funny going into studio with her because I had written this song and sent it to her and went to Seattle so she could sing it, and she was doing a couple of pick-up lines from the rest the game before she sang the song, and I was amazed at how little they had to do to her voice to get her to sound like GLaDOS. She was just—it was just creepy seeing that voice come out of her. SCALZI: They did a little bit of autotuning but that’s pretty much it. Ellen McLain, the voice of GLaDOS, performing “Still Alive” with her husband, live at Anime Midwest 2011 COULTON: Yeah, that’s really mostly it. And the rest of it is her expressing these emotions in this very flat—this creepy flat way. SCALZI: Yeah, yeah. And I think this is again going back to the whole issue of character, I mean, one, Valve has been spectacular with writing anyway. They have ever since the first Half-Life—Marc Laidlaw, who had been a novelist before he went to work with Valve, wrote the story for that, and one of the things that I always say to people is that Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and all the rest of them, these are video games that I like to reread. Because there really feels like there’s a story there and that you’re really making sort of a progression. And I think that the secret sauce for Valve is what the secret sauce is for novels or what you were talking about with the secret sauce for your songs as well, which is, frankly, you get a character, you put them in sort of a bizarre and extreme situation, but you make them feel enough like a human that whoever’s listening to, participating, or reading really can’t help but put themselves in that sort of position. COULTON: Exactly. SCALZI: I mean, hopefully they’re not relating too much to GLaDOS. COULTON: Well, that’s the thing. I think by the end of that game, after she has tried to murder you, she tries various ways of getting you back. She tries begging, she tries making you feel sorry for her, she tries getting angry, and I think you start to really wonder who is this GLaDOS person and what—she’s very human for an artificial intelligence, sort of tragically human. SCALZI: Well, we’ll actually discuss that a little bit further on in our thing because the sequel to this one, the song “Want You Gone,” is part of our thing, so let’s not get too far ahead of that. One of the things I do want to know is, this is the song, I think, that there are more sort-of different authorized versions than almost any other. There is the original version, which is in the game. There are the versions that you have done live, where obviously you’re singing instead of GLaDOS, and then there’s the version on Artificial Heart where you have Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara taking a turn on the vocals as well. “Still Alive,” the Artificial Heart version, performed by Jonathan Coulton, with Sara Quin singing lead, Dorit Chrysler on theremin, Joe McGinty on keyboards, Marty Beller on drums, and Chris Anderson on bass. Video directed by John Flansburgh. COULTON: Yeah. SCALZI: So, is it just that—are you doing just because there’s so many different ways to sort of approach that song, or is that just you fiddling to fiddle? COULTON: Well, I think, the fact that this song was always designed with somebody else in mind to sing it, I’ve never felt quite comfortable for that reason, I think. And it’s also because it is probably my most well-known song, that I am now required to have it at every show. SCALZI: Right, right. COULTON: And that’s just, you know, that’s the job. You have to play your hits. SCALZI: You gotta play the hits. Jonathan Coulton and Felicia Day perform “Still Alive” at Pax 2008 COULTON: You gotta play the hits. And I don’t know, for me it helps to keep it interesting. I like that there are all these different versions of it. I like that you can do it kind of rock and you can do it kind of sad and quiet. I like exploring its various sides. SCALZI: Right. The final thing I would say about this song is, much like the video game itself, it is basically a rich vein of internet one-liners. You know? COULTON: It is. It’s a meme factory for sure. SCALZI: “This is a triumph.” “This cake is delicious and moist.” And I got to say, it makes you feel good when someone’s saying, “I’m making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS,” right? COULTON: Oh, yeah. It’s amazing. To be related to anything that catches on in that way is really thrilling. SCALZI: But, on the other hand, do you ever, after the forty thousandth time someone says, “I’m making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS”... Go on. You can say it. COULTON: Well sure. It’s like anything else. Success doesn’t scale very well. And it’s like the internet itself. Individually, everybody is wonderful and charming, but if you take what the internet says all at once, it’s kind of awful. You know? It’s the opposite of the wisdom of crowds. I’m grateful for any attention at all, and I really….As they say, I’m very proud to be associated with something that clearly has as much resonance as it does. This game and this character and this song, it’s just…I’m very proud that I was involved. SCALZI: Excellent. All right, on that note we’re going to close up for today. Tomorrow we’re going to go with your seasonal classic, “Chiron Beta Prime.” So for everybody, tomorrow bring your Santa hats and get in a frosty mood, and we’ll see you tomorrow. This is John Scalzi for Tor.com.Actress Mary Tyler Moore died Wednesday at the age of 80. While she was best known for her acting, she was also an outspoken animal rights advocate. Author David Foster Wallace may have been the most famous critic against the practice of boiling lobsters for culinary consumption ― writing the essay “Consider the Lobster” in 2004 ― but Moore was also a celebrity advocate for the crustaceans. In 1995, Moore wrote a an open letter criticizing an annual Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland. “Marine biologists report that lobsters are fascinating beings with complex social interactions, long childhoods and awkward adolescences,” she wrote, continuing, “Like humans, they flirt with one another and have even been seen walking ‘claw-in-claw!’ And like humans, lobsters feel pain.” Just a year before, Moore had improbably gone to war to save one particular lobster named Spike. At the time, the lobster had recently survived a lobster festival in a Malibu, California, restaurant’s tank, presumably because customers found Spike’s large size and therefore potential older-age of around 50 years (lobsters grow with age) to be fascinating. Moore wanted to rescue the lobster from the restaurant’s tank and facilitate a return to the ocean. She offered to spend $1,000 just to buy the lobster. “Although I do not pretend to know precisely how Spike feels living in a small tank away from his natural habitat,” Moore wrote in a letter to the restaurant, “I am certain that by whatever means a lobster can feel and understand its surroundings, this one would prefer to be back home in his native waters off the coast of Maine.” The restaurant declined. Then, to make a political statement, conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh offered to buy the lobster for $2,000. “Spike’s welcome for dinner,” Limbaugh apparently said at the time in a press release, “but he shouldn’t plan on dessert.” Bettmann via Getty Images Unfortunately, it remains unclear what ended up happening to Spike. A report by People at the time concluded with a line about the lobster still hanging out in the restaurant’s tank, joking, “Spike’s not in any rush.” In 1996, Moore appeared on Ellen Degeneres’ sitcom at the time, “Ellen,” in a plot line that involved the Degeneres character saving a lobster from a restaurant. Moore thanks her for the deed in the episode. The original lobster ends up dying, but the episode ends with Moore and Degeneres’ character grabbing more lobsters out of the original restaurant’s tank to try and save them instead. HuffPost has reached out to a restaurant with the same name as the one that originally held Spike, but did not hear back by the time of publication. A November 1997 Newsday report claimed Spike was still alive at the time, being kept on display in the restaurant. Although the specific fate of Spike is unknown, Moore continued to spend her life advocating for animal rights. The late actress notably protested factory farming and facilitated mass pet adoptions. “I love them all!” Moore said of animals to a pet-centered outlet in 2002. “Even those animals for whom I have no particular feeling — like snakes or alligators or any of the creepy crawly fellows. I still care very much about them and would never tolerate inhumane treatment to them.”The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak an international
to collaborate more with local authorities, and lastly, looking much closely at their operating costs. Barriers to Accelerating Delivery Christine Whitehead, Emeritus Professor of Hosing Economics at the London School of Economics, was candid when it came to dealing with the topic of barriers. Whitehead wearily, and with deadpan delivery, explained, "The subjects we're talking about now are not that different from 40 years ago, but affordability has got worse. If we are trying to stick to build rates, a third of boroughs would have to emulate Tower Hamlets right now. We've done so badly in last 15 years, that even with all current and future projects are taken into account, we're due to suffer until 2037." Whitehead then pointed out the myth that the main barrier to sufficient housing is having enough land with planning permission – there are, in fact, large numbers of outstanding planning permissions out there, so the story is not straight forward. Whitehead looks to the size of sites and the fact that larger sites were delivering much less than they could – managed output rates are there to keep profits up. Whitehead reserved special instruction for what she perceives as acute issues in the structure of construction industry. With its tired and outdated working practices and self-serving agenda, Whitehead asks the industry, "Is this really about land ownership and developers versus the rest of us?" In the longer term, Whitehead looked to the emphasis on brownfield sites, suggesting that we should look outside of the inner circle of London, ending with the truism, "When we build infrastructure, do we not then effectively enable more effective use of surrounding land?" New Approaches Chris Brown, Chief Executive of Igloo, talks through his concept of new approaches to the crisis. Brown sees three challenges: demand, money and speed. We build large sites too slowly. "It could be like buying a car," says the enthusiastic Brown, "get a mortgage, a select plot, choose a home manufacturer, choose a home model and customise, then move in." Brown cites a statistic that 75% of people don't want to buy from volume house builders and suggests the answer could be in a variety of small site stock, despite admitting that infill sites are contentious and, essentially "building in peoples' back yards". Brown suggests giving a community housing projects may work and that "developers aren't always the answer". Indeed, in the discussion that follows the seminar, Brown offers up the opinion "We are not a nation of NIMBY's – it's just that our builders build shit homes," to a mixed reaction from the floor. We are not a nation of NIMBY's – it's just that our builders build shit homesModular Developments Ivan Habour, Senior Partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, brought a much-needed success story to the table with the project, “Modular housing using MMC”. Currently in use in Merton, South London, the project was from a brief to rehouse YMCA residents intp 36 units and a community office that could be re-deployable on temporary sites, and rent for 65% of market rate. The solution was factory-built timber units using a volumetric system to ensure a construction cost determined by the process, not the absolute measurement. The 36 units took the place of two conventional houses, and delivery and assembly were manufactured 90% off-site, cost £35,000 per unit, and designed to last 60 years. And, as Ivan Habour noted, "despite its radical feel, everyone likes it." The word radical could be reserved for Riette Oosthuizen, Partner in charge of Urban Planning at HTA Design LLP, and Andrew Beharrell, Senior Partner at Pollard Thomas Edwards, with their “Densifying the suburbs” proposal. The shears were out as Oosthuizen asked us to "Suspend disbelief, let's look at the beloved English garden, there is a disproportionate amount of gardens in some suburbs." Paradise lost? "We are not talking conservation sites," explained Thomas Edwards, "we are looking at interwar housing stock, London outer suburbs could bring 1.4 million houses." The plan is to create local development orders between members of a suburban community, to then create pre-approved plot passports and take these plots up in neighbourhood plans over time. Thoughts on Materials The “Working with Timber” proposal by Sadie Morgan, Co-Founding Director at dRMM Architects, came with the simple message that, "Wood is good, simple, speedy and sustainable," and that we should be investigating timber for bespoke mass production. People should be happy where they live. Our role is to create a variety of living spaces for the 21st century.Morgan, a vocal protagonist for the benefits of timber in construction, notes that Trafalgar Place, a new development in Elephant and Castle in South London, was built using the material at its core. The Role of the Architect And finally, a rallying cry from Simon Child, Director of Child Graddon Lewis Architects and Designers. Child stated that the problem is that the housing crisis is London is largely hidden, or transferred to other towns and cities. The problem is a financial one and a political one, but, "People should be happy where they live. Our role is to create a variety of living spaces for the 21st century. Yes, stereotypes exist; landowners, developers, local authorities, communities – but we must essentially all provide a home where people want to be." Planning for the Future Talking to Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture, after the seminar brought further guidance. "What's problematic for London is the fact that it has a negotiated planning system rather than a more formal one, and the pressures are so great now we do need to try and think in a more serious way about the shape of city we want. Let's look at “Vancouverism,” the very high-density centre of Vancouver with carefully designed, very well thought-out buildings. We don't have any guidance along those sort of levels, and I think we need to look at [it a] little bit harder. I think that's what the next Mayor needs to do – what is this place going to be like, feel like and look like." Let's look at “Vancouverism,”... We can learn a lot from New YorkI offered the title of “art-director” as one that could be created for an architectural curator to London. Murray thinks for a moment and then responds, "I think that's a very good word to use actually," before continuing his mindful international recap. "We can learn a lot from New York," he continued, "it has many of the same problems as we do. The city has very high land values in the centre, emerging areas immediately outside the centre like Brooklyn, they also have problems delivering affordable homes, and they also have this crippling impact of international finance which is pushing up land prices." Housing over Assets One winner of the New London Architecture competition, WSP \| Parsons Brinckerhoff, already has direct experience of working to solve the housing crisis in New York, on a project that mirrors their entry into the NLA competition – Frank Gehry’s Beekman Tower, completed in 2011 (WSP served as the structural engineers). I visited Bill Price Head of UK Client Management at WSP \| Parsons Brinckerhoff to discuss the winning project, entitled “Housing Over Assets”. The project moots the idea that there is room for 630,000 new homes in London by resorting to building apartments above public buildings, such as hospitals, schools and libraries. Price agrees that this figure is not entirely accurate, as it doesn't take into consideration such factors as heritage sites – but even if 10% of public assets were to be utilised, the project would make an impact. I started by asking Price why he thinks this project was one of the winners. "I think the idea won because it actually reinforces the idea of a city being dense – we're re-using land," explained Price "I think it refreshes social infrastructure, where many schemes don't. The project doesn't sell off the family silver and the things that you and I own. It's much more than a building solution. I think just getting architects to create buildings is not the answer, the sort of problem we have to deal with is the politics and the cultural shift going on, which is completely out of the engineer and the architect's hands." I asked if the Housing over Assets project a reaction to land value. "In reality, there isn't a lack of space – there is a lack of the ability to obtain the space. We have this situation in London where the price of property is escalating. And of course, most money is generated from private residential, and that's probably not the kind of housing that London needs," explained Price. He then echoed a sentiment from earlier, "There is a bit of me that feels that any amount of engineering architectural building solutions is something we can always generate. In reality, there isn't a lack of space – there is a lack of the ability to obtain the space.It's not about me designing a building, its about politics, land and mechanisms for dealing with the process of house building, and the affordability of it really – and even, maybe, the expectation: how one occupies a property." Where did the concept for Housing Over Assets come from? "This housing idea was rooted in the fact that most of our social infrastructure is in pretty poor condition," explained Price. "Schools, police stations, court buildings and doctors’ surgeries are frequently not fit for purpose anymore. The root of the idea is 'let's keep the notion of functionality on the site in the same place. We all need that school, but let's provide a new school, exploit the air rights with some residential.'" “Exploiting the air rights over schools” may send many running for their placards and soapboxes. Critic Rowan Moore in the Guardian called the project a “downright ghastly suggestion for putting Shenzhen-style blocks on top of fire stations and schools.” What does Price make of the potential public reaction to the scheme? "I know that we have the technical capability to build 'a bridge' over existing primary schools and put in residential, but that's not really what this is about. It's about flattening, removing tired infrastructure and refreshing it, and bringing it up to date." The people thinking about this include the Greater London Authority. Price mentioned that Strategic Planning Manager of the GLA, Colin Wilson, “came to have a look.” Price also hints at a new project, “somewhere in North London, near a tube station,” where a former office block is being redeveloped with an NHS centre on the ground level, and housing above. “I remember at the beginning of the process I said, ‘Why don't we consider putting that medical care facility in the bottom of the office building. The lesser residential value of the bottom would function very well as consulting rooms,'” said Price, then, with a twinkle in his eye, "and I think that's what is actually going to happen."Your eyes are not deceiving you: Arian Foster is a member of the Cleveland Browns...as part of the movie "Draft Day," of course. The photo of the Texans running back, along with cornerback Joe Haden, began circulating the net over the past day or so. Haden also shared another group photo from the set of Draft Day that seemed to confirm some of the players who will be "extras" in the film. Those players include: In addition, actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Jackie Robinson in the recent film 42, is amidst the group. He will be more than an extra, as last month it was reported that he "will play the integral supporting role of a linebacker from Louisiana, whose entire livelihood depends on his selection in the draft." If Mack gets the chance, he can try to utilize some of the acting chops he acquired in the NFL Pro Hollywood Boot Camp he took part in a couple of months ago.Today I received an email from the O’Reilly School of Technology that was touting their new “Python Programming Certificate”. It appears to be an online set of four courses created by Steve Holden, current Chairman of the Python Software Foundation and owner of Holden Web. Here is what their website says about the four courses: The first course introduces the Python language, and by the end of the second you have created graphical user interfaces, accessed a relational database and analyzed email messages. The third class increases your language mastery by explaining some of the secrets of the interpreter “under the hood”. The fourth rounds out whole experience, providing you with a holistic knowledge of Python that will leave you ready to continue your programming career confident in your command of Python. And here are the four course titles: Python 1: Beginning Python Python 2: Getting More Out of Python Python 3: The Python Environment Python 4: Advanced Python The certificate is actually issued by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was unable to discover if one could CLEP out of any of the classes or not for a reduced price. Anyway, this is an FYI to all you aspiring Python Professionals that would like to be “certified”. To my knowledge, this is the first and ONLY Python Certification program. As I recall, Steve Holden mentioned that people were wanting Python Certificates a couple of years ago in his column in the now defunct Python Magazine.SHARE By Times Record News A former Archer County Justice of the Peace pleaded Tuesday to stealing money from the county. The plea was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas. Joseph Charles Boyle, 63, appeared in federal court in Wichita Falls Tuesday afternoon. According to court documents, Boyle, who was elected as a Republican to JP Precinct 2 in 2003, “on numerous occasions…stole, embezzled, and obtained by fraud money that he collected as payment of fees, fines, and penalties.” The documents say Boyle, a Holliday resident, told people cited with a violation their fines would be a certain amount, but then he would keep part of the payment and falsely report the amount of the fine to the county. Boyle would ask the offenders to pay in cash, then used part of the money to buy money orders to pay the county and keep the rest. The document says Boyle admitted to stealing more than $40,000. Boyle could receive up to 10 years in prison. The crime became a federal offense because Archer County receives federal funds. As a side note, Boyle operates an online defensive driving course, offering Archer County residents an opportunity to have traffic tickets reduced and driving records cleared for $25. The federal charges do not involve the driving classes. A sentencing hearing in Boyle’s case is scheduled for March 14 at 10 a.m. Boyle has been conditionally released from custody pending the hearing.In person and on social media, Vince Staples stays cloaked in a prickly layer of humor and snark. Bleak humor informs his music, too, but it's not the dominant mood—instead, he's typically sincere and serious, even when the subject is a something that could get lighthearted, like a schoolboy love. In an era that doesn't require much hyperbole to think of as "the end times," Staples, 23, cuts a figure like Mad magazine's Alfred E. Neuman; it's easy to imagine him delivering that iconic line, "What, me worry?" But the dichotomy between Vince's insouciant public persona and urgent, clear-eyed rapping makes him a figure that we ask the world of. We want him to have the answers—because he's obviously smarter than us, with a scarily nuanced perspective as both an artist and citizen. Details about his upcoming second studio album, Big Fish Theory, are scant, but no doubt the record will be inspected and scrutinized as a how-to manual for contemporary life. Simply put, we want Vince's takes, because we trust him to be honest in a way many people aren't. Of course, Vince Staples only moves for Vince Staples. In his first Complex Cover interview, conducted by OG hip-hop journalist Touré, he offers his unconventional perspective on rap beef and the underbelly of fandom. He talks with real candor about his family what his community back in Long Beach, California, needs, and why he might not be the guy we think he is. POST CONTINUES BELOW This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Touré: We’re in Gulfport, Mississippi. Vince Staples: I have no idea where we are, but we’re definitely in Mississippi. Can you feel the energy of the slaves who used to be here? Of course. They’re everywhere. This is one of those places. The new album is called Big Fish Theory. Why? What’s that mean? It encompasses things: Being larger than life in a smaller world, so to say. How rappers are perceived and perceive themselves. That they represent their community? That they are bigger than their community, but part of it at the same time? No, it's just that, influence aside, [being a rapper is] a very unique perspective because a lot of people have these larger-than-life personalities and these overbearing senses of wealth and things like that, but they aren't necessarily the majority. We’re still large in our own right, even though we’re kind of in a smaller facilitative space. They’re still not even showing all the hip-hop awards on the Grammys, and things like that, but you still find these great personalities and these great success stories within the small pond that is our music. POST CONTINUES BELOW I feel like there’s not a distance with you. It's not like there’s the guy on stage, and then there’s the real guy. I feel like there’s less difference or there’s no difference. I mean, you’ll find a lot of people that kind of situate themselves in a manner of a character or a role throughout the history of music, you know? Kool Moe Dee wasn’t necessarily a cowboy. It’s something that’s been constant, even outside the genre. So, as of now, we have a couple people that are telling their specific personal story, and it’s kind of getting a little bit more in that lane as time goes on. I’m just glad to be amongst that company. The more you make music, the more you learn about yourself, and the things that mean something to you, and I feel like if that wasn't something that was sensed throughout the music then I would be missing something. So, you’re learning about yourself as you’re making the stuff. What did you learn about yourself in making Big Fish Theory? I don't think this album was a learning process itself as far as the creation of it. I just think it was a culmination of things I had been learning over the past few years, and coming to an understanding. Often times, music becomes a coping mechanism for people. POST CONTINUES BELOW What are you coping with? I think everybody’s coping with the same shit. It’s just life. You live a long life, and then you die. I suspect that you’re coping with a lot of things that I, and most people, don't know anything about. I wouldn't say that. I feel like it’s just life. A lot of time we don't look at people that we deem to be more important than us as human beings. We become just fixtures based off the things that we create, or the things that we give the world, and those things kind of limit our ability to be looked at in a humane fashion. Everybody has and deals with the same stuff. There isn’t that many aspects to life to the point that we aren't all dealing with the same things. It’s pretty basic. POST CONTINUES BELOW How would you describe the Vince Staple sound? I don't know. I don't think I listen to enough Vince Staple music to dissect it. I think we’re still going. We’re still making new things everyday, but I don't think I necessarily have one. It’s funny, 'cause music, the creation of music—to take something that you hear in your head, and try to make it an actual thing, it never ends up how you imagined it, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, but it's never exactly how it was. Yeah, so I think you’re just chasing that sound or that feeling or whatever it might be, and I think that’s what keeps it creative, that you’re constantly chasing something. So I couldn’t necessarily say what that is until I feel like we've caught it. How long does it take you to write a song? It’s never like a sit-down type of thing. I’ve never really sat down, and decided I’m gonna write. It's when the spirit moves you. Exactly. It’s just more along the lines of when I think about it, I think about it. I can't really explain how it happens, but I don't know. I just wake up one day, and I know what it’s gonna be. POST CONTINUES BELOW Is it pen and paper, or you type it into your phone? We really working on trying to be eco-friendly now. So, we usually use these telecommunication devices and things like that. We’re not killin' trees for the sake of rapping. You talk about being eco-friendly. So, how far does that go in your life? It stops there. That’s exactly where it stops. Just trying to maintain paper, but then you eat the animals, drive whatever. Eat the animals. Drive 91 gas. What’s the temperature at your house? It’s always on the heat. Maybe the lowest we’re going is like a 73, 74, 75. On a hot day, we keep it tropical. High-emissions vehicles. Very fast for no reason. Cars that define the speed limit. That’s what we’re doing. But as far as paper goes, that’s where we cut our corners. You've talked about living day-to-day—that was your experience for a long time. But now you've got a five-year plan. You've got a 10-year plan that you’re working on. You've got a 15-year plan. How does life change from trying to get through the day-to-day to “Yo, I got a plan”? I was just lucky enough to be put around people that knew what they were doing, and cared about my best interest. I’m at this point now where I don't have to do anything but make songs, and I prefer that. POST CONTINUES BELOW Do you love hip-hop? What does that mean? What does what mean—love or hip-hop? What does “do you love hip-hop?” mean? I mean, listen to the music, love the music. I mean, you don't love the culture. I understand that. That’s what I’m saying. It’s not that. This is why I can't fuck with that statement. 'Cause what people mean when they say that is, “Do you like the 10 people that I like a lot?” If [somebody] said, “Do you love hip-hop?” Yeah, I love hip-hop. I love Lil Boosie and Yo Gotti and Soulja Boy and yada yada yada yada. Niggas gonna be like, “That don’t count.” Beef is corny. It’s like, 'I’m gonna say really hurtful things about you for the sake of hip-hop.' Who won the Remy/Nicki beef? Shit is corny. The whole shit? That shit is fucking corny. Isn’t beef a part of hip-hop? It’s fucking corny. Did you think the Cube/N.W.A. beef was corny? It was fucking corny. Jay Z and Nas was corny? Fucking corny. POST CONTINUES BELOW Back to the beginning, KRS versus— Corny. Well, probably not corny 'cause somebody actually got beat up in those. Oh. So if somebody gets beat up then it’s not corny? I’m not gonna go book studio time to talk about you. This is a part of hip-hop that fans love—it's traditionally part of hip-hop. So watch a Smack battle. They’re much better at it. King of the Dot. You have the UW League in New Jersey. So many battle leagues. Go watch some Charlie Clips. I don't wanna see people demean one another for no reason when they can have a phone conversation. Especially when they’re actually successful musicians. There is battle rap. I am a fan of that, but as far as the spitefulness of it? 'Cause battle rappers are actually like all friends for the most part, and they write it, have fun, and talk about it on Facebook later. It’s real fucking cute, but all that other shit they can get the fuck out of here. That shit is corny as fuck. It’s like, “I’m gonna say really hurtful things about you for the sake of hip-hop." Oh. What do you want that you can't get right now? [Vince addresses his manager, Corey Smyth] What do we want, Corey? POST CONTINUES BELOW Don’t you know what you want? I mean, I tell him first though. So, he probably knows something I wanted. Yeah, we gotta buy this house. For you or for mom? My mom’s straight. We gotta get a house. You got her a house? Yeah, she straight. Did you get her a house before you got yourself a house? Yeah. I live in an apartment. You live in an apartment, but you got her a house? Yeah. She straight. She cooling. She got stairs and shit. When you grow up with not that much, and then come and buy mom a house, how does that feel? It was cool. She was happy. Come on. You can't be like, “Ehh.” That’s a big deal. You took care of your mom. Like, that’s like the ultimate goal of the son. Like, “I'ma take care of you,” and you had that Denzel in American Gangster moment, “Mom, I bought you a house.” Nah. That’s different though. We don't got a drug-money house. But you bought her a house. Yeah, we got a cool house. She got stairs. You gotta invest in yourself. You gotta invest in your home. 'Cause if the kid walks in the house and is like, “Damn. This shit is fly. Our parents love me. No, I don't wanna smoke meth with y’all after school. Have you been to my house?” That’s just how I feel. If you give the kids an environment to where they’re like, “I would never drink vodka with you fucking bum-ass children, and then go in my house. I have a Casper mattress, and it’s beautiful in here.” 'Cause I’ll tell people all the time, if somebody can walk in your house and not feel like they have to take they shoes off, you not doing it big enough. If they don't feel like, “I might mess something up,” then they don't need to be there. POST CONTINUES BELOW They should walk in your house and feel like, “I gotta take off my shoes.” They just need to ask, “Are we doing shoes off?” You can be like, “No. You can keep the shoes on,” but they need to know. What makes you wanna get out of bed and go do shit? I mean, I know when I’m tired I gotta get out of bed 'cause I gotta take care of my kids. When you’re tired and like, “I don't really wanna get out of bed,” what propels you? What else would I be doing? POST CONTINUES BELOW Sitting in the house playing video games. You gotta get one. Get a PS4 Pro, and turn the lights off, and play Resident Evil or some shit like that. Nah. You not gonna have a good day. Trust me. So, why do you it if it’s not a good day, if it’s stressing you out? 'Cause you gotta do it. You pay $60 for the shit. You gotta go through it. Why did you pay $60 for it if it’s gonna stress you out? 'Cause I didn't know it was gonna be like that. I be at the GameStop just hanging out and I was like, "What's up, bro?" He gave me the little slap-and-dap. And I'm like, “What’s new?” He was like, “Get Resident Evil and get Final Fantasy.” I was like, “I’m not gonna play Final Fantasy.” Whatever. Got it. Played it for like 10 minutes. Turned it off. Turned on Resident Evil, and then the motherfucker chopped my hand off, but it’s highly addictive 'cause you gotta get out of that fuckin house. POST CONTINUES BELOW [A loud train passes outside] Tell me you didn't lose that with the train. You guys gotta throw it in there with the train. Trust me. I’m really good at these kinda things. Have you guys seen my music videos? Your videos are crazy. I have good judgment. Trust me. I mean that. They’re like little movies. “Senorita” was blowing me away. The way the camera sort of flows with you, and it’s not lots of cuts. It doesn’t look like a normal video. I hate camera cuts. Camera cuts are so tacky. What I’ve gotten from this situation is kinda what keeps me going day to day, and we have obligations. I was taught growing up that you have to fulfill your obligations. But who are you obligated to? Nobody. I’m just obligated to keep my word. If I say I’m gonna be here at 8:30, I have to be there at 8:30 'cause I said I was gonna be there. I coulda said no. You know, you’re really good at not judging. Prince was like that. He would be like, “The album is not good or bad. It is." And you keep saying things like that. There’s no positive or negative. There just is. Where does that come from? I honestly couldn't tell you, but I’ve never really been the type to wanna judge things. Which is funny because that’s what people ask me to do countlessly. Not in this sense, but, like in a “Vince Staples Rates the Top 10 Things He Doesn’t Give a Fuck About on Our Website.” I just feel like life is perspective-based; your perspective can change everything. If you have the wrong perspective it can fuck you. If you have the right perspective it can put you in a very good place. We were on the plane going to London, and we saw the Amy Winehouse documentary. POST CONTINUES BELOW That was powerful. I’m not fucking with that. At all. You’re not fucking with what? Like, any of those people. Which people? Anyone in that movie who did some crazy shit. I’m not fucking with none of em. Well, the tragic thing is that she got fucked most by her dad, and then, she's about to get out of her addiction—maybe—and here comes her boyfriend breaking into rehab! Here's some more heroin. Don't you actually love her? No, not really. Yeah. I watched that. I was like, this is fucked up. But it kinda happens all the time in music. The biggest disservice isn't the family, the biggest disservice usually is the fans. POST CONTINUES BELOW you can tell your fans everything about you, and as soon as they feel like it, they'll use it to hurt your feelings. The biggest disservice is the fans? Of course. What do you mean? You expect your family and everyone to start acting weird. Because they might see your car, and they've been inside your house. Your fans—you can tell your fans everything about you and who you are and where you come from and all your problems, and as soon as they feel like it, they'll use it to hurt your feelings. Don't your fans love you? Do they? Isn't that what it means to be a fan? That I like you? Then what happened to Michael Jackson? And what happened to Amy Winehouse? Well, Amy Winehouse got screwed by her family. But what does her family have to do with, you know, the media calling her crackhead and her fans booing her and throwing shit on the stage? Well, wait a minute. The fans booed her because they did not get what they expected. Right? Yeah, but—so? So? POST CONTINUES BELOW What do you mean "so"? I mean, so, when you go to Target, and you like your grocery bags a specific way, and you tell the lady, hey, can you double bag that? And she forgets to. Or she doesn't seem like she's paying attention. You might look at her kinda crazy. But then you might look at their face like, "You know what? They're probably having a bad day." You run into people with jobs all the time that might not perform to the best of their abilities all the time, but usually, we take into consideration their current mind state, the things that they're currently going through. We do it all the time. We always look at people and say, "Aw, man, I wonder what's going on with him. They don't seem like they're having a good day." But we don't do that for artists. Ever. That's true. So, I don't fucking care about any of that. I don't care if Amy Winehouse came to her show drunk, and was a having a bad fucking day. If anyone else went to work drunk, we'd be like, damn, it's some shit going on with them. I get into this around Lauryn Hill all the time. People are like, but, why is she late? Why is she this, why is she that? Lauryn has five kids, plus other things going on in her life. She's a real person. Right? Vince is a real person. But I think the fans think if they pay $20 for a ticket to see you perform, they should get at least an hour of music. Understandable. I completely agree with that, 'cause I'm all about making commitments. But my whole thing is, have you ever heard their music? 'Cause if you're a fan, and you hear the music of these people that we always speak about, they clearly have a lot of problems. I've never understood why you would want to [compound] that with—I wouldn't say slander, but it gets to that point sometimes. When they clearly need the opposite, [and it] would probably help them. POST CONTINUES BELOW The love and acceptance. Yeah. Do you think about being a parent one day? Yeah, I guess. I don't think about it, but Corey has a baby. Your manager. So, it's just a communal baby. I hang out with her. She great. What has that taught you about life and who you wanna be that now you have this baby in your life? Somebody gonna have a baby, eventually. So it's always a baby running around. So I'm not really in that much of a rush, 'cause I could always go to the homie house to hang out with a toddler. I don't know. I mean, life is a beautiful thing. It kinda refocuses your purpose and your values and things like that, so, it's a good thing to see. POST CONTINUES BELOW It definitely refocuses the purpose and the values. Do you think about how you would raise your shorties different than the way you were raised? Nah. I think I was raised really well, honestly. I could never think about raising my kids how I was raised because I have more money than my parents had when they were raising me. I have more opportunity than my parents had when they were raising me, so it'll never be the same. But as far as the lessons I was taught and the way that my family decided to keep me from certain things—I have very good parents. I mean, all of them: from my grandparents to my mother and my father. Even the parts that my sisters and brothers played in raising me up. I feel like I had very good parents. If I was able to establish the kind of relationship that I have with parents with my children, teach them the lessons that I learned without them having to struggle, I think I'd do an amazing job, 'cause they did an amazing job with nothing. I would be lucky if I was able to raise them how my parents raised me. POST CONTINUES BELOW And your grandfather, your grandmother? Yeah. All of them, I count in my parent group. My mother and my father and their parents, while they were here. Tell me about your grandfather. I know he meant a lot to you. Where is he in you? What did he tell you that sticks with you? He didn't talk much. I honestly don't think he's ever told me anything that was, like, one of those sit-down-and-let's-talk-by-the-lake Andy Griffith bullshit type thing. But sometimes people drop a little wisdom. Nah, he wasn't that kind of person. He just lived his life. He did right by people. He was a good guy. I think that means more than anything you could say. He lived a respectable life despite all the things that he had to deal with. POST CONTINUES BELOW What about your mom? Where is she in you? What did she teach you? A lot. That's the homie. I saw her a couple of days ago. She taught me everything I know, basically. What does she think about this star Vince that has emerged? She probably think it's cute. It's cute. We don't really talk about it. She's happy, though. I could comfortably say that. What does she want you to do with your life that you're like, I don't know about that, mom? She doesn't want me to do anything. She lets you do whatever? My mom's never told me to do anything—never pressured me to do anything, never had any plans for me. She wants her kids to be happy and healthy. That's all she really cares about. Besides that, we can do whatever we want, which is probably not a good thing for the group of children that she has. But it's a great philosophy in the grand scheme of things. So, yeah. She's cool. What about your dad? How'd he influence you? He hasn't learned from his mistakes. He tried hard, though. [It] just didn't really pan out well for him. But he tried hard. POST CONTINUES BELOW But he's in a difficult situation. [Vince's father is a former gang member who's done jail time.] I mean, the deck is stacked against him already, right? Mm, yeah.
umas, constantly vacillating between the Cadets (Liberals) and the Social Democrats. – L.T. 6. Revolution and Counter-Revolution, 4th edition, XIII, 104. 7. The Aim of the Struggle of the Proletariat in Our Revolution, 4th edition, XV, 3. 8. This quotation, among a hundred others, shows in passing that I did have an inkling of the existence of the peasantry and the importance of the agrarian question as far back as the eve of the 1905 Revolution, that is, some time before the significance of the peasantry was explained to me by Maslov, Thalheimer, Thälmann, Remmele, Cachin, Monmousseau, Bela Kun, Pepper, Kuusinen and the other Marxist sociologists. – L.T. 9. At the 1909 Conference, Lenin proposed the formula of ‘the proletariat which leads the peasantry behind it,’ but in the end he associated himself with the formula of the Polish Social Democrats, which won the majority at the conference against the Mensheviks. – L.T. 10. The Aim of the Struggle of the Proletariat in Our Revolution, 4th edition, XV, 333 and 339. 11. See Results and Prospects, The Proletariat in Power and the Peasantry. 12. About the Two Lines of the Revolution, 4th edition, XXI, 382. 13. The Stages, Direction and Prospects of the Revolution, 4th edition, X, 73-74; Little Lenin Library, English edition, Vol.VI, The Revolution of 1905 (1931), pp.54-55. 14. The Aim of the Struggle of the Proletariat in Our Revolution, 4th edition, XV, 344. Last updated on: 14.4.2007Gov. Terry Branstad’s Condition of the State address Tuesday scored mostly A’s for truthfulness, according to a review by The Gazette’s Fact Checker team. Economy Claim: “We’ve seen unemployment in our state drop from 6.2 percent to 3.8 percent.” Iowa Workforce Development and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics track Iowa’s unemployment rate. When Branstad took office in 2011, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7 percent, according to both sources. The most recent unemployment rate is 3.8 percent, which is from November. So, Branstad is accurate in saying the unemployment rate has declined, but not quite to the extent he stated. This claim gets a B. Claim: “More Iowans have been employed these past few years than at any other period in our state’s history.” As of November, Iowa had 1,654,967 people employed, according to Iowa Workforce Development and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number has fluctuated to a small extent in the 1.65 and 1.64 million range since September 2015, when the employment base topped the 1.64 million threshold for the first time in Iowa’s history. Branstad is accurate in stating there are more workers in Iowa the past few years than at any point in state history since records were kept, but it also should be noted that the state’s population has increased. We score this an A. Claim: “We have provided significant tax relief for Iowans the past five years, especially for commercial property taxpayers.” Residential property owners have benefited from a property tax “rollback,” which changes annually based on economic factors, but has been between 40 and 56 percent of the tax bill in recent years. Commercial property owners traditionally paid full freight until the passage of 2013 property tax reform. The bill was rolled back to 95 percent in 2014 and was down to 90 percent in 2016, but is scheduled to get more generous over time. We score this an A. Energy Claim: “We just set an all-time record for ethanol production, set a new record for biodiesel production by an additional 55 million gallons and lead the nation in percentage of electricity generated by wind.” A December Iowa Renewable Fuels Association report declares 2016 a record-breaking year for Iowa biodiesel production. According to the report, state production increased from 242 million gallons in 2015 to 297 million gallons last year — a 55-million-gallon increase. Claim: “We now generate over 35 percent of our electricity from wind and expect this number to exceed 40 percent by 2020.” According to a 2016 report from the American Wind Energy Association, Iowa generates 35.8 percent of its electricity from wind power, ranking first in the nation. Iowa also ranks second in the country for installed wind energy capacity. Branstad’s claims on Iowa ethanol and wind production both are spot on. We give these claims an A. Public employees Claim: “We have made government smaller.” ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT NEWS AND SPORTS The day's top stories right in your inbox. I am above 13 years of age, and agree to sending policies. SIGN ME UP Thank you for signing up for our e-newsletter! You should start receiving the e-newsletters within a couple days. Iowa has 17,296 full-time central employees today, about 2,100 fewer than in January 2011, Iowa Department of Management Director Dave Roederer confirmed. This excludes judicial and legislative branch employees as well as the state’s public universities. The state salary database that includes the universities has hovered around 60,000 for each of the past six years. Branstad doesn’t control the judicial branch, the Legislature or the state universities, so looking at just the central employees he’s correct about shrinking rosters. We give him an A. Claim: “The cost of these benefits has grown dramatically because of our antiquated collective bargaining system that has led to over 500 health care plans, many of which are inefficient and way too costly for public employees and Iowa taxpayers.” The only part of this claim we’re checking is whether there are more than 500 health care plans for public employees. The answer is yes. This number includes health plans for Iowa’s more than 300 school districts as well as cities and counties across the state, according to Jean Hessburg, spokeswoman for the Iowa State Education Association. Branstad gets an A for his “500” claim, but we’re not able to verify the reasons for the number of plans or the plans’ efficiency. Education Claim: “The state has significantly increased funding for education since 2011, amounting to over 654 million additional dollars.” Supplemental state aid for public education in Iowa has increased since 2011, but by about $645 million — not $654 million — according to data from the state. While more dollars are being funneled into Iowa K-12 schools than in 2011, it’s worth noting educators across the state say the increases — which have hovered near 2 percent or less for seven of the past eight years — have not been enough to keep up with inflation. Still, this claim is mostly accurate and earns an A. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Claim: “Today, less than half of our workforce does... have education or training beyond high school.” About 47 percent of Iowa’s working-age population — ages 25 to 64 — has a “quality postsecondary credential,” according to a 2016 Lumina Foundation report. The independent foundation included associate degrees or higher as well as certificates and certifications in data collected in 2014. Branstad earns an A for this claim. Criteria The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/office holder or a national candidate/office holder about Iowa, or in advertisements that appear in our market. Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context. If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected]. l This Fact Checker was researched and written by Mitchell Schmidt, Molly Duffy, Erin Jordan and B.A. Morelli.For more than two decades, Dr. George Tiller and the individuals who helped provide care to his patients have lived under intense harassment and persistent threats of violence. Even under these adverse conditions, Dr. Tiller never wavered in his commitment to providing abortion services and other reproductive-health care to women and their families, often in the most difficult and heart-breaking circumstances. 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State: AL AK AS AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Yes, I'd like email updates from NARAL Pro-Choice America. Thank you for being the 20184th person to sign in remembrance of Dr. George Tiller. Ask your friends and family to sign their names as well.Will a new "Dungeons and Dragons" film be made by Warner Bros. or will it be made by Universal Pictures? A legal game is afoot to settle the answer. Courtney Solomon's Sweetpea Entertainment believes that it can set up a movie for Warner Bros. In 1994, Solomon's company acquired D&D film rights in a deal with Hasbro and has since made one theatrical motion picture and two TV films. It was eyeing a fourth D&D film for Warner Bros., but before a deal was completed, Hasbro filed a lawsuit to stop it. In its May lawsuit, Hasbro claimed that Sweetpea's rights had reverted. Believing that it had regained rights, Hasbro licensed Universal Pictures to make a "Dungeons and Dragons" reboot, and upon word of another D&D film in development, the toy company alleged that Sweetpea had committed copyright infringement. Two can play at that game. STORY: 'Dungeons & Dragons' Film Lawsuit Will Proceed Sweetpea has now hit back with counterclaims, alleging that Hasbro lacks the rights to allow Universal Pictures to go forward. "Hasbro wrote a check it cannot cash by promising Universal Pictures film rights to "Dungeons & Dragons" that it does not have," say the counterclaims filed last week. The dispute is as much about how to read an ambiguous contract as it is about anything else. Under the terms of the '94 agreement and a later amendment, "sequel rights" revert back to Hasbro after five years of the initial release. Solomon's company produced a 2000 theatrical film version of Dungeons and Dragons, so if the parties count from that year, it's been well over five years. But Solomon's company also produced two TV films, including Wrath of the Dragon God for the SyFi Channel in 2005 and The Book of Vile Darkness last year. So perhaps those works toll the clock. In reaction to Hasbro's lawsuit, Sweetpea attempted to have it dismissed, but last month a federal judge said it was too premature to do so. Hasbro is arguing that that the contract has separate reversion clauses for film and television, and that as a result, a TV movie doesn't count as a sequel. The judge isn't ready just yet to reject the possibility of reading the contract as so. STORY: Movie Producer Looks to Slay 'Dungeons and Dragons' Lawsuit The latest roll of the dice is Sweetpea's counterclaims. "Under its license agreement, Sweetpea is the owner in perpetuity of the Dungeons & Dragons copyrights with respect to live-action motion pictures," say the papers. "Sweetpea's large bundle of rights under the license agreement includes not only the right to use Dungeons & Dragons copyrighted material and trademarks in connection with live-action movies, it also includes the right to exclude others, including Hasbro, from infringing on those rights." Sweetpea says not only does it it have the sole right to make a new D&D film, it adds, "only Sweetpea can sue others for using that copyrighted material in a live-action motion picture." EXCLUSIVE: Hasbro Sues to Stop Warner Bros. 'Dungeons and Dragons' Film Solomon's company seems intent on making a new D&D film. The counterclaim reports that in 2012, Warners approached Hasbro with a spec script, based in part on Dungeons & Dragons, titled Chainmail, which is also the name of a board game from Dungeons & Dragons designer Gary Gygax. Sweatpea says that Hasbro's first lawsuit was filed so as "to delay a deal" between it and Warners. The new wrinkle appears to be Sweetpea's claim of holding onto certain rights even after possible reversion. The company isn't through contending that its TV movies, or non-theatrical films, extended the clock for making another film, but even if that argument doesn't fly, it's now charging that that it has rights that "never" revert back to Hasbro, including the right to make a live-action film using D&D copyright and trademark, the right to use "Dungeons & Dragons" as a primary or secondary film title, and a Right of Last Refusal, which would allegedly allow Sweetpea to make a film on the same financial terms that Hasbro gave Universal. Sweetpea essentially says that Hasbro's reversion theory is irrelevant, that the toymaker can't license Universal's film no matter what and is suing for breach of contract, copyright infringement, trademark violations and declaratory relief. The counterclaimant is asking for an injunction and damages. Here are the full counterclaims, which describe playing a Dungeons & Dragons game as being "similar to creating a series of stories where anything is possible and where the possibilities of narrative are endless. The rules of the game merely provide parameters..." The same might be said for entertainment industry contracts. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @eriqgardnerBIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Gov. Robert Bentley said he won't be a buzzkill for Alabama breweries seeking to expand their businesses under new legislation awaiting his signature. Alabama brewery owners were buzzing about their plans for tasting rooms and tours at last weekend's Magic City Brew Fest, but most were concerned that Bentley's deeply held religious beliefs might prevent him from signing the Brewery Modernization Act into law. But Bentley said he intends to sign the bill because his duties as governor differ from when he was a locally elected official. He previously represented Tuscaloosa in the state House. "When I represented my local community, I voted against Sunday alcohol sales and things of that nature," Bentley said in an interview. "As governor, it's a little bit different. I don't feel I should impose my views on everybody in the state. The Legislature has had a chance to look at it and passed it. I'm sure I will sign it." That's welcome news to brewers like Craig Shaw of Avondale Brewing Co., which is set to open in Birmingham's Southside Avondale neighborhood. Shaw said the timing of the Brewery Modernization Act fits perfectly with the opening of Avondale Brewing Co. "We're looking at designing a tap room and a bar and will have tours due to the new law," Shaw said. "We're going to be open to the public as soon as we can legally do so." The new law will, for the first time, allow breweries in the state to have a tap room for visitors to sample beer at the end of a brewery tour -- an important aspect of business for smaller craft breweries that don't have the sales volumes of major companies. The law will make legal tasting rooms, or tap rooms, and allow breweries to have a separate license to open a brewpub on premises. Mike Sellers, co-owner of Birmingham's Good People Brewing Co., said the company's brewery near Railroad Park will add jobs, a tap room and tours once the legislation is signed into law by the governor. "We're going to take advantage of everything that's allowed as quickly as possible," Sellers said. Gadsden's Back Forty Beer Co. is opening new operations in a 26,000-square-foot warehouse. Tripp Collins, director of operations, said the new space opens up possibilities. "We're excited about what the new bill will enable us to do," Collins said. "We're working on a tap room and you're going to be hearing more about our plans in the near future." Huntsville's Straight to Ale Brewery also is poised to capitalize on the law. "A tap room is already in the works," said Dan Perry, one of the founders and brewers of Straight to Ale. "We haven't nailed down the rest of our plans yet." Mike Spratley, brewer and owner of Huntsville's Blue Pants Brewery, said the new law creates an avenue for growth for upstart breweries like Blue Pants. "We're putting together a scheme for the next phase of our growth," he said. "Things like tours and a tap room will likely be in the plans going forward. We see that as a great way to grow the business." Bill 'pretty substantial' The Free the Hops organization pushed for passage of the Brewery Modernization Act in the current legislative session and, though it made some compromises, is happy with the end result. "We took some flack from a few of our members over the compromises," said Dan Roberts, vice president of legislative support at Free the Hops. "But the truth is we got a bill that is pretty substantial and is a huge improvement over what existed." Roberts said Free the Hops has promoted the new law as being more about economic development than beer. He is encouraged by Bentley's willingness to consider the bill on those merits. "That's what it's all about -- enabling Alabama businesses to grow," he said. "If you go to other states, tap rooms are the most common thing in the world. Tasting rooms and tours are the way small breweries grow their brand. When you're dealing with beer on this level, it's not a commodity like the big beer brands." Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Tomberlin at [email protected] flower in a hop yard in the Hallertau, Germany Cross-section drawing of a hop Humulus on a house Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant Humulus lupulus.[1] They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to which they impart, in addition to bitterness, floral, fruity, or citric flavours and aromas.[2] Hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine. The hop plant is a vigorous, climbing, herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden (nomenclature in the South of England), or hop yard (in the West Country and US) when grown commercially. Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world, with different types used for particular styles of beer. The first documented use of hops in beer is from the 9th century, though Hildegard of Bingen, 300 years later, is often cited as the earliest documented source.[3] Before this period, brewers used a "gruit", composed of a wide variety of bitter herbs and flowers, including dandelion, burdock root, marigold, horehound (the old German name for horehound, Berghopfen, means "mountain hops"), ground ivy, and heather.[4] Early documents include mention of a hop garden in the will of Charlemagne's father, Pepin III.[5] Hops are also used in brewing for their antibacterial effect over less desirable microorganisms and for purported benefits including balancing the sweetness of the malt with bitterness and a variety of flavours and aromas.[2] Historically, traditional herb combinations for beers were believed to have been abandoned when beers made with hops were noticed to be less prone to spoilage.[6] History [ edit ] The first documented hop cultivation was in 736, in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany,[7] although the first mention of the use of hops in brewing in that country was 1079.[8] However, in a will of Pepin the Short, the father of Charlemagne, hop gardens were left to the Cloister of Saint-Denis in 768. Not until the 13th century did hops begin to start threatening the use of gruit for flavouring. Gruit was used when the nobility levied taxes on hops. Whichever was taxed made the brewer then quickly switch to the other. In Britain, hopped beer was first imported from Holland around 1400, yet hops were condemned as late as 1519 as a "wicked and pernicious weed".[9] In 1471, Norwich, England, banned use of the plant in the brewing of ale ("beer" was the name for fermented malt liquors bittered with hops; only in recent times are the words often used as synonyms). In Germany, using hops was also a religious and political choice in the early 16th century. There was no tax on hops to be paid to the Catholic church, unlike on gruit. For this reason the Protestants preferred hopped beer.[10] Hops used in England were imported from France, Holland and Germany with import duty paid for those; it was not until 1524 that hops were first grown in the southeast of England (Kent) when they were introduced as an agricultural crop by Dutch farmers. Therefore, in the hop industry there are many words which originally were Dutch words (see oast house). Hops were then grown as far north as Aberdeen, near breweries for convenience of infrastructure. According to Thomas Tusser's 1557 Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry: "The hop for his profit I thus do exalt, It strengtheneth drink and it flavoureth malt; And being well-brewed long kept it will last, And drawing abide, if ye draw not too fast."[11] In England there were many complaints over the quality of imported hops, the sacks of which were often contaminated by stalks, sand or straw to increase their weight. As a result, in 1603, King James I approved an Act of Parliament banning the practice by which "the Subjects of this Realm have been of late years abused &c. to the Value of £20,000 yearly, besides the Danger of their Healths".[12] Hop cultivation was begun in the present-day United States in 1629 by English and Dutch farmers.[13] Before prohibition, cultivation was mainly centred around New York, California, Oregon, and Washington state. Problems with powdery mildew and downy mildew devastated New York's production by the 1920s, and California only produces hops on a small scale.[14] Hop bars were used before modern machinery was invented to make the holes for the hop poles.[15] World production [ edit ] Hops production is concentrated in moist temperate climates, with much of the world's production occurring near the 48th parallel north. Hop plants prefer the same soils as potatoes and the leading potato-growing states in the United States are also major hops-producing areas;[16] however, not all potato-growing areas can produce good hops naturally: soils in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, for example, lack the boron that hops prefer.[16] Historically, hops were not grown in Ireland, but were imported from England. In 1752 more than 500 tons of English hops were imported through Dublin alone.[17] Important production centres today are the Hallertau in Germany,[18] the Žatec (Saaz) in the Czech Republic, the Yakima (Washington) and Willamette (Oregon) valleys, and western Canyon County, Idaho (including the communities of Parma, Wilder, Greenleaf, and Notus).[19] The principal production centres in the UK are in Kent (which produces Kent Goldings hops), Herefordshire, and Worcestershire.[20][21] Essentially all of the harvested hops are used in beer making. Hop producing country 2017 hop output in tonnes (t)[22] United States 44,324 Germany 39,000 Czech Republic 6,100 China 4,500 Poland 2,826 Slovenia 2,600 UK/England 1,400 Australia 1,200 Spain 950 New Zealand 760 Cultivation and harvest [ edit ] A superstructure of overhead wires supports strings that in turn support bines Although hops are grown in most of the continental United States and Canada,[23] cultivation of hops for commercial production requires a particular environment. As hops are a climbing plant, they are trained to grow up trellises made from strings or wires that support the plants and allow them significantly greater growth with the same sunlight profile. In this way, energy that would have been required to build structural cells is also freed for crop growth.[24][citation needed] The hop plant's reproduction method is that male and female flowers develop on separate plants, although occasionally a fertile individual will develop which contains both male and female flowers.[25] Because pollinated seeds are undesirable for brewing beer, only female plants are grown in hop fields, thus preventing pollination. Female plants are propagated vegetatively, and male plants are culled if plants are grown from seeds.[26] Hop plants are planted in rows about 2 to 2.5 metres (7 to 8 ft) apart. Each spring, the roots send forth new bines that are started up strings from the ground to an overhead trellis. The cones grow high on the bine, and in the past, these cones were picked by hand. Harvesting of hops became much more efficient with the invention of the mechanical hops separator, patented by Emil Clemens Horst in 1909. Harvest comes near the end of summer when the bines are pulled down and the flowers are taken to a hop house or oast house for drying. Hop houses are two-story buildings, of which the upper story has a slatted floor covered with burlap. Here the flowers are poured out and raked even. A heating unit on the lower floor is used to dry the hops. When dry, the hops are moved to a press, a sturdy box with a plunger. Two long pieces of burlap are laid into the hop press at right angles, the hops are poured in and compressed into bales. Hop cones contain different oils, such as lupulin, a yellowish, waxy substance, an oleoresin, that imparts flavour and aroma to beer.[27] Lupulin contains lupulone and humulone, which possess antibiotic properties, suppressing bacterial growth favoring brewer's yeast to grow. After lupulin has been extracted in the brewing process the papery cones are discarded. Migrant labor and social impact [ edit ] Hops harvest in Skåne Sweden in 1937 The need for massed labor at harvest time meant hop-growing had a big social impact. Around the world, the labor-intensive harvesting work involved large numbers of migrant workers who would travel for the annual hop harvest. Whole families would participate and live in hoppers' huts, with even the smallest children helping in the fields.[28][29] The final chapters of W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage and a large part of George Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter contain a vivid description of London families participating in this annual hops harvest. In England, many of those picking hops in Kent were from eastern areas of London. This provided a break from urban conditions that was spent in the countryside. People also came from Birmingham and other Midlands cities to pick hops in the Malvern area of Worcestershire. Some photographs have been preserved.[30] Particularly in Kent, because of a shortage of small-denomination coin of the realm, many growers issued their own currency to those doing the labor. In some cases, the coins issued were adorned with fanciful hops images, making them quite beautiful.[31] In the US, Prohibition had a major impact on hops productions, but remnants of this significant industry in West and Northwest US are still noticeable in the form of old hop kilns that survive throughout Sonoma County, among others. Florian Dauenhauer, of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, became a manufacturer of hop-harvesting machines in 1940, in part because of the hop industry's importance to the county. This mechanization helped destroy the local industry by enabling large-scale mechanized production, which moved to larger farms in other areas.[32] Dauenhauer Manufacturing remains a current producer of hop harvesting machines. Chemical composition [ edit ] In addition to water, cellulose, and various proteins, the chemical composition of hops consists of compounds important for imparting character to beer.[2][33] Alpha acids [ edit ] Isomerization scheme of humulone Probably the most important chemical compound within hops are the alpha acids or humulones. During wort boiling, the humulones are thermally isomerized into iso-alpha acids or isohumulones, which are responsible for the bitter taste of beer.[34] Beta acids [ edit ] Structure of lupulone (beta acid) Hops contain beta acids or lupulones. These are desirable for their aroma contributions to beer. Essential oils [ edit ] The main components of hops essential oils are terpene hydrocarbons consisting of myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene.[33] Myrcene is responsible for the pungent smell of fresh hops. Humulene and its oxidative reaction products may give beer its prominent hop aroma. Together, myrcene, humulene, and caryophyllene represent 80 to 90% of the total hops essential oil.[33] Flavonoids [ edit ] Chemical structure of 8-prenylnaringenin Xanthohumol is the principal flavonoid in hops. The other well-studied prenylflavonoids are 8-prenylnaringenin and isoxanthohumol. Xanthohumol is under basic research for its potential properties, while 8-prenylnaringenin is a potent phytoestrogen.[35][36] Brewing [ edit ] Hops sample at the Moscow Brewing Company Hops are usually dried in an oast house before they are used in the brewing process.[37] Undried or "wet" hops are sometimes (since ca.1990) used.[38][39] The wort (sugar-rich liquid produced from malt) is boiled with hops before it is cooled down and yeast is added, to start fermentation. The effect of hops on the finished beer varies by type and use, though there are two main hop types: bittering and aroma.[2] Bittering hops have higher concentrations of alpha acids, and are responsible for the large majority of the bitter flavour of a beer. European (so-called "noble") hops typically average 5–9% alpha acids by weight (AABW), and the newer American cultivars typically range from 8–19% AABW. Aroma hops usually have a lower concentration of alpha acids (~5%) and are the primary contributors of hop aroma and (nonbitter) flavour. Bittering hops are boiled for a longer period of time, typically 60–90 minutes, to maximize the isomerization of the alpha acids. They often have inferior aromatic properties, as the aromatic compounds evaporate during the boil. The degree of bitterness imparted by hops depends on the degree to which alpha acids are isomerized during the boil, and the impact of a given amount of hops is specified in International Bitterness Units. Unboiled hops are only mildly bitter. On the other hand, the nonbitter flavour and aroma of hops come from the essential oils, which evaporate during the boil. Aroma hops are typically added to the wort later to prevent the evaporation of the essential oils, to impart "hop taste" (if during the final 30 minutes of boil) or "hop aroma" (if during the final 10 minutes, or less, of boil). Aroma hops are often added after the wort has cooled and while the beer ferments, a technique known as "dry hopping", which contributes to the hop aroma. Farnesene is a major component in some hops.[2] The composition of hop essential oils can differ between varieties and between years in the same variety, having a significant influence on flavour and aroma.[2] Macro shot of lupulin on a hops cone Today, a substantial amount of "dual-use" hops are used, as well. These have high concentrations of alpha acids and good aromatic properties. These can be added to the boil at any time, depending on the desired effect.[40] Hop acids also contribute to and stabilize the foam qualities of beer.[2] Flavours and aromas are described appreciatively using terms which include "grassy", "floral", "citrus", "spicy", "piney", "lemony", "grapefruit", and "earthy".[2][41] Many pale lagers have fairly low hop influence, while lagers marketed as Pilsener or brewed in the Czech Republic may have noticeable noble hop aroma. Certain ales (particularly the highly hopped style known as India Pale Ale, or IPA) can have high levels of hop bitterness. Brewers may use software tools to control the bittering levels in the boil and adjust recipes to account for a change in the hop bill or seasonal variations in the crop that may lead to the need to compensate for a difference in alpha acid contribution. Data may be shared with other brewers via BeerXML allowing the reproduction of a recipe allowing for differences in hop availability. Varieties [ edit ] Breeding programs [ edit ] There are many different varieties of hops used in brewing today. Historically, hops varieties were identified by geography (such as Hallertau, Spalt, and Tettnang from Germany), by the farmer who is recognized as first cultivating them (such as Goldings or Fuggles from England), or by their growing habit (e.g., Oregon Cluster).[42][citation needed] Around 1900, a number of institutions began to experiment with breeding specific hop varieties. The breeding program at Wye College in Wye, Kent was started in 1904 and rose to prominence through the work of Prof. E. S. Salmon. Salmon released Brewer's Gold and Brewer's Favorite for commercial cultivation in 1934, and went on to release more than two dozen new cultivars before his death in 1959. Brewer's Gold has become the ancestor of the bulk of new hop releases around the world since its release.[43] Wye College continued its breeding program and again received attention in the 1970s, when Dr. Ray A. Neve released Wye Target, Wye Challenger, Wye Northdown, Wye Saxon and Wye Yeoman. More recently, Wye College and its successor institution Wye Hops Ltd., have focused on breeding the first dwarf hop varieties, which are easier to pick by machine and far more economical to grow.[44] Wye College have also been responsible for breeding hop varieties that will grow with only 12 hours of daily light for the South African hop farmers. Wye College was closed in 2009 but the legacy of their hop breeding programs, particularly that of the dwarf varieties, is continuing as already the US private and public breeding programs are using their stock material. Particular hop varieties are associated with beer regions and styles, for example pale lagers are usually brewed with European (often German, Polish or Czech) noble hop varieties such as Saaz, Hallertau and Strissel Spalt.
seen at least one naked picture of a female classmate. Over the past year, as schools and parents in states from Ohio and New Jersey to Colorado and California have found out about the practice, prosecutors have also become involved, in some cases threatening felony charges against the teenagers. The incidents have sparked a nascent national campaign to educate parents and change the laws. “The laws are either too hot or too cold and we need to make sure we find one that is just right,” says Perry Aftab, an online safety and privacy expert who founded wiredsafety.org. “We are either charging kids under child pornography and sexual exploitation laws as if they were registered sex offenders – which they will be if they’re successfully prosecuted – or we’re giving them a slap on the wrist with harassment laws that were not intended to address this.” The situation in Tunkhannock, Pa., illustrates the extent to which “sexting” has become part of adolescent culture and the dilemma that it presents to parents, teachers, and law enforcement officials. Last October, officials at the Tunkhannock Area High School, which is in a rural community north of Scranton, confiscated several cellphones from students and discovered pictures of scantily clad or seminude female students on them. Parents were alerted, and so were the police. In November, the local district attorney sent a letter to parents stating they’d discovered a “disturbing trend” and that they were investigating “several juveniles for possessing nude or seminude photos of young girls.” The letter went on to warn parents of the legal consequences as well as the fact that the teens appeared to be unaware of them. “One young lady, when questioned about her photo being on a cell phone, called this ‘flirting’,” the letter stated. With an estimated 20 teens involved, district attorney George Skumanick decided to try what he calls “a progressive” approach to the problem. In February, he sent another letter to the teens’ parents saying that if the students agreed to be placed on probation, submit to random drug testing and take part in a five-week counseling program, he would not press felony charges. “It was mainly a crime of foolishness and naiveté, so we developed a program,” says Mr. Skumanick. Most of the students agreed to take the classes. But the parents of three of the students felt the district attorney had gone too far in threatening felony charges. They went to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought suit against the district attorney charging that he was “standing child pornography laws on their heads.” Sending seminude pictures is “stupid, careless, naive, poor judgment – all of the things that teenagers are and it could have really bad consequences for the future. But is it criminal and is it child pornography?” asks Witold Walczak, legal director of the ACLU in Pennsylvania. “These photos are not child pornography by production or by content – the Supreme Court has repeatedly said the definition of pornography is much narrower than just nudity.” The district attorney’s decision to threaten child pornography charges against kids wearing underwear or in a bathing suit, Mr. Walczak says, is “a complete abuse his authority.” District attorney Skumanick disagrees. “We tried to do what we thought was the progressive and the right thing by not charging them – by giving them the ability to avoid any record whatsoever,” he says. The ACLU’s stance on the issue, Skumanick contends, would make it possible for anyone to bypass state laws and go directly to federal court charging their civil rights were violated before they were even charged with a crime. “That could cripple the criminal justice system,” he argues. A judge is currently reviewing the ACLU’s request for a temporary restraining order against the district attorney. A ruling is expected this week. For cyber-safety and teen advocates trying to raise awareness of the issue, the complexities of the Tunkhannock case simply reinforce the need to educate parents about the extent of “sexting” and students about the potentially severe consequences of the practice. “Parents do not realize how widespread sexing is or how quickly the number of cases are rising,” says Casi L., an 11th grader at Ursuline School in New Rochelle, N.Y., who’s been working on cyber-safety issues since the 8th grade. “A lot of kids feel anonymous online so they feel more comfortable doing inappropriate things because they think they won’t be linked back to them.” The survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy also found that one in three young adults aged 20 to 26 had also sent nude or seminude pictures by phone or posted them online. Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign, says he believes those numbers are low because they were self-reported. “We specifically put this question so that it was not open to interpretation,” says Mr. Albert. “Nude is nude, and seminude is seminude. If a person is in their bra, we wouldn’t classify that as seminude – if one of the 13-year-olds involved in this [Pennsylvania] case took our survey she’d check ‘no’ and appropriately so.” The survey also found that young people have mixed feelings about the practice. The vast majority – 66 percent of teen girls and 60 percent of teen boys – say they thought of sexting as “fun or flirtatious,” but more than 70 percent also recognized it could have serious, long-term consequences in terms of their careers or social standing. “But legal consequences were very low on their list of concerns,” says Albert.After a $170.1 million U.S. debut, investors eye a DC superhero universe sparking a 2016 turnaround for Warner Bros. after 2015 flops. Time Warner's stock rose Monday morning after Warner Bros. got a welcome win at the weekend box office with a critic-proof Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Zack Snyder's superhero team-up film, in which the caped crusader battles the man of steel, bowed to a giant $170.1 million from 4,242 theaters and also made history globally with a $424.1 million opening. It's a step in the right direction for the studio that endured a string of 2015 flops. Time Warner shares opened on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday up $1.13, or 1.5 percent, to $71.14. At mid-day, shares had climbed still further by $2.17, or 3 percent, to $72.05. On Friday, they closed at $69.94. Over the past year, the stock has traded as low as $55.53 and as high as $91.34 after fears of continuing cord-cutting have weighed down the media conglomerate's stock. Batman v Superman's mega-opening reverses in the minds of analysts box office duds last year for Warner Bros. like Pan, Jupiter Ascending, In the Heart of the Sea and Man From U.N.C.L.E. And a strong launch for the Justice League origin story could right the studio's ship with a lucrative DC superhero universe unfolding with Suicide Squad, the second major DC crossover in 2016; Wonder Woman and The Justice League in 2017; and The Flash and Aquaman in 2018. "Batman v Superman is the most premier DC Comics IP and, despite weak reviews, the strong box office and relatively good CinemaScores in the core demo bode well for the expansion of the IP," Stifel analyst Ben Mogil wrote in a report. Macquarie Capital analyst Tim Nollen agreed DC Comics' future hinges on the Batman v. Superman film launching a successful franchise. "...Batman v. Superman is the kick-off for 10 total DC Comics films to come in the next 6 years, as well as up to 12 new TV series and at least 3 new video games — so getting this one right is essential to the success of this entire franchise," Nollen wrote. After a disappointing 2015, Matthew Harrigan, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities, predicted a 2016 turnaround for Warner Bros., especially with DC Entertainment superhero movies as a draw for HBO subscribers. "Warner Bros. and HBO should emerge as major winners into the next decade, even as Turner admittedly has more execution risk — especially for original and syndicated scripted programming," Harrigan wrote in his note. Batman v Superman dominating the weekend box office also promises to help supersize Hollywood's 2016 business at the multiplex, MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler said Monday in his own investors note. "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice propels 1Q16 box office above projections," Handler said, noting the Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill-starrer set a March box office record, marked a new domestic opening weekend high for Warner Bros. and recorded the sixth best all-time opening in North America. March 28, 12:15 p.m. Updated with mid-day stock price for Time Warner.Whether you are a climate change believer or not, the effects of extreme weather on the earth are beginning to reap alarming consequence throughout the western United States. Around 63 trillion gallons of water are estimated to have been lost in the region since the beginning of 2013, according to a study conducted by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the U.S. Geological Survey. Even more disturbing is that the study claims that this loss of water is literally causing the earth to rise to higher levels because of the loss of weight. Researches from the team — including Adrian Brosa, Duncan Agnew and Dan Cavan — parsed data from several GPS stations scattered around the western region. Their conclusion? Evaporating groundwater has made California’s mountains up to 15mm (more than half an inch) taller. In the rest of the West, ground was estimated to have swelled around 4mm (0.15 inches). Agnew stated that mountain ranges were especially prone to the effect. We found that it’s most severe in California, particularly in the Sierras. It’s predominantly in the Coast Ranges and the Sierras showing the most uplift, and hence, that’s where we believe is the largest water loss. While the study focused on the fact that the earth is moving upward, the drought is troubling in itself. The 63 trillion gallons of water lost in the drought in the last year and a half would equal a full four inches of water lost if it was spread flatly across the United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, reported The Los Angeles Times. The uplift from the 63 trillion gallon loss itself, however, is far from uniform. In the Great Basin Desert and the dry state of Nevada, the evaporation was significantly less than in California’s mountain ranges. Agnew noted that this was in line with scientific principles. You can only lose water where there’s water to lose. Rampant dependency on water has become a more focal point of environmental advocacy groups more so than ever in recent years as drought has threatened water supplies in even developed countries such as the U.S. Americans use nearly 400 billion gallons of water every day as a whole, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In Europe, the average household uses nearly half of the amount as Americans. On average, American households use around 100,000 gallons per year — meaning the 63 trillion gallon loss amounts to nearly half a year of total water use and multiple years worth of household use. [Image via ThinkStock]One-third of people believe the next Senate should have more or the same number of crossbenchers, according to polling done for the Australia Institute, a progressive think tank. This compares with 28% who would like to see fewer. There was a big divide along political lines. More than half (52%) of Coalition voters wanted fewer; only 23% wanted the same number or more. Some 42% of Labor voters favoured the new Senate having the same number or more; just 16% wanted fewer. The expectation is that, despite the changes in the Senate voting system which work against “micro” players, a substantial number of non-Green crossbenchers will be elected to the new Senate, including about three from the Nick Xenophon Team. The national poll of 1,437 people was done between May 23 and June 3 through Research Now. The role of minor parties and independents has come into focus in the campaign with Malcolm Turnbull at the weekend appealing to people not to lodge a “protest” vote. The prime minister warned of the “chaos” of a hung parliament. Newspoll is showing a rise to 15% in support for “others” – independents and parties other than the major parties and the Greens. In the poll, people were told that in the parliament just finished the government had to seek the support of crossbench senators to pass legislation – they were asked whether this was normal or unusual for Australia. More than half (52%) said it was normal, 24% said it was unusual and 24% did not know. People were also asked about particular decisions by crossbench senators, who sometimes voted with Labor and the Greens and sometimes with the government. Some 41% supported the crossbenchers voting to block university fee deregulation (30% against); 44% backed their voting to abolish the carbon price (30% opposed); 37% supported their stopping plans for the young unemployed receiving payments for up to six months – less than the 40% who opposed. Nearly four in ten (39%) opposed their decision to abolish the mining tax (33% supported). People overwhelmingly (69%) supported their voting to keep renewable energy funding, with only 13% opposing. Most people supported at least three of the crossbench decisions asked about and 85% supported at least one. The Australia Institute’s executive director, Ben Oquist, said the polling results indicated prime ministers were more hostile to the Senate than the public. “While governments often criticise the Senate, its constitutional role is to block or amend legislation as it sees fit,” he said, and the public’s attitude to the crossbench seemed to accord with this. “Indeed, a Senate not controlled by the government can be a help. It’s a bit like ballast in a ship – a government that uses it well gets smoother sailing, a government that handles it badly gets sunk by it.” Meanwhile, independent senator Nick Xenophon, who expects his team will win three Senate spots in South Australia, on Monday played down the prospect of a hung parliament. “I think it’s highly unlikely … I can’t see that the Coalition will lose 15 seats and then be put into a hung parliament situation.”It seems likely that if the Pew Research study on America's increased polarization had come out a month earlier, the cover story of this month's New Republic would have had a different thrust. As it stands, the story is ostensibly about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), who author Alec MacGillis puts forward as "an early favorite" in the Republican 2016 field. But the story is really about a seam that lies on the outskirts of Milwaukee, separating a very, very blue city from its very, very red surroundings. Let's address the Walker thing first. Scott Walker is not exactly an early favorite for the GOP nod. In polling, he consistently gets five percent support, trailing Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, and, often Ted Cruz. It's Rick Perry levels of support although unlike Perry Walker isn't all that well known yet. Walker has other problems, too: lingering questions about his use of government resources for his gubernatorial campaign and the possibility of a Paul Ryan candidacy, which would likely undermine Walker's ability to win even his own state. But the story here is really about Milwaukee versus the suburbs, the "WOW" counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington. Scroll down in the article and there's a striking map of 2012 election results in those areas, Milwaukee a dark blue and the surrounding counties dark red. MacGillis walks through the differences between the two -- differences in wealth, politics, and, particularly, racial composition. The divide was well articulated in that Pew study released last week. Political partisans increasingly live in places that match their political temperaments, fostering increased polarization. "[L]iberals," the report states, are "about twice as likely as conservatives to live in urban areas, while conservatives are more concentrated in rural areas." Southeastern Wisconsin, thanks to the history MacGillis outlines, appears to be ahead of the curve on that split. "[T]here is not a single competitive state Senate seat left in the entire Milwaukee media market," he writes. That homogenization has been a boon for Walker, who built strong relationships with local conservative radio that allowed him to maintain support even during the attempted recall in 2012. What MacGillis outlines is really a vision of what a polarized America does and will look like on a local level. The racial subtext to much of what's happening, as MacGillis outlines it, appears to be an artifact of the history of the area that is exacerbated by the cultural differences between the two regions. The highly popular and antagonistic conservative talk radio hosts he discusses leverage the same split. The proximity of the two worlds means a tension that doesn't exist elsewhere in the country, at least not yet. But that tension is what MacGillis is writing about. There's a wall between the worlds and MacGillis is standing on top of it describing what he sees. It isn't a story about Scott Walker, Presidential Contender. It's a story about the ever-thinner purple line between two Americas. MacGillis: Even Walker admits that he isn’t working the middle much anymore: “It was always a divided state but it used to be (that) you’d explain it as ‘40/40/20,’ and 20 percent was the persuadable middle,” he told the Journal Sentinel. “That percent has shrunk now to 5, 6 percent maybe... or five or six people.” We refer you to this animation showing that same change happening everywhere else in the country.The judge’s ruling came after lengthy hearings, starting in February, during which Mr. Hincapie testified that a detective had beaten a confession out of him and a previously unknown witness, Mariluz Santana, came forward to swear she had not seen Mr. Hincapie on the subway platform when the murder happened. Mr. Watkins, a tourist from Utah visiting New York for the United States Open, was stabbed in the chest on Sept. 3, 1990, in a struggle with at least six young men who had tried to rob his family inside the Seventh Avenue subway station at 53rd Street. Some of the men later said they needed money to go dancing at the Roseland Ballroom. Mr. Hincapie, now 43, was arrested the next day and confessed to taking part. He was one of seven young men convicted of felony murder at two separate trials. Under state law, everyone who takes part in a mugging can be held responsible for murder if a victim dies. But Mr. Hincapie now maintains he gave a false confession after a detective beat him. He testified in February he was walking down an escalator to the platform when the murder occurred. He was looking for a friend and had tarried at the turnstiles to flirt with some girls, he said. His story was buttressed by the testimony of Luis Montero, who testified he recalled Mr. Hincapie’s being with him at the turnstiles just before the commotion erupted on the platform below. The police arrested Mr. Montero on suspicion of taking part in the mugging as well, but later dropped charges against him. He never confessed. Another man convicted in the attack, Anthony Anderson, took the stand and testified he did not remember Mr. Hincapie’s being on the platform when another teenager, Yul Gary Morales, stabbed Mr. Watkins in the chest. Ms. Santana, a 45-year-old hospital worker, also corroborated Mr. Hincapie’s claim. Having read about the hearing, she voluntarily came forward this year and swore on the stand she had seen the murder but had not seen Mr. Hincapie among the men attacking the Watkins family.Most playwrights spend months, or even years, labouring over their work. But not Tess Berry-Hart, who was given just two and a half weeks to write a pioneering new play chronicling the lives of LGBT Russians living under the country's anti-gay laws. The play, Sochi 2014, will be staged tonight and tomorrow at the King's Head Theatre in north London, but rehearsals are only due to start this morning. In a British theatrical first, the play will be based on 20 verbatim accounts from LGBT Russians. Their first-person stories, including tales of homophobic abuse, arrest and detainment, have been drawn together by Berry-Hart, who trained at the Royal Court Theatre. She has spent the past few weeks frantically rewriting scenes of the play, so as to keep up to date with the rolling political story. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month The playwright told The Independent on Sunday she got involved because she supports "people's fight for equality." She said there is no single Russian "gay experience", but hopes that by looking at a "cross-section of stories," she will give a "true picture" of what is happening in Russia, where it is now a criminal offence to promote non-heterosexual relationships. The play will feature stories from the likes of Nikolai, 38, who was arrested four years ago during a Gay Pride rally in Moscow. He said: "I face homophobic prejudice from ordinary people every day. It's [the] everyday life of gays in Russia. We always hear homophobic jokes harassing us and it is regarded as absolutely normal... Sometimes it can be enough just to not look like others; you will be named 'faggot'." Jessika, 22, agreed. In her testimony, she revealed that she has only one friend, because she is too scared to be open with anyone else. "The recent law made it almost impossible to be out without fear," she added. Antony, who is also gay, has been arrested four times at protests, most recently in May of this year. He has left Russia to live in New York and said LGBT Russians are "scared by [the] killings and beatings". The play follows intense pressure from figures such as Stephen Fry to boycott the Winter Olympics, to be held in Sochi next year. But Berry-Hart said her own opinion on this issue changed after speaking to Russians, many of whom "want the Games to increase visibility and solidarity for them instead". The gay rights activist Peter Tatchell, who has been beaten up and arrested four times for taking part in Moscow Gay Pride marches, said he is "really pleased" that the King's Head is "using theatre in a creative, entertaining way to expose homophobic repression in Russia". He is organising a protest outside Downing Street on Tuesday to press world leaders to "put the persecution of gay people on the G20 summit agenda." 'Everything was a blur. They were hitting me on all sides. The police officer said no one wants to live on a street by a pervert like me' Sergei, 31, fled Russia earlier this year and is now seeking asylum in the United States. He said he faced so much physical and psychological abuse that remaining in his home country was impossible. He was fired from the job he held for a decade when his employers found out he was gay last year. Here is an edited version of his moving testimony, which will be used in Tess Berry-Hart's play Sochi 2014: "The week before, on Mamba [a Russian dating website], I received a message: 'Hello. My name is Stanislav. I'm 23. I am looking for a serious relationship. I would like to meet you.' We talked for five days [then] I received a message from him with a proposal to meet. I agreed. "We went into a café and drank a glass of wine. 'Stanislav' offered me a walk in the park. I agreed. After a while I saw that in my direction ran two strong guys in sportswear. I was confused and scared. He immediately hit me in the head; I fell. Then everything was a blur. They [were] hitting me on all sides. I could hear them shouting: 'We will soon clear the city from these pederasts'. Then they ran. "A few minutes later I looked up and saw police. I explained why it happened [and] told them I was gay. I asked them to take me to the hospital, but they took me to the police station. They put me in a cell, with other prisoners. I had to sleep sitting on the floor. Later I was accused of hooliganism in a public place, and [they] let me go. [I] had multiple bruises, internal bleeding and concussion. I had to stay in hospital for two weeks. Then a divisional police officer I knew said [to me] that no one wants to live on a street by a pervert like me, and asked me to pay him $20,000 for his silence. I said I didn't have that kind of money. The police officer told me I would greatly regret [my decision]."Anyone familiar with the history of race and policing in the United States had to suspect from the beginning that the shooting of Michael Brown was not just a tragedy, but a crime. Yet presumption of innocence prevails and sober minds know both the need to wait for an investigation and the reality that we may never really know what happened that fateful Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri. But watching events unfold Wednesday night in the St. Louis suburb, there can be no doubt that what happened on August 13 was an outrage. The local authorities clearly have no idea what they're doing, and higher powers from the state or federal government need to intervene before things get even worse. The arrest of two reporters, Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post, with whom many of us in Washington, DC, are acquainted was neither the beginning nor the most important part of the outrage, but it drives home in a visceral way the extent to which the situation is being monumentally mishandled. I counted 70+ SWAT officers. Guns trained on crowds. Insanity. pic.twitter.com/stev2G6v4b — Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 13, 2014 Police officers, for some unfathomable reason, were pointing guns at unarmed civilians at twilight. Police have moved tank and repositioned to face protesters on sidewalk across the street. #ferguson pic.twitter.com/JRGhIErZAb — Conetta (@BmoreConetta) August 13, 2014 Crowd control is a normal complement to any modern protest. And as I remember well from the late-Giuliani days in New York, crowd control sometimes gets heavy-handed when relationships between the police and the community are strained. But you do crowd control with horses, batons, and shields, not rifles. You point guns at dangerous, violent criminals, not people out for a march. A number of wags have gotten mileage over the past few days out of joking that it's hard to tell if you're looking at photos of Missouri or Baghdad. But military veterans say the display of force from the cops last night went beyond any sound wartime practice. FWIW I led foot patrols in downtown Baquba, #Iraq in 2005-06 w/less firepower than #Ferguson PD (excl fire spt) @CaptainAwwsum @AthertonKD — Phillip Carter (@inteldump) August 14, 2014 I don't know how it was in IRQ and AFG, but in Bosnia we had less firepower while on patrol than the cops in #Ferguson — Dan Bramos (@CaptainAwwsum) August 14, 2014 Of course cops, like soldiers, must be prepared to use serious weapons from time to time. But there was no rioting last night in Ferguson. No looting. And it's difficult to imagine any scenario that would call for police officers to be dressed in the kind of military-style camo fatigues that are visible in many pictures from last night. Lowery and Reilly were released soon after being detained, and the Ferguson police chief told Matt Pearce from the LA Times that the arrestor was "probably somebody who didn't know better." That sounds about right. There were an awful lot of somebodies who didn't know better out on the streets of Ferguson last night wielding an awful lot of deadly equipment. Quite a few people have been injured over the past few days by rubber bullets and rough handling (although in a Wednesday press conference, a police spokesperson insisted that no one had been injured during the protests). Wednesday night's outing ended for many protestors in a cloud of tear gas. In my experience, these "nonviolent" crowd-control tactics are a good deal more painful than people who've never been at the receiving end appreciate. There's no real reason they should be inflicted on demonstrators who weren't hurting anyone or even damaging property. We are lucky, to be honest, that nobody's been killed yet. But somebody who does know better needs to take charge. And soon. The state's governor, Democrat Jay Nixon, spent the early evening tweeting about an education policy dispute in the state legislature, and was MIA on the issue at hand as events unfolded. In unanimous vote, Springfield School Board urges #moleg to let my #FridayFavors vetoes stand @officialSPS http://t.co/Q8iFY8cEPE — Governor Jay Nixon (@GovJayNixon) August 13, 2014 A bit after midnight local time he finally released a tepid statement, saying "I ask that members of the community demonstrate patience and calm while the investigation continues, and I urge law enforcement agencies to keep the peace and respect the rights of residents and the press during this difficult time." But it is clear at this point that local officials in the town of Ferguson and St. Louis County don't know what they are doing. Of course people will not be calm while police officers charged with protecting them trample their rights. The governor needs to either step in and ensure — not urge — that law enforcement do its job properly, or else to appeal to the federal government to come in and take charge. Obama and his team are, with good reason, reluctant to see the president involved in highly racialized controversies. But what happened last night on the streets of Missouri was a national disgrace.On Thursday, the bruised and tearful face of former footballer and chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Clarke Carlisle, 35, appeared on the front page of the Sun. He was released from psychiatric hospital two weeks ago. In a clip on the paper’s website, he appears so raw and vulnerable that to watch it provokes thoughts of a modern-day version of Bedlam with us as Hogarthian gawpers treating the mentally fragile as entertainment. The paper’s headline read: “I leapt in front of a lorry hoping to die.” Carlisle, a father of three, has suffered from depression for 18 months. He explained that the end of his career, the curtailment of his contract as a TV sports pundit and a struggle with alcohol led to financial problems. He felt the lack of “a sense of worth and value in life”. He said strangers would comment: “Didn’t you used to be Clarke Carlisle?”, as if, once off the television screen and football pitch, he had passed into no-man’s-land. Throwing himself in front of a lorry became the “perfect answer”. Carlisle survived, unlike 12 men who will kill themselves today, as 12 do every day, in England and Wales. Just before his death, the psychiatrist Anthony Clare wrote a thoughtful book, On Men: Masculinity in Crisis. He concluded with a plea to men to place “a greater value on love, family and personal relationships and less on power, possessions and achievement… to find meaning and fulfilment”. Except that redefining what it means to be a man in contemporary society isn’t a job for men alone. It’s a dynamic process of cultural and social change that repeatedly judders to a halt. And it will continue to be impeded for a variety of reasons (better the stereotype you know) and as long as some women hold fast to a hierarchy of need. This is the kind of thinking that says: if male fragility is addressed, women’s requirements are marginalised. Men can hog resources, but the two requirements are interlocked. Until male violence can be defused, for instance, the refuges will continue to overflow. In the main, support for Carlisle’s honesty has been strong, as it has been for Nick Baber, 48, chief operating officer at KPMG, who last week said he would pretend he had flu during severe depression. He has called for more senior executives to speak out. But then what? As Dr Margaret McCartney explains in The Patient Paradox, the severely depressed are too ill to make plans to end their life. When a patient is beginning to recover, suicide becomes an option, particularly if they are male. Thoreau wrote: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Talk to parents from Papyrus, the charity that campaigns to prevent young suicide, and again and again they say they had no idea that their sons were depressed, let alone suicidal. Their sons, they felt, had so much to live for. According to the charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm), men account for more than three-quarters of all suicides in England and Wales, 4,590 deaths – the single biggest cause of death among males under 50. Three out of four had no contact with mental health professionals. As the Men’s Health Forum constantly points out, men are reluctant to go their GP and fail to identify their own symptoms of depression. When Carlisle’s wife, Gemma, was diagnosed with postnatal depression, he advised her to “get a grip”; then he took Goldberg’s depression test and recognised his own symptoms. They include lack of energy, sadness, negativity and self-destructiveness. A survey by Calm revealed that 69% of men said they preferred to deal with problems themselves, 56% didn’t want to burden others. “The traditional strong silent response to adversity is increasingly failing to protect men from themselves,” said Jane Powell, Calm’s chief executive. Last year, the charity issued a much-needed four-point charter to encourage change for the better. It includes a shift in thinking about the needs of males in schools, work and public services and a fuller range of expression of masculinity in the media and advertising. Too often, still, while depression in women is wrongly viewed as an inevitable part of being female, it’s precisely this alleged association with female fragility that underscores the notion that the male sufferer is less of a man; he has a weakness, not an illness best kept secret. So, as the suicide rate has risen, the taboos and social “norms” stay in place. Change, however, is possible. Last month, a new policy on suicide prevention was launched, the Stop Suicide pledge. It is based on the work of Dr Ed Coffey in Detroit that enrols as many members of the public as possible with the aim of ending the stigma and the secrecy. In four years, the suicide rate dropped 75%. The UK “zero suicide” pilots ask the whole community to look out for each other, recognise warning signs and offer help, not exclusion. The pledge, with a badge, is, “I’d ask”. (Although what you ask is trickier. “Is everything OK?” is bound to get a positive response in a well-trained man.) The New Economics Foundation says the five foundation stones of wellbeing are: connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give. The female sphere, even when it involves working 10 hours a day as well as mothering and acting as a carer, has all those aspects woven into it (and paradoxically at extremes can be the cause of female depression and breakdown). The male stereotypes of protector, provider, toughie and top dog shoves wellbeing well down the list. Kurt Cobain, desperately in need of help for years, in his poignant suicide note to Boddah, his imaginary childhood friend, quoted a Neil Young song: “… better to burn out than fade away…” The tragedy for too many men is that society doesn’t yet allow them to let down their guard so they can value and enjoy the infinity of choices that lie between those two extremes. www.stopsuicidepledge.org/ Samaritans: 08457 90 90 90 (24-hour national helpline)Late last season, while gearing up for a game against the Giants, Lions Pro Bowl receiver Calvin Johnson did not know Prince Amukamara’s name. On Thursday, speaking of the Giants’ cornerbacks, Johnson mentioned Amukamara by using his first name. “I took that as a compliment,’’ Amukamara said, smiling. “It shows I’m progressing.’’ In that 23-20 overtime Giants victory last season, Amukamara shadowed Johnson, who clearly was hobbled by a bad knee. In Monday night’s season opener, the Giants can use Amukamara or prize addition Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie — or both — on the towering Megatron. “Same thing you see every year from him,’’ Rodgers-Cromartie said. “A bigger guy with a bigger body, but difference is, he has the speed to beat you down the field, and big hands to go up and get the ball. A guy like that, you have to play physical with. You have to get up there and put your hands on him and try to disrupt him as much as you can.’’ Rodgers–Cromartie said “Yes, no question’’ when asked if Johnson is the best receiver in the league. Johnson called the Giants secondary “a mixed group’’ and broke down the starting cornerbacks. “Both of them have pretty good ball skills,’’ he said. “Cromartie is a very shifty guy, very long guy. Prince likes to get his hands on you, it seems like early in the play.’’ Guard Brandon Mosley (back) returned to practice and was listed as a limited participant. He said he did “a good bit, actually’’ and that his back feels fine. He had been the starting right guard before back spasms arose. John Jerry, a former starter with the Dolphins, took Mosley’s place and filled in well, and likely will remain in the starting lineup for the season opener. “We’ll see, whatever happens happens,’’ Mosley said. “If I do [start] then I’ll be prepared and if I don’t, I’ll be prepared to be a backup.’’ Newly signed Adam Snyder, entering his 10th
5.7 percent, the number of rapes decreased by 5.1 percent, and total robberies declined by 7.7 percent. Many analysts anticipated an increase in crime, believing that the tough economy and lack of available jobs would force people to do anything, legal or criminal, to stay afloat. The data does not support this claim. Some experts cite increased police activity as a possible cause for the decrease in violent crime. With more officers on the streets, offenders may be thinking twice before committing an act of violence. Criminal defense attorneys and other law officials maintain that the use of new technologies like street cameras has had a preventative effect on violent crime. The drop in violence may also be partly explained by the aging population of the United States. Violent crimes are most often committed by young people. With the average age of Americans on the rise, fewer young people exist to commit the crimes. Although increased police activity and the use of street cameras may appear beneficial, some critics are concerned about the privacy of U.S. Citizens and the dangerous possibilities of employing more police officers in high-crime areas. Sometimes police presence can heighten tensions in these neighborhoods. Others have stated that law enforcement agencies are “cooking the books” for city officials, using the data in non-representative ways to create a false appearance of less crime. Regardless of these opinions, the crime rate still seems to be falling. However, there is some bad news. In a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, it was stated that more police officers were fatally wounded on duty last year than in 2010. In the last half of 2011, the number of police officers killed in the United States increased by 14 percent. Although violent crime should be a large concern, most of us are more worried about the struggling economy and unemployment rates. Ultimately, the apparent decline in violent crime across the country is good news for every American. 41.310250 -72.917942 AdvertisementsGet our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. TWO years ago Howrey was one of the world's 100 biggest law firms by revenue, with nearly 700 lawyers in eight countries. Profits exceeded $1m per partner. The American firm, which specialised in intellectual-property suits, had had several spectacular years in a row. But in 2009 profits were much less than expected and angry partners began to leave. Defections continued during the recession. After failed merger talks, Howrey shut its doors this March. Though Howrey was the only big firm to collapse, the forces that destroyed it hit the whole profession hard. Work on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) dried up and nothing similarly profitable took its place (bankruptcy, securities litigation and regulation were rare bright spots). Clients became keener to query their bills—and to demand alternatives to the convention of charging by the hour, such as flat, capped or contingent fees. Small and innovative firms began obliging them, and big firms increasingly felt forced to follow suit. All this took a toll on the labour market. After a dozen years of growth, employment in America's law industry, the world's biggest, has declined for the past three years (see chart 1). The 250 biggest firms, according to an annual survey by the National Law Journal, shed more than 9,500 lawyers in 2009 and 2010, nearly 8% of the total. Many also deferred hiring, leaving new graduates in a glutted market. Legal-process outsourcing firms, which do not advise clients but do routine work such as reviewing documents, put further downward pressure on the demand for their talents. The pain was felt in Britain, easily the biggest legal market after America, and other countries too. Lawyers would like to believe that the worst is over and that no more of them will suffer Howrey's fate. Work on M&A and initial public offerings has recovered from dismal levels. And according to American Lawyer, profit per partner at America's 100 biggest firms rose by 8.4% last year, having fallen by 4.3% in 2008 and gone up by a measly 0.3% in 2009. But not all the trends that have hit the legal industry are cyclical. Some are here to stay even as the economy recovers. One is clients' determination to keep their bills down. Feeling that they had overpaid vastly for the work of green trainees, they began refusing to have routine work billed to first- and second-year associates (ie, lawyers who are not yet partners). They see no reason to stand for it again. And alternative fee arrangements continue to grow in importance, albeit slowly: they accounted for 16% of big firms' revenue in 2010. A second trend is globalisation, which the law is experiencing later than other industries. For lawyers, it holds both promise and peril. Booming emerging markets, especially in Asia, are leading New York and London firms to extend their reach. But the growth of outsourcing to places like India is not lost on money-conscious clients, some of whom are demanding that their lawyers pass certain routine work to cheaper contractors. A third trend is the growth of technology in an industry long synonymous with trained human judgment. Software that can perform tasks like “e-discovery”, sorting through e-mails and other digital records for evidence, is saving firms money. It has also made it harder to sustain a business model in which partners sit atop a pyramid with a fat base of associates who carry out expensively billed work, some of which is routine and repetitive. Trends that were not part of the recession will not disappear with the recovery. Some will even strengthen. William Henderson of Indiana University points out just how good and how long a run lawyers had. Spending on legal services grew from 0.4% of America's GDP in 1978 to 1.8% in 2003. The legal business grew four times faster than the economy. Now, Mr Henderson says, a “hundred-year flood” is hitting the profession. Job growth had begun well before 2008, he points out, so that the labour market was already out of balance when recession struck. Not all firms will survive, and those that do will not all prosper equally. Howrey's boss, Robert Ruyak, blamed two new trends for his firm's demise. Howrey had begun acceding to clients' demands for flat, deferred or contingent fees, causing income to become clumpy and unpredictable. And the rise of specialised e-discovery vendors hollowed out another source of revenue. What kind of firm is likely to thrive in the environment in which Howrey failed? On one answer, many experts agree: a group of elite New York-based firms that cover a wide spectrum of legal work. These include Davis Polk & Wardwell; Sullivan & Cromwell; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. Though associated with Wall Street, they have become internationalised, through longish histories in Europe and recent moves into Asia and Latin America. That said, they don't try to be everywhere, covering mainly the leading financial centres. Nor do they try to do everything, but offer the range of services on which their New York businesses were built: M&A, finance, white-collar defence and so forth. Sullivan & Cromwell is one of seven firms in American Lawyer's list whose profits per partner top $3m (see chart 2). Another bunch likely to do well are tightly focused firms that concentrate on only a few fields. Some (“monolines”) specialise in only one. They typically do not try to span the globe, but their work is so good that clients will keep paying handsomely for it. Wachtell Lipton, for example, is a New York firm focused on M&A. It is also the world's most profitable, with profits per partner of $4.3m last year. Cravath, Swaine & Moore, also known mainly for M&A, joined the $3m club in 2010 after profit per partner went up by one-sixth. Outside America, this group is represented by Slaughter and May, one of the “magic circle” of five London firms that compete with the leading American outfits. Rather than setting up shop abroad such firms build partnerships with local leaders, such as France's Bredin Prat or Spain's Uría Menéndez, to gain reach without establishing their own offices and hiring staff. Cravath and Wachtell have boosted profits in the past two years without shedding any lawyers. Many other firms in American Lawyer's top 100, lacking their pricing power, maintained profits only by cutting headcount. Even equity partners have not been spared. Firms cut 0.7% of them in 2009 and 0.9% last year. If revenue is not growing as quickly as it used to, more firms must not only employ fewer lawyers but also compete for market share as never before. With the American market hardly booming, a third class of firms has rushed to expand globally. These are big and well-known, but do not have the glittering reputations of the first two groups. Their promise is that wherever clients want to do business, they will deal with a seamless entity. Jones Day, which began in the American Midwest and is now in 19 countries, exemplifies the type with its slogan, “One Firm, Worldwide”. DLA Piper, product of a three-way Anglo-American merger (and technically a “verein”, an association of partnerships under Swiss law) aims to offer global clients a complete service while keeping prices down by working out of cheaper cities. Baker & McKenzie, another verein, has the longest history of globalisation of any big firm. It was in Latin America as long ago as the 1950s and in mainland China in 1993. It is also the world's biggest firm by revenue, pulling in $2.1 billion in 2010, half of it from clients that use the firm in ten or more places. Baker & McKenzie likes to call itself “global”, not “international”, meaning it is not a firm that has simply grown out from New York or London. Its new boss, Eduardo Leite, a Brazilian, is the first person from one of the BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China) to lead such a big firm. But continuity worldwide remains a priority: Mr Leite says that the firm works constantly to co-ordinate its efforts, with regional and national managing partners regularly travelling to audit each other's work for quality, for example. If groups like Baker & McKenzie and lower-cost DLA Piper are doing well, offering anything, anywhere has pitfalls for more expensive integrated firms with a global spread such as Allen & Overy and Clifford Chance, both based in London. During the recession they had to lay off some partners, cut the equity shares of others and thin their layers of junior lawyers. Some pin Howrey's demise on its rush to spend on foreign offices while betting heavily on antitrust law just as M&A was falling off a cliff. There is money in globalising, but not enough for everyone. In addition, some countries protect their turf. It is virtually impossible for a foreigner to practise Indian law. Only locals can practise Chinese law. Although flotations and cross-border mergers involving Chinese companies have been good to many firms, the mass rush into China has led to competition on prices. Chinese clients are even more accustomed than American ones to asking for alternatives to the lucrative billable hour. And local firms are becoming more sophisticated. There is no reason to expect they will yield business tamely. Brazil presents similar obstacles to foreign lawyers. Ultimately, lawyering is becoming more of a business than a profession. Some lawyers decry this. Others welcome it. Few deny it. Because the American market cannot grow as it used to, firms will have to find new strategies and make use of sophisticated branding to stand out. Mr Leite suggests one way lawyers can guarantee themselves work: by becoming experts in other industries, not just areas of legal practice. Young lawyers can learn from being seconded to clients. And American law schools are slowly trying to instil some business acumen into future lawyers, though in Europe and elsewhere law remains distressingly academic. Another much-discussed solution for teaching lawyers to be businesspeople is the creation of all-in-one professional-service firms, combining lawyers, management consultants and accountants. But this looks unlikely to succeed for many; the three professions are simply too different in their traditions, training and incentives. A liberalisation of the legal market in England and Wales will allow more non-lawyers to own parts of firms or offer certain services, but at first this is likely to affect mainly the cheaper end of the market, not the richest pickings of corporate work. Many bosses of law firms realise that the profession is changing in ways that will be uncomfortable for some. They are adjusting to this, but Howrey's fall shows just how fragile even a 55-year-old firm can be. Since a firm's only real assets are its partners, when a few departures turn into an exodus, the end can be shockingly quick.Thankfully more people in the Rio Grande Valley are making a real effort to exercise regularly and be healthier by walking, hiking and running area trails. And thankfully our area leaders are recognizing that and they are making greater efforts to supply trails for us to safely do so. Last week, ground was broken in San Juan to begin construction on a regional hike-and-bike trail that will link the cities of San Juan, Pharr and McAllen. Eventually, it should also connect to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s campus in Edinburg. The $9 million project starts with a segment near what is called Bear Trail — after the PSJA High School mascot — a dirt path that runs along a drainage ditch east to west near the school. Once completed, the new 7.7-mile project should be much better than running or four-wheeling on a drainage ditch, however. And we are especially intrigued by plans for several tunnels to be built under busy roadways to better ensure the safety of those using the trail. Amenities like that are regularly found on trails in bigger cities, like Austin, and we’re proud that our area now will be able to boast of such a pedestrian-friendly trail system that allows runners, walkers and bikers not to have to stop and wait for lights at busy crosswalks, nor interrupts traffic flow for motorists. This project is so impressive that it was ranked No. 1 as a regional project by the Texas Highway Administration. Hidalgo County also has pledged $2 million. And TXDoT gave it an additional $1.5 million, but the caveat is that agency’s money must be used by the end of this year. That means the project should be fast-tracked and that’s good news for residents because hopefully that means it will be completed faster and ready for our use. The first 2.2 miles are being built in San Juan west across Veterans Road and south near Ridge Road. The amount of money that San Juan and McAllen will pay will depend upon the total miles eventually constructed. McAllen City Commissioner Richard Cortez has told us that these trails, which he calls “linear parks” are some of the city’s most popular features and draw visitors. Given the tremendous popularity, we hope this new regional trail system will add miles and miles to the existing trails and will help to inspire more people to get out and exercise, and to do so safely.1 Dejan Lovren in action for Southampton Southampton defender Dejan Lovren and Hull striker Nikica Jelavic have been named in Croatia’s preliminary World Cup squad. The Premier League pair are among a 30-man party that also includes QPR’s on-loan midfielder Niko Kranjcar and former Arsenal forward Eduardo da Silva. There is no place for veteran defender Josip Simunic in the squad, which boasts some big names in Real Madrid star Luka Modric and Bayern Munich hitman Mario Mandzukic. Croatia boss Niko Kovac, whose side will face hosts Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon in Group A, will trim the squad to 23 after a friendly with Mali on May 31. Croatia’s preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup: Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Oliver Zelenika (Locomotive) Defenders: Dario Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Dejan Lovren (Southampton), Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Gordon Schildenfeld (Panathinaikos), Danijel Pranjic (Panathinaikos), John Strinic (Dnipro), Domagoj Vida (Dinamo Kiev), Sime Vrsaljko (Genoa) Igor Bubnjic (Udinese) Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Niko Kranjcar (QPR), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev), Ivan Perisic (Wolfsburg), Mateo Kovacic (Internazionale), Sean Lynch (HSV), Ivo Ilicevic ( HSV), Marcelo Brozovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Mocinic (River), Mario Pasalic (FC), Sammir (Getafe) Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich), Ivica Olic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikica Jelavic (Hull City), Ante Rebic (Fiorentina), Duje Cop (Dinamo Zagreb)Comparisons between a cartoon published by The Daily Mail and an anti-Semitic Viennese cartoon published before the Second World War have been drawn by social media users. The Daily Mail cartoon, published in today’s newspaper, shows a group of people walking over the European border, among their feet small rodents heading in the same direction. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. The second cartoon was published on 2 February 1939 in an issue of Das Kleine Blatt. It's headline asserts New York Jews are making “enormous profits” on the stock market, and depicts a colony of rats being swept from Germany but refused entry to “democratic” countries. Social media users have strongly criticised the Mail’s cartoon, with a tweet comparing the two attracting thousands of retweets. It comes amid increasing concerns over the EU’s open border policy following the Paris attacks on Friday. 129 people were killed and more than 300 injured after a multiple attackers opened fire and detonated suicide vests in the French capital. It has subsequently emerged that a fake Syrian passport found at the scene of one of the attacks was used by its holder to pass through Greece and enter Europe. The cartoon's publication follows an experiment by the indiivduals behind Daily Mail comments, which appeared to show readers 'upvoting' Nazi propaganda posted on the Mail Online website. "We are not going to dignify these absurd comments which wilfully misrepresent this cartoon apart from to say that we have not received a single complaint from any reader," a Daily Mail spokesperson told The Independent. 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 nowMILLIONS of sockeye salmon expected to reach the Fraser River on Canada's Pacific Coast this month have vanished, devastating the local fishery, officials say. According to the nation's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, between six to 10 million sockeye were projected to return to the river this month. But the official count is now just 600,000 for the "summer run" - by far the largest of four salmon groupings that return to area lakes and rivers each year from June to late August. Where the other fish went remains a mystery. The Globe and Mail newspaper cited fishermen who today said the situation was "shocking", a "catastrophe" and a "crisis", while public broadcaster CBC said this could end up being the worst year ever for the Pacific salmon fishery. A record number of smolts were born in the Fraser watershed in 2005 and migrated to the ocean, and were expected this month to return en masse to spawn. "It's a bit of a mystery," Watershed Watch Salmon Society fish biologist Stan Proboszcz said. Officials and ecologists speculated they could have been affected by warmer ocean temperatures, fewer food sources or more prey. Others suggested juvenile salmon may have contracted sea lice or other infections from some 30 fish farms in the Strait of Georgia as they migrated out to sea. Fisheries officials may have also erred in their complex forecasting calculations, or the fish could just be late arriving, although the latter is very unlikely, said Mr Proboszcz. "Honestly, we don't know what happens to them when they go out into the ocean," he said. "There's a myriad of factors that could explain what's going on." Regardless, this outcome is "quite shocking", he said. Department spokeswoman Lara Sloan said the Fraser River commercial sockeye fishery has not opened as a result of the drop in fish stocks, and a parallel aboriginal fishery scaled back its catch this season to just five percent of its usual take. Moreover, no recreational fishing has been allowed. Ms Sloan also declined to try to pinpoint the specific reason for the collapse in sockeye salmon stocks. "There are a lot of variations in the ocean," she said. "They're all interconnected, so it's impossible to point to one reason for this happening." "So far, they're not coming back in the numbers we expected, but we will continue to look for them," she said. Meanwhile, pink and Chum salmon are still due to arrive around the end of August through October. So far there is no indication they have been affected. Chinook salmon are also returning to spawn in the region, but they have been a "conservation concern" for several years, and their numbers remain low. Originally published as Millions of salmon go missingThe questioning of Tsunekazu Takeda, who led the successful bid, and several other people involved in the bidding, was voluntary and carried out at the request of the French authorities. — AFP pic TOKYO, Feb 8 — Tokyo prosecutors have questioned the president of the Japan Olympic Committee over controversial payments made to a Singaporean consulting firm during the bidding for the 2020 Summer Games, Kyodo News agency reported today. The questioning of Tsunekazu Takeda, who led the successful bid, and several other people involved in the bidding, was voluntary and carried out at the request of the French authorities, Kyodo said. Takeda and the others denied doing anything illegal, the report said. The Tokyo prosecutors' office and the JOC declined to comment on the report when contacted by Reuters. French prosecutors last year announced an investigation into more than US$2 million (RM8.8 million) of payments made by the bid committee to the consultancy, Black Tidings. Black Tidings is headed by Ian Tan Tong Hon, who is known to be friends with Papa Massata Diack, son of disgraced former international athletics chief Lamine Diack. Japanese officials repeatedly said the payments had been legitimate consultant's fees, and a panel commissioned by the JOC said in September it had found that the payment was legitimate. Tokyo 2020 organisers have been grappling with a list of headaches including soaring costs and calls to change venues. The country club that will host the golf tournaments has come under fire for its policy of barring women from becoming full members, and a trade show group is calling on Tokyo to find a new location for the international media centre. — ReutersKellyanne Conway may have managed to get Donald Trump to Washington, but she is finding it harder to do the same for her children. Conway, who will serve a counselor to Trump in the White House, reportedly confided in friends about how difficult it has been to find a DC school for her children. She was apparently telling parents at Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, New Jersey about the uphill battle during a student concert last week, according to the New York Post. Conway is seen with her four children and her husband, George, at a New York Yankees game earlier this year Conway's twins, George and Claudia, currently take classes at the exclusive private school. 'After the concert, all the parents converged on Kellyanne, congratulating and sucking up to her,' the newspaper claims an insider said. 'Kellyanne is asking everyone with connections to DC schools for help.' President Obama and the First Lady sent their daughters Malia and Sasha to Sidwell Friends School when the family moved to DC. Bill and Hillary Clinton also chose Sidwell for daughter Chelsea, as did Al and Tipper Gore for their son Albert Gore III, after they won the 1992 election. Malia and Chelsea both graduated from Sidwell, and the Obamas have made the decision to stay in DC so that Sasha can finish out high school at the highly selective Quaker institution. The 49-year-old is married to New York lawyer George T. Conway III, and the couple has four children together. However, Conway hit back at the allegations, instead claiming she is potentially being treated unfairly due to her Trump ties. 'I would not characterize myself as "worried" so much as amused by the silence and sighs on the other end of the phone when friends and allies have made preliminary inquiries on our behalf,' she told the Post. 'Kellyanne is asking everyone with connections to DC schools for help,' a source said. Conway is pictured with her family at a Philadelphia Phillies game in 2015 Donald Trump gestures to Kellyanne Conway after addressing his supporters and celebrating his Presidential win at his election night event at the New York Hilton Conway was tapped as a member of Trump's official cabinet last week, despite previously saying she would not join his White House team. The transition team described her position as that of a close adviser to Trump, who would work alongside his senior leadership to 'effectively message and execute the administration's legislative priorities and actions.' 'Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory,' Trump said in the release. 'She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message,' the president-elect continued. 'I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing.'The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to bring back Kevin Seitzer for a second season as the club’s hitting coach. While no formal announcement on the fate of any of the team’s coaches has been made yet, indications are no change at hitting coach is being planned. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch the LCS on Sportsnet Tuesday starting at 4 p.m. EST. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News suggested on Twitter Sunday night that the Blue Jays had spoken to former Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long about their job. But the Blue Jays as a matter of process speak with many available coaches to see if there’s a fit anywhere in the organization. Pro scout Jim Skaalen, for example, was hired after the Oakland Athletics let him go as their hitting coach.Women love makeup – lets face it – and, there’s nothing wrong with someone wanting to look their best. While contouring has become a new trend and women are trying to “highlight” their faces to glow like the rising sun – some women are contouring other parts of their body besides their cheeks. Yeah, I’m serious. A Scandinavian beauty company coined “The Perfect V” offers women a variety of products to take care of their – pikachu. The company offers everything from washes, to exfoliators and even cream that will “illuminate your vagina.” Yes, again, I’m serious. Why women would like to contour their hoo-has – I’m not entirely sure. I’m also sure that no man is going to really notice that you contoured your pikachu when you decide to get down and dirty. But, if you want to spend your hard-earned $$$ on some vaginal rejuvenation without going under the knife – look no further.Christine & The Queens, Biffy Clyro, Wiley, Skepta and more take home NME gold The VO5 NME Awards 2017 hit the O2 Academy Brixton tonight (Wednesday February 15), as music’s finest were awarded for a stellar year. Check out the full list of winners below. The true heroes of the night were Pet Shop Boys who took home the Godlike Genius Award. Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant were introduced on stage by Johnny Marr, who was given the honour himself in 2013. Marr said: “The winners of this award have changed pop music, over three decades, with hit after hit after hit. They brought romance, glamour, style, high art to the wonderful thing that is pop music.” Accepting the award, Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant said: “Our career has been such a huge collaboration with producers, programmers, remixers and I would just like to thank every one of them – and accept this on behalf on electronic music, dance music and shiny pop music. Thank you very much.” The 1975’s Matty Healy Accepting the award for Best Live Band, The 1975’s Matt Healy said: “Thank you. Stop talking. Listen. This our second NME Award. The first time we were the shittest band. Now it’s for being good, so I don’t know what that proves. I don’t think it proves anything, I think it proves that…hey listen Mike (Williams) came out this evening and he said if you’re an artist, we have a duty to make pop music didactic. Sharethrough (Mobile) “I know this is unfashionable and boring and no-one really gives a fuck but everything is fucked. And if your music isn’t purposefully informative, then there’s no point to it. So let’s make sure that we do that. Thank you.” For the latest action from the VO5 NME Awards 2017, visit here. See the full list of winners below. Best British Band supported by Zig-Zag Wolf Alice The 1975 Bastille Years & Years Biffy Clyro – WINNER The Last Shadow Puppets Best International Band supported by Austin, Texas – Live Music Capital Of The World Tame Impala Kings Of Leon Green Day Metallica – WINNER A Tribe Called Quest Tegan and Sara Best British Male supported by Pilot Pen Company Skepta – WINNER Zayn Malik Kano Jamie T Michael Kiwanuka Richard Ashcroft Best British Female Dua Lipa Adele Charli XCX MIA – WINNER Kate Tempest PJ Harvey Best International Male supported by VO5 Kanye West Drake The Weeknd Frank Ocean – WINNER Kendrick Lamar Chance The Rapper Best International Female supported by VO5 Sia Lady Gaga Beyoncé Solange Christine & The Queens – WINNER Tove Lo Best New Artist supported by TOPMAN Blossoms Zara Larsson Sunflower Bean Christine and The Queens Dua Lipa – WINNER Anderson.Paak Best Album supported by HMV Kanye West – ‘The Life Of Pablo’ Skepta – ‘Konnichiwa’ The 1975 – ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’ Radiohead – ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ Bastille – ‘Wild World’ – WINNER Beyoncé – ‘Lemonade’ Best Track supported by Red Stripe Tove Lo – ‘Cool Girl’ Charli XCX – ‘After The Afterparty’ Skepta – ‘Man’ Bastille – ‘Good Grief’ The 1975 – ‘Somebody Else’ Christine And The Queens – ‘Tilted’ – WINNER Best Live Band supported by Nikon Bastille Slaves The 1975 – WINNER Bring Me The Horizon Christine And The Queens Wolf Alice Best Video Kanye West – ‘Famous’ Beyoncé – ‘Formation’ Radiohead – ‘Burn The Witch’ Slaves – ‘Consume Or Be Consumed’ – WINNER Rat Boy – ‘Get Over It’ Wolf Alice – ‘Lisbon’ Best Festival supported by ID&C Glastonbury – WINNER Reading & Leeds Download Isle Of Wight Primavera V Festival Best Music Film Oasis: Supersonic – WINNER Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ One More Time With Feeling Sing Street Gimme Danger The Rolling Stones Havana Moon The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years Best TV Series supported by Domino’s Stranger Things Fleabag – WINNER Game Of Thrones Black Mirror Humans People Just Do Nothing Best Film Deadpool My Scientology Movie – WINNER Captain America: Civil War Suicide Squad Everybody Wants Some!! Hunt For The Wilderpeople Music Moment Of The Year Bring Me The Horizon invade Coldplay’s table at NME Awards 2016 Coldplay’s Viola Beach tribute at Glastonbury – WINNER Beyoncé drops Lemonade Skepta wins Mercury Prize Pete Doherty plays The Bataclan The Stone Roses’ first new music in 20 years Best Festival Headliner Coldplay Radiohead Biffy Clyro Adele – WINNER Foals The Stone Roses Best Small Festival Y Not Green Man End Of The Road – WINNER Festival No 6 Kendall Calling Slam Dunk Villain Of The Year Donald Trump David Cameron Boris Johnson Nigel Farage – WINNER Martin Shkreli Katie Hopkins Hero Of The Year David Bowie Adele Beyoncé – WINNER Millie Bobby Brown Gary Lineker Liam Gallagher Worst Band The Chainsmokers Clean Bandit Honey G Nickelback 5 Seconds Of Summer – WINNER Twenty One Pilots Best Reissue REM – ‘Out Of Time’ Pink Floyd – ‘Meddle’ Oasis – ‘Be Here Now’ – WINNER Michael Jackson – ‘Off The Wall’ DJ Shadow – ‘Endtroducing’ Blur – ‘Leisure’T his past week, Netflix officially debuted their new Amy Schumer stand-up comedy hour The Leather Special. And it was instantaneously met with negative reviews. Some claim that Schumer's biggest critics got on Netflix and purposely drove down the rating of the special, some without even watching it. Schumer herself blames the 'Alt-Right' for sabotaging her latest effort. Now, it is being announced that Netflix is ditching its five-star rating system for something much more streamlined, a rating system that owes itself to the legacy of the late Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Did Amy Schumer have anything to do with this new rating system? Probably not. But once in place, it will certainly help her Leather Special find a more appropriate audience. For about as long as we have been able to stream stuff on For about as long as we have been able to stream stuff on Netflix, we have been able to give the titles available on the streaming service a rating. That rating has been based on a classic five-star system. If you like that way of rating titles you enjoy watching on Netflix, get ready to kiss it goodbye because Netflix is changing things up quite a bit. In the near future, it will be a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down rating system. As reported by As reported by The Verge, Netflix will be changing their rating system starting this April. Though, the report does note that some users will still be seeing the classic five-star system for a little while even after the new system is rolled out. According to Netflix vice president of product Todd Yellin, the idea of a five-star system is a little outdated and that is why the change is coming. Here is what he had to say. Ads By GumGum "Five stars feels very yesterday now. We're spending many billions of dollars on the titles we're producing and licensing, and with these big catalogs, that just adds a challenge. Bubbling up the stuff people actually want to watch is super important." This is something Netflix has been planning for a while now, as the streaming service was beta testing a thumbs system last year. Apparently, that worked well for them and in the very near future, that is how you will be rating titles that you like or dislike on Netflix. Going with a simple "good or bad" rating system probably has some drawbacks, but for Netflix, it makes way more sense. At least in terms of them This is something Netflix has been planning for a while now, as the streaming service was beta testing a thumbs system last year. Apparently, that worked well for them and in the very near future, that is how you will be rating titles that you like or dislike on Netflix. Going with a simple "good or bad" rating system probably has some drawbacks, but for Netflix, it makes way more sense. At least in terms of them collecting data. Here is how Todd Yellin explained it. "What's more powerful: you telling me you would give five stars to the documentary about unrest in the Ukraine; that you'd give three stars to the latest Adam Sandler movie; or that you'd watch the Adam Sandler movie 10 times more frequently? What you do versus what you say you like are different things." Netflix is pouring literally billions of dollars into original content these days, as opposed to focusing almost totally on licensing content. This year, outside of a bunch of new TV shows and even a good handful of movies, they are releasing a new comedy special every single week. One of their big-ticket items was Amy Schumer's new special, Amy Schumer: The Leather Special but that didn't quite go over so well. The reviews for the special have been truly abysmal and with a five-star system, that will really hurt something like this special. With a simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down, Amy Schumer's special might do a little better in the ratings and Netflix is pouring literally billions of dollars into original content these days, as opposed to focusing almost totally on licensing content. This year, outside of a bunch of new TV shows and even a good handful of movies, they are releasing a new comedy special every single week. One of their big-ticket items was Amy Schumer's new special, Amy Schumer: The Leather Special but that didn't quite go over so well. The reviews for the special have been truly abysmal and with a five-star system, that will really hurt something
(The White House said that she has been “counseled,” which sounds like something between a wink and a slap on the wrist.) Whatever happens to Ms. Conway, the deeper concern here is over the administration’s insistence on treating the White House as a wholly -owned subsidiary of the Trump Organization. If Mr. Trump truly cares more about his new job serving the American people than about serving the family empire, he knows what to do: release his tax returns and sell his businesses.Donald Trump, presidential candidate, has been making waves this summer as a GOP presidential hopeful. 42 years ago, however, he was making waves for a different reason entirely: as an allegedly racist landlord being hounded by the Department of Justice. In the October 16, 1973 edition of The New York Times, Trump received his first ever mention in the paper in a front-page article with the headline "Major Landlord Accused of Antiblack Bias in the City." The 27-year-old Trump, through the Trump Management Corporation, was being charged by the Department of Justice for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act of 1968 for requiring "different rental terms and conditions because of race" and lying "to blacks that apartments were not available." The company controlled some 14,000 apartment units in the city at the time, mostly in neighborhoods like Coney Island, Forrest Hills, and on Staten Island. Advertisement Two months later, under representation from Roy Cohn, Trump sued the Federal government. That suit was settled and part of the agreement said Trump "was required to furnish the New York Urban League with a list of all apartment vacancies, every week, for two years. It was also to allow the league to present qualified applicants for every fifth vacancy in Trump buildings where fewer than 10 percent of the tenants were black." Not the best way to arrive in the NYT for the first time, though being referred to as "poison" by an op-ed columnist four decades later isn't much better. Advertisement David Matthews operates the Wayback Machine on Fusion.net—hop on. Got a tip? Email him: [email protected] This Story Tweet Share Share Pin Email If the Navajo Reservation were a state, it would be the poorest in the nation, with the highest rates of poverty and unemployment. Its housing need might be more acute than anywhere else, too. Almost 20 years ago, a study estimated nearly 21,000 families on the Navajo Reservation needed new homes. More than a decade later, despite hundreds of millions of tax dollars allocated, that number had only grown — to more than 34,000. An Arizona Republic review of housing records from the Navajo Housing Authority showed why the numbers weren’t getting better. Amid years of mismanagement, failed projects and wasted tax dollars, the NHA only sporadically has built homes on tribal trust lands that cover nearly all of the sprawling reservation. For several years, they built none at all. Aneva “AJ” Yazzie, the Housing Authority’s chief executive, says she took over a dysfunctional agency and had to put construction on hold. After nine years leading the agency, she blames a lack of progress partly on “almost insurmountable” development impediments for her agency and private developers. Indeed, cases of mismanagement and shoddy construction aside, there are other reasons it's so hard to start new housing on the reservation. Studies have documented more than two dozen impediments. Among them: Land issues Locals have nicknamed this Kayenta, Ariz., development "Monopoly" because of the colors of the roofs. (Michael Chow/The Republic) The perception that the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Reservation is wide open to development is false. Most of the land is too rugged, or without roads, infrastructure, nearby jobs or shopping. Even where dwellings might be built, legal permission can be nearly impossible to secure. More than 90 percent of the reservation technically belongs to the U.S. government, managed under a trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Less than 1 percent is “fee-simple property” owned by individuals who can freely sell their land or build on it. Environmental, archaeological and other permits also are needed. Private-property owners who meet zoning requirements can get a permit and start construction. But on trust lands, Navajos may apply only for long-term housing leases. Those wanting a home must get approval from officials at local Chapter Houses — there are 110 across the reservation — and the tribal Land Department. Individual homes can take much longer to build than the three to five years to complete an NHA-approved housing development. Much of the reservation also is subject to grazing rights held by legacy sheep and cattle ranchers. Those permit owners have de facto veto power over development, and view the mesas, canyons and ranges as a family heritage. Congress adopted a law in 2000 intended to make it easier to build on Navajo trust lands. Experts say it didn’t work. Education Domed fourplexes were built for teachers by the Navajo Housing Authority at Tolani Lake, Ariz. The structures have never been used and instead have been vandalized. (Michael Chow/The Republic) On the reservation, 44 percent of adults have not finished high school and only 7 percent have college degrees. HUD forms and real-estate documents can be intimidating to elder Navajos whose first language is Dine, even though the NHA assists residents with filling out government forms. Construction Chipping plaster and drafty windows are a common complaint among those living in Navajo Housing Authority homes in Cameron, Ariz. Residents complain of poor workmanship. (Michael Chow/The Republic) In non-Indian communities across America, private developers build homes and offer them for sale to the public. Such projects are rare on the Navajo Reservation. Some Dine want to live in scattered housing on ancestral land. They can lease property, typically an acre, for $1 a year. But lack of power, water, roads and services — not to mention a dearth of nearby jobs — can make home construction insurmountable. Without economies of scale, development costs skyrocket for both the NHA and private developers. There are no major contractors based on the reservation. It is a struggle finding outside companies to build remote projects that require worker accommodations and long-distance delivery of construction materials. Poverty A park near Navajo Housing Authority offices in Tuba City, Ariz., is in dire need of repair. (Michael Chow/The Republic) Finding buyers or renters who meet eligibility requirements is another dilemma. To live in or rent HUD-subsidized housing, a resident can pay no more than 30 percent of income. Just 22 percent of adults have full-time jobs, according to a 2011 report done for the NHA by RPI Consulting, a Colorado land use and economic policy firm. About half have no work at all. And 49 percent of Navajo Nation households report annual incomes less than $25,000. For them, that means $7,500 a year or $625 a month is the most they can qualify for. There is no minimum amount an applicant has to pay for NHA housing. And, theoretically, the agency could outright give someone a home if the person qualifies, according to a HUD spokeswoman. Still, even with government subsidies, families may have trouble keeping an NHA home by not having the income to pay living expenses. And residents who qualify based on financial need still have to pass credit screening and background checks. Navajo Housing Authority failings The Navajo Housing Authority is headquartered in Window Rock, Ariz. It has 365 employees stationed there and in satellite offices in several reservation towns. (Michael Chow/The Republic) For years, the NHA and its roughly 365 employees were overwhelmed. Staff turnover is chronic. New employees often lack expertise. Lack of decent housing and jobs creates a brain drain, siphoning away the tribe’s most educated and employable members. And, at least in the past, lax federal oversight seemingly allowed mistakes to persist. Financing Ida Webster has all but given up on trying to get a home from the Navajo Housing Authority in Cameron, Ariz. Many Navajos are on long NHA waiting lists. (Michael Chow/The Republic) Private developers have difficulty getting lending institutions to back Navajo home projects or mortgages. Lenders also are hesitant to finance homes for individual tribal members. Financing on the reservation can be complex. Profit margins are slim. Outsiders are unable to resolve disputes under U.S. law and must go through sovereign tribal courts. The 2011 RPI Consulting report echoed independent studies saying the reservation has a “low-functioning real estate market,” in part because “most banks are wary of making loans against property they cannot collateralize.” Therefore, there’s an added burden to rely on the NHA because Navajos have little access to traditional financing for homes.We have looked at a large number of workstation class motherboards over the years and we think we have found the smallest form factor motherboard that has all the features you need for a mini-workstation. Enter the Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM Mini-ITX motherboard. The GA-B150N-GSM includes support for GPU’s, M.2 SSD’s, onboard Audio and overclocking abilities that make this motherboard ideal for small workstations that can pack a heavy punch in processing power. The GSM designation means that this motherboard is intended for long-life in environments like corporate desktops. Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM Key Features Supports 6th Generation Intel Core Processor Intel B150 Express Chipset Dual Channel DDR4, 2 DIMMs PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connector with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe NVMe & SATA SSD support) 8-channel HD Audio with High Quality Audio Capacitors Dual Intel GbE LAN with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software On board Mini-PCIe slot for WiFi modules APP Center Including EasyTune and Cloud Station Utilities GIGABYTE UEFI BIOS Technology 4 COM ports on board Mini-ITX Form Factor; 6.69″ x 6.69″ (17.0cm x 17.0cm) Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM motherboard overview The GA-B150N-GSM has a rather plain looking retail box compared to Gigabytes gaming motherboards, then again this is a more industrial type motherboard so no real need for fancy graphics on the box. The GA-B150N-GSM is a flexible motherboard with memory as it supports ECC DDR4 UDIMMs (in non-ECC mode.) The accessory kit is small and only includes the necessary items for installation. There is 1x M.2 Socket 1 connector for the wireless communication module which is optional. No M.2 wireless device is included in the kit. Included Accessories GA-B150N-GSM motherboard Motherboard driver disk Two SATA cables User’s Manual I/O Shield Taking the motherboard out of its packaging we get first look at GA-B150N-GSM. The GA-B150N-GSM is small and packs a lot of features in this tiny space. The 1x PCI Express x16 slot on the left side does support graphics cards and we used a Quadro K5200 in our tests with no issues. The Quadro is huge compared the GA-B150N-GSM and over hangs the front of the motherboard by a substantial amount. There is support for m.2 storage devices and as you can see there is little room for this on the top of the motherboard for such a device. Lets flip the board over to see where this is located at. Now we can see the M.2 connector on the back of the motherboard (Socket 3, M key, type 2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2/x1 SSD support). As we see new platforms pack more features, space has become tight on the mITX form factor and we have seen more bottom mounted components. Having the M.2 SSD on the back side of the motherboard might add extra heat to the motherboard itself so we suggest air flow from case fans be directed to flow under the board if you use an M.2 SSD. Now we are looking at the front storage ports which are 6x SATA 6Gb/s connectors (SATA3 0~5). SATA Ports 4, 5 are located just behind the memory slots next to the chip set heat sink. The M.2 Socket 1 connector for the wireless communication module which is optional is located at the back of the motherboard and includes mounting brackets. Looking at the back of the GA-B150N-GSM we find: 2x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 2x Wi-Fi antenna connector holes 2x HDMI ports 4x USB 3.0/2.0 ports 2x RJ-45 ports 6x audio jacks Let’s move on to the BIOS and benchmarks now. BIOS The Gigabytes UEFI BIOS is clean and easy to use. The main M.I.T. menu serves as the home screen, from here you can enter advanced features such as overlocking. In most configurations, we expect users to aim for stability rather than overclocking, but the support is there. It is certainly an interesting way to give users a few percent speed bump two years down the line. Driver DVD Xpress Install is certainly the fastest way to install all the drivers needed, or you can install each driver separately and only install what you need. Our test setup For testing we used: CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake-S with 4 cores/8 threads Skylake-S with 4 cores/8 threads Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM Memory: Crucial 2x 8GB DDR4 (16GB Total) (16GB Total) Cooling: Stock Intel Heat Sink Storage: Micron P400e 200GB SSD GPU: Nvidia K5200 OS: Windows 10 and Ubuntu 14.04.4 LTS. We ran our tests with Default BIOS settings. AIDA64 Memory Test AIDA64 memory bandwidth benchmarks (Memory Read, Memory Write, and Memory Copy) measure the maximum achievable memory data transfer bandwidth. Memory Latency ranged at about 63.4ns. Performance wise the GA-B150N-GSM ran slightly slower than our other motherboards tested. The Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM is more focused on providing a low power stable platform than the maximum memory performance. Linux-Bench Test We ran the motherboard through our standard Linux-Bench suite using Ubuntu as our Linux distribution. Linux-Bench is our standard Linux benchmarking suite. It is highly scripted and very simple to run. It is available to anyone to compare them with their systems and reviews from other sites. See Linux-Bench. The full test results for our Linux-Bench run can be found here. Gigabyte B150N-GSM Linux-Bench Results SPECwpc SPECwpc_v1.0.2 is a workstation benchmark that measures key aspects of workstation applications. For a mini-ITX motherboard we found that it has impressive numbers in this test. It’s not the fastest motherboard in our lineup but it fits into a case that is much smaller than any of the others would. SPEC CPU2006 SPEC CPU2006v1.2 measures compute intensive performance across the system using realistic benchmarks to rate real performance. In our testing with SPEC CPU2006 we use the basic commands to run these tests. ” Runspec –tune=base –config=servethehome.cfg,” then ” int,” or ” fp.” To do multi-threaded, we add in ” –rate=8.” Our CPU2006 test results show results that compare well to our other motherboards we have tested. The GA-B150N-GSM does not hold back in performance in this test. Power Tests For our power testing needs we use a Yokogawa WT310 power meter which can feed its data through a USB cable to another machine where we can capture the test results. We then use AIDA64 Stress test to load the system and measure max power loads. We ran our power tests with default settings. Peak boot up power load falls in about 110watts at boot up, then settles down to about 45watts lower at idle. Overall the GA-B150N-GSM runs about 10watts lower in power draw than our past motherboard reviews show. Having a simple design pays dividends at idle. Fully Loaded Stress Tests Power Use For our tests we use AIDA64 Stress test which allows us to stress all aspects of the system. At default BIOS settings we run just above 132 watts for a max load. Conclusion The Gigabyte GA-B150N-GSM motherboard is an amazing board for its size. Many boards this size we have looked at before are not really classed as workstation boards so they do not have the needed features for this role. Now we have a full featured motherboard that can run GPU’s or even a Tesla cards and use the onboard video for display. Performance wise it is slightly lower than the bigger boards but it does use less power and still shows nice benchmark numbers. The next attractive point to this board is its price which falls into just above $100 depending on where you purchase it, this is about 1/3 cheaper or more than its bigger brothers. Depending on how you want to outfit this system it can be installed in a very small case and be virtually noise free and cool running. Adding in a full size GPU and tower heat sink will increase the size of the case but you get the added performance of these extra components. We would like to see a M.2 bluetooth/ WiFi card added in but many might not need it and that would only add to the cost of the motherboard.PARIS: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday to go “above and beyond” the Paris Agreement on climate change, after the US said it would quit the deal. Two days after US President Donald Trump sensationally announced plans to withdraw from the pact on curbing carbon emissions Modi said India would “continue working … above and beyond the Paris accord”, calling it “part of the world’s shared heritage”. The agreement signed by 195 countries in the French capital in 2015 “can protect future generations and give new hope”, he said after two hours of talks with Macron at the presidential Elysee Palace. Macron said his discussions with the leader of the world’s fastest-growing major economy had focused mainly on the environment. “I want to restate here France’s full commitment to the fight against climate warming,” said the French president. Macron has led Europe’s defence of the Paris accord, endearing himself to opponents of Trump’s stance. Reacting to Trump’s announcement on Thursday, Macron issued an appeal in English to “make the planet great again” — a play on Trump’s pledge to “make America great again” that has been retweeted a quarter of a million times. Trump has accused China and India of getting an easy ride compared to the US. Modi said protecting “mother Earth” was part of Indian culture. “For Indians, environmental protection is a profession of faith because we learn it in the Vedas [ancient Hindu scriptures],” he said. India, which accounts for 4.1 per cent of global emissions, has not agreed to cap or cut its emissions outright like other countries but has said it will massively increase its use of green energy. Arriving at the presidential palace the 66-year-old Modi hugged 39-year-old Macron, in scenes contrasting with Macron’s clenched-jawed, white-knuckle handshake with Trump in Brussels last week. Encouraging election An enthusiastic Modi said the French centrist’s election had “encouraged the whole world”. Macron said he would visit India by the end of the year for a summit on solar power — an area where the two planned greater cooperation and on which they hoped to rope in “many other countries”. Trump’s decision to scrap the Paris deal has left him isolated on the world stage and prompted a backlash at home, with several state governors, city mayors and powerful companies already drawing up plans to meet the pact’s emission targets — with or without Washington’s backing. At least two Republican governors announced Friday they were partnering with Democratic-run states to combat climate change. The White House has hit back at the criticism, accusing Europe of trying to “shackle” the US economy and refusing to acknowledge climate change is real. “We have nothing to be apologetic about as a country,” Trump’s top climate adviser Scott Pruitt said Friday — despite the US being the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China. Billionaire climate advocate Michael Bloomberg made an unannounced visit to Macron in Paris on Friday to discuss bolstering the pact. “Today I want the world to know the US will meet our Paris commitment, and through a partnership among cities, states, and businesses, we will seek to remain part of the Paris agreement process,” Bloomberg said. Bloomberg pledged $15 million (Dh55.1 million) to support the agreement’s coordinating agency in the event the US refused to pay its share.Saturday was the fourth time since 2009 that Stanford has been a double-digit underdog. The Cardinal have won all four of those games outright. The run started under Jim Harbaugh at USC (see "What's Your Deal?"), continued with David Shaw in consecutive games against Oregon in 2012 and 2013, and repeated itself in the Coliseum this past weekend, when Stanford overcame a 10-point spread to beat the No. 6 Trojans 41-31. 'Stun' might be a better word than 'beat' -- especially considering the Cardinal couldn't even muster a touchdown two weeks prior at Northwestern before struggling for a full half offensively against Central Florida, a team that just dropped a home game to FCS foe Furman. But perhaps the "where the heck did that come from?" type of landmark Stanford win shouldn't be considered surprising anymore. Inconsistent as they might be, the Cardinal have developed a track record of winning games they are not expected to. The phenomenon occurred last season, too, when a 6-5 Stanford team spanked No. 8 UCLA 31-10. In the bowels of the Coliseum before Saturday's upset, Shaw offered a compelling reason as to why Stanford has developed a habit of coming out of the woodwork to take the league's best teams to the woodshed. He asked every player who had played in two Pac-12 championship games to stand. Nearly half of the locker room rose. "Our guys are used to playing in big games," Shaw said. "I wanted them to internalize that: It wasn’t too long ago that we were the best in the conference. We wanted to walk on the field knowing we’d accomplished a lot, and it was time to accomplish it again." The Cardinal did, racking up 41 points and 474 yards of total offense against USC just two weeks after managing only 6 points and 240 yards in the season opener. Behind gutsy play from senior quarterback Kevin Hogan, the Cardinal showed primetime mettle, converting eight of 12 third downs and repeatedly executing clutch plays down the stretch. If the well-rounded performance brought about a sense of déjà vu, the solid contingency of players who stood up in the Coliseum locker room had a lot to do with it. The disappointment of five 2014 losses combined with 2015's inauspicious start has at least partially concealed this truth: Much of the talent that made Stanford a Pac-12 force remains, and the program has replaced key departures with touted recruiting classes. So, though the roster isn't devoid of firepower or battle-hardened veterans who have tasted victory, it has lacked in consistent results lately. "We didn’t accomplish any of our goals against USC," Shaw said. "We won a football game and played well. We have to back that up with another football game." Shaw said that the key to steadiness moving forward is avoiding mistakes. Clean play along the offensive line is especially important, since errors can trigger a devastating domino effect. "If every [lineman] has two bad plays, then we have 10 bad plays [as a team]," Shaw said. "They continue to multiply. Our offensive linemen were smart, physical, and sharp this week." Hogan, of course, is the critical variable. But an ankle injury suffered during the USC game has thrown his status for Friday's game at Oregon State into question, so Stanford might have to rely on a backup to maintain consistency at quarterback. Whenever Hogan is ready to play again, the Cardinal will be well-served to unleash him in a similar fashion to last Saturday -- he was especially sharp when simultaneously attacking with his arm and legs. "It's hard to put into words what he means, it's so much," running back Christian McCaffrey said. "I think of him as a silent guardian. He's not very vocal, but he is the best leader on our team." That command was on full display in the Coliseum, where Hogan's Cardinal looked like the favored power, and not the underdog. Stanford pulled off what some might call a predictable surprise while showing it's still a dangerous Pac-12 force in the process. Now, the challenge is rediscovering the consistency that defined the not-so-distant past. "We're on the way to being the team we think we can be, and we’re going to get there by being consistent," Shaw said. "And that stands this Friday in Corvallis."In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan repeated, again and again, a fabricated story of a welfare recipient regally arriving in a white Cadillac to pick up her monthly check. The facile fiction became a model for generations of Republicans lamenting a "culture of dependency." In 2016, the GOP has shown a change of heart. This year, Republicans have nominated a welfare queen for president. Over his storied career, Donald J. Trump has raked in $885 million in public handouts — "tax breaks, grants and other subsidies for luxury apartments, hotels and office buildings" — in New York alone, according to a recent report in the New York Times. That figure doesn't include public subsidies pocketed by Trump in New Jersey, Illinois, Florida — and many countries across the world. Nor the millions Trump has saved on income taxes leaping through loopholes. His accountants are the best. Beautiful! Believe me. If the alleged billionaire really is as rich as he claims (Show us your tax returns, Donald!), a substantial part of his wealth came at public expense. Trump is less self-made man than ward of the state. Donald Trump Jr. recently said releasing his father's taxes would be "a distraction." Trump the Elder has created more than his share of distractions. Does he pay his fair share of taxes? He professes outrage at those who don't. "They make a fortune. They pay no tax," Trump said of U.S. corporate executives last year. "It's ridiculous, OK?" He should know. In 1978 and 1979, then-millionaire Donald Trump paid no income taxes, according to tax returns he turned over to New Jersey casino license officials, the Washington Post reported. Trump, again, may have paid no income taxes in 1991 and 1993, according to New Jersey gambling commission records examined by Politico, the political news website. Trump brags that he knows how to work a rigged system. He has much less to say about how he'd unrig it. On both points, he's not alone. Our nation is pocked by business owners cashing in by tapping public treasuries. The New York Times, in a 2012 series, estimated that the tax breaks have reached $80 billion — each and every year. The same analysis gauged Minnesota's at $239 million annually. That's $45 a year for every man, woman and child in the state. Want to know how the "1 percent" got so wealthy? Subsidies and income tax breaks are on-ramps on the road to riches. Breaks on income taxes. Breaks on property taxes. Breaks on sales taxes. Tax law overshadows many art museums in displays of creativity. The ways for the rich to avoid taxes are as many as the brush strokes on a Rubens. Tax abatements, rebates, grants, enterprise zone income tax breaks, trusts and foundations. (Yes, maybe the Clintons shook down billionaires to contribute to their foundation. But their foundation saved lives. Trump used his to buy himself gifts, make charitable contributions he claimed came from his own pocket and to settle lawsuits against his companies.) My favorite twist in Subsidy Land: Paying no sales tax on materials and services used in construction. Tell that to your tax collector when the time comes to remodel a bathroom or rebuild a ramshackle garage. Diverting public money for private gain has become commonplace — at least, for people with the money for influential lobbyists and canny tax advisers. Stadiums, shopping malls, hotels, parking garages, office parks, housing projects — what gets built these days without a public subsidy? The phrase "public/private partnership" should warn taxpayers to hang onto their wallets. Businesses don't ask for help; they demand it. They're entitled. "We're job creators!" Never mind that many companies boost profits by paring, rather than increasing, payrolls. "Pay up or we'll leave!" By playing states off against each other in bidding wars, public subsidies make company moves more likely rather than less so. "We're big taxpayers!" Even when what you're after is to pay less tax? The Minneapolis City Council's enthusiasm for doling out handouts to developers has cooled, in the face of failures such as City Center, Block E and Gaviidae Common. All it took was 30 years of projects that delivered on few — if any — of their promises. But the Star Tribune, in an article last year, noted that Twin Cities suburbs continue to turn to public subsidies as an economic development tool, from Edina and Wayzata and Eagan to Champlin and Bloomington. In most cases, the public aid amounts to a few million here, a few million there. So routine many may not even notice. But they add up as property taxes rise for the rest of us. In Trump's case, what taxpayers have foregone reaches summits few others have approached. Trump's first big Manhattan development, the 30-story Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station, won "an extraordinary 40-year tax break that has cost New York City $360 million to date in forgiven, or uncollected, taxes, with four years still to run, on a property that cost only $120 million to build in 1980," the Times found. Such sweetheart deals for the 1 percent — at the expense of the rest of us — should be part of the political debate, what with Freddie the Freeloader running for president. But public policies that engineer a huge transfer of wealth are overshadowed by loose talk about women, minorities, immigrants, Vladimir Putin and promises to play bully in the volatile Middle East. (Educated guess: Nuclear war is bad for business.) With subsidies, taxpayers take the risk — often in the name of "jobs, jobs, jobs" that may or may not appear — to the benefit of the owner class, who keep the gains. Meanwhile, roads and bridges need to be built and maintained, millions of children must be educated, libraries and health centers financed, and the nation defended by a strong military. Where are Trump and other tax-avoiders when the time comes to pay? Absent. And too often proud of it. Trump brags about sponging off others. It's a long list that includes not only investors, lenders, business partners and Trump University hopefuls but taxpayers. Yes, gentle reader, you are among Trump's chumps. "It's called OPM. I do it all the time in business. It's called other people's money," Trump said. "There's nothing like doing things with other people's money because it takes the risk — you get a good chunk out of it and it takes the risk [elsewhere]." I first took note of Trump's financial sleights of hand in 1988, when I was the Star Tribune's New York correspondent and the Donald was basking in flattering articles in newspapers and magazines about the "Trump Princess," his sumptuous yacht. Most coverage fixated on the onyx bathrooms and the gold-plated (of course) faucets. I fixated on the tax implications. Was Trump getting a tax break on his $29 million boat? At first glance, the answer seemed to be no. In 1986, Congress ended personal deductions tied to personal property write-offs for the rich. But lawmakers left a loophole large enough for a 291-foot yacht to sail through. The yacht actually was owned, not by Trump, but by Resorts International, the hotel/casino company that the Reagan-era robber baron then controlled. Resorts was allowed to write off yacht expenses and depreciation. In short: You and I, as taxpayers, were taken for a ride without ever having set foot on the "Trump Princess" deck. A perfectly lovely public subsidy came to an abrupt end in 1991, when Trump sold the yacht to a member of the Saudi royal family for $20 million. By then, Trump had run Resorts International into the ground and, with no income, the company had no use for an income tax shelter. Trump was a loser. A loser, I tell you! Still, he was more broad-minded in those days. Trump apparently thought highly of Muslims when they were handing him a check. "I like money. I'm very greedy," Trump said earlier this year. "I'm a greedy person. I shouldn't tell you that, I'm greedy — I've always been greedy. I love money, right?" Let's take Trump at his word. This one time. Mike Meyers, a former Star Tribune business reporter, is a Minneapolis writer.On Saturday, Brock Osweiler, who is like if a person had been born with feet for hands, will start in a playoff game for the Texans against Connor Cook, who is the starting quarterback for the Raiders now because their first-string QB, Derek Carr, broke his leg in Week 16 and their second-string QB, Matt McGloin, injured his shoulder in Week 17. Even though it will likely result in some not all-the-way stellar football, this matchup is decidedly interesting. Now, I’ll admit that a significant part of why I’m interested is because the Texans are my favorite football team. But there are reasons beyond my purview that make it exciting (and even historic). There are six, in fact, two of which are huge. In question form, they are: 1. HUGE: Is this the least-experienced quarterback matchup in playoff history? No, but barely. This is easy to answer because it’s just some numbers you have to look at and that’s it. (It’s also easy to answer because in the playoffs following the 2011 season, the Texans started T.J. Yates in a game against the Bengals, and Yates had only five starts to his name then. People in Houston noticed.) Osweiler has started only 21 games in his NFL career, which is crazy because it’s felt like at least 30, 35 easy. Cook, a rookie fourth-round pick, has started exactly zero games in his NFL career. That’s a combined total of 21 starts between the two of them. Look: 21 + 0 = 21 See? In the Super Bowl era, this is the first time that a starting quarterback will have started zero regular-season games. Three passers have started a postseason game with three-games-started experience (Paul McDonald for Cleveland in the playoffs after the 1982 season, Kelly Holcomb for Cleveland in 2002, A.J. McCarron for Cincinnati in 2015), one player has done it with two-games-started experience (Joe Webb for Minnesota in 2012) and four players have done it with one-game-started experience (Ron Jaworski in 1975, Gifford Nielsen in 1979, Doug Flutie in 1986, Todd Marinovich in 1991). Connor Cook is the only QB to have done it with zero-games-started experience. And no one mentioned above (or even anyone who had four or five or six starts) ever played against each other in the playoffs. So the Brock + Connor 21 Combined Starts is tied for the second lowest in history. The lowest happened in 1971, when Bob Lee and Roger Staubach played each other in a Vikings-Cowboys playoff game. (At the time, Lee had just six starts and Staubach had 14.) Tied for second place was the aforementioned Texans-Bengals game after the 2011 season. (Yates had five starts. His opponent, Andy Dalton, started all the games for the Bengals that season, but it was just his first season, so he had a total of just 16.) So, yes: This is tied for the second-least-experienced quarterback matchup in playoff history. Two things stand out: (1) Bob Lee is the name of Mark Wahlberg’s character in Shooter, so you can imagine my surprise when I read about Bob Lee the football player and found out that he isn’t in the Hall of Fame. (2) Osweiler has started 14 games this season, which is the same number of career starts Roger Staubach had when he faced off against Bob Lee. Staubach’s Cowboys ended up winning the Super Bowl that year. I’m just connecting the dots here. Advantage: Osweiler 2. Does experience even matter? May I tell you a short anecdote? I’m going to tell you a short anecdote. Last summer, I decided it was very important that I play an entire season of Tecmo Super Bowl on the original Nintendo over the course of a weekend. I was home and I think my wife and children were gone and I had some time, so that’s how I spent it. I used the Raiders, and I played all 16 games to get to the playoffs, and after each one I would check the stats the computer kept to see where I ranked in sacks (first, Riki Ellison), rushing (first, Bo Jackson), passing (last place because I ran on nearly every possession), offense (first), and defense (first). It was a great time, and I was very confident heading into my first playoff game (against the Bills). But then the game started. And everything fell apart. It wasn’t just that the Bills were better than me (they weren’t). It’s that — and this is a thing I’d forgotten — the background music that the game plays during the regular season on Tecmo Super Bowl gets replaced in the playoffs by a slightly faster, slightly more intense song. I was completely caught off guard. I wasn’t ready for it because I wasn’t expecting it. I was, in a word, shook. It was the first time in my life I’d ever taken seriously the idea that experience in a sporting contest was important. At any rate, what I’m saying is, yes, experience matters. Brock Osweiler has
, I ask the reader not to take away from the following text the position that the Haredim are the only ones to blame for the severe gap on so many levels between the two societies inside Israel. But it’s refreshing to read a respected Haredi source with a clear eyed view of the Haredi contribution to the problem. In an article titled “Maybe the Secular Are Right?” that was published this winter in the Haredi Kikar Hashabbat, Rabbi Bloch asks: “Why is it so common for Haredi pundits and public figures to pin the motives for secular hatred against Haredim only on the formers’ bad qualities, their emptiness, anti-Semitism and the ignorant man’s hatred for the scholar? And another question we should ask ourselves is whether, in some cases, the value benefits from this conduct or another are worth the consequent heavy price of hilul Hashem (desecration of the Holy Name). Rabbi Bloch then poses 12 questions which he encourages his Haredi readers to ponder.Michael Hussey's Test preparations were upset by his long stay in the Champions League © AFP Cricket Australia has downgraded its rating of Tests as the most important form after its chief executive James Sutherland said there was now "a fine balance" between the priorities of five-day fixtures and the Twenty20 Champions League. Sutherland's comments come after Michael Hussey was not allowed to leave the tournament in South Africa early because his team, Chennai Super Kings, had reached the final. Staying for the decider, which Chennai won last month, meant Hussey and Doug Bollinger did not arrive in India to prepare for the first Test until three days before the match. Bollinger suffered a stomach injury during the game in Mohali and Hussey felt out of touch. "Michael Hussey made it clear to CA before and during the CLT20 that his strong preference and preferred intention was to leave earlier than the final to prepare for the Test series in India," Sutherland said. "It was only because of our requirement and the performance of his franchise that he stayed until the end of the CLT20 final. "Michael had nothing but the best intentions of preparing for and playing for his country as his absolute priority but there was a fine balance between a high profile, elite club T20 competition and preparing for international cricket." Previously, interrupting the preparation for a Test was unthinkable but Twenty20 is changing the rules. Cricket Australia is one of the organisers of the Champions League and Sutherland said it was important for all three formats to prosper. "In this case, the scheduling was difficult, particularly after the decision to play Tests in the current series, and it is a fact of life that scheduling of elite cricket - which we have sometimes described as being as difficult as trying to play chess in three dimensions - will create tough decisions from time to time," Sutherland said. India's MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina experienced the same length of preparation as Hussey and Bollinger. Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.First off James Wesley Rawls is not a god so don’t expect him to create miracles of literary content. It amazes me that the majority of negative reviews I’ve read here all are expecting some kind of enlightenment to help them grow as a prepper or to read a work that parallels the literary genius of someone like Earnest Hemmingway. I almost did not get this book based on some of the negative reviews, but I’m glad I took the time to make a my own assessment by purchasing and reading it. I found it quite enjoyable and it kept me coming back for more just to see what was going to happen. To me personally I found it to be a better read than the first book. While I like the first book, this one had me pulled in more as I could relate to one of the main character’s efforts and journey to get home in a time of turmoil. This book is listed and sold as fiction and that is precisely what it is. It makes for a good story to read and contemplate. I often found myself asking what would I do in some of the situations that evolved within this book. So as some may try to read and review this book as a preppers. “How To” guide for an end of times as we know it, keep in mind this is a fictitious book with an interesting story line presented through the eyes of believable characters. Some have also complained of too much religious content. To me there was not a lot in this book. There was some, but I did not feel overwhelmed by it. If you’re going to read JW Rawls, keep in mind that his main characters tend to have a strong foundation in their religious beliefs so this will be expressed within the story. To me it is part of the character development within this series. Overall this is a good read and worth the time.Samsung kicked off the wearable wars with a bunch of smartwatches, but in the past few years, it’s backed off — until now. Samsung’s fantastic new Gear S2 smartwatch is official. Here are all the specs and features Samsung packed into its new smartwatch. Device compatibility The Gear S2 runs Tizen, but unlike its predecessor, it brought compatibility to select non-Samsung Android devices, as well. And at CES, the company confirmed rumors that it’d introduce iPhone compatibility to the round smartwatch later this year. In adding support for iOS devices, Samsung’s following in Google’s footsteps — the search engine giant recently opened up Android Wear smartwatches to iPhone users. SamMobile was the first to report in September that Samsung’s Gear Manager app would make its way to iOS. It’ll allow users to pair their iPhone with the Gear S2, but there was no specific date on when the support will arrive. However, the Gear Manager app leaked online in mid-April, which could be an indication that it’s close to launching in the App Store. iOS users can download the app now, but unfortunately it can’t be installed on an iPhone unless it’s jailbroken. Since the app hasn’t been thoroughly checked by Apple, it’s probably not a good idea to install it anyway. It’s also unknown if it’s the final version of the app or even if it’s officially from Samsung. However, it’s unlikely a random person took the time to develop the app, so there’s a good chance that it’s legit. Assuming that’s the case, the fact that it’s already an.ipa app file means that it could launch very soon. You can check if your Android device is compatible with the Gear S2 here. There are some phones that aren’t on the list, which also support the Gear S2. If you want to see if your phone is one of them, just check if the Gear app works on your device. Here’s a link to it on the Google Play Store. Pricing and availability Previous Next 1 of 7 Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends Samsung’s Gear S2 smartwatch is available for purchase in the United States. The regular Gear S2 costs $300 and the Classic costs $350. You can buy both versions of the round watch at Samsung.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Macy’s. The following U.S. carriers announced intentions to carry the 3G version of the Gear S2: Verizon – The Gear S2 arrived at Verizon on November 6. It costs $350 at full retail, but customers can get it for $300 with a new two-year contract activation. Customers can add the Gear S2 to their current Verizon account for $5 a month. Verizon offers both the Dark Gray and Silver color options, too. T-Mobile – The Gear S2 is available online and in T-Mobile stores. Customers can add the Gear S2 to existing plans for only $5 extra per month. The Gear S2 will then have unlimited talk, text, and data, although only 500MB of that data will be high-speed data. T-Mobile will sell the Gear S2 in two colors – Dark Gray and Silver for $0 down and 23 payments of $15 plus one payment of $15. Alternatively, customers can buy it for the full-retail price of $360. AT&T – The Gear S2 is available on AT&T for $15 per month for 20 months, which equals out to $300, or you can grab it for $200 with a contract. U.S. Cellular – The Gear S2 is available on U.S. Cellular, costing $300. The company does not list a contract price on its website. We’ll keep you updated on carrier pricing. Fully round smartwatch with classic design Samsung struggled with smartwatch design early on. All of it’s devices tended toward futuristic over-the-top designs that looked odd on most people’s wrists. The Gear S with its massive 2-inch curved screen was the epitome of strange design choices. However, the Gear S2 is much more in line with the current thinking about smartwatches: They should look like normal wristwatches. The Gear S2 has a perfectly round screen, relatively small profile, and a few sleek band options. It comes in three different options, all of which have slightly different dimensions: The regular Gear S2 measures 42.3 x 49.8 x 11.4mm and weighs a mere 47 grams. The Gear S2 Classic is slightly smaller at 39.9 x 43.6 x 11.4mm and 42 grams. The Gear S2 with 3G connectivity is the bulkiest version, at 44.0 x 51.8 x 13.4mm and 51 grams — but that’s to be expected from a watch with its own connectivity. To put that in perspective, here are the LG Watch Urbane‘s measurements: 45.5 x 52.2 x 10.9mm and 66.5 grams. Samsung’s Gear S2 seems to be lighter and smaller across than the Urbane, though it is thicker, which comes as something of a surprise. The Urbane is already pretty hefty. Samsung’s Gear S2 does have a neat rotating bezel, though, a home button, and a back button to make navigation easier. The buttons also add an element of style to the watch and make it look more like a standard wristwatch. The Gear S2 is also available in a dark gray case with a dark gray band and silver case with a white band. Meanwhile, those who opt for the Gear S2 Classic will be able to dress their smartwatch up with a black case with a real leather band. Regardless of which model you buy, the Gear S2 will be water and dust resistant, thanks to its IP68 rating. Typical smartwatch specs and Tizen OS Inside that rotating bezel is a 1.2-inch circular AMOLED screen with a 360 x 360 pixel resolution, which amounts to a pixel density of 302ppi (pixels per inch). For a smartwatch, that’s actually quite high resolution, so the Gear S2 should look sharp and bright on the wrist. The Gear S2 runs Tizen, which has been tweaked to fit the smartwatch interface and optimized to suit the 1GHz dual-core processor that’s inside the device. The watch comes with 512MB of RAM, which is pretty standard on a smartwatch, and 4GB of storage. Just like every other wearable, the Gear S2 connects to your phone via Bluetooth, but it also has built-in Wi-Fi and NFC. You could use this device to make mobile payments via Samsung Pay and control other NFC-enabled devices. The 3G model has built-in connectivity and can work on its own without your phone, thanks to the “first-ever e-SIM with voice capability,” as Samsung puts it. Samsung alerted its Tizen developers to the existence of the Gear S2 long ago, so Samsung says there are a good number of apps available for the device. Regardless, it’ll sync to your phone, giving you notifications from all your Android apps. The Gear S2 can send texts and other replies, too. A slew of sensors — including an accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate, ambient light, and barometer — all ensure that the Gear S2 tracks your activity with as much accuracy as possible. To encourage Gear S2 users to be even more active, Samsung added new activity features to the smartwatch, including a 24-hour activity log that shows you daily activity progress and patterns at a glance. Much like the Apple Watch, the Gear S2 will send reminders to motivate users to meet their goals. The regular Gear S2 models without 3G connectivity contain 250mAh batteries, which Samsung claims last 2-3 days. The 3G model packs a slightly larger 300mAh battery, which is said to last 2 days. Both charge wirelessly via a charging dock. Previous updates: Updated on 04-14-2016 by Robert Nazarian: Added in information about leaked Gear Manager app for iOS. Updated on 01-05-2016 by Kyle Wiggers: Added official Samsung announcement of iOS compatibility. Updated on 10-15-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added in news that T-Mobile and Verizon will offer the Gear S2 on November 15 and November 6, respectively. Also added pricing for the LTE model at both carriers. Next page: Previous Rumors and leaks before the launchIn this series I am looking into women’s role in a highly male-dominated field of interest - motoring and motorsports - asking females involved. Part V. - The Race Driver and Playmate from Germany Following a global trip from Europe through Australia to America, we are now returning to the Old Continent - trying to find as diverse answers to the question whether women will ever have the same influence in the spotlight of motoring and motorsports as men. Probably no ladies get more attention - for all the obvious reasons - in the sport/industry than professional models who may also be willing to undress from time to time and occupy a racing seat as well. For this reason, I was curious how somebody in those shoes would feel about her position - being completely exposed in front of the cameras when not locked into a very quick metal and carbon box. Meet racing driver, animal welfare activist and Germany’s Playmate of the Year of 2008, Doreen Seidel. My name is Doreen, I am a German racing driver, have been one for six years now. I was a Playboy Playmate [in May, 2008] and after that the readers voted me as the Playmate of the Year. My addiction for speed has always been in me. I grew up near the Sachsenring, so when I was younger, I was fascinated with motorbikes. When I turned 18, finally, I bought my first bike. It was a Yamaha R6. Still the most beautiful bike to me. It’s nothing better than riding a motorcycle on a racetrack. Unfortunately, this is even more dangerous [than driving] and my mum would go crazy [if I continued to do it]. It’s even hard enough for her to handle the car racing. Advertisement The love for modeling just started with Playboy. I never thought that I could do something like this until a photographer asked me at a party if I would like to do Penthouse magazine. I was thinking if I got naked, then only for the best magazine: Playboy [NSFW]. So I applied for it and one week later I was already on a plane to Vienna for my photo shoot. When I started racing, I just wanted to see how it is. I had absolutely no clue how this business was working and I had to learn a lot. I started in endurance racing in a very slow car. That was the best way to start. I had a lot of time in the car, it was less about pure overtaking but more about finishing the race. Also, the car was not too expensive, which was good, because unfortunately I crashed a couple of times. After two years, I switched to sprint races. I started in the MINI Trophy. That year my first dream came true - before I started racing, it was my daydream to race in the MINI Challenge. I purely loved the car. Advertisement It was a great year but during that season, I could already feel that this was not the end. I was hungry, I wanted more - faster cars, more racing and I wanted to improve my driving. So I switched to the Scirocco R Cup the year after. That season was so important to me: the VW taught me to excellency. I made the biggest step regarding my driving skills that year. The coaches, the data analysis, the other driver, everything was very very professional -and in addition, I had so much fun! So one the best years I’ve had. After 2014, I fulfilled another dream. The Audi TT road car has been my favorite car since I became a car enthusiast. And to drive this one as a race car was purely amazing. I had tears in my eyes when I saw my Playboy Audi TT the first time. For me, it was the most beautiful race car I could asked for and I loved every lap I did in this wonderful car. Advertisement If I look back to he first year, I never even dreamed about where I am now. I started as a lucky charm Playboy bunny for the DTM driver Markus Winkelhock and now I have my own lucky charm Playboy bunny in front of my car. I am purely living the dream. And in addition, Markus was my driving coach at the TT cup last year. [To prepare for race driving] I love to go running and I do some workout at home or in the hotel room. I am almost never home so I don’t like to be stuck at a gym. I love to workout outside and combine it with fun sports like snowboarding. For mental strength I try to simulate qualifying in my racer simulator at home. But not very successfully. I am such a bad qualifier. Advertisement Modelling helps me to generate PR more easily but that’s just one small part of racing. It doesn’t give me a free seat or make me faster. My association with PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal] came first because of Playboy. Every Playmate of the Year does a campaign for PETA. I was really happy about it because I love animals and I supported PETA even before Playboy. PETA noticed that I would have been really happy to work with them and we did several more campaigns and events together. The best in racing is definitely the feeling you have after a good race. This mixture of happiness and adrenaline is unique and I am totally addicted to it. The most difficult part is to get the budget for a seat. Unfortunately this business is all about money. Advertisement The best part of modelling is that I met so many nice girls who are my best friends now and I also like the results. Sometimes a good picture is so much work - hours spent on the hair and by make up artist -, it is hard work for me as a model and also for the photographer but it’s so nice to see the result. The most difficult thing in modelling is definitely the pressure. You see all the other beautiful, skinny, young girls and then you see your own face on a monitor, with 10 times zoom where you see every little mistake. It’s really hard to stay self-confident in this business. So I am super happy that I am not a full-time model. Although I am a way to small to do it as a full-time job. It’s great to do it once in a while but it’s also relieving to escape into the racing business. Advertisement It’s definitely harder to get accepted as a girl in racing. No men wants to be beaten, and for sure not by a girl. So if they see a girl in the mirror, they push even more. I think it’s super hard for everybody to drive in F1, NASCAR or other high level series. So from a thousand guys who start with go-karts, maybe one will make it to the top. But there are only 50 girls who start. So the chance that one of them will make it up to - say - F1 is very low. We need a way more girls who would like to start racing. In racing I have to search for new goals all the time cause (luckily), I achieved all of them. At the moment, my goal in racing is to drive a GT3 car. Not necessarily in a race. A test would make me so happy, too. I don’t know for sure what I will drive in 2016, so I try to work towards this. For sure, I will not drive a GT3 this year but I am trying to find something in between a front wheel drive cup car and a GT3. Advertisement In modelling I don’t have any goals. I am not ambitious in that field. I want to focus more on my moderation and TV jobs now. I launched a new TV show called DreamCars this year. It would be nice to make it a success. I am totally happy how everything turned out. If I really had to change something [in my career from the start], I would start way earlier with racing. It’s the best fun in the world, I feel I only wasted the years before. Advertisement All images used with permission For earlier episodes, click on the link below:“A Brain in a Bottle” is more typical of what Mr. Yorke is up to on the album. A jerky, hiccupping, low keyboard line bounces between channels, soon to sink into the mix but persisting for some time as a subliminal seesaw. Mr. Yorke introduces a mournful melody over a smoother keyboard line and drumming that’s apparently sampled, though the track is far more varied than most brief, repetitive drum loops. Soon additional vocals waft in, along with synthesizer lines swooping across the vocals, including one that’s like some cackling jungle bird. The elements of the track meet, mesh and eventually fall apart and go silent, as if the entire song were an apparition, some fortuitous coincidence of sounds. Mr. Yorke and his producer, Nigel Godrich, construct the songs like electronic dance music, repeating and layering bits and pieces. Their sonic palette is similar to one of Mr. Yorke’s acknowledged influences, Aphex Twin, who also favors smudged, analog-seeming tones, whether sampled or synthesized. The longest song on Mr. Yorke’s album, the seven-minute “There Is No Ice (for My Drink),” is his version of a minimal techno excursion, though Mr. Yorke does chant words like “vision quest” now and then. But where too much electronic dance music comes across as transparently methodical, with new riffs and samples arriving at regular intervals, Mr. Yorke’s songs cloak their mechanisms. Between the immediacy of the vocals and the subtleties of the mix, the music’s layers start to dissolve. So does the singer’s persona. He’s not the politically aware conscience he could be on “The Eraser”; he’s an existential wraith. With the music oozing and sputtering around him, Mr. Yorke’s spectral voice offers lyrics about being lost, alone, beleaguered, bereft. “The Mother Lode” is both upbeat and unsettled; over repeating chords and a crumpled version of a house beat, he sings about being a clown who amuses no one. In “Guess Again!,” over foreboding piano chords, he’s trying to protect his children from unseen, nightmarish predators out in the dark. He’s pure lonely remorse in “Truth Ray,” begging “Don’t let go” and moaning “Now I’ve lost everything” over slow keyboard chords that loom from various directions. He closes the album with “Nose Grows Some,” which builds its rhythm from glitchy clicks of static and muffled drum samples and constructs harmonies from gradually staggered, sustained single notes. His voice is often slurred and unintelligible, sliding away from language. “I don’t know where this all will end,” he sings, but he does: in a final few seconds of white noise and static. Perhaps it’s the only plausible endpoint for this album, poised between music and entropy.Much of the debate over legalizing gay marriage has focused on God and Scripture, the Constitution and equal protection. But we see the world through the prism of money. And for years, we’ve heard from gay couples about all the extra health, legal and other costs they bear. So we set out to determine what they were and to come up with a round number — a couple’s lifetime cost of being gay. It was much more complicated than we initially imagined, and that’s probably why we’ve never seen similar efforts. We looked at benefits that routinely go to married heterosexual couples but not to gay couples, like certain Social Security payments. We plotted out the cost of health insurance for couples whose employers don’t offer it to domestic partners. Even tax preparation can cost more, since gay couples have to file two sets of returns. Still, many couples may come out ahead in one area: they owe less in income taxes because they’re not hit with the so-called marriage penalty. Our goal was to create a hypothetical gay couple whose situation would be similar to a heterosexual couple’s. So we gave the couple two children and assumed that one partner would stay home for five years to take care of them. We also considered the taxes in the three states that have the highest estimated gay populations — New York, California and Florida. We gave our couple an income of $140,000, which is about the average income in those three states for unmarried same-sex partners who are college-educated, 30 to 40 years old and raising children under the age of 18. Here is what we came up with. In our worst case, the couple’s lifetime cost of being gay was $467,562. But the number fell to $41,196 in the best case for a couple with significantly better health insurance, plus lower taxes and other costs. These numbers will vary, depending on a couple’s income and circumstance. Gay couples earning, say, $80,000, could have health insurance costs similar to our hypothetical higher-earning couple, but they might well owe more in income taxes than their heterosexual counterparts. For wealthy couples with a lot of assets, on the other hand, the cost of being gay could easily spiral into the millions. Nearly all the extra costs that gay couples face would be erased if the federal government legalized same-sex marriage. One exception is the cost of having biological children, but we felt it was appropriate to include this given our goal of outlining every cost gay couples incur that heterosexual couples may not. Our analysis is not exact science. Not every couple would get married if they could, and others would not want to have children. We also made a number of assumptions based on average costs, life spans, state of residence and gender. Our gay family is made up of two women living in New York State in a committed partnership that lasts 46 years, until the first partner dies at age 81. We ran two sets of calculations: in the one that turned out to be our worst case financially, one woman earned $110,000 and the other $30,000. In our second couple, both partners earned $70,000. We started running the numbers when both were age 35. We received assistance from Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, who performed our tax analysis, which required simulating more than 900 income tax returns, in part because we followed the partners for 50 years. We also decided to run all scenarios across the three states so that the results would not be skewed by different state taxes. We’ve outlined all the detail in a workbook linked to the online version of this column. As for the emotional costs of living with these added complexities, they can’t be quantified. Frederick Hertz, a lawyer in Oakland, Calif., who works with same-sex couples, likens heterosexual marriage to being in the car pool lane. “Being part of a same-sex couple, it’s always stop. Wait. Pay a toll,” he said. Harvey Hurdle, who lives in Philadelphia with his partner and their young son, said he was reminded of the disparities every time his Social Security statement arrived in the mail. “It’s pretty insulting,” he said. “It says your spouse would get this much. And it’s like, ‘Oh no he won’t!’ ” Health Insurance In our worst case, the lower earner’s employer did not provide health insurance and her partner’s employer didn’t cover domestic partners. So the lower earner had to buy coverage on the private market, while the higher-earning partner provided coverage for herself and the two children. All this cost the gay couple $211,993 more than their heterosexual married counterparts, who were able to take advantage of the higher-earner’s family coverage. In our best case, health coverage cost the gay couple $28,595 more. We assumed both gay partners were eligible for employer-provided coverage. The higher-earner’s employer also provided domestic partner coverage, which covered her partner for the five years she stayed at home. When she returned to work, she used her own employer’s insurance. Even though the couple paid nearly $29,000 more in premiums than an identical heterosexual married couple, it was cheaper than using domestic partnership coverage throughout because of the onerous tax implications, according to Mr. Williams of the Tax Policy Center. A nondependent partner’s coverage is taxable income, and she can’t use pretax dollars to pay the premiums, according to Todd A. Solomon, a partner in the employee benefits department of McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago. Social Security All our hypothetical individuals started collecting Social Security when they were 66. Same-sex couples are not entitled to a variety of Social Security benefits, including spousal benefits (heterosexual spouses can receive up to 50 percent of a spouse’s benefits while the spouse is alive, if they are higher than their own); survivor benefits (surviving spouses can receive their deceased spouse’s benefits in lieu of their own, if they are higher); and a flat death benefit of $255. In the worst case, the gay partner who earned $30,000 could not receive higher spousal benefits or survivor benefits from her partner’s much higher earnings record. Nor was she entitled to the death benefit. In total, the gay women collected $88,511 less in Social Security than a similar heterosexual couple. Some couples might try to buy life insurance in an attempt to replace the benefit. Photo In our best case, when the gay partners had largely identical incomes, neither was at a huge disadvantage because they ended up with about the same monthly benefits. So the only extra benefit a heterosexual married couple received was the $255 death benefit. Estate Taxes Heterosexual married couples can transfer an unlimited amount of assets to each other during their lives and at death without paying estate taxes. Everyone else, including married same-sex couples, must pay federal estate taxes on amounts that exceed the 2009 exemption of $3.5 million. Many states also levy their own estate or inheritance taxes, though same-sex couples may be shielded from those in states that recognize their unions. Our couple lived in New York, where the estate tax exemption is $1 million. And though New York recognizes marriages performed elsewhere, that recognition does not extend to state income or estate taxes. In our worst case, the gay partner who died first in 2055 left an estate that exceeded the state’s threshold by $171,528. That meant a tax bill of $43,378, according to Ron L. Meyers, an estate-planning lawyer with a significant same-sex clientele at Cane, Boniface & Meyers in Nyack, N.Y. Meanwhile, their identical heterosexual counterparts owed nothing. The gay couple in our best case had a smaller estate, in part because they were careful to title their home as tenants-in-common, so only the deceased partner’s half of the home was taxable. The estate didn’t exceed the federal or state threshold. So they owed nothing. Childbearing Two women who want to have a biological child together need sperm to do it. They may need to purchase sperm from a bank and use a medical professional to inseminate one of the partners. There are also adoption costs. The worst case here totaled $40,000. It included 12 months of sperm and insemination costs, but the big wild card was the possible need to move to a state where same-sex second-parent adoptions were legal. While this may seem extreme, couples often do it, according to Joyce Kauffman, a lawyer in Cambridge, Mass., who has worked with many of them. We estimated a minimum of $20,000 for this cost, including real estate brokerage fees to sell a home and moving costs. In the best case, there might be no cost at all: the couple could use sperm from a relative of the partner who isn’t bearing the child or from a friend, inseminate at home and take their chances with free legal forms on the Web. Ms. Kaufman does not recommend such a cavalier approach to vital documents. The cost for men to have a biological child would be much higher if they used a surrogate. Pension We assumed that one partner, in both best and worst cases, received a small pension. In both cases, the partner with the pension plan died first. Employers do not have to provide survivor pension benefits to a same-sex spouse, but many do anyway (which would put our best case at $0). In our worst case, however, the higher-earning partner died first and did not work for such a company. So the surviving partner got nothing. A similarly situated heterosexual surviving spouse would receive $32,253 before dying herself several years later. Spousal I.R.A. You generally need to earn income to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account. But heterosexual married couples can contribute up to $5,000 annually to a spousal I.R.A. for a nonworking spouse. Stay-at-home gay partners, however, cannot make these contributions. So they end up with smaller retirement accounts. We assumed that all the couples would have either saved 7 percent of the stay-at-home parent’s previous year’s salary, or $5,000, the maximum contribution. So the gay couple with one partner who started out earning just $30,000 would have saved less (had she been legally able to) than someone earning $70,000. In both cases, that five-year gap in savings early on in the partners’ lives haunted them later because they weren’t able to benefit from decades of compounding returns. The couple with the lower-earning partner at home ended up $48,654 behind by the time that partner died, assuming she invested in a portfolio mixed equally between stocks and bonds that returned 5.94 percent annually. The surviving spouse from the gay couple with equal incomes ended up $112,192 behind. Tax Preparation Instead of filing one joint federal tax return and one state income tax return, same-sex couples must file two sets of returns. In both best and worst cases, those couples paid an additional $12,300 in tax preparation fees over the 46 years they are together. Financial Planning Even married same-sex couples are encouraged to create a number of documents that try to replicate the protections and rights of heterosexual marriage because their unions are not universally recognized. In the worst case, our gay couple spent $5,500 more than their heterosexual counterparts on their additional paperwork. That included a revocable living trust, which is more difficult to contest than a will, and what is known as a pour-over will, which ensured that anything left out of the trust would be included. They also each set up financial powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills and a domestic partnership agreement. In the best case, our couple didn’t spend any more than a prudent heterosexual couple would. Both couples created two wills, financial powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills. Income Taxes Married heterosexual couples with two working spouses with similar incomes often pay more in federal taxes than if they remained single because of the so-called marriage penalty. This occurs when a couple’s combined income pushes them into a higher tax bracket than they would have been in if they filed as singles. But some couples — especially those with a wide disparity in income or with a stay-at-home parent — usually pay less when they file jointly. They benefit from what’s known as a marriage bonus. In our worst case, where one gay partner earned $110,000 and one earned $30,000, the couple paid $15,027 less in taxes over their lifetimes than their heterosexual counterparts. Though the gay and heterosexual married couple had identical salaries, the married couple collected more income in retirement — a direct result of their marriage status — and thus owed more in taxes (though they still benefited from the marriage bonus). For instance, the married couple collected higher Social Security spousal benefits and survivor benefits, pension income and income derived from a spousal I.R.A. The gay couples weren’t entitled to any of these benefits. In our best case, where the partners each earned $70,000, the gay couple paid $112,146 less in income taxes. “That is the marriage penalty rearing its ugly head,” Mr. Williams said.In bars further away from the glittering night life of the central city, young comics tell jokes in Cantonese, the dominant language in Hong Kong but one on the retreat elsewhere. The city’s annual comedy competition is split into English and Cantonese sections; Mr. Mahbubani is the only person to have won both. A semiautonomous city rocked by China’s efforts to exert political influence, Hong Kong has become something of a beacon for comedians seeking to push boundaries. Sorabh Pant, a popular Indian comedian, recently tackled the topic of democracy while on tour in Hong Kong. “That’s so cute!” he joked about Hong Kong’s election, in which a pro-Beijing candidate won from a slate selected by members of the establishment. “You think your vote mattered! Such an amateur mistake!” He joked that Hong Kong’s election of a chief executive sympathetic to Beijing showed how the territory was just the latest acquisition by China. “This is not a nation. You are being sublet,” he said. “This is a franchise.” Mr. Mahbubani said the local media’s vigorous use of satire and its criticism of the government helps shield the local comedy scene from government scrutiny. That is not the case in Singapore, where Jinx Yeo, 37, performs. The soft-spoken Mr. Yeo is referred to by fellow comedians as one of the “wise men” of the Asian comedy scene, even though he only started performing in his early 30s.A group calling itself Quake Outcasts will file for a judicial review in the High Court in Christchurch today. Members of the 40-strong group own vacant and uninsured land in the areas made red zones by the government after the Canterbury earthquakes. The judicial review is due to be filed this afternoon by their lawyer, Grant
time and resources and potentially endanger lives. Some people have argued that there is no time to test if licensed drugs that might work against Ebola are protective and safe in animal studies; they advocate using them in patients because of the disease’s high death toll. The WHO is powerless to stop that kind of study, Friede admits. If a researcher can get financial support for a trial and secure regulatory agency approval in an Ebola-affected country and persuade staff in an Ebola treatment unit to go along with the idea, this kind of study could happen. And will, it seems, despite the WHO’s reservations. Italian doctors announced last week they will test the antiarrhythmia drug amiodarone at a treatment center in Sierra Leone. The drug has some action against Ebola virus in the test tube, but the fear is that the concentrations required for it to have an effect might be unsafe in people. Friede has reached out to the principal investigator to convey those concerns. The situation underscores how poorly served science is when researchers do not write up negative study findings, or journals choose not to publish them. Many of the compounds being proposed have been tested against Ebola in vitro or in animal models already, but there may be no evidence of the work in the literature. Repeating the research—or worse, taking one of these failed compounds directly to the field to test in people—would be wasteful and potentially unwise. In this respect, the small size of the Ebola research community is an advantage for those who want to forestall that possibility. Ebola research must be done in laboratories with the highest degree of biosafety and biosecurity, BSL-4, and there are not many of them around. The WHO’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee on Ebola Experimental Interventions is working with those labs to draw up a list of compounds that have been studied. They plan to publish a registry on the global health agency’s website, listing compound, testing method and results. The hope is this will prevent duplication of work that is unlikely to bear fruit. Next steps So what will be tested? In the first round, starting in December, three therapies will be studied; two are drugs and the other is transfused blood from Ebola survivors. These studies will start in Ebola treatment units operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, known as Doctors Without Borders in English) in Guéckédou and Conakry, Guinea, and in a third site yet to be named. The drugs are antivirals, though not specifically designed to target Ebola. Favipiravir, an influenza drug also known as T-705, is licensed in Japan for use against novel influenza strains. In test tubes and in mice, the drug shows some inhibitory activity against Ebola virus—although the rodents are not the most reliable of animal gauges. There has been some testing in nonhuman primates, but those results have not yet been published. Still, with this degree of evidence and the fact of an available drug, the WHO committee felt favipiravir should be tried. The other is an antiviral called brincidofovir, which is in development for treatment of cytomegalovirus and adenovirus infections. It works against Ebola in vitro but cannot be tested in nonhuman primates; they lack an enzyme needed to metabolize the drug, Friede says. The MSF trials will not be placebo controlled; the group shares the views of a number of experts that randomly assigning some people to forgo a treatment that might improve their survival chances is not acceptable under the current circumstances. “MSF does feel that at this stage it will be ethically and operationally very challenging to have an RCT”—randomized controlled trial—“in one of our settings,” says Annick Antierens, who is heading the organization’s work on experimental Ebola drugs. Those who oppose placebo-controlled trials for Ebola patients hope instead that comparing outcomes from treated patients to those who were previously cared for in the same facility will show if a drug being tested increases survival rates. But that may be challenging. If care has improved because patient numbers have dropped, survival rates could rise on their own. A drug that does nothing might look like a winner. That may not be merely a theoretic possibility. The mortality rate seems to be dropping in some locations. Centers that reported losing 70 percent of their patients are now seeing half survive. “Nobody can actually currently explain why, because it does not appear to be due to better care being available,” Friede says, noting that for trials without control arms, “this creates a real challenge.” Survivors’ blood The trial at Conakry, the Guinean capital, will test whether the blood of survivors can help Ebola patients overcome their illness. In theory, it should: the acquisition of antibodies through blood transfusion works for some other diseases. And this technique has been used previously, during a 1995 Ebola outbreak at Kikwit, in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eight patients received blood from Ebola survivors; seven lived. But Ebola experts have long disputed that the transfusions contributed to the patients’ survival. The transfusions were given late into the disease course; patients who do not succumb early tend to survive. And convalescent serum does not save primates from Ebola. “The data is just foggy,” says Luciana Borio, who leads the FDA’s Ebola response. Still, it is something the WHO and others have pushed, a therapy they believe is worth testing. There was hope the project could have gotten off the ground weeks ago. But even something as seemingly simple as blood transfusions is complex in countries where health-care systems are in disarray. “Yes, it’s frustrating. You want to move quicker. But this is just the reality of the situation that we're facing,” says David Wood, the WHO’s lead on the convalescent blood project. There is huge stigma attached to Ebola, and it is not clear how willing survivors will be to step forward to donate blood. “We are planning that there will be a trickle rather than a flood to start with,” Wood says. There are other challenges. Few Ebola treatment units can provide the consistent care to do clinical trials. And case counts wax and wane. This month’s hot spot may have few patients next month when a trial begins. Says Friede, “This outbreak is like quicksand. It’s continually moving.” Simple things researchers take for granted—access to a tablet or laptop for entering data while assessing a patient—are anything but easy in Ebola treatment units. Only items that can be decontaminated can be taken out of the hot zones in these centers. That rules out tablets, smartphones, even pieces of paper. Some health-care workers have reported devising systems in which someone on the inside holds a piece of paper containing patient data up to a window or aperture while someone on the outside takes a photo, thereby capturing the data. As well, these units cannot run the gamut of blood tests researchers would normally need to assess a drug or therapy in clinical trial in the U.S. or Europe. Given these complexities, it is little wonder that the WHO’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee is urging use of a standardized minimum data set, to ease the demands on treatment centers while still generating evidence that could be compared from one location to the next.By Dallas Clement, Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Cox Enterprises It may not be obvious to everyone, but the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is at a major turning point in its evolution. Now that the Atlanta BeltLine is gaining momentum, it becomes more and more important that we keep the original vision of the project in focus. We need to work even harder to ensure that this 22-mile loop of trees, trails and transit truly becomes a ribbon of civic improvement that connects the 45 nearby neighborhoods, increasing economic opportunity and improving the quality of life. The dream for the Atlanta BeltLine began in 1999 and today includes nearly seven miles of trails, six adjacent parks, 88 real estate developments either completed or in progress representing 12,136 new residential units, and 113 workforce housing units. Early in the life of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, this organization had to work to convince others to buy into the vision. Now that much of the concept has been proven as Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. continues the buildout, it is time to involve the region in an even broader collaborative effort to see the project through. Transforming the way Atlanta lives, works, plays and travels is no small feat. That’s why our newly adopted strategic plan calls for a renewed focus on partnership. This strategy is based on the understanding that there are competent, capable organizations in Atlanta with the capacity and expertise to further the Atlanta BeltLine vision, and it builds on what got the project this far; cross-sector collaboration. The most core tenet of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is its belief in the value of partnerships across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The guiding principle of employing, leveraging and nourishing relationships is at the heart of everything the Partnership does. Going forward, we will rely even more on such collaborations to achieve our goals. As stakeholders in the Atlanta BeltLine vision, it is important to us to not only raise funds to support the project’s development but to also step in where necessary to resolve issues and clear potential hurdles. It is also our charge to sustain broad public support. We’ll do that through creative programs that provide positive experiences, and by making sure that our public officials now and in years to come continue to play a lead role in the expansion of the Atlanta BeltLine. Perhaps most importantly, we will work with community partners to spread the positive impacts of the project to the broadest possible cross-section of the population. The goal here is to help ensure inclusive housing options, positive health outcomes and improved access to economic opportunity. We will need your ideas, your talents, your passion and your commitment to a better Atlanta region as we continue the most comprehensive urban revitalization project in the country. You are the biggest part of our strategy. RelatedQuote Wefi Quote: Originally Posted by How many years have passed? If one went back to the normal Tython or Korriban right after the Forged Alliance invasions FP, that would be one thing. But this is a different story magnitude from all interview indications. I'm leery that they may have jumped the shark or nuked the fridge with this one for the sake of swelling the subscriber numbers (especially since you can't buy this one separately). I get that it looks like, right now, they drew a bit of inspiration for certain parts from ME2. But ME2 wasn't an MMORPG. I guess I'll see in October. I hope not that many. Because returning to Imperial/Republic Balmorra (for example) stuck in the constant war between the two, when we now have both factions on their last leg and this new Immortal Empire all over the place, is going to make the "BioWare story" a total mess to suspend disbelief with.If one went back to the normal Tython or Korriban right after the Forged Alliance invasions FP, that would be one thing. But this is a different story magnitude from all interview indications.I'm leery that they may haveorwith this one for the sake of swelling the subscriber numbers (especially since you can't buy this one separately). I get that it looks like, right now, they drew a bit of inspiration for certain parts from ME2. But ME2 wasn't an MMORPG.I guess I'll see in October.It could get more expensive to get your license plates and driver’s license in Ohio. The Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee on Tuesday proposed allowing county commissioners to increase the fee paid for an Ohio license plate by $5. The money would be used to pay for transportation projects. If approved it would increase the total base cost of a passenger car plate to $39.50 and a motorcycle plate to $33.50. However, local jurisdictions already can add permissive local taxes ranging from $5 to $20 and so the current cost of plates can be as much as $54.50 depending on the county you live in, said Lindsey Bohrer, BMV spokeswoman. That is the fee currently charged in Montgomery County, said Mike Brill, spokesman for Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith, who runs a BMV office in the county building. RELATED: Income taxes go down, sales taxes up under Kasich plan A second proposal in the state transportation budget would increase the service fee paid to the deputy registrars who run the state’s approximately 200 Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) offices. The transaction fee would go up by $1.75 to $5.25 for services provided by the BMV, according to Bohrer. She said the fee paid to the contractors who operate those offices hasn’t increased since 2004. RELATED: What’s state budget plan for K-12 schools? “This issue is really being pushed by the Ohio Deputy Registrar Association,” Brill said. Both House Minority Leader Fred Strahorn, D-Dayton, and State Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg, oppose the changes. “We need to rebalance taxes so consumers and the middle-class families who drive our economy have economic stability, not find new ways to nickel-and-dime working people struggling to get by,” Strahorn said. “Using fee hikes to help pay for yet another tax-shift to benefit the wealthy will not create jobs or drive economic growth, but continue to hold Ohio back.” Antani said he is “against all tax increases.” “Working families have a hard enough time trying to make ends meet and transportation is vital. Transportation gets people to their jobs,” Antani said. “I don’t want to make it more expensive for a single mother or a working family to get their license plate renewed.” RELATED: Ohio wants to fund smart cars and variable speed limitsA successor to Planescape: Torment is happening. No it's not Project Eternity, no it's not Chris Avellone; it's Colin McComb (Planescape: Torment second in command) and inXile (Wasteland 2). And it has the blessing of Chris Avellone, the lead designer of PST. Colin McComb told me this moments ago: "As you may recall, Chris [Avellone] mentioned his ideas for a spiritual successor to Torment with some frequency over the summer. This stemmed (at least in part) from discussions he and I were having about the possibility of resurrecting the IP, and this led to my reaching out to Wizards of the Coast. That did not yield fruit, but it did get the two of us talking about what we'd like to see in any regard, and we both agreed that Planescape was not the best route for us to take anyway, due to the mechanical issues and editorial oversight WotC would want. He's so excited! "The Project: Eternity Kickstarter took them in a different direction than a direct successor. I told Chris that I would not work on a Torment successor without his approval. We talked about it for a bit, and he told me that he was entirely comfortable with me moving forward on a Torment game without him, and he gave me his explicit blessing to do it. "Right now he's incredibly involved with Project: Eternity, and I do not want to distract him from a project that is incredibly important to his company. With that said, I would be happy - no, wait, overjoyed - to have him on board in any capacity whatsoever." The project itself is still "waaaaaaaay early in pre-production", McComb told me. The team is still being put together. Will it be funded via Kickstarter as Wasteland 2 was? "No comment," answered McComb. But it's very likely. McComb's comments come after a wave of excited speculation sparked by his own blog post titled "What's Next?". He wrote this because he had more or less finished the Wasteland 2 work he was hired by Brian Fargo's inXile for. :: Cheapest Resident Evil 2 pre order price After wondering out loud about what to do next he wrote: "The point is that of all the games I've written, the one that I keep circling back to is Torment. And now that the bulk of my work on Wasteland 2 is largely complete (with some iteration work that still needs to be done), I can start thinking about Torment seriously." He then started discussing ideas for a new Torment game. "The first step in designing a new Torment story is to ask the primary question. I'm older than I was when I worked on Torment, and my questions now are different than they were. I have children now, and I look at the world through their eyes and through mine, and that's changed me - in fact, the intervening years have changed me so much that I have new answers for the central story in the original Torment. So now that I know what can change the nature of a man, I ask: What does one life matter? … and does it matter at all?" he scribbled "Then I'd re-examine the fundamentals of the setting. I'd put it some place other than Planescape. I'd use a system other than D&D, because I'd want to align the player's story axes along different lines than Good/Evil or Law/Chaos to something more subjective. The core of Torment is, after all, a personal story, and while we can be judged by others on the basis of our actions, arbitrarily aligning those actions on an external and eternally fixed line removes some of the agency from the player's game. "I have a lot of ideas about what to put into a new Torment game," he closed, "but my primary goal would be to help the player tell a story that was evocative of the original Torment without aping it. To be faithful to the odyssey of the Nameless One, and to recognise that it has ended, and that stories of Torment are ongoing." Add to this the backdrop of a company called Roxy Friday - which inXile's Brian Fargo is a part of and has used before to register trademarks - trademarking the name Torment a few days ago. Brian Fargo popped up with this to say: "I commend the sleuthing abilities of the Codex. There are many other pieces to the pie on this project that I can't speak to yet which prevents me from much comment. I need to get the other elements in order so you can fully understand the detail, team, approach and reasoning first. There will lots of pleasant surprises but I had not planned on talking about it yet." I brought together a small portion of the Planescape: Torment team in the summer for a post-mortem chit chat. I was joined by Colin McComb, Chris Avellone, Scott Warner and Adam Heine. Avellone and McComb even stayed around for a little not-for-my-ears chat after the session that resulted in McComb taking a position at inXile on Wasteland 2. I'd like to say I had something to do with it, but, well, you know.JavaScript Ninja Are you passionate about JavaScript? Does Nodejs get you hard or wet, despite that whole null is an object but not really thing? Check out our team of front-end ninjas, who are as comfortable deploying Backbone models as they are severing the c2 vertebrae on an upstart warlord! Do you know React? Do you know how to react when there are sixteen bodyguards when your intelligence reported four? Our devs need to be flexible, on the ball, synergistic and energized, whether they’re handling a zero-day exploit in a third party integration or going zero dark thirty on a competitor’s sole heir. We drive hard. What’s life/work balance when your work is taking life to balance the corporate power structure? You might be here until midnight, heck, you might be in South Korea at three in the morning poisoning a rival CTO, but you’ll love our Free Lunch Hump Day and our Not Exactly Mandatory Friday Evening Game Nights That You Don’t Have to Come to But Might Get an Email Wondering Why You Don’t Want to Spend More Time With Your Coworkers Who are Also Trained Assassins. Your skills: HTML because that’s still technically a skill we think, XML see above, jQuery because we’re proud of capitalizing that properly, JavaScript duh, React, Flux, Backbone, Node, Prototype, MooTools, Linux like it matters, OS X because everybody uses a Mac and maybe that matters, Photoshop, SQL, PHP, Python, and Ruby because you’re not actually a front-end dev you’re just our bitch, Iron Fist, Five Point Palm Exploding Heart, Shaq Fu, Gun Fu, and ten years’ experience with poisons that look like heart attacks or strokes during autopsy. Must be able to change appearance and social security number on a tight schedule, and should be available by satellite phone on weekends. We’re a casual office, but provide your own camouflage and weaponry. (P.S. Your code is owned by the company, but we allow all our employees to take credit for their assassinations.) Python Rockstar Were you born with a pep8 validator in your hand? Do you wield decorators the way a lifetime alcoholic wields a shot glass? Are you consumed by a sense of entitlement fueled by underage groupies and an exploitative contract from a record company that will gut your career as soon as you insist on creative control? Have we got the job for you. You know how to handle an ASCII error. You know to clear the pyc files when a nonsensical bug that you’re pretty sure you’ve fixed continues happening. And you KNOW that your drummer isn’t really a musician and your bassist is just a guy who couldn’t play guitar. Code not working? Ops problem. API timing out? User error. Show cancelled? Boston isn’t a big college town. You take the credit when there’s credit to take, opine on a wide range of topics you know nothing about, and throw tantrums when your roadies transport your equipment with insufficient care. Your reputation precedes you: all your previous companies failed because they didn’t recognize your genius. QA specialists are really just drummers, after all. The GIL isn’t really a thing, that had nothing to do with your code performance. You know: Python, pep8, Ruby because Ruby, MongoDB, webscale, webscale, more webscale, how to drink a fifth of Jack, how to refuse better whiskey on principle, how to fire all the talented people on principle, complain constantly until the numbers come in, drink self to death after firing and—more importantly—before litigation. Systems Guru Let’s get real. You know what a sysadmin does. The unsung hero. The guy who has to read the traceback. The gal who has to fix something that doesn’t have a traceback. The cat who has to find an error caused by a set of words that would give Fox Mulder a stiffy. But a sysadmin is a sysadmin is a sysadmin. We need more. Sure, you’ve recovered a hard drive with no /bin directory, but have you consciously misled a group of people seeking spiritual guidance? Have you written a book describing a simple cure for all disease and existential panic? Have you stockpiled guns in a sparsely populated American state? Have you inserted the word “quantum” into randomly selected bible verses or Taoist koans? You know, for kids? You: present yourself as above earthly concerns. Your resume is a PowerPoint describing where Jesus went wrong and how you are his older sibling sent to carve God’s true word into the ec2 pricing model. You have the ability to convince our CFO that your one hour of work a month builds pyramids on Venus. Please provide three references, desired salary, and a five-point plan for exposing the Illuminati.Jacinda Ardern discusses the New Zealand Government's approach to North Korea. Nuclear testing in North Korea is not something the international community can afford to be complacent about, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says. North Korea's nuclear capabilities and increases in nuclear testing made it a "genuine and real threat", she said on The Nation on Saturday. Putting pressure on Pyongyang was a shared international responsibility, she added. RIGHT PHOTO: HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY Jacinda Ardern says every member of the international community needs to help to de-escalate the situation in North Korea. "It's a genuine threat and every member of the international community needs to play a role in doing what we can to de-escalate the situation." READ MORE: * North Korea'may test hydrogen bomb in Pacific' * North Korea sentences Donald Trump to death * US eyes talks with North Korea, but only if nuclear programme ends * North Korea threat 'critical, imminent,' Japan tells US, South Korea * North Korea tells world to take its atmospheric nuke threat 'literally' North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho said in September that North Korea was considering testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific. When Newshub political editor Patrick Gower asked if Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters could reach out and liaise with North Korea, Ardern said such a position would not be unfamiliar to Peters. "A direct request was made a few years ago now by the United States administration for support from Mr Peters in navigating a situation with North Korea," she said. ANTHONY HUBBARD/STUFF Foreign Minister Winston Peters in North Korea in 2007. "That speaks to the level of diplomacy and the level of relationship that I've seen Mr Peters has with members of the international community." Although Peters' experience in North Korea was "an asset", Ardern said the prospect of entering him into direct negotiations with the country "hasn't risen as a potential possibility". "Our view has always been: multilateral approach is best," she said. The Government was prepared to use every tool available to secure a peaceful resolution bar military action, Ardern said. She confirmed New Zealand would not engage in military action in North Korea unless it received backing from the United Nations Security Council. "We are yet to exhaust all the channels that we have."A NATO soldier and a civilian contractor have been killed following a suspected insider attack in eastern Afghanistan, bringing to 2,000 the number of US soldiers killed in Afghanistan. The toll has steadily risen in recent months with a spate of attacks by Afghan army and police against American and NATO troops. NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement there were also a number of Afghan National Army casualties in Saturday's attack. It did not specify how many Afghans were killed or wounded. The dangers of a numbers-focused strategy for ANSF Abdul Wali, a local police spokesperson, told the AFP news agency that three Afghan army soldiers had been killed and two others wounded in the incident. He said that three ISAF personnel were also wounded. The attack took place at an ISAF checkpoint on the Kabul-Kandahar highway in Wardak province, witnesses told Al Jazeera. It occurred at about 5pm local time (12:30 GMT) on Saturday, said General Zahir Azimi, a spokesperson for the Afghan defence ministry. Witnesses said that gunfire had erupted after a dispute between ISAF soldiers, who were manning the checkpoint, and an Afghan National Army patrol, Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reported from Kabul. "[The NATO troops] were searching vehicles [carrying] men, women and children, and an Afghan Army patrol came along the highway [from their own checkpoint]. The Afghan patrol complained that the NATO troops were checking women and children, and it seems as a result of this confrontation a firefight broke out," reported Smith. The Afghan casualties were "a result of the engagement" on Saturday night, an ISAF spokesperson told the AFP news agency, but could not confirm whether they had been killed by the insider or in return fire by ISAF troops. A joint Afghan and ISAF investigation into the incident is under way, ISAF said. The alliance did not specify the nationalities or identities of those killed, saying that such announcements were to be made by the relevant national authorities. 'Mad as hell' General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, has said that he is "mad as hell" about attacks by Afghan soldiers on foreign troops, but expected them to continue until a full combat forces pullout is complete in 2014. KILLINGS BY THE NUMBERS Insider attacks have led to the deaths of at least 51 coalition troops across 36 attacks so far in 2012. So far this year 344 members of the coalition have been killed 14.8 per cent of all coalition deaths in 2012 have been due to green-on-blue attacks, up from six per cent in 2011 12 of the 36 attacks in 2012 occurred in August At 246, roadside bombs make up the majority of coalition deaths in Afghanistan Source: International Security Assistance Force; iCasualties.org Speaking to the US television station CBS in a programme to be aired on Sunday, Allen said: "I'm mad as hell about them, to be honest with you. [...] We're willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we're not willing to be murdered for it." Allen added that the "vast majority of Afghans [are] with us in this", according to excerpts of the interview released by the network. If Saturday's attack was confirmed to have been carried out by a member of the Afghan security services, or by an individual dressed as a member of said force, it would bring the total number of ISAF troops killed in 36 such attacks this year to 52, accounting for about 15 per cent of all coalition casualties in the war. NATO attributes about 20 per cent of the attacks to infiltration by Taliban fighters into Afghan security forces while the rest are believed to result from cultural differences and personal animosities between the allies. The so-called green-on-blue attacks pose a serious question to NATO plans, which portrayed the advising and training of Afghan forces as the key to the scheduled pullout of foreign troops. Earlier this month, ISAF announced a scaling back of joint operations with its Afghan partners following a dramatic rise in such assaults, in which Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on their Western allies. Allen said that just as homemade bombs had become the signature weapon of the Iraq war, he believed that in Afghanistan, "the signature attack that we're beginning to see is going to be the insider attack". On Thursday, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, announced that ISAF had restarted most joint operations with Afghan forces. It is unclear whether the latest attack will have an impact on those plans, an ISAF spokesperson said.A furious row has broken out over the veracity of research into some aspects of global warming after a series of leaked emails and inaccurate predictions about melting glaciers. Is this a challenge to the consensus - or confected outrage from climate sceptics? Observer science editor Robin McKie and Benny Peiser of Lord Lawson's Global Warming Policy Foundation engage in a spirited and heated exchange about the merits of climate science Dear Robin Global warming science and climate policy face a severe and deepening crisis of credibility. The whole climate agenda is confronted by growing doubt and criticism, not least as a result of the so-called Climategate scandal, the Copenhagen fiasco and the revelations about the IPCC's alarmist claims based on unreliable sources. This crisis is shaking the scientific and political establishments to the core. The scientific community is haemorrhaging integrity and authority at an unprecedented speed and scale. What we are witnessing is a growing backlash over the suppression of scientific data, the exaggeration of global warming impacts and the maltreatment of climate critics. While eminent scientists are suddenly calling for more openness and a dialogue with critics of the conventional view on global warming, the UK government has declared war on so-called climate sceptics who are rapidly gaining ground in the eyes of an increasingly sceptical public. But how can anyone take the government seriously when it stubbornly fails to heed the advice by its own chief scientific adviser? Professor John Beddington has publicly rebuked scientists and politicians for exaggerating the impact of global warming and urged an honest disclosure of the uncertainty of predictions about the rate of climate change. In marked contrast, Ed Miliband, in an interview with your own paper last Sunday, revels in unqualified climate alarmism. He predicted that the next IPCC report, which is not scheduled to be finalised before September 2014, would show that the impact of global warming is more dramatic than the IPCC's 2007 report implied. Mr Miliband and his senior scientists are ignoring the most important advice outlined by the government's chief scientific advisor: although the basic science of the greenhouse effect is sound (ie, more anthropogenic CO 2 means more warming) what is uncertain is the magnitude and timescale of the effect. Future warming could be pronounced, it could be moderate or it could be insignificant. Moreover, it could be eclipsed by other factors that scientists admit are not well understood. Beddington has made clear that scientists don't know for sure given the complexities of the climate system. The problem with climate science and climate policy in the UK is that it is completely controlled by a group of individuals who are convinced that they are right. As a result, conflicting data and evidence, even if published in peer-reviewed journals, are regularly ignored, while exaggerated claims, even if contentious or not peer-reviewed, are often highlighted in order to scare the public into submission for costly policies. Above all, the complete failure of Britain's climate policy in Copenhagen shows that conventional climate policies have no future. What is necessary now is the development of alternative approaches that are politically realistic and economically feasible. In order for a new climate realism to be successful, the government and government agencies should start to engage and involve critics of conventional climate politics. Instead of continuing to follow the futile approaches and failed policies promoted by climate alarmists, policy makers would be well advised to introduce more balanced and more transparent assessments of climate science and policy research. Best regards, Benny Dear Benny Thank you for your email, which encapsulates very neatly the various exaggerations and baseless allegations that are used to support so many global warming deniers' arguments. You state that UK climate policy is controlled by a small number of scientists who regularly ignore and suppress inconvenient data and who make continued exaggerated claims about the dangers facing our planet in order to scare the public into submission for costly policies. It is a perfect conspiracy, in short. Just why a large number of decent, hard-working, conscientious researchers – involved in meteorology, geology, glacier studies, atmospheric physics, and other climate science disciplines – should suddenly seek to conspire in this unprecedented manner is not explained. Nor do you provide evidence that they are, in fact, doing so. Like so much climate change denial, your email is strong on rhetoric but is painfully thin on science or on evidence. You also state the climate science is suffering a severe crisis in credibility thanks to the failure of negotiators to reach a proper international deal to limit global warming at Copenhagen two months ago. I am baffled why you should think this is the case. The fact that these individuals did not understand the kind of risks facing the world, and so failed to reach a proper agreement, in no way undermines the cause of the men and women who have highlighted the dangers and outlined what will happen if we continue to pump billions of tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. The fault lies with politicians, not the science. You also argue that the leaking of climate research emails and revelations about the IPCC's alarmist claims about glacier melting have dealt a fatal blow to the cause of climate change. But then you would say that, wouldn't you? It is the nature of the climate denial cause to blow up minimal bits of evidence to bursting point. The release of the East Anglia University emails is indeed embarrassing, but only slightly, for they contain no evidence of the suppression of significant chunks of science. And while the IPCC's failure to properly peer-review that piece of evidence is to be regretted, it was one flaw in a report running to many hundreds of pages. The basic thesis of the IPCC document still stands: our planet is in danger. You and other climate change deniers claim that there is no connection between rising carbon levels and global warming and so spend your time nitpicking at every assumption and claim made by scientists about the climate over the next 100 years. But how comfortable are you about your own cause? If we continue on our current trajectory, which you apparently think is an acceptable one, scientists say there is strong risk temperatures will rise by 5C by 2100. If that happens, the planet will roast, deserts will spread, ice caps will melt, coastal regions will suffer devastating floods and billions will be left homeless. The world's misery will be unparalleled. You say this will not happen. But how sure are you? Can you demonstrate with the same confidence and transparency as climate scientists that we have absolutely nothing to fear? And if you say you can, point to studies that underpin your argument that everything is tickety-boo and will continue to be so for centuries. Let me be plain. I believe you and your colleagues are behaving in a hugely irresponsible manner and are putting future generations at immense risk. Best, Robin Dear Robin Since you accuse me of positions that I do not hold and attack straw men which I did not set up, I shall refrain from repeating myself. Instead, I will try to set out why I believe that both climate science and climate policy are unlikely to recover any time soon from their current predicament. When it comes to the global warming scare, the factors of shock and novelty have lost much of their potency. Climate fatigue and cynicism, if not outright scepticism, are becoming widespread among the public, editors and even a number of policy makers. During the past 10 years, green campaigners and environmental journalists have turned climate change into a mega-scare and climate alarmism into a new "consensus". By accusing reasonable critics of apocalyptic hysteria to be "deniers", they have excluded a sizable section of the scientific community from voicing disquiet about the risk this strategy of fear-mongering entails. For far too long, scientific organisations and the mainstream media did not give appropriate space to authoritative critics of inflated climate alarm. The reason for the manifest lack of balance is easy to understand: "Unless we announce disasters no one will listen," Sir John Houghton, first co-chair of the IPCC and lead editor of the first three IPCC reports, stressed as early as 1994. There can be little doubt about the aptness of his recommendation: Without the prospect of near or imminent catastrophe, there would be no social movement and little political pressure for extremely costly and exceptionally risky climate policies. The distinct lack of balance on global warming (by leading members of the scientific establishment, environmental journalists and government officials) is now causing a real backlash. In fact, the emergence of a powerful counter-culture on the blogosphere is no longer reliant on mainstream media. It is driven by new technologies and fed by independent bloggers and researchers who increasingly publish their research and investigations on interactive and autonomous media platforms. You invoke all sorts of worst-case scenarios. You denounce scepticism and an even-handed evaluation of evidence because any balanced assessment of global warming is likely to further delay any global agreement on costly climate policies. You greatly exaggerate, without any supporting evidence, the likelihood of disaster, while you ignore the heavy cost, in human as
a jerry can at her partner, spilling fuel on him, before sparking a lighter a setting him alight. ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THIS ADVERTISEMENT The man, on fire, ran to a neighbouring home to seek help and call triple zero. He suffered horrific burns and was stabilised at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to the John Hunter Hospital for treatment. The 28-year-old man was later transferred to Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical but stable condition. The woman also suffered burns in the incident, although her injuries were far less serious. She was arrested and taken to the John Hunter Hospital for treatment before being taken to the Newcastle Police Station where she was formally charged with burn/maim by using corrosive fluid. The woman was granted strict conditional bail and will re-appear before Newcastle Local Court on May 25. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au – In an emergency, call 000.While science has the power to improve our lives and cure disease, it can also be used to torture, murder, and brainwash. Here are 25 scary experiments that destroyed lives, or have the potential to unleash doomsday. Creepy animal experiments Pig Powder From the University of Pittsburgh's McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, comes regenerative powder. Cells are scraped from the lining of a pig's bladder, the tissue is decellulised, and then dried. From this they managed to regrow a finger. There is something chilling about the idea that dried pig organs will be used to regrow human limbs. Source: PubMed Advertisement Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF Pit of Despair Psychologist Harry Harlow induced clinical depression in monkeys by taking young macaques that had bonded with their mother, and placing them in complete isolation, in a darkened cage, for up to ten weeks. Within a few days they became psychotic, and most could not be treated. Source: American Journal of Psychiatry Russians re-attaching dog heads This infamous propaganda film from 1940 shows Soviet Dr Sergei S. Bryukhonenko removing the head of dogs, and keeping them alive on a heart-lung machine. While possibly a Soviet fake, it produced a major stir in the west. Source: Time Magazine Spider Goat Nexia Biotechnologies developed a transgenic goat whose milk contains proteins like that of spider silk. The milk can then be refined into superstrong biosteel polymers. We crossed spiders with goats, with no idea of how these could impact the ecosystem. Unsurprisingly, DARPA funded it. Source: Science Advertisement Horrifying human experiments THN1412 Drug Trial In 2007, drug trials started for THN1412, a leukemia treatment. It had been tested previously in animals, and was found completely safe. Generally a drug is deemed safe to test on humans when it is found to be nonfatal to animals. When testing began in human subjects, the humans were given doses 500 times lower than found safe for animals. Nevertheless this drug, safe for animals, caused catastrophic organ failure in test subjects. Here the difference between animals and humans was deadly. Source: New Scientist A human brain - trapped in a mouse! Researchers at the Salk Institute in La Jolla discovered how to grow human brain cells by injecting embryonic stem cells into fetal mice. This combines the twin horrors of stem cells and transgenic research to give us either supersmart squirmy mice babies, or people with rodent brains. Sources: Salk Institute and Washington Post Advertisement Implantable Identity Code The first RFID implant in a human was in 1998, and since then it's been an easy option for people wanting to be a little bit cyborg. Now companies, prisons, and hospitals have FDA approval to implant them into individuals, in order to track where people are going. A Mexican attorney general got 18 of his staff members chipped to control who had access to documents. The prospect of a business forcing its employees to receive an implant of any type is creepy and totalitarian. Stanford Prisoner Experiment Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prisoner experiment took place in the 1970s. The psychiatrist took 24 undergraduates and assigned them roles as either prisoners or guards, in a mock prison on campus. After just a few days, 1/3 of the guards exhibited sadistic tendencies, two prisoners had to be removed early due to emotional trauma, and the whole experiment only lasted six of the planned 14 days. It showed just how easily normal individuals can become abusive, in situations where it is encouraged. Source: Stanford University Advertisement Milgram Experiments The infamous "shock" experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s showed just how far people would go, when ordered to hurt somebody else by an authority figure. The well-known psychological study brought in volunteers who thought they were participating in an experiment where they would deliver shocks to another test subject. A doctor requested that they deliver greater and greater shocks, even when the "test subject" started to scream in pain and (in some cases) die. In reality, the experiment was to see how obedient people would be when a doctor told them to do something that was obviously horrific and possibly fatal. Many participants in the experiments were willing to shock the "test subjects" (actors hired by Milgram) until they believed those subjects were injured or dead. Later, many participants claimed they were traumatized for life after discovering that they were capable of such inhumane behavior. Source: Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology Hofling Hospital Experiment In a similar vein is the Hofling hospital experiment, which involved nurses being told to administer a dangerous dose of a drug to a patient. In the Milgram experiment, it could be argued the participants didn't really know the danger of what they were doing. With Charles Hofling's work, the nurses knew exactly how toxic the dose would be, yet 21 of the 22 would still have performed the injection. Source: Hofling CK et al. (1966) "An Experimental Study of Nurse-Physician Relationships". Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 141:171-180. Historical atrocities Advertisement Sigmund Freud and the case of Emma Eckstein In the late nineteenth century, Eckstein came to Freud to be treated for a nervous illness. He diagnosed her with hysteria and excessive masturbation. His friend Willhelm Fleis believed that hysteria and excessive masturbation could be treated by cauterizing the nose, so he performed an operation on Eckstein where he essentially burned her nasal passages. She suffered horrific infections, and was left permanently disfigured as Fleiss had left surgical gauze in her nasal passage. Other women suffered through similar experiments. Source: Freud, Surgery, and the Surgeons (via Google Books) Nazi Experiments The medical atrocities performed by the Nazis are well-documented, and undeniably horrifying, with Josef Mengele's work on twins being especially disturbing. What's also terrifying is how useful this information was to medical science. A large amount of our knowledge about how hypothermia and cold effect humans is based on this data. Many have raised questions about the morality of using data gathered under such horrific circumstances. Source: JLaw Unit 731 Slightly less well known than the Nazi experiments were the ones inflicted on the native Chinese population by the Japanese in WWII. These included vivisection without anaesthesia, induced gangrene, live weapons testing, germ warfare infections, and worse. General MacArthur granted immunity to these doctors in exchange for helping America with biological warfare research. Source: New York Times Advertisement The Tuskegee Syphilis experiment Between 1932 and 1972, 399 impoverished African-American farmers in Tuskegee, Alabama, with syphilis were recruited into a free program to treat their disease, but were denied effective treatment (penicillin) even after it existed. This was done as an experiment by scientists who wanted to see how the disease would progress if untreated. The leaking of this event lead to major changes in American laws on informed consent in medical experiments. Source: Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Mind control Optogenetics A biotech system that allows scientists to turn neurons in your brain on and off using different colors of light. The technique, which requires brain implants, already works in rodents, who can be compelled to turn in a specific direction. Imagine what would happen if optogenetics were used to regulate human behavior. Source: Wired Advertisement Stimocever José Delgado, a Professor at Yale, invented the Stimocever, a radio implanted in the brain to control behavior. Most dramatically, he demonstrated its effectiveness by stopping a charging bull with the implant. Except this thing could control peoples actions. In one case, the implant caused erotic stimulation for a woman, who stopped looking after herself and lost some motor functions after using the stimulator. She even developed an ulcer on her finger from constantly adjusting the amplitude dial. Source: Pain journal MK-ULTRA MK-ULTRA was a code name for a series of CIA mind-control research experiments, heavily steeped in chemical interrogations and LSD dosing. In operation Midnight Climax, they hired prostitutes to dose clients with LSD to see its effects on unwilling participants. The very concept of a Governmental agency trying to control minds, both to boost the mental abilities of its friends, and destroy those of its enemies, is suitably horrific. Source: CIA Library Advertisement Our new robot overlords Robo-Rats and Cyber-Beetles Ready for remote controlled animals to keep an eye on you? Researchers have already found ways to create cybernetic rats and beetles, both controllable via remote. If the concept of beady eyed rats watching form the shadows doesn't scare the hell out of you, then flying bugs might. Of course, the army is very, very interested in both. Source: Technology Review and Nature Robots That Eat The EATR robot (Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot), is a DARPA funded robot meant to forage for itself, by devouring biomass. While the developers swear it's strictly vegeterian, that's hardly comforting in the face of inevitable robot intelligence, and it possibly eating all our forests. Source: Gizmodo Advertisement The Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) This robot is a cluster of warheads on a single vehicle, each of which uses jets to hover, track, and then destroy incoming missiles. Just watch the YouTube video of the test of its hovering abilities, and imagine that thing coming after you. Source: Missile Defense Agency Self-Replicating Replicators The RepRap project seems relatively innocent - it's just a cheap and easy program that allows hobbyists to build 3D printers. But it's main goal is to become a self-replicating device: A replicator that replicates itself. A self-replicating system, which can create mechanical objects? This could get ugly. Source: Rep Rap Homepage Advertisement Evolving Robots Take a bunch of cute, round robots, give them a generation lifespan two minutes, and after a few hundred generations, they evolve to cooperate, find food, and avoid pitfalls. These robots can evolve communication and intelligence, to some degree. Incredibly short lived, with the ability to evolve greater intellect. Just wait till they break out of the lab. Sources: Technology Review and Science Direct It could destroy the fabric of space-time... or not! Advertisement The Demon Core During experiments with a sphere of plutonium nicknamed the "demon core" at Los Alamos laboratory, scientist Louis Slotin died when a screwdriver slipped and the sphere went supercritical. After the room grew hot and was suffused in a 'blue glow,' he saved the lives of seven other people, but died from severe radiation exposure. Sources: Trinity Atomic Website and Wikipedia The Death Ray In his last years, mad scientist Nikola Tesla was working on a death ray (sometimes called a "peace ray"). It was a particle beam weapon that supposedly could bring down a fleet of 10,000 airplanes at 200 miles. He tried to sell the weapon, which he claimed ran via "teleforce," to the USA and a number of European countries, but none of them would take it. When your death ray is too terrifying for the US military to take, you know that's worrying. Source: New York Times and Nikola Tesla's scientific proposal about the weapon. Time Machine Physicist Ronald Mallett's work is based on using a ring laser to create closed timelike curves, which may allow time travel. Possibly you would only be able to travel back in time to the point when the device was turned on. What could go wrong? Source: Mallett's proposal for the time machine [PDF] Advertisement Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), located in an underground facility in Switzerland, is the world's largest particle accelerator, designed to ram protons or lead nuclei into each other at ludicrous speeds. The LHC has suffered a series of delays, and is meant to be back online in November 2009. Physicists admit there is an infinitesimal chance that it will generate a black hole that could destroy the Earth - or possibly another kind of anomaly that would eat the universe. Two scientists have even put forth the theory that the LHC is sabotaging itself from the future, to prevent us unearthing the elusive Higgs Boson particle; others have sued in the hope that they can shut down the LHC before it destroys the world. Source: Large Hadron Collider at CERN Additional reporting by Tim Barribeau.The accelerometer and 3G connection are key to the real novelty of Bike+, because they allow the system to sense when your bike is being moved stolen, then both sounds an alarm locally and notifies you of the theft via text message. From there, should you be unable to apprehend the thief in the act, you'll be able to track where your bike's been taken thanks to a real-time relay of the GPS coordinates to your phone via companion app. To make sure that the location tracking was as accurate as possible, Bike+ uses robust GPS and 3G modules located at opposite ends within the device, and the system went through extensive interference testing at the newly reopened Verizon Innovation Center in San Francisco. The app also allows you to set the system's sensitivity so you won't be bombarded with false alarms. Of course, Bike+ is only one part of the security equation -- you still gotta use an old-fashioned bike lock to keep your bike secure. Bike+ also can duplicate the functionality of most cycling computers -- it tracks your ride stats and routes in real time, and Bluetooth allows you to access the info immediately should you choose to mount your phone on your handlebars. But, because of its cellular modem, the system is also ideal for bike sharing companies to be able to manage and track their fleets from afar as well. To that end, the company has constructed two separate back-end systems: one optimized for consumers, and one for fleet management. And, the system won't only be sold as an add-on to existing bikes, as Fahrner tells us that he's been in talks with Trek and other manufacturers to build it into their frames (likely adding a couple hundred bucks to the cost of said frame). Want to know more? Check out the company website at the source below.Politicians in the Philippines have overwhelmingly approved extending martial law in the south until the end of the year amid a massive offensive to combat a two-month siege. House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said senators and House members voted 261-18 in favour of granting President Rodrigo Duterte’s request in a special joint session on Saturday. The 60-day martial law was to expire late on Saturday. The military chief of staff, General Eduardo Ano, warned during the session that aside from the uprising by Islamic State group-linked militants in Marawi, extremist groups have plotted similar insurrections in other southern cities. He said martial law has helped troops stop attacks, including bombings, elsewhere. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives to visit troops in Camp Ranao in Marawi city (Malacanang Palace /AP) Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana played down concerns of military abuses, saying no major human rights violations have been reported since Mr Duterte declared martial law. Some opponents argue government forces could deal with the attack in Marawi, a centre of Islamic faith in the south, without resorting to martial law. Others worry the extension is too long. Since the Marawi fighting began on May 23, at least 428 militants, 105 soldiers and police, and 45 civilians have been killed. Half a million residents have been displaced. During the day-long special session of Congress, wounded army officer First Lieutenant Kent Fagyan said troops smashed concrete walls with sledgehammers to advance towards militant positions away from sniper fire. Troops dealt with booby traps and had to wrest back control of Marawi communities room by room, he said.OTTAWA — The federal government is saying little about an apparent breach involving classified information - one that could snowball into a serious compromise of closely guarded secrets. Digital hacking collective Anonymous made good late Monday on a threat to release what it says is the first of many sensitive documents. It posted online what appeared to be a 2014 Treasury Board memo about funding of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's overseas communications capabilities. But as of Tuesday morning, the document could not be accessed through the original link. It was disabled by Lunaweb Ltd., which runs upload site DocDroid, "because it seems to be leaked'' and DocDroid is "simply not the right place,'' said Lunaweb's Josias Montag. "Such documents should be published on WikiLeaks; they do have the resources and experts for such things." The Canadian Press could not confirm the document's authenticity and Jeremy Laurin, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, would not comment. Laurin said Tuesday that officials "continue to monitor this situation closely." One senior official said it was still unclear Tuesday as to whether the document, which appears to be genuine, was indeed pilfered by hackers, or simply leaked. "There are obviously concerns about the document being released, except there's no confirmation it has been obtained through a hacking," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. Anonymous has carried out cyberattacks against governments, corporations and others in the name of free speech, Internet liberties and anti-capitalist causes. In a video statement discussing the document, Anonymous denounced the July 16 fatal shooting of a supporter in Dawson Creek, B.C., during a confrontation with the RCMP. Officers challenged and subsequently fired on the man, who was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask - an Anonymous trademark - outside a public hearing for a dam project to be built by BC Hydro. A knife was recovered from the scene. The man has been identified as 48-year-old James McIntyre. B.C.'s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, is probing the death. The Anonymous video begins with a moment of silence for McIntyre, "our fallen friend." The shadowy, loosely knit collective is demanding the immediate arrest of the RCMP officers involved. "Unless and until that happens we will be releasing stunning secrets at irregular intervals." The video harshly criticizes the Harper government, police, security agencies and corporations, saying they have branded "anyone opposing their fossil-fuel agenda to be a terrorist." It also denounces "covert, warrantless surveillance" and the government's recently passed omnibus security bill, known as C-51. "Anonymous has been collecting bits of evidence and making plans for many months," the video says. The group seems to have selected the initial document for posting because - if authentic - it shows federal ministers made decisions over at least a four-year period to update security systems domestically and internationally. "Congratulations, you left many doors open for us," the video says. "We are now privy to many of Stephen Harper's cherished secrets.'' Anonymous has claimed responsibility for a June attack that shut down several federal sites and wreaked havoc with email - billing it as a protest against the federal security legislation that broadened CSIS's mandate, boosted information-sharing and expanded no-fly list powers. No personal information was compromised during the cyberattack, Blaney said at the time. Regardless, the federal official said Tuesday, there is obviously interest in "trying to identify these hackers, it goes without saying." "All the agencies involved in security... we'd really like to be able to put an end to this." Last week Blaney's department announced $142 million in new digital security spending, which will fund initiatives including an RCMP investigative team to combat high-priority cybercrime. Also on HuffPost:More than 200 scientists have signed an urgent letter to Health Minister Jane Philpott asking her to suspend “deeply flawed” reforms at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research that they say could cost thousands of jobs and postgraduate degrees. “The primary reason for this letter is to express our extreme alarm at the course these reforms have taken,” it reads. The letter is signed by some of the top biomedical researchers from universities and research institutes across Canada. In recent years, CIHR, which supports biomedical research in Canada, has undergone radical reforms to its program and its peer review system, which is how funding recipients are chosen. Researchers say the reforms were badly designed and too hastily rolled out. “Common sense would dictate that reforms be implemented carefully to avoid harming the very research infrastructure they are meant to support. However, the CIHR chose a different route.” The new processes, it says, have injected “unpredictability, causing widespread lack of confidence in the review process and the agency itself. There is little hope that the best ideas and projects will be funded. We posit this represents a fundamental failure of CIHR’s primary mandate.” The reforms came at a time when research funding had been flatlined in Canada and caused additional disruption and hardship for researchers. Some have told Postmedia that funding is now so unpredictable that they can’t in good conscience recommend careers in science to their students or their children. There have also been calls for CIHR head Alain Beaudet, who oversaw the reforms, to step down. Beaudet has countered that underfunding, not reforms, is the source of problems for researchers. “The impact of this underfunding has been erroneously interpreted by some as resulting from the reforms, which in turn has increased the angst amongst stakeholders,” he wrote in a letter earlier this year, when criticism of CIHR reforms previously flared up. In a statement, Philpott said she is aware of concerns about CIHR reforms. “I think it’s fair to say that the implementation of these reforms has not been universally well received by Canada’s health research communities.” Philpott added that the recently appointed advisory panel tasked with reviewing how the federal government supports fundamental science will consider “the issues surrounding CIHR and its reforms” as part of its mandate. The panel, chaired by former University of Toronto president Dr. David Naylor, is due to report by December 2016. The CIHR reforms include changes to the grant funding streams, changes to the grant-writing process and, perhaps most controversially, abandoning the “international gold standard” of face-to-face peer review in favour of an online system that critics say has been a disaster. “Instead of having grant proposals be reviewed by expert panels of scientists in the same place, as is the practice of virtually every other Canadian granting agency and worldwide, CIHR abruptly switched to an online review process.” As a result, the letter says, a significant number of reviewers simply didn’t participate in the online discussions about proposals. In addition, CIHR cancelled two competitions in order to implement the reforms. That meant the majority of researchers in the country applied to the latest competition, which made it difficult to find qualified reviewers. Some were inexperienced or under-qualified. Delays meant that a significant number of reviews were not submitted by deadline. A number of people involved have spoken out to express their frustration with the flawed process. The letter notes that many of the problems were foreseen by the scientific community, but were dismissed by CIHR leadership, who were told that these are “pilot” competitions that will be tweaked based on feedback. “But when over 75 per cent of active Canadian health researchers have no choice but to apply to the latest project competition, this can no longer be viewed as a test. These researchers had no options as other opportunities for funding were removed. Their research support is rapidly running out and there are thousands of jobs and research degrees on the line.” The researchers have asked Philpott to suspend the rollout of the reforms and to reinstate expert panel-based reviewing done in person, rather than online. Timing is urgent, they say, and should be done by midsummer to save winter grant competitions. “There is much at stake for far too many of our colleagues to endure another episode of this failed experiment.” A group of 28 researchers sent a similar letter to Philpott in April asking her to address the damage done by CIHR reforms and to improve funding for health research. [email protected] Vancouver is one of Canada’s most multicultural cities, which means you can find fans for just about every World Cup team here. But where exactly are you likely to find the most fans of, say, the German team or the Brazilian one? We built an interactive map to help answer that question (mobile version here): The map shows that you’re most likely to find Italy fans in North Burnaby and Port Moody, Iran fans in North Vancouver, Japan fans in Steveston and both Holland and Germany fans out in Langley. I put the countries with the most interesting geographic patterns at the top of the dropdown list on the map. The rest of the countries are shown in alphabetical order. Because I was mainly interested in seeing the areas of highest concentration for each ethnic group, only the Top 50 neighbourhoods for each group are shown. But you can click on any neighbourhood — whether it’s highlighted or not — to see how many people of a given ethnicity live there. I also made this chart showing, overall, which World Cup nation has the most fans in Metro Vancouver (mobile version here): The data for this map comes from the 2011 National Household Survey. Two quick technical points about both the map and chart: The NHS questionnaire allowed people to specify as many ethnicities as they want, so the numbers above will add up to more than 100%. Also, these charts assume, just for simplicity’s sake, that people will cheer for their home ethnicity. They may not, of course, or they may have ancestry from various World Cup countries.WASHINGTON — Worse than Richard Nixon. An unprecedented abuse of powers. The most un-American president in the nation’s history. Nat Hentoff does not think much of President Obama. And now, the famous journalist says it is time to begin looking into impeachment. Hentoff sees the biggest problem as Obama’s penchant to rule by executive order when he can’t convince Congress to do things his way. The issue jumped back into the headlines last week when, just before his first Cabinet meeting of 2014, Obama said, “I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone … and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions.” “Apparently he doesn’t give one damn about the separation of powers,” Hentoff told WND. “Never before in our history has a president done these things.” And just to make sure everyone knew how extremely serious he regarded the situation, the journalist added, “This is the worst state, I think, the country has ever been in.” Read “The Case for Impeachment” and know why Obama has got to go before America is done for … Many have regarded Hentoff as the conscience of civil libertarianism and liberalism for decades. Recognized as one of the foremost authorities on the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court, Hentoff was a columnist and staff writer with The Village Voice for 51 years, from 1957 until 2008, when his columns began appearing in WND. Hentoff left the Voice after he looked into the abortion industry, was shocked by what he found and had a falling-out with colleagues. The First Amendment expert still hews left on many issues, railing against former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, the prison at Guantanamo Bay and the National Defense Authorization Act. But he hasn’t liked Obama from the start. “Within a few months after he was elected, I wrote a column saying he was going to be the most destructive, dangerous president we’ve ever had,” he said. Hentoff said people he’d known for years told him to stop being so negative and to give Obama a chance. “Well, we’ve given him a chance. I understated the case a little.” In other words, Hentoff thinks Obama is the most dangerous and destructive president ever. And, that’s why the veteran journalist thinks it’s time to begin looking into impeachment. Get the bumper sticker that tells everyone to Impeach Obama! “He has no right to do these executive orders,” Hentoff insisted, his voice reaching a crescendo of indignation. He says Obama gets away with it only because there is no outrage in Congress, no coverage by the media and no knowledge by the public. “He’s in a position now where he figures he’s going to do whatever he wants to do.” In fact, Hentoff said, Obama doesn’t even pretend to care about the separation of powers between the executive branch and Congress anymore, because “He’s the boss and hardly anybody cares enough” to stop him. The most well-known examples of Obama changing or issuing laws with the stroke of a pen by issuing executive orders include: Delaying the employer mandate in Obamacare Changing the types of plans available under Obamacare Ensuring abortions would be covered under Obamacare Enacting key provisions of the failed Dream Act to halt deportations of illegal immigrants Enacting stricter gun-control measures Sealing presidential records Creating an economic council Creating a domestic policy council Changing pay grades As WND previously reported, even the the far left-leaning FactCheck wrote, “It’s true that President Obama is increasingly using his executive powers in the face of staunch Republican opposition in Congress. He’s changed federal policies on immigration and welfare and appointed officials without congressional approval.” “I would say that never before in our history had a president done these things,” Hentoff mused. He noted that while Nixon merely claimed that winning an election gave him the right to do what he wanted, Obama is actually doing whatever he pleases. The journalist said he doesn’t think any other president has acted so lawlessly as a matter of habit. “So, if this isn’t a reason for at least the start of an independent investigation that would lead to impeachment, what is?” Hentoff is baffled that Obama should escape such scrutiny when former President Bill Clinton faced impeachment just for being “a lousy liar.” A big part of the problem, the journalist believes, is what he calls the utter ignorance of a huge portion of the population, which is not outraged at losing its basic right to be self-governing. And Obama “doesn’t give a damn, because he can get away with whatever he wants.” That’s why Hentoff called this the worst state the country has ever been in, “Even worse than Woodrow Wilson’s regime, when people could be arrested for speaking German.” Compounding the problem he says, is the digital age, which has allowed the president to engage in unprecedented domestic spying with the apparatus of the National Security Agency. WND asked if Obama really posed such a threat, considering he was a professor of constitutional law. “People forget, he taught a course that he was not fully qualified to teach. But nobody seemed to care,” Hentoff observed. He also pointed out that as president of the Harvard Law Review Obama never published an article, something that went virtually unnoticed when voters considered his qualifications. “See, that was a case of affirmative-action and people feeling, ‘Hey we ought to do something important, symbolically, and here’s a black guy, and he’s articulate, so we’re gonna do this.'” Hentoff mentioned that former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, the man Time Magazine once called “the most doctrinaire and committed civil libertarian ever to sit on the court,” once personally lectured him that “Affirmative-action on a racial basis is a total violation of the 14th Amendment, no doubt about it.” And, referring to Obama’s presidency, the journalist said, “That’s what that kind of affirmative-action did for us.” He told WND that he firmly believed the president does not care about due process, the separation of powers, the concept of a self-governing republic or many other basic American ideals. And that’s why, he said, “What Obama is doing now is about as un-American as you can get.” Hentoff wanted to make sure no one thought he was engaging in hyperbole. He said it was literally true that Obama is “the most un-American president we’ve ever had.” And just to make sure everybody heard him, he added, “I hope the FBI got all of that.” Hentoff is just the latest public figure to be added to the growing list of those mentioning the possible impeachment of President Obama. WND has been keeping track, and that list now includes: Reps. Steve King, R-Iowa; Blake Farenthold, R-Texas; Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas; Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas; Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Mich.; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.; Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., and Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. Follow Garth Kant on Twitter @DCgarth.When we condemn the behavior of a politician, celebrity, or friend, we often end up appealing to our moral intuitions. “It just feels wrong!” we say. But where do these intuitive judgments come from? Are they reliable moral guides? Recently, some unusual research has raised new questions about the role of intuitive responses in ethical reasoning. Joshua Greene, a philosophy graduate now working in psychology who has recently moved from Princeton University to Harvard, studied how people respond to a set of imaginary dilemmas. In one dilemma, you are standing by a railroad track when you notice that a trolley, with no one aboard, is heading for a group of five people. They will all be killed if the trolley continues on its current track. The only thing you can do to prevent these five deaths is to throw a switch that will divert the trolley onto a side track, where it will kill only one person. When asked what you should do in these circumstances, most people say that you should divert the trolley onto the side track, thus saving a net four lives. In another dilemma, the trolley, as before, is about to kill five people. This time, however, you are not standing near the track, but on a footbridge above the track. You cannot divert the trolley. You consider jumping off the bridge, in front of the trolley, thus sacrificing yourself to save the five people in danger, but you realize that you are far too light to stop the trolley. Standing next to you, however, is a very large stranger. The only way you can prevent the trolley from killing five people is by pushing this large stranger off the footbridge, in front of the trolley. If you push the stranger off, he will be killed, but you will save the other five. When asked what you should do in these circumstances, most people say that it would be wrong to push the stranger. This judgment is not limited to particular cultures. Marc Hauser, at Harvard University, has put similar dilemmas on the web in what he calls a “Moral Sense Test,” available in English, Spanish, and Chinese ( http://moral.wjh.harvard.edu ). After receiving tens of thousands of responses, he finds remarkable consistency despite differences in nationality, ethnicity, religion, age, and sex. Philosophers have puzzled about how to justify our intuitions in these situations, given that in both cases, the choice seems to be between saving five lives at the cost of taking one life. Greene, however, was more concerned to understand why we have the intuitions, so he used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, to examine what happens in people’s brains when they make these moral judgments. Greene found that people asked to make a moral judgment about “personal” violations, like pushing the stranger off the footbridge, showed increased activity in areas of the brain associated with the emotions. This was not the case with people asked to make judgments about relatively “impersonal” violations like throwing a switch. Moreover, the minority of subjects who did consider that it would be right to push the stranger off the footbridge took longer to reach this judgment than those who said that doing so would be wrong. Why would our judgments, and our emotions, vary in this way? For most of our evolutionary history, human beings – and our primate ancestors – have lived in small groups, in which violence could be inflicted only in an up-close and personal way, by hitting, pushing, strangling, or using a stick or stone as a club. To deal with such situations, we developed immediate, emotionally based intuitive responses to the infliction of personal violence on others. The thought of pushing the stranger off the footbridge elicits these responses. On the other hand, it is only in the last couple of centuries – not long enough to have any evolutionary significance – that we have been able to harm anyone by throwing a switch that diverts a train. Hence the thought of doing it does not elicit the same emotional response as pushing someone off a bridge. Greene’s work helps us understand where our moral intuitions come from. But the fact that our moral intuitions are universal and part of our human nature does not mean that they are right. On the contrary, these findings should make us more skeptical about relying on our intuitions. There is, after all, no ethical significance in the fact that one method of harming others has existed for most of our evolutionary history, and the other is relatively new. Blowing up people with bombs is no better than clubbing them to death. And surely the death of one person is a lesser tragedy than the death of five, no matter how that death is brought about. So we should think for ourselves, not just listen to our intuitions.CLOSE Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson talks at The US Conference of Mayors. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar Gary Johnson (Photo: Helen Comer / File / Gannett Tennessee) If you go to The Tennessean website and put “
preferential access. Incidentally, that was the subject of the last anonymous email.This post is part of our Guide to Bayesian Statistics We've covered the basics of Parameter Estimation pretty well at this point. We've seen how to use the PDF, CDF and Quantile function to learn the likelihood of certain values, and we've seen how we can add a Bayesian prior to our estimate. Now we want to use our estimates to compare two unknown parameters. Keeping with our email example we are going to set up an A/B Test. We want to send out a new email and see if adding an image to the email helps or hurts the conversion rate. Normally when the weekly email is sent out it includes some image, for our test we're going to send one Variant with the image like we always do and another without the image. The test is called an A/B Test because we are comparing Variant A (with image) and Variant B (without). We'll assume at this point we have 600 subscribers. Because we want to exploit the knowledge gained during our experiment we're only going to be running our test on 300 of these subscribers, that way we can give the remaining 300 what we believe to be the best variant. The 300 people we're going to test will be split up into two groups, A and B. Group A will receive an email like we always send, with a big picture at the top, and group B's will not have the picture. Next we need to figure out what prior probability we are going to use. We've run an email campaign every week so we have a reasonable expectation that the probability of the recipient clicking the link to the blog on any given email should be around 30%. To make things simple we'll use the same prior for A and B. We'll also choose a pretty weak version of our prior because we don't really know how well we expect B to do, and this is a new email campaign so maybe other factors would cause a better or worse conversion anyway. We'll settle on Beta(3,7):German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel has repeated calls to relax EU sanctions on Russia in return for UN peacekeepers in Ukraine, but chancellor Angela Merkel is more wary of the initiative. "It is urgently necessary that we look for a new start with Moscow," Gabriel said in Der Spiegel, a German magazine, on Thursday (14 September). Student, retired or simply can't afford full price? No worries. Line of contact: UN said 26 civilians killed in summer (Photo: Christopher Bobyn) "Russian president Vladimir Putin has presented a proposal that will significantly improve the current situation … This should be taken as a basis for discussion", he said. The EU should consider "gradual relaxation of the sanctions" because Putin "has moved towards us", he said. Gabriel spoke after Russia tabled a UN resolution calling for lightly armed UN peacekeepers to go to the line of contact. EU economic sanctions on Russia are conditional on fulfilment of the Minsk agreement, a ceasefire deal. It says Russia must withdraw troops from Ukraine and cede control of Ukraine's border, in return for Ukraine holding elections in two Russia-controlled territories. "It is simply unrealistic to say: 'Only when Minsk is implemented 100 percent do these steps follow'. A truly sustainable, lasting armistice would be an important step", Gabriel said. Gabriel's centre-left SPD party is friendlier toward Russia than Merkel's centre-right CDU/CSU party in Germany's ruling coalition. Putin and Merkel also discussed the UN proposal by phone on Monday. The Russian president made a snap concession to let the UN blue helmets go beyond the contact line to a wider area, which is currently patrolled by international monitors from the OSCE, a Vienna-based security institution. "In light of thoughts voiced by Angela Merkel, the Russian leader indicated a readiness to update the functions of the aforementioned UN mission", a Kremlin readout of the phonecall said. The US has also welcomed the Russian proposal, but Ukraine has voiced reservations on the small print. "We see it potentially as a pathway to restoring Ukrainian sovereignty and also territorial integrity," a US State Department spokeswoman said on Wednesday. Kostiantyn Yeliseyev, an aide to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that "the devil is in the detail" of Russia's UN text. He said UN peacekeepers must patrol the Ukraine-Russia border and that Russian soldiers must not take part in the mission. He also said EU sanctions should stay in place until the Minsk agreement was fulfilled. Poroshenko has warned that Putin's UN idea could be a ploy to retain control of occupied territories and to legitimise the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk "republics." "[The mission's] purpose should not be the preservation of Russia's occupation and the legalisation of the Russian military presence", Poroshenko said on 7 September. EU sanctions The EU foreign service has not taken a public position on the UN proposal. But EU states, on Wednesday, extended the life of visa bans and asset freezes on 149 people and 38 entities deemed responsible for "undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine". The list includes senior Kremlin aides and personal friends of Putin. The situation in Ukraine "did not justify a change in the sanctions regime" the EU said in a statement. EU economic sanctions on Russia, which restrict credit and technology transfer to Russian banks and energy firms, expire on 31 January. Civilian casualties The OSCE sent a team of unarmed monitors to Ukraine in 2014, with 608 observers currently on the ground, 36 of whom are Russian. The Kiev-based mission said on Wednesday there were "more [Minsk] ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions [than] compared with the previous reporting period". It recorded 45 explosions in the Donetsk area and seven explosions in the Luhansk region. A UN human rights agency, the OHCHR, said on Wednesday that 26 civilians were killed and 135 were injured, mostly by artillery fire, in the period from 16 May to 15 August.Tasman crossing: Kayaker Stuart Cleary rescued after distress call Updated Solo kayaker Stuart Cleary has been rescued off the New South Wales mid-north coast less than a day after he set off to cross the Tasman Sea. Mr Cleary, 53, departed from his home town of Ballina, in northern New South Wales, on Sunday night and was attempting to be the first person to paddle solo and unassisted to New Zealand. The former oil rig driver contacted his wife on Monday morning to say he was aborting the mission and would attempt to paddle towards land. It was understood the adventurer's homemade kayak had developed steering problems. A spokeswoman from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said a distress beacon was activated on Monday afternoon. A helicopter and water police headed towards the signal, about 40 nautical miles north east off Coffs Harbour, and Mr Cleary was rescued by NSW water police about 4:15pm (AEDT). He arrived in Coffs Harbour just after 6:00pm and was described as being in a good condition. Mr Cleary originally expected the trip to take about 60 days. The former deep sea diver had spent almost four years preparing for the Tasman crossing. "I got interested in it a few years ago when I saw Andrew McAuley's story," Mr Cleary told ABC News before he set out. McAuley was a 38-year-old adventurer who attempted the crossing in a modified sea kayak in 2007. He disappeared within sight of New Zealand. Including Mr Cleary, seven people have now made 13 attempts to cross the Tasman Sea. Earlier this year, a New Zealand man had to be winched to safety just kilometres from finishing his attempt to become the first solo kayaker to cross the Tasman. It was not clear whether Mr Cleary would continue with the attempt at a later date. Topics: community-and-society, people, human-interest, southport-4215, ballina-2478, new-zealand First postedIf you haven’t figured that out already, this is not one of these websites which get updated on a daily basis. To be honest, if you dig deeper you’ll see this is the first post I’m writing this year (!), so I guess I better keep it short, to ease the shock 🙂 Here it is, the news of the year – Neuroshima Hex gets updated again, this time with a new army called Mississippi. If you’ve never heard of it, here’s a short description unveiling it’s nastiness: In 2050 Mississippi is a gigantic toxic sewer draining directly from the interior of Moloch territory. The river and the lands in its vicinity are hidden in poisonous fumes and is known as the Belt of Death or seedbed of mutants. Only a few can survive here and for those rare individuals who live here, the deadly toxins in the air and water are every-day reality. When facing the Warriors of the Mississippi, clad in coats and gas masks, be prepared for the deadliest diseases and poisons born by the post-war world and which Moloch released into the rivers. Mississippi makes a massive usage of poison which is their main ability – it has fast Poisoner units, Boiler module which lets other units spit poison and, if you play it right, you can even pull off a combo that will add a new poison marker to any unit on the board (including opponent’s HQ) each time a battle is started! And why is poison all that great, you ask? It’s because your opponent’s HQ, once poisoned, can’t do much else except losing hit points each time a battle is started. Put a couple of poison markers on it on the first battle and they’ll get you about 8-10 additional damage point until the end of the game! So if that and a “gigantic toxic sewer” made you think “I’d buy that for a dollar!” I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is all you have to do to buy it is update your Neuroshima Hex to v.2.5.0, launch it and tap the Yellow Banner™. The bad news is it costs two dollars. Oh, and all our other games and IAPs are now discounted, so if you feel like you don’t own enough awesome games already, make yourself a favor, save some money and get them now! Neuroshima Hex for iOS $2.99 (normally $4.99) Neuroshima Hex for Android $0.99 (normally $2.99) new Mississippi army $1.99 DoomsdayMachine army $0.99 (normally $1.99) Sharrash army $0.99 (normally $1.99) Dancer army $0.99 (normally $1.99) The Bundle of Five Armies $3.99 (normally $7.99) Vegas army $0.99 (normally $1.99) Smart army $0.99 (normally $1.99) Steel Police army $0.99 (normally $1.99) New York army $0.99 (normally $1.99) Neojungle army $0.99 (normally $1.99) As always, enjoy!Melbourne BioBlitz is the City of Melbourne's first major citizen science program, where experts and members of the community work together to discover, document and learn about the species that call our city home. The species discovered during Melbourne BioBlitz will contribute to the implementation of our Urban Ecology and Biodiversity Strategy, the City of Melbourne's plan for maintaining a strong and diverse eco-system. For the expert-led events, yes please! Although all events and activities are free, by registering you’ll help us with planning. There is no need to register for BioBlitz participation outside of City of Melbourne facilitated events. When reporting what you discover, we need to identify your location so we can record the sighting specific to its position in our urban landscape. We also need you to send us a photo so that our team of experts can identify and record the species. By sharing your photo and location with us you consent to the use of this data for the specific research purpose of creating a species inventory and species richness maps for the city. We encourage you to consider the full spectrum of biodiversity that we have in the City of Melbourne to increase the diversity of what we document. Think about all of the different kinds of nature that we find in an urban environment and see how many different things you can find by recording: a variety of locations (public spaces and private gardens, in trees, waterways and under rocks, and in less likely locations such as rooftops, footpaths and even indoors) all species (big and small, native and non-native, wild and domesticated), and at different times of day (different critters have different habits)! We encourage you to explore the range of great information available to us all and do your best, but don’t worry, as long as you send in a photo we can have our expert team help to work out what it is. You can always use the following online tools: BowerBird Biodiversity snapshots Atlas of Living Australia Online Herbarium databases We’d like you to document what you find within the boundaries of the City of Melbourne municipality. Some locations we encourage you to explore that weren't included in the 2014 BioBlitz are: Moonee Ponds Creek Maribyrnong River Yarra River Bank JJ Holland Park Princess Park Fawkner Park Carlton and Parkville residential area Melbourne Cemetery Flagstaff Gardens Southbank Fishermans Bend Yarra Park Gosch’s Paddock AAMI Park and Olympic Park precinct Other places to visit include: Streetscapes Backyards Community food gardens Green roofs Private land Melbourne is rich in biodiversity; however the current biological diversity of the city is undergoing rapid change as a result of habitat loss, population growth, cultural change, climate change pressures, and governance decisions. The greater Melbourne area supports some 1,864 indigenous plant species, of which 178 are considered threatened, and 520 indigenous animal species, of which 136 of are currently considered threatened. We’re expecting to gain a better understanding of what species inhabit the City of Melbourne municipality. While BioBlitz events are primarily an inventory of known species in a geographic area, it is not uncommon for these events to discover new species! You will be outside, so you should dress accordingly. Use sunscreen to protect you from potential sun exposure. Wear appropriate footwear for your selected BioBlitz location. Always take drinking water with you for any excursion Nature happens despite the weather. The BioBlitz will take place rain, hail or shine. Bringing your dog will limit where you are able to go in the parks. Bringing your dog could also limit other participants from walking on the surveys, for example, those with children. For these reasons, it not recommended to bring your dog on the survey events. Updates on BioBlitz will be posted here on the Participate Melbourne BioBlitz page. We encourage you to check this website regularly to keep up to date with the latest and engage with other keen urban naturalists. Mammals Mammals that live in the city include those you might see often like possums or rats, but there are also many mammals we rarely see, such as micro-bats and native rats. A good way to find animals like these is to look in places where they might eat or sleep; watch tree hollows at dusk, look for burrows or holes under your deck or in your garden, or look out for other signs that these mammals live in your area. Tracks, scats and signs Look for tracks in the mud or dirt. Notice the shape and arrangement of paw-prints or footprints, and follow their trail. Some key things to look for: Do you see two feet or four? Are the footsteps close together (maybe indicating a smaller animal) or far apart (a bigger animal)? How many toes are there? Where did the tracks come from and where do they lead? Can you see any other signs that animals have been around? Can you find any feathers, fur, nests or scats? Different animals leave scats of different shapes! For example, possum poo looks very different to bat, or bird poo. Birds During spring, many birds start singing very early in the morning. Dawn is the best time to sit quietly somewhere and listen to the birds waking up. Grab a pair of binoculars and look in shrubs, in branches of trees, or in other sheltering sites. If you hear a bird, follow the sound and try to see who is making all of the noise. You might be lucky to find birds nesting in tree hollows, in nests they have built in trees, or in shrubs around your garden. A good way to attract birds to an area is to have a bird bath. Reptiles Different types of skinks, turtles, snakes and lizards might inhabit our city. Watch out for reptiles seeking shelter in leaf litter, under logs and rocks and in long grasses. A good way to find lizards is to look under piles of material in your backyard: look under tiles, bricks and wood to see if there are any lizards hiding there. Frogs We have ground frogs and tree frogs in Melbourne. Many of our frogs live in or near aquatic environments, such as dams, ponds, wetlands and creeks, and areas with native rushes and sedges. Look out for tadpoles in water in local parks and in your garden. Many frogs are heard before they are seen, and many of them spend the night calling to each other. The best time to look for frogs is after dusk, if you hear a frog follow the noise and see if you can see them on reeds or on the banks of wetlands. Insects Scientists have identified about a million species of insects so far, and estimate that there may be up to 30 million. Insects differ from other animals in that they have three pairs of legs. With or without your magnifying glass, scour the ground, under bark, in leaf litter, search among the flowers or even look in your compost bin for insects. A good way to see which insects are using your yard is to place biscuits in a jar lying down in the garden on a sunny day, return in a few hours and see what has been attracted to the bait! Another good way to watch for bees and butterflies is to sit and watch flowers on a sunny day, as these insects need to visit flowers to get nectar for food. We don’t know a huge amount about the insects in our city, so you might even discover a new species. Water Life depends on water. Look around you. Do you see a waterway, pond, lake or the ocean? What varieties of plants and animals do you see in or near the water?Seltzer's Popularity Bubbles Up In The U.S. We may be in the middle of a seltzer bubble. Americans are drinking nearly 170 million gallons of the fizzy stuff each year, and sales have gone up 42 percent over the past five years with no signs of slowing down. There's even a restaurant in Boston offering a $40 flight of limited-edition seltzers. "We're now at a point in American history where seltzer is more popular than it's ever been," Barry Joseph, author of Seltzertopia, tells All Things Considered. He says today's obsession with seltzer has its roots in 1971, when Perrier launched in the U.S. "A new drink comes over from Europe in 1971 called Perrier, and suddenly people aren't only interested in flat water anymore," Joseph says. "Now, they like maybe a mineral water. They like the idea of sparkling water, and people rediscover this thing we've had around for a while: seltzer." Joseph says today people are turning to seltzer as a healthier option than soda. One brand in particular is having a moment among millennials: LaCroix. Rapper Big Dipper's YouTube hit "LaCroix Boi" is an ode to the sensual possibilities of seltzer. It's somewhat mysterious how a brand that was cool with Midwestern soccer dads in the 1980s has caught on with today's 20-somethings. But it's not just LaCroix that is gaining new popularity. Seltzer brand Polar has carved out a space in a crowded fizzy water market with seasonal, limited-run flavors. Rapper Big Dipper's YouTube hit, "LaCroix Boi," is an ode to the sensual possibilities of seltzer. YouTube Hard seltzer has also recently taken off, with popular brands White Claw and Truly. Sweet Cheeks, a barbecue joint in Boston, offers a $40 seltzer flight. Diners get four cans of Polar with four nips of vodka. Owner Tiffani Faison points out that $10 vodka sodas aren't rare in the city. And she says it's supposed to be fun. The flight comes as a kit packed in ice that includes four cups with crazy straws. "I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous," Faison says. The seltzer flavors are pretty silly, too, with names like Dragon Whispers, Mermaid Songs, Yeti Mischief and Unicorn Kisses. And if you're wondering what Yeti Mischief could possibly taste like, Faison says it's like lemon-lime with a handful of Skittles thrown in.A small indie studio from North London is working on a stunning game with some very clever visuals. First of all, don’t get your hopes up, just yet. This is nothing more than a piece of a prototype. The game doesn’t even have a name, not to mention actual gameplay, but it’s definitely worth looking at. This project is being developed by a duo of young guys from North London, who are working (as they put it) in a shed. The company is called Shedworks (pun intended). Unlike many studios out there, this company actually has a number of titles in the portfolio, so this new game will definitely go places. We’ve contacted with Gregorios Kythreotis – one of the developers behind the project. Unfortunately, the team is not ready to discuss the details, since it’s a very early stage in the development process. It might be an open world game with racing elements, or it might be something else entirely. It’s being developed with Unity, but it’s not a mobile title. There’s no final list of future platforms available, so your imagination may run wild for now. It was actually Tor Frick, who posted the gif from the game on his Facebook feed, which drew our attention. He mentioned that the visual style of the title might be inspired by Moebius. Gregorios said that the famous comic artist is definitely one of the references. There’s a lot more influences though: Katsuhiro Otomo, Studio Ghibli, Star Wars. Simon Stålenhag Ian McQue There are actually a lot of architectural references such as the Metabolists and Scarpa, as well as more modern artists like Simon Stålenhag, Ian McQue, Thomas Romain and Jared Muralt. Quite an artistic game, we’ve got on our hands. Thomas Romain Jared Muralt We’re really looking forward to this one. Follow the production progress on the official blog.Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) commended Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Thursday for his effort to end the debt and budget crises, while arguing that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and the tea party faction of the GOP “have peaked.” During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Schumer praised McConnell for his role in producing a deal to re-open the government until Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7. “He was a profile in courage,” Schumer said of McConnell. “He’s got more political pressure on him than John Boehner and yet once he realized — he didn’t rush to the front — but once he realized the House was tied in a knot, his responsibility to the Senate as an institution and more importantly to the country came to the fore.” Schumer said he thinks the resolution to the crises will represent a watershed moment for the likes of Cruz and the tea party. “I think the tea party and Ted Cruz have peaked,” Schumer said. “First, they’ve so alienated their colleagues. But second, the tactics of the tea party — ‘I’m gonna hurt a lot of innocent people unless I get my way’ — this is the first time it was in the spotlight, that the American people saw it. They didn’t like it. The Republican Party has learned a lesson here. And I think you’re gonna see a more mainstream conservative Republican Party. I don’t think we’ll have the same kind of brinksmanship on Jan. 15 and Feb. 7.” Polls across the board showed the GOP taking a massive hit from the first government shutdown since 1996. Findings released Wednesday by Pew Research Center showed favorability of the tea party falling to a new low. This post has been updated.The Future of MMA: Children in the Sport Bobby Razak, the filmmaker behind the Legalize MMA documentaries and various Tapout short films, has released another interesting film about MMA, only this time he looks at the sport from the perspective of two children participants. The Future of MMA By Bobby Razak from Bobby Razak on Vimeo. Payout Perspective: I’m not a film critic, but in my eyes Razak is a talented filmmaker and an asset to the sport of MMA. The latest offering is an interesting look at the growth of grassroots MMA and a glimpse of the types of born-fighters we can expect to enter the sport in ten years. However, the film and some of its content do raise some questions about the participation of children in the sport. I’m not a pediatrician, either, but I do wonder what kind of physical toll the sport of MMA might take on the young, undeveloped brains and bodies of children. Is it safe? If so, where do we draw the line? What are the limitations? I ask not because I don’t necessarily know the answers – my slightly educated opinion tends to believe that rolling, wrestling, and limited muay thai training is perfectly fine for children. I ask because I think this is something the sport of MMA really needs to think about and have an answer for. MMA isn’t just about the live events anymore – it’s now truly becoming a lifestyle. It’s the way we talk, the way we dress, the activities we undertake, the music we listen to, and the people we spend our time with. The more this lifestyle is perpetuated – with things like UFC Gyms, the ubiquity of Tapout and Affliction clothing, etc – the more we’re going to see participation from those of all ages. Someone is going to inevitably call MMA on the participation of children, and the sport needs to be ready to answer that call unequivocally. Note: Give Tapout a pass for the near eye-rolling amount of product placement. The company has done a lot for the sport of MMA, and they likely funded the entire production. It should get some promo out of the film.At 10 to five one Saturday afternoon last year, I was walking up the Hornsey Road in London with a tin of rhubarb from Tesco, checking the football results on my iPhone after a lovely day at Kew Gardens. The phone replaced the BlackBerry I'd destroyed a month earlier by running into the sea to save my daughter from drowning. Behind me on the pavement I heard a motorbike and, thinking the rider was going to park, carried on holding the phone in my left hand and scrolling with my right index finger – that fey, giveaway gesture of iPhone users. Over my shoulder the right arm of the bike's pillion passenger appeared and snatched the phone. The bike was 200 yards away before I composed myself enough to look for the registration plate or think about clubbing the thieves with canned fruit – it was a seamless snatch from a soft target. And a common one. The Guardian reported last year that in my borough (Islington) there was a 400%-plus increase in phone snatches between 2010 and 2011. Detective Inspector Karen Gilmour, head of Islington police's robbery unit, was quoted in the local paper recently saying: "It seems to me they can make an assessment very quickly as to whether the person they're looking at has got the sort of phone they want." She said that most stolen phones are immediately switched off, the sim card removed, and the phone passed on to handlers who ship them abroad for as much as £600. Of all the minor unpleasant incidents I've suffered – bus stop shovings, that time I unwisely confronted a disturbed dog owner about letting his pit bulls run wild in the toddlers' sandpit, the interview during which Robert de Niro called me a "fucking wise guy" – none had as intense a physical, nor as enduring an emotional, effect. I felt winded even though I hadn't been touched. I plodded home hyperventilating, thinking grimly about my neighbourhood – drug busts in the park, a fatal stabbing outside the chip shop, my partner's sister beaten black and blue on this same street the year before by three boys for whom punching a woman until she lay flat on the pavement was a summer evening's entertainment. At home, I called the phone company, whimpered to my partner, and my seven-year-old made a collage of autumn leaves with the inscription: "To Daddy, love Juliet. PS: I am sorry about your phoun [sic]". Meanwhile, the kids who had stolen my phone had crashed their bike during a police chase and the driver had been arrested. Later police caught the boy who had snatched my phone, conspicuous because his jeans were ripped from the crash and he was wearing only one trainer. My partner's phone rang half an hour after the theft. "We've got your phone," a sergeant told me. "Think yourself lucky. Hardly ever happens." A few days later I picked it up from a police station covered in finger-print dust. Six months later, I was on a train to meet the boy. In March, after pleading guilty to several counts of theft and robbery, the boy was given a youth rehabilitation order, one of whose conditions bans him from London for six months. What did I want from the meeting? I wanted to see the thief. I spent a lot of time imagining the woeful life that would lead him to become so adept a thief. I was a victim certainly, but a privileged one. Even if I hadn't got my phone back, I'd have been able to buy another; moreover, I now feel more circumspect in my neighbourhood – in that, the theft was a usefully chastening experience. At the Youth Offending Team offices in Chatham, Kent, I shook the hand that had snatched my phone. A 16-year-old black British boy in hoodie and jeans, uncomfortably hot in this airless room. He told me he was a boxer, whose mum had aspirations for him to make it as a heavyweight. What if I'd held on to my phone? Would he and his mate have beat me up? If so, doubtless, I wouldn't be feeling so benign now. What did he want from the meeting? "To say sorry," he said. This, said the victim liaison officer who arranged the appointment, was a "restorative justice meeting" at which the victim could say how the crime had made them feel and the criminal express regret to the victim for what they had done. None of his other victims wanted a face-to-face meeting, least of all, perhaps, the 34-year-old woman who had hung on to her phone, was knocked to the ground and dragged along the pavement suffering scrapes and bruises before she finally gave it up. Did she feel, as I do, like a privileged victim? Unlikely. We (him, his case worker, a victim liaison officer, me) sat down and turned off our phones. "This is the one you stole from me," I laughed. "I am sorry," he said. He said so repeatedly. I complimented him on the professionalism of the theft. But what if it had gone wrong? "I never thought about it at the time. But I should have – we crashed a few minutes later." What about hurting his victims? "I didn't set out to hurt anyone." Why did he do it, I asked. He told me that since his parents had split up he had felt as though he had to be the man of the family and provide for his mother, who lives on benefits. I said that sounded like a story he might tell afterwards to feel nobler about robbing people in the street. If his dad had been at home rather than living with a new wife outside London, he said, he probably wouldn't have become a criminal. It was his dad who laid down the law. It's a huge social problem, I said, only later thinking – what do I know of it? I'm not from a broken home. At 16, I was revising for O-levels, not meeting my crime victims with school years a wasteland behind me. Diane Abbott: 'There is no question but that poverty is an issue.' Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Diane Abbott MP asked during a Commons speech last year about black and ethnic minority achievement: "Why do black children fail?" The answer, she said, "is partly to do with poverty in an absolute sense, although all the research shows … black children systematically do less well than children of other ethnicities. There is no question but that poverty is an issue. Nowadays there is also increasing peer-group pressure." Such peer pressure was a factor in this case. Earlier that day, the boy told me, he had two choices - go to boxing training or go on the rob with his friend as he had done before. He chose the latter. Peer pressure isn't the whole story. Abbott spoke of black boys "who throughout their education have engaged only with women and have never seen a man as an educational role model. More male teachers are important." He told me he hadn't done well at school, couldn't concentrate – again hardly a surprise. Abbott said: "If we abandon a cross-section of the community in our inner cities, they have a way of bringing themselves back into the political narrative – a way that is not good for them or for society." That, maybe, is what happened one dismal evening on the Hornsey Road. The victim liaison officer asked how I felt after the theft. Wary, I said, careful not to use my phone in a dodgy neighbourhood (such as, it turns out, the one in which I live). "You shouldn't have to think like that," said the boy, shaking his head. "You should feel OK using an expensive phone in the street." But thanks to him I'm not. It was about the only time during the interview where I got cross. I think he was disappointed that I wasn't more angry during our hour together. If so, good – I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Rather, I wanted to give him something worse, crueller even – pity. He suffered much more than me, I said repeatedly. I showed him my daughter's drawing as if to stress how loving and solid a family I have. A low blow. He told me about his family – how furious his mother had been, that his dad was so angry he wouldn't visit him in jail, how his nan was ashamed of him. He told his nephew that the thing he has around his leg is a hi-tech watch – just so he doesn't learn his uncle's a tagged criminal. I felt sorry for his mum, who couldn't come to the meeting, for his dad, who wouldn't, and – a little – for their son. The order bans him from going inside the M25 for six months. It means he can't see his mother, unless accompanied by his case worker. He now lives with his dad in Kent. At court, he readily accepted the terms of the order rather than go back to Feltham Young Offenders' Institution, where he'd already spent a month, to serve an 18-month sentence. In Feltham, he said, he was OK because he knew gang members who could protect him. But their protection was a double-edged sword – it meant he would still associate with people who might lure him back into committing crimes. The order, then, gives him a chance to remake his life in a way that jail may not have. He's away from gangs, away, perhaps, from greater risks of recidivism. He attends boxing training and in September goes to college to train as plumber or mechanic. As the case worker drove him back to his dad's house to fulfil his curfew, I returned to the city from which he is banned, thinking about this boy, both victim and perpetrator of the crime. He said he would write to me and when he does, I hope he'll tell me he's doing something worthwhile with his life, because it doesn't do either of us any good for him to remain what he is to me now, an object of pity.During their interview, Gregory got a rise out of Greenwald. Gregory spars with Greenwald NBC “Meet the Press” host David Gregory got a rise out of Glenn Greenwald on Sunday by asking the Guardian reporter why he shouldn’t be charged with a crime for having “aided and abetted” former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden. Greenwald replied on the show Sunday that it was “pretty extraordinary that anybody who would call themselves a journalist would publicly muse about whether or not other journalists should be charged with felonies.” Story Continued Below Greenwald first reported Snowden’s disclosure of U.S. government surveillance programs. On Sunday, Ecuador’s foreign minister and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said that Snowden was headed to Ecuador to seek asylum. During his interview with NBC’s Gregory, Greenwald declined to discuss where Snowden was headed. That refusal seemed to prompt Gregory to ask: “To the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden, even in his current movements, why shouldn’t you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?” Greenwald said Gregory was embracing the Obama administration’s attempt to “criminalize investigative journalism,” citing an FBI agent’s characterization of Fox News journalist James Rosen as a probable co-conspirator of a State Department contractor who was suspected of leaking classified information to Rosen. Rosen was not charged. “If you want to embrace that theory, it means that every investigative journalist in the United States who works with their sources, who receives classified information is a criminal, and it’s precisely those theories and precisely that climate that has become so menacing in the United States,” said Greenwald, a former constitutional and civil rights lawyer who has written three books contending that the government has violated personal rights in the name of protecting national security. Gregory responded that “the question of who is a journalist may be up to a debate with regard to what you are doing.” Gregory also said he was merely asking a question
ly effective, democratic self-correcting mode” of science. After more well-publicized scandals, the federal Office of Scientific Integrity (later the ORI) was established to investigate allegations of scientific fraud in research supported by the NIH. The NSF established a similar office for its grantees. The NIH and NSF now require all institutions that apply for research support to have a set of procedures for addressing allegations of scientific misconduct. In brief, the usual drill is that after an allegation is made to a department chair or dean, an inquiry is undertaken to determine if a formal investigation is warranted. If so, it is carried out by a small committee of faculty members from other departments. During both phases the accused scientist is given opportunities to respond, and the entire investigation is supposed to be confidential. The committee has full access to the accused scientist’s computer files, unpublished data and notes from research supported by the government. If the investigation finds misconduct, the university can pursue a variety of actions, ranging from the removal of the scientist from the tarnished project to the withdrawal of the scientist’s published papers to his firing. The ORI or an equivalent federal agency then conducts its own investigation. It has the power to deny future research funds to the disgraced scientist. Federal prosecution for misuse of research funds is also a possibility. Partial or total secrecy is often maintained until after the federal investigation is completed. Sometimes the process of resolving scientific conduct can be prolonged, as appeals of ORI decisions are possible. More recently, the NIH and the NSF have required training in “responsible conduct of research” for all students receiving research support. As a result there have been a spate of books, symposiums, workshops and research grants on the subject. In my teaching of the subject at Princeton and Berkeley I have used F.L. Macrina’s excellent Scientific Integrity, now in its third edition (2005). It contains historical background, current regulations and cases for class discussion in a range of subjects, including authorship, peer review, mentoring, use of animals and humans as subjects, record keeping and conflict of interest and of conscience. * * * Marc Hauser has worked at the exciting interface of cognition, evolution and development. As he explained on his website, his research has focused on “understanding which mental capacities are shared with other nonhuman primates and which are uniquely human,” and on determining “the evolutionarily ancient building blocks of our capacity for language, mathematics, music and morality.” Hauser has worked primarily with rhesus monkeys, cotton-top tamarins and human infants. Cotton-top tamarins are small South American monkeys similar to marmosets and, like them, are very cute indeed. (I too have worked with marmosets and rhesus monkeys.) Hauser’s laboratory was virtually the only one in the world working on cognition in tamarins, which made replication of his work almost impossible. In his studies comparing human infants with monkeys, Hauser and his research team would usually collect the monkey data, and his collaborators—such as the distinguished developmental psychologists Susan Carey, chair of the Harvard psychology department, and Elizabeth Spelke, another Harvard colleague—would collect the human data. Hauser also wrote papers with major figures in related fields, such as Chomsky in linguistics and Antonio Damasio in neuroscience. Hauser had joint federal grants with most of these senior figures. A key motivation in Hauser’s work has been to demonstrate that monkeys have cognitive abilities previously thought to be present only in the great apes and humans. In an important 1970 study, Gordon Gallup Jr., now of the State University of New York, Albany, showed that chimpanzees can recognize themselves in a mirror. Gallup put a red spot on the forehead of chimpanzees, and when given a mirror most of the animals touched the red spot. Subsequent studies showed that the great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas) and humans more than 18 months old could pass the mirror test of self-recognition but not lesser apes like gibbons or the wide range of monkeys tested. In 1995 Hauser published a claim that his cotton-top tamarins could pass the test. Two years later Gallup co-wrote an attack on Hauser’s methodology. He later told the Boston Globe that when he examined some of Hauser’s videotapes of the experimental results (other tapes were said to be lost), he reported that Hauser had no evidence for his claims. Hauser tried to rebut Gallup in print but admitted in a 2001 article that he could not repeat his results; however, he never retracted his original article. Meanwhile, experiments with elephants, dolphins, orcas and magpies have shown that these animals too can recognize themselves in a mirror, unlike any monkey. The magpie achievement is not surprising, as recent research has shown that magpies and other corvids, such as jays and crows, have a variety of cognitive abilities previously seen only in the great apes, such as tool use, foresight and role taking. These are cases of convergent evolution: apes and corvids do not have any common ancestor with these high-level cognitive skills; they arose in separate lineages. (Aesop was there first.) Darwin had tried to remove the human from the center of the biological universe, stressing its psychological and physical continuity with other living beings. Hauser seems to want to put humans and other primates, even the cotton-top tamarin, on a cognitive plane above other animals, like dolphins and crows, that have sophisticated cognitive skills but are not in the primate lineage. * * * The beginning of the inquiry leading to Harvard’s 2007 investigation of Hauser was triggered by a delegation of three researchers in his lab. We know almost nothing from Hauser’s or Harvard’s statements about the nature of the students’ charges. However, an article by Tom Bartlett published in The Chronicle of Higher Education in August 2010 offers a glimpse into Hauser’s lab. It is based on a document provided to Bartlett, on condition of anonymity, by a former research assistant of Hauser’s. The document, Bartlett writes, “is the statement the research assistant gave to Harvard investigators in 2007.” As he explains, “one experiment in particular [had] led members of Mr. Hauser’s lab to become suspicious of his research and, in the end, to report their concerns about the professor to Harvard administrators.” This experiment used a standard method in child and animal studies: a sound pattern is played repeatedly over a sound system and then changed, and if the animal then looks at the sound speaker the implication is that the animal noticed the change. In Hauser’s experiment, three tones (in a pattern like A-B-A) were played by the lab assistants. After the monkeys repeatedly heard this pattern, the scientists would modify it and observe if the monkeys had noticed the change in the sound pattern. Pattern recognition of this sort is considered to be a component of language acquisition. The monkey’s behavior was videotaped and later “coded blind”—that is, the experimenters, without knowing which sound was being played, judged whether the monkey was looking at the speaker. When coding is done blind and independently by two observers, and the two sets of observations match closely, the results are assumed to be reliable. Bartlett went on to explain that, according to the document that had been provided by the research assistant, the experiment in question was coded by Mr. Hauser and a research assistant in his laboratory. A second research assistant was asked by Mr. Hauser to analyze the results. When the second research assistant analyzed the first research assistant’s codes, he found that the monkeys didn’t seem to notice the change in pattern. In fact, they looked at the speaker more often when the pattern was the same. In other words, the experiment was a bust. But Mr. Hauser’s coding showed something else entirely: He found that the monkeys did notice the change in pattern—and, according to his numbers, the results were statistically significant. If his coding was right, the experiment was a big success. The second research assistant was bothered by the discrepancy. How could two researchers watching the same videotapes arrive at such different conclusions? He suggested to Mr. Hauser that a third researcher should code the results. In an e-mail message to Mr. Hauser, a copy of which was provided to The Chronicle, the research assistant who analyzed the numbers explained his concern. “I don’t feel comfortable analyzing results/publishing data with that kind of skew until we can verify that with a third coder,” he wrote. A graduate student agreed with the research assistant and joined him in pressing Mr. Hauser to allow the results to be checked, the document given to The Chronicle indicates. But Mr. Hauser resisted, repeatedly arguing against having a third researcher code the videotapes and writing that they should simply go with the data as he had already coded it. After several back-and-forths, it became plain that the professor was annoyed. “i am getting a bit pissed here,” Mr. Hauser wrote in an e-mail to one research assistant. “there were no inconsistencies! let me repeat what happened. i coded everything. Then [a research assistant] coded all the trials highlighted in yellow. we only had one trial that didn’t agree. i then mistakenly told [another research assistant] to look at column B when he should have looked at column D…. we need to resolve this because I am not sure why we are going in circles.” According to the document provided to the Chronicle, the graduate student and the research assistant who analyzed the data decided to re-examine the tapes without notifying Hauser. They coded the results without consulting with each other, and both sets of data showed that the monkeys didn’t seem to react to the change in patterns. When they then reviewed Hauser’s results, they found that what he had recorded “bore little relation” to what they had seen on the videotapes. The two did not think the issue was a matter of differing interpretations. As Bartlett put it, they thought Hauser’s data were “just completely wrong.” As news of their experience spread around the lab, according to the document, other lab members indicated they too had experienced episodes in which Hauser “reported false data and then insisted that it be used.” Several other people who had worked in Hauser’s lab during the period he produced the research investigated by Harvard, and who have asked to remain unnamed, confirmed for me the account offered by the Chronicle and provided further details and examples of the general pattern of Hauser fabricating and falsifying data and pressuring others, particularly undergraduates and other junior members of the lab, to do the same to obtain the desired results. Eventually, three researchers in the lab presented evidence to the university’s ombudsman and then to the dean’s office, prompting the inquiry that led to the formal investigation. * * * A week after the Boston Globe disclosed that Harvard had found Hauser responsible for scientific misconduct, Dean Smith sent a letter to Harvard faculty confirming the revelations. The letter, which remains Harvard’s only public account of Hauser’s misdeeds, went into great detail about Harvard’s procedures, stressing that “the work of the investigating committee as well as its final report are considered confidential to protect both the individuals who made the allegations and those who assisted in the investigation.” It was less than forthcoming on details of the “eight instances of scientific misconduct” that Hauser was claimed to be “solely responsible” for. The most Smith would reveal was that “while different issues were detected for the studies reviewed, overall, the experiments reported were designed and conducted, but there were problems involving data acquisition, data analysis, data retention, and the reporting of research methodologies and results.” His letter provided no specific information on the nature of the misconduct, nor did it indicate how the committee knew that Hauser was “solely responsible,” even though all the papers known to be disputed, as well as the vast bulk of Hauser’s publications, have co-authors. One of the eight instances of scientific misconduct concerned a paper published in Cognition in 2002, which Smith explained “has been retracted because the data produced in the published experiments did not support the published findings.” In the second instance of scientific misconduct, a correction was published to a paper that appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 2007. In the third instance, concerning a paper that appeared in Science in 2007, Smith wrote, “The authors continue to work with the editors.” Smith then explained that “the investigating committee found problems” with “five other studies that either did not result in publications or where the problems were corrected prior to publication.” Presumably one of them was the experiment involved in the recognition of sound patterns by tamarins that was the subject of the contretemps between Hauser and his research assistants reported by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Cognition paper tested whether cotton-top tamarins, like human infants, could rapidly generalize “patterns that have been characterized as abstract algebraic rules,” an ability that could be important in language acquisition. The editor of Cognition, Gerry Altmann, received information from Harvard that led him to believe the paper was a case of scientific misconduct. As Altmann explained on his blog this past October: As I make very clear in this blog…the information I have received, when taken at face value, leads me to maintain my belief that the data that had been published in the journal Cognition was effectively a fiction—that is, there was no basis in the recorded data for those data. I concluded, and I continue to conclude, that the data were most likely fabricated (that is, after all, what a fiction is—a fabrication). Two months earlier Altmann had told the Boston Globe that Hauser’s Cognition paper “reports data…but there was no such data existing on the videotape. These data are depicted in the paper in a graph. The graph is effectively a fiction and the statistic that is supplied in the main text is effectively a fiction.” And “if it’s the case the data have in fact been fabricated, which is what I as the editor infer, that is as serious as it gets.” The three whistleblowers apparently had not been involved in carrying out this experiment. Rather, they chose to re-examine it to see whether the pattern of misconduct they had observed could be found in Hauser’s other papers. This raises two crucial questions: Are other studies of Hauser’s that Harvard did not examine also flawed? Did the Harvard committee look into studies other than those brought to them by the whistleblowers? The second and third “instances” concerned papers about the ability of chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys and cotton-top tamarins to understand hand gestures made by humans, the implication being that nonhuman primates have the ability to “read the minds of others,” a cognitive skill previously thought to be confined to humans. Hauser and his co-authors informed the editors of the two journals, the Proceedings of the Royal Society and Science, that they had repeated their experiments and verified their original conclusions. The Proceedings of the Royal Society published an addendum to that effect. One of the co-authors explained in Science that the Harvard investigating committee “determined that there are no field notes, records of aborted trials, or subject identifying information associated with the rhesus monkey experiments; however, the research notes and videotapes for the tamarin and chimpanzee experiments were accounted for.” Hauser and one of his co-authors then replicated the rhesus monkey experiments, and after anonymous review, they were published in Science on September 7, 2010. That Hauser and his co-workers obtained data supporting the conclusions of the original papers does not indicate whether the original experiments were carried out properly. This point cannot be stressed enough. As Gordon Gallup Jr. told the Harvard Crimson this past May, “Ultimately it’s not a question of whether he can replicate his findings—it’s whether other people can.” Incidentally, since Hauser published the two papers, dogs have been shown to be better than chimpanzees at interpreting human gestures. Sic transit gloria, the primacy of primates in cognition. * * * Hauser has recently been drawn into another controversy about the integrity of his published work. Gilbert Harman, a professor of philosophy at Princeton, has posted on his website a paper alleging that in Moral Minds Hauser draws on ideas developed in several works of John Mikhail’s without making proper acknowledgment. (Mikhail is now a professor of law and philosophy at Georgetown University. Harman’s analysis, which includes a list of passages he thinks are questionable, is at princeton.edu/~harman/Mikhail%20and%20Hauser.pdf.) Harman says that the works of Mikhail’s in question are his PhD dissertation (2000) at Cornell, his JD thesis at Stanford (2002) and a review in the Stanford Law Review (2002). The Moral Minds controversy isn’t about Hauser passing off as his own phrases or entire sentences lifted from Mikhail’s writings. Rather, as Harman writes, “the section on Plagiarism in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association says, ‘The key element of this principle is that an author does not present the work of another author as if it were his own. This can extend to ideas as well as written words.’ (The italics in these quotations are mine.)” Harman points out that in Moral Minds, “Hauser presents as his own novel discovery and as the central idea of the book the very same analogy between universal linguistic grammar and universal moral grammar” that Mikhail had proposed in his dissertation. Furthermore, according to Harman, Hauser “says that an unconscious action analysis is a precondition and preliminary step for judging moral actions to be permissible, forbidden, or obligatory and contrasts this with a purely emotion based account. He does not say that this is Mikhail’s (2000) account…developed further in Mikhail (2002a).” One line of Harman’s argument concerns what philosophers call “trolley problems,” or dilemmas like whether pushing one person in front of a train to avoid the death of five others is morally permissible. In Moral Minds Hauser discusses four trolley problems, involving “Denise,” “Frank,” “Ned” and “Oscar.” In his dissertation Mikhail gives an account of trolley problems with the same names; Hauser does not cite Mikhail, from whom he must have taken at least two of these examples. Harman writes that Hauser “notes the same parallel between immediate linguistic judgments and immediate moral judgments without referring to Mikhail’s (2000)…similar but earlier discussion. Similarly Hauser notes that the linguistic analogy suggests there are innate constraints on moral development that might make different moral grammars mutually incomprehensible, without referring to Mikhail’s earlier discussion of the same point.” Harman has posted a reply from Hauser, who says that “Mikhail is cited repeatedly in Moral Minds, and singled out in the Acknowledgments as someone who greatly influenced my thinking.” (Mikhail has not yet replied.) Hauser adds, “These accusations confuse ordinary intellectual influence for malfeasance…and, they gloss the important difference between an empirical synthesis/trade book and a philosophical treatise/academic book.” Hauser is correct in suggesting that trade publishing doesn’t have standard rules for crediting sources. By contrast, having sat on the Princeton committee that handles undergraduate plagiarism cases, I am confident that if Hauser were a student, even a small portion of his failure to credit Mikhail would merit serious punishment. * * * In his resignation letter to Harvard, Hauser wrote, “While on leave over the past year, I have begun doing some extremely interesting and rewarding work focusing on the educational needs of at-risk teenagers. I have also been offered some exciting opportunities in the private sector.” In an interview titled “On How We Judge Bad Behavior,” made a few months before the Globe broke the story of Harvard’s investigation and available on YouTube, Hauser discusses psychopaths and suggests that they “know right from wrong but just don’t care.” The structure of Hauser’s lab was similar in many ways to that of my lab and of many other medium- to large-size biology labs at research universities. These labs are populated by a range of people, including undergraduates, paid research technicians, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and visitors. Some members—particularly graduate students—work in the lab for years, whereas others are more transient. The principal investigator (PI), such as Hauser or myself, selects the lab members, usually pays them, suggests (or assigns) experiments and evaluates their work. For graduate students, the PI is usually the most important person in their scientific life, acting as mentor, supervisor, model, adviser, critic, editor, co-author, supporter, reference and sometimes rival. All labs are like complicated families, but each lab is complicated in its own way. Along with sibling rivalries, there are battles for attention, praise, identity, privacy and independence. The intimate relation of a PI to his graduate students often lasts as long and as intensely as a familial one. For a graduate student to blow the whistle on his or her mentor is an extraordinary and very risky step. Aside from the emotional and psychological trauma, whistleblowing by graduate students about their PI, even if confirmed, often ruins their careers. If the PI is fired or loses grant support, members of his or her lab usually stand to lose nearly everything—their financial support, their laboratory facilities, their research project and sometimes their credibility. But in the Hauser affair things have turned out very differently: the three whistleblowers whose action prompted the Harvard investigation have gone on to successful careers in scientific research. The procedures and conclusions of the investigation raise many questions. Its methods and results remain secret. Its procedures bore no relation to the due process that is the goal of our judicial system. We have no clear idea of the exact nature of the evidence, of how many studies were examined and if anyone besides the three whistleblowers and Hauser was asked to testify. I was told by one of the whistleblowers that, to this person’s surprise and relief, the committee, which included scientists, did look carefully at evidence, even going so far as to recalculate statistics. Aside from their potential injustice to the accused and accusers, the secrecy of the investigation and the paucity of specific facts in the conclusions are deleterious to the entire field of animal cognition. Exactly what kind of irregularities existed in the “eight instances of misconduct” and what they might imply for other papers by Hauser and for the field in general remained unclear. Although some of my knowledge of the Hauser case is based on conversations with sources who have preferred to remain unnamed, there seems to me to be little doubt that Hauser is guilty of scientific misconduct, though to what extent and severity remains to be revealed. Regardless of the final outcome of the investigation of Hauser by the federal Office of Research Integrity, irreversible damage has been done to the field of animal cognition, to Harvard University and most of all to Marc Hauser.Infrastructure Areas like Sainikpuri, Defence Colony, Safilguda and Neredmet, have several missing roads. For months now, residents in certain parts of Hyderabad have been crying themselves hoarse over the state of the city's roads, or rather the lack of them. But some roads in Secunderabad feel like a trip in a desert as a permanent layer of dust is kicked up by passing vehicles and generally engulfs the area. Areas like Sainikpuri, Defence Colony, Safilguda and Neredmet, have several missing roads. It was in 2014, a few months after the state was formed, that officials cleaned up the streets, laid new roads and decorated the entire area with huge cut outs of various TRS leaders. The reason? A VIP visit. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation of the multi-crore Telangana Water Grid project at Defence Colony near Sainikpuri in Secunderabad on November 1, 2014. At the time, the government said that it would complete the project in a record time of three-and-a-half months. (A wire sticks out of the middle of a road in Defence Colony) Two years on, the pipelines have been laid in some areas while work still continues in some parts. However, roads have not been re-laid in any of these areas. While a recent visit by the Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, did prompt local officials to lay fresh roads near Neredmet, the work is only being restricted to the main roads. A turn into any bylane, reveals deteriorating mud and stones that were once tar and cement. (The road in front of the Neredmet police station) Last month, a road in one of the bylanes caved in when a truck was parked on it. At present, the same pit is collecting stagnant water, and has become a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes. The entire stretch from Neredmet to the Safilguda lake park is almost life-threatening. The stretch near the Safilguda railway crossing where goods train pass, is covered with a layer of stones that the authorities have left to the commuters to flatten. The area sees multiple instances of motorists skidding and autos almost getting overturned due to large stones. Barring one stretch in Vinayak Nagar which does have a new road, large parts of the area have only half a road, as the other half was dug up for laying pipes and covered with mud. The road adjacent to Safilguda Lake Park, once dubbed Hyderabad's 'Mini Tank Bund', is downright pathetic. Though it is an arterial road in Secunderabad, connecting one of the most populated suburbs in the city to various parts of Hyderabad, official apathy seems at its worst here. Things are so bad that there have been complaints of car axles breaking and people moving their shops due to the dust. City residents, who are already finding it difficult to breathe, are only suffering more in this area. This week, the state government has taken a decision to start digging roads in various other suburbs of the city. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) has stated that the digging is going to be done for a pipeline project, and has taken a loan of Rs 1,900 crore to lay 2,500 km of pipelines for the water supply. While the plan is ambitious and much-needed, taking the above areas into example, the reader is free to take a guess on when the roads will be re-laid. Also watch:Turkey's U.S.-backed push into northern Syria Wednesday was aimed at ISIS, but also sent Ankara's nemesis - and American ally the Kurds - retreating east of the Euphrates, making good on a vow from strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Amid a fence-mending visit from Vice President Biden, Erdogan's tough rhetoric against the Kurds, a reliable and effective American partner in the fight against ISIS, appeared to force the U.S. to choose sides in the separate, and longstanding fead between its allies. Erdogan had demanded that the Kurds, linked to a political group accused of committing acts of terrorism inside Turkey, move back across the river and away from his nation's western border with Syria. The call came despite Kurdish forces' effectiveness in fighting ISIS on the western side of the river. Biden, in Turkey Wednesday to smooth relations as Ankara demands extradition of a U.S.-based cleric it accuses of plotting last month's failed coup, echoed Erdogan's call on the Kurds to leave Arab lands in Syria and return east of the Euphrates to traditional Kurdish territory. The vice president even threatening to cut off supplies to the Kurds if they didn't fall back. Some of the Syrian Democratic Forces remained in the region to remove roadside bombs, U.S. officials added. The United States is supporting the Turkish military operation with airstrikes and conducted at least eight against ISIS targets on Wednesday, according to a senior defense official. But the U.S. is also supporting Kurdish fighters in Syria, including a militia known as the YPG, seen as the best ground force against ISIS in Syria. Some U.S. special operations forces have embedded with the YPG, part of the 300 US troops sent to Syria earlier this year. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization, the Syrian affiliate of a Kurdish separatist group in Turkey, the PKK. The State Department lists the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. The PKK has fought a decades long insurgency against Turkey killing tens of thousands of civilians. Attacks by the PKK have increased in recent months. Turkish jets have bombed PKK positions in response, including some at training camps in northern Iraq. The Syrian Democratic Forces have moved east across the Euphrates to prepare for the eventual liberation of Raqqa, Syria #defeatdaesh — OIR Spokesperson (@OIRSpox) August 25, 2016 The Obama administration considers the YPG and PKK separate groups. Turkey had been calling on the Kurds to move east of the Euphrates River since a successful U.S.-backed operation to route ISIS in Manbij, a logistics hub for the terrorist group 20 miles from Syria's border with Turkey located on the western side of the river. Wednesday, Turkey's president said his country's military operation into northern Syria would target both ISIS and Kurdish fighters of the YPG, calling both groups terrorist organizations. Syrian Democratic Forces, as the U.S.-backed largely Kurdish fighting force is called, also includes some Arab fighters as well as the YPG. Late last week, Syrian jets from President Bashar al-Assad's Air Force bombed Kurdish fighters in northern Syria with US special operations forces nearby, according to a US defense official, in another sign of the increasingly complex battlefield in Syria. US jets were sent to the area in response. Turkey and Syria are long-time enemies. But in recent days, Turkey has backed off calls for Assad to step down immediately, instead saying he could be part of a transitional government before leaving in the future. Erdogan met with Russian President Putin earlier this month in Moscow, in a sign of increasing ties between the two counties. It was the first visit since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November. Russia has supported the Syrian government in the past year by sending dozens of jets and attack helicopters to Syria to carry out airstrikes against rebel forces. Turkey has long supported Syrian rebels fighting President Assad's regime forces during the five-year civil war. The Obama administration has repeatedly called for Turkey to take more steps to seal its border with Syria to ISIS fighters. Turkey's military operation into northern Syria Wednesday was seen as a welcomed step by senior defense officials in Washington.In Donald Trump’s eyes, Joseph “Joey No Socks” Cinque is not just any scamster. “There’s nobody like him,” Trump said in a video back in 2009. “He’s a special guy.” That assessment was hardly manifest in Cinque’s early days as a street guy, which took a bad turn in 1980, when he was shot multiple times in what he insisted was a robbery. Authorities suspected it was as a gangland hit. Joey No Socks then sought a more genteel life with stolen art. This venture also took a bad turn in June of 1989, when the police showed up at the front door to his Manhattan apartment. “You’re not coming in here!” he is reported to have informed the detectives. The detectives had a search warrant, along with a battering ram that they employed to great effect. They entered to find a trove of stolen works. The Chagalls and the Miros got most of the press attention, but there was also sculpture by Fredrick Remington. The Manhattan district attorney’s office was originally going to let Joey No Socks plead to a misdemeanor. He was then seen chatting with mob boss John Gotti in court. And Assistant District Attorney Anne Heyman reported that an informant had told her office the same day that Joey No Socks had been dealing drugs as well as stolen art out of his apartment. Joey No Socks was never charged with narcotics but he did end up pleading guilty to a felony involving the stolen art. Heyman soon after left the district attorney’s office to raise her three children. She also became a true hero when she set to organizing care for the orphans of the genocide in Rwanda in the way Israel once had for the orphans of the Holocaust. Fate’s unfairness was proven anew when she was killed in an equestrian accident in 2014. Joey No Socks just kept being Joey No Socks. Thanks in part to a connection with the New York State Liquor Authority, he became involved in opening a series of upscale clubs that wanted to serve alcohol. Just how Joey No Socks became head of the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences is something of a mystery. He instituted Star Diamond Awards that he billed as “the Academy Award of hospitality.” He bestowed them on a series of hotels and golf courses and restaurants owned by Donald Trump, who had agreed to let himself be listed on the board of directors. “Very prestigious, coveted,” Trump said in a letter to members after the Mar-a-Lago Club received one. “Another feather in our cap.” In the meantime, Joey No Socks retained a certain stubbornness when it came to being caught by the police. He refused to take a breathalyzer when a cop in Watchung, New Jersey, pulled him over for driving under the influence in 2006. He then proceeded to fail a series of field sobriety tests administered by Officer Edward (“Mike”) Sugalski. “Sugalski first conducted the ‘one-legged-stand’ test,” court papers report, “Defendant was unable to hold his leg six inches off the ground and maintain his balance, and defendant incorrectly counted from one to 30 by skipping number 16 and going directly from number 19 to number 30.” Joey No Socks was subsequently convicted, but appealed. Court papers say, “Defendant largely attributes his performance on the field sobriety tests to his medical condition.” “[Joey No Socks’ doctor] testified that he has been treating defendant for 11 years for hypertension, gout, and chronic lead poisoning,” the papers report. “The symptoms of gout are severe pain, swelling of the joints, redness, and gait imbalance. Defendant suffers from gout in his foot, and his right and left ankles.” Then comes the good part. “Defendant also suffers from lead poisoning as a result of multiple lead pellets in his body,” the papers say. “[The doctor] explained that ‘because [of Joey No Socks’ elevated] lead level, he’s lost some sensation in some of his peripheral nerves, specifically the bottom of his feet’ when weight-bearing is involved.” The “lead pellets” apparently being bullets or bullet fragments from when Joey No Socks was shot in his street days a quarter century before. His use of them to try to get out of a drunk-driving conviction is indeed the mark of a special guy in the Trumpian realm. Call it the audacity of nope. Trump himself showed similar audacity in recent months, when he was asked about his relationship with the likes of Joey No Socks and the ethics of accepting awards from an organization where he sat on the board. “I don’t know him well,” Trump said. “But I have found him over the years to be a very nice man.” Never mind that the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences lists Trump as its “ambassador extraordinaire” and that its site posted the video in which The Donald calls Joey No Socks a unique and special guy. On at least the past three New Year’s Eves, Joey No Socks has been at Trump’s club at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Trump showed further audacity this New Year’s Eve by not bothering to pretend that he was anything but pals with Joey No Socks as they stood together on the stage. On his part, Joey No Socks had arrived with something to top all the awards he had given Trump for his various enterprises. Trump was now about to become our next president and Joey No Socks presented him with what was described as a “one-of-a kind bronze Eagle award.” But the full audacity of the moment was only apparent when you considered that the bronze eagle was in the style of one sculpted by Frederick Remington, whose work had been among the stolen art the detectives reportedly found when they were forced to batter in Joey No Socks’s door back in 1989. Talk about a special guy for our times as we go from hope to nope.The Toyota Kikai concept car has been unveiled at the Tokyo motor show, and aims to 'emphasise the fundamental appeal of machines: their fine craftsmanship, their beauty, simplicity and their fascinating motion'. The theme of the concept is to bring the elements which are usually hidden under bodywork to the outside of the car - the Kikai's suspension arms, fuel tank, exhaust pipes and engine are all on the exterior. Inside, the three-seat cabin features a pared-back design with large analogue dials and no stereo or infotainment screens. Toyota said: “While most vehicles conceal their inner workings beneath smooth sheet metal, this concept encourages us to appreciate the complex beauty of the mechanical aspects of cars. More broadly, it reminds us of the appeal of the physical and tactile in a digital age.” No details of the car's powertrain have been revealed. Also on display on Toyota's stand in Tokyo are the S-FR entry-level sports car concept, and the FCV Plus hydrogen fuel-cell-powered car. Read more Tokyo motor show news Get the latest car news, reviews and galleries from Autocar direct to your inbox every week. Enter your email address below:Story highlights An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old are among those killed by militants, police say The attack targeted the family of a pro-government militia chief who was killed last week The militants took all the male family members outside and killed them, police say Militants in northwestern Pakistan have killed nine family members of a slain leader of a pro-government militia, including at least two children, police said Wednesday. About 20 to 25 militants attacked the family's house on the outskirts of the city of Peshawar early Wednesday, said Najeeb ur Rehman, a senior police official. The attackers took the male members of the family outside and locked the female members inside, said Rahim Shah, another senior police official. They then proceeded to killed all the male family members, including two boys aged 8 and 10, he said. Those killed were relatives of Zafar Khan, the chief of a local peace committee and member of a special police force, who was killed last week in a clash with militants. The skirmish last week left one militant dead. Local peace committees are volunteer pro-government militias that fight to drive militants out of their areas. The militants who attacked the family's house have not been captured, Rehman said, and there has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.The former Portuguese police chief who claimed Madeleine McCann’s parents covered up her death has earned more than £350,000 from his book and DVD. In The Truth Of The Lie, Goncalo Amaral alleged that the three-year-old died in an accident while on holiday in the Algarve in 2007 and that Kate and Gerry McCann then hid her body. The McCanns have “fought a lengthy legal battle to stop Amaral cashing in” on the smears, says The Sun, and are now challenging him at the European Court of Human Rights. Court documents show that Amaral made €
survivors include his wife, Nancy of Orlando; daughters, Lisa Miller of Longwood and Leslie Morrison of St. Cloud; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home is handling arrangements. [email protected] or 407-420-5240Today’s battle is an exercise in what happens when the greedy Guild Dwarves hear about a rich vein of gold running across the prairie where a supposedly harmless tribe of rabble lives… only to discover that these plains-dwellers are actually the Filth, who mutate from helpless peasants to tentacle monsters with some regularity, and who really don’t appreciate diminutive prospectors poking around in their territory. Which is to say, it’s on. The question on everybody’s mind, of course, is whether Dan was able to maintain his lead or lose it to a vengeful Somerset. The one thing we’ll give away about this match is that somebody’s summoner turned out nigh-impossible to finish off. Find out if we’re talking about Oldin or the Demagogue below. Somerset: Oldin of the Guild Dwarves This tale of classic warriors battling a horde of abominations can only end in one way: victory for the good guys! I don’t want to be cocky or anything, but that’s how it’s gotta end. Right? Who wants to see Filth win over good wholesome dwarves? Simplicity should always win over the complex machinations of an inherently evil faction, am I right? Well. Some may not agree with me on this point, (if I wasn’t playing as the GD I may not agree either, then again I have been accused of oversympathizing with the “good” team, even when I was one of the baddies: Panic Station is such a dumb broken game). Anyways, Go Guilders! The Filth are a nasty faction. They have a wealth of unique common Mutations with revolting abilities that range from corpulence to vomiting. I hate the Claw Mutant who can attack any unit with the number of dice equal to my unit’s hit points; I hate the Spew Mutant who vomits acid on my units and if all the rolls are hits, she deals an extra wound; I hate the Edible Mutant because it’s gross that the other Filth eat dinner-roll boils off his back to heal. Not cool. At any time this versatile team can do just about anything it wants with its units: fly, heal, summon to a unit, reach over walls, move farther, shoot farther, attack any unit on the board, cancel an event… the list goes on and on! Okay, it doesn’t go on much further, but I really don’t like this team when playing against someone who really knows how to play them. Fortunately Dan has a head-cold, which should erase any skill he has stored up. I love me some Gror, so he’s in the deck. He’ll be hard to get out, but I love bringing him because he strikes such fear in all who oppose him. I’ll also be taking Baldar because his low cost and blocking all attacks where any misses are rolled are good. My last pick is Tordok to help my commons block die rolls of 3 and 4. I won’t be taking any Engineers except for my starting unit, and I do plan on trying to get him up with a Defender or two to get rid of Dan’s starting Wall. To increase my Wall destruction capabilities, two Ballistae will be joining the deck. A couple Guardsman can’t go wrong and the rest of my deck consists of the low cost Defenders and Spearman. Not too much excitement, but simplicity is best, now let’s go sterilize this battle field! Somerset’s Guild Dwarves deck (reference): Baldar, Gror, Tordok 2 Ballistae, 7 Defenders, 1 Engineer, 2 Guardsmen, 6 Spearmen Dan: The Demagogue of The Filth I have a massive headcold today, not very good for Summoner Wars since it’s left me dizzy and disoriented, and SW is one of those games that requires an above-average level of thought. Normally I’d push back the date of our epic battle, but I think I’ll tough it out for a couple reasons: first, I’m a bit obsessive about meeting deadlines (I know, I know, it doesn’t really matter — but isn’t that when it matters the most? eh?); and second, having a face full of mucus and a lungful of phlegm and the constant nagging feeling that I’m being transformed into a coughing sputum-beast is sort of an apt thematic fit with the Filth. Normally they’re the dudes to root against, courtesy of those same gooey reasons (plus they’re wholly evil). This time around though, they’re the heroes. Want to know why? Because I’m facing the Guild Dorks, the faction of overpowered capitalist midgets that everybody loves to hate. The problem with the Guild Dwarves isn’t that they’re overwhelmingly better than everyone else, it’s that they simply don’t have any easily-exploitable weaknesses. Their common units are solid, including their most basic Defender having an excellent board-control ability and two life points for only one magic, and their basic ranged Spearman beefing up his attack just by waddling on over. They have a great selection of champions too, especially the all-murdering Gror. As much as I’d like to hope Somerset won’t bring him along, I’ll eat my hat if she doesn’t. Couple all of that with the Guild Dwarves’ wide selection of catch-up events (both Magic Drain and Reinforcements) and you’ve got a catch-22 on your hands: too few units and you’ll be overrun, too many and you’ll let them activate those horrible events. Fortunately, the Filth aren’t pushovers. I’ve mentioned before that each faction in Summoner Wars does something different, and no other faction emphasizes that quite so strongly as the Filth. They specialize in “Mutations,” which transform their below-average peons into horrific monstrosities, mini-champions that boast a staggering array of possibilities. One minute you’ll have a worthless little Zealot whose weapon is so pathetic that he can’t even attack Walls, and the next you’ll transform him into one of Summoner Wars’ most grotesque cards. Like this: This could rely too much on luck were it not for The Demagogue’s Mutagist ability, which lets him use an attack to pull a Mutation card out of his draw or discard pile. As such, I’m hoping to construct a well-oiled engine for threshing dwarves. First up is to try and use either the Stoneflesh or Void Mutations to get some of my troops into a sensitive position, then use Bestial, Claw, Horror, Spew, Tentacle, and Winged Mutations to scrabble for an advantage — and perhaps use the Spellsucker Mutant to block one of those pesky catch-up events, or have the Corpulent Mutant restrict enemy movement. I won’t be bringing any champions so I can pack in a few extra Mutations (a deckbuilding option only the Filth can employ). With any luck, the Guild Dwarves will be wiped out by sheer unpredictability. Dan’s Filth deck (reference): Bestial Mutant, Claw Mutant, Corpulent Mutant, Horror Mutant, Spellsucker Mutant, Spew Mutant, Stoneflesh Mutant, Tentacle Mutant, Void Mutant, Winged Mutant 3 Anointed, 4 Cultists, 4 Zealots Share this: Twitter Facebook Like this: Like Loading... RelatedOso landslide A very large landslide occurred yesterday morning near to the town on Oso in Washington State, USA. Unfortunately, three people have been killed by the Oso landslide, and newspaper reports suggest that three survivors, including a six months old boy, are in a critical condition, and that two more people have been seriously injured. At present it is not clear as to whether there may be other victims in the landslide debris. The best set of images of the slide is to be found on the Seattle Pi website, which includes this overview shot: .. The landslide is complex, but appears to have occurred in weak sedimentary deposits; I would guess with a glacial origin. The landslide appears to have a large arcuate scar with a large, rotated and partly disaggregated central block: .. The toe of the landslide appears to have fluidised and flowed laterally (i.e. up and down the valley), suggesting that the landslide would have been rapid and highly destructive, which accounts for the fatalities: There can be little doubt that this is a rainfall triggered landslide, though given its size there might have been a substantial time gap between the triggering event and the slide itself whilst pore pressures built up. An interesting aspect of the landslide is that the valley is now blocked. National Weather Service Seattle tweeted the gauging station data for the north fork of the Stillaguamish River downstream from the landslide: .. The very rapid decline in water depth is very clearly apparent, but note also the short but dramatic spike in water depth immediately after the landslide, presumably caused by a surge of water induced by the slip entering the river. A key management task over the next few days is likely to be the creation of a bypass channel to reopen the river. Acknowledgements Thanks to John Garver, Lee Allsion, Peter Weisinger and Bryan O’Sullivan for helping me to track down the material for this post.A PROBATIONARY driver's estimated alcohol reading and speed - and the fact that she was driving naked at the time - were used as evidence yesterday to commit the teenager for trial on culpable driving. Jessica Maree Langford, 19, pleaded not guilty to the charge and to dangerous driving causing the death of her boyfriend at Hastings on November 29 last year. Jessica Langford (right) faces charges of culpable driving. Credit:Justin McManus Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that Langford's speed was calculated at 104 km/h in a 90 km/h zone and her blood alcohol concentration at.09 about two hours after the crash. She and Daniel Andrew Glover, 19, had been ''skinny dipping'' at Shoreham around midnight and remained naked after using their clothes to dry off. Langford later told police they had been drinking at the beach and that swimming in the nude had been fun, but denied any sexual activity happened while driving.This morning we have another plot rumor, this time concerning the characters being played by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley. All of the usual caveats apply, of course, but you may want to treat this as a potential spoiler. From MakingStarWars.net: A friend of ours has confirmed the obvious, John Boyega is playing “Thomas” and Daisy Ridley is playing “Rachel.” Those are code names from the casting call, not the names used in the film. We will hopefully have those character names sooner than later. We have heard that Thomas starts the film on the side of the villains. Thomas is shot down over Tatooine and he is injured from the crash. The things we heard from Abu Dhabi about a crashed ship is rumored to have been Thomas’ fighter. Rachel rescues him from the wreckage and the elements of the sandy planet. Over the course of their “unlikely pairing,” Thomas sees the reality of the universe and he defects from the side of the villains and decides to help Rachel for saving his life. However, things are not easy for the character because unlike most of the rebels we’ve met in the series, none were traitors, they were always on the side of right from the beginning. However, it appears Rachel and Thomas have an innocent flirtation in their first film with hints at romance in the future episodes. I often hear Thomas is a Jedi in the film, but I am beginning to think he might start that journey midway through Star Wars: Episode VII, which is why he has a lightsaber according to many reports. We have never heard Thomas has a lightsaber during the Abu Dhabi sequences, but we have heard set reports from Pinewood that he fights with two hands on his saber, without much of the prequel style flash of a one handed Obi-Wan Kenobi. It makes me wonder if Thomas and Rachel’s characters discover they share the same propensity for the Force that has so far been untapped until they meet a certain old Jedi in the second act of the film. A lot of interesting tidbits here, all or none of which may have any basis in fact. But it does give us some possible context for the inclusion of Tatooine in the movie. Now, I don’t know what kind of sources MakingStarWars.net has for these rumors, but for what it’s worth, my personal impression is that in all likelihood, this rumor is largely a combination of the “Thomas and Rachel” casting dialogue (which, according to the article is actually taken from The Hunger Games) and the fact that John and Daisy were part of the desert shoot in Abu Dhabi (which also reportedly featured a “crashed starship” set piece.) But hey, in the absence of any confirmed Episode 7 storyline, it does make for some fun speculation fodder. And it also points to an interesting possible arc for Boyega’s character. After all, though we’ve seen the “neutral scoundrel turns good” arc from Han, what we haven’t yet seen in the Star Wars movies (aside, perhaps, from Darth Vader’s one-second-to-midnight return from the dark side in ROTJ) is a bad guy who makes a conscious decision to trade his black hat for a white one and join the heroes. Again, this is still all just speculation and nothing’s been confirmed, but there are certainly some cool ideas to play with here. Have at it!New York City’s a tough place for newcomers and pop legend Madonna is no exception. In the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar, Madonna, 55, recounts a traumatic story about her first struggling years in Big Apple when, at 20 years old, she was raped at knifepoint. “New York wasn’t everything I thought it would be,” the singer writes. “It did not welcome me with open arms. The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back, and had my apartment broken into three times. I don’t know why; I had nothing of value after they took my radio the first time.” Madonna has previously discussed the attack in a 1995 interview and a 2007 biography, but did not elaborate further in her Harper’s Bazaar essay.University of Rochester student who was asked to remove the flag says college officials violated his right to free expression. University of Rochester’s River campus. (Photo11: File photo ) Story Highlights North Carolina native put Confederate flag in the window of his room on campus Matthew Papay was first told it was a fire hazard, then told people were complaining about it Facebook comments were mostly civil, but some were derogatory to African Americans and removed ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A University of Rochester student says college officials violated his right to free expression by forcing him to take down a Confederate flag he had put in the window of his room on campus. Matthew Papay also said that the e-mail that two university deans — Richard Feldman and Matthew Burns — sent to students Friday misconstrued what happened. "The deans lied in the e-mail about why I took it down — saying I did so by choice after discussion with fellow students — when in reality the school told me to take it down," said Papay. "I am from North Carolina and the school is blatantly ignoring my rights to express the cultural identity I choose to identify with, even though the school prides itself on how 'culturally diverse' it is." Burns, dean of students at the university, said Wednesday that he did not lie, but had incomplete information about the controversy when they sent out the e-mail Friday. He also said that the graduate house adviser who told Papay to take down a paper replica of the Confederate flag had "misspoke," and that the replica should have been allowed to stay. Even though the University of Rochester is a private college, Burns said there should be no intention to inhibit free expression. "The whole purpose of higher education is to get ideas out there that sometimes are unpalatable," said Burns. Papay's flag The controversy started about three weeks ago when Papay, a 19-year-old sophomore from Weaverville, N.C., put a Confederate flag in his window at a students' residence hall. It was up for about a week when, in the days leading up to the university's Meliora weekend — which, according to the university, celebrates reunions, family weekend and homecoming activities — graduate house adviser Catherine Christian told him to take the flag down. "It is against fire code to hang flags in your room. I will be coming by after my classes today to make sure it is no longer up," she said in an Oct. 11 e-mail to Papay. “I am from North Carolina and the school is blatantly ignoring my rights to express the cultural identity I choose to identify with, even though the school prides itself on how 'culturally diverse' it is.” Matthew Papay, sophomore who put up Confederate flag Papay responded by asking what provision of the fire guidelines he was violating. Responding in an e-mail, Christian said that the flag was acting as a drape, which is not permitted. He took down the flag but then replaced it with a paper flag after he said that he confirmed with the fire marshal that paper would comply with regulations. Christian responded with an e-mail saying that her supervisor informed her that people have been complaining because the flag was up again. "I understand that your flag is up out of pride and you can feel free to leave it up but on a wall of your room," Christian said. "It should not be in the window because of the discomfort it is causing people and because it does not necessarily represent the heritage of the whole house." Papay was not in his room at the time, but his roommate removed the paper flag. Facebook comments As word spread about what had happened, a heated discussion took place on a Facebook page associated with the university's class of 2017. The 32 pages of comments included a range of remarks, including: "Did this individual or group of people stop and think what that flag symbolizes to black people, to us?" Another commentator said Papay "clearly isn't racist or trying to offend anyone," but Facebook comments made by others were clearly derogatory toward African Americans — and were removed, apparently by students. "They were racist and inappropriate," said Burns about the deleted comments. “If I want certain rights to be given to me, I shouldn't take away others' rights.” Karen Ruiz, sophomore from San Antonio Although the university helps administer the Facebook page, Burns said that university officials did not order anything taken off the site. Papay weighed in with an essay posted on the Facebook page. "My name is Matthew Papay and I am the student who posted the flag in the window.... I am not a racist. I do not discriminate," wrote Papay at the outset of his essay. Papay said that the Confederate flag is "used by a small percentage of people in certain hate groups," but that he has "never personally met a southerner who displayed it out of hate," and that he did not put the flag up to offend but as a show of his heritage. He said that he would not keep it up knowing it is offending people. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't have the right to put it up," Papay said in the interview. Some University of Rochester students expressed little doubt that a Confederate flag conveys an inflammatory message. "There is obviously a lot of people who take offense at the Confederate flag," said Jon Aho, 18, a first-year student from Fairport, N.Y. But Karen Ruiz, 19, a sophomore from San Antonio, cautioned that even if the flag is offensive, students should take into account the principles involved. "If I want certain rights to be given to me, I shouldn't take away others' rights," she said. College's concerns The deans' page-long e-mail focused on the Facebook comments. "While much of the 'dialogue' on the page is civil and respectful, several comments are clearly inappropriate and offensive. These comments are in no way a reflection of the college's views," wrote the deans. The e-mail concludes by saying that in coming days and weeks "the college will engage students and other members of our community in dialogues and restorative circles to address these questions." A number of experts on the First Amendment note that private colleges don't have to give the same constitutional protections as public colleges. But Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, went on to say: "Does it really flow with the purpose of the college to suppress offensive speech?" Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1bgpDQTOne of the more puzzling aspects of Paul Manafort's indictment for conspiracy, money laundering and other charges was the line items detailing the he epic sums he reported spending from Cyprus-based accounts on antique rugs in Northern Virginia. There's really no reasonable way, THE WEEKLY STANDARD learned at the time, to spend $1 million on antique carpets in Alexandria. But we have since learned, from Treasury and IRS agents, a geopolitical expert with family ties to the rug business, and two sources versed in the Iranian business world, that we were far from the first to give a second thought to the way money moves through rug shops. An intelligence analyst and Middle East expert who recently approached TWS with his story grew up wondering exactly that: Michael Nayebi-Oskoui, a consultant for global businesses, talked candidly about the mysterious import-export business his Persian and Soviet Russian grandparents operated. “To this day, I can never tell you what their business actually was—moving goods through places, funds come back and forth,” he reflected. And that, he believes, is where the rug merchants come in: “The intrinsic value of these rugs is bupkis,” he said. “There's no legal or functional tool for the IRS to judge their value.” Consequently, “if you needed someone to make a deal with you, to move some money around, this is a great way of doing it.” None of this was news to Nayebi-Oskoui, but still the Manafort indictment—and THE WEEKLY STANDARD’s reporting—was something of a wake-up call for him. There has been no indication that any of the rug shops in Northern Virginia are being scrutinized by law enforcement as a result of the Manafort indictment. That said, among people familiar with the industry, details of the indictment raised eyebrows. “Knowing what I do about the industry, this was a real WTF moment for me. With my familial, cultural ties to this broader community, I can tell you: Most of them are fronts to some extent.” They’re not drugs traffickers, not “complete criminals,” he clarified, but “they’re going to be playing fast and loose with pricing and the IRS.” When I told Nayebi-Oskoui’s story to former Treasury Department special agent John Cassara—a counterterrorism expert and international authority on the type of money laundering that moves criminal proceeds through material goods—he told me there’s a word for what Nayebi-Oskoui described: “ Hawala.” The practice of transferring capital via trade goods, without a paper trail, and with ample wiggle room, is, Cassara believes, the most common and by far the least examined form of money laundering. It’s especially common, he tells me, in Iran: “There's a lot of capital controls in Iran. They can’t easily export money—the [Iranian] rial is not a hard currency, obviously. And there’s a lot of restrictions on how much they can send out of country in terms of wealth.” “You’re not going to wire the money out. You’re going to do things like trade-based value transfer, invoice fraud, and manipulation using a commodity that makes sense like carpets”—and, chances are, you’re going to succeed. “So as long as it looks like it's within reason, they're going to get away with it unless they're very, very, very, very unlucky.” A source with knowledge of Iranian rug retailing responded that invoice manipulation is "very common"—and indeed reflects business as usual in Iran. Another source, an Iranian businessman who formerly worked as a financial middleman for the regime—and quite reasonably requested I not reveal his identity, for safety’s sake—expanded on the details and extent of the practice: “Say a carpet is worth $3,000, but the importer shows it for $20,000 on their invoices or packing lists. The guy that buys it here in the U.S., the client, pays that $20,000. Then $17,000 will be given by the merchant to an exchange guy.” At which point the original client will tell the “exchange guy” where to send or how to spend the clean $17,000 stateside. “It is laundering money,” this source insists. It’s “like a Western Union,” he says, “but nothing is on paper.” Tuition for children to attend American college or allowances for family members overseas, he says, are common endpoints for funds moved thusly through over-invoicing—but so, in his experience, are flashy cars and expensive real estate. If Manafort was in fact using rug dealers to hide his money, as reporting suggests: “Manafort did it in the wrong way. It was a joke. He could have hid that money very easily, but he didn't,” he says. “When I read the indictment, I thought, ‘OK, this was just his pocket money. He got a kickback.’ But I was just upset he ruined the whole $18 million, that they were able to trail it.” It was painfully obvious, he says, that Manafort employed a truly terrible tax adviser—or none at all. “I was surprised this guy, the famous lobbyist working with the Ukrainian government, could not hide his transactions.” John Madinger, on the other hand, was impressed when I described the dealing. And he should know: He cracked money-laundering cases for the Internal Revenue Service from 1988 to 2010. "I'd say it's a pretty good scam actually," he said—particularly considering the innocent appearance of a scammer’s indulgence in fine rugs. "The Persian rug thing is a nice angle, it really is, because you're dealing in something that doesn't look like illegal proceeds and doesn't get tracked by the government." Cars, precious gems, and cash would catch the attention of Madinger’s former colleagues. Rugs less so. "These guys can sell it at a loss. When they only want to move their money, they don't care about a profit. People like me go look at somebody and say, 'Where did you get all that money?' And the guy can say, 'Look, here's a legitimate transaction: I imported these rugs.'" This type of value transfer just wouldn't light up the feds' radar on its own anyway—which explains why so many small-time crooks slip through the cracks, he says. "It happens all the time with businesses. It happens daily. We call it 'trade-based money laundering,' and they never move cash—they only move property. It's probably the biggest form of money-laundering there is." An auction house specialist and expert in the high-end rug market, who broached the topic of fast-and-loose value transfer via Persian carpets on the condition of anonymity, laughed when I asked her whether it’s an especially common practice. "You're asking me whether people launder money through art objects? Of course they do." Porcelain and rugs are particularly attractive to bad actors, she explained, because their market value is invisible to an unsophisticated observer. My Iranian source, meanwhile, says he has an eye for rugs. In London, a number of years ago, he spotted one hanging in shop window that was identical to his parents’ carpet back home in Iran. The salesman out front said he could have it for 50,000 pounds sterling—but, when my source said he owned an identical one, the salesman offered to buy the twin rug for just 3,000. “These people could not survive on normal transactions,” he assures me. “It's all about the over-invoicing. They get their kickback somewhere else.”A teenage girl standing on a subway platform in Queens dropped her cellphone onto the tracks — and was fatally struck by a train after she jumped down to retrieve it, cops said. Dina Kadribasic, 13, died Sunday afternoon after being hit by a southbound R train at the 63rd Drive-Rego Park station on 63 Drive and Queens Boulevard, according to police. She had been trying to get back onto the platform from the track bed — where she had just collected her phone — when the train struck her around 2 p.m. After the collision, onlookers reportedly tried to save her from being pinned by the locomotive. “People were trying to push the train, and everybody on the train moved to the side so we could push the weight of the train to the side,” straphanger Stephan Topete told ABC7. “We thought the person was actually trapped in between the train,” he said. Video posted on Twitter showed a large crowd of commuters — many still in shock from what they witnessed — waiting outside the station as fire trucks and ambulances arrived at the scene. “A lot of them were crying on the platform,” Topete said. “I think two of them were even throwing up.” Read more from The New York Post.February - 2019 January - 2019 November - 2018 October - 2018 August - 2018 July - 2018 May - Blackpool 2018 May - 2018 January - 2018 December - 2017 November - 2017 October - 2017 September - 2017 August - 2017 July - 2017 June - 2017 May - 2017 April - 2017 March - 2017 Februari - 2017 January - 2017 December - 2016 November - 2016 October - 2016 September - 2016 August - 2016 July - 2016 June - 2016 May - 2016 April - 2016 March - 2016 February - 2016 January - 2016 December - 2015 November - 2015 October - 2015 September - 2015 August - 2015 July - 2015 June - 2015 Mei - 2015 April - 2015 March - 2015 February - 2015 January - 2015 December - 2014 November - 2014 October - 2014 September - 2014 August - 2014 July - 2014 June - 2014 Blackpool May - 2014 April - 2014 March - 2014 February - 2014 January - 2014 December - 2013 November - 2013 October - 2013 September - 2013 August - 2013 July - 2013 June - 2013 Blackpool May - 2013 April - 2013 March - 2013 February - 2013 January - 2013 December - 2012 November - 2012 October - 2012 September - 2012 August - 2012 July - 2012 June - 2012 May - 2012 April - 2012 March - 2012 February - 2012 January - 2012 December - 2011 November - 2011 October - 2011 September - 2011 August - 2011 July - 2011 June - 2011 May - 2011 April - 2011 March - 2011 Februari - 2011 January - 2011 December - 2010 November - 2010 Oktober - 2010 September - 2010 August - 2010 Blackpool 2010 July - 2010 June - 2010 May - 2010 April - 2010 March - 2010 February - 2010 January - 2010 December - 2009 November - 2009 October - 2009 September - 2009 August - 2009 July - 2009 June - 2009 Blackpool 2009 May - 2009 April - 2009 March - 2009 February - 2009 January - 2009 December - 2008 November - 2008 October - 2008 September - 2008 August - 2008 July - 2008 June - 2008 Blackpool 2008 May - 2008 April - 2008 March - 2008 February - 2008 January - 2008 December (2) - 2007 December - 2007 Assen (4) 2007 Assen (3) 2007 Assen (2) 2007 Assen (1) 2007 November - 2007 October - 2007 September - 2007 August - 2007 July - 2007 June - 2007 Blackpool 2007 May - 2007 April - 2007 March (2) - 2007 March (1) - 2007 February - 2007 January (2) 2007 January (1) 2007 December-2006 Assen 2006 November-2006 October-2-2006 October-1-2006 September-2006 August-2006 July-2006 June 2006 Blackpool 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December-2005 November-2005 October-2005 September-2005 August-2005 July-2005 Blackpool 2005 June-2005 May-2005 April-2005 March-2005 February-2005 January-2005 December-2004 November-2004 October-2004 September-2004 August-2004 July-2004 June-2004 May-2004 April-2004 March-2004 February-2004 January-2004 December-2003 November-2003Journalists, scientists and public health experts have all had a lot to say about electronic cigarettes recently. As you’d expect when a subject’s as controversial as this one, what they’ve been saying covers a wide spectrum of accuracy. Some of it’s highly reliable, some might benefit from a less biased interpretation and of course quite a bit is just wrong. And then there’s some that has a kernel of truth but has been blown up to alarming proportions. Here are ten of the wilder vaping-related exaggerations that are doing the rounds – and are sending smokers to an early grave: 1. E-Cigarettes contain more carcinogens than the real thing!!! Most vapers are probably familiar with Peyton and Pankow’s formaldehyde research by now. If you’re not, it caused a bit of a fuss early this year when it appeared in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (although as a letter to the editor, not a published paper). The claims they made about the levels of carcinogens in e-cigarette vapour attracted quite a lot of attention; articles like this, for example, or this. Traditional print media covered it widely and it also made a big splash in online news sources. Hundreds of millions of people probably read the story. Unfortunately they didn’t read the whole story. Peyton and Pankow weren’t testing e-cig vapour for all the carcinogens in cigarette smoke. They were only looking at one – formaldehyde. This is found in smoke, and it is a carcinogen, but in the context of smoke it’s a minor one; your chances of surviving all the other stuff in cigarettes long enough to get cancer from the formaldehyde are pretty slim. Any headline that highlighted the cancer danger of formaldehyde was missing the fact that cigarette smoke also contains arsenic, isoprene, beryllium, vinyl chloride, polonium-210 and almost 30 other known carcinogens – which e-cig vapour either contains at trace levels only (i.e. the same levels as air, water and everything else contain them) or, in most cases, doesn’t contain at all. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, almost no reporting mentioned how the experiment was conducted. The researchers tested their e-cigarette at two power levels – normal, and maximum voltage. At maximum voltage, where the high formaldehyde levels were detected, the old CE4 clearomiser they were using couldn’t keep up and was dry-hitting repeatedly; the acrid, burnt fumes it produced would have been completely unvapeable. At normal voltage it produced no formaldehyde at all. 2. The tobacco industry is taking over!!! This is a constant claim by e-cigarette opponents – that the tobacco industry is moving into the market in a big way and dominating sales. Some alarming figures get thrown around, such as that Big Tobacco e-cigs make up 80% of those sold in US convenience stores. This is actually true – but what percentage of vapers buy their gear in convenience stores? It’s not very high. The tobacco companies sell large volumes, but that’s because they’re mostly selling expensive disposables. Their actual market share is modest and declining; five years ago the entry-level e-cig was a cigalike, but now it’s an eGo. Ironically the tobacco industry could take over; if the EU TPD, and FDA deeming regulations, go ahead then tobacco companies will be the only ones with deep enough pockets to get a product to market. 3. More teens vape than smoke!!! The “gateway effect”, where young people start vaping then move on to actual tobacco cigarettes in search of lower prices, a better taste and increased social acceptability, has been a frequent argument against electronic cigarettes. Repeated studies by Action on Smoking and Health have failed to find any evidence of it, but the worry hasn’t gone away. Many opponents of vaping remain convinced that, at some time in the future, we’ll see a legion of new smokers who’ve been ensnared into nicotine addiction by e-cigarettes. So you can imagine how they reacted to the news that vaping is now more popular than smoking among American young people. This news is definitely interesting, and the facts are indisputable – according to the latest data from the USA’s National Institute on Drug Abuse 17% of 12th-graders have used electronic cigarettes, while only 12% have smoked. Among younger teens the difference is even more dramatic, with more than twice as many vapers. Naturally the media has reported this, often in alarming terms. What the reporting hasn’t done is provide much context for this. One key point they usually miss is that teen smoking rates in the USA went into a
astly” looking individual, and one can only imagine the rumors that might have circulated had nineteenth century laymen uncovered such an example while, say, plowing a field where they had occasionally managed to turn up arrow heads! When looking at such reports of “giants”, the average height of these large individuals, while living, tends to have been around seven feet; there are, however, exceptional cases that allege giants of far greater size, sometimes exceeding ten feet in length, have been found. This brings us to another interesting point: a skeptical disposition that is often espoused when arguing about giants (or against them, rather) is that these beings are nothing truly anomalous, since we have often (or at least semi-often) seen humans in modern times of equal extremity in their size. We must accept this as a true statement, since seven feet in height might not indicate anything particularly far removed from some of the more extreme among today us in terms of size. However, the tallest living man on record, Robert Wadlow, stood at only 8′ 11” in height, coming in just short of being nine feet tall. Arguably, if a ten or eleven foot skeleton were actually ever unearthed, this would indeed be quite a find; whether one chooses to call it “anomalous” might still be debated, but using Mr. Wadlow for comparison, there are no known instances in modern times where any human has reached such heights. There are at least a few compelling reports that have emerged since the late nineteenth century, which suggest “giant” finds which might exceed the best records of today. The Winona, Minnesota History of Winona County from 1883 mentions the discovery of a pair of skeletons, one of them, found near Mineral Bluff being ten feet in length, and a second, unearthed near the Dresbach township, measuring nine feet. “Their size, form, and structure would lead those well versed in paleontology to believe they belonged to a race prior to the Indian,” the entry reads. If this information could be taken with certainty, we would be faced with the possibility of an ancient human more than a foot taller than Robert Wadlow, pictured here alongside his father, a man of nearly six feet in height (5′, 11” to be exact). Arguably, a ten-foot-tall human would be truly gigantic, by most anyone’s standards. Similar discoveries of humans that exceeded Wadlow’s physical size tempt our imaginations, but without offering rock-solid evidence of men of immense stature. Taking these for what they are in a historical context, among the best of those cases, the story of the Giant of Castelnau remains perhaps the most intriguing. Here, a series of skeletal portions discovered in the 1890s in France pointed to a Bronze-Age man who, while living, had been at least ten feet or more in height, with a more impressive figure of 11′ 6″ estimated by Georges Vacher de Lapouge, who discovered the bones. Within a few years of Lapouge’s discovery, reports of human remains discovered at Montpellier, France included bones so large that the individuals they belonged to likely stood “between 10 and 15 feet in height.” The last we hear of these bones is that they were allegedly taken to the Paris Academy, where they were studied. Since at least a few of the good “seven-footers” that were allegedly lost or hidden away by the Smithsonian do still exist in their archives, perhaps if proper channels were followed, some new insights into the whereabouts of skeletal remains from the Castelnau and Montpellier finds could be obtained in modern times also. Arguably, if there were proof of humans growing to anywhere between ten and fifteen feet in height at some point in our past, it would indeed open an all new dimension to the debate over these so-called “giants.” What we must keep in mind with regard to all this is that most who seek to address the topic are going to gravitate heavily in one direction or another, seeking to favor the likelihood of there being either a vast and mysterious riddle from our ancient past that is continually being covered up by “the powers that be,” or to the contrary, that there is absolutely nothing to any reports of alleged giants, and that all instances suggesting such discoveries are either hoaxes, hearsay, or the results of ineptitude when measurements and other would-be-scientific data was being retrieved. Clearly, there is some middle ground here; some of the extremely large skeletons, for those willing to go looking for them, still exist in private collections and, interestingly, even amidst the Smithsonian’s own archives; photographs and accession cards denoting their existence still exist just as well. Arguably, this should be given serious consideration by conspiracists and skeptical debunkers alike. While we can’t say there was ever a separate race of giants that existed in the Americas or elsewhere, as many have asserted, we can’t in honesty maintain that there have simply never been any skeletons of large stature ever found, or that among them there weren’t some specimens which aroused some compelling questions about the ancient living individual they represented. Why, then, are many so quick to explain away reports of giant skeletons as being the result of newspaper hoaxes, erosion, scattering and displacement of bones, and other theories which would likely seek to dispel there ever having been a discovery in the first place? Maybe it’s more a semantic matter of what we consider to be a “giant.” Conversely, with the modern medical knowledge of conditions that cause excessive production of growth hormones that are known to cause such conditions among humans, how can so many of the “giant” finds be considered evidence of a “lost race,” or worse, the long-lost evidence of the Biblical Nephilim or some other equally improbable explanation for these finds? At the end of the day, our best bet might be to stop shoveling dirt on top of the aspects of science and history that we would simply prefer to ignore, based on our beliefs, preconceived expectations, or purely our desire to be right. Behind the debate over the so-called giants of the ancient world exists an opportunity to come to a better understanding of human development and evolution. Choosing not to have that debate, based on ideological misgivings we maintain toward people who don’t share our views, will get us nowhere. Maybe it’s time we decided to meet in the middle, for a change.Last week, I attended an all-day Battlefield 3 event in San Francisco. Over the course of the day, I had a chance to try out the game's multiplayer, single-player, and co-op sections. Multiplayer impressions are here, and my take on the single-player missions I played is here. In addition to playing the game, I had a chance to talk with Battlefield 3's executive producer, Patrick Bach. He was a pleasure to speak with, refreshingly frank about the game's development process, the challenges faced in making an ambitious multiplayer game like Battlefield 3, and even the technical difficulties they were having with the PC version that day. We talked for a while about the public reaction to the beta, which has been mixed. Kotaku: So, how has it been, hearing some of the negative feedback from the Beta? Patrick Bach: The only thing we can do is tell people that: "These are the things we have fixed since the beta." And also based on the feedback from the beta. But other than that… you need to let people play it. The problem with having a beta is that you hand out a product that is not done. Deliberately. You do it because you want to get feedback on not only what the players think, but also on how things are holding up, what can we read from the network traffic, how is everything holding up, how are all of the systems that are brand new holding up. You could argue that maybe we shouldn't do a beta." Advertisement It's a double-edged sword. If we don't do [a beta], then we might have problems day one. So the only way to ensure that we have less problems day one is to have a beta. But if you have a beta (laughs) people will hate you, and think that you're stupid. We get complaints like, "How can you guys miss obvious things like A, B, and C?" And we didn't miss it. We just weren't done with it. But we had to get it out so that we get results back, so we can fix it. The lead time when you do a beta is actually pretty long. You need to go through certification on consoles, and do a lot of things before you get it out. And since you want to get it out on all three platforms at the same time to avoid further whining… (chuckles)… it takes as long as the longest platform certification time. Advertisement "This was a real beta, and I don't think people are used to it. They get the product, and they think, "you have to entertain me," because it's an entertainment product." How long is that? Around a month and a half. Which means that when we're done with that beta, we say "Okay, this is it. Now let's go back and finish the game." When we got to the point [six weeks later] that we actually released the beta, the game was in completely different shape. We couldn't really tell people because then we'd have to go through the process again. Advertisement It sounds like certification hobbles the beta process somewhat. Yes. What's a way to make that better in the future? One way of fixing the problem is… don't make betas. At least not open betas. Because often when you see betas, sometimes they are actually demos. But they call it a beta, to sound cool. This was a real beta, and I don't think people are used to it. They get the product, and they think, "you have to entertain me," because it's an entertainment product. Advertisement And it's like, "Well, it's a broken entertainment product, because we want your feedback." And they say, "Well, I understand that, but it's not polished enough!" And we say, "Well, that's exactly what we're talking about!" So the challenge is: listen, but don't overreact. Understand that people are disappointed, but that you have to do it. Or, don't do it. Don't make a beta. At least not an open one. And just do closed testing. But that's hard as well. We had an alpha as well, that was much worse. Did any of that leak to the public? Yes, it always does. And people complain about that as well, but it wasn't as many people. It wasn't such a big hassle. Now, it's a big thing, people make videos of it and we say, "yeah, thank you; we know, we know." Advertisement And what you're playing today [at this media event], except for the stability issues, the game doesn't have those issues anymore. It should be more or less 99% mitigated. Yeah, other than the stability it runs fine. I'm not seeing too many in-game bugs. But then of course, we do have those stability issues. And other frustrations. Right, seems like there's always going to be some problem or another. So after it launches, you'll be looking at those things and updating the game? Advertisement "We know that we won't hit 100% at launch. We won't be able to say "It's perfect." Better to release it than to wait another year. Release it, and make sure we follow up on it. " Absolutely. Patching of this game and updating, if it's Battlelog or the core game, that's a big, long-term engagement. We really want to stay in the game post-launch. From an economic standpoint, that's not the cleverest thing to do, but that's not why we make games. We want to make games that we can be proud of, and releasing a game of this magnitude... it's quite a big game. We know that we won't hit 100% at launch. We won't be able to say "It's perfect." Better to release it than to wait another year. Release it, and make sure we follow up on it. We've been shipping so many Battlefield games that we know that people will keep playing it. If it's good enough, they'll keep playing it. Advertisement I still play Bad Company 2. But it wasn't great on day one. People hated it on day one. It was a complete disaster, according to the forums, it was the crappiest game ever. And then we patched it and fixed some issues. And now it's like some people think it was perfect from day one. It was the best game ever! Why can't Battlefield 3 be perfect from day one? But I mean [Battlefield 3 ] is much better today day one than Bad Company 2 was day one. What did you think of the reaction to the beta for Bad Company 2? Was that beta feedback the same? Advertisement It was the same, just smaller. "It was the worst game ever." So we're used to it, but now it's blown out of proportion because there are I think six times the amount of people playing this beta as we had in Bad Company and it's the same problems. They say the same things: "You're stupid," "We hate you." And we're like… "Sorry!" You can contact Kirk Hamilton, the author of this post, at [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.Shouting slogans against Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, VHP members threw stones at a parking lot of a luxury hotel here early today damaging his car in continuing protests against the shooting of his upcoming film Raees in Gujarat over his earlier remarks on "intolerance". The film's crew members are staying in the hotel but the 50-year-old actor was not there at the time of the incident as he arrived here only this afternoon. After an FIR for rioting and damaging property was filed in this regard in the evening, at least seven persons, claimed to be associated with the right-wing organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), were detained, police said. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) B U Jadeja, 8 to 10 persons threw stones in the open parking lot of Hyatt Regency Hotel on Ashram Road, where Shahrukh's vehicle was parked, this morning and fled from the spot. "As per the complaint lodged by the Security Officer of the hotel, 8 to 10 persons came on bikes and threw stones on cars parked in the open parking lot early this morning. Due to the stone pelting, windscreen of Shahrukh Khan's car got damaged," said Jadeja. "We have learnt that Shahrukh Khan was not there in the hotel when incident took place. Some of his crew members, who have come here for shooting, were staying in the hotel. Shahrukh landed in the city this afternoon for the shoot," he added. The shooting is taking place in Bhuj. Meanwhile, a video showing unidentified persons throwing stones inside the hotel also surfaced on social media platforms. In the video, they can be seen shouting slogans against Shahrukh and fleeing on bikes after throwing stones. Gujarat unit of VHP claimed responsibility for the incident. The outfit's State spokesperson Raju Patel said the detained persons are associated with VHP and threw stones on Shahrukh's car as part of their ongoing protests against the actor. Around 20-30 VHP activists had last week handed over a memorandum to Bhuj district officers and demanded withdrawal of the permission given for the shooting of the film. They protested outside the district Collector’s office pressing for the same demand and shouted slogans against the actor and also burnt and tore his posters. In November last year, Shahrukh sparked a debate when he said during an interview that there was "extreme intolerance" in India. However, the actor retracted his statements just a few days later, claiming his comments were "misconstrued". As per the complaint filed by the hotel's Security Officer Hitendrasinh Gadhvi, the group was led by one Nilesh Arya and the damaged car had registration number GJ1-TC-A-821. Upon receiving the complaint, Vadaj Police lodged an FIR for rioting and damaging property against Arya and others. According to Vadaj Police Inspector V G Rathod, seven persons have been detained so far. "A case of rioting has been registered against these persons. We are yet to find out their association with VHP or any other organisation. Till now, we have detained seven of them, including Arya. We will arrest them after preliminary questioning," said Rathod. "Nilesh Arya and others named in the FIR are associated with VHP. We have been protesting against Shahrukh's remark that India has become intolerant. Our workers wanted to give a strong message to him for his remark about India," VHP's state spokesperson Raju Patel said. The "Chak De! India" star is facing facing protests by VHP ever since he came to Gujarat early this month to shoot for his upcoming film 'Raees'. Today, "King Khan" shot some scenes at famous Sarkhej Roza, a mosque and tomb complex.No cancer risk found in diet soda's aspartame WASHINGTON -- A huge federal study in people -- not rats -- takes the fizz out of arguments that the diet soda sweetener aspartame might raise the risk of cancer. No increased risk was seen even among people who gulped down many artificially sweetened drinks a day, said researchers who studied the diets of more than half a million older Americans. A consumer group praised the study, done by reputable researchers independent of any funding or ties to industry groups. "It goes a fair way toward allaying concerns about aspartame," said Michael Jacobson, head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which had urged the government to review the sweetener's safety after a troubling rat study last year. Findings were reported Tuesday at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Aspartame came on the market 25 years ago and is found in thousands of products -- sodas, chewing gum, dairy products and even many medicines. NutraSweet and Equal are popular brands. Research in the 1970s linked a different sweetener, saccharin, to bladder cancer in lab rats. Although the mechanism by which this occurred does not apply to people and no human risk was ever documented, worries about sugar substitutes in general have persisted. They worsened after Italian researchers last year reported results of the largest animal study ever done on aspartame, involving 1,800 lab rats. Females developed more lymphomas and leukemias on aspartame than those not fed the sweetener. The new study, by scientists at the National Cancer Institute, involved 340,045 men and 226,945 women, ages 50 to 69, participating in a research project by the National Institutes of Health and AARP. From surveys they filled out in 1995 and 1996 detailing food and beverage consumption, researchers calculated how much aspartame they consumed, especially from sodas or from adding the sweetener to coffee or tea. Over the next five years, 2,106 developed blood-related cancers such as lymphoma or leukemia, and 376 developed brain tumors. No link was found to aspartame consumption for these cancers in general or for specific types, said Unhee Lim, who reported the study's findings. The dietary information was collected before the cancers developed, removing the possibility of "memory bias" -- faulty recollection influenced by knowing you have a disease. "It's very reassuring. It's a large study with a lot of power," said Richard Adamson, a senior science consultant to the American Beverage Association, the leading industry group. The Center for Science in the Public Interest still warns about one potential hazard of aspartame use: thinking that calories "saved" from using a sugar substitute justify "spending" more on unhealthy foods. "Drinking a diet soda at lunch does not mean it's OK to have a larger dessert at dinner," the group's Web site warns.Homeland Security officials are on track to apprehend a record number of unaccompanied minors trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico, the Senate Homeland Security chairman suggested on Tuesday. Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2585110 From the beginning of the fiscal year, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told the committee, officials have apprehended 23,533 unaccompanied minors trying to cross the border. "I think we're possibly beyond crisis proportions here," said Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. "Four months and we're up to 23,000 already… 2014 was a crisis, right now I think we're running ahead of 2014 levels," Johnson added. "If we maintain this pace, we'll have 77,000 in 2016," he said. The record was set in 2014, when Customs and Border Protection reported a total of 68,541 were apprehended at the border. Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2581742 The Homeland Security head said his agency is nonetheless making progress, saying that 2015 was a "pretty good year." The agency apprehended 39,970 unaccompanied minors last year, though many were part of a surge late in the season. "I want to compare numbers with you," the secretary said. "We had a pretty good year, it was down significantly from FY14 in terms of total apprehensions along the southwest border. "In the fall, October, November, December, we saw an increase," he said. "The number was 6,775 in the month of December. In January, the number went down by more than half … to 3,111. In February, 3,113. The March number so far, we're only seven or eight days into March, is pretty much at the same pace as February, slightly higher." He added, "Much of this is seasonal, so I think we have to assume that March is going to be higher than February and April's probably going to be higher than March, and May, June, July will probably do what it typically does, so we have to assume that we're not going to see numbers as low as 3,100 for the rest of this fiscal year, which is why our budget request assumes 75,000... in 2016," he said. The Wisconsin senator stood by his concern. "Again, the point being … 2014 was a crisis, right now I think we're running ahead of 2014 levels from the numbers I'm getting," he said. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., helpfully closed out the exchange with an interjection of his own. "I just ran the numbers quickly, shorthand on the back of an envelope.… We'd be looking at about 57,000," Carper estimated. Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2582605 The exchange follows a report by the Center for Immigration Studies earlier this week that estimated a record 61 million immigrants and American-born children living in the United States, including 15.7 million doing so illegally.Band, Art and Choir are all normal and fully accepted electives for middle school students but what about bible studies? A new Rock Hill School District policy allows for middle school students, with parental approval, to attend church during elective periods instead of other electives, such as band, gym, etc. School Ministries of Rock Hill Inc. is the group that’s now attempting to work out all the logistics regarding the transportation to and from school, participating churches, and feedback from local Rock Hill residents. They are now asking all parents of Rock Hill school students to fill out their survey to determine how the majority of the community feels about the new bible study elective policy. The group is currently supported by 18 Rock Hill area churches and many local parents and citizens. They’ve also successfully established programs in York and Clover School Districts, as well as many other districts in South Carolina and across the nation – this new concept of a bible study elective in a public school was made possible by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. Do you think Bible studies should be offered? Please share; Comments commentsEmery yes to Milan? By Football Italia staff Unai Emery is reported to have already said ‘yes’ to becoming Milan’s next Coach, even if Carlo Ancelotti is again linked. The Rossoneri are widely believed to be on the search for another Coach, with Pippo Inzaghi expected to leave the bench at the end of the season. Linked with Vincenzo Montella too, it is increasingly believed the Sevilla’s Emery is currently in pole position for the post. This is reiterated today by Tuttosport, who even suggest that the 43-year-old Spaniard has already given a provisional ‘yes’ to Milan. This is understood to be on the proviso that current President Silvio Berlusconi remains as President, even if a share in the club is sold to one of two investor groups. Following yesterday evening’s 3-0 Europa League semi-final first leg win over Fiorentina, Emery denied rumours that he was learning Italian or that his agent has spoken to Milan. Menawhile, Tuttosport reiterate earlier reports today that Ancelotti remains with an outside chance of returning to San Siro, and cannot be ruled out.Story highlights Paul Zak: Experiments show the presence of a chemical promotes moral behavior He says oxytocin makes people more willing to help a stranger Those who release the most oxytocin are the most satisfied with their lives, he says Zak: Aristotle was right in saying that the reason to be virtuous is that it makes us happy The longest debate since humans have been having debates is whether we are good or evil. It underlies the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Jesus and Judas. What is our human nature? Of course, the answer is we can be both good and evil. But what determines which part of our character emerges? About a decade ago, my lab made an unexpected breakthrough in the understanding of good and evil. We discovered that the neurochemical oxytocin makes people trustworthy. We then found oxytocin was responsible for many other moral behaviors, from being generous to sacrificing to help a stranger. Wait -- morality is chemical? In my TED talk, I describe how I made the unlikely discovery of the moral molecule, how I was roundly discouraged from even looking for such a chemical, and what drove me to persist in my search. JUST WATCHED An interview with Paul Zak Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH An interview with Paul Zak 02:24 In these experiments, we tempt people with virtue and vice using money (share with others: virtue; selfishly keep everything for yourself: vice). Using money to understand how and why humans make decisions is a field now called neuroeconomics. Money gives us a convenient way to measure how much someone cares about another person. For example, in one experiment we randomly matched strangers in the lab by computer and put $10 in an account for each of them. In each pair there was a decision-maker 1 (DM1) and a decision-maker 2 (DM2). All participants got these instructions: DM1 can give up some or all of his or her $10 and transfer it to DM2 by computer but cannot talk to, or meet, the other person. Whatever is transferred is removed from DM1's account but is tripled in DM2's account. Then, DM2 gets a computer message identifying how much has been received from DM1 and a reminder of the total in his or her account. Next, the software asks DM2 if she or he wants to send some of this larger pot of money back to DM1. The amount sent back comes out of DM2's account one for one and is not tripled -- it's a pure loss to DM2. For example, if DM1 transfers $8, he or she would keep $2 and DM2 would receive $24 (=3 x $8). The total in DM2's account would be $34 ($24 + $10). If you were DM2, what would you do -- keep it all or share some back with DM1? We found that 90% of DM1s send money and of the DM2s who receive money, 95% return at least some of it. Usually both DMs in a pair leave the lab with more than $10, sometimes much more. The DM1 to DM2 transfer is understood to be a measure of trust, while the DM2 to DM1 transfer measures trustworthiness. By taking blood from participants, we found that the more money denoting trust DM2 received, the more oxytocin his or her brain made. And, the more oxytocin on board, the more money was returned to DM1. All this happened without any face-to-face interactions, revealing how easily the oxytocin system activates. Morality has traditionally been the domain of theologians and philosophers, often providing prescriptions of what we must do. But in the past decade, neuroscientists have started analyzing brain activity while people think about, and engage in, moral or immoral acts. These findings have changed the inquiry into morals from prescriptive to descriptive. As I discuss in my talk, I have even done studies that have manipulated brain chemistry in human beings to show that oxytocin directly causes people to be moral. I also talk about what having a chemical that affects morality means for individuals, organizations and entire societies. For example, does "my chemicals made me do it" absolve people from legal or moral responsibility? If we have a moral molecule, where does evil come from? By the way, oxytocin doesn't only cause morality in a laboratory setting -- I've done studies in churches, on sports fields and among indigenous people to show that the biology of morality is a human universal. While neuroscience has provided new insights into our human nature, the philosophy of morality has not gone away. My talk identifies the philosophers whose insights and arguments are consistent with the way oxytocin works in the human brain. Two hit the mark: Aristotle and Adam Smith. Aristotle claimed that the reason to be a virtuous person is because it makes us happy. I found the same thing: Those who release the most oxytocin in the lab are more satisfied with their lives (watch the talk to find out why). And then there is Adam Smith. Yes, the same Adam Smith who is considered the "father" of economics was a moral philosopher. In 1759, Smith published a book called "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" that nearly perfectly anticipated my findings. Smith's book caused a sensation when it came out because of his radical claim that morality comes from humans' social nature, not from God. Sociality, said Smith, means we inevitably share the emotions of others. This is just what I found: When the brain is flooded with oxytocin, people feel empathy for others. It is this emotional connection that causes most of us, most of the time, to behave well toward each other. I've also found that societies that are more moral (for example, more trustworthy and more tolerant) also have higher standards of living. Smith understood why: Morality undergirds economic exchange, opening up more opportunities for the creation of wealth that individuals in a transaction can share. And, prosperity (perhaps surprisingly) can make societies more moral. All this occurs as part of our human nature, our brains adapting to evolving social environments. So, this ancient and tiny molecule, oxytocin, has taken us from being social creatures to, increasingly, being tolerant, empathic and prosperous ones. Quite a nice trick for a tiny molecule that traces its lineage back at least 400 million years.Google, in partnership with the Media Trust and Charity Technology Trust, today launches a new campaign to help 30,000 of Britain's smallest charities boost their fundraising through online tools and the Internet. The 'Grow Your Charity Online' initiative will provide free training and tools for smaller charities across the country. It comprises an online learning hub, specialised training, workshops and live events. As part of the campaign, Google will host a regular series of online educational events, allowing charities from across the UK to join advice sessions remotely, while Google UK employees will dedicate a percentage of their work time towards the project, by volunteering their expertise at workshops over the year. Matt Brittin, vice president of Google's northern and central European operations, said: "The web is essential for charities to access new tools to share stories, help people and raise money. Britain's charities need sustainable, practical methods with which to help themselves grow and really make a difference, and Grow Your Charity Online aims to help these organisations ultimately succeed. We hope to engage with 30 000 charities through a suite of Internet tools and training, and encourage them to sign up today" Media Trust chief executive Caroline Diehl said: "Exploring opportunities to learn new skills to manage their online presence can enable them to change the world by giving a voice to communities and inspiring more people to make a difference, to get help, volunteer and donate. We look forward to engaging a talented group of Google staff as volunteers and mentors for a diverse range of charities from across the UK." Charity Technology Trust chief executive Richard Craig said: "Due to a lack of resources, very few of the charities we work with are able to take full advantage of what the internet has to offer to help them to achieve their missions. Without the time or money to invest in it, charities may miss out on the advantages that web analytics, online communications, promotional offers or even a YouTube page can offer them. Google chief: Charities risk being unproductive if they aren't aware of web opportunities Speaking exclusively to the Guardian voluntary sector network, Matt Brittin said that his experience of working with small businesses at Google suggested that those that went online grew faster, and he hoped that the same would prove to be true of charities: "When you compare small businesses who are online with those who aren't, the small businesses that are online and are doing online marketing are growing between four and eight times faster than those that aren't. "If you look at the business experience, there's quite a big differential in growth and in employment and in activity and we think the potential for charities is just the same. "There are charities who are doing just as well as businesses online, but there are many who aren't because these are new skills, and like the small businesses we have dealt with over the past few years, many of them are not online or maybe they built a website several years ago and they haven't really thought about how to keep it up. "There's a shift in how people are looking for information and engaging with charities and other organisations. If charities aren't aware of that, and don't see how much things have moved in that direction, then they do risk doing things that are unproductive and that make them less relevant in their field. It's important to get this message out there because the web is a huge opportunity for charities." Brittin said that he wanted to measure the impact of the initiative. "We know that recent research says that charities with websites are increasing supporter interaction by over 70 per cent and saving money by around 70 per cent as well. "It would be great if we could measure that impact and validate whether or not the web really does bring that 70 per cent uplift in interaction and money saved, and we'll be looking at how we do that as well, because the more you can tell that story, if it's true, the more other charities can benefit by becoming more efficient and putting more resources to use to help the groups that they're set up to help. "I hope that from this we can find some case studies of small charities that start to use the web more and are more successful and act as a beacon for many others." Brittin said that the programme was "very much not about Google products: It's introducing them to basic analytics tools, or looking at the options to use social media or that kind of thing, as well as to promote themselves through online marketing... it's about helping educate people on the basic steps they can take to make their website work better given what they are trying to achieve as a charity." This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.Water cannon are used in Northern Ireland and abroad – with varying degrees of brutality – but have never been deployed in Britain. So why are Boris Johnson and the police now talking about introducing them here? Anyone watching the news on TV will know the basic scenario. There's a riot of some kind: perhaps political, maybe largely senseless, occasionally related to an international football match. The police duly get stuck in, using horses, or baton charges, or even plastic bullets. And then, just to underline the fact that something really serious is afoot, a number of armoured vehicles will appear. In the manner of giant weeing daleks, they will then fire huge jets of water at their targets, sending them flying across the street, and clearing a space in between the cops and their quarry – or, in a different situation, one set of miscreants and another. Such are the wonders of water cannon, first used in 1930s Germany, and now part of the armoury of police forces all over the world. Its use in Northern Ireland goes back to 1969, and the police there currently have access to six of the renowned Zieger Wasserwerfer 9000, a few of which were used last summer. On the so-called British mainland, however, the water cannon has usually been thought of as either a signifier for the kind of trouble unique to Ulster, or something best left to the sort of countries where regimes routinely brutalise their citizens (Egypt, Indonesia, China) or the streets have, at some time or other, echoed to the sound of jackboots, and the authorities asking people for their papers (France, Germany, Ukraine). Until now, that is. In January, it was announced that, in his capacity as mayor of London, Boris Johnson was backing the Metropolitan police's drive to get its hands on water cannon – and was prepared to foot the bill. The Met's chief commissioner, Bernard Hogan-Howe, had briefed Johnson about the water cannon's merits, while other senior Met officers advocated its use. The mayor wrote to Home Secretary Theresa May, serving notice that he was "broadly convinced of the value of having water cannon available" to the Met, and viewed it as the "most economical interim solution that allows the [chief] commissioner to meet his desire to prevent disorder on the streets". Yesterday, Johnson was at it again, telling radio listeners that though water cannon "will be very rarely used", he and the Met are "going ahead with it. There is a consultation and we'll have to see what the home secretary says." Meanwhile, some senior police figures have been loudly singing the same tune. The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) reckons that, though "there is no intelligence to suggest
tourist’s travel blog. Not naming the blogger, Rappler explained: “Our foreign investors, Omidyar Network and North Base do not own Rappler. They invest, but they don’t own. … “Ano ba ang PDR? These are financial tools that individuals or entities can use to invest in a company that they believe in. In fact, they’re putting in money even if they cannot vote on the board, don’t have a say in management, and are not part of day-to-day operations. In short: Ganun sila kabilib! (They believe in us that much!)” Intenseful! This needs interpretation, clarification and context. We teach that ownership is a bundle of legal rights. If you buy a house, you may live in it. Let someone else live in it. Turn it into a Big Brother house. Tear it down. You may also trade a right. If you rent out the house, you may no longer enter but get paid rent. You may even let someone else rent it out and keep the income. Owning a share in a company is a bundle of legal rights. You may sell it. Receive dividends. Vote at a stockholders’ meeting. Receive assets left if the company goes bankrupt. ADVERTISEMENT A PDR is a financial instrument that gives rights similar to some, but not all, of these. In 2013, ABS-CBN Holdings (ABSH) issued 57,836,900 PDRs for P2.5 billion and purchased 57,836,900 shares in media giant ABS-CBN. ABSH’s PDRs trade on our stock exchange separate from ABS-CBN’s shares. ABSH’s prospectus, available online, says PDR holders have two rights. First, when ABS-CBN gives cash or stock dividends, ABSH gives matching cash or PDRs. Second, the PDR may be exchanged for an ABS-CBN share. If the PDR holder is not Filipino, he receives the cash equivalent, never the share. A PDR holder may not vote in ABS-CBN’s stockholders’ meeting or demand other rights from it. He is not an owner. His rights are solely from ABSH. GMA Holdings has similar PDRs. Rappler’s PDRs are private but likely similar. The blogger uploaded 2016 General Information Sheets of Rappler Inc. and Rappler Holdings. These are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and open to the public. But these listed all stockholders as Filipino. The blogger also uploaded audited financial statements and asked why Rappler Inc.’s showed P170 million of new shares in 2015, yet Rappler Holdings’ did not. This matches PDR convention. ABSH’s 2013 financial statements explain its PDRs in Note 4, not the statements themselves. Note only partial Rappler financial statements were uploaded, lacking the notes. In 2013, after the Gamboa decision against PLDT, the SEC drafted new rules on foreign ownership restrictions. PDRs were discussed and allowed, as ABSH’s have been since 1999. The Constitution also grants right to property and freedom to contract. Applying broader than prescribed restrictions diminishes these—and our stock market. But the real point is we must support President Duterte in liberalizing outmoded constitutional restrictions. In 2014, then Philippine Bar Association president Beda Fajardo and I proposed to Congress a simple amendment to this. Filipinos in 2017 must have full access not just to foreign capital, but also to accompanying markets, technology and networks of contacts. Rappler quoted Mocha Uson claiming it “is allegedly funded by the (US Central Intelligence Agency),” then replied, “LOL!” Bashers spread memes of its GIS saying it does “property and investment development” and “SPO4 Pia Rañada-Robles.” One hopes the spat continues to amuse using more accurate legal terminology. React: [email protected], Twitter @oscarfbtan, facebook.com/OscarFranklinTan. Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READIf you’re looking to pick up the HP Elite x3 and you’re in the US, you might want to consider shopping now. With one of the latest deals from HP, you can now save up to $200 on the Windows 10 Mobile superphone (via Neowin.) Under this latest deal, you can pick up the HP Elite x3, a Desk Dock, Wireless Charger, Wallet Folio Case, and an Anti-Shatter Glass Screen Protector for the price of $719. When putting it together, this accounts for an over $200 savings, given when purchased separately you would end up paying $916 in total. The HP Elite x3 is a Windows 10 Mobile superphone, powered by a Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC and 4 GB of RAM. Specs can be seen below: 64GB onboard storage, with microSD card support 16MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera Iris scanner and Fingerprint scanner Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.0, with support for NFC 4G LTE connectivity, with optional dual-SIM support USB 3.0 port with Type-C connector IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance Device protection for drops from up to 1 meter 4150mAh battery with Qi wireless charging Our own Ron provided his review of the HP Elite x3, so if you’re interested in buying this device, be sure to check out his review! What price are you willing to pay for the HP Elite x3? Let us know in the comments below! Share This Further reading: HP Elite x3Yesterday I recounted our reasons for homeschooling and briefly described the two primary history books we are using. I generally agree with Susan Wise Bauer’s The Story of the World more than V.M. Hillyer’s A Child’s History of the World, which was written almost a century ago. But yesterday we read Bauer’s version of the story of Copernicus and Galileo. I was very disappointed to find that Bauer has bought into the view that Galileo represents the hero of science standing up against the villian of the dogmatic and anti-intellectual church. And most people would probably agree with her. Personally I think we’ve been sold a bill-of-goods. Though it is a convenient myth for those who would attack the Christian faith, Galileo’s trial was not about the conflict between science and religion any more than OJ’s trial was about racism toward an African-American. Bauer describes the story this way: Galileo was ordered to repent of his mistaken ideas. And he wanted to obey the church. So he agreed to say that the sun could be going around the earth. Even though he believed the church to be wrong, he was unwilling to say in public that the leaders of his faith were making a mistake. But he did write a book about three imaginary scientists having an argument. One insisted that the earth was at the center of the universe. The second insisted that the sun was at the center. And the third scholar listend to both and asked questions. When this book was published, church leaders asked Galileo, “Why are you supporting the theory of Copernicus?” Galileo protested, “I’m not! I didn’t say which theory was true. I jsut described each one!” But his book was also added to the list of books that Catholics should not read. There are three problems with this telling of Galileo’s story, problems I was first made aware of in Philip J. Sampson’s 6 Modern Myths (IVP, 2001). First, the main problem with Copernicus and Galileo was not that they were going against church teaching, but that they went against the prevailing Aristotlean geocentrism. Through the theology of Thomas Aquinas, the Roman Catholic church accepted most of Aristotle’s teachings, including metaphysics and cosmology. But it was really the scientific establishment that looked disfavorably on Galileo’s attack on Aristotle’s views. The scientific consensus of the time was that heliocetrism was simply a feeble attempt to resurrect Pythagorean views that had long before been discredited. Rather than reading Galileo’s story as an example of religion vs. science, it would be more accurate to read it as an example of one scientific paradigm vs. another paradigm along the lines of Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific progress. Second, as any other real-life situation, there were lots of factors involved in banning Galileo’s book. The primary reasons were political. The first scientist in Galileo’s book, the one that held to a geocentric view, was essentially a straw man of Pope Urban VIII. Galileo put cheap versions of Urban’s arguments into this scientist’s mouth, only to have them crushed by the scientist that supported heliocentrism. The banning of Galileo was about the pope silencing a personal attack, not an attack on religion. In fact, the pope granted that Galileo had made some good observations. Third, it was Galileo, not the church, that pushed the issue of reconciling heliocentrism with the Bible. The issue was not the heliocentrism conflicted with biblical theology, but that Galileo insisted putting forth untraditional interpretations of scripture in light of his experience. Today we might accuse him of eisegesis, or reading into the text what he wanted to be there instead of what the text actually said. In post-reformation Roman Catholicism, it seemed quite like a heretical Protestant hermeneutic. Thus the story of Galileo exemplifies anti-Protestant polemic at least as much as it does anti-intellectualism. AdvertisementsIt’s a rather unclear time over at Nokia in Espoo (Finland!), with people coming and going, and changes in development strategy. The latest one is, I think, a good one: Nokia has stated it will commit fully to Qt as the sole application development framework for both Symbian and MeeGo. Nokia will focus on Qt, and Qt alone, as the sole application development framework for both Symbian and MeeGo. All this means that thorough support for HTML5 comes pretty much as a bonus, as well as the ability to easily create rich application user interfaces for both Symbian and MeeGo. Additionally, Nokia will turn Symbian into a continuously improving platform, foregoing classic releases. One benefit of this simplified approach is that planned and future improvements in Symbian will be developed in Qt and will be compatible with the existing Symbian^3 platform release,” Nokia states, This means that Nokia’s continued commitment to develop the Symbian platform will benefit not only future users of Symbian-based products, but will result in updates and upgrades for existing Symbian^3 users. The resulting change to a model of continuous evolution replaces the previous release-based model. Nokia will no longer refer to Symbian^3 or Symbian^4. The benefit to consumers will be a constant improvement in the experience of their Symbian-based Nokia products. “We’re making strategic technology decisions that will accelerate our ability to offer the strongest possible opportunity for developers and the richest possible experience for consumers,” says Rich Green, CTO of Nokia, “For developers, it will open up a huge installed customer base for their applications. For consumers, it means a more compelling engagement with their Nokia product in terms of access to the best applications in the marketplace and a constantly improving product experience.” Seems like a great idea to me. There’s nothing wrong with Symbian’s core operating system features – it’s the user interface side of it all that just isn’t up to par. Hopefully a full focus on Qt will help the platform greatly.Having noticed that a), there’s a pretty successful show on the air right now about people with mysterious, inexplicably precise tattoos, and b), bringing back The X-Files made everyone involved a hefty pile of money, Fox has doubled down on its efforts to resurrect Prison Break, another one of its intermittently beloved primetime dramas about magical, improbable events. To that end, the network is announcing that it’s secured series star Sarah Wayne Callies to return for the nine-episode limited series, at least until she fights them on some contract issues, and they pretend to chop off her head. But we kid Prison Break, which also starred Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, both currently appearing on The CW’s Legends Of Tomorrow. Callies, meanwhile—who played compassionate doctor and eventual love interest Sara Tancredi on the four-season mid-2000s drama—is currently pulling critical praise for her role on USA’s alien invasion story Colony; happily, the revival’s status as a limited series means no one will have to quit their day job to bring it about. Advertisement The new series will center on Dr. Tancredi and former convict Lincoln Burrows, as they investigate the supposed death of Miller’s inked-up mastermind Michael Scofield. If it does turn out he actually is alive—and the pair are forced to execute the “series’ biggest escape ever” promised in the casting announcement—at least she and Michael will have some good “they faked my death on me” stories to swap with each other over the post-breakout dinner. [via Deadline]After more than a year of talk from Navy and Marine Corps aviation leaders about needing to fund “aviation enablers” to boost readiness, the Fiscal Year 2018 budget request shows exactly the investments that are needed to get more planes ready to fly. A number of conditions have led to naval aviators having a shortfall of ready-to-fly aircraft – everything from a backlog at maintenance depots, to not enough contractor support, to a lack of spare parts – and no amount of investment in flying hours accounts will help the aviation readiness issue unless these enabler accounts are properly funded as well, leaders have said. Some of these enablers are seeing historic levels of funding in the 2018 request, a sign of the seriousness of the Navy and Marine Corps’ effort to dig out of this readiness hole. Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Aviation Lt. Gen. Jon Davis has said many times that the service couldn’t reduce its “not mission capable- supply” rates – when aircraft cannot be fixed due to lack of spare parts, which at times has reached a quarter of the fleet for older airplanes like the AV-8B Harrier – if it didn’t increase spending on spares. This spring he told lawmakers that the lack of spares was “the number-one readiness degrader” aside from the sheer age of some of the aircraft. In the 2018 request, “the Marine Corps has increased funding for spares to $606 million – 93 percent of the total Marine Corps requirement,” Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns told USNI News this week. “Increased funding for spare parts will not impact readiness for 18 to 24 months,” she added, but without this investment the readiness trajectory would never change. For the Department of the Navy as a whole, spares are funded at 91 percent of the requirement, which is a 14-year high. For comparison, in March Davis testified to lawmakers and said that the 2017 budget request only funded spares at two-thirds of the service’s need, though the supplemental spending request that the administration released earlier that month would have boosted spares funding. “We’re funded at about 67 percent of our spares requirements in ’17. Some of that additional money in ’17 (in the supplemental request) would go to get us up to the max executable amount of spare parts, certainly for the Marine Corps, 88 percent – as much money as I can spend in ’17 – to go get those spare parts,” he said. At the time he wouldn’t talk about the upcoming 2018 request, but he said “I think you’ll see a very different profile from the United States Marine Corps as far as what we’re doing for our enabler accounts.” Outside of the day-in, day-out maintenance that takes place at the squadrons, some types of aircraft make use of performance-based logistics contracts with industry and others’ readiness is the responsibility of the military. Both strategies are addressed through increased funding in the 2018 request. For aircraft types with PBL contracts with industry – the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, KC-130J Hercules and MV-22 Osprey among them – the Navy and Marine Corps made a historic investment: $826.6 million for the aviation logistics account, compared to about $661 million in 2017. “The aviation logistics support has increased six percent to a high of 87 percent of the requirement. These logistics contracts for the F-35, KC-130, MV-22 and E-6B are funded at an all-time high, and we anticipate future growth as more F-35s enter the fleet,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget Rear Adm. Brian Luther told reporters during a May 23 budget briefing. Other types of aircraft are kept ready through Navy- and Marine Corps-led maintenance efforts at Fleet Readiness Centers, with the services responsible for their own engineering, logistics and supplies associated with repairs and overhauls. For those aircraft, more money is on the way too. “Aircraft depot maintenance is funded to capacity, which is 89 percent of the requirement. This is an increase from last year where we funded the air depot maintenance to 85 percent.,” Luther said in his briefing. “Capacity is limited for different reasons at our fleet readiness centers. Some are limited by the hiring of civilian personnel, others by physical space and aging tools and materials. In all cases, we are investing to correct these limitations. “Aviation support, primarily program-related engineering and logistics, is funded higher than ’17, but not to a hundred percent.,” Luther added. “This account also funds critical chain initiatives to improve depot throughput and increase hiring of planning, engineering and maintenance support manpower to align the workforce to the projected workload.” As a result of the additional aviation enabler spending, the services should be able to fly more. “The FY ‘18 budget calls for $8.6 billion for flying hour operations for Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, compared with $7.5 billion in FY ‘17. This increase equates to more than 100,000 flight hours across all models,” Burns told USNI News. Overall, the Navy and Marine Corps requested $11.1 billion for air operations, compared to $9.9 billion in 2017.The advice columnist died Monday in New York City. Joyce Brothers, pictured in 2002, died Monday at age 85. (Photo11: Jennifer Graylock, AP) Story Highlights Cause of death was not immediately made public She is survived by daughter, grandchildren, great-grandchildren She wrote advice books and appeared in movies Joyce Brothers, a pioneering TV psychologist whose 1950s advice show opened doors for many others today, died Monday in New York City at age 85, her longtime publicist said. Brothers offered advice on psychological issues at a time when such subjects were rarely discussed on TV. Her advice show in the 1950s was only part of her career, which included syndicated columnist, author, and television and film personality. The cause of death was not immediately made public, publicist Sanford Brokaw said. Brothers first gained fame on a game show and went on to publish 15 books and make cameo appearances on popular shows including Happy Days and The Simpsons. She visited Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show nearly 100 times. "I was a very big fan of hers," said TV psychologist and author "Dr. Phil" McGraw on Monday. "I started studying psychology back in 1968 or 1969 and she was a very present force at that time. "I truly think she was a pioneer. Here comes a woman who was articulate, educated and very credible. She talked about these things and took them mainstream and laid a lot of important groundwork for those to come later," said McGraw, host of the Dr. Phil show. "She wasn't some pop psychologist. In her advice column and her television work, she gave clear analysis and advice." Radio therapist "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger said Monday that Brothers "made psychology accessible. She explained things, she gave insight. It wasn't psychological mumbo jumbo. She gave, in frank terms, information people would find useful, which is the forerunner of what I do. "She was cute as a button and would show up every now and then on a sitcom," Schlessinger added. "She just seemed nice." The way Brothers liked to tell it, her multimedia career came about "because we were hungry." It was 1955. Her husband, Milton Brothers, was still in medical school and Brothers had just given up her teaching positions at Hunter College and Columbia University to be home with her newborn, firmly believing a child's development depended on it. But the young family found itself struggling on her husband's residency income. So Brothers came up with the idea of entering a television quiz show as a contestant. The $64,000 Question quizzed contestants in their chosen area of expertise. She memorized 20 volumes of a boxing encyclopedia — and, with that as her subject, became the only woman and the second person to ever win the show's top prize. Brothers tried her luck again on the superseding $64,000 Challenge, answering each question correctly and earning the dubious distinction as one of the biggest winners in the history of television quiz shows. She later denied any knowledge of cheating, and during a 1959 hearing in the quiz show scandal, a producer exonerated her of involvement. Joyce Brothers sits in the studio of her radio show. (Photo11: AP) Her celebrity opened up doors. In 1956, she became co-host of Sports Showcast and frequently appeared on talk shows. Two years later, NBC offered her a trial on an afternoon television program in which she advised on love, marriage, sex and childrearing. Its success led to a nationally telecast program, and subsequent late-night shows that addressed such taboo subjects as menopause, frigidity, impotence and sexual enjoyment. She also dispensed advice on several phone-in radio programs, sometimes going live. She was criticized by some for giving out advice without knowing her callers' histories. But Brothers responded that she was not practicing therapy on the air and that she advised callers to seek professional help when needed. Despite criticism of the format, the call-in show took off, and by 1985, the Association of Media Psychologists was created to monitor for abuses. For almost four decades, Brothers was a columnist for Good Housekeeping. She also wrote a daily syndicated advice column that appeared in more than 350 newspapers. Briefly, in 1961, she was host of her own television program. Later, Brothers branched out into film, playing herself in more than a dozen movies, including Analyze That (2002), Beethoven's 4th (2001), Lover's Knot (1996) and Dear God (1996). She was also an advocate for women. In the 1970s, Brothers called for changing textbooks to remove sexist bias, noting that nonsexist cultures tend to be less warlike. The quiz show scandal of 1958-59 was one of the biggest scandals in the history of television. It erupted in 1958 when it was revealed that quiz show producers had been rigging the outcome of some shows, including The $64,000 Question, by giving favored contestants the answers in advance. Brothers was one of a number of big winners who told an Associated Press survey in November 1959 that they knew nothing of any cheating. At a House hearing that month, associate producer Mort Koplin also said Brothers was among those not involved in cheating. But he also described how contestants, who were carefully interviewed in advance, could be affected unknowingly as producers tried to manipulate the outcome of shows by tailoring questions to benefit favored ones and oust less-favored ones. According to the testimony, Brothers applied to be a 64,000 Question contestant as an expert in home economics and psychology. The producers, looking for an audience-pleasing oddity, suggested the pretty young woman try boxing as her specialty. She learned the subject so well, Koplin said, she kept on winning even after the producers "threw the book" at her with tough questions aimed at eliminating her. Born Joyce Diane Bauer in New York, Brothers earned her bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia. She wrote numerous advice books, including Ten Days To A Successful Memory (1964), Positive Plus: The Practical Plan for Liking Yourself Better (1995) and Widowed (1992), a guide to dealing with grief, written after the death of her husband in 1989. "I had never really experienced grief before, and although the pain was enormous, I became much more sensitive to others," Brothers is quoted as saying in the 1997 book Jewish Women in America, by Paula E. Hyman and Deborah Dash Moore. Brothers is survived by sister Elaine Goldsmith, daughter Lisa Brothers Arbisser, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. AP entertainment writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/13VUfopDear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. A survey released Tuesday showed 35 percent of Jewish Israeli youth had never spoken with an Arab youth. The survey also showed that 27% of Arab Israelis reported never having spoken with a Jewish youth and 18% of Jewish Israeli youth reported never having spoken with an ultra-Orthodox youth. For the survey, 400 Jewish and Arab Israelis from the ages of 12 to 18 from all sectors – traditional, religious, secular, and ultra-Orthodox, took part, showing trends of intolerance towards each other. More findings from the survey showed that 41% of Jewish youth think that Israel should be more Jewish than democratic versus only some 25% who think that Israel should be more democratic than Jewish.Interestingly, the majority of Arab youth in the survey reported feeling part of Israeli society in some way, with approximately 40% of them stating they feel part of Israeli society "to a large or very large extent". Over a third of ultra-Orthodox youth said they feel part of Israeli society only "to a certain extent" or less.Approximately 52% of Jewish youth in the survey defined themselves as right-wing, 30% as center, and only 9% as left-wing.Some 11% of the Jewish youth stated that they had been physically or verbally injured or excommunicated for speaking out on politics in the classroom. The majority of those who claimed to be affected identified as left wing.Half of the respondents stated that they don't think teachers should express their personal political opinions in class.Referring to the acts of vandalism known as "price tag attacks", which generally target Arabs, often with messages of hate, only 28% of Jewish youth outright condemn price tag attacks. Surprising to some, more traditional youth condemned the acts than secular youth. Approximately 22% stated they had never heard of price tag.Nearly half of religious youth, and a quarter of the total Jewish youth questioned, stated they "understand but do not justify" the attacks.Some 45% of the Jewish youth are not willing to learn in a mixed class with Arabs, while only approximately 39% of Arab youth are not willing to learn in a mixed class with Jews.Prof. Kobi Metzer, President of the Open University of Israel, said of the findings, "At a time when we are witnessing an increase in instances of intolerance, racism, discrimination, and violence, education must play a key role in shaping Israeli society as a democratic, open and enlightened, society, in which the equal treatment of different sectors in society does not fade away in the face of sectorial labeling."The survey, conducted by the Rafi Smith polling institute, was done in preparation for the Dov Lautman Conference on Educational Policy, a two-day conference held in partnership by The Lautman Foundation and the Israel Democracy Institute and hosted by the Open University of Israel. It opened Tuesday morning with discussions on the decline of democratic values in Israel, the lack of tolerance for the other and for different political opinions, and more. Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>Dispensationalists Frantically Adjust End-Times Charts To Include Brexit Vote WORLD—As Great Britain voted in favor of a motion to leave the European Union, premillenial dispensationalists around the world held emergency meetings Friday morning, frantically adjusting their prophetic charts to include the completely unanticipated new development. “We’re thinking of calling this one ‘The Brexit Dispensation,'” Tim LaHaye told reporters as he hastily altered his precise wall charts to account for the new information. “We had previously thought that Saddam Hussein would be the one to usher in the one-world government, but that’s looking less likely now, so we’re going to make some official adjustments.” LaHaye added that the European Union might not be ushering in an age of one-world government after all, unfortunately. Meanwhile in California, prophecy expert Dr. David Jeremiah of Shadow Mountain Community Church reportedly made an emergency early-morning phone call to Texas pastor John Hagee. “John, have you seen the news? This isn’t in any of the tables!” he is said to have screamed into the phone. After calming Jeremiah down, Hagee reportedly consulted a series of lunar charts taped across his bedroom walls and surmised that the Brexit decision had actually been accurately predicted by Halley’s Comet in 1986, before proceeding to scribble some corrections on his favorite eschatological timeline in red marker. “We totally missed it!” Hagee told reporters as he explained his new chart at a Friday afternoon press conference. “It just goes to show when you’re not extremely careful about building your theology around current events and astrological signs, even the experts can make a mistake.” Hagee further stated that he would have an exhaustive new book covering these developments released within a few months, tentatively titled Brexit: Dispensation of Doom.Campbell Newman, Jeff Seeney sue Alan Jones for defamation; Clive Palmer offers to help pay shock jock's legal fees Updated Clive Palmer says he will help pay Alan Jones' legal fees, after Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and his deputy Jeff Seeney announced they would sue the broadcaster for defamation. Mr Newman and Mr Seeney are suing Jones and Brisbane radio station 4BC for aggravated damages over comments Jones made in broadcasts this week during the state election campaign. Health Minister Lawrence Springborg will also sue Jones for defamation, his office confirmed, while Treasurer Tim Nicholls said he had not yet made a decision on pursuing legal action. In a statement of claim filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court in Brisbane and obtained by the ABC, Mr Newman and Mr Seeney claim each of them has been "greatly injured in his credit and reputation" by Jones's broadcasts. The pair are suing over three broadcasts, made on the mornings of January 19, 20, and 21, in which Jones said Mr Newman had lied to him about plans for the expansion of the New Hope coal mine at Acland on the Darling Downs in southern Queensland. Mr Newman and Mr Seeney, who gave their addresses as Liberal National Party (LNP) headquarters in Brisbane, argue in the statement of claim that they were defamed by Jones when he claimed the LNP received a "bribe" of $700,000 from the owners of the mine in the form of donations to the party, and this induced Mr Newman and Mr Seeney to approve the expansion plan. Nice to hear from you Mr Newman... you remain a bit of a political novice if you think that's the way to win an election or to silence people. Alan Jones Damages are also being sought over Jones's remarks on January 19 that Mr Newman had "prostituted himself" because of the donation and lied in a press release issued in February 2012 in which the then-opposition leader said the LNP would not approve the expansion if elected. The plaintiffs said they were seeking aggravated damages because of "the sensational language, tone and prominence of the matters complained of" and because Jones made the remarks in his broadcasts "knowing them to be false or with reckless indifference to their truth or falsity and lacking an honest belief in what he published". Mr Newman and Mr Seeney are seeking general compensatory damages, aggravated damages, interest and costs. No specific figure was mentioned. While Mr Newman launched the court action during an election campaign, he was reluctant to answer questions on the matter. "If you don't want to talk about the important savings for jobs we will talk about that," he said. "Mr Jones will have to justify under oath in court his defamatory statements." Mr Palmer, a vocal critic of Mr Newman whose Palmer United Party will be looking to take seats from the LNP at this month's state election, took to Twitter on Friday to express his support for Jones. "Alan Jones has my full support for telling the truth about @theqldpremier. I offer him financial support to fight any legal action," he tweeted. Jones says 'nice to hear' from Newman and'sidekick' Seeney On his show on Friday morning Jones acknowledged he had received the statement of claim. "I have been waiting to hear from Campbell Newman for a long time - goodness knows how many times I've communicated with him on a range of issues and those communications have been unanswered," he said. "So imagine my surprise yesterday when I did receive correspondence running to 35 pages from him and his sidekick, Jeff Seeney. "Nice to hear from you Mr Newman... you remain a bit of a political novice if you think that's the way to win an election or to silence people, you need to actually think again but thanks for writing." Earlier this week, Jones said the Newman Government had an appalling track record and was "as bad as anything we've ever seen in government in Australia anywhere". The LNP has confirmed it will be funding the defamation action, as it was initiated by Mr Newman. Queensland Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Premier's decision to launch the defamation suit against Jones was "typical". "Operation Boring is over. Here we go, back to the fights, back to the fights, the dysfunction that we have seen, the chaos over the last three years. Campbell Newman, the Operation Boring is completely over and he's just back to being himself," she said. 4BC declined to comment. Topics: courts-and-trials, elections, brisbane-4000 First postedWhat is the Canyon Mine? The Canyon Mine is a uranium mine located near Red Butte, a sacred mountain and Traditional Cultural Property only six miles from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. Canadian company, Energy Fuels, is currently sinking the mine shaft and plans to extract uranium in early 2017. The company is operating under a Plan of Operations and Environmental Review that date to 1986, and the Forest Service failed to properly consult with the Havasupai Tribe before allowing the mine to operate. The Havasupai Tribe, Grand Canyon Trust, Center for Biological Diversity, and Sierra Club have legally challenged the United States Forest Service’s decision to allow Energy Fuels Resources to reopen the Canyon uranium mine, which was initially approved in the 1980s and had been closed since 1992. production rate is 109,500 tons per year of high-grade uranium ore EFI permitted to stockpile up to 13,100 tons of uranium ore at Canyon Mine. is within a one million acre area that was withdrawn from mining in 2012 due to concerns about uranium mining’s environmental and cultural threats to the Grand Canyonwatershed. Canyon Mine haul route facts: Nearly 300 miles 25 trucks (both ways) with capacity to haul up to 30 tons of highly radioactive ore per day Covered only with tarps Through towns such as Valle, Williams, and Flagstaff; through Navajo reservation communities including Cameron, Tuba City, and Kayenta; and finally arrive at Energy Fuel’s White Mesa Mill only three miles from the Ute Mountain Ute tribal community of White Mesa, Utah. Sacred Sites & Precious Water: Red Butte is located in the Kaibab National Forest in Coconino County, Arizona on ancestral Havasupai lands. It is known to the Havasupai nation as Wii’i Gdwiisa, “clenched fist mountain,” and has been held sacred since time immemorial. determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property in 2009 The Canyon Mine is located within the Traditional Cultural Property boundary of Red Butte also culturally significant to Diné (Navajo) and Hopi Nations An estimated 40 million people rely on water from the Colorado River which flows through the Grand Canyon. Already, 20 seeps and springs in the Grand Canyon region exhibit dissolved uranium concentrations over safe drinking water standards as a result of historic uranium mining. The Canyon Mine threatens to further those impacts, and the haul routes travel over two key Colorado River tributaries – the San Juan and Little Colorado. What is the White Mesa Mill? The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill licensed to operate in the United States. Energy Fuels Inc. owns and operates both the mill and the Colorado Plateau uranium mines, including Canyon Mine, that supply ore to the mill. The mill is located three miles north of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s White Mesa Ute community and six miles south of Blanding, Utah. built in 1979 to process uranium ore from the Colorado Plateau. In 1987, it began processing “alternate feed material” (uranium-bearing toxic and radioactive waste) from across North America. Energy Fuels disposes of the mill’s radioactive and toxic waste tailings in “impoundments” that take up about 275 acres next to the mill. What are the tailings impoundments? There are currently five tailings impoundments (Cells 1, 2, 3, 4A, and 4B) in the mill’s 275 acre tailings-management system. These impoundments receive tailings, including waste processing solutions, that are laden with radioactive and toxic elements. What are the health and environmental hazards? Cells 1, 2, and 3 at the White Mesa Mill were constructed with thin plastic liners between two layers of crushed rock. The liners in those cells had a useful life of 20 years when they were installed in the early 1980s and have never been replaced. Cells 1, 2, and 3 leak detection system lacks a double liner and will not detect a leak until groundwater has already been contaminated. The mill emits radioactive and toxic air pollutants
ers who were serving the world in much the same way that Columbus did when he discovered America.”... I found them in a pasture lot of 87 acres, a little over half a mile long and nearly as broad. The few people who occasionally got a glimpse of the experiments, evidently considered it only another Darius Green [a youth in a famous poem by John Townsend Trowbridge who tries but fails to fly], but I recognized at once they were really scientific explorers who were serving the world in much the same way that Columbus did when he discovered America, and just the same way that Edison, Marconi, and a host of others have done all along through the ages. In running an automobile or a bicycle you have to manage the steering only to the right and left; but an air-ship has to be steered up and down also. When I first saw the apparatus it persisted in going up and down like the waves of the sea. Sometimes it would dig its nose in the dirt, almost in spite of the engineer. After repeated experiments it was finally cured of its foolish tricks, and was made to go like a steady old horse. This work, mind you, was all new. Nobody living could give them any advice. It was like exploring a new and unknown domain. Shall I tell you how they cured it of bobbing up and down? Simply by loading its nose or front steering-apparatus with cast iron. In my ignorance I thought the engine was not large enough; but when fifty pounds of iron was fastened to its "nose" (as I will persist in calling it), it came down to a tolerably straight line and carried the burden with ease. There was a reason for this that I cannot explain here. Other experiments had to be made in turning from right to left; and, to make the matter short, it was my privilege, on the 20th day of September, 1904, to see the first successful trip of an airship, without a balloon to sustain it, that the world has ever made, that is, to turn the corners and come back to the starting-point. During all of these experiments they have kept so near the soft marshy ground that a fall would be no serious accident, either to the machine or its occupant. In fact, so carefully have they managed, that, during these years of experimenting, nothing has happened to do any serious damage to the machine nor to give the boys more than what might be called a severe scratch. I think great praise is due them along this very line. They have been prudent and cautious. I told you there was not another machine equal to such a task as I have mentioned, on the face of the earth; and, furthermore, just now as I dictate there is probably not another man besides these two who has learned the trick of controlling it. In making this last trip of rounding the circle, the machine was kept near the ground, except in making the turns. If you will watch a large bird when it swings around in a circle you will see its wings are tipped up at an incline. This machine must follow the same rule; and to clear the tip of the inside wing it was found necessary to rise to a height of perhaps 20 or 25 feet. When the engine is shut off the apparatus glides to the ground very quietly, and alights on something much like a pair of light sled-runners, sliding over the grassy surface perhaps a rod or more. Whenever it is necessary to slow up the speed before alighting, you turn the nose up hill. It will then climb right up on the air until the momentum is exhausted, when, by skillful management, it can be dropped as lightly as a feather. Since the above was written they have twice succeeded in making four complete circles without alighting, each circle passing the starting-point. These circles are nearly a mile in circumference each; and the last flight made, Dec. 1, could have been prolonged indefinitely had it not been that the rudder was in such position it cramped the hand of the operator so he was obliged to alight. The longest flight took only five minutes and four seconds by the watch. Over 100 flights have been made during the past summer. Some of them reached perhaps 50 or 60 feet above ground. On both these long trips seventy pounds instead of fifty of cast iron was carried on the "nose." “This great progressive world cannot afford to take the risk of losing the life of either of these two men.” Everybody is ready to say, "Well, what use it? What good will it do?" These are questions no man can answer yet. However, I will give you a suggestion or two. The man who made this last trip said there was no difficulty whatever in going above the trees or anywhere he chose; but perhaps wisdom would dictate he should have still more experience a little nearer the ground. The machine easily made 30 or 40 miles an hour, and this in going only a little more than half a mile straight ahead. No doubt it would get up a greater speed if allowed to do so—perhaps, with the wind, a mile a minute after the first mile. The manager could doubtless go outside of the field and bring it back safely, to be put in the little house where it is kept nights. But no matter how much time it takes, I am sure all the world will commend the policy so far pursued—go slowly and carefully, and avoid any risk that might cause the loss of a human life. This great progressive world cannot afford to take the risk of losing the life of either of these two men.* [Footnote: *If these two men should be taken away by accident or otherwise, there is probably no one living who could manage the machine. With these men to teach them "the trade," however, there are plenty who could doubtless learn it in a few weeks.] I have suggested before, friends, that the time may be near at hand when we shall not need to fuss with good roads nor railway tracks, bridges, etc., at such an enormous expense. With these machines we can bid adieu to all these things. God's free air, that extends all over the earth, and perhaps miles above us, is our training field. Rubber tires, and the price of rubber, are no longer "in it." The thousand and one parts of the automobile that go to make its construction, and to give it strength, can all be dispensed with. You can set your basket of eggs almost anywhere on the upper or lower deck, they will not even rattle unless it be when they come to alight. There are hundreds of queer things coming to light in regard to this new method of travel; and I confess it is not clear to me, even yet, how that little aluminum engine, with four paddles, does the work. I asked the question, "Boys, would that engine and these two propellers raise the machine from the ground if placed horizontally above it?" "Certainly not, Mr. Root. They would not lift a quarter of its weight." "Then how is it possible that it sustains it in the air as it is?" The answer involves a strange point in the wonderful discovery of air navigation. When some large bird or butterfly is soaring with motionless wings, a very little power from behind will keep it moving. Well, if this motion is kept up, a very little incline of the wings will keep it from falling. A little more incline, and a little more push from behind, and the bird or the butterfly, or the machine created by human hands, will gradually rise in the air. I was surprised at the speed, and I was astonished at the wonderful lifting power of this comparatively small apparatus. When I saw it pick up the 50 pounds of iron so readily I asked if I might ride in place of the iron. I received, by way of assurance, the answer that the machine would no doubt carry me easily. You see then I would have the "front seat"; and even if it is customary (or used to be in olden times) to accord the front seat to the ladies, I think the greater part of them would say, "Oh! Sit still, Mr. Root. Do not think of getting up to give us your seat." “Imagine a locomotive that has left its track, and is climbing up in the air right toward you.” At first there was considerable trouble about getting the machine up in the air and the engine well up to speed. They did this by running along a single-rail track perhaps 200 feet long. It was also, in the early experiments, found advisable to run against the wind, because they could then have a greater time to practice in the air and not get so far away from the building where it was stored. Since they can come around to the starting-point, however, they can start with the wind even behind them; and with a strong wind behind it is an easy matter to make even more than a mile a minute. The operator takes his place lying flat on his face. This position offers less resistance to the wind. The engine is started and got up to speed. The machine is held until ready to start by a sort of trap to be sprung when all is ready; then with a tremendous flapping and snapping of the four-cylinder engine, the huge machine springs aloft. When it first turned that circle, and came near the starting-point, I was right in front of it; and I said then, and I believe still, it was one of the grandest sights, if not the grandest sight, of my life. Imagine a locomotive that has left its track, and is climbing up in the air right toward you—a locomotive without any wheels, we will say, but with white wings instead, we will further say—a locomotive made of aluminum. Well, now, imagine this white locomotive, with wings that spread 20 feet each way, coming right toward you with a tremendous flap of its propellers, and you will have something like what I saw. The younger brother bade me move to one side for fear it might come down suddenly; but I tell you, friends, the sensation that one feels in such a crisis is something hard to describe. The attendant at one time, when the rope came off that started it, said he was shaking from head to foot as if he had a fit of ague. His shaking was uncalled for, however, for the intrepid manager succeeded in righting up his raft, and she made one of her very best flights. I may add, however, that the apparatus is secured by patents, both in this and in foreign countries; and as nobody else has as yet succeeded in doing anything like what they have done I hope no millionaire or syndicate will try to rob them of the invention or laurels they have so fairly and honestly earned. When Columbus discovered America he did not know what the outcome would be, and no one at that time knew; and I doubt if the wildest enthusiast caught a glimpse of what really did come from his discovery. In a like manner these two brothers have probably not even a faint glimpse of what their discovery is going to bring to the children of men. No one living can give a guess of what is coming along this line, much better than any one living could conjecture the final outcome of Columbus' experiment when he pushed off through the trackless waters. Possibly we may be able to fly over the north pole, even if we should not succeed in tacking the "stars and stripes" to its uppermost end. A fortnight after the above entry appeared, Root published, in the January 15, 1905, issue of Gleanings in Bee Culture, a pen-enhanced photograph of one of the Wright brothers flying one of their early gliders (see image at right), with this accompanying note: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' FLYING-MACHINE. I shall have to apologize a little, friends, for giving a picture of the gliding-machine instead of a flying-machine; and I shall have to apologize a little more because the rudder in the rear that guides it from right to left is not shown in the cut; neither are the diagonal wire braces shown. You will recollect the machine is made of white canvas. The wires are also white; and with the clear sky for a background it was very difficult to get a clearly defined picture. To make it a little plainer the outlines have been marked with ink, as you will observe. The back side of the planes shows the outline as it really appears. The cotton is stretched over a light framework of light sticks, giving it somewhat the appearance of a bird's wing; for both planes, upper and lower, are concave to some extent. The front rudder, that changes the course of the machine up or down, is a small independent plane that can be raised or lowered out of its level by the operator. The back rudder that does not show in the picture consists of two vertical planes that can be revolved on a pivot so as to turn the machine either to the right or left. The operator, Mr. Wilbur Wright, if I am correct, is shown very plainly. “No drinking man should ever be allowed to undertake to run a flying-machine.” It has often been remarked that one of the most beautiful sights in the world is a ship under full sail, especially a new sailing vessel with clean white canvas. There is something especially exhilarating about the way in which the canvas catches the wind and sends the ship scudding through the waves. But to me the sight of a machine like the one I have pictured, with its white canvas planes and rudders subject to human control, is one of the grandest and most inspiring sights I have ever seen on earth; and when you see one of these graceful crafts sailing over your head, and possibly over your home, as I expect you will in the near future, see if you don't agree with me that the flying machine is one of God's most gracious and precious gifts. I mention at the outset that the picture represents the gliding-machine. Well, the flying-machine is the same thing with the aluminum engine which stands right close to the operator and the pair of propellers, one each side of the back rudder. When in flight the propellers are invisible. Their action is very much like the motion of a bee's wing—perhaps not quite as rapid. But the picture as we give it gives you a very fair idea of the new vehicle that requires no macadam road, no iron rails, and no expensive bridges. Its highway is God's free air; and as it has only the vaulted heavens above to fence off our domain, there surely should not be any dispute about the "right of way"; neither should there be any difficulty in the way of collisions or getting in each other's way. The automobile is largely restricted in making speed by other vehicles, especially where the driver does not wish to annoy or inconvenience any of his fellow men. If anybody gets in our way with the air-ship we not only have ample space to go around him to the right or to the left, but we can "duck under" or scoot over his head if it seems advisable. There does not seem to be much danger in the way of loss of life unless something happens to the front rudder; and that is one feature that should be made safe beyond the possibility of an accident. While up in the air there is but very little to injure or to put any great strain on any part of the machinery. If you run into a tree or a house, of course there would a smash-up. No drinking man should ever be allowed to undertake to run a flying-machine.In February 2017, the web site The Last Line of Defense published an article reporting that Michelle and Barack Obama had filed for divorce in Illinois: Late last week, a rumor began circulating in Washington social circles that there was trouble in paradise for Barack and Michelle Obama. While there was no confirmation, it was being tossed around that it was Barack looking to dump Michelle. This morning, a filing in the District Court of Cook County, Illinois confirmed that the couple is seeking divorce and that Barack is, in fact, the plaintiff. According to county docket D4610968L86, Barack Hussein Obama seeks dissolution of marriage from Michelle Obama on grounds of infidelity and irreconcilable differences. The infidelity, according to the Obama’s longtime housekeeper, Analita Consuelo Gonsales, isn’t recent but rather the revelation through a recent DNA test that Obama isn’t the biological father of Sasha or Malia. We searched the Cook County database for docket D4610968L86 and came up empty-handed, and this story was reported nowhere but on the The Last Line of Defense web site, even though it would have been covered by multiple news outlets around the world were there anything to it. Of course there was no truth in this article, which originated with The Last Line of Defense, a humor site that carries a disclaimer stating that all of its content should be considered satirical: The Resistance may include information from sources that may or may not be reliable and facts that don’t necessarily exist. All articles should be considered satirical and any and all quotes attributed to actual people complete and total baloney. Pictures that represent actual people should be considered altered and not in any way real. This spoof article was full of outlandish, baseless, and unbelievable aspects that all hinted at the article’s satirical nature. For instance, The Last Line of Defense asserted a DNA test proved that Barack Obama wasn’t the biological father of Sasha and Malia, that the Obama children were the product of genetic engineering, that Malia was a talented dulcimer musicians (but her talents were being kept secret), that Michelle Obama had announced a 2020 presidential bid, and that Sasha made millions of dollars playing Texas Hold ‘Em poker. According to a tweet Barack sent on Valentine’s Day, the former First Couple were still happily married after 28 years:Reddit is adjusting its voting system to make a post’s score more accurately reflect its popularity, according to a post by founding engineer Christopher Slowe. The company has been removing what Slowe (aka KeyserSosa) calls “outdated, unnecessary” rules that mask post scores, and recalculating vote counts for older posts as part of the process. As a result, many scores will be rising — and the system will hypothetically be getting, if not more transparent, a bit more trustworthy. The rules in question were created to prevent spammers or vote manipulators from seeing exactly how their efforts were affecting a given post — they changed the number based on hidden variables defined by Reddit, “fuzzing” the upvotes and downvotes. But they also had unintended consequences. As Slowe writes, the calculations could artificially deflate scores, sometimes in ways that made it seem as though posts were being mass-downvoted. This could undercut faith in the scores, making vote counts seem meaningless. Votes will still be ‘fuzzed’ slightly These still aren’t precise counts. “There'll still be some slight fuzzing,” writes Slowe. “The intention here is to make it ever so slightly hard for cheaters to know if their attempts are working.” The recalculations also don’t affect karma earned from posts, which is calculated separately. But they’re supposed to stop drastic, improbable drops that could happen under the old system. One user, for instance, describes posts’ points getting cut in half repeatedly, or popular posts suddenly losing points at a rapid clip. Making this less likely is “the intention with this change,” says Slowe. Reddit has been struggling to balance control with openness, and scores that are closer to straight vote counts make it tougher to argue that it’s pulling strings behind the scenes to favor or disfavor certain groups. And preventing sudden, unwarranted popularity drops could mitigate the paranoia around vote brigading or other kinds of manipulation. This isn’t a seismic shift, but it’s an example of how basic structures like scoring can help shape an entire platform’s tone.Husnain Rashid is accused of encouraging attacks on the royal family An alleged ISIS supporter accused of sharing details of Prince George’s school on social media will go on trial in the spring. Husnain Rashid, 31, made the post about the four-year-old prince on messaging app Telegram, it is alleged. The British national, of Nelson, Lancashire, also allegedly planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS. He was arrested on November 22 and charged with preparing acts of terrorism and assisting others to prepare acts of terrorism. He appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Wandsworth prison and spoke only to confirm his date of birth and British nationality. Mr Justice Haddon-Cave set a four-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court to be heard before Judge Andrew Lees from April 30. A plea hearing was also set for April 13. The defendant was remanded into custody. Prince George, pictured with his father and member of staff Helen Haslem, started at Thomas's school in Battersea in September The alleged jihadi is alleged to have posted a picture of Prince George's school on Telegram The case was brought following separate concerns over the young prince's security. Just four days before George started school, a woman filmed herself walking through the corridors unchallenged, calling the lack of security 'astonishing'. Then in September, a woman was arrested at the school after trying to get into the property twice within 24 hours. Both of the those incidents were completely unconnected to today's court case. Neighbours of Rashid expressed shock following the arrests in Nelson, Lancashire last month. The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: 'It's usually so quiet. I have not seen or heard anything suspicious myself.'The Stormville Airport Antique Show & Flea Market is a fun, family-friendly atmosphere that draws thousands of shoppers to each show. With acres and acres of merchandise our market offers a wide variety of bargains, treasures, and unique items for everyone. With over 600 hundred vendors from more than eight states there is always something new and exciting at the Stormville Flea Market. Shoppers come to the Stormville Flea Market and discover everything from antiques and collectibles; arts and crafts to new merchandise. Shoppers return to us year after year with some traveling over a hundred miles, often by the busload, to pursue the hunt for bargains. We offer six shows a year starting in April with our "Springtime in the Country" show and ending with our "Christmas in November, Christmas Shopping" show. Each offers a unique display of goods and services, including a wide variety of food concessions. Come join us at the Stormville Flea Market for Great Shopping, Great Food and Great Family Fun and experience this Hudson Valley tradition for yourself!At the end of last year, Germany switched on a new type of massive nuclear fusion reactor for the first time, and it was successfully able to contain a scorching hot blob of helium plasma. But since then, there's been a big question - is the device working the way it's supposed to? That's pretty crucial when you're talking about a machine that could potentially maintain controlled nuclear fusion reactions one day, and thankfully, the answer is yes. A team of researchers from the US and Germany have now confirmed that the Wendelstein 7-X (W 7-X) stellerator is producing the super-strong, twisty, 3D magnetic fields that its design predicted, with "unprecedented accuracy". The researchers found an error rate less than one in 100,000. "To our knowledge, this is an unprecedented accuracy, both in terms of the as-built engineering of a fusion device, as well as in the measurement of magnetic topology," the researchers write in Nature Communications. That might not sound exciting, but it's crucial, because that magnetic field is the only thing that will trap hot balls of plasma long enough for nuclear fusion to occur. Nuclear fusion is one of the most promising sources of clean energy out there - with little more than salt water, it offers limitless energy using the same reaction that powers our Sun. Unlike nuclear fission, which is achieved by our current nuclear plants, and involves splitting the nucleus of an atom into smaller neutrons and nuclei, nuclear fusion generates huge amounts of energy when atoms are fused together at incredibly high temperatures. And it produces no radioactive waste or other byproducts. Based on the longevity of our Sun, nuclear fusion also has the potential to supply humanity with energy for as long as we need it - if we can figure out how to harness the reaction, that is. And that's a pretty big 'if', because scientists have been working on the problem for more than 60 years, and we're still a fair way off our goal. The main challenge is that, in order to achieve controlled nuclear fusion, we have to actually recreate conditions inside the Sun. That means building a machine that's capable of producing and controlling a 100-million-degree-Celsius (180 million degree Fahrenheit) ball of plasma gas. As you can imagine, that's easier said than done. But there are several nuclear fusion reactor designs in operation around the world right now that are trying their best, and the W 7-X is one of the most promising attemps. Instead of trying to control plasma with just a 2D magnetic field, which is the approach used by the more common tokamak reactors, the stellerator works by generating twisted, 3D magnetic fields. This allows stellerators to control plasma without the need for any electrical current - which tokamaks rely on - and as a result, it makes stellerators more stable, because they can keep going even if the internal current is interrupted. Well, that was the idea of its design, at least. Despite the fact that the machine successfully controlled helium plasma in December last year, and then the more challenging hydrogen plasma in February, no one had shown that the magnetic field was actually working as it should be. To measure it, a team of researchers from the US Department of Energy and the Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics in Germany sent an electron beam along the magnetic field lines in the reactor. Using a fluorescent rod, they swept through those lines and created light in the shape of the fields. The result, which you can see in the image above, shows the exact type of twisted magnetic fields that it was supposed to make. "We’ve confirmed that the magnetic cage that we’ve built works as designed," said one of the lead researchers, Sam Lazerson from the US Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Despite this success, W 7-X isn't actually intended to generate electricity from nuclear fusion - it's simply a proof of concept to show that it could work. In 2019, the reactor will begin to use deuterium instead of hydrogen to produce actual fusion reactions inside the machine, but it won't be capable of generating more energy than it current requires to run. That's something that the next-generation of stellerators will hopefully overcome. "The task has just started," explain the researchers in a press release. It's not something that will happen tomorrow, but it's an incredibly exciting time for nuclear fusion, with W 7-X officially competing with France's ITER tokamak reactor - both of which have been able to trap plasma for long enough for fusion to occur. The real question now is, which of these machines will be the first to bring us efficient power from nuclear fusion? We can't wait to find out. The research has been published in Nature Communications.The cost of electricity for most Houston consumers is going up by another $1.7 billion. This time, the price hike for customers in the competitive market comes from one of the most arcane and long-forgotten aspects of deregulation. Known as stranded costs, they represent the investment that the old monopoly utilities made in things such a nuclear power plants before deregulation. Back then, utilities could recover these costs through higher rates. With deregulation came a big battle over who should have to pay them. The answer, of course, was you. Some of these charges are already factored in to the transmission charges collected by your retail electric provider on behalf of CenterPoint Energy. CenterPoint, though, doesn’t sell electricity. It runs the transmission grid for most of the greater Houston area. No matter what company you buy your electricity from, you pay these transmission charges. More money, please Back in 2004, the Public Utility Commission allowed CenterPoint to recover $2.3 billion in stranded costs. That resulted in a $5.10 monthly charge on your bill. But CenterPoint felt it was entitled to another $2 billion or so, and it appealed the decision even as it began collecting the first batch of money. Stranded costs are actually a billion-dollar joke on consumers. CenterPoint sold the generating plants that had been owned by Houston Lighting & Power in 2004 for $3.7 billion to a group led by billionaire investor David Bonderman. A year later, Bonderman sold the same plants to NRG Energy for $5.8 billion. Note the price difference. The low-ball offer with which Bonderman snookered CenterPoint and the actual market price for which he sold the plants is about $2 billion – the same amount as the additional stranded costs CenterPoint wanted to recover. Covering the discount After seven years of legal wrangling that went all the way to the state Supreme Court, CenterPoint has essentially been reimbursed for the discount it gave to Bonderman and his buyout buddies. Turns out the costs weren’t stranded at all. CenterPoint left them on the table, and they wound up in a billionaire’s pocket. Don’t blame Bondo for this boondoogle, though. He simply exploited a flawed system. A last-minute settlement, negotiated last week, cut consumers’ cost to $1.7 billion, according to a filing CenterPoint made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That works out to another $2.20 a month on your bill for the next 14 years. If you’re keeping count of these transmission charges, you might also want to add in the $3.24 a month that CenterPoint tacks on for the rollout of smart meters. A key part left out One of the costly ironies of deregulation is that it failed to bring market innovation to the one component of the electricity market where it was desperately needed: transmission. Transmission companies like CenterPoint remain regulated, which means consumers wind up paying now in hopes that innovations such as smart meters will enable retailers to offer them better savings in the future. Any benefit, though, is overshadowed by the higher rates consumers have paid during the past decade of the deregulation debacle. While $2.20 a month may not seem like a lot, consumers are tired of seeing their bills go up despite promises that deregulation would make them go down. High, and going higher Houston-area electricity customers already have some of the highest rates in the country thanks to the poorly structured and poorly named “free market” system. Now they will get to pay even more because part of that system remains regulated, just not very well.Three days after a We The People petition was created calling for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to resign for his desire to repeal net neutrality, nearly 60,000 people have signed it as of this writing. That means the petition is about 60 percent of the way to its end goal of 100,000— theoretically, the White House would then give an official response. As the petition’s creator, G.S., wrote, “We the people have identified FCC Chairman Ajit Varadaraj Pai as a threat to our freedoms due to his call to repeal Net Neutrality. We passionately call upon the white house for the immediate removal of FCC Chairman Ajit Varadaraj Pai from office for his actions.” Pai wants the FCC to vote next month on whether to repeal net neutrality, which mandates that internet service providers (ISPs) treat equally all the data that’s delivered to customers. Critics of Pai say repealing net neutrality would allow ISPs to slow down or block whatever websites they want and create a tiered payment system that would cost internet users much more money. But those who favor a free and open internet have pushed back on Pai, and Maine Sen. Susan Collins became the first GOP senator to signal her approval of net neutrality, as her spokesperson said, “Internet providers must not manage their system in an anti-competitive way that limits consumers’ choices.” Of course, the petition is more symbolic than useful. After all, a petition demanding that Trump release his tax returns earlier this year hit 100,000 signatures in less than 24 hours (more than 1.1 million people eventually signed). Trump has not done so. In fact, it doesn’t seem as if the administration is responding at all to petitions who reach more than 100,000. Assuming this Pai petition gets to its goal—it has until Dec. 23 to hit the 100,000 number—it’s also doubtful the White House would ask him to quit. But with the news that the FCC ignored an investigation looking into fake anti-net neutrality comments, at least those who want those rules to remain in place are making their voices heard.From Novels to Video Games to Television; Here Comes the Witcher Today marks a special day for fans of The Witcher. Netflix has confirmed that the fantasy franchise created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski will be made into a TV show. Witcher, as many may know, comes from the series of novels written by Sapkowski. Set within a fantasy world of magic and monsters, the story revolves around the super-human monster hunters known as Witchers. But each plot follows one in particular; namely, Geralt of Rivia. He is the main protagonist in both the eight-part novel series and the critically-acclaimed video games developed by CD Projekt RED. As such, the upcoming Netflix show will also revolve around Geralt. As production gets underway, both Sean Daniel (Ben-Hur, The Expanse, The Mummy) and Jason Brown (The Expanse) will serve as Executive Producers. To make things more interesting, oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning Tomek Baginski shall take part in the project. The same Baginski director who directed all three of the video games, and he will be accompanied by Jared Sawko of Platige Image – a Polish production and visual effects company. Meanwhile, author Andrzej Sapkowski himself will serve as a creative consultant during production. And he had his own response to the announcement of a Netflix series: “I’m thrilled that Netflix will be doing an adaptation of my stories, staying true to the source material and the themes that I have spent over thirty years writing. I’m excited about our efforts together, as well as the team assembled to shepherd these characters to life.” Netflix Vice President Erick Barmack has this to add: “Andrzej Sapkowski has created a rich and memorable world, at once magical and familiar. We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Netflix members around the world.” At the same time, producers Daniel and Brown couldn’t help but express their enthusiasm: “The Witcher stories follow an unconventional family that comes together to fight for truth in a dangerous world. The characters are original, funny and constantly surprising and we can’t wait to bring them to life at Netflix, the perfect home for innovative storytelling.” Following is the statement by Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko “There is a moral and intellectual depth in these books which goes beyond genre. It is a story about today and today’s challenges, hidden under a fantasy cover. It is a story about us, about the monster and the hero inside all of our hearts.” Even though production has begun, we have no news of a release date or casting. But we expect plenty more info in time. What are your thoughts on a Witcher series coming to Netflix? Have you played The Witcher 3 yet or read the books? It’s never too late. Comment down below. We’d like to know if you’re as excited as we are. SOURCEThis is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We turn now to look at President Donald Trump’s newly appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, who has begun to attack net neutrality rules and other consumer protections. In a series of actions earlier this month, Pai blocked nine companies from providing affordable high-speed internet to low-income families. He withdrew the FCC’s support from an effort to curb the exorbitant cost of phone calls from prison. And he also said he disagrees with the 2015 decision to regulate the internet like a public utility. AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re going to Los Angeles, where we’ll speak with Jessica González, deputy director, senior counsel at Free Press. González was formerly on the FCC’s Open Internet Advisory Committee and Diversity Committee. She’s also the former executive vice president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Jessica González, welcome to Democracy Now! JESSICA GONZÁLEZ: Thank you. AMY GOODMAN: Talk about the significance of the elevation of Ajit Pai to be the head of the FCC, and the decisions and the stands that he takes. JESSICA GONZÁLEZ: Well, Ajit Pai is Trump’s new FCC chairman, and it should come as a surprise to no one that he poses a significant threat, not only to net neutrality, but also to the digital divide. In his first weeks—his first week in office, he talked a good game about bridging the digital divide. But actions speak louder than words. And if you look at his actions, there’s a very, very troubling history of voting against reforms to both bring affordable access to poor Americans, to low-income Americans, to people of color, who disproportionately lack home internet access, but there’s also a troubling history of voting against net neutrality. He voted against the Lifeline order, to modernize Lifeline and bring affordable broadband to low-income families. He voted against the E-rate order, to help bring high-speed internet to schools and libraries in poor neighborhoods. And he voted against net neutrality, to keep the internet open so that people who don’t usually get a spot in mainstream media can tell their own stories, can organize for justice and can make a living. And so, we’re very concerned. We have a close eye on him. And we can’t trust what he says. And actions speak louder than words. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Jessica, in a 2015 interview with Reason TV, Ajit Pai suggested that any federal regulation of the internet is harmful. This is what he said. COMMISSIONER AJIT PAI: Do you trust the federal government to make the internet ecosystem more vibrant than it is today? Can you think of any regulated utility, like the electric company or water company, that is as innovative as the internet? I mean, I think what he, what Marc Andreessen, who developed, of course, the first Netscape browser—what he and other entrepreneurs are seeing is that this is something that has worked really well, and there’s no reason for the FCC to mess it up by inserting itself into areas where it hasn’t been before. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: So what about this issue of his view on the internet? And remember, it took the Obama administration several years, only the last couple of years of Obama’s presidency, before they finally took a clear stand that the internet was a public utility, and even under Wheeler,
B-cell lymphoma) to attack their tumors without any apparent dangerous side effects. Some 18,000 Americans, typically between the ages of 60 and 65, are diagnosed annually with this incurable, slow-growing type of cancer. Study coauthor Ronald Levy, an oncologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, says that physicians generally take their cues from the disease, waiting to see how fast it is moving—and treating it with toxic chemotherapy (sometimes with radiation) only if it becomes aggressive. He says that if future trials are successful, the experimental vaccine, which can be made relatively quickly and cheaply, could become a short-term therapy administered immediately after diagnosis to try to keep tumors in check. "This may not be a replacement for chemotherapies, but a supplement for them," Levy says. "A technology that is fast, like this one, is more amenable to a watchful waiting approach than a technology that is slow to produce." This and other anti-cancer vaccines work by pumping a patient full of the same protein or antigen that is on the surface of tumor cells. Researchers believe that if the body contains enough of the protein, the immune system will recognize it as a potential danger and send out armies of disease-killing cells to seek and destroy tumors harboring it. To make the vaccine, researchers took a sample of a patient's tumors, which in this trial were made up of B cells (white blood cells that help the body battle disease and infection). They then extracted the gene from the cells that coded for the antigen they needed (to help the immune system recognize the tumors as threats). The key, researchers say, was to make enough of the protein quickly to prompt an immune response. In this case, the scientists achieved this by inserting the gene into a plant microbe known a tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Plants are infected with TMV simply by scratching their leaves and depositing the virus into the tears. Researchers discovered that the virus spreads throughout tobacco plants within a week, in the process cranking out a surfeit of the coveted proteins. The scientists ground the leaves and separated out the antigen, which they then injected into volunteers. They found that the immune systems of 70 percent of participants perked up when blasted with antigens specific to their cancers. The researchers report mild side effects, such as swelling around the injection site and mild to moderate flu symptoms in some participants within a week of getting the vaccine. Of the original group of 16—who ranged in age from 30 to 64—three died (from the disease, not the vaccine), but 13 are still alive and their diseases are in remission up to eight years since being given the vaccine. All of the patients also received chemotherapy, so researchers cannot be certain what role, if any, the vaccines played. Levy says more work is being done to assess the vaccine's effectiveness. Charles Arntzen, a plant biologist at the Arizona State University Biodesign Institute, says a major plus is how fast the vaccine can be whipped up. "I think without the speed," he says, "it would be hard to convince a cancer patient to wait for a vaccine to be developed, rather than going on some other therapy." Levy is trying to find a new biotech company to begin efficacy trials on humans as soon as possible. He says that a vaccine like this one could be on the market as soon as it proved effective and safe.The Flyers will get their first look Sunday night at hockey's newest phenom, a 27-year-old rookie whose known as the Hamburglar. Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond is on a historic run since being called up from the AHL after the All-Star break. Hammond has started 10 of Senators' last 12 games, allowing two or fewer goals in all of them. His numbers are incredible: 9-0-1 record, 1.44 goals-against average,.954 save percentage. "He's just playing out of his mind," Sens center Kyle Turris told the Ottawa Sun. "He's given us the backbone to start a run. He's making saves to keep us in games. We're trying to take advantage of those opportunities." This out-of-nowhere run has carried the Senators back into a chase for the Eastern Conference's last wild card spot. The Sens, who are 12-2-2 in their last 16 games, trail Boston by seven points with a game in hand heading into Sunday's tilt against the Flyers, who are 10 points off the pace. Hammond was called up from the AHL on Jan. 29 when All-Star goalie Craig Anderson suffered a bruised hand. Hammond wound sitting seven games in a row, then allowed two goals on five shots over 20:46 in a shaky season debut against Carolina on Feb. 16, one in which he entered after backup goalie Robin Lehner suffered a concussion. From there, Hammond has been lights out in his 10 starts, as he has two shutouts, allowed one goal three times and two goals five times. Hammond is getting all kinds of attention in Canada for his great play, but says his only concern is helping the Sens win that wild card spot. "We're in the playoff hunt," he told the Sun. "We're not going away and we're showing a lot of resilience. Boston is the team we're chasing. We can't control what they're doing. All we can control is our approach." This is the second of three Flyers-Senators' meetings this season. The Flyers won 2-1 in a shootout at home on Jan. 6. Senators star winger Bobby Ryan, a native of South Jersey, will look to end a four-game point drought against his hometown team. Ryan, who is second on the Sens with 49 points and tied for third with 17 goals, has a goal and four points in nine career games against the Flyers. Here is everything that you need to know about how you can watch the game: Matchup: Flyers at Ottawa Senators When: Sunday, 8 p.m. Where: Canadian Tire Centre; Ottawa TV: Comcast SportsNet (Jim Jackson, Bill Clement, Chris Therien) Radio: 97.5 FM the Fanatic (Tim Saunders, Steve Coates). Here are the projected lineups: FLYERS Forward lines 10 Brayden Schenn, 28 Claude Giroux, 93 Jakub Voracek 24 Matt Read 14 Sean Couturier, 17 Wayne Simmonds 36 Zac Rinaldo, 12 Michael Raffl, 25 Ryan White 76 Chris VandeVelde 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, 40 Vincent Lecavalier Defense pairs 55 Nick Schultz, 32 Mark Streit 5 Nicklas Grossmann, 47 Andrew MacDonald 26 Carlo Colaiacovo, 22 Luke Schenn Goaltender 29 Ray Emery OTTAWA SENATORS Forward lines 68 Mike Hoffman, 93 Mike Zibanejad, 6 Bobby Ryan 9 Milan Michalek, 7 Kyle Turris, 61 Mark Stone 27 Curtis Lazar, 44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau, 22 Erik Condra 26 Matt Puempel, 17 David Legwand, 90 Alex Chiasson Defense pairs 3 Marc Methot, 65 Erik Karlsson 46 Patrick Wiercioch, 5 Cody Ceci 2 Jared Cowen, 74 Mark Borowiecki Goaltender 30 Andrew Hammond Here are 3 stories you need to read before the opening faceoff: 1. New motto works for Flyers, who rebound from horrific stretch by hammering Detroit Red Wings 2. Flyers' Steve Mason gets a lot of goal support for change, greatly enjoys blowout win 3. Brayden Schenn loses hat trick, but Flyers blitz Detroit Red Wings Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook.The U2 Tower was a proposed landmark skyscraper to be constructed in Dublin. The site chosen was in the South Docklands (SODO) campshires, at the corner of Sir John Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay, by the confluence of the River Liffey, the River Dodder, and the Grand Canal.[1] The design announced on 12 October 2007 was by Foster and Partners. Its height had been reported at 120 metres,[2] "well over 120 metres",[3] and 180 metres,[4] any of which would have made it the tallest building on the island of Ireland. The building was planned to be an apartment building, with a recording studio owned by the rock group U2 in a "pod" at the top.[2] Construction was to begin in 2008 and end in 2011, at a cost of €200m.[2] In October 2008, the project was suspended indefinitely because of the economic downturn.[5] Proposals to revive the plan were reported in July 2013.[6] History [ edit ] The construction site at Britain Quay, June 2009 The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) was established in 1997 to regenerate the brownfield sites and underused warehouses in the Docklands at the mouth of the River Liffey in Dublin.[7] In 2000, the DDDA proposed a landmark tower for the Britain Quay site.[8] The involvement of U2 was part of a deal in 2001 when the DDDA had acquired by compulsory purchase the site of U2's previous studio on Hanover Quay.[9] In October 2002, the DDDA announced an architectural design competition for the tower, initially to be 60 metres tall, which would house apartments and a penthouse recording studio for U2.[8] 530 entries were received from around the world by the closing date in February 2003.[10] The judging panel was not revealed till after the winner was announced.[11] It included the president of the Royal Hibernian Academy, the chairman and two other members of the DDDA, Dublin's City Architect, and Adam Clayton of U2.[12] [13] The panel initially chose as the winner an entry which was later disqualified after legal advice because the DDDA had lost the details of which firm had submitted the design and so were unable to notify the winner.[11][12] The Sunday Times later speculated that it might have been one by London practice 3W, after a campaign by Irish website archiseek.com led to six unidentified designs being located.[12][13] On 5 August 2003, the winning design announced was by architects Burdon Dunne/Craig Henry (now BCDH Architects) of Blackrock, Dublin.[12] Felim Dunne, the senior partner in Burdon Dunne, was the brother-in-law of U2's manager Paul McGuinness. The tower's stated height was 60 metres to the parapet, but 78 metres to the pinnacle of the glass screening device.[11] In September 2005, the DDDA revised the height of the U2 tower from 60 metres to 120 metres. [14] This was in conjunction with the planned construction of the 120-metre Watchtower in the Point Village complex on the north bank of the Liffey, opposite the U2 tower. The DDDA envisaged the two towers forming a "landmark entry" and "visual gatepost" for the city from Dublin Port.[15][16] Minister for the Environment Dick Roche approved the DDDA's plans in July 2006.[17] The DDDA applied for planning permission for the U2 tower on 14 September 2006.[18] This application further increased the height of the tower to 130m.[19] The provisions of Section 25 of the DDDA Act, 1997 were used to fast-track the application.[20] It was approved on 2 October 2006.[18] Tenders for construction of the tower were invited and a shortlist of five firms was published on 26 February 2007.[1] The winning bid announced on 12 October 2007 was from Geranger, a consortium of property developers and the members of U2. The design selected was not the original BCDH design, but rather one commissioned by Geranger from Norman Foster. The bids were assessed by a panel of three architects. The runner-up was also a new design, by Zaha Hadid.[4] On 31 October 2008, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority announced that they were suspending construction plans indefinitely due to current economic conditions.[5] On 25 November 2011, it was announced that U2 Tower land had been handed over to the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) to settle debts.[21] Problems [ edit ] Developers Dunloe Ewart (subsequently taken over by Liam Carroll) had secured planning permission in 2000 for a 100-metre building on a site next to that of the U2 tower. The DDDA objected to this in 2005 as it wanted the U2 tower to be an isolated landmark. Dublin City Council refused to extend planning permission on Carroll's undeveloped site after it expired. As of September 2007, Carroll was appealing this in the Commercial Court.[15] [22] Some residents of Ringsend have accused the DDDA of "arrogance", claiming that extra revenue from two towers could fund social housing schemes in nearby areas.[23] Others expressed discontent at the presence of a skyscraper in a historically low-rise area.[24] Concerns were expressed about a possible conflict of interest for U2 in the building tender process, when it emerged that the band were joint backers of Geranger.[25] After the original BCDH bid's success, it was pointed out that U2 manager Paul McGuinness is the brother-in-law of BCDH architect Felim Dunne.[24] The impact of the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis brought doubts on the viability of the BCDH design. Journalists speculated that the extra engineering expense of the complicated "twisting tower" design was excessive, and that an alternative design would be used instead.[26] Construction tenders were able to submit price quotations for both the original BCDH design and an alternative of their own choosing.[15] There has been speculation that lawsuits may be taken, by BCDH and by those builders who bid based solely on the BCDH design, that the DDDA was not empowered to scrap the original design.[27] Delays at all stages of the design and planning phases have been commented upon. The estimated cost and completion date moved from €55m and early 2008 in September 2006[24] to €200m and late 2011 in October 2007.[2] Design [ edit ] The predicted price of a 2-bed apartment in the tower was estimated in October 2006 at €1-1.5 million.[28] BCDH design [ edit ] The BCDH design had a 45-degree twist,[19] half the 90-degree twist of the Turning Torso in Malmö. It had a shoulder height of 100m, to the top floor of apartments,[19] and a pinnacle height of 130m, including a service level and the two-storey penthouse recording studio.[19] There were a total of 36 storeys.[1][16] The footprint was a 26.6m square.[19] The building was primarily to consist of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with commercial premises on the ground and first floors, a two-level basement parking garage, and the penthouse.[19] The dramatic twisting geometry of the tower posed a significant structural engineering challenge, resolved using a column structure of inclined columns following the twist of the building and the stiff circular core for torsional stability. 26.6 m² floor plates twist by an equal amount per storey about the circular core, housing lifts and services risers as well as a double-deck lift for service/firefighting and penthouse access.[19] Foster design [ edit ] The design chosen on 12 October 2007 was a tilted triangle.[4] It had mainly luxury apartments, with a public viewing platform at 100m,[2] just below an acoustically-insulated egg-shaped pod containing the U2 recording studio.[2][4] Above this was to be an "energy centre" containing wind turbines and a large solar panel.[4] The east and west facades were crinkled in the manner of fish scales, with concealed balconies.[4] The north facade would have been sleek, while the south facade had further solar panels.[4] The building would have straddled the end of Sir John Rogerson's quay, allowing traffic to pass through its base. Environs [ edit ] A five star hotel was planned to be located adjacent to the tower, with a block of 34 social and affordable apartments.[4] A bridge for pedestrians and public transport would have crossed the Dodder/Grand Canal mouth outside the tower, as a continuation of Sir John Rogerson's Quay towards the East Link Bridge. This was designed by UK consultants Flint & Neill.[29] Kennedy-Wilson proposal [ edit ] It was reported in July 2013 that Kennedy-Wilson, an American firm, was planning to buy the site off NAMA and develop an 18-story U2 Tower, half the height of the earlier plan.[6]The year was a memorable one – looking back at the unforgettable images over the past 12 months, you might think of apocalyptic-looking clouds over Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, or Mitt Romney’s children mistakenly standing in a line spelling out the word “MONEY”, or even the winning US Powerball lottery ticket that became the most shared picture on Facebook. There’s only one problem. All these images are fake. It would be fine if we could dismiss these images as a fleeting joke, an amusing but harmless tidbit shared among our friends and followers, if it weren’t for the fact that our minds appear to have a curious but fundamental glitch. People tend to think of their memories as a transcript, a rough history of events from some early age until the very moment they are experiencing. But human memory is far more like a desert mirage than a transcript – as we recall the past we are really just making meaning out of the flickering patterns of sights, smells and sounds we think we remember. For decades, researchers have been exploring just how unreliable our own memories are. Not only is memory fickle when we access it, but it's also quite easily subverted and rewritten. Combine this susceptibility with modern image-editing software at our fingertips like Photoshop, and it's a recipe for disaster. In a world where we can witness news and world events as they unfold, fake images surround us, and our minds accept these pictures as real, and remember them later. These fake memories don't just distort how we see our past, they affect our current and future behaviour too – from what we eat, to how we protest and vote. The problem is there’s virtually nothing we can do to stop it. Old memories seem to be the easiest to manipulate. In one study, subjects were showed images from their childhood. Along with real images, researchers snuck in doctored photographs of the subject taking a hot-air balloon ride with his or her family. After seeing those images, 50% of subjects recalled some part of that hot air balloon ride – though the event was entirely made up. In another experiment by Elizabeth Loftus, one of the pioneer researchers in the field of altered memories, researchers showed people advertising material for Disneyland that described one visitor shaking hands with Bugs Bunny. After reading the story, about a third of the participants said they remembered meeting or shaking hands with Bugs Bunny when they had visited Disneyland. But Bugs Bunny doesn't live in Disneyland – he's a Warner Brothers character. None of those people had ever met Bugs, but seeing images of him and reading the story made them remember something entirely fabricated. Childhood memories may be the easiest to manipulate, but recent, adult memories are at risk too. In one experiment, researchers asked participants to take part in a gambling task alongside a partner. When they came back for the second part of the experiment, they were shown doctored footage of their partner cheating. Despite not actually having seen their partner cheat, 20% of participants were willing to sign a witness statement saying that they had. Even after being told that the footage was doctored, participants sometimes recalled the cheating that never happened. “They say things like ‘I remember seeing it, I saw them taking too much money’,” says Kimberly Wade, a memory researcher from the University of Warwick, who carried out the study. Political trickery Of course, people aren’t walking around doctoring false images of your childhood or your recent past, but you've probably seen thousands of doctored photographs in your lifetime without you knowing it. From advertisements to political campaigns, altered and faked images surround us every day. Restaurants make their food look more appetising, magazines make their models skinnier and blemish free, colleges and politicians splice people into photographs to make their students and crowds look more diverse. In political campaigns especially, faked images show up again and again. In one famous photograph that surfaced during the 2004 US election campaign, Senator John Kerry is sitting next to Jane Fonda, with the caption explaining that both Kerry and Fonda were at a Vietnam war protest. The New York Times cited the image, and many anti-Kerry blogs and sites displayed it prominently. The problem is, the photograph is a fake. John Kerry and Jane Fonda were never at any anti-war protest together – someone had combined two different photographs. More recently, a photograph surfaced of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's children, who each wore a shirt with one letter of their last name. The children mistakenly lined up spelling out “MONEY”, rather than “ROMNEY”. Or at least that's what the picture will have you believe. In reality, the children lined up properly, spelling their own last name, and someone later simply switched the letters on the image. But like a balloon ride or Bugs Bunny, these fake images can have very real effects on memory. In 2010, the online magazine Slate ran an experiment showing readers a handful of political photographs. Some of them were of real events, while others were doctored. Readers were then asked whether or not they remembered those events happening. Nearly half of Slate's readers claimed they remembered the fake political events happening. And that's in an uncontrolled setting, where they could have easily cheated and looked up the answers. Many people are adamant that John Kerry and Jane Fonda protested together, simply because they saw that photograph. Seeing these fake images goes even beyond altering our memory of events. It can actually change our behaviours too. One study convinced people that egg salad had made them sick in their childhood. Four months later those participants were less likely to want to eat egg salad, even though the memory that made them feel that way was entirely false. Another study showed participants images of two different protests – some from the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, others from 2003 anti-war protests in Rome. The researchers doctored some of the images to make the protests more crowded and violent than they really were. When asked about the events later, not only did the participants remember the protests being violent, but they also expressed more hesitance to attend a protest in the future. And when asked for comments about the events, people wrote about conflicts, damage to property and injuries from the police and participants that were never documented at the time of the event. Whether or not these sorts of false images could radically change someone's mind on political issues has yet to be proven, says Steven Frenda, a memory researcher from the University of California in Irvine, who has a forthcoming paper examining the results of the Slate survey. But he thinks “yet” is the operative word. "I believe it probably is true,” he says, “but we don't have the evidence to say that." Researchers are still pushing the limits of just how far they can go with doctored photographs, Frenda says, and they’re planning some experiments to assess whether long-held political beliefs can be swayed by faked imagery. Why we're fooled Images are really good at fooling our memories for a number of reasons, Wade says. A big part of it is because people trust photographs. "We still think of them as frozen moments in time," she says, even though most people know that photographs can be, and often are, doctored. In fact, people trust photographs so much that they actually place more weight on information that is accompanied with an image, regardless of how related or useful that image is. If you show participants a statement, and an image that provides no proof of that statement, they are far more likely to find that statement true than if it had no image alongside it. And there are certain things that make a fake image more believable and more likely to be imprinted on our memories. People are more liable to be persuaded by false images that add weight to their beliefs. So those who were already opposed to John Kerry were quick to buy into the image of him and Jane Fonda protesting the war. Democrats are more likely to remember the Romney/Money mix-up. The Slate study found that Republicans were more likely to remember Barrack Obama shaking hands with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while Democrats are more likely to remember that George Bush was on vacation with the baseball pitcher Roger Clemens during Hurricane Katrina, even though neither event really happened. Another reason we’re duped so readily is that we're really bad at telling fake photographs from real ones, says Hany Farid, an image doctoring expert from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, United States. "It turns out that while the brain and the visual cortex is very good at many things, like face recognition, it is really really bad at analysing lighting and reflections." When presented with doctored images, humans are remarkably inept at telling which ones are fake and which are real. And we're bad in both directions, Farid says, judging fake images to be real, and real ones to be fake. What's worse is that even when we're told the photographs we've seen are wrong, it doesn't seem to help. One of the first things that fades in our memory is where the information came from. Which is why you probably can’t remember who first told you that joke that you tell all the time, says Wade. "When we're faced with doctored images, even if up front if we know they’re fake, over time we may remember the image but not remember knowing that it's doctored.” Brain games In the end, there's not much anyone can really do to guard against being duped by these images, says Wade. Her lab has done studies in which subjects are told that they're about to see both fake and real images. Even with the warning, people will still remember the fake photographs as real. "Warnings don't seem to have much of an effect," she says, "that's how powerful some of these fake photo manipulations can be." Reverse image searching online can reveal fakes, but time can erase that extra context. And even with specialisation and technology, verifying an image can be nearly impossible. "Proving that something is fake is possible," says Farid, "but proving the image is authentic is virtually impossible." All experts like Farid can really say is whether or not they could find evidence of tampering. The worry is that with images pouring in from citizen reporters from all parts of the globe, people will be confronted with more doctored images, not less. But as Farid points out, photographers have always been doctoring images in some way. They choose what to frame, what to photograph, what moment to capture and what to crop out. And some famous photographers have staged their photographs not in post-processing, but in real time. In one famous photograph from the Crimean War, bombs littered the road. But the photographer had moved them there, to make things look more dramatic. Many of Mathew Brady’s famous photographs of the American Civil War were staged, the photographer dragging bodies about to make things more gruesome. You could call these contrived, or perhaps even fake, but these images would have passed even the most rigorous of image doctoring tests. Yet, the way we remember events has a lot to do with the photographs that go with them – from Dorothea Lange’s classic image of a mother during the Dust Bowl, to the single man standing up against tanks in Tiananmen Square. Many probably remember Romney’s Money gaff that wasn’t, or images from Hurricane Sandy that never happened, just as well as they remember real images. When asked in the future, they’ll recall those pictures, and they’ll swear they remember those things happening. "That's the most fascinating thing about memory," says Frenda, "the way that it can be so flagrantly non-factual, but we have really high confidence in the accuracy of it." And it seems there’s nothing anybody can do about it. If you would like to comment on this article or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.Political Magic the Gathering Cards Posted by wizeGurl (28035 views) [E-Mail link] [ BSAlert exclusive ] [ Media ] Perhaps you're familiar with the phenomenon of Magic the Gathering cards, and the associated game. Or maybe you're not. But either way, you might be interested in some new, more modern versions, that can be integrated into your gameplay for a whole new kind of experience. This particular set of cards was designed exclusively for BSalert. Check out the various series below for a new perspective on the games of politics and media! First, a few cards for political figures and issues: Next, a few cards representing media & entertainment: A few choice selections from the "fallacies and reasoning" series: To make your own cards, you can download this software and go nuts! creature-beast Posted by kranioceros on 2010-03-05 05:54:05 if you have all the creature-beast magic card you win the game mustang Posted by tim fghs on 2010-05-07 18:24:47 tarjkffffffffffffffffffadadadadadadadg Posted by Anonymous on 2010-06-05 03:03:16 nice job. looks like you put a lot of work into these. Too bad most of the abilities make them pure jokes. You could easily modify these to be playable, then print them out. If you use sleeves you can put them in front of regular cards and draft them, though you would need more cards than this to have a real game. Posted by Anonymous on 2012-03-23 18:42:33 Figures. You hate religious people. Name: (change name for anonymous posting) Title: Comments: 1 Article displayed.The M47 Patton was an American main battle tank, a development of the M46 Patton mounting an updated turret, and was in turn further developed as the M48 Patton. It was the second American tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates of tanks in battle. The M47 was the U.S. Army's and Marine Corps' primary tank, intended to replace the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton medium tanks.[note 1] The M47 was widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, both SEATO and NATO countries, and was the only Patton series tank that never saw combat while in US service. Although similar in appearance to the later M48s and M60s, these were completely new tank designs. Many different M47 Patton models remain in service internationally. The M47 was the last US tank to have a bow-mounted machine gun in the hull. Design [ edit ] A Copperhead laser-guided anti-tank missile fired from a towed M198 155 mm howitzer detonating on contact with a target M47 tank. Although a new power plant corrected the mobility and reliability problems of the M26 Pershing, the subsequently renamed M46 was considered a stopgap solution that would be replaced later by the T42 medium tank. However, after fighting erupted in Korea, the Army decided that it needed the new tank earlier than planned. It was deemed that there was not enough time to finish the development of the T42. The final decision was to produce another interim solution, with the turret of the T42 mounted on the existing M46 hull. Although this interim tank was itself technically immature, Army officials felt the improvements over the M46 in firepower and armor were worth the risk.[4] The composite tank, developed by the Detroit Arsenal, was named the M47 Patton. In December 1950 the Army awarded a $100 million contract to the American Locomotive Company for the production of 500 tanks.[5] It entered production in 1951. Its main gun was the M36 90 mm gun with an M12 optical rangefinder fitted. The secondary armament consisted of two.30 cal Browning machine guns, one in the bow and one coaxial with the 90mm main gun in the turret, and a.50 caliber Browning M2 on a pintle mount on the turret roof. The M47 was the last American-designed tank to include a bow machine gun. The T42 turret had a larger turret ring than the M26/M46 turret, and featured a needle-nose design, which improved armor protection of the turret front, an elongated turret bustle and storage bin which protruded halfway across the engine deck, and sloped sides to further improve ballistic protection; this gave the turret a decidedly lozenge-shaped profile. It also featured the M12 stereoscopic rangefinder, which was designed to improve first-round hit probability but proved difficult to use; the rangefinder protruded from both sides of the upper turret front, which would be a feature of American tanks until the advent of the M1 Abrams in 1980.[6] Production at American Locomotive began in July 1951.[7] Logistical and technical issues plagued production almost from the start. Truman administration policy sought to strengthen American arms makers' resilience to aerial attack by encouraging more decentralized weapons production — away from Detroit. The U.S. curtailed civilian automobile production to boost military production with the onset of the Korean War. As a result Detroit's newly unemployed automotive workers found little work, while tank manufacturers outside Michigan lacked skilled workers. Truman's policy also counted on civilian factories being able to quickly transition to war-time production. However many factories lacked needed tank production machinery, done away with during World War II demobilization.[8] A faulty Ordnance Corps-designed hydraulic turret-control mechanism, shared by the M41 Walker Bulldog, kept the tanks from Korea while engineers worked on a fix.[8] Engineers improved production quality controls of the hydraulics by April 1952, and set about correcting M47s sidelined in storage. By then Army officials had scrapped plans to send the tanks to Korea, in favor of providing them to troops stationed in Europe and at home.[9] The first M47s were not fielded to the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions until summer 1952. Standardized in May 1952, the M47 Patton's production ran until November 1953; Detroit built 5,481 tanks, and American Locomotive Company (Alco) produced 3,095, for a total production run of 8576 M47 Pattons.[10] Deployment [ edit ] M47 Patton tank at Fort Meade, Maryland. After the U.S. Army in Germany was equipped with the M47, the first M47s delivered under the Mutual Security Agency program were delivered to Belgium in June 1952.[11] In October the agency announced that NATO member nations had agreed to adopt the Chieftain main battle tank and the M47 as standard.[12] By October the At Camp Drum in July, the New Jersey Army National Guard was the first reserve force to train with the tank.[13] The Marine Corps also fielded M47s starting in late 1952; after the Korean War, all seven Marine tank battalions, three divisional, two reserve training, and two force level, each fielded M47s. But these were soon replaced with M48A1 Pattons and M103 heavy tanks, with the last M47s being retired in 1959.[14] American Locomotive production was halted in October when the company's ordnance and locomotive divisions went on strike. Production resumed in February when union leaders agreed to a pay raise.[15] In December 1952 the Defense Department ordered cutbacks to M47 and M48 tank production.[16] In November 1953 American Locomotive halted production of the M47 after operators found drive gear defects in Europe.[17] Army officials quickly acknowledged the issue arose from their own expedient decision to use lower grades of steel to circumvent wartime shortages.[18] Chrysler laid off about 1000 workers at Detroit Tank Arsenal when it wrapped up production in November.[19] American Locomotive resumed production in November.[20] The company closed its tank division in June 1954.[21] With the arrival of the improved M48 Patton in 1953, the M47 was declared "limited standard" in 1955, and examples in tank units were replaced with the M48 series before long.[22] After being declared obsolete in 1957, M46s and M47s were retained in active duty infantry division battlegroup assault gun platoons (four tanks each, one platoon per battlegroup, for a total of 20 tanks per division) until replaced with the light truck-mounted SS-10 anti-tank guided missile in the early 1960s.[23] M47s were used by the Reserves for a relatively short time, soon being replaced by early production M48 Patton series tanks; thus, most of the M47s were exported in the late 1950s.[22][24] The M47 was widely used by many countries, especially NATO and SEATO allies, including Austria (147), Belgium (784), Ethiopia (30), France (856), Greece (396), [25] from USA and West Germany), Iran (around 400), Italy (2,480), Japan (1 for evaluation only), Jordan (49), Pakistan (100), Portugal (161), Saudi Arabia (23 from the US, 108 on the international market), Somalia (25 from Saudi Arabia), South Korea (531), Sudan (17 from Saudi Arabia), Spain (389), Switzerland (2 for evaluation), Turkey (1,347 from the US and West Germany), West Germany (1,120), and Yugoslavia (319).[26] Like the US Army of the time, the West German Bundeswehr also used some of their M47s as interim tank destroyers/assault guns until replaced by the Raketenjagdpanzer 1 tank destroyers armed with SS-11 anti-tank guided missiles in the early
were working on a track together and she sent something back that she felt worked… In fact it worked so incredibly well I rewrote the song around it. That’s a beautiful thing; I’m not hiring, these people are coming into this album and contributing. Which is pretty spiritual.” Spiritual, written with speed and hopefully coming our way soon… Remember where you heard about Varien – The Ancient & The Arcane first!(CNN) ISIS can draw on a "large cadre of Western fighters" that could attack in the U.S. and the terror threat posed by the group remains as dangerous as ever despite efforts to crush it militarily, the director of the CIA said Thursday. "Unfortunately, despite all our progress against ISIL on the battlefield and in the financial realm, our efforts have not reduced the group's terrorism capability and global reach," CIA Director John Brennan testified to Congress using another acronym for the group. "The resources needed for terrorism are very modest, and the group would have to suffer even heavier losses of territory, manpower and money for its terrorist capacity to decline significantly," Brennan added. "In fact, as the pressure mounts on ISIL, we judge that it will intensify its global terror campaign to maintain its dominance of the global terrorism agenda." Brennan warned that the group already is preparing more attacks, including by infiltrating refugees into western nations. "We judge that ISIL is training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks," he said. "ISIL has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West. And the group is probably exploring a variety of means for infiltrating operatives into the West, including refugee flows, smuggling routes, and legitimate methods of travel." The CIA director, appearing just days after the massacre in Orlando that left 49 people dead, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that lone wolf attackers who are inspired by but not under the direct control of terror groups represent "an exceptionally challenging issue for the intelligence community." He confirmed that the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, had "no direct links" to ISIS but was inspired by the organization. "We have not been able to uncover any direct link between that individual, Mateen, and a foreign terrorist organization. But that inspiration can lead someone to embark on this path of destruction," Brennan said. After telling the committee that Twitter, Telegram and Tumbler were ISIS' preferred social media propaganda platforms, Brennan stressed the need for technology and communication companies to better collaborate with law enforcement, saying that encryption was allowing terrorist groups and their sympathizers to communicate clandestinely. "They're taking advantage of the liberties that we've fought so hard to defend," he said. The CIA director noted that ISIS has lost "large stretches" of territory in Iraq and Syria, has experienced a reduction of finances, and has struggled to replenish its ranks as fewer foreign fighters have been traveling to those countries. But, he added, ISIS still has about 18,000-22,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria. "We need to take away their safe haven," he said noting that these areas provide ISIS with the ability to train its operatives and generate revenue. Beyond the territory ISIS holds in Iraq and Syria, Brennan says the group's growing presence in Libya presents another significant challenge. "The branch in Libya is probably the most developed and the most dangerous," Brennan said, echoing concerns by other security officials that Libya's close proximity to Europe is a problem. "We assess that it is trying to increase its influence in Africa and to plot attacks in the region and in Europe." Brennan said the "number of ISIS fighters far exceed what al Qaeda had at its height," telling the committee that ISIS has between 5,000-8,000 fighters in Libya, in addition to 7,000 in Nigeria, and hundreds more in Egypt, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale has had his first day back with the national rowing squad since winning gold at the Rio Olympics. Drysdale took ten months off from the sport after Rio putting on 20kg. He resumed training in July but only got back out on the water with the national squad today at Lake Karapiro. Despite Robbie Manson posting a world best time in the single scull this year, Drysdale is confident he can regain the single sculls spot in the squad. Drysdale said he was open to moving to another crew, possibly a double or four, but "couldn't see a clear crew or someone that I could make a really good combination with...I still really love the single and I still feel like I've got some things I can achieve in it and probably on balance it's slightly easier to manage alongside a family." Photo: PhotoSport "Robbie obviously did well but didn't quite finish it off at the world champs so that has very much opened the door and I am confident in my ability that I have performed every time I have gone out and raced in the single so now I need to focus on getting myself in the best shape possible to win that seat." Drysdale has until February to get himself in top condition for that when the national trials are to determine the make up of the crews for the European season. "I'm realistic that I am going to have to take some losses early season as all the guys who have continued after Rio have been training for the last 15 months and I have been training for the last four but hopefully I am going to be on a upwards trajectory...and ready for the trials at the end of February early March." Drysdale admits it was tough resuming training four months ago but feels he seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel over the past three weeks." "To be honest I didn't miss training at all and I literally started in the worst shape of my life. I was overweight, unfit and...you feel like you are doing work and not seeing a lot of progress but over the past few weeks the progress has just shot up and I can now see how I can get back," he said. Photo: Photosport After being used to being so fit Drysdale said he was "battled to run five kilometres" when he resumed training but enjoyed his time off and being able to spend it with his family. "Rowing is quite a selfish sport. I very much look after myself and I have a great wife and a couple of kids who do whatever I need to do so it was nice to give back for a year or so and I was very much a parent number one, husband number two and Mahe number three so it was nice to change those priorities...and certainly gave me a different perspective." Drysdale is leaving for Europe tomorrow to compete in two long distance races and spend time in Italy training.Scientists have identified a type of immune cell in the lungs of humans that may help fight respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus is one of the main causes of childhood hospitalisation, severe lung infection in the elderly, and the common cold. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggest nose sprays could be the most efficient way of delivering a vaccine against the virus. We are mainly concerned about how dangerous this virus can be to the young and old – Dr Christopher Chiu Study author The researchers found that a type of immune cell, called a resident memory T cell, is particularly active during RSV infection. These immune cells help to identify invaders, raising the alarm to the rest of the body and killing infected cells. Although scientists already knew these cells help fight influenza infections in mice, this is the first time they have been shown to help protect against RSV in humans. The team also found that individuals with naturally higher numbers of these cells were less likely to suffer symptoms. Dr Christopher Chiu, the lead author of the research from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, says the work suggests current vaccine efforts should be directed toward nose sprays. “There are around 50 potential vaccines being investigated at the moment, and a few of these will be delivered in nasal sprays. Our work suggests a nasal vaccine will be more likely to reach these immune cells, which are in the lungs, than injecting a vaccine into the arm. The hope is that within the next five years there will be a vaccine licensed for use to reduce the massive toll of this infection.” RSV is transmitted through coughs and sneezes and may be responsible for up to 10 per cent of winter GP visits from elderly patients. It also infects every child before the age of two. “The virus infects the airways and lungs, and in healthy people can cause a heavy cold - the type that keeps you off work for a couple of days. However, we are mainly concerned about how dangerous it can be to the young and old, where it can cause lung infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. “We’ve only had technology available over the last ten years to widely and accurately diagnose the virus, and so didn’t realise the full extent of its prevalence. "We now know it’s the most common cause of hospitalisation of babies – resulting in up to 200,000 baby deaths worldwide every year. And in the older population it’s almost as dangerous as flu. So far this year flu cases have been relatively few, but there have already been lots of hospital admissions with RSV.” Studies suggest the body’s natural defences against the virus are pretty weak, adds Dr Chiu. His team wanted to identify the immune cells involved in this defence, to explore whether the cell’s powers can be boosted. In their study the team infected 49 healthy volunteers with RSV in closely monitored conditions. They kept the participants in hospital for 10 days – studying them before and after infection. Just over half developed an infection – with most of the infected group developing symptoms of a common cold. The team took small tissue samples from the airways of the volunteers who developed an infection, and analysed the immune cells. "RSV-specific airway resident memory CD8+ T cells and differential disease severity after experimental human infection" is published in Nature Communications</DENVER—Colorado’s governor signed bills Wednesday that place new restrictions on firearms, signaling a change for Democrats who have traditionally shied away from gun control in a state with a pioneer tradition of gun ownership and self-reliance. The legislation thrust Colorado into the national spotlight as a potential test of how far the country might be willing to go with new gun restrictions after the horror of mass killings at an Aurora movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school. Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bills that require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds. The debate in the Democratic-controlled Legislature was intense, and Republicans warned that voters would make Democrats pay. The bills failed to garner a single Republican vote. The bills’ approval came exactly eight months after dozens of people were shot in Aurora, and a day after the executive director of the state Corrections Department, Tom Clements, was shot and killed at his home. Hickenlooper signed the legislation right after speaking with reporters about Clements’ slaying. Hickenlooper said large-capacity magazines “have the potential to turn killers into killing machines.” He also said he realized some gun owners may be inconvenienced but that “the potential for damage seems to outweigh, significantly, the inconvenience that people would have,” he said. The bills signal a historic change for Democrats in a state where owning a gun is as common as owning a car in some rural areas. “He just slapped rural Colorado right in the face,” said Republican Sen. Brophy, who represents an eastern plains district. “They are overwhelmingly upset about this.” Both bills take effect July 1. People who currently own larger-capacity magazines will be able to keep them. At the signing ceremony, Hickenlooper was surrounded by lawmakers who sponsored the bills, and relatives of mass shootings. Hickenlooper also signed requiring buyers to pay fees for background checks. Each time he signed a bill, applause erupted from lawmakers and their guests, who included Jane Dougherty, whose sister was killed in the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.; Sandy Phillips, whose daughter was killed in Aurora; and Tom Mauser, whose son was killed in the 1999 Columbine shooting in Colorado. Phillips, who lost daughter Jessica Ghawi, reminded Hickenlooper that it was the eight-month anniversary of the theater rampage. “You’ve given us a real gift today,” she told the governor. Later, Phillips added: “Thank you so much. You’re leading the entire country.” Dougherty thanked Hickenlooper with tears in her eyes. Mauser also expressed gratitude. “I knew it would be a long haul,” he said. “But I had faith in the people of Colorado.” Democratic Rep. Rhonda Fields, who represents the district that includes the Aurora theater, said the governor had signed “common-sense legislation.” “Gun violence is a problem nationwide, and sadly in the state of Colorado, we are all too familiar with some of these tragedies,” Fields. Lawmakers debated firearms proposals after the Columbine High School shooting, and began requiring background checks for buyers at gun shows. But nothing they did then was as sweeping as the proposals they took up this year. This year, Colorado lawmakers succeeded while members of their party stumbled in other states. Washington state’s Democrat-controlled House failed this month to pass a universal background check bill. A bill requiring background checks at gun shows in New Mexico also stalled in that Democrat-led Legislature. Republicans have warned that voters will punish Hickenlooper and other Democrats who voted in favor of the measures. “The real solution here is at the ballot box in 2014,” Brophy said. Republicans have said limiting magazine sizes will drive jobs from the state, and ultimately won’t prevent criminals from getting larger magazines in other states. One Colorado-based manufacturer of ammunition magazines disclosed plans to relocate because of the new restrictions. Police chiefs in urban areas supported the bills, but some rural county sheriffs opposed the new background checks, arguing the move is unenforceable and endangers Second Amendment rights. Hickenlooper said law enforcement should try to find common ground. “This shouldn’t be rural versus urban. We are one state,” he said. ——— Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report. ——— Find Ivan Moreno on Twitter: http://twitter.com/IvanJournoA number of reasons have been offered for the deal between the government of Israel and Hamas that is expected to lead to a prisoner trade. Does it represent anything larger than a prisoner swap? I am skeptical. 1. Hamas cut a deal because it is weak. Though Hamas runs Gaza and thus oversees over 1.6 million Palestinians, it is not in a strong position. Israel pounded Hamas in 2008-09, the Israeli blockade of Gaza has constrained growth and re-building, and the crisis in Syria could undermine a key Hamas ally, the regime of Bashar al-Asad. Hamas has its headquarters in Syria and receives aid as well. Most recently, Hamas’s rival, Fatah, received a political bounce from President Mahmoud Abbas’s appeal for UN membership for Palestine. Some reports claim it was Hamas that showed flexibility on the key details of the exchange. (Ben-Yishai’s phrasing: “it seems Hamas had to elasticize its stance considerably.”) That said, the prisoner deal itself should help Hamas, especially as scenes of joyous Palestinian families greeting their just-released loved ones unfold again and again in the coming days. Fatah can take zero credit while Hamas can point to a military operation five years ago that yielded 1,000 prisoners. Given the centrality of the prisoners issue in Palestinian politics, this is significant. Hamas is still boxed in (literally), but this deal scores many political points if it happens (especially if it means much closer Egypt-Hamas ties.) It also reminds me of Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005. Hamas claimed its steadfast military resistance had forced Israel to close its Gaza settlements. Fatah, despite years of negotiations with Israel, had nothing similar to show for it. The lesson taken then, and perhaps now again, is that military force, not talks, brings results. With 4,000+ Palestinians still in Israeli jails even if this exchange goes through, this is more than merely an academic lesson. 2. Netanyahu: “This is a window of opportunity that might have been missed.” Upon announcing the deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his explanation for the “why now” question: “With everything that is happening in Egypt and the region, I don’t know if the future would have allowed us to get a better deal — or any deal at all for that matter,” he said. “This is a window of opportunity that might have been missed.” With Egyptian elections starting in late November, perhaps an Egyptian government less willing to mediate will emerge. Perhaps changes in Syria would have affected Hamas willingness to make an exchange. In short, given the pace of regional change and the HIGH level of uncertainty, Israel might not always have this opportunity. But I think Daniel Levy is exactly correct in asking (point #7) what that then means for all of Israeli policy given the Arab uprisings. If the Arab spring meant moving on Shalit policy, what does it or should it mean for peace process policy? To put it another way, why did the Netanyahu government negotiate with Hamas terrorists here while it refuses to do so on the larger Israeli-Palestinian issues that could re-shape the future for all Israelis? Why has Bibi boldly acted vis a vis Shalit but hunkered down under the same old slow-motion policy regarding Abbas and the drive for peace talks? Bringing home Gilad Shalit is not the only issue on which the window may close. Now issues can be different. Leaders need not be all visionary or all status quo-oriented. But the absence of a strategic vision in the Netanyahu government – I reject the idea that waiting out the storm and building more settlements is a strategic vision for Israeli survival – is striking. If, as Levy asserts, this exchange will strengthen Netanyahu politically (79% of Israelis favor the deal), the question is whether he will do anything productive with his newly-found political capital. The answer? I’ll side with Ian Black in the Guardian: “This deal is a narrow one, more important emotionally than politically.” AdvertisementsBackcountry Trails Carving more than eight miles of secluded tracks through the rolling landscape of Devou Park, our Backcountry Trails are a haven for hikers, mountain bikers and anyone seeking a refreshing retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Whether you’re striving for a KOM, looking to stick your trekking poles in the dirt, or simply yearning for a quiet walk among the trees, our sprawling terrain is ready to be traversed. Users of all ages and skill levels are welcome. To ensure your safety, we monitor trail conditions daily. You can find updates here. For those who prefer to plan their routes, a detailed map is available to ease your wayfinding. Each trail leads to the same place; it’s the journey that changes along the way. Begin yours on the Backcountry Trails.Yep, that’s an Abercrombie cover. Yep, still awesome. There’s also a full spread and a finalized synopsis: They burned her home. They stole her brother and sister. But vengeance is following. Shy South hoped to bury her bloody past and ride away smiling, but she’ll have to sharpen up some bad old ways to get her family back, and she’s not a woman to flinch from what needs doing. She sets off in pursuit with only a pair of oxen and her cowardly old stepfather Lamb for company. But it turns out Lamb’s buried a bloody past of his own, and out in the lawless Far Country, the past never stays buried. Their journey will take them across the barren plains to a frontier town gripped by gold fever, through feud, duel and massacre, high into the unmapped mountains to a reckoning with the Ghosts. Even worse, it will force them into alliance with Nicomo Cosca, infamous soldier of fortune, and his feckless lawyer Temple, two men no one should ever have to trust…DENVER (AP) – Jurors in the Colorado theater shooting case will deliberate up to three separate times on whether defendant James Holmes should be executed if they convict him of murder, the judge said Friday. In a written ruling, Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. said he plans to have the jury work through the requirements of Colorado’s death penalty law step by step before moving to the final question of whether Holmes should live or die. The process could end at any step with a sentence of life in prison without parole unless prosecutors convince jurors the requirements for execution have been met. Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges of killing 12 people and injuring 70 in the July 20, 2012, attack on a suburban Denver movie theater. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The trial is scheduled to start in October. Under Colorado’s death penalty law, the same jury that decides whether a defendant is guilty of murder decides whether the penalty should be execution or life in prison. The jury determines the penalty after hearing both sides lay out their arguments in steps. Samour said Friday that if Holmes is convicted, jurors would first hear arguments on whether any aggravating factors were present – for example, the killing was cruel or depraved. The law lists more than two dozen possible aggravators. Jurors would then deliberate. If they decide there were no aggravating factors, Holmes would get life in prison. But if the jury decides aggravators were present, prosecutors and the defense would then argue whether any mitigating factors outweigh the aggravating factors. The law lists a dozen mitigators, such as stress or mental problems the defendant was suffering, and says others can be considered as well. Jurors would then deliberate again. If they decide that mitigating factors outweigh the aggravators, Holmes would get life in prison. But if the jury decides the mitigators don’t outweigh the aggravators, prosecutors would make their final arguments for the death penalty and defense attorneys would make their case for life imprisonment. Jurors would deliberate a third time to decide on the sentence. Samour revealed his plans for the deliberations when he ruled on a series of defense motions on the penalty phase. He rejected most of the motions, but he said defense lawyers would get to make the last argument if the sentencing phase gets to the third set of deliberations. Samour also told the attorneys Friday he will not hold hearings on any of the pretrial motions about the death penalty, saying he could reach a decision based on their written arguments. – By Dan Elliott, AP Writer (© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) More Aurora Movie Shooting StoriesAt a campaign stop in Kentucky, Hillary Clinton told the crowd that if she were president, she would put her husband Bill “in charge of revitalizing the economy.” The impulse is understandable. The economy of the 1990s was good, or seemed to be prior to the collapse of the dot com bubble. But Hillary’s promise to bring back Bill and put him “in charge of” the economy is, I think, a horrible blunder. Here’s why. First, it undermines the entire rationale of Hillary’s candidacy. Donald Trump responded appropriately: Crooked Hillary said her husband is going to be in charge of the economy.If so, he should run,not her.Will he bring the "energizer" to D.C.? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 17, 2016 That’s right. If Bill is responsible for the economy, the number one priority of most voters, isn’t he the real president? Is Hillary just a surrogate? Doesn’t she have her own ideas about some of the most important matters facing the country? Hillary’s promise to bring back Bill reminds voters that her career has always been secondary to his. She got her start in public life as a First Lady, initially First Lady of Arkansas, then of the United States. Hillary had no conceivable basis for running for the Senate in New York other than the fact that she was First Lady. She has always ridden Bill’s coattails. Is that the profile we want in a presidential candidate? Second, the assumption that fond memories of the 1990s are the key to victory is misplaced. Hillary has been forced to disavow most of her husband’s economic policies, which Bernie Sanders supporters–the mainstream of the Democratic Party–abhor. This sets up an ineluctable conflict for the Fall. And more fundamentally, to most voters, Bill Clinton is ancient history. He has been out of office for 16 years, and now is, or appears to be, an old man. It is hard to imagine that the prospect of Bill in charge of economic policy will stir much enthusiasm, anywhere. Is a return to the almost-distant past really the best the Democratic Party can offer? Apparently it is. Finally, putting Bill Clinton front and center highlights some of the most intractable weaknesses of Hillary’s candidacy. Most people now view Bill as a serial sex abuser. At least one woman has credibly accused him of rape, and it recently came out that he took at least 26 flights on the Lolita Express, operated by Bill’s pal Jeffrey Epstein. The phrase “underage sex slave” will once again figure in the campaign. In truth, Hillary never could have avoided dealing with Bill’s mixed legacy. Apart from the details of Bill’s tawdry history, Hillary’s vow to put him in charge of economic policy reminds us of the weird nature of their relationship. If Hillary is president, will Bill live in the White House? Will he continue to consort with his various girl friends? What official role will he play? Will Bill be a shadow president? Or will he just, as a private citizen, cash in on Hillary’s success? These days, the phrase “partners in crime” is almost always used in jest, but it perfectly describes the Clintons. Hillary’s promise to put Bill in charge of the nation’s most important issues only highlights the weaknesses of her qualifications to be president.As the NHL lockout wears on, the vitriol continues to seep down from Canada until even the United States cannot help but notice the bad juju. Even in the company of David ‘My Way or Highway’ Stern and Roger ‘Zero Fucks Given About Player Safety Slash The Fans’ Goodell, Bettman looks bad. And he is bad. But whereas the former have solvent leagues on the rise, Bettman cannot afford to fuck up here. Hockey is just now recovering from the kick to the groin it suffered in the early 2000s. The fans can identify players again and not all of them end in –kov, -slav, –tov, or any other –ovs. Baseball is whatever and the seizure of the title for America’s third favorite sport is very much wide open. We, as sports fans, know that Bettman will indeed fuck up and drag this thing out; he’s a prize fighter against conventional economics and it’s going twelve rounds. While hockey has a heartbeat, let’s discuss salable alternatives. A Sack of Flour Unless an unforseen complication about recipes for team meals comes up, it’s unlikely this would-be commissioner will get in the way of things. The two sides need to come to an agreement without having to pass the soundwaves through an occluding medium. Flour has no vendettas. Flour carries no grudges. Flour might not even know what hockey is all about – the commonalities with Bettman start and end there. Flour 2012. Mitt Romney This is a calculated move. If the Romney campaign starts to drum up whispers about how he has always loved hockey, it will be a major face-saver if/when he loses in November to transition into the commisioner’s throne. Sure, there’s not much documented evidence of Romney being a hockey fan, but when has that ever stopped him? Kanye West Kanye is perfect for this position. He has a big enough ego to believe he can handle the task, but he’s also a collaborator. He wants a project to succeed with the help of his cadre. (See: Dark Fantasy and Cruel Summer.) Don’t we all deserve a world where 2 Chainz runs a hockey team and weekly memos about the prevalence/lack of stunting are sent out? You know that, in turn, Jigga would bring all of his shine to the sport, and that’s vital. Look at what he did for the Nets and they’re the Nets. Drew Brees He handled his much-deserved contract dispute like a professional, he got what he wanted, and it’s an ideal New Orleans Saints season to focus on more achievable goals. If he saves the NHL after bringing N’Awlins back from despair, I’m writing him in on the Presidential Ballot. Rules are rules. A retired Supreme Court Justice Am I the only one who wonders what these guys do with their lives when it’s all said and done? They don’t get the urge to exercise their finely tuned judicious natures at every fork in the road? They need a challenge. I imagine they’re very bored, sitting down at breakfast and thinking, “It would be prudent to have three-quarters of my grapefruit and mix the rest in with my orange juice, but would that constitute a necessary clause in which fruit shall, from here on out, be rationed so as to provide a more beneficial flavor to the juice in question?” Plus, for once in our lives, we could have a commissioner where his/her inherent bias is beyond reproach. Ryan Gosling After Drive, we know that Gosling is both patient and totally fucking scary. His calming demeanor makes you want to resolve the issue in the best interest of all parties; in the back of your mind, you’re thinking ‘This guy heeled in a skull with a girl watching’. Alex Trebek It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to have a Canadian run the league that runs their national sport. I might be so bold as to say he might even care about the future of hockey? This is a different approach, because there are only right or wrong answers, but it’s not Trebek who decides them. He merely informs the unions of whether or not what they asked was acceptable. “This process would alleviate significant disagreement in the negotiations.” “What is a salary cap dissolution?” “No, I’m sorry the answer was ‘What is an unchanged players’ share of revenue?’”Man discovered by apes When I think of the 1990s, it’s the Ice Man I remember. He was found in 1991, in an Austrian glacier melting from global warming. At first the authorities took him for a murder victim (it was Silence of the Lambs time). They hacked his body out of the slush with a jackhammer, eager for their CSI moment, then started to realize he didn’t fit the profile of a Hannibal Lecter scorecard. His shoes were made of bearskin and deerskin and stuffed with dry grass; his cloak was woven of grass; he carried a flint knife that looks like a folded, dented can lid tied to a stick with twine. It began to dawn on the investigators that this guy was old, pre-war (or so they thought). Tourists swarmed him; fungus started to grow on his greasy amber hide (his outer layer of skin had come off long ago) from their eager, sweaty little hands. The Austrians finally announced that carbon dating showed the corpse was 5,300 years old. At that point Italy and Austria tried to have a nineteenth-century dispute about who owned the ex-glacier, and thus the body. But this was Europe in the 1990s, without the energy for another War of Jenkin’s Ear. The Austrians kept it, and in true 90s style the only fights were in court, between the hikers who found him and the government, and came down to money. The hippies tried him on first. After all, he was wearing all those hemp clothes. And he was clearly alterno, because he had tattoos, little dot patterns on his lower back and right knee. Stoners from Amsterdam to Taos fried their brains with the question: What would a 5,300-year-old New Ager be doing up on a glacier? And realized that there was only one explanation (snowboarding was rejected as ahistorical): the deceased was, had been, a shaman. On a vision quest. They knew their Native American mentors (the ones in the movies, anyway) sent their spaciest dudes up into uninhabitable territory so that frostbite could work its mind-expanding magic. Clearly, and despite his regrettable leather footwear, what we had here was a dedicated Seeker who sought a little too high, a little too cold, and slipped into the big sleep. Another casualty of expanded consciousness, like Hunter Thompson’s lawyer, who demanded to be electrocuted screaming, “Tell them I just wanted to get higher!” Then came the autopsy, and suddenly the corpse belonged to a newer, stronger next of kin: the Ice Man was gay. Because “they” found sperm in his frozen, folded anus. This was by far the biggest impact the corpse could have had on mid-90s popular culture. It was too good not to be true. Ellen was coming out, and now the Ice Man. It trumped the Bible by eons. Before those Levantine schizophrenics even started their censorious, homophobic gibbering, gay Austrians were having joining the gay mile-high club. Notice Ice Man’s backwards facing position… It was like finding a lost deed granting title to the youngest, most confident claimant. Joy was unrefined. That’s when the Ice Man entered the airless Business School classroom where I taught Creative Writing in New Zealand. Somebody submitted a poem on the corpse, not mentioning the gay angle but just gloomily commemorating it—a depressed poem trying to find something to celebrate and finding it in a corpse that at least didn’t decay. But that angle was of little interest. The gay lobby, in the form of Christy, claimed the body as soon as the poem was read in class: “Yes, and he was GAY! They found another man’s sperm in his arse! The Ice Man was GAY!” Christy was our resident lesbian activist. Every 90s writing group had one, and Christy suited the role perfectly. She was about five foot nothing, ash-blond hacked hair and minimum flesh on her sharp little bones—but what a voice. Christy never spoke below a hundred decibels, and her tone veered between denunciation and embrace. You were either with her or against her, depending on your position on a few key issues. And the greatest of these was gayness. It’s funny thinking back on what “gay” meant in the 1990s. You’d think the Ice Man would be claimed by gay men, but…what gay men? I grew up in the Bay Area in the disco era; I remember when they defined gay. But in the seven years I taught creative writing, from 1995 to 2001, I don’t remember any male students who were willing to announce themselves as gay. They were there, but lying very, very low. Whatever new freedoms that decade brought, they didn’t include gay men. Maybe it was an anomaly, specific to New Zealand, where men have to be blokes or nothing, and women…well, women have to be blokes too, unless they want to embrace the utterly thankless role of the female heterosexual in Rugby culture, which features a level of misogyny I’d never seen before heading down under—“girl” is an insult there. Which makes it a great place to be a lesbian, and Hell for gay men. Not to mention that the bravest of them were, well, dead. Thom Gunn, the only brave man I ever met at Berkeley—no, he wouldn’t have been dead at that point, but he was dying. So Christy had no competition when she claimed the Ice Man as gay Adam. I remember her voice blasting through that classroom. The rooms in that building were the most expensive in the entire university. It was the new Business School, after all, the spoiled child of the new generation of academic managers. I hear it’s bankrupt and almost empty now. Instead of windows these classrooms had banks of metal shutters, dozens of them, each equipped with its own engine, about the size of a Walkman. The shutters were wired to the fidgety thermostat, so that halfway through somebody reading a poem, usually at its most sentimental or delicate moment, the room would fill with a huge whirring, as the shutters decided to open or close. And when they were done, they’d finish with a huge sucking sound as the airlock closed. It wrecked many a pronouncement, but Christy was never fazed. She had a huge voice; it was the voice for its time and place. It fit right in there. And she got a respectful silence when she claimed the body of the Ice Man. Nobody would have been so stupid as to quibble with any pro-gay statement in public; there were places for that. Pubs, parties. New Zealand culture features more kinds of silence, more nuances of non-response, than the alleged Inuit and their alleged 26 words for snow. The silence that absorbed Christy’s announcement was formal, cautiously gratified; an opportunity to demonstrate correct thought had arisen and been accepted. Christy made her point again, the shutters did their noisy chorus, and we moved on. But it can’t have been so easy for Christy after all, because a year later she was dead. Very murkily dead. There were a lot of murky deaths in Dunedin. The attitude there reminds me of my parents’ beliefs about language: it’s a sport, a pastime, but when something is really important, it is never, ever to be mentioned. So Christy just died; an accident, or drink, or a fall. She had been abused, they said, as if that was why she died. Then the man who’d written the poem about the Ice Man died. He was older than most of the students, a longhaired local who’d never gone very far from Dunedin. Americans have trouble understanding—I had trouble understanding—how, in a culture that doesn’t reward egotism, lives can just shrink and shrivel to nothing. Californians like me tend to expand until they burst and die with a comic balloon Ffffffpppt!; New Zealanders, especially the men, just discipline themselves until they just aren’t alive any more. Although this guy took some killing, he didn’t just die. He went off into the woods and hanged himself. He’d always been very friendly with the group, but there was something off about him. Depression isn’t attractive except in the movies; it’s annoying. He was annoying, ten years older and sucking up to everybody, out of it, old hippie. He volunteered to hold the end-of-semester party at his house. It was not a success. The house was bleak even by local standards, and in the cold monsoons of Dunedin his nervous smiles, his patchouli-stinking stagnant rooms, brought everybody down. It was the kind of house that needs to be burned down, the kind of life that would be helped by conscription in an army, any army. Once he was dead, he became a more sympathetic object
camera — but with the great lens and abilities, it seems like Kodak could have — pretty easily — had this camera competing with much higher end cameras. If all the hardware was put to great use this could compete with $500+ cameras. Having the SD card is a great bonus. Some people would prefer the internal memory, and yes by the time you buy a decent sized SD card the camera is more expensive than the FLiP, but, the FLiP has a very limited memory. This camera is limited only by the size of the card…Definitely a positive! Finally, I know people that are both in the TV business and do a lot of Video blogging and they are drooling over this camera because of the external mic capabilities. One reason lots of ‘pros’ didn’t like FLiP was because of the audio issues. Kodak has solved those, not to mention providing better quality video. This is Easy-to-use, pocket-sized HD camcorder featuring one-touch recording and digital zoom. It has simple user interface which you can start in couple of seconds of powering on and capture HD videos. This provides you 120 minutes of HD video with its 8 GB of built-in memory. Convenient flip-out USB arm plugs directly into your PC or Mac to launch FlipShare software Pre-installed FlipShare software lets you easily email videos, edit individual clips, make custom movies, capture still photos from video, and even upload video to sharing sites like YouTube and MySpace. FlipShare’s advanced compression technology allows for quick and easy sharing of high-resolution HD video in compact-sized files (via email or publishing online) Comes with Flip Video rechargeable AA battery pack (recharges when connected to USB); also supported by standard AA batteries Large 2-inch anti-glare color LCD screen to play back and delete videos HDMI output (mini-HDMI connector) makes it simple to watch video on your HDTV Video: 16:9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per second (fps) progressive scan; recorded as MP4 files If you are trying to decide which one to purchase, if maximum portability is important to you than the MinoHD is the better choice. Otherwise, if you’re looking compact camcorder with more features (HDMI output, replaceable batteries, longer record time) then you can’t go wrong with the UltraHD.Forbes: Pharmacist ranks No. 1 in best healthcare jobs Get all the latest industry news in your inbox. NEW YORK — Pharmacist ranks No. 1 in a Forbes list of the best 15 healthcare jobs published Thursday. Of the 15 healthcare positions, the pharmacist commands the highest median salary and the projected growth rate for pharmacist employment is 14% by 2022, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. The average annual salary for the pharmacist is $116,670, Forbes reported. "While the pharmacists at my local Duane Reade appear to toil under fluorescent lights on their feet for eight-hour shifts, while demanding and sometimes desperate customers plead for medication advice to help them with constipation and sleeplessness, [Tony] Lee, [publisher of CareerCast] insists that most pharmacists get satisfaction from helping patients, and have 'a lot of freedom and flexibility in the job,'" wrote Forbes staff writer Susan Adams. The list is sourced from job search website CareerCast but ranked by Forbes.Star Charter School officials on Wednesday submitted their third unsuccessful petition asking the Savannah-Chatham Public School Board for funds to start an all-male charter elementary school. But this time they were prepared to move forward with or without local school board approval. Star Charter organizer Gertrude Robinson, a retired Savannah-Chatham principal, said she has already submitted her charter school petition to the State Charter Commission. "It's the process," Robinson said. "You have to be denied by a local school board before the state will act. The first time we missed the state deadline, but the state already has our petition. Now they can act on our request." In Georgia, charter schools can be authorized by local school districts, who in turn seek approval from the state board of education; or they can be authorized by the State Charter Commission, a state-level independent entity. Savannah-Chatham Public Schools officials say they like the idea of a single-gender school because it has the potential to help address the specific needs of their lowest performing subgroup, low-income black males. However, they've been reluctant to approve the charter school proposal for various reasons. At first those reasons included problems with the charter document and details about the academic plan and finances. Most of those details have been worked out, but Superintendent Ann Levett said they remain concerned that they would be violating state charter school law by approving a single-gender school because state law bars charter schools from exclusionary admissions standards. Levett encouraged Robinson to apply for a charter through the State Charter Commission because it has more flexibility than school boards. Ivy Preparatory and Fulton Leadership Academies are State Charter Commission-approved charter schools in the Atlanta area. If Star Academy is approved by the State Charter Commission, it would be the only state charter school operating in Chatham County. "Our staff has been advised that it is illegal for us to approve a single gender charter school," Levett said. "But we believe in the concept they put forward and that it can serve a critical need… We are committed to schools that serve all of our children. If it comes back as a state charter, we will forge a new path and work with a state commissioned charter school. The bottom line is we will be serving our children." Star Charter School organizers hope to serve 270 male students - grades K-3 in the first year expanding to a K-5 by year three. They say they have a building and are prepared to open August 2018 if approved by the State Charter Commission.If you’ve been paying attention to the right places in the past few months it was probably obvious this was coming, but Qualcomm is announcing a higher tier to their Snapdragon 82x lineup, known as the Snapdragon 821 or MSM8996 Pro. While today’s announcement basically boils down to acknowledging that this SoC exists and that the big CPU cores have a clock speed of 2.4 GHz, it’s likely that in the months since the Snapdragon 820 was released Qualcomm engineering staff have been working on resolving various errata as well as improving their floorplanning and architecture implementation. It’s also likely that we will see a few new or otherwise revised IP blocks. Snapdragon 820 Snapdragon 821 CPU Perf Cluster 2x Kryo 2.2 GHz 2x Kryo 2.4 GHz CPU Power Cluster 2x Kryo 1.6 GHz 2x Kryo >2 GHz GPU Adreno 530 624 MHz Adreno??? ~650 MHz What isn’t in this announcement is that the power cluster will likely be above 2 GHz and GPU clocks look to be around 650 MHz but without knowing whether there are some changes other than clock relative to Adreno 530 we can’t really estimate the performance of this part. However, this information can be subject to change depending upon what happens at Qualcomm. It's important to note here that while these changes may seem to be small that improvements in the implementation of an SoC can have a dramatic effect on performance and power. I’m sure we’ll be learning more about this SoC in the coming months so for now we’ll just have to wait and see what comes next.The UFC 189 welterweight title fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald is all but a shoo-in for 2015's Fight of the Year, and is on the short list of the great MMA fights of all-time. Despite what his boss claimed in the fight's immediate aftermath, however, MacDonald did, in fact, know in what year the bout took place. MacDonald suffered a violent TKO loss to Lawler in the fifth round of a bout he was winning on the scorecards in Las Vegas. At the UFC post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that MacDonald didn't know what year it was when he was asked by the doctor after the bout. MacDonald, however, said otherwise, during his first interview since the epic fight. "I knew what year it was," MacDonald said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "I knew everything that was going on." Combat sports doctors will ask fighters a series of basic questions after a knockout loss, in order to judge their mental capacities in the immediate aftermath of head trauma. According to MacDonald, who had suffered a broken nose and major facial lacerations, he simply wasn't in the mood to answer the questions. "She was just asking me so many damn questions," MacDonald said. "And I was like just trying to get air and spit out all the blood that was in my throat, so I was just annoyed so I stopped answering her questions." That said, MacDonald understands the doctor was only doing her job. "I was not in the mood to talk to the doctor, then," he said. "I was in my own little world. It's their job to check on you, that you're fine, I'm not going to question the doctor, that's their job."Sending User Rating 4.57 ( 7 votes) Introduction When roaming around the techies forums, I often see some people (and many not very experienced) asking for “How do I make an antivirus”, sometimes with not very adapted languages (bat, PHP, …) and having a wrong idea of what an antivirus is, and how it should be built. I’ve also seen many “Antivirus softwares” made by kiddies, with very few still-at-school people and about 4 hours per day of coding on several weeks. I’m not telling kiddies are not skilled, but I’m telling building an antivirus engine needs either lot of skilled people with full time job plus lot of time to release a decent software or lot of money to pay them 🙂 (in case they are not volunteer). So, I’ll cover here the guidelines for a basic antivirus coding, for Windows and in C/C++. One can found here the pointers to design an antivirus engine, or simply learn how most of them are built. Protection For a good protection, an Antivirus must have at least one driver, to be able to run code in kernel and overall have access to kernel APIs. Starting with Vista, Microsoft understood that the Antivirus industry needed keys to enter the kernel and activate filters in strategic places, such as file system, registry and network. Don’t be stunned if building an antivirus for pre-Vista systems can be a real pain, because it was not designed for this. However, on Pre-Vista systems, Antivirus companies used to use rootkit-like features to guard the doors (even if it was not recommended at all by Microsoft) and be able to protect your system. They used what we call “Hooks” (API detours for filtering purpose). On Vista+, Microsoft provided APIs to insert our low level driver between userland calls and kernel APIs. That way, it’s easy to register an antivirus product into the kernel. More, that kind registration based system allows us to dispatch our system security into layers, where several products with different aims can cohabit. This was not the case for hooks, as the implementation was totally product dependant. NOTE: I will not cover the workarounds with hooks for pre-Vista systems, because it’s easy to find on the internet, and because it would need a whole chapter to explain how to hook, where to hook and so… But you have to know it’s the same idea than the kernel APIs, except that you have to implement yourself what Microsoft provided on Vista+ systems. To learn about coding drivers, you can check that useful links: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/gg490655.aspx http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/9504/Driver-Development-Part-1-Introduction-to-Drivers To learn about hooks, you can check that basic example: http://www.unknowncheats.me/forum/c-and-c/59147-writing-drivers-perform-kernel-level-ssdt-hooking.html Process The first thing to protect the user from, is the launching of malicious processes. This is the basic thing. Antivirus should register a PsSetCreateProcessNotifyRoutineEx callback. By doing this, on each process creation, and before the main thread starts to run (and cause malicious things) the antivirus callback is notified and receives all the necessary information. It receives the process name, the file object, the PID, and so. As the process is pending, the driver can tell its service to analyse the process’s memory for anything malicious. It it founds something, the driver will simply set CreationStatus to FALSE and return. NTSTATUS PsSetCreateProcessNotifyRoutineEx( _In_ PCREATE_PROCESS_NOTIFY_ROUTINE_EX NotifyRoutine, _In_ BOOLEAN Remove ); 1 2 3 4 NTSTATUS PsSetCreateProcessNotifyRoutineEx ( _In_ PCREATE_PROCESS_NOTIFY_ROUTINE_EX NotifyRoutine, _In_ BOOLEAN Remove ) ; VOID CreateProcessNotifyEx( _Inout_ PEPROCESS Process, _In_ HANDLE ProcessId, _In_opt_ PPS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO CreateInfo ); 1 2 3 4 5 VOID CreateProcessNotifyEx ( _Inout_ PEPROCESS Process, _In_ HANDLE ProcessId, _In_opt_ PPS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO CreateInfo ) ; typedef struct _PS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO { SIZE_T Size; union { ULONG Flags; struct { ULONG FileOpenNameAvailable :1; ULONG Reserved :31; }; }; HANDLE ParentProcessId; CLIENT_ID CreatingThreadId; struct _FILE_OBJECT FileObject; PCUNICODE_STRING ImageFileName; PCUNICODE_STRING CommandLine; NTSTATUS CreationStatus; } PS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO, PPS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 typedef struct _PS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO { SIZE_T Size ; union { ULONG Flags ; struct { ULONG FileOpenNameAvailable : 1 ; ULONG Reserved : 31 ; } ; } ; HANDLE ParentProcessId ; CLIENT_ID CreatingThreadId ; struct _FILE_OBJECT * FileObject ; PCUNICODE_STRING ImageFileName ; PCUNICODE_STRING CommandLine ; NTSTATUS CreationStatus ; } PS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO, * PPS_CREATE_NOTIFY_INFO ; Threads In the same idea than for processes, threads can be a way for malicious things to cause damages. For example, one can inject some code into a legit process, and start a remote thread on that code inside the process’s context (easy to follow? 🙂 ). That way, a legit process can do malicious things. We can filter new threads with the PsSetCreateThreadNotifyRoutine callback. Each time a thread is created, the antivirus is notified with the TID and the PID. Thus, it’s able to look into the thread’s start address code, analyse it and either stop the thread or resume it. NTSTATUS PsSetCreateThreadNotifyRoutine( _In_ PCREATE_THREAD_NOTIFY_ROUTINE NotifyRoutine ); 1 2 3 NTSTATUS PsSetCreateThreadNotifyRoutine ( _In_ PCREATE_THREAD_NOTIFY_ROUTINE NotifyRoutine ) ; VOID (PCREATE_THREAD_NOTIFY_ROUTINE) ( IN HANDLE ProcessId, IN HANDLE ThreadId, IN BOOLEAN Create ); 1 2 3 4 5 6 VOID ( PCREATE_THREAD_NOTIFY_ROUTINE ) ( IN HANDLE ProcessId, IN HANDLE ThreadId, IN BOOLEAN Create ) ; Images The third dynamic threat is about images that can be loaded into memory. An image is a PE file, either a EXE, a DLL or SYS file. To be notified of loaded images, simply register PsSetLoadImageNotifyRoutine. That callback allows us to be notified when the image is loaded into virtual memory, even it’s never executed. We can then detect when a process attempts to load a DLL, to load a driver, or to fire a new process. The callback gets information about the full image path (useful for static analysis), and the more important in my opinion, the Image base address (for in-memory analysis). If the image is malicious the antivirus can use little tricks to avoid the execution, like parsing the in-memory image and go to the entrypoint, then call the assembly opcode “ret” to nullify it. NTSTATUS PsSetLoadImageNotifyRoutine( _In_ PLOAD_IMAGE_NOTIFY_ROUTINE NotifyRoutine ); 1 2 3 NTSTATUS PsSetLoadImageNotifyRoutine ( _In_ PLOAD_IMAGE_NOTIFY_ROUTINE NotifyRoutine ) ; VOID (PLOAD_IMAGE_NOTIFY_ROUTINE)( __in_opt PUNICODE_STRING FullImageName, __in HANDLE ProcessId, __in PIMAGE_INFO ImageInfo ); 1 2 3 4 5 6 VOID ( PLOAD_IMAGE_NOTIFY_ROUTINE ) ( __in_opt PUNICODE_STRING FullImageName, __in HANDLE ProcessId, __in PIMAGE_INFO ImageInfo ) ; typedef struct _IMAGE_INFO { union { ULONG Properties; struct { ULONG ImageAddressingMode : 8; //code addressing mode ULONG SystemModeImage : 1; //system mode image ULONG ImageMappedToAllPids : 1; //mapped in all processes ULONG Reserved : 22; }; }; PVOID ImageBase; ULONG ImageSelector; ULONG ImageSize; ULONG ImageSectionNumber; } IMAGE_INFO, PIMAGE_INFO; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 typedef struct _IMAGE_INFO { union { ULONG Properties ; struct { ULONG ImageAddressingMode : 8 ; //code addressing mode ULONG SystemModeImage : 1 ; //system mode image ULONG ImageMappedToAllPids : 1 ; //mapped in all processes ULONG Reserved : 22 ; } ; } ; PVOID ImageBase ; ULONG ImageSelector ; ULONG ImageSize ; ULONG ImageSectionNumber ; } IMAGE_INFO, PIMAGE_INFO ; File system Once every dynamic thing is secured, an antivirus should be able to notify user for malicious things on-the-fly, not only when they are about to start. An antivirus should be able to scan files when user opens a folder, an archive, or when it’s downloaded on the disk. More, an antivirus should be able to protect himself, by forbidding any program to delete its files. The way to do all of this, is to install a driver into the file system, and more specifically a minifilter of a legacy filter (old way). Here we will talk about minifilter. A minifilter is a specific kind of driver, able to register callbacks on every Read/Write operation made on the file system (IRP major functions). An IRP (Interrupt Request Paquet) is an object used to describe a Read/Write operation on the disk, which is transmitted along with the driver stack. The minifilter will simply be inserted into that stack, and receive that IRP to decide what to do with it (allow/deny operation). For a little example of minifilter, please check that useful link or that one. The microsoft guidelines are here. You’ll find also 2 examples of the WDK documentation here and here. A basic minifilter callback look like this. There are 2 kinds of callback, Pre operation and Post operation, which are able to filter before of after the query. Here’s a preOperation pseudo code: FLT_PREOP_CALLBACK_STATUS PreOperationCallback (__inout PFLT_CALLBACK_DATA Data, __in PCFLT_RELATED_OBJECTS FltObjects, __deref_out_opt PVOID CompletionContext) {... if ( all_good ) { return FLT_PREOP_SUCCESS_NO_CALLBACK; } else { // Access denied Data->IoStatus.Information = 0; Data->IoStatus.Status = STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED; return FLT_PREOP_COMPLETE; } } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 FLT_PREOP_CALLBACK_STATUS PreOperationCallback ( __inout PFLT_CALLBACK_DATA Data, __in PCFLT_RELATED_OBJECTS FltObjects, __deref_out_opt PVOID CompletionContext ) {... if ( all _ good ) { return FLT_PREOP_SUCCESS_NO_CALLBACK ; } else { // Access denied Data -> IoStatus. Information = 0 ; Data -> IoStatus. Status = STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED ; return FLT_PREOP_COMPLETE ; } } Registry The registry is one of the most critical place to guard. There are many many ways for a malware to keep persistent hand on the system by registering a single (or few) keys/values into the registry. The most known places are Run keys, and Services. This is also the place where the antivirus can be defeated (along with the file system), by simply removing its driver/service keys, so that it will no longer restart at system boot. This is not a real necessity for an antivirus to guard restart places, most of them don’t. But they must guard their install registry keys, to avoid being defeated easily by malwares. This can be done by registering CmRegisterCallback. The callback gives enough information to get the full key name, the kind of access (Create, Rename, Delete, … ) and the caller PID. That way it’s easy to grant access or not to the call, by setting the Status field of Post Operation callback. NTSTATUS CmRegisterCallbackEx( _In_ PEX_CALLBACK_FUNCTION Function, _In_ PCUNICODE_STRING Altitude, _In_ PVOID Driver, _In_opt_ PVOID Context, _Out_ PLARGE_INTEGER Cookie, _Reserved_ PVOID Reserved ); 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NTSTATUS CmRegisterCallbackEx ( _In_ PEX_CALLBACK_FUNCTION Function, _In_ PCUNICODE_STRING Altitude, _In_ PVOID Driver, _In_opt_ PVOID Context, _Out_ PLARGE_INTEGER Cookie, _Reserved_ PVOID Reserved ) ; EX_CALLBACK_FUNCTION RegistryCallback; NTSTATUS RegistryCallback( _In_ PVOID CallbackContext, _In_opt_ PVOID Argument1, _In_opt_ PVOID Argument2 ) {... } Argument1 = typedef enum _REG_NOTIFY_CLASS { RegNtDeleteKey, RegNtPreDeleteKey = RegNtDeleteKey,</span>... Argument2 = typedef struct _REG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION { PVOID Object; NTSTATUS Status; PVOID PreInformation; NTSTATUS ReturnStatus; PVOID CallContext; PVOID ObjectContext; PVOID Reserved; } REG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION, PREG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 EX_CALLBACK_FUNCTION RegistryCallback ; NTSTATUS RegistryCallback ( _In_ PVOID CallbackContext, _In_opt_ PVOID Argument1, _In_opt_ PVOID Argument2 ) {... } Argument1 = typedef enum _REG_NOTIFY_CLASS { RegNtDeleteKey, RegNtPreDeleteKey = RegNtDeleteKey, < / span >... Argument2 = typedef struct _REG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION { PVOID Object ; NTSTATUS Status ; PVOID PreInformation ; NTSTATUS ReturnStatus ; PVOID CallContext ; PVOID ObjectContext ; PVOID Reserved ; } REG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION, PREG_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION ; Network (Firewall) To guard the doors of the whole internet traffic which can be huge on certain systems (servers, huge bandwidth users) without being slowed down by the context switching that takes place in userland, it’s totally not recommended to install a firewall that have no underlying driver, except for some web browser filters that can be enough for http traffic, but that will not protect against malware communication in/out. In order to have a correct implementation of firewall, one should code a NDIS, TDI or another method for low level IP filtering driver. NDIS/TDI is a bit tricky to do, and would require lot of knowledge (more than other filters in my opinion). Anyway, here’s some pointers to start coding such a driver, the microsoft guidelines, and old codeproject tutorial (but still good to read), an example of NDIS firewall, and an example of TDI firewall. Here’s also a good writing about NDIS firewall bypass trick, and a little explanation about the network driver stack, Userland protection The userland protection is not a necessity, but can be an additional module against Trojan Bankers, and more specifically against process spies. They are generally injected into every process, for several reasons. First, they are able (on demand) to kill the process if it has been identified as malware (this should not happen, because AVs are supposed to stop it before it starts). It’s always easier to stop a process when you are into its context. Second they are able to guard critical process, like web browsers, against hooking malwares able to detour and filter API calls in order to gather passwords, banking information, and redirect internet flow to malware servers. They only watch for IAT modification, for splicing, and can also set hooks themselves to avoid LoadLibray of a malware DLL, and thus forbid certain methods of code injection. An easy way to inject a protector DLL into all processes is to use the AppInitDll registry key to register the protector DLL. It will load the DLL into every process started on the system, as soon as they link the User32.dll image (most of them do). Analysis Engine The analysis engine is one of the most important part, it’s responsible for analysing file/memory samples coming from the drivers. If must be fast (even with a huge database), and should be able to handle most of the file types (Self-extracted executables, Archives – RAR, ZIP, Packed files – UPX, … ) and thus should have many modules to do this: Unpacker : That module must be able to detect and unpack most of the known packers (UPX, Armadillo, ASPack, …) Signature engine: The database of an antivirus contains millions of signatures, and the engine should be able to fast search for them into a sample. Thus, a very powerful algorithm should be part of it. Some examples : AhoCorasick, RabinKarp, string matching algorithms. Sandbox : That module is not necessary, but would be a plus to be able to run samples into a limited memory, with no effect on the system. That could help to unpack samples packed with unknown packers, and help the heuristic engine (see after) to detect API calls that could be considered as suspicious or malicious. Some good sandbox here. Heuristic engine : As said above, the heuristic engine does not search for signatures, but rather look for suspicious behaviour (ie. sample that opens a connexion on the website hxxp://malware_besite.com). That can be done by static analysis, or through a sandbox. Signature syntax The signature syntax is the “dictionary” of the language that the signature engine understands. It’s a way to formalize what is the pattern to find, how to search it and where to search it into the sample. The syntax has to be simple enough for the researchers to understand, powerful enough to handle every use case, and easy to parse for better engine performances. VirusTotal has developed a good syntax and engine (Yara project), which is open source. That should be a good pointer to make your own syntax, or simply use it. Here’s also a good post blog on how create signatures for antivirus. Example of signature: rule silent_banker : banker { meta: description = "This is just an example" thread_level = 3 in_the_wild = true strings: $a = {6A 40 68 00 30 00 00 6A 14 8D 91} $b = {8D 4D B0 2B C1 83 C0 27 99 6A 4E 59 F7 F9} $c = "UVODFRYSIHLNWPEJXQZAKCBGMT" condition: $a or $b or $c } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 rule silent_banker : banker { meta : description = "This is just an example" thread_level = 3 in_the_wild = true strings: $ a = { 6A 40 68 00 30 00 00 6A 14 8D 91 } $ b = { 8D 4D B0 2B C1 83 C0 27 99 6A 4E 59 F7 F9 } $ c = "UVODFRYSIHLNWPEJXQZAKCBGMT" condition : $ a or $ b or $ c } Self-protection The self protection is very important for an antivirus, to avoid being defeated by a malware and continue to protect the user. This is why an antivirus should be able to guard its own installation and keep persistence at reboot. There are several place to protect: Files, Registry keys, Processes/Threads, Memory. File protection is implemented into the minifilter, with particular rules on the files of the antivirus (No access in deletion, renaming, moving, writing). , with particular rules on the files of the antivirus (No access in deletion, renaming, moving, writing). Registry protection is made into the registry filter, with access denied for registry keys of the driver and the service. , with access denied for registry keys of the driver and the service. The drivers threads are protected, because it’s quite impossible to unload kernel module without crashing the system without crashing the system To be able to protect the service, which is a userland process, 2 solutions: The easiest would be to add rules for failures in the service manager, and set every failure rule to “restart service”. That way, when the service is not stopped by service manager, it restarts. Of course, the service should not be able to accept commands until the system is not restarting (or stopping). The second method, which is more generic, would be to set callbacks on process handles with ObRegisterCallbacks. By setting the ObjectType to PsProcessType and the Operation to OB_OPERATION_HANDLE_CREATE, you receive a Pre and Post operation callback, and you are able to return ACCESS_DENIED into ReturnStatus if the process handle queried has GrantedAccess which have process terminate rights (or process write rights, or anything that can lead to a crash/kill), and of course if the process is one the antivirus needs to guard (its service for example). Of course, one also needs to guard Duplicate handle and the PsThreadType to avoid any termination method that requires to grab a handle on the process or a thread. Here’s a little example of usage of that callback. NTSTATUS ObRegisterCallbacks( _In_ POB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION CallBackRegistration, _Out_ PVOID RegistrationHandle ); 1 2 3 4 NTSTATUS ObRegisterCallbacks ( _In_ POB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION CallBackRegistration, _Out_ PVOID RegistrationHandle ) ; typedef struct _OB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION { USHORT Version; USHORT OperationRegistrationCount; UNICODE_STRING Altitude; PVOID RegistrationContext; OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION OperationRegistration; } OB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION, POB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 typedef struct _OB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION { USHORT Version ; USHORT OperationRegistrationCount ; UNICODE_STRING Altitude ; PVOID RegistrationContext ; OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION * OperationRegistration ; } OB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION, * POB_CALLBACK_REGISTRATION ; typedef struct _OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION { POBJECT_TYPE ObjectType; OB_OPERATION Operations; POB_PRE_OPERATION_CALLBACK PreOperation; POB_POST_OPERATION_CALLBACK PostOperation; } OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION, POB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION; 1 2 3 4 5 6 typedef struct _OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION { POBJECT_TYPE * ObjectType ; OB_OPERATION Operations ; POB_PRE_OPERATION_CALLBACK PreOperation ; POB_POST_OPERATION_CALLBACK PostOperation ; } OB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION, * POB_OPERATION_REGISTRATION ; VOID ObjectPostCallback( _In_ PVOID RegistrationContext, _In_ POB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION OperationInformation ); 1 2 3 4 VOID ObjectPostCallback ( _In_ PVOID RegistrationContext, _In_ POB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION OperationInformation ) ; typedef struct _OB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION { OB_OPERATION Operation; union { ULONG Flags; struct { ULONG KernelHandle :1; ULONG Reserved :31; }; }; PVOID Object; POBJECT_TYPE ObjectType; PVOID CallContext; NTSTATUS ReturnStatus; POB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS Parameters; } OB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION, POB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 typedef struct _OB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION { OB_OPERATION Operation ; union { ULONG Flags ; struct { ULONG KernelHandle : 1 ; ULONG Reserved : 31 ; } ; } ; PVOID Object ; POBJECT_TYPE ObjectType ; PVOID CallContext ; NTSTATUS ReturnStatus ; POB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS Parameters ; } OB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION, POB_POST_OPERATION_INFORMATION ; typedef union _OB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS { OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION CreateHandleInformation; OB_POST_DUPLICATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION DuplicateHandleInformation; } OB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS, POB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS; 1 2 3 4 typedef union _OB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS { OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION CreateHandleInformation ; OB_POST_DUPLICATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION DuplicateHandleInformation ; } OB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS, POB_POST_OPERATION_PARAMETERS ; typedef struct _OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION { ACCESS_MASK GrantedAccess;</strong> } OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION, POB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION; 1 2 3 typedef struct _OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION { ACCESS_MASK GrantedAccess ; < / strong > } OB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION, POB_POST_CREATE_HANDLE_INFORMATION ; GUI (Graphical User Interface) This is the visible part of the iceberg. In my opinion, one (maybe THE) most important part if you want to sell your product. Users love what is beautiful, easy to use, intuitive. Even if it’s not 100% efficient. The GUI must be sexy. The GUI is only an empty shell, it does only graphical treatments, and sends/receive commands to the core (the service). It also displays progress bars, what is being analysed, provides configuration, and so… Here’s the Avast UI. Sexy, right? 🙂 Architecture The global architecture could be something that look like this: GUI : No administrative rights, WEAK Guard DLL(s) : web browser protection, MEDIUM Service : Admin rights. Serves as a gateway to kernel code and take decisions along with some database, STRONG Driver(s) : Kernel filters, STRONG The GUI doesn’t need any administrative right, it only takes user actions and transmits them to the service. It also displays product status. Nothing more, this is not its aim. If the GUI is killed, this is not a problem as the service should be able to restart it. The guard DLLs (if any), are massively injected into all processes, and should be able to look for IAT hooks and/or malicious threads. They should be quite hard to unload or defeat. They are not critical but important. The service is the core of the product. It should be unkillable, or at least should be able to self-restart on kill. The service is responsible for communication between all modules of the product, it sends commands to drivers, takes commands from user, and queries the database for sample analysis. This is the brain. The kernel drivers are also critical. They are the tentacles that gather information on everything that happen on the system, and transmit them to the service for decision. They are also able to deny access to guarded places, based on service’s decision. Conclusion Making a strong, reliable and stable antivirus engine is a complicated task, that needs experimented people with a very strong knowledge in windows kernel programming, windows application programming, GUI design, software architecture, malware analysis, … Building stable drivers is also a complicated task, because a little grain of sand can crash the whole system. It needs testing, testing, and lot of testing. When your engine is done and working, you’ll just need to hire researchers to analyse malwares and add signatures to your database 🙂 What are you waiting for? Go on! 😀 More links – http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/building-anti-virus-engineRust Compiler Error Index E0001 Note: this error code is no longer emitted by the compiler. This error suggests that the expression arm corresponding to the noted pattern will never be reached as for all possible values of the expression being matched, one of the preceding patterns will match. This means that perhaps some of the preceding patterns are too general, this one is too specific or the ordering is incorrect. For example, the following match block has too many arms: match Some ( 0 ) { Some ( bar ) => { } x => { } _ => { } }Run match blocks have their patterns matched in order, so, for example, putting a wildcard arm above a more specific arm will make the latter arm irrelevant. Ensure the ordering of the match arm is correct and remove any superfluous arms. E0002 Note: this error code is no longer emitted by the compiler. This error indicates that an empty match expression is invalid because the type it is matching on is non-empty (there exist values of this type). In safe code it is impossible to create an instance of an empty type, so empty match expressions are almost never desired. This error is typically fixed by adding one or more cases to the match expression. An example of an empty type is enum Empty { }. So, the following will work: enum Empty {} fn foo ( x : Empty ) { match x { } }Run However, this won't: ⓘ This example deliberately fails to compile fn foo ( x : Option < String > ) { match x { } }Run E0004 This error indicates that the compiler cannot guarantee a matching pattern for one or more possible inputs to a match expression. Guaranteed matches are required in order to assign values to match expressions, or alternatively, determine the flow of execution. Erroneous code example: ⓘ This example deliberately fails to compile enum Terminator { HastaLaVistaBaby, TalkToMyHand, } let x = Terminator :: HastaLaVistaBaby ; match x { Terminator :: TalkToMyHand => {} }Run If you encounter this error you must alter your patterns so that every possible value of the input type is matched. For types with a small number of variants (like enums) you should probably cover all cases explicitly. Alternatively, the underscore _ wildcard pattern can be added after all other patterns to match "anything else". Example: enum Terminator { HastaLaVistaBaby, TalkToMyHand, } let x = Terminator :: HastaLaVistaBaby ; match x { Terminator :: TalkToMyHand => {} Terminator :: HastaLaVistaBaby => {} } match x { Terminator :: TalkToMyHand => {} _ => {} }
our National Newspaper’s app: if you read a story in VoiceOver, the middle half of the story is read first, then the headline, then more story, then the start of the story. It’s crazy. Did the Globe’s iOS team even test it? Of course they didn’t. If it even occurred to them to test accessibility, then they clearly decided to ignore all the bugs and hope nobody noticed. Here, then, lies the answer to how to tell whether some developer you’ve just met (or are interviewing) is serious about their craft in five seconds flat: borrow their device, and triple-click the home button. If you don’t hear “VoiceOver on”, or get prompted about VoiceOver, consider that −3 points on the Steve Test.1 If you’d like to get those 3 points on the Steve Test, here’s what to do. Go into Settings app, start at the top, then tap General, then Accessibility. At the bottom of the screen is a setting that lets you make a home key triple-click turn on VoiceOver. Turn it on. Go into the VoiceOver panel, and turn it on. Your phone will now say “VoiceOver on” and become extremely annoying to use if you’re not used to it. A “VoiceOver Practice” button will appear. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to ‘tap’ on that VoiceOver Practice button and go practice some moves. Hints: You can drag one finger around the screen to browse until you find the button that does what you want, then put down a second finger to activate it (some call this a tap-and-a-half; the proper term is a split tap). Use two fingers flicking down to have the entire screen read to you. This is great for news or email: your device can read a piece to you while your hands are busy driving a car or feeding your baby. To get your mind blown, fire up Camera and point the camera at a nearby face, preferably a cute infant. You might end up asking yourself why Apple went to such effort to let a blind person take a picture. The only answer I can give is they not only care about making accessible applications: they also actually put in the effort. ; 1 Special exemption for people with children, who are obliged to turn off multitasking and accessibility gestures on their iPad because the device will come back seriously messed up with ten fingers flailing away randomly at it.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- J.R. Smith said he would sign a new contract with the Cavaliers "soon, I hope," which could in theory mean the team had all five of its starters from its 2016 championship back in the fold by the start of training camp. In theory. Smith, 31, is still a free agent and neither he nor the Cavs have indicated they're willing to budge in negotiations that have carried on since July 1. The Cavs' first practice is Sept. 27. Smith is represented by the same agent -- Rich Paul -- who guided Tristan Thompson to a holdout last year that stretched through the entire preseason. In an interview with Complex.com posted Friday, Smith said the Cavs' offer was such that "we're not where we want to be at from a personal standpoint." The next part is somewhat confusing. He said "I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of the Cavs for everything they've done for me, and I don't want them to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. It's more of a mutual respect thing." Here's how the two sides may interpret mutual respect. Smith has played 12 NBA seasons, the last 11/2 with the Cavs -- both ended in the Finals. He averaged 12.4 points and shot 40 percent from 3-point range (204 made 3s) last season, and in Game 7 of the Finals contributed 12 points with two critical 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Cavs battle back from an 8-point deficit. In numerous conversations with Smith's camp, they feel he's proven his worth to the Cavs. Without him, they don't win the 2016 Finals, and, especially given Cleveland's precarious situation with the salary cap, would be at a huge disadvantage in their title defense without him -- because they have nowhere near the money to replace Smith. The Cavs are already more than $22 million over the the NBA's $94 million salary cap. By league rules, they can go over the cap to retain Smith, but couldn't replace him with a free agent who would command a similar contract. While neither Smith nor Paul has ever confirmed this figure, it is believed he's looking for a contract worth about $15 million annually. The two sides may not be arguing over money so much as the length of the deal -- the Cavs would likely prefer a shorter contract. The Cavs gave Smith a two-year, $10 million contract with a player's option for the second season prior to the 2015-16 campaign. That was after Smith declined a $6.4 million option on his previous contract, then failed to generate any real offers on the open market. A team source said Smith would make 'far more' than the $5.3 million he would've earned from the Cavs had he exercised his contract option in June, but the team is reluctant now to meet an asking price the NBA market doesn't support. Smith obviously was not a part of the league's spending spree on free agents in July -- where players like Mike Conley received contracts worth $153 million. There are some teams that still have the cap space to sign Smith, like the 76ers and Nets (Smith is from New Jersey, near both Philadelphia and Brooklyn), but none of the teams will be anywhere near competing for a championship this season. And none have LeBron James, who on Instagram said to Smith "know I can't wait to get back to work on that court with u as my backcourt mate" as James wished him a happy birthday. "Financially, you can always go somewhere else," Smith told Complex.com. "Team morale-wise, there are a few teams that I could see working. There are guys I would like to play with, guys I have played with. Being able to live in that city or a particular place, school systems, kids, family life -- [with] free agency, everything comes into play. Before, I could just sit there and be like, 'I don't care where I go.' But now I have the kids, and it's like, 'OK, what's the best fit?'" Smith was asked if signing with Cleveland was his best option, and he said "yes and no...it depends on how you look at it." The Cavs were not at risk of losing Thompson last year before he ultimately signed a five-year, $82 million extension because he was a restricted free agent. While the threat of his absence was a problem for their frontcourt depth, the negotiation was always going to end with Thompson playing for Cleveland. Smith could find an offer elsewhere that works for him and leave. It would leave Cleveland in the lurch, to be sure, though the Cavs could eventually find a replacement in a trade later this season. But Smith has also shown little or no real interest in leaving James and the franchise that took him when he had a bad reputation across the league for his on- and off-court behavior. Where the two sides find common ground, and when, remains to be seen.Health officials in Minnesota are tackling the worst measles outbreak in nearly 30 years. Most of those with the disease are unvaccinated Somali-American children in the state, which has the largest Somali population in the country. More Minnesota News From WCCO Minnesota's health commissioner says the community has been targeted with misinformation about vaccine risks. At Children's Minnesota, doctors are treating 34 of the state's 48 confirmed cases. Because measles is incredibly contagious, everyone who enters the hospital is provided a mask. If you don't have the vaccine that prevents measles, there's a 90 percent chance that you'll contract the virus, reports CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas. Patsy Stinchfield is the director for infection control at Children's Minnesota Hospital. She said the measles outbreak started about four weeks ago. "We have gone zero days without having a new case," Stinchfield said. Forty-six of the 48 confirmed cases are in children 10 years old or younger. "I just finished doing rounds on these children and they are miserable. They're in the hospital, they have IV's, they're not drinking, they have terrible coughs, some have pneumonia," Stinchfield said. The measles virus commonly travels through the air where it can live for up to two hours, making it more contagious than the flu. The only vaccine available in the U.S. to prevent the spread of the disease is the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, or MMR. "One in a thousand children who get measles will have encephalitis or infection in the brain. They can have permanent brain damage. They can have blindness or deafness, and so we wouldn't vaccinate if this was just a rash or illness – this is a very serious disease," Stinchfield said. In 2014, almost 90 percent of 2-year-old Minnesota children were vaccinated against measles. In the Somali community, that number plummeted to about 40 percent. MMR rates CBS News Community leader Abdirizak Bihi said it's because of an unfounded fear spawned by anti-vaccine activists that MMR causes autism. "Some parents… they said at least measles is curable… because they believe that thing is causing autism and they don't have a choice," Bihi said. Ikram Mohamed is a Somali-American mother of five children. Four have received the MMR vaccine, but she waited until they were older, even after getting measles herself. Mohamed doesn't plan to vaccinate her 5-year-old until he starts school in the fall. "There is this big decision to make. Are you going to choose to take the risk to vaccinate and get this long-term chronic illness? Or are you going to take the risk of trying to do everything that you can in your power to prevent your child from getting the measles? And that's a very hard choice," Mohamed said. Doctors say false information linking vaccines to autism is hurting children. "Do you get frustrated that this misinformation still is out there?" Yuccas asked Stinchfield. "It is frustrating," Stinchfield responded, "because we know these diseases are contagious, they can spread, they can take children's lives and all we have to do is go back to before we had vaccines where the United States had four million cases of measles… and we will go back there if we don't continue to vaccinate." Scientific studies have shown there is no direct correlation between the MMR vaccine and increased risk in autism, even among children considered at high risk for the disorder. Minnesota state health officials expect the outbreak to last for months and say the epidemic can't be declared over until six weeks pass with no new reported cases.What's on the desk In a picture supplied by Sarah Palin's family to the Associated Press, Palin appears with some rather odd reading matter: The magazine of the ultraconservative John Birch Society. The picture, dating to 1995, when Palin was a member of the Wasilla City Council, ran beside a profile of Palin in Saturday's New York Times. The magazine, The New American, is sitting on top of her calendar on her desk, unopened. The current, and then-, president of the group, John McManus, confirmed that the cover fit the description of a 1995 issue of the magazine. The headline, "Con-Con Call," refers to discussion at the time of a constitutional convention. The headline appears above a picture of then-Utah Governor Mike Leavitt, who had floated the notion as a way of returning the balance of power back toward the states. But the author warned that the convention could actually be a devious ploy aimed at increasing government power. McManus said Palin wouldn't have had to have any connection to the society, or the journal, to have wound up with that issue on her desk. "Any attempt to link her to the John Birch Society would be ridiculous," he said of speculation on the liberal blogs that first noticed the magazine, first noted by the photo site BAGNews. "This photo from the early to mid 90s shows the Governor having her photo taken in front of a three ring binder of information from local citizens presented regularly to Wasilla council members by the town clerk," said Palin spokesman Michael Goldfarb. "These binders featured material given by members of the public to all council members." "We sent thousands of copies of that newsletter out to all kinds of people trying to forestall the constitutional convention," McManus recalled. "The plan at that time was for us to send copies of that newsletter to county commissioners, mayors, state legislators, local officials." "Our nation's best informed citizens need to voice their opposition loudly and clearly. Governors and legislators who understand the Constitution and know it is not flawed must be willing to speak out in opposition to this elaborate plan to alter it.. We must not permit the calling of a state-authorized Conference imbued with federal convention powers at this point in our history.," said the piece. McManus said the Birch Society should get credit for stopping the convention, and said they have a similar effort underway to halt a supposed North American Union plan.SENDAI, Japan - From 1,000 feet up, the view of the tsunami-battered Japanese seaside communities shows striking progress: much of the rubble, crumpled cars and other debris is gone. Yet seen from a helicopter Friday carrying Associated Press journalists, there are few signs of rebuilding eight months after the March 11 disaster, triggered by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake off the tsunami-prone coast. Visitors pay respects at a shrine set up in the shell of the tsunami-damaged disaster control center building in Minamisanriku, in northeast Japan, Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. AP Photo/Greg Baker What remains the stark, gray emptiness where bustling towns once stood is a sobering reminder of how much work still lies ahead. Special Section: Disaster in Japan On the ground, people living in the tidy rows of temporary houses that dot the surrounding areas say they are frustrated that authorities aren't moving ahead more quickly with reconstruction plans. They are anxious to rebuild their lives, yet remain uncertain of how to proceed. "I want to leave this place as soon as possible and move into our own house, but the feeling I'm getting from the banks and government is that's going to be hard," said Yuki Numakura, 36, from Natori, near Sendai, who shares a unit with her mother, brother, grandmother and pet dog Seven. "The future looks really murky," she said. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government plans to spend at least 18 trillion yen ($234 billion) over the next five years to fund the reconstruction, 6 trillion yen of which has been approved by parliament. So far, the government has built 51,886 temporary houses almost all of the 52,500 needed in seven prefectures (states) affected by the disaster. Ultimately, decisions about reconstruction of each town fall to local town leaders, but uncertainty about the extent and speed of aid from the central government has caused some towns to move cautiously. The towns have just begun to come out with longer-term reconstruction plans, which include input from residents and seek ways to better protect their communities from future tsunamis. Many are also reluctant to rebuild in low-lying areas for fear that another massive wave may strike again sooner or later, given that four have hit the coastline in the last 120 years. The fishing town of Minamisanriku, which lost 70 percent of its buildings in the disaster, calls for building residential areas on higher ground, even cutting into the surrounding hills, and possibly raising the town's commercial district slightly from the fishing docks, a key hub of activity. To help people better escape from future tsunamis, the town plans to widen evacuation routes and increase the number of elevated shelters. Minamisanriku's reconstruction plan extends 10 years into the future. Facing a shrinking and aging population, it seeks to revive its local economy through promoting tourism and drawing new business. The biggest challenge facing town leaders at this point is balancing residents' demands to restore homes and jobs quickly while coming up with a viable long-term plan, said Tsuneaki Fukui, a civil engineering professor at the University of Tokyo who is helping the major fishing port of Kesennuma, further up the coast, draw up its reconstruction plans. "The scale of this the entire coastline makes it all so overwhelming," he said. "It's something even we professionals haven't ever encountered." The disaster left 15,839 dead and 3,647 missing, according to the official toll. The high number of missing is because the dead are only counted when a body is identified. Further south, the tsunami also touched off a nuclear crisis when it slammed into the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, forcing about 100,000 people to flee their homes. They still have no idea when they can return. Disposing of all the debris an estimated 23 million tons is another huge headache. While most has been removed from town centers, completely disposing of it will likely take another 2 1/2 years, the government estimates. A large amount of debris has wound up in Natori, a flat area near the Sendai airport, where it has been carefully divided into huge mountains of wood, metal, hazardous waste and other materials. On Friday, dozens of cranes and backhoes picked away at the stuff, dumping it into waiting trucks to be hauled off. Some of it is recycled. Concrete, for example, is sent to cement factories for reprocessing into small pebbles for use in road construction, the Environment Ministry says. The rest is to be incinerated and used as landfill although incinerators in the prefecture are overwhelmed by the volume and have asked for help from elsewhere. Just a few miles away from the whirring construction vehicles, 75-year-old Yaeko Sai, who lost her Natori home in the tsunami, thinks anxiously about the future in the shadow of her temporary housing block. "My friends have scattered everywhere," she said. "I'm really not sure how I could make it if I had to leave this place."By Barnaby Raine Brexit has made immigration an impossible subject to avoid, and in several trade unions and the Labour Party socialists are divided. Three schools of thought predominate. They are all rotten. Each of them borrows from enemy arsenals rather than recovering the left’s lost language of ‘proletarian internationalism’. It is a coarse, imperfect dialect from the early years of the twentieth century, the language of Lenin and his comrades. It seems often hopelessly outdated now but in speaking about migration its central innovations – stressing that modern politics is a contingent and a necessarily transnational affair – make for a refreshing contrast with the certainties that only later froze into premises for our own stale debates. The tactical view Jeremy Corbyn has resuscitated politics. When Labour leapt to the left and saw its vote rise for the first time in twenty years, the message was that the political sphere existed; the space of democratic deliberation, of persuasion and change had not entirely given way to the limitless sovereignty of ‘the market’. He was supposed to be crushed, and he wasn’t. He proposed turning the page on decades of economic and foreign policy orthodoxy and he found a hearing – albeit not yet enough to win. In the delayed aftermath of 2008 and amid decades of stalling living standards it should be unsurprising that ructions and ruptures are on the horizon now, but this was not all predetermined. There is again some contingency in the universe, and agency too. And so an old expectation, long dormant, is almost back: capital overdetermines indeterminacy, by bringing into existence rival social forces with opposed interests and the will to fight for them it dictates a time of unpredictability. It is this anti-inevitabilist zeal that saw Lenin and Walter Benjamin alike revolt against calcified Marxist schemas of fixed, unbendable epochs. Now it is a quiet, flimsy, thin connection between 1917 and 2017, but a connection that matters nonetheless. Before Corbyn, Ed Miliband spent five sad years as Labour leader devoid of this faith in politics. He was no neoliberal shill, but he tried to fit social democracy to an austerity banner woven by the right and his lack of ambition killed him at the ballot box. By accepting the basic picture of our national challenges offered by Conservative welfare-bashers and state-shrinkers, his offer to the electorate could do no more than water down existing policies. Unsurprisingly those who chose to vote chose the genuine article over the half-hearted imitation, the Tories over Labour. Corbyn’s different rhetorical strategy has been to posit a different set of problems, above all inequality as a package of spiralling crises from pay to education to housing. Miliband hoped to do that too, but Corbyn has been more assertive in brushing aside a political conversation honed by the right. Theresa May called an election on Brexit and Labour barely talked about Brexit. Where past Labour leaders have coveted tabloid endorsements, Corbyn ran a campaign that virtually ignored the print barons. The shocking revelation has been the fragility of the consensuses that petrified social-democrats for so long. Seven weeks of speeches in a bullish election campaign and now top Conservative ministers hint at the possibility of scrapping university fees, a promise once thought so radical that even the National Union of Students ran from it. Whatever happens next, this has been an antidote to fatalism on the left. That backdrop makes one recent development all the more baffling and depressing. Immigration was a textbook case of Miliband’s craven acquiescence. His Labour Party stamped its promise to control migration across menacing breakfast mugs. Shoring up xenophobia as a national consensus was, of course, a gift to the right. As he launched his bid for the Party leadership Corbyn made a point of rejecting that legacy. He took the stage at a pro-refugee demonstration and later told audiences we should celebrate record net migration figures. Here as elsewhere he was unabashed and unapologetic, an almost dizzying break with the past. Now his lines have changed. He tells the nation that the free movement of people from Europe undercuts wages, and it should go. It marks a significant change in tone from the Labour leader. Is this all just a Brexit plague? Certainly Brexit has heightened the pressure. Materially it demands the hasty design of an independent British migration policy, so immigration shifts from a rhetorical slanging match to (also) a set of real political choices. And Brexit has offered a depressing picture of the ideological state of the nation, a slapdash portrait of miserable xenophobes from Thurrock to Hull relayed by every journalist and commentator in the land. But ceding ground on immigration is not new on the left, and paradoxically moments of strength – when the left’s arguments begin to cut through, as happened in the last general election – only increase the temptation to drop our own commitments opportunistically as electoral prizes come into view. Advances present challenges. The first serious political cost of having Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader was the practical difficulty of mounting a significant left Leave campaign; Corbyn was imprisoned by Labour’s overwhelming Europhilia, and any left-wing campaign opposing Corbyn’s stated position in this context was never a realistic proposition. Brexit was handed to the right, which defined sovereignty as a national question and its enemies as migrants, but the left has a splendid history of prizing popular, democratic sovereignty against both bosses and bureaucrats. That tradition should form the starting point for a confident Labour line on Brexit, neither mourning for Brussels nor collapsing into xenophobia. Momentum caught something of this spirit when they launched their own ‘Take Back Control’ tour, stealing a slogan from Johnson and Farage. If empire is the lost grandeur whose memory seeps implicitly into the mind of Brexit Britain, Momentum was really saying, ‘that is only one possible framing through which to conceive the experience of dispossession and instability’. It is not our framing. So long as politics is understood through binaries like ‘liberal/populist’, ‘open/closed’, ‘hard Brexit/soft Brexit’, the appeal for a life beyond extreme vulnerability to unaccountable forces will be represented as a nostalgic appeal to fortify old, steady markers of status and power: whiteness, masculinity, the Union Jack and the bobby-on-the-beat. It is the task of the left to demand power and security by alternative means. Ultimately that involves an account of Britishness of the kind James Baldwin once sought for America, where all the sweated, foreign labour that built this imperial colossus is neither denied nor understood as a threat but reinterpreted as one piece of our identity, one piece in a story of exploitation whose happy ending must be happy for all its historic victims or else none will be at peace. This sounds, some will sneer, like pie in the sky. It was only a decade ago that the Conservatives ran an election campaign on a promise to attack immigrants and lost, but now nationalist hostility is thought so permanently entrenched that no attempt to combat it is worthwhile. Just when their adoration for the European Union prompts some Labour moderates to defend free movement within its barbed-wire borders, some on the left have imbibed the moderates’ old insistence that elections are won only by mimicking racists. That view underestimates the play of contingency and agency in politics, but its most bitter error is in thinking Labour can win on Tory terrain. Tailing enemy claims doesn’t win arguments, at least not on this issue. Socialist politics lives or dies on the strength of class solidarity, it wilts when workers are persuaded that loyalties to hierarchical communities like the nation should win out. This is precisely how the right wins over the exploited: by encouraging their investment in lines of collective interest and antagonism other than class. If fears about immigration guide pencils in polling booths, Labour has already lost. The contingency of politics under capital is importantly not an anarchic place where absolutely anything is possible. If the battle is over who best can revive roseate visions of the 1950s, the right will romp home. This is not to say that opposition to migration and some form of antagonistic class sentiment are in theory irreconcilable, only that in practice the two tend to serve as alternate options for defining working-class political identities. Only if ire is redirected at the wealthy will voting Labour seem intuitive. And so Corbyn’s 2017 strategy of changing the conversation offers more hope than Miliband’s 2015 flop. If only Corbyn knew it. The nationalist view Not everyone articulates opposition to free movement as a tactical concession. To some it is a socialist principle, and they may have the ear of the Labour leader. Unite and the RMT are two highly significant unions; the first because it is a benevolent behemoth whose leader often wields his considerable power to sustain Corbyn, and the second because its militancy has long offered a rare and welcome example of industrial victories. These unions are frequently heroic, but the leaders of both clamour for heightened border controls. Unlike the right they do not complain of foreign languages spoken on public transport, but they hope to stem the flow of immigrant labour undercutting wages. There have been calls too to institute a closed shop exclusively for migrant workers, which would mean socialists demanding vastly increased state snooping and control over some workers on the basis of their national origin while ushering in employment discrimination through the back door by making migrant workers the most expensive to hire. Undercutting is fine, it seems, as long as only certain people are doing it. ‘Such socialists are in reality jingoes‘, Lenin long ago wrote. The protagonists of these arguments are not racists, but they echo the anti-structural thinking that defines conspiracy theorists and right-wing anti-capitalism alike, where nefarious individuals are imagined as the full extent of the problem. Their sin, in other words, is to misunderstand and underestimate the logic of capital. Where they see isolated national economies with a supply of labour easily regulated by the state, they forget that capital’s nimble, sweeping potency outwits clunking bureaucracies. Attempts to pull up the drawbridge only further stratify workers and encourage a race to the bottom. The evidence from America is that those who enter the country illegally find themselves outside the law’s limited protections, easy pickings for undercutting employers. Many more are imprisoned by closed borders in low-wage regions, unable to strike by leaving as capital roams freely. Even if a siege economy were feasible, non-unionised workers undercutting wages need not in principle be foreigners. And reducing the labour force also means shrinking the demand for other workers’ labour. All this suggests that closing borders offers scant protection to native-born workers whose quest to identify and expunge every threatening competitor is an endless, impossible, even counter-productive task. Such is the genius of a social system constantly chasing new avenues to support ever-expanding accumulation. Only by organising as many workers as possible and all on an equal basis can unions undercut the ultimate undercutter. None of this is new. Ten years before the first immigration controls were introduced in Britain to keep out Jews from the Tsar’s miserable empire, the Trade Union Congress passed its own ‘Anti-Alien Resolution’ in 1895. Jewish migrant workers in Britain composed a superb response, their Voice from the Aliens. Stressing that all workers sought decent pay and conditions and that employers not migrant labourers revelled in cutting wages, they wrote: To punish the alien worker for the sin of the native capitalist is like the man who struck the boy because he was not strong enough to strike his father. Liberalism or class politics? The appeal of jingoistic socialism is explained partly by the available alternatives. Unlike those migrant militants in 1895, today’s defenders of free movement all too often sugar-coat the realities of immigration. They praise it for generating growth and quote studies claiming it has no net effect on wages – both evidence, in part, that increased labour market competition reduces wages marginally at the bottom and concentrates ballooning surpluses at the top of businesses, which pay senior staff more and so boost GDP. These are the mores of capital, radicals need not deny it. Many laud free movement as a coveted right, speaking as if the same phenomenon covers British students studying in the Italian sun and Romanian construction workers held as modern day slaves while they erect London’s skyline. ‘We Are All Immigrants!’ declaim American liberals; if that means glossing over differences between the Mayflower and the slave ship, it is very far from radical politics. The new Labour Campaign for Free Movement seeks a more distinctively socialist bent and is well worth supporting, but its founding statement retains this tone. Some on the contemporary left borrow a fashion for celebrating the ‘agency of the oppressed’ and apply it here, forgetting that most of the agency in migration rests with uneven geographical development and the social forces that sculpt it. Most importantly, taking GDP figures or humanitarian pity for refugees as their standpoint moulds only a hopelessly partial, dismally selective support for migrants among political moderates. These purported cosmopolitans are not implacable tribunes of the oppressed but champions of their own nations, hoping to boost domestic prosperity or their country’s philanthropic credentials by welcoming select migrants. And so they celebrate the European Union, which has turned the Mediterranean into a graveyard. Insights long ago central to the radical left are worth reviving. In an 1870 letter Marx’s response to Irish immigration prioritised battling the colonial injustices provoking the exodus. It is a point not often enough stressed now. Lenin in 1913 highlighted the compulsion involved in modern mass migration, like Marx reading it as a bitter escape from concentrated immiseration. Their common premise is that capital is a global foe whose violence shakes and shatters lives everywhere, so that locking people into its cruellest corners is no answer but nor is migration a happy right and a free choice easily segregated from the gruesome experiences of asylum-seekers. Most migrant workers, given the alternative of work where they live, would rather not be migrant workers. And their experience of privation and compulsion involves an encounter with an antagonist known to native-born workers too. That point was put best by the Irish revolutionary leader James Connolly in 1909: The wage worker is oppressed under this system in the interest of a class of capitalist investors who may be living thousands of miles away and whose very names are unknown to him. He is, therefore, interested in every revolt of labour all over the world, for the very individuals against whom that revolt may be directed may – by the wondrous mechanism of the capitalist system – through shares, bonds, national and municipal debts – be the parasites who are sucking his blood also. That is one of the underlying facts inspiring the internationalism of labour and socialism. To Lenin in his 1913 piece, migration represents a golden opportunity to make good on that internationalism, forcing workers from all over the planet to labour, learn and struggle together. He admits to some optimism that Russian immigrants might bring with them cultures of militancy much needed and all too absent among American workers. That is precisely the humility required now, where British trade unionists should see migrating workers as potential teachers in struggle and not just potential obstacles; in beating back employers across London in the last two months, largely South American cleaners have won better pay for their British-born colleagues too. Internationalism tends to melt away once electoral politics becomes the prime terrain of socialist activity; in such a setup only those who live and can vote within a given polity form the constituency for socialist politics, so the appeal of transnational blocs is dampened. We have today been de-globalised. Electoralism ensures that even when we think of our antagonists internationally we rarely imagine our own collective agents in terms that reach beyond national borders, where our agents of historic transformations vote. That is a challenge alien to the first proletarian internationalists, whose strategic transnationalism followed from a vision of anti-capitalist agency being exercised through insurrections not elections. But the acknowledgement that capital binds together workers across oceans and neighbourhoods in involuntary alliances of interest might bridge the gap between internationalist aspirations and national imperatives in electoral politics. Here, then, is a socialist language for speaking about immigration drawn from the distant past. We should read migrating proletarians not as objects of our charity but as subjects of our politics, as part of our constituency. Unlike moralising liberals we should cherish the populist faith in interests and enemies, but our conceptions of both should traverse borders. That is the lesson of dusty, dead Marxists. We all have in common that capital fucks us, they insisted. We might add that all of us ultimately benefit from dismantling the two-pronged race to the bottom sustained by border controls that abandon an undocumented underclass to hyper-exploitation in the metropole while turning poorer countries into holding pens for trapped workers. That second point is not often enough made by a left whose optic is not often enough transnational. In seeking to do battle with capital, we should think of it as a mobile social relation that utilises or ignores national borders but is rarely captured within them, so that the politics of class necessitates meeting global capital with a global antagonist and so posits an aggressively different political community than the one suggested by the politics of national allegiance. We can still value the local and the particular, but not as a set of political loyalties that crowd out border-traversing class oppositions – instead we should learn from the likes of Lenin, Luxemburg and Bukharin whose analysis of imperialism saw place as an integral axis of domination by reading the particularities of different regions as conditions of possibility for the reproduction of a capitalist ‘world system’. On this view only worldwide battles can save cherished local patterns, strangled by their incorporation within social processes that span continents. To speak of the universal is not to obliterate the particular but to rescue it. Militant universalism today means directing our venom at the lethal network of state power whose claws clasp and torment migrants at every turn. It drives them into seas and drowns them there; it hands them to the most vicious undercutters by refusing them legal status; it intimidates and humiliates families with deportation raids, bullying bigoted vans and workplace snooping; it throws them into prison cells, punished like many before them for seeking to feed themselves. They are the wretched of the earth. The fantasy that our borders are porous and our states are lax should find no heed on the left. We should organise all workers, demanding legalisation, the closure of detention centres and full political rights for migrants including the right to vote, and yes we should bring back a reimagined closed shop – not a 1970s corporatist lash-up but an opportunity for workplace democracy and for all, not just those with funny accents. This is what the politics of class looks like, sharply distinct from the politics of nationalist particularism and liberal faux universalism. Conclusion Proletarian internationalism emerged as a minority sport. As the twentieth century dawned leading lights in contemporary Marxism favoured scrapping Marx’s insistence that the working class ‘has no country’. It seemed an inappropriate remnant from a pre-electoral age to all but the revolutionary globalisers. Then at Stuttgart in 1907, socialists from across the world assembled for a Congress of the Second International. A depressing alliance of Americans, Australians and South Africans proposed shutting out immigrants with darker skins, lest they undercut the wages of white workers. The conference opted instead to fight undercutting by demanding fully equal conditions for all workers, but the anti-migrant argument burned on. It deployed the same rationale that saw early craft unions resolutely oppose allowing women into the workforce. This is labour politics as a cowardly, desperate and hopeless game: a bid to win for some workers by costing others dear. It only succeeds in concentrating attention on the vulnerable and not the villains, feeding a bitter narrative in which mobility is the origin of a threat to workers. Hence we get a debate where migration is abstracted from its social form, where support or opposition to migration on the terms of capital is expressed (in the policies each side proposes) as support or opposition to migration itself. This is how border walls strangle class politics, not only by hastening a race to the bottom but also by generating misdirected fire in political life that lets capitalists off the hook. That is their long-run reward. They need not conspire consciously to sow xenophobia, as in the crudest socialist imagery; they reap the rewards regardless. Immigration legal or illegal will never disappear, so militarised borders and politicians’ grumbles only help make it a permanent and convenient anxiety of the exploited and the insecure. Workers can go on worrying about other workers forever. Making enemies out of migrants or women is so offensive because it misidentifies the constituency of socialist politics, it assumes that some among the marginalised can be our cannon fodder. There is a moral betrayal there. Marx’s revelation is that opposing such tendencies need not be a moralistic exercise, an appeal for altruism from the native or the male. His claim is that in the proletariat there exists a particular demographic
and Stade Français to Toulon and Racing, but that money has not always bought trophies. Jonny Wilkinson must be one of the greatest team men the game has seen – perhaps lacking the flair of some of his rivals but head and shoulders above them in terms of willingness to sacrifice his own game for those around him. Just ask Toulon fans how the extravagantly gifted Quade Cooper, supposed to be Wilkinson’s successor, has got along this season. Wilkinson’s signing in 2009 was undoubtedly the catalyst for Toulon’s transition from a team of gilded individuals to a trophy-winning machine and Carter looks like making a similar impact at Racing, who have for some time been an impressive collection of players but now they look an impressive team. Of course the best team players are among the best players full stop, but sometimes the key character you need is not necessarily the outright best on the pitch in their position. Along with Carter, Racing bought Chris Masoe last summer, a Kiwi back-row who has always been an excellent player, but who is long in the tooth at 36. Masoe, who signed after three successful years at Toulon including two winning appearances in European finals, holds his own on the pitch but more importantly, I am told, he runs the dressing room and keeps those around him on an even keel. It was similar with Saracens when they signed Steve Borthwick in 2008. They had spent big money on many big names in the preceding 10 years with players such as Francois Pienaar, Michael Lynagh and Philippe Sella keeping the crowds entertained, but without consistent success. Then they signed a great team man in Borthwick, who was soon followed by Brendan Venter as head coach. His approach was very much team first, and it was this era that laid the foundations for the Saracens we see today. Unlike Saracens, Leicester have always been a club where the team is the star no matter who is on the pitch. When they have been at their best over the past 15 years or so you often barely knew the names of some of the key players – they were just Leicester. When Burns arrived from Gloucester two years ago he played a naturally individual game and it has taken him time to settle into the Leicester way of doing things. He had been in the England team and gone to New Zealand in 2014 and was flying high as Gloucester’s playmaker. He then moved to Leicester but soon fell behind the more straightforward skills of Owen Williams and struggled to get in the team. About a year ago he looked to be in danger of being spat out of the back. Leicester run free and wild in dispatching a disjointed Stade Français Read more Since Aaron Mauger, the former Leicester and All Black centre, came to the club as head coach last summer, Burns has blossomed. They have retained the hard edge and team dynamic that are Leicester’s hallmarks but Mauger’s influence seems to have freed them to play a bit more. This has clearly been to Burns’s benefit as someone who has a touch of the maverick about him. That individual flair, though, has been allied to a team-first mentality, which gives Burns’s game a much better balance. If you watched Burns two or three years ago, you may have seen three or four startlingly clever bits of play, but not always to the benefit of the team, whereas when you look at what Carter does for Racing, there is rarely anything startling to see. He just does all the right things to allow those around him to play. He kicks at the right time and he passes at the right time. It is nothing amazing in itself, but he does it all so well and makes so many good decisions that it allows the team to function as a whole, and that is the key to high-class fly-half play. It is an approach to the game that Burns is still developing and I look forward to seeing how he goes in Sunday’s semi-final. The paradox is that in what is likely to be a tight game, between two evenly matched sides, a single moment of magic could prove the key. What a time it would be for Burns to show us that, along with those newly honed team skills, he still has that natural spark that can win a game for his side.Game where two teams try to score a negatively buoyant ball into the opponents’ goal at the bottom of a swimming pool on breath-hold Underwater rugby "pitch" Underwater rugby (UWR) is an underwater team sport. During a match two teams try to score a negatively buoyant ball (filled with saltwater) into the opponents’ goal at the bottom of a swimming pool. It originated from within the physical fitness training regime existing in German diving clubs during the early 1960s and has little in common with rugby football except for the name. It was recognised by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) in 1978 and was first played as a world championship in 1980. Play [ edit ] It is played under water in a pool with a depth of 3.5m to 5m and goals (heavy metal buckets with a diameter of about 40 cm) at the bottom of the pool. Two teams (blue and white), each with six players (plus six substitutes), try to score a goal by sending the slightly negatively buoyant ball (filled with saltwater) into the opponents’ goal. It is a fast and exhausting game; therefore, the subs replace their players on the fly. The ball may be passed in any direction but must not leave the water. It "flies" about 2m or 3m before water resistance stops it. This makes good tactics and good (three-dimensional) positioning essential. The players need all sorts of different abilities: Strength, speed, agility or good teamplay are all similarly important.[1] History [ edit ] In 1961 a member of the German Underwater Club (DUC) in Cologne, Ludwig von Bersuda, came up with the idea of an underwater ball game. Air-filled balls are not suitable for underwater games, as they are buoyant and always return to the surface. The first underwater ball was invented when Bersuda filled the ball with saltwater. Since the density of the ball was now greater than that of normal water, it no longer floated to the surface, but slowly sank to the bottom. The sink rate could, within certain limits, be controlled by the concentration of the salt solution. As soccer balls are too large to be practical, waterpolo balls are used. Ludwig von Bersuda spanned the middle of the pool with a net, as in volleyball, that stopped 1 m above the pool bottom. Two teams played against each other: the offensive team had to carry the ball to the opposing field and put it into a bucket. The idea for the game was ready, and the DUC Cologne used it to warm up before normal training. Other teams saw this and started to use saltwater-filled balls themselves. The "Cologne Discipline" was demonstrated as a competition sport at the national games in 1963, probably the first official game with an underwater ball. At the time, though, there was not much interest shown. Dr. Franz Josef Grimmeisen, a member of the German Underwater Club in Duisburg, a city near Cologne, decided to make a competitive sport from this ball game. The German Lifeguard Association (DLRG) of Mülheim (since 1967 TSC Mülheim/Ruhr) had founded a divers' club, and through contact with members of DUC Duisburg learned of the game. With their help, Grimmeisen arranged the first underwater rugby game on Sunday October 4, 1964. It took place between DLRG Mülheim and DUC Duisburg. DUC Duisburg won the game 5-2. The next edition of the Essener Tageblatt carried the story. Grimmeisen kept promoting the ideas of an underwater rugby tournament to give the sport a character of serious competition. Together with the scuba-diving section of the DUC Mülheim/Ruhr, to which six players of DUC Duisburg came, he organized the first underwater rugby tournament rules, and the "Battle for the Golden Ball" in Hallenbad Sued, in Mülheim/Ruhr. The premiere was on November 5, 1965. Six clubs sent teams to Mülheim: DUC Bochum; DUC Düsseldorf, DUC Duisburg, DUC Essen and TSC Delphin Lüdenscheid. The rules of those days allowed 8-player teams, and DLRG Mülheim, the home team, came away winners, against DUC Duisburg (for whom Dr. Grimmeisen played). The tournament has been held every year since then, which makes it the oldest tournament in the history of the sport. The Cologne version of the game was only played for a short time thereafter in Cologne, and has been long since forgotten. The Cologne team itself also turned to underwater rugby. To bring this game to the international arena, Grimmeisen turned to the two then most important members of the World Underwater Federation (CMAS), France and the USSR. He offered demonstration games and press coverage. Interest was not forthcoming. Just one French sport magazine, L'Equipe, printed a short article in its April 9, 1965 edition. The Scandinavian countries showed more interest, and adopted the ideas in relatively short time. A demonstration in Denmark in 1973 and in Finland in 1975 were effective. Games in Belgium in September 1973 and Vienna in 1979 were ineffective in generating interest. In the Eastern Bloc, only Czech teams were interested, and they, according to the politics of the time, played only against teams from other communist countries. The only tournament known to have taken place there is the Underwater Rugby Tournament in Prague, which has taken place every year since 1975 (with the exception of 1979). In later years, Polish teams participated as well, and teams from East Germany, who used the game for conditioning, sent observers. Since 1972, when the game was recognized as a sport by the Union of German Sport Divers (VDST), official German Championships have taken place. (An unofficial German Championship took place in 1971.) The first German Championship was held in Mülheim, and the first German Champions were TSC Mülheim. In 1978, underwater rugby was officially recognized by the World Underwater Federation CMAS, and from 28 to 30 April 1978, the first European Championships took place in Malmö, Sweden, and from 15 to 18 May 1980, the first World Championships in Mülheim. A different version of the current waterpolo became popular in the US, similar to underwater rugby, until US teams conformed to the international waterpolo rules around 1914.[1][2] The sport has little in common with rugby football except for the name.[3] Governing body [ edit ] The governing body is the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) Underwater Rugby Commission.[4] As of June 2013, the following countries and territories have affiliated with the Commission: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United States of America and Venezuela.[5] International competition [ edit ] Major championships have been conducted at continental level within Europe for senior teams since 1978 and for junior teams since 1986. World championships have been conducted since 1980. A number of regional competitions are also conducted - these include the International Underwater Rugby Tournament and the Champions Cup in Europe and the North American Underwater Rugby Tournament in North America.[6][7][8] Defensive tackle during an underwater rugby match in Sydney, Australia European Underwater Rugby League [ edit ] In the 1st season four strongest clubs of Europe take part in the Euroleague: Swedish Malmo, Norwegian Molde, Danish Flipper and Russian Betta. The first winner of the Eurleague, based on the results of three rounds - became the Norwegian Molde. Creating the European Underwater Rugby League was a breakthrough in the development of underwater rugby. The Euroleague has become the media product, which combines great teams with a rich history, approved and time-tested rules, effective system of refereeing, a complex system of underwater videoing. At the new level Euroleague should become the first professional tournament in underwater rugby and compete with other popular sports. Domestic competition / Other Teams [ edit ] See also [ edit ] Underwater Rugby World Championships – International event for the sport of underwater rugby Bromma Caviar – A Swedish underwater rugby clubFable 3's BIG... Let Down by Corey Dockendorf [ Friday, 12th of February 2010 - 10:49 PM ] One of the long awaited announcements today was Peter Molyneux's Fable 3 presentation. Earlier in the week Molyneux, in an interview with Game Reactor he said "There’s some very, very big things happening in Fable. Bigger than you think, and it’s going to really going to upset people. I’m really scared. When I go out and tell people what it is, they’re going to get super pissed off. They really are. But it’s the right thing to do." Well looking at the features I don't think anything is so bad to anger an entire gaming community. Characters will now interact with NPC's using the new "touch" command from your XBox controller (one of the trigger buttons). This command Molyneux says "narrows the emotional boundary" in Fable 3. Depending on your morale compass you can use the "touch" button for either good or evil. Playing with your daughter, or bullying poor folks are some of the interactions your character can now experience with the new touch feature. Weapons will now change depending on the players actions. If you kill innocents, your weapon will bleed, if you are a goody-two-shoes, your weapon will glow. Character customization is going to be more "involved." Molyneux made mention that it would be more busy work, but then quickly followed up with "i'm not supposed to talk about it." Another cliffhanger... No HUD. Their will be no health bar whatsoever. Players will experience environmental graphic changes, to let players know death is near. Thats pretty much it. These changes seem a natural fit to the gameplay style, as well as utilizing the new Natal hardware. I'm hoping that these new "touch" commands add more depth to the game, and that I actually feel connected to these characters. This seems like the goal, and I will be very interested to see this new game mechanics impact on the storyline. The lack of HUD doesn't seem like a big deal, since most action games are going that direction anyways. Keep the screen clear so the player can enjoy more of whats going on. The only other announcement that came out of X10 in regards to Fable 3 is that it will be available "this holiday." Talk about the most vague press conference ever. So what does the gaming community think? Game changing features? Just a bunch of hype? Makes you wanna reach out and "touch" someone? On a bit of the positive side here though, there are some nice screenshots and a developer's diary to take a look at in the midst of the lack luster announcements above.ALTOONA, Pa. — Barack Obama spent Saturday evening in a close encounter with the fierce urgency of a gutter ball. In search of game, a friendly crowd and really good photo ops, Senator Barack Obama and Senator Robert Casey rolled into Pleasant Valley Lanes here to cheers from patrons, report our faithful press pool reporters. Several bowlers ready to bite into French fries lathered with ketchup and American cheese—it’s a Pennsylvania thing; you wouldn’t understand — stopped mid-munch, put down their beers and watched a presidential candidate walk into their midst. Mr. Obama takes no small pride in his athleticism but he was back-pedaling from the start. “I just want to point out that the last time I bowled was 30 years ago, when I was 16,” he cautioned the crowd gathering to ask for his autograph and a photo. Whatever. Roxanne Hart, a 43-year-old gal from Altoona, asked if he wanted to bowl with her. Mr. Obama and Mr. Casey shed dress shoes for bowling shoes—a blue and white Velcro number for Obama, size 13 ½ — and entered their names into the overhead monitor. It was BAR and BOB against ROX. Rox won in a walk. Mr. Obama picked up a ball, cued up all confident-like, and sent the thing into the gutter. “We’re just warming up,” Mr. Obama assured himself, maybe. So it rolled, one desultory frame after another. Rox hit spare upon spare; Mr. Obama knocked a few pins here and there and announced that his goal was to beat Mr. Casey. “I can’t beat Roxanne,” he said. Mr. Obama, it turns out, was a weak centrist. His balls rolled down the center of the lane, but much too slowly to knock over more than a half dozen or so pins. “You notice I’m getting better?” he asked. The patrons kept taking cell phone and camera shots, and urging friends to drive to the bowling alley to catch this scene. “Let me tell you something,” Obama said to the crowd. “My economic plan is better than my bowling.” A man standing at the next lane called out, “It has to be.” Mr. Obama laughed and gave him a hug. Finally, in the seventh frame, Obama made a spare, cleaning up one pin. “Yes I can!” he started chanting after a couple admirers at a nearby lane started it. “Yes I can!” As to politics, maybe. As to bowling? No, he really can’t.In a shocking incident, it is found that the Islamic State militants are marrying girls as young as seven. Social media is abuzz with condemnation, after a picture of a seven-year-old being married off to an Islamic State militant, believed to be at least in his mid-30s appeared on Twitter. It is believed that the post made its way online in July, around at the same time when reports of ISIS setting up a marriage bureau for its militants in Iraq and Syria surfaced online. #ISIS caveman announces his marriage from a 7 year old girl in public. Musul, Iraq. pic.twitter.com/QpUQcuZmAC — Brother Tawhidi (ر) (@Tawhidicom) August 1, 2014 In the picture, a grinning Islamic State jihadi is seen with his arms around a seven year girl,who has an ISIS flag draped around her. The militant is shown speaking holding a microphone, while the young child is crying. The credibility of the report surrounding the picture, however, could not be verified. But the photo it is believed to have been taken by Al-Hayat TV, an Arabic television channel. One assertion is that the young child is a bride from Mosul. While another claims that the girl is from a minority sect converted into Islam and then married off to a jihadi. ISIS Marriage Bureau offers Special Honeymoon Package The Al Qaeda faction group that formerly called itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, reportedly has set up a marriage bureau for its militants in al Bab, a town north-east of Aleppo city, that finds eligible women for its militants, reported Reuters. The special marriage bureau also offers special honeymoon tours for the newly married ISIS militants, reported Daily Mail. ISIS Militants Marrying for Sex? Earlier, too, there had been report that the Islamic State militants are making desperate attempts to gain women. Mirror had reported that in Mosul and Tikrit, the militants distributed leaflets calling on all "women virgin or not (to) join jihad and cleanse themselves by sleeping with militants." Reports from Baiji - another town fully under ISIS control - had claimed that the militants were conducting door-to-door checks for unmarried women. "They said that many of their mujahedin were unmarried and wanted a wife. They insisted on coming into my house to look at the women's ID cards (which in Iraq show marital status)," local resident Abu Lahid had told The Independent.Alyssa Milano took to the Twitters on Sunday night seemingly ‘damn mad’ about the GOP Tax Bill, determined to prove that it is a #BadDealForWomen. We’re willing to bet she didn’t really read the bill and likely saw some progressive, Lefty rag claiming it will kill ALL THE WOMEN so she decided to pretend to be an activist and start a hashtag. So radical. The Senate plans to vote this week on a tax bill that will devastate women. Time is running out. We must act NOW. #GOPTaxPlan is a #BadDealForWomen Get it trending. Spread the word. — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 27, 2017 How will it devastate women, Alyssa? Which tax bill are they voting on? Can you point to specifics about the bill that you’re concerned about? Guessing she couldn’t answer any of these questions and that whatever headline she came across while tweeting formed her opinion on the matter, end of story. Maybe Guy Benson helped straighten her out a little with this helpful hint about the bill: Lol. It cuts taxes for every income group. — Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 27, 2017 Every. Income. Group. Repeat after us, Democrats. TAXATION IS THEFT. Learn it. Live it. Love it. I’m a woman. I work for a living. I don’t need Medicaid, SNAP, etc. I SHOULD JUST GET TO KEEP WHAT I EARNED!!! — Monica James Jones (@monicajjonesnc) November 27, 2017 That’s how it’s supposed to work. Seems progressives don’t understand where tax dollars come from, and that for the government to ‘give’ them things it must first take those things from someone else. Math, numbers, currency, finance, taxes- these are things that are gender neutral you vapor brain. Speaking of taxes…have you paid your taxes yet? Or had that almost 400k lien paid off yet? — MrClarkJosephKent (@MrClarkJKent) November 27, 2017 Oops. I’m a woman who is REALLY ready for a tax cut. — BabyDocMama (@babydocwhit) November 27, 2017 Preach sister! I don't need the govt to help me because I'm a woman. I need them to stop harming me because I'm a tax payer. I wouldn't need anything if the govt would leave my damn check alone, to give other people things I worked for. —?Ѡąƨƙɛƪωɛɛ?Ɯѧßβ¡ȶ? and 7 others (@WaskelweeWabbit) November 27, 2017 This isn’t difficult, folks. Is this feminism now? Women so dependent on Federal $ that anything other than ever increasing spending will devastate them? The real feminists have reached out & grasped equality. They work hard & want to keep their $ instead of having the Feds redistribute it. — (((WitCoHE))) (@E__Strobel) November 27, 2017 Progressives have poisoned feminism and all but destroyed it. A tax cut would help this woman and her husband provide better for our family of three! People who don't pay their taxes don't have a dog in this fight, Alyssa. —?Merry Christmas – Erin? (@heartsabustin) November 27, 2017 True story. Related: ‘Tool-troll’ Tariq Nasheed beclowns himself by calling Twitchy ‘racist,’ gets REKT by Michelle Malkin Twitchy coverage of Alyssa MilanoBrowse > Home Politics / Fetus Only A Blob Of Tissue, Says 47-Year-Old Blob Of Tissue Fetus Only A Blob Of Tissue, Says 47-Year-Old Blob Of Tissue While reiterating that a fetus is nothing more than a blob of tissue, a 47-year-old blob of tissue today told a gathering of the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advisory Board that a fetus is only a human being in potential. “We must remember that until a fetus has a heart and a brain, it is not a human being” said the aged mass of cells, who, despite her age, was lacking a heart and brain herself. The aged mass of cells who was nothing more than a product of conception went on to say that a fetus was nothing more than another part of a pregnant woman’s body, “like an appendix.” “When a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother, it cannot be regarded as a separate entity,” said the clump of cells, whose very own 53-year jobless older brother was currently living at home with his mother. The blob of tissue went on to add that the Church cannot tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body, and demanded that the Mystical Body of Christ ordain women and permit abortion. At press time, the heartless, brainless blob of tissue is preparing her speech to federal officials about expanding the critical habitat zone of the California tiger salamander.Regarding possible paranormal activity potentially occurring during the #SolarEclipse2017. As always, if you see something, say something. pic.twitter.com/O3IuYhHzqB — SCEMD (@SCEMD) August 9, 2017 While the whole world is gearing up for the relatively rare total solar eclipse that will take place on August 21, authorities in South Carolina have more pressing concerns. Lizard Men or Lizardmen (we’re not sure which of those is the more accurate term, our resident cryptozoologist having gone off to investigate a possible yeti sighting) are spotted in the US State much more than any ol’ solar eclipse, with sightings reported on an almost regular basis.Perhaps worried that the two minute-plus eclipse will encourage the Lizardmen to come out in droves, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) tweeted out a map of the state highlighting areas with the highest instances of Lizardmen sightings and cautioning residents of Lee and Sumter counties to remain vigilant. We’re not sure if someone at SCEMD has a spectacular sense of humor, or whether it’s time for some management changes in the organization. Till now, the emergency management division seems perfectly sincere about its concerns.Weekly Journal - Back from PAX East and into the trenches Hey everyone, We are back from PAX East, after a few of us took a short trip down to Boston at the end of last week. We didn’t have a booth but we wanted to meet some players, check out where the industry as a whole is moving, and play some indie games. We played some fantastic games and even filmed a video about them, so keep your eyes peeled for next week’s video! We have finished content and most of the QA work on the new update. We were going to announce a date today, but we are going to wait just a bit longer, as the game is so big now that we can’t get away with the old optimization processes we have been using. So we need a bit of time to figure out how to make this run well on low end systems. But it IS coming and we even have a cheeky video to announce the date, once we’re ready. The good news is, we know now for sure what’s going to be in the update, and there is a lot of cool and new content such as: a brand new Island (not the Parade District, yet), the new playstyles, new encounters (Simon Says anyone?), THE PUB, new enemies and even brand new bugs never seen before! But let’s not spoil all the fun before you get to play it. And of course once we drop the update, all feedback will be very welcome. Narrative Team Lisa Wonder why Joy isn’t working for everyone in Wellington Wells? Want to know what causes plague? Curious whether there’s a Big Bad? You’re not alone! This week I wrote environmental narrative for an intrepid reporter who’s tracking down some of the same questions a player might wonder about. Eventually you’ll see her reporter’s notebooks and rejected (i.e., not happy enough) articles, as well as her “crime board” (one of those crazy bulletin boards with photos and news clippings, like what the FBI uses on TV crime shows). One or two things might even be written in code you need to decipher. Hope you like a mystery! Design Team Adam Hello all, I'm back from PAX East. What an amazing event. I got to meet a ton of fellow developers and check out their games. A huge congratulations to all of them, and I look forward to playing the release. A shoutout to Bill Gardner at Deep End Games, working on "Perception" http://www.thedeependgames.com/ To the Deetman brothers at Keoken interactive, working on "Deliver Us the Moon" http://deliverusthemoon.com/ To Sean Slavik down in Brazil at chance6 games, working on "Colina Legacy" http://store.steampowered.com/app/371650/ and finally to Giuseppe Enrico Franchi at 34BigThings working on "Redout" https://34bigthings.com/ There are tons more I wish I could list.. but.. no business cards =/ Oh, and play Brawlhalla, it’s amazing. Now, onto business. This week, I have been putting together an underground level, entitled "Jubilator Attacks!". I don't want to give away any spoilers, but we will have some exotic gameplay from the Jubilator trying to run us over at 4 kph (Google tells me that's 2.49 mph). It sounds easy to avoid, but all the other tricks up its sleeve will make that quite tricky. Antoine Hi! I think I can say I’m officially recovered from PAX. That was an awesome 3 days for us getting to meet people from all over the world (yep, Croatia, Germany, Russia, Italy and so on) doing some really inspiring things. Hats off to all of you. Shout out to all the peeps mentioned by Adam, you guys rock. Shout out to this crazy game called The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti. Very awesome seeing devs pushing a stylized look with UE4. http://theartfulescape.com/ Shout out to the peeps at Runic Games! Thanks for letting us occupy their booth after a long day at the convention. We named this the Compulsion Occupation of 2017. https://www.runicgames.com/ Soo, this week I’ve been grey blocking a new encounter currently titled as “Cub Reporter”. Here’s some pictures. As always I’m trying to push the use of vents and small secret passages which I always find exciting when I encounter them as a player. David (Design Director) did a cool PowerPoint presentation a couple of weeks ago that got me very hyped for what’s to come in the systemic open world portion of our game. This week we properly jumped into realizing those ideas. The plan is to have root cellars and bunkers placed throughout the open forest areas (which you haven’t seen yet!). Bunkers will be both German and also English to echo World War 2 events. Some of those will be below ground and some above ground, creating variation in the places you visit. Gameplay situations will also vary too. Root cellars are pitch black which means you’ll need your torch to navigate it properly if you don’t want to trip on something dangerous. Some root cellars are a bit larger and occupied by Hooligans which means you’ll get more of a combat/stealth scenario. We are also working on a more systemic approach to honey collecting. The plan is to have “honey trees” scattered throughout the world. You’ll need to find a suitable way of taking care of the bees if you want to harvest their honey safely. Bees will also now pursue you until a certain distance. If you happen to be very close to an NPC the bees will change their target and pursue that NPC instead leading to some quirky situations. Hayden Hello Folks, This week I focused on a good handful of bug fixes for the next update and writing docs for our next set of encounters. I was able to actually get in the editor this week and start blocking out a house that will be used in one of the new encounters, as well being set up for a generic house you would find around town. The new encounter that I’ll be working on is all about this workaholic reporter, I can’t tell you what story she is working on, but it’s big… big enough that some folks around Wellington Wells are willing to break into her home… Downers. I’ll have more to show you next week as I move into blocking out several other homes and encounters. For now enjoy an early pic of the reporter's home. Programming Team Michael So the programmers are mostly working on getting all the new content into shape ready for release, which doesn’t give many exciting things to talk about. Just optimising and bug fixing new content. This week did see the beginning of construction on Compulsion’s new cyborg employee. Animation Team Vincent Heya! This week has been mostly spent on animating the Doctor! Yes, one day we’ll finally bring the Doctor into the game. It’s far from finished on the AI side, but I’m making sure the programmers have everything they need once they jump on that. Looks like the Doctor is very happy about being able to (finally) move about: Apart from that I worked a bit on the Export Script I mentioned last week. As anticipated, there were a few bugs that were promptly squashed. I also added a few quirks to it, like automatic settings saving. Here’s it’s lovely interface, a simple click on the top-right button, and your animation(s) is ready to import in Unreal: Shameless plug, if you’re into 3D and like to have script do boring stuff for you, I’ve got a little blog of my own, with some cool homemade tools in it : http://scriptsandtidbits.blogspot.ca/ Art Team Carylitz This game is just getting crazier every week! I started making normal props like a hat, a suit, you know normal stuff, but then I made a brain inside a jar, after I started working on some bones, trash bags with strange shapes and now this amazing vehicle, and for what I know, this is not even close to how crazy this game is gonna get! Marc-André This week, I’ve spent three days doing fixes and tweaks. I went back to a bunch of old encounters and fixed sound materials, collisions and a bunch of trivial issues. I fixed huge negative scales bugs that affected the Xbox One build. Pieces of walls were floating around in the Garden District. This obviously was a major art and gameplay concern, and will now be fixed in the coming update. I also took a look at hundreds (310, to be very specific) of unoptimized material instances in order to lower their memory footprint. I did the same for some UI textures. After getting these bugs sorted out, I’ve started to work on new art assets for the game, such as a radio. There are also other props in progress which are close to be done but not yet ready for show. You will see them in next week’s update! Thank you for tuning in! Compulsion Games Discuss this post hereBlizzard announced today that StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the first game in a series of three, will be released on July 27. The game will contain the Terran campaign (29 missions), the full multiplayer experience, and "several challenge-mode mini-games," with "focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies." It will launch alongside the revamped Battle.net, which we've previously discussed. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said, "We've been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe for many years, and we're excited that the time for that is almost here. Thanks to our beta testers, we're making great progress on the final stages of development, and we'll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft II and the new Battle.net in just a few months."Transit planning in the country's leading metropolis is in a truly staggering state of disarray. We have endured close to four years of false starts, madcap schemes and head-twisting reversals – and still we don't really know where we are going or how we are going to pay for it. Let's review. In 2010, a new mayor, Rob Ford, comes to power and promptly cancels a settled, fully funded plan to build a network of new light-rail lines. The provincial government cravenly agrees to a ridiculous proposal to bury one of the lines, on Eglinton, so that Mr. Ford can claim to be building subways. City council rebels, overturns the new plan and goes back to the light-rail network – but later changes its mind and decides to put one part of it underground: the Scarborough subway. Along comes a new premier. Kathleen Wynne sends expectations soaring when she suggests that, after years of delay and underfunding, Ontario will find new sources of revenue for a big transit buildout. Not long after, the provincial transit agency, Metrolinx, completes an exhaustive study of the issue and recommends just such a "revenue tool": an increase (among other things) in the provincial sales tax. Story continues below advertisement Ms. Wynne balks at that idea and sets up another panel, which recommends a gas tax. She balks again. Now she says new money for transit will come from diverting some of the existing gas taxes to that purpose, leaving everyone to wonder how a deficit-ridden government will fill the resulting hole in provincial finances. Don't worry, she says. It will all come clear in the budget. The opposition parties' only contribution to this important debate is to fire spitballs at the teacher. The NDP's Andrea Horwath, who is supposed to speak for the downtrodden masses stuck on suburban buses for lack of rapid transit, refuses to support any new tax or levy on the hard-pressed taxpayer even if it buys commuting relief. The Conservatives' Tim Hudak, in an echo of Mr. Ford, says he wants subways, subways, subways but won't say how he will pay, pay, pay. In the campaign for the Oct. 27 municipal election, the level of debate on transit is infantile. Mr. Ford takes credit for a Scarborough subway that is years from getting under way and that he had next to
gamut for compatible content. However, there aren’t many PC games that support HDR at the moment and there are several different ‘levels’ of HDR. For instance, in order to truly enjoy HDR, a display should be capable of at least a 1,000-nit peak luminance, a minimum contrast ratio of 20,000:1, at least 90% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 4K UHD resolution. In order to achieve such high brightness and contrast, it will require an expensive full-array local dimming implementation which is available in a few high-end gaming monitors such as the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ. There are less expensive models which feature HDR support as well, but these can only deliver a glimpse of what HDR can truly do. Most of the times, these HDR monitors will have VESA’s DispalyHDR certification (the image below) which clarifies the display’s capabilities. Overall, you should look for at least DisplayHDR 600 certification if you want a notable improvement over the standard image quality. FreeSync 2 HDR vs G-SYNC HDR/Ultimate If a monitor supports both a variable refresh rate and HDR, it will most likely feature the second-generation of AMD’s or NVIDIA’s VRR technology. These technologies ensure minimal input lag when gaming with HDR enabled in addition to providing you with a variable refresh rate. Motion Blur Reduction Technology Want CRT-like motion clarity? Look for a gaming monitor with a backlight strobing technology which is usually called something along the lines of 1ms Motion Blur Reduction (MBR), NVIDIA Ultra Low Motion Blur (ULMB), Extreme Low Motion Blur, 1ms MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) etc. When enabled, these features strobe the monitor’s backlight which further decreases ghosting and trailing of fast-moving objects. Note that when this technology is enabled, the screen’s maximum brightness is decreased, so use it only when gaming. Furthermore, you can’t simultaneously enable FreeSync/G-SYNC and a blur reduction technology as in the latter case, the backlight needs to turn on/off at a fixed refresh rate. Curved vs Flat Monitors Curved gaming monitors are becoming more and more popular even though many considered them to be a passing fad. In the end, deciding between a curved or flat monitor comes down to personal preference. The curvatures range from 1500R (steep) to 3800R (subtle). PC vs Console Gaming Monitors With the exception of Xbox One S and Xbox One X which support 120Hz at 1080p and 1440p, consoles are limited to 60Hz. So, if you have a PS4, PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch, etc, there is no need to go for a 60Hz+ gaming monitor unless you plan on using that monitor for PC gaming as well. In addition to the 120Hz support, Xbox One consoles (including the original Xbox One as well as Xbox One S and Xbox One X) also support AMD FreeSync. Check out our best console gaming monitors buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals currently available.Getting enough uninterrupted sleep is integral for most bodily functions, and its importance is often understated. Sleep deprivation has been linked to heart problems, increased mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and constant fatigue. Past research has linked lack of sleep to memory problems, but a new study examines the mechanisms behind that, focusing on the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep and how it plays a role in memory formation. REM sleep involves random movement of the eyes and brain energy use that’s almost as high as waking brain energy use. We know that when we’re deprived of this important sleep stage, psychological issues like anxiety, stress, irritability, lack of focus — or even hallucinating in extreme cases — may increase. In the past, it’s been difficult for researchers to study the REM stage in humans due to ethical concerns, however. The implications or consequences of depriving people of REM sleep for an experiment may have a negative impact on their health, and it’s still a gray area. That’s why many REM studies are done in animals, though the results can’t be as easily translated to humans. For the latest study, the researchers examined the brains of mice while they were sleeping, using an optogenetics technique, a method in which scientists can actually control brain neurons using light. In optogenetics, the neurons in question are first genetically modified so that they express light-sensitive ion channels, allowing scientists to pinpoint them, manipulate them, and then measure the effects. The researchers focused on the mouse hippocampus, particularly during REM sleep. They used optogenetics to silence neurons in the hippocampus, which would result in impairing signaling patterns known as theta oscillations. Theta oscillations have been associated with learning and memory in the brain, so canceling those out would show whether REM deprivation had an impact on memory formation. They found that inhibiting theta oscillations in mice blocked them from forming contextual, or spatial, memories (such as remembering where a new object is located), as well as emotional memories (such as fear from a mild foot shock). Interestingly, it was only during the REM stage that memory formation was impacted. When the researchers tried to impair the theta oscillations outside of REM, it had no influence over the mice’s memories. The researchers believe the study proves the causal relationship between REM deprivation and impaired memory formation, but of course it would need to be replicated in humans in the future. Source: Boyce R, Glasgow S, Williams S, Adamantidis A. Causal evidence for the role of REM sleep theta rhythm in contextual memory consolidation. Psychology & Sociology. 2016.Stop reinventing the loop Looping over collections is something all programmers do. We keep writing the same code and building the same loops in project after project. PHP has us covered though. We don't have to continue to re-invent the loop, we can use the tools provided. The Standard PHP Library (SPL) gives you the tools you need An important part of the SPL is the collection of Iterator classes and interfaces. These bits of magic, like the rest of the SPL, will change the way you program. They are power tools in every PHP programmer's toolbox. Like other power tools, if used safely, they can make a difference in how you code, and how fast. Iterators help you create better programs, "Iterating PHP Iterators" will help you create iterators "Iterating PHP Iterators" will show you the basic of PHP's Iterators. You will see how to implement them in your own code, as well as use them to do eveyrthing form filtering input to stupid party tricks. This is a great book for beginners and intermediate developers. It’s a comprehensive introduction to iterators and some of the implementations that ship with the SPL. - Christopher Pitt (Iterating PHP Iterators Review) Easy start for beginners, but enough meat for those who already use Iterators - Mark (@Mark_Baker) Baker #IteratingPHPIterators by @CalEvans is a great quick reference book if you use them regularly, or a good starter if you haven’t - Ian (@icawebdesign) H. Finished @CalEvans 'Iterating PHP Iterators'. Nice read. Should use them more often, especially to filter when looping.#php - Stefan (@stefan_doorn) Doorn "Iterating PHP Iterators" is part of the "Learn One Thing Books" series.Alberta’s Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman apologized Tuesday for saying the official opposition is "spending a lot of time with sewer rats." Hoffman made the comment on Monday in the legislative assembly in response to a question from Jason Nixon, the Wildrose member for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre. Hoffman said Tuesday there’s no excuse for what she said, and she wished she had chosen her words more wisely. "I spent many years in public education and encouraged students to use their words with caution, and I failed to do that," she said on her way into the chamber. Nixon was pleased Hoffman apologized, but said her comments speak to a habit of "name-calling" by government directed at Wildrose supporters, which has lowered decorum in the house. "That kind of language is inappropriate no matter what side of the house you come from," he said. [email protected] twitter.com/EmmaLGraneyPosted on May 17, 2013 IRS Commissioner: "I Don't Remember" Who I Was Told Is Responsible For The IRS Scandal A line of questioning between Rep. Dave Reichert and outgoing acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller. --- REP. REICHERT: Mr. Miller. You are the commissioner. Who was responsible? STEVEN MILLER, IRS: I don't have that name, sir. I'd tell you the name that I-- REICHERT: Well why don't you? Have you asked anybody? MILLER: Yes, I asked REICHERT: Who did you ask? You don't have that name either? MILLER: I asked... I'll be glad to provide those names. [inturruption] REICHERT: Who did you ask? MILLER: I asked the senior technical advisor. REICHERT: And what is the senior technical advisor's name? MILLER: Nancy Marks. REICHERT: And what did Nancy tell you, who is responsible? MILLER: That, I don't remember, to be honest with you. REICHERT: You don't remember. MILLER: [Shrugs].Here's my entry for thecontest! I wanted to do a classic portrait of Lara (it was surprisingly difficult to get her face & expression right!) that fans of the game would appreciate, and tried to convey some of the intensity she is known for using dynamic colors and brushstrokes. Seeing all the amazing entries so far almost got me discouraged - but, I had fun painting this and it's an honor to compete against so many great artists. Good luck to everyone who entered!Drawn and painted from scratch in Adobe Photoshop with a Wacom Cintiq 21UX. No textures and no outside stock photography used for ref or otherwise. Done in approx a zillion hours. Full size 4800x6720px at 300DPI.(I'm looking forward to getting this game for the PS3!)I wanted to share a wonderful comment from someone who played the game and was able to relate to this artwork (shared with the permission of ~ King-o-Fools ) "" I really appreciated this commentary since it is exactly what I was going for!Thank you so much to everyone else who commented too, I appreciate your support and am thrilled to be in the semi-finals!I’ve done all the clean up and all the adjustments necessary to get a good reading on the health of the ’72 351C engine in my 1973 Mustang. The next step is to check the compression. First up was to warm the car a bit and then pull the plugs. Here’s what the plugs looked like: A very handy device to have is a remote starter (it keeps you from having to run back the cockpit and turning the key). Just clip on to the positive terminal and S terminal on the starter rely and push the button. The left side Cylinders 1-4. They shaped up like this: 1 – 130 2 – 25, 35, 60, 90 (Fail!!!) 3 – 140 4 – 135 Here are the videos: No doubt cylinder #2 has some issue. Other bank coming up in the next post. Thanks for reading. Tim #ProjectSportsRoof 1973 Mustang Project Sportsroof – Engine Walk-Through. There is a quick walk-through of the 351C tucked between the fenders of the 1973 Mustang Sportsroof. (It took about 5 takes to get this video…a slight improvement. 1973 Mustang – Project SportsRoof – Money!! #ProjectSportsRoof will be the way I want it, which I haven’t nailed down yet, so suggest way by dropping me a comment (got your crate motor idea swimming around in my head, Bill) and that will happen fast or slow and cost … 1973 Mustang – Project Sportsroof – The Little Things During the course of a restoration that are the major processes that need to be tended too, like body work, engine rebuild or interior work that takes the lime light and. 1973 Mustang – Project Sportsroof – Leaks, Pertronix … Thanks for checking back on the #ProjectSportsRoof progress. Wrapping up the Pertronix install, I’ll had an issue. After install the system the car would not start. Like Dislike Share this: Pinterest Facebook Twitter Google Pocket More Email Tumblr Reddit Print Like this: Like Loading...NBC News released two videos on their website of children delivering personal messages to President Trump, with many of their statements criticizing the president a month into his presidency. The video series, “Dear Mr. President: Letters from the American Children,” opens with a young boy excited about the prospect of a political outsider bridging the disconnect between the Washington establishment and the American people, but things go downhill from there. “When you speak on things that make me feel uncomfortable, or I disagree with, you make me feel small because I know I can’t change it,” one girl remarks. “Most of my family is black. I’m afraid that you’re going to hurt some of us blacks,” a young boy slowly recites to the camera. Some children commented about the president’s immigration policies, referencing the proposed border wall and his policy on restricting the number of refugees allowed into the country. “Some of my friends are really scared about you building a wall, and the travel band [sic], because a lot of their families live in different places,” another young girl says, referencing Trump’s executive order on immigration. “Just because I’m Mexican doesn’t mean you can build a wall in my country,” an older girl states. In one video, a young girl tells Trump, “don’t let people have guns.” In the other video, a boy claims that Trump is “attempting to whitewash America.” Another boy says Trump’s policy on refugees is “unfair,” and the boy after him said there was no need to hate other countries “based on the actions of a single group or organization.” It is unclear whether or not these children came to these opinions about the president on their own. Trump has consistently criticized the mainstream media for what he thinks is a bias against him since before he became president. In November, Trump unloaded on the mainstream media in a meeting at Trump Tower, calling them out on what he said was “biased coverage” of the presidential election. On the campaign trail in August, Trump campaigned against “the dishonest media” and asked his supporters to take a “Mainstream Media Accountability Survey” to tell his campaign how fairly they thought the media was covering his presidential campaign.Exceptional and Creative Digital Dark Illustrations by Toon Hertz We bring a collection of the most meaningful and conceptually creative Dark Illustration. It has now become a very familiar medium of art and it is growing continuously in its popularity because in this medium of art. Today, I inspired with artist named as Toon Hertz. We presented his gallery and it shows emotional feelings with its intelligent creativity. Exceptional and Creative Digital Dark Illustration by Toon Hertz The Drowning Girl * Strange Little Girl * Playing with friends Advertisement * Mad scientist * Love Through Pain * Little sad boy * Impossible Love * If i had a heart * Ghost bubbles * Flying with bat * Eat me * Dance Of The Crows * Batgirl * Bat Circus * OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA * Autumn * A night with Bat *** A cute friendWith people tightening their financial belts this year, it’s nice to know there are some simple backyard strategies you can employ to save time and money. And these tips and techniques won’t leave your landscape looking shaggy! Here are some suggestions that will keep your yard looking great, while having a low impact on your wallet. – Plant four-season shrubs — Select shrubs that look interesting all seasons of the year. You’ll spend less money overall, because you won’t be buying shrubs to complement each other. Viburnum and serviceberry are both shrubs with alluring spring flowers, attractive summer fruits, colorful fall foliage, and striking bark texture and color. Avoid plants like forsythia that are stars for one just season and nondescript during the rest of the year. Also look for native, drought-tolerant plants that require little maintenance to withstand the vagaries of weather and pests. – Share with your neighbors — Community is more important than ever during tough economic times, and sharing yard work with your neighbors can save money. For instance, consider renting a tiller, lawn aerator, or chipper shredder with a neighbor. Buy bulk compost or bark mulch together and split the load. Coordinate what you plant in your vegetable gardens so you can share the extra produce in winter. – Mow smarter — How you mow the lawn can save you both time and money. Mow lawns at a three-inch height for cool-season grasses (lower for warm-season grasses), and leave the clippings right where they land. Grass clippings feed the lawn, reducing its need for fertilizer. Sharpening your mower blades a few times each summer gives a clean cut and helps to prevent diseases from starting. – Divide, conquer, and share — Growing perennial instead of annual flowers reduces your seasonal expense of buying new seeds and plants. To expand your perennial garden divide overgrown plants, such as daylilies, iris, and hosta, and make new flowerbeds. (This will reduce the amount of mowing you do, too!) Trade extra perennials with friends or organize a plant swap in your neighborhood one Saturday morning. – Frequent yard sales — Check out yard sales for old tools, gardening products, and planters. Well-maintained tools can be used for years and they’re often inexpensive at yard sales. Inspect them carefully to be sure they are still in good shape. You may also find pots and containers. Check out craigslist.com and Goodwill for inexpensive gardening products and tools as well. – Collect rainwater — In areas where water is expensive and scarce, invest in rain barrels to catch the water off your roof. Rainwater is free, and it has no municipal additives (which may harm some plants). – Mulch with cardboard and newspaper — To reduce the amount of mulch you buy, spread layers of newspaper or cardboard on garden paths. Then buy a small amount of mulch to cover these materials and make the paths look attractive. Cardboard, in particular, keeps the weeds at bay longer than regular mulch. – Use a timer — Put your sprinkler system on a timer to avoid overwatering. You can also reduce your water usage by using soaker hoses and drip irrigation lines in gardens instead of overhead watering. – Sell stuff — Once you get this gardening thing down, set up small stand to sell extra produce, berries, and flowers. You’ll make a little money and you might also get to know your neighbors better. (Then, next time you divide perennials, you might have more opportunities to swap plants.) Don’t forget to offer customers a little lemonade on hot days! Charlie Nardozzi is National Gardening Association’s senior horticulturist and editor. Find more gardening tips at www.garden.org. Editor’s note: For more on gardening, see the Monitor’s main gardening page, which offers articles on many gardening topics. Also, check out our blog archive and our RSS feed. You may want to visit Gardening With the Monitor on Flickr. Take part in the discussions and get answers to your gardening questions. If you join the group (it’s free), you can upload your garden photos and enter our contests.Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer’s Pro-Nintendo Game Shop Client Arrives By Jenni. December 1, 2015. 9:24pm The latest special client has arrived in Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. Nintendo 3DS owners who stop by a Nintendo Zone can take on a request from Claude the rabbit. He wants nothing more than a home that looks like an arcade, and his pro-Nintendo Game Shop request adds multiple Nintendo product displays to the game. Once Claude has been downloaded, people get access to a Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo New 3DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U game displays and video kiosks, a Disk System display, and a Game Boy display. There are nine new items total. To give you an idea of how they can look in-game, here’s an example of the pro-Nintendo Game Shop from my copy of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. Claude is immediately available if Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer owners stop by a Nintendo Zone, like McDonalds, Best Buy, or Home Depot, with their Nintendo 3DS. Go to the second floor of Nook’s Homes, where Lyle hangs out, and check on the Nintendo 3DS on the table when you’re at the location. The game will connect to the internet and invite Claude into your game.Metal Gear Solid V brings all the greatness of Metal Gear onto these new consoles and lemme tell ya, the hype was real!! Not only does MGSV: Phantom Pain live up to the legendary status of the ones that came before, it may even surpass them and trust me it takes a lot for me to say that. I have been a huge fan since MGS released on PS1 in 1997 or 1998, and I have followed the series loyally and loved every single game thus far but MGSV offers even more. Not only can Snake (Big Boss) now traverse freely as he sees fit and explore the vast world Hideo Kojima has brilliantly laid out for us, but he can do so and still maintain the badass MGS style stealth and shooter-fanatics. He definitely took a huge risk in choosing to expand and sort of make an espionage-RPG, cuz previous MGS titles confined you either in an area, or jungle or facility of some sort. But now, Snake can take and acceprt side missions, recruit new members, liberate enemy bases and expand his own base and earn money to upgrade weapons and gear that you will need to take down tougher enemies. And yes I was skeptical of the whole idea at first, but I am very pleased to say Kojima and Konami knocked it out of the park. There is so much to do, and so many scattered fun Easter Eggs that Kojima has laid out for you, that alone could entice you to continue. And there are tons of eggs for players who have played any of the previous games and the answers he provides on some topics is much appreciated. The shooting is great. same MGS style battling and stealth espionage style combat returns with all the stuff we loved about it added in the mix with a huge open world to sneak around in. And if your new to Metal Gear, even if sneaking isn't your style, Kojima makes it fit to your needs as well as you will have the full control over whether to not be seen by enemies and take them out silently one by one and covering your tracks by hiding the bodies of the NPC's you subdue or if you prefer you can go in guns a blazing and have every enemy in the Middle East after you at once. The 2nd option is not always possible however, and is much more difficult and I would advise assessing the situation before you commit. The enemies are tough Also, the epic bosses and superhuman abilities they possess make a return and its a joy ro have another chapter in the MGS saga of ultimate boss encounters. I wiont give it away but fans of the series will be pleased. MGSV also sports the best looking scenery in the series up to date, beautiful, well designed locations. Even Afghanistan (which is where you will begin the story), a vast wasteland of desert sand and sun scorched wildlife somehow manages to look beautiful and alluring. The nights in the desert are also stunning in their own ways and you can tell their was passion put into creating it. You will go to many other locations and all looked and felt just right!! The story of MGSV is true to the roots of other MGS titles and may seem a little far fetched to some, or unbelieavable even. But one thing that MGS has done from day one is tell a grand story of serious relations but does it in a creative and not so serious way. The content of the plot and the world that has become is all very harsh, brutal and cold. Yet, Kojima manages somehow to craft it in a way to make it enjoyable and not seem so serious and driven like games such as Call of Duty. MGS gives ppl a break of that and allows you to enjoy this ride and lets you ride it the way you want to. Needless to say,the story is full of surprises, betrayal, and old friendly and not so friendly faces of the past and is indeed a story done well and a perfect way to cap off MGS!!! And u don't have to be literate with MGS series at all to enjoy or understand, MGSV has Ocelot your instructor break it down to u as the story goes on. Although, it is much better having knowledge of the other games as there are tons of references, old familiar faces and stones unturned and Kojima really does well in leaving old fans of the series rewarded and satisfied. So, I'll cap it off with saying not only did Hideo Kojima and his (former??) company Konami manage to make a great open world stealth/rpg/action journey, but they managed to add Metal Gear in the mix of all that and its a formula hard to accept at first but man foes it work wonders. Snake has access to way more weapons, build his own unit of men and expand his home base, decide whether or not to let foes live to join your squad or kill them, have access to TONS of side missions that are all so rewarding in their own right that I did nothing but side quests for a solid 2 weeks. And to top everything off, Kojima threw in a banging 80's soundtrack cassette tapes as goodies you can find and have access to the musicas you going on your missions or whenever you want. So, lemme be the first to say that I have had a blast playing Metal Gear over these years, and that I believe this to be the greatest one yet. I know the whole sort of rpg elements and free to explore world may be too big a pill to swallow for some fans of the genre, but I got over it and accepted it and ended up being grateful for the change. It was time to bring Metal Gear into this age and by doing so, it opens a lot of doors and creates massive opportunities that weren't there before so before you condemn it, go try it!! I can only hope that Kojima and Konami can work things out and that isn't truly the last Metal Gear Solid game!! Its been much fun!!! A must have for even the slightest fans of Metal Gear and even newbies who just like shooting or exploring worlds!! Read moreNumbers. What do they mean? The modern field of Accountancy is a serious and honorable profession. Many human beings have spent their lives toiling over the hard science of numbers. Thousands have died so that we may get to the level of understanding that we have today. Thousands have died. However, as Accountants and Numbersmiths embraced the abacus and the calculator, today we must embrace the latest technological advancement. Virtual Reality. In early 2016, three highly qualified Accountants came together to see what potential economic savings and visualisations could be achieved with The HTC Vive. These Accountants were quickly and discreetly discarded to be replaced by award-winning game studio Crows Crows Crows and the newly announced VR studio Squanchtendo, to create the ultimate electronic number-crunching program. Let’s get one thing straight: Accountancy is a mature profession and is not for children. To be the first to find out when you can get Accounting on the HTC Vive, complimentarily, be sure to follow us @squanchtendo or sign up for the crowscrowscrows mailing list at AccountingVR.com. Get more information at AccountingVR.comIn Pakistan, a mob killed a journalism student because he didn't believe. That could have been me. At Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, Pakistan. (Photo11: Abdul Majeed, AFP/Getty Images) Last week, a 23-year-old journalism student was beaten to death by a mob outside the cafeteria of Abdul Wali Khan University in northern Pakistan. Video shows dozens of enraged students dragging Mashal Khan into the street, where he was kicked and bludgeoned to death. His crime? The mob thought he had made fun of the prophet Mohammed. This brutal spasm of violence in the country where some of my family still live is the latest reminder that Islam has lost its way. Even though I was born in Chicago, I can imagine the same thing happening to me. I am a 23-year-old aspiring journalist working not far from Washington, D.C., and I am an apostate from Islam. I have been for years. I grew up going to a Muslim school in the town of Franklin, Mich., learning the Quran and classical Arabic. Looking back, I would not have had it any other way. I was immersed in a worldview and a literature that has shaped the world for a millennium and a half. I understand the Muslim ethos, and I am proud of where I come from. Although I no longer believe, I can remember what it means to be enraged when someone mocks the prophet. Fundamentally, Muslims are like everyone else. It is not easy to accept honest criticism of deeply held faith. Today, however, unlike any other major faith, Islam is in crisis. Our religion’s association with terrorism is the most unnerving product of this crisis. When a suicide bomber blows himself up or a jihadist plows a truck through a crowd, or a mob murders someone for blasphemy, the standard response is to deny that it has anything to do with Islam, and to ring the #Islamophobia alarm bells. But it is dishonest to blame everything from gun laws to climate change as cause for terrorism, all so we can avoid opening the book on Islam. To run from this discussion now is an insult to Khan’s memory. Only if we foster a culture of open inquiry will we have a more liberal society where things like this are unthinkable. It falls on Muslims to address two widely noted tensions in our religion. One is the belief that the Quran is the literal word of God and that Mohammed only spoke the truth. The other is that there can be no division of church and state in Islam. Literalism is an immediate issue. Mohammed sanctioned sexual slavery, encouraged his followers to kill anyone found committing homosexual acts, and prophesied a climactic battle between Jews and Muslims in which the Jews would be exterminated. Of women, he said: “Is not the witness of a woman equal to the witness of half a man? … This is the deficiency in her intellect.” When faced with problematic narrations like these, our scholars today resort to rationalizations and semantics. On the matter of a climactic battle between Jews and Muslims, we are told that because “righteous Christians, Jews and Muslims … will be united under one creed” by then, they will be spared. This is the ridiculous argument of no less than Omar Suleiman, a popular American Islamic scholar who tours on college campuses. Cold comfort to Jews who would rather not convert. Being Mohammed’s PR agent will not make the plain facts any more pleasant. Unless we call into question the core doctrine that the Quran is the inerrant word of God, Muslims will face a dangerous cognitive dissonance. And thankfully, there is precedent within shariah for abrogation — even Saudi Arabia outlawed slavery in 1962. The second major tension in Islam today is that Mohammed never got around to saying, “Give unto caesar what is caesar’s, and give unto God what is God’s.” He was an emperor while he was a prophet. He prescribed taxation and redistribution, and instituted a legal system. Islam was the state. Even today, Muslim-majority countries often have the qualifier “Islamic” in their official names, from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where Mashal was beaten to death. Liberal values do not fare so well in these countries. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, more than 40 people in 2015 were on death row or serving life sentences for blasphemy in Pakistan, more than anywhere else in the world. POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media Mashal's death is a reminder to us in the West how precious our freedom of speech is. But even in America, I have lost some of my closest friends for criticizing the prophet’s edicts on homosexuality at the University of Michigan. And although we are far away from lynching a student for criticizing Islam, our college campuses are perhaps the last place one can hear honest criticism of Islam. It has been said that Islamophobia is “a word created by fascists, and used by cowards, to manipulate morons.” It is hard not to see reason for this definition nowadays. A political double standard has made Islam a hallowed victim — criticizing this religion, maybe even suggesting that Mashal’s lynching had anything to do with Islam, will get you labeled an Islamophobe. I do not call for an overthrow of Islam. Even as an atheist, I love this religion. I still feel the call to prayer in my heart when it rings out from minarets. I long for a return to glory in the Muslim world, when we translated treatises on math from Sanskrit to Arabic and fables of wisdom from Arabic to Spanish. When we built the Taj Mahal, when gay court poets dazzled their kings. That was not too long ago. Today, in a part of the world where Muslims lived the height of that glory, a student is beaten to death for blasphemy. Islam owes him honesty. Omar Mahmood is a USA TODAY Collegiate Network fellow. Follow him on Twitter @UrduDervish In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes diverse opinions from outside writers, including our Board of Contributors. To read more columns, go to the Opinion front page, follow us on Twitter @USATOpinion and sign up for our daily Opinion newsletter. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2p3ia86Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. 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The umbrella is a perfect icon for Hong Kong’s uprising: inclusive, aloof, a bit Anglophile and pragmatically defiant of the elements (and according to cinematic lore, readily convertible to a lethal kung fu weapon). It embodies the central plea of the protesters amassed in “Democracy Square”: a civilized demand for self-determination. Yet the biggest worry in Beijing right now isn’t the threat of universal suffrage, but what comes afterward—the struggle for social justice that Hong Kongers face they pivot between post-colonial limbo and authoritarian capitalism. Ad Policy That’s what the labor movement is taking to the streets with young protesters. The Equal Times reports that as of Wednesday—China’s National Day—“According to the latest HKCTU [Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions] figures, some 10,000 workers across all sectors have downed tools.” As unions representing industrial, service and professional workforces rallied alongside the youth and condemned police suppression of the demonstrators, Hong Kong labor echoed the former colony’s long legacy of worker militancy. In a call for mass strikes, the HKCTU declared, “Workers must stand up against the unjust government and violent suppression…. To defend democracy and justice, we cannot let the students fight the suppression alone.” The immediate spark for the protests was the controversy over the electoral process. Activists were incensed that following Beijing’s decree via the proxy authority National People’s Congress, candidates for Hong Kong’s 2017 executive election would be pre-approved by the mainland authorities. But even prior to the electoral betrayal, students revolted against the imposition of Beijing-controlled nationalist curricula on public schools. Longtime residents chafed at mainlanders’ perceived aggressive economic encroachment on local neighborhoods and businesses. And even the symbols of the protest express a yearning for a change in the social and cultural reality, rather than just liberalizing political mechanics. Like the “Hands Up” iconography of the Ferguson protests, the sea of umbrellas exude both civility and defiance in the face of brutality, not looking for trouble, just demanding dignity. At the center of their struggle for dignity is the desire to control their economic destiny. A statement issued last week by dozens of labor and community groups draws the link between unaccountable government and the divide between the plutocracy and the people: The Chinese Communist Party has followed and reinforced almost every governing strategy used by the British colonialists. Working in tandem, the CCP and business conglomerates have only worsened Hong Kong’s already alarming rich-poor gap. … It is true that even a genuinely democratic system may not be able to bring immediate improvements to grassroots and workers’ livelihoods. However, the current political system and the NPC’s ruling are flagrant violations of our political rights as well as our right to be heard. A pseudo-democratic system will only install even more obstacles on our already difficult path to better livelihoods and a progressive society. But the group’s demands go beyond electoral freedom: it wants expanded housing protections and welfare policies and a government that is responsive to
September, an adviser told The New York Times that Romney would repeal the gainful employment rule. The Obama campaign also hasn’t devoted much time to for-profit colleges on the trail or in its future plans. A change to rules governing how much of a college’s income can legally come from federal financial aid -- right now, 90 percent, but many lawmakers and groups who favor tighter regulations on for-profit colleges would like that number to be lower -- could be included in the next reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Most proposals for further regulation have come from Senate Democrats (especially Senator Tom Harkin, who conducted a two-year investigation into for-profit colleges), not from the Obama administration. The focus in future years is likely to be on colleges that serve veterans. Most new bills in the Senate deal with colleges, especially for-profit colleges, that receive money from veterans' programs like the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Regulations on ‘Value’ and Student Loans Observers have summed it up this way: a Romney administration would impose less regulation, but provide less support for financial aid and other programs colleges care about. An Obama administration would continue increased federal generosity toward colleges and universities, but would accompany that approach with more regulatory strings attached. At the financial aid administrators’ conference earlier this year, Fleming, the Romney education adviser, drew spontaneous applause when he said a Romney administration would try to reduce the regulatory burden on colleges. Which regulations he’d repeal were unclear, but a prime target would be the credit hour and state authorization rules. Those rules give a federal definition of a credit hour -- which many colleges see as federal intrusion into academic matters -- and require that colleges get approval from every state in which they enroll students in online courses. A bill to overturn both passed the House with a bipartisan majority earlier this year, but has stalled in the Senate. Since then, the Education Department has quietly stopped enforcing the state authorization requirements, which have also been overturned by courts. Regulation of other sectors related to higher education would likely ease under a Romney administration as well. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is playing a growing role in examining and regulating private student loans, has been a focus of Republican criticism since it was created as part of new Wall Street regulations in 2010. The bureau has collected complaints and suggested new regulations for private student loans. Romney hasn’t said exactly what he would do with the agency, but would either move it outside the Federal Reserve (lessening its powers) or break it up entirely, an adviser told The Wall Street Journal in May. Romney and his education advisers have advocated for disclosure as a substitute for regulations, saying putting data (such as default rates) before the public would let market forces reward good actors and punish bad ones without the government getting involved. Public and private nonprofit colleges often draw little distinction between the two, in part because they find disclosure requirements alone to be onerous; when the Obama administration put forward a proposed “shopping sheet” for colleges and universities, a suggested rather than required disclosure, financial aid administrators complained that it was emblematic of the administration’s “one size fits all” approach. But disclosure requirements are only part of an aggressive regulatory agenda Obama has put forward for his second term, a policy shift signaled by his State of the Union speech in January. In that speech, Obama put colleges and universities “on notice”: if they cannot stop tuition prices from rising, he said, they will get less federal financial aid. At the Democratic National Convention in September, he quantified the effect he said his policies would have: cutting the rate of increase in college tuition (4.8 percent for sticker price, according to a new College Board report) in half over the next decade. Whether his approach would work at all is disputed; that colleges and universities will fight any attempt to try it and find out is a near-certainty. The plan involves an overhaul of campus-based financial aid, as well as a $1 billion “Race to the Top” competition for higher education in an attempt to shape state policy and, through maintenance-of-effort requirements, forcing states to continue funding higher education. Most controversial, though, is measuring colleges not only by their price but by whether they provide “good value” -- a measure that, to many in higher education, smacks of the same approach the administration has taken with for-profit colleges. Labor Law Other differences in approaches to regulation switch predictably as control of the White House changes hands. Chief among them, perhaps, is the National Labor Relations Board, which, as new presidents appoint different representatives, flip-flops on who in private higher education should be allowed to unionize, and under what conditions. The issue is particularly salient this year because of two higher education cases pending before the board. It has reopened a decision made in 2004, under George W. Bush, that disallowed graduate student unions at private universities. (Unionization at public universities is governed by state law.) Traditionally, the board has granted graduate students unionization rights under Democratic presidents, and taken them away under Republican ones; even if the board should decide in the graduate students’ favor before Inauguration Day, a Romney administration could appoint new members to the board who would reverse the decision. The board is also considering allowing faculty members at private colleges to unionize and collectively bargain, a practice largely blocked by the 1980 Supreme Court case NLRB v. Yeshiva University. Faculty groups have argued in favor of greater unionization, while administrators have largely opposed it. The Obama-appointed majority on the board is seen as more sympathetic to labor, but a ruling supporting unionization at private colleges is likely to be challenged in court before any organizing and collective bargaining can occur. Romney’s campaign has not addressed unionization in higher education, but House Republicans have said they are concerned over the graduate student and private college cases, as well as opinions from NLRB regional offices that support unionization at Roman Catholic colleges. Title IX and Affirmative Action The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, like the labor relations board, can abruptly change the volume and tenor of its regulatory approach when a new administration takes office. Such was the case with Obama: in 2010, he promised more scrutiny of whether colleges were living up to federal law on not discriminating based on race and gender. In higher education, the Obama administration has stepped up efforts to enforce Title IX, which forbids gender discrimination in education programs that receive federal funds. The Education Department has especially focused on sexual harassment complaints at colleges. It reached high-profile settlements with several colleges in harassment cases in 2011, followed by a “Dear Colleague” letter that did not mince words in describing colleges’ responsibilities in cases of sexual harassment or assault. Among the clarifications was a lower standard of proof, the preponderance-of-evidence standard, than the police would use in dealing with such cases. The administration also issued guidance for how colleges can take race into account when admitting students -- an issue that has become even more central as the Supreme Court considers Fisher v. Texas, a case that could end race-based affirmative action at colleges and universities. Romney’s campaign has not discussed how it would handle Title IX, nor has it expressed a position on affirmative action (although the Republican platform, highly critical of higher education in general, opposed it). Still, Republican administrations tend to rein in enforcement by the department’s civil rights division compared to Democratic ones. President George W. Bush’s Education Department made it easier for athletics programs to comply with Title IX, a change the Obama administration withdrew. Immigration and Research The past four years have brought little new action on immigration, and it’s unclear whether the next four will either. Obama’s main initiative -- a program to delay deportation and provide a path to legal residency for undocumented young people brought to the United States by parents in the country illegally -- led colleges with high populations of undocumented students to push them to apply. Romney has said he would end the program, although he would honor the deferrals granted by the Obama administration. He supports military service as a path to legal residency for undocumented young people. The two candidates agree on one policy: granting green cards to foreign citizens who graduate with advanced degrees from American colleges. But that initiative, strongly supported by research universities, has always become entangled in more comprehensive action on immigration in Congress -- where divisions on contentious issues stall any progress. On research funding, if the mandatory budget cuts in January are averted, little is likely to change. Romney has taken aim at traditional Republican targets, including saying he would eliminate federal funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities. But both candidates support continued funds for basic scientific research, and the issue has not come up on the campaign trail. Still, the Ryan budget or other deep budget cuts would make money for domestic discretionary programs, including research, more difficult to come by. What Won’t Change The stark differences between the candidates’ approaches on many subjects -- especially regulation -- do not mean there aren’t points of agreement. In July, Fleming, the Romney adviser, estimated that the two campaigns agreed on “80 percent” of higher education policy, including the importance of college access and completion. While Romney is likely to pursue fewer regulations than a second Obama administration, the idea that the federal government should play a role in holding colleges accountable is increasingly shared by both parties. While disavowing the increased regulation of Obama’s term, Romney’s white paper echoed the president’s State of the Union address, saying colleges will no longer get a blank check from the federal government while increasing tuition. The accountability agenda could take different forms, depending on who holds office, with more or less emphasis on regulation versus disclosure, or measuring students' employability or other outcomes as a prerequisite for federal support. In the same way, the combined efforts of the Obama administration and foundations -- especially the Gates and Lumina foundations, among others -- have ensured that college completion (or "success") will join college access as an overarching federal goal. What form the next administration's accountability and completion agendas will take is still hazy. But no matter who wins, there is little doubt there will be one.Share Hulu unwrapped its new video player today, offering a streamlined, easier-to-use interface. Included in the latest update is a 10-second rewind button, a brand new recommendation feature called “Up Next,” and the grouping of its settings in one place. 10 Second rewind What you’ll immediate notice is a new, “chromeless” video scrubber at the bottom of the video. The thick scrub bar has been replaced by a line. But what’s of particular significance within the bar is the 10-second rewind button that sits next to the “Play” button. Simply, this button enables you to play back the last 10 seconds in case you missed out on foreshadowing, accidentally turned your head during the cliff-hanger or, as Hulu’s Senior User Experience Designer, Michelle Koh, suggests, you would like to “quickly jump back and re-watch punchlines until you’ve got’em memorized.” The 10-second rewind is a refreshing update for those of us that have attempted to scrub small intervals – which unless you’ve got a surgeon’s hand is nearly impossible. “Up Next” To the right of the 10-second rewind button is Hulu’s new “Up Next” feature. Hover over the button with your mouse to pop up (without disrupting the flow of the current video) a navigable box of recommended videos that you can choose to watch immediately, or after the current show is over. Recommended options include similar videos or simply the next episodes of whatever you’re currently watching. You’ll notice that the same feature appears on the screen in full by the end of the video. The currently playing video minimizes to reveal a selection of similar shows that you can watch, but if you don’t end up selecting a video, Hulu will simply play the first video that it has recommended. The update is approaching the way that we currently watch TV, while coupling this with a recommendation feature. The one minor complaint that we have with the “Up Next” feature was that the next video that plays, should you not select anything specifically, tends not to be the next consecutive episode. Simplified settings, Seconds left, Auto video quality Another few, albeit minor, updates include housing Hulu’s settings under one roof. “Options” makes an appearance inline with the buttons that access comments, Facebook and Twitter. Selecting “Options” will drop down existing features including “Share by email,” Hulu’s “Pop-out player,” “Lower lights,” and “Embed video.” The final couple of updates are passive, but makes your viewing experience that much better. When you pause your video, Hulu now lets you know how many minutes are left. Finally, Hulu automatically adjusts your video quality without sacrificing the viewing experience based on the bandwidth that you have available. Let us know what you think of these updates!Out here in the Pacific Northwest, we're well acquainted by experience with Bill O'Reilly's utter cluelessness about the cultural and political geography and climate of our region. But last night on The O'Reilly Factor, he really reached comedic heights. His big scoop, warranting a full Team O'Reilly Investigation, was the news that the University of Oregon in Eugene is a boiling, roiling hotbed of liberalism -- so much so that only eight people out of the 186 professors surveyed identified as Republicans. Actually, the survey is a somewhat peculiar clumping that only includes the schools of political science, law, economics, sociology and journalism -- which have a tendency towards liberal-arts profs anyway. Excluded from the survey were profs in the business, engineering, chemistry or math fields. One assumes the numbers would look somewhat different with their inclusion. So this is what has outraged O'Reilly? Calling it an "appalling situation," O'Reilly sicced his ambush camera teams on the hapless provost of the school while he was en route to his car in a parking garage. Then he spent the next several minutes bashing Eugene and the UofO, with the help of Portland radio host Lars Larson, who was happy to bash his fellow Oregonians. That's because, of course, Eugene has for many years been one of those cultural meccas for the hippie/Deadhead/peace/love/understanding crowd. The UofO campus has long attracted liberals and liberal-minded people, and the cultural climate is the kind that tends not to be very attractive to conservatives. But then, that's just the way the Northwest is; there's a diverse array of people and cultures out here, and they each have their niches. The gamut runs from Eugene to Hayden Lake. One wonders what O'Reilly might find if he were to do a similarly selective survey of the business and engineering schools at Washington State University in Pullman, where the cultural climate runs decidedly in the other direction. Bet we won't see Jesse Watters out there anytime soon. In other words, O'Reilly is not breaking any news here. Nor is it anything to get particularly worked up about. But it is amusing to watch O'Reilly make a complete fool of himself, anyway.Former French hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon speaks with the media after the first round of parliamentary elections, in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, June 11, 2017. French voters are choosing lawmakers in the lower house of parliament in a vote that is crucial for newly-elected president Emmanuel Macron. (AP Photo/Claude Paris) PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the first round of France’s parliamentary election (all times local): 11:45 p.m. Near-final results from France’s first-round parliamentary elections showed President Emmanuel Macron’s new movement winning by a large margin and set to land a huge majority in the final-round vote. With 94 percent of votes counted, the Interior Ministry said Macron’s Republic on the Move! party won 28 percent of votes. The conservative Republicans had 16 percent, followed by the far-right National Front with 14 percent. The far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon had 11 percent while the Socialists, who dominated the last National Assembly, had just 7 percent. Polling agencies projected that Macron’s party would win more than 400 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly in the second-round vote June 18. Turnout was estimated at less than 49 percent, a record low for modern France. ___ 10 p.m. French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has decried the low participation rate in the first round of parliamentary elections, saying it shows France’s volatile political situation. Melenchon says that the fact that about 50 percent of voters didn’t go to the polls means “there is no majority in this country” to support French President Emmanuel Macron’s reform agenda, which he says includes “destructive labor rules” and would reduce freedoms. Melenchon, who could see his party win around 20 seats, asked French voters “not to give full powers” to the president’s party in the second round next week. The first secretary of the Socialist party, Jean-Christophe Cambadelis, said the record low participation is a sign of “huge democratic fatigue.” Cambadelis called on voters to favor more political pluralism in the second round. ___ 9:10 p.m. France’s prime minister is declaring victory for President Emmanuel Macron’s new centrist party in the first round of parliamentary elections set to reshape French politics. Saying “France is back,” Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pledged to move ahead quickly with bold reforms to French worker protections and security policy. Philippe said voters sent a “message without ambiguity” in the first round elections Sunday that they want a parliament with a “new face.” Macron’s Republic on the Move party is projected to win a strong majority in the second round June 18. The prime minister also thanked security services for protecting voting stations and ensuring a safe vote after a string of deadly extremist attacks. ___ 8:40 p.m. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is lamenting “catastrophic” low turnout in the first round of parliamentary elections dominated by President Emmanuel Macron’s new centrist party. Runner-up in France’s presidential election, Le Pen urged “patriotic” voters to turn out en masse in the second round June 18 and boost her party’s small presence in the National Assembly. She hopes to be a strong opposition force, but her party is only projected to hold about a dozen seats. She also slammed the electoral system as unfavorable to smaller parties like hers. The head of the conservative Republicans party, Francois Baroin, also urged voters to turn out in larger numbers next week to help ensure that Macron’s party faces a robust opposition. ___ 8:30 p.m. A French government junior minister says voters want to give a large majority to newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron, following partial results showing his new centrist party is clearly leading the first round of France’s parliamentary elections. Mounir Mahjoubi, junior minister in charge of digital affairs, said on BFM television that voters have acknowledged that the first weeks of Macron’s presidency “have been exemplary” and “have allowed the French to see there is a path that suits them.” Mahjoubi himself is running for a seat in Paris as a candidate with Macron’s Republic on the Move party. ___ 8:10 p.m. Partial official results show that French President Emmanuel Macron’s new centrist party is clearly leading the first round of parliamentary elections crucial to his plans to change France. With 46 percent of votes counted from Sunday’s balloting, the Interior Ministry said Macron’s Republic on the Move party had more than 26 percent of votes in the elections for the 577 seats in the National Assembly. The conservative Republicans had 16 percent, the far-right National Front 14 percent, the far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon had 10 percent and the Socialists — who dominated the outgoing National Assembly — with just 7 percent. Polling agencies project that Macron’s party will win a large majority in the second round June 18. ___ 8 p.m. French polling agencies are projecting that President Emmanuel Macron’s new centrist party crushed traditional rivals in the first round of parliamentary elections likely to drastically reshape French politics. The projections from Sunday’s voting show Macron’s Republic on the Move movement is in strong position to win the decisive second round vote June 18. His party is projected to win well beyond an absolute majority in the 577-seat National Assembly, followed by the conservative Republicans. The Republicans and Socialists dominated the house for generations. Macron wants a powerful mandate to push through plans to reduce worker protections to boost hiring, boost security and clean up corruption in politics. Polling agencies also project a historically low turnout of around 50 percent, reflecting fatigue after a roller-coaster election season that brought Macron to power last month. ___ 6:25 p.m. The low turnout rate in the first round of France’s parliamentary election suggests a sharp drop-off in interest among voters after the May election of President Emmanuel Macron. Under France’s election rules, low voter turnout could also see fewer candidates make it through the second round next Sunday. By late afternoon, just 41 percent of registered voters on the French mainland had cast ballots. That compared to 48 percent at the same time in the first round five years ago and 49 percent in 2002. ___ 8:05 a.m. French voters are choosing lawmakers in the lower house of parliament in a vote that is crucial for newly-elected president Emmanuel Macron. Some 7,882 candidates are running for 577 seats in the National Assembly in Sunday’s first round of the two-stage legislative elections. Top vote-getters advance to the decisive second round June 18. Macron’s year-old centrist movement, Republic on the Move, is seeking an absolute majority to be able to implement his campaign promises, which include simplifying labor rules and making it easier to lay off workers in hopes of boosting hiring. Polls suggest the elections will strongly favor Macron’s party and dramatically shake up French politics, punishing the traditional left and right parties and leaving no single strong opposition force.That's the headline of a terrific piece published Monday night by Roll Call's Joe Williams detailing the fact that very few Republican senators even know what is in the bill that, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is expected to be voted on by the Senate before the July 4 recess. And that headline comes hard on this one from Axios: " Senate GOP won't release draft health care bill." That story details the strategic decision made by the Republicans writing the bill to keep its details out of public sight for fear of Democrats -- and the media -- picking it apart before it even makes it to the Senate floor. And that headline, came just after this one: " Why Republicans might let their health care bill fail. That's one hell of a bad 24 hours in health care headlines. But scratch the surface and you can understand the hesitation and uncertainty coming out of Senate Republicans as it relates to the American Health Care Act. First, and most importantly, the bill passed by the House is already deeply unpopular with the public. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, just 31% of people had a favorable view of the AHCA as compared to 55% who see it in a unfavorable light. (Two thirds of Republicans -- 67% -- had a favorable view of the legislation.) That's not even close to the most daunting number in the poll for Senate Republicans, however. There's the fact that 75% believe that the bill passed by the House accomplishes "some" (40%) or "none" (35%) of what President Donald Trump promised in regard to health care on the campaign trail. Just 8% -- yes 8%! -- think the Senate should pass the bill from the House without making any changes. Three in 10 said they didn't think the Senate should pass any sort of health care bill at all. Then there is the fact that it remain decidedly unclear whether 50 Republican Senate votes exist for any sort of compromise health care legislation. House Republicans spent weeks cobbling together the votes for the bill, a process that featured a series of very high-profile hiccups. And even then it barely passed. No one understands better than McConnell how to count votes -- and what to do if the votes aren't there. As one conservative Senate aide told CNN's MJ Lee and Lauren Fox "It might be that McConnell knows he can't get to 50 so he's going as far left as possible to give moderates cover when they do vote for this bill." The fact Senate Republicans have, until this week, done a very good job of hiding is that the future of any healthcare bill in their chamber is extremely dicey. Few senators even know what might be in the bill. Even fewer express any sort of confidence that whatever the bill looks like can pass the Senate. Or that doing so would be anything close to good politics for Republicans trying to hold their seats in the Senate (and the House.) To put a fine point on it: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Predictions in this political environment -- and with Donald Trump in the White House -- are a dangerous thing. But the forecast for the health care bill in the Senate looks, at least from the headlines so far this week, decidedly gloomy for Republicans.The gay porn community lost one of its last true "stars" early this morning with the passing of Erik Rhodes, a.k.a. James Elliott Naughtin. He died in his sleep, reportedly, at home in New York around 5:30 a.m. He was 30 years old. Rhodes was known as one of the last "Falcon Classics," referring to the San Francisco-based studio known for creating icons in gay adult cinema, dating back to their pioneering days in the early 1970s. Rhodes was also known as a proud, or at least very open and self-deprecating, user of steroids and various drugs. Say what you will to blame the guy for destroying himself at a young age, but never has there been a porn star who has done it so publicly and honestly, blogging about his failings, fun, and career throughout the internet age. In his last post on his Tumblr blog, in response to a reader who said, "am about to start a roid cycle. any suggestion for a gear? i want to be as huge as you," Rhodes responded: My cycle right now 3000 mg of Test Enanthate a week, 2500 mg of Nandrolone Decaonate and 300 mg of Trenbolone Acetate. With 5iu of Human Growth Hormone everyday. I’m waiting until i pop. Or my liver to fails which ever comes first. So, that may be a clue as to what did him in. Rhodes was from Long Island and his porn career began eight years ago (a veritable lifetime in gay porn) in a film called Flesh from S.F.'s Studio 2000, and continued shorly thereafter when he signed an exclusive contract with Falcon, appearing in 2004's Super Soaked. Since then, he starred in numerous films, and became one of the only name-brand stars in an industry increasingly faltering amidst the explosion of piracy and amateur cam sites. He wrote about his life as a porn star and prostitute on various blogs over the years, never sparing the nakedly honest, articulate details of his depressions, his abuse of party drugs like GHB and meth (link NSFW), and the ups and downs of his relationships, including one with a boyfriend of four years which ended earlier this year. Most interestingly, he was always glad to take criticism from "fans" and have public dialogues about his faults in the comments on his blogs. He tried to make people understand his dark sense of humor, his nihilism, and how the persona of 'Erik Rhodes' contrasted with his actual self. All of it felt at times like an art project, a critique of gay male norms and body image issues, in which he, himself, was the medium and the subject. In response to one such critic on his current blog, he wrote: I understand myself really well and i understand people. I see the underbelly of the world while most the of the world floats in the clouds... I think regardless of how strong minded you are, you’ll always hear those people in the back of your head its how you react that should be your personal concern if someone insults you and you choose to throw yourself off a bridge, well, then i think you’ve taken it to far, but if somewhere in the mix you learn a life lesson and it somehow betters you then maybe you should listen listen and learn Rhodes joked often about the likelihood of his dying young, and he took hedonism and body fascism, admittedly, to the extreme. If you were a fan, or are still intrigued, you can learn more from this telling and very compelling interview on The Sword (NSFW!). In it, he admits to the fact that the majority of his income has always come from escorting, but that he had a troubled relationship with the profession. His advice for budding young porn stars is probably the most prescient, and characteristically blunt: Do not expect to have a career in porn. Use porn as a platform to start a successful career as a hooker. Get your face out there through the movieswhich really don’t make you shitso you can just sell your ass for top dollar on the street (unless you think you have too much pride for that and you just wanna shake your ass for singles at the bar). Either way, just be prepared to be used, for your relationships to fail, and to lead an overall miserable life. Hugs and kisses, good luck, and look me up when you’re in New York. I know a great dealer. He also had some moving words about life after death, directed at his recent ex: "All I know is that if life ends like the series finale of Six Feet Under, I will see him and our two dogs the last second before I die. If there is a God, he knows, he owes me at least that. And if he’s reading this now—and since I love to steal lines from my favorite movies—'I will find you again, in a world where we are both cats.'" [The Sword - NSFW] Celebrating Erik Rhodes [Falcon Studios - NSFW]DAVAO CITY, Philippines—“I think God was somewhere else when the typhoon hit,” Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday night after a daylong visit to Tacloban where he saw the streets littered with dead people, and survivors foraging for food, three days after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international codename: Haiyan) barreled through the Visayas. “God must be [have been] somewhere else or he forgot that there’s a planet called Earth,” Duterte told reporters at the arrival area of the Davao International Airport. ADVERTISEMENT After seeing the extent of the devastation, Duterte said, he thought that the more appropriate thing to do was declare a state of emergency rather than a state of calamity, which is what President Benigno Aquino did Monday night, as local governments in severely affected communities were not functioning at all. “This is just a suggestion; I don’t mean to dictate upon [anyone],” he said. “But the state of calamity is not enough, it has to be a state of emergency because there is no local government functioning anymore. The police, the army, the social workers, all of them have to attend to their dead, no city government is functioning.” “As a Filipino, I have to say something,” he added. Duterte, who turned over P8 million worth of relief goods and equipment to the areas severely hit by the typhoon, said he even saw a policeman in uniform among the dead lying on a roadside. Duterte appeared shaken by the sight of survivors alongside the dead in Tacloban. “Death on the roads, no electricity, no food and water, and people walking on the streets like zombies, looking for food,” he said. He had ordered a team of 911 relief workers and rescuers to bring medicine to Tacloban by land on Saturday afternoon. The team arrived in Tacloban Monday morning, after they hacked and cut their way through fallen trees along the way, and cleared some roads of debris. Duterte said he was right in sending a medical team to Tacloban but said they would be useful only for three days because of the enormity of the need. He said the next team to be sent should be composed of people who know how to handle cadavers. When Duterte left for Tacloban Monday morning, some people in Davao sent him a list of names of people to look up. But Duterte said he failed to find them or even to ask about their whereabouts because there was no local government to ask from. ADVERTISEMENT “There was no semblance of a barangay (community),” he said. “They were overwhelmed by their own dead, the barangays were not functioning anymore. All you see are people walking aimlessly on the streets, like zombies, looking for food.” He advised those who have relatives in Tacloban to go to the devastated city, extract what is left of the family and bring them out of there because there was nothing to eat in Tacloban right now. “Take them out of there, bring them outside, you can’t get anything there, not even a piece of candy,” he said. He said he did not know whether to cry or shout in anger when he saw the devastation in Tacloban. Click here for more weather related news." Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READGunmen in northern Malaysia have taken two people hostage after stealing a large weapons cache from two army camps. Hundreds of police and military have been sent to the area, where there were reports of a pre-dawn shoot-out between the security forces and the thieves. Weapons haul 94 M-16 rifles Two Steyr rifles Five grenade launchers Four heavy machine guns Six light machine guns Thousands of ammunition rounds The hostages were abducted as they picked durian fruit in an orchard near Sauk in the western state of Perak. Police closed in on the area as they searched for the arms theft gang, who stole more than 100 weapons from military camps on Sunday after posing as senior army officers. The arms cache included assault rifles, grenade launchers and thousands of bullets. Earlier reports said police and military forces had fought a 90-minute gun battle before dawn on Tuesday at the gang's hideout near the town of Sauk. But the chief of police, Inspector General of Police Norian Mai, now says no exchange of fire took place between his forces and the gunmen. Residents reported hearing gunfire, but Inspector Norian said he believed the thieves may have been familiarising themselves with their newly-acquired weapons. The Malaysian Government suspects the gunmen stole the weapons to sell them on the black market. Defence experts estimate drugs-smugglers, pirates or guerrilla groups in neighbouring countries would be willing to pay up to $200,000 for the arsenal. Disguised Sunday's raid began when a gang of 15 men dressed in camouflage uniforms with senior rank badges descended on an isolated army outpost on Sunday. They then moved on to an army camp at the town of Gerik, where they posed as an inspection team and pulled rank to get past sentries.The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said Thursday that the group would need crude oil prices to rise above $50 per barrel in order for exports to be economically worthwhile, and that the cartel would not hesitate to cut output even further in order to attain that goal. “We are not happy with 40 even 50 dollars a barrel,” OPEC Secretary General Abdallah El-Badri said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. OPEC has already slashed 4.2 million barrels per day from their production quota in a bid to raise oil prices, but, as of yet, it hasn’t achieved their desired effect. After rocketing to a record high above $147 a barrel in July of last year, crude oil futures have plummeted and have been trading in the $40 range for a while. But El-Badri says that OPEC will do all it needs to in order to prop up prices. “If we still have some downward problems, then OPEC will not hesitate to take some quantity out of the market,” he said. The next scheduled meeting of the cartel’s members is set to take place on March 15. Not everyone, however, believes that El-Badri is telling the entire story. The crude itself –from its extraction to delivery and refining– can, in most cases, turn a profit at the current price levels. However, at least one analyst contends, it’s the economies and social agendas of those member nations that are the main problem. “Some of them can make plenty of money at $40-$50 but their budgets and their spendthrift social programs can’t justify those prices,” says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. “There’s a formula for determining break-even crude … that doesn’t take into account what countries need to get, or what they would like to get, or what their social agendas might require for some of them to stay in power,” Kloza told Consumer Energy Report. El-Badri is adamant in his claim that all of the 12 member nations –excluding Iraq, which is exempt from any quota– are complying with their set output limits, and that the full production cut will be registered by the end of the month. Analysts are usually skeptical in relying on the announced output cuts due to the cartel’s history of non-compliance by some of its members. OPEC recently blamed speculators and hedge funds for the volatility of crude futures and is seeking rules which would govern and prohibit speculation.Indian firms have spurned some $15 billion worth of government tenders to make a range of weapons since 2013, Defence Ministry officials say, in a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his drive to wean the country off imported arms. Executives cited unrealistic quality demands from a military short of planes, tanks and guns as a key reason for their reluctance to bid for projects. Complicating things further, the military doesn't want weapons from Indian firms with no track record in defence manufacturing, experts said. Irked by India's status as the world's biggest arms importer, Modi wants to build an advanced defence industry but almost a year into his "Make in India" campaign, which aims to turn the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, not one large domestic weapons project has been awarded. Tenders for anything from air defence guns to surface-to-air missiles to transport planes have lapsed, Defence Ministry officials told Reuters. The tenders total around $15 billion according to a Reuters compilation of offers since early 2013. "'Make in India' is a laudable aim, but it's moving rather slowly. It's not a switch you can press and everything will fall into place," said Vivek Rae, head of procurement at the Defence Ministry from 2010 to 2012. Anil Ambani, the billionaire chairman of the Reliance Group, recounted at a recent conference how Modi asked him if he knew India didn't make tear gas shells. "Even the tears we shed are foreign," Ambani quoted the nationalist leader, who took office last May, as saying. Modi wants to build a strong military after years of neglect that military planners say has left India vulnerable should rivals China and Pakistan ever launch a combined attack, although experts say this is highly unlikely. India
people. Part of the difference can be attributed to U.S. policies from decades past. Central America’s wars between leftist guerrillas and U.S.-backed right-wing governments drove a surge of refugees to the United States. Young immigrants in Los Angeles and other cities joined street gangs. When the United States deported almost 46,000 convicts back to Central America between 1998 and 2005, the gangs grew and spread rapidly across the region. In El Salvador and Honduras, governments adopted “iron fist” policies and jailed thousands of youths as gang members, often on flimsy evidence of gang association. Experts blame the crackdowns for deepening violence. “What really made the difference is what the Nicaraguan police have not done. They have been much less repressive in dealing with gangs,” said Jose Luis Rocha, an expert on Central American youth gangs and migration. Although President Daniel Ortega is accused by opponents of being an autocrat, the United Nations has praised Nicaragua’s security model, which includes social services to help youths in gangs find jobs as well as sport programs like little-league baseball teams. Such opportunities are scarce in Central America. Cheap oil shipments from socialist ally Venezuela allow Ortega to finance anti-poverty programs, such as replacing thatched roofs with metal or trucking subsidized red beans, the national staple, into poor neighborhoods across the country. NICARAGUA A MAGNET? Iveth Espino, a coordinator of community projects at the Center for the Prevention of Violence who helped Toruno turn his life around, says Nicaraguan gangs are less hierarchical and organized than their peers in Honduras and El Salvador. “The gangs weren’t allowed to evolve,” she said. “One way or another, via different programs, we put a halt to the situation and involved the whole community, schools, police, community leaders, so that youths see that they are not alone.” The relative peace of Nicaragua is even drawing some immigrants from its wealthier neighbors. Slideshow (4 Images) On the outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ most violent city, Julio Cesar Gutierrez, 26, is struggling to find work. He recently returned from a two-month stay in Nicaragua where he and a friend worked for an electricity company. Now he plans to return to Nicaragua, saying it’s a safer option than heading north to the United States. “I would love to be there (in the United States) but I would not like to experience what happens on the way there... It’s a long and dangerous road.”CLOSE Congratulations to actors Morena Baccarin and Benjamin McKenzie. The couple welcomed their baby into the world...and it's a girl. USA TODAY It's a girl for Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin! (Photo: Nicholas Hunt, Getty Images) It’s a baby girl for Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie! The Gotham stars welcomed their first child on March 2, USA TODAY can exclusively report. And the little one's got an adorable vintage baby name: Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan. “Morena and Ben are so happy to welcome baby girl Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan on March 2,” reps Jennifer Allen and Rhett Usry confirm to USA TODAY. “All are happy and healthy and appreciate the well-wishes." Both Barccarin, 36, and McKenzie, 37, star on Fox’s Batman prequel Gotham - in which they play characters who are also expecting a baby. Baccarin told People the Gotham plotline dovetailing with the couple's real-life was “a total coincidence. They were already planning on doing that with (our) characters when I got pregnant. When I told them they were like, 'Okay, great!' and I was like, 'What?' It worked out perfectly." This is McKenzie’s first child. Baccarin has a 2-year-old son, Julian, with her estranged husband, Austin Chick. Baccarin recently championed through the Deadpool press tour in February, calling herself “a million months” pregnant while visiting Access Hollywood. “No sudden moves, anybody,” she joked. The R-rated superhero film, led by Ryan Reynolds, soared to the top of the box office, having pulled in $315 million to date. Congratulations to the happy couple! Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1pjygYzTHE GOVERNMENT HAS been accused of making empty threats as legislation published yesterday indicated a roll back on suggestions that people who did not pay their water charges could face dire consequences. The bill, which will be introduced in the Dáil this week, included two important details: A person will only be taken to court when their debt reaches over €500, which would be in 2017 (after the general election); No one will go to prison for non-payment. Any court case would involve an application to enforce the debt either by taking it from a person’s earnings or from social welfare payments. Though the legislation applies to all consumer debts and can be used by small businesses who are looking to recoup payments, it is of particular interest in the context of water charges. As promised, it specifically proposes to abolish imprisonment of debtors. This law, when enforced, will mean no Irish Water customer can be sent to jail for non-payment. Rather, the money would be forcibly taken from their wages or social welfare payments – if it even got as far as court. Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) TD Paul Murphy claimed the legislation “takes the heat out of the government’s bullying” and demonstrates that it is “all bark and no bite”. Murphy said even the deduction of payments from income would be far down the road and there are only so many people the company can bring to court anyway. Irish Water has confirmed that around 70% of people have registered with Irish Water – which works out at around 1.32 million households. The utility is still refusing to disclose how many individuals have paid their bills as it says the payment cycle has not come to an end. Protest tomorrow at 6pm at Dail. OXI (NO) to water charges, austerity and Troika tyranny. pic.twitter.com/O1Ca9itk6g — Paul Murphy (@paulmurphy_TD) June 30, 2015 Source: Paul Murphy /Twitter The AAA politician called on those who are refusing to pay to stand strong and called on others to join the boycott, telling them this legislation means it is “safe” for them to do so.A Haliade 150 offshore wind turbine operates at Alstom’s offshore wind site in Le Carnet, on the Loire Estuar in western France. (Reuters/Stephane Mahe, 2014 file) The global shift toward renewable energy is not only continuing apace — it may be picking up speed. Such is the upshot of a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme, finding that worldwide investment in renewables totaled $ 270.2 billion in 2014, which represented an almost 17 percent increase over the prior year. Key drivers of renewables growth in 2014, the report found, were major solar investments in Japan and China and huge offshore wind outlays in Europe. Strikingly, nearly half of the total investment — $ 131.3 billion — was in developing countries. That includes investments of over $1 billion apiece in Kenya, South Africa and Turkey. The report, which was written by the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre along with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, did not include large hydropower projects in arriving at its totals. Solar and wind led the way in 2014, reaping $149.6 billion and $99.5 billion in investment, respectively. And while slightly more total money was invested in renewables in 2011 — $278.8 billion — the report notes that this is principally because “capital costs in wind, and particularly in solar PV, fell sharply in the intervening three years, so each billion dollars committed added up to many more [megawatts] of capacity than it did in the earlier year.” In other words, when it comes to renewables, the world is not only investing more and more — it’s getting more for its money. One surprising finding from the report is just how much wind and solar are leaving all other renewables in the dust. The two forms of energy received 92 percent of global renewables investment in 2014, leaving other sectors like biofuels and geothermal far behind. China continued its dominance in the renewable space, leading the world in total investment ($ 83.3 billion), followed by the United States ($38.3 billion) and Japan ($35.7 billion). The overall increase in renewable investments is now large enough that it is having planetary implications. According to the report, renewable energy constituted 9.1 percent of total world energy generation in 2014, an increase from 8.5 percent in 2013. In a world in which the International Energy Agency says we can only emit about 1,000 more gigatons of carbon without likely crossing the dangerous 2 degrees Celsius warming threshold, the shift is highly significant. The new report finds that it probably amounts to about 1.3 gigatonnes less of carbon in the atmosphere (a gigatonne is a billion metric tons). However, the report cautions, we shouldn’t get too optimistic about renewables overtaking fossil energy based on these numbers. “It is less reassuring to note,” it observes, “that at the current rate of progress (of yearly steps of roughly 0.6-0.7 percentage points), it will take until 2030 to reach 20% of global generation.” Indeed, looking at trends in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there’s a rather anguishing finding buried in report. Namely, even as the world shifts more and more quickly toward renewables, it still may not be moving nearly fast enough. The study notes that the International Energy Agency has outlined a “450 scenario” in which the world limits carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere to 450 parts per million — and thus, has at least even odds of staying below 2 degrees Celsius of warming. But based on current trends, the UNEP report finds little chance that without further policy action, we’ll stay below 450. “The chances of the world limiting the increase in average temperatures to less than two degrees Centigrade appear very slim,” the study finds.Big businesses can threaten free speech when they accumulate too much power. For Google, that moment has come. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) I’ve studied monopolies for about 20 years. I got into this line of work back in 1999, when an earthquake in Taiwan resulted in the shutdown of computer factories all over the United States. What happened was that an earthquake disrupted the flow of electricity to foundries in Taipei, where most of the world’s capacity for a key type of semiconductor was located. The loss of this capacity led to a cascading crash of industrial activity, similar to a financial crash. For me, this realization opened a window into a world that our economic textbooks tell us shouldn’t exist: A world in which a few giant corporations control all of various types of production and supply. Worse, a world in which those corporations sometimes put almost all the capacity to build some vital industrial input in a single physical place in the world. [Google is coming after critics in academia and journalism. What’s next?] Since then, I’ve written two books on monopolies and written many articles and op-eds. Much of my work has continued to focus on the ways that concentration of capacity can make complex systems like banking and communications — in addition to industrial production — subject to potentially catastrophic disruption. What I came to understand is that the changes in the enforcement of antitrust laws that had allowed a few corporations to use their power in ways that put all society at risk, had also resulted in huge threats to our economic and political well-being. Antimonopoly law, I learned, dates to the founding of our nation. It is, in essence, an extension of the concept of checks and balances into the political economy. One goal of antimonopoly law is to ensure that every American has liberty, to change jobs when they want, to create a small business or small farm if they want, to get access to the information they want. Another goal of antimonopoly is to ensure that our democratic institutions are not overwhelmed by wealth and power concentrated in the hands of the few. What I also learned is that since the early days of the Reagan Administration, power over almost all forms of economic activity in America has been steadily concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. This includes retail and transportation. It includes pharmaceuticals and farming. It includes almost every corner of the Internet. [A liberal think tank just pushed out employees who criticized Google. That’s worrying.] This concentration affects our economic well-being. It’s what explains why, for example, the percentage of Americans who own their own businesses has been falling for the last generation. As more and more of the economy become sown up by monopolistic corporations, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for entrepreneurship. It also explains why me must pay more for many services. As hospitals continue to merge into giant chains, for example, they are able to pass along ever higher prices without having to worry about losing business to competitors. And anyone who flies these days can attest to what happens when just four airlines control 80 percent of the market. But even more important is the way increasing monopoly affects us politically. It means that we all enjoy less freedom to do what we want in our jobs and our lives. It means that fewer and fewer companies are competing for our labor, allowing employers to gain more and more power not only over how we do business, but also how over we speak, think and act. [The bigger the business, the bigger the lies] If you want a good example of how giant corporations sometimes misuse the power that concentration gives them, just look at what happened to me. The European Union's antitrust chief announced a record breaking fine of $2.7 billion against Google for distorting internet search results. (Reuters) For the last fifteen years, I’ve done my antimonopoly writing and research at a think tank in Washington named New America. This last June 27, my group published a statement praising the European Union for fining Google for violating antitrust law. Later that day I was told that Google — which provides substantial support to other programs at New America — said they wanted to sever all ties with the organization. Two days later I was told that the entire team of my Open Markets Program had to leave New America by September 1. No think tank wants to appear beholden to the demands of its corporate donors. But in this instance, that’s exactly the case. I — and my entire team of journalists and researchers at Open Markets — were let go because the leaders of my think tank chose not to stand up to Google’s threats. (In a statement, New America has denied that this was the case.) We should all be worried about big business interfering with our speech, our thinking and our expression. By design, the private business corporation is geared to pursue its own interests. It’s our job as citizens to structure a political economy that keeps corporations small enough to ensure that their actions never threaten the people’s sovereignty over our nation. The first and most vital step to this end is to protect the media we use to communicate with one another from being captured by a few giants. But today we are failing. Not only are we not preventing concentration of power over our economy and our media. We are not protecting the groups that are working to prevent and reverse that concentration of power. Wherever you work, whatever you do, your livelihood and your liberties are every day more at risk as long as we allow a few giant corporations — especially in online commerce — to continue to extend their reach into and over the world of ideas.Update: Japan defeated Cameroon 2-1 on Friday, June 12 (game highlights can be viewed here). Japan now leads Group C at the FIFA Women's World Cup. Despite winning their first match earlier this week in Canada, an injured star player may spell trouble for Japan's hopes at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The “Nadeshiko Japan” Japanese women's soccer won the previous Women's World Cup in 2011 in Germany, beating the U.S. women's team 3-1 in a shootout after the teams were tied 2-2 following regulation and overtime. The powerhouse women's national team is quite popular in Japan, and is best known by its nickname Nadeshiko Japan, and is a selection of the best female players in Japan. Special: Women's World Cup challengers Nadeshiko Japan! They will take on Switzerland, Cameroon and Ecuador in the Group C competition. The Japan women's team nickname is derived in part from the nadeshiko flower and the concept of the “ideal” Japanese woman. While the nickname comes from the general respect and adoration the Japanese public has for its World Cup winners, Nadeshiko Japan does in some ways symbolize the status of women in Japan. Travelling to the 2012 Olympics, the Japan women's soccer team was stuck flying in economy class, while the men's team enjoyed more comfortable business class seats. It took an online petition signed by more than 20,000 supporters in 2012 to persuade Japanese Olympic organizers to upgrade Nadeshiko Japan to business class on the flight home. Nadeshiko Japan kicked off their 2015 FIFA World Cup campaign by “barely” beating Switzerland 1-0 in their first Group C game on Monday, June 8, 2015, at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. #FIFAWWC Day 3! Sweden v Nigeria Cameroon v Ecuador USA v AUS Japan v Swiss Match details – https://t.co/0EbBUX7ciF pic.twitter.com/sqrHnzRsFQ — Womens Soccer United (@WomensSoccerUtd) June 8, 2015 Responding online to the official FIFA recap of the Japan-Switzerland game, one fan noted: Japan had a really bad second half. They better hope this was an off day, otherwise they will leave this tourney early. Their midfield became gelatine after Sawa was substituted, and after the first 45 minutes, they were never able to connect more than five passes in a row, and had awful ball control. The series got off to a troubled start for the Japanese team when leading scorer Kozue Ando fractured her ankle in the first half. Bitter disappointment after Nadeshiko Japan's Ando fractures ankle and withdraws from World Cup. Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on June 10th that it was confirmed following a medical examination that midfielder Kozue Ando had broken her left ankle. While teammate Aya Miyama managed to score on the penalty, Ando will be leaving her tight-knit team in Canada to head home to Japan. Ando's injury was a terrible blow for many fans: Argh… Kazue Ando broke her ankle! (。´Д⊂) And she had made it all the way to this year's World Cup! Others observed that Nadeshiko Japan may be in serious trouble without Ando: It really hurts that Ando, who always so skillfully works to balance out the offense, could be forced to withdraw from the series because of such an unlucky injury. [Yuika] Sugasawa has plenty of power on her own but doesn't really play strategically. In the second half [Yuki] Ogimi's playing was pretty muted, so the number of [Nadeshiko] attacks were way down. Japan will tackle Cameroon next at a 7:00 p.m. local time in Vancouver, British Columbia. Considered a long shot in this World Cup series, on June 8 Cameroon thrashed Ecuador 6-0, the largest margin of victory for any African team in a World Cup. With the Nigeria Super Falcons win against Sweden earlier in the week, and with Cameroon's overwhelming win, there is hope that an African team will finally claim a World Cup crown in 2015. Coming into the 2015 World Cup, 2011 champion Nadeshiko Japan is regarded as the team to beat, so all eyes will be on Cameroon's Friday night match with Japan on June 12.You would not know it from the headlines, but today we're living through one of the most peaceful times in human history. This great chart from Oxford's Max Roser — which shows the global death rate from war over the past 600-plus years — shows just how lucky we are. The red line in Roser's chart shows the worldwide rate of war deaths per 100,000 people, streamlined over a 15-year moving average. Each red dot shows an individual war or episode of killing; larger dots mean more people died. The blue line, based on a different data set, shows combatant casualties only. What you basically see is a pretty consistent amount of war over the centuries — but with some of the highest highs and lowest lows in the 20th century. The red line stops at 2000, which is right about when global conflict was on its way to a plunge toward historic lows. You can see that in the blue line's drastic decline. If you zoom in a little bit on the 21st century, this trend becomes much clearer. At the dawn of the 21st century, according to both Roser and some more recent data from Steven Pinker, battle deaths appear to drop to close to zero per 100,000 people: That's pretty extraordinary: periods with five or 10 battle casualties per 100,000 people look like they've been pretty common throughout history, in addition to huge wars such as the Thirty Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, or World War II. By historical standards, humanity today is extraordinarily safe from war. This is why one of the biggest and most important questions today is whether our so-called "Long Peace" will last. A recent paper, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and Pasquale Cirillo, argued that our current peaceful era was a statistical myth: that dips in war deaths should be expected, as Roser's chart shows, and that there's no reason to believe this time should be different. Pinker and others argue, by contrast, that things really have changed: that the rise of democracy, capitalism, industrial civilization, and international institutions like the UN have radically transformed the way global politics operates. It's impossible to know who's right for sure. But Roser's chart makes clear that, whatever the reason, we should be counting our blessings today.On Saturday, six columns of unemployed people who have been marching on Madrid from all corners of Spain for the last few weeks finally arrived in the capital. Tens of thousands of people joined them for a rally to mark the end of their "March for Dignity" against the high level of unemployment, which currently stands at a bracing 26 percent – meaning that 5.9 million people are out of work. The marchers were also joined by thousands of riot cops and the day ended in a mess of tear gas, rubber bullets and broken glass. After hours of noisy protest, the rally held in Plaza Colón was still going strong when the cops began to yell warnings through their loudspeakers. “This is the police speaking. Please leave the square peacefully,” they said. Demonstration organisers started yelling through their loudspeakers too, asking the police not to break up the rally. It was too late. Scuffles had already started and people were running away in a panic. Families with kids in buggies rushed to take refuge from the hail of stones and rubber bullets that were being exchanged between some of the protesters and the 1,700 riot cops that had been deployed for the event. The police were unable to cope with the hundreds of hooded protesters who responded to the police’s attack with cobbles, sticks, flares and bangers. At times, groups of police ended up being cornered and had to resort to tear gas to fight their way out. There were makeshift barricades burning intermittently along the mile-long avenue that separates the Atocha train station and the rally point. People took the opportunity to smash the windows of banks and businesses and scrawl left-wing slogans on them. No pasarán – “They shall not pass” – proclaimed a banner on Paseo de Recoletos, next to an "Occupy" style camp that was being hastily set up. The banner proved to be erroneous – a group of riot policemen trampled over the protesters holding it, making their way through with batons and rubber bullets. Before long, the roles were reversed. After the police had stomped another 20 metres up the road, a raging column of protesters managed to push them back by throwing sticks and stones at them. By the end of the day, more than 100 people were injured, 67 of them police officers – some even had smashed up teeth. Twenty-nine people were arrested. The marchers may have wanted dignity, but they also wanted to vent the rage they'd bottled up over five years of economic crisis.State red tape could knock out a blockbuster fight card slated for Boston Garden later this summer as government officials are refusing the UFC’s request to relax rules barring foreign-born fighters from hitting the octagon without Social Security numbers. “This law has been in existence since we legalized mixed martial arts in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Terrell Harris, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, which regulates prize fighting. “It’s been brought to the attention of the UFC more than a few times since we legalized the fighting here. But they’ve chosen basically to ignore the law and hope that they could skirt it somehow,” Harris said. The wildly popular UFC held its first major bout in Boston in 2010 — the sold-out UFC 118 — just months after the state legalized MMA-style fighting following years of controversy. Under federal Social Security Administration rules, a fighter can get a temporary number after a 10-day grace period. “When they bring in fighters that are not American citizens, there are exceptions that?allow them to obtain a Social Security number,” Harris said. “The Social Security?Administration will issue a temporary work visa but it’s up to them to do?their due diligence,” he said. Harris said the UFC has petitioned the state for a one-time exception to allow foreign fighters to square off at the Aug. 17 Garden event — with or without a valid Social Security number. But state law is clear that officials are prohibited from issuing an MMA license to any fighter without proper documentation. “They’ve approached us and asked us if we could make exceptions to the?law for them,” Harris?said. “But the law is the law. The law doesn’t allow us to make exceptions.” UFC officials did not?return several messages seeking comment. One state official said a major UFC fight such as the Boston event could bring in as much as?$50 million in revenue?to the city. House Speaker Robert F. DeLeo urged?the UFC to contact lawmakers to try to find a?solution. “The Speaker was not aware of the problem and has not been in touch with UFC officials, but would be eager to learn more about it,” DeLeo spokesman Seth Gitell said. The fight card, which is slated to be broadcast on Fox Sports, features a main event between Brazilian?national Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Oregon-?bred brawler Chael Sonnen. Other foreign-born fighters on the card include Brazilians Thiago Alves, Yuri Alcantara, and Diego Brandao, Armenian Manny “The Anvil” Gamburyan and Swede Akira Cor-assani.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. On Sunday’s episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver weighed in on the recent botched execution in Oklahoma, the president’s response to it, and the death penalty in general. “The death penalty is like the McRib,” Oliver says. “When you can’t have it, it’s so tantalizing. But as soon as they bring it back, you think, ‘This is ethically wrong. Should this be allowed in a civilized society?'” Here’s more from Oliver: It costs up to 10 times more to give someone the death penalty than life in prison. So what a death sentence is really saying is, “Hey! This is America! And the way we treat the most despicable members of our society is by spending the entire budget of the Lord of the Rings trilogy on them.” So what we know now is the death penalty is expensive, potentially kills innocent people, and doesn’t deter crime. And here is where it gets hard—harder than is potentially appropriate for a comedy show late on a Sunday night. But if we are going to answer difficult and profound questions…the toughest one is probably if someone is guilty of committing a horrible crime, and the family of the victim want the perpetrator executed, do we want to live in the kind of country that gives that to them? I would say no. You might, very reasonably, say yes…But it’s a question that is going to need an answer. The whole segment is very good. Check out the 12-minute clip:Circumcision, which substantially lowers HIV risk in men, also dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, according to a study led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Johns Hopkins University and published Jan. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. And these bacterial changes may also be associated with earlier observations that women whose male partners are circumcised are less likely to develop bacterial vaginosis, an imbalance between good and harmful bacteria. The study could lead to new non-surgical HIV preventative strategies for the estimated 70 percent of men worldwide (more than 2 billion) who, because of religious or cultural beliefs, or logistic or financial barriers, are not likely to become circumcised. "It has important public-health ramifications," said Dr. Lance B. Price, Director of TGen's Center for Metagenomics and Human Health and co-lead author of the scientific paper, which describes the world's first molecular assessment of the bacterial diversity of the male reproductive organ. This new study is part of a larger effort by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to study and describe the "human microbiome" -- the microbes that exist collectively on and in the human body. Other projects are focused on microbiomes involving the skin, nose, mouth, digestive and female genitourinary tract. Jointly, the goal of these projects is to define the various roles of microbes in human health and disease. In investigating the impact of male circumcision on the penis microbiome, a collaborative team from TGen and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found for the first time that circumcision significantly changes the bacterial community of the penis. Other epidemiological studies have shown that male circumcision is associated with significant reductions in HIV acquisition in men. The strongest evidence for a cause-and-effect relationship between circumcision and HIV risk reduction came from three randomized-control trials in sub-Saharan Africa, where the circumcision rate is relatively low and the HIV infection rate is relatively high. All three demonstrated a more than 40 percent reduction in HIV acquisition among circumcised men. The largest of these three studies -- in Rakai, Uganda -- was led by Dr. Ronald H. Gray, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins and the scientific paper's senior author. Dr. Gray's group collected penile swabs from all of the circumcision trial study participants, which provided the data for the new TGen-Johns Hopkins study. The new study found that circumcision -- the removal of the foreskin, or prepuce, from the penis -- eliminates an area of mucous membrane and dramatically changes the penile bacterial ecosystem. Significantly, TGen's analysis of more than 40 types of bacteria, using a 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing approach, suggests that the introduction of more oxygen following circumcision decreases the presence of anaerobic (non-oxygen) bacteria and increases the amount of aerobic (oxygen-required) bacteria. "This study clearly shows that male circumcision markedly reduces genital colonization with anaerobic bacteria in men,'' said Dr. Gray, the William G. Robertson Jr. Professor in Population and Family Planning at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "These bacteria, which cannot grow in the presence of oxygen, have been implicated in inflammation and a number of infections affecting both men and women. Our randomized trials have shown that male circumcision prevents HIV infection in men and protects their female partners from vaginal infections, especially bacterial vaginosis. It is possible that the virtual elimination of anaerobic bacteria by circumcision contributes to these benefits of the procedure," Dr. Gray said. Several mechanisms have been proposed for how circumcision reduces HIV acquisition in men: Circumcision reduces the amount of mucosal tissue exposed to vaginal secretions during heterosexual intercourse and thus may reduce the potential interactions between the virus and its target immune cells. Circumcision results in a process called keratinization, whereby the top layer of the inner foreskin becomes thicker, which may provide additional protection for the underlying target immune cells. Circumcision-associated physiological changes of the penis -- including lower moisture and oxygen availability around the head of the penis -- may reduce the number of pro-inflammatory anaerobic bacteria that could make the target immune cells more vulnerable to HIV infection. "These potential explanations are not mutually exclusive and may work in concert to reduce HIV risk," said Dr. Price, an Associate Investigator in TGen's Pathogen Genomics Division. The new study found that specific bacteria taxonomically defined as anaerobic dominated the microbiota of the penile coronal sulcus before circumcision. However, after circumcision, these bacteria decreased dramatically. "Thus, the reduction in the putative anaerobic bacteria after circumcision may play a role in protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases," the study concluded. Bacteria that form in the absence of, or lower levels of, oxygen may be associated with inflammation and the activation of Langerhans cells. These cells, which are part of the body's normal immune system, work to capture and degrade the virus when they are in an inactivated state. But once activated, the Langerhans cells become re-directed to assisting HIV infection by presenting the virus to CD4+ cells. Circumcision remains a controversial procedure that has ardent proponents and opponents. Those who favor circumcision point to many studies demonstrating lower risk for sexually transmitted diseases associated with circumcision. Those who oppose circumcision point to the potential dangers of the procedure itself as well as cultural concerns. This new study shows that circumcision significantly changed the penile bacterial ecology. "The concept that there are good and harmful bacteria is essential to studying the human microbiome. Our work showed that the profile of the penile bacterial communities changed significantly after circumcision," said Dr. Cindy M. Liu, a medical doctor and researcher at both TGen and Northern Arizona University. She is the paper's other co-lead author. "With the decrease in putative anaerobic bacteria, we saw a correlated increase in the proportion of other specific facultative anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. This suggests that eliminating harmful bacteria may be only half of the needed action. Ensuring that the niche left by pre-circumcision anaerobic bacteria are filled with "good" bacteria will also be critical," Dr. Liu said. TGen and Johns Hopkins researchers plan to conduct more studies to determine whether specific bacteria are associated with increased HIV risk and if such bacteria can be eliminated using non-surgical strategies. Also involved in the study were: the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and Makerere University's School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda.Holi has become one of the well-recognised cultural and religious events across the planet. While the global status it has received might be new, the festival of course has historical significance in South Asia, including what is now Pakistan, where it originated from. The festival lasts for two days, starting on the Purnima – the day of the full moon – in the month of Phalgun of the Sindhi-Hindu calendar, somewhere between February and March of every year. Holi signifies the victory of good over evil; it also marks the arrival of spring. This year, the date fell on the 12th of March. Kirshna, along with her parents, came from India to celebrate Holi in Pakistan. Usha rubbing gulal on her friend Kirshna. Gulal in a girl's hands. Sindh, in particular, sees big Holi celebrations in Pakistan given the important number of Hindus living in the province. The city of Umerkot usually leads from the front, and it was no different this time. The celebrations lasted an entire week and preparations began days in advance. Shops and businesses closed early so that nobody was late for the festivities. As I walked through Umerkot’s decorated and well-lit streets, I saw everyone – young and old – dancing and singing. People were throwing gulal (coloured powder) at anyone they could get their hands on, giving the occasion a joyous and vibrant mood. The houses were adorned with rangolies and neighbours shared sweets that they had made at home. The Pakistani Dandia Group was there to take part in the festival as well. Wearing green shirts and colourful turbans, they played dandia to the beat of the drums. The group has been doing this for several generations and its leader Shagan Lal said to me that these activities are part of their culture and reflect their values. Shagan Lal posing with his group. Every corner of the town celebrated the festival by dancing to the dandia. Umerkot and the Thar desert are known for religious harmony, where Muslims and Hindus participate in each others’ festivals, such as Holi, Diwali, and Eid. Hundreds of Muslims joined the activities on the first night at the crowded Rama Pir Chowk. I met a Muslim man who had brought along his two sons so that they may learn about Holi and the Hindu community. He told me that Hindus and Muslims over here always celebrate such festivals without any discrimination and that attending them is always a positive experience. The message was definitely that of harmony and national unity, and scores of Pakistani flags in the crowd were also a sign of that. I heard community leader Gotam Parkash Bajeer give an address to those gathered. He stressed that this is what freedom of religion looks like: a minority community celebrating its festival openly and freely. He prayed for happiness, peace and love for everyone, which is the message of Holi itself. A Hindu boy wearing the national dress, waving the Pakistani flag during a theater performance on religious harmony. It's easy to see why Holi is a fun event for kids. Holi brings out smiles on everyone's faces. A shy-looking guy stops for a photo. Shewaram recently got married and it's his first Holi since. There is some extra powder for Shewaram. Another face with a wide smile. The district government had made arrangements for the water. A large crowd came out at the Rama Pir Chowk to celebrate together. Everyone was in good spirits at the Chowk. Selfies are a must at every gathering no matter what the occasion. Maharaj does Arti Pooja. Fire on Holi is symbolic of victory of good over evil. Have you taken part in a religious festival and want to share your experience? Tell us about it at [email protected]
to leave the EU in March 2019. The government wants to move discussions on to the future trade relationship, which Brussels will not consider until the payment is settled. And while Mr Davis said today he was "unambiguously" seeking a deal, he insisted the UK was ready for talks to fail. He told the conference: "Over the past year every department across Whitehall has been working at pace covering the whole range of scenarios. "These plans have been well developed, have been designed to provide the flexibility to respond to a negotiated agreement, as well as preparing us for the chance that we leave without a deal." He added: "While I have said I'm confident that we can get a deal with the European Union, of course, the alternative is possible, not probable, but it's possible, that we don't get a deal. "The department I run, Dexeu for short, isn't called the department for getting a deal come what may, it is the Department for Exiting the European Union. "And, whatever happens, we are leaving the European Union and delivering on the instructions of the British people." Some backbench Conservative MPs have reacted with fury to the possibility of prime minister Theresa May agreeing to pay more than previously offered. One, Nigel Evans, described it as a "ransom payment" to the EU while Robert Halfon claimed it would make voters "go bananas". The suggestion of an increased offer came after 10 key ministers met in Downing Street ahead of the crunch summit next month where EU leaders will decide if enough progress has been made on the divorce settlement to move on to talks over future trade.In Gifs: FIFA’s top 10 goals of 2012 (The Puskas Award) Related link: FIFA don’t know what they’re doing – An alternative Puskas Award 2012 list Earlier on in the week we flagged up the 10 nominees for the 2012 Puskas Award. For anyone who is still unaware of the award, for the past three years FIFA have been running a competition to find the best goal of the year by hand-picking the greatest goals they believe have been scored in the past 12 months throughout world football. This year’s top 10 is again a sublime selection of golazos, and for your enjoyment all 10 goals can now be seen in GIF form courtesy of the excellent Tumblr blogger ICantFeelMyArms. Enjoy! 1. Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle) v Blackburn 2. Gaston Maella (Nacional Potosi) v The Strongest 3. Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) v America de Cali 4. Olivia Jimenez (Mexico) v Switzerland 5. Lionel Messi (Argentina) v Brazil 6. Moussa Sow (Fenerbahce) v Galatasaray 7. Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahce) v Genclerbirligi 8. Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Ghana) v Guinea 9. Eric Hassli (Vancouver) v Toronto 10. Neymar (Santos) v Internacional“Star Trek 3” is evidently getting ready for takeoff. According to star Zachary Quinto, filming will begin on the third installment of the rebooted franchise within the next six months. “I think it’s on the horizon,” Quintowho, who plays Spock in the series, said on “The Today Show.” “Things are rumbling, so I have a feeling that we will be in production sometime in the next six months.” Quinto had previously said that the movie will most likely revolve around the five-year mission, which is “to to boldly go where no man has gone before.” SEE ALSO: ‘Star Trek 3′ Will Stay True to Original Franchise, Go Into ‘Deep Space’ “I think the five-year mission will be a part of this next film in some way,” Quinto said in July. “We’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic sci-fi series in entertainment history so it’s inherently an ongoing story. But I do think that we’ll feel some sense of evolution in these characters that’s been building through the first few films.” The sequel marks Roberto Orci’s directorial debut. Orci, who co-wrote the first two movies, is helping pen “Star Trek 3,” which hits theaters in 2016.A second court-appointed attorney wants off the Toomer's Corner tree poisoning case in Auburn. Jerry W. Hauser filed a motion to withdraw as Harvey Updyke's attorney in court papers in Lee County District Court on Tuesday morning. Hauser cited a conflict of interest, specifically, his wife, Dr. Margaret E. Fitch-Hauser, is the head of the Department of Communications and Journalism at Auburn. Updyke, who is accused of poisoning the two oak trees at Toomer's Corner, lost his first court-appointed attorney, Philip Tyler, who said he was faced with a conflict of interest. The court replaced Tyler with Hauser. Updyke is free on $50,000 bond. The poisoning has caused much concern among Auburn fans and an examination of the Auburn-Alabama rivalry because of Updyke's affection for the Crimson Tide. The university is scrambling to see if it can save the trees, the site where Tiger fans have traditionally celebrated victories. The latest project is the removal of poisoned dirt around the trees.Narendra Modi's advance toward Delhi had been near effortless. Rivals within his own party fell easily by the wayside, investigations into the riots ran into legal dead-ends, even as the ruling government toppled headlong into a self-engineered free fall. That's until a hot-headed, insufferably stubborn and unpredictable former bureaucrat came along, and toppled the well-oiled BJP apple-cart. No, Arvind Kejriwal has little or no chance of becoming India's next prime minister. But he is perfectly positioned to deny that prize to its leading contender. And here are? reasons why. One, street fighter Kejriwal pulls no punches. It has been absurdly easy for Modi to take on a tongue-tied "shahzada" and his band of loose-tongued supporters. Where Rahul does himself in by saying too little -- for example, his infamous "people died" response to the Gujarat riots -- his party men compound the damage by saying too much, as in calling Modi a "chaiwallah." It is easy to look like a master communicator when your opposition is a bunch of PR-challenged bumblers. Kejriwal, however, will match Modi's rude rhetoric, inch for inch. He will name names, and shout out every tawdry allegation -- from Adani/Ambani to Godhra to Snoop-gate -- with merry abandon. Where the Congress party is the proverbial kettle, unable to call anyone "black", AAP is perfectly positioned to play the stainless steel bartan, as Yogendra Yadav has made amply clear : "We have decided to take on the BJP and Modi frontally. To begin with by consistently asking questions that have not been asked in the public domain. Perhaps the Congress doesn't feel it is in a position to ask these questions. We will raise certain issues. We will use the social media platform which is a big platform now. We will raise these issues and go to the streets demanding answers. Modi is after all seeking to be PM of India so the questions will have to be raised everywhere across India." Attacking Modi's integrity fits perfectly into AAP's modus operandi and image. And unless damaging skeletons lurk in Kejriwal's own background, the Gujarat Chief Minister will unlikely be able to return the many "compliments" that will be coming his way. Two, Kejriwal is no shahzada. A Rahul-Modi fight is a dream come true for the BJP -- and perhaps one reason why they decided to place all their eggs in NaMo basket. Who better than a self-made chaiwallah to take on the princeling, to damn his dynastic privilege by merely the fact of his humble background. The last thing the BJP needs is some aam aadmi to come along and ruin this unfolding morality play. With Kejriwal, there can be no snickering about Mummyji or awkward Hindi or Harvard degree. It is easier to mock staged dinners with Dalits than a chief minister who thinks little of spending a cold winter night on the pavement -- a feat Modi will find difficult to match. Sure, Modi's professional class constituency may not be quite as entranced by sleepovers on the streets, but as Charles Correa writes, "Remember that over 60 per cent of Mumbai’s inhabitants, by government count, are squatters. Sleeping on a pavement may not seem as foreign to them as it might to you or me… It’s an image to which the silent majority of our urban citizens might relate—instantly and without much effort." If Kejriwal plays his cards right, Narendra Modi may well find himself on the other end of the stick, defending his well-established image as a powerful career politician against an ordinary man of the streets. Three, Kejriwal offers the option of the not-Modi/BJP vote. Contrary to what Modi supporters insist, many who are reluctant to vote for him or the BJP are not necessarily Congress supporters. Nor are they just anti-free market intellectuals or victims of vote bank politics. There are vast swathes of traditional Congress constituencies who have lost faith in the grand old party, but are uncomfortable with the BJP brand of authoritarian/majoritarian politics. The urban educated class may have lost some faith in him, but his resignation has raised his stock with many others who feel disempowered and unrepresented. Many of these people would have set aside their doubts to vote for BJP because, as Manu Joseph put it, "Modi to millions of Indians, appears to be a more useful leader than the sofa-cum-bed leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi." But AAP now gives them a reason not to. Or at least that's the party strategy, as Yadav lays it out: Today, when the Congress is being marginalized, there are substantial sections of Indians who would not want to go for a substitute. This section includes idealistic youth who would not wish to go back to one more party that does business as usual. The poor and disadvantaged simply do not relate to the BJP as a party. Also the Dalits, Adivasis and Muslims are looking for an alternative as they do not have reasons to trust the BJP. In such a scenario the Aam Aadmi Party sees itself as providing that alternative. In the months to come, AAP will attempt to deepen and underline lingering doubts and fears about the BJP among the fence-sitters, hence its full-on frontal assault on Modi. In its latest avatar, AAP is the "you don't have to vote for Modi" party. And there are sufficient numbers who don't want to for Modi to worry. Writing in the Indian Express, Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes of the two countervailing forces in the psyche of the Indian electorate. On one hand is the fear of plutocracy: the sense that "the rich control politics, they control the banks, and then spray pepper into peoples’ eyes." On the other is the fear of paralysis: "a sense of the country drifting like a ship in the night without direction, without a captain." He argues that Kejriwal's confrontational strategy in Delhi may increase "a yearning for predictability and order, even if a bit tainted," concluding that Modi "will gain most from this fracas." And so he will among those who have seen the greatest gains from economic stability, however tainted, and therefore yearn for a leader who will match, even outstrip, the giddy days of UPA 1. But there are others who have not gained -- or at least not enough -- from this vaunted stability, or have paid a higher price for it, and are willing to bet on a high-stakes gambler who promises real change. The outcome of the 2014 elections will be determined not by personalities but the murky electoral math of coalitions. The election itself, however, is now a true contest, a real clash of the titans. Kejriwal will not win, but he will draw blood, may be enough to decisively weaken Modi. And that is just fine with him. Kejriwal's biggest advantage over his rival is simple: Unlike Modi, he has nothing to lose. 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.Investigating yourself: a surefire way to never get to the bottom of anything. Of course, in some cases that is exactly the point. Take the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the headquarters responsible for U.S. military forces deployed on the vast African continent. Last month, Africa—specifically remote Niger—catapulted (however briefly) to the top of American newscasts when four U.S. Army special operations troops were killed in a ferocious ambush. The details remain sketchy but officials quickly blamed the Islamic State of Greater Sahara (ISGS), a loose affiliate of ISIS, though curiously neither al-Qaida nor Islamic State claimed responsibility. Many tactical questions lingered: Did the troops receive a change of mission, were they set up by local village elders, did they have enough air support? Well, this week AFRICOM’s own, two-star chief of staff was appointed to investigate the “incident” in Niger. Certainly, the general will ask and—hopefully—answer those basic tactical questions. Unfortunately, that is not what the American people should be concerned with. Larger, more consequential, strategic matters—such as why our soldiers are there—will probably never be adequately answered. One doubts AFRICOM’s in-house investigator will pose such tricky questions. The U.S. military is so accustomed to “forever war” that no one in their right mind should expect any notable dissent from senior officers. And Congress? Sure, they’re grumbling some, but America’s representatives have been MIA on their sacred duty to debate and sanction war since 2001. Less than two months ago, 60 senators scuttled Rand Paul’s modest effort to rescind the 16-year-old war authorization. Don’t count on much from these duds. Anyway, just in case anyone is interested in a real investigation of the genuine issues, here’s a draft list of questions I’d pose to senior policymakers: What exactly are America’s vital, strategic interests in one of the world’s poorest, driest, malnourished and unstable (five republics in 50 years) nations? Do the region’s assorted, local Islamists actually present a tangible threat to the homeland? After all, isn’t it true that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)—the regional heavyweight—didn’t exist in 2001, and has never conducted attacks outside Africa or the Middle East? Is it possible American troops are making matters worse? Isn’t it correct that West Africa had far fewer radical Islamist groups on 9/11 and they’ve only proliferated since U.S. troops entered the region in 2002? The Islam practiced in West Africa was traditionally syncretic [blending two or more belief systems], moderate and Sufi-influenced, was it not? Could it be the U.S. “War on Terror” has radicalized the region? What if the West African states—unstable and generally autocratic—are simply conning the U.S. into providing military subsidies and equipment? Doesn’t the U.S. have a history of sending in the cavalry every time a country cries “wolf” or, in this case, “terror”? Could it be America is being drawn into local, ethnic and tribal quarrels masquerading as terrorism? Is it not dangerous to further empower the military in fragile states, especially when U.S.-trained officers recently overthrew civilian governments in nearby Mali and Burkina Faso? What is the danger of “blowback” from U.S. military operations in Niger? You remember, of course, how the 2012 Libya intervention unleashed a flood of Tuareg nomads—equipped with Qaddafi’s sizeable arsenal—into Mali, utterly and perhaps irreversibly destabilizing the entire region? Doesn’t the north of Niger contain these same ethnic Tuaregs? How much of this is really about natural resources and regional competition with China? Doesn’t Niger possess significant uranium deposits? Didn’t China only recently construct Niger’s first oil refinery? Have the Chinese (and Russians) not invested significantly in Nigerien infrastructure projects? On that note, is the U.S. military really the right tool, or lever, to pull in West Africa? Aren’t climate change, “desertification” and poor governance the real culprits for Niger’s poverty and instability? Couldn’t U.S.-backed United Nations missions, NGOs and deft diplomacy better achieve regional goals while avoiding local perceptions of U.S. military occupation? After all, aren’t Africans (rightfully) sensitive to anything that smacks of imperialism? What exactly is the legal basis for military interventions in West Africa? Surely, you’d agree that the outdated 2001 Authorization for Military Force—which only authorized “necessary and appropriate force against those … that planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorist attacks” of 9/11—can’t provide reasonable sanction for combat in Niger? Is it not true that there were no West Africans on the planes which soared into the World Trade Center and Pentagon? In fact, none of the Islamist groups suspected of ambushing U.S. troops in Niger existed sixteen years ago, correct? Can America’s 10-division, all-volunteer army and staggering national debt sustain the open-ended deployments of U.S. troops to 70 percent of the world’s countries? What are the limits—in geography or longevity—of this seemingly perpetual global war? Imagine the discomfort in the room if legislators or journalists ever asked those questions in sequence. But, as citizens in an—ostensible—republic, don’t we deserve to know the answers? Of course, Niger and AFRICOM will soon fade from the headlines. Americans will remain interested only so long as the media focuses on the reality-TV-style drama of it all. So, the populace will muse about Trump’s telephone calls with war widows (who said what to whom?), and highlight Don Jr.’s bizarre tweet comparing a black congresswoman (whom he misidentified) to a “stripper.” How fun! And sure, some on the left will make a paltry attempt to frame Niger as “Trump’s Benghazi,” turning troop deaths into a political bludgeon rather than engaging in substantive debate. Minutiae and hollow politicization: It’s what we do; it reflects American society. Niger and Africa are unlikely to stay in the news. Neither will America’s perpetual wars. But this much is certain: In 2017, it’s the questions we don’t ask that truly need answering. Finally, I’d ask readers and policymakers alike to consider economist and political scientist Joseph Schumpeter’s description, penned quite a while back: the nation “pretends to aspire to peace but unerringly generates war … there was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger … the whole world was pervaded by a host of enemies.” Sound familiar? He was talking about Ancient Rome. We all know how that turned out. [Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author, expressed in an unofficial capacity, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.]The Law Society of Ontario’s requirement that its licensees create a Statement of Principles acknowledging their “obligation to promote equality, diversity and inclusion generally” has outraged many, but none more than this paper’s opinion writers. Bruce Pardy, Conrad Black, Jonathan Kay, Christie Blatchford and the editorial board as a whole have condemned its “egregious foray into compelled speech,” its North Korean-style requirement of “adherence to specific beliefs,” and its “virtue-signaling kabuki.” And so I enter the lion’s den. I do so not to support compelling speech or belief. Nor to argue that the law society’s current initiative is useful or lawful. My goal is more modest. Simply put, the critics rest their argument on a particular interpretation of the law society’s requirement: that it asks lawyers to affirm their belief in equality, diversity and inclusion. That interpretation is wrong. The argument that the law society compels speech turns, first, on its “acknowledgement” requirement, and, second, on its requirement that lawyers “promote” equality. Provided that this duty exists, however, no meaningful incursion on speech or belief follows from being required to acknowledge its existence. As an active member of the Law Society of Alberta and its outspoken critic, I have many duties that I think are stupid—overbroad or too narrow, poorly expressed or badly enforced. But I still have them, and can be required to acknowledge them as a condition of my license. I do not support compelling speech or belief Law societies require such acknowledgements for good reason, particularly as they move toward compliance regulation. In compliance regulation, law societies alert lawyers to their duties (such as avoiding conflicts and maintaining confidentiality), make them explicitly acknowledge that the duties exist, and require them to develop systems to ensure compliance. Evidence from other jurisdictions suggests that compliance regulation produces better lawyer conduct than the existing reactive disciplinary model. The law society’s requirement that lawyers acknowledge the duty to promote equality is thus not some bonkers PC foray into compelled speech; it is rather part of a larger effort to increase the effectiveness of lawyer regulation. And as for “promote,” why assume that the law society means “state your belief in equality,” rather than “do something to advance equality, diversity and inclusiveness (no matter how insincerely or reluctantly)”? Even I can’t believe the law society would be dumb enough to think equality can be progressed merely by enthusiastic lawyer statements. Surely the goal is to get lawyers to do something about inequality Merriam-Webster (online) defines “promote” as: 1) “to contribute to the growth or prosperity of;” b) “to help bring (something, such as an enterprise) into being; c) to present (merchandise) for buyer acceptance through advertising, publicity, or discounting.” Generally speaking, therefore, “promote” means to do something, not to say or believe something. It can mean to say something, but that’s the less common usage, and there’s no particular reason to assume it’s what the law society meant here. As law society bencher Malcolm Mercer said during the discussion of this initiative at Convocation (the law society’s governing body): “All of this is… to ensure that within our workplaces people are hired fairly, promoted fairly, advanced fairly, treated fairly with a desired outcome of diversity and inclusion.” To be fair, critics’ compelled speech argument is in large part the law society’s fault. In its explanatory materials, it stated that the intention of the statement is “to demonstrate a personal valuing of equality, diversity and inclusion.” It is understandable that this would lead people to see the law society as making lawyers personally value something—that’s what it says! But those explanatory materials were not the product of Convocation. They have no legal force. They can (and should!) be revised. They do not change the ordinary meaning of “promote” to a less common one. Notably, the materials go on to list sample principles all of which relate to lawyer conduct: not discriminating, not harassing, abiding by workplace human rights policies and providing service to clients consistently with human rights law. The document as a whole emphasizes what lawyers ought to do, not what they ought to say and believe. To be fair, the law society is at fault for much of the misunderstanding I am no mindless supporter of the law society’s efforts here. Their impact can be debated, and the legal basis for the duty to “promote” has not been sufficiently explained. On the other hand, evaluation of the law society’s initiative should be based on what it is, not what it isn’t. What it is is a good faith effort to get lawyers to do the work necessary to decrease inequality in the legal profession. That inequality has been well documented. It does real harm to those who suffer from it, and to the profession’s claim that it is working for the rule of law and justice. The required Statement of Principles is one of a number of steps being taken by the law society to redress inequality. Speaking personally, until I can look out at my first-year students, and not believe that the students who are white and privileged have a material advantage in getting law firm jobs, and until I cannot believe that students of colour will suffer stereotyping and disadvantage, all in the name of a firm’s pursuit of “fit,” I will not rush to condemn law society efforts to encourage lawyers to change that reality—or, at least, I will try to interpret their efforts accurately and fairly. Alice Woolley is the President of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and a Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary.For half a century, fantasy has essentially been a series of footnotes to Tolkien. Until George R.R. Martin, that is. Martin's epic A Song of Ice and Fire series -- now five novels and counting, with the first two dramatized by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss on HBO as Game of Thrones -- ventures boldly outside the Tolkien box and has revitalized the entire genre in the process. Gone are hobbits, elves, orcs, non-human dwarves, ents, balrogs, and most magical items (although not all magic or magical creatures). Gone too are the Manichaean simplicities of a world in which most characters can be quickly identified as good or evil. Martin's saga has few one-dimensional heroes but many fully fleshed out people. A Song of Ice and Fire is set in a world modeled after medieval England, and many claim that the series' genius and popularity stems from its accurate and sensitive portrayal of medieval life. Millions of readers and viewers have formed a passionate bond with Martin's creation, this argument runs, precisely because it is not simply made up but, rather, rooted in actual human experience. Martin himself has encouraged this line of thinking, claiming he reads "everything I can get my hands on" about medieval history and even including a bibliography on his Web site for those interested in his source materials. But is the argument correct? Just how realistic is A Song of Ice and Fire? The short answer is "not very." Before hordes of angry fans launch their trebuchets in my direction, however, let me hasten to add that this is a good thing, not a bad one. As a historian of the period, I can assure you that the real Middle Ages were very boring -- and if Martin's epic were truly historically accurate, it would be very boring too. I'm glad Martin takes all the liberties he does, because I prefer my literature exciting. Medieval people did also, which is why their own mostOUR FOREFATHERS BEFORE US Part One Sigurðr Kynligr Though not much of a viking, the short poems of Jarl Rögnvaldr, most famous for being supposedly killed and usurped by Sigurðr av Sverdklydige. would provide some basis for the rítaðr guðrún's theological tenants in the next century. A day later, the corpse of Rögnvaldr, Jarl of Nidaros, burns on a small, well-crafted ship, laid to rest with his blade and jewelry. Lazy and foolish as he may have been, content to feast without ambition for years on end in his comfortable longhouse, he had at least managed to die with honor, in fair and honest combat. Jarl Sigurðr's first actions are to arrange the man's burial and ensure that his children - five of them, though Rögnvaldr never married or took an official concubine - are tended to appropriately. Only then does the true work begin. The Dragon of the North, mythical founder of the av Sverdklydige, has faced a great deal of both slander and praise over the centuries. Many rival nations have claimed both he and Ragnar Lothbrok as little more than fairy-tales, while others depict him as a violent ape or cruel sadist. What documentation remains on Sigurðr indicates that he showed little mercy, but had a keen sense of justice. We can be almost certain of his existence, and entirely certain of his military genius. Sigurðr sleeps little and speaks less for the first month of his rule, though not for anxiety or depression. Every waking moment is instead tirelessly spent at work, barking harsh orders to Huscarls and courtiers for immediate organization and ritual. By the time the first news of his usurpation reaches the surrounding Jarls two weeks later, a list has been composed of all able-bodied freemen within Nidaros, and Huscarls sent to the farthest reaches of Rögnvaldr's former domain to bring those willing to fight for glory and wealth before the new Jarl. Word spreads quickly of Sigurðr's dramatic challenge and short display of martial ability, and men come from surrounding counties to seek their fortune. Sigurðr Kynligr, they call him. The Stranger of Nidaros. By mid-February, roughly three hundred and fifty men have assembled to pledge allegiance to the stranger, gathered in something resembling organized lines outside Nidaros's modest longhouse, the insides of which rapidly have become covered with hand-drawn maps and military reports. Sigurðr, facing down the assembled men, holds them silent in the snow, his imposing presence quieting the small group of rough, large men before him. "For ten thousand years, while Empires to the south have risen and fell, we of the North have squabbled and bickered over tribal holdings, leaving good men in early graves over the candlesticks of their neighbor. Even as our blood takes the lands of Britannia and Francia, they see fit to laugh at us as savages, unable to hold a nation by the reigns and tell the world, 'This is ours'!" The Stranger pauses, and vibrantly-colored Northmen lean forward, hinging on his words. "They are WRONG!", The great man shouts. "And it is well past time we, who claim to be free, prove it! It is not just for wealth and glory I bring you before me today, but also to forge a homeland where all freemen might live indefinitely, one where our sons and daughters can live unchained and unmolested, without the need to escape for glory and wealth - a land with cities to outshine Constantinople and Rome, wrought from our own hands, not that of other men! That homeland is birthed today in the spirit of every man in front of me, in the fire I see burning in your eyes and souls! You are right to place your faith in me, men of the North. Stand behind me, and I shall deliver unto you not only riches, not only glorious renown in the sagas written throughout all ages, not only land to hold your name and children for a thousand years, and not only the sweet taste of victory, but a nation of the North - and when they ask the names of its founders, they will be Sigurðr av Sverdklydige, and the men brave enough to stand at his side!" With those words, Sigurðr slams his axe against his shield, signaling a roar of reply amongst the assembled warriors. The Jarl's shield is painted in the red and black of Trönde, the colors of blood and strength, with a single white wolf as its centerpiece, a marker of justice - honesty - ambition. It was a crest soon to be known across the whole of the Western world. The southern Jarl of Hordaland, Eirikr, scarcely hears of Sigurðr's ascension before the Jarl is marched on, an insulting declaration of war delivered by raven. Unprepared as the forces of Sigurðr reach Hordaland proper in mid-April, Eirikr foolishly pulls back, forcibly conscripting men from southern villages before sallying forth to meet the Stranger's army in late July, his forces over a hundred men stronger. The conflict is maneuvered by Sigurðr into a fjord, where the narrow pass and water prevent Eirikr from utilizing his superior numbers effectively - an inconvenience, but not enough to pull back, Eirikr thinks. Is Grandmom Still Renting Her Old Telephone? Some of us remember when telephones were clunky black objects with long cords and a big rotary dial face. Our monthly Ma Bell bill contained a small charge for renting the telephone equipment. Incredibly, some people are still paying that monthly rental charge, with lifetime payments high enough to have bought hundreds of telephones. Some no longer even have the telephones they are “renting.” Who? Mostly elderly customers who may have no idea they are still paying to rent their old telephones. A few months ago a Staten Island woman who had lost her job and had plenty of free time decided to carefully examine her monthly bills. She discovered that the quarterly $21.55 AT&T telephone bill she been faithfully paying for years included a rental fee for a “Trimline” telephone she had thrown away years ago. She also noticed that the AT&T logo at the top of the bill had changed to “QLT Consumer Lease Services.” When she called and informed the company that she no longer had the telephone, she was told she would get a refund. A refund check arrived shortly thereafter. The amount? $2.16. In 1982 AT&T agreed in an anti-trust settlement with the government to break up into regional telephone companies, thereby instituting competition with new companies and ending its monopoly on the production and leasing of telephones. Telephone equipment became cheap and easily available. Today, more and more people (almost 20%) are even leaving their landlines behind and relying exclusively on cell telephones. But many people, oblivious of quickly advancing telephone technology, continued to pay their monthly telephone bills, unaware that included in the bill was a lease payment for their phone. A class action was eventually filed against AT&T for overcharging people for rental payments that vastly exceeded the actual cost of the equipment. A settlement in 2002 set aside a $350 million fund to compensate almost 30 million class members, but only 92,000 claims were filed, with payouts ranging between $15 and $80. Today it is hard to gauge how many people still rent their telephones. The entity that was in charge of leasing, AT&T Customer Lease Services, changed its name in October, 2008, to QLT Customer Lease Services. Who are QLT’s primary customers? That’s not hard to figure out, since QLT also offers a “Lease Reward Card” that helps save money on vision and hearing aids and prescription drugs. Echo Media, a print media advertising service that allows advertisers to include their inserts into monthly billing services, includes QLT Customer Lease Services as one of the available monthly billers that advertisers can take advantage of. Echo Media states that this “mature audience is comprised of long-standing Consumer Lease customers,” and has a yearly circulation of 1,554,000. QLT charges $5.95 per month, or $71.40 per year, to rent a standard telephone. You can buy a standard phone for about $20. So check and see if Grandma is still paying to rent a telephone she could have bought hundreds of times over.Advertisement Advertisement The agenda-driven entertainment industry, in combination with mass media, is emasculating men. Proof of this can be seen almost everywhere -- social media websites are flooded with articles and blog posts about the alleged "War on Manhood," men have even developed their online communities to combat emasculation, and our society has, seemingly, never been more divided. What is happening? Subtle emasculation Subtle and not so subtle emasculation is taking place in the Western world. TV shows, sitcoms, and even cartoons are serving as propaganda vehicles, brainwashing the population to no end. Men are being represented either as violent, brain-dead, sex-driven animals or as emasculated, geeky weaklings. Propaganda is being shoved down our throats. That has become common knowledge, and that is what the media is for, at least to an extent. Advertisement The entertainment industry is making sure to do its part and actively trying to contribute to the development of widespread men-directed anger. Profit and propaganda - follow the money Predictably, things are never black and white. As always, some people take advantage of societal trends and fads and try and profit from them. This is what online communities, like Reddit's /r/incels and especially /r/the red pill, are doing. Conservatives have found the perfect target demographic - vulnerable men in their early to late twenties. Instead of offering help, they offer propaganda. Grotesque exaggerations and well-thought out spins are their main weapon. Thousands of American men are falling for this and being indoctrinated by quasi-gurus and pick up artists. Advertisement Top Videos of the Day These scam artists and charlatans have gotten on the emasculation bandwagon and camouflaged false information with distorted statistics and biased research, sprinkled with a little bit of truth. This has gelled well with the current political climate in the United States - a heavily and extremely divided country. It is a daunting and time-consuming task to write or speak about emasculation without being considered a right wing conservative. This is, perhaps, the most valuable lesson of all - we have all been so masterfully divided that we are starting to censor ourselves and the only thing that can stunt progress more than censorship is self-censorship. Freedom Of Speech is being taken away, and that is, perhaps, the end goal.Served: March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829 Born: July 11, 1767 Birthplace: Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Died: February 23, 1848 Occupation: Attorney Political Party: Federalist (pre-1808), Democratic-Republican (1808-1830), National Republican (1830-1834), Anti-Masonic (1834-1838), Whig (1838-1848) Spouse: Louisa Johnson John Quincy Adams: Like Father, Like Son If you were a child, you may have thought you would someday like to follow in your father’s footsteps. John Quincy Adams was not only the sixth president of the United States, but he also had to live up to his father’s legacy as the second U.S. president. Adams became known in his own right when he stepped into
stuffed into a bamboo tube together with pork and egg. The tube of rice is steamed again to further soften the texture until it becomes a cylindrical pudding. Da Qiao Tou started making its rice pudding in a stall under a bridge more than four decades ago. The business has since expanded but the rice pudding has stayed the same. It's best when topped with the homemade turnip-laced sweet and spicy sauce. 28. Taiwanese breakfast The three best dishes to kick off your day with in Taiwan? Sesame flatbread, deep-fried Chinese donuts and soy milk. Food blogger Joan H. says her favorite breakfast is from Fu Hang. "I love the thick sesame flat bread at Fu Hang because it has a slight sweetness, a thin crispy layer and soft center from coming straight out of the hot metal barrel," she says. "Many sesame flatbreads are dry and flaky but Fu Hang's shows why there's often a half-hour wait there on the weekends." 29. Pig's blood rice pudding This mix of pig's blood and sticky rice is stuck on the end of a stick like a lollipop. For the final Taiwanese touch, the pudding is coated in a sweet peanut powder. Basketball star Jeremy Lin named pig's blood rice cake as one of his favorite snacks on a visit to Taiwan. If it's good enough for Lin, it's good enough for us. Xiao Li, No. 1-3, Lane 136, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei City; +886 2 2368 3417 30. Three-cup chicken Three-cup chicken is cooked in a cup of rice wine, a cup of oil and a cup of soy sauce. Fresh basil, chilies and garlic are then added to this Taiwanese culinary triumvirate, resulting in an irresistible combination. Some kitchens offer a different version of three-cup chicken that includes a cup of wine, a cup of sesame oil and a cup of sugar. Ban tiao: rustic taste, rabid following. Hiufu Wong/CNN 31. Ban tiao noodles Ban tiao (flat rice noodles) has such a rabid following that many Taiwanese will drive hours in search of the most authentic bowls. The thick, flat, slippery noodles made from glutinous rice are part of the Hakka culinary tradition and best sampled in Kaohsiung's Meinong district. Stir-fried ban tiao with pork has a rustic taste and texture. Many find the dish more comforting when served in hot soup. Meixing Street, Meinong district, Kaohsiung 32. Horng Ryen Jen Sandwich You may wonder -- why on earth would someone travel to Taiwan for a ham and cheese sandwich? (The bread isn't even toasted.) Converts will tell you they were once disbelievers too. Some say it's the unbeatable combination of ham and a layer of paper-thin fried egg. Others say it's the buttery and sweet fresh cream and secret mayo. Most agree it's the balanced flavor of all these ingredients, sandwiched in a four-layered combo, that makes it a hit. The sandwich even stirred a Horng Ryen Jen import craze in Hong Kong. Horng Ryen Jen Cake, 1F, 122 Ziyou Road, Section 1, West District, Taichung; +886 4 2226 8787 Horng Ryen Jen Cake, 493, Zhongxiao East Road, Section 5, Da'an District, Taipei City 33. Aiyu jelly Wobbly and fairly tasteless, aiyu jelly takes on the flavor of whatever it's eaten with. You can add it to lemonade and shaved ice for a refreshing summer drink. The jelly gives the liquid a fun gloopy texture. 34. Pidan tofu Pidan tofu: love at second bite. Black, white and seemingly bland pidan tofu isn't a likely candidate for "love at first bite" fame. But after a few tries it becomes a minor addiction for many eaters. Pidan, or century egg, is a duck egg preserved in clay with seasonings. With time, the egg white turns into a translucent black jelly and the yolk develops a unique flavor. It's topped with sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, coriander, chopped spring onion and, sometimes, pork floss. Mash it up and it's ready to eat. Widely available at local restaurants 35. Steamed spring rolls Every Taiwanese household has its own recipe for run bing. To describe it as the non-deep-fried version of a spring roll would be unfair, as "run bing" (steamed spring roll) was invented before the popular Chinese version. During festivals, families gather at the table to have a run bing wrapping party. Each person chooses their own fillings from a buffet and rolls their own run bing. In addition to serving delicious run bing, Shin Yeh at Taipei 101 offers an incomparable view of the city. A spinoff of run bing for summer is filled with ice cream. "I call it an ice cream burrito, but it essentially uses a thin flour crepe to wrap scoops of Taiwanese ice cream with peanut candy shavings and, if you dare, fresh cilantro," says food blogger Joan H. "I really liked the one I tried at the front of Sheng Keng Lao Jie. The vendor adds a touch of sea salt to the peanut candy that heightens the sweetness and flavors of the wrap." 36. Spicy hotpot Taiwanese are mad for spicy hot pot. The bubbling pots of broth are filled with all sorts of Chinese herbs and spices to create a rich flavor for all the raw, fresh ingredients that diners will dip into it. New hot pot places pop up in Taiwan every day, each with a gimmick to attract insatiable hot pot diners. There's all-you-can-eat hot pot and yakiniku served at the same table; there's bubble tea hotpot for the jaded. But the traditional local darlings with ginger chicken soup base or lamb-themed hot pot are still going strong. While Taiwan's spice levels don't come close to Chongqing's, they're pretty piquant. In the perennial hot pot favorite and celeb-magnet, Taihodien, you'll find a glam Taiwanese hot pot experience. 37. Chicken wing rice roll The chicken wing rice roll makes the impossible possible -- eating chicken fried rice in a night market with one hand. A boneless chicken wing is stuffed with fried rice and marinated in a heavenly combination of sesame oil and secret sauce. It's so good it started a chicken-wrapped rice craze in Kaohsiung's Ruifeng night market, inspiring variations such as kimchi fried rice and curry rice. White shirt not recommended when eating this one. Hiufu Wong/CNN 38. Giant pork balls soup The best pork balls are made from fresh meat that's been hand ground and pounded with a mallet until it attains a doughy texture. The giant pork balls in stock soup from Taipei's Ningxia Night Market are as big as a baby's fist. Their size, as well as the air holes pumped in the meatballs during the pounding, locks in an amazing amount of juice and flavor. The Chinese name illustrates the experience of eating one vividly -- the literal translation is "bursting-juice giant pork balls." Pork balls are sometimes mixed with ingredients such as Chinese mushrooms and cuttlefish to enrich texture and add flavor. Lychee-rose bread: the Rafael Nadal of baked goods. Hiufu Wong/CNN 39. Wu Pao Chun Bakery Breads "Bread? In Taiwan? Seriously?" We know what you're thinking -- but this isn't just any bread we're talking about. It's from Wu Pao-chun, a world baking champion with many award-winning loaves to its name. The bakery's lychee-rose bread even won the international baking competition Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie in 2010. It's made with mullet wine, lychee and rose petals. Wu Pao-chun also won the Louis Lesaffre Cup in 2007 and a silver medal at the 2008 Bakery World Cup. Another signature of the store is wine-longan bread, made with smoked longans, French wine and California walnuts. Wu Pao Chun Bakery Kaohsiung, 19, Siwei 3rd Lingya District, Kaohsiung City; +886 7 335 9593 Wu Pao Chun Bakery Taipei, 88 Yanchang Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City; +886 2 6636 5888 40. Biandang A lot of Taiwanese have a love-hate relationship with Taiwanese biandang (bento), the takeaway lunchbox that packs rice with a main dish (usually a type of meat) and small, often unappealing side dishes such as fried and preserved vegetables. It's a convenient, quick, cheap (less than $3) and generally decent way to eat. Biandang isn't one of the most delicious foods in Taiwan, but it's a staple for countless working parents and busy urbanites. Bento with chicken cutlets is a good biandang choice.With Drum Beats it’s like your entire organization gets a backstage pass to an amazing musical event, but you are part of the show. Let our expert service professionals guide you through the selection process and ensure the show goes off without a hitch. It’s easy and efficient. With a slow rhythmic drumming your attendees are ushered into the room and the anticipation builds with the rising cacophony of the drums, until suddenly dead quiet descends. With heart’s pumping and feet already tapping, you pick up your drum and become part of the music ensemble. Through the challenge of getting into rhythm your dynamic team will truly realize what teamwork is about when trying to produce more than just noise. The group dynamics of corporate drumming provides both an exciting musical adventure with our fun and energetic guides with the benefit of building team relationships in positive way. If your company is located in Queensland, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast, or are visiting for a team building event, consider the ever exhilarating African corporate drumming of the Drum Beats team.A photograph of R. Scott Silverthorne, bottom right, hangs at the Fairfax City Hall Annex in August. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) The former mayor of Fairfax City will enter a plea on a charge related to a sordid meth-for-sex sting that torpedoed his career, his attorney said Wednesday. R. Scott Silverthorne, 51, is still negotiating the terms of a plea deal with prosecutors, but the agreement should be finalized by a scheduled March 13 hearing, attorney Brian Drummond said. Drummond revealed the plans after Silverthorne waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday on a felony count of distribution of methamphetamine in Fairfax County General District Court. Prosecutors also dropped a charge of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Silverthorne was arrested in August after the then-mayor agreed to give an undercover officer methamphetamine in exchange for an orgy at a Tysons Corner hotel, Fairfax County police said. [Fairfax mayor arrested in police sting] Scott Silverthorne in 2002. Police said the arrangement was made via a website that authorities declined to name. After receiving a tip from the public that Silverthorne was swapping meth for sex on the site, police created a fake account. After meeting two undercover officers at the Crowne Plaza hotel on Aug. 4, Silverthorne acquired two grams of methamphetamine, police said. Silverthorne and two acquaintances were then arrested. The announcement of Silverthorne’s potential plea deal comes a day after voters in the Washington suburb went to the polls to select a successor in a special election. The election was won by Fairfax City Council member David L. Meyer. Silverthorne declined to comment after Wednesday’s hearing.India is among the top five countries in the world to be attacked by ransomware malware that forces its victims to pay a ransom through certain online payment methods in order to grant access to their systems, or to get their data back, says an executive from Russia-based software security group Kaspersky Lab. "Ransomware attacks are high in India and it is one the top five countries that has most infections," Vitaly Kamluk, Head of APAC Global Research and Analysis Team, Kaspersky Lab, told IANS. According to statistics presented by Kamluk during a round table discussion on "Security Threat landscape" here on Friday, India takes the first spot in the list of countries that were attacked by Teslacrypt ransomware in March-May 2016 and ranked fourth in the countries that was attacked by Locky ransomware during the same period. In India, while 11,674 users were attacked by TeslaCrypt ransomware during March-May 2016, 564 users were attacked by Locky ransomware during the same period. Ransomware is a type of malware that prevents or limits users from accessing their system. Locky is a Windows ransomware infection that was released in the middle of February 2016. This ransomware infection affects all versions of Windows. TeslaCrypt ransomware is now defunct. Its master key was released by the developers and a free decryption tool is now available on the internet. While explaining the data received by Kaspersky Labs, Kamluk said Karnataka (36.58 per cent) was the most affected state with ransomware with Tamil Nadu (16.72 per cent) taking the next spot. Next came Maharashtra (10.86 percent), followed by Delhi (10.00 percent), West Bengal (6.70 percent), Uttar Pradesh (5.33 percent), Telangana (4.54 percent), Kerala (3.87 percent), Gujarat (2.35 percent) and Haryana (1.96 percent) at the last spot. While talking about the global trends, Kamluk said there are majorly five types of ransomware that are making the rounds on the internet today encryption ransomware, master boot record (MBR) ransomware, screen locker, ransomware encrypting web servers and mobile device ransomware, which is majorly affecting Android devices. Kamluk noted that Internet users who are not aware are the entities most prone to ransomware attacks. "Popular propagation methods of the infection include infected websites, malvertising (malicious advertising), transfer of affected file via e-mail - such as documents or multimedia files or instant message and social networks," he noted. While answering a question about whether to pay or not to pay to get the data back, Kamluk said, "an attacked user should not pay the ransom as there is no guarantee that the attacker will release a key to you". To be safe or to avoid data loss after being attacked by a cyber criminal, Kemluk advised the users to have backups and keep it in a safe place. He said users should use reliable antivirus solution and update them regularly to patch any vulnerable loopholes. He said governments and antivirus service companies should work together to check the cyber attacks. "CoinVault decryptor was built by Kaspersky Lab and the Netherlands' National High Tech Crime Unit to counter such attacks," he noted, adding that thousands of decryption keys are available for CoinVault, Bitcryptor and CryptXXX infections with the company. On being asked, will there be a decline in antivirus software usage after the launch of hardware security modules such as "crypto-level security in hardware" in microprocessors, Kemluk said, "Antivirus software is kind of a personal advisor. Unless you have a very technical friend to reverse engineer the threat, you will need these softwares to do that work for you. Antivirus softwares are going to stay because developers will be developing new softwares over time." Kaspersky is now rolling out 360-degree security solutions for enterprises, Altaf Halde, Managing Director (South Asia) Kaspersky Lab, India said. "We have started offering very focussed services to the enterprises, such as solutions for data centres, light agent solution for virtualised environment that does not degrade its speed and performance and solutions for industrial security," Halde noted.Do you at times feel oppressed by negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, shame, regret, or depression? Are you open to find a way to manage them – and transcend them – that requires no drugs nor years of therapy? I have good news for you. Ancient wisdom traditions of the East – such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism – have put a lot of study into the human body and mind, for thousands of years, with the goal of transcending human suffering. With centuries of devoted experiments, revelations, and insight, they discovered that all these negative emotions are not natural to our true being – they belong to the realm of the ego, our mistaken identity. Following a certain set of contemplative practices and some lifestyle tweaks, these masters discovered their true being, and saw that in this place the negative emotions do not live. Out of their compassion and sense of oneness with all beings, they then spent their life teaching us how to find this space of freedom, of peace, of bliss. The insights and techniques that I share in this article come from the Buddhist traditions, and the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Dissolving Negative Emotions Every single thought, feeling or sensation that we have is, by its very nature, impermanent. It comes and goes. It comes from emptiness, exists for a small period of time inside our system, and then subsides again into emptiness. If you would simply perceive everything that happens to you (and in you) as a temporary phenomena inside you consciousness, see it for what it is, and let it go when it goes, you would not have any problems. Basically, all suffering would disappear. But, of course, that is not how our mind usually operates. We normally react – and in a very personal level – to everything that we perceive. We create stories, interpretations, and turn every little happening into a stitch in the fabric of our personality, our identity. We then meet the world and suffer through the lenses of this limited identity. Without questioning who we truly are, and without understanding the nature of thoughts and mind, we feel oppressed by our own feelings, and build walls of separation and limitation with our beliefs and attachments. This is the state of most people in this world. From the enlightened point of view, however, we are simply pure consciousness, and everything that happens is just a movement of energy inside of us, like images projected on the cinema screen. The screen is not burned by images of fire, nor cut by images of a sword. Therefore, the surest way to dissolve any suffering, any negative emotion, back into emptiness, is to realize who we truly are. To remember – and experience – that we are the cinema screen, and not the images projected on it. Let’s take fear as an example. The ultimate cause for your fear is your identification with the small self (the ego), and your attachment to your ideas and desires. Fix this, and fear will be impossible. Postpone looking at this, and all you get is symptom treatment. Fear has, for sure, effects in our body, emotions, and energy – and many times it’s helpful to treat it in this level via bodywork, therapy, energy healing, or even medication. Sometimes without these treatments we are so distracted by the symptoms of fear that we can’t even have the head space to look deeper into it. But, ultimately, we need to tackle the fundamental cause of fear. “Ok, that’s great! Now how can I work my negative emotions at the root? Give me some practical hints.” I’m glad you asked. Let’s continue with the example of fear. Let’s say that you are having a conversation with a friend, with your partner, or with a colleague, and suddenly the fear of rejection comes up inside you. Excellent, this is a great opportunity to practice. Depending on your needs, and level of maturity (self-knowledge), take one of these two approaches below. Seeing Clearly I like to call this the L-I-E-R method (label, introspect, examine, release), because it deals directly with the negative feeling and the lie it carries. It’s not a pretty word but does the job as a mnemonic device. Label. Recognize that fear has arisen, and label it in your mind. The words you use are important. Don’t say “I’m afraid” or “I have fear”; instead say “fear has arisen”, or “fear is here”. Do you see how just changing the words already creates a different perspective and more space? Introspect. Take one to three deep breaths, and bring your attention inside yourself – this means don’t pay attention to the object, person or circumstance that triggered the emotion, but rather attend to the emotion itself. Accept that the feeling is there. Examine. Study the feeling deeply: its causes, effects, and nature. Here are some questions to guide your contemplation: Causes: what exactly triggered this feeling in this moment? There is no need to go to the remote causes of it in your childhood or whatever. For now just stay with what’s happening right here. Once you find the core assumptions or mindsets that are at the root of the feeling, challenge them: is this the only way to see this situation? Is this an empowering way of looking at things? Effects: how does it feel in my body? Where does the feeling reside in my body? What memories and thoughts swim around this feeling in my mind? What are my thoughts and feelings about this feeling? Nature: Look inside and ask yourself “what is this feeling?” Don’t use words to explain, just keep the question alive. Does this feeling have a substance, a color, a size? What is it made of? What’s the vibration of it? Contemplate how this feeling is impermanent. It was not here a few minutes ago – where did it come from? It will not be here after a few minutes – where will it disappear into? Spend as much time as you need in step three. Learn as much as possible about the negative feeling. We are slaves of what we don’t understand. See if this emotion is the real problem, or if it is something else underneath it. Release. Let it be whatever it is – but don’t create stories and interpretations around it. And let it go. I can’t tell you how to let go, but intuitively every human being knows how. The outcome of this process is fourfold: clarity (about what the emotion is); composure (to be with the feeling without being overwhelmed); self-knowledge (understanding the nature of the emotion, the triggers, and the effects in your body); liberation (a sense of separation between the emotion and yourself). For step number three, you may encounter certain concepts or assumptions that are at the root of the negative feeling. Or perhaps certain subconscious “decisions” of looking at things a certain way. In this example (fear of rejection), it may be self-judgement about your feeling of worth, or perhaps an attachment to an idea that you need the approval of certain person to “confirm” that you are worthy of love and value. It may be useful, here, to spend some more time and thoroughly challenge these assumptions and choices. In some cases, also, the emotion is indeed pointing out to something that needs some attention in your life; then you may need to take some external action, to change something. The “external fixing” does not prevent this internal process, nor does going through this process requires any external passivity. After going through this you may find that the negative emotion has already disappeared, lost power, or transformed into something else. If not, you can move on to the next exercise (Returning to Emptiness), or practice contemplating the opposite quality (more about this down below). Returning to Emptiness I like to call this the L-I-F-E method (label, introspect, find, experience), because in here we don’t deal directly with the negative energy, nor try to learn from it, but simply return to the “inner life” of pure consciousness, as naturally detached and untouched. Label. Recognize that fear has arisen, and accept it for what it is. Introspect.Turn your attention inward, and ask yourself “Who is afraid?” Who is the one that is affected by the fear? Who are you that perceives the fear? Take it slow. Don’t assume – actually do the looking. Use these questions to bring all your attention inside, towards yourself, the subject and experiencer of the fear. This subject is the ego, your identity, or who you think you are. Spend time keeping the attention here, in this space. If your focus is intense and persistent, at this point you have already forgotten about the fear. But keep on. Find your center. Ask yourself, “Who am I?” Reject any answer that your mind gives you, because you are aware of your mind (and all its products), therefore you cannot be your mind. You are aware of your shirt, so you are not your shirt – it is an object of your perception. You are aware of your body, so you are not your body. You are aware of your fear, so you are not your fear. You are aware even of this mental process, so it’s not you. Who are you, who is aware of all these things Experience yourself beyond the fear. Is this space of awareness afraid? Is it male or female? Does it have a shape? A substance? A nationality? You may use these techniques one after another, or individually. In any case, clear understanding is very important. You cannot overcome what you are not aware of, what you don’t recognize. As your self-knowledge becomes more sharp and habitual, however, you will be able to jump directly into dissolving back to emptiness. I don’t want to spoil your discovery, but if you follow this through long enough, and deep enough, you will discover your true position as the witness of everything, fearless awareness itself. There is no suffering in here. Contemplate the Opposite Another practice that Buddhism suggests is to contemplate the opposite quality. Our mind is unable to hold on to two thoughts at the same time – especially opposite thoughts. At most it can quickly switch between them, but at any given moment it’s only busy with one thing. So, if you are feeling fear, and you make an effort to contemplate fearlessness and courage (both the thought and the feeling of it), fear will subside. If you are feeling sad, contemplate gratitude; if angry, contemplate compassion and love; etc. That is why practicing Loving-Kindness stops us from having negative feelings towards ourselves (unworthiness, self-criticism, lack of self-esteem, etc.) and others (hostility, hatred, anger) – because we are cultivating love for ourselves and others. Freedom of Mind With the Returning to Emptiness technique, you will get the ability to simply dissolve any troublesome thought or negative emotion in a couple of seconds, by simply looking at it and remembering your true position. What a powerful freedom this is! Don’t expect to achieve this level of mastery in a couple of weeks, though. It takes time, and the process is hugely helped if you keep a daily seated meditation practice. There are many types of meditation that you can try; but in my experience Self-Enquiry (or “I Am Meditation”) is the one that is most helpful to develop Returning to Emptiness. This process works not only when dealing with fear, but also with most other negative emotions, because of all them come from a single cause: the forgetfulness of our true being, and identification with the ego and mind. And it’s more effective when you use it whenever the negative feeling comes up, then and there, or immediately after – and not in retrospective. So, this is the invitation that I have for you… Break free from the shackles you have made for yourself. Go beyond the ego with all its limitations and suffering. You are the space of Being; you are pure consciousness. Suffering is not natural to you – peace and freedom is. Discover that, be that. This is the teaching of the ancient sages. What is Next? Practicing meditation is a good way to strengthen your ability to use these tools. But it is also key that you remember to use them in your daily life. Meditation is essential, but not enough. If you would like to download a PDF copy of this post, click the button below: DOWNLOAD Get the PDF version of this article Finally, if you enjoyed reading this post, you may also like the article on 22 Life Secrets of Self-Fulfillment. Please share this post with your friends, and subscribe to the newsletter to learn more. [Article originally published as a guest post on WakeUp World, updated and expanded.]Why does terrorism fascinate me? Because of the terror in my past. By Jessica Stern Sunday, June 20, 2010; B01 For the past 20 years, I have studied the causes of evil and violence. Until recently, I never questioned why I was drawn to this work or why I was able to do it. Now I finally have an answer to the questions: How could a "girl" like you visit terrorist training camps in Pakistan? Weren't you afraid? I wasn't aware that I was afraid. After a series of traumas, one can lose the capacity to feel fear appropriately. On Oct. 1, 1973, my sister and I biked home from ballet class. We were doing our homework in our living room in Concord, Mass., when a man entered the house. For an hour, this rapist had a gun trained on my sister and me while he attacked us. She was 14, and I was a year older. Both my sister and I went on to lead relatively happy and productive lives. My sister is a successful marketing executive, an opera singer and an actress. She is married and has two children. She feels great joy in her family and in her music, and no one would describe her as a victim. I similarly take enormous pleasure from my family and my work. And yet, from adolescence on, I noticed changes that grew worse over time. With each passing year, I seemed to feel less and less -- less pain, but also less joy. As a child, I wanted to be a writer, but bad grades in classes that required writing persuaded me to give up. I was more comfortable studying unemotional subjects. I majored in chemistry, in part because it came more easily to me, and in part because I liked that the answers were either right or wrong, unlike in real life, where emotional valences count. I was planning to become a chemist, but then I got seduced by curiosity about violence. I was both repulsed and fascinated. I skipped the war parts in "War and Peace" but wrote a doctoral dissertation on chemical weapons that focused mainly on the mechanics of violence, with little attention to the human toll. Ultimately, I became an expert on terrorism. I wrote my first article on the prospects for terrorists to attack chemical plants or use toxic chemicals in 1983. At the time, working on this issue wasn't a wise career move. Very few people took the threat seriously. Still, I believed that terrorism would become increasingly important, and I continued to focus on it. I started out doing technical work related to weapons, but eventually I gave in to an intense curiosity about terrorists themselves. In that work I made use of a personality quirk, rather than my academic training. I am fascinated by the secret motivations of violent men, and I'm good at ferreting them out. When I'm in a frightening situation, I can go into a kind of altered state. I do not feel afraid. I do not get angry. I am interested, a spy. For my most recent book on terrorism, I traveled throughout the Middle East and Asia, including a trip to Muridke, in Pakistan's Punjab province, where I met with Lashkar-i-Taiba operatives and the leader of the group, recently implicated in the 2008 attacks in Mumbai. I once went to the home of Masood Azhar, leader of the extremist group Harkat ul-Mujaheddin and a friend of Osama bin Laden. I was able to silence judgment as I listened, to stop myself from feeling horror. If I allowed myself to feel only curiosity and empathy -- not to be confused with sympathy -- the terrorists would want to talk to me. Nonetheless, fear does find me. The buzzing of fluorescent lights or the click of a turn signal in a car can set my teeth on edge. The sound of fireworks makes me want to pull the covers up over my head. I do not like to be in crowds, especially at night, when there might be a frisson of sexuality in the air. But in truly frightening situations, I retain my composure. For example, when I was facedown on the floor in the middle of an armed robbery, a sense of calm enveloped me. I didn't panic when I returned once to my hotel room in Lahore to find Pakistani intelligence officials rifling through my luggage. I assumed that my unusual response to danger was unique to me. I had no idea that these reactions were well-studied aftereffects of trauma. I consulted a therapist, not about my lack of feeling, but because I wanted to feel even less. It seemed to me that feelings got in the way of life. She told me that some of the qualities I assumed I had been born with -- including heightened sensitivity to sudden movements, scents, sounds and light -- were actually markers of trauma. She suggested that I might have post-traumatic stress disorder. I did not believe it. I knew about PTSD from working with soldiers, and I could not imagine that my own life experience would result in similar symptoms. I had long ago brushed the memory of my rape aside; I thought I had "moved on." I wanted to contribute to society rather than remain stuck in the past, cringing in terror. And yet, terror had become my central preoccupation. I felt compelled to understand the deeper motivations of those who hurt others. Instead of feeling terror, I studied it. After I completed my second book on terrorism, I realized that I wanted to understand what had happened to me during and after my rape, a time I scarcely remembered. I had started another project, this time about the role of fear in how people respond to terrorist strikes. I needed an example of what it feels like to be scared to death. I thought of my own experience -- a forced march through the house under threat of death from a gun-wielding rapist. In 2006, I requested a complete copy of the police report. Until then, I had never connected my work on terrorism with my own experience of terror. Before I could see the file, the police had to redact the other names in it. As they read through it, they realized that a child rapist might still be at large. Pedophiles grow old like the rest of us, but they often continue committing the same crimes unless they are physically stopped. The police required my help. But I also needed theirs. Just as I wanted to understand the motivations of the terrorists I interviewed, I found myself needing to understand my rapist, as a way to tame a terror that I was beginning to feel for the first time. I felt compelled to answer questions I had spent my professional life asking about terrorists: What happened to the boy who grew up to become my rapist? Was there anything in his life story that might explain, at least in part, why he would want or need to hurt us? What happened to him afterward? The police and I, working together, were able to find out a great deal about the man who attacked my sister and me. We discovered that between 1971 and 1973, he raped or attempted to rape 44 girls, 20 of them in one eight-block area near Harvard University. He was convicted of three of these rapes and was sent to prison for 18 years, only 10 days after he attacked us. Although the police knew of this man at the time and had information on a remarkably similar series of crimes that took place in the Boston area two years prior to our rape, they did not put the pieces together. For 33 years, most of these crimes remained unsolved. The rapist committed suicide several years before I began this investigation. I had questions beyond the identity of my attacker as well: Why does the threat of violent death alter some of us, even if subtly, forever? Why does it make us unusually numb or calm when we ought to feel terrified? It was only after I began research into my own rapist, whom the police and I discovered had probably been abused by a priest, that I thought more about the connection between the terrorized and the terrorists. I realized the possible importance of the frequency of rape of students at the radical madrassas I studied in Pakistan. I have felt, in my interviews of terrorists, that there was an element of sexual humiliation at work, but it was rarely more than an intuition on my part. Could sexual traumas contribute to contemporary terrorism? Today, my work is moving in a new direction. A group of psychologists at Children's Hospital Boston has been studying the health issues of Somali American youth, with a focus on trauma. I am working with the group to study a question of recent national concern: why some Somali youth in this country run away from home to join al-Shabab, a Somali terrorist group that claims to be aligned with al-Qaeda. Is there a link between possible abuse and alienation and vulnerability to terrorist recruitment? Could terrorism sometimes reflect a kind of perverse post-traumatic evolution? I have never had a problem talking to terrorists bearing Kalashnikovs. But I was petrified to talk to victims, afraid that their terror might elicit feelings I'd long avoided. After interrogating my own past, I am not avoiding them anymore. [email protected] Jessica Stern serves on the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law. This essay is adapted from her latest book, "Denial: A Memoir of Terror," which will be published Tuesday. From the archives: Jessica Stern's most recent Outlook piece was "5 myths about who becomes a terrorist" (Jan. 10). © 2010 The Washington Post CompanyUpdated: January 13, 2017 Go directly to the Marvel NOW! Reading Order > Marvel NOW! and All-New Marvel NOW! Reading Order Below you will find a list of issues in optimal reading order for the Marvel NOW! marketing initiative from Marvel Comics. What is Marvel NOW? The Marvel NOW! initiative is the marketing brand associated to a series of creative shifts and new title launches for Marvel Comics following their Avengers vs. X-Men event in 2012. Issues within the initiative were clearly marked with trade dress containing a red bar on the bottom of the cover. Titles that weren’t relaunched or changed significantly also had the Marvel NOW! trade dress, though they never had the official NOW! logo on their covers. These issues are marked as “Red” in the reading order below, while true “NOW!” books are marked with NOW! for filtering purposes. What’s part of the
team, aching after what was a long season filled with a long list humiliating results. We wont read to much into the Wales vs Japan match from the previous weekend, and will consider it largely a “loosener” and if anything only help to renew Wales’s focus in terms of preparation for the Springbok match. Recommended Bet We are expecting Wales not only to win, but also to cover the spread with relative ease, meaning we are expecting Wales to win with more than 4-points. Take Wales -4 points at odds of @1.91 (confidence: 80%) Predicted Score Wales 27 – South Africa 16 Want to add a little excitment to the game? Why not open an account with SportingBet South Africa and receive a 100% 1st deposit Bonus (if you deposit R200 you will get another R200 free…up to R1000) Check them out by clicking link above.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday afternoon dismissed President Donald Trump’s call for the Senate to change its rules for passing legislation. “It’s pretty obvious that our problem on health care was not the Democrats. We didn’t have 50 Republicans,” McConnell said at a brief press conference when asked about Trump’s suggestion. The majority leader also said that there is not enough support in the Senate to change the rules regarding legislative filibusters. “The votes are simply not there,” McConnell said. After the Senate failed last week to pass legislation repealing Obamacare, Trump suggested changing the Senate rules in a tweetstorm that vented his frustration with the process. Democrats can start a filibuster on most legislation in the Senate, requiring a bill to have 60 votes to pass. Because Republicans have a slim majority of just 52 senators, it’s impossible for them to pass a partisan bill. Trump was looking to eliminate that problem. As McConnell pointed out Tuesday, however, the Senate had used the reconciliation process to try to repeal Obamacare, under which the bill only needed a simple majority of 51 votes to pass. But three Republicans defected to sink the bill. McConnell dismissed Trump’s frustration with the rules, arguing that two top priorities for Republicans, tax reform and health care, can be passed through the reconciliation process. Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday also signaled that they would pivot to tax reform when they return from an August recess, and McConnell said they will likely pursue that legislative goal through reconciliation. He also left the door open for Republicans to try to repeal Obamacare again, noting that their window to repeal the law through reconciliation has not yet expired and revealing that senators are still asking for scores on some proposals.Are wildfires increasing around the world? Unusually large wildfires ravaged Alaska and Indonesia in 2015. The following year, Canada, California and Spain were devastated by uncontrolled flames. In 2017, massive fires devastated regions of Chile – and now, a deadly blaze in Portugal has claimed dozens of lives. So, have wildfires actually increased globally, or does it just seem that way because we’re tuned in more to bad news and social media? Science suggests that over the past few decades, the number of wildfires has indeed increased, especially in the western United States. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), every state in the western US has experienced an increase in the average annual number of large wildfires over past decades. Extensive studies have found that large forest fires in the western US have been occurring nearly five times more often since the 1970s and 80s. Such fires are burning more than six times the land area as before, and lasting almost five times longer. A wildfire has hit southern France in 2016 forced more than a thousand people to flee their homes What’s more, wildfire season – meaning seasons with higher wildfire potential – has universally become longer over the past 40 years. This trend is something Jason Funk, senior climate scientist with UCS, is very worried about. “2015 was a record-breaking year in the US, with more than 10 million acres burned,” he told DW in an interview. “That’s about 4 million hectares, or an area of the size of the Netherlands or Switzerland.” “It’s a scale we haven’t seen in recent history and it’s very concerning.” According to Funk, not only US forests are endangered by increasing wildfires – the trend has been that wildfires are burning more area around the world. “In recent years, there have been big fires in Siberia and various other places around the world where we typically don’t see large-scale wildfires,” he said. Projections by the UCS suggest that wildfires could get four, five and even six times as bad as they currently are within this century. Portugal was on high alert after a wave of wildfires swept the country in 2016, with around 350 isolated fires What is the main reason wildfires are increasing? Funk has been researching the impact of climate change on landscapes in the US, and says there is very well documented scientific evidence that climate change has been increasing the length of the fire season, the size of the area burned each year and the number of wildfires. Wildfires are typically either started accidentally by humans – such as a burning cigarette carelessly tossed out of a window – or by natural causes like lightning. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has described raging forest fires in central Portugal as “the greatest tragedy of human lives that we’ve witnessed in our country in years.” These “ignition events” don’t have a major effect on the scale of the fire, says Funk. But what does affect scale are prevailing climate conditions. And these have become warmer and drier – due to climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions, via the greenhouse effect, are causing the global temperature to increase and the climate to change. This enhances the likelihood of wildfires. Why? Because warmer temperatures increase evaporation, which means the atmosphere draws more moisture from soils, making the land drier. A warmer climate also leads to earlier snowmelt, which causes soils to be drier for longer. And dry soils become more susceptible to fire. “The areas where wildfires are taking place are always areas that [have become] drier and hotter, and where spring has come earlier,” said Funk. Drier conditions and higher temperatures increase not only the likelihood of a wildfire to occur, but also the duration and the severity of the wildfire. Climate change has increased the length of the fire season, the size of the area burned and the number of wildfires That means when wildfires break out, they expand faster and burn more area as they move in unpredictable ways. “They really take off and get out of control more frequently than in the past,” said Funk. What else is increasing wildfires? A less direct climate-driven effect is pest outbreaks that have killed a lot of trees. Pests make forests more susceptible to wildfire, according to Funk. “We know that these pest outbreaks have been caused by climate change, because there hasn’t been anything like that in the past 500 years, perhaps even 1,000 years,” he said. Insects are responding to warmer conditions, Funk explained, taking advantage of the longer summer season which grants them longer breeding circles and faster reproduction. “We can link those effects to the warmer temperatures that we’ve seen in the places where wildfires have been taking place.” While human activities such as logging and mining are known to influence the likelihood of wildfires as well, many of the areas that have seen recent increases in wildfires are relatively unaffected by human land use. This suggests that climate change is a major factor driving the increase in fires, according to UCS. Fires can be beneficial for ecosystems – but changes in climatic conditions are allowing them to burn out of control What threats do these wildfires pose? Forest fires aren’t necessarily bad. In fact, fire is a natural and beneficial part of many forest ecosystems, and we need to allow some fires to burn, as they are necessary for the ecosystems to stay healthy. Over the decades, undergrowth builds up on the forest floor – so when a fire burns through, that provides space for larger, more mature trees that are more fire-resistant. But the unnatural increase in wildfires is causing entire forests to burn down uncontrollably. This is bad for the environment – and for us. Wildfires pose risks to human life, property and infrastructure – recent wildfires have already caused significant human health impacts across southeast Asia, says Funk. Forest fires directly kill plants and animals, also causing a loss of habitat. Humid boreal forest faces greater threats from wildfires But the biggest problem is that the scale of these fires has increased to the degree that they themselves have become significant contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. After all, trees absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere – so the more trees that burn down, the harder it is to combat climate change in the future. And this is dangerous, Funk said. “It creates a feedback loop: the fires create more emissions, which in turn contribute to more global warming, which will then cause more fires,” Funk said. “Fires are not the enemy – they are an effect of an underlying process, so we need to address the problem rather than the symptoms of that problem.” What areas are most affected by wildfire? According to US federal research, humid, forested areas are most likely to face greater threats from wildfires, as conditions there grow drier and hotter due to global warming. Forests increasingly affected by fire and climate change, and which are thus the most vulnerable, are in the boreal region. This stretches across the northern hemisphere through Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. Wildfire raged through the Canadian town of Fort McMurray in 2016, forcing the evacuation of some 90,000 people Boreal forest comprises almost a third of forested land in the world, and plays an important role in absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. Studies show that especially the Russian and Canadian boreal forests are increasingly threatened by wildfire, as temperatures are rising faster in these northern regions than in other areas of the planet. Funk warns that since rising temperatures are transforming many landscapes, “we’re likely to see more wildfires in more places than just the boreal forest in the future.”Plan Your Visit to The 2019 LoLa Fine Arts Exhibition Building on last year’s successful two-day event, and because of the generous support of our Sponsors, we are happy to announce our friends at Squirrel Haus Arts and The League of Longfellow Artists will host a four-day event this year. Almost 50 LoLa Artists will show about 100 pieces of their work. Be sure to visit the 2019 LoLa FAE Facebook page for views into the diverse mediums and wide-ranging styles. Come to see the art, stay to make a fun little item to take home during drop-in artist activities for all ages, at the second LoLa Winter Fine Art Exhibition at Squirrel Haus Arts, 3450 Snelling Ave. S., Longfellow, Minneapolis. Admission is free and open to the public; a small donation is optional for make-and-take activities. Details include: Reception: Feb. 16, 5-7pm Gallery Showings: Feb. 16-17 & 23-24 Noon-5pm each day Art drop off: Feb. 9, 12-2pm Art pick up: Feb. 24 5-6pmIt has been reported that f(x)’s Sulli will be returning from her three-month hiatus in order to attend a screening for the movie “Fashion King.” Sulli has been confirmed to make her first public appearance at the press premiere this coming October 31. On October 23, the distribution company for “Fashion King” announced upcoming press premiere and VIP screening schedules. On the guest list that was revealed on this day, Sulli’s name appeared alongside her co-stars Joo Won, Ahn Jae Hyun, Park Se Young, and Kim Sung Oh. Earlier this year in July, SM Entertainment informed fans that Sulli would be taking a break from all entertainment activities until further notice, and it appears that she has decided to return to the public eye with this screening event for the movie in which she starred as a lead role. Meanwhile, “Fashion King” is set to open in theaters on November 6. Source (1)Do SQL injections turn you on? How about double SQL injections? If the answer is ‘yes’, then 1): Good luck with your dating life 2) Boy are you in some luck! A new of breed of security product called Seeker produces some vivid hacker pr0n in the form of a video (see above) of how it broke and exploited every nook and cranny of your unsecure code. Yes, I’m going to say it, Seeker might be the Seymore Butts of security products! Kidding aside, Seeker seems be packing pretty fearsome application security technology. The company behind it is an Israeli white hat hacking shop called Hacktics. These guys do work for startups, banks, telcos, governments, and homeland security agencies. Their team members hold very high security clearances due to their prior and current service records in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). It’s safe to say these guys know a thing or two about application security. Seeker was designed for use by individuals that are part of the development organization which do not necessarily possess security knowledge, or even deep technical knowledge. These can range from developers, to QA staff, to team leaders. It’s for this reason that Seeker points to real business threats rather than just technical issues. This is where a two particular product features stand out. Seeker produces screenshots (see below) that allow testers to see the vulnerabilities in the context of the actual application functionality they relate to, rather than getting just technical information based on URLs. The screenshots also contain screenshots showing how the application handled each attack. The second stand-out feature is ‘Exploit Videos’. Seeker automatically creates a step-by-step exploit video for each vulnerability it identifies and exploits, making it easier for the developer to manually reproduce errors before and after fixing the code. Video is also quite an effective method for non-security users to understand the actual threats and potential exploits. Just imagine being able to show management or external developers such a video. Pretty effective stuff. Seeker’s methodology is to perform runtime analysis of code executed in order to identify security flaws in the application. This is done by hooking into the process executing the application, and performing step-by-step analysis of the executed code. The attacks themselves are generated dynamically based on a ‘Smart Attack Tree,’ a long list of rules for mutating attacks based both on how the application reacts to them, and the actual application code. The product supports an orgy of vulnerabilities, including: SQL injection, XML/XPath injection, directory traversal, cross-site scripting, parameter tampering, forceful browsing, malicious content upload, username/password enumeration, insecure redirects, source code disclosure, insecure storage of sensitive data (such as Credit cards, CVVs, SSNs), cookie poisoning and plenty more. Currently supported are Java and.NET code analysis, using any database if no stored procedures are used. For stored procedures, Seeker supports Microsoft SQL and Oracle. PHP, as well as support for MySQL stored procedures, will be rolled out in a few months. Seeker is currently headquartered in Israel, with $3M in funding under its belt.All but 2 per cent of the heavy White Pages phone books that used to be delivered around Melbourne and Sydney went straight to the recycling bin, it has been revealed. Distribution of the phone book plummeted 98 per cent after Telstra subsidiary Sensis started testing an opt-in system in the two cities in 2011. Just 26,000 copies were requested each year in Melbourne and 20,000 in Sydney, a spokesman confirmed. Sensis plans to keep the opt-in program and has extended it to other capital cities, including Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. "There is currently no view to roll this out to regional or Hobart markets," a spokesman said. The Telstra directory business used to deliver about 1.5 million White Pages to both Melbourne and Sydney, which each have populations of more than 4 million. It still delivers that many copies of the White Pages business and government directory – unless a household opt out – and the Yellow Pages.HOBOKEN - Three Hoboken police officers were assaulted during arrests this week, prompting a social media response from the police chief, who said his cops are being assaulted by bar-goers far too often. The latest assaults left an ex-Marine in jail for Christmas and a New York man slapped with terroristic threat charges after saying he would come back and shoot a police sergeant when he was released from custody, authorities said. The chief said the attacks on police are fueled by alcohol and drugs. At about 3 a.m. on Sunday, police spotted "pushing and shoving" on Hudson Street near Newark Street. The officers met 24-year-old Vincent Bordano, who identified himself as a former Marine, said he was angry that someone had hit his girlfriend, Hoboken police said in a statement. Police said his girlfriend, 30-year-old Eileen Boyce, was drunk and the officers requested an ambulance for her. Bordano tried pulling Boyce away from police because he did not want her to go to the hospital. Boyce punched an officer in the chest and the officer fell to the ground, police said. Bordano "took a fighting stance" and bit an officer during his arrest. Boyce started kicking and flailing, forcing officers to use their pepper spray. A few minutes later, both were placed under arrest. Boyce was released on a summons and Bordano was remanded to the Hudson County jail. Then just after midnight on Wednesday, police were called to break up a fight involving a knife at 1 Republik. The officers arrived and arrested 28-year-old Christopher Spillane, who started banging on a glass window with his sister. He was holding a fork, which authorities first thought was a knife, and threatened to kill the officers, police said. The officers handcuffed him in front of his body because he had a metal brace on his arm. He and his sister were able to break away from police. When police finally brought him into custody, he tried hitting the cops with the brace, the release indicates. At police headquarters, Spillane repeatedly threw himself to the floor and kicked an officer. Police used restraints to bring him under control and he was transported to a hospital for treatment. Before he was taken away, he said he would come back to shoot one of the sergeants, police said. One officer, who was punched and bit, was out of work for several days, while another officer, who restrained Spillane, suffered a cut near his eye. Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante commented about the incidents on Twitter, saying at least 10 officers have been assaulted in past two months. Some of those assaults stemmed from the rowdy SantaCon bar crawl earlier this month. Over past 2 months, situations of individuals under (the influence) of alcohol or drugs, fighting officers or attacking officers as they (make) arrests is becoming too frequent," he wrote. Caitlin Mota may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.Not to be confused with the hypothetical planet Planet Nine or the hypothetical star Nemesis ; or other ninth planets This article is about the hypothetical planet. For the asteroid, see 258 Tyche An artist's rendering of the Oort cloud and the Kuiper belt (inset) Tyche () is a hypothetical gas giant located in the Solar System's Oort cloud, first proposed in 1999 by astrophysicists John Matese, Patrick Whitman and Daniel Whitmire of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.[1][2] They argued that evidence of Tyche's existence could be seen in a supposed bias in the points of origin for long-period comets. More recently, Matese[3] and Whitmire[4] re-evaluated the comet data and noted that Tyche, if it existed, would be detectable in the archive of data that was collected by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope.[5] In 2014, NASA announced that the WISE survey had ruled out any object with Tyche's characteristics, indicating that Tyche as hypothesized by Matese, Whitman, and Whitmire does not exist.[6][7][8] History [ edit ] Matese, Whitmire and their colleague Patrick Whitman first proposed the existence of this planet in 1999,[9] based on observations of the orbits of long-period comets. Most astronomers agree that long-period comets (those with orbits of thousands to millions of years) have a roughly isotropic distribution; that is, they arrive at random from every point in the sky.[10] Because comets are volatile and dissipate over time, astronomers suspect that they must be held in a spherical cloud tens of thousands of AU distant (known as the Oort cloud) for most of their existence.[10] However, Matese and Whitmire claimed that rather than arriving from random points across the sky as is commonly thought, comet orbits were in fact clustered in a band inclined to the orbital plane of the planets. Such clustering could be explained if they were disturbed by an unseen object at least as large as Jupiter, possibly a brown dwarf, located in the outer part of the Oort cloud.[11][12] They also suggested that such an object might explain the trans-Neptunian object Sedna's peculiar orbit.[13] However, the sample size of Oort comets was small and the results were inconclusive.[14] Orbit [ edit ] Whitmire and Matese speculated that Tyche's orbit would lie at approximately 500 times Neptune's distance, some 15,000 AU (2.2×1012 km) from the Sun, a little less than one quarter of a light year. This is well within the Oort cloud, whose boundary is estimated to be beyond 50,000 AU. It would have an orbital period of roughly 1.8 million years.[15] A failed search of older IRAS data suggests that an object of 5 M J would need to have a distance greater than 10,000 AU.[7] Such a planet would orbit in a plane different from the ecliptic,[16] and would probably have been in a wide-binary orbit at the time of its formation.[7] Wide binaries may form through capture during the dissolution of a star's birth cluster.[7] Mass [ edit ] In 2011, Whitmire and Matese speculated that the hypothesized planet could be up to four times the mass of Jupiter and have a relatively high temperature of approximately 200 K (−73 °C; −100 °F),[7] due to residual heat from its formation and Kelvin–Helmholtz heating.[17] It would be insufficiently massive to undergo nuclear fusion reactions in its interior, a process that occurs in objects above roughly 13 Jupiter masses. Although more massive than Jupiter, Tyche would be about Jupiter's size since degenerate pressure causes massive gas giants to increase only in density, not in size, relative to their mass.[a] If Tyche was to be found, it was expected to be found by the end of 2013 and only be 1–2 Jupiter masses.[20] Origin of name [ edit ] Tyche (τύχη, meaning "fortune" or "luck" in Greek) was the Greek goddess of fortune and prosperity. The name was chosen to avoid confusion with an earlier similar hypothesis that the Sun has a dim companion named Nemesis, whose gravity triggers influxes of comets into the inner Solar System, leading to mass-extinctions on Earth. Tyche was the name of the "good sister" of Nemesis.[7] This name was first used for an outer Oort cloud object by J. Davy Kirkpatrick at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center of the California Institute of Technology.[21] WISE mission [ edit ] The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope has completed an all-sky infrared survey that includes areas where Whitmire and Matese anticipate that Tyche may be found.[7] On March 14, 2012, the first-pass all-sky survey catalog of the WISE mission was released.[22] The co-added (AllWISE) post-cryo second survey of the sky was released at the end of 2013.[23] On March 7, 2014, NASA reported that the WISE telescope had ruled out the possibility of a Saturn-sized object at 10,000 AU, and a Jupiter-sized or larger object out to 26,000 AU (0.4 light-year).[6][24] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] ^ 1.6 [18] but for higher masses, [18] and added mass is compensated for by increasing degeneracy pressure in the planetary core. For example, 3 M J with a radius of 96% of Jupiter and 4 M J with a radius of 92% of Jupiter. Even the brown dwarf 22 M J ) is estimated to be about the volume of Jupiter. After 10 [19] A cold hydrogen-rich gas giant slightly more massive than Jupiter (below about M J ) would be larger in volume than Jupiter,but for higher masses, degenerate pressure will cause the planet to shrink,and added mass is compensated for by increasing degeneracy pressure in the planetary core. For example, HD 17156 b iswith a radius of 96% of Jupiter and HD 80606 b iswith a radius of 92% of Jupiter. Even the brown dwarf COROT-3b ) is estimated to be about the volume of Jupiter. After 10 billion years of cooling, large gas giants are all very nearly Jupiter's radius, but more massive objects are slightly smaller.Sega has posted a new video to their YouTube account, featuring some upcoming DLC for Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X, which will feature the Snow Miku costumes from 2010 to 2015. Each of the 6 included modules are assigned to one of the five ‘Clouds’ in the game, which you can see here: Snow Miku 2010 – Classic Snow Miku 2011 – Cute Snow Miku 2012 – Cool Snow Miku 2013 – Elegant Snow Miku 2014 – Quirky Snow Miku 2015 – Cute The DLC will be free in Japan from August 25th until September 25th to celebrate the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X HD (The PS4 version of the game) which release in Japan on August 30th. There is no news as to whether the DLC will also be free in North America and Europe. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X will be released in North America and Europe on PS4 and Vita on August 30th.Hours before President Trump’s second attempt to ban travel from parts of the Muslim world was to take effect, Obama-appointed Judge Derrick K. Watson froze it nationwide. The ban, he says, will prevent Hawaiians from visiting their relatives in the terror nations. Hawaii also argued to the court that the ban would prevent residents from receiving visits from relatives in the six countries covered by the order. The state says the ban would harm its tourism industry and the ability to recruit foreign students and workers, Fox News reported. Who would have guessed Hawaii relies on Somalis and Iranians for their tourist industry. Is that unbelievable or what? One judge is taking control of our national security over the President of the United States. He absurdly quoted Trump’s language during the campaign. These Obama judges don’t go by the law or the language of the ban, they go by how they feel. They want him to defy them so they can impeach him but if Trump doesn’t stop these people, nothing will get done. National security and the role of the president should not be subject to judges the nation as a whole did not elect. They are Obama judges. Obama filled the government with his minions. The judge claims the executive order discriminates on the basis of nationality and it “disfavors one religion”. “Enforcement of these provisions in all places, including the United States, at all United States borders and ports of entry, and in the issuance of visas is prohibited, pending further orders from this Court,” Judge Watson wrote in his ruling. Half a dozen liberal/leftist states have joined in trying to stop the ban. In one case, the Maryland case, the state attorneys said it also discriminates against Muslims. The unAmerican ACLU and other leftist groups have joined in the suits. The nations restricted in travel are terror hellholes — Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Libya (Hillary and Obama destroyed Libya). The states fighting the travel ban are New York, California, Maryland, Oregon, Massachusetts and of course Hawaii. There has been a reaction. The leftists gave the predictable responses about Trump being a loser and violating the Constitution. Hawaii now has veto over all of U.S. visa & Nat’l security priorities. — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 16, 2017 Even IF the ban was religiously motivated, which it’s not, it is not constitutionally prohibited. Court rulings are abominations. — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 16, 2017 Hoping @POTUS tells Hawaii judge what Andrew Jackson told overreaching court-“I’ll ignore it and let the court enforce their order.” — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 15, 2017 To give you an idea of what the sleazy left is saying, check this tweet out. The leftists are masters of twisting the law and using it against whoever they disagree with. Everyone pause to give a slow clap for Stephen Miller, strategic genius, giving court reason to strike down White House travel ban. pic.twitter.com/1woJLFWjyf — pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) March 15, 2017Mexico President Nieto said his government was following the US election with "great interest". Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto extended an olive branch to Donald Trump on Friday, voicing respect for the US presidential candidate, whose anti-immigrant rhetoric has angered Mexicans.One day after Trump accepted the Republican party's presidential nomination, Pena Nieto vowed to have a "frank and open dialogue" with whoever wins the November election, whether it is the real estate tycoon or Democratic rival Hillary Clinton."To Mrs. Hillary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump, I want to express my highest respect," Pena Nieto said at a White House press conference with President Barack Obama.It was a change of tone from March, when Pena Nieto condemned Trump's "strident tone" and compared his rhetoric to the rise of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.But Pena Nieto said on Friday that he had "never done any finger-pointing" about a US candidate and that his March remarks were "taken out of context.""The Mexican government will work in a constructive manner and in good faith with whoever is elected," he said.The Mexican leader said his government was following the US election with "great interest" but that "we will not get involved, we will not opine, we will not take a position" on a decision that is in the hands of American voters.But his foreign minister said on Thursday that the Mexican government will contact the Trump and Clinton campaigns after next week's Democratic convention.Mexican officials said in March that the government planned to speak with the eventual primary winners in order to rebut "disinformation" said during the campaign.Trump has infuriated Mexicans by saying "rapists" and drug dealers are coming into the United States and by vowing to make the southern neighbor pay for a huge border wall. Pena Nieto said earlier this month that his government would not pay for the wall.Te Maire Martin came close to joining the Warriors this season. Te Maire Martin's agent Andrew Purcell has accused the Warriors of doing a backflip on signing his player, because of rumours about an affair he had with a team-mate's partner. The Warriors were in the hunt for the Tokoroa born Martin midway through the season, around the same time as Tuimoala Lolohea was looking for a release to join Wests Tigers. Although Martin's name was linked with a move to the Warriors on several occasions as he struggled for game time at the Panthers, no deal eventuated and the 21-year-old signed for the Cowboys. It turned out to be a dream move for Martin as he's playing in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday, while the Warriors are four weeks into their off season. READ MORE * Kiwi stars after slurs * Kiwi Te Maire Martin shrugs off false, 'filthy' slurs * Panthers boss Phil Gould slams rumours However, Purcell told Fox Sports in Australia that the Warriors got cold feet and withdrew a lucrative offer because of the rumour that he's slept with a Penrith teammate's partner, that the playing group didn't want him in the team and management didn't want him at the club. The rumour was completely false, but Purcell said the Warriors were frightened off. "He was going," Purcell told Fox Sports of the Warriors. "They pulled out cold on the stupid rumours they heard." Warriors executive chairman Jim Doyle, who was chief executive at the time, has been contacted for comment. The rumours affected Martin and his family, even though there was no truth to them and it got so bad that Panthers general manager Phil Gould chose to put out a press release to try to quash them. "I don't usually respond to rumours," Gould said in July. "However this particular accusation against Te Maire has been most vicious, scurrilous and hurtful," Gould said. "I seriously question the motivation and integrity of those who started this rubbish." Gould said the playing group gathered to discuss the matter. "We had a conversation and the players dismissed it and said they wanted to support Te Maire," he said. "It all started with a couple of media types who are desperate for a story when he missed a couple of games through injury. It somehow became him being stood down because of an affair. I can't emphasise enough how wrong this is and I am speaking out today because of the hurt it has caused him and his family. "The rumour is hurtful to Te Maire, his family and to the women who are wives and partners of our players." Martin, who has been a revelation at the Cowboys, is set to play a key role for the Kiwis in the World Cup, which starts next month and he'll partner Shaun Johnson in the halves. The Warriors moved on Martin, but haven't yet signed someone else to play in the halves. They have been linked with the Sea Eagles' Blake Green, even though he has another year on his contract with the Trent Barrett coached team and it's understood when Ata Hingano chose to re-sign with the Warriors this year, he did so believing he'd get a spot in the starting team next year.Massacre of Banu Qurayza Date February/March, 627 AD Location Fortress of Banu Qurayza Result Muslim Victory Successful 25-day siege of Banu Qurayza tribe[1][2] Belligerents Muslims Banu Qurayza Commanders and leaders Muhammad Ali ibn Abi Talib Strength 3000 infantry, 30 horsemen Unknown [1] Casualties and losses 2 killed[1] 600–900 beheaded (Tabari, Ibn Hisham) [1] [2] [3] All Males who reached puberty and 1 woman beheaded (Sunni Hadith)[4][5][6] The Invasion of Banu Qurayza[1] took place in the Dhul Qa‘dah during February and March of 627 AD (5 AH).[7] The Banu Qurayza initially told the Muslims that they were allied to them during the Battle of the Trench, however, later they sided with the Pagan Arabs of Quraysh and their allies.[8][9] According to traditional sources,[10] Jewish leaders organized efforts against Muhammad and the Muslims. Three Jewish leaders from the tribe of Banu al-Nadir, three Jewish leaders from the tribe of Wa'il, and various other Jewish groups and leaders united and pressured Banu Qurayza to betray their agreement to Muhammad. Afzalur Rahman states that during the Battle of the Trench, when the Muslims were surrounded by a large hostile force, the Banu Qurayza joined the enemies of the Muslims and threatened the Muslims from within the town itself.[11] Waqidi claims that Muhammad had a treaty with the tribe which was torn apart. Norman Stillman and Watt believe such a treaty was "doubtful" to have existed, though Watt believes the Qurayza had agreed not to assist Muhammad's enemies against him.[12][13] According to Mubrakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume, Inamdar and Ibn Kathir, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal Muhammad led his forces against Banu Qurayza. According to Muslim tradition he had been ordered to do so by God.[1][2][14][15][16][17] The Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe, were besieged for 25 days until they surrendered.[1] According to Mohammed al-Ghazali, during that time the Muslims allowed the Jews who had refused to betray the Prophet during the Battle of the Ditch to leave and "go wherever they wished".[18] Sa'd ibn Mu'adh, a companion of Muhammad, was chosen by him as an arbiter and all parties agreed to abide by his judgment. Sa'd gave his verdict that "the men should be killed, the property divided, and the women and children taken as captives". Muhammad approved of the ruling, calling it similar to God's judgment,[14][15][16][19][20] after which nearly all male members of the tribe who had reached puberty were beheaded.[21][2][22] The Muslim jurist Tabari quotes 600–900 being executed.[23][3] The Sunni hadith do not give the number killed, but state that all pubescent males were killed and one woman.[24] According to Ibn Kathir, Quranic verses 33:26-27 and 33:9-10 are about the attack against the Banu Qurayza.[2][25][26] Researcher, W. N. Arafat places doubt on the description of events described by Ibn Ishaq (which was used later by Tabari as his sole source).[8] Arafat states in regards to the reception of Ibn Ishaq's and Tabari's account: "The attitude of scholars and historians to Ibn lshaq's version of the story has been either one of complacency, sometimes mingled with uncertainty, or at least in two important cases, one of condemnatlon and outright rejection."[8] Ibn Ishaq was criticized by Sunni scholar, Malik ibn Anas as being "a liar" and somebody "who transmits his stories from the Jews."[8]
it that way. HORVITZ: Well, here's the background, and let me frame this story a bit. So a team at Stanford had - going through an FDA database called AERS, A-E-R-S, the Adverse Event Reporting System, which is used by the FDA to collect and track side effects and interactions among drugs in the post-marketing phase - the team had recognized through statistical analysis previously unknown effects of those two drugs, Pravastatin and Pravachol - excuse me, Paroxetine and Pravastatin interacting to cause hyperglycemia, and they actually confirmed their finding statistically - this is a very intensive analysis - with electronic health records at three different medical sites and then working with actually even a mouse model. And this was published, this work was published in 2011. We said let's go back, working with our Stanford colleagues, let's go back to 2010, before this was published, before this was known, and look at 12 months of logs, search logs of these people who consented to share their logs and see if we can actually build a tool that would automatically recognize this side effect of these two drugs when they're both searched on, are linked to people who also search on terms you would search on if you were experiencing a variety of symptoms of hyperglycemia. And we found a significant bump compared to any - to people who were searching on one of the drugs. FLATOW: 1-800-989-8255 is our number. So what you're saying in a larger scheme is that when people go online and search for things, you can use what they're searching for, by the logs that they leave behind in all those millions of searches, and you can find out stuff about the actions of drugs that we may not know of by... HORVITZ: Exactly, and this is pretty exciting in a number of ways. Number one, obviously these are noisy signals. Not everybody searching on Paxil or Pravastatin are taking those drugs. But quite a few people who take them likely do search, sooner or later, especially when they might have side effects. And on the large scale, large-scale statistics, which we find signal in the noise, you might call it, and not just that but the large-scale statistics is what we're interested in, and this actually is also great for protecting the privacy of any particular person. FLATOW: Let's talk about how you could expand this. How could you expand this out into other health care? HORVITZ: Well, this is a very good question, Ira, and we're very excited about a number of directions here. So for example, if you just take the same line of reasoning, you can imagine looking at medical devices post-marketing, and picking up clues or evidence that there is something going amiss for users. You know, does that CPAP machine cause tinnitus, for example? This is really a nice way to look at drug interactions, new drug side effects, potentially, people are complaining about the rise of illness, interactions between illnesses. Do people who have - who search on sleep apnea a bunch - later search on heart disease and high blood pressure, for example? So you can imagine a whole number of directions here where we make the large-scale Web, which is a place where human being do lots of things these days, a central network for health care. FLATOW: Or you could do it, I would imagine, even with nutrition, with food additives, things like that, you know? HORVITZ: Absolutely. FLATOW: I'm just thinking out loud here, people who take melatonin - are they sleeping more? (LAUGHTER) HORVITZ: You know, but even back to the adverse drug events, it's just impressive how little we can study with formal clinical trials before we actually market, a drug company puts a drug in the marketplace. It's - the scale at which we can automate, even with noisy clues, on a very, very large scale - we can automate the search for signals given hypotheses - is enormous and wonderful. Now, one thing I'd like to say is when we do this work, and if you want to look at the paper, it's on our website, we try to characterize how well the tool works. We want to get what we call a noise model so we know how to apply this to understand the false positives and the false negatives. And that's part of the research. How do we take this big, noisy, crazy world of Web search and normalize it into a powerful tool? FLATOW: Is it accurate, yeah. 1-800-989-8255. Two questions for you: One, in your study you got permission, right, from the people who you studied to put a little toolbar on their Web browser, right, so they could - you could follow them. HORVITZ: Right. FLATOW: What about all the people who are listening to us today saying uh-oh, they're looking at my - where I'm going, and you know, I don't have that thing on my toolbar, but are they still going to be using my data and where I'm searching for? HORVITZ: You know, this is a - I think the directions in privacy are critical for the Web and for the era that we're in, the revolution we're in with computing. And we need, as the computer science community, to come up with fabulous controls to make sure that we protect the privacy of users. Our company, Microsoft, it takes this very, very, very seriously, as do other companies and competitors of ours. And so we're pursuing with, you know, vigorously ways to protect users. In this case we not only got consent, but we actually have a number of methods that anonymize the inputs so we can't track back, you know, who this was. And the third part here, I think, which people like to hear, is that human eyes don't touch these queries. It's an automated crawler of sorts that goes over much, much bigger data than any human beings could ever have time to look at. FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Let's talk about if these data-mining techniques could be used in hospitals or health care settings to improve patient care. HORVITZ: Absolutely. In fact, in another arm of our research at Microsoft and other places and working with colleagues, we're working with actual electronic health care record data that hospitals are now collecting with higher and higher fidelity. So, for example, about a year ago, we fielded, commercially, classifiers, automatic systems that can learn from thousands of patient visits, and tens of thousands of variables about patient symptoms and lab tests and histories to predict, for example, that this patient being discharged today would be readmitted in 30 days, have a probability available to the discharging physician at discharge time to guide decision-making about what else they might do to keep that from happening. FLATOW: Wow, wow. You've also studied what I began this section with, something called cyberchondria, for example... HORVITZ: Yes. FLATOW:...when you come up with search results, you search - let's say, for example, chest pain. When you search for chest pain, what do you get? You think you have a little chest pain, maybe you came home from the gym and used the weights a little too much or something, and then suddenly your chest is - you've got a chest pain. If you search for it, you're going to come up with a whole bunch of stuff, aren't you? HORVITZ: Yes. So we actually studied this phenomenon where - it's a very common activity, which we've all done. I would imagine most listeners in their cars or at home right now have done this. You have a few symptoms. You want to find out what's going on, so you do an online search, and you basically are using the Web as kind of a medical expert system. FLATOW: Right. HORVITZ: And, sure, it brings up movies, and the Web brings up news. Why can't it diagnose my symptoms, if you put one or more symptoms in? And what we found was, in the general case, there's a very high likelihood that this - that putting in very common symptoms - chest pain actually is quite common, and it rarely means heart attack, even in men my age, so - that haven't had a previous history, for example, of heart disease. But you can be led astray very quickly to rare, scary, fatal illnesses because of several factors, including the notion that there's more written about the scary things. They're clicked - those scary items are clicked on more, giving the search engine feedback to bring those results up higher on the list. And you end up with what we call escalation. Looking at Web content will escalate people to thinking that their common symptom is not really common at all and they have a rare, fatal illness. I mean, nobody out there should ever put into a Web browser that they have a twitch in their hand or an eyelid is twitching, because in no time at all, you'll be thinking about a wheelchair for your - the onset of ALS, a terrible disease that is very scary to people. FLATOW: Mm-hmm. But these searches - but you're saying in general that these searches are useful in the long run for people who can study what people are looking for... HORVITZ: Right. So the Web is an incredibly valuable place for health care information. It's also a valuable sensor network for the studies that I talked about that we've done with our colleagues at Stanford. We also - in studying how prominently the Web is in people's lives these days for how they manage their own health, there - it has some rough edges on it, as well. One of the rough edges is the way indexing and crawling works when you mix the way content is indexed with cognitive biases, one of which is called the availability bias, the scary - this - the - when you see a bunch of scary things, the probability that you have that scary thing goes up in your mind. There are some rough edges that lead people astray at times. And we - I think people who - a certain set of the population that dwells on, for example, these scary things can really spend lots of time. In fact, we actually found - you know, sort of, we could actually see automatically that many times, people came back again and again and again to the same search, with the same concerns, because of clear anxiety about the way the Web was answering their queries when they input very common symptoms. I mean, putting in the symptom headache, severe headache, way up on the list, as you said earlier on the show, brain tumor... FLATOW: Yeah. HORVITZ:...appears, and all about brain tumors. It turns out one of the most common causes of a very severe headache, the worst in your whole life, is when you forget to have your coffee for a couple of days. FLATOW: Yeah. HORVITZ: And this is a very common situation, even at ambulatory health care clinics, people - patients will come in and say: My God. I think something is wrong. It's a hemorrhage of some kind or a tumor. And the doctors always check, what about your coffee? And that's very common... FLATOW: But on the Web, they're just going to - not check. There's no one to check it. You're just going to get reassurance that you have a tumor. HORVITZ: Well, caffeine withdrawal as a cause of headache is at the same - appears at the same rate in search results as brain tumor, and one's a lot more common. FLATOW: Wow. Let me get a quick call in from Andy in Denver. Hi, Andy. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY. ANDY: Oh, thanks for taking my call. I was just curious about the study you were talking about earlier, where they had prior knowledge of this drug conflict that led to hypoglycemia. Has that same data-mining approach been used to find something without prior knowledge, to find some kind of other drug interaction that was not known ahead of time? HORVITZ: So we actually - there's two parts to that - to the answer to that question. One is we actually took 60 pairs of drugs with known interactions, and two negatives and two positives for hyperglycemia. And this data was not well-known. It was basically sequestered away in special resources for physicians, and could test how well our methods work on these knowns. It turns out we can then build what we call an error model that tells us how well this will work on future combinations we haven't seen yet. Now, let me tell you a quick, exciting bit of directional news. Ryen White and I created a system we called BLAERS, for Behavioral Log-based AERS. AERS is the FDA term for the Adverse Event Reporting System. And we've been now exploring many combinations as it - with a general tool, and we're seeing all sort of interesting interactions. And we're in touch with the FDA about this, and with our Stanford colleagues. FLATOW: Mm-hmm. And so there's a whole constellation of different drugs you might be able to see interaction for. HORVITZ: You can imagine. We can just take the top 100 and look at all combinations. FLATOW: Oh. Quite interesting. Can you stay with us a few more minutes, doctor? HORVITZ: Yes. FLATOW: We're going to take a short break and talk more with Eric Horvitz, distinguished scientist at Microsoft. Our number: 1-800-989-8255 if you'd like to talk about drug interactions and talk about how using the computer, maybe, or cyberchondriac, something that I think we all suffer from. We used to call it med student syndrome or science reporter syndrome. We had everything that we were looking at in the New England Journal. 1-800-989-8255. Stay with us. We'll be right back after this break. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) FLATOW: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow. We're talking about using the Internet to help diagnose drug interactions and other diseases. As you search for symptoms on the Internet, scientists are able to use what you're searching for and find out about how diseases are spreading or how - let's talk about that. Eric Horvitz is here. Let's talk about early uses of this. Wasn't it used, though, originally way back when, to - the Google Flu Trends, to find out how the flu was spreading? HORVITZ: Yes. Some folks at Google did a really nice job around 2009; I guess they actually built a system in 2008, that were looking at flu-related search terms, coupling that with data from the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, and building up a model that could actually provide advance warning, within a day, much faster than could be done by the CDC with the standard reporting done through a network of hospitals, of stats on flu around the United States. This work was very interesting and visionary. And the system was in the news again just recently, when it kind of messed up a bit, and it was kind of an interesting story. FLATOW: It messed up. It got overloaded? HORVITZ: Well, what happened was, when you build a model or a predictive system that's trained up and that's working on the data that it's seen in the past, if something anomalous happens, if that system isn't updated very quickly, you might get erroneous predictions. And so the Google Flu Trends system was in the news recently, when it was noted that it predicted - I think it was about twice the amount of flu that - than there was occurring, because of several anomalous factors. For example, this year, the flu season started quite early, in November. I think it was the earliest since 2003. There was a predominant strain this year called H3N2. This is the most virulent of the three seasonal strains of influenza. And because there were more deaths than usual, unfortunately - in this case particularly the elderly - and more serious illness because of this strain, coupled with the early rise of that flu, it became newsworthy, and there was quite a bit of news on it. And the media can actually stimulate searches - anxiety, interest - and that could overload a signal with new kinds of activity that the system was not used to. And so this - the message here is that these systems need to always be alive and active and learning and understanding even things like the influence of the news media on what people search on. FLATOW: Speaking of searching, we have time for, I think, one more tweet. It comes in from David O'Leyar, who says: Do you have any sites that you feel are authoritative? Which ones should we be looking at, when it comes to health issues, for info? HORVITZ: Well, if you look at our paper in 2008 on cyberchondria, we explored the difference between general Web search with any search engine, doing a focus search on a well - an authoritative health care site, and then looking at just Web crawl more generally, the statistics of correlation between these rare illnesses and kind of symptoms, for example. We found that going to an authoritative website - like a Mayo, for example, MSN Health - these sites would provide much better information than general Web search because of these factors we explored in that paper. FLATOW: Mm-hmm. Well, Doctor Horvitz, I want to thank you very much for taking time to be with us today. HORVITZ: It's been great to be here, thanks. FLATOW: And this is just - this stuff is just in its infancy, is it not? I mean, there's a long way to go in... HORVITZ: Yeah. And it's a very exciting path to go on, I think. FLATOW: All right. Eric Horvitz is a distinguished scientist at Microsoft Research, co-director of the Microsoft Research Lab in Redmond, Washington. And we're happy he was with us today. Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Question Answer Episode Which great mage originally had the Staff of Sameness? The Cutie Map - Part 1 What profession does Applejack say she can buck like once she gets her 'country-isms' back? The Cutie Map - Part 2 What flavour pancake do Pinkie and Twilight end up going with? Castle Sweet Castle Where does the exterminator say he's going, now that Apple Bloom is doing his job? Bloom & Gloom In the order they're named, what are the three confusingly named pegasi? Tanks for the Memories What does Trouble Shoes wish he had to offer the CMC when they arrive? Appleoosa's Most Wanted What did the mail carrier have to escape from on the way to Discord's house? Make New Friends but Keep Discord What book tells the history of the griffons? The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone Where did Cranky save Steven Magnet from? Slice of Life What gemstone does Canterlot provide to the 'Citizens of Equestria' statue? Princess Spike What food does Pinkie say Twilight likes in her party planning files? Party Pooped What does Moondancer incorrectly think you need to add first to make a salt lick? Amending Fences What instrument does Rainbow Dash's nightmare's flower play? Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? What collection was the Princess Dress part of? Canterlot Boutique What is the name of the cologne Wind Rider uses? Rarity Investigates! What is the name of the local theatre troupe? Made in Manehattan What is Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo's move for the Egg Carry? Brotherhooves Social What is Diamond Tiara's mother's name? Crusaders of the Lost Mark Who does Rainbow Dash spot on a poster in Shining Armor's room? The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows Who is Igneous Rock Pie's father? Hearthbreakers What is the name of Fluttershy's spider? Scare Master Which Canterlot designer did Spike think was female? What About Discord? Who were the original friends which started the conflict? The Hooffields and McColts Where did Svengallop insist the water come from? The Mane Attraction What two names does Sombra-Universe Applejack think Twilight said? The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 1 What was the name of Starlight Glimmer's childhood friend? The Cutie Re-Mark - Part 2Residents of an upmarket - and predominantly white - Pretoria suburb tell FRANCE 24 that Nelson Mandela was an “inspiration” whose legacy will be a peaceful future for all South Africa. ADVERTISING Read more Sinoville, in the leafy suburb of Montana in north Pretoria, South Africa, is the very image of calm. Only the dogs, who bark loudly whenever anyone gets close to the homes, interrupts the pervading quiet of this up-market residential neighbourhood. Every house has an alarm system, metal grills over doors and windows, as well as the ubiquitous guard dogs. But no one here accepts that these precautions are either over-the top or a result of paranoia. “I know there are rumours going round that we are afraid, that we fear the post-Mandela era,” said 49-year-old businessman Donovan (pictured). “But that’s not true, and no one here has got a bad word to say about him. Mandela is an icon, he’s a source of inspiration for us whites.” Mandela is considered “an untouchable icon” by Donavan and his neighbour Tonie, a 19-year-old student. “He’s been a real inspiration for us whites,” said Tonie as he waited for his black gardener to open his garage gates. “Mandela taught us that all people are equal and he acted in a non-violent way.” No ill will Across the road Hennie and Debbie Roets share the same feeling. The couple, who are in their 50s and have lived in Sinoville for three years, believe that Mandela’s greatest legacy is that he saved South Africa from civil war. “Mandela is a great man, we all respect him. We are alive thanks to him, and no one has wanted to take their revenge on us,” said Debbie, surrounded by her four labradors. “No one has ever threatened us because we are white. I owe him my happy and peaceful life.” “And you won’t find a single white person here who doesn’t admire him. The same goes for the blacks,” she added with a smile as her black cook passed through the couple’s sitting room. They all denied that South Africa’s white population bore the former leader any ill-will. “Just because we’re not out in the streets singing and praying, it doesn’t mean we don’t respect him,” said Tonie. “It’s just our culture and tradition. I’d rather pray for him before I go to bed than stay up all night in front of the hospital singing. There’s no disrespect in that.” For Donavan, Nelson Mandela’s biggest legacy will be of peace. “Undoubtedly, when he’s gone, things are going to be different,” he said. “Maybe some of the more aggressive members of the [ruling] African National Congress will try to increase its grip on power. “But whatever happens, I believe in my country. We are together. Nothing will make South Africa descend into violence again.”Māori tattoos being sold in a Halloween store in America have led to renewed calls for laws to stop businesses from misusing Māori designs. Photo: Supplied The temporary full facial moko, which have the label Māori face on the packet, are made by Tinsley Transfers and are being sold by Halloween Hallway in Chicago. Sam from Hamilton, who is currently living in Chicago, said he was shocked to see the tattoos being sold. "I don't think I've ever seen [something like that], I don't think I've even ever seen it in New Zealand, like a temporary tattoo with a Māori tā moko design on the face," he said. "That's why I took a photo of it because I thought, 'Is this okay?'" Sam did not think customers buying the tattoo would understand its cultural significance and he did not think it was appropriate to wear it for Halloween. Maui Solomon, a lawyer specialising in cultural and intellectual property rights, said the tattoos were a "cultural rip-off". "The fact that it's identified as a Māori face and is being sold as a Halloween mask which is designed to scare children in North America, I suggest is culturally offensive and misrepresents the true nature of tā moko," he said. Mr Solomon said tā moko were an expression of pride and represented whakapapa. He said he had seen increasing examples of Māori designs being misused and he hoped the new Labour-led government would make it a priority to protect them. Mr Solomon wants the recommendations made to the previous National government by the Waitangi Tribunal in the 2011 Ko Aotearoa Tēnei report, to be taken on. The report looked at reforms to laws and policies affecting Māori culture and suggested that a commission should be established to protect Māori cultural works against offensive and unauthorised commercial uses. "Māori culture is a point of difference for New Zealand and a point of pride," said Mr Solomon. "The more that it's devalued and discredited internationally, I think [that it] reflects badly on New Zealand's character and identity around the world." The Minister for Māori Development, Nanaia Mahuta, said she would be looking into the advice made to the former government around cultural appropriation. She said no business should be able to use Māori works without proper authorisation and authentication of the designer, regardless of where they were based. "Cultural misappropriation has happened a few times with the use Māori designs," she said. "It's clear that... providing protection and greater guidance around the way designs may or may not be used is required."Indigenous Colombians Clash with Police and Paramilitaries for “Liberation of Mother Earth” by Robin Llewellyn / Intercontinental Cry [NOTE: All faces have been blurred and all names have been withheld for security reasons.] Clashes have erupted in Colombia’s western department of Cauca as the Nasa Indigenous Peoples press the government to fulfill its promise to return 15,600 hectares to their control. A succession of occupations of sugar plantations has seen the government deploy the army and riot police against them prompting fierce battles across the north of the region. This is the latest stage in a decades-long struggle for the return of indigenous territory lost to intensive agriculture, a struggle that received international attention in past decades following a wave of massacres. Protected by the Indigenous Guards, the fields remain largely under Nasa control, but an abrupt rise in threats from the “Black Eagles” paramilitary group and the issuance of new eviction orders by the government raise fears that deadly violence may return to the region. There was no shade to shelter the small party as they crossed the expanse of earth last week, carrying a plantain sapling and a bag of maize. In the middle of the field, its vastness already rippling in the morning heat, they planted the sapling and scattered the seeds of local indigenous maize. Keeping an eye on the ‘ESMAD’ riot police stationed in the shade of the trees around the hacienda was a local teacher. “We are recuperating the land” she told IC. “We are replacing the mono-cultivation of the multinationals with the original vegetation. …One day trees will be growing here again: what we are seeing is the liberation of Mother Earth”. The Indigenous Nasa peoples have been seeking the ‘liberation’ of the territory of the hacienda for years, regularly occupying the fields and buildings, and blocking the road that runs between the property and the Nasa reservation of Huellas. Behind the line of riot police, soldiers patrolled the buildings of the ‘Hacienda La Emperatriz’. Two weeks ago, on Mar. 17, they had opened fire on the Nasa, citing a leaflet supposedly delivered by the FARC guerrillas claiming to have infiltrated the indigenous demonstrators. Three Nasa were injured by gunfire. The planters continued sowing the seeds in the growing heat, small handfuls as a symbolic gesture amidst the stumps of sugarcane and the cast tear gas grenades of earlier confrontations. In the distance other groups worked with maize and plantains, often among patches of ground where the sweet fermented smell of burned cane indicated where the plantations had burned during confrontations with the ESMAD. Finally the calm was broken as the riot police drove an armoured vehicle down the road parallel with the fields, a line of police advancing across the cleared plantations to keep pace with it and firing gas and stun grenades at the Nasa. The indigenous responded with catapults and slingshots, and the police line was halted halfway across the sugar fields from where they fired stun grenades and gas grenades coated with marbles. These were lobbed high in the air; their explosion shooting the marbles out like bullets. Other gas and stun grenades were regularly fired parallel with the ground, directly at the bodies of the Indigenous, causing a steady stream of injuries to be treated by the community’s medical teams. Fierce battles regularly erupted where a stream surrounded with bamboo offered cover for each side to attempt to outflank the other. The Nasa used a three-man catapult against the ESMAD, often forcing them back, while the riot police hidden on the other side of the stream responded with missiles fired blindly at the three. A hostile stalemate over the plantation lasted for the rest of the day, the gas clouds blown sometimes one way, sometimes the other.The plains of Colombia’s western Valle del Cauca department are now an expanse of sugar; road trains of coupled trucks haul the cane from the plantations to be refined or used in the creation of ethanol. Across the plantation of La Emperatriz lie proofs of hours worked and records of fumigation tossed onto the ground in past months by contractors of InCauca, the agro-industrial multinational that runs the largest sugar refinery in Colombia and which dominates the region. The same plains once supported a landscape of leafy savannah where communities produced numerous crops. One can read of this world as recently as the late nineteenth century in the work of local journalist and chronicler Luciano Rivera y Garrido, who described, “Riparian forests, thick carpets of dark green… vast plains covered with forests, over there pastures, yonder hamlets… small valleyssowed with seeds, clogged woodlands… quaint huts of peasants… golden light… sapphire sky.” A mixed landscape has been reborn in the land on the other side of the road. A hacienda similar to La Emperatriz has been meticulously maintained–and now, painted with Nasa symbols and iconography, serves as the community health centre and music schoo.. Te surrounding land is held in common though dotted with parcels of land where individual families farm their own mixed crops, interspersed with forest and pasture. The territory of the Huellas reservation was a cattle ranch until the Nasa retook it; the road that forms the boundary between the reservation and La Emperatriz running along the edge of the plain and below the gentle foothills of the Sierra Occidental. “Before this we had no land”, said a former governor of Huellas. He continued, “We came from high up and had to work for two days a week for nothing other than the permission to be here through the system of the ‘teraje’. Then around 1971 we established the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN), and we refused to pay the teraje. The local powers responded with threats and assassinations, but we had found our voice. The elders teach us that we lived in the plains until 1915, when the police came from Cali trip to evict everyone who refused to leave for the mountains.” ACIN became a driving force in the indigenous movement of Colombia, and as part of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) its successes in overcoming state and paramilitary violence to reclaim ancestral land and oppose the export economy of intensive agriculture have gained it support beyond indigenous Colombia. In 1985, the national government was pressured into passing Decree 865, which led to the establishment of the Commission of Land for the People of Cauca, but the government machinery proceeded at a snail’s pace in realising promises of land reform. In October 1991, with threats and attacks rising against Nasa occupying haciendas, the CRIC and indigenous councils of northern Cauca asked that the Government intervene to prevent a massacre and pass 15,663 hectares to the indigenous community to settle claims. The government did not respond. On 16 December 1991, 50 armed men in military style uniforms shot 21 Nasa to death in the El Nilo hacienda. An investigation pointed to the involvement of Major Jorge Enrique Durán Argüelles, police commander of the Second District of Santander de Quilichao, and Captain Fabio Alejandro Castañeda Mateus, commander of the anti-narcotics company of that unit, along with numerous police personnel, but the charges were dropped. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights investigated the El Nilo massacre from 1993 to 1997, publishing its recommendations in 2001 urging Colombia to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the massacre, including police officers; to make social and integral reparation to the Nasa people; and to guarantee the non-repetititon of similar acts. The government had belatedly signed an accord in Bogotá on 23 December 1991 that promised to return the requested land to the Nasa, but only a portion of this has been legally transferred. In 2001 further massacres occurred at Gualanday, San Pedro, and Maya. The government has never accepted responsibility for the massacres, and the return of properties has consistently relied on pressure from the Nasa. “We lost many people killed in order to reclaim this finca” said the ex-governor of Nasa. “The narco-traffickers, the land-owners, and the police were all involved. Now they call themselves the Black Eagles or the Rastrojos, but they’re just the same people. When we pressure the government to fulfil its promises to return our land the intimidation increases. Three months ago we had paramilitaries passing along the road in front of the reservation shouting threats against the current governor. They said they were from the Rastrojos but the name is not important.” We had walked into the foothills to see the transformation of Huellas in the years since it had been passed to indigenous control. Between the land returned to woodland, fields of mixed crops of beans, yuca, plantain, coffee and maize were interspersed with citrus groves and pasture. The plain spread out beneath us, the endless sugar sugar plantations extending to Cali and beyond; the explosions of gas grenades and white smoke rising beyond the furthest trees of Huellas showed where the daily struggle to reclaim the plains continued. The current governor emphasized in assemblies each morning that the focus of the struggle was to recuperate the land and to liberate Mother Earth. “We are Indigenous, we know how to care for the land,” she told the community, before its members prepared to return to the struggle at La Emperatriz. “Focus on your replanting of the land, don’t provoke the fighting.” The Nasa would then line up to have their heads bathed in a herbal mixture prepared by the spiritual guide. Then, they would cross from Huellas into La Emperatriz. The struggle for control of the fields is currently swinging in favour of the Nasa; the increased repression serving only to boost the numbers of those coming to the property. The riot police are growing reluctant to spend each day before the slings and catapults in the fields; but at the same time, as they begin to remain closer to the confines of the buildings of the hacienda the number of threats has multiplied. By night the fields are deserted by the Nasa; “In the dark the police would shoot us dead” they say, “The ‘Black Eagles’ is just the name they use at night”. A similar pattern of disengagement followed by threats has occurred in the properties between the sugar-producing town of Corinto and neighbouring Nasa communities, where ESMAD police wielded machetes and fired live bullets injuring four Nasa who were contesting the ownership of the sugar plantations of Quebrada Seca and Garcia. The escalation of violence prompted the UN to negotiate an agreement in which the police and army occupied the hacienda buildings of the contested haciendas of Miraflores, Quebrada Seca, Granadillo, and Garcia, while the Nasa are left in possession of the fields. The first two properties are owned outright by InCauca, the sugar company that rents the other two properties as well as La Emperatriz. Nasa have also received firearms injuries from the private security company of InCauca. A leaflet from the Black Eagles circulated in Corinto last week, promising the “social cleansing” of the area and the eradication of the “bandits” in the sugarcane plantations. The paramilitaries ordered a regional curfew of 10pm. Threatening prominent Nasa, they signed off with: “United for a northern Cauca without Indians”. This week, the Government issued eviction orders for some of the settlements the Nasa have been establishing in the contested fields around Corinto. From the Monday until Wednesday the same property also seen a Nasa Assembly develop a “plan of life” for the communal ‘recuperation’ of the land. Around the assembly the former sugar-plantation was already growing with indigenous maize, such as the planters had been sowing at La Emperatriz. During the struggle at La Emperatriz the plantain sapling they had planted was later uprooted when the ESMAD gained control of that part of the field, but in the days that followed it was replanted and likely grows still. The teacher who had spoken of the liberation of Mother Earth as
from Bleecker Street this time, was particularly delicious. It wasn’t too dirty, only dripping a little bit of juice onto your plate (or lap) but it’s nothing you can’t manage. I also liked the fact that when you flip the burger around it definitely tastes like a Bleecker Street burger on one side and a Lucky Chip burger on the other. One of my fellow Methods Unsound compadres who came with me said that it tasted how you had always hoped a Big Mac would taste, but never did because McDonald’s lied to you. I wholeheartedly loved it. I would come back every day to eat one of these if they let me. I hope that Bleecker Street and Lucky Chip continue their romance and stay in love forever more, because I certainly am. Notes and tips This is apparently a ticketed event, but tickets are free and you can get hold of them on Eventbrite. However, the need for tickets was seemingly pointless as we turned up obediently with tickets in hand and were not asked for them once. It’s pretty much a free for all. As anyone can walk into the pub and sit down to have a pint, be warned that it will be busy. Get there early if you want to a seat and eat at a decent time as you need to occupy a table before you can order food. We got there about 7pm and had to go to a different pub for a couple of hours to let the crowds die down. I think we ended up eating about 10pm. The dates on the Eventbrite link are confusing as it says the event is running until October 31st. I think this is a lie though and the collaboration is only running until October 6th. Get down there now or you will rue the day that you missed this delicious burger treat! SCORES OUT OF 5 Bun: 5/5 Patty: 5/5 Cheese & extras: 5/5 Overall: 5/5 Still hungry? Maybe you’ll find something equally finger-licking in our review of Meat Yard, Hammersmith. Author: Toni Ratcliff Date: 2015-10-02 Title: Bleecker Street and Lucky Chip's World Peace Double Bacon Cheeseburger Rating: 5The Sheet has learned Impact Wrestling officials were very unhappy with Josh Mathews for saying “shoot yourselves” to the hosts of a podcast … and he got a stern warning for the future. Mathews got into with someone on Twitter yesterday and told them, “Ohh, ‘Real Shoot Wrestling Podcast!’ Taking offense! 😳😳 Did you guys book a great ‘SHOOT style promo!’ You should really shoot yourselves.” Sources with direct knowledge tell us management saw the tweet and weren’t happy at all, something they quickly expressed to the play-by-play announcer for future reference. The tweet has since been deleted. However, Josh still has another up that features a screengrab of his comment … which he quote tweeted to call the person a stooge for tagging Impact on Twitter. We reached out to Mathews about all of this, but he wasn’t able to comment.Getty Images The Cowboys coaching staff is busy actually coaching this week at the Senior Bowl, but they’re also trying to fill some needs on staff as well. After defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson left for Atlanta, the Cowboys are interviewing former University of Miami coach Al Golden today. “He’s somebody that we’ll talk to, yes. I don’t know if he’s going to join it,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said, via Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “But we’re going to be interviewing. There will be several names to pop up in terms of possible additions to our staff after we lost Jerome. He’s one of them, and there’ll be more.” Golden has never coached at the NFL level, but he was a head coach at Temple and Miami, and previously a defensive coordinator at Virginia under longtime coach Al Groh. He also coached linebackers at Boston College and Penn State.The pro-GamerGate site “Reaxxion” had to disown an essay it published after it was revealed to have been a lightly edited version of a 1966 propaganda advertisement for the anti-communist John Birch Society. In the piece — entitled “#Gamergate Is A Critical Battle In The War To Save Western Society” — author “Allan Quatermain” simply replaced the word “Communist” with the abbreviation for “social justice warrior” (SJW), and “John Birch Society” with “Gamergate.” For example, the section “Which side of this divide are you really on?” provides a point-by-point comparison: “The SJW’s seek unlimited power for themselves over the entire human race, no exceptions. Gamergate does not want any power at all over anybody, either now or in the future.” The original advertisement reads: “The Communists seek unlimited power for themselves, over the whole human race. The John Birch Society does not want power at all over anybody, either now or in the future.” Similarly, the second point in the John Birch Society advertisement, “The Communists believe that any means may be used to attain their ends,” becomes “The SJW’s believe that any means may be used to attain their ends.” When “Reaxxion” founder and editor “Roosh” learned that “part of this article may have heavily borrowed from a 1966 anti-communism article published by the John Birch Society,” he did not acknowledge that it may have been a deliberate hoax — an attempt to associate a pro-GamerGate group with the notoriously conspiratorial John Birch Society. Instead, he merely wrote that he was “currently investigating and will provide a second update within a day or two.” Two days later, he did provide a second update in which he noted that “[t]he author of this article, Allan Quatermain, has not gotten back to me about the similarities his article shares with one published by the John Birch Society.” He did not mention that the author in question, “Allan Quatermain,” shares his name with the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard’s popular novel King Solomon’s Mine. Roosh “concluded that deliberate borrowing has indeed taken place,” but said no more about it than to note that it was “at odds with standard journalistic practice that we follow here at Reaxxion.”The field of phylogenetics is changing rapidly with the application of high-throughput sequencing to non-model organisms. Cost-effective use of this technology for phylogenetic studies, which often include a relatively small portion of the genome but several taxa, requires strategies for genome partitioning and sequencing multiple individuals in parallel. In this study we estimated a multilocus phylogeny for the North American chorus frog genus Pseudacris using anonymous nuclear loci that were recently developed using a reduced representation library approach. We sequenced 27 nuclear loci and three mitochondrial loci for 44 individuals on 1/3 of an Illumina MiSeq run, obtaining 96.5% of the targeted amplicons at less than 20% of the cost of traditional Sanger sequencing. We found heterogeneity among gene trees, although four major clades (Trilling Frog, Fat Frog, crucifer, and West Coast) were consistently supported, and we resolved the relationships among these clades for the first time with strong support. We also found discordance between the mitochondrial and nuclear datasets that we attribute to mitochondrial introgression and a possible selective sweep. Bayesian concordance analysis in BUCKy and species tree analysis in *BEAST produced largely similar topologies, although we identify taxa that require additional investigation in order to clarify taxonomic and geographic range boundaries. Overall, we demonstrate the utility of a reduced representation library approach for marker development and parallel tagged sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq for phylogenetic studies of non-model organisms.Fey Touched Tiefling Creatures both beautiful and frightening, these tieflings can not hide the fey blood pulsing through their veins. The haunting result of a correlation between devil and fey, their ancestry can most commonly be traced back to followers of The Winter Court. Winter fey creatures who made dark pacts to further their power in the name of The Frost Prince. Though, not all tieflings are conceived from this union however, some are kin to elves while others are natives born to the Feywild. A life of constant stares and whispers, these fey touched are often not trusted more so than their more common brethren and first must prove their loyalty before they can truly be called an ally. Tiefling Variant When you choose this subrace you may choose the following features to replace the original tiefling racial traits: Inherently Keen, Winter Court Resistance, and one of Frost Prince's Bloodline, Half-Elven Hellborn, or Faerie Flight. Additionally, you speak, read, and write Common, Infernal and your choice of either Elvish or Sylvan. Inherently Keen Your Intelligence score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2. This feature replaces the Ability Score Increase trait. Winter Court Resistance You have resistance to cold damage. This feature replaces the Hellish Resistance trait. Appearance Because of your Fey heritage, your physical attributes might differ from that of other tieflings. You may choose to have 1d4+1 of the following features: instead of horns you have antlers sprouting from your head; copper, bronze, green, bluish-white or white skin; you have patches of tree bark grown over parts of your body; goat like legs; cloven hooves; fangs or sharp teeth; long, pointed ears; small, slender build. Frost Prince's Bloodline You know the Minor Illusion cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Armor of Agathys spell at 2nd level once per day. When you reach 5th level you can cast the Misty Step spell once per day. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait. Half-Elven Hellborn You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and magic can't put you to sleep. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait. Faerie Flight You have gossamer-like wings sprouting from your shoulder blades. You have a flying speed of 30 feet. This trait replaces the Infernal Legacy trait.I put up my first route in 1977. It was a crappy, 30-foot line that climbed a crumbling cliff of shale just downstream from a sausage plant. To call the cliff “loose” would be like calling George W. Bush “dim.” I excavated the hand and footholds with a geology hammer as I went and pounded in railroad spikes I’d picked up off the nearby tracks—not into cracks, mind you, but directly into the decomposing mud/rock. I called the route Eiger II. Why did I throw my 13-year-old self into such an absurd adventure? Well, I’d read about climbing in a book called In High Places, and Dougal Haston was always doing first ascents so I thought that’s what I should be doing, too. Plus, there were no other established climbs within five hours of Plano, Texas, where I lived, so if I wanted to climb, I had to make my own routes. Since then I’ve established hundreds of climbs from shit piles to lauded classics, but in the interim between that first POS and my latest masterPOS, my motivation has changed. Now I don’t do first ascents because I have to or for fame or because I’m obsessed. I equip them for you, dear climber. Here’s a little secret: First ascentionists just want to be loved. All us guys with our drills, haulbags of hardware and oozing knuckle gobies are secretly pining for the kind of affirmation someone gave me the other day (after chastising me for not using stainless steel bolts). “You’ve put up some pretty good routes, I guess,” he said. That’s the kind of statement that melts a first ascentionist’s heart. When all’s said and done, that’s what keeps our drills spinning. Trust me, praise like that is rare indeed. People are far more likely to point out your routes’ faults than utter a word of admiration, but a compliment to a first ascentionist is like a pat on an unctuous dog’s head. The love. Wag, wag. Show me the love. After almost 40 years of doing first ascents I’ve learned a few things about climbers and what they like in a route. So for those who, like me, are looking for a little love, I’ve summarized the 5 most important ways to make people love your routes. 1. Make it accessible. Location, location! Rule number one for establishing routes that everyone will love is to locate your climb no more than 10 minutes from the parking area. The quality of the rock can have an inverse proportion to the time it takes to reach the base. Take the Arsenal in Rifle as an example. Despite the fact that entire sections of this roadside wall have fallen off, bolts and all, I’ve actually heard it described as “beautiful rock.” If your climb is located more than 10 minutes away from the road, you will need to resort to advanced trail making. Simply stamping out a path will not suffice. You will need to clear away all vegetation that might brush against the bare arms of approaching climbers or potentially snag their packs. If the crag is uphill, you’ll need to construct switchbacks and stairs out of treated 4x4s and rebar stakes. Don’t forget to mark any confusing passages with cairns. Remember, if someone gets lost on the way to your route, or breaks a sweat, they will inevitably tell others that the crag is a shitpile. If your crag is 20 minutes off the road, you’ll need to supply cold lemonade. If your crag is located 30 (or more) minutes off the road and at the top of a steep hill, no one will ever climb there no matter how much work you put into the trail. 2. Clean it. You may not realize it by looking at their cars, or by the eau-de-roadtrip armpit stank lingering around their discarded t-shirts, but sport climbers are incredibly fastidious people. To satisfy the whims of today’s climbers, you’ll need to thoroughly swab every inch of rock within swinging distance of the bolt line. Start by removing any loose (or loose-looking) flakes with a pry bar. Keep in mind that sport climbers scare easily. If your route has a firmly attached piece of rock on it that appears loose, pry that sucker off, because if a climber gets scared on your route (see #3) they will pronounce it a shitpile. After you remove any loose-looking rock, sweep the face with a hand broom, then take a wire brush and scrub off all stubborn debris. Then use a large-gauge plastic tube to blow away any dust. Then use a small wire brush and small-gauge tube to plumb any pockets. Then do it all again … and again, until not a speck of dust remains on the mirror of your climb, because if a sport climber touches dust, dirt, lichen, moss, bird poop or a loose flake on your route, they will tell everyone that the route is a shitpile. 3. Overbolt it. Back in the 1970s, climbing’s cognoscenti had ruled that bolts must be used only as a last resort. I learned to climb at Enchanted Rock near Austin, Texas, and at Quartz Mountain in Oklahoma, areas where face climbs might have one bolt every 50 feet—if you were lucky. However, as mentioned above, today’s sport climbers frighten easily and the rules have changed. Many of the routes I cut my teeth on have been retro-bolted to assuage the fragile psyches of today’s climbers. These days, bolts are placed no more than a body-length apart when the climbing is challenging. If you choose to engineer run outs into your sport climb (i.e. pass up obvious stances where a climber could clip a bolt), and allow today’s squeamish tribe to experience a jolt of fear, they will pronounce your climb a shitpile and call you an asshole in the comments on Mountain Project. My rule of thumb is to bolt a climb so that I feel perfectly safe at all times—and then add a couple. 4. Overgrade it. Concomitant with the fact that sport climbers scare easily is the psychological detail that they have very fragile egos. If you wish to be loved by them you must coddle their desire to appear mighty. Therefore, let this rule be burned into your heart like a brand: Thou shall not sandbag. I’ve had excellent results with taking the grade I feel the route to be and adding a letter grade (or two). Do this and people will love your route. Ignore this advice and people will label your route a shitpile. 5. Give it a Funny Name. We’re living in the age of irony. My original route, Eiger II, the short, scruffy climb near the pig farm, was actually perfectly named if I’d been trying to be ironic. I wasn’t, but you get the idea. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Even though you’ve spent days and lots of money making a trail, equipping, cleaning and sending your climb, it’s time to let go. I think it was Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet, who wrote that all works of art are flowers for the void. So breathe and smile through your tears when it’s time to say goodbye. Give your baby a funny name and send her out into the world with a grin. Thunderballs, Super Garbage or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better are all appropriate names. Remember, if you appear to take yourself too seriously, people will attack you on Mountain Project and tag your climb a shitpile.Dec 1, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) looks on from the court during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Washington Wizards are fickle and there is no fix in sight John Wall grabbed an inbound pass, raced down the court with blistering speed, his threatening gravity drawing four defenders to him. Bradley Beal, who ran with purpose to the left corner, sat wide open. Wall found his partner with a line drive pass that we have seen many times before. Beal, 0-5 from three to that point, calmly swished the shot. The Wizards led the Cleveland Cavaliers, 72-52, in the third quarter at Quicken Loans Arena, a feat that silenced a once undefeated crowd. That’s Washington Wizards basketball. A defensive stop, fast break, and three-pointer with an assist from John Wall. It was the team’s trademark throughout last season, a magical ride that suffered little breaks from winning basketball. via GIPHY But as soon as Washington recovered the confidence and shooting touch against Cleveland on December 2, — two traits that suddenly all disappeared during the prior four-game losing streak — it was all taken away just a day later against the Los Angeles Lakers. Wall, who put on a peerless performance in Cleveland (35 points, 10 assists, 5 steals, 4 rebounds) played arguably even better against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (34 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals). On the other hand, Beal — the Wizards’ top scorer — put up just 11 points in 38 minutes on 4-12 shooting. He didn’t play well against the Cavaliers either — 18 points in 42 minutes on 6-19 shooting. Even with Wall performing at his highest level since April, the Wizards couldn’t beat the Lakers team that lost to an 0-18 Philadelphia 76ers squad. Is it plausible for a team to muster everything they’ve got against the second-best team in basketball one night, only to leave it all in the locker room the next? Apparently, yes. First, this 3-15 Lakers team is bad. Its flaws are accentuated with Kobe on the floor (at least it was, until he scored 31 points on 10-24 shooting against the Wizards shoddy defense). Bryant uses up 29.8% of the Lakers’ total possessions in the midst of the worst shooting season of his career. It’s a shame it’s even possible for that kind of basketball to win games. Before looking into the stats, I assumed that John Wall is the super-glue that holds this team together. Without Wall, this team would be having a complete breakdown, right? Not exactly. The stats show that Wall’s performance has little bearing on a win or loss. When Wall shoots over 45%, the Wizards are 3-3 45%, the Wizards are 3-3 When Wall shoots under 45%, the Wizards are 4-6 45%, the Wizards are 4-6 When Wall has 7 or more assists, the Wizards 7-3 The last stat makes obvious sense: when his teammates are making shots, Wall gets more assists, the Wizards win games. But when he himself is efficient offensively, the Wizards are.500 so far, at best. So if it’s not Wall, maybe it’s Bradley Beal. When Beal shoots over 45%, the Wizards are 3-3 45%, the Wizards are 3-3 When Beal shoots under 45%, the Wizards are 2-5 Nope. The backcourt efficiency has no correlation with wins. How about when they are both playing well? When Wall and Beal both score over 17 points, the Wizards are 4-3. 17 points, the Wizards are 4-3. When Wall and Beal both shoot over 45%, the Wizards are 1-0. 45%, the Wizards are 1-0. When Wall and Beal both shoot under 45%, the Wizards are 7-8 Another dead end. Granted, Beal has missed three games, and this isn’t the best sample size, but the data is there. If there was a player or combination of players Washington could rely on offensively to win games, we would likely see it somewhere. The obvious answer is the defense. Otto Porter hasn’t developed on that end nearly as well as expected; he is allowing opponents to shoot 11.1% better than the league average. Wall and Gortat have been fine, but the same isn’t true for the rest of the roster. The Wizards are 25th in points allowed and 29th in opponent 3P%. Even so, this team is hard to figure out. Landmark wins against the Spurs and Cavaliers are accompanied by 111-78 drubbings at the hands of the Celtics. It’s not as if Wall, the unquestioned leader of this team with Paul Pierce now gone, is unfit. He is a very astute individual that was aware of his future stardom from a young age, according to Reddit user Minia15. He doesn’t treat the media with kid gloves as many players like to do; rather, he takes criticism head on and filters it into motivation — an essential trait for success on this stage. Many a player has come up short due to the absence of that ability. “When you’re playing well, you can’t just read and look at everything everybody’s saying great about you,” Wall said in a recent interview. “When you’re playing bad, you gotta look at the film, when you’re playing bad, you gotta take the criticism people say about you…When I go out there and play I wanna be great every night…So I don’t take [any] grudge or disappointment in what [the media says]. I just use it as more motivation and encouragement to help me get out of my slump.” His leadership skills have improved drastically since his was drafted. The problem isn’t with him. So where can this team go to find a fix? It’s a conundrum. The trade market is their best bet, because there clearly isn’t any in-house fix. The clock is ticking.WALLED LAKE (WWJ) – A Walled Lake medical marijuana dispensary was raided by federal agents Tuesday morning as part of an ongoing investigation. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rich Isaacson told WWJ Newsradio 950 agents executed a search warrant at the Caregivers of America facility on Decker Road. Isaacson would provide no further details as the warrant is sealed and the investigation is ongoing. The DEA is the lead agency in the investigation and local and state police are assisting. Micheal Grant, a liaison for the medical marijuana industry in Michigan said that he was at this dispensary a couple of days ago. Grant told WWJ’s Ron Dewey that everything seemed to be on the up and up. “As a liaison, I’m always upset to see anybody that’s not in compliance. It jeopardizes the program. It makes my job doing PR harder,” Grant said. There’s no need for the greed. The people, you know, getting raided — they’re not giving this to charity. This is about greed, in the end, I’m afraid,” he said. Under state law, people who have obtained doctor approval and state-issued cards are permitted to possess and use marijuana. Licensed caregivers are permitted to grow up to 12 plants in controlled situations and sell marijuana to up to five patients. Outside the facility, Thursday, WWJ’s Marie Osborne spoke with Patty Weer, who has a state-issued card to use marijuana. She asked agents what they were doing. “I said to him, if it’s legal in Michigan and we have cards — we’ve had several back surgeries — so, we have our cards. So, I said, what makes you want to come out on any given day?” Weer said. There has been plenty of controversy in Oakland County about medical marijuana ever since voters approved the medical marijuana ballot proposal a couple of years ago. Oakland County prosecutor Jessica Cooper said she wants to end confusion surrounding the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. Cooper said under the law, marijuana dispensaries of any kind are illegal in Michigan. However, attorney Neil Rockind, who represents medical marijuana patients, said that’s absolutely not true. “It’s very simple. Voters wanted patients to have access to marijuana for medical purposes. That’s the spirit and intent behind the law. And the law doesn’t prohibit dispensaries,” Rockind said. As agents were leaving the dispensary, Tuesday, patient Colleen Moran pulled up. She said she had been patronizing the business for about a month. Moran said she was asked by DEA agents if anything suspicious was going on inside. “No, not at all… not at all. They’re very professional, I thought. I don’t understand what the problem is,” she said.DARWINITE Jack Noble and his mates from Victoria couldn’t believe their luck when their little kelpie Murphy came across a gigantic 168.9kg boar on Friday. The monstrous beast won the hunters first prize in the 2017 Pig and Pussy Hunt at the weigh in at the Noonamah Tavern on Saturday. Jack said he and his mates Jack Gruszkowski, Neil Quanchi and Mick Gruszkowski were stoked to take home $12,000 in cash and prizes for their 148.3kg dressed boar. “We’re still on a high from the weekend,” he said. Not only did Mr Noble and his friends take out the biggest boar in the senior division, but young Jack Gruszkowski won the junior title with his 112kg dressed boar. “It’s been great celebrating with a few drinks and reminiscing about our weekend together,” Mr Noble said. The 2017 Pig and Pussy Hunt attracted about 500 people from all corners of the country with hopes of winning part of $30,000 in cash and prizes. Hosted by Coolalinga Guns and Ammo, organisers hope to make the hunting event the biggest in Australia next year.Old Turkish man can’t bring himself to sacrifice his beloved ram BURSA - Doğan News Agency DHA Photo A heartwarming Eid al-Adha story from Turkey has made headlines amid the sacrificial bloodshed, after 73-year-old Teyfik Gülay could not bring himself to slaughter the ram he purchased six months ago, instead deciding to keep it as a pet.However, the softhearted old Gülay, who lives with his son in the northwestern province of Bursa, bought another animal for the holy Feast of Sacrifice.The ram he bought six months ago, which he has named “Murat,” now lives in the small garden of his flat, after unexpectedly turning into a kind of pet while Gülay fed it for six months up to Eid al-Adha. It began to accompany him everywhere he went, even joining him for breakfast.When Murat began walking with him to the supermarket, Gülay finally understood he would not have the heart to have him killed.Gülay bought a bow tie for Murat, before taking him to visits to friends and relatives, a holiday tradition in Turkey but generally for humans only.Gülay told Doğan News Agency that he would feed Murat “until the end of his life.”Photos of the pensioner with Murat went viral over the first two days of the feast, receiving particular praise from animal lovers on Oct. 4, World Animal Day.Michigan State Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis (Photo: Michigan House Republicans) Lansing — The Legislature gave final approval Tuesday to a plan that would allow political candidates to raise unlimited amounts of money through super political action committees. The two-bill package passed the House in a 62-45 vote, with Democrats and some Republicans opposing the legislation. The Senate later gave it a final perfunctory approval, so it heads to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder for consideration. Supporters say the plan updates state law to account for the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC in which business groups and unions were allowed to raise unlimited amounts of cash because both entities are considered people and should be able to exercise their free speech rights through campaign contributions. “This bill is quite the opposite of a dark money concept,” said Rep. Aaron Miller, R-Sturgis, who backed plan. “This bill is a light money concept. This bill has plenty of reporting.” But opponents in Michigan call it “Citizens United on steroids.” The plan would create “independent expenditure committees” under state law that would have no limits on the amounts of money they raise or spend for political campaigns. Rep. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, said the bills “utterly destroy campaign contribution limits” because candidates could help raise money for supposedly independent super PACs, which could then pour unlimited amounts of money back into a committee that the candidate sets up. “I’ve never encountered a constituent who said there should be more money in politics,” Moss said. The state limit for an individual contribution to a candidate’s campaign is currently $1,000. But candidates would be able to raise unlimited contributions for super PACs, going beyond even Federal Election Commission limits that allow federal candidates to raise up to $5,000 for a super PAC. “This is appalling. This is not what we were sent to Lansing to do,” said Rep. Abdullah Hammoud, D-Dearborn. The legislation last week passed the Senate in a 23-12 vote. Republican Sens. Margaret O’Brien of Portage and Tory Rocca of Sterling Heights joined all 10 Democrats in voting against the measure. Snyder has to sign the bills before they could become state law. [email protected] Read or Share this story: http://detne.ws/2wEXQu3Vodafone UK is launching 4G in Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield. This means that any customers in those cities with a 4G-ready phone and a Vodafone Red 4G-ready plan will be able to access speeds typically six times faster than 3G on its new "ultrafast" mobile network. Vodafone is offering its Red 4G-ready customers a choice of free mobile access to Sky Sports Mobile TV or free access to the Spotify Premium music streaming service for six months as part of their package. Customers who sign up for any of its Red 4G-ready plans before the end of October will get an extra 4GB of data per month for the length of their contract. 4G from Vodafone will also come to Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester by the end of October, and the company is pushing towards 98 per cent population coverage by 2015. Meanwhile, EE's 4G service is now available in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Beaconsfield, Blackburn, Burton upon Trent, Coalville, Chester-le-Street, Fleet, Gerrards Cross, Halifax, Hinckley, Houghton-le-Spring and Reigate. 4G from EE now covers the homes and businesses of more than 60 per cent of the UK population, on target to reach 98 per cent by the end of 2014, the company said. “The whole country is excited about 4G, and today we’re making the UK’s fastest 4G network available to people and businesses in even more towns around the UK," said Olaf Swantee, chief executive of EE. "The latest mobile devices are best on 4G, and we’re switching on that superfast experience in more places before the end of the year, making it accessible to even more people.” EE claims that its mobile 4G service lets customers download large files quicker than ever, watch live TV on mobiles without buffering and play live multiplayer games on the go. Both the 4G networks can be accessed on a number of 4G-enabled devices including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, Blackberry Z10, HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4.At the Cultural Typhoon conference at Komazawa University this month, anime writer Dai Satō had ominous words to say during a round table discussion. Joined by film director Tomita Katsuya and music journalist Futasugi Shin to discuss “Living in the City: Hip Hop, Anime, Housing Projects,” Satō—whose esteemed oeuvre includes Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Wolf’s Rain, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex—believes anime will die out in Japan in a few decades, Otaku2 reports. “No one wants to hear about NEET [the unemployed],” he said, expressing his frustrations with the Japanese anime industry. “They’d rather watch a group of high school girls in a band asking, ‘How do I play this note?’” Sub-contracting “We can’t do our own anime,” Satō noted, citing animation studios’ common practice of outsourcing its in-between frames to sub-contractors from other Asian countries, often unversed with the series they’re working on. Game companies, of course, utilize similar practices. For example, educated Chinese denied access to decent jobs, Satō said, often become a core labor force as they can draw the Chinese character-based kanji characters and copy drawings. As a result, he claimed that animation has lost its consistency, starting with the 1982 series Macross (Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe would later helm the Macross Plus OVAs and film). Satō said: Though the “continuity between images was awful … we’ve been doing the same thing ever since.” “Cool Japan” Satō also thinks anime should be resistive and not cool (though, really, as a Bebop writer, he should know that “cool” originally was meant by bebop jazz musicians as a term of resistance); this alongside the fact that anime is no longer even fully Japanese-animated dismisses the notion of a “Cool Japan.” “Japanese pride is part of the national project,” he said—and only on the surface level—though in truth, “Most people have no idea who makes it.” So we continue thinking that anime is Japanese, though really it’s not, and this resistance to anime as a global industry has led to a serious decline in quality. Satō suggested that the wizened Japanese anime industry refused to educate its sub-contractors in special skills or storytelling, in order to maintain its superior position. Disrespect for Storytelling Additionally, he believes that Japanese audiences lack respect for stories. He brought up the example of Ergo Proxy, for which he wrote the story, and its lack of a DVD box set in Japan. Satō also noted that fans dismissed the Eureka Seven series before even watching it, falsely pegging the new show as a clone upon seeing the blue-haired, red-eyed, robot-piloting Eureka‘s similarity to Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s Ayanami Rei. Still, that Eureka Seven decided to draw on what would undoubtedly be seen as a character type evoking Rei—they were assured to invite that sort of outcry. There may be some truth to Satō’s words nonetheless, as he questioned whether the audience even attempts close readings of anime stories. In his view, viewers hardly understand the meaning behind narratives that they experience, being more interested in either kuuki-kei (atmosphere-type) stories or sekai-kei (relationship-type) stories instead of his muzukashii-kei (“difficult”-type) anime. Interestingly, Satō did not criticize ecchi fan-service elements of anime, stating that sexual desire is part of the creative proccess (many animators and mangaka come from an artistic background of erotic material; e.g. Ito Ogure of Air Gear and Shōji Satō of Highschool of the Dead). As Otaku2 observes, “Satō seems to be making a sustained attack on kuuki-kei and sekai-kei stories, or stories where personal problems are equated with problems of the entire world, without the intervention of society or the state.” “If we are always escaping from reality and real problems,” asked Satō, “when will we face them?” Anime’s turn to a “super establishment system” of obsessive marketing and merchandising is the ultimate betrayal for Satō. “Miyazaki Hayao (Hayao Miyazaki) was a communist,” he told the round table angrily. “He was fighting the system!” A strong dissenter against materialism, Miyazaki would likely express similar views; you may recall his less-than-flattering review of the “masturbatory” iPad. Anime is doomed Satō compared otaku and rappers, saying that they were not too dissimilar, both focusing their attention and communicating through creation. To him, the notion that otaku are vastly “different,” whether for better or for worse, is simply media hype (though he likely doesn’t know America’s very own rapper-otaku Soulja Boy, a convincing case for arguing otherwise). Praising the doujinshi (independent) scene, he expressed his hope that anime would take a page from the “underground” quality of rap, which he equated with manga: “Manga is the last hold out. If that is lost, there will
San Francisco is below … 1. Based on the forest of skyscrapers in the “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” skyline, it’s clear that the progressives don’t win another election for at least the next 200 years. I think it’s fair to assume that a Lennar Corp.-bankrolled Super PAC teams with the frozen head of Rose Pak to control the election of every single San Francisco mayor in the 22nd Century. The TransAmerica Pyramid looks like a garden gnome in this image (from the 2009 “Star Trek” movie, which appeared in an earlier story by my colleague, San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King). Those buildings going up in the background appear to be at least 200 stories tall. Forget law or business degrees. Both my children are going to skip graduate school and join Sprinklerfitters Local 483. When I look at these photos I see nothing but overtime for the unions … 2. You know what I don’t miss in real life? The Embarcadero Freeway. But the concept of an elevated road in San Francisco’s Financial District appears to have made a big comeback in the 2200s. In defense of our future city planners, the second deck looks a lot more streamlined now compared to then, combining the best qualities of the High Line in New York with a Hot Wheels track. Note the parklet and what looks like a central pedestrian walkway. I’m guessing the builders had to fund that and some low-income housing to get this deal done. (The best part of this alternative route elevated roadway: It renders Critical Mass impotent. Thanks, 23rd Century San Francisco city planners!) Needless to say, every single member of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association saw what was happening to the city and died of a heart attack in 2041. And the 2260 Warriors are playing in a super-shiny new arena where Golden Gate Park used to be … 3. Isn’t this just like San Francisco? Flying cars are available to the consumer, so someone in the supervisor’s office figured out how to rig up red light cameras and a FasTrak kiosk 200 feet up in the air. I’m imagining (minor spoiler) Mr. Spock returning to his apartment after a long day fighting John Harrison on the top of this red spaceship, and discovering that 15 tickets have arrived in his U.S. Postal Cyber-Queue. On the positive side, this is way less air traffic than I would have imagined, considering the population of San Francisco looks like it has topped about 17 million. 4. Judging by the jukebox-style appearance and architecture that doesn’t mesh with the rest of the city, this can only be the “Star Trek” San Francisco Marriott. Somewhere in the 23rd Century, John King is rolling over in his grave. In other news, concrete facades look as if they’ve made a comeback in the 2200s, so should we assume U.S. geologists have found a cure for earthquakes? Bad segue, but after watching “Star Trek: Into Darkness” and viewing these photos, I’m 95 percent certain that my beloved Sutro Tower has been removed and replaced by more 300-story live-work lofts. (The author does his best “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” Captain Kirk imitation.) “SUUUUUUUUUUUTRO!” 5. Let’s go on a tangent here, to talk about signage. While you can build mile-high skyscrapers pretty much wherever you want in future San Francisco, apparently there’s been a ban on even the most tasteful of corporate building signs. In the movie, the most prominent neon marker is the “Port of San Francisco” sign on the Ferry Building. No Coca Cola billboards. No Charles Schwab. How do people know where the Starbucks are?!? For the sake of argument, let’s assume this building to the right of Benedict Cumberbatch is the 2259 version of the Handlery Union Square Hotel, and they continue to advertise on KNBR. “Hi. This is John Handlery the 14th, for the Handlery Union Square Hotel. Has your girlfriend ever asked you for something with sizzle, and you give her a food synthesizing replicator? It’s happened to all of us … “ While Handlery’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson is running things in 2260, the Shane Company ads are still being recorded by the original Tom Shane. That dude is going to live forever. But I digress … 6. Is that a Muni bus? That looks like a Muni bus! “Star Trek: Into Darkness” offered clear glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and the aforementioned Port of San Francisco sign. And from what I can tell, that’s the 14 Mission puttering down the street on the top of the frame. Why is there a 21st (or is it 20th) Century bus in “Star Trek”? Is it possible that Muni buses from 2013 will some day be considered with the same level of nostalgia that our current generation appreciates cable cars? Either way, ILM, for the next sequel please remember to stack the buses in frustrating rows of three. Unless you’re absolutely convinced that 94,120 days is going to be enough to fix the transportation agency. One positive thought: Note all of the available parking in this frame. I’m guessing that teleportation has made driving all but obsolete. Plus, by the year 2259, inflation will raise meter rates to $235 for six minutes. One very sad thought: I haven’t been able to spot a single yellow San Francisco Chronicle news rack in these “Star Trek: Into Darkness” images. We’ll just assume that residents in the year 2259 favor the Chronicle’s newspaper home delivery option. Image: Courtesy ILM 7. I’m not sure if this is a refinery, cold fusion reactor or an art piece in the middle of San Francisco, but it’s making me miss the understated beauty of the Vaillancourt Fountain. This mass of pipes and tanks is flush next to a park, which confirms that the Sierra Club disappeared somewhere around the year 2050. In more positive news, there appear to be no homeless people in the year 2259 — I vaguely recall a reference in an earlier “Star TRek” to unemployment falling below 1 percent. I’m pretty sure I spotted a pair of umbrellas over what must be a falafel cart or bacon-wrapped hot dog stand. And skateboarders of the 23rd Century are really going to enjoy the park on the right. The comments of the many outweigh the comments of the few … or the one. Your thoughts about future San Francisco below. PETER HARTLAUB is the pop culture critic at the San Francisco Chronicle and founder/editor of The Big Event. He takes requests. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @peterhartlaub. Follow The Big Event on Facebook.-- Published: Monday, 25 September 2017 \| Print \| Disqus I had the opportunity to attend much of the first two days of a 3-day cryptocurrency/blockchain conference in Aspen late last week. I was able to participate in and share small spaces with many interesting viewpoints. Some, like Doug Casey, echoed back to days from over a decade ago when I saw him speak in Vancouver to a much larger packed house. Others were brand new to me, like Colin Cantrell, who explained how bitcoin is run by 7-8 mining pools that currently control the market and how he is developing tech to break this control. Sound familiar, Gold Seekers? What struck me most was the libertarian values that most, if not nearly all there, identified with. One can debate gold vs. bitcoin and passionately disagree, as Schiff v. Keiser did Friday afternoon (View the debate 3 plus hours into the youtube link of 9/21/17 Pt. 2 below). But no matter what detail you can find to disagree about, you can also boil down to the basic ideals that you do agree about: Liberty, freedom, decentralization, and protecting the rights of the individual. The currency market is broken Its a truth that gold bugs like me have known since I was old enough to start paying attention and found gold as the answer to fix the monetary system. Ive been pushing that derivative/paper-naked-shorted rock up the hill for quite some time now. I thought I was going to learn about crypto and blockchain at this conference, and that I did, but what I really learned is that there is still a great hunger in the world to solve this problem of fiat money. Can crypto help wake up millions in the third world by simply getting them a smart phone? The short answer is yes. What is the fix to fiat and our current monetary system? Everyone has a different answer to this important question, but the key point is that it does indeed need fixing. The conference started off on Thursday morning with a rousing speech by Judge Napolitano. He harkened back to Constitutional days which established our inalienable rights before the formation of government. Colin Cantrell then briefly introduced us to immutable ledgers, distributed databases, quantum mechanics, transparency, accountability, and equality. His deep dive into Nexus: State of the Union was saved for the next day. Colins father Jim took over with his personal history and unique experience with space travel and exploration and what may be coming in the years ahead, especially from the private sector. Roger Ver wrapped up the morning session in the main auditorium by shifting from his initial topic to instead introduce us to Free Society and the mission to establish a sovereign territory, with $100 million already raised to start that effort. From there one could split off to any number of things. The main auditorium kept on with more great topics while 3 other meeting rooms offered more intimate seminars and roundtable discussions. I stumbled into a talk by Ernest Hancock and stayed for Jeff Berwick, Doug Casey, and Patrick Byrne. Ernest drew parallels from far out ideas often introduced to us by Star Trek that are now here and really happening today. Jeff explored the implications of 20 trillion dollars of debt and all the liabilities that multiply that number many times. He argued we can decentralize the internet and currency exchange and make government obsolete. Doug spoke about Aristotles characteristics of a good form of money: Durable, Portable, Divisible, Consistent, and Intrinsic Value. How does bitcoin compare to gold? Would it survive an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a solar flare, or other major tech problem? Gold is the only financial asset that is not someone else's liability. Finally, Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock, explored how much revenue the likes of JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley are getting from the little-known world of securities lending. How prime brokers are over locating short sellers, how the pension fund system is breaking, and how the first trillion-dollar lawsuit may be looming. How might pension funds claw back all of that money? Well, the blockchain of course. Patrick went on to talk about his work that resulted in the launch of t zero, the world's first blockchain based trading platform that allows for SEC approved trading of ICOs. Friday kicked off with the great liberal mind of Ed Asner, who expounded upon FDR and how the Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself. We are now 16 years into this war on terror for what? In the 250-year history of the US, only 12 have been years in which the country was not at war with someone, or something. The 2-party political system is failing. Evolution does not have to be slow, and revolution does not have to be quick. Be sovereign in the republic of thyself. I then moved on to an interesting round table discussion on Universal Basic Income, and followed that with an at times heated debate about Russia and media/propaganda. After a quick lunch supplied by the wonderful staff of The Aspen Institute, I moved back into the main auditorium for Colins deep dive into Nexus. My head left spinning, I stuck around for Derrick Broze and his journey to the decentralized lifestyle. Check out freedomcells.org to learn about how you can connect locally with others putting these ideas into practice. Doug Casey took the main stage to talk about the rise and now fall of Western Civilization and how it compares to Rome. He explained why Moores Law did not just start in 1965, but extends all the way back to the invention of fire and then the spear 100,000 years later. The first leaps started then, and have continued to accelerate until now where such leaps occur daily. Dystopian science fiction may be our facts now that the future is here. Catherine Austin-Fitts demanded that you cant solve a political problem with a financial product like crypto. The control system still runs on analog and depends on force. She sees zero chance of the big banks failing. Bitcoin/crypto/digital backers likely dont agree with much if any of that but that debate didnt happen in the halls I visited. Perhaps in the days to come. Crypto backers better read Tim Wus book - The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, first. Joby Weeks gave the jolliest presentation youll ever see at a conference mostly forecasting financial doom and gloom. He also delivered the easiest to understand explanation of bitcoin that Ive seen to date in the limited time he had. Before the epic but ultimately friendly debate with Max Keiser, Peter Schiff was given the opportunity to walk into the Lions Den and give his view on finance first. Hes largely known as the man that predicted the housing bubble, but 2008 was only the beginning of the end. The real bubble is the $USDollar. They managed to reflate the bubble since 2008, but just look at the chart of your choice and youll notice that the dollar has done nothing but fall in 2017. Has its bear finally begun? The Bottom Line Crypto and blockchain are here and making an impact on you whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. They are the latest in a long line of historic accomplishments that expose people to monetary history and the failure of the system in which we currently live. Explore the entire program. Research every speaker and their work. Listen to podcasts. View some of these presentations and panels below. Never Stop Learning. Also, keep an eye on http://www.bitcoinseek.com/. Its still in development, but the preview site is open with the latest headlines and live price moves. Nexus Conference Stream 9/21/17 Pt. 1 Nexus Conference Stream 9/21/17 Pt. 2 Nexus Conference Stream 9/22/17 Pt. 1 Nexus Conference Stream 9/23/17 Pt. 1 Nexus: State of the Union Charles Hoskinson \| Nexus Conference 2017 Panel discussion \| Nexus Conference 2017 Jesse Ventura at Nexus Conference 9-23-17 Ron Paul's Full Speech at the Nexus Conference! 9/23/17 First published on GoldSeek.com, your source for financial truth since 1995. © Gold Seeker 2017 Disclosure: The owner, editor, writer and publisher and their associates are not responsible for errors or omissions. The author of this report is not a registered financial advisor. Readers should not view this material as offering investment related advice. Gold-Seeker.com has taken precautions to ensure accuracy of information provided. Information collected and presented are from what is perceived as reliable sources, but since the information source(s) are beyond Gold-Seeker.coms control, no representation or guarantee is made that it is complete or accurate. The reader accepts information on the condition that errors or omissions shall not be made the basis for any claim, demand or cause for action. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results. Any statements non-factual in nature constitute only current opinions, which are subject to change. Nothing contained herein constitutes a representation by the publisher, nor a solicitation for the purchase or sale of securities & therefore information, nor opinions expressed, shall be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any stock, futures or options contract mentioned herein. Investors are advised to obtain the advice of a qualified financial & investment advisor before entering any financial transaction.COBURG, Ore. - Coburg Police will be offering free rides home on New Year's Eve for those who are too drunk to drive. Chief Larry Larson said the idea was inspired by his mother. "My mom was killed by an intoxicated driver in December 2013 and I just thought, 'There's got to be a way to help shield somebody or a family from going through that kind of pain,'" said Chief Larson. He said he did some research online and found other police departments and tow companies across the country doing the same thing. "If it takes an officer anywhere around 20 minutes to drive somebody to their home, it would be worth it instead of having a DUI crash. It takes several hours to investigate a crash or even more if it's a fatality," said Chief Larson. He said the City of Coburg has an average of 30 DUII arrests a year, with no fatalities so far in 2017. Coburg Police started the program in 2016, but no one took them up on their offer last year. They posted on Facebook that they would be doing the same thing this year and it's been shared nearly 1,500 times. "I am a little bit nervous. I'm having all of our police officers come out to work. If I need to, I'll buy some cab rides...anything to try and get those people home safe," said Chief Larson. He said he's been asked if people outside of Coburg city limits could call for a ride. "If it's anyone in Eugene or Springfield area and we're not backed up on calls or other rides, we'll be glad to give them a ride," said Chief Larson. Larson said they may use some of the funds from their CHETT program to pay for cab rides, if needed. Coburg Police could be reached on New Year's Eve via Junction City dispatch at 541-998-1245. They will be offering free rides from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.MyStyle Suositun vaateliikkeen pukukoppeihin suora näkymä kadulta Helsingin keskustassa – ”Ihmiset vaihtavat vaatteita Mainos (Teksti jatkuu alla) Mainos päättyy Ilta-Sanomiin otti yhteyttä 25-vuotias mies, joka työskentelee Zaran Helsingin keskustassa sijaitsevaa vaateliikettä vastapäätä. Hän on jo pidemmän aikaa ihmetellyt, että Zaran pukukoppeihin on kadulta aivan suora näkymä.Ilta-Sanomat kävi paikalla todentamassa asian ja viiden minuutin aikana kadulle näkyi selvästi, kun nuori nainen vaihtoi yläosaa ja seisoskeli ikkunan edessä pelkät rintaliivit yllään. Pukukoppien kadulle päin olevat ikkunat sijaitsevat vaatekaupan toisessa kerroksessa miesten ja lasten osastolla. Pukukopin ikkunan edessä on vain vaalea lankaverho, joka ei juurikaan peitä näkymää.Ilta-Sanomiin yhteyttä ottanut mies on erityisen huolissaan naisista ja nuorista tytöistä, jotka eivät tiedä, että pukukopin sisälle näkee näin selvästi.– Ei se ole hyvä asia, että ihmiset vaihtavat vaatteita ja kaikki näkevät.– Kollega huomasi tilanteen illalla vielä paremmin, kun täällä oli pimeää ja kopissa oli valot päällä. Nytkin siellä näkyy, että nainen vaihtaa toppia, 25-vuotias kertoo.Ilta-Sanomat otti yhteytti myymälän edustajiin maanantaiaamuna, mutta he eivät halunneet kommentoida asiaa millään tavoin.Indeed, Mr. Tsvetanov chose his words carefully on Tuesday, leaving room for uncertainty. “A reasonable assumption, I repeat a reasonable assumption, can be made that the two of them were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah,” he said. Bulgaria was chosen as a target not only because of the Black Sea’s popularity with Israeli tourists, but also because security there was more lax than in other European countries, said a former senior Western official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The European Commission, the union’s main administrative arm, has long slammed Bulgaria for its corrupt and inefficient judiciary. For years, the majority of contract killings in public places in Bulgaria, more than 150 since 2000, have gone unsolved. Mark Grey, a spokesman for the commission, was quoted by Bulgarian national radio on Tuesday as saying the commission expects “fundamental reform of the judicial system” here. But Bulgarians living along the scenic Black Sea coast did not fear for their safety, or expect a terrorist attack. After the explosion ripped through the bus at the airport in Burgas, officials had to walk a diplomatic tightrope while investigating. Israeli forensic experts descended on the scene. American investigators joined in as well. At first the authorities believed that the attack had been a suicide bombing. The bomb fragments told a different story. Experts from the European Union’s joint law enforcement agency, Europol, found that “the device had been remotely detonated,” the agency said Tuesday. Europol determined that a fake Michigan driver’s license recovered at the scene had come from Lebanon. Police combed the beach-side towns and found an agency where another man with a similar fake license had tried to rent a car. The identity of the Australian was the second major breakthrough. In September, a European intelligence service tipped off the Bulgarians about an Australian bombmaker of Lebanese descent, the former senior Western official said. The intelligence service said he had moved to Lebanon to join Hezbollah’s military wing. Mr. Tsvetanov said Tuesday that the Australian and the Canadian moved to Lebanon, one in 2006 and one in 2010. “It’s time for Europeans to recognize that they can’t look the other way when a terrorist organization is using their territory with impunity for fund-raising and logistics,” said Daniel Benjamin, who until December was the top counterterrorism official at the State Department and is now a scholar at Dartmouth College.All together now! It felt like a lonely game, despite efforts to initiate conversation on my own. Does a lifeless wasteland await after the level cap? That still won't be enough to counter inevitable claims of boredom once a large number of players reach the level cap. Do I look like a tank to you? The problem is that we were dying. A lot. Death in here is even more certain than taxes. The backlash could be catastrophic. I've already witnessed the problem in microcosm. Combat: now with ghost bears. I'm just not convinced that combat's all that "dynamic" or truly different compared to other MMORPGs. It's a little hard to believe that the long wait's almost over. Afterof enduring messianic proclamations from a wildly devoted fanbase about how Guild Wars 2 is going to change the entire MMORPG scene, those of us who preordered ArenaNet's wunderkind get to see if it lives up to the hype this Saturday. I won't deny I'm excited. I haven't looked forward to playing an MMORPG with this level of excitement in years, and I've just finished updating my client so I can jump in as soon as it goes live. But I've been burned before -- no man knows the future, and as with all games of this size and complexity, there are literally a million things that could go wrong. In the spirit of objectivity and healthy skepticism, I present a few of my few lingering concerns:In theory, one of the greatest things about Guild Wars 2 is the way it encourages cooperation by getting rid of the whole "tagging" phenomenon. In other words, if someone outside of your group has already started combat with an enemy, you can still attack that enemy and get credit for your efforts without being grouped with the guy who landed the first blow. This is big. In its best moments, it ditches the anger and frustration that inevitably occurs when some jerk swoops in and kills the named NPC you've been fighting your way to for five minutes.The problem is that, in the beta, this system often creates a bizarre environment in which few people ever talk to one another while questing. Sure, there's usually some chatter going on in the general channels, but I've seen very little of the banter that usually takes place between players in the same questing area when they choose to group instead of fighting over the same enemies. It was only when grouping with some players who weren't aware that Guild Wars 2 doesn't have low-level dungeons that I started to make some friends outside of my own little clique. I've loved my time with Guild Wars 2, but I can't deny that it felt like a lonely game, despite efforts to initiate conversation on my own.This extends to Guild Wars 2's multiple-guild system, which allows you to be a member of multiple guilds at once. This should be a good thing. Over the years, I've amassed a diverse group of MMO friends: some are into hardcore raiding content, some are into player-versus player-combat, and some are into roleplay. I say with little hesitation that most of the guys from one group would never get along with players from the other two, and supposedly such a system would allow me to participate in events with each of them without excluding one of the others. Yet at the same time, I worry that it will harm the little sense of a tight community that exists in contemporary MMORPGs. Take World of Warcraft -- the server community there has been watered down with cross-server group finders and the like, but it's still possible to have a strong sense of allegiance there with a guild. Guild Wars 2 may not.It's long been known that Guild Wars 2 isn't designed as a raider's game, but I worry that it'll suffer something of the same backlash as Star Wars: The Old Republic after a good chunk of its players reached the level cap in a matter of days, cleared all the content, and then started complaining that there wasn't enough content to keep them interested. We already have a good idea of what Guild Wars 2's end game is supposed to be: you can either PvP, run challenging "exploration" mode dungeons, or go back and experience questing content you missed (and because of the level scaling, it won't be stupidly easy, either). In some ways, this is where Guild Wars 2's buy-to-play model shines the brightest -- since there's no subscription, you won't feel like you're wasting your money if you don't play for a few days. Yet that still won't be enough to counter inevitable claims of boredom once a large number of players reach the level cap, and Guild Wars 2's future thus hinges on how well ArenaNet handles these complaints a month or two after launch.The "trinity" of tanks, healers, and damage dealers (or "DPS" to the in-crowd) has been a staple of the MMORPG genre from the beginning, especially as regards PvE combat. Tanks soak up the damage and keep the enemy's attention, healers heal the tanks and occasionally the DPS, and the DPS bring the pain. It's a comfortable system, but it's also limiting since you're stuck with a certain set of gear and you're comparatively powerless once a key member of the trinity dies.Ditching it, as Guild Wars 2 does, thus sounds good, but I find myself wondering how well it works in practice. When I visited ArenaNet a couple of months ago, I had a chance to sit down with some of the developers and play through the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon that most players will get to encounter at level 30. The dungeon itself was a memorable experience, full of surprise experiences that demonstrated that Guild Wars 2's dynamic events even extend to the dungeons on occasion. The problem is that we were dying. A lot. We were all having fun, sure, but I realized I was with a group of people who'd played this game almostfor years now, and yet we could barely make it to the first boss without suffering several wipes. Eventually I (playing an Engineer at the time) just started healing everyone as best as I could, thus settling back into something resembling the traditional trinity setup.If that's what Guild Wars 2's dungeons look like with the people who made them playing, then I tremble to imagine what dungeon runs will be like with the usual ragtag group of random players -- especially if they're not communicating. With the traditional trinity, two of three good players in a group of five can often carry the bad apples in a game like Rift; in its absence, dungeon runs become chaotic, random affairs that I'm sure will erupt into name-calling, group-ditching, and all the other infamous downsides to MMO gaming once Guild Wars 2 gains momentum. And since that's the only real structured activity for PvE players to participate in aside from world bosses, ArenaNet might lose a lot of players who want something to do besides the PvP options. (I find them entertaining, but not everyone will.) And in my experience, that's going to be a very high number indeed.In its current form, Guild Wars 2 already looks like it's on track to be one of the most polished MMORPGs to hit the market in recent years, and playing in the last couple of beta weekend events felt like playing in a fully completed release. Yet one highly anticipated feature still hasn't been implemented, and that's the ability to "guest" on another server that you're not a member of. It's deceptively simple: a player from another server invites you over, and you can quest with them temporarily.It's a feature that I've wanted to try many times, since my friends and I could never decide which servers we were going to play on before a beta event, but it's never made its way onto any of the tests. ArenaNet has remedied this somewhat by allowing free server transfers at launch for the time being, but if they try to implement it during the live game and it goes poorly, the backlash could be catastrophic. I've already witnessed the problem in microcosm when at least three dungeon groups I was in couldn't get a player from another instance of the same zone in with us to start the dungeon, and eventually the groups broke up with sour epithets hurled at ArenaNet and one overly dramatic claim of canceling a preorder. That bitterness, I fear, will explode on a massive scale if the guesting system fails in the same way.According to ArenaNet's own site, Guild Wars 2's combat "is flexible, fast-paced, and dynamic. You'll achieve victory through timing, dodging, and quick thinking, not immobile number-crunching." And it's true that there is plenty of dodging and timing going around, but after several months of beta testing, I'm just not convinced that it's all that "dynamic" or truly different compared to other MMORPGs. For one, I just finished leveling up a Hunter for a new main in World of Warcraft, and while there's no real dodge mechanic in WoW, his Disengage ability allows him to jump out of the way of harmful area-of-effect spells or melee strikes in much the same way that characters in Guild Wars 2 avoid attacks. There's also plenty of timing in involved in WoW, in that I need to use Silencing Shot at just the right second to stop an enemy spellcast while playing as Markmanship, and while specced as Survival, I need to time my Explosive Shot procs so I'm not wasting them by using them at the same time.Playing as a Ranger in Guild Wars 2 (at least with a bow) feels enough like playing a Hunter in World of Warcraft that ArenaNet's combat system doesn't feel as innovative or "dynamic" as it may initially seem. The class itself differs greatly from its WoW counterpart in its use of buffs, melee weapons, and instant shifts of weapons, but even so most attacks still revolve around tabbing and locking onto a target and activating abilities. This is more than enough to keep me happy -- I've never really had a problem with tab-targeting in the first place -- but players expecting the same kind of mobile, crosshair-based action combat that they'll find in TERA will be disappointed. This might be enough to chase away players who avoid games like Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and The Secret World for the same reason: it feels too much like WoW.Of course, none of these things are certain. As with every game launch, there are a terrifying number of "what ifs" that'll remain unanswered right up until we start up the final product and jump in to explore. I'll be in there from the first moments on, so you can expect to see me put each of these fears to the test during the review process.: Nonsense! We all know that Guild Wars 2 will be practically perfect in every way. What could possibly go wrong? Ducks. Is anything in particular worrying you about GW2 that we should check up on at launch?> > > > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2.zip > > > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2. freebsd-32.zip > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2. freebsd-64.zip > > > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2.linux.zip > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd_2.065. 0-b2-0_ amd64.deb > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd_2.065. 0-b2-0_ i386.deb > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ libphobos2- 65_2.065. 0-b2-0_ amd64.deb > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ libphobos2- 65_2.065. 0-b2-0_ i386.deb > > > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2.osx.zip > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2.dmg > > > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2.exe > http:// ftp.digit almars.com/ dmd.2.065. 0-b2. windows.zip > > > > > > http:// d.purem agic.com/ issues/ buglist. cgi?query_ format= advanced& bug_severity= regression& bug_sta tus=NEW& bug_status= ASSIGNED& bug_status= REOPENED > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > We've made a lot of progress towards the 2.065 stable release. Available binaries are as follows:All SystemsFreeBSDLinuxOSXWindowsNote: There are no RPMs available for Suse and Fedora at the moment. They will be provided upon becoming available.The list of current regressions may be accessed here:Following are the changes incorporated since beta 1:DMDIssue 11982 - ICE(func.c) With function literal with no bodyIssue 11974 - ICE(case.c) Segfault with invalid assignmentIssue 11966 - inout(const(char))[] doesn't convert to inout(char)[]Issue 11956 - dmd doesn't lookup /etc/dmd.confIssue 11968 - ICE(expression.c) Crash when deleting __FILE__Issue 11944 - ICE(expression.c) Assertion `f' failed.Issue 11922 - ICE on nonexistent identifier in templated auto methodIssue 11924 - inout Variadic Template ParametersIssue 11896 - isVirtualMethod related GitHub HEAD regression (works with 2.064)Issue 11930 - Alias this not considered in is(T unused: U) matchingIssue 11931 - Linkers "Symbol Undefined" again with dmd HEAD when -g specifiedIssue 11941 - Errors when appending to aggregate member array in CTFEIssue 11967 - ICE(parse.c) Parser crashIssue 11965 - Segfault on garbageIssue 11963 - ICE(parse.c) Parser crashDruntimeNonePhobosRemove duplicate ArchiveMember.madeVersion() property.Rename phobos.html => index.htmlInstallerPull #44 - Build the installer GUI for D2 on OS XPull #43 - add "dustmite" binary on deb/rpm packagesPull #42 - don't zip.git* and.DS_Store filesPull #41 - fix expanding zip files created on WindowsPull #40 - cleanup leftover from merge conflictdlang.orgPull #480 - fix chmgen after renaming phobos.html => index.htmlPull #478 - Revert changelog.dd encoding to UTF-8Pull #477 - Changelog: add notes about std.uni.byGrapheme and std.range.onlyPull #476 - 2.065 changelogtoolsNoneRegards,AndrewThe second largest shipping company in the United States announced recently that it would be acquiring additional vehicles to supplement its fleet during the holidays. The particular vehicle chosen would be none other than the Toyota AE86. The decision, spurred by high shipping demand, would allow the company to more reliably make on-time deliveries, FedEx claimed. While the sport compact might seem like an odd choice for delivering packages, FedEx argued that it is the only vehicle that makes sense for being able to make sure packages arrive safely as well as quickly. “Our traditional delivery trucks understeer far too much to make it possible for fast deliveries to occur on curvy roads,” a representative of FedEx’s national logistics division stated. “
2 runs or less. The Braves are 13th in the NL in HR and only 10 of their 41 HR have come vs righties. Their OPS vs righties is 70 points less than lefties plus he gets them in the pitcher paradise by the Bay. Don’t look now but 1/3 of the way into the season and Matt Cain is one good start away from having an ERA in the three’s. (4.04 right now). Yeah, it has been a while, but you have to have a good memory. Skill sets tend to stay after injuries even if they lay dormant for a few seasons. No, he will never lead the league in K’s or ERA, but you can have him for free in most leagues. DFS PLAYERS: You may want to rethink starting him: Jason Vargas, LHSP KC @ NYY MON 5/21: I hope you did not listen to me last week when I suggested Vargas at home vs the Yankees. Vargas was pitching filthy before that game, sporting a 1.01 ERA and.918 WHIP. He was 5-1 with a 39/8 K/BB in 44.7 IP. Vargas had the best K and Walk rates of his career. Split wise over his career May has always been his best month and his home ERA is a full run and a quarter lower than his away since he’s been in KC. Last week I said, “Yeah, Sell High before June 1!” I hope you did. Now it is probably too late. The Yanks had their way with him scoring six runs in four innings and he gets them again, this time in the friendly hitting confines of Yankee Stadium. Matt Harvey, RHSP, NYM vs SD TUE 5/23: Harvey burned me last week in DFS. I know, shame on me, but it looked like he had a cake matchup facing the Braun-less Brewers in Milwaukee. He gave me a 5/5/5, as in IP, ER, BB. I finished 11 points outside the money, and the difference was the 12 point spread between Harvey and Ervin Santana who was the same price pre-game. The Brewers are far more formidable than the Padres making this game look enticing, but Harvey is just not right. And I am a slow learner. And in case you think it may be a minor adjustment, his BB/9 is 4.1, and his HR /9 is 1.8, neither of which are sustainable in the MLB if one wants a roster spot. This is all backed up by his 5.50 FIP. I invested in him in 2017 thinking I was getting good deals drafting him in the mid rounds and for less that $10 in auctions, making me have no choice but to think he will turn it around, and I think he will. But his biggest injury to date is the one to his big ego, and I don’t know if a trainer or pitching coach can fix that. Get your head out of your ass Matt. DFS PLAYERS: Match-ups of the week: I have two for you this week: Stephen Strasburg, RHSP WAS vs. SD FRI 5/26: It does not take deep analysis to understand how bad the Padres lineup is, even away from PETCO. Michael Pineda, RHSP NYY vs KC MON 5/22 & vs OAK SAT 5/27: Pineda seems to have found it, whatever it was he was missing the past couple of seasons. I’d use him in either of these games next week, or why not double down and use him in both. His 10.51 K/9 is in line with his career as is his 28.8 K%, but his 4.2 walks percent is about half what it was last season. His 3.42 ERA and 1.035 WHIP are his best since his phenomenal rookie season, the one that the Yankees bought into so many years and surgeries ago. The biggest difference may be his silly 1.75 GB/FB rate which coupled with his K/BB rates make him look like Johan light. Some have lost faith in Pineda over the years. But his ball girl has not, and neither have I. I think he will force the Yanks to sign him after this season. Oh, and he gets the two worst lineups in the AL to pitch to next week. Trivia Question Answers: Believe it or not, the city with the least rainout days over that decade was the Seattle Mariners. The most? The Kansas City Royals. I was sure it had to be the Yanks! Thanks for reading and good luck in week eight, especially with your pitching. If you have a question about these or any other SP match-ups next week don’t hesitate to leave a message in the comments, write me, or check out my “Pick Your Spots” thread every Sunday on the /r/fantasybaseball Sub-Reddit where I’ll talk starting pitching all day. [email protected] @JoeIannone2 Twitter ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Click the RED link to listen) Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join guest host Andrea Lamont, and Kyle Amore live on Monday May 15th, 2017 from 7-9pm EST for episode #87 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. We will be previewing the coming week’s key matchups and discussing key fantasy information. Our guest this week is Lenny Melnick. Lenny is fantasy baseball pioneer, current FSWA Hall of Famer, and the host of his daily podcasts on lennymelnickfantasysports.com Mon-Fri at 9am EST. He also co-hosts a show every Sunday morning from 7-10am EST with Craig Mish on the fantasy sports station on Sirius. You can find our shows on I-Tunes. Just search for Major League Fantasy Sports in the podcasts section. For Android users go to “Podcast Republic,” then download that app, and search for “Major League Fantasy Sports Show” ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Click the RED link below to listen) Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join Corey D Roberts, and Kyle Amore live on Sunday May 21st, 2017 from 7-9pm EST for episode #88 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. We will be previewing the coming week’s key matchups and discussing key fantasy information. Our guest this week is Kevin Bzdek. Kevin is a writer with majorleaguefantasysports.com. His articles focus on bullpens and publish every Friday. You can find our shows on I-Tunes. Just search for Major League Fantasy Sports in the podcasts section. For Android users go to “Podcast Republic,” then download that app, and search for “Major League Fantasy Sports Show” Share this: Reddit Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Tumblr Email Pocket Telegram Pinterest Print Skype WhatsAppDALLAS — The four leading Republican candidates to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate tackled a wide range of issues including health care, immigration and government spending in their first — and likely only — live televised debate Friday night. But first there was a text message that needed addressing. Belo debate moderators began the program by asking former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz to explain a text message that he sent to former NFL player and ESPN analyst Craig James earlier in the week. Cruz suggested in the message that James should ask him about Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s decision to not attend many candidate forums held during the last year. James publicly released the text, accusing Cruz of trying to “rig” the debate. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. “I’m glad Craig got my text,” Cruz said when asked to explain his motivation. “There is nothing rigged at all about making a point I’ve made all over the state of Texas.” James said he agreed with Cruz’s criticism of Dewhurst but not with the way he tried to force the issue into the debate. “I thought it was unethical, and it put me in an awkward position,” James said. Dewhurst dismissed the episode and the criticism over missing the forums. “I’ve got my campaign to run. They’ve got their campaign to run,” Dewhurst said. “I’ve showed up at about half a dozen or so of these different forums. … I’m here this evening.” Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, as he would for much of the evening, decried the exchange as proof that his fellow candidates were not up for the job of U.S. Senator. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. “It’s embarrassing to kind of be talking about texts … and rigging and that sort of thing when there are really critical issues out there,” Leppert said. Over the next 55 minutes, Cruz focused on Dewhurst. Nearly every time he spoke, Cruz criticized Dewhurst, prompting the debate moderators to give Dewhurst a chance to respond. It all left little on-camera time for Leppert and James. Cruz and Dewhurst talked past each other on Dewhurst’s record on health care, immigration and, repeatedly, the issue of state spending. In a few instances, Leppert and James also swiped at Dewhurst, the assumed frontrunner in the GOP primary. “I sometimes get a little confused,” Dewhurst said. “I’m running for the United State Senate. Some of my opponents are running against David Dewhurst.” The debate moderators sometimes had trouble getting direct answers to their questions, like whether the candidates were open to cutting Social Security or defense spending. All four candidates answered “no” when asked whether companies with no religious affiliation should be required to provide birth control coverage for employees. None offered the same answer as to whether a wall should be built along the Texas-Mexico border. Cruz said he supported the project. James said he didn’t. Dewhurst said a wall “in certain places” made sense. Leppert didn’t give a direct answer but said he wanted to more “accountability” for immigration enforcement. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. When it came time for candidates to ask each other questions, James asked Cruz why he didn’t support the presidential campaign of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who dropped out of the race this week. “Was it political interest and risk that you wanted to avoid?” James asked. “Why didn’t you jump out there and support a conservative?” Cruz quipped, “I wish you’d asked the question I’d texted you.” Then, he explained that he wanted to leave the presidential race to the primary voters. In his question to Dewhurst, Leppert accused the lieutenant governor of being beholden to special interests because of the large amount of campaign funding he has received from lobbyists. Dewhurst said he is a “lifelong conservative businessman” who does what’s right. They didn’t get to ask questions of each other, but Dewhurst and Cruz still managed to jab at one another when they asked questions of the other candidates. Dewhurst asked James if he would support Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for a position in the Republican Party leadership, taking time to note that Cruz had declined to endorse the former state attorney general. James said he would support Cornyn and anyone who would “defend the Constitution and honor the Ten Commandments.” Cruz said it would be “presumptuous” for him to commit to one senator. Cruz’s asked Leppert about his thoughts about Dewhurst’s record on taxes and state spending growth. “Ted, I might as well step back and let you ask David,” Leppert said. He then described Cruz as “a terrific staffer in the attorney general’s office,” who lacked the background to understand the decisions business owners face. Near the end of the program, Cruz was asked to address allegations that he, in the past, gave a false impression of the circumstances under which his father fled Cuba. Cruz denied that he’d ever been misleading and explained that his father fought with Fidel Castro before becoming disillusioned with the revolutionary leader. Sunday is the deadline for the candidates to report their campaign fundraising and expenses for the first quarter of the year. Late Friday, Leppert’s campaign announced it would report $4.7 million on hand and “banking nearly $1 million” in the first quarter. The latter figure includes a $500,000 contribution from Leppert. Earlier this week, Dewhurst announced he raised $1.66 million in individual contributions in the first quarter, none of which came from his own wallet. Cruz was close behind with $1.3 million raised. James, who has not had to file a campaign finance report since entering the race late last year, said he would release his fundraising figures Monday. Hours before the debate, an independent Super PAC supporting Dewhurst released a new video slamming Cruz as a “false conservative.” Rob Johnson, a former Dewhurst chief of staff who now runs the Texas Conservatives Fund Super PAC, said the ad may soon air on television. After the debate, Cruz derided the ad, saying it distorted his record and ignored the long list of conservative lawmakers, activists and groups that have endorsed him. Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.The Whey Protein Isolate we’ll be using for Keto Chow 2.0 arrived at the warehouse this morning and was unloaded. Currently, it’s being tested (gotta make sure it doesn’t have salmonella, e-coli or any other fun stuff) and production will likely start on Monday and will continue for a while. We’re expecting to take delivery of the first truckload on Monday, April 17th. Then I get to take some pictures to put on the website, get to check how many of the various packages fit into USPS flat rate boxes so we can make sure shipping is set up right. I’m not sure which flavors will be in the first group. We might get all of them or maybe we’ll only get a few with the rest arriving in the coming week(s). If everything goes OK on Monday I should have 2.0 available for purchase sometime that evening and the first shipments will go out on Tuesday morning (the 18th) – with many arriving on Thursday, April 19. So in summary: give us a dozen days and you can have some 2.0! This coming Monday, April 10th we’re not going to be shipping – something about giving people a day off… So to make up for it, we’re shipping tomorrow (Saturday, April 8). You can still place orders this weekend and Monday, it just won’t ship until Tuesday the 11th.Data consumption per user, Gopalan says, averages 563 MB a month, close to US rates and higher than in the UK. Data costs are also comparable with similar economies. “It’s less about costs and more about educating new users on what they can do with an internet connection. And the good part is that’s changing. In fact, in two years, demand won’t be a constraint, it will be supply,” adds Gopalan.In China telcos have 80 Mhz spectrum, compared to 5 Mhz in India. Hence quality of services is not as great as it is in China, which boasts of 300 million online shoppers and 600 million internet users.So far internet penetration in India has been in English, while new users will demand local languages interfaces to shop, pay bills, to reach out to doctors online and more. “About 75% of new users will come from non-English speaking backgrounds. They won’t fi nd it easy to navigate unless they can shop or study in their own language,” says Shah of BCG.Facebook is now available in 12 languages. Says Kevni D’Souza, head of growth & mobile partnerships, Facebook India: “These 12 languages cover a large part of India’s population. Hindi alone covers 400 million people. We are also making it easier to use Facebook with Re 1 per day access to address low ARPU problem.” Facebook, which has 110 million users in India, is seeing non-English language user base double every six months.HDFC Bank, which has an English app that enables 75 transactions from booking fi xed deposits to ordering cheque books, is now focussing on expanding its Hindi app as well. The Hindi HDFC Bank app enables 26 transactions and the bank plans to add more transactions this year. “60% of our customers use mobile banking and this will expand to 80% in two years. We will scale up Hindi to make the bank accessible to more users online,” says Nitin Chugh, head digital banking, HDFC Bank.Mobile payment services provider Paytm, which claims 27 million users, is developing vernacular versions and expanding beyond payments to become a marketplace. Another startup, ikaaz, founded by former Nokia managers is working on making payments easy using smart phones — in English at present with plans for vernacular languages soon. It has tied up with Development Credit Bank and claims 9,000 merchants on its platform which enables B2B payments.At e-commerce major snapdeal.com, the mobile app is in English while the website offers a Hindi and Tamil interface as well. Says Ankit Khanna, senior vice president, product management, snapdeal.com: “Language access is seeing single-digit growth.We will introduce four more languages in the next three months.” About 70% of snapdeal’s 5.5 million daily shoppers land on its mobile app. “We need to focus more on languages and the mobile. With 500 million internet users there will be at least 100 million online shoppers and 1 million sellers. The challenge is to create relevance for the expanding user base and enable quick decisions,” adds Khanna.Adds Srikanth Pinninti, vice president, marketing, Myntra, a fashion e-tailer that is now a part of Flipkart: “At present, we are English-only with a roadmap for languages. But we believe internet penetration is not impeded by languages. It’s far more visual and textual.”While more shoppers are coming on smartphones, about 60% of them are on 2G networks from towns like Nagpur and Bhubaneswar. Says Khanna: “There is lot of buffering on 2G. The focus of our technology team is to improve experience on low-bandwidth devices and display content in a manner that’s easy to navigate.” While ease of transactions and shopping will push more users to get online and eventually grow the internet economy, “infrastructure (speed of access, data costs, languages) needs to catch up with speed of internet rollout,” says Sandeep Ladda, technology lead, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Otherwise, the promise and potential of a digital nation will remain unfulfi lled. 10% rise in internet penetration increases GDP by 1.08%.If internet were a sector its weight in GDP would be greater than that of agriculture or utilities.Increase in net maturity in the West led to rise in GDP per capita of $500 on average in the past 15 years. It took 50 years of industrial revolution to achieve the same.Aadhaar-linked mobile banking and payments will accelerate spread of banking pan-India. The have-nots will leapfrog into banking. Without the internet, increase in banking penetration could take 30 years.The internet will enhance market reach of products and services.For every one job lost, 2.6 new jobs are created in an internet economy. In France, in 15 years, 5 lakh jobs were lost and 1.2.million jobs were created due to the internet Job creation will be both direct — in tech-based enterprises and indirect — to support the internet economy like digital ads, services support for devices.15-20 lakh new direct jobs will be created by 2018 in internet sector.Internet economy will enable a shift to highskilled labour and increased autonomy to labour In e-commerce alone new jobs are increasing by 30% a year.Bandwidth per person per month is around 500 MB. This will grow by 10x in a few years.Internet economy to balloon from $60 billion to $200 billion in the short term. This includes e-commerce to sales of internet devices like smartphones.Music & book stores have already shut down. Any product that can be bought via a code (like smartphones, TVs etc) will be bought online A network of sensors exchanging information through the internet will cut wastages and help respond to crisis rapidly.It will be an app-driven economy. Apps will connect buyers to services, as in the taxi business.There will be more internet-driven startups.Cost of starting a company averaged $5 million in pre-internet era and now it’s under $50,000, attracting more people to start companies.The gestation period to test whether an idea works or not is less than 18 months now. This along with low cost to start ventures is increasing risk appetite.Govt’s Rs 10,000 crore fund for startups, Nasscom’s 10,000 startups initiative, etc, augur well to make access to capital easy, a big boost for entrepreneurship.There will be at least one startup that scales to $1 billion valuation in each of the next five years.Transparency in transactionsEfficiency: Quick turnaround time, like with Passport Seva to issue passports has come down from 12 weeks to four weeks.Will reduce further as enforcement agencies, police use analytics to verify claims.Productivity gains: Cut the queues and save time — pay bills, taxes on smartphones App-driven economy: Learn, play, entertain, work with apps.End of the middleman: People who thrive on inefficiencies of the system will be eliminatedItem Photo Description Bids High Bidder Current Amount Next Bid Required Your Bid Your Maximum 401 more pics 2008 CHEVROLET UPLANDER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1GNDV23W08D187802 Mileage: 74391 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 20 27056 4,711.00 ended 402 more pics 2008 DODGE AVENGER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1B3LC46R28N253242 Mileage: 91826 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 18 53089 4,601.00 ended 403 more pics 2007 CHEVROLET IMPALA Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 2G1WB58K079312979 Mileage: 88281 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 18 13260 4,950.00 ended 404 more pics 2008 DODGE AVENGER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1B3LC46R38N253234 Mileage: 82758 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 21 24019 4,555.00 ended 405 more pics 2001 DODGE RAM VAN 15 PASSENGER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 2B5WB35YX1K517447 Mileage: 136801 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 16 24019 1,650.55 ended 406 more pics 2008 FORD 15 PASSENGER VAN Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1FBSS31L58DB21824 Mileage: 73607 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 30 13306 11,111.11 ended 407 more pics 2005 DODGE CARAVAN Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1D4GP25E65B348877 Mileage: 75273 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 25 27056 3,801.00 ended 408 more pics 2008 FORD FOCUS Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1FAHP34N48W223260 Mileage: 75051 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 21 28836 4,750.00 ended 409 more pics 2008 DODGE AVENGER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1B3LC46R38N259972 Mileage: 92702 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 20 53089 4,655.00 ended 410 more pics 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1GNDU03E04D216269 Mileage: 73356 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 20 53089 2,651.00 ended 411 more pics 2005 DODGE CARAVAN Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1D4GP25E35B399284 Mileage: 86695 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 25 54371 4,001.00 ended 412 more pics 2008 FORD FOCUS Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1FAHP34N68W223230 Mileage: 75464 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 21 54384 4,600.00 ended 413 more pics 2008 DODGE AVENGER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1B3LC46RX8N253232 Mileage: 83010 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions: For any questions please call our office at 732-542-2077 between 9am and 4pm Monday through Friday. No Buyer's Premium - Government Auction 25 53089 4,600.00 ended 414 more pics 2008 CHEVROLET UPLANDER Location: Delaware Surplus Services, Governor Bacon Health Center, Delaware City, DE 19706 VIN #: 1GNDV23WX8D187001 Mileage: 66549 Details: Condition: Questionable Title: Yes Important Notice: Seller: State of DE Government Surplus Services Inspection Information: Inspection is Wednesday, November 19, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Payment Information: Payment is due within 24 hours of invoicing of the auction. Payment must be made by Wire Transfer, or by overnight Cashier's Check or Money Order made payable to Auction Liquidation Services. Removal Information: Items must be removed by November 26, 2014, for everyday thereafter a storage fee of $25.00 per day will be charged to the buyer. Contact Cheryl Griffin or Thomas Clough at 302-836-7640 for an appointment for removal. Photos Taken By: USGovBid Auction Questions:
hall, saying, ‘I’m not going to do a litmus test on them.’ Add your name to ask Hillary Clinton to sign the pledge to reject contributions from the fossil fuel industry. Update: Mea Culpa, Sanders does it too!Swiss police said the remains were found at the foot of the Matterhorn glacier, at about 2,800 metres, 45 years after they were caught in a snowstorm Bones of Japanese climbers who went missing in Swiss Alps in 1970 identified The remains of two Japanese climbers who went missing 45 years ago have been identified, months after their bones were found on a glacier under the Matterhorn mountain, Swiss police said on Thursday. A climber found the remains in September at the foot of the Matterhorn glacier, about 2,800 metres (9,200 feet) above sea level, Valais police said. They were taken for forensic examination, and experts put together DNA profiles. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A police image showing a mountain shoe found next to the remains. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Body of New Zealand climber found at foot of glacier 40 years after his death Read more Police in the mountainous region keep a list of people who have been reported missing since 1925. They said that the Japanese consulate in Geneva helped them find relatives in Japan, who provided DNA that enabled them to confirm the men’s identity — one in June and the other a month later. The Japanese foreign ministry identified them as Masayuki Kobayashi, who was 21, from Tokyo, and Michio Oikawa, then 22, from Chiba, a suburb of Tokyo. The two were reported missing on 18 August 1970. They were caught in a snowstorm while heading to climb Matterhorn by the north face, Japan’s Kyodo News service said, citing police records. Remains of long-missing mountaineers have increasingly surfaced as a result of receding glaciers, police said. In October, officials in Bern canton found the remains of a Czech man missing since 1974.China today acknowledged the confusion about the ages of its Olympic gymnasts. China's deputy sports minister blamed paperwork problems. ESPN has the story. At last year's China's Cities Games, Chinese officials decided to move He Kexin, who won two gold medals during the Beijing Games, from a local team to the national team. China's deputy sports minister Cui Dalin said Sunday that it was during this transfer that a "misunderstanding appeared" about her age. "Last year at the all-city competition, He Kexin moved from one team to another and during the process of registering during the move, there appeared this age discrepancy," Cui said during a news conference. "So it was the appearance of a mistake in the process of transferring teams that the misunderstanding appeared. However, I can right here accurately say that the ages of the members of our gymnastics delegation entirely conform to the requirements for participation in the Beijing Olympic Games."Meet the father of two with the power to determine the cut and finer details of your clothes. John Gallagher is undressing behind a sheet of white cardboard in a conference room in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. After a minute or two, the 54-year-old emerges in a pair of yellow boxer briefs. ‘‘The fly opening needs to be higher up,’’ he says, as the designer of Mack Weldon, a boutique underwear label, takes notes. Then Gallagher points to the pouch. ‘‘See right here? There needs to be more room here to allow for fabric shrinkage.’’ Gallagher is a fit model, which is essentially a living mannequin, someone who tries on clothes so that designers can evaluate their shapes and cuts before runway models introduce them to the world. But he is also more than a fit model; he is the fit model, an unlikely expert consultant recruited by companies — which have included Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne — to articulate how much further up a waistband should hang on the hips, or how much deeper a pocket needs to be. ‘‘The designer approaches fashion from a style point of view,’’ he says. ‘‘My job is to make sure you can move your arms in a suit.’’ Weighing in on these small yet critical details has made Gallagher so popular that some 70 labels now hire him to test out their wares.More than one million innocent people have so far lost their lives in the Middle East since the US and UK launched their military attacks on the back of 9/11. More than half a million of these victims have been innocent children. In addition, most people in the UK are not aware that millions more in the Middle East will die or be deformed at birth in the coming decades and for centuries to come from the massive amounts of depleted Uranium shells that have poisoned Iraq and surrounding regions. Iraq and the wider Middle East have now had their own holocaust, and it is still ongoing right now as we speak. This holocaust was launched on the back of totally baseless allegations that 9/11 was committed by 19 Muslim hijackers. Instead of banning your staff from attempting to ask questions about who was really responsible for 9/11, the Church of England should instead be supporting the hundreds of thousands of courageous and peace loving individuals around the world who have been campaigning tirelessly for new investigations into what really happened on that day of 9/11, and exactly who was involved. Because the one thing that is absolutely certain about 9/11 is that we have not been told the truth by our governments and our military officials. I have no idea if Israel was involved or not, and I have no idea if Muslims were involved or not, but I do know that we have not been told the truth and that very serious questions and very serious investigations need to be carried out which could potentially alter the course of history in a positive manner. Any hatred towards another specific sector of the community such as Anti-Semitism is a terrible thing. But could you please explain to me how this is any different from accusing Muslims of committing 9/11? Muslims have been blamed for 9/11 and as a result of this there has been a massive global backlash against the Muslim community. Are you aware that despite what we have been told by our government officials, there is not one shred of any evidence that 19 Muslim hijackers were the perpetrators of 9/11? None. And yet Muslims have been blamed for committing this horrendous crime and a holocaust has been unleashed in Iraq and the Middle East. Has the Church of England ever asked our government officials and media to provide evidence of their allegations against Muslims, or if they can’t provide this evidence then to stop spreading these false allegations about Muslims being the perpetrators of 9/11? The silence from the Church of England on this has unfortunately been deafening, despite attempts made by the public for the Church of England to look at this issue. Are you aware that there is no video footage of the alleged Muslim terrorists getting on board the airliners that day, and no evidence of their names being on the passenger lists? Are you aware that many of the 19 alleged Muslim hijackers on 9/11 have been confirmed to be still alive and well today, and as such they are wondering why they are on a list of alleged suicide terrorists who died on 9/11? This is a quite incredible fact that has even been highlighted on BBC documentaries. Are you aware that Osama Bin Laden was never put on the FBI wanted list for 9/11 because the FBI stated themselves that they had absolutely no evidence to implicate him with 9/11, despite what the US government was saying? Muslims have been accused of this horrendous crime with literally not one shred of evidence. They are just baseless allegations by our government officials which we are told to believe while they launch a holocaust on the Middle East. That is racist in the extreme. Why is the Church of England not seriously challenging this situation instead of quashing the freedom of speech to raise some very difficult questions about 9/11? You have said to Reverend Sizer that his Facebook posting was racist. But it is also racist for the Church of England to condemn allegations against Israel but not to condemn allegations against the Muslim community when there is zero evidence to support those allegations?AFP/Getty Images A woman wore a kilt with the Scottish flag on it in Glasgow, Scotland on Aug. 16. After 307 years tied to the United Kingdom, the Scots next month will vote on whether to return to home rule. Polling in early August showed 54 percent of the populace against secession and 40 percent in favor. How the remaining undecideds will fall is anybody’s guess. Either way, as recent examples in Europe, Africa, and Asia have shown, birthing a nation takes a lot more than sheer will for independence. Should the Scots vote “yes” Sept. 18, their new parliament will convene a constitutional convention to write a governing document, a massive responsibility. But, especially given the technology available, it would also be an opportunity to redefine what a Western government looks like — and what it values — in the 21st century. It’s never too early to consider what that new governance should look like. If Scots do write a new constitution, below are three steps that recent history suggests shouldn’t be left out. Advertisement 1. By the people, for the people. Iceland’s recent experience makes it clear that crowdsourcing government is the only acceptable way forward. Scotland must devise a way to involve everyday people in decision-making that is easy, user-friendly, transparent and logistically sound. Get Today in Opinion in your inbox: Globe Opinion's must-reads, delivered to you every Sunday-Friday. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here Iceland’s constitutional committee polled 0.3 percent of its population (1,000 random people) on draft documents, and some citizens even took it upon themselves to draft their own constitution, which was then submitted for consideration to the Parliament. To emulate this process, Scotland would need to poll about 15,900 people out of its population of about 5 million. Still, its leaders should consider including anyone who wants to have a say. The possibilities for platforms and technologies are endless. If the referendum passes, Parliament should solicit proposals to develop a citizen-input platform. And if Parliament's First Minister Alex Salmond, the secession movement’s leader and the head of the Scottish National Party, is as serious about encouraging the digital sector as he claims, then this should be a priority. 2. Minority voices. As leaders in newly formed nations as diverse as Iraq, South Sudan, and East Timor have seen, partnering with a country’s minority groups is key to stability and an investment in the government of the near future. The SNP has always been ahead of the curve in electing women to office, and Scotland’s parliament boasts an impressive percentage of female members, at just over 30 percent. The rest of Scottish government, however, is overwhelmingly white and male. That make-up feels antiquated today as Scotland has absorbed refugees through United Nations-supported amnesty initiatives and immigrants thanks to the European Union’s porous borders. Advertisement Salmond also has said that the new government will support talented international students who want to stay after school, skilled workers, and entrepreneurs with outside voices. With this kind of open-minded immigration policy, Scotland will, in just a short time, be far less homogeneous. Scotland should ensure that women and people of color are elected to public office. In doing so, they will be constructing a political system that doesn’t just represent Scotland today but the country a generation from now as well. 3. Privacy. In this time of personal data mining, profiling, lists, and paranoia about who’s spying on whom, there are still few written legal protections for online privacy. A constitution written from scratch will have to tackle this new frontier, considering issues like the future of drones, surveillance cameras, smartphone apps, internet searches, and hacking. Scotland has a chance for a clean slate on rules surrounding privacy in a Western nation with deep roots in the dual values of personal freedom and government transparency. Laws that protect both personal data and assure safety and security are feasible. Scotland should take the higher road of honorable governance and avoid giving in to the sneaky, back-handed tactics of the US National Security Agency and other notorious global security agencies that refuse to confront this issue. Salmond and his allies have done a terrible job laying out their plans for currency regulation, not to mention explaining which international trades and treaties an independent Scotland would sign on to. But there is little reason to think these concerns wouldn’t be sorted out — and none should stand in the way of a people’s right to self-determination. A constitution that is well thought-out and innovative while incorporating Scottish ideals would ensure that statehood benefits all. Alex Pearlman is a freelance journalist based in London. Follow her on Twitter @lexikon1Mass Effect 3 is shaping up well, but at the heart of all that whizz-bang-whoosh space opera action is a good conversation. BeefJack are reporting that the third game in the series will feature an incredible 40,000 lines of dialogue. It's a figure that is almost as much as both all the lines of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 combined. The game's audio lead Rob Blake announced on Twitter that 40,000 lines would be recorded for the final game in the trilogy. The revelation came in response to Twitter users voicing concern over the consistency of volume in Shepard's voice. In response, Blake tweeted : 'We do our best to keep consistency but it's tough with 40,000 lines! We've got new techniques on ME3 that improve it tho!' To bring this all into perspective, Mass Effect featured 20,000 lines whilst Mass Effect 2 had 25,000. However what is not clear is where these extra 15,000 lines will be featured. With Mass Effect 3 now confirmed to feature a co-operative modes too, will the multiplayer contain as much conversation as the first game, or will most of this extra dialogue go towards creating a richer single-player experience?It's been more than a month since researchers reported two serious security vulnerabilities in Android, but so far there's no indication when they will be purged from the Google-spawned operating system that's the world's most popular smartphone platform. The first flaw allows apps to be installed without prompting users for permission. The permission-escalation vulnerability permits attackers to surreptitiously install malware in much the way a proof-of-concept exploit researcher Jon Oberheide published last year did. In that case, an app he planted in the Android Market and disguised as an expansion pack for the Angry Birds game secretly installed three additional apps that without warning monitored a phone's contacts, location information and text messages so data could transmitted to a remote server. “The Android Market ecosystem continues to be a ripe area for bugs,” Oberheide wrote in an email. “There are some complex interactions between the device and Google's Market servers which has only been made more complex and dangerous by the Android Web Market.” The second bug resides in the Linux kernel where Android originates and makes it possible for installed apps with limited privileges to gain full control over the device. The vulnerability is contained in code device manufacturer have put into some of Android's most popular handsets, including the Nexus S. The bug undermines the security model Google developers created to contain the damage any one application can do to the overall phone. Oberheide and fellow researcher Zach Lanier plan to speak more about the vulnerabilities at a two-day training course at the SOURCE conference in Barcelona in November. In the meantime, they put together a brief video showing their exploits in action. A Google spokesman declined to comment for this post. One of the hopes for Android a few years back was that it would be a viable alternative to Apple's iOS, both in terms of features and security. With the passage of time, the error of that view is becoming harder to ignore. By our count, Google developers have updated Android just 16 times since the OS debuted in September 2008. The number of iOS updates over the same period is 29. It's a far cry from the approach Google takes with its Chrome browser, which is updated frequently, and has been known to release fixes for the Flash Player before they're even released by Adobe. Even more telling, when a new version of iOS is released, it's available almost immediately to any iPhone user with the hardware to support the upgrade. Android users, by contrast, often wait years for their phone carriers to supply updates that fix code execution vulnerabilities and other serious flaws. Owners of the Motorola Droid, for instance, are stuck running Android 2.2.2 even though that version was released in May 2010 and contains a variety of known bugs that allow attackers to steal confidential data and remotely execute code on handsets the run the outdated version. Oberheide has more here. ®Corrado abandons Parma talks By Football Italia staff Parma are a step closer to oblivion, as Giuseppe Corrado formally pulled out of talks to buy the club, leaving only Mike Piazza. The club needs to find new buyers who can wipe out the €22.6m sporting debt by June 25 or they will not be allowed to register for the 2015-16 Serie B season. Failure to register will see the Ducali declared bankrupt and be forced to begin again from Serie D. There were two groups in private negotiations to take over, led by baseball legend Piazza and multiplex mogul Corrado. However, late Sunday night the Corrado group (Magico Parma S.p.A) released a statement confirming they had “with regret decided to retire from negotiations to buy Parma Calcio. “The complex debt situation that emerged, but above all the debts that are yet to be defined and the contractual deals written with players for numerous years make any future financial course impractical. “Closing the operation with this level of risk is not just a gamble, but an investment into an unrealistic prospect that would’ve destroyed funds. “Over the next few days, as soon as the sale procedure is complete, Magico Parma S.p.A. will provide details that pushed us to this decision.” Now the fate of Parma is solely in the hands of American baseball star Piazza.The Childs restaurant chain was the creation of Samuel and William Childs. They revolutionized the American restaurant chain by creating a uniform look to each of their branches in order to make their restaurants recognizable. Their “brand” relied heavily on the portrayal of their establishments as sanitary, clean, and modern; the interiors were outfitted with white tile floors and walls, and even the waitresses and other workers dressed in white uniforms. The Childs brothers were also the fathers of the modern cafeteria, influencing another bygone NYC chain, the Horn & Hardart Automat. They would probably bristle if you compared them to McDonalds or Burger King, as the fare was more upscale than that, but it wouldn’t be outlandish to compare them to, say, the old Howard Johnson’s chain. Child’s Restaurants peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, and William Childs lost control of the company after a revolt from investors after he imposed his own vegetarian preferences on the menu. Child’s became the Hotel Corporation of America in 1955 and was acquired in 1961 by the Riese Organization, which today operated restaurant chains like T.G.I. Friday’s and Applebee’s. I don’t know when the last Child’s Restaurant closed, but I have a vague memory of one in the Times Square area in the 1980s. Can anyone back me up on that? There are a number of former Child’s Restaurants remaining in NYC, or at least the buildings where they were located. As we’ll see, some of them are instantly recognizable as Child’s branches, but the earliest ones aren’t, yet they are recognizable as buildings that have stood for a long, long time. 815 Broadway, between West 11th and 12th Streets, Union Square, 1897 Though this building (housing a hummus restaurant on the ground floor) was constructed in 1897. Child’s did not move in until 1910. One wonders what goes on behind those red curtains these days. 36 West 34th Street, Midtown Manhattan between 5th Avenue and Broadway One of West 34th’s surviving older structures in the shadow of the King of All Buildings, this 4-story building currently home to a shoe store on the ground floor went up in 1904. Midtown has some ancient gems if you look under the garish storefronts and neon signs. Child’s moved in after the Empire State Building opened in 1931 and remained for over 20 years. Squint and you will see a pair of copper urns placed on both dormer windows, an original design touch that perseveres to this day. The ubiquitous Daytonian in Manhattan has much more on this building. 1208 Surf Avenue at West 12th Street, Coney Island Coney Island has two iconic Child’s restaurant buildings, to be expected in the longtime “People’s Riviera.” The building was originally constructed in 1917 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style for Child’s. After the restaurant moved out, the building became the home of a nightclub and restaurant known as the Blue Bird Casino. In the 1950s, the building changed uses again when it became David Rosen’s Wonderland Circus Sideshow, a legendary Coney Island attraction. The sideshow tradition continues in the building today with Coney Island USA’s Sideshows by the Seashore, a traditional “ten-in-one” circus sideshow. Coney Island USA operates many other Coney Island favorites out of its building, including the Coney Island Museum, the Mermaid Parade, and other annual programs and events. For many years, Coney Island USA was just a renter of the former Childs Restaurant building, that is, until a few years ago when, with the City’s help, it purchased the building and made it its permanent home. Coney Island USA has since undertaken a restoration of its ground floor exterior and interior, revealing long-covered storefront arches and creating the Freak Bar. Posters showing some of the Sideshow’s attractions are hanging on West 12th Street. 530 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, near Flatbush Avenue, is well-hidden these days under a beauty supplies billboard and neon sign. The building went up in 1919 and Child’s was here in the 1930s. 377 5th Avenue between East 35th and 36th Street, Midtown Child’s Restaurant was in the building now host to the gift shop. It was constructed in 1921 and still retains some original features, including a pair of decorative urns on the roof. Child’s was apparently one of the first occupants. 219 South 4th Street, Williamsburg, between Roebling and Havemeyer Streets This looks like an uncharacteristic location for a Child’s Restaurant, and it looks way too small for one. Nonetheless, it has an etched concrete plaque above the second story windows that reads “219 Child’s 1922.” If it was a Child’s, it was a very small branch. From one of the smallest Child’s, we go to what many consider the Child’s flagship location… 2102 Riegelmann Boardwalk at West 21st Street, Coney Island This Child’s on the boardwalk and West 21st Street is an otherworldly confection that has to be seen to be believed. The graffiti demons that are attracted to it like ants to a picnic can’t mar its grandeur. It was built by architects Ethan Dennison and Frederic Hirons in 1924 with an exterior of soft stucco with four marble columns emphasized by four multicolored rondels depicting King Neptune, rising from the sea waving his trident, a Venetian galleon, the Golden Hine, flagship of Queen Elizabeth’s fleet, and two fish swimming in rough seas. This Childs branch closed in the 1950s and later became a candy factory. In 2003, it was, thankfully, declared a landmark and will not share the fate of the almost-equally ornate Washington Baths, which stood on its left side for many years. The restaurant is currently being restored and will be part of the new Seaside Park and Community Arts Center by 2017. The restoration will likely spell the doom of another of Coney Island’s secret alleys, Highland View Avenue, so named because the NJ Highlands can be seen on the horizon. A close look at the terra cotta ornamentation will reveal that every possible nook and cranny is stuffed with representations of sea creatures such as crabs, lobsters, snails, grimacing, squirming fish and the like. A bearded figure with seaweed for hair is likely another representation of Neptune. In the ensuing decade, most new Child’s restaurants would be built with a terra cotta nautical theme, and this was likely the prototype. 604 5th Avenue, between West 48th and 49th Streets This former Child’s restaurant, opened in 1925 in an ironic twist, is now a TGI Friday’s, owned by the Riese Organization, which snapped up the old Child’s chain in the early 1960s. It was an innovative structure when designed by architect James Van Alen in 1924. Note that the windows curve on the left side of the building. In the past, there had been a setback next to a church (since replaced by the Massachusetts Municipal Life Building at #600 5th Avenue) on the left side, which was completely visible. According to the NY Sun, the building was the first structure anywhere to be constructed without corner columns. Both its flanking structures, #600 and #608 5th Avenue, the Goelet Building, have been accorded with NYC Landmarks status. Christopher Grey, in the NY Times: “The grimy white and red-striped advertising awnings are a particularly cruel touch for a structure with the elegance of a Parisian dress shop.” This Child’s branch at 63-09 Roosevelt Avenue at 64th Street from 1925 looks very much like other Child’s that followed it over the next decade. The roofline is ringed with terra-cotta sea horses and there are always one or two cartouches featuring sea life, and urn and Neptune. Here’s a look at a particularly well-preserved example on Broadway and 36th Street. An oval terra cotta “window” is ringed with sea life: fish, snails, clams, etc. and topped by a wriggling fish beneath an urn. Various representations of Neptune appear under the “window.” 421 7th Avenue at West 33rd Street This 14-story office building featured a Child’s on its ground floor when opened in 1926. In later years, Child’s moved to the adjacent #425. In recent years this has become a tacky fast food and cheap electronics row between Macy’s and Penn Station. Many older buildings in Midtown have found a second function as stanchions for huge electronic billboards. Full view of the Child’s at 36-01 Broadway in Long Island City. The Rite-Aid recently closed, so it’s looking for a new tenant; hope it’s not demolished. Built in 1928. 67-09 Fresh Pond Road, Ridgewood By 1930 the template for new Child’s restaurants had been set, but this one is a variation on the theme, with terra cotta faux coat of arms replacing the fish window-with urn device. The seahorses remain intact. This branch was placed propitiously, on Fresh Pond Road just south of the M train station of the same name. 811 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) at West 28th Street, Midtown This ex-Child’s branch has been hiding for years, as it was extensively updated when it became a McDonalds outlet a few decades ago. A close look, though, reveals telltale seahorses! 534 Flatbush Avenue, Lefferts Gardens A former Childs’ restaurant branch on the NW corner of Flatbush Avenue and Lincoln Road. A central “fish window” with urn faces Flatbush Avenue, constructed in 1931, a golden year for Child’s restaurant construction. Lincoln Road is the second thoroughfare in Brooklyn named for the 16th President; Lincoln Place runs from Park Slope to Brownsville, interrupted only by Grand Army Plaza. Lincoln Road actually begins at East Drive in Prospect Park and runs east (though it’s one way facing west) as far as New York Avenue, where it gains some width and becomes East New York Avenue. There’s been some variation in street names in Lefferts Gardens since the early 20th Century; Tulip Street became Rutland Road and Robinson Street was changed to an eastern extension of Parkside Avenue. 59-37 Queens Boulevard at 60th Street, Woodside By 1931 the designers had really got into a groove with the terra cotta Child’s template, as this one combines the seahorse and coat of arms motifs with the urns found on previous entries in the series. This one has found a multitude of uses in its old age, and contains a laundromat, bodega, sports bar, and a pizzeria/Italian restaurant. Who needs a mall? 45-02 43rd Avenue at 45th Street, Sunnyside This corner Child’s from 1931 is a second home or former home to a Rite Aid drugstore branch. 15-02 College Point Boulevard, College Point By 1931 Child’s was expansing to several out-of-the-way outposts such as College Point, north of Flushing. In 1931 it still had a dedicated LIRR branch, but it would close the following year. Flushing Airport acted as a buffer between College Point and Whitestone, but now the Whitestone Expressway does an even better job. This Child’s has no seahorses, but it does have a “fish window” and Neptune on the 15th Avenue side. 729 7th Avenue at West 49th Street, just north of Times Square, had a long-gone Child’s that lasted well into the 1950s. It was just north of the old Brass Rail restaurant. Like many Times Square buildings, it acts as a billboard background these days. 1801 Avenue M between East 18th and 19th Streets, Midwood This fairly large Child’s occupied a long, narrow front along Avenue M. 245-01 Jericho Turnpike, Floral Park This former Child’s on the Nassau County border has lost its old Child’s identity on the Jericho Turnpike side (it’ll always be Jamaica Avenue to me) but a telltale fish window, seahorses and Neptune show up on 246th Street. That’s all I know about, but I’m sure there are a dozen more or so I know nothing about. For example I could have sworn I saw seahorses on White Plains Road in the Bronx. And Staten Island must have had some Child’ses. Most images from Google Street View (it would take weeks for me to jump all over town and shoot these). 7/26/15Groove Armada – White Light – Black Light Warsaw (White Light) Time and Space (White Light) History (White Light) 1980 (White Light) (Click image for Amazon.com) Paper Romance (Black Light) Just For Tonight (Black Light) Shameless (Black Light) (Click image for Amazon.com) If you feel like popular dance music has become a race to the bottom, I’d agree with you. Who can make stupider music than the rest? That race is raging full steam at the dance clubs. Ah, the Dance Club, a magical place where they not only are NOT embarrassed to play the dumbest music you’ve ever heard, but they make sure it’s so loud you can’t hear your friend screaming in your ear. Yeah, the dance floor isn’t a place to hold high level discussions; but when that “Like a G6” song comes on, does no one snap out of it to look around and wonder what they’re doing surrounded by all these monkeys? Thank god for Groove Armada. They make great dance music, the difference is it’s consistently interesting and brilliant. Their new White Light album is incredible. It’s a companion to their Black Light album, but very different. The same songs are on both albums, just completely re-created and re-invented. Black Light is the dark version, White Light is the bright version. These albums have this surreal early 80s glam rock disco vibe, which totally caught me off guard; because it’s such a departure from their more accessible urban house past. This sounds like it’s from completely different musicians. In theory I’d usually be more interested in the darker version; however, except for a couple phenomenal songs, I’m just not so into Black Light, but I LOVE White Light. These songs are powerful, clever, unique, epic, and it’s still fun dance music. I already loved Groove Armada, but they have outdone themselves here. To hear just how incredible they are at totally reinventing their songs into something else, check out this version of History and compare it against the one above. [wpaudio url=”http://hustlebear.com/audio/groove_armada/white_light/09%20-%20Groove%20Armada%20-%20History%20(Love%20Mix).mp3″ text=”History (Love Mix)” dl=”0″] [Videos from this album after the break]The police are to consolidate a number of their large databases into a single "platform" in order to "protect victims and spot potential links to other crimes." The plans for a "National Law Enforcement Data Programme" were announced by the Home Office today and will bring together data from the Police National Computer, Police National Database and Automatic Number-Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems "onto a single platform." However, last year the legality of the ANPR database – which collects a "record for all vehicles passing by a camera... including those for vehicles that are not known to be of interest at the time of the read" – was called into question by the Surveillance Camera Commissioner. The National ANPR data centre now holds information on 22 billion car journeys. Other measures contained within the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy (PDF) include an "explicit focus on data and technology" and the use of "predictive policing". "In 2016, we intend to use criminality data to map criminal networks, and identify trends, patterns and relationships for further investigation," it said. It noted "character", pooling and analysing data across different local agencies can help professionals identify and help people who are vulnerable or at risk. "Better analysis of digital images and geolocation tagging could help make the Criminal Justice System more effective at catching (and therefore deterring) criminals." It said: "Finding and correcting weak spots in online banking systems will make fraud less profitable to organised criminals. Even for drugs and alcohol, drivers that are closely associated with ‘traditional’ crimes, we can make more information on alcohol crime hotspots available to the public online, or use freight targeting technology to stop drug shipments at the border." Announcing the strategy, Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We need to recognise that the crime prevention challenge has evolved – we now need to prevent serious harm that happens inside victims’ homes, or to stop a cyber-criminal on the other side of the world from targeting thousands of people here with a single keystroke." It also noted that members of the public have a responsibility to follow some basic rules to protect ourselves – choosing the more secure products, installing security software on all our devices, downloading software updates, particularly on our smartphones, and using strong passwords. ®My husband & I travel a lot and with each trip, we usually use at least one item from our Emergency Car Kit. One time it was helping stranded strangers get off the busy highway by providing water for an empty radiator. Another time it was finding a gas station out in the middle of nowhere only to discover their Debit/Credit machines were down and they only took cash. We got pulled over by a police officer and while rolling down the window to talk with the officer the window fell off its track, it was a very cold night and we used a screwdriver to get the window up. While on a 14-hour trip the mud flap split and started making an awful noise as it rubbed against the tire, we used a knife in the kit to cut the mud flap off and continue our journey. A beautiful sunny day at Yosemite National Park turned into a heavy downpour, we didn’t want to cut our day of hiking short so we used the ponchos from our kit. We’ve used the jumper cables on several occasions to help others or because we needed help. The stories go on and on. Each item in this kit has been used more than once (except for the funnel thank heavens) and has a story attached to it. If you do not have an emergency car kit I would highly recommend getting one. For years, I used my bug out bag along with various car items like jumper cables as an Emergency Car Kit. It worked great, but I only take my bug out bag on long trips; some time ago I decided to create an Emergency Car Kit that is always in the car. It’s also nice because you don’t have to be mindful of the weight of items in your Emergency Car Kit like you would with a bug out bag; for the sake of space I recommend being mindful of the size of the items in your Emergency Car Kit. Your Emergency Car Kit should be easily accessible and stored under a seat rather than in the trunk. If your kit is in the trunk and you are stuck in inclement weather you won’t enjoy standing in the storm unloading most of your trunk in order to access your Emergency Car Kit. This article is inspired by and dedicated to my friend Andi. She was telling me about a lengthy upcoming trip where she would be traveling with 3 girls through a snowstorm. I asked her if she had an Emergency Car Kit and she answered, “No, what’s in an Emergency Car Kit?” Below are pictures and a checklist of what I keep in my Winter Emergency Car Kit: 1. Ice Scraper 2. Collapsible Shovel 3. Rain Jacket & Pants 4. Work Gloves 5. Road Flares 6. Emergency Cell Phone 7. Wool Blankets 8. Food – Because food does not hold up for extended periods of time in the car, I limit the food to beef jerky, fruit strips, and MREs in the Emergency Car Kit. For trips, I pack plenty of extra food including bakery goods and fresh produce. 9. Water – I keep one gallon of water per family member in the car (when shopping for gallon water containers get the screw top lid not the pop top lid, the pop tops come off easy and make a mess). 10. Road Atlas 11. A book to read and playing cards (if you’re stuck and waiting for help) 12. Note Paper 13. Compass 14. Cash 15. Pencil & Felt Pen 16. Poncho 17. Solo Emergency Blanket (you should have one for each member of your family
Ducts won't pull items from inventories above them. Ducts only have a single inventory slot. Ducts can be pointed in a different direction after placing them by hitting them with a stick. Left-clicking with the stick cycles through all possible directions, right-clicking with it cycles in reverse. You can also shift-left-click with the stick to reverse if you prefer. When in creative mode, however, only right-clicking will be available, as left-click breaks blocks. Ducts auto-orient to adjacent ducts or hoppers. Hold the sneak key while placing to disable this behavior. Ducts have smaller hitboxes, making it easier to reach blocks behind them. Q. Then what's a Grated Hopper do? A. Grated Hoppers contain an extra row of items in their interface. This is the filter inventory. Only items matching this row are allowed into the hopper from a chest, hopper, or duct above it. The Grated Hopper will also only eject these particular items into its destination. Finally, it prevents a hopper beneath it from removing items matching the filter. Items can still be inserted into the Grated Hopper from the sides and bottom which do not match the filter. This means that you can insert anything into a Grated Hopper, have it eject its matching items into its destination inventory, and then have regular hopper or Grated Hopper beneath it, pulling out the items which don't match the filter, to be directed elsewhere. Q. What are the crafting recipes? A. Hopper Ducts are a reduced version of the hopper recipe: Grated Hoppers are a shapeless recipe: Q. What do I need to run it? A. You'll need at least Minecraft 1.6.2 with Forge 804 or greater. It uses SRG, so it will possibly work on future versions of Minecraft as well. It's tested to work with 1.6.4. Due to requests, this mod has also been backported to 1.5.2. That version was built using Forge 738. Note that versions for 1.5.2 may not be up to date with the latest release for 1.6.x.The comedian talks about his hair falling out when he was six, his father going to jail, and his brother looking out for him when he was teased for being gay All my hair fell out when I was six, which was a bit alarming. My parents were very supportive, so my childhood was as happy as it could be, in those circumstances. I always felt loved, and there was a lot of laughter in the house. I have memories of going to bed and being woken up because everyone downstairs was laughing. My parents had a very vibrant social life. I was closest to my mum when I was growing up. My parents split up when I was 10 and, three years after that, my brother moved in with my dad. So, for a time, it was just me and my mum in the house. Later, when I told her I was gay, she looked for a reason. She asked me: “Did I smother you? Did I make you gay?” This was nearly 20 years ago, when people believed an event could turn you gay. I said no, no, no and not to worry about it. She didn’t smother me at all – she was lovely. I looked up to my brother. He was very protective of me. Sometimes, people at school would tease me for being gay. If he found out about it, he would go and have a word, and then it would stop. He looked out for me. We did squabble and bicker – if it was physical, he would win, and if it was verbal, I would win – but it would be over in a minute, and forgotten. He and I share a love of football. As kids, we would go to matches together. Now, I live in Los Angeles but I’ll WhatsApp or call him and we can spend many hours conducting a postmortem of a football match over the phone. My mum is as proud of me now as she was when I was 10 and played a milkman in our synagogue revue I was 12 when my dad went to prison for six months, for fraud. It was a shock. It was unusual for a middle-class Jewish child to have a parent in that situation, but I just got on with it. It made me realise that not everyone who goes to prison is a bad person. I knew six months wasn’t for ever and I got to visit him every three or four weeks. The strangest thing was to see him in there looking so different. Dad wore a wig, but he wasn’t allowed it in prison. When I went to see him in prison, it was the first time I’d seen him without it. I was too scared to tell my dad I was gay. He died when I was 22 and he was 52. His death came out of the blue and I wished I had told him while he was still alive. Then, four years after he died, I found out from my aunt that he had figured it out for himself – and he was OK with it. Even all that time later, that was a very heartening thing to learn. It resolved a lot of things. My mum is as proud of me now as she was when I was 10 and played a milkman in our synagogue revue. But she wasn’t convinced I was doing well until I did a Cadbury’s Creme Egg advert. Until then, she was nervous that I might not be able to make a living from acting. That commercial allowed me to put a down-payment on a flat, so she relaxed then. However, my success goes back to that synagogue revue in 1985. As far as she is concerned, that is when my career began. My grandmother was a refugee from Berlin who came to England during the second world war. She was a real intellectual, a very intelligent woman. Eventually, she was given British citizenship. Under Hitler, she had been banned from studying to become a doctor, so she became a nurse and married one of her patients – my grandfather, who had had polio and was in a wheelchair. My mum was their only child. I spoke to my grandmother every night for an hour on the phone in the last few years of her life. I was very fond of her. My childhood was spent with her going to classical music concerts and exhibitions. When I was young, I was a little bit scared of her – she was very strict. But as she got older, she mellowed a bit and we were just a great a pair. I miss those conversations to this day. • Little Me: My Life from A-Z by Matt Lucas is published by Canongate, £20. To order a copy for £17, go to guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p on orders of more than £10, online only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.Manu Tuilagi made his England debut against Wales in 2011 Leicester and England centre Manu Tuilagi is set to miss the rest of the season because of a groin injury, says Tigers boss Richard Cockerill. Tuilagi, 23, is still recovering from the injury he suffered in October. Cockerill is confident Tuilagi will return in time to play at the World Cup for the national side, who came close to winning the Six Nations without him. "He's improving all the time but the likelihood now is he may not play this season," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "The likelihood is he will be fit for June and he'll join England for their World Cup camp. "Hopefully he'll be involved in the World Cup warm-ups and have a huge say in how England do." Stuart Lancaster's tournament hosts get their World Cup campaign under way against Fiji at Twickenham on 18 September. Before that, they face warm-up fixtures against France in August, both home and away, before a final run-out against Ireland at Twickenham on 5 September. Samoa-born Tuilagi has won 25 caps and scored 11 tries for England, while also featuring once for the British and Irish Lions. His last international outing came during England's 3-0 Series defeat to New Zealand in June. As part of his treatment, Tuilagi has had prolotherapy - involving injections of a sugar solution.Going into this off-season a lot of people figured that the Jets were going to be faced with a lot of questions on the defence and the pairings. When you take a step back, it’s not as questionable as one might think. It might be a defence core of questionable quality, but the pairings are pretty cut and dry. There are currently 7 defencemen on the roster but only 6 spots. Logically speaking, I feel that Chiarot is the odd man out so when I was messing around, the pairings for me looked like this: Morrissey – Trouba Kulikov – Byfuglien Enstrom – Myers Not surprisingly these are also the projected pairs on DailyFaceoff. The reason this isn’t as shocking as it should be is that these make the most sense. We saw Morrissey and Trouba together last season and it worked. They’re the future and can hold things down the best at the moment. Kulikov didn’t come to the team to be on the third pairing and I’m not going to be the person to tell Byfuglien that his minutes are reduced to almost nothing. Enstrom and Myers both had injuries and need time to determine where they should really be. It makes sense to gauge where they are on the third pairing. That still leaves Chiarot sitting on the outside looking in until someone is injured. The only questions I can really see about the defence are what do we do with Chiarot and what do we do when someone gets injured. For Chiarot, there is the option of waiving him or just having him ride it out in the press box. If he rides it out in the press box, it answers the injury question with ease. If he goes down to the Moose, he might stay there and during times of injury, we could see Poolman come up. In an alternative reality, we could see Myers shift up to the 2nd pairing, Byfuglien go back to forward, and Chiarot play the third pairing full time. Thankfully we live in this reality and I doubt this situation will happen. What Would You Do JetsNation? With all of this in mind, what say you JetsNation? What do you have as projected pairings? Do you think it’s far more complicated than this? Do you want to see Chiarot in the press box or in the AHL? Let us know what you think in the comments below, @ reply us on our Twitter page or leave us reply on our Facebook page. Planning a summer getaway? What Would You Do for your dream vacation? The Nation and Contiki want to help you get there. Visit www.contiki.com for the best vacation ideas around the globe, and enter promo code PPCTHENATION on any trip, 7 days or longer, and get $100 off your trip.Climate change has not been strongly influenced by variations in heat from the sun, a new scientific study shows. The findings overturn a widely held scientific view that lengthy periods of warm and cold weather in the past might have been caused by periodic fluctuations in solar activity. Research examining the causes of climate change in the northern hemisphere over the past 1000 years has shown that until the year 1800, the key driver of periodic changes in climate was volcanic eruptions. These tend to prevent sunlight reaching Earth, causing cool, drier weather. Since 1900, greenhouse gases have been the primary cause of climate change. The findings show that periods of low sun activity should not be expected to have a large impact on temperatures on Earth, and are expected to improve scientists' understanding and help climate forecasting. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh carried out the study using records of past temperatures constructed with data from tree rings and other historical sources. They compared this data record with computer-based models of past climate, featuring both significant and minor changes in the sun. They found that their model of weak changes in the sun gave the best correlation with temperature records, indicating that solar activity has had a minimal impact on temperature in the past millennium. The study, published in Nature GeoScience, was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council. Dr Andrew Schurer, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, said: "Until now, the influence of the sun on past climate has been poorly understood. We hope that our new discoveries will help improve our understanding of how temperatures have changed over the past few centuries, and improve predictions for how they might develop in future. Links between the sun and anomalously cold winters in the UK are still being explored."Player Rd-Pk# Pos. Ht. Wt. School DATONE JONES R1 (2 6 ) D E 6 -4 2 80 U CLA Age 22, from Compton, Calif. Datone Jones (pronounced "DAY-tone") was a four-year starter for coach Jim Mora with 148 tackles and 13½ sacks. Also had three pressures, four forced fumbles, five pass deflections and two blocked kicks. Had a strong senior year with 19 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. His 36.5 tackles for loss were 11th in school history. Caught a touchdown pass against Houston while playing offense in a short-yardage situation. Forced a safety vs. Nebraska. Named most improved player at UCLA's annual team awards. Selected to play in the Senior Bowl collegiate all-star game. Led all UCLA linemen with 41 tackles as a junior. Ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds. Vertical jump of 31½ inches and broad jump of 9 foot 4. Bench pressed 225 pounds 29 times. Might be a 3-4 DE, a 4-3 DE or a 4-3 three-technique. "He's very quick off the ball and he has the ability to accelerate to close in on the quarterback," said Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Scored 20 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. Arms measured 32¾ inches. Hands were 10 inches. History major; honor roll in Winter 2009 and Spring 2009. Agent is Sean Kiernan. - Lori Nickel. ALSO: What the scouts were saying EDDIE LACY R2 (6 1 ) RB 5-11 229 Alabama Lacy had to play behind future NFL backs Mark Ingram (New Orleans) and Trent Richardson (Cleveland) before getting his chance to be the lead guy in 2012. He finished his four years with 14 starts, carrying 355 times for 2,402 yards (6.77 average) and 30 touchdowns. He also caught 35 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns. As the lead back in 2012, he led the team with 1,322 yards and 17 touchdowns on 204 carries and caught 22 passes for 189 yards and two scores. College scouting director Brian Gutekunst said: "He's got great lateral quickness, great ability to drop his pads in the hole, very powerful guy. He has kind of an uncanny knack to get out of trouble for a guy his size. He's a little bit different than we've had maybe in the past." Suffered a hamstring injury while training and did not perform at the combine. Held a private workout in April and performed poorly, running a 4.6-second 40-yard dash and appearing to be gassed while doing all the drills. Claimed he had only just begun working out again. Said he was 100% healthy and would be ready to take part in rookie camp. Scored a 17 on the Wonderlic test. Has a 33½-inch vertical. He did not perform the broad jump or the bench press. Has 31-inch arms and 9½-inch hands. Grew up in Geismar, La. Was a general studies major in college. Agent is Pat Dye. - Tom Silverstein. ALSO: What the scouts were saying DAVID BAKHTIARI R4 (109) T-G 6-4 1/2 301 Colorado Age 21. From Burlingame, Calif. (Junipero Serra High School). Redshirted in 2009 before starting 33 of 34 games from 2010-'12. Played RT in 2010 and LT in 2011-'12 before declaring a year early after the Buffaloes went 1-11 and fired coach Jon Embree. What are his strengths? "My athleticism and my versatility and my leverage and good core strength and good positioning," said Bakhtiari. "I can help a team out in multiple positions." Not sure where he will play. "I think I can play left tackle," he said. "Whatever the Packers want me to play, I'll play. I can work on becoming smarter … playing more stout." Ran 40 yards in 5.08 seconds. Vertical jump of 25½ inches, broad jump of 8-5 and 28 reps on the 225-pound bench press. Arms measured 34 inches and hands were very small at 9½. "He's got very good feet," O-line coach James Campen said. "Good quickness. He's very versatile." Scored 25 on the 12-minute, 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. Agent is Mark Humenik. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying J.C. TRETTER R4 (122) G-C 6-3 1/2 307 Cornell Age 22. From Akron, N.Y. (Akron Central High School). Spent 2009-'10 as a 250-pound TE before moving to LT for his final two seasons. "I'm extremely confident in my own ability to be a great player at the next level," Tretter said. "I'm a smart, heady player." Tretter caught one pass for 18 yards as a freshman and four for 62 and one TD as a sophomore. "I wanted to be an NFL tight end," he said. "Then I wanted to be an NFL offensive lineman. It's been a long road since I was a 230-pound quarterback in high school to a 310-pound lineman." Invited to the combine and the Senior Bowl. Never made it to Mobile because he suffered a broken nose in a workout one day before departure. Ran the 40 in 5.04 seconds. Vertical jump of 29½ inches, broad jump of 9-1 and 29 reps on the bench press. Arms were 33 3/8 and hands were 10 1/8. Suffered torn meniscus knee cartilage in early 2011 but was ready for the season. Outstanding prep basketball player, averaging 28 points and 17 rebounds as a senior. Also averaged 28 as a junior. Scheduled to graduate soon with a degree in industrial labor relations. Grade-point average is 3.4. "I wanted to be a sports agent," said Tretter. "But I love football so much I switched and want to go into coaching or scouting." Wonderlic of 33. Agent is Alan Herman. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying JOHNATHAN FRANKLIN R4 (125) RB 5-10 200 UCLA Age 23. From Los Angeles (Dorsey High School). Redshirted in 2008 and started 45 of 53 games over the next four seasons. Carried 788 times for 4,403 yards, breaking Gaston Green's school record. Averaged 5.6 per carry and scored 31 TDs. "He's more elusive, more make you miss (than Eddie Lacy)," RB coach Alex Van Pelt said. "And he does it very well." Rushed for a school-record 1,734 yards as a senior. His 4,936 all-purpose yards surpassed the school record of 4,688 by Maurice Jones-Drew. "I love the game of football and having the ball in my hands," said Franklin. "If you want me to run inside, I can run inside, and if you want me to run outside, I can run outside." Had 22 fumbles in 846 touches. Caught 59 passes for 528 yards (9.0) and three TDs. "Very good receiver," Van Pelt said. "Good hands. He was a three-down running back and did all the protections." 40 time of 4.50, vertical jump of 31 1/2, broad jump of 9-7 and 18 reps on the bench. Weighed 205 at the combine and 196 at pro day. Arms were 30, hands were 9 3/8. Dead set on becoming mayor of L.A. one day. Wonderlic of 21. Agent is Kenny Zuckerman. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying MICAH HYDE R5 (159) CB 5-11 1/2 194 Iowa Age 22. From Fostoria, Ohio (Fostoria High School). Started 38 of 51 games, including 36 at CB and first two games in 2011 at free safety. Named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2012 and was selected as Hawkeyes' most valuable player on defense. "He's a great kid," CB coach Joe Whitt said. "Tough kid. Willing tackler. He can play outside or nickel. He understands football. He has a high football IQ, and I like guys like that." Finished with eight interceptions, 29 passes defensed and 240 tackles. Played in the East-West Game. Quarterback in high school. Arrested for public intoxication and interference with officials in October. His court date is coming up. "It goes on in Iowa City a lot," said Hyde. "You get a lot of people charged with public intox. It's not an excuse. I made a horrible mistake that night." In December, he was cited by police for playing music too loud in Iowa City. 40 time of time of 4.57, vertical jump of 33½, broad jump of 10-1 and 12 reps on the bench. Arms were 31½, hands were 9 3/8. Wonderlic of 21. "I know special teams is vital and I can do that," said Hyde. "I consider myself a very smart player. I have a real knowledge of the game." Packers have no plans at present to try him at safety. "Some (NFL teams) mentioned that," Hyde said. "I've played corner, and that's what I'm used to. I'm comfortable playing corner." Said he was never injured at Iowa. Agent is Jack Bechta. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying JOSH BOYD R 5 (1 67 ) DT 6-2 1/2 307 Mississippi St. Age 23. From Philadelphia, Miss. (Philadelphia High School). Three-year starter at DT in a 4-3 scheme. In all, started 41 of 51 games. "I saw a big kid with explosion who was able to get some nice pop," D-line coach Mike Trgovac said. "He's got some good movement to him." Boyd caught Trgovac's attention a year ago when he was watching tapes of Bulldogs DT Fletcher Cox, a first-round draft choice by the Eagles in 2012. "Best thing he did was play three-technique and one-technique (nose tackle)," said Trgovac. "We'll have to see if he can play four-technique. For a big guy, he's got pretty nimble feet. He'll fight you." Finished with 125 tackles (18 for loss) and 8 ½ sacks. 40 time of 5.14, vertical jump of 28, broad jump of 8-8 and 32 reps on the bench. Short arms (32) and small hands (9 1/4). "I can play defensive end to the nose," said Boyd. "I'm a pretty hard worker. I pride myself on being physical on the field. I feel like I have a pretty good shot." Wonderlic of 14. Heavily recruited out of Philadelphia High. Agent is Rodney Edwards. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying NATE PALMER R 6 (1 93 ) OLB 6- 2 24 8 Illinois St. Age 23. From Chicago (Simeon High School). Redshirted at Illinois in 2008 and then played for the Illini in 2009-'10. Contributed on special teams as a freshman and made six tackles as a sophomore. Transferred to Illinois State, where he had 117 tackles (25½ for loss) and 17 sacks in two seasons as a DE. "I will have a lot to learn because (linebacker) hasn't been my primary position," said Palmer, adding that he didn't expect to be drafted. Green Bay was the only team that he visited. He reminded Redbirds coach Brock Spack of OLB Rosevelt Colvin, whom he coached at Purdue and had 52½ sacks in a 10-year NFL career. "He's a tremendous person and a lot of fun to be around," said Spack. "He's a coach's dream type of guy." Ran a swift 40 (4.72) at pro day March 22 in Normal. Put up sensational testing numbers with a vertical jump of 35½ and a broad jump of 10-5. Arms were 33 ½, hands were 9 5/8. Didn't bench press because of a torn ligament in his left wrist. "Good prototype size and length," GM Ted Thompson said. "Good athlete. Very nice young man." Wonderlic of 15. Agent is James Chris Martin. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying CHARLES JOHNSON R 7 (2 16 ) WR 6-2 215 Grand Valley St. Age 24. From Elsmere, Ky. (Lloyd Memorial High School). Played one season in junior college and one season at Eastern Kentucky, where he caught three passes for 63 yards. Transferred to NCAA Division II Grand Valley, where he caught 128 passes for 2,229 yards (17.4) and 31 TDs in two seasons. "Ran really well," Thompson said. "Had a real good pro day. Flexible in and out of his cuts." Had a great performance at pro day in March with 4.40 40, vertical jump of 39½, broad jump of 11 and 14 reps on the bench. Arms were 30½, hands were 9¼. "My biggest asset is my knowledge of the game," said Johnson. "I'm able to pick up coverages easily. I can also run fast, jump high and catch balls. I think my pro day turned a lot of heads, but teams liked me before that, too." - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying KEVIN DORSEY R 7 (2 24 ) WR 6-1 1/2 207 Maryland Age 22. From Forestville, Md. (Forestville Military Academy). Redshirted in 2008 after undergoing surgery on his left foot in August. Led Terrapins in special-teams tackles with eight in '09. "I'm a big-play receiver," said Dorsey. "Definitely have the speed to stretch downfield. I also take pride in running short routes." Two-year starter with 81 receptions for 1,088 yards (13.4) and nine TDs. Far more productive as a junior (45 catches) than as a senior (18). "They had a number of injuries at quarterback this year so it was quite a chore to be a receiver there," said Thompson. "He looks like what you're supposed to look like." Excellent pro day performance included 40 time of 4.47, vertical jump of 38, broad jump of 10-10 and 17 reps on the bench. Very long arms (33 ¾), and hands were 9 5/8. Graduated in fall 2011 with an economics degree. Wonderlic of 22. - Bob McGinn ALSO: What the scouts were saying SAM BARRINGTON R 7 (2 32 ) LB 6-1 240 South FloridaAUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — You can now legally have a hedgehog in the state of Maine without any special licenses or permits. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have added hedgehogs to the unrestricted animal list. There was a bill up for debate which would have eased the restrictions on owning the animals, which initially required two different permits. LD 35 was created after sixth graders from Mechanic Falls complained to Sen. Eric Brakey about the hoops they had to jump through to get hedgehogs as pets. Now that the animals aren't restricted, people don't need special licenses to get them, so the committee decided there was no need to vote on the bill. Sen. Brakey said in a statement, "I'm really glad this issue could be resolved for these students without the need for further legislation." Copyright 2017 WCSHA demonstrator holds the U.S. flag during the "Freedom of Speech Rally Round II" across from the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona May 29, 2015. REUTERS/Nancy Wiechec Just weeks after a contest that encouraged participants to draw caricatures of the prophet Muhammad ended in deadly gunfire in Texas, another such event was happening in Phoenix. Marine veteran Jon Ritzheimer has organized what's being called a "freedom of speech" rally, which was being held in front of a mosque Friday night. Ritzheimer stated his purpose loud and clear before saying a word during an interview with AZCentral.com. As he sat in front of a camera, Ritzheimer wore a t-shirt that read "F*** Islam." Still, Ritzheimer — who says he's a patriot and an atheist — claimed, "I don't condone any threats against the mosque. A Facebook post for the event, encouraged participants to "utilize their Second Amendment rights" while at the gathering. Jon Ritzheimer organized the "Freedom of Speech Round II" rally held outside a mosque in Phoenix. AZCentral.com It was billed as both a protest of the shootings that happened at a Muhammad drawing contest in Texas earlier this month and also a means to, as Ritzheimer put it, "push out the truth about Islam." Naturally, there were some strong opinions for, and against the issue being voiced on social media. Among them, the hashtag, #NotMyAmerica generated many thousands of takes: The event prompted extra police patrols in Phoenix, and members of the targeted mosque had reportedly been asked to skip prayer services Friday night. For its part, the city's Human Relations Commission issued this statement: "When freedom of speech is used to vilify entire groups of people because of who they are or what they believe, the Human Relations Commission must speak. It may be legally permissible to protest the Islamic community in Phoenix, but it is hateful and ill-conceived conduct that hurts our entire community and creates the misimpression that Phoenix is intolerant and unwelcoming."Cryptic title of a blog post, I know. But I urgently needed to try out my cameras with the Pi3 for the use on the Oculus Rift DK2 (video below). My last attempt to stream video locally into the Rift was successfull, so I wanted more. The initial single 2D camera was a logitech webcam C525 (for 60$) I have two stereoscopic cameras. The Minoru which is “kind of” a cheap camera at about 70€, but then again: not, because it’s just 2x 640×480 resolution… I stripped the camera to reduce its size, weight an volume to actually use it on the Trashbot since I know that it is supported by the Raspbian as a camera. I also experimented already with the Blackbird 2, an analog camera for streaming video from drones to video goggles. However, that attempt was not really successful since the camera software on PC (!) was laggy and I was thinking that it may be due to the video capture card Easycap (10-20€). But let’s see, what happens when I run it on the Pi 3: Learning: the 190€ combo beats the other two BY FAR in experience. PS: In the video, you see that I attached the cameras to a different Pi than the one attached to the Oculus. This is because, the Oculus Pi has display settings tuned towards the goggles and I need to invest time to make the config changeable via software to actually switch between the googles and a real external display.If you're thinking that the word "Netflix" is everywhere — coming from the mouths of others, visible in the words you read on a screen or a magazine — that's because it's true. It was all over the place in The Hollywood Reporter's story this week on "the most powerful showrunners of 2017," in the form of envy, jokes and some mild dismissals. Everyone in TV either talks about or seems to be thinking about (or more likely, worrying about) Netflix. There is love from those with fantastic deals, there's dissing from those who have to compete with television's latest Death Star, and there's even some interesting bitching from within (more on that below), but there's never disinterest or silence. Well, there's always silence from Netflix itself. Maybe that's just the angle, now. Maybe that's the perception it wants to keep up after building that reputation by genuinely not caring what others thought and pushing forward with its head down. Now Netflix is the biggest thing about TV. And has been for a while. What with its massive $6 billion in content spending, give or take a billion in the plus column going forward. With its maddening (to others) refusal to talk about ratings. With its seemingly endless supply of series coming out of the spigot. With its constant announcement of deals. With it cornering the market on stand-up specials. With it starting to cancel shows, finally. With stories about its debt. With Disney creating its own streaming service and taking much of its fare off of Netflix. With Hulu beating it to the punch and being the first streaming service to win an Emmy for best drama. With Apple emerging as someone who could truly challenge it (and outspend it). With its subscription price increase. Yeah, Netflix is in the zeitgeist. As it should be, particularly in the TV industry. Netflix is a fascinating thing to consider. But it's certainly not a well understood entity. I spend a lot of time thinking about Netflix and have ever since I sat in a room years ago with its executives trying to explain to me what the plan was as it decided to create its own TV series, to get in the TV game. So, you're going to be kinda like HBO? Well, apparently, not so much. I like Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer at Netflix, quite a bit. He's smart, he hasn't wavered in his belief that Netflix was going to be successful (and continue to be, Peak TV or not), and he's touted counter-intuitive ideas to the TV industry hive-mind for years now and hasn't yet had to eat them. He doesn't seem to take criticism personally. He doesn't covet the spotlight. I've been on record for some time now agreeing that Netflix shouldn't release ratings. Why should it? If HBO and Showtime, two other entities that don't need to discuss ratings because ratings don't really have much to do with their business model, could walk back their decision to release those numbers I'll bet they would. On the other hand, I don't think anyone should allow Netflix to proclaim that its shows are more popular than others on cable or broadcast without the concrete statistical evidence everybody measures against. "It's our most popular show" is fine with me because that means nothing in your secret little castle. You do you. Trying to figure out what Netflix is or wants to be changed through the years. Rather quickly, actually. It's not in the prestige TV business like HBO and FX. Netflix is perfectly happy with Fuller House. It's in the volume business, not the quality business — even though many of its shows are superb. Netflix is basically the world's largest broadcaster that happens to be streamed. I also don't root against Netflix as some do. In a world where you had to pick just a handful of channels or streaming services to live with, Netflix would be my first choice without hesitation. How could it not? It's absolutely the best bang for the buck. That's why being in the volume business — the deep bench business — works. That rate increase Netflix is implementing? I'd argue it has another four or five dollars wiggle room before many people would flinch. No, the things that give me pause about Netflix are not that it's secretive and will spend $7 billion on content or damage the marketplace of ideas. As a user, I don't like that it's overwhelming (exponential content growth can be both good or bad, depending on your take) and it doesn't have the best user interface to manage its enormous offerings coherently (and yes, that's bad). As someone who deals with Netflix professionally, its press strategy can be mystifying (some stuff doesn't get promoted, other things get slotted at times not geared toward maximum coverage, like when Making A Murderer dropped on Dec. 18) or when it embargoes reviews of, say, David Fincher's upcoming Mindhunter until the day before it premieres; there's even a belief among some reviewers that Netflix grants different people different access. But all of that is arguably petty and even though better (and more) reviews could drive greater interest in new customer subscriptions, it's not entirely clear if worrying about press in any capacity is a thing at Netflix. However, there is one area where there might be some vulnerability in the long-term, especially with FX and HBO having pretty sterling reputations, Apple jumping into the competitive fray with all that money and Hulu suddenly being the "it" streamer: the relationship business. In the summer of 2016, I wrote a THR column about "Decoding Amazon's Baffling TV Strategy," where I talked about how the streamer didn't seem too keen on branding its own original content or even promoting
eding, fully documents the ongoing problem and health issues of the flat-faced, low to ground canine. Judging from the look on the animal’s face, the dog was begging to go home. No smiles on this block. Heading northward, I spot Ms. Ponytailed Jogger with a yoga mat wearing a hi-tech yellow sports bra. She runs past with yet another bulldog, or was it a Boston terrier? On only a glimpse, it’s hard to tell. The streetscape pattern continues to repeat: another bank, a Starbucks, and Just Salad. Damn, we just don’t know how lucky we are. The church bell tolls at St. Luke in the Fields. Bohemianism ratchets it up a notch at the beatnik and writer’s ghost bar. Did Dylan Thomas drink 18 shots of whiskey, neat? There’s a plaque for that honoring his memory behind the bar at The White Horse Tavern. The maître d’ out front informs inquiring tourists, “We don’t open until 11:30 a.m., please stop back.” I pause a second, that’s also the last place I saw poet extraordinaire and Dreamlander, Cookie Mueller. Proceeding to the all England Club, which gives Abingdon Square its name, is an alluring park with tall trees lining a winding walk. British expatriates Tea & Sympathy and Myers of Keswick are around the corner. Like a passage from a romance novel, there’s some street love intersecting when Bleecker St. meets Hudson and Hudson takes the name 8th Ave. Suddenly, lost in thought, my mood shifts. I remember a dark streak that ended with a heartbreaking low, and the remains of a love gone bust. It was a winter evening at Abingdon Square. Holding your head with streaks of red flowing in the snow, my heart would melt waiting for an ambulance. I trembled from the cold. I’ll never forget the distant gaze stretched across your face. We almost made it to your apartment. The West Village starts to fade. A few more blocks north, through the thick of idling Ubers, a surprise on the corner of W. 13th St., possibly the last gas station in New York City. Time to take a breath and get ready to grapple with the foot traffic at 14th St.—mostly tourists on their way to the nearby High Line. The street’s packed with trends: engaged fidget spinners, long dresses cut in half to display shorts, and logo heavy t-shirts, proving an ongoing existence of bad fashion and faulty DNA. I loop back to Horatio St. to end my slow marathon and take a break, seeking a quiet oasis to sketch the ornamental fountain in Jackson Square Park. This is strange, but I just saw another bulldog. This time it’s an original English bulldog being walked by a triple-chinned, wobbly man, and my best response to this is to crack a smile. Not seeing many smiles these days.'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' may be Johnny Depp's last role in the adventure film franchise. Delays in filming may be due to actor's problems with wife Amber Heard. According to Ecumenical News, several actors have already been considered the part of replacing Depp in future films for the pirate-adventure franchise. Although Depp's Jack Sparrow has long been an iconic character in the Walt Disney-Jerry Bruckheimer joint projects, there is a huge chance he will not be returning in succeeding films. Speculations have risen regarding the famous Captain Jack Sparrow's replacements. Several actors have been tagged namely Jim Carrey, Robert Downey Jr. and Dan Stevens although this remains to be confirmed. In another report by Australia Network, it was revealed that the cast and crew of the excessively delayed upcoming film have become impatient and demoralized because of Depp's alleged bad behavior on set. He was said to arrive to work intoxicated after fights with Heard, who at one point had been banned from visiting the filming set. An inside source said, "Johnny has been on set as little as possible, only fulfilling his contract at the minimum level - and his mood has been completely affecting the whole operation of the production. Producers are worried that morale will be affected." Depp and Heard had been in various reports lately beginning with the former's mysterious hand injury and impending bankruptcy as well as recent dog smuggling troubles in Australia. Celebrity Dirty Laundry reports that fans have taken to social media to voice out their grievances directed at Heard's supposed disruption of the filming process. Depp's personal drama already costed the production millions of dollars beyond their original budget as well as delayed it for months. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' was originally slated for release in the Summer of 2015 but pushed back to 2017. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' is the fifth installment in the film franchise and is scheduled for release on July 7, 2017. It stars Depp along with Javier Bardem as the antagonistic Captain Salazar, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossaas well as newcomers Brenton Thwaites as Henry and Kaya Scodelario as Carina.Release of 11.5 million documents created by the Panamanian corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca Countries with politicians, public officials or close associates implicated in the leak on April 15, 2016 (As of May 19, 2016) The Panama Papers are 11.5 million leaked documents that detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities.[1][2] The documents, some dating back to the 1970s, were created by, and taken from, Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca,[3] and were leaked in 2015 by an anonymous source.[4] The documents contain personal financial information about wealthy individuals and public officials that had previously been kept private.[5] While offshore business entities are legal (see Offshore Magic Circle), reporters found that some of the Mossack Fonseca shell corporations were used for illegal purposes, including fraud, tax evasion, and evading international sanctions.[6] "John Doe", the whistleblower who leaked the documents to German journalist Bastian Obermayer[7][8] from the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), remains anonymous, even to the journalists who worked on the investigation. "My life is in danger", he told them.[9] In a May 6, 2016, statement, John Doe cited income inequality as the reason for his action, and said he leaked the documents "simply because I understood enough about their contents to realize the scale of the injustices they described". He added that he had never worked for any government or intelligence agency and expressed willingness to help prosecutors if granted immunity from prosecution. After SZ verified that the statement did in fact come from the source for the Panama Papers, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) posted the full document on its website.[10][11] SZ asked the ICIJ for help because of the amount of data involved. Journalists from 107 media organizations in 80 countries analyzed documents detailing the operations of the law firm.[4] After more than a year of analysis, the first news stories were published on April 3, 2016, along with 150 of the documents themselves.[12] The project represents an important milestone in the use of data journalism software tools and mobile collaboration. The documents were dubbed the Panama Papers because of the country they were leaked from; however, the Panamanian government expressed strong objections to the name over concerns that it would tarnish the government's and country's image worldwide, as did other entities in Panama and elsewhere. This led to an advertising campaign some weeks after the leak, titled "Panama, more than papers".[13][14][15] Some media outlets covering the story have used the name "Mossack Fonseca papers".[16] Disclosures [ edit ] In addition to the much-covered business dealings of British prime minister David Cameron and Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the leaked documents also contain identity information about the shareholders and directors of 214,000 shell companies set up by Mossack Fonseca, as well as some of their financial transactions. Much of this information does not show anything more than prudent financial management. It is generally not against the law (in and of itself) to own an offshore shell company, although offshore shell companies may sometimes be used for illegal purposes. The journalists on the investigative team found business transactions by many important figures in world politics, sports and art. Many of these transactions are quite legal. Since the data is incomplete, questions remain in many other cases; still others seem to clearly indicate ethical if not legal impropriety. Some disclosures – tax avoidance in very poor countries by very wealthy entities and individuals for example – lead to questions on moral grounds. According to The Namibian for instance, a shell company registered to Beny Steinmetz, Octea, owes more than $700,000 US in property taxes to the city of Koidu in Sierra Leone, and is $150 million in the red, even though its exports were more than twice that in an average month in the 2012–2015 period. Steinmetz himself has personal worth of $6 billion.[18] Other offshore shell company transactions described in the documents do seem to have broken exchange laws, violated trade sanctions or stemmed from political corruption, according to ICIJ reporters. For example: Uruguay has arrested five people and charged them with money-laundering through Mossack Fonseca shell companies for a Mexican drug cartel. [19] Ouestaf, an ICIJ partner in the investigation, reported that it had discovered new evidence that Karim Wade received payments from DP World (DP). He and a long-time friend were convicted of this in a trial that the United Nations and Amnesty International said was unfair and violated the defendants' rights. The Ouestaf article does not address the conduct of the trial, but does say that Ouestaf journalists found Mossack Fonseca documents showing payments to Wade via a DP subsidiary and a shell company registered to the friend. [20] , an ICIJ partner in the investigation, reported that it had discovered new evidence that Karim Wade received payments from DP World (DP). He and a long-time friend were convicted of this in a trial that the United Nations and Amnesty International said was unfair and violated the defendants' rights. The article does not address the conduct of the trial, but does say that journalists found Mossack Fonseca documents showing payments to Wade via a DP subsidiary and a shell company registered to the friend. Swiss lawyer Dieter Neupert has been accused of mishandling client funds and helping both oligarchs and the Qatari royal family to hide money.[21] Named in the leak were 12 current or former world leaders, 128 other public officials and politicians, and hundreds of celebrities, businessmen and other wealthy individuals of over 200 countries.[22] Tax havens [ edit ] From a leaked internal memorandum Ninety-five per cent of our work coincidentally consists in selling vehicles to avoid taxes. Mossack Fonseca[4] Individuals and entities may open offshore accounts for any number of reasons, some of which are entirely legal[23] but ethically questionable. A Canadian lawyer based in Dubai noted, for example, that businesses might wish to avoid falling under Islamic inheritance jurisprudence if an owner dies.[24] Businesses in some countries may wish to hold some of their funds in dollars also, said a Brazilian lawyer.[25] Estate planning is another example of legal tax avoidance. American film-maker Stanley Kubrick had an estimated personal worth of $20 million when he died in 1999, much of it invested in an 18th-century English manor he bought in 1978. He lived in that manor for the rest of his life, filming scenes from The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut there as well. Three holding companies set up by Mossack Fonseca now own the property, and are in turn held by trusts set up for his children and grandchildren.[26] Since Kubrick was an American living in Britain, without the trust his estate would have had to pay transfer taxes to both governments and possibly have been forced to sell the property to obtain the liquid assets to pay them.[27] Kubrick is buried on the grounds along with one of his daughters and the rest of his family still lives there.[26][27] Poster issued by the British tax authorities to counter offshore tax evasion Other uses are more ambiguous. Chinese companies may incorporate offshore in order to raise foreign capital, normally against the law in China.[28] In some of the world's hereditary dictatorships, the law may be on the side of the elite who use offshore companies to award oil contracts to themselves,[29] or gold concessions to their children,[30] however such dealings are sometimes prosecuted under international law.[31] While no standard official definition exists, The Economist and the International Monetary Fund describe an offshore financial center, or tax haven, as a jurisdiction whose banking infrastructure primarily provides services to people or businesses who do not live there, requires little or no disclosure of information when doing business, and offers low taxes.[32][33] "The most obvious use of offshore financial centers is to avoid taxes", The Economist added.[32] Oxfam blamed tax havens in its 2016 annual report on income inequality for much of the widening gap between rich and poor. "Tax havens are at the core of a global system that allows large corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their fair share," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America, "depriving governments, rich and poor, of the resources they need to provide vital public services and tackle rising inequality."[34] International Monetary Fund (IMF) researchers estimated in July 2015 that profit shifting by multinational companies costs developing countries around US$213 billion a year, almost two percent of their national income.[35] Igor Angelini, head of Europol's Financial Intelligence Group, said that shell companies "play an important role in large-scale money laundering activities" and that they are often a means to "transfer bribe money".[36] Tax Justice Network concluded in a 2012 report that "designing commercial tax abuse schemes and turning a blind eye upon suspicious transactions have become an inherent part of the work of bankers and accountants".[37] Money-laundering affects the first world as well, since a favored shell company investment is real estate in Europe and North America. London, Miami, New York, Paris, Vancouver and San Francisco have all been affected. The practice of parking assets in luxury real estate has been frequently cited as fueling skyrocketing housing prices in Miami,[38][39][40] where the Miami Association of Realtors said that cash sales accounted for 90% of new home sales in 2015.[41] "There is a huge amount of dirty money flowing into Miami that's disguised as investment," according to former congressional investigator Jack Blum.[42] In Miami, 76% of condo owners pay cash, a practice considered a red flag for money-laundering.[42] Real estate in London, where housing prices increased 50% from 2007 to 2016, also is frequently purchased by overseas investors.[43][44][45] Donald Toon, head of Britain's National Crime Agency, said in 2015 that "the London property market has been skewed by laundered money. Prices are being artificially driven up by overseas criminals who want to sequester their assets here in the UK".[45] Three quarters of Londoners under 35 cannot afford to buy a home.[45] Andy Yan, an urban planning researcher and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, studied real estate sales in Vancouver—also thought to be affected by foreign purchasers—found that 18% of the transactions in Vancouver's most expensive neighborhoods were cash purchases, and 66% of the owners appeared to be Chinese nationals or recent arrivals from China.[46] Calls for more data on foreign investors have been rejected by the provincial government.[47] Chinese nationals accounted for 70% of 2014 Vancouver home sales for more than CA$3 million.[48] On June 24, 2016 China CITIC Bank Corp filed suit in Canada against a Chinese citizen who borrowed CN¥50 million for his lumber business in China, but then withdrew roughly CA$7.5 million from the line of credit and left the country. He bought three houses in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia together valued at CA$7.3 million during a three-month period in June 2014.[49] International banking [ edit ] "This issue will surely be raised at the G20 summit," predicted Tomasz Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to India. "We need to strengthen international cooperation for exchange of tax information between tax authorities".[50] Panama, Vanuatu and Lebanon may find themselves on a list of uncooperative tax havens that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) re-activated in July 2016 at the request of G20 nations, warned Le Monde, a French newspaper that participated in the investigation. Those three countries followed none of the OECD's three broad guidelines for international banking cooperation:[51] information exchange on request a signed multilateral agreement on information standards a commitment to implement automated information exchange in 2017 or 2018[51] The OECD, the G20, or the European Union could also institute another list for countries that are inadequate in more than one area. Countries meeting none of these criteria, such as Panama, Vanuatu and Lebanon, would go on the blacklist. Countries that meet only one criterion would go on the greylist.[51] In April 2016, if this greylist had been in place it would have included nine countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Brunei, Dominica, Liberia, Nauru, Samoa, Tobago and the United Arab Emirates.[51] Newsroom logistics [ edit ] The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists helped organize the research and document review once Süddeutsche Zeitung realized the scale of the work required to validate the authenticity of 2.6 terabytes[52] of leaked data. They enlisted reporters and resources from The Guardian, the BBC, Le Monde, SonntagsZeitung, Falter, La Nación, German broadcasters NDR and WDR, and Austrian broadcaster ORF, and eventually many others.[53] Ultimately, "reporters at 100 news media outlets working in 25 languages had used the documents" to investigate individuals and organizations associated with Mossack Fonseca.[2] Security factored into a number of project management considerations. Saying his life was in danger,[54] John Doe insisted that reporters communicate over encrypted channels only and agree that they would never meet face-to-face.[55][56][57] SZ also had concerns about security, not only for their source, the leaked documents, and their data, but also for the safety of some of their partners in the investigation living under corrupt regimes who might not want their money-handling practices made public. They stored the data in a room with limited physical access on computers that had never connected to the Internet. The Guardian also limited access to its journalists' project work area. To make it even harder to sabotage the computers or steal their drives, SZ journalists made them more tamper-evident by painting the screws holding the drives in place with glitter nail polish.[58] Reporters sorted the documents into a huge file structure containing a folder for each shell company, which held the associated emails, contracts, transcripts, and scanned documents Mossack Fonseca had generated while doing business with the company or administering it on a client's behalf.[52] Some 4.8 million leaked files were emails, 3 million were database entries, 2.2 million PDFs, 1.2 million images, 320,000 text files, and 2242 files in other formats.[52][59] Journalists indexed the documents using open software packages Apache Solr and Apache Tika,[60] and accessed them by means of a custom interface built on top of Blacklight.[60][61] Süddeutsche Zeitung reporters also used Nuix for this, which is proprietary software donated by an Australian company also named Nuix.[62] Using Nuix, Süddeutsche Zeitung reporters performed optical character recognition (OCR) processing on the millions of scanned documents, making the data they contained become both searchable and machine-readable. Most project reporters then used Neo4J and Linkurious[60] to extract individual and corporate names from the documents for analysis, but some who had access to Nuix used it for this as well.[62] Reporters then cross-referenced the compiled lists of people against the processed documents,[52] then analyzed the information, trying to connect people, roles, monetary flow, and structure legality.[52] US banking and SEC expert David P. Weber assisted journalists in reviewing information from the Panama Papers.[63] Additional stories were released based on this data, and the full list of companies was released in early May 2016.[64] The ICIJ later announced the release on May 9, 2016 of a searchable database containing information on over 200,000 offshore entities implicated in the Panama Papers investigation and more than 100,000 additional companies implicated in the 2013 Offshore Leaks investigation.[65] Mossack Fonseca asked the ICIJ not to publish the leaked documents from its database. "We have sent a cease and desist letter," the company said in a statement.[66] The sheer quantity of leaked data greatly exceeds the WikiLeaks Cablegate leak in 2010[52] (1.7 GB),[67] Offshore Leaks in 2013 (260 GB), the 2014 Lux Leaks (4 GB), and the 3.3 GB Swiss Leaks of 2015. For comparison, the 2.6 TB of the Panama Papers equals approximately 2,660 GB. Data security [ edit ] Mossack Fonseca notified its clients on April 1, 2016 that it had sustained an email hack. Mossack Fonseca also told news sources that the company had been hacked and always operated within the law.[68] Data security experts noted, however, that the company had not been encrypting its emails[60] and furthermore seemed to have been running a three-year-old version of Drupal with several known vulnerabilities.[60] According to Tech Republic, Drupal ran on the Apache 2.2.15 version from March 6, 2010, and worse, the Oracle fork of Apache, which by default allows users to view directory structure.[69] The network architecture was also inherently insecure; the email and web servers were not segmented from the client database in any way.[70] Some reports[71] also suggest that some parts of the site may have been running WordPress with an out-of-date version of Revolution Slider, a plugin whose previously-announced vulnerabilities[72] are well-documented. A grey hat hacker named 1×0123 announced April 12 that Mossack Fonseca's content management system had not been secured from SQL injection, a well-known database attack vector, and that he had been able to access the customer database because of this.[73] Computer security expert Chris Kubecka announced May 24, 2016 that the Mossack Fonseca client login portal was running four different government grade remote access trojans (RATs). Kubecka confirmed there were still numerous critical vulnerabilities, too many open ports into their infrastructure and internet access to their archive server due to weak security.[74] Kubecka explained how each data security issue was discovered in detail in a full-length book titled Down the Rabbit Hole: An OSINT Journey.[75] Shodan scan results of Mossack Fonseca's client login portal breached by RATs Leak and leak journalism [ edit ] Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, called the leak "probably the biggest blow the offshore world has ever taken because of the extent of the documents".[76] Edward Snowden described the release in a Twitter message as the "biggest leak in the history of data journalism".[77] The ICIJ also said that the leak was "likely to be one of the most explosive [leaks of inside information in history] in the nature of its revelations".[78] "This is a unique opportunity to test the effectiveness of leaktivism", said Micah White, co-founder of Occupy, "... the Panama Papers are being dissected via an unprecedented collaboration between hundreds of highly credible international journalists who have been working secretly for a year. This is the global professionalization of leaktivism. The days of WikiLeaks amateurism are over."[79] WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson, an Icelandic investigative journalist who worked on Cablegate in 2010, said withholding some documents for a time does maximise the leak's impact, but called for full online publication of the Panama Papers eventually.[80] A tweet from WikiLeaks criticized the decision of the ICIJ to not release everything for ethical reasons: "If you censor more than 99% of the documents you are engaged in 1% journalism by definition."[81] People named [ edit ] While offshore business entities are not illegal in the jurisdictions where they are registered, and often not illegal at all, reporters found that some Mossack Fonseca shell corporations seem to have been used for illegal purposes including fraud, kleptocracy, tax evasion and evading international sanctions. Reports from April 3 note the law firm's many connections to high-ranking political figures and their relatives, as well as celebrities and business figures.[4][82][83] Among other things, the leaked documents illustrate how wealthy individuals, including public officials, can keep personal financial information private. Initial reports identified five then-heads of state or government leaders from Argentina, Iceland, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates as well as government officials, close relatives, and close associates of various heads of government of more than forty other countries. Names of then-current national leaders in the documents include President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and the Prime Minister of Iceland, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.[82] Former heads of state mentioned in the papers include: Sudanese president Ahmed al-Mirghani, who was president from 1986–1989 and died in 2008. [82] [84] Former Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani owned Afrodille S.A., which had a bank account in Luxembourg and shares in two South African companies. Al Thani also held a majority of the shares in Rienne S.A. and Yalis S.A., holding a term deposit with the Bank of China in Luxembourg. A relative owned 25 percent of these: Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar's former prime minister and foreign minister.[85] Former prime ministers: The leaked files identified 61 family members and associates of prime ministers, presidents and kings,[90] including: Other clients included less-senior government officials and their close relatives and associates, from over forty countries.[82] Over £10 million of cash from the sale of the gold stolen in the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery was laundered, first unwittingly and later with the complicity of Mossack Fonseca, through a Panamanian company, Feberion Inc. The company was set up on behalf of an unnamed client twelve months after the robbery. The Brinks money was put through Feberion and other front companies, through banks in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. It issued bearer shares only. Two nominee directors from Sark were appointed to Feberion by Jersey-based offshore specialist Centre Services.[93] The offshore firms recycled the funds through land and property transactions in the United Kingdom.[93] Although the Metropolitan Police Service raided the offices of Centre Services in late 1986 in cooperation with Jersey authorities, and seized papers and two Feberion bearer shares, it wasn't until 1995 that Brink's-Mat's solicitors were finally able to take control of Feberion and the assets.[93] Actor Jackie Chan is mentioned in the leaked documents as a shareholder in six companies based in the British Virgin Islands.[94] Client services [ edit ] Law firms play a central role in offshore financial operations.[37] Mossack Fonseca is one of the biggest in its field and the biggest financial institutions refer customers to it.[4] Its services to clients include incorporating and operating shell companies in friendly jurisdictions on their behalf.[95] They can include creating "complex shell company structures" that, while legal, also allow the firm's clients "to operate behind an often impenetrable wall of secrecy".[23] The leaked papers detail some of their intricate, multilevel, and multinational corporate structures.[96] Mossack Fonseca has acted with global consultancy partners like Emirates Asset Management Ltd, Ryan Mohanlal Ltd, Sun Hedge Invest and Blue Capital Ltd on behalf of more than 300,000 companies, most of them registered in the British Overseas Territories. Leaked documents also indicate that the firm would also backdate documents on request and, based on a 2007 exchange of emails in the leaked documents, it did so routinely enough to establish a price structure: $8.75 per month in the past. In 2008, Mossack Fonseca hired a 90-year-old British man to pretend to be the owner of the offshore company of Marianna Olszewski, a US businesswoman, "a blatant breach of anti-money laundering rules" according to the BBC.[98] Sanctioned clients [ edit ] The anonymity of offshore shell companies can also be used to circumvent international sanctions, and more than 30 Mossack Fonseca clients were at one time or another blacklisted by the US Treasury Department, including businesses linked to senior figures in Russia, Syria and North Korea.[99] Three Mossack Fonseca companies started for clients of Helene Mathieu Legal Consultants were later sanctioned by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Pangates International Corporation was accused in July 2014 of supplying the government of Syria with "a large amount of specialty petroleum products" with "limited civilian application in Syria". The other two, Maxima Middle East Trading and Morgan Additives Manufacturing Co, and their owners Wael Abdulkarim and Ahmad Barqawi, were said to have "engaged in deceptive measures" to supply oil products to Syria.[100] Mossack Fonseca also ran six businesses for Rami Makhlouf, cousin of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, despite US sanctions against him.[101] Internal Mossack Fonseca documents show that in 2011 Mossack Fonseca rejected a recommendation by their own compliance team to sever ties to Mr. Makhlouf. They agreed to do so only months later. The firm has said it never knowingly allowed anyone connected with rogue regimes to use its companies.[99] Frederik Obermaier, co-author of the Panama Papers story and an investigative reporter at the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, told Democracy Now: "Mossack Fonseca realised that Makhlouf was the cousin, and they realised that he was sanctioned, and they realised that he's allegedly one of the financiers of the Syrian regime. And they said, 'Oh, there is this bank who still does business with him, so we should still keep with him, as well'."[102] HSBC also appeared to reassure Mossack Fonseca not only that it was "comfortable" with Makhlouf as a client but suggested there could be a rapprochement with the Assad family by the US. Makhlouf is already known to be a long-standing client of HSBC's Swiss private bank, holding at least $15 million with it in multiple accounts in 2006.[103] The Panamanian files also show HSBC provided financial services to a Makhlouf company called Drex Technologies, which HSBC said was a company of "good standing".[103] DCB Finance, a Virgin Islands-based shell company founded by North Korean banker Kim Chol-sam[104] and British banker Nigel Cowie,[105] also ignored international sanctions and continued to do business with North Korea with the help of the Panamanian firm. The US Treasury Department in 2013 called DCB Finance a front company for Daedong Credit Bank and announced sanctions against both companies for providing banking services to North Korean arms dealer Korea Mining and Development Trading Corporation,[104] attempting to evade sanctions against that country, and helping to sell arms and expand North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. Cowie said the holding company was used for legitimate business and he was not aware of illicit transactions.[105] Mossack Fonseca, required by international banking standards to avoid money-laundering or fraudster clients, is, like all banks, supposed to be particularly alert for signs of corruption with politically exposed persons (PEP), in other words, clients who either are or have close ties to government officials. However they somehow failed to turn up any red flags concerning Tareq Abbas even though he shares a family name with the president of Palestine, and sat on the board of directors of a company with four fellow directors the firm did deem PEP because of their ties to Palestinian politics. Yet Mossack Fonseca actually did and documented due diligence research, including a Google search.[106] Clients of Mossack Fonseca [ edit ] Mossack Fonseca has managed more than 300,000 companies over the years.[95] The number of active companies peaked at more than 80,000 in 2009. Over 210,000 companies in twenty-one jurisdictions figure in the leaks. More than half were incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, others in Panama, the Bahamas, the Seychelles, Niue, and Samoa. Mossack Fonseca's clients have come from more than 100 countries. Most of the corporate clients were from Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Panama, and Cyprus. Mossack Fonseca worked with more than 14,000 banks, law firms, incorporators, and others to set up companies, foundations, and trusts for their clients.[107] Some 3,100 companies listed in the database appear to have ties to US offshore specialists, and 3,500 shareholders of offshore companies list US addresses.[108] Mossack Fonseca has offices in Nevada and Wyoming.[109] The leaked documents indicate that about US$2 trillion has passed through the firm's hands.[110] Several of the holding companies that appear in the documents did business with sanctioned entities, such as arms merchants and relatives of dictators, while the sanctions were in place. The firm provided services to a Seychelles company named Pangates International, which the US government believes supplied aviation fuel to the Syrian government during the current civil war, and continued to handle its paperwork and certify it as a company in good standing, despite sanctions, until August 2015.[101] More than 500 banks registered nearly 15,600 shell companies with Mossack Fonseca, with HSBC and its affiliates accounting for more than 2,300 of the total. Dexia and J. Safra Sarasin of Luxembourg, Credit Suisse from the Channel Islands and the Swiss UBS each requested at least 500 offshore companies for their clients.[107] An HSBC spokesman said, "The allegations are historical, in some cases dating back 20 years, predating our significant, well-publicized reforms implemented over the last few years."[111] Responses by Mossack Fonseca [ edit ] In response to queries from the Miami Herald and ICIJ, Mossack Fonseca issued a 2,900-word statement listing legal requirements that prevent using offshore companies for tax avoidance and total anonymity, such as FATF protocols which require identifying ultimate beneficial owners of all companies (including offshore companies) before opening any account or transacting any business. The Miami Herald printed the statement with an editor's note that said the statement "did not address any of the specific due diligence failings uncovered by reporters".[112] On Monday, April 4, Mossack Fonseca released another statement: The facts are these: while we may have been the victim of a data breach, nothing we've seen in this illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we've done anything illegal, and that's very much in keeping with the global reputation we've built over the past 40 years of doing business the right way. Co-founder Ramón Fonseca Mora told CNN that the reports were false, full of inaccuracies and that parties "in many of the circumstances" cited by the ICIJ "are not and have never been clients of Mossack Fonseca". The firm provided longer statements to ICIJ.[113] In its official statement April 6,[114] Mossack Fonseca suggested that responsibility for any legal violations might lie with other institutions: approximately 90% of our clientele is comprised of professional clients... who act as intermediaries and are regulated in the jurisdiction of their business. These clients are obliged to perform due diligence on their clients in accordance with the KYC and AML regulations to which they are subject. In an interview with Bloomberg, Jürgen Mossack said: "The cat's out of the bag, so now we have to deal with the aftermath."[115] He said the leak was not an "inside job"—the company had been hacked by servers based abroad. It filed a complaint with the Panamanian attorney general's office.[116] On April 7, 2016 Mossack resigned from Panama's Council on Foreign Relations (Conarex),[117][118] even though he was not officially serving at the time.[119] His brother Peter Mossack still serves as honorary Consul of Panama, as he has since 2010.[120][121][122][123] On May 5, 2016, Mossack Fonseca sent a cease and desist letter to the ICIJ in an attempt to stop the ICIJ from releasing the leaked documents from the Panama Papers scandal.[124] Despite this, the ICIJ released the leaked documents on May 9, 2016.[125][126] In March 2018, Mossack Fonseca announced it would close down.[127] Responses in Panama [ edit ] At 5:00 am on April 3, as the news first broke, Ramón Fonseca Mora told television channel TVN he "was not responsible nor he had been accused in any tribunal".[128] He said the firm was the victim of a hack and that he had no responsibility for what clients did with the offshore companies that they purchased from Mossack Fonseca, which were legal under Panamanian law.[128] Later that day, the Independent Movement (MOVIN)[note 1] called for calm, and expressed hope that the Panamanian justice system would not allow the culprits to go with impunity.[128] Public officials
they will not change my mother’s ID. Israel has treated my family like criminals for being Palestinians. We have been punished, displaced and deprived from each other’s company. Our extended family was torn from its land in 1948 and expelled to refugee camps. In the 1990s, Israel’s policy of closure solidified our separation, particularly from my father’s side in Gaza. Now Israel’s racist and draconian demographic policies have separated my parents, my siblings and myself, just like they separate Jerusalemites who wish to marry other Palestinians from the West Bank, or Palestinian citizens of Israel who are legally barred from marrying Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. This is one of the many faces of the ongoing Nakba today, and I urge more individuals and families who have suffered like this to speak out. The world must realize the true nature of Israeli apartheid, and the cruel separation of families is one more reason why Israel must be boycotted. Mohammad Alsaafin is from the Palestinian village of Fallujah, ethnically cleansed by Israeli forces in 1949. He was born in the Khan Younis refugee camp and lived in the UK and US, before moving back to Palestine to study at Birzeit University.AgeMeter — Are You Getting Any Younger? Answering The Need for Improved Functional Age Testing As laboratories around the world work towards translating experimental anti-aging findings to human treatments, a self administered functional age test to validate interventions that aim to slow or reverse the aging process is greatly needed. Our goal is to develop a low-cost, modular touch screen device for integrating multiple cognitive & biometric assessment technologies. This can be used to gather, analyze, and compare data in aging research scientific studies, and thereby increase the pace of longevity research. Why Is This Needed? The AgeMeterTM device will measure functional biomarkers of participants, estimating the age at which a person physically functions, enabling researchers to validate measurements from genetic and biochemical aging interventions and reliably compare results across subjects, studies and approaches. Many laboratories have published results indicating the reversal or delay of various biomarkers of aging in model organisms and human cells, including cellular biomarkers such as telomere length, epigenome methylation status, expression of proteins specific to senescent cells and others, as well as morphological and functional tests, such as appearance, gait and balance, memory tests, etc. Thus far, however, there has been no fully integrated approach that can easily collect a variety of different data points from human participants, reliably correlating the output to functional age and comparing this against chronological age. Being able to easily evaluate the effectiveness of a potential aging treatment in this way will allow longevity research to proceed at a faster rate, because meaningful data in regards to lifespan effect can be gathered in the middle of a study, not just at the end. For this reason some of the world’s top longevity researchers have shown their support specifically for our project, as evinced by their following quotes: Harvard Scientists Dr. David Sinclair and Dr. George Church are two of the world’s most famous and honored researchers in the field, and they understand well the need for reliable biomarkers of aging. As a glimpse of their exciting work, Dr. Sinclair’s lab recently caused muscle tissue of 60 year old equivalent mice to resemble 20 years old after one week of injections of the molecule NMN, and here is a video of Dr. Church describing a gene altering technique accomplishing age reversal in a sample of his own cells. Dr. Aubrey de Grey, noted longevity advocate and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation also understands that reliable physiological biomarkers for aging will be an important part of assessing potential anti-aging treatments. SENS has done pioneering work in classifying the types of damage that accrue in our bodies with age, some of which you will be familiar with if you have supported previous campaigns on Lifespan.io. Also needed is the ability to reliably correlate the functional age, or phenotype, of participants with their genotype. This would greatly facilitate the search for genomic variations that may point the way towards uncovering the fundamental differences in rates of aging among different individuals. Toward that end, Dr. George Church and colleagues have been the initiators of the Personal Genome Project, whose goal is to obtain quality whole genome sequences of up to one thousand volunteers that would then be made publicly available to researchers. They are keenly interested in having such an easily deployed functional assay made available for such research. The AgeMeterTM will be a modernized successor to the H-SCAN functional age test that was originally developed in 1990 to assess physical biomarkers of aging. Building upon this work, our new AgeMeter device will test the following functional biomarkers, each accompanied by a guided demonstration video enabling users to complete tests without staff supervision: In the original device these parameters were then statistically correlated with the ages of 2,462 subjects, and based on this accumulated data new users received a report that estimated their functional vs. chronological age: Screen capture of the original H-SCAN Spirometry report, providing volume-flow and volume-time data for three exhalations from a participant. Screen capture of H-SCAN test report generated by the original device, showing a participant’s scores and percentiles based on a 2,462 person norm group. The first iteration of the AgeMeterTM will be an updated version of this original H-SCAN functional age test, utilizing a touch screen tablet and modernized software. We also plan to research additional functional biomarkers of aging for use in future versions. For our initial goal we willto perform the above-mentioned physiological and cognitive tests. We will then create appropriate user interface software for each test, along with software to manage the collection of test result data. The initial breakdown of development costs will be as follows: Prototype Hardware: 20% To obtain and configure tablet computer, and peripheral test devices such as a spirometer to measure lung air capacity. User Interface: 30% Programming of the tests themselves, and instructions interface for test takers. Initial participant testing: 35% Handling the logistics of sampling initial set of ~2500 users of various ages and backgrounds. Software Functions and Database: 15% Programming the collection and storage of data in a cloud database and associated service costs. 1. Prepare detailed specifications and overall design of the device. The categories of these specifications include the Tablet, Biometric Testing Software, User Interface Software, Peripheral Interface Software, Database Development, Cloud Software Development for data aggregation and basic data visualizations, and Video Test Assistant Software to instruct users on proper testing. [Estimated delivery: 1 month after campaign completion] 2. Build a functional prototype AgeMeter device for measuring aging biomarkers based on the above specifications. [Estimated delivery: 3 months after campaign completion] 3. Build multiple AgeMeter units, based on the performance of our initial prototype, for use by researchers to create the initial database of aging base line values. [Estimated delivery: 6 months after campaign completion] 4. Recruit researchers to test approximately 2,500 human participants in order to develop statistical models and functional age calculation algorithms, based on the results obtained for various ages, genders, education levels, ethnicities, etc. There will also be an opt-out process for participants to anonymously store their data in a cloud-based server so that the database of test values will automatically grow as new values are uploaded. [Estimated delivery: 12 months after campaign completion] Note: If you would like to be kept informed about opportunities to participate in this collection of our initial data set, please subscribe to the following list, and we will let you know of research locations and conferences where the AgeMeter will be collecting data: If you would like to be kept informed about opportunities to participate in this collection of our initial data set, please subscribe to the following list, and we will let you know of research locations and conferences where the AgeMeter will be collecting data: Theof the initial goal will consist of: The fulfillment of the above steps will culminate in a functional AgeMeter device suitable for aging research use, which will allow a test to be compared against baseline averages for analysis. Stretch Goal 1 — $50,000 User Accounts and Personal Data History – The Quantified Self Reaching this stretch goal will allow us to create software for a user account system for each test participant. This will enable users to store and access multiple test results, and therefore analyze the progression of one’s metrics over time and in response to potential anti-aging interventions. To create this system we will obtain a Production Web Host Cloud subscription and set up a web server to manage user account access. This will include new data visualizations and reports that go beyond those created for the initial goal and that will be tailored to your individual metrics. Users will also be able to download their raw data and a summary report on how they compare to baseline averages. This data could then be contributed to the Personal Genome Project or Open Humans if a user participates in those projects. Stretch goal 2 — $80,000: Additional Biomarker Development Reaching this stretch goal will allow us to pursue the development of additional biomarker tests for future versions of the AgeMeter, increasing its ability to collect and analyze data. For example we want to add computer vision analysis to track ability to hold an object steady within a target area and move between various targets fluidly, and measure how this ability alters with age. Another test we’d like to add is fingertip pulse oximeter measurements to detect blood oxygenation, both at baseline and in response to mental and physical exertion. Most ambitiously we also want to integrate Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) (for example McKendrick R, Parasuraman R and Ayaz H (2015), Front. Syst. Neurosci. 9:27) into our data gathering, as a measure of blood flow and oxygenation in the brain. Think of this as a safe and more portable fMRI that bounces a frequency of near infrared light up to approximately 4 centimeters into your brain! The addition of more biomarkers such as these into future versions of the AgeMeter will make the entire suite of tests even more helpful to researchers, and we hope you’ll help us make their inclusion a reality. An example of fNIRS imaging: McKendrick R, Parasuraman R and Ayaz H (2015), Front. Syst. Neurosci. 9:27 Elliott Small Founder, Centers for Age Control Elliott holds a B.A. degree in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University. He has been a chemist at General Foods, director of a government funded program: The Technology Commercialization Center in Washington DC, and a computer programmer. He is also the founder of a company that has 2 patents and 2 patents pending for rapid battery charging technologies. Elliott’s lifelong interest in science began at the age of 10, when he started experimenting with photo processing and electronics. From 1999 to 2013, he represented and eventually became sole distributor for the original H-SCAN functional age test used by medical practices and other care providers worldwide, personally selling the H-SCAN devices to customers in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. David Bartimus AgeMeter Engineer, Software Architect David holds a B.S. degree in General Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and is fluent in German. He earned an E.I.T. license in the State of Illinois, a step towards professional licensure. David has designed industrial machinery, ag components, and worked in the automation industry for over six years. He also has five years of IT experience working at the University of Illinois, as a visiting research programmer. He has coordinated a multi-year, multi-million dollar automotive engineering data project abroad in Germany. His most recent commercial coding project was developing a mobile, web based, aerospace launch control monitoring system for a Fortune 500 company. Alexander Hoekstra AgeMeter Consultant, Project Manager for Personal Genome Project Alexander Hoekstra holds a BS degree in Genomics and Molecular Genetics from Michigan State University. Alex was one of the principal organizers of the 2015 PGP Conference. He manages the PGP at the laboratory of Dr. George Church, in the Genetics Department of Harvard Medical School. Other affiliations are Michigan State Univ (Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Dept), National Institutes of Health (NIDDK), Wayne State University (Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics). Note: this reward is only available in the United States, and only in states other than New York. Please see the this reward is only available in the United States, and only in states other than New York. Please see the Veritas website for further information.UPDATE: I have uploaded the slides of my Yi-Fu seminar to figshare, DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.157094. If you have questions or comments about the presentation, please feel free to ask in the comments here or on figshare. I’d be happy to discuss my work. Once the presentation is done I’ll upload the slides here and to figshare so that people who aren’t able to attend can see the talk. The talk will be at 3:30pm in Room 180 of Science Hall at the University of Wisconsin (550 N Park St). This talk is part of the Yi-Fu Tuan (personal page here) lecture series. Using Historical Records to Help Predict the Future: The Public Land Survey, 19th Century Climate and the PalEON Project Predicting the response of organisms to changing climates in the 21st century is a major conservation challenge. Standard practice uses the relationship between modern species ranges and climate to predict future distributions under various future climate scenarios. The widespread and significant land use conversion in North America, particularly in the upper Midwest, challenges the basic assumptions of this model. I use historical records of vegetation and climate to build a better understanding of the state of forests in the upper Midwest prior to European settlement. Pre-settlement forests show significantly different structure and composition than modern forests, and our interpretations of the kinds of climates that tree species can occupy is likely to be affected by the broad-scale changes brought about by agricultural conversion. This analysis forms part of the broader PalEON project, and I will highlight how the information we gain from historical data can inform and improve our estimates of future climate change, species distributions and, ultimately help inform conservation planning in the 21st century. AdvertisementsWhile many Venezuelans saw the picture as a sober reminder of their vulnerability and a chance to effect change, the government took a different stand. A court ordered the paper to stop publishing images of violence, as if that would quiet growing questions about why the government — despite proclaiming a revolution that heralds socialist values — has been unable to close the dangerous gap between rich and poor and make the country’s streets safer. “Forget the hundreds of children who die from stray bullets, or the kids who go through the horror of seeing their parents or older siblings killed before their eyes,” said Teodoro Petkoff, the editor of another newspaper here, mocking the court’s decision in a front-page editorial. “Their problem is the photograph.” Venezuela is struggling with a decade-long surge in homicides, with about 118,541 since President Hugo Chávez took office in 1999, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, a group that compiles figures based on police files. (The government has stopped publicly releasing its own detailed homicide statistics, but has not disputed the group’s numbers, and news reports citing unreleased government figures suggest human rights groups may actually be undercounting murders). There have been 43,792 homicides in Venezuela since 2007, according to the violence observatory, compared with about 28,000 deaths from drug-related violence in Mexico since that country’s assault on cartels began in late 2006. Caracas itself is almost unrivaled among large cities in the Americas for its homicide rate, which currently stands at around 200 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to Roberto Briceño-León, the sociologist at the Central University of Venezuela who directs the violence observatory. That compares with recent measures of 22.7 per 100,000 people in Bogotá, Colombia ’s capital, and 14 per 100,000 in São Paulo, Brazil ’s largest city. As Mr. Chávez’s government often points out, Venezuela’s crime problem did not emerge overnight, and the concern over murders preceded his rise to power. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But scholars here describe the climb in homicides in the past decade as unprecedented in Venezuelan history; the number of homicides last year was more than three times higher than when Mr. Chávez was elected in 1998. Reasons for the surge are complex and varied, experts say. While many Latin American economies are growing fast, Venezuela’s has continued to shrink. The gap between rich and poor remains wide, despite spending on anti-poverty programs, fueling resentment. Adding to that, the nation is awash in millions of illegal firearms. Photo Police salaries remain low, sapping motivation. And in a country with the highest inflation rate in the hemisphere, more than 30 percent a year, some officers have turned to supplementing their incomes with crimes like kidnappings. But some crime specialists say another factor has to be considered: Mr. Chávez’s government itself. The judicial system has grown increasingly politicized, losing independent judges and aligning itself more closely with Mr. Chávez’s political movement. Many experienced state employees have had to leave public service, or even the country. More than 90 percent of murders go unsolved, without a single arrest, Mr. Briceño-León said. But cases against Mr. Chavez’s critics — including judges, dissident generals and media executives — are increasingly common. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content, updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. Henrique Capriles, the governor of Miranda, a state encompassing parts of Caracas, told reporters last week that Mr. Chávez had worsened the homicide problem by cutting money for state and city governments led by political opponents and then removing thousands of guns from their police forces after losing regional elections. But the government says it is trying to address the problem. It recently created a security force, the Bolivarian National Police, and a new Experimental Security University where police recruits get training from advisers from Cuba and Nicaragua, two allies that have historically maintained murder rates among Latin America’s lowest. The national police’s overriding priority, said Víctor Díaz, a senior official on the force and an administrator at the new university, is “unrestricted respect for human rights.” “I’m not saying we’ll be weak,” he said, “but the idea is to use dialogue and dissuasion as methods of verbal control when approaching problems.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Senior officials in Mr. Chávez’s government say the deployment of the national police, whose ranks number fewer than 2,500, has succeeded in reducing homicides in at least one violent area of Caracas where they began patrolling this year. Still, human rights groups suggest the new policing efforts have been far too timid. Incosec, a research group here that focuses on security issues, counted 5,962 homicides in just 10 of Venezuela’s 23 states in the first half of this year. Meanwhile, the debate over the morgue photograph published by El Nacional is intensifying, evolving into a broader discussion over the government’s efforts to clamp down on the news outlets it does not control. The government says the photograph was meant to undermine it, not to inform the public. The authorities are also threatening an inquiry into “Rotten Town,” a video by a Venezuelan reggae singer that shows an innocent child struck down by a stray bullet. For all the government’s protests, the video has spread rapidly across the Internet since its release here this month. Given the government’s stance in these cases, many here worry it is focusing on the messenger, not the underlying message. Hector Olivares, 47, waited outside the morgue early one morning this month to recover the body of his son, also named Hector, 21. He said his son was at a party in the slum of El Cercado, on the outskirts of Caracas, when a gunman opened fire. Mr. Olivares said Hector was the second son he had lost in a senseless murder, after another son was killed four years ago at the age of 22. He said he did not blame Mr. Chávez for the killings, but he pleaded with the president to make combating crime a higher priority. “We elected him to crack down on the problems we face,” he said. “But there’s no control of criminals on the street, no control of anything.”Today's Verizon logo change might be less of a big deal than Google's was earlier this week, but if there's one person who's going to have reliably strong opinions about minor tweaks to carrier branding, it's T-Mobile boss John Legere. And Legere didn't disappoint. A few hours after Verizon officially updated its logo, Legere had already appropriated its new pink-tinged checkmark to point out what, in his eyes, his company's competitor does wrong. "Screws over customers," "keeps all your unused data," and "no early upgrade options" are among a series of complaints Legere laid out today in an image he posted on Twitter, each drawn up to borrow the font and the tick from Verizon's new logo. Each of Legere's points conveniently ties into one of T-Mobile's own promotions, the upstart carrier now offering deals for customers to keep unused data and upgrade their phones early — for a price. Of course, Verizon's previous logo also used a giant checkmark as its central motif, meaning Legere could have drawn up a similar image at any point over the last decade or so. But the T-Mobile CEO is obviously proud of today's Photoshop job: he's already tweeted it twice, and is trying to get followers to send more examples under the #NewVerizonLogo hashtag.Image: ZDNet For years, the Microsoft stand at CES was the anchor of the giant central hall. As soon as you came through the doors, there it was, opposite Intel. The year that Microsoft had Kinect games on the stand, the traffic jam of people playing, waiting to play, or just watching brought the front of the hall to a standstill. The Microsoft stand was where I first met Microsoft's genius scientist Steven Bathiche, showing off the Sidewinder gaming keyboard that solved n-key rollover for gamers -- and which paved the way to the detachable Surface keyboards using the same cheap optical sensors. But even though Microsoft now makes its own hardware, it no longer has a flashy stand at CES. Instead, it has a private area for meetings with OEMs who make Windows devices and peripherals, and some press briefings (and maybe even a party at some point). Those meetings with the industry have been ramping up over the last few years; talking to Steve Guggenheimer, head of Microsoft's Developer experience and evangelism division, his calendar looks so full he didn't think he'd make it onto the show floor. Who does Microsoft talk to at CES? Sports leagues, telecoms companies, startups, toy companies -- as well as hardware makers and software companies, of course. "CES isn't a consumer show, it's a technology show," Guggenheimer says. "There's a broad set of really smart, connected devices driving change to every industry. There's an incredible energy of startups and industries all trying to figure out how to use this technology." He picked some key areas including augmented reality and virtual reality and mixed reality, plus IoT, robotics, bots, and cognitive services. "This isn't the year that bots take over as the front end interface," he admits. "It's too soon. But it's smart to think about the future of your occasionally used app. It's hard to predict which directions are going to success but bite-sized access to information is going to come." That's an area Microsoft is actively working on; the Singapore government chatbot Jamie that helps citizens find information on official websites is using Microsoft tools to start personalizing answers and you can use the new QnAMaker to turn an FAQ into a bot. IoT is still emerging from the hype cycle too. "Lots of opportunity on the business side hasn't materialised yet," he admits. When the commercial side picks up, he expects it to start with companies saving money rather than making money. Guggenheimer is at CES despite not being a product person, because the reason Microsoft is relevant to all of this is developers. "The energy is all about developers at the moment. In the last four years, it's gone from 'does Microsoft even get it?' to where the relevance of our platforms is in a pretty good spot." Startups who want to reach the commercial market getting in touch with Microsoft shouldn't be a surprise given the position of Office and Windows, but it's the success of Azure and Office 365 that has a new generation of business-focused startups interested. "The interest I get from people who want to touch commercial entities has increased a lot. More VCs are sending us startups who are focused on commercial areas; we're starting to see more of that type of VC connection into to the community than we would have seen a year or three years ago. It's a lot more about us reacting to people coming to us, rather than Microsoft going out and trying to get to people interested," he says. Another chance for UWP? Xbox likely won't have a big presence at CES; instead the console shows up at the big games conferences because it's still seen as a gaming platform -- even though Xboxs are used more for watching videos and listening to music than for gaming (gamers can get rather vocal if they think 'their' platform is getting 'taken away' from them by an emphasis on media usage). Developers, though, have noticed the importance of media on Xbox and it's proving a bit of a gateway for them to Windows 10 with UWP apps. "Xbox has a large base as a network and it's their starting point in some ways," Microsoft's Guggenheimer says. "Once they've done UWP for Xbox, they get that extension to the desktop for free." That's one way Microsoft's cross-device UWP strategy could succeed even without a critical mass of Windows phones (and maybe there will be a few of those at CES too). Read more about MicrosoftHappy Memorial Day! If your employer is giving you the day off, with pay, pat yourself on the back. You're one of the lucky ones! As this graph from the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows, the United States is the only developed country that doesn't guarantee its workers either paid vacation or holidays: Prefer the text version? Suit yourself: The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation. European countries establish legal rights to at least 20 days of paid vacation per year, with legal requirements of 25 and even 30 or more days in some countries. Australia and New Zealand both require employers to grant at least 20 vacation days per year; Canada and Japan mandate at least 10 paid days off. The gap between paid time off in the United States and the rest of the world is even larger if we include legally mandated paid holidays, where the United States offers none, but most of the rest of the world's rich countries offer at least six paid holidays per year. Of course, in practice, richer workers are able to negotiate for both paid vacation and paid holidays. It's poorer workers who can't take any time off. This table shows how it actually works out across the economy: So among richer workers, almost all employers offer paid vacation and holidays, and quite a bit of it. Among poorer workers, less than half get paid vacation, and even when they do, their employers offer a lot less of it. This is one more way in which the poor often end up working much harder than the rich. Much more here.What are genetically modified (GM) plants? Is genetic modification safe? Where are GM crops grown and eaten? Food security is one of this century's key global challenges, as noted in our earlier report Reaping the Benefits, and due to the scale of the challenge, we should really think carefully before we rule out any technology that might help deal with the problem. The questions and answers given here are intended to provide a resource to those who are interested in what GM is, how it is used and potential future uses. The Royal Society commissioned Ipsos MORI to find out what people want to know about GM plants, and then drew on a panel of expert, independent scientists to answer your questions. We hope that these answers explain the science behind GM and help you form your own view. Find out about the Royal Society's other work on genetic technologies. Explore 18 questions about genetically modified (GM) plantsHave you ever wondered how you try to poison and shut down a debate and a political environment that you fear you’ve found yourself on the losing side of, readers? Well, it’s funny you should ask, because as it happens we’ve got a visiting professor – an expert authority on the subject – with us today to give us a demonstration. Make sure you’ve got your pens and notepads ready. He’s got a very busy schedule and we can’t afford to have him here for long. 1. FIRST, GET EVERYONE GOOD AND ANGRY You need to get yourself noticed, and in the modern world the easiest way to do that is to be a bit of a trolling dick. So start bashing out some wildly generalised and highly offensive abuse of large groups of people. “Scottish nationalists and Brexiteers” covers perhaps 75% of Scotland (almost 50% of people vote SNP and 38% voted Leave, and the crossover is quite limited), so that’s a cracking start. Ideally say it in both the headline and the caption for added effect. Of course, journalists often complain that headlines and picture captions are written by someone else (an editor or sub-editor), so make certain that you’ve said the same thing explicitly in the body copy of the article too so people know it was you. Be sure to use the word “all” so that there’s no mistaking that you mean everyone in those categories, and if you can rope in another one while you’re there – “Corbynistas” – then that’s better still. You’ve now just called pretty much 80% of Scots “utterly vacuous”. With luck that should get them quite hacked off. Make ridiculously over-the-top claims wherever you can. It might be quite a lark to suggest that political intolerance didn’t exist before 2014 and that it’s all the fault of Scottish people, for example. (Obviously you’d only actually mean Scottish people on one side of the argument.) It helps if you can fire out derogatory and pejorative terms like “cybernats” to dismiss anyone who objects, or call them “deranged maniacs”. Crassly hinting at a likeness to the murderous sectarian bigots and terrorists of Northern Ireland might be fruitful. Still, don’t stop there. You need to do it for a sustained period of time – six years, say – for it to really work, and you need to be in people’s faces at every turn. So ensure that you churn out stuff for every possible outlet – not just the Herald but the Scotsman, the Daily Record, the Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the New Statesman, the BBC, STV, Channel 4, the Independent, Scottish Review, Conservative Home, absolutely anyone who’ll have you – so that there’s absolutely no escape from your face and your spin for anyone who turns on the TV or radio, opens a newspaper or looks at political news on the internet. Of course, those outlets are all one-way, which is ideal. You get to impose your views on people but they have no means of answering back (do airily announce that you’d never read BTL comments). This will likely prove quite frustrating for them, increasing their anger as you merrily mock and belittle them, which serves your purpose. For advanced-level credit, regularly bemoan the “politics of hate” of the “cybernats” while not only ignoring that of the other side, but actively endorsing the most abusive proponents of it and joining in with their attempts to antagonise. 2. MAKE IT PERSONAL It’s not enough just to have provocative opinions. If you really want people properly wound up you have to personalise it as much as possible, so you should make the most outrageous comparisons you can muster. Unfortunately Hitler’s been done to death already, so how about a more modern monster? Donald Trump? Perfect. Now, you’ll probably need to have kept the personal attacks coming on a near-weekly basis for years to goad a response out of your subject: But eventually you should get one, however brief and gently acidic: You’re well on the way now. Perhaps try to get under the skin of other popular figures with snide, condescending comments based on out-of-context micro-quotes: Then, like any troll, proudly show off the reaction you got: And now you’re almost set. 3. THE BAIT-AND-SWITCH Having invested years in making sure that everyone on one side of the debate has good reason to think you’re a complete arse and openly glorying in the fact that you’re needling them, it’s time to suddenly play the victim. It needn’t take much, because we live in an age where you can just say you’ve been abused and expect to be believed without actually having to demonstrate the fact. Twitter is the perfect medium for this move. Firstly you can close/hide your account so that people can’t easily expose your hypocrisy by pointing to all the times you’ve insulted them yourself. Helpfully, that also makes it a lot harder for sceptics to find any evidence of the bad things that have supposedly been said to you. And with your own history wiped, it’s time to start rewriting it. Barely 24 hours after flouncing off Twitter, you can have a column in the Times, in which you complain piteously (for money, natch) about “misrepresentation”, apparently having suffered a major self-awareness failure. You can bleat that a mild letters-page barb two years ago unleashed the hounds of Hell, or that being politely corrected by a politician amounts to a coded signal for a campaign of intimidation. It’s important to emphasise that it’s never your fault for being wrong or deliberately provocative, of course. None of the subjects of your attacks, whether they be powerful politicians or powerless members of the public, are ever permitted legitimate anger in reaction to your provocation. They must simply endure it forever in meek silence, even when they’ve been obliged to pay for it through a legally-enforced licence fee. They must ON NO ACCOUNT call you a “disgruntled walnut” or “angry Weetabix”, for example. The vacuous, dishonest, stupid, bullying cultist cyber-scum. Congratulations! You’ve shaped public perception! Take the rest of the week off. ————————————————————————————————— The worst attacks on David Torrance that anyone could show on Tuesday night were three tweets collated by – ironically – a highly abusive anonymous Unionist troll: The first was in fact an ironic tweet from someone mocking the people who might talk that way. The second is undoubtedly pretty rude, but we’re not entirely convinced that “quisling prick” is orders of magnitude worse that “vacuous cybernat”. And the third was three weeks ago, so it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine it was what brought about his tearful fainting fit on Tuesday night. And conspicuously, not a single one of them was actually addressed to Torrance or featured his Twitter @ tag, so the only way he’d have seen any of them at all was if he was searching for his own name. In 24 hours we have as yet found nothing nasty enough to conceivably merit a diva-esque walkout. Social media is an open forum, on which other people have as much power as you. If you put yourself there, you better be prepared to deal with the reactions you elicit from people by what you do. That doesn’t mean you have to tolerate abuse – there are a wide range of built-in tools which can filter and block messages – but it does mean that you’re down in the stalls with everyone else, not pontificating from the safety of a media tower. You have to fight your corner. It’d be easy to say that people like Torrance (and his thinkalike chum Chris Deerin of the Daily Mail, who also performed a loud Twexit last year, before scuttling back barely a week later) were simply a bunch of weedy snivelling hypocrites, delighted to dish it out but pathetically unable to take it. But that would be too kind a judgement. Articles like the one in the Times today are part of a desperate and deliberate rearguard action against the democratisation of opinion, and an attempt to delegitimise anyone who would challenge the status quo. The political landscape is shifting faster than anyone can keep up with, and those who see themselves as gatekeepers, interpreting events for the benefit of the poor dumb plebs, live in terror of being rendered obsolete by change and by ridicule. Any voices ranged against them must be tainted and discredited, painted as a vicious lynchmob of thugs and bullies. There’s no shortage of eager and willing mouthpieces. The snide, sneering sarcasm is merely the house style. But engagement is precisely what Torrance and his ilk fear, because engagement means debate and debate means that people might expose all the holes in your arguments – the ones the Herald’s comment editors instantly delete in that nice safe walled and controlled environment. In the light of an epic track record of spectacular wrongness, readers and viewers and listeners are increasingly realising that most political commentors are clueless and therefore pointless. They actually know nothing about politics, only the self-reinforcing circle-jerk outlook of their own tiny social clique of other hacks. And with the media serving as the front line of the No campaign – more so than ever now that Scottish Labour has been left a shattered, broken mess by the last one – that would be a catastrophic loss for the Union. So expect this routine to be played out many more times over the coming months and years (not just against independence, but also Jeremy Corbyn and anything else perceived as a threat to the existing order). Because the one thing that can never be allowed to happen is normal people being allowed to speak and think for themselves. The formula is like a vaccine, to be deployed in greater and greater doses because the electorate (or as they’re seen by the punditariat, the virus) is developing immunity. And that, rather than a couple of nutters with placards outside a Tunnocks factory, is the “Scottish resistance” that has them quaking in their shoes.
grabbing up humans by the handful and feeding on their flesh. But he had outgrown the nightmares of boyhood enough to chuckle at the professor's description of a half-famished hunter, already slightly warped, identifying with the Windigo and turning into a frenzied cannibal himelf, foraging around the boondocks for more food after he had gorged himself on the bodies of his immediate family. "Get the picture," he had told Grossmann that night, over mugs of Wurtzburger. "Altered perception. Simultaneously, all over god knows how many square miles, hundreds, thousands of these Indians are looking at each other out of the corner of their eye and not seeing wives or husbands or little children at all. What they see is big fat juicy beavers. And these Indians are hungry, Grossmann. I mean, my gawd. A big mass psychosis. As far as the eye can reach--" he gestured dramatically-- "Beavers. Succulent, juicy, fat." "How yummy," Grossmann had commented wryly. Sure, it was amusing, in a twisted sort of way. And it gave anthropologists something to write about and people at parties something to talk about. Fascinating, this Windigo psychosis. And oddly enough its first stages were marked by a profound melancholia. That was what had made him remember, a juxtaposition of words, an accident. He wondered why Irving Loon had not been talking for two days. He wondered if Debby Considine knew about this area of the Ojibwa personality. "And Paul just won't understand," she was saying. "Of course it was a bitchy thing to complain to the police but I'd lie awake nights, thinking of him crouched up in that tree, like some evil spirit, waiting for me. I suppose I've always been a little afraid of something like that, something unfamiliar, something I couldn't manipulate. Oh yes," she admitted to his raised eyebrows, "I've manipulated them all right. I didn't want to, Siegel, god knows I didn't. But I can't help it." Siegel felt like saying, "Use a little less mascara or something," but was brought up short by an awareness which had been at the back of his mind since Lupescu had left: a half-developed impression about the role Lupescu had occupied for this group; and it occurred to him that his double would never have said anything like that. You might give absolution or penance, but no practical advice. Tucked snugly in some rectory of the mind, Cleanth Siegel, S.J., looked on with approval. "Changing the subject for a moment," Siegel said, "do you know, has Irving told you anything about the Windigo?" "It's funny you should mention that," she said, "it's a nature god or something, that they worship. I'm not on the anthropology end of things or I could tell you more about it. But the last time Irving was talking--he speaks English so well--he said once 'Windigo, Windigo, stay by me.' It's this poetic, religious quality in him that's so touching." And right about here Siegel began to feel really uneasy, to hear this tiny exasperating dissonance. Poetic? Religious? Ha, ha. "I'm afraid," she was saying. "I get so depressed, so exhausted. Even as a little girl I used to be scared of being hit by a meteorite, isn't that silly? This terror of the unfamiliar, this sort of arbitrary act of god or something. It got bad, very bad, two years ago and I tried to straighten everything out with an act of Debby Considine, by taking rather more than the prescribed amount of Seconal. Then when it didn't work I rode up on another crest and I've been there for two years and I guess non I'm about due for a trough again." Siegel sat up suddenly and glared straight ahead of him, at the crossed BAR's on the wall. He was getting fed up with this. Lupescu was wrong: you did not pick this sort of thing up quickly at all. It was a slow process and dangerous because in the course of things it was very possible to destroy not only yourself but vour flock as well. He took her hand. "Come on," he said, "I'd like to meet Irving. Sav for your penance ten Hail Marys and make a good Act of Contrition." "Oh my god," she murmured. "I am heartily sorry..." and apparently she was, but probably only because the interview had been cut short. They threaded their way between several inert bodies in the kitchen. The cha cha side had been replaced by Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Siegel smiled grimly because of its appropriateness; because he knew he could listen to anything else but this mad Hungarian without getting bugged, but at the sound of an entire string section run suddenly amok, shrieking like an uprooted mandrakes trying to tear itself apart, the nimble little Machiavel inside him would start to throw things at the mensch who had just cast off adolescence and who still sat perpetual shivall for people like Debby Considine and Lucy and himself and all the other dead, trying to goad it into action; and he wondered if perhaps Lucy's diagnosis of Lupescu's trouble hadn't been correct and if someday he, Siegel, might not find himself standing in front of some mirror with a pig foetus under one arm, reciting Freudian cant at himself to get the proper inflection right. "Irving Loon," Debby said, "Cleanth Siegel." Irving Loon stood motionless, seemingly unaware of their presence. Debby put her hand on the Ojibwa's arm and caressed it. "Irving," she said softly, "please say something." Damn the torpedoes, Siegel thought. Full speed ahead. "Windigo," he said quietly and Irving Loon jumped as if an ice cube had been dropped down his neck. He looked intently at Siegel, probing suddenly with black, piercing eyes. Then he shifted his gaze to Debby and smiled wanly. He put his arm around her waist and nuzzled her cheek. "Debby," he murmured, "my beautiful little beaver." "Isn't that sweet," Debby said, smiling over her shoulder at Siegel. Oh my god, Siegel thought. Oh no. Beaver? Now wait a minute. Somebody was tugging at Siegel's coat sleeve and he turned swiftly, nervously, and saw Brennan. "Can I see you alone for a minute," Brennan said. Siegel hesitated. Irving Loon and Debby were whispering endearments to one another. "Sure, okay," Siegel said absently. They crunched over the broken glass from the French windows and went out on a small balcony, which was just as well, because Siegel was beginning to get a little sick of the bedroom. The rain had dwindled to a light mist and Siegel pulled his coat collar up. "I hear you're a pretty sympathetic guy," Brennan began, "and I guess you know how it is with me and Debby. The truth is I'm worried about that Indian." "So am I," Siegel started to say and then caught himself. This theory about why Irving Loon was not talking was based only on suspicion; and this whole absurd, surrealist atmosphere had after all been working on an imagination known occasionally to go off the deep end. So instead he said, "I could see where you might." Brennan turned crafty. "I think he's using hypnosis on her," he confided, darting quick glances back inside to see if anyone was listening. Siegel nodded profoundly. Brennan went on to explain his side of the tree-climbing episode and by the time he was through Siegel, who had not been paying attention, was surprised to find, on looking at his watch for the first time that evening, that it was almost eleven. A few people had left and the party was showing the first signs of slowing down. Siegel wandered out into the kitchen where he found half a fifth of scotch, and made a scotch on the rocks; his first drink, as a matter of fact, since he had arrived. He stood in the kitchen, alone, trying to assess things. First stage, melancholia. Second stage, direct violence. How much had Irving Loon been drinking? How much did starvation have to do with the psychosis once it got under way? And then the enormity of it hit him. Because if this hunch were true, Siegel had the power to work for these parishioners a kind of miracle, to bring them a very tangible salvation. A miracle involving a host, true, but like no holy eucharist. He was the only one, besides Irving Loon, who knew. Also, a sober voice reminded him, he was apparently the only one who had the Windigo psychosis as his sole piece of information about the Ojibwa. It might be a case of generalization, there might be any number of things wrong with Irving Loon. Still, perhaps... a case of conscience. Vincent came up to him and wanted to talk but he waved him off. Siegel had had about enough of confessions. He wondered how his predecessor had managed to remain as father confessor for as long as he had. It occurred to him now that Lupescu's parting comment had been no drunken witticism; but that the man really had, like some Kurtz, been possessed by the heart of a darkness in which no ivory was ever sent out from the interior, but instead hoarded jealously by each of its gatherers to build painfully, fragment by fragment, temples to the glory of some imago or obsession, and decorated inside with the art work of dream and nightmare, and locked finally against a hostile forest, each "agent" in his own ivory tower, having no windows to look out of, turning further and further inward and cherishing a small flame behind the altar. And Kurtz too had been in his way a father confessor. Siegel shook his head, trying to clear it. Somebody had started a crap game in the other room and Siegel sat down on the kitchen table, swinging one leg, looking in at the crowd. "Oh you're a fine group," he muttered. He was beginning to think that maybe he should tell all these people to go to hell and go drop in on Rachel after all when he saw Irving Loon come dreamlike in under the pig foetus, eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing. Siegel, paralyzed, watched Irving Loon go into the bedroom, drag a chair over to one wall, stand on it, and unhook one of the BAR's. Rapt, entirely absorbed in what he was doing, the Indian began rummaging around in the drawers of Lupescu's desk. Gingerly Siegel edged himself off the table and tiptoed to the bedroom door. Irving Loon, still singing to himself produced with a smile a box of.30 caliber ammunition. Happily he began putting rounds into the magazine. Siegel counted the rounds as he put them in. The magazine would hold 20. All right, Siegel, he said to himself, here it is. Moment of truth. Espada broken, muleta lost, horse disembowelled, picadors sick with fear. Five in the afternoon, crowd screaming. Miura bull, sharp horns, charging in. He figured there were about sixty seconds to make a decision, and now the still small Jesuit voice, realizing that the miracle was in his hands after all, for real, vaunted with the same sense of exhiliration Siegel had once felt seeing five hundred hysterical freshmen advancing on the women's dorms, knowing it was he who had set it all in motion. And the other, gentle part of him sang kaddishes for the dead and mourned over the Jesuit's happiness, realizing however that this kind of penance was as good as any other; it was just unfortunate that Irving Loon would be the only one partaking of any body and blood, divine or otherwise. It took no more than five seconds for the two sides to agree that there was really only one course to take. Quietly Siegel strolled back through the kitchen, through the living room, taking his time, unnoticed by the crap shooters, opened the door, stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him. He walked downstairs, whistling. At the first floor landing, he heard the first screams, the pounding of footsteps, the smashing of glass. He shrugged. What the hell, stranger things had happened in Washington. It was not until he had reached the street that he heard the first burst of the BAR fire.Getting Down with Downward Dog: Yoga I discovered hot yoga two years ago and haven't looked back since (the best present my husband ever bought me!). It's great for flexibility, toning and strength (I now have triceps) but also for mental calming. Why not browse among the 2000+ titles that TPL owns on yoga and see what speaks to you. You won't regret it. Your core/belly and glutes will thank you and your friends and family will start to say things like: "you look good" or "you seem calmer." I especially like Hatha Yoga which requires longer holding of poses and helps build mental and physical strength and improves breath and awareness control. I regularly attend a Chakra flow class which is related to the more spiritual and energy driven Kundalini yoga. The library also has many non-yoga books on Chakras. There are many different schools of yoga and also many different yoga gurus so you may also be interested in some historical and biographical background, life stories and the personal journeys that others have taken. I also like the rigour and structure of Ashtanga yoga. Some of the instruction and many of the names are in Sanskrit and that can be a bit disconcerting but the set poses are quickly learned. I once saw three people, who had been studying it for longer than me, move in complete synchronicity for an entire class. Ashtanga is a challenging class to take, especially one of the last postures where you sit in full lotus and lift your entire body for 10 seconds using your arm and body strength. I'm thankful to one of the regulars at my yoga studio who inspires me to hold my body weight – all 173 librarian pounds – up for those 10 seconds. Yoga can also be community. There's a lot of material available for the advanced student or teacher of yoga as well, including a wide variety of anatomy books. There are also books on teaching yoga and adjustments. Moving away from the body, there is also quite a bit written on the spiritual aspects of yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the big names in yoga and his large-scale, beautifully photographed book that has detailed notes on postures is a real eye-opener. There's also a wide selection of DVDs on Yoga including many by Rodney Yee. My co-worker Wendy, who lives in the Beach, wanted to me add in a book on paddle board yoga or SUP so... I will also note that there are a lot of specialized yoga books: I've also read good things about Erich Schiffmann's Yoga: the spirit and practice of moving into stillness and Ana T. Forrest's Fierce medicine: breakthrough practices to heal the body and ignite the spirit. Toronto Star Archives photo 1975: Fun and Fitness with Yoga... Scarborough women are finding yoga. You may know that the library is very active on Reddit – the online community. There is a Reddit board r/yoga that you may find interesting. They have a very helpful FAQ that covers all kinds of interesting questions: what to wear, yoga matts/towels, what to expect, even what to read! Namaste.View Caption Hide Caption Riley and James, roughly a month before their meeting in Las Vegas. (Getty Images) The details surrounding LeBron James’ departure from the Heat will leak out in bits and pieces for years and an interesting one popped up this morning. During a segment discussing whether the Heat would ever be willing to bring back James, who has endured some turbulence in Cleveland since leaving, ESPN Radio host Dan Le Batard revealed something that bothered Pat Riley when he met with James in the summer of 2014. In retrospect, Riley apparently feels James had already decided to rejoin the Cavaliers before Riley flew from Miami to Las Vegas for the meeting. After traveling across the country for what the thought was a legitimate re-recruiting opportunity, he was irritated that James and his crew didn’t seem to be engaged in the discussion. “I don’t think Pat Riley would take him back based on what I know, but maybe there’s a way around that if The King wishes to grovel,” Le Batard said on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “Maybe. I’m not kidding about this. Because Pat Riley was made to feel, flying across the country– Pat Riley’s got an ego, man. “The details I could give you on some of the stuff that happened in that meeting– Pat Riley is trying to recruit LeBron, and they won’t stop watching the World Cup game that’s on there. The group of guys in the room won’t stop. He’s sitting there, come on.”A government-backed study recently published in the UK has equated “conspiracy theorists” with violent terrorists, saying that belief in alternative viewpoints could be a warning sign of terrorist activity. The author of the study, Quassim Cassam, a professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick, also said that people who believe in alternative viewpoints have a potential of joining ISIS. This week, he told The Independent: “The other explanation is that that these people are literally mad or mentally ill but I don’t really go for that theory. For example take 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Why do they hold onto their conspiracy theory despite the fact that there seems to be overwhelming evidence that it wasn’t an American government conspiracy to bring down the towers? The answer is they are overwhelmingly receptive to certain kinds of evidence for instance of website and they are overly dismissive of other types of evidence such as engineers’ reports on the towers.” Perhaps Profesor Cassam is “mad” himself, or has not done his research, because despite his claims of evidence, an overwhelming number of architects and engineers around the world actually question the official story of 9/11 and are among millions of people worldwide who are demanding a new and independent investigation into the attacks. Instead of actually looking into the alternative evidence that has been provided over the many years since the attacks, Cassam has instead decided to only believe the evidence that comes from “official sources”, and is now pathologizing anyone who dares to question authority and seek their own answers. In his interview with The Independent, Cassam admitted that he knew very little about Islam, but then went on to say that conspiracy theories are a recruitment tool for ISIS terrorists, claiming that, “For example, I don’t know much about Islam but I do know that there is an absolute clear bar in Islam on suicide. So people who are told it is acceptable to be suicide bombers are ending up believing something which on the face has no foundation at all.” In these comments the professor makes it very clear that he does not even research the topics that he is speaking and studying on, yet due to his position of authority, he feels qualified to speak on things that he knows absolutely nothing about. These comments are very telling, and show exactly why he does not understand people who subscribe to “conspiracy theories”: because we do our research, and he doesn’t. This article (Government-Funded Study Says “Conspiracy Theorists” Are Dangerous And Could Join ISIS) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com.SEOUL, Jan 6 (Reuters) - North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear bomb on Wednesday, prompting skepticism among experts and officials who doubt Pyongyang has achieved such a major advance in its strike capability. The test, the fourth time the isolated state has exploded a nuclear device, was ordered by leader Kim Jong Un and successfully conducted at 10:00 a.m. local time (0130 GMT), North Korea's official KCNA news agency said. "Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state," Kim wrote in what North Korean state TV displayed as a handwritten note. South Korean intelligence officials and several analysts questioned whether Wednesday's explosion was a test of a full-fledged hydrogen device, pointing to the fact that it was roughly as powerful as North Korea's last atomic test in 2013. Credit: JUNG YEON-JE via Getty Images But the development unnerved South Korea and Japan and drew international criticism, including from China and Russia, North Korea's two main allies. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned North Korea's action, calling it "profoundly destabilizing for regional security," while U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said it "looks like a provocation." No countries were given advance warning of a nuclear test, South Korea's intelligence service said, according to lawmakers briefed by intelligence officials. In previous such tests, Pyongyang had notified China, Russia and the United States beforehand, they said. If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of #UNSC resolutions & a provocation which I condemn without reservation — Philip Hammond (@PHammondMP) January 6, 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WEIGH IN While a fourth nuclear test had been long expected, the claim that it was a hydrogen device, much more powerful than an atomic bomb, came as a surprise, as did the timing. It ensures that North Korea will be a key topic during the U.S. presidential campaign. Republican candidate Marco Rubio blamed North Korea's nuclear activities on President Barack Obama's "failed" foreign policy. Rubio's rival Donald Trump said the onus was on China to solve what he called the North Korean "problem," and if it did not, the United States "should make trade very difficult for China." North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington, but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship. "With Iran being off the table, the North Koreans have placed themselves at the top of the foreign policy agenda as far as nation-states who present a threat to the U.S.", said Michael Madden, an expert on the country's secretive leadership. The device had a yield of about 6 kilotonnes, according to the office of a South Korean lawmaker on the parliamentary intelligence committee - roughly the same size as the North's last test, which was equivalent to 6-7 kilotonnes of TNT. "Given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb," said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum. "They could have tested some middle stage kind (of device) between an A-bomb and H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim." Joe Cirincione, a nuclear expert who is president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security organization, said North Korea may have mixed a hydrogen isotope in a normal atomic fission bomb. "Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb," he said. "But it is not a true fusion bomb capable of the massive multi-megaton yields these bombs produce." Credit: DigitalGlobe via Getty Images North Korea, under U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and missile programs, has so far conducted three nuclear tests -- in 2006, 2009 and 2013 -- all at Punggye-ri, near where the earthquake took place. The 2013 test registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale. The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past. North Korea's last test of an atomic device, in 2013, also registered at 5.1 on the USGS scale. The test nevertheless may mark an advance of North Korea's nuclear technology. The claim of miniaturizing, which would allow the device to be adapted as a weapon and placed on a missile, would pose a new threat to the United States and its regional allies, Japan and South Korea. The North's previous miniaturization claims have not been independently verified. Many experts also doubt whether the North possesses missile technology capable of reliably delivering a warhead to the continental United States. .@marcorubio first in my inbox with a statement on reports of North Korea hydrogen bomb test. pic.twitter.com/EckN6P9DSr — Ali Vitali (@alivitali) January 6, 2016 UN MEETING Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would make a firm response to North Korea's challenge against nuclear non-proliferation. "North Korea's nuclear test is a serious threat to our nation's security and we absolutely cannot tolerate it," Abe told reporters. "We strongly denounce it." South Korea said it would take all possible measures, including possible United Nations sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang paid the price after its fourth nuclear test. "The government must now work closely with the international community to ensure that North Korea pays the commensurate price for the latest nuclear test," President Park Geun-hye said in a statement. "We must respond decisively through measures such as strong international sanctions." #NorthKorea state TV celebrating the announcement of the h-bomb test. pic.twitter.com/0On1I0FQZF — Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) January 6, 2016 North Korea has been under U.N. Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006 and could face additional measures. The Security Council will meet later on Wednesday to discuss what steps it could take, diplomats said. While the Kim regime boasts of its military might to project strength globally, it also plays up the need to defend itself from external threats as a way to maintain control domestically. The North's state news agency said it will not give up its nuclear program as long as the United States maintained what it called "its stance of aggression." The nuclear test came two days ahead of what is believed to be Kim's birthday. The North called the device the "H-bomb of justice" and said: "The U.S. is a gang of cruel robbers which has worked hard to bring even a nuclear disaster to the DPRK," using the official acronym for North Korea. However, the agency said Pyongyang will act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. It said it will not transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties. Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS Here, North Koreans gathered to watch the announcement in the winter cold at a train station near Pyongyang. Also on HuffPost:AOL is acquiring 360-degree media company Ryot in order to jump into the world of virtual reality news coverage. The companies, which did not reveal exact terms of the sale, announced that Ryot will immediately start working with AOL-owned outlet The Huffington Post to create VR video. Eventually, Ryot is supposed to work with all of AOL's properties, including outlets like Engadget, TechCrunch, and Autoblog. Ryot was founded in 2012 as a socially conscious, activism-focused news outlet. It's worked on a number of non-VR films, including the Oscar-nominated short documentary Body Team 12. But over the past year, it's become known mostly for 360-degree video. After the Nepal earthquake, for example, Ryot released a Susan Sarandon-narrated VR short about the rebuilding process. Like other VR production houses, it's also partnered with more traditional news outlets. Last year, it signed a deal with the Associated Press to produce several VR mini-documentaries, starting with a piece on France's Calais refugee camp. It's worked with The Huffington Post before as well, producing a refugee-focused 360-degree video called The Crossing. Ryot is one of a handful of companies — along with Jaunt, Vrse.works, and Wevr — responsible for helping popularize 360-degree video. With VR camera rigs and editing software getting easier to find and use, it may be only a matter of time until these studios' now-specialized skills become a more standard part of video production. Until then, though, Ryot says that this deal won't stop it from partnering from other news outlets — so while AOL might have gained a resource, the rest of the news world hopefully isn't losing one.Truthout has been covering the antiwar movement closely for more than ten years. Click here to help us keep doing this work! Police at the NATO demonstrations in Chicago, May 18, 2012. (Photo: Zach Roberts / GregPalast.com)It was a solemn, tense scene on May 19 inside the courtroom at the Circuit Court of Cook County, where the group of three activists initially arrested in a late-night raid ahead of the NATO summits in Chicago, and now being referred to simply as the “NATO 3,” heard the charges leveled against them. NATO 3 has become the moniker for three activists who arrived in Chicago to protest the NATO Summit – Brian Church, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Jared Chase, 27, of Keene, New Hampshire; and Brent Betterly, 24, of Massachusetts. They now face charges of “conspiring to commit domestic terrorism during the NATO summit” and “plotting to attack President Obama’s Chicago campaign headquarters, the Chicago mayor’s home and police stations.” The three shared expressionless faces in the courtroom as they received their bail amount at a hearing, a lump sum of $1.5 million in a Southwest side Chicago criminal court. They were part of a broader police raid, which took place close to midnight on May 17. Nine activists in Chicago for the summit from around the country were arrested by police and kept for up to 48 hours without charge. Six activists were eventually released. According to CNN, their official charges read as: “material support for terrorism, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and possession of explosives or incendiary devices. They face up to possibly 85 years in prison if proven guilty on all charges. “The three men also possessed or built improvised explosive or incendiary devices, a mortar gun, swords, a hunting bow, throwing stars, and knives with brass-knuckle handles,” CNN further explained. Michael Deutsch, representing the NATO 3 and employed by the National Lawyers Guild and the Peoples’ Law Office, has alleged entrapment and possibly more as the activists charged with terrorism see their first day in court on May 22. “We believe these are fabricated charges that are based on police informants and provocateurs,” said Deutsch. “This is a common pattern for people protesting. We know there were two police informants who infiltrated the group and we believe they’re the ones who provoked this and they’re the ones who had the illegal activity and the illegal materials. That’s our understanding.” “Why would police do such a thing?,” Deutsch was asked in a press gathering in the aftermath of the bail hearing. His response: “To discredit protesters that come to the city and to make it seem like the police are under attack when people are peacefully protesting.” Inside the courtroom, Deutsch said, “This is just propaganda to create a climate of fear. My clients came to peacefully protest.” Entrapment, legally defined, is “when [a person] is induced or persuaded by law enforcement officers or their agents to commit a crime that he had no previous intent to commit; and the law as a matter of policy forbids conviction in such a case.” Deutsch also said that there were two police informants that infiltrated the group, and “we believe they’re the ones that provoked this.” The ACLU of Massachusett’s blog Privacy SOS, in a post on the charges against the NATO Three, brought up several other well-known cases of entrapment. During the Republican National Convention in 2008, the FBI arrested a man for attempts to make Molotov cocktails during the convention. The blog notes that:“While this smells similar to the RNC 2008 molotov cocktail charges, Chicago police have produced no actual evidence of bomb-making or illegal activity in the case of the NATO 3.” Eight activists in Cleveland, Ohio involved with Occupy were also arrested for conspiring to blow up a bridge. In that case, an FBI informant talked the plotters into blowing up the bridge, led them to an arms merchant and drove them to the bomb site, reported Rick Perlstein. How the case of the NATO Three will develop remains to be seen, but civil liberties watchers are keeping a close eye on the case as it develops.It’s been a long fight. I first started planning in February and very little looks like the plans I had in my head back then. Where the design and finished product have ended up have exceeded anything I could have dreamed. Introducing the Poppet – Smashings first yoyo. There were compromises to be made to keep the price something people can afford. Britain just couldn’t match the impeccable attention to detail that I was demanding for the price I was aiming for so I turned to China. Even then keeping the tolerances this high and the price down was a challenge but it’s real quality you’ll notice as you play hard, it’ll keep up with you. I’ve partnered with an ethically run small engineering shop with people I can trust to deliver the best yoyos at a price I can be proud of. As you can see, it was worth it. I could not be happier with how it looks. The stats came in exactly as I’d planned them and everything has gone right which has kept the price somewhere people can afford. The contrasting curves and angles provide a comfortable catch zone while looking beautiful and shows off the skills of the people who created it with me. Diameter: 54mm Width: 42mm Weight: 64g Gap: 4.45mm Pads: 19mm Slim Material: 7075 aluminium Price: £65 for solid colours. £70 for fades and splashes. Release Date: Sunday 17th July It’s everything I wanted it to be from the material, dimensions and price. Every bit of energy has been worth it. All the pennies have been well spent. All the tears are in the past. I’ve had the help of a lot of UK players and especially from Luke Roberts. To thank him for his thought, effort and everything else he’s done, I’ve created a special edition Poppet that you can only get through his store which has become a beloved feature of the UK yoyo community.. The blue and yellow fade is what he chose for his version of the Poppet and we’re both excited for how it turned out. The only way to get your hands on one early will be at the UK National YoYo Contest where we are a proud core sponsor. They’ll be available to buy on the YoYo Village stall and there will be a few floating around so you can try it before you buy it.Men's faces, on the other hand, were less likely overall to be sex-typical, although male Republicans did tend to have less masculine faces than male Democrats.They were 98 percent more likely to correctly identify women as Republicans when those women had more typically feminine faces. The undergrads were able to correctly identify the party affiliation of both men and women at rates significantly higher than chance. As the women's faces became more feminine, the odds of the undergrads correctly identifying them as Republicans increased as well. On the flip side, they were 58 percent less likely to correctly identify more feminine-looking women as Democrats. CONCLUSION: Republican congresswomen have more feminine faces than Democrats, a phenomenon that observers are able to recognize. IMPLICATIONS: The researchers see an easy connection between the Republican women's objective femininity and their party's obsession with traditional sex roles. That the correlation wasn't seen in men allows them to expand on the role of gender in politics: political leadership, they suggest, "is a historically masculine endeavor, thus automatically conferring masculine characteristics on male politicians." In other words, male Republicans don't need to look masculine in the way that female Republicans need to look feminine. In a statement, author Kerri Johnson pointed to research suggesting that people tend to think of competency and femininity as being mutually exclusive in women. "We suspect that conservative constituents demand that their politicians be not just competent but also gender-typical, especially among women," she said -- putting the ladies of the GOP in an unfortunate double-bind. The full study, "Appearance-based politics: Sex-typed facial cues communicate political party affiliation," will be published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology. The most and least typically feminine faces pictured above belong to (clockwise from top left): Michele Bachmann (R), Kay Granger(R), Rosa DeLauro (D), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R), Anna G. Eshoo (D). We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected] Anderson lights up as two former neighbors, Paul and Kristoffer Neumann, step into her newly opened barbershop for the first time. She runs to greet the men, who drove an hour from Vernon Hills to Beardsgaard Barbers, a three-month-old Batavia shop that specializes in styling and maintenance of beards. "I've had a beard most of my adult life, I've been growing this one for three years," said Paul Neumann, eager to get his feathery 8-inch beard trimmed. "Natalie's admired my beard since way back when." Once known as the beard specialist at a barbershop in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood where she previously worked, Anderson massages some Santa Claus-inspired beard oil — with strong notes of balsam fir, peppermint and pipe tobacco — into Kristoffer Neumann's beard, molding his wiry hairs in place. She then takes a fine-tooth comb and glides it along his jaw line, defining the beard's angles. It's a craft that is increasingly in demand as facial hair and longer beards grow in popularity, industry experts say. Providing an additional service for beard-styling makes sense, since beards can be "as big as a head of hair," said Charles Kirkpatrick, executive director of the National Association of Barber Boards of America. While large beards have grown in and out of fashion for centuries, he said the beard-care industry has boomed in the last few years as they have become trendy. Barbers have learned to style and shape them while more beard products are coming on the market, he said. R.J. Jackson, owner of Gab
revocation so long as the public was protected from imminent danger, most medical boards accepted the concept with support and referrals. Most EAPs were developed with the collaboration of workers unions or some other group supporting the rights and interests of the workers. As there is no such organization representing doctors, PHPs developed in the absence of regulation or oversight. As a consequence there is no meaningful accountability. In Ethical and Managerial Considerations Regarding State Physician Health Programs published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine in 2012, John Knight, M.D. and J. Wesley Boyd, M.D., PhD who collectively have more than 20 years experience with the Massachusetts PHP state that: “Because PHP practices are unknown to most physicians before becoming a client of the PHP, many PHPs operate out- side the scrutiny of the medical community at large. Physicians referred to PHPs are often compromised to some degree, have very little power, and are, therefore, not in a position to voice what might be legitimate objections to a PHP’s practices.”8 Noting that “for most physicians, participation in a PHP evaluation is coercive, and once a PHP recommends monitoring, physicians have little choice but to cooperate with any and all recommendations if they wish to continue practicing medicine,” Knight and Boyd raise serious ethical and managerial questions about current PHP policies and practice including conflicts of interest in referrals for evaluation and treatment, lack of adherence to standards of care for forensic testing of substances of abuse, violations of ethical guidelines in PHP research, and conflicts of interest with state licensing boards. Knight and Boyd recommend “that the broader medical community begin to reassess PHP’s as a whole” and that “consideration be given toward the implementation of independent ethical oversight and establish and appeals process for PHP clients who feel they are being treated unfairly.” 8 They also recommend the relationship of PHP’s between the evaluation and treatment centers and licensing boards be transparent and that national organizations review PHP practices and recommend national standards “that can be debated by all physicians, not just those who work within PHPs.”8 Unfortunately this has not happened. Most physicians have no idea that the state physician health programs have been taken over by the “impaired physicians movement.” In his Psychology Today blog, Boyd again recommends oversight and regulation of PHPs. He cites the North Carolina Physicians Health Program Audit released in April of 2014 that reported the below key findings: As with Knight and Boyd’s paper outlining the ethical and managerial problems in PHPs, the NC PHP audit finding that abuse could occur and not be detected generated little interest from either the medical community or the media. Although state PHPs present themselves as confidential caring programs of benevolence they are essentially monitoring programs for physicians who can be referred to them for issues such as being behind on chart notes. If the PHP feels a doctor is in need of PHP “services” they must then abide by any and all demands of the PHP or be reported to their medical board under threat of loss of licensure. State PHP programs require strict adherence to 12-step doctrine9 yet many of the physicians monitored by them are neither addicts nor alcoholics. Some do not even have substance abuse issues and there are reports of “disruptive” physicians being diagnosed with “character defects” at the “PHP-approved” facilities that do these assessments. PHPs require abstinence from drugs and alcohol yet use non-FDA approved Laboratory Developed Tests in their monitoring programs. Many of these tests were introduced to commercial labs and promoted by ASAM/FSPHP physicians.10-12 LDTs bypass the FDA approval process and have no meaningful regulatory oversight. The LDT pathway was not designed for “forensic” tests but clinical tests with low risk. Some are arguing for regulation and oversight of LDTs due to questionable validity and risk of patient harm.13 These same physicians are claiming a high success rate for PH programs9 and suggesting that they be used for random testing of all physicians.14 As with LDTs, the state PHPs are unregulated, and without oversight. State medical societies and departments of health have no control over state PHPs. Their opacity is bolstered by peer-review immunity, HIPPA, HCQIA, and confidentiality agreements. The monitored physician is forced to abide by any and all demands of the PHP no matter how unreasonable-all under the coloration of medical utility and without any evidentiary standard or right to appeal. The ASAM has a certification process for physicians and claim to be “addiction” specialists. This“board certification” is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties and is not a recognized medical specialty. The goal of the ASAM is to be recognized as the experts in addiction medicine with the consensus expert opinion based on the 12-step prohibitionist brain disease model. The ASAM has aligned itself with a number of inpatient drug treatment centers (Hazelden, Talbott, Marworth, Bradford,etc) and are heavily funded by the drug testing industry. It is in fact a “rigged game.” State PHPs are non-profit non-governmental organizations and have been granted quasi-governmental immunity by most State legislatures from legal liability. By infiltrating “impaired physician” programs they have established themselves in almost every state by joining, gaining power, and removing dissenters. Groupthink and 12-step indoctrination are the goals. By advertising as advocates for doctors who are “caring,” “confidential resources,” “giving help,” and advocating for “colleagues in need” the outward appearance is one of benevolence. The biggest obstacle is that this system allows them to throw the normal rules of conduct under the imperative of a higher goal assumed to trump all other consideration. Those outside of programs either defend or ignore the reports of ethical and criminal violations, complacent in their trust of these “experts” claiming they are just helping sick doctors and protecting the public. With no oversight or regulatory body involved this is all done with impunity, immunity, and undercover. They use the accusation of substance abuse as an indication to disregard the claims of the accused. The physician is left without rights, depersonalized, and dehumanized. The imposition of confinement, stigmatization, lack of oversight of the organizations, peer-review protected confidentiality, and lack of procedural protection is a one-way train to hopelessness and despair. By establishing a system that of coercion, control, secrecy, and misinformation, the FSPHP is claiming an “80% success rate” 15and deeming the “PHP-blueprint” as “the new paradigm in addiction medicine treatment. The ASAM/FSPHP had a major influence on the DSM-V where drug abuse and dependence are no longer separate entities. They are also working behind the scenes to get legislation to randomly drug test all physicians. They are now after the “disruptive physician” and the evidentiary criteria are fairly low and red flags include “deviating from workplace norm in dress or conduct” and being tardy for meetings. They have identified “the aging physician” as a potential problem because “as the population of physicians ages,””cognitive functioning” becomes “a more common threat to the quality of medical care.” The majority of physicians are unaware that the Federation of State Medical Boards House of Delegates adopted an updated Policy on Physician Impairment in 2011 that uses addiction as an example of a “potentially impairing illness.” According to the Federation of State Physician Health Programs …”physician illness and impairment exist on a continuum with illness typically predating impairment, often by many years. This is a critically important distinction. Illness is the existence of a disease. Impairment is a functional classification and implies the inability of the person affected by disease to perform specific activities.” “Process addiction” was added as a potentially impairing illness including compulsive gambling, compulsive spending, compulsive video gaming, and “workaholism.” According to the FSPHP “the presence of a process addiction can be problematic or even impairing in itself, and it can contribute to relapse of a physician in recovery. As such, process addictions should be identified and treated.” They define three levels of relapse including the novel “relapse without use.” Bullying, Helplessness, Hopelessness and Despair Perceived helplessness is significantly associated with suicide.16 So too is hopelessness, and the feeling that no matter what you do there is simply no way out17,18 Bullying is known to be a predominant trigger for adolescent suicide19-21 One study found that adolescents in custody who were bullied were 9.22 times more likely to attempt suicide than those were not bullied.22 Heightened perceptions of defeat and entrapment are known to be powerful contributors to suicide.23,24 The “Cry of Pain” model 25,26 specifies that people are particularly prone to suicide when life experiences are interpreted as signaling defeat which is defined as a sense of “failed struggle” or loss of social position and resources.. The person is unable to identify an escape from or resolution to a defeating situation, a sense of entrapment proliferates with the perception of no way out, and this provides the central impetus for ending ones life. There is also evidence that rescue factors such as social supports may play a role in preventing suicide. These rescue factors act buffers to protect against suicide in the face of varying degrees of life stress.27,28 The study of female physicians revealed meetings to discuss stressful work experiences as a potential protective factor, 29 and support at work when difficulties arose appeared to be a protective factor for the male physicians.30 Research involving Finnish physicians found that control over one’s work and organizational justice were the most important determinants of work-related wellbeing.31,32 Organizational justice is related to fairness and refers to an individuals perception of an organizations behaviors, decisions, and actions and how these influence one’s own attitudes and behaviors and has been identified as a psychosocial predictor of health and wellbeing33 34 Low organizational justice has been identified as a notable risk factor for psychological distress and depression.35,36 A recent report indicates that job stress, coupled with inadequate treatment for mental illness may play a role in physician suicide.. Using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System the investigators compared 203 physicians who had committed suicide to more than 31,000 non-physicians and found that having a known mental health disorder or a job problem that contributed to the suicide significantly predicted being a physician.1 Physicians were 3.12 times more likely to have a job problem as a contributing factor. In addition, toxicology testing showed low rates of medication treatment. The authors concluded that inadequate treatment and increased problems related to job stress are potentially modifiable risk factors to reduce suicidal death among physicians. They also warned that the database used likely underestimated physician suicides because of “underreporting and even deliberate miscoding because of the stigma attached.” I can think of nothing more institutionally unjust than an unregulated zero-tolerance monitoring program with no oversight using unregulated drug and alcohol testing of unknown validity. We have heard of numerous suicides due to these institutionally unjust programs. Three doctors died by suicide in Oklahoma in a one month period alone (August 2014). All three were being monitored by the Oklahoma PHP. I went to an all boys high-school of less than 350 students yet a classmate a couple years ahead of me died by suicide a few months ago. He was being monitored by the Washington PHP. His crime? A DUI in 2009–a one-off situational mistake that in all likelihood would never have recurred. But as is often the case with those ensnared by state PHPs he was forced to have a “re-assessment” as his five-year monitoring contract was coming to an end. These re-assessments are often precipitated by a positive Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) and state medical boards mandate these assessments can only be done at an out-of-state “PHP-approved” facility. Told he could no longer operate and was unsafe to practice medicine by the PHP and assessment center he then hanged himself. And at the conclusion of Dr. Pamela Wible’s haunting video below are listed just the known suicides of doctors; many were being monitored by their state PHPs–including the first name on the list– Dr. Gregory Miday. None of these deaths were investigated. None were covered in the mainstream media. These are red flags that need to be acknowledged and addressed! This anecdotal evidence suggests the oft-used estimate of 400 suicides per year (an entire medical school class) is a vast underestimation of reality—extrapolating just the five deaths above to the entire population of US doctors suggests we are losing at least an entire medical school per year. As physicians we need to demand transparency, oversight, regulation and auditing by outside groups. This is a public health emergency. To wit: They first came after the substance abusers and I did not speak out because I was not a substance abuser. They then came for those with psychiatric diagnoses and I did not speak out because I was not diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. They then came after the “disruptive physician” and I did not speak out because I was not disruptive. They then came after the aging physician and I did not speak out because I was young. They then came after me and there was no one else to speak out for me. Ford DE, Mead LA, Chang PP, Cooper-Patrick L, Wang NY, Klag MJ. Depression is a risk factor for coronary artery disease in men: the precursors study. Archives of internal medicine. Jul 13 1998;158(13):1422-1426. Frank E, Dingle AD. Self-reported depression and suicide attempts among U.S. women physicians. The American journal of psychiatry. Dec 1999;156(12):1887-1894. Brewster JM. Prevalence of alcohol and other drug problems among physicians. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. Apr 11 1986;255(14):1913-1920. Anthony J, Eaton W, Mandell W, al. e. Psychoactive Drug Dependence and abuse: More Common in Some Occupations than in Others? Journal of Employee Assistance Res.1992;1:148-186. Stinson F, DeBakely S, Steffens R. Prevalence of DSM-III-R Alcohol abuse and/or dependence among selected occupations. Alchohol Health Research World. 1992;16:165-172. Hughes PH, Brandenburg N, Baldwin DC, Jr., et al. Prevalence of substance use among US physicians. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. May 6 1992;267(17):2333-2339. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of general psychiatry. Jun 2005;62(6):593-602. Boyd JW, Knight JR. Ethical and managerial considerations regarding state physician health programs. Journal of addiction medicine. Dec 2012;6(4):243-246. DuPont RL, McLellan AT, White WL, Merlo LJ, Gold MS. Setting the standard for recovery: Physicians’ Health Programs. Journal of Medical Regulation. Mar 2010;95(4):10-25. Skipper GE, Weinmann W, Thierauf A, et al. Ethyl glucuronide: a biomarker to identify alcohol use by health professionals recovering from substance use disorders. Alcohol and alcoholism.Sep-Oct 2004;39(5):445-449. Skipper GE, Thon N, Dupont RL, Baxter L, Wurst FM. Phosphatidylethanol: the potential role in further evaluating low positive urinary ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate results.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research. Sep 2013;37(9):1582-1586. Skipper GE, Thon N, DuPont RL, Campbell MD, Weinmann W, Wurst FM. Cellular photo digital breathalyzer for monitoring alcohol use: a pilot study. European addiction research.2014;20(3):137-142. Sharfstein J. FDA Regulation of Laboratory-Developed Diagnostic Tests: Protect the Public, Advance the Science. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. Jan 5 2015. Pham JC, Pronovost PJ, Skipper GE. Identification of physician impairment. JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association. May 22 2013;309(20):2101-2102. McLellan AT, Skipper GS, Campbell M, DuPont RL. Five year outcomes in a cohort study of physicians treated for substance use disorders in the United States. Bmj. 2008;337:a2038. Rivers I, Noret N. Potential suicide ideation and its association with observing bullying at school. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Jul 2013;53(1 Suppl):S32-36. Lester D, Walker RL. Hopelessness, helplessness, and haplessness as predictors of suicidal ideation. Omega. 2007;55(4):321-324. Beck AT. Hopelessness as a predictor of eventual suicide. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1986;487:90-96. Hinduja S, Patchin JW. Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research. 2010;14(3):206-221. Hertz MF, Donato I, Wright J. Bullying and suicide: a public health approach. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Jul 2013;53(1 Suppl):S1-3. Kim YS, Leventhal B. Bullying and suicide. A review. International journal of adolescent medicine and health. Apr-Jun 2008;20(2):133-154. Kiriakidis SP. Bullying and suicide attempts among adolescents kept in custody. Crisis.2008;29(4):216-218. Taylor PJ, Gooding P, Wood AM, Tarrier N. The role of defeat and entrapment in depression, anxiety, and suicide. Psychological bulletin. May 2011;137(3):391-420. Lester D. Defeat and entrapment as predictors of depression and suicidal ideation versus hopelessness and helplessness. Psychological reports. Oct 2012;111(2):498-501. Williams JMG. Cry of Pain. Harmondsworth: Penguin; 1997. Williams JMG, Crane C, Barnhofer T, Duggan DS. Psychology and suicidal behavior: elaborating the entrapment model. In: Hawton K, ed. Prevention and treatment of suicidal behavior: from science to practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005:71-89. Borowsky IW, Ireland M, Resnick MD. Adolescent suicide attempts: Risks and protectors.Pediatrics. 2001;107(485). Clum GA, Febbraro GAR. Stress, social support and problem-solving appraisal/skill: Prediction of suicide severity within a college sample. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. 1994;16:37-46. Fridner A, Belkic K, Marini M, Minucci D, Pavan L, Schenck-Gustafsson K. Survey on recent suicidal ideation among female university hospital physicians in Sweden and Italy (the HOUPE study): cross-sectional associations with work stressors. Gender medicine. Apr 2009;6(1):314-328. Fridner A, Belkic K, Minucci D, et al. Work environment and recent suicidal thoughts among male university hospital physicians in Sweden and Italy: the health and organization among university hospital physicians in Europe (HOUPE) study. Gender medicine. Aug 2011;8(4):269-279. Lindfors PM, Meretoja OA, Toyry SM, Luukkonen RA, Elovainio MJ, Leino TJ. Job satisfaction, work ability and life satisfaction among Finnish anaesthesiologists. Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. Aug 2007;51(7):815-822. Heponiemi T, Kuusio H, Sinervo T, Elovainio M. Job attitudes and well-being among public vs. private physicians: organizational justice and job control as mediators. European journal of public health. Aug 2011;21(4):520-525. Elovainio M, Kivimaki M, Vahtera J. Organizational justice: evidence of a new psychosocial predictor of health. Am J Public Health. Jan 2002;92(1):105-108. Lawson KJ, Noblet AJ, Rodwell JJ. Promoting employee wellbeing: the relevance of work characteristics and organizational justice. Health promotion international. Sep 2009;24(3):223-233. Hayashi T, Odagiri Y, Ohya Y, Tanaka K, Shimomitsu T. Organizational justice, willingness to work, and psychological distress: results from a private Japanese company. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Feb 2011;53(2):174-181. Lang J, Bliese PD, Lang JW, Adler AB. Work gets unfair for the depressed: cross-lagged relations between organizational justice perceptions and depressive symptoms. The Journal of applied psychology. May 2011;96(3):602-618.One year after Trump's election, the actor and 'SNL' Emmy winner helps channel the commander-in-chief in a fake memoir that delves into everything from Ivanka's neck rubs to White House decor (needs "more Abu Dhabi, less Alabama"). My inauguration, the actual legal takeover of the government with the Bible and then the speech, felt totally fantastic. Everybody watching, everybody listening, not just the 2 million or 3 million there on the Mall but like a billion people all over America and all over the world, on TV and online — probably on radio in Africa and India — so many watching, so many listening, no laughing, no talking (just me talking), total respect, even the haters terrified into a kind of respect, everyone focused on President Donald J. Trump. It would've been perfect if I hadn't had to read the speech, because reading always brings down my mood, both in public out loud and by myself. But they wouldn't let me wing it. Still, incredible, amazing, phenomenal. But that was, what, 17 minutes? My inauguration day lasted 17 hours, most of it was a waste of time and fake. That lunch with all the supposed Washington VIPs and "leaders" in the Capitol Rotunda? Terrible acoustics, acoustics from 1776 or whenever. That event was a great example of why, until I came along, the American people were completely bored by politicians and government. Went on forever, with the president, me, just sitting there listening to other people say all their phony things, so dull — except when I told Hillary to stand and get a round of applause. Although I didn't mean for everyone else to stand, like an ovation, but fine, whatever, nice moment, presidential, I'm a gentleman. She lost so badly and surprisingly that everybody knows she's permanently humiliated; I didn't need to rub it in right then. One thing I've always known is that the great ups in life never last very long. Usually not even a minute, often just a few seconds. It's "Oh, yeah!" — and then, gone, bye-bye, not happy anymore. It's true after you put out a great tweet. It's true after you have that great moment with someone you love. It's true after you eat a great dessert, like the superb three-layer Trump chocolate cake at the Mar-a-Lago Club. I was lucky to learn this lesson young. In fact, learning it is my earliest memory, and it also involves cake. My third birthday party, fantastic time, leaning over the Carvel cake to blow out the candles, my hair catches on fire. Mom yells, "Fred, no," just as Dad pushes my face into the cake to put it out and starts laughing like a maniac, one of the only times I remember him laughing. The other thing I know is that you always remember the downs much, much more clearly and much, much longer than the ups, like each one is one of those video jiffies from Twitter playing over and over and over in your mind, and you can't delete them. Now I'm president. I won. I won. I won. My first morning at the White House. Day one. VOICE MEMO: Presidential to-do list Song: "I WON / I WON / DAY ONE," © 2017 by Donald J. Trump But it's a Saturday, so we'll say Monday is day one. This weekend is the warm-up, like hitting a few balls before you actually tee off. What do I wake up to? All of the disgusting, dishonest media lying about the size of the crowd, every channel, every so-called expert. It was like bringing a beautiful supermodel home at night: You're so happy, but then the next morning there's a rotting corpse in bed. (A figure of speech. Although that did also actually happen to a friend of mine.) Why did I care so much about the totally wrong and fake crowd estimates? I didn't care for myself, I'm used to that, I've had 30 years of that kind of rude treatment by the vicious media. What I really cared about, as Kellyanne explained to me, were the feelings of the millions of people who traveled from all over America and stood for hours to experience the most sacred moment of their lives. I was angry, as Bannon explained to me, on behalf of the forgotten men and women the elite media wanted to keep forgotten, to erase from the historical record with their Big Lie. Reince said we could maybe create a federal Office of Crowd Size Measurement in the Commerce Department, because they're already in charge of the atomic clock that controls time. Which, by the way, I'm pretty sure my brilliant MIT engineer uncle, Dr. John Trump, invented. In the limo this morning on the way out to the CIA, Kellyanne gave me a neck rub, the way Ivanka used to love doing when she was little, and then I felt even better when I delivered a great speech to the staff there. They gave me several amazing standing ovations. But then afterward, on the way out, somebody told me CIA headquarters is now officially called the George Bush Center for Intelligence. At first I thought that was some kind of Washington insider joke, but it turns out they mean the old Bush, Grandpa Bush, who it turns out ran the CIA for a year. Which suddenly made me put two and two together and realize why all the intelligence big shots are against me, since I destroyed Jeb Bush, knocked him out of the race a week after the first primary, even though he spent $150 million against me. It's why Billy Bush secretly taped me a decade ago. It's Hillary and Obama and the media and intelligence and the Bushes all in a giant circle jerk, and I'm tied down on the ground in the middle, and it's disgusting. But when Reince and Kellyanne both looked at me funny, I realized I'd said all that out loud. But I didn't apologize, or refer to it, just looked straight ahead. Which is Leadership 101. "You know," I said, "we're already halfway to Trump National." That's my luxurious world-class club in Virginia, two beautiful courses. "We can stop in McLean for Big Macs, Oreo McFlurries, whatever you guys want, on me." ••• When I got back to the White House, I didn't want to watch them lie on CNN, and during the day between Fox & Friends and primetime Fox TV is pretty boring, especially on Saturdays, so I used the time to really inspect the place. It's elegant, but it's not 21st century superdeluxe. My personal taste is luxurious and continental, what Ivanka calls "more Abu Dhabi, less Alabama" — no offense, Jeffy Sessions, you Alabama pixie. My actual private living area in the White House is much, much smaller than I'm used to — 20,000 square feet, which I know sounds big, but my penthouse in Trump Tower is 30,000, OK? The entire White House, including all the servant barracks or whatever that I haven't even seen yet, is half as big as Mar-a-Lago. The Oval Office is very special, great branding, iconic. Nice high ceiling. But I literally have bigger bathrooms in my homes. At least they've already put up the new gold drapes I picked in the Oval, which look so much more strong and sophisticated than the cheap red ones Obama had in there. Everybody tells me I can't be the first president to install a TV in the Oval. "Why can't I?" I said when we first walked in on Friday. "The American people would love me for it. We could hang a pair of small screens, 30 inches, 40 inches, either side of the big window there, behind the desk, where those paintings are. TVs are just the better, modern version of paintings, right?" Call me sentimental, but it makes me sad that I'll never own the White House. I've been told that my sons Donald Junior and Eric, who now operate our company independently, offered to pay $430 million in cash for the entire White House complex. It would be an unofficial property in the award-winning Trump Hotel Collection™. All of which was not my sons' idea originally, by the way, although they realize it's brilliant. We — by that I mean The Trump Organization, which I do not currently control at all — had an amazing guy in Kyrgyzstan, great country, totally ready to make the purchase loan, but the deal was too sophisticated for the government lawyers and bean counters to understand. Not that Don Junior and Eric and The Trump Organization need the White House, because I've heard they're now doing a major hotel expansion all over America, and although I don't know any of the details whatsoever or the local regulatory or loan situations or anything like that, people are saying that one of the hotel deals they're doing is in Valley Forge, which would be so perfect, so special — Washington slept here then, Trump sleeps here now, the one who made America, the one who made America great again. The ads would write themselves. From You Can't Spell America Without Me: The Really Tremendous Inside Story of My Fantastic First Year as President Donald J. Trump (A So-Called Parody) by Alec Baldwin and Kurt Andersen, to be published on Nov. 7 by Penguin Press. © 2017 by Alec Baldwin. This story first appeared in the Nov. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.Please enable Javascript to watch this video Our Friend Bill Nye appeared on CNN’s Crossfire yesterday after a White House report about climate change was released. He was brought on to debate Heritage Foundation representative Nicolas Loris, but instead spent much of the time explaining how science works to the show’s host S.E. Cupp. Cupp tried to present other issues she seemingly feels are more important and then challenged Nye to, “look me in the eye and tell me in good conscience that climate change is our most urgent, number one priority right now.” So of course, Nye looked her in the eye and told her, “Climate change is our most urgent, number one priority right now.” As ever, this is probably being viewed by people who accept facts and understand basic science as a win for Nye, and by those choosing to ignore climate change as a win for their side. (CNN via Mediaite, image via CNN) Meanwhile in related linksBy blaming Palestinians for the Nazi Holocaust Benjamin Netanyahu wildly distorted Jewish suffering for Israel’s ends. The lack of comment by Canada’s main Jewish organizations speaks to their own use of Nazi crimes to serve Israel and power more generally. Using words that would have destroyed the political career of any mainstream North American, or western European leader, Netanyahu said the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Al-Husseini convinced Hitler to gas European Jewry. “Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews. And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said: ‘If you expel them, they’ll all come here [to Palestine].’” Hitler, according to Netanyahu, then asked: “What should I do with them?” with the mufti allegedly replying: “Burn them.” The Centre for Israel Jewish Affairs (CIJA), B’nai B’rith and other Canadian Holocaust organizations have stayed silent in the face of Netanyahu’s ridiculous effort to blame Palestinians for Nazi crimes. While telling, this silence not surprising. These groups aggressively backed the outgoing Harper regime despite government officials repeatedly minimizing the Nazi Holocaust. In 2009 Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said “Israel Apartheid Days on university campuses like York sometimes begin to resemble pogroms,” and told a European audience that pro-Palestinian activism spurred anti-Jewish activities “even more dangerous than the old European anti-Semitism.” Similarly, in May 2008 Canwest reported: “Some of the criticism brewing in Canada against the state of Israel, including from some members of Parliament, is similar to the attitude of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned.” Indifferent to the Conservatives’ Holocaust minimization, CIJA and B’nai B’rith denounced others for lesser transgressions. During the 2012 Québec student strike some protesters responded to police repression by comparing the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to the Nazi SS secret police. Many chanted “S-S PVM, police politique!” while others mocked the police by marching in formation and extending their arm as if saluting Hitler. On what he said would have been Nazi victim and child author Anne Frank’s 83rd birthday, B’nai B’rith CEO Frank Dimant issued a statement attacking a social movement much reviled by the establishment. “We condemn, in the strongest of terms, this inexcusable display of hate by Quebec student protesters”, which Dimant said “defile[s] the memory of the Holocaust.” The pro-Harper Jewish groups also pounced when Justin Trudeau criticized the outgoing government by, in part, invoking Canada’s refusal to give Jews fleeing Nazi Germany safe haven. In March the Liberal Party leader told a McGill audience “we should all shudder to hear the same rhetoric that led to a ‘none is too many’ immigration policy toward Jews in the 30s and 40s being used today, to raise fears against Muslims today.” The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies dubbed Trudeau’s comment a “careless metaphor”, CIJA called it “inaccurate and inappropriate” and Bnai Brith described it a “highly-inappropriate and offensive Nazi-era comparison.” But, when Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney repeatedly invoked the Nazi Holocaust a week earlier the same groups failed to register any concern. To justify the extraordinary powers of Bill C-51 Blaney told a parliamentary committee the government needed to curtail free speech, among other rights, because “the Holocaust did not begin in the gas chamber, it began with words.” Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, B’nai B’rith and CIJA refused to criticize Blaney’s remarks with CIJA CEO Shimon Fogel performing mental gymnastics to justify them. “Minister Blaney was speaking to an element of the legislation that focuses on the power of words and referenced Rwanda and the Holocaust in that context. Considering the genocidal statements issued by the Ayatollah calling quite literally for a new Holocaust targeting Jews, and the actions of ISIL along with their pronouncements, any discussion about the rationale for legislation that would address such language and its potential toxic influence is not entirely out of place,” Fogel said. (If a comparison between Bill C – 51 and the Nazi Holocaust is to be drawn it’s in how the bill could pave the way to a Nazi-style police state.) Netanyahu has demonstrated a clear willingness to distort Jewish suffering for Israel’s ends. And in like fashion Canada’s main Jewish organizations have also participated in this injustice to Palestinians and insult to Hitler’s victims, for their own political ends. All real opponents of Nazi crimes must cringe at this shameful debasement of the memory of tens of millions victims of fascism.The attorney general for Texas is offering to help a retail store chain and its frequent incidents of men using a liberal store policy to target women. After a woman was filmed at a Target store in Dallas, Attorney General Ken Paxton stated he hopes the corporation "finally recognizes the importance of protecting its customers, especially in environments where they can be at their most vulnerable." Paxton issued the statement Friday afternoon, noting a similar incident at a Target store in Frisco, where a man used his cell phone to target a woman in a changing room. Paxton is offering the "resources of my office" to help Target improve its "safety procedures," the statement read. By now readers of OneNewsNow may be familiar with Target's controversial bathroom and changing room policy that caters to transgendered people. Yet the policy allows any man - no matter his appearance - into the same restrooms and changing rooms, thus allowing sexual predators easy access to women and girls. Target's corporate office is publicly aligned with homosexual causes, and the liberal policy was restated in April amid controversy over a so-called "bathroom bill" in North Carolina. American Family Association raised the obvious issue of public safety days after Target's announcement. Accusing the retail giant of putting ideology ahead of customer safety, AFA launched an online boycott pledge that has reached more than 1.4 million signatures. The boycott web page also includes news reports of "peeping toms" and other similar incidents at Target stores in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, among others. After this latest incident, Dallas police are looking for a white male with brown hair who fled in a Ford Explorer.The 25 best-reviewed iOS games of the year Below, we rank the best-reviewed iOS games released during 2014. All of the games below are playable on all types of Apple portable devices (iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad) unless otherwise indicated. Only those games with a minimum of 7 reviews were considered for inclusion, and games are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding. Buy From Apple #1 VVVVVV 95 Platformer, $2.99, from Terry Cavanagh "VVVVVV is a platforming masterpiece. The only thing that could make it better is if it were longer." —Slide to Play More reviews... Metacritic's iOS Game of the Year! The award-winning, retro-styled, 2D puzzle-platformer (which first debuted on PCs in 2010)
Sup. I mean, Wayne Douglas Gretzky has done it all as a professional Canadian hockey player. He's won Stanley Cups, he's influenced NHL expansion, he's fathered gorgeous and talented children and in true Canadian fashion... he's whined his way to an Olympic Gold Medal. To most people, Wayne Gretzky is a first-ballot Most Canadian Player on the LA Kings. But not so fast. You see, as he's gotten older... Wayne Gretzky has become less Canadian and more "fancy." Sup. Story continues So that's why our nominee for Most Canadian LA King of All-Time is a player that knows exactly what it means to be a true, loyal Canadian. A player that has won multiple Stanley Cups. A player that spends his summers on Sylvan Lake in Alberta instead of hop-nobbing with the rich and famous at Westlake Village in Los Angeles. A player that loves Nickleback and isn't afraid to admit it. And that player is... ...Colin Fraser. Now that's a Canadian! Finland The LA Kings have had their fair share of Fins play for the franchise over the years... and it always hasn't been easy for the LA Kings Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Bob Miller. This one is pretty easy though as one of the all-time greatest Finnish high-scoring 1st Line Right Wingers spent 5 seasons as a defensive-minded 2nd Line Center for the Los Angeles Kings. Because that's just how the LA Kings rolled in the 1990s. This is also how the LA Kings rolled in the 1990s. Jari Kurri scored 1398 points in 1251 NHL games and was the all-time leading Finnish scorer until some young pentu named Teemu passed him last year. Much like Gretzky, Jari Kurri wasn't able to win the Cup again after leaving the Edmonton Oilers... but unlike a lot of players from the high-scoring 1980s, Kurri was able to adapt and become a great defensive player on the back half of his career. And I think we'll all remember this lasting image of Jari Kurri's time in the NHL. USA Americans are known throughout the world for being loud, obnoxious, idiotic and showing up for work unprepared while delivering an inferior product. Nailed it. Short of Mark Parrish, there isn't one other American that has played for the LA Kings who is as loathed as Jeremy Roenick. Roenick's time as a King can only be described as the most American thing ever... fat, clueless and awful with money. It's a shame that Puck Daddy is running this article in August instead of after the 2014 Winter Olympics... where it will be made clear to the world just exactly who the most amazing American to ever play for the LA Kings is. Jon MF'ing Quick. Sweden Mattias Norstrom was the Swedish Captain of the Los Angeles Kings for five seasons. He was cold, calculated, hairless and powerful. Sometimes these things just write themselves. FYI, this is Mattias Norstrom smiling. Now even though Tomas Sandstrom had more points as a Swede for the LA Kings... Sandstrom never got his own rally towel night... ...and we all know that's what it means to be a true Swede. Russia Alexander Frolov is the all-time leading Russian scorer for the Los Angeles Kings. He was an incredibly talented, lazy, and enigmatic forward. Sometimes these things just write themselves. Slovakia Now this is a tough one. You see, the last time there was a Winter Olympics, the Slovakian Hockey Team had more LA Kings Alumni than the LA Kings Fantasy Camp. Ziggy Palffy, Pavol Demitra, Michal Handzus, Jozef Stumpel and Lubomir Visnovsky at one time or another have all been extremely beloved members of the LA Kings. But when Ziggy Palffy was traded to the LA Kings in 1999, it gave LA their first shot at a legitimate superstar player since Wayne Gretzky had left town a few years earlier. I mean, seriously... is there anything more Slovakian than this: Okay, maybe a plate of Halušky is the only thing more Slovakian than Palffy from Visnovksy. I don't think people realize the kind of numbers that Ziggy Palffy put up during the "dead-puck era." And in true LA Kings fashion... Palffy was injured most of his time in LA and we never got a chance to see the player he could have been. The closest Ziggy Palffy ever came to replacing Wayne Gretzky in LA. Czech Republic I think we all know about the rich history of players from the Czech Republic that have skated for the Los Angeles Kings. The only thing less impressive is this leaflet featuring Jewish Sports Legends. Sure, Jaroslav Modry might be the all-time leading Czech scorer for the LA Kings... but you have to look at some anonymous internet comments from 2007 when he re-signed in LA to know just exactly how the fans felt about Modry. Mid-2000s LA Kings fans, everybody! Mid-2000s LA Kings players, everybody! I think what sums up most accurately why Jaroslav Modry was the best player from the Czech Republic to play for the LA Kings is that he was also the worst player from the Czech Republic to play for the LA Kings. Okay... maybe except for Roman Vopat. REST OF THE WORLD CATEGORY Again, an incredibly easy choice as the LA Kings are lucky enough to have the one player from the most fringe of hockey nations skating for their team. I'm sorry... were you expecting someone else? Since Detroit ran the only other NHL Slovenian player out of town, Anze Kopitar has once again regained his throne as the best Slovenian hockey player in the NHL, in North America, in Russia, and in... well Slovenia. Anze Kopitar's impact on the nation of Slovenia is most apparent when you take a deeper look at the country's national hockey team roster: @theroyalhalf Sneak Peek at Slovenia's roster: A. Kopitar G. Kopitar J. Kopitar S. Kopitar L. Kopitar...and so on — Jack Wilson (@JACKaWILSON) July 22, 2013 So there you have it... Anze Kopitar is the King of Slovenia. No actually... I'm pretty sure he is literally now the King of Slovenia. Special Thanks to #TeamTRH... Indiana Matt, KingsMenPodcast, PumperNicholl, Jack A. Wilson and Ironsight Design for all of their help.Humble Bundle has announced plans to move into the game publishing business with the launch of a new multi-platform publishing and funding initiative. The company described the program as "a multi-million-dollar investment for games large and small," and said it will begin with seven games "across a range of genres and styles, for PC, console, and mobile platforms." "What publishing allows us to do differently is to help developers prior to release," said publishing lead John Polson. "It also helps us guarantee eager gamers will get to play some awesome games, each affixed with the trusted Humble brand of quality we are known for." As a digital games distributor, Humble Bundle has accumulated more than ten million customers since it went live in 2010, and it also offers a Humble Partners affiliate program to help expose its games to new audiences, including on Twitch and YouTube. But Polson said there's more to the service than simply helping with "discoverability." "In a way, you could say we are an 'a la carte publisher,' allowing developers to choose what they want out of publishing through us. We then offer funding based on the services they need," he explained. "We offer a wide range of publisher services with trusted teams to cover ports, marketing, localization, and everything a developer would need to release in today’s global games market." Humble's debut publishing lineup will include: A Hat in Time Release date: 2017 Release platforms: Windows and Mac OSX Website Trailer HackyZack Release date: Spring 2017 Release platforms: Windows, Mac, & Linux on initial release. Xbox One post-launch. Website Trailer Ikenfell Release date: Summer 2018 Release platforms: Windows & Mac OSX Website Keyboard Sports Release date: Autumn 2017 Release platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux Website Trailer No Truce with the Furies Release date: Fall 2017 Release platform: Windows Website Trailer Scorn Release date: Q4 2017 Release platform: Windows Website Trailer Staxel Release date: Late Q3 2017 Release platform: Windows Website Trailer Humble will be evaluating more games for possible publishing deals at GDC and PAX East and is accepting submissions from developers. Note: Some online stores, including the Humble Store, give us a small cut if you buy something through one of our links. Read our affiliate policy for more info.Car owners who always make safety a priority when shopping for a new vehicle don't always think about it when selecting a rental car at the airport. Why the disconnect? It's often a matter of cost, and those on basic business trips sometimes aren't able to expense anything more than the economy option. Most rental vehicles, also, are newer; and there's an assumption (sometimes wrong) that newer is safer. In fact, vehicles in rental fleets, according to the AAA, are less likely to get the latest safety-tech features than personal vehicles. Just a year or two ago, a wide range of vehicles—small cars especially—didn't come with standard electronic stability control (ESC), or even anti-lock brakes. And there are still a few base models in fleets that don't have ESC. Crash-test ratings might be lower-than-typical for rental cars as well. According to an analysis from USA Today, more than 95 percent of 167 different models in rental fleets come with 'good' ratings from the IIHS in frontal crashes, which are the most common type in fatal accidents. In current rental fleets, USA Today found one 2010-model vehicle and six 2011-model vehicles with 'poor' side-impact ratings, though: the 2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser, the 2011 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab, the 2011 Kia Rio, the 2011 GMC Canyon, the 2011 Hyundai Accent, the 2011 Jeep Wrangler (2-door), and the 2011 Volkswagen New Beetle. USA Today also found two 2011 models—the 2011 Cadillac STS, some 2011 Lexus HS 250h models, the 2010 Chrysler PR Cruiser, the 2010 Infiniti M35, and the 2010 Hummer H3—that are rated poor in the Institute's seat-based rear-impact tests. Roof strength was particularly a weakness. Almost 40 percent of the rental vehicles that had been rated by the IIHS did not have 'good' ratings in the roof category, which measures occupant protection in the event of a rollover. And if you think that you can reliably go by the model's safety ratings, according to the federal government or the IIHS, that's not completely true. In 2009, the Kansas City Star found that, to save money, Enterprise Rent-A-Car had deleted side airbags from 2006-2008 Chevrolet Impalas for its fleet. Because the Impala came with standard side airbags, renters (and some of those who bought the used rental cars from the fleet) could have wrongly assumed the vehicles were equipped with the important safety feature. Though Enterprise broke the public trust, they did promptly offer to buy back those that had already been sold as used cars, and they haven't yet been found to have broken any law. This year there's also been significant controversy over rental-car companies' responsibility to get recalled vehicles fixed—and whether they can keep them on the road if they are under a safety-related recall and haven't yet been fixed. According to a NHTSA study, Hertz Rent-a-Car fixed just 34 percent of its recalled vehicles within 90 days, while Avis and Budget fixed 53 percent and Enterprise fixed 65 percent within that period. There have been exceptions, in a few cases of wider public unease. In the midst of the Toyota recall worries last year, Hertz, for instance, said that it would remove Toyotas from the fleet until repaired. Yet, in browsing the sites of major rental companies, we didn't see safety features, or safety records, indicated in descriptions of vehicles. And in other cases, it was improperly or vaguely indicated with language like 'dual air bags.' Dual front airbags have been required on all new vehicles, by the way, for more than a decade. Go here for some tips on how to choose a safe rental car, and let us know what you think. Are the rental cars missing out on a reason to get more people to upgrade? Would you be likely to change upgrade or change vehicles if the models' safety ratings were openly displayed? [USA Today, LA Times]TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese cosmetics firm has apologized for a sign banning entry for Chinese people posted in one of its outlets, highlighting lingering hostility to foreign visitors from some in Japan as it strives to extend a shopping-driven tourism boom. Pola, a unit of Pola Orbis Holdings Inc, said on Saturday that images of an “inappropriate” poster were shared on Chinese social media sites on Friday, without specifying the contents or location of the offending item. Photos of a sign handwritten in Japanese saying “Entry by Chinese people prohibited” in a shop window were trending on Chinese and Taiwanese social media on Sunday. Pola, which has around 4,600 stores across Japan, apologized for causing “unpleasant feelings and inconvenience to many people” and said it had removed the sign. “As soon as we confirm the facts, we will suspend operations at the store and implement strict punishment,” it said in a statement posted at the top of its homepage in both Japanese and Chinese. Pola’s mea culpa comes as Japan looks to boost a Chinese-powered inbound tourism boom ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - a policy championed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government. Japan is weighing looser visa rules for tourists from China, sources told Reuters earlier this year, as it looks to widen a tourism boom and lend support to consumer spending. Some 23.8 million visited Japan in the year to October, setting it on course for an annual record. Visitors from China - the No.1 source - climbed 13 percent from a year earlier to 6.2 million during the period, government data shows. Many Chinese tourists have taken advantage of a weaker yen and easier entry rules to visit Japan for shopping sprees dubbed “explosive buying”. Cosmetics are among the most popular items for Chinese shoppers. The Pola incident is not the first time this year a Japanese firm has offended China. Tokyo-based hotel and real estate developer APA Group came under fire this year over books placed in its hotels that contained essays denying the 1937 massacre by Japanese troops in the Chinese city of Nanjing. Following street protests and calls for a boycott of the chain by China’s tourism administration, APA in June temporarily removed the books from hotels hosting athletes for a sports event - but said it would not do the same during the 2020 Olympics.The revolving door between government and lobby groups has long been a source of concern in the United States, where lead government IP officials have regularly jumped to lobby groups representing music, movies, and software interests and vice versa. In recent years, that has included the USTR official responsible for copyright in ACTA and the TPP moving the MPAA, the lead software industry lobbyist joining the USTR, and the general counsel of the Copyright Office joining the top international music association. The Lobby Monitor reports that the revolving door has apparently migrated to Canada, with the former Director of Regulatory Affairs for Music Canada joining the government to play a key role in copyright policy, only to be replaced by the former Director of Parliamentary Affairs within the Prime Minister’s Office, who was the lead on the surprise copyright term extension for sound recordings passed in 2015. The moves started with Tanya Peatt, who was once James Moore’s Director of Policy and lead on the copyright file. Peatt’s LinkedIn page still references her position as Director of Regulatory Affairs at Music Canada and provides assurances that she was blocked from lobbying the government due to the Federal Accountability Act. However, as Canadaland reported earlier this week, Peatt has now left Music Canada to return to government, where she will work on copyright policy within the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (formerly Industry Canada). Peatt’s replacement at Music Canada? None other than Patrick Rogers, the former Director of Parliamentary Affairs at the PMO, who was the central government figure in the 2015 copyright extension for sound recordings. As the Lobby Monitor reports, Rogers recently received a waiver from the Ethics Commissioner to begin work with Music Canada. Rogers had been unable to find a job since the fall election and the Commissioner ruled that the recent announcement regarding a Canadian culture review as sufficient to remove concerns about information being held on future policy directions. Yet Rogers played a key role in Music Canada’s lobbying efforts to obtain a copyright term extension for sound recordings in the 2015 budget. As I reported last year, Rogers (then the Director of Policy for the Minister of Canadian Heritage) held near monthly meetings with Music Canada which ultimately led to the copyright extension without any public consultation. With a copyright review scheduled for 2017, there is considerable concern among many stakeholders about the direct move of a senior official from one of the most powerful copyright lobby groups in the country to the very government department responsible for leading the policy review. This revolving door – and the willingness of the department of Minister Navdeep Bains to actively participate in it – raises enormously troubling questions about the upcoming copyright review and assurances that all stakeholders will be treated in a fair and balanced manner.Black Desert Online is here at last! But to the uninformed eye, this gorgeous open world MMORPG can pose quite an overwhelming spectacle at first glance. So I’m here to start you off with the first things you will want to know before you play Black Desert Online. The Cash Shop – Is It Pay To Win? Simply put: sure, why not? Here’s the thing. The “pay to win” term gets thrown about so much these days that it has kind of lost meaning. So instead, question whether the cash shop actually poses any real threat to your enjoyment of the game and go from there. This is very much subjective and I can’t give you an answer on that, but as it stands: yes, you can purchase things from the in game store that give you benefits in game, but they are convenience items. If you find weight limit, looting pets, and lucky underpants pay to win, that is entirely dependent on your definition. But the important thing to remember is that everything is subject to change, and that is the beauty of MMOs. Now that’s over with, let’s take a look at the nuances of the game. Character Creation Is In Depth – Prepare Yourself All anybody has been talking about for months is the crazy detailed character creator, and if you haven’t played around with it yet, you might not be prepared for the several hour long session to create your character. Sure it doesn’t have to take this long, but you need to know before you play Black Desert Online that you can choose a ready-made character preset that other players have created in the standalone creation tool and uploaded to this site here. From here, you have a character base that you already know you like and can quickly change a feature or two here and there and get into the meat of Black Desert Online and actually play the game at long last. The Quest System Now Black Desert Online handles quests a little differently so don’t just dive straight in and try to power through to max level before you know what it is you are doing, exactly. Quests in Black Desert give you contribution XP. Some will grant you weapons, gear, Black Stones, and inventory space, others might teach you valued skills. Once you’re at level 50, you can get boss scrolls from your Black Spirit’s daily and weekly quests which are very useful. Contribution points can only be earned through quests, so while you may be better off grinding for levels, you will miss out on a lot of highly important unlocks if you skip your quests. Perhaps most important will be the bag space quests for which Black Desert Foundry has an excellent guide. And as for how to find quests – your Black Spirit will alert you, and NPCs will have certain icons above their head. So talk to everybody and you’ll soon be well on your way. Just make sure to toggle all quest types on in your quest log. Knowledge and Energy You will learn Knowledge simply through playing Black Desert Online. Killing mobs, interacting with NPCs, it all counts, and there are different ranks, too. The higher your rank, the better your drop rate on certain monsters might be. So if you aren’t happy with your rank of Knowledge, you can always reset it at the Calpheon Library. The more Knowledge you gain, the higher your Energy will be. In a sense, Energy is similar to ArcheAge’s Labor, but don’t panic, there are no subscriber bonuses and there is plenty you can do in game to make the most out of your Energy. It will restore over time and there are also quests you can do to regain your Energy as well. If you want to speed up your Energy recovery time, you can always sleep in a bed. But what is it used for? In a word: everything. NPC interactions, Node management, gathering and crafting, speaking in world chat, contracting workers, and so on. So you will want to be increasing your Knowledge as you go. Okay, Please Explain Nodes Right, so Nodes are locations on Black Desert’s world map. Connecting Nodes can grant you some nice in game bonuses like increased loot drops, and you can even send workers to them to gather crafting resources for you. You will find Adventure Nodes and Production Nodes, and you must invest in both for the connection to work. And if you wish to withdraw, not a problem. You can do this at any time via the world map. How Do I Make Or Find A Guild? Guilds are an important part of playing Black Desert Online, and as such, you will want to find one as soon as you can. There are two types of “guild” in the game, namely Clans and Guilds. Clans are for very small social groups with a maximum of 15 players. There are no real benefits to Clans compared with a Guild, but they’re a great option for smaller groups who want to be able to easily chat together and form groups. Just speak to a Guild NPC in any major city and off you go. You will not be stuck in a Clan forever, you will have the option to upgrade to a guild at a later time if you wish to. Guilds on the other hand offer many benefits to players. You can earn some decent gold from being a part of one and gain access to the end game content that Black Desert Online has to offer. They cost silver to form and can hold up to 100 people. To find a guild, you could check Guildex, the BDO Guilds subreddit, or the official forums. Don’t Log Out You heard me right, if you’re able to keep yourself logged into Black Desert Online, then stay online. There is a bunch of stuff that your character can do while you’re AFK such as fishing (much slower than actively fishing but it is a great ongoing activity while you’re not around), sleeping in a bed, and traveling via auto-pathing, just to name a few. And all of that is merely scratching the surface of Black Desert Online. This game is much more than just an interesting character creator and a pretty face, there is a deep MMORPG here, and yes it is quite different to other games in the MMO market. Whether you’re into roleplay, PvP, housing, group play, or whatever, there’s quite a bit in Black Desert to explore if you’re willing to give it a chance. Related: ArticleChina will likely be alarmed by Rex Tillerson's Senate confirmation hearing remarks on Wednesday. Pointing toward possible confrontation, Donald Trump's selection for secretary of state likened Beijing's island-building in the South China Sea to a takeover of another country's territory and spoke of forcing Beijing to fully apply sanctions on North Korea.China will likely be alarmed by former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson's Senate confirmation hearing remarks on Wednesday.While they focused largely on Russia, reflecting Tillerson's past relationship with its President Vladimir Putin and allegations of Russian hacking into the US election, his testimony on China presented a sharp change in tone from the Obama administration's focus on cooperation.Under Obama, the US has worked with China to fight climate change and contain Iran's nuclear program. But Beijing has only half-heartedly pressed North Korea over its nuclear weapons program and has willfully disregarded Washington's appeals to moderate its activities in the South China Sea.It has reclaimed more than 3,000 of acres of land and constructed military-grade infrastructure, and reportedly installed weaponry, on reefs and islets mostly in the Spratly Island chain, where five other governments have territorial claims.Accusing Beijing of "declaring control of territories that are not rightfully China's," Tillerson compared its island-building efforts and deployment of military assets on the islands to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea - an action that ended up prompting tough US and European sanctions.He called China's actions "extremely worrisome." The US failure to respond "has allowed them to keep pushing the envelope" in seas that carry $5 trillion of trade annually, he said, suggesting Trump would adopt a tougher approach."This is a threat to the entire global economy if China is allowed to somehow dictate the terms of passage through these waters," Tillerson told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Asked if he supported a more aggressive US posture, he said, "You're going to have to send China a clear signal that first the island building stops, and second your access to those islands is also not going to be allowed."China on Thursday stressed mutual respect and cooperation with the US in response to the tough talk from Tillerson.Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said tensions in the strategically vital waterway had lessened and countries from outside the region should support efforts toward stability.China-US relations are based on "non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation," Lu said at a daily briefing."If you take a look at (Chinese) President Xi Jinping's call with Donald Trump after he won the election, you can see that the two countries do respect each other, and we agree with him that we should develop our relations based on mutual respect," he said.In the South China Sea, which China claims virtually entirely, the "situation has cooled down, and we hope non-regional countries can respect this consensus that is in the fundamental interest of the whole world," Lu added.Such rhetoric from Washington isn't surprising. Past US administrations have entered office seeking to get tougher on China, and failed. Trump himself has threatened to impose punitive tariffs to address America's trade imbalance with China and tested ties by questioning the longstanding US policy on the status of Taiwan.A perennial challenge is to break China's long-time partnership with North Korea's hereditary dictatorship. Beijing is unwilling to exercise economic pressure that could destabilize its unpredictable ally, even as it shares US concerns about the isolated nation's rapid development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them.Earlier this week, outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry chided Beijing over its efforts to pressure North Korea, which relies on China for 90 percent of its international trade. He said China needed to "increase its focus" and that the US may need "more forceful ways" of dealing with North Korea.Tillerson spoke in starker terms. He accused China of making "empty promises" on North Korea and supported US sanctions on Chinese companies found to be violating UN Security Council resolutions, recently beefed up to tighten restrictions on North Korean coal imports."If China is not going to comply with those UN sanctions then it's appropriate for the United States to consider actions to compel them to comply," Tillerson said. Speaking generally, he described military force as the "least attractive option." And he sought to play down Trump's recent tweet on North Korea's development of a missile that could strike America - "It won't happen!" - saying it wasn't a "red line."Show # Podcast Name Podcast Date Podcast Topic A Simple Question This show is a Discussion on the meltdown that occurred at Hotcoffee.org, and a Simple question is asked by me, to you, about the show. Cannabis - Getting Caught This show is a Discussion on The method of controls that are is use to keep you as a citizen "safe and secure" from the ills and dangers of Cannabis. In regards to Cannabis, the laws are ever changing in their authority and responsibility, but basically the authority is still trying to find ways to curb your behaviours and actions. No, this is NOT a recommendation for Driving under the Influence of Cannabis, but it is a show to open your eyes to the ridiculous attempts that are being made and the cost of these attempts (*being your money and your freedom). The authority is trying to use Breath analysis to determine use, when cannabis (as a drug) can be detected after use for many many hours,long after the effects have dissipated. You can maintain a level of testable properties for 30/60/90 days, depending upon use and frequency and type of test. Unlike Alcohol, cocaine, heroin and the like....Cannabis uses the Endocannabinoid system which is IN YOUR BODY NATURALLY. This is one of the reasons it is detectable long after use. It is a part of who you are. Cannabis - The Method Of Coercion This show is a Discussion on The methods YOU can use to help people understand Cannabis and its benefits (and effects). The first thing to realize is you will NEVER be able to change someones mind (The theory of sameness applies here, in that people assume everyone thinks as they do, and when they are reinforced by their "group" they tend to wash out the opposing views (little bubble?)) (reference NYer article -- http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/why-facts-dont-change-our-minds ) once they have made it: (From report) "Even after the evidence “for their beliefs has been totally refuted, people fail to make appropriate revisions in those beliefs,” the researchers noted." Cannabis - The Method Of Control This show is a Discussion on the Methods used to coerce the Public (and apparently the future) that Cannabis and Marijuana were: 1. Not the same Plant 2. Horribly bad for you 3. Will cause you to do dastardly things We examine some of the ways that people have been conditioned, not just towards Cannabis. Hopefully, this will lead to understanding how if they can use this technique to get you to buy Soda Pop, they can get you to NOT appreciate Cannabis. We also will look at how it worked, and the methods that can be used to combat the mantra "Cannabis is Bad" Cannabis - Clearing the Confusion This show is a Discussion on the Fallacies that surround Cannabis and its use, and the information that is being presented is skewed and has been skewed to the Negative. When discussing Cannabis in media, the theme that prevails is one of negativity and derision. This show hopes to correct those mis-statements. Cannabis - Not just For Smoking This show is a Discussion on the Other products that Cannabis Plants can offer. Not enough time is spent talking about what Cannabis AS A PLANT can help resolve. Whether it be bad skin or bad Walls,cannabis can be used in many ways to remove the toxic Petroleum products, and replace them with a "Green" solution. Cannabis - It Just Feels Good This show is a Discussion on how Cannabis Makes you just feel good Cannabis - The Lies We Hear This show is a Discussion on the circle we seem to be going through in regards to Cannabis and Cannabis Legislation. We hear the politicians taking steps back into the darkness, all the while spewing the lies that they were raised on. Regardless of the true facts, we explore why this is occurring, how it is happening, and what can be done to correct it. Cannabis - it takes the Edge Off This show is a Discussion on how Cannabis is taken out of Context by the folks that bring you your news, information. Cannabis takes the edge off of life, in a way that is safe and non-toxic for most concerned, yet it is the most reviled of substances. We discuss what it is, and how it can help. Cannabis - Time To Chill Out This show is a The Muscial Interlude I have needed. I hope you have too.(CNN) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will delay the vote on the Republican leadership's health care bill until after the July 4 recess. McConnell told GOP senators that he wants to make changes to the bill, get a new Congressional Budget Office score and have a vote after the holiday, two sources told CNN. Following McConnell's decision, President Donald Trump said negotiators are continuing to work and "getting very close" on a deal and that Obamacare was "melting down as we speak." "We are going to talk," Trump told reporters during a meeting with Republican senators, who had been bussed from Capitol Hill to the White House. "We are going to see what we are going to do. We are getting very close." Trump added, "For the country, we have to have health care and it can't be Obamacare, which is melting down. The other side is saying all sorts of things before they even knew what the bill was. This will be great if we get it done and if we don't get it done it is just going to be something we aren't going to like. And that is OK and I understand that very well." RELATED: Susan Collins: Trump hasn't learned how to work with Congress McConnell's decision does not mean Republicans' plans for repealing and replacing Obamacare are dead, but it highlights the challenge facing the GOP leadership as they try to bridge the divide between conservatives and moderates in the party. While the additional time could allow for more negotiations to bring more lawmakers on board, it also means members of Congress could face pressure from constituents when they go home for recess with the future of health care hanging in limbo. A senior Senate Republican aide told CNN that the plan for the moment is to hammer out a compromise bill by the end of this week, give members the full week of recess to digest and then vote on it when they get back. RELATED: Who gets hurt and who gets helped by the Senate health care bill "We know what everyone needs," the aide said. "Now we just need to make it work." White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump spoke with McConnell on Tuesday morning and has been "fully engaged" with senators. "For us, it is never been about the timeline but getting the best piece of legislation that helps the most," Sanders said. The news followed a bustling morning in the Capitol, where Republican leaders, along with Pence, were meeting behind closed doors with the bill's opponents, as a number of senators came out against voting for a procedural step to advance their plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. Mike Lee became the fifth member Tuesday to plan to vote against the motion to proceed on the health care bill as it is currently written, an aide told CNN. The motion is normally a routine procedural move, but its chances were growing increasingly grim due to the Republican intraparty division. With Republicans only able afford the loss of two votes, the bill appeared to be teetering on the edge by lunchtime. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, told reporters the effort to get to 50 votes was "fluid" but maintained a degree of hope. "I wouldn't count McConnell out yet." Meanwhile, Democrats on the Hill were organizing news conference after news conference, including a large showing of Democratic senators who gathered on the Capitol steps to lambast the beleaguered bill. Behind the scenes, staffers for McConnell were trading potential legislative proposals with key offices, and McConnell himself met privately with Sen. Ted Cruz for nearly an hour. While the Texas Republican hadn't said how he'd vote on the motion to proceed -- he had previously been publicly opposed to the bill though open to negotiations. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, had been largely quiet since the bill went public last week. She's long been a question mark on how she would vote on the bill, and she told CNN Tuesday morning that she's "concerned about the bill in the form that it is now." Asked later if there needs to be more opioid funding in the bill, Capito said that was just one of the issues. "That's not the only one," Capito told reporters. Aides were also seen scurrying around in the Capitol trying to buttonhole members and their key staff about where things currently stand, with the idea being to have a menu of options ready for the Senate Republicans' weekly Tuesday lunch, where McConnell ultimately announced his decision to delay. The lunch, according to an aide, was expected to be at effort to both rally the troops and serve as a policy discussion. For McConnell's part, according to the aide, the message would be clear: A vote against the bill would be a vote to maintain Obamacare. If the bill failed, McConnell was set to argue, the only option would be to work with Democrats, which would lead to a less conservative outcome. Pence expressed uncertainty earlier Tuesday on whether the bill would make it to the floor. "We'll see," he told CNN as he entered a meeting in the Capitol. Pressed on what they are doing to salvage the bill, Pence responded, "lots of good discussions underway and we'll continue to work very diligently." RELATED: Senate Republican health bill: Pay more, get less Also at the Capitol Tuesday was Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who was scheduled to hold meetings with Pence, McConnell and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. Rubio, like some senators, had been waiting to make his decision on the bill until he felt like he had enough input from his state's governor and other constituents. An aide to the senator said Rubio's staff invited staff from the offices of Scott -- as well as the Florida speaker and Senate president -- to Washington to be "embedded" in Rubio's office for the week and work with Rubio's team to analyze how the bill will affect Florida. Over on the House side, Speaker Paul Ryan urged his members in a closed door session to give their Senate colleagues some space, according to a person in the room. Ryan's point was that given the current state of play, it's not helpful for anyone in the House to come out and attack or criticize elements of the bill. Should the Senate pass the bill, Ryan argued, the House will get their chance, one way or another, to weigh in. Until then, he urged members to hold their fire.Thousands of miles to the east, in New Brunswick, a possible takeover of
towards Pakistan and raise the Kashmir issue on the eve of his visit India is another worrying sign of the growing interest of Pakistan's allies in Kashmir. Though Erdogan himself can do very little to push India's hand on Kashmir, it shows how the BJP-led government has failed to isolate Pakistan in spite of its rhetoric. The evolving situation indicates India should be very vigilant on Kashmir. The dark triad of local anger and protests, Pakistan's defiance and the support from its allies point to tough times ahead for India and the failure of the BJP government to keep the situation under control. On Pakistan, in fact, it is impossible to concede that India's policy has been a mix of naivete, rhetoric and adventurism. Like a quack trying every possible remedy, the Narendra Modi government has experimented with everything at its disposal to deal with Pakistan. From inviting Nawaz Sharif for his own swearing-in to making a surprise pit-stop at Lahore, from cancelling, rescheduling then again cancelling bi-partite talks to carrying out surgical strikes, the Modi government has tried every trick in the trade. But, nothing has brought Pakistan to its knees. In fact, as the beheading of two Indian soldiers by its BATs shows, Pakistan is in fact mocking at Indian helplessness even after exhausting every possible option. As the Congress has argued, Pakistan has become more intractable and belligerent over the past few years. It has been violating ceasefire with impunity, organising more attacks on the Indian soil and fanning more trouble in the Valley. If only the BJP had kept the rhetoric low on Kashmir and Pakistan, we would have still been laughing at Asrani of Sholay, instead of rewinding tapes of speeches of the BJP's top guns for tragi-comic relief. 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.There's this yellow guy who lives in a yellow castle, and he's on a quest for a gleaming chalice. He's a total square, and no one could argue he's drawn with nuance or complexity. But his adventures represent a milestone in videogames. The yellow guy navigates complex mazes, hunting for objects that appear in random locations. He does battle with three dragons, each with distinctive personalities. He tracks down keys required to unlock impassable gates, all while dodging a thieving bat that's itching to pilfer from him. The yellow guy can even uncover a hidden room that contains a secret message laid down by The Creator himself. I am of course describing the epochal game Adventure that Warren Robinett created in 1979 for the Atari 2600 console. Robinett was 26 when he programmed the game, entirely by himself, on an HP 1611A microprocessor. It looks low-res and dated now, but Adventure was among the most ambitious and complex games of its day. It also was incredibly influential. Robinett essentially created the console adventure game, and pioneered several videogame conventions that are now so common that we take them for granted. Robinett is not unlike the early filmmakers who hit upon techniques like the cut and close-up that would become the fundamental grammar of cinema. Adventure was made in the era of Space Invaders, when game worlds existed within a single screen. Robinett created the idea that a game could take place on a series of screens, each representing a discrete location. If you steered your avatar off the left side of the screen, it would reappear in the next room on the right side of the screen. "I didn’t set out to make the videogame world bigger than a screen, but I had to," he tells me. It was part of the challenge he had set for himself, and he took great satisfaction in solving it. Robinett explained how he made Adventure in a session at the Game Developers Conference. The game, he says, was inspired by a visit to Stanford Artificial Intelligence lab, where he spent several hours on a mainframe playing Colossal Cave Adventure by Willie Crowther and Don Woods. It was a pure text game ("YOU ARE STANDING AT THE END OF A ROAD BEFORE A SMALL BRICK BUILDING.") built around exploration and inventory management. Robinett resolved to adapt it to a console. Making It Seemed Impossible That seemed impossible on its face. The Atari 2600 was designed for graphics-intensive games like Missile Command and Asteroids. The controller was a directional joystick with a single button. "Also, Colossal Cave required hundreds of kilobytes of ROM," Robinett says. "The Atari 2600 had 4K." He would have to vastly condense and simplify the game. The first step was translating the game from a purely text experience to a purely graphical one. Robinett cleverly reduced environments, characters, and objects to instantly recognizable, simple icons. Except for the deadly enemies. They look more like giant waterfowl than dragons. "I've become attached to my Duck Dragons," he says. "If I ever do a sequel, it will be Return of the Duck Dragons." Robinett built subroutines into the characters that gave them distinctive behaviors. The subroutines continued even when characters were offscreen in one of the 30 different rooms. [Thirty different rooms! It boggled the minds of kids who got the game for Christmas in 1979.] The offscreen action made the game world feel even more like a real place, and all sorts of emergent situations arose from these subroutines. For instance, you could be devoured by a dragon and trapped in its stomach, only to see that thieving bat fly in, pick up that dragon, and flit around the game world with the two of you in tow. "That wasn’t intentional," says Robinett. "It resulted from the fact that it was a true simulation." Beyond dealing with the constraints of the console, Robinett had to battle his bosses, who initially discouraged him from tackling so ambitious a project. But when they saw a working prototype, they pressed him to make it a tie-in for the upcoming Superman movie. He ignored their demands. "Sometimes you have to fight for your ideas," he says. Somehow, Robinett crammed the entire game into the constraints of an Atari cartridge. "I even had 15 bytes of RAM left over,” he says. “There was room to have three more dragons if I had chosen to do so, but it seemed to be working pretty well. I guess that’s what what you’d call game balancing nowadays." He Gave Us the First Easter Egg Instead, Robinett used some of that space to build a secret room accessible only through an elaborate series of steps. The room contained the game’s only text CREATED BY WARREN ROBINETT. It is generally considered gaming's first Easter egg. Robinett didn’t tell anyone about it, and left Atari soon after finishing Adventure. "I thought of it as a self-promotion maneuver," Robinett tells me. "Also, I was pissed off. Adventure sold a million units at $25 apiece. Meanwhile, I got a $22K a year salary, no royalties, and they never even forwarded any fan mail to me." (The Easter egg, by the way, was first discovered by a 15-year-old in Salt Lake City. His letter to Atari is priceless.) Last week's appearance at GDC was karmic payback for all the fan mail Robinett missed out on. His presentation was met with thunderous applause, and Robinett was mobbed by fans. A Google engineer peppered him with intricate questions about his code and his data structure, pulling up a video on his laptop to demonstrate a specific flicker effect he wanted to know more about. Robinett patiently explained the tech, pausing occasionally to shake hands and pose for photos. Then he autographed the grateful engineer’s printout of the disassembled code for the Duck Dragon sprite. A graphics design lead at AMD gushed to Robinett about playing the game as an 8-year-old. He was too young to memorize the patterns of the maze, and terrified of being trapped by the dragons as he traversed it. "Adventure was the first survival horror game," he said. A computer engineer and professor from Brazil asked Robinett to autograph his copy of the book 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, in which Adventure is the first entry. The fan thanked Robinett profusely as he clutched the book to his chest. "Your game," he said, "Is … everything to me." It's all a bit surprising to Robinett, who left the game industry in the early 1980s, moved to North Carolina and has worked in other fields ever since. It's only recently that he’s come to learn there is ongoing interest in his groundbreaking game. "This is really gratifying," he says Robinett. "I'm so glad it's not forgotten."Character Johnny[1] Elaine[2] is the realistic fish head who works as an anchorman for various news reports and other events in Bikini Bottom. He also sings in the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song. He makes his first in-series appearance in the episode "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy II." He likes to introduce himself as "Realistic Fish Head," in place of a real name. His name is said to be Johnny in the video game Battle for Bikini Bottom, where he is the announcer for the main boss fights. In "The Great Patty Caper," his name is given as Elaine. In advertisements for the UK Nicktoons channel, his nameplate reads "T. McTrout" instead. In SpongeBob's Nicktoon Summer Splash, SpongeBob and Patrick introduce him as "Mr. Fish" several times. He is normally voiced by Doug Lawrence. In "Suction Cup Symphony," his quiet voice is provided by Tom Kenny. In "No Free Rides," Dee Bradley Baker voices him. Contents show] Description He is a dark blue and dark brown realistic fish head with brown eyes. His likeness is made from a photograph of an Atlantic bluefin tuna. Role in series Johnny has also been the announcer at other events, such as the 21st Fry Cook Games. He is the narrator of the King of Karate video in "Karate Island," the narrator of the championship "boxing" games, and voices the loudspeaker at the Bikini Bottom Zoo in "The Smoking Peanut." In addition to announcing events in Bikini Bottom, Johnny also serves as a news anchor for the Bikini Bottom News. Most of the news reports he gives are about disasters in the town, such as in "Wormy," where he warns the town about the "monster." He also appears in the episode "Safe Deposit Krabs," where he announces the opening of the Bank of Bikini Bottom Bank. He also appears during the theme song, when the line "Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish" is sung. Role in video games He appears in the intro of the GBA version. Battle for Bikini Bottom Johnny regularly appears when the player is in a boss battle at the Posidome, Industrial Park, and the Chum Bucket lab. He is seen on Patrick's TV on the opening to the level "Starfishman to the Rescue." Quotes "Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!" —"SpongeBob SquarePants Theme Song" "I'm a realistic fish head, and it’s a beautiful day here in Bikini Bottom!" —"The Fry Cook Games" Trivia In the episode "The Fry Cook Games," he mentions that he is a realistic fish head, thus breaking the fourth wall. He is one of Bikini Bottom's best-known reporters, along with Perch Perkins. When he is reporting news when it is snowy in Bikini Bottom, he can be seen wearing a snow hat.Although Dwayne Johnson is not a superhero out of a comic book, he sure acts like one. No matter the stage, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of the best performers of his generation. Breaking out on the WWF circuit in the mid-90s, Johnson eventually outgrew the ring and brought his talents to the big screen. By sharing his awesome advice Dwayne Johnson aka “The Rock” has become an inspiration to millions of people worldwide. He has grown to be one of the most influential people in Hollywood, and is widely recognised across the world as one of the best entertainers. That’s why today I’ve captured some of his best motivational quotes through his life and created beautiful easy to read picture quotes for you to share on your Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. The Best 25 Dwayne Johnson Motivational Picture Quotes 1. “Be the type of person that when your feet touch the floor in the morning the devil says, “Aww sh**t..” they’re up” – Dwayne Johnson 2. “With Drive and a bit of talent you can move mountains.” – Dwayne Johnson 3. “We do today what they won’t so tomorrow we can accomplish what they can’t” – Dwayne Johnson 4. “One of the most important things you can accomplish is just being yourself.” – Dwayne Johnson 5. “Don’t be afraid to be ambitious about your goals. Hard work never stops. Neither should your dreams. – Dwayne Johnson 6. “You don’t need directions, just point yourself to the top and go!” – Dwayne Johnson 7. “When life puts you in tough situations, don’t say ‘why me?’ just say ‘Try Me’.” – Dwayne Johnson 8. “Blood, sweat & respect. First two you give, last one you earn.” – Dwayne Johnson 9. “In 1995 I had $7 bucks in my pocket and I knew two things: I’m broke as hell and one day I won’t be.” – Dwayne Johnson 10. “All success begin with self-discipline. It starts with you.” – Dwayne Johnson 11. Success at anything will always come down to this: Focus & Effort, and we control both.” – Dwayne Johnson 12. “Think back 5 years ago. Think of where you’re at today. Think ahead 5 years and what you want to accomplish. Be unstoppable.” -Dwayne Johnson 13. “Wake up determined. Go to bed satisfied.” – Dwayne Johnson 14. “Success isn’t overnight. It’s when everyday you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up.” – Dwayne Johnson 15. “Grind hard, shine hard.” – Dwayne Johnson 16. “If something stands between you and your success, MOVE IT! Never be denied.” – Dwayne Johnson 17. “When you walk up to opportunities door, don’t knock it.. kick that b!tch in, smile and introduce yourself” – Dwayne Johnson 18. “Success isn’t always about ‘greatness’, it’s about consistency. Consisent, hard work gains success.” – Dwayne Johnson 19. “The first step to achiving your goal, is to take a moment to respect your goal. Know what it means to you to achieve it.” – Dwayne Johnson 20. “The wall! Your success is on the other side. Can’t jump over it or go around it. You know what to do.” – Dwayne Johnson 21. “I like to use the hard times in the past to motivate me today.” – Dwayne Johnson 22. “There is no substitute for hard work. Always be humble and hungry.” – Dwayne Johnson 23. “FOCUS.” – Dwayne Johnson 24. “Not only do I think being nice and kind is easy, but being kind, in my opinion is important.” – Dwayne Johnson 25. “I want someone who can trust that my big hands are going to take care of them.” – Dwayne Johnson If you liked these Dwayne Johnson motivational picture quotes And if you are still doubting how awesome Dwayne Johnson is here is a video of him singing “What a wonderful world”. Is there something that this man can’t do?DREAMHACK ANNOUNCES 2018 WORLD TOUR SCHEDULE December 9, 2017 Stockholm, Sweden World’s largest digital festival to visit eight cities in Europe and North America Leipzig, Germany; Tours, France; Austin, Texas, USA; Valencia, Spain; Montreal, Canada; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Sevilla, Spain; and Jönköping, Sweden STOCKHOLM — Today, Saturday, Dec. 9, marks the 23rd anniversary of DreamHack, the world’s largest digital festival. Today also marks the beginning of a new tradition, the yearly celebration of “DreamHack Day” – when it all began back in 1994 at the first DreamHack Winter. What started as a gathering of friends and their computers in a school cafeteria with no online access has grown to become a beacon of Internet culture and a gathering place for gamers from around the world. DreamHack Day is a time to reflect on the past year and look to what the future has in store with an official announcement of next year’s world tour schedule. “We’re excited to announce our 2018 calendar, but also the start of a new tradition with the establishment of DreamHack day every year on the 9th of December” said Marcus Lindmark, CEO of DreamHack AB. “DreamHack looks back at 2017 with great pride, but we’re even more thrilled about the upcoming year as we go stronger into current markets and continue to heavily develop our festivals.” DreamHack will host three-day, non-stop festivals in eight major cities next year. 2017 was a huge year for DreamHack with the expansion into new markets in North America, introducing new festival experiences, and the addition of over 50 new partnerships, setting the stage for an exciting 2018. DreamHack will continue to innovate and improve the festival experience – both for attendees and fans tuning in from home. Also keep an eye out for enhancements to fighting games (FGC), mobile gaming, college esports, and new esports titles.Amazon has so far dominated the e-book market Sony has launched a wireless e-reader which allows users to download electronic books on the go. Analysts said Sony's Reader Daily Edition is a direct challenge to Amazon's best-selling Kindle device. The $399 (£250) touch-screen device is able to store up to 1,000 novels and can download books over a high-speed mobile network. It also has an application that can be used to "borrow" books from local libraries for 21 days. "By going open, Sony helps compensate for its biggest weakness: its lacklustre eBookstore, which pales in comparison with Amazon.com," said Sarah Rotman Epps, an analyst with Forrester Research in her blog. Sony's two current e-reader devices do not offer wireless connectivity. Lending service Amazon has so far dominated the e-reader market with its wireless Kindle devices. In May of this year, the firm unveiled a new version of the gadget aimed at reading newspapers, magazines and documents. The new reader can display books in portrait or landscape The Kindle DX packed a screen that was double the size of previous models. It offer 46 newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. However, it was criticised for its high price of $489 (£340). Ms Rotman Epps said that Sony's new device "makes the Kindle look like an oversized calculator." Unlike, the Kindle, the Sony device features a 7-inch (17.8cm)touchscreen interface which can be used to read books in portrait or landscape form. The Japanese firm has also signed a deal with US network operator AT&T to allow users to download books wirelessly. Sony also unveiled an application which allows users to download e-books from their local libraries. "At the end of the library's lending period, e-books simply expire, so there are never any late fees," Sony said. Earlier this month the electronics giant also announced that it would stop using a proprietary standard for e-books in favour of the ePub open format. "Enabling consumers to access free eBooks via the public library network and Google's public domain collection (which now tops 1 million volumes) - and letting consumers buy ePub books from other sources and read them on Sony's devices -greatly expands the value proposition of its devices," said Ms Rotman Epps. Sony said it would announce deals with newspapers later in the year. The device will be available in the US from December. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionClaim: Albert Einstein predicted that if something eliminated bees from our planet, mankind would soon perish. Status: Undetermined. Examples: [Higgins, 2002] Berry stuck up a quotation attributed to Albert Einstein: “If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.” Origins: One tried-and-true method for getting people to pay attention to words is to put them into the mouth of a well-known, respected figure whom the public perceives as being an expert in the subject at hand. To make a point about whether our current political leaders are taking us down the right path, dig up an analogous quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. Or, to comment on the nature of war (e.g., when it should be fought, how it should be fought, or the consequences of fighting it), find a relevant example credited to Robert E. Lee or George S. Patton. Thus is it that recent concerns over a significant and mysterious decline in the population of pollinating honeybees (a phenomenon attributed to everything from global warming to insecticides to radiation from cell phone towers, and now thought to be the result of a fungus) have seen a resurgence in repetitions of a quote attributed to Albert Einstein, citations claiming the noted scientist once said “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” This truly sounds alarming: Bees are disappearing for reasons we can’t yet explain, and a certified genius such as Einstein noted long ago that if all the bees disappeared, we’d soon be following them into extinction. If the intent of propagating this quote is to get our attention, it’s certainly been working. Did Einstein sagely foresee an environmental crisis we’re only just now beginning to notice? To answer that last question (without denying the importance of the honeybees), we have to consider the related question of “Did Einstein really say this?” First off, searches of Einstein’s writings and speeches and public statements, as well as of (scholarly) compilations of Einstein quotations reveal nary a reference to the “four years” phrase or any other statement mentioning bees (save for a brief comparison between humans and colony insects such as ants and bees). The compiler of The New Quotable Einstein also found no Einsteinian source for this quote and lists it as “Probably Not by Einstein.” Secondly, even though Einstein died in 1955, assiduous searching of a variety of databases of historical printed material (e.g., books, newspapers, magazines) has so far failed to turn up any mention of this quote (attributed to Einstein or anyone else) antedating 1994, when it suddenly started popping up in newspaper articles reporting on a protest in Brussels staged by beekeepers: A pamphlet distributed [in Brussels] by the National Union of French Apiculture quoted Albert Einstein. “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!” A pamphlet distributed [in Brussels] by the National Union of French Apiculture quoted Albert Einstein. “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no moreno more men!” The beekeepers’ warnings had some heavyweight expert support. A pamphlet distributed by the National Union of French Apiculture quoted Albert Einstein. “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live,” Einstein was quoted as saying. “No more bees, no more pollination … no more men!” Finally, Einstein was, of course, a physicist and not an entomologist or botanist (or any other form of biologist). It’s puzzling to imagine a context in which he would have made the statement about bees now attributed to him, or why he would have been perceived as saying something noteworthy that was unknown to his fellow scientists. The best answer probably lies in examining the context in which the earliest citations of this putative quote (that we’ve found so far) appeared: a January 1994 political protest staged by European beekeepers over the issues of competition from lower-priced honey imports, artificially high prices for sugar (used as winter feed for bees), and a proposed reduction of tariffs that would make imported honey products even cheaper. A key part of that protest was beekeepers’ issuing dire predictions that as beekeepers go, so go the bees — and as bees go, so go the food crops and other plants on which we depend: The beekeepers claimed that if they were forced out of business, the honey bee could be eradicated in Europe since wild hives were already being decimated by a parasitic mite called varroa. The beekeepers claimed that if they were forced out of business, the honey bee could be eradicated in Europe since wild hives were already being decimated by a parasitic mite called varroa. So far Scotland has escaped the devastating pest, but the threat elsewhere remains. “Within a few years all the wild colonies will die out,” warned John Potter from Norwich. “The honey bee is threatened with a rapid decline.” If the bees became extinct, the protesters said the impact would go well beyond the livelihoods of the EU’s 16,000 full-time beekeepers and the some 430,000 part-timers. Crops such as apples, pears, beans and oilseeds need bees for pollination. British beekeepers estimate that 85 per cent of Europe’s wildflowers are pollinated by bees and the death of the flowers could have a major impact on wildlife. “It’s going to be a chain reaction,” said Mr Potter. All in all, this looks like a classic case of a useful quote’s being invented and put into the mouth of a famous person for political purposes. Sightings: Political comedian Bill Maher used the Einstein “bee” quote to begin his closing essay on the 20 April 2007 episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. Last updated: 21 April 2007 Sources: Ames, Paul. “Life’s Not So Sweet for Europe’s Embattled Beekeepers.” Associated Press. 24 January 1994. Fitzgerald, Jay. “‘Colony Collapse’ Worries Bee-Devil Farmers.” Boston Herald. 18 April 2007. Higgins, Adrian. “Honeybees in a Mite More Than Trouble.” The Washington Post. 14 May 2002 (p. A1). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-691-12074-9 (pp. 294-295). McLaughlin, Chris. “Fearful Beekeepers Plead for Curbs on Honey Imports.”Mellite Mellite is an environment for creating experimental computer-based music and sound art. This system has been developed since 2012 by its author, Hanns Holger Rutz, and is made available under the GNU Affero General Public License. Download A binary version, ready to run, can be downloaded on archive.org or GitHub releases. Mellite is cross-platform, it is provided through a universal zip archive that can run on any platform including Mac and Windows, and a.deb package suitable for Linux Debian and Ubuntu. If you want to build from the source code, go to git.iem.at/sciss/Mellite. Legal disclaimer: Mellite contains libraries also released under the GNU AGPL and GPL. You are entitled to the source code of all these libraries. The licenses of all libraries are available here. To obtain the source code, clone the source code repository of Mellite (see above), and in the file build.sbt add the qualification withSources() to any library before running sbt update. For example, to receive the source code of the PDFlitz library used by Mellite, change "de.sciss" %% "pdflitz" % pdflitzVersion to "de.sciss" %% "pdflitz" % pdflitzVersion withSources(). The sources will be downloaded to ~/.ivy2/cache/de.sciss/pdflitz_2.12/srcs. If you have trouble obtaining the source code of incorporated libraries, I can send it to you via e-mail in compliance with the GNU AGPL. In order to run Mellite, you also need to have installed on your computer: Java (version 8; try to avoid Java 9 which may cause issues) SuperCollider (version 3.9.x is recommended, but 3.7.x should work, too) Resources The API docs can be found here. The best way to ask questions, no matter if newbie or expert, is to use the Gitter Channel. You need a GitLab, GitHub or Twitter account to sign in.The Antifa-aligned professor accused of assaulting Trump supporters with a bicycle lock will be headed to court two months from now, following a postponement. Eric Clanton, a professor of philosophy, ethics, and critical thinking at Diablo Valley College, was arrested in May for using a bike lock to beat three people senseless during a free speech rally at Berkeley in April this year. Police acknowledged that they caught Clanton with the aid of Internet activists who did most of the legwork identifying him as the suspect behind “several violent assaults” at the Civic Center Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Three people received what police referred to as “significant injuries” as a result of the assaults. In photos circulating on social media, Clanton was pictured donning a hoodie and bandana, with a pair of dark sunglasses, shortly before the assaults. He was identified by members of the image forum 4chan, who examined hundreds of images and videos taken at the rally and prior events, and compared the attacker to other attendees. Following his arrest, Clanton was charged with four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor offense for wearing a mask to avoid identification. In August, Clanton criticized the police for listening to Internet users in making his arrest. “Dealing with an unintelligible internet force smearing and threatening me online was not easy, and created stress to say the least, but I had every expectation that very few people would take them seriously, especially considering the character and credibility of their sources,” wrote Clanton in a statement. The now-removed entry for Clanton on the Diablo Valley College faculty page noted the adjunct professor’s focus on political philosophy, stating that he was “currently exploring restorative justice from an anti-authoritarian perspective.” As noted by First Amendment scholar Eugene Volokh in the Washington Post, “beating people on the head with metal objects because of their political beliefs is not anti-authoritarian.” Clanton’s lawyer Dan Siegel said today that both he and his client are optimistic for a favorable outcome in February, when Clanton goes to pretrial. Sources: Berkeleyside, Washington Post, the Inquirer. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, BITCH? BECOME A DANGEROUS VIP FOR AS LITTLE AS $3.95 A MONTH You get all our best writing, MILO’S VIP-ONLY podcast and a bunch of other decent stuff. SIGN ME UP!A selfie became deadly: A Polish couple visiting Cabo da Roca in west Portugal died after falling from the edge of a cliff while taking a family photo. USA Today reports the couple fell hundreds of feet to their death, their children watching nearby. Local news site, Portugal Resident, says the couple climbed over safety barrier with their children in tow, to take a "end of Europe" photo. Portugal Resident added the area has small paths that run along the cliff, enticing tourists to venture to the edge. Local fireman Jose Dias told Portugal Resident that the family walked to a path between a lighthouse and the cliff edge. The parents gave the children, who are 5 and 6, the camera to take the selfie as they approached the ravine and accidentally fell. Reports on how far the couple fell range from 260 to 460 feet. A Spanish couple witnessed the situation and quickly comforted the traumatized children. The Huffington Post reports local authorities recovered two bodies on Sunday. But due to weather-related complications, the bodies weren't retrieved until Monday. New York Post reports the children are in the care of Polish diplomats, as they are receiving psychiatric care.Over 630,000 students will have to take the All-India Pre-Medical Test afresh in four weeks after the Supreme Court on Monday scrapped it due to large-scale irregularities but experts fear protracted admission delays after the CBSE indicated the time-frame was not enough. A bench of justices RK Agarwal and Amitava Roy also ordered that all institutes involved in the AIPMT exam process must cooperate with the CBSE to conduct the retest. The bench said that although the re-conduct of the examination would consume time and cause inconvenience but to maintain the "impeccable and irrefutable" credibility of examination "this is the price, the stakeholders would have to suffer". "We are not unaware that in holding the present examination as well as in participating in the exercise, all genuinely concerned have put in tireless efforts. All these however have been rendered futile by a handful of elements seeking to reap undue financial gain by subjecting the process to their evil manoeuvres. "We have thus no hesitation to order that the All India Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Test stands cancelled. CBSE would now have to hold a fresh examination at the earliest... We direct the Board, in the attendant of facts and circumstances to hold the examination within a period of four weeks from today," the bench said. The top court rejected the CBSE’s argument that cancelling the test would be unfair when only 44 students had been booked for unfair practices and said the entire examination process stood vitiated. "The bigger issue is that the sanctity of the examination is under suspicion. We want to be doubly sure that there is no alternative but to order re-conduct of the exam," a two-judge SC bench said. The court was hearing a batch of petitions filed by candidates, who wrote the exam, seeking its cancellation. Talking on the possibility of conducting the retest within four weeks, CBSE Public Relations Officer (PRO) Rama Sharma told HT that the board is discussing and deliberating the matter and will come out with an official reaction later in the day. However, sources in CBSE said it would be very difficult to conduct the exam in four weeks time. Experts agreed that it was impossible to conduct a nationwide pen-and-paper test within four weeks but warned any further jam was likely to rob students’ of alternative academic options because admissions to colleges and other medical institutions would close by then. The examination is used to fill up over 3,800 coveted medical seats – around 15% of the total -- and students fear the four-week window is not enough to prepare for the tough examination, which tests their knowledge of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. “I am so tense now. Again I have to study and this time I don’t know how difficult the papers would be. Unlike previous years, the pattern of papers was different this year. Now again a great uncertainty has set in,” said 19-year-old Swaraj Mishra in Bhopal. Reacting to the SC decision, AIPMT aspirant Divya Kasana of Hanimangarh (Rajasthan) said retest will be beneficial for all those who took the exam, since reports of alleged paper leak and cheating had created apprehension among them about the fairness of the test this year. Scores of AIPMT aspirants coaching in Kota want a re-test, she added. AIPMT aspirant Harshita Bhardwaj from Tonk (Rajasthan) said, "SC orders for re-test is not beneficial for the aspirants as she is confused whether to prepare for AIPMT again or participate in counselling of State PMT's on their selection.” However, she admitted that declaration of results would certainly have put a question mark on the credibility of the exam since it has faced blames of alleged cheating and paper leak. experts Delhi's Gaurang Goswami was shocked when he heard on Monday that the Supreme Court had cancelled the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) because of allegations of widespread irregularities, including mass cheating. “At first, the delays in announcing the result made me feel that they would not cancel the test. But when they did, it came as a shocker,” Goswami said. Goswami gave the test for the first time in May after preparing for it since the time he was in Class 11. He dreams of being a neurosurgeon. “Yes, we have to sit for the test again but I feel it is worth it. There are many seats on offer in prime government colleges,” he told Hindustan Times. Goswami said: “It will be back to the studying table for a lot of us. We have had to attempt several tests over the last few months, so I don’t expect a lot of us will face much trouble in recalling facts.” “I feel the Supreme Court’s decision is just,” said Poonam (name changed), another Delhi student. “I am quite certain that many candidates might have benefitted by resorting to cheating. And it would be difficult for the law to identify every single one of them. It would be a loss to all those who gave the exam after studying for it very hard.” “So even if I were to say, get admission in some far-off place, I would certainly keep an eye on AIPMT because I want to stay in my hometown,” said Poonam. “The AIPMT on May 3 was surprising and a bit on the difficult side because of that,” Poonam said. “The retest will certainly help us, now that we know we have to expect the unexpected.” “Giving the test again adds to the stress we are already in. Most other colleges have either closed admissions or are in the process of counselling,” said another Delhi student Madhur Sharma, who wants to be a psychiatrist. The exam results, which were to be declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on June 5, have been at the centre of controversy since the irregularities were discovered. On the last hearing, the apex court had come on heavily on CBSE, questioning the education body on its security measures to prevent such practices. "You (CBSE) are an institution conducting the exam. Why did you not take precautions? This modus operandi was followed last year also. You must have been aware," the bench had said while reserving its order for June 15. The CBSE was scheduled to declare the AIPMT results on June 5, but
per placement. Would you like to purchase the product so you can get cracking on collecting that $400,000 of missed fees? We would just give you access to this instance right here. It’s ready to go.” The answer is usually “Yes!” Obviously the latter case is far more advanced, and by no means should you say, “Well, we don’t have the ability to hyper-customize a demo environment, so we can’t start selling.” Not at all. However, when you work with product management, providing feedback on features you’d want to see in the product, remember that there are features that will make selling easier via a more customized demo. And even if those features don’t necessarily provide post-purchase value to customers, they can still be very valuable from a revenue-generation standpoint, in that they raise close rates and bring in more money. Example Demo Script What did a demo script look like at TalentBin? Well, of course, it correlated to our core sales narrative, and was built around the “Search, Qualify, Reach Out, Automate” framing we presented in our sales deck. You can check out how we handled those first two buckets below (and if you want to see the whole script, you’ll find it in the Appendix.). It starts with one of the most important use cases for our audience of recruiters, and then progresses from there in the way a recruiter would move from discovery of a new candidate to qualification of that candidate to outreach — a full life cycle of what recruiters do so often in their day-to-day workflow. Also note that it’s broken up to allow for pauses and discussion with the client. As you read through it, imagine what it would look like to walk prospects through all the ways TalentBin fits into their day-to-day, and solves their pains at each step, while screen sharing the product. And think about what your demo would look like! What are the natural workflows that your prospect works through on a daily basis? How does your solution fit into them and make them better, faster, stronger? Search: Enhanced candidate discovery was TalentBin’s first value proposition, and one of the most easily comprehended by prospects. This section was where we touched on the importance of being able to discover engineering candidates who were previously undiscoverable in traditional recruiting databases — or at least super hard to find, requiring far too much manual effort. We knew nothing would capture the attention of a technical recruiter like showing them the potential candidates they could find and engage using our solution, especially as compared to standard databases, so we started with that: "Well, I saw from your company’s career site that you need to hire some Ruby engineering staff there in the Dallas area, so let’s search for some. Here’s how we build a search for people who know Ruby in the Dallas area. We can do it manually, or we can use our new Job Req Translator that automatically pulls out the relevant terms in your job posting. I actually grabbed this posting before the call, so let’s paste that in there. See how easy that is? Now we can save that search for later use since we’re going to come back to this. Also, by saving that search, you’ll now get recommended candidate emails from those searches every few days. But let’s expand this some to see the total number of potential candidates for this role in Dallas. Excellent! Well, it looks like we have around eight thousand results there. That’s promising, since LinkedIn only has around eleven hundred for that same query! Very nice, so that’s like seven times the number — I’m betting there’s a pretty hefty load of people in these search results who have zero LinkedIn profile. And, of course, the way that you’d do this previously was to manually browse through GitHub or Stack Overflow or Twitter; it might take you five minutes per valid candidate. This way they’re already ready for you to review. And tons of them aren’t on LinkedIn being accosted by every other recruiter with a LinkedIn Recruiter seat!" Showing off scaled search results for desired skills in the prospect’s region: Qualify: This is where we would cover why having access to all of this aggregated professional activity was fantastic for qualifying that a candidate had the characteristics recruiters were looking for. Moreover, we looked at how using that contextual information, both professional and personal, in outreach could dramatically impact response rates and recruiter efficiency: "Okay, let’s start looking at some of these profiles. You can see that we show a preview on the search page that includes the relevant information for the skill that was searched for, along with the various social profiles we have identified and crawled for the candidate. And if you want to, you can tag these folks as ‘interesting’ or ‘not interesting’ for later bulk processing. But for now, let’s check out an individual. Natalie here looks interesting." Showing off search results and preview information: Profile View: Understanding that a candidate “fits the bill” and is at least worth reaching out to is a core recruiting workflow. Whether basing their decision on a resume or a LinkedIn profile, recruiters are used to doing that. So showing them how they could do that with a TalentBin profile, but with data aggregated from all over the web, was important: "Let’s click into her profile. Now you can see that we’ve aggregated all of her various web profiles. See, here’s her GitHub, Stack Overflow, Meetup, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and we even have her Lanyrd social conference profile. Nice. If you ever wanted to go to those sites, you can just click on these like this. However, the big idea here is to aggregate that activity so you don’t have to do that.” Showing off Natalie’s various web profiles and how they’ve been aggregated: Interest Details: Understanding “why” a given candidate has the relevant professional skill is also important for recruiters. Often they spend time cross-correlating resume claims with sources of professional activity on the web. Moreover, they know that using contextual information in outreach is a valuable way to raise responsiveness, but often takes too long to do in a scalable fashion manually: “So let’s look at how we know that Natalie has ‘Ruby’ relevance. Okay, see down here on her profile, we’ve got her ‘interest viewer’ section, and if we click on ‘Ruby’ there we see that, wow, Natalie is really into Ruby! She’s following a number of Ruby repositories on GitHub, she has it in her Twitter biography, she’s a member of a couple Ruby Meetups, and she has answered some Ruby questions on Stack Overflow. Nice! Looks like Natalie is really into Ruby. The problem is that historically this is the sort of thing you’d have to spend five minutes clicking all over the web to determine. Nice that these interest details are right here so you can check them out, and maybe even share them with the hiring manager. Let’s go check out Natalie LinkedIn profile. Whoops! That link is dead! Probably because she deleted her LinkedIn profile. But we’ve got it! We can see that she’s got a bunch of other interests in technologies that are relevant to us — Ruby first and foremost — so she looks like a live one!” Navigating around and showing off the Skills viewer: From here, we would cover the key remaining buckets, “Reach Out” and “Automate.” We continued to follow the recruiter’s natural workflow — using a real-world candidate that matched that prospect’s hiring needs — and highlight features that would boost efficiency at every step. Importantly, we would tie parts of the demo to prior elements, making sure to create a holistic understanding of how the product would impact the entirety of the recruiter’s workflow for the better. If you’d like to read the whole script, check out the Appendix. In TalentBin’s case, the product was fairly evolved, so there was quite a bit of bucketing, and a good amount of ground to cover. But that doesn’t mean that this has to be the case with your demo. The goal is to connect the known pain points to the solution and its benefits, step by step, so your prospects can truly see how it fits into their workflow and makes their lives better. You know you’re doing it well when prospects are saying things like “That’s awesome” or “You have no idea how much this will help me with XYZ.” Think about the right way to go about demoing your offering. Is there a natural workflow to walk the user through? Is there a chronology? Are there specific key use cases that correlate to the value that you’re providing that you would want to start with? Think about the “story” of your product in the hands of the person you’re presenting it to, or the person that reports to her. What things will they care about, and what will make them better, faster, stronger, smarter, and more successful? Focus on those things, and you’ll be in a good spot. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER New product enterprise sales is a multi-touch exercise that requires compelling, consistent messaging up and down the sales funnel. So while a great sales deck is helpful, by no means is it the end all be all! Rather, you’ll need at least minimum viable incarnations of your sales narrative for each part of the funnel. At the top, that’ll mean email outreach templates and phone scripts, and nearer the bottom, that’ll be a great demo script. It’s not exactly rocket science, rather it’s just a question of taking the time to put the work in and write them out rather than thinking you can “wing it.” But if you put the work in, you'll find these materials invaluable, first for you to consume and refer to on your way to memorizing them (it’ll take dozens and dozens of iterations for it to start becoming muscle memory for you), and later, as a reference as you hire and onboard other sellers to your team. They will need documentation for training so they can execute all of this as flawlessly as you now can.BANGKOK — A driver narrowly escaped injury – or worse – when a giant metal bar fell from an elevated rail under construction and landed on her car Friday afternoon. The piece, known as a launcher, struck the hood of the Nissan March at about 3.30pm on the inbound Phahonyothin Road close to Ratchayothin intersection. The road was the site of the new elevated Green Line train system being built by Mass Rapid Transit Authority, or MRTA. A private firm called Italian-Thai Development is in charge of the construction. There were no reports of any injuries. MRTA deputy director Surachet Laophulsuk said officials are working to determine the cause of the accident. He vowed to take action against the contractor. “There will certainly be an action,” Surachet said. Related stories: Green Line Link to BTS Mo Chit Won’t Close Lat Phrao IntersectionAn executive from a top shale drilling firm told attendees of a fossil fuels seminar in Pennsylvania earlier this month that fracking companies deliberately avoid setting up shop near the "big houses" of the wealthy, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Two environmental groups, the Sierra Club and the Center for Coalfield Justice, last week sent a letter to the state Office of Environmental Justice to review Range Resources' practices to see if it has indeed avoided rich neighborhoods and targeted low-income areas for shale gas development. Attorneys from both organizations were present at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Environmental Law Forum on April 7. The comments were made by Terry Bossert, Range's vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, and were reportedly made off-the-cuff as he was giving a PowerPoint presentation titled "Environmental Issues Facing the Oil and Gas Industry." "We heard Range Resources say it sites its shale gas wells away from large homes where wealthy people live and who might have the money to fight such drilling and fracking operations," Patrick Grenter, executive director of the Center for Coalfield Justice, told the Post-Gazette. Joanne Kilgour, director of the Sierra Club's Pennsylvania chapter, said the remarks "pose significant environmental justice issues, and raise the question whether the companies coming into the communities are really operating in the best interests of those communities." SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts As DeSmog Blog notes, Range in 2004 became the first company to drill in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale—a rock formation that extends through much of the East Coast and has been targeted by the energy industry for its untapped natural gas reserves—and has since amassed separate fines of $4.15 million and $8.9 million for various environmental violations. The letter to the Office of Environmental Justice reads in part, "Mr. Bossert’s comments serve as actual notice of the need to implement policies and practices that protect these communities from the adverse effects of industrial land uses." Matt Pitzarella, a Range spokesperson who has also made headlines for controversial comments, told the Post-Gazette that Brossert's remarks were "sarcastic" and "facetious." Pitzarella did not attend the meeting. Grenter, who questioned Brossert over his comments during the meeting, disagreed. "I was astounded by the environmental injustice that statement conveyed," he said. "There were industry attorneys sitting behind me who gasped."'The Same Old Story' One the main items on this plan is a decision to resume weapons supplies to Syrian rebel groups fighting against President Bashar Assad. The same day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented: "As for US arms supplies to Syria, we understand who will receive those weapons. And this is not the Syrian Army. Today you supply MANPADS to moderate rebels, tomorrow it turns out that they are terrorists. The same old story." Man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) are a threat not only to Russian aviation operating in Syria. Someday, those weapons could be also used against US forces. Uncontrolled Chaos Khrolenko suggested that the main reason behind this move is that the Democrats wants to return to the White House sooner, rather than later and the outgoing presidential administration wants to establish an atmosphere of chaos and instability in the Middle East for the coming years. "It is possible that before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the US will try to deliver as many weapons as possible to the Middle East. Washington’s strategy in Syria proves that the US cannot control the so-called moderate opposition. Its strategy has been only to fuel the conflict," the author wrote. © Photo: SANA Destroyed quarters of liberated Aleppo. According to Khrolenko, arms supplies to Syrian rebels are part of the West’s longstanding strategy to maintain chaos in the region for the sake of its own geopolitical and economic interests. 'Global Jihadi Belt' On December 27, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that Syrian terrorists groups have significant combat capabilities. "I can’t rule out that the West will flood Syrian militants with money and weapons. Jihadists in Syria receive good salaries. For many of them, returning to normal life means getting back to poverty. Time passes by, terrorist groups change names and mottos, but their principles remain the same," Khrolenko wrote. © AFP 2016/ Omar haj kadour Fighters from the former Al-Nusra Front -- renamed Fateh al-Sham Front after breaking from Al-Qaeda -- advance at an armament school after they announced they seiged control of two military academies and a third military position on August 6, 2016, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "Western weapons poison the Middle East with war and destruction. Many people get used to live there amid chaos and violence. In this inhuman distorted reality, children are born and many of them would sooner or later pick up a gun. The entire region of the Middle East and North Africa are turning into a global jihadi belt," the author added. Bulgarian Scheme Among the arms, 122 mm Grad rockets were found alongside various caliber ammunition for anti-tank weapons. Arkus, a company from Bulgarian city of Lyaskovets, is listed as the supplier of arms. Bulgarian surnames are written on the labels. The weapons were reported to have been prepared for export from Bulgaria in 2015 and left the country in October 2015. Military experts say that the militants would have been able to use the arms for two more years, according to the TV channel. "Despite a ban on arms sales to Syria, Bulgaria has been illegally selling weapons to the war-torn country, using old licenses received from the Soviet Union. Thus, Bulgaria is de facto involved in the conflict on the side of terrorist groups. Probably, both Washington and Brussels are aware of the situation," the article read. Of course, Bulgarian-made weapons are not the only example of the West’s proxy involvement in the Syrian war. For example, US-made TOW-2 anti-tanks missiles were discovered in Syria. They were used by various "moderate" opposition groups. Previously, Qatar officially bought TOW-2 systems from the US. On December 26, Lebanese news agency C.Military1 published footage of foreign-made weapons and ammunition stockpiles left by militants in Aleppo. On December 27, Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov in a phone conversation with his US counterpart John Kerry said: "The decision to supply weapons to anti-government rebel forces in Syria risks resulting in a new escalation in Syria and new casualties in the conflict.""During the battle of Aleppo, they lost many commanders and fighters. They were forced to leave eastern Aleppo. But they are still well-equipped and capable. We can’t deny that," the minister said.In mid-December, Nova TV journalists discovered arms with the labels of Bulgarian weapon manufacturer VMZ (Vazovski Mashinostroitelni Zavodi). Even though arms trade to Syria is banned, the weapons were somehow obtained by the terrorists of al-Nusra Front.China Directors' Guild chairman Feng Xiaogang said the artistic quality of recent local films was too low to honor, a move some are interpreting as a protest against the government's refusal to screen Jia Zhangke's Cannes winner "A Touch of Sin." The 2014 China Film Directors' Guild Awards refused to hand out a prize in the best picture or best director categories in Beijing Wednesday night because the artistic quality of the films in contention was too low to deserve honor, according to jury chairman Feng Xiaogang. “China needs to get back its art. Right now, we don’t need to pat ourselves on the back, we need to set a higher standard,” Feng said at the packed ceremony, which was held in the newly built Director's Guild building in Beijing and broadcast live on CCTV 6, the state broadcaster’s movie channel. PHOTOS: Johnny Depp's First Trip to China “The whole jury agreed to leave the award vacant, and this is a unique action from the Directors’ Guild,” said the celebrated director of Aftershock and Back to 1942, who is often referred to as "China’s Spielberg." A notable absence from the films in competition was Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin, which had been nominated but was withdrawn at the last minute as it failed to pass censorship in time. While there were no explicit references during the ceremony, the decision not to award the best director and best film honors is being interpreted by some insiders as a form of protest against the government's decision not allow the movie to screen in general release in China. Jia's critically celebrated film touches on many politically sensitive themes including corruption, economic inequality, prostitution and growing violence in China. It won the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival last May. In an interview with Sina.com before the event, guild president Li Shaohong explained that since A Touch of Sin has neither reached theaters nor been officially released on DVD, it was disallowed from competing for the awards. Q&A: 'China's Spielberg' Feng Xiaogang Says Censors Are Holding Back Industry "The judges need to be able to get together [to view a DVD] or at least watch the film online, but A Touch of Sin is unable to be viewed in either of these two ways. So after much discussion and deep regret we declined the company's [Beijing Xihe Xinghui Pictures] application. I expect to see more of Jia's work in the future," said Li. Feng has on many occasions complained that censorship stifles creativity in China and leads to an unequal playing field for Chinese filmmakers when competing with Hollywood. In his remarks Wednesday he focused on the broader issue of the artistic quality of Chinese films, which he said is declining, urging his fellow directors to concentrate on raising the standard. "Right now, we should regain the ideal, reshape the spirit and return to the art itself in film. This is the goal that China film directors can’t afford to miss,” said Feng. “As the China film industry develops, box office has increased dramatically. The wolves of Hollywood came but didn’t devour us. Instead, we danced with the wolves, which created the prosperity of the Chinese film market,” he said. Q&A: Cannes Best Screenplay Winner Jia Zhangke: ‘I Want to Bring About Change in China’ In the run-up to the event, Feng said the guild awards were his favorite because they are judged completely by filmmakers. The event was attended by numerous industry A-listers including leading directors Jiang Wen and Wang Xiaoshuai, as well as actors Ge You and Xu Jinglei and filmmaker Wen Jun. The best actor prize from the guild, which has 317 members, went to Xu Zheng for Ning Hao’s No Man’s Land, while Tang Wei won best actress for Xue Xiaolu’s Finding Mr Right. “From the first day I became an actress, I knew I’d have to have a thousand faces for a thousand different roles. I want to try many different parts and I am willing to give myself fully to the directors,” said Tang, who is best known internationally for her steamy role in Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution.Oct 13, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Aaron Colvin (14) intercepts a pass in the second quarter against the Texas Longhorns during the red river rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Part 1 of The First Pro Bowl Draft will be on NFL Network Part 1 of The First Pro Bowl Draft will be on NFL Network by Jason Marcum Some very unfortunate news is coming out of Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl. Oklahoma Sooners cornerback Aaron Colvin came into this week as a likely Day 2 prospect, but was hoping to boost his stock with a solid week of practice and a good showing in Saturday’s game, and the Cincinnati Bengals were undoubtedly interested in watching him. With a need at defensive back, Colvin was someone who the Bengals probably planned to scout and even interview in the coming moths, but that may be put on hold after Colvin was injured today. It appears he tore his ACL today during a Senior Bowl practice, according to NFL Network Reporter Albert Breer: Per source, it was just confirmed that Oklahoma CB Aaron Colvin tore his ACL at Senior Bowl practice this afternoon. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 21, 2014 Early word on Aaron Colvin is a feared ACL tear. — Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 21, 2014 Source close to Aaron Colvin said he’s getting an MRI right now, and that “it’s bad.” #Sooners — Jason Kersey (@jasonkersey) January 21, 2014 He suffered the injury while in coverage during team drills, and he immediately went to the ground in pain and had to be helped off the field. Colvin finished his career with five interceptions and 234 tackles while playing both cornerback and strong safety. Colvin ended his collegiate career with six tackles in Oklahoma’s upset victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. If the injury is indeed a torn ACL as it’s being reported, that means Colvin’s rookie year is already in jeopardy before he’s even drafted. Be sure to Like Stripe Hype on Facebook and follow @StripeHype on Twitter for all the latest and great Cincinnati Bengals news. Follow my personal twitter @UK_Fans.At first, the closing of the library at the Lethbridge Agricultural Centre looked methodical. Staff were informed of the closure in July. Then in early August they were told they could help themselves to items from the collection. And then it all went south from there: in mid-August summer students began filling an extra-large dumpster with journals and reports. Reportedly, one scientist jumped into the dumpster to rescue a set of journals. Distressed staff began to select more and more books from the collection in order to rescue them. The dumped books turned into news, bringing more embarrassment upon the federal government. The Conservatives have attracted international negative attention for closing down research stations, and muzzling scientists. Harper has shut down 16 research libraries during his time in government. While the closures have attracted some media attention and news stories, there have been few detailed reports. Now an anonymous source familiar with the Lethbridge closure has stepped forward and provided National Observer with an inside perspective on exactly what happens when the government shuts down a science library. National Observer very rarely uses anonymous sources, but fear of reprisal appears to have silenced federal researchers and employees, in this and many other stories. Even with an unprecedented inside look at how the Lethbridge library closure was handled, more questions than answers remain. What has happened to the collection? What was kept and what was discarded? What, if anything, is being digitized and how will scientists access those documents? By way of example, the library held a number of historical journals and diaries, some dating back to the early 1900s. It’s believed these documents are still on site, but no one appears to know for certain. Consolidating the collection In July, library staff received an email informing them of a “collection consolidation.” The email told staff that since July 2012 the department has concentrated on the provision of core services and electronic information resources at the desktop through the Knowledge Services Library (the former Canadian Agriculture Library). According to the email, the government is consolidating all physical collections, with several more in process. The consolidation procedures were supposed to include evaluation of all unique and relevant materials with subsequent relocation to the library headquarters in Ottawa; any items no longer considered relevant or as duplicates would be offered to staff to be kept as “office copies.” As well, in collaboration with local management in Lethbridge, the library would investigate offering selected remaining materials to outside organizations; and local management would continue to manage any remaining materials. The email concludes: “It should be noted that services are not disappearing, but that we will provide services in a different fashion.” The consolidation notice email came as a shock to staff. “Though this collection consolidation has happened to other research centres over the last couple of years, we weren’t aware it was going to happen to Lethbridge,” the source said. “In fact, when it happened to Swift Current, they were told it wouldn’t matter, because they would have access to Lethbridge resources.” The Lethbridge library was part of a networked association of Agriculture Canada libraries. Linked through a central database, the libraries could order books from each other. Locally, Lethbridge provided service to Agriculture Canada staff, Alberta provincial staff and the public. College and university students used the facility as did local historians. While the library was able to maintain its holdings, over the last several years it lost space. More recently, building renovations pushed the library down to the basement of the building, while the library itself was taken over as office space. The basement library took up about 1350 square feet. Rescuing books On August 10, library staff received an email advising them that they could select “office copies” from the collection, including from any items on the shelves, atlases on the atlas stand and maps in the map cabinet. Included as well were a French language collection on the second floor of the building, and a number of other atlases and dictionaries. At the time of the email, many staff were away on summer vacation or out in the field doing research. The disposal of the collection took place over a couple of weeks in August. A couple of summer students boxed up journals. The boxes sat outside the basement library on pallets for a few days. But then, over the next week-and-a-half, the students began filling an extra-large dumpster with journals and old reports. When the news story about the trashing of the library’s holdings broke, the dumpster was immediately emptied. At first, staff didn’t realize what was going on. It wasn’t until a couple of days after the first lot had been dumped that word got out. “People were disgusted and disheartened,” the source said. “At that point, people began going and rescuing more and more books. This is maybe what Agriculture Canada means when they say'materials of value were saved.'” The rescued books are now in various individuals’ offices, with no accessible record of where they are. The source said in this state the books are essentially of no use to anyone but the person who rescued them. The rescue is, at best, a temporary measure, given that the books cannot be taken off-site. When a researcher is done with them or leaves the centre, the books must be disposed of in the way that was intended, according to the source. One more rung on the ladder of cuts The closure discouraged research centre scientists and staff. It wasn’t just the fact that valuable documents and journals were trashed, but that they weren’t even offered to other institutions or the public. “These were taxpayer-funded resources, and they would have been of use or value to many people,” the source said. The books included ones of general horticulture that could have easily gone to a public library; graduate theses researchers donated to the library; and scientific methodology books of value to another laboratory or student. “This is just one more rung on the ladder of cuts to and restrictions on research that people are facing — frankly, people are disheartened,” the source said. The source scoffed outright at the idea of the federal government digitizing the work, which is a claim government spokespeople have made repeatedly. “There has been no massive digitization project,’ the source said. “If one thinks about it, there is no way that Ag Canada could have digitized its entire collection, unless infringing on publisher’s copyright. Going forward, I have heard that the library will be trying to purchase digital copies of books.” While many scientific journals are available online through subscription, if the subscription lapses, researchers will lose access. Many journals have digitized their material up to a point. Staff were told that if they wanted to retrieve a book from their collection, they will have to order it and check it out from Ottawa. But they received no clear answer as to how much that might cost, and who would pay. In the course of research, scientists could look through several books or may scan the shelves of an entire subject to find what they’re looking for. The source noted, “A book that hasn’t been looked at in 30 years may now contain the nugget of information required. But not having that book on a shelf means that nugget may never be found.” In the meantime, when the story of the library closure broke in August, the process of clearing the collection was put on hold. Boxes and boxes of books on pallets are sitting in the basement hall of the research centre and books remain on the shelves. The source asked rhetorically: “If nothing wrong was happening, why stop it?” Agriculture Canada was contacted for comment on this story but has not responded.Dubai: Paige Spiranac broke down in tears on Monday and revealed that she had received death threats ahead of her second appearance at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Club this week. The 23-year-old American social media sensation, who has an impressive 860,000 followers on Instagram, got an invite to make her professional event debut at this tournament last year. However, she missed the cut by six strokes prompting online bullies to suggest she got the invite due to her social media following, and not her golfing ability. “It was really bad. Right after, I took about three weeks off, just not looking at anything,” she said. “When you look at the comments, they are extremely cruel. They attack not only me but my parents, family and friends. They say I am a disgrace to golf. I still get those comments and I still deal with it every day. “I struggled a lot with depression after it, because as a [then] 22-year-old, you feel like you are not worth anything. You feel worthless, and no matter what you do, it’s never good enough. “So to have all these people say that I’m not a golfer, I’m not a good person, I’m promiscuous, or to make judgements about me that aren’t true, just because I like to wear spandex on the golf course, it’s really hard. “You think about it and it seems so foolish, but you never know what that person is going through in their life. “Teenage suicide rates are up right now and they think it’s because of cyberbullying. So, if I can share my story … I’m OK with being emotional about it, and I’m OK with expressing what happened, because people don’t realise how hard it was. “The comments I get, people threatening my life, saying the world is better off without me, people don’t see that side of it. And I think it’s really important to share that.” Of her return to Dubai this week, she said: “It doesn’t matter how I play this week, it really doesn’t. But the fact I’m here, sharing my story, hopefully can save someone’s life, I think that’s so much more important than whether I make the cut or not.” Asked if she had reported the death threats to authorities, she replied: “It’s more like: ‘the world would be better off without you’. I report it but nothing really happens with it. They are not saying: ‘I’m going to your house on this day and I’m going to kill you,’ so they can’t really do anything about it. “Cyberbullying is a huge problem and no one ever discusses it. They never talk about it but it needs to be talked about and brought to light. “I think the most important thing for anyone who is being bullied is to make sure they have someone they can talk to. I think people are ashamed of the fact that they are being bullied and they don’t feel like they are cool enough. And I think it’s important for people who are being bullied to express that to other people and have an outlet.”We offer this guide primarily for people who want to test the germination rate of seeds they have harvested themselves or older seed they have stored. The idea of a germination test is to take a random sample of seeds from your lot or package, put them in the conditions that make them most likely to germinate, and see how many develop into healthy sprouts. Expressed as a percentage, this is the number we print above the packing date on Southern Exposure seed packets. When you're testing germination rates for your own use on a small scale, you don't have to get as precise a percentage, so you may want to take a sample of just 5 to 20 seeds. The basic paper towel test Soak a piece of blotter paper, a paper towel or a coffee filter in water. Spread the seeds you've counted over one half of it, then fold the other half over the seeds. Fold it or roll it up, put a rubber band one inch from the top, and place it in a clear plastic bag or airtight container to keep it from drying out. If you don't know how long the seeds will take to germinate, open the test up after a couple of days to see if any seeds have germinated. Count any healthy sprouts, record the number, and take them out of the test. Make sure you don't remove any unsprouted seeds. We only count sprouts that have both a healthy-looking root and a healthy-looking shoot. Spray the remaining seeds with water from a spray bottle, and roll or fold it back up. Large seeds like peas, corn, and beans will need more water. Cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, gourds) should only get watered every 3-5 days, otherwise they might rot. Always make sure the tests remain damp, but not dripping wet, and at an appropriate temperature. Most seeds like to be warm, but not hot. Cool-season crops like peas, spinach, parsnips, and salsify germinate best at cooler temperatures (55-75 degrees F); peppers germinate best at very warm temperatures (75-90 degrees F). The best temperatures for each crop's germination are mentioned in our cultural notes for that crop. Continue to check every few days until you have concluded that all the viable seeds have germinated. If you haven't seen a new sprout for a while, the test is probably done. Corn, beans, and peas will generally germinate in just two or three days. Parsnips, on the other hand, can take 3 weeks. Most other seeds take a week or two. If your paper towel test shows a low germination rate, you might want to try a soil test or Tupperware test and see if the seeds do better that way. The soil test Some seeds, like peanuts and malabar spinach, just don't germinate well in paper towels. For these, plant the seeds in a tray of wet potting soil. We use perlite as the top layer when we do germination tests in soil. Keep the soil evenly moist and warm until you have concluded that all the viable seeds have germinated. Each time you count the germinated seeds, clip their sprouts near ground level. The bigger the little plants get, the more water they will use from the soil each day; if they get too big, the soil will dry out much more quickly. Clipping sprouts also ensures that you won'tt get a confusing tangle of growth. The Tupperware test Some seeds, like chamomile and lemon balm need to be exposed to light in order to germinate. For these, cut a square, a few layers thick, of paper towel or blotter paper, that will fit flat on the bottom of a piece of clear Tupperware or another similar container with a tight-fitting lid. Wet the paper, put it in the container, spread the seeds out on top, close the container, and keep it in a warm place. Check it regularly, removing and counting germinated seeds, and keeping the towel moist, until you conclude that all the viable seeds have germinated. Additional variations Some seeds, like Echinacea, and salsify will germinate best after a period of moist cold (stratification). For these seeds, you can set a test up and put it in your refrigerator before putting it in a warm place. The best length of the period of moist cold depends on the species. Our variety descriptions for plants needing stratification include guidelines of how long to stratify them--use the same length of time whether you are planting or doing a germination test. Some
with the coronal plasma. That fate happened to N3, whose nucleus, coma, debris tail, and path across the face of the Sun are shown in figure 3 No one has yet worked out the details of what happens to chunks of matter once they leave anucleus. They’re known to activelyand lose mass in sunlight. But as long as the chunks remain large enough to efficiently cool themselves by evaporation, they can maintain their surface near thetemperature of water ice—about 200 K. When that cooling no longer suffices, they rapidly heat up to thousands of degrees and explode into tiny pieces of dust and ice. The pieces quickly evaporate into a gas of molecules that then rapidly dissociate in sunlight and throughwith theplasma. That fate happened to N3, whose nucleus, coma, debris tail, and path across the face of the Sun are shown in figure comet mass loss near the Sun is large by human standards: It’s estimated 1 et al., Science 335, 324 (2012). 1. C. J. Schrijver, Science, 324 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1211688 8 et al., Sol. Phys. 275, 17 (2012). 8. J. R. Lemen, Sol. Phys., 17 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-011-9776-8 Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) for N3 and the AIA and the SECCHI telescopes aboard NASA’s STEREO spacecraft for Lovejoy—detected gases escaping from debris fragments no more than about 400 m in diameter against a bright star with a diameter some two million times as large as the fragments. The rate ofmass loss near the Sun is large by human standards: It’s estimatedat 1–100 tons/s for N3. Nonetheless, the telescopes used to image N3 and Lovejoy—the Atmospheric Imaging Assemblyaboard NASA’sfor N3 and the AIA and the SECCHI telescopes aboard NASA’sfor Lovejoy—detected gases escaping from debris fragments no more than about 400 m in diameter against a bright star with a diameter some two million times as large as the fragments. Detecting that signal against the coronal glow is possible because the solar corona is made up of over 99.9% hydrogen and helium ions by number, but a comet, having lost almost all of those volatile species, consists predominantly of water ice and rock, with more than 40% oxygen atoms and about 5% iron atoms by number. Consequently, an ablating comet locally enriches the solar coronal plasma with first neutral and then ionized O and Fe atoms. Those ions’ subsequent glow from collisions with electrons adds measurably to the characteristic coronal EUV photons to which the state-of-the-art instruments on SDO and STEREO are tuned. Falling through the atmosphere solar atmosphere would be dense enough—exceeding 1011 cm−3—that drag and the stresses of deceleration would be huge. 9 et al., Astron. Astrophys. 535, A71 (2011). 9. J. C. Brown, Astron. Astrophys., A71 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201015660 comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 did when it fell into Jupiter 10 et al., Icarus 128, 251 (1997). 10. R. W. Carlson, Icarus, 251 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1006/icar.1997.5756 Physics Today, 11 et al., Science 341, 251 (2013). 11. F. Reale, Science, 251 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1235692 corona to solar surface, the falling clouds experienced a billionfold increase in atmospheric density. The resulting explosion was clearly visible in the UV and EUV and produced a spray of matter heated in excess of a million kelvin. For any cometary nucleus that survives to within 25 000 km of the solar surface, thewould be dense enough—exceeding 10cm—that drag and the stresses of deceleration would be huge.Those forces can create an exploding airburst followed by a fireball that spreads and rises through the atmosphere, just asShoemaker–Levy 9 did when it fell into Jupiterin 1994 (see February 1995, page 17 ). The Sun itself provided a scaled-down view of such impacts on 7 June 2011. On that day, dense clouds of cool gas that were ejected from the solar surface during an unusually large filament eruption fell back onto the Sun, reaching impact velocities up to 450 km/s.Within some 10 seconds of their descent from hotto solar surface, the falling clouds experienced a billionfold increase in atmospheric density. The resulting explosion was clearly visible in the UV and EUV and produced a spray of matter heated in excess of a million kelvin. Comets N3 and Lovejoy did not come that close to the solar surface, however. They reached only to about 110 000 km and 135 000 km, respectively. The fate of comets at those distances is dominated by sublimation, 9 et al., Astron. Astrophys. 535, A71 (2011). 9. J. C. Brown, Astron. Astrophys., A71 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201015660 coronal rest frame in collisions with the atmosphere. They thus lose their kinetic energy and momentum in tens of seconds and thereby warm to EUV-emitting temperatures at densities high enough to be detectable against the background coronal emission. N3 and Lovejoy did not come that close to the solar surface, however. They reached only to about 110 000 km and 135 000 km, respectively. The fate ofat those distances is dominated byeven though they are moving in free fall at nearly the escape velocity of 650 km/s, or 0.002 times the speed of light. The sublimated atoms and small particles quickly decelerate behind the nucleus into therest frame inwith the atmosphere. They thus lose their kinetic energy and momentum in tens of seconds and thereby warm to EUV-emitting temperatures at densities high enough to be detectable against the backgroundemission. The free-fall velocity of a sungrazing comet near perihelion lies in the range of typical solar-wind speeds (300–800 km/s) that comets encounter far into the heliosphere. Hence, the relative velocity of the solar plasma for a sungrazing comet near perihelion is comparable to that for a comet much more distant in the heliosphere. What mainly distinguishes comets probing the two environments are the rate of molecular dissociation following sublimation and the rate at which atoms collide with the surrounding medium. The density of the solar wind near Earth’s orbit, for example, is 3–10 atoms/cm3. Within the corona near the perihelions of N3 and Lovejoy, in contrast, the density is on the order of 108 atoms/cm3. heliosphere, radiation pressure on the gas and dust tail is the dominant force, with some ionization of cometary atoms producing a second, windswept tail, as shown in figure 2 collisions of the monoatomic gases with the solar atmosphere dominate. The result is that the comet’s tail becomes ionized plasma and thus feels the force of the solar magnetic field. Dust and molecular gas survive too briefly to be visible, and the ion tail quickly decelerates into the rest frame of the coronal plasma and its all-permeating magnetic field. For Lovejoy, no dust survived to be blown out into the heliosphere for about 2 days (or 0.17 astronomical unit) on either side of its perihelion passage. Even gas molecules were quickly broken up: The dissociation of water molecules, for example, would have taken only 3 seconds, followed by ionization of its atoms in less than 0.1 second. 12 760, 18 (2012). 12. P. Bryans, W. D. Pesnell, Astrophys. J., 18 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/760/1/18 In the distantradiation pressure on the gas and dust tail is the dominant force, with some ionization of cometary atoms producing a second, windswept tail, as shown in figure. Near the Sun, however, theof the monoatomic gases with thedominate. The result is that the comet’s tail becomes ionized plasma and thus feels the force of theDust and molecular gas survive too briefly to be visible, and the ion tail quickly decelerates into the rest frame of theplasma and its all-permeatingFor Lovejoy, no dust survived to be blown out into thefor about 2 days (or 0.17 astronomical unit) on either side of its perihelion passage. Even gas molecules were quickly broken up: The dissociation of water molecules, for example, would have taken only 3 seconds, followed by ionization of its atoms in less than 0.1 second. Probing the corona comets were discovered as they were falling toward the Sun. But before Lovejoy approached it in late December 2011, no Kreutz comet had been observed to survive close perihelion passage. Even Lovejoy lasted only 2–3 days after passing through the Sun’s corona. 13 757, 127 (2012). 13. Z. Sekanina, P. W. Chodas, Astrophys. J., 127 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/757/2/127 spacecraft looking from three very different perspectives. 2 et al., Science 340, 1196 (2013). 2. C. Downs, Science, 1196 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1236550 All known Kreutzwere discovered as they were falling toward the Sun. But before Lovejoy approached it in late December 2011, no Kreutzhad been observed to survive close perihelion passage. Even Lovejoy lasted only 2–3 days after passing through the Sun’sBut before Lovejoy’s 4.5-billion-year history ended, both the descent and ascent phases of its path were visible tolooking from three very different perspectives. comets to learn about the Sun and its surroundings is not new. Observations of linear tails that pointed away from the Sun and glowed due to emission from ionized gases led to the first inklings of what since the late 1950s and early 1960 has become known as the solar wind. The dust tails of comets follow parabolic trajectories consistent with a gravitational pull that is counteracted, if not overcome, by outward radiation pressure. But the trajectories of the linear ion-plasma tails depend on the collisional ionization of sublimating gases in the comet’s coma and how they are channelled by the magnetic field blown along with the solar wind. 14 128, 664 (1958). 14. E. N. Parker, Astrophys. J., 664 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1086/146579 The idea of usingto learn about the Sun and its surroundings is not new. Observations of linear tails that pointed away from the Sun and glowed due to emission from ionized gases led to the first inklings of what since the late 1950s and early 1960 has become known as theThe dust tails offollow parabolic trajectories consistent with a gravitational pull that is counteracted, if not overcome, by outward radiation pressure. But the trajectories of the linear ion-plasma tails depend on the collisional ionization of sublimating gases in the comet’s coma and how they are channelled by theblown along with the Nowadays, the main puzzles about the solar wind concern the largely unobservable region in which it forms. In situ data is nonexistent because the deep corona is simply too harsh an environment for spacecraft. Though the environment is also too harsh for sungrazing comets, their much larger initial masses enable them to survive longer. Observations of sungrazers close to perihelion thus enable us to probe the coronal medium along the comets’ well-defined trajectories. The Lorentz force acts on ionized cometary material, and the resulting ion motions reveal the local orientation of the coronal magnetic field even as the comet’s ions decelerate and settle into the coronal plasma. The ratio of the energy density of the coronal magnetic field to the kinetic energy density of the plasma in the comet’s ion tail is likely to influence the tail evolution. In N3’s case it appears that the comet’s inertia dominated: As the cometary plasma decelerated during collisions with the corona’s atmosphere, the corona’s magnetic field became strongly deformed. In Lovejoy’s case, in contrast, the solar magnetic field appeared to largely hold its own. comet Lovejoy, the SDO and STEREO science teams immediately recognized that the dynamical evolution of the tail contained information about the coronal magnetic field. Tail motions observed during ingress and egress from perihelion, as shown in figure 4 solar wind were fully developed, and a tangential direction would be expected if the coronal medium had no influence on the comet at all. Instead, the SDO and STEREO imagers revealed wiggles in the tail about the comet’s orbital path through the inner corona. From their observations ofLovejoy, theandscience teams immediately recognized that the dynamical evolution of the tail contained information about theTail motions observed during ingress and egress from perihelion, as shown in figure, corresponded to neither the radial direction nor a direction tangential to the orbit; the radial direction would be expected if thewere fully developed, and a tangential direction would be expected if themedium had no influence on theat all. Instead, theandimagers revealed wiggles in the tail about the comet’s orbital path through the inner solar corona 2 et al., Science 340, 1196 (2013). 2. C. Downs, Science, 1196 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1236550 magnetic field. The result provides a unique validation of the model, particularly important given that creating one is daunting. The varying deflections of Lovejoy’s tail indicated a highly inhomogeneous medium. Application of a state-of-the-art computer model of therevealed a striking consistency between the observed tail motions and the orientation of theThe result provides a unique validation of the model, particularly important given that creating one is daunting. Creating a global model of the corona starts with the need for a full-sphere map of the field. But currently, only the field in front of the Sun can be reliably measured and only for latitudes up to some 70°. Latitude-dependent solar rotation—with one turn per month, on average—allows researchers to observe the entire low- and mid-latitude belts intermittently from Earth’s perspective. Even so, the field evolves significantly in the more than two weeks during which observational access is limited or blocked altogether before the region spins back into view. The field in the polar caps, which generally contribute strongly to the large-scale dipolar field, is always subject to substantial uncertainty. Because of those observational difficulties, only about one-quarter of the solar surface can be accurately mapped from observations of its magnetic field. The rest is subject to guesswork or approximations using various assimilative and modeling procedures. magnetic field is used as the foundation for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) corona. Disregarding hard-to-model and hard-to-validate large-scale current systems, one such MHD model 2 et al., Science 340, 1196 (2013). 2. C. Downs, Science, 1196 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1236550 coronal-brightness patterns best resemble observations. Models like that 15 et al., Phys. Plasmas 6, 2217 (1999). 15. Z. Mikić, Phys. Plasmas, 2217 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.873474 corona provides the first detailed test of such models at altitudes where the Sun’s corona and nascent solar wind alternate side by side—basically by using the tail motions as wind vanes. The best-effort global surface map of theis used as the foundation for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)Disregarding hard-to-model and hard-to-validate large-scale current systems, one such MHD modelvaries the parameterizations of atmospheric energy deposition until the forces of the field–plasma interactions balance, selecting the solution in which the computedpatterns best resemble observations. Models like thathave been made for some time, and their complexity has increased over the years as computer processing speeds have risen. Lovejoy’s passage through the innerprovides the first detailed test of such models at altitudes where the Sun’sand nascentalternate side by side—basically by using the tail motions as wind vanes.Special mission rescues final Jewish family in Aleppo, but aliyah regulations prevent complete success. By Matt Wanderman It was recently revealed that Israeli special forces carried out a daring operation to rescue the last Jewish family in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The Jewish Chronicle reports that preparation for the mission began months in advance. First an Israeli-American businessman named Moti Kahana sent a message to the family, whose name has not been released, that he wanted to get them out of the war-torn country. Despite the constant dangers in Syria, though, the family was too afraid to even take the chance on escaping. Kahana, who has a number of connections with rebel forces, soon heard reports that ISIS was closing in on the family and decided to get them out, whether they liked it or not. Without revealing precisely how or with whom he coordinated his plans, Kahana set the wheels in motion for the IDF to make another tally in its history of saving stranded Jews, a list that already made its mark in Yemen and Ethiopia. Once the time came, three soldiers knocked on the family’s front door. The 88-year-old matriarch answered, fearing that Assad’s soldiers had come to take them all away. Instead, the soldiers ordered the seven people present that they could each take one bag and that they must get into a waiting minibus. After the minibus began moving, the soldiers handed out Syrian passports and said that they would soon be free. The vehicle was stopped at an ISIS checkpoint, but the family was able to convince the guard that they were refugees trying to escape from Assad. The guard was so impressed by their claims that he even called other checkpoints, instructing them to let the minibus through. It took them 36 hours to cross the hundred kilometers to the Turkish border. Once out of Syria, they drove to a rented home in Istanbul, where Kahana was waiting. However, their problems were not yet over. One woman, who is referred to as Gilda, was married FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE CLICK LINKSeveral hours after the University of Kansas men’s basketball team celebrated winning its 13th Big 12 conference title in a row, one of the team’s players was arrested after a traffic stop. Kansas guard Devonté Terrell Graham, 22, was booked into the Douglas County Jail late Wednesday night on suspicion of failing to appear for court, booking logs show. He was arrested on Jayhawk Boulevard. The failure to appear charge stems from an expired-tag ticket, which was filed in late June in a Lawrence Municipal Court case, court records indicate. Wednesday was Graham’s 22nd birthday. Graham was released from jail later Wednesday night after posting a $196 bond, according to the logs. Graham does not have a criminal history in Douglas County District Court. Graham apologized Thursday morning, via a news release from KU Athletics, for the “inattention” that led to his arrest. “This is my fault,” he stated in the release. “I was driving an ex-teammate’s car and I thought the ticket was paid so I didn’t pay attention to the Notice to Appear that I got. That’s on me, and I apologize to everyone. I learned a lesson the hard way.” Kansas head coach Bill Self, in the release, added: “Devonté made a mistake. This is why we tell our guys to inform us when they receive a citation, no matter how minor. For their sake we don’t want something so minor to become a story.” Self said no punishment would be forthcoming for Graham. “He’s obviously a terrific kid and it’s a hard lesson to learn. He thought it was handled and it wasn’t.” KU police deputy chief James Anguiano provided some information about the incident that led to Graham’s arrest. A KU police officer stopped a vehicle on Jayhawk Boulevard at Sunflower Road, for an unspecified traffic violation, Anguiano said. The suspect, who was driving, was found to have an outstanding warrant and was arrested, Anguiano said. — Sara Shepherd contributed to this report. Correction: The circumstances that led to Graham’s arrest are still unclear as of Thursday afternoon. A previous version of this article cited a traffic violation connected to a court case number listed on Graham’s booking log. That case number was incorrect and not related to Graham, the municipal court told the Journal-World. Check back for updates.When Lawrence McKinney walked out of a Tennessee prison in 2009 after 31 years of wrongful incarceration, McKinney was given $75 for his time after DNA evidence exonerated him of rape and burglary. According to a CBS News report, McKinney is hoping Gov. Bill Haslam can help make up for 31 years of not being able to earn an income. According to CBS, McKinney has worked odd jobs at a church to help make ends meet. While McKinney is eligible for up to $1 million in compensation under Tennessee law, a parole board has twice denied his request for additional compensation. Despite a judge dropping the case after DNA evidence excluded McKinney from being a suspect in the 1978 crime, the parole board is not convinced of McKinney's innocence. “I have not been convinced he is innocent,” Patsy Bruce, a former parole board member who heard McKinney's compensation case, told CBS News. But McKinney's attorney says that justice has not been served in this case. “It is not justice for him not to receive compensation for being wrongfully imprisoned,” Jack Lowery, McKinney’s lawyer, said in the report. McKinney's case is not terribly unusual. According to Innocence Project, 40 percent of people exonerated through DNA evidence are never repaid for their time.Connect the dots: Goldman Sachs made $3.44 billion in profit this past quarter, while the U.S deficit topped $1 trillion for the first time in the nation’s history and appeared to be headed toward doubling that figure before the budget year is out. Since most of the increase in the federal deficit is due to bailing out the banks and salvaging the greater economy they helped destroy, why is the top investment bank doing so well? Well, because that was the plan, as devised by Bush Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs. Remember that Lehman Brothers, Goldman’s competitor, was allowed to go bankrupt. The Paulson crowd wouldn’t let Lehman change its status to that of a bank holding company and thus qualify for federal funds; soon afterward, Goldman was granted just such a deal, worth a quick $10 billion. Much is now made of Goldman paying back part of its bailout money, but forgotten is the $12.9 billion that Goldman got as its cut of the $180 billion AIG payoff. That is money that will not be paid back. Goldman is considered a very smart bank because it was early in reducing its exposure to the mortgage derivatives that in large part caused the meltdown. However, it had done much to expand the market and continued to sell suspect derivatives to unwary buyers as sound investments, even as Goldman divested. The firm still holds $1.85 billion in real estate and lost $499 million in the previous quarter on bad loans, but made up for it by playing the vulture role and issuing high-interest debt to governments and companies made desperate by the recession that the financial gimmicks of the banks brought on in the first place. And Goldman was not just another bank. Before Paulson ran the Treasury Department, another former Goldman head, Robert Rubin, pushed through the repeal of the Glass-Steagall controls on banking activity. While some now play down the significance of this radical deregulation, not so Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd C. Blankfein—at least not back in June 2007, when the markets were still doing well. “If you take an historical perspective,” Blankfein told The New York Times by way of explaining his company’s spectacular success at the time, “we’ve come full circle, because that is exactly what the Rothschilds or J.P. Morgan the banker were doing in their heyday. What caused an aberration was the Glass-Steagall Act.” That 1933 act was repealed in a law signed by President Bill Clinton at Rubin’s urging, and in the following eight years Goldman Sachs recorded a 265 percent growth in its balance sheet. “Back then,” The Wall Street Journal reports, “Goldman was churning out profits by trading credit derivatives, speculating on currencies and oil and placing big bets [on] the roaring stock market.” Big bets made in a casino designed by Goldman, which now makes money off loans to the victims. High on the list of victims are state governments that have to turn to Goldman for money because the federal government that saved the banks won’t do the same for the states, which have watched their tax bases shrink because of the banking meltdown. As the WSJ noted, “issuing debt to ailing governments” is now a growth industry for Goldman. Why didn’t the federal government just lend the money to the states? Why was all the money thrown at Wall Street instead of needy homeowners or struggling school systems? Because the federal government works for Goldman and not for us. Indeed, when it comes to the banking bailout, Goldman Sachs is the government. So much so that last fall The New York Times ran a story, headlined “The Guys From `Government Sachs,’ ” that stated: “Goldman’s presence in the [Treasury] department and around the federal response to the financial bailout is so ubiquitous that other bankers and competitors have given the star-studded firm a new nickname: Government Sachs.” One of those stars was Stephen Friedman, another former head of Goldman. Friedman was both a director of the company and chairman of the New York Federal Reserve Bank when he helped work out the details of the Wall Street bailout. The president of the N.Y. Fed at the time, Timothy Geithner, now secretary of the treasury, requested a conflict-of-interest waiver that allowed Friedman to buy more Goldman Sachs stock, and Friedman ended up with 98,600 shares. At market close on Tuesday that was worth $14,756,476. That’s nothing – three years ago, the 50 top Goldman execs made $20 million each, and this year could be better. They’re not hurting.Garab Dorje (Fl. 55 CE) (Tibetan: དགའ་རབ་རྡོ་རྗེ་, Wylie: dga’ rab rdo rje)[1] was the semi-historical first human teacher of the Ati Yoga (Tib. Dzogchen) or Great Perfection teachings according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition. (The Bon faith explains the origin of Dzogchen differently.) Nomenclature, orthography and etymology [ edit ] Garab Dorje or Garap Dorje is the only attested name. The Sanskrit offerings are reconstructions. No Sanskrit name has been found in a colophon to attest to historicity. That said, Germano (1992: p.4) cited "Vajraprahe" in the "Direct Consequence of Sound Tantra" within the Nyingma Gyubum (NGB1 24,1) and goes on to state in the same work that Reynolds (1989, 2000 revised)[2] reverses the two words in the contraction in his translation and analysis of a section of the Bardo Thodol from Tibetan into English, specifically the rig pa ngo sprod gcer mthong rang grol (Wylie) where he employs "Prahevajra". Germano (1992: p.4) holds that Reynolds lexical choice of "Prahevajra" was influenced by a mantra of a short Guru Yoga text by Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (c.1893-1959).[3] Prahevajra or Pramodavajra [4] (Tibetan: Garab Dorje, Tibetan: དགའ་རབ་རྡོ་རྗེ་, Wylie: dga’ rab rdo rje; Sanskrit: Prahevajra or Pramodavajra[1]) Detail [ edit ] According to Tibetan Buddhism, Prahevajra transmitted the teachings to Manjushrimitra, who was regarded as his chief disciple. Padmasambhava is also known to have received the transmission of the Dzogchen tantras directly from Garab Dorje.[citation needed] Prahevajra received the empowerment and transmission of the Mahayoga teachings of the Secret Matrix Tradition (Guhyagarbha tantra) from Mahasiddha Kukuraja.[1] Birth [ edit ] Born (as son of Su-dharmā, island-dwelling daughter of king Upa-rāja of Dhana-koṣa[5]) in the land of Uddiyana, also the birthplace of Padmasambhava, Prahevajra is said to have received all the Tantras, scriptures and oral instructions of Dzogchen directly from Vajrasattva and Vajrapani. Alternatively, his mother is named as Pāraņī, and located on the banks of lake Kutra.[6] Dargyay, et al. (1977, 1998: p. 19) conveys the hagiographic nativity of Garab Dorje as well as briefly contextualizes his mother (a bhikṣuṇī whose sadhana was Yoga tantra) and her parents; the dream holds the vase of the Astamangala, the 'threefold world', 'oṃ ā hūṃ' and svāhā: The Lord of Secrets (gSang-ba'i-bdag-po) instructed the Holders of Wisdom (Rig-'dsin) in Dhanakośa in Uḍḍiyāna the contemporary Swat valley. There was a large temple, called bDe-byed-brtsegs-pa; it was surrounded by 1608[7] smaller chapels. King Uparāja, and Queen sNang-ba-gsal-ba'i-od-ldan-ma resided there. They had a daughter called Sudharmā; she took the novice vows, and soon afterwards the full monastic vows. Sudharmā, together with her maidens, stayed on an island and meditated about the Yoga Tantra (rnal-'byor-gyi rgyud). One night the Bhikṣuṇī Sudharmā dreamed that a white man had come, who was utterly pure and beautiful. He held a crystal vessel in his hand which had the letters oṃ ā hūṃ svāhā engraved upon it. Three times he set the vessel upon the crown of her head, and light then shone from it. While this happened, she beheld the threefold world perfectly and clearly. Not long after this dream the Bhikṣuṇī gave birth to a true son of the gods.[8] Testament of Prahevajra [ edit ] Upon his death, Prahevajra imparted his last testament to Manjushrimitra. These three precepts, known as the "Three Words that Strike to the Heart of the Essential Point" or Tsig Sum Nèdek (Wylie: tshig gSum gNad brDeg)[4] summarize the whole of the Dzogchen teachings: One is introduced directly to one's true nature or "Direct introduction." (Wylie: ngo rang thog tu sPrad ) [4] "Direct introduction." (Wylie: ) One attains certainty about this natural state or "Remaining without doubt." (Wylie: thag gCig thog dug Cad ) [4] "Remaining without doubt." (Wylie: ) One continues with confidence in liberation or "Continuing in the non-dual state." (Wylie: gDengs grol thog du ’cha’)[4] Writings [ edit ] Though not his writings the tradition holds that the Seventeen Tantras were directly revealed to Garab Dorje. The following texts are attributed to Garab Dorje: "Cutting Through the Three Times" (Tibetan: དུས་གསུམ་ཆིག་ཆོད, Wylie: dus gsum chig chod ) , Wylie: ) "Overwhelming the Six Modes of Consciousness with Splendour" (Tibetan: ཚོགས་དྲུག་ཟིལ་གནོན, Wylie: tshogs drug zil gnon ) , Wylie: ) "Natural Freedom That Underlies Characteristics" (Tibetan: མཚན་མ་རང་གྲོལ, Wylie: mtshan ma rang grol ) , Wylie: ) "Direct Encounter with the Three Kayas" (Tibetan: སྐུ་གསུམ་ཐུག་ཕྲད, Wylie: sku gsum thug phrad ) , Wylie: ) "Vajra Fortress" (Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་མཁར་རྫོང, Wylie: rdo rje mkhar rdzong ) , Wylie: ) "Deep Immersion in Awareness" (Tibetan: རིག་པ་སྤྱི་བླུགས, Wylie: rig pa spyi blugs) See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] a b c Biographies: Pramodavajra, Regent of the Divine. Source: Dharma Fellowship (2005).. Source: [1] (accessed: November 15, 2007) ^ Reynolds, John Myrdhin (translator, 1989, 2000 revised). Self-Liberation Through Seeing with Naked Awareness. [rig pa ngo sprod gcer mthong rang grol] Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion. ^ rDzogs Chen in fourteenth century Tibet." The University of Wisconsin, Madison. Doctoral thesis. Source: Germano, David Francis (1992). "Poetic thought, the intelligent Universe, and the mystery of self: The Tantric synthesis ofin fourteenth century Tibet." The University of Wisconsin, Madison. Doctoral thesis. Source: [2] (accessed: Friday December 18, 2009) a b c d e Aro Encyclopædia. Source: Déchen, Khandro & Ngak’chang Rinpoche (undated). "Dzogchen transmission of the non-dual state.". Source: [3] (accessed: February 1, 2008) ^ Erik Pema Kunsang (translator) : Wellsprings of the Great Perfection. Rangjung Yeshe Publications, Hong Kong, 2006. p. 125 ^ Erik Pema Kunsang (translator) : Wellsprings of the Great Perfection. Rangjung Yeshe Publications, Hong Kong, 2006. p. 199 ^ 1608 may or may not be a typographical error. Usually, such numbers are multiples of 9 such as 108 ^ The Rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet. Second revised edition, reprint.Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd. Buddhist Tradition Series Vol.32. Dargyay, Eva M. (author) & Wayman, Alex (editor)(1977, 1998).. Second revised edition, reprint.Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd. Buddhist Tradition Series Vol.32. ISBN 81-208-1579-3 (paper), p.19 References [ edit ]CLOSE Six people died and others are in critical condition after a fourth floor balcony collapsed near the University of California at Berkeley. Authorities said the students were attending a 21st birthday party when the balcony collapsed. VPC As media gather, a fourth floor balcony rests on the balcony below after collapsing at the Library Gardens apartment complex in Berkeley, Calif., early Tuesday. At least five people died in the collapse. (Photo11: Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY) BERKELEY, Calif. — Six people died and seven others were seriously injured when a fourth-floor balcony collapsed during a party at an apartment building near the University of California-Berkeley early Tuesday, authorities said. Five of the dead were Irish students on summer work-study visas. The sixth was a resident of Sonoma County. Many of the injured suffered life-threatening wounds, said Jennifer Coats, a spokeswoman for the Berkeley Police Department. "Today is an horrific day for those who lost loved ones," Irish Foreign Minister Charles Flanagan said in a statement. "The students and their families have been at the center of our thoughts
that resembled the artwork during the 18th century. Nevertheless, a highlightable box and presentation for a coveted sneaker to this day. Concepts x ASICS GEL-Lyte V “8-Ball” When Concepts opened its first brick-and-mortar store in the Tribeca area of NYC, fans knew the store would pull no punches when it came to their displays and in-store experience. Enter the “8-Ball” release, which actually altered the front facade of the store to mimic that of a rundown “den” for illegal substances. The presentation for the “brick” box followed suit, having a white Concepts box with a menacing logo sheet accompanying a duct-taped and saran-wrapped exterior for the most elaborate — and ultimately frustrating to open — package that season. Concepts x Nike Dunk High SB “Ugly Sweater Pack” If you can remember back to the good old days of Nike SB, you’ll recall outlandish patterns and themes, some of which were quick to catch but others left people wondering “whats this based off of?” Not these — the Nike Dunk High SB “Ugly Sweaters” were just that: instantly recognizable. The shoes came in a great tin “Happy Holidays” box, with hopes of conjuring up flashbacks of Christmas at grandma’s house filled with tinsel, holly, and those sugar cookies everyone loved. Colorful box for colorful sneakers — it just made sense. Concepts x Nike Dunk Low SB “Blue Lobster” And here it is — the epitome of viral marketing. When the original Concepts x Nike Dunk Low SB “Lobsters” came out in red, ‘heads were already won over with its presentation (especially the seafood-ready rubber band around the toe box). But the boutique wasn’t done; Bostonians started seeing signs all over town warning of a rare “Blue Lobster” and the dangers associated with it. The story behind it was that apparently radioactive “Blue Lobsters” were making its way to shores which, according to Concepts, actually had locals call Massachusetts officials to inquire about their safety. The packaging for the “Blue Lobsters” thus lived up to the viral hype, stored within a styrofoam container adorned with radioactive warning labels and sealed in a plastic bag to perfectly accompany the hype surrounding the War of the Worlds-esque storytelling.[ DOWNLOAD DEMO FOR WINDOWS (64-BIT)] [ DOWNLOAD DEMO FOR MAC OS X ] (Both desktop mode AND VR support included -- see Readme. Oculus Mode in the OS X version has a few rendering issues that we are working hard to fix, check back for updates!) [ MP3 / LYRICS :: SEGMENT 0x01: BROKEN\|PERFECT ] [NUREN] is a collection of music videos forming a feature-length story, presented in virtual reality. Unlike a traditional 3D movie, [NUREN] is rendered in real-time on your computer, so you can look in any direction, and see things happening all around you. Each segment has its own unique artistic style, set to a gorgeous vocal music track, with voice-acted interludes tying them all together. Join the android twins, RIX and QGK, as they go from fugitives to heroes! [NUREN] combines influences from sources including Fantasia, Space Channel 5, TRON, Ghost in the Shell, Pink Floyd's "The Wall", the Animatrix, and the technically and artistically brilliant PC demo scene. Dancing robot girls, synchronized light shows, vast panoramas, and starry skies await you. We have assembled a team of veteran game developers, artists, and musicians to create this unique experience, which will be enjoyable on traditional Windows / Mac/ Linux setups, as well as in full VR with Oculus Rift support. While our first segment (seen above) shows a dark and moody cityscape, that's only the beginning. A different art team will work on each track, from hand-drawn animation to modern 3D, from sterile laboratories to burning deserts. [NUREN] is designed to look gorgeous and run smoothly on traditional displays, using mouse controls to look around, but if you have a chance to experience it on an Oculus Rift head-mounted display, the feeling of immersion defies belief. [NUREN] is proudly powered by Unreal Engine 4, allowing us to make full use of the latest advances in graphics technology, while maintaining a smooth frame rate on any platform. And now it's free to use without a paid subscription or any up-front costs, so using one of the industry's leading game engines is a no-brainer. Here's what some of the coolest sites around are already saying about us on the first day alone: "It's quite an experience to be able to look around these futuristic locations while listening to the music, really giving a sense that you're watching a concert in person on some ever-shifting distant world." - Joel Couture, Indiegames.com - "The music is the story here, the art a trance-like escape from distraction. Either way, it's the kind of weird, risky project that a fledgling medium like VR deserves." - Adi Robertson, The Verge - "I’m beyond excited to see where Kaufman and his team will go with this. The dawn of virtual reality has provided us with an exciting frontier, and I can think of few teams better-suited to explore it." - Geoff Thew, HardcoreGamer - "The lighting and art direction is clearly not an afterthought, using a style that allows for impressive visuals without dragging performance down." - Ben Lang, Road to VR This breathtaking musical odyssey begins in a post-war future where humanity has become controlled and sedated; such was the price of peace. There is the illusion of a perfect society where androids are programmed to cater to mankind, assuring that their minds remain untroubled and unstimulated. They care for us, they serve us, they protect us. CSP Industries has unveiled the latest android model, the first to possess genuine thought and empathy. They will feel for us what we no longer can. QGK and RIX, their new flagship prototypes, suddenly malfunction and begin to show signs of an unintended human trait: self-awareness. In a world where provocations such as music have been banned for a century, this glitch has enabled them to sing. When this is discovered, they are forced to become fugitives. Their on-the-run adventure of self-discovery draws them deeper into a futuristic dystopia, and the industrial wastelands cast in shadows below. Together with escaped human rebels and long-forgotten robot models, these twin renegade androids unwittingly find themselves leading a movement to restore music and art to a peaceful but joyless world! Jake "virt" Kaufman [ Director, composer/lyricist, 3D artist ] Jake just won IGN's "Best Game Music of 2014" award for his work on Yacht Club Games' platforming masterpiece (and Kickstarter success story) Shovel Knight. He has worked for over a decade as the main composer for WayForward's beloved handheld and console games, and is a veteran of the video game fan-remix and chiptune communities. Having recently left his day job to launch a freelance career and form a development studio of his own, [NUREN] is his first project with his "dream team" of artists and programmers. Jessie Seely [ Director, character designer, vocalist/lyricist ] Jessie is perhaps best known by gaming fans as the singer on Jake's "Mango Tango - Neon Jungle" track from WayForward/Majesco's Double Dragon Neon. Her fabulous voice can be heard on a half dozen other game soundtracks (Including Bloodrayne: Betrayal and Adventure Time: Hey Ice King!) However, in addition to her years of experience as a vocalist, she is also a skilled professional artist. She has applied her talents to bring RIX and QGK to life, to give them a voice, and to make them memorable and iconic. Plus, she can work a convention show floor like nobody's business! Learn more about Jessie and her music here! Andrew "cancel" Richards [ Lead programmer, audio mastering ] Andrew is an incredible Tokyo-based programmer who has worked on everything from high-frequency stock trading to porting Skullgirls to arcade hardware; he combines a huge range of engineering and math skills with expertise in audio programming. For [NUREN], he has developed a custom, realtime "VJ" system that dazzles viewers with lights, colors, and 3D shapes, while giving musicians a level of precise control that goes far beyond any mere "Winamp plugin" visualizer, choreographed by hand in extreme detail. [NUREN] runs at 400 frames per second on our test rig. Just saying. Justin Moravetz [ Tech artist, animator ] Ask anybody in the VR community / industry and they will gush about Justin and his company, Zero Transform, who are at the forefront of virtual reality game design. After years as an effects artist with Sony, he is currently leading his own project: Vanguard V, an epic space shooter designed specifically to take advantage of VR headsets, with the production values of a full modern game. With Justin's guidance, we are navigating the "wild frontier" of VR, from driver workarounds to novel rendering techniques. Max Hancock [ 3D character supervisor ] An astoundingly talented character modeler and designer, Max is a force of nature with all things 3D, and modeled and textured RIX and QGK from Jessie's sketches. Although we will have many other guest artists on board for the various tracks, Max is our "main guy" for 3D characters, and will help give the production a polished, modern look. Theotime Vaillant [ 3D / concept artist ] Theo is a recent graduate of CalArts, the alma mater of some of Hollywood's most legendary animators and artists. He has independently developed many gorgeous game concepts during his time in school, and with an eye for industrial design, has helped to establish the look of [NUREN]'s world by creating props, stasis pods, computers, and the lab environment. Robert Altschuler [ Music recording / mixing ] Robbie runs Command Studios in Valencia CA, which is where Jake leases his own studio space. His recording and editing work can be heard all over WayForward and Yacht Club games, including Double Dragon Neon, Shovel Knight's trailers, and the infectious title track for Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero. If you've heard The Impresario (Opera House) from OCRemix's Final Fantasy VI: Balance and Ruin album, then you've heard how Robbie can transform good music into something awe-inspiring. Each segment will be designed by a different team of artists. By pairing up traditional 2D and 3D illustrators and animators, we can give the project a huge range of visual contrast, telling a cohesive story that flows across many different settings. So far, our list of contributors includes: Charmwitch [ Website ] CHARMWITCH is a Puerto Rican 2D artist currently based in Los Angeles, California. She has worked on titles such as Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!, Mighty Switch Force, Wonder Momo: Typhoon Booster, and is currently an in-house artist for Yacht Club Games. Her current passion is creating a webcomic called Solstoria, a comic about a young girl who wishes to become a knight in order to save the day. Her main influences come from games such as Breath of Fire III, Valkyrie Profile, Lufia 2, and many other Capcom and Sega-related franchises. Lindsay Collins [ Website ] LINDSAY is a 2D artist from Toronto, Canada. She's worked with developer WayForward and designed their famous April Fool's character "Cat Girl Without Salad." Lindsay has also worked with developer Nicalis, contributed to art shows like Comics VS Games and an episode of Game Grumps, and loves all things pink. Michael Lambert [ Website ] MICHAEL is a 2D and 3D artist from Toronto, Canada. He worked at Nicalis as an artist and animator on Cave Story 3DS and Blinding of Isaac: Rebirth. Occasionally, he'll do art for Destructoid and has worked with Jonathan Holmes on his Super Smashed Bros cartoon. Smaller indie projects featuring his work include Curse of the Crescent Isle and Castle in the Darkness. Pixelseed [ Website ] PIXELSEED, aka Sean Smith, is a visual artist who hails from Baltimore, MD and has over 20 years of experience in the industry. His intense and high impact visuals create a kinetic wall of light that expands beyond a low bit abstract using new and recycled gear. He plants tiny movie-seedlings for the short-attention-span theater. Pixelseed germinates ideas with light. Sara Pocock [ Website ] SARA earned a BFA in animation at MCAD in 2006 and an MFA in Experimental Animation at CalArts in 2012. Her films have screened on Channel Frederator and at festivals such as the Palm Springs International Shorts Festival, Animation Block Party, Animation Breakdown, Los Angeles Animation Festival and Castuka TV. During her time as art director at WayForward she worked on a number of titles, including Mighty Switch Force HD and Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land. Her animation has also appeared in the television shows Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, Community and the film 22 Jump Street. Sara lives in Los Angeles, CA and currently works as an animator at Cartoon Network Studios. More artist announcements are on the way - make sure to check back, or if you back our campaign, you'll get updates by email when we add someone new to the roster! While we take our work extremely seriously, we are a friendly gang of internet miscreants, and enjoy making new friends and finding new super-talented people to work with! If you are an experienced artist/animator yourself, and think you could help kick our visuals up a notch, feel free to get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] with "Guest Artist Inquiry - Your Name" in the subject line! Anyone who has followed crowd-funded indie games for the past few years has most likely seen Jake Kaufman's name mentioned a few times -- he has been involved as a composer in over a dozen projects that were funded through Kickstarter, including Shovel Knight and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. Until now, Jake has never actually crowd-funded a project of his own; he's been waiting for the right idea to come along, and the right people to collaborate with. Finally, the time has come. It's our hope that lovers of music, art, film, and VR technology will all come together and help us to fairly pay our amazing artists and programmers, and bring something into the world that has never existed before. Most of our rewards are intangible but personalized, and this is by design - you'll be able to have your name immortalized in a video segment, see your face used in a creative way, or even co-direct your own entire segment! We're sure that you, the Kickstarting public, have seen how easy it is to promise all kinds of crazy physical reward tiers, figurines, posters.. and then run out of money to actually finish the project. We want to put as much as possible directly into creating [NUREN], so the few physical items we're producing are going to be extra-cool, and extra-exclusive! For example, here's the original $50 tier reward (SOLD OUT for the $50 tier itself, but higher-tier backers will still get one!!) A custom-machined USB thumb drive, containing the complete [NUREN] production for Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as a copy of the soundtrack in MP3 and FLAC! (Colors and final design will vary; this is just a prototype!) UPDATE: THE USB THUMB DRIVES HAVE SOLD OUT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! Not wanting to leave you $50 backers out in the cold, we are proud to announce A BRAND NEW $50 tier: The COMPLETE VIRT COLLECTION -- Every album that Jake has released on Bandcamp, including game OSTs and original albums, all in a single download, PLUS an entire SECRET BACKER BONUS ALBUM of exclusive material, which has never been made available on Bandcamp, with custom artwork! And who knows, there could be a few more hidden soundtrack gems that you never expected to hear! But even just 16 albums for $50, PLUS [NUREN], PLUS all the lower tiers, is a pretty good deal, if you ask us. Is there anything lasers can't do? We just got some custom made METAL COLLECTABLE CARDS! You can get one red or blue metal card of your character of choice for $50. These cards are anodized aluminum and heavy with a laser etched image on one side and the NUREN logo on the other. If you can't decide which card to get you can also grab our new $200 tier featuring the PLATINUM CARD COLLECTION. This collection includes all 4 combinations of red / blue cards with QGK / RIX and one platinum colored aluminum card. This is five cards total! The platinum card will have custom art and will be signed by the crew. These are very limited in quantity and will be individually numbered. No two will be alike! Prototype cards shown. Images will be different. Prototype cards shown. Images will be different. We will unveil pictures of the collectible art book and T-shirt during the campaign, as soon as we've finished the prototypes! If demand is high enough, we MAY consider doing a physical run of soundtrack CDs, but the flash drive is something you can actually use! We're wide open to suggestions, so be sure to tell us if there's something you really want to see us offer!at on by Jonathan Rieder Lundkvist 85 023 röster – giltiga sådana, och ett resultat av människors personliga åsikter ogiltigförklarades och blev ingenting annat än statistik 2010. 17 078 röster i 2010 års val skulle ha gett ett mandat i Sveriges Riksdag och detta innebär att två partier som fått sina röstandes förtroende inte kan ta sina platser. Valmyndigheten ogiltigförklarade dessa röster och kastade dem i papperskorgen. I valet 2006 var det ännu värre. 15 906 röster krävdes för ett mandat. 315014 personer fick sina röster ogiltigförklarade. Fem partier lämnades utanför den makt de hade rätt till. Och anledningen till detta är ett lagstadgat övergrepp på demokratin. Vore detta ett annat land – och vi själva inte hade ett sådant system – skulle vi fnyst föraktfullt och undrat vad det där är för en bananrepublik. Ett parti som inte får fyra procent av rösterna är inte värt att existera, anser lagstiftarna. De får fortsätta stanna utanför den makt som folkets röster har gett dem rätt till. Deras mandat och makt upptas av något annat parti. Fram tills att att Miljöpartiet tog sig in i Riksdagen 1988 så var det 70 år sedan ett nytt parti utan draghjälp (Se Kristdemokraterna och Centerns valsamverkan) tog sig in i Sveriges Riksdag. Att Miljöpartiet tog sig in är dels på grund av att sälar i Östersjön drabbades av miljögifter (och sälar är faktiskt söta, det tycker även politiker), dels på grund av Socialdemokratins chocktillstånd efter förlusten av Palme. Vad detta i praktiken leder till är en stagnerande blockpolitik som knappt leder någon vart. Sverigedemokraterna lyckades ta sig in med ett rekordval jag inte tror de kommer kunna återupprepa. De var nya, de var fräcka, de var något som de etablerade partierna fullkomligt avskydde och de hade en chans att faktiskt komma in. Alla dessa faktorer sammantaget gjorde dem ett uppenbart val för proteströstare vars frustration över att ingenting nytt eller speciellt spännande sker i Svensk Politik. Att ta bort fyraprocentsspärren är det uppenbara motmedlet mot politisk stagnation. Just nu är partistöd och fyraprocentsspärren det som gör att svensk politik inte kommer att förändras inom överskådlig framtid. Partistöden är en annan fråga, även om de bör allvarligt reduceras – och fyraprocentsspärren är direkt farlig för ett demokratiskt system. Hur kan vi kalla oss demokratiska om vi ogiltigförklarar röster varje val bara för att partiet i fråga inte fått tillräckligt med röster? Det är fullkomligt logiskt – om du vill ha ett åsiktspaket vars ledamöters uppgift är att trycka på en knapp. För en effektiv, folklig och duglig demokrati bör vi avskaffa fyraprocentsspärren. Så vad förespråkar då en fyraprocentsspärr? Regeringsbildningar underlättas genom att småpartier har svårare att få mandat: Ja, för det fick vi ju se ett strålande bevis på 2010 då Alliansen och Rödgröna fick Sverigedemokraterna som vågmästare. Det som skiljer dem åt är 19 mandat. Har det gjort regeringsbildning enklare eller svårare om 3 andra mandat fanns hos andra partier? Det hade inte gjort en större skillnad faktiskt. Demokratins roll är att se till att folkets vilja följs, inte underlätta Regeringsbildning, det är politikernas jobb. Om Valdeltagandet är lågt kan ett parti med lågt stöd men hög mobilisering få mandat: Om valdeltagandet är lågt är det ett problem, men det är inte fyraprocentsspärrens fel om ett parti under de omständigheterna faktiskt får mandat. Vidare så är det med den osagda anspelningen att ett parti som får mandat på det här sättet är något illa. Inom politiken skulle det kallas “effektiv valkampanj”. Vidare så är det troligare att ett sådant parti lyckas bättre MED en fyraprocentsspärr än utan. Det är med de mandat som minst 4% av rösterna ger som ett parti faktiskt kan göra en stor skillnad. Spärren motverkar en fragmentering av Partistrukturen, dvs det blir inte många små partier: Återigen så har vi “åsiktspaketspunkt” som innebär att partierna måste vara stora, mäktiga och ha oerhört många röster bakom sig. Man kan alltid stampa ner minoriteten, speciellt om deras röster ogiltigförklaras. Det här argumentet är bara giltigt om man anser att partierna ska agera i enlighet med blocksystem. Valdeltagandet ökar genom att väljarna till det partierna som ligger nära gränsen mobiliseras i högre grad: Jag finner det ironiskt att det här argumentet används till stöd för gränsen, för det skulle lika gärna kunna vara tvärtom. Om ett parti vet att de faktiskt har en chans att ta ett mandat så blir väljarna och aktivisterna mer engagerade – det krävs helt enkelt inte ett lika stort mål som 4% faktiskt skapar. För att göra det hela lite roligare så blir man ofta ignorerad om man kritiserar ett gränsen “på andra sidan” av den. Egenintresse av att det sker brukar man säga. Och ja, det har jag. Tillsammans med 85 023 vars röster blev ogiltigförklarade. Jag har en god anledning att vilja att min röst blev räknad, och gav det mandat den hade rätt till.Automatically Generated Transcript (may not be 100% accurate) Was thought to Ted here on WGR looks that. Well I. OK you guys are in my. But you know nineteen or twenty year old is gonna turn around somebody I mean you know our corporation. I'm wondering. Are they better than say learned by its. Turning then goal. I am children Loney. Two on order the bought cigarettes are so it was a trip with that your Chile blew his knee out at age creatures won't. They're acting as so we track these guys that you're in the Stanley thought there are nineteen or twenty years old. And you are the grinch that stole Christmas. Jim lomb board really. Gym longer. Oh. I don't gonna try this franchise around 125 in Europe for ten years. No I don't like I don't I doubt that's what people said I'm pretty sure. There the consensus opinion which this is what this is what you're attacking. Attacking the consensus opinion I'm pretty sure. The consensus opinion about Jim blog board was not I think he would win 25 games a year which. How many people date for ten years in a roar for ten years in a row I'm pretty sure that. Yet but let's say I'm just saying that they fit that in our guys were not 21. Are gonna turn around a corporation. Even if they. Even if they weren't good there when when it got to the straight person torture a year. Were true or two or three years as your first day following the story. Two or three years 21 years old Crosby didn't do that stamp goes didn't do that taveras didn't do that Toews or Kane didn't do that. Year after year number one picks guess what are not over 41 year after year young players are picked and they turnaround. Teens or if you wanna call them corporations try to make your point more dramatic. Please do they do it almost every year in the league these guys are supposed to be better than those guys yet. I got to hear about Jim on board. Okay just don't get your hopes up over. Oh my goodness our military for days archer really over the top but what you want. Is it bad to get your hopes up what is wrong. Why is that so offensive to you I don't even know you are you so upset. We don't like virtually merger hopes that got nowhere to go but up. I agree there are. I didn't say that. I I don't know why it's bad if anything and wants to be happy or excited white that a problem for you a total stranger. No work we're. Number. Look at what areas. But once for a turnaround in its functional number four. Audience is going to be have you been following this or is just like your first that it's fine if it is is not everybody has the time to devote to sports but the number four pick what what he would even say the number four pack. Well remember chip. What can one guy true grounded its social. Yes. Yes or no on that one guy alone can and nobody is asking one guy alone to turnaround is functional big happens. We are all over the they're all over Patricia Guerrero. I know just due due follow the sabres. At all earn a. We're talking about. A young man who's. No but I also know what I'm. I'm also talking about samurai and hardware but here's number two pick and also done a godsend gift Jurgensen was all of our this year granted it was a Latvian revolt. I also voted on Evander Kane I'm talking about Tyler and at the border over the line I'm talking about the borrow off a talking about free agency until about other trades a dark. Other players that are coming in the system is not just one guy that needs them turn around and nobody in this room's other in the Stanley Cup next year. Yeah it's we don't match or change what would her record that this year. Ted I don't know man I don't know man you're the guy with the lists I don't know man. I mean this just an impossibly unfortunate. And I think you find it upsetting that other people are optimistic and I. Know you don't. No you don't know you don't I don't I don't guys like you you don't hope I hope it works out you'll be you'll be breaks his leg to the you can call in again and say I was right yes you do. I. Expect how can I assume so you as one boards and the injury at the tip of his song. No I'm gonna get my hopes up because it's a nice thing to do it feels good to do that I live in the town where sports are often in. Hopeless seeming and just it's a lonely existence I I'm never interest thing. Nationally I've never relevant and now I've got a time like the thousands of people wake beside us here. I've got a time where it is exciting and it is hopeful and people like you are a menace. Because you're upset that other people are happy. And then it just don't get why anybody would ever say they don't get your hopes up that's incredible. What's the problem. You're not trying to look out for me right you're not like my dead. Who thinks I'm too excited about this ball I can't afford you're not my dad I think you're just the person I don't even know. And Bulldog is probably another person you don't even know and you called to say. Would you guys is what I'm looking out for you here don't watch him play a few games games let's put links back in the hall of fame because apparently is a good enough. Sample size a few games then it's okay like these is okay Halloween if he's good. That's the that is offensive. That is ridiculous. Guys. Don't be happy about this because I go back to the sixties Red Sox. As the guard Len Bias and Clinton bias came out of his mouth towards him up. I guess I'd be worried about a coal fuel. Editor. Well I'm bias on believable the first call today's from the comments. The comments section. When bias well yeah golf actual atmosphere from an expert Jack and their tired. Feels great right now out of the lectured and and scolded for being optimistic. The consensus opinion. Is that these guys are. I guess maybe you and I disagree on this a I am expecting. Either of them to turn around my team by their presidents like those guys I named did for those teams. Seoul. And the fact they're young is of course a constant young in the in in a sports draft 41. What somebody who's thirty what that'd be better. If these thirty split eleven years of College Hockey your junior hockey federation draft someone from a beer league because he's older. All my god. Well. Torch for the free roll and. Don't think we so much disagree about the impact. One of these players will have its more semantics and want one got one guy being sounds like the argument from the season. That it's gonna take eight years for the sabres really good because they don't have any other players you need other players to make the team good. One guy alone does not do it and when so when someone says one guy is gonna turn the team around a say no okay no I know. Here here's why that you don't worry about that I've got all these other guys and those guys. Names you need to be. Coming that's the point. We will continue off to a great start your 8030550. Is the number nobody be happy because Ted is watching. March over the bulldogs WGR.In response to the recent mass shooting in Oregon, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is calling for passage of the Mental Health Reform Act. While increased focus on mental health issues is important, many are concerned about the stigma that people with mental illness face – especially considering that the mentally ill are more likely to be victims of a violent crime than to commit a violent crime. ABOUT THE AUTHOR David DuBay is a social worker who lives in Portland. Perhaps we need to zoom in closer. Some have noted that most shooters are white males. But this conflates two factors. According to demographic data presented in Mother Jones magazine, two-thirds of mass shooters are white. So, however, is the population of the United States. The percentage of shooters who are African-American is likewise proportional to the general population. The evidence of a link with race is weak at best. While the Mother Jones data show that a majority of shooters do seem to have mental health problems, what really stands out is that 98 percent of the shooters are male. “Why” is an important question. Masculinity is often blamed. Indeed, men are the large majority of the perpetrators of all violent crimes. But the overwhelming majority of men are not violent, so there must be another piece to the puzzle. After all, masculinity is multifaceted, with both positive and negative aspects. The stoic, violent tough guy is not the sum total of masculinity, though he casts a huge shadow. In the documentary “The Mask You Live In” (which is being shown at South Portland High School on Oct. 22), sociologist Michael Kimmel says that most boys don’t agree with the tough guy image of masculinity. But boys still feel pressure to conform to it. A man who is struggling with inner demons, however, and who feels insecure about his identity might overcompensate by emulating an action movie tough guy. But even most of these would-be tough guys don’t go on shooting rampages. That’s why I took notice while watching a “CBS Evening News” interview with research scientist and professor Kelly Posner (who founded Columbia University’s Suicide Prevention Research Program). She stated that 90 percent of mass shooters have had serious suicidal thoughts, and 30 percent claim that suicide was a motive for their crime. Over three-quarters of those who die by suicide are male, and the gap first appears in adolescence. Women attempt suicide more, and this cry for help can provide an opportunity for intervention. But men use more fatal methods, such as firearms. Often the discussion stops there. But we need to ask why men use more lethal suicide methods. Are men less likely to believe they’ll be listened to? People might listen to men more than women when the topic is impersonal, such as sports or politics. But men who try to open up emotionally are often told to “man up” or are derided as “man babies.” A more polite way of discouraging male communication is telling a man that women’s issues are more important, so he shouldn’t be talking about men’s issues. But that’s zero-sum reasoning. Moralizing about male entitlement and male privilege is also a common response. But finger wagging rarely accomplishes much (and sometimes makes things worse). One way to encourage men to be more empathetic is to be more empathetic toward men. For example, we know that more women than men are diagnosed with depression. But that doesn’t mean men are less likely to experience depression. Research shows that mental health professionals often don’t recognize depression in men because there are differences in the way men and women experience depression. Specifically, depressed men are more likely to act out or engage in risky behavior. And this information isn’t new. The evidence that men suffer from depression at similar rates as women goes back more than a quarter-century. Over 20 years ago, educators launched a national effort in our schools to address girls’ unique needs. Today, girls are significantly more likely than boys to graduate from high school and college. And girls benefit from numerous programs that address issues such as self-esteem and body image. There’s even a White House Council on Women and Girls. It’s time to launch a similar effort to address boys’ unique issues. Of the perpetrators of mass shootings, 98 percent are male, and 90 percent have had serious suicidal thoughts that often begin in adolescence. This means we have a key opportunity to identity troubled adolescent boys and provide them with the support they need before they pick up a gun. ShareI've said this before, but it's worth repeating: tests are first and foremost a design tool. Code which is hard to test is likely hard to read, reason about and maintain. When a test is hard to write, when your a test is brittle (breaking often when the code changes), then you've probably written bad code. Tests are a code quality, not code correctness, metric. This is particularly true for newer programmers or those struggling to write maintainable code. Less importantly, tests also help with refactoring. Or, put differently, they act as a safety net for future correctness. If you have tests, you refactor. If you don't, you rewrite. Tests are the best tool you have to fight technical debt. Finally, tests have some value with respect to correctness. Out of every 100 tests I write, I might find a bug. It might be something as simple as an inverted condition. It's actually a rewarding feeling, but it's not, in any way, why tests are so valuable. I've been testing for a long time. My thoughts on it have continued to evolved, although a little less rapidly now that I've found some equilibrium. Here are some thoughts that may save you time. Avoid Mocks and Stubs I used to use a lot of mocks and stubs. Now I might use one for every 20 test (and that's generous, we have whole projects that have none). True, sometimes there's no good alternative (or even no bad alternative). Most of the errors I see in production are related to interactions between components (either within a system or with external dependencies). Integration Tests Are Worthwhile Obviously related to the above. Despite the extra effort they take to
, 2018, United Continental Holdings, Inc. ("UAL") adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 (Topic 606), Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. As such, certain previously reported 2017 figures are adjusted in this report on a basis consistent with the new standards. See the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by UAL with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2018 for additional information. UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. STATEMENTS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED) Three Months Ended December 31, % Full Year Ended December 31, % (In millions, except per share data) 2018 2017 Increase/ Decrease) 2018 2017 Increase/ Decrease) Operating revenue: Passenger $ 9,556 $ 8,587 11.3 $ 37,706 $ 34,460 9.4 Cargo 334 324 3.1 1,237 1,114 11.0 Other operating revenue 601 540 11.3 2,360 2,210 6.8 Total operating revenue 10,491 9,451 11.0 41,303 37,784 9.3 Operating expense: Salaries and related costs 2,924 2,678 9.2 11,458 10,941 4.7 Aircraft fuel 2,380 1,875 26.9 9,307 6,913 34.6 Regional capacity purchase 638 580 10.0 2,601 2,232 16.5 Landing fees and other rent 602 570 5.6 2,359 2,240 5.3 Depreciation and amortization 578 539 7.2 2,240 2,149 4.2 Aircraft maintenance materials and outside repairs 434 479 (9.4) 1,767 1,856 (4.8) Distribution expenses 396 354 11.9 1,558 1,435 8.6 Aircraft rent 78 145 (46.2) 433 621 (30.3) Special charges (B) 301 31 NM 487 176 NM Other operating expenses 1,508 1,424 5.9 5,801 5,550 4.5 Total operating expense 9,839 8,675 13.4 38,011 34,113 11.4 Operating income 652 776 (16.0) 3,292 3,671 (10.3) Operating margin 6.2 % 8.2 % (2.0) pts. 8.0 % 9.7 % (1.7) pts. Adjusted operating margin (Non-GAAP) (A) 9.1 % 8.5 % 0.6 pts. 9.1 % 10.2 % (1.1) pts. Nonoperating income (expense): Interest expense (189) (173) 9.2 (729) (671) 8.6 Interest capitalized 19 20 (5.0) 70 84 (16.7) Interest income 31 16 93.8 101 57 77.2 Miscellaneous, net (B) 43 (19) NM (76) (101) (24.8) Total nonoperating expense (96) (156) (38.5) (634) (631) 0.5 Income before income taxes 556 620 (10.3) 2,658 3,040 (12.6) Pre-tax margin 5.3 % 6.6 % (1.3) pts. 6.4 % 8.0 % (1.6) pts. Adjusted pre-tax margin (Non-GAAP) (A) 7.8 % 6.9 % 0.9 pts. 7.7 % 8.5 % (0.8) pts. Income tax expense (D) 94 41 129.3 529 896 (41.0) Net income $ 462 $ 579 (20.2) $ 2,129 $ 2,144 (0.7) Diluted earnings per share $ 1.70 $ 1.98 (14.1) $ 7.70 $ 7.06 9.1 Diluted weighted average shares 272.7 291.8 (6.5) 276.7 303.6 (8.9) NM Not meaningful UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. SELECT PASSENGER REVENUE INFORMATION AND STATISTICS Select passenger revenue information is as follows: 4Q 2018 Passenger Revenue (millions) Passenger Revenue vs. 4Q 2017 PRASM vs. 4Q 2017 Yield vs. 4Q 2017 Available Seat Miles vs. 4Q 2017 Domestic 6,088 12.8% 6.0% 6.7% 6.4% Atlantic 1,535 9.6% 1.6% (5.0%) 8.0% Pacific 1,139 8.8% 4.5% 3.2% 4.0% Latin America 794 7.2% 3.8% 1.1% 3.1% International 3,468 8.8% 3.2% (0.5%) 5.4% Consolidated $ 9,556 11.3% 5.0% 3.8% 6.0% Select statistics are as follows: Three Months Ended December 31, % Increase/ (Decrease) Full Year Ended December 31, % Increase/ (Decrease) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Passengers (thousands) 39,891 37,413 6.6 158,330 148,067 6.9 Revenue passenger miles (millions) 56,968 53,149 7.2 230,155 216,261 6.4 Available seat miles (millions) 68,902 65,028 6.0 275,262 262,386 4.9 Passenger load factor: Consolidated 82.7 % 81.7 % 1.0 pt. 83.6 % 82.4 % 1.2 pts. Domestic 84.6 % 85.2 % (0.6) pts. 85.4 % 85.2 % 0.2 pts. International 80.1 % 77.2 % 2.9 pts. 81.3 % 78.9 % 2.4 pts. Passenger revenue per available seat mile (cents) 13.87 13.21 5.0 13.70 13.13 4.3 Total revenue per available seat mile (cents) 15.23 14.53 4.8 15.00 14.40 4.2 Average yield per revenue passenger mile (cents) 16.77 16.16 3.8 16.38 15.93 2.8 Aircraft in fleet at end of period 1,329 1,262 5.3 1,329 1,262 5.3 Average stage length (miles) 1,426 1,431 (0.3) 1,446 1,460 (1.0) Average full-time equivalent employees (thousands) 87.3 85.6 2.0 86.6 86.0 0.7 Average aircraft fuel price per gallon $ 2.30 $ 1.91 20.4 $ 2.25 $ 1.74 29.3 Fuel gallons consumed (millions) 1,036 980 5.7 4,137 3,978 4.0 Note: See Part II, Item 6, Selected Financial Data, of UAL's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, for definitions of these statistics. UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED) (In millions) December 31, 2018 December 31, 2017 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,694 $ 1,482 Short-term investments 2,256 2,316 Receivables, net 1,346 1,340 Aircraft fuel, spare parts and supplies, net 985 924 Prepaid expenses and other 913 1,071 Total current assets 7,194 7,133 Total operating property and equipment, net 28,329 26,208 Other assets: Goodwill 4,523 4,523 Intangibles, net 3,159 3,539 Restricted cash 105 91 Loans to others, net 496 46 Investments in affiliates and other, net 966 806 Total other assets 9,249 9,005 Total assets $ 44,772 $ 42,346 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Advance ticket sales $ 4,381 $ 3,940 Accounts payable 2,363 2,196 Frequent flyer deferred revenue 2,286 2,192 Accrued salaries and benefits 2,184 2,166 Current maturities of long-term debt and capital leases 1,379 1,693 Other 600 576 Total current liabilities 13,193 12,763 Other liabilities and deferred credits: Long-term debt and capital leases 13,349 12,699 Frequent flyer deferred revenue 2,719 2,591 Postretirement benefit liability 1,295 1,602 Pension liability 1,576 1,921 Deferred income taxes 814 204 Other 1,831 1,832 Total other liabilities and deferred credits 21,584 20,849 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity 9,995 8,734 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 44,772 $ 42,346 UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED) (In millions) Full Year Ended December 31, 2018 2017 Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net cash provided by operating activities $ 6,181 $ 3,413 Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Capital expenditures (4,177) (3,998) Purchases of short-term and other investments (2,552) (3,241) Proceeds from sale of short-term and other investments 2,616 3,177 Loans made to others (456) — Investment in affiliates (139) — Other, net 145 132 Net cash used in investing activities (4,563) (3,930) Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt and airport construction financing 1,740 2,765 Repurchases of common stock (1,235) (1,844) Payments of long-term debt (1,727) (901) Principal payments under capital leases (134) (124) Other, net (54) (91) Net cash used in financing activities (1,410) (195) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 208 (712) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the year 1,591 2,303 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the year (a) $ 1,799 $ 1,591 Investing and Financing Activities Not Affecting Cash: Property and equipment acquired through the issuance of debt and capital leases $ 174 $ 935 Debt associated with termination of a maintenance service agreement 163 — Equity interest in Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. received in consideration for bankruptcy claims — 92 Airport construction financing 12 42 Operating lease conversions to capital lease 52 — (a) The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash to amounts reported within the consolidated balance sheet: Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash: Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,694 $ 1,482 Restricted cash included in Prepaid expenses and other — 18 Other assets: Restricted cash 105 91 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 1,799 $ 1,591 UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. RETURN ON INVESTED CAPITAL (ROIC) - Non-GAAP ROIC is a non-GAAP financial measure that UAL believes provides useful supplemental information for management and investors by measuring the effectiveness of the company's operations' use of invested capital to generate profits. (in millions) Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2018 Net Operating Profit After Tax ("NOPAT") Pre-tax income $ 2,658 Special charges and MTM losses on financial instruments (B): Impairment of assets 377 Termination of a maintenance service agreement 64 Severance and benefit costs 41 MTM losses on financial instruments 5 (Gains) losses on sale of assets and other special charges 5 Pre-tax income excluding special charges and MTM losses on financial instruments (Non-GAAP) 3,150 add: Interest expense (net of income tax benefit) (a) 725 add: Interest component of capitalized aircraft rent (net of income tax benefit) (a) 211 add: Net interest on pension (net of income tax benefit) (a) (16) less: Income taxes paid (19) NOPAT (Non-GAAP) $ 4,051 Average Invested Capital (five-quarter average) Total assets $ 44,133 add: Capitalized aircraft operating leases (b) 3,723 less: Non-interest bearing liabilities (c) (17,224) Average invested capital (Non-GAAP) $ 30,632 ROIC (Non-GAAP) 13.2 % (a) Income tax benefit measured based on the effective cash tax rate. The effective cash tax rate is calculated by dividing cash taxes paid by pre-tax income excluding special charges. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the effective cash tax rate was 0.6%. (b) The purpose of this adjustment is to capitalize the impact of aircraft operating leases. The company uses a multiple of seven times its annual aircraft rent expense to estimate the potential capitalized value and related liability of its aircraft. This is a simplified method used by many rating agencies and financial analysts to assess the impact of operating leases on financial measures like return on invested capital. (c) Non-interest bearing liabilities include advance ticket sales, frequent flyer deferred revenue, deferred income taxes and other non-interest bearing liabilities. UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL RECONCILIATION (A) UAL evaluates its financial performance utilizing various accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and Non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted operating margin, adjusted pre-tax income (loss), adjusted pre-tax margin, adjusted net income (loss), adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share and CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel, and profit sharing, among others. UAL believes that adjusting for special charges is useful to investors because special charges are not indicative of UAL's ongoing performance. UAL believes that adjusting for MTM gains and losses on financial instruments is useful to investors because those unrealized gains or losses may not ultimately be realized on a cash basis. UAL believes that adjusting for interest expense related to capital leases of Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft is useful to investors because of the accelerated recognition of interest expense. CASM is a common metric used in the airline industry to measure an airline's cost structure and efficiency. UAL reports CASM excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel and profit sharing. UAL believes that adjusting for special charges is useful to investors because special charges are not indicative of UAL's ongoing performance. UAL also believes that excluding third-party business expenses, such as maintenance, ground handling and catering services for third parties and fuel sales, provides more meaningful disclosure because these expenses are not directly related to UAL's core business. UAL also believes that excluding fuel costs from certain measures is useful to investors because it provides an additional measure of management's performance excluding the effects of a significant cost item over which management has limited influence. UAL excludes profit sharing because this exclusion allows investors to better understand and analyze our operating cost performance and provides a more meaningful comparison of our core operating costs to the airline industry. Reconciliations of reported non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included below. Three Months Ended December 31, % Increase/ Full Year Ended December 31, % Increase/ 2018 2017 (Decrease) 2018 2017 (Decrease) CASM (cents) Cost per available seat mile (CASM) (GAAP) 14.28 13.34 7.0 13.81 13.00 6.2 Special charges (B) 0.44 0.04 NM 0.18 0.07 NM Third-party business expenses 0.04 0.06 (33.3) 0.04 0.05 (20.0) Fuel expense 3.46 2.88 20.1 3.38 2.64 28.0 Profit sharing, including taxes 0.12 0.07 71.4 0.12 0.13 (7.7) CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel, and profit sharing (Non-GAAP) 10.22 10.29 (0.7) 10.09 10.11 (0.2) NM Not Meaningful UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL RECONCILIATION (Continued) Three Months Ended December 31, $ Increase/ % Increase/ Full Year Ended December 31, $ Increase/ % Increase/ (in millions) 2018 2017 (Decrease) (Decrease) 2018 2017 (Decrease) (Decrease) Operating expenses (GAAP) $ 9,839 $ 8,675 $ 1,164 13.4 $ 38,011 $ 34,113 $ 3,898 11.4 Special charges (B) 301 31 270 NM 487 176 311 NM Operating expenses, excluding special charges 9,538 8,644 894 10.3 37,524 33,937 3,587 10.6 Adjusted to exclude: Third-party business expenses 32 31 1 3.2 121 145 (24) (16.6) Fuel expense 2,380 1,875 505 26.9 9,307 6,913 2,394 34.6 Profit sharing, including taxes 82 45 37 82.2 334 349 (15) (4.3) Adjusted operating expenses (Non-GAAP) $ 7,044 $ 6,693 $ 351 5.2 $ 27,762 $ 26,530 $ 1,232 4.6 Operating income (GAAP) $ 652 $ 776 $ (124) (16.0) $ 3,292 $ 3,671 $ (379) (10.3) Adjusted to exclude: Special charges (B) 301 31 270 NM 487 176 311 NM Adjusted operating income (Non-GAAP) $ 953 $ 807 $ 146 18.1 $ 3,779 $ 3,847 $ (68) (1.8) Pre-tax income (GAAP) $ 556 $ 620 $ (64) (10.3) $ 2,658 $ 3,040 $ (382) (12.6) Adjusted to exclude: Special charges (B) 301 31 270 NM 487 176 311 NM MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments (B) (56) — (56) NM 5 — 5 NM Interest expense on ERJ 145 capital leases (C) 13 — 13 NM 26 — 26 NM Adjusted pre-tax income (Non-GAAP) $ 814 $ 651 $ 163 25.0 $ 3,176 $ 3,216 $ (40) (1.2) Net income (GAAP) $ 462 $ 579 $ (117) (20.2) $ 2,129 $ 2,144 $ (15.0) (0.7) Adjusted to exclude: Special charges (B) 301 31 270 NM 487 176 311 NM MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments (B) (56) — (56) NM 5 — 5 NM Interest expense on ERJ 145 capital leases (C) 13 — 13 NM 26 — 26 NM Income tax benefit related to adjustments above (58) (11) (47) NM (116) (63) (53) NM Special income tax adjustments (D) (5) (179) 174 NM (5) (179) 174 NM Adjusted net income (Non-GAAP) $ 657 $ 420 $ 237 56.4 $ 2,526 $ 2,078 $ 448 21.6 Diluted earnings per share (GAAP) $ 1.70 $ 1.98 $ (0.28) (14.1) $ 7.70 $ 7.06 $ 0.64 9.1 Adjusted to exclude: Special charges (B) 1.10 0.11 0.99 NM 1.76 0.58 1.18 NM MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments (B) (0.21) — (0.21) NM 0.02 — 0.02 NM Interest expense on ERJ 145 capital leases (C) 0.05 — 0.05 NM 0.09 — 0.09 NM Income tax benefit related to adjustments (0.21) (0.04) (0.17) NM (0.42) (0.21) (0.21) NM Special income tax adjustments (D) (0.02) (0.61) 0.59 NM (0.02) (0.59) 0.57 NM Adjusted diluted earnings per share (Non-GAAP) $ 2.41 $ 1.44 $ 0.97 67.4 $ 9.13 $ 6.84 $ 2.29 33.5 NM Not Meaningful UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. NON-GAAP FINANCIAL RECONCILIATION (Continued) UAL believes that adjusting capital expenditures for assets acquired through the issuance of debt and capital leases, airport construction financing and excluding fully reimbursable projects is useful to investors in order to appropriately reflect the non-reimbursable funds spent on capital expenditures. UAL also believes that adjusting net cash provided by operating activities for capital expenditures and adjusted capital expenditures is useful to allow investors to evaluate the company's ability to generate cash that is available for debt service or general corporate initiatives. Three Months Ended December 31, Full Year Ended December 31, Capital Expenditures (in millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Capital expenditures (GAAP) $ 1,585 $ 1,098 $ 4,177 $ 3,998 Property and equipment acquired through the issuance of debt and capital leases 35 17 174 935 Airport construction financing — 1 12 42 Fully reimbursable projects (36) (70) (176) (246) Adjusted capital expenditures (Non-GAAP) $ 1,584 $ 1,046 $ 4,187 $ 4,729 Free Cash Flow (in millions) Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) $ 1,101 $ 728 $ 6,181 $ 3,413 Less capital expenditures 1,585 1,098 4,177 3,998 Free cash flow, net of financings (Non-GAAP) $ (484) $ (370) $ 2,004 $ (585) Net cash provided by operating activities (GAAP) $ 1,101 $ 728 $ 6,181 $ 3,413 Less adjusted capital expenditures (Non-GAAP) 1,584 1,046 4,187 4,729 Free cash flow (Non-GAAP) $ (483) $ (318) $ 1,994 $ (1,316) UNITED CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS, INC. NOTES (UNAUDITED) (B) Special charges and MTM gains and losses on financial instruments include the following: Three Months Ended December 31, Full Year Ended December 31, (In millions) 2018 2017 2018 2017 Operating : Impairment of assets $ 232 $ 10 $ 377 $ 25 Termination of an engine maintenance service agreement 64 — 64 — Severance and benefit costs 7 15 41 116 (Gains) losses on sale of assets and other special charges (2) 6 5 35 Total special charges 301 31 487 176 Nonoperating MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments (56) — 5 — Total special charges and MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments 245 31 492 176 Income tax benefit related to special charges (68) (11) (109) (63) Income tax expense (benefit) related to MTM gains and losses on financial instruments 13 — (1) — Income tax adjustments (D) (5) (179) (5) (179) Total special charges and MTM (gains) losses on financial instruments, net of income taxes $ 185 $ (159) $ 377 $ (66) Impairment of assets : Routes: The company conducted its annual impairment review of intangible assets in the fourth quarter of 2018, which consisted of a comparison of the book value of specific assets to the fair value of those assets calculated using the discounted cash flow method. Due to increased costs without sufficient corresponding increases in revenue in the Hong Kong market, the company determined that the value of its Hong Kong routes had been impaired. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of 2018, the company recorded a special non-cash impairment charge of $206 million ($160 million net of taxes) associated with its Hong Kong routes. The collateral pledged under the company's term loan, including the Hong Kong routes, continues to be sufficient to satisfy the loan covenants. In May 2018, the Brazil–United States open skies agreement was ratified, which provides air carriers with unrestricted access between the United States and Brazil. The company determined that the approval of the open skies agreement impaired the entire value of its Brazil route authorities because the agreement removes all limitations or reciprocity requirements for flights between the United States and Brazil. Accordingly, in the second quarter of 2018, the company recorded a $105 million special charge ($82 million net of taxes) to write off the entire value of the intangible asset associated with its Brazil routes. This asset was not part of any collateral pledged against any of the company's borrowings. The company continues to maintain its slot assets related to Brazil since airport access is still regulated by slot allocations that are limited by airport facility constraints. Other: For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the company also recorded $26 million ($20 million net of taxes) and $66 million ($51 million net of taxes), respectively, of fair value adjustments related to aircraft purchased off lease, write-off of unexercised aircraft purchase options and other impairments related to certain fleet types and international slots no longer in use. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company recorded a $10 million ($6 million net of taxes) impairment charge related to obsolete spare parts inventory. During 2017, the company recorded a $15 million ($10 million net of taxes) intangible asset impairment charge related to a maintenance service agreement. Termination of a maintenance service agreement : In the fourth quarter of 2018, the company recorded a one-time termination charge of $64 million ($50 million net of tax) related to one of its engine maintenance service agreements. Severance and benefit costs : During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the company recorded severance and benefit costs related to a voluntary early-out program for its technicians and related employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters of $3 million ($2 million net of taxes) and $22 million ($17 million net of taxes), respectively. In the first quarter of 2017, approximately 1,000 technicians and related employees elected to voluntarily separate from the company and will receive a severance payment, with a maximum value of $100,000 per participant, based on years of service, with retirement dates through 2018. Also during the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the company recorded other management severance of $4 million ($3 million net of taxes) and $19 million ($15 million net of taxes), respectively. During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017, the company recorded $10 million ($6 million net of taxes) and $83 million ($53 million net of taxes), respectively, of severance and benefit costs related to the voluntary early-out program for its technicians and related employees, and $5 million ($3 million net of taxes) and $33 million ($21 million net of taxes), respectively, of management severance. MTM gains and losses on financial instruments : During the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, the company recorded gains of $89 million ($69 million net of taxes) and $28 million ($22 million net of taxes), respectively, for the change in market value of certain of its equity investments. During the fourth quarter of 2018, the company recorded losses of $33 million ($26 million net of taxes) for the change in fair value of certain derivative assets related to equity of Avianca Holdings S.A. For equity investments and derivative assets subject to MTM accounting, the company records gains and losses as part of Nonoperating income (expense): Miscellaneous, net in its statements of consolidated operations. (C) Interest expense related to capital leases of Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft During the third quarter of 2018, United entered into an agreement with the lessor of 54 Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft to purchase those aircraft in 2019. The provisions of the new lease agreement resulted in a change in accounting classification of these new leases from operating leases to capital leases up until the purchase date. The company recognized $13 million ($10 million net of tax) and $26 million ($20 million net of tax) of additional interest expense in the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018, respectively, as a result of this change. (D) Effective tax rate The company's effective tax rate for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was 16.9% and 19.9%, respectively, and the effective tax rate for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 was 6.6% and 29.5%, respectively. The effective tax rate represents a blend of federal, state and foreign taxes and included the impact of certain nondeductible items. The effective tax rate for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2018 also reflects the reduced federal corporate income tax rate as a result of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") in December 2017 and the impact of a change in the company's mix of domestic and foreign earnings. The rates for the 2018 and 2017 periods were impacted by one-time benefits of $5 million and $179 million, respectively, due to the passage of the Tax Act. SOURCE United Airlines For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, +1-872-825-8640, [email protected] project or projects do you maintain and what was your motivation for creating those projects and releasing them as open source software? I work on projects like Standard, WebTorrent, and Study Notes which are entirely open source. Not everything I’ve worked on over my career has been open source, but most of it has been. I have 100s of open source projects on GitHub and npm. I am able to create lots of value in the world when I don’t restrict how people can use my work. Publishing things under an open source license lets anyone use my code however they like. For example, my business Study Notes is doing quite well at making money even though the code is available on GitHub. Part of my motivation is to prove that it’s possible to make a profit and share your code with the world :) Sometimes, as in the case of WebTorrent Desktop, being non-profit and open source can actually be a competitive advantage. If you created any of those projects, were they meant to solve a specific problem you faced, or were they born out of a larger opportunity you saw? Out of all my projects, Standard is the one that was most clearly designed to solve a specific need that I had at a very specific point in time. While working on WebTorrent, I kept getting useful code contributions that had minor style or functionality issues, e.g. not matching the existing code style, forgetting to handle errors, or creating paths in a way that doesn’t work cross-platform (“/” vs. “\”). Whenever this happens, a maintainer can do one of two things: 1) provide feedback and hope that it gets fixed (anecdotally 50% of the time, it doesn’t because the contributor is too busy, or just goes silent) or 2) accept the code, but immediately make a followup commit to fix the issues. I realized that there’s actually a third, better way. With a linter, you can catch code style issues and bugs before a code contribution comes in. That was the motivation for Standard. Catch style errors before they’re submitted in PRs to save precious code review time by eliminating back-and-forth between maintainer and contributor. But because the WebTorrent project is split across dozens of GitHub repositories, and I didn’t want to paste in a multi-hundred line linter configuration in each project, I created a module ( standard ) that all repositories could depend on. This made Standard require no configuration, which was unique among linting tools. It was really easy to enforce consistent style across all my GitHub projects. When I first started Standard, I was going to call it webtorrent-style, or feross-style, since it was literally my own stylistic preferences (plus some non-controversial error catching rules). But I thought it would be amusing to pick a very opinionated name, so I chose “standard”, which was available on npm at the time. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have adopted Standard. Most are just happy to have a sane default style guide that takes a few seconds to set up. Some use it as a way to end the constant bickering over code style that takes place on their teams. How has the project evolved since you first got involved or first released it? Since the beginning, Standard has been adding new rules as ESLint releases them. The most important rules are designed to catch errors. But we also add rules to reduce inconsistent code, i.e. if there are two ways to do the same thing, we prefer to only allow one way. This makes writing code fater – as you don’t have to consider all the different ways you could do something. And there will only ever be the one way across the whole codebase. Standard is all about consistency. The standard command line program has also gotten a lot faster to run. We use aggressive caching and only run a single linter (ESLint, instead of ESLint+JSHint+JSCS, like we did at the beginning). We also use ESLint’s excellent --fix feature to provide really great automatic fixing of non-standard code. Just run standard --fix. How do you spend your time on those projects? (i.e. Developing, managing the community, triaging issues, etc.) I spend the most time triaging issues and considering new rules. There is a really delicate balance between enforcing new rules that I would like to see adopted by the community versus being sensitive to how much work it is to update your code to the new rules. Before I consider any rule change or addition, I run a very thorough test suite that runs Standard on around 400 community repos to see what the effects of the rule change would be on the community. Evolving towards stricter rules, especially ones that enforce the use of new language features from ES2015 and beyond, needs to be done carefully and respectfully. How would you describe the community around projects you participate in? What are your favorite and least favorite aspects? Standard is maintained by a dedicated group of contributors who work tirelessly to help triage issues, fix bugs, and debate the pros/cons of new rules. Standard is an OPEN Open Source project, so whenever someone makes a significant contribution to
as if it’s somewhere these characters can’t reach—something behind a cage. As Kaori informs us, she doesn’t pass the river on her way home, and doesn’t feel she can walk there with just Hase. They really can’t reach the river together. A dandelion seed falls into a puddle that reflects Hase’s hidden face. What a shot! As we know, the dandelion seeds are essentially Kaori’s memories of her friends, and this one has fallen into some water—not on the flower and not flying through the air either, simply stuck on the ground. This is some brilliant foreshadowing. Hase’s missing or hidden face will become something of a motif soon, so more on that in a moment. Beyond just cool symbolism or foreshadowing, these shots convey a lot of emotion. In addition to his reactions and tone of voice when Kaori talks about Shougo, these shots tell us Hase is uncomfortable and stuck in his head. He won’t look at Kaori, and the reflection shot clues us in that he’s thinking inwardly. The sharply angled shots of Hase from above and below set the viewer off-balance further forcing us to acknowledge that Hase does not feel good about this conversation. Bye-bye dandelions. Hello rain clouds. Anyway, Kaori runs off, but to where? The answer is kind of obvious if we take a close look at the screen. She passes a stream first. Then a small river. And finally this drainage pipe. She asks herself why she wound up at the river—it’s because the director made you walk past all that running water, Kaori. Well, I guess there was some plot stuff that needed to happen about losing her diary on the ground by the river (kind of like how that friendship dandelion got stuck in the water on the roof), but I’m sure that’s not important. And maybe the conversation with Hase about visiting the river had something to do with it, too. Unfunny sarcasm aside—yes, that dandelion on the roof matches the memories left in Kaori’s lost diary and, yes, all that running water was some more foreshadowing. Don’t let my jokes take away from how smart that sequence was. Think about this as a director: you have to show Kaori walking to the river, and you have a few ways to go about it. Instead of any boring way, or any overdramatic way, why not tease the viewer’s brain with some foreshadowing and set up some powerful symbolism? That sounded like a closing statement on my part, but we’re not done yet! Let’s get back into it. Kaori’s bedpost looks like a heart that’s been cut in half by the middle bar. That, combined with the twisted angle of the shot, writes out how she feels in bold letters. Hase’s insecurity led to poor communication between Kaori and him, and he didn’t make an attempt to understand how she may feel to finally be gaining friends despite her memory. It must rip her heart to have her dearest friend, Hase, upset over her making more friends, which is her ultimate happiness. She hints to this on the roof, and Hase appears to realize his mistake afterwards. When the two meet again the following week, some more angles are used for similar effects as before, but I won’t ramble. What matters most is the difference between the reflections in Hase’s eyes versus Kaori’s eyes. When Hase looks at Kaori, her whole face is reflected, but Hase’s face is hidden in the reflection in Kaori’s eyes. Not only do we ascertain she doesn’t remember him, but we get to feel that she doesn’t remember him. Humans need faces to identify other humans, and that goes for characters, too. A faceless Hase feels strange to us even though we have enough context to understand it’s him. The quick cut between the two reflections is simply smart editing. I’m giving a lot of credit to the director and editor for making this episode so impactful, but the animators deserve just as much recognition. Kaori’s facial expressions during the roof scene are so emotional, and the coldness of her face when she doesn’t recognize Hase just hurts my heart. The one-two punch of an intelligent director leading some talented animators is brutal. Unfortunately, all the love poured into the creation of this show doesn’t result in a confession between Hase and Kaori. It’s like I said at the beginning, Isshuukan Friends is far from perfect. Yet, it’s a show directed with loving diligence. Hopefully you came to appreciate something new about this show after reading this far. Hopefully you won’t forget on Monday how tiny details of directing can create such powerful scenes. Hopefully Hase and Kaori kiss in some untold story universe. I can only pray. AdvertisementsMemo of health incidents in 2010 From Southern Metropolis Weekly: The cruel reality reminds us that we are in the environment of “man-made illnesses”. What can we do? How do we break out? January January 7, over 30 dialysis patients were infected with hepatitis C virus in Anqing City, Anhui Province. January 11, 16 people were infected in Shou County. January 22, in Guangzhou, a junior high school boy got meningitis after injection of flu vaccine. January 25, 18 pregnant women in Shantou city were infected with disease-causing bacteria, led to chronic illnesses, 7 cases were concealed. February February 4, a bread factory in Conghua, Guangzhou was forced to shut down for using milk powder containing melamine. February 9, “melamine ice cream” appeared in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province. February 10, Guangdong Chao Candy contained melamine way exceeding limits. February 23, Wuhan Bureau of Agriculture announced, cowpea of Hainan were detected to contain Isocarbophos. February 24, due to industrial pollution, 250 children in Jiahe County, Hunan province had mass amount of lead in their blood. Some parents were arrested by the County Public Security Bureau for trying to go of town for physical examination. The company Tengda caused the lead poisoning incident was ordered to stop several times by the EPA but continued to operate. It has now been shut down. February 26, According to Agricultural Quality Supervision and Testing Center in Jiangmen City, one of the Cucumber samples and one of the cowpea samples from Hainan contained banned pesticide – Isocarbophos. March March 2, 26 workers at Dongguan Ding Xin Metal & Plastic Products Co. Ltd. were diagnosed with diseases that are caused by the harmful aspects of their profession. March 14, the news of certain cabbage contained pesticide residues exceeding 20 times of the national standard broke out in Haikou City. CCTV reported on March 15, “Yong Heng calcium alkaline ionized water” and other alkaline water are harmful to human body. March 17, over hundreds of children in Shanxi died or became disabled of unknown causes, but all were vaccinated before their illness. This was so called the “Shanxi Vaccine incident”. March 18, media reported that in China, the “sewage oil” that goes back onto the dinner table is about 2-3 million tons each year, and the total oil consumption is about 22.5 million tons a year. Sewage oil is 100 times more poisonous than arsenic, since then, sewage oil incident has attracted more media’s attention. April April 1, Yangshen (company that makes vaccines) in Jiangsu province admitted that 180,000 of their rabies vaccines do not meet the standards. April 9, Chenzhou City Children’s Hospital used industrial oxygen instead of oxygen, causing panic. April 11, Report showed rising in numbers of Parkinson’s disease in China, an annual increase of 100,000 cases. April 15, news broke out in Hunan Province that during student medical examination, same needle tubing was used on multiple students for skin test. April 19, news said diseased pigs were sold at restaurants and food stalls in Qingyuan, Guangdong. April 22, Botox became widely used, but improper injections causing facial paralysis frequently occurred. April 23, 73 tourists at Huairou Mountain in Beijing had nausea, vomiting and other symptoms after eating. After going to the hospital, doctor said the food they had contained clonidine, which was an expired high blood pressure medicine. April 28, media exposed an oil factory in Changsha made and told 20 tons of “black heart oil”, mostly to college cafeterias. May May 4, a man in Wuhan sold sleeping pills mixed with flour to the entire nation as “imported medicine”. May 11, a Foxconn employee committed suicide. Since January 23, 2010 Foxconn employees “first jump” to November 5, 2010, 14 Foxconn employees leaped to their deaths one after another, which causing great concern of the community all over the world. May 23, In Lingbi County, Anhui, “problem cucumbers” brought down 13 people, caused by use of highly toxic pesticides. May 25, a woman in Hainan died of poisoning after eating sunfish (also called the wheel fish). May 26, in Shenyang, over 250 chickens died of diseases were found a smoked chicken joint. Sunset Yellow, Color Agent, other industrial dyes and also bags of iron rust were used to color the dead chickens. May 27, a man believed that the electronic cigarette can cleanse his body, but he died suddenly after smoking it. End of May, the Ministry of Health denied Zhang Wu his status of “Ministry of Health the first senior nutrition expert”. This former “most expensive Chinese doctor in Beijing” was discredited; his illegal clinic was also closed down. June June 3, the World Health Organization said, H1N1 outbreak still continued. June 4, Hubei Province confirmed a case of human infection of highly pathogenic avian influenza. June 7, Hong Kong Watson Drinks said to be infected with fungi. June 11, poisonous sea snails were selling hot in the market, it was reported that eating one sea snail will cause death. June 13, a large number of pigs died in Wuxuan County, Guangxi. June 13, 30 people in Chongyang County, Hubei had great amount of lead in their blood. June 26, in Qingdao a female teach died during liposuction weight loss surgery. July July 6, 8 children were poisoned from eating Jatropha in Hainan. July 6, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets said to contain two chemical components: one was in the clay toys “polydimethylsiloxane”, the other was extracted from oil “t-butyl benzene Diol”. McDonald’s said the amount of contents are lower than the international limits. July 7, 22 patients at the Qichun County People’s Hospital all went into spasms after blood transfusions. July 9, melamine milk powder was found in Gansu, Qinghai and Jilin. July 14, Bawang shampoo was said to contain carcinogenic substances. July 27, in Shenyang, a boy who started smoking when he was 8 died of heart attack. His blood vessels looked like a 60-year-olds’. July 29, contraceptive market leader, “Yu Ting” was said to cause ectopic pregnancy. August August 2, Coca-Cola admitted the new product "Vitamin water" is not a health drink. August 2, Shandong’s “Want Want Crackers” was found containing coliform bacterium. August 5, milk powder was questioned for causing precocious puberty. August 12, U.S. media reported that “super germs” spreading to the world, causing many deaths. August 23, many people in Nanjing reported muscle degeneration after eating crayfish. August 30, Hunan Jin Hao tea oil was found to contain carcinogenic substances which exceeding 6 times of the limit. September September 2, 26 villagers in a village of Yunnan Province all suffered emphysema; water pollution may be the cause. September 2, cases of mosquito-bone disease were found in Guangdong. September 8, more than 60 ophthalmic patients in Shanghai had adverse reaction after injecting Avastin. Subsequently, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration announced that what Shanghai First People’s Hospital was using, labeled with Product of Roche Company, number B6001B01 of Avastin is fake medicine. September 8, ticks poisoning in Henan caused 18 deaths. September 9, 19 students in Huaian were identified to have cholera. September 14, 12 primary school students in Nanning, Guangxi were infected with pink eye. September 15, outbreak of dengue fever in Dongguan. September 16, in Foshan, Guangdong, a 66-year-old woman was killed by tsutsugamushi mite bites. September 20, Vitamin C tablets with Yinqiao was said can cause adverse reactions or going into shock. October October 8, food poisoning incident occurred in a hotel in Luding County, Sichuan Province. Dozens were poisoned including the tourists, tour guides and hotel staff. One tourist died. October 15, maggot infested oranges were found in Shandong, expert said do not panic after accidentally eating one. October 16, Jiucheng perfume was found to contain carcinogens – phthalates. Currently there is no standard on the limit of phthalates. October 17, Canton West Classic and the Guangxi Golden Tea oil products were found to contain some carcinogens. October 19, it was reported that some food business in Hefei, Anhui when making lamb soup using banned substances as additives. October 29, after an announcement paper was published by SFDA, fifteen weight loss drugs exit the market in a hurry, including the one sold for 10 years, Qumei weight loss capsule. November November 15, 24-year-old talent show star Wang Bei died in an accident during her plastic surgery. November 17, a 59-year-old woman in Hong Kong who had visited Mainland till the end of last month was infected with H5N1 avian influenza virus. But it is not yet sure if she was infected locally or from outside. November 22, dairy drinks that contain excessive melamine were found in Xiangfan, Hubei province. November 23, State Administration of Quality Supervision announced that from March to August, 670 tons of dairy products imported to China are unqualified, in which infant formula was accounted for 7 percent. Most of them were originated from Australia. Main reason was because fungi or heavy metals exceeding limits. November 24, City of Nanning seized more than 150 kilograms of mushrooms bleached with bleach. November 29, CCTV "Focus" reported many foods on the market which contains vegetable butter may cause side-effects of trans fatty acids.Fracking Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat ProPublica has been reporting for months about how natural gas drilling is affecting the environment, but of all the causes for concern we've reported, here's a doozy. Sixteen cattle dropped dead in a northwestern Louisiana field this week after apparently drinking from a mysterious fluid adjacent to a natural gas drilling rig, according to Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality and a report in the Shreveport Times. At least one worker told the newspaper that the fluids, which witnesses described as green and spewing into the air near the drilling derrick, were used for a drilling process called hydraulic fracturing. But the company, Chesapeake Energy, has not identified exactly what chemicals are in those fluids and is insisting to state regulators that no spill occurred. The problem is that both Chesapeake and its contractor doing the work Schlumberger, say that a lot of these fluids are proprietary, said Otis Randle, regional manager for the DEQ. "It can be an obstacle, but we try to be fair to everybody," he said. "We try to remember that the products they use are theirs and they need them to make a living." Hydraulic fracturing -- a process in which water, sand and chemicals are pumped deep underground at high pressure to break rock and release natural gas -- is controversial because of the secrecy surrounding the fluids and because the process is exempted from protections of the Safe Drinking Water Act and thus from regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency. Congress is currently considering legislation to address these issues out of concern that fracturing, and the fluids and waste that are part of the process, may be contaminating drinking water in several states. Hydraulic fracturing has made drilling more efficient and economical and has helped make vast new reserves of natural gas available across the country, including in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wyoming, Colorado and Louisiana. Scientists at the EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey have told ProPublica that it's difficult for them to assess the environmental risks posed by hydraulic fracturing chemicals because the companies that use them won't release the exact names and amounts of the chemicals. The energy service companies, including Halliburton and Schlumberger, say that disclosing that information would put them at a competitive disadvantage, and they insist the fluids are safe. Some information about the materials is made available through Material Safety Data Sheets, which can provide cursory medical advice for workers exposed to the chemicals. The drilling companies have given Louisiana's DEQ a large stack of these sheets. Randle said they contain some helpful information, but it will take the agency some time to weed through them. In the field where the cattle died on Tuesday, the DEQ reports finding a white milky substance on the ground, with cattle tracks leading away to the dead animals. Randle said he is almost certain the substance is a drill fluid or fracturing fluid. A Chesapeake Energy spokesman told ProPublica that the company is cooperating with the state and is waiting for test results to determine how the cows died. Schlumberger did not immediately return calls for comment. If we hear from the company, we'll let you know.Increasing ferry ridership across the Hudson River seems like a no-brainer, both for those who appreciate the fresh air and relaxing commute, and for those who want less crowding on the GWB and in the Lincoln Tunnel. But what if it comes at the taxpayer's expense? On Monday, Armand Pohan, the chairman of NY Waterway - one of the largest, privately owned commuter ferry services in the U.S. – put forth a thought-provoking question to the members of the New Jersey State Assembly's Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee. Why don't we get government subsidies? Pohan said that NJ Transit derives only about half its revenue from the farebox, and the PATH system – "which loses about $400 million a year" - is subsidized at a cost of about $5 per rider. And it's only fair that companies like NY Waterway also get a piece of the pie, he argues… for everyone's benefit. "Ferries can also provide a relatively inexpensive means of providing a longer-term solution to capacity problems in the public transportation systems," Pohan asserted. "At the present time, the Regional Plan Association estimates that by 2040, trans-Hudson commuter traffic will grow by an additional 26 percent, or roughly 100,000 additional trips per day. This additional ridership simply cannot be accommodated without rehabilitating and expanding the existing public infrastructure." According to Pohan, the Port Authority Bus Terminal is already over its capacity. The rail tunnels and tracks into Penn Station, which are already aged and failing, cannot accommodate additional trains. And at a fraction of the cost of new bridges, tunnels or other massive infrastructure projects, new ferryboats and facilities can be built much more quickly and cheaply by utilizing the cheapest infrastructure of all… New York Harbor. There's just one catch: the cost. "In order for ferries to provide meaningful overspill relief, however, the public sector needs to address the great fare disparity between public and private commutation," Pohan said. "Our 30 years' experience at NY Waterway has shown that in certain areas, there may be sufficient ridership to support a private ferry service at market rates. But to divert a substantial number of additional riders to ferries may take the same kind of government support for commuter fares which is already provided for other modes of public transportation." THE PROPOSED DEAL Here's what Pohan is proposing: "We believe that NJ Transit and the Port Authority could divert a significant number of East Bergen and North Hudson commuters from the bridges and tunnels by offering those commuters a combination ticket which would provide a bus ride to the Weehawken ferry terminal, a ferry ride to our terminal in midtown Manhattan, and then a bus ride to the commuter's final midtown destination." Pohan continued: "If such a combination ticket could be offered at a price equivalent to the current bus fare to New York plus a subway fare to final destination - and it is estimated that 50 percent of bus commuters take an ongoing subway trip - we believe that a public subsidy of roughly $1 per trip could divert approximately 3,000 riders per day, an annual subsidy of a less than $1 million. A six-month pilot program on one route alone might divert about 1,000 riders at a fraction of that cost." Pohan added that if such a program proved successful on the East Bergen bus routes, it could be expanded to additional Bergen and Hudson routes, and also to a combination train-ferry ticket at Hoboken. It's a possibility that the area has already explored during the recent "Summer of Hell" delays, when many NJ Transit and PATH tickets were cross-honored via NY Waterway ferry. See related article: NY Waterway Will Continue Hoboken To Midtown Ferry Service Send local news tips, photos and press releases to [email protected] YouTube screenshot: NY WaterwayEsoteric Nazism is any of a number of mystical interpretations and adaptations of Nazism in the post–World War II period. After 1945, esoteric elements of the Third Reich were adapted into new völkisch religions of white nationalism and Neo-Nazism. Notable adherents [ edit ] Savitri Devi [ edit ] French-born Greek-English writer Savitri Devi was the first major post-war exponent of what has since become known as Esoteric Hitlerism.[1] According to that ideology, subsequent to the fall of the Third Reich and Hitler's suicide at the end of the war, Hitler himself could be deified. Devi connected Hitler's Aryanist ideology to that of the pan-Hindu part of the Indian independence movement,[2] and activists such as Subhas Chandra Bose. For her, the swastika was an especially important symbol, as she felt it symbolized Aryan unity of Hindus and Germans. Savitri Devi, above all, was interested in the Indian caste system, which she regarded as the archetype of racial laws intended to govern the segregation of different races and to maintain the pure blood of the fair-complexioned Aryans. She regarded the survival of the light-skinned minority of Brahmins among an enormous population of many different Indian races after sixty centuries as a living tribute to the value of the Aryan caste system (Goodrick-Clarke, Black Sun, p. 92). Savitri Devi integrated Nazism into a broader cyclical framework of Hindu history. She considered Hitler to be the ninth Avatar of Vishnu, and called him "the god-like Individual of our times; the Man against Time; the greatest European of all times",[3] having an ideal vision of returning his Aryan people to an earlier, more perfect time, and also having the practical wherewithal to fight the destructive forces "in Time". She saw his defeat—and the forestalling of his vision from coming to fruition—as a result of him being "too magnanimous, too trusting, too good", of not being merciless enough, of having in his "psychological make-up, too much'sun' [beneficence] and not enough 'lightning.' [practical ruthlessness]",[4] unlike his coming incarnation: "Kalki" will act with unprecedented ruthlessness. Contrarily to Adolf Hitler, He will spare not a single one of the enemies of the divine Cause: not a single one of its outspoken opponents but also not a single one of the lukewarm, of the opportunists, of the ideologically heretical, of the racially bastardised, of the unhealthy, of the hesitating, of the all-too-human; not a single one of those who, in body or in character or mind, bear the stamp of the fallen Ages.[5] Robert Charroux [ edit ] Unlike most ancient astronaut writers, Robert Charroux took a large interest in racialism. According to Charroux Hyperborea was situated between Iceland and Greenland and was the home of a Nordic white race with blonde hair and blue eyes. Charroux claimed that this race was extraterrestrial in origin and had originally come from a cold planet situated far from the sun.[6] Charroux also claimed that the white race of the Hyperboreans and their ancestors, the Celts, had dominated the whole world in the ancient past. Some of these claims of Charroux have influenced the beliefs of Esoteric Nazism such as the work of Miguel Serrano.[7][8] Miguel Serrano [ edit ] The next major figure in Esoteric Hitlerism is Miguel Serrano, a former Chilean diplomat. Author of numerous books including The Golden Ribbon: Esoteric Hitlerism (1978) and Adolf Hitler, the Last Avatar (1984), Serrano is one of a number of Nazi esotericists who regard the "Aryan blood" as originally extraterrestrial: Serrano finds mythological evidence for the extraterrestrial origins of man in the Nephilim [fallen angels] of the Book of Genesis... Serrano suggests that the sudden appearance of Cro-Magnon Man with his high artistic and cultural achievements in prehistoric Europe records the passage of one such divya-descended race alongside the abysmal inferiority of Neanderthal Man, an abomination and manifest creation of the demiurge... Of all the races on earth, the Aryans alone preserve the memory of their divine ancestors in their noble blood, which is still mingled with the light of the Black Sun. All other races are the progeny of the demiurge's beast-men, native to the planet.[9] Serrano supports this idea from various myths which assign divine ancestry to 'Aryan' peoples, and even the Aztec myth of Quetzalcoatl descending from Venus. He also cites the hypothesis of Bal Gangadhar Tilak on the Arctic homeland of the Indo-Aryans, as his authority for identifying the earthly centre of the Aryan migrations with the 'lost' Arctic continent of Hyperborea. Thus, Serrano's extraterrestrial gods are also identified as Hyperboreans.[10] In attempting to raise the spiritual development of the earthbound races, the Hyperborean divyas (a Sanskrit term for god-men) suffered a tragic setback. Expanding on a story from the Book of Enoch, Serrano laments that a renegade group among the gods committed miscegenation with the terrestrial races, thus diluting the light-bearing blood of their benefactors and diminishing the level of divine awareness on the planet.[11] The concept of Hyperborea has a simultaneously racial and mystical meaning for Serrano.[12] He believes that Hitler was in Shambhala, an underground centre in Antarctica (formerly at the North Pole and Tibet), where he was in contact with the Hyperborean gods and from whence he would someday emerge with a fleet of UFOs to lead the forces of light (the Hyperboreans, sometimes associated with Vril) over the forces of darkness (inevitably including, for Serrano, the Jews who follow Jehovah) in a last battle and thus inaugurating a Fourth Reich. [13] The " Black Sun " emblem, representing the celestial homeland of the Hyperboreans and the invisible source of their energy, according to Serrano. Serrano, however, has not identified the Black Sun with the above ornament in the Wewelsburg. According to Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke Serrano follows the Gnostic tradition of the Cathars (fl. 1025–1244) by identifying the evil demiurge as Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. As medieval dualists, these eleventh-century heretics had repudiated Jehovah as a false god and mere artificer opposed to the real God far beyond our earthly realm. This Gnostic doctrine clearly carried dangerous implications for the Jews. As Jehovah was the tribal deity of the Jews, it followed that they were devil worshipers. By casting the Jews in the role of the children of Satan, the Cathar heresy can elevate anti-Semitism to the status of a theological doctrine backed by a vast cosmology. If the Hyperborean Aryans are the archetype and blood descendents of Serrano's divyas from the Black Sun, then the archetype of the Lord of Darkness needed a counter-race. The demiurge sought and found the most fitting agent for its archetype in the Jews. As religious scholars Frederick C. Grant and Hyam Maccoby emphasize, in the view of the dualist Gnostics, "Jews were regarded as the special people of the Demiurge and as having the special historical role of obstructing the redemptive work of the High God's emissaries".[14] Serrano thus considered Hitler as one of the greatest emissaries of this High God, rejected and crucified by the tyranny of the Judaicized rabble like previous revolutionary light-bringers. Serrano had a special place in his ideology for the SS, who, in their quest to recreate the ancient race of Aryan god-men, he thought were above morality and therefore justified, after the example of the anti-humanitarian "detached violence" taught in the Aryo-Hindu Collective Aryan unconscious [ edit ] In the book Black Sun, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke reports how Carl Gustav Jung described "Hitler as possessed by the archetype of the collective Aryan unconscious and could not help obeying the commands of an inner voice". In a series of interviews between 1936 and 1939, Jung characterized Hitler as an archetype, often manifesting itself to the complete exclusion of his own personality. "'Hitler is a spiritual vessel, a demi-divinity; even better, a myth. Benito Mussolini is a man'... the messiah of Germany who teaches the virtue of the sword. 'The voice he hears is that of the collective unconscious of his race'".[15] Jung's suggestion that Hitler personified the collective Aryan unconscious deeply interested and influenced Miguel Serrano, who later concluded that Jung was merely psychologizing the ancient, sacred mystery of archetypal possession by the gods, independent metaphysical powers that rule over their respective races and occasionally possess their members.[16] A similar esoteric thesis is also put forward by Michael Moynihan in his book Lords of Chaos. Conspiracy theories and pseudoscience [ edit ] The writings of Miguel Serrano, Savitri Devi, and other proponents of Esoteric Nazism have spawned numerous later works connecting Aryan master race beliefs and Nazi escape scenarios with enduring conspiracy theories about hollow earth civilizations and shadowy new world orders.[citation needed] Since 1945, neo-Nazi writers have also proposed Shambhala and the star Aldebaran as the original homeland of the Aryans. The book Arktos: The Polar Myth in Science, Symbolism, and Nazi Survival, by Hypnerotomachia Poliphili scholar Joscelyn Godwin, discusses pseudoscientific theories about surviving Nazi elements in Antarctica. Arktos is noted for its scholarly approach and examination of many sources currently unavailable elsewhere in English-language translations. Godwin and other authors such as Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke have discussed the connections between Esoteric Nazism and Vril energy, the hidden Shambhala and Agartha civilizations, and underground UFO bases, as well as Hitler's and the SS's supposed survival in underground Antarctic oases in New Swabia or in alliance with Hyperboreans from the subterranean world.[17] Relationship to neopaganism [ edit ] Organisations such as the Armanen-Orden represent significant developments of neo-pagan esotericism and Ariosophy after World War II, but they do not all constitute forms of Nazi esotericism. Some northern European neopagan groups, such as Theods, Ásatrúarfélagið and Viðartrúar, have explicitly stated that neo-Nazism is not common among their members. On the other hand, there are neopagan organisations with close ties to neo-Nazism, such as the Artgemeinschaft or the Heathen Front, and the attraction of many neo-Nazis to Germanic paganism remains an issue particularly in Germany (see Nornirs Ætt). Neo-völkisch movements [ edit ] There is a contemporary loose network of small musical groups that combine neo-fascism and satanism. These groups can be found in Britain, France, and New Zealand, under names such as "Black Order" or "Infernal Alliance", and draw their inspiration from the Esoteric Hitlerism of Miguel Serrano.[18] These groups advocate the anti-modern neo-tribalism and "Traditionalism" found in the "pagan" mysticist ideals of Alain de Benoist's Nouvelle Droite inspired by Julius Evola. Esoteric themes, including references to artifacts such as the Holy Lance, are also often alluded to in neo-Nazi music (e.g. Rock Against Communism) and above all in National Socialist black metal.[19] See also [ edit ] Notes [ edit ]While it was already reported that the black boxes of flight MH 17 were supposedly not tempered with, despite early propaganda attempts via planted YouTube clips to claim otherwise (clips which have since disappeared replaced by other propaganda), the question of what the data recovery team operating in London would find was unanswered, until earlier today when CBS reported that "unreleased data" from a black box retrieved from the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine show findings consistent with the plane's fuselage being hit multiple times by shrapnel from a missile explosion. "It did what it was designed to do," a European air safety official told CBS News, "bring down airplanes." The official described the finding as "massive explosive decompression." Of course none of this is surprising, and has been widely known from the beginning: it was also widely known that the black box would provide no additional information on the $64K question: whose missile was it, and was it a missile launched from the ground or an air-to-air missile fired by a fighter jet. Perhaps a better question is who is leaking the "unreleased data" and what propaganda is it meant to achieve in what is, as we said a week ago, nothing but a propaganda war on both sides. As for the real questions the "released" black box data should reveal, they remain as follows: i) why was the plane diverted from its traditional flight path; and ii) what was said between the pilots and air traffic control in the minutes before the crash. Recall that the Ukraine secret service confiscated the ATC conversation logs a week ago, and the fate of said conversations has been unknown ever since, something that Malaysian Airlines revealed to the public promptly after its other, just as infamous plane anomaly, flight MH 370 disappeared forever from radar.It’s that time of year again! The now annual 20% off sale. Now technically, it’s semi-annual since it happens now and in the spring. But I don’t think anyone’s complaining about the chance to buy a brand new just released trainer for 20% off. No matter what you call it, there are some amaze-balls deals in here. And while my title says all trainers and almost all power meters, the reality is that this applies to boatloads more devices/products too. More about your imagination than anything in finding solid deals. To briefly back up: Historically speaking we see the biggest sports tech sales clustered in two timeframes: November (up to/around Black Friday), and May. It’s now November, and last weekend we saw companies start to announce sales. Plus we’ve seen some Black Friday ads start to appear (nothing earth-shattering yet in the sports tech world). In general, sales fall into two buckets: A) Retailer driven sales B) Manufacturer driven sales (specified by the manufacturer, but then sold through retailers) Within the US, manufacturers have to approve virtually all sales, to stay compliant with MAP policies (Minimum Advertised Price). Said MAP concept doesn’t exist elsewhere. So in the case of the Garmin sales below, those fall into bucket ‘B’ above. Whereas everything else in this post falls into bucket ‘A’ above. Make sense? Good. Garmin Fenix 5 & Edge 820 Sale: So we’ve got one major sale here being driven by Clever Training for 20% off, though we’ve actually got a secondary Garmin sideshow sale going on, which I’ll briefly cover first – because it’s pretty solid! The Clever Training 20% deal starts TODAY (right now), but the Garmin deals start TOMORROW/FRIDAY, November 10th, and essentially run through Christmas. These do NOT require any VIP deal, but are straight up discounts available starting tomorrow: I’m going to let Captain Obvious point out that this is the first time we’ve seen the Garmin Fenix 5 on sale, and Garmin didn’t disappoint here. Even more is that deal on the Edge 820 actually, which is also incredibly solid – that’s a mere $50 more than the non-mapping Edge 520. This is pretty much Garmin giving Wahoo the middle finger (after Wahoo did that courtesy to Garmin all summer). I wouldn’t expect an Edge 820 replacement anytime soon (it’s only been out just over a year). And while Garmin has historically announced Fenix series refreshes each January (alternating major or minor, with major happening this year), I’m not as convinced that we’ll see that happen this upcoming year per historical norms. Plus, these two that already started last weekend: Note that this being the start of the holiday sales period, things will obviously come into play over the next three weeks. However, I can say incredibly confidently that you won’t see any deals greater than 20% off for the eligible items listed below in the VIP sale. You’ll likely see individual watches/bike computers go on sale, maybe maxing out around 30% or so, but since none of those are eligible for this sale, it doesn’t much matter in this context. GoPro Hero6 Black
Miss Kopp's Midnight Confessions is a fun book whose mysteries you'll love uncovering. Click here to buy. 'All That Makes Life Bright: The Life and love of Harriet Beecher Stowe' by Josi S. Kilpack You've heard her name in history class, but how much do you really know about the kind of life famed abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe actually lived? In All That Makes Life Bright, author Josi S. Kilpack gives us an intimate and imaginative look at Harriet's romance and marriage with husband Calvin Stowe. From the first signs of romance to the joy of the wedding to the insecurities of new marriage, All That Makes Life Bright explores Harriet's struggles and triumphs balancing life as a new wife and mother with her passion for writing and social justice. A moving book about one of history's most remarkable women, this historical fiction novel will change the way you see Harriet, and transform the way you read Uncle Tom's Cabin. Click here to buy. 'The Unquiet Grave' by Sharyn McCrumb When Mary Jane Heaster buried her the remains of her daughter Zona, she thought she'd never see her beloved girl again. That is, until one night when Zona's ghost appears to her mother to tell her she has been murdered, a wild claim confirmed by an autopsy performed a month after the funeral. To say it was the strangest case James P. D. Gardner, the first black attorney to practice law in West Virginia, would be an understatement. Over 30 years later while confined to an insane asylum following a suicide attempt and forced to talk through his insanity with a young new doctor, Gardner is still trying to work through the details of his most memorable, and most haunting, case. Based on one of the most incredible ghost stories in American folklore, The Unquiet Grave is a fascinating historical fiction novel you won't be able to put down. Click here to buy. 'The Twelve-Mile Straight' by Eleanor Henderson When Elma Jesup, the daughter of a white sharecropper in 1930 Georgia, gives birth to two babies, everyone is shocked to see one is born with light skin and the other dark. Desperate for an explanation, Elma's family blames Genus Jackson for rape before lynching him and dragging his body behind a truck through town. As Elma does the best she can raising her children with the help of Nan, a young black housekeeper and Elma's closest confidant, uncomfortable secrets get uncovered that threaten the fragile world the Jesups have built at the farm, along with the inhabitants who live there. A sharp and illuminating novel about race, violence, class, and the lines that divide us, The Twelve Mile Straight is a timely story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Click here to buy. 'Caroline: Little House, Revisited' by Sarah Miller In this authorized retelling of one of America's most beloved tales, Sarah Miller revisits the familiar world of Little House through the experiences of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls. A young mother of two, Caroline never left her familiar home of Big Woods, Wisconsin, before she set out with her husband for the unknown in the Kansas Indian Territory. It's there, in an undeveloped land without doctors or neighbors to help, that Caroline learns to tap into the strength she needed to keep herself and her family alive, a strength she never knew she had before beginning her life as a pioneer woman. A stunning and sentimental novel brimming with historical detail, Caroline grants readers a chance at a new experience with an old familiar story. Click here to buy. 'I, Eliza Hamilton' by Susan Holloway Scott It was practically love at first sight when Elizabeth Schuyler, the daughter of a respected general from a good family, first met Alexander Hamilton. Despite the unrest in their young nation, the couple marry and quickly become one another's closest allies and confidants. When the revolution is over and Hamilton becomes one of the country's most influential leaders, Eliza is by his side to support him not just as a wife and mother, but as an assistant and advisor. Despite the public scrutiny, scandals, betrayals, and tragedy, one of America's most famous couples stays together until the end and beyond. A fascinating look inside one of the nation's most complicated yet beloved romances, I, Eliza Hamilton is perfect for anyone who still has that Hamilton buzz. Click here to buy. 'Manhattan Beach' by Jennifer Egan (Oct. 3) Anna Kerrigan has never forgotten the face of the mysterious man she and her father visited by the sea when she was just a child. While working as the first female diver in the Brooklyn Naval Yard years later, after her father's disappearance and well into World War II, Anna spots Dexter again at a nightclub, only this time, she finally begins to understand how exactly he is connected to her father's past and her own future. A rich and provocative period piece that will have you feverishly flipping pages, fans of Egan's previous novels will delight in her first foray into historical fiction. Click here to buy. 'The Green Phoenix: A Novel of the Woman Who Re-Made Asia, Empress Xiaozhuang' by Alice Poon (Oct. 15) Born a Mongolian princess, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuan became the first matriarch of the Qing Dynasy. A ruthless leader, master manipulator, and driven and determined ruler, Dowager Xiaozhuan lead a fascinating life filled with love and betrayal, political intrigue and personal crisis, painful heartache and national growth. A tantalizing story of one of history's most fascinating women, The Green Phoenix will show readers a the world like they've never seen before. Click here to buy. 'Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel of Christmas Past' by Samantha Silva (Oct. 31) Go inside the making of the world's most famous Christmas story in Mr. Dickens and His Carol, a fun romp through the life and work of England's iconic author. Maybe it is his latest literary failure, the fact that nearly everyone he knows owes him money, or the annoying persistence of his publishers to write a holiday story, but this year, Charles Dickens is not in the Christmas spirit. While everyone around him plans lavish parties and wraps elaborate gifts, Charles is haunted by stories of the poor and plagued with seemingly incurable writer's block. That is, until he escapes to London where he meets Eleanor Lovejoy, a muse sent from heaven who sets Charles off on a journey fit only for one of his most famous characters: Ebenezer Scrooge. A fun and witty story about love, friendship, and generosity, Mr. Dickens and His Carol is on its way to becoming a classic not unlike its subject matter. Click here to buy. 'The Revolution of Marina M' by Janet Finch (Nov. 7) Before New Year's Eve 1916, Marina Makarova was a young genteel woman who felt trapped by her privileged life. After New Year's Eve, she became a brave and bold young woman who marches for workers' rights during the Russian Revolution, falls passionately in love with radical artist, and lets go of everything she held dear before. But, all too quickly, she also becomes a young woman betrayed, and Marina is left with little more but her own strength and perseverance to help get her through years of political unrest, national upheaval, personal heartbreak, and private tragedy. A captivating novel starring an unforgettable heroine, The Revolution of Marina M. shows you a side to the Russian Revolution you've never seen before. Click here to buy.Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment’s mystery character named Plus, customize your own Kirito in ad-hoc multiplayer mode. In previous media for Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, we saw a mysterious girl who Kirito runs into in Aincrad’s unexplored “Hollow Area.” This week’s Dengeki PlayStation confirms her name to be Filia, voiced by Yui Ishikawa (who also voices Attack on Titan‘s Mikasa). The game will have an ad-hoc multiplayer mode that supports up to eight characters (four players with partner characters). Each will be able to customize their own Kirito, changing features such as his face, hairdo, and voice. Other tidbits from Dengeki include: there will be actions you can do with your partner; maps and graphics are being retouched for PS Vita; and it sounds like you’ll be able to control the camera (for instance, to see the heroine up close). Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment is due out for PS Vita next year in Japan. Thanks, Game Nyarth.Dear ______, You won’t be reading this, and it honestly sucks that I never would have sent it if you could. I think the last proper fight we had happened summer of ’93, over a game of Pirates n’ Robbers or some such beautiful idiocy. The thing about growing up is that it teaches us to stop telling the truth. We learn that it’s not socially acceptable or welcome to speak our minds, even if doing so could save a life. “It’s hubris,” we tell ourselves. “Why should my opinion change the outcome of any event, let alone the course of a life?” And so it is. Just like they said it would be. The meek shall inherit. Generation upon generation of up-and-coming innocents, thinking they’ll be different – a different kind of adult. The kind that speaks whole truths, even – especially – truths unwelcome and awkward. But then, somehow, we don’t. We don’t turn out any differently. I didn’t. You see, if I knew it might save your life, I would’ve told you that I don’t like you very much. I don’t like the things about you that remind me of things I could slip and fall into myself. I would’ve told you that everything you worked so hard to hide were exactly the things I admired about you – those glimpses of generosity, of pensiveness, of depth and compassion. But you let all of that get warped by what you thought you were supposed to be. You’ve been a real asshole these last fifteen years, you know that? You let that fine mind of yours drown out a fine heart. And it killed me to see my cousin, my big brother, become his parents’ trophy son, rather than the incredible man I knew those times you put yourself in front of a moving car and a raging parent, for me. Remember? I do. I suppose I could remember just that, only that. But that would be a lie, too. Because last summer, you said to me, “I don’t know if we should help homeless people. It just enables them to stay that way.” And you’re only kidding yourself if you think that’s the real reason you don’t help them. It’s not that you’re unkind. It’s that you want to be unkind, if only being so saves you from turning into a sentimental loser. God forbid. So I’m sorry to say, but I recall ugly moments with you, too. Even death can’t cheat a memory. The deepest secret that no one knows (or perhaps only I think that no one knows) is that I’m scared of you. I’m terrified that your success means you did life the right way. Because it flies in the face of how I want to live my life. It says I’m supposed to trade passion for pocket money, compassion for self-interest, belly laughter for thin, toothless smirks. I’d hate to think life is exactly as base and predictable as playground bullies will have us believe. What I want to believe is that if you lived 29 more years, you’d unlock your soul and toss the key. You’d realize that the life your parents want for you isn’t always the life you ought to have, but that there’s always time to turn it around and sail in another direction. Against the current and face to the breeze this time. My brother, did you know? There’s always time. You see, if I knew it might save your life, I would’ve told you that I love you very much. And it is because I love you, that I can’t like who you are right now. I miss fighting with you, learning from you. And even though your death teaches me more than you could ever imagine – more than I can foresee, in ways subtle and waiting to be discovered – I never wanted to learn this way. Never. Fuck you, man. Seriously. You’re such an asshole. I don’t know if it will save his life, but I’m going to tell your brother these truths. I’m going to be a shoulder for him, even if all he ever does is ignore it. I promise. Who do I send this to, now that I can’t and wouldn’t have sent it to you? Into the universe, I guess, where all unsent letters go… All my sadness, all my anger. All my heart, Irene (Your Pirate Cousin)Zhang Yongming (1956 – January 10, 2013) was a Chinese serial killer who was convicted of, and subsequently confessed to, the murder of 11 males between March 2008 and April 2012. It is believed that he fed flesh from some of his victims to his dogs and sold other parts at the local market, calling it "ostrich meat". He was executed on January 10, 2013. Biography [ edit ] Little is known about Zhang's early life. He was arrested and sentenced to death in 1979 for intentional homicide, but was released in September 1997 after receiving sentence reductions. Upon his release, he was given some land near his village of Nanmen in Jincheng Township, Jinning County, China.[1] Crimes [ edit ] In early May 2012, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China sent a team of investigators to Yunnan Province after media reports of missing teenagers in the area. One of the missing persons, a 19-year-old man, identified as Han Yao, was confirmed as having been murdered.[2] The investigation showed that an alleged serial killer had begun attacking males who were walking along on a road near Zhang's home starting 2008. After the murders, it was alleged that Zhang used various means of disposing of the bodies, including dismemberment, burning and burial, to destroy the evidence.[1] Residents of Zhang's village stated they had seen plastic bags hanging from his home with what appeared to be bones protruding from them. Upon entering his home, police reported discovering human eyeballs preserved in bottles and what appeared to be human flesh drying. It was further alleged that Zhang fed his dogs flesh from some of his victims as well as selling it at the local market, calling it "ostrich meat".[3] Aftermath [ edit ] During his trial, it was reported that Zhang refused to apologize for the killings and did not show any remorse.[4] He was executed on January 10, 2013.[5] Twelve police officers were penalized for dereliction of duty regarding the murders, including Da Qiming, Jinning police chief, and Zhao Huiyun, head of the Jincheng Township police station, who were both dismissed from office.[2] See also [ edit ]When is a winning lottery ticket not a winning ticket? When it's a misprint.Lottery officials in New Mexico say a Roswell man's ticket was definitely a misprint and they won't give him any payout, KOB-TV reports John Wines bought a scratch-off ticket at a gas station in Roswell in December. As he started scratching, five winning numbers, ones and twos, were revealed for a prize of more than $500,000."There's a 1 right here for $250,000," said Wines. "Right below that is another 1 and it's a $250,000 winner."But here's the problem: The maximum prize for the game is only supposed to be $250,000.Still, Wines thought he'd struck it rich and went back to the gas station to claim his money. The clerk put it through the machine to verify the ticket and discovered the ticket was a misprint.The clerk told him the store doesn't pay out for misprints, and Lottery officials told him the same thing when he contacted them. They then sent Wines an email thanking him for bringing the printing error to their attention and offered him $100 in scratch-off tickets for his trouble.Wines, who just retired, still wants his half million."I mean, if you thought you won $500,000 and somebody tells you that you didn't, and you can prove to them you did, it's pretty stressful for somebody to say, 'No, you're not getting your money,'" Wines said.Wines likely doesn't have legal grounds for a fight. Buried in the fine print of the official lottery rules is this line stating, "The NMLA is not responsible for erroneously printed or mutilated Tickets."SpiceJet’s flight SG-141 took off from New Delhi after an hour’s delay at 9.30pm on 18 January. As the plane lifted, so did Anand Madanagopal’s spirit—he was returning home after winning the Google Grand Jury Prize at the StartupIndia Launchpad. An hour into the flight, the impressions of the event were crowding in his mind when he heard a loud thud. A young man had collapsed at the lavatory door. The air hostess rushed and raised his legs. After a few minutes of nervous flutter in the aircraft, Madanagopal hesitantly took out his mobile intelligent remote cardiac monitor, MIRCaM, and strapped it on to the man. The heart rate was low at 40, but the graph plotting on the tablet screen showed no adverse cardiac event. “There was a physician on board peering over my shoulder; the pilot came out of the cockpit and offered to make an emergency landing at the nearest town. They were all looking up to me to make a decision; I was anxious, but I relied on my device. The heart rate had begun climbing up, the expert system in the device showed no infarct. I took a chance and we came to Bengaluru," he says. On landing, once again everyone waited for him to decide the next steps. He brought the 22-year-old to MS Ramaiah Hospital where he showed the ECG recording to the doctor. By then, the guy was walking and ready to go home. It was an impromptu test for the diagnostic solution that Madanagopal had been developing at his four-year-old Cardiac Design Labs (CDL). The circumstances, location and the outcome on that January night proved all he had been labouring to prove in any case: Everything that ECG-based devices do for cardiac disease diagnosis and monitoring can be done in a mobile environment and, more importantly, in real time. To a large extent, ECG has seen commodification. Like noting body weight and height, recording ECG for a walk-in patient has become routine. Many cardiac hospitals run free ECG tests in their out-patient departments. Everything that ECG-based devices do for cardiac disease diagnosis and monitoring can be done in a mobile environment and, more importantly, in real time. Hemant Mishra/Mint The irony is, routine examination is a resting ECG test which can detect only acute cases. So, if you have palpitation or unnatural sweating one day but you choose to see the doctor the next day, or even a few hours later, there are high chances that the ECG, a mere 10-12 seconds of electrical function analysis, will detect nothing. “When you lie down, the heart rate itself falls, the load on it is nil; it doesn’t even have gravity straining it," says Madanagopal. “That’s correct, which is why real-time monitoring is any doctor’s most-desired tool," says Dr Ashok Seth, chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi. “Today, we have a few such devices, but either they are single lead (that is, electrode) or they are not fully automatic; one needs to manually download the recordings." Similar challenges in rhythm abnormalities began to be addressed when the Holter monitor came into clinical use in the early 1960s. Typically, a patient wears the device for 24 hours after which it is plugged into a PC for a post-facto analysis. Less than 20% of hospitals have front-line devices to detect arrhythmia or coronary heart disease. India would not be able to afford four devices, Madanagopal thought, and built one to do the work of all—from clinics to ambulance, intensive care units to post-operative care—at home. “Doctors don’t like this. They have told me you are hitting under the belt. If you want, please do four devices, but don’t make it so comprehensive. I am collecting all feedback, I’m at the cusp of learning," he says. The instrumentation itch The bug of learning was always there, which would make him wonder “why only the Germans could build BMW". Back in the tech slowdown of the early 2000s, when outsourcing projects were drying up at Tata Elxsi, Madanagopal was sent for an on-site project at Texas Instruments. When testing projects were handed out to him, he remembers fighting with the sales manager over the quality of work. He said he could do a lot more. “I was grumpy in that TI meeting. I had this horrible patriotic feeling when anyone implied that we could only do simple jobs," he says. “I said if he gave me a team, I could build the whole product. Finally, he gave us the full portion and we built the DVD writer full stack. I don’t have a pedigree, I am a simple MCA; I did my masters from BITS-Pilani while working at Tata Elxsi, but I know instrumentation." Everyone in Tata Elxsi understood Madanagopal had to strike out on his own. So, his managers would invite him to meet “interesting" people visiting the company. One day in 2010, he met P.V. Gopal, co-founder of Alpha X-Rays, which was acquired by Philips in 2008. “Gopal told me, ‘unless you get out of (Tata Elxsi), you can’t do anything’. I quit on the fifth day from that meeting," he says. The next six months were spent researching. Healthcare was his hobby reading from high school when he would devour Know Your Body volumes from Reader’s Digest. “I decided it would be a non-invasive, diagnostic device which would solve a problem," says Madanagopal. His neighbour, T.R. Raghunandan, who knew Dr K. Mohandas, former director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, sent him to Thiruvananthapuram. “Mohandas told me, ‘This country doesn’t work by merit; it works by people who know people. Since Raghu has sent you, I’ll spend time with you’," says Madanagopal. An anesthetist and administrator, Mohandas was part of the team that built India’s first heart valve, Chitra Valve, a massively collaborative project under the Union health ministry. Through its engineering head, Aswath Ramani, Madanagopal landed at the desk of Dr M.S. Valiathan, the architect of the valve, who later became the first vice-chancellor of Manipal University. “I am a cardiac surgeon, not a cardiologist, but I know ECG devices like Holter reach only 10% of the patients. Even here at Kasturba (Medical College), when a patient comes with palpitation, we have to put him on a Holter, but cannot do that straightaway; we ask him to take an appointment, which often is after two weeks. So, I was impressed by the idea Anand was presenting, especially that it would be so rugged and simple that a farmer could transmit data from the field. I gave him lot of encouragement, as I give to all medical device developers," says Dr Valiathan. Ramani, the engineering brain behind several medical technologies developed at Tirunal and who came to TTK Group in 1992 when the former transferred the technology, became his mentor. An electrochemical engineer from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Ramani held his hand but more crucially, convinced his former colleague from Tirunal Institute, cardiologist Dr K.G. Balakrishnan, to guide Madanagopal. Balakrishnan took his time, nearly 10 sittings over biscuits and tea at his residence. “Anand came up with many things which were not feasible. Finally, he took this up and thought of telemetry over 2G," he says. The main purpose of ambulatory ECG is to see the irregularities of heartbeats, but the disturbances due to movement are so high in Holter that the interpretation of another important complication like ischemia is not easy. Ischemia or coronary heart disease occurs when there’s reduced blood supply to the heart due to the narrowing of arteries. “If you don’t get a steady baseline, how will you interpret ischemia?" asks Balakrishnan, now a senior consultant at Fortis Hospital in Bengaluru. “What CDL has built is a unique system in the world where we can detect irregularities of the beats as well as ischemia." While Madanagopal was figuring his way, one day in 2011, he walked up to Sashi Kumar who lives across the street from him. Kumar often eyed Madanagopal’s Land Rover, a vintage 1958 olive green SUV. It was Kumar’s last day at Microsoft; he had a six-week break before he joined SAP. “Anand said he was working on an idea and needed help to flesh out a business plan. I was more interested in his Land Rover than his business idea. But we hit it off," says Kumar, who is now the managing director and CEO of Happiest Minds. The inclusive nature of the business attracted him. Hammering it out Outside, the mercury touches 37 degrees Celsius, but the asbestos roof of the tricked-out garage amplifies the heat inside. Mosin Badkar has MIRCaM strapped on to him for a demonstration. The R&D chief is using it on himself for the first time. The heart rate is 96. Isn’t it on the higher range? He brushes off the observation, linking it to his higher-than-average weight. A few minutes into the reading, the electricity goes; and a while later, the UPS starts beeping. The solo pedestal fan has to be switched off; Badkar’s heart rate shoots up to 123. Before anybody can react, he says, “Without air-conditioning, our productivity goes down in this place, please write it down." “We are a start-up, we cannot afford an AC," jibes Madanagopal. Everything about the place embodies the hands-on approach of the founder, reminding one of the Japanese concept of mottainai (let nothing go waste). The 900-odd sq. ft of office space is a garage that was converted into an office by hand, literally. The ground floor looks like a mechanic’s shop floor and the first floor, made of waste-packing wood bought at ₹ 7 a kilo, resembles more a loft in a barn than a workspace for a dozen engineers. A welded staircase connects the two floors. The side walls have embedded pigeon-hole shelves, the kind used by a post office to sort mail but which Madanagopal picked up from scrap to store tools. Next to the modest conference table is a green hand-moulding machine. Laser cutting, bending of sheet metal and assembly of the bodyworn are all done here. The idea was to avoid injection-moulding because the initial years require a few trial moulds, which itself can cost upwards of ₹ 50 lakh, says Praveen Murthy, who heads hardware and production. The garage is a reflection of the intricate instrumentation that runs through CDL—from the device to the app. At the core of MIRCaM is a bodyworn, weighing 165 grams, with 10 electrodes (which constitute 12 leads in a full-scale ECG) tethered to 1 mm coaxial cables. The display or the patient-side device is a Samsung tablet where all the intelligence rests; it’s a phone if used in ambulatory care. The ECG is recorded in the bodyworn, transmitted to the tablet or phone via Bluetooth and then reported in the cloud and to a doctor’s device over 2G. Other ECG machines push PDFs or images to the hand-held device; MIRCaM sends raw binary data along with metadata to the device, in effect suggesting to a doctor how to treat the patient even as the app plots the ECG on the phone. This ‘instrumentation in the app’ keeps the size of the file low, just about 100 kb, which enables transmission over 2G. “Because the entire intelligence is on the back-end device—most companies try to load the front end—only cardiac events are pushed into the cloud or the doctor’s phone. In case of an event, the expert system can send alerts, which can be customized. Say, you are jogging around a park and you experience pain, the doctor can analyse in real time what is happening—it could be a rhythm problem or a secondary block," he says. It’s the copious programming that does the trick. Many ECG systems use an off-the-shelf algorithm; companies in Western Europe and Ireland rule the market. For instance, BPL ECGs use a Glasgow University algorithm. “A few vendors said we will give you the algorithm and you can do something more than the call centres. An Irish company we identified wanted $200 royalty per product, so we decided to do everything ourselves, and from scratch," says Badkar. He recently relocated to Bengaluru after working for STMicroelectronics and ARM R&D centres in Bristol, UK. Along with his former Tata Elxsi colleague Murthy, Badkar had been working remotely on MIRCaM till it reached a stage where they could join full time. How they put together their algorithm is notable. For two years, twice a week, they took cardiology lessons from Dr Balakrishnan, converting the textbook knowledge of cardiac diagnosis into codes. “Basically, what I have taught them is the electrical happenings of the heart, not the real pump action. For every abnormality, there is an explanation; they noted meticulously and converted everything into an algorithm. We cross-checked how our intelligence worked on MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) data and I can say MIRCaM’s accuracy beats conventional methods," says Dr Balakrishnan. (MIT-BIH arrhythmia database is the international benchmark for testing the performance of such algorithms.) A clinical study at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal between October and December 2014 on 73 patients showed a complete match between MIRCaM’s and doctors’ diagnoses. Unlike other systems, which use every new ECG against a data set of disease ECG to see how close the match is, MIRCaM doesn’t have a disease data set. It pulls out recording segments and analyses them just as a doctor would do. In many countries, large device makers run call centres where technicians mark out disease segments from the recording which, of course, add to the cost of the test. Getting to this stage wasn’t a cakewalk though. In mid-2014, they deployed MIRCaM at Kasturba Medical College under Dr Ranjan Shetty, who gave them a taste of complexity on the first day. They had barely driven 20km when Shetty called to say that the device wasn’t behaving well. On return, they found the ECG was plotting, but a weird V-shaped graph and the screen showed no heart rate. It was a slightly rare case, of atrial ectopic beats, and Shetty, the canny doctor that he is, challenged them saying the device should detect all kinds of patients. “We went back to basics. Sacked our signal processing expert; Mosin and I rolled up our sleeves and did the entire signal processing ourselves," says Madanagopal. “I have been critical from the beginning because at the back of my mind is the rural setting in which this ought to work. Other devices detect offline, this one does real time, which itself is a big advance. But ECG as a whole has a limitation—it can’t pick up 3-4% of heart attacks. For the rest, I suggested to them to over diagnose, not miss even a borderline case," says Dr Shetty. Before CDL came to him, he was actively working to develop a hub-and-spoke model in Udupi between 59 primary health centres and the district hospital where at least with some training and an intelligent algorithm, the local caregiver could tell whether it was myocardial infarction or not. As the team improved the algorithms, it also built an active patient management workflow. With a single app, a hospital can organize which set of smaller feeding centres will go into the intermediate centre, direct them to different doctors, and so on. Multiple configurations are possible, but each user will see only what it is supposed to see. In all this, they may have made it as simple as using WhatsApp, which is actually their competitor, to an extent. “In many hospitals, duty doctors send ECG on WhatsApp. They keep sending multiple pictures, but they are using this app," says Madanagopal. In the past 18 months, CDL has won a few awards; one of them being the ‘Most Innovative Product’ award from India Electronics Semiconductor Association, where General Electric (GE) as a category sponsor gave away the award. Since then, the industrial conglomerate has engaged with CDL, even considering investing in the start-up at one point, but when GE Capital was hived off in 2015, the engagement slipped into a limbo. (When contacted for this story, GE refused to comment.) But most ECG device makers, even users, will be watching CDL as it begins to enter the market this year. Disrupting the system Could it make an impact in the underserved market or disrupt the cartelization itself where healthcare providers want to control the full value chain? The outlook for cardiac care has been growing grimmer. Heart diseases account for nearly 30% of all deaths in India; 90% of the 64 million patients go to small hospitals where there is no cardiologist, and there are just about 5 heart doctors per million people. Therefore, on paper, India looks like fertile ground for all that is remote care delivery; in reality, telemedicine has remained confined to pilots, which each big hospital can claim to have done (and which find mention in their conference presentations). “Telemedicine has failed mainly because what remote locations need is therapy at low cost on site, which we cannot provide. If we could do 70% of what we do on site here, it would create the tier system whereby only the sickest need to go away from primary and secondary centres," says Dr Seth. In the early 2000s when the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) offered free satellite communication services, Narayana Hrudayalaya was the first to use it for tele-consultation. Most other big hospitals followed, without thinking through their business model around it. A few years later, when Isro went soft, hospitals could not scale it because they had not invested in technology, says Vishal Bali, co-founder and chairman of Medwell Ventures and former group CEO of Fortis Healthcare. “Look at where teleradiology has gone—it has connected to the world. That’s because it is just movement and archiving of images. But cardiology needed live data transfer for which medical technology was not ready. It also couldn’t happen over 2G or the kind of network we had. So, for many, telecardiology became a follow-up activity," says Bali. CDL intends to sell the device at about 45,000 and take a fee every time it’s used on a patient. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint For now, CDL is installing MIRCaM at a few cardiac centres in cities, but it knows real customers are in smaller towns—general practitioners (GPs), clinics, and 20-30 bed hospitals (which do C-sections but not use a bedside monitor). It intends to sell the device at about ₹ 45,000 and take a fee every time it’s used on a patient. “Through software-as-a-service model, it could help GPs in the hinterland read ECGs, maybe even ayurvedic doctors who are probably giving the wrong diagnosis," says Bali. Pay per use has been tested for a while. Most equipment makers, including GE and Philips, have tried this, but none has made a success of it. The economics of direct pay per use with GPs doesn’t work out, says Priyank Agarwal, vice-president and head of strategy and business development at Philips India. “If CDL’s device costs ₹ 40-50,000 and in tier-I, II towns, ECG costs ₹ 150-200, there is hardly any money that can be shared in the fee and still make it worthwhile. Additionally, most GPs are not trained to read an ECG," says Agarwal. To address that, doctors are advising Madanagopal to build the “complete hub" where expert system-referred patients coming from remote areas will be seen by a panel of cardiologists and then forwarded to hospitals. How far will the patients be spared repeat examinations when every centre today wants to prescribe its own tests? “There will be some repeat of some tests, but not all. Remember, analysis of these readings will come at a cost," argues Dr Seth. Madanagopal believes he’s already solving one problem—saving unnecessary travel of remote patients for the first line of diagnosis, even therapy to some extent. “We will attack the second problem (of repeat testing) gradually," he says. Agarwal believes a sizeable opportunity lies in the deployment by cardiologists and hospitals to increase patient flow. “Say, a cardiologist deploys 10 machines, which increases his outlay by ₹ 2.5-4 lakh, but through this his referral, patient flow increases. And if he is able to increase utilization of his cathlab, then the investment pays off in a handsome way," says Agarwal. Several cardiologists and hospitals are already deploying this model, but there is potential to increase this further. That still doesn’t serve the purpose with which Sashi Kumar and Madanagopal made the business plan five years ago—to make cardiac care inclusive. Tough-minded, yet wryly maverick, Madanagopal, 43, takes Dr Valiathan’s words seriously—a high-quality, inexpensive device is no guarantee that it will be a market success. He has been fending off a serious offer from one of the largest hospital chains in the country, which wants to white label his product on its own pricing terms. “Earlier, I thought I would be
across 200,000 sq. ft with a capacity of more than 800,000 cubic ft. Founded in 2010 by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal as a deals site, Snapdeal is promoted by New Delhi-based Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd. The company has more than 300,000 sellers and over 35 million products across 800 plus categories. It currently delivers goods to more than 6,000 cities and towns in India.Many of the players that sat during Wednesday's practice have returned on Thursday, while the team practices in the slushy snow inside Paul Brown Stadium. A good idea, considering that these conditions will be similar to what we'll see at kickoff on Sunday. The only players that didn't practice, or worked practicing when the media attended the first 30 minutes of practice, was offensive tackle Anthony Collins and cornerback Terence Newman. Collins suffered an ankle injury against the Baltimore Ravens but gutted through the injury to play the rest of the game midway through the fourth. Newman is still recovering from an MCL sprain against the Indianapolis Colts. It appears that even Kyle Cook, who was sporting crutches and a boot on Tuesday, was dressed for practice. According to reports, A.J. Green and Andre Smith also returned to practice. Tyler Eifert, who has been dealing with a neck injury, was dressed for Thursday's session, as was Wallace Gilberry who was undergoing concussion protocols earlier this week.THE PENTAGON – The U.S. military can no longer count on dominating any domain of warfare against near peer enemies and instead must aim for “local and temporal domain superiority”– making efforts to tie together weapons and sensors in a cross-domain web more important than ever, the Navy’s deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems (OPNAV N9) told USNI News. Rear Adm. Mike Manazir said in a Sept. 26 interview that the Navy has many effective kill chains – a sensor that provides targeting data to a platform that can then launch a weapon against a target – in the air, ground, surface and undersea domains. The service has even made progress netting together some of these kill chains within a single domain, bringing together airplanes that rely on different communications waveforms and were not built to be interoperable, such as a recent effort to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and its unique Multifunction Advanced Data Link (MADL) communications into the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) architecture. Now, these kill chains need to be strung together to create a cross-domain kill web, enabling any plane or any ship to pull information from whatever sensor happens to have relevant data, regardless of domain. “if I have a multi-domain approach to an anti-access/area-denial problem, and I know that my undersea domain is the one with the lowest warfighting risk – in other words, they can get in the closest – how do I then take that information and move it into the domain with the highest warfighting risk, which would be the air domain?” Manazir said. “If I can share information across a distributed fleet, and I can distribute the fleet such that I can maximize my kinetic and non-kinetic effects, I can get into the A2/AD environment, optimizing my risk, establish local and temporal domain superiority, whatever domain that is, and I can operate in there for a bit and I can move. And so the benefit of naval forces is we can move, and we can move at 30 knots theoretically. … But this idea of a distributed fleet counts on the ability to connect, counts on the ability to share information, counts on the fact that I can use my fleet to establish in any of those domains local and temporal superiority and then move out, with the understanding that I will never be able to dominate anymore against Russian threats and against Chinese threats. Things like air dominance is just not a term that has any usefulness anymore; we don’t dominate. And so you have to create superiority in whatever domain that you are in from the time it takes for you to achieve that effect, and then you go somewhere else, you redeploy.” Manazir, and the Navy’s requirements community, have to change their thinking to make that vision a reality. The rear admiral, who until May served as the director of air warfare (OPNAV N98), said his previous job was platform-centric. Now, “I had started evolving my thinking from the fact that the next fight is not going to be platform-centric, it’s going to be capability-centric.” The Navy has many of the platforms it will need for a future fight – a Super Hornet/F-35 combo, increasingly capable baselines of the Aegis Combat System, a Flight III destroyer, more advanced blocks of Virginia-class attack submarines, and so on – that together represent significant capability. They just can’t all talk to each other in real time, with target-quality accuracy. For Manazir, the basic approach for tying these systems all together needs improvement. “Instead of having a system of systems approach, where you’re doing the engineering to connect the systems, you have a system of services approach where an airplane might say, hey I need a sensor out there that can tell me where this target is, and you use sensors out there – whether it’s Aegis or another, F-18, F-35 – you could have an app-based approach and then the operator could say, hey, I get good data from this F-18, select, there it is, and be able to do it.” This preference for a systems of services approach has acquisition implications. For instance, to get an F-35 talking to a ship, the Navy wouldn’t put a proprietary MADL radio receiver on all the ships. Instead, a software solution could help translate MADL and any other waveform into something the ship could understand. Manazir likened it to an American taking electrical devices to Europe; the American doesn’t need a new outlet installed in the wall to accommodate the differently-shaped electrical plugs, but rather needs a universal adapter as a “cross-domain solution” to connect the American plug to the European outlet. “We view the next fight as one in which you need to be able to be agile in the electromagnetic spectrum and be able to move information, and so in order to succeed in that fight, all platforms and weapons systems have to be able to communicate,” he said. One challenge is the sheer engineering of this – the “cross-domain solutions” that would help navigate all the sensors, platforms and weapons using different communications waveforms, as well as physical challenges of moving information from above the sea to under the sea, or from space to the surface, for example. Once successful in that, the second challenge is creating trust in a system where operators are pulling information – and information that could lead to them shooting at a target, with lethal consequences – without knowing where that information comes from. “That’s what I’m looking for, the ability to just take all of these inputs and say I don’t even care where it comes from,” Manazir said. “I don’t care if it comes from [satellites], I don’t care if it comes from a guy with a telescope on a ridge somewhere and he beams it up into something that says ‘hey this is a bad guy and here’s where it is and here’s a picture of him.’” Getting to that point will require software solutions – a lot of algorithms that can sort through massive amounts of data from all manner of sources and present the operator with an actionable view of the battlespace and clear decisions to be made, Manazir said. “Theoretically the human can sit … and he or she is presented with red colored targets, amber maybe unknowns, and blue friendlies, they can say, okay, I see the battlespace, I can deliver an effect,” he said. A human will still need to make the ultimate decision, of course, but he said this machine system could help make sense of every sensor’s view of the Strait of Malacca, for example, and pinpoint which vessels could be threats, allowing a human to apply logic and rules of engagement and make decisions. If this can happen quickly enough, Manazir said the Navy will have achieved “decision superiority.” Referring to the OODA loop decision-making cycle of observing, orienting, deciding and acting, Manazir said the ultimate goal of sharing so much information between platforms and having machines determine information’s relevancy is to “gain knowledge of the battlespace so that if the machines are doing … OO and they just present to you a space, you can decide and act. And if you do it right, you can keep the adversary in the OO phase most of the time, and he’s over there orienting and reorienting and reorienting and reorienting, and he can’t act so you shoot.”Zombies are actually quite problematic, though the problem seems to be with only one female zombie, Kol Haron Api, as Zephania (3:8) said: כִּי מִשְׁפָּטִי לֶאֱסֹף גּוֹיִם לְקָבְצִי מַמְלָכוֹת, לִשְׁפֹּךְ עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמִי, כֹּל חֲרוֹן אַפִּי, כִּי בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתִי, תֵּאָכֵל כָּל-הָאָרֶץ Because My judgment is to gather the nations to heap upon them My zombie, Kol Haron Api, because My jealousy is on fire, and she [Kol Haron Api] will eat all the earth. But fundamentally, Jews shouldn't have to worry about the zombie apocalypse, as is made clear in Isaiah (66:14), zombies will only attack G-d's enemies: וּרְאִיתֶם וְשָׂשׂ לִבְּכֶם, וְעַצְמוֹתֵיכֶם כַּדֶּשֶׁא תִפְרַחְנָה; וְנוֹדְעָה יַד-ה' אֶת-עֲבָדָיו, וְזָעַם אֶת-אֹיְבָיו And when you see this, your heart will rejoice, and your bones will flourish like young grass; and the hand of G-d will be known to His servants, and a zombie [will be known] to His enemies. However, Isaiah (26:19-20) does offer some practical advice while Kol Haron Api is out and about: יִחְיוּ מֵתֶיךָ, נְבֵלָתִי יְקוּמוּן; הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שֹׁכְנֵי עָפָר, כִּי טַל אוֹרֹת טַלֶּךָ, וָאָרֶץ, רְפָאִים תַּפִּיל. לֵךְ עַמִּי בֹּא בַחֲדָרֶיךָ, וּסְגֹר דְּלָתְךָ בַּעֲדֶךָ; חֲבִי כִמְעַט-רֶגַע, עַד-יַעֲבָר-זָעַם Your dead will live, my dead bodies will arise; awake and sing, dwellers of ash -- for Your dew is like the dew of light, and Earth, bring to life the ghosts. Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors around you. Hide yourself for a moment until the passing of the zombie. As far as what to look out for, Shlomo, as usual, has some insight (Mishlei 25:23): רוּחַ צָפוֹן תְּחוֹלֵל גָּשֶׁם וּפָנִים נִזְעָמִים, לְשׁוֹן סָתֶר A northern wind creates rain, and the faces of the zombified [have] a hidden tongue. So anyone with a second tongue is likely a zombie.There is considerable evidence for the effectiveness of mind–body interventions (MBIs) in improving mental and physical health, but the molecular mechanisms of these benefits remain poorly understood. One hypothesis is that MBIs reverse expression of genes involved in inflammatory reactions that are induced by stress. This systematic review was conducted to examine changes in gene expression that occur after MBIs and to explore how these molecular changes are related to health. We searched PubMed throughout September 2016 to look for studies that have used gene expression analysis in MBIs (i.e., mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, relaxation response, and breath regulation). Due to the limited quantity of studies, we included both clinical and non-clinical samples with any type of research design. Eighteen relevant studies were retrieved and analyzed. Overall, the studies indicate that these practices are associated with a downregulation of nuclear factor kappa B pathway; this is the opposite of the effects of chronic stress on gene expression and suggests that MBI practices may lead to a reduced risk of inflammation-related diseases. However, it is unclear how the effects of MBIs compare to other healthy interventions such as exercise or nutrition due to the small number of available studies. More research is required to be able to understand the effects of MBIs at the molecular level. Introduction In the past two decades, mind–body interventions (MBIs; refer to Table A1 for a list of abbreviations frequently used throughout this paper) have been gaining empirical support and recognition by mental health professionals. While some MBIs, such as yoga, Tai Chi, and Qigong, have a strong physical component, others like meditation and mindfulness, breath regulation techniques, and the relaxation response (RR) are mainly sedentary. Despite the variability in these techniques, they all seem to produce various psychological benefits on healthy and clinical populations, such as the reduction of perceived stress [e.g., Ref. (1)], the alleviation of depression [e.g., Ref. (2)], decreases in anxiety [e.g., Ref. (3)], or to help in coping with a chronic medical disease [e.g., Ref. (4)]. However, it is less clear what are the mechanisms underpinning the self-reported benefits of MBIs. Neuroimaging studies suggest that MBIs increase gray matter in the brain regions related to emotion regulation, learning, memory, self-referential processes, and perspective taking (5–7). However, a recent meta-analysis on structural and morphological brain changes associated with one type of MBI (meditation) casts some doubt on the generalization of such results, as different techniques and length of practice are associated with different neural patterns (8). The search for potential mechanisms of MBIs should not stop at the neural level. The development of gene expression analysis techniques in recent year makes this one important tool for psychologists to gain a deeper understanding of biological mechanisms that underpin, or interact with, psychological variables. Over the past decade, studies that implement gene expression analysis in MBIs research have begun to appear. In addition to being an objective measure of evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of MBIs, the analysis of gene expression changes has considerably theoretical value, as it reveals the underlying mechanisms of the psychological and physical effects of MBIs. In this systematic review, we will explore (1) if MBIs can affect physical health by causing observable molecular changes in the form of differential gene expression and (2) what are the molecular changes underpinning psychological benefits in MBIs. By implementing a biological approach to the study of MBIs, there is an opportunity to fill a crucial gap concerning the underlying mechanisms that give rise to their reported beneficial effects. We have included a range of MBIs in our analysis, such as mindfulness and other forms of meditation, yoga, RR, Tai Chi, and Qigong, all interventions for which there is evidence suggesting similar beneficial effects on mental and physical health (9). Below we start by outlining the principles of gene expression analyses and how they have been applied to MBIs; then we move into a systematic review of the evidence for their effects on gene expression, and what changes in gene expression underpin the psychological benefits of MBIs. Finally, we will discuss the implications of the reviewed studies, their limitations, and offer guidance for future studies. Gene Expression and Bioinformatics Analysis in MBIs Gene expression detection techniques produce an enormous amount of quantitative data—a long list of genes. But because genes are most often team players—they work together as a network to produce an observable trait or a measurable biological function—a long list of genes is hard to contextualize and interpret. To make matters more complicated, some genes regulate the activity of other genes. One way to deal with this is to start with statistical analysis, followed by bioinformatics analyses; this one is used to identify which of the genes are in the same pathway (i.e., network) and, therefore, have the same function. The most common bioinformatics analysis in MBIs research is the Transcription Element Listening System (TELiS). This analysis will assess which transcription factor is regulating gene expression amid a set of genes. It does so by scanning the promoters for transcription factor binding motifs that are overrepresented, in relation to their usual prevalence across the genome (10). In the context of research on MBIs, the most researched transcription factors are those that have been associated with stress and inflammation. The key transcription factor is the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), which is produced when stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) (11). NF-κB translates stress into inflammation by changing the expression of genes which code for inflammatory cytokines (12). Lower activity of NF-κB suggests reduced inflammation. Understanding Stress and Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA) Stress can be regarded as a bodily response to events that are perceived as a threat or a challenge. This response may precipitate a health risk when stress is severe or it occurs over a long period of time without adequate coping mechanisms. It has been found that exposure to severe stressors can have a profound influence on the body and can lead to detrimental changes in its biology, such as reduced gray matter in several brain regions (13). The effects of stress go beyond the brain and can be found in our genes in a form of a CTRA (14). CTRA is a common molecular pattern that has been found in people exposed to different types of adversities, such bereavement (15), cancer diagnosis (16), trauma (17), and low socioeconomic status (18). The primary characteristic of CTRA is the upregulation of pro-inflammatory genes leading to major inflammation at the cellular level (19). While acute inflammation is a short-lived adaptive response of our body, which increases the activity of the immune system to fight injury or infections, chronic inflammation is maladaptive because it persists when there is no actual threat to the body. Chronic inflammation is associated with increased risk for some types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, asthma, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression and posttraumatic stress disorder) (20, 21). The secondary characteristic of CTRA is the downregulation of antiviral and antibody-related genes, which is associated with susceptibility to viral infections, such as herpes simplex viruses (22), HIV-1 (23), Epstein–Barr virus (24), cytomegalovirus (25), and the Kaposi’s sarcoma (26). Given this, the CTRA is considered to be a molecular signature of chronic stress. To understand the impact of environmental factors on the body’s immune system through CTRA, we first need to unpack the underlying molecular mechanisms. Consider the path linking a stressful event to an observable psychobiological change, such as the onset of depression. Slavich and Irwin (19) suggested that the environmental stressor, which might be a physical or social threat, will first activate brain regions associated with pain; then, it will project into lower regions that modulate inflammation via the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the SNS. In the first stage of modulation, the SNS initiates the production of the neuromodulators epinephrine and norepinephrine. These will, in turn, promote inflammation by activating the production of molecules called transcription factors that then bind to and activate pro-inflammatory genes and translate them into proteins cytokines that can inhibit or initiate inflammation. Cytokines will travel back to the brain and initiate symptoms of depression [e.g., low mood, fatigue, and anhedonia (27)]. In the second stage of modulation, the HPA initiates the production of metabolic agents (glucocorticoids) and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine that, in normal conditions, suppress inflammation. In the case of long-term stress, the body adapts to their continuous secretion and becomes less sensitive to their anti-inflammatory effects. These processes lead to CTRA and, if this condition is maintained for years, there is a high risk of inflammation-related diseases, infection, accelerated biological aging, and early mortality. It is likely that CTRA played an important role in our hunter-gatherer prehistory, as it linked fight-or-flight response with pro-inflammatory gene expression that provided protection when there was a higher risk of bacterial infections from wounds (19). This immune response might have been adaptive back then, but, in today’s modern societies where stress is primarily the result of psychological threats, this response is maladaptive as it promotes inflammation-related diseases, both psychiatric and medical (28). Methods Criteria for Considering Studies for this Review We will now review studies on MBIs (mindfulness, yoga, RR, Tai Chi, and Qigong) that include gene expression analysis as an outcome measure, in order to assess the evidence for their effects on gene expression, and what changes in gene expression underpin the psychological benefits of MBIs. Studies were identified by searching PubMed through September 2016 using the following combination of keywords: (meditation OR mindfulness OR relaxation response OR yoga OR tai chi OR Qigong) and (gene expression OR microarray OR transcriptome). A total of 716 articles were returned and their titles and abstracts were screened (see Figure 1). We excluded studies that did not meet the following eligibility criteria: 1. The population studied should only contain adults. 2. Both clinical and non-clinical samples were allowed (for example, students, cancer patients, and caregivers) and studies with all sample sizes were included. 3. Studies with experienced practitioners or non-experienced practitioners were allowed, making both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies eligible. 4. Gene expression changes had to be one of the outcome variables (any number of analyzed genes, cell type and any gene expression technology were eligible). 5. The independent variables had to be any type of MBI. 6. Articles should be written in English. 7. Only research papers were included. Review papers, meta-analyses, commentaries, and conference proceedings were excluded. FIGURE 1 Figure 1. PRISMA flow chart: the process of selecting relevant studies. The screening narrowed the search results to 18 articles (Figure 1). The references of included articles were searched to identify other relevant articles, but no additional studies were found. Therefore, a total of 18 studies with 846 participants were included in this review (Table 1). Three studies had cross-sectional designs: they compared experienced practitioners to non-practitioners. Eight studies were longitudinal: they monitored changes over time that happened as one learns an MBI. Two studies measured immediate effects of a meditation session in experts, and the three remaining studies have elements of both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. In the next section, we will describe the rationale for each of the included studies, along with the procedures employed and their results. We divided the studies across three sections, based on the research design, and taking into account their chronological order to highlight how complexity increases as gene expression technologies advance. TABLE 1 Table 1. A summary of the results of MBI and gene expression. Summary of Studies on MBIs Using Gene Expression Analysis In Table 1, we summarize the biological and psychological outcomes for each study, including which genes were upregulated or downregulated, as well as the type of MBI, control group, and gene expression technology used. Below, we briefly describe the rationale and results for each study; for further details, please see Table 1. Cross-sectional Studies Genomic Profiling of Neutrophil Transcripts in Asian Qigong Practitioners: A Pilot Study in Gene Regulation by MBI The very first study of mind–body therapies that included gene expression compared gene profiles of six long-term Falun Gong Qigong practitioners and six healthy controls (29). Falun Gong is a form of Qigong that requires an intensive daily practice of 1–2 h, which includes reading spiritual Qigong books and a light physical activity in the form of meditative movement. Qigong practitioners had been using this technique from 1 to 5 years, every day from 1 to 2 h, while controls had been physically inactive for at least 1 year and did not practice any mind–body technique. In this study, gene expression analysis was carried out from neutrophils, which are the most prevalent type of white blood cells and are crucial in fighting infection. Using a microarray of 12,000 genes, they found that Qigong practitioners had 132 downregulated and 118 upregulated genes in comparison with controls. Some of the differentially expressed genes have common functions, thus the results suggest that Qigong enhances immunity, downregulates cellular metabolism, and delays cell death. Gene Expression Profiling in Practitioners of Sudarshan Kriya (SK) Sharma and colleagues (30) explored the effects of SK by comparing 42 long-term practitioners with controls who do not practice any MBI. SK is commonly practiced for 1 h per day and it consists of several breathing techniques, some of which are paired with movement. Controls were not only matched for age and sex but also for socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Their hypothesis was that regular SK practice improves stress regulation, which should be reflected in gene expression. To test this, white blood cells were obtained from participants, but only a relatively small number of genes were analyzed. The nine genes of interest were related to oxidative stress, DNA damage, cell cycle control, aging, and cell death. Although psychological stress was not measured, based on the gene expression results researchers suggested that SK attenuates the effects of stress on cells due to an increase in expression of one gene, although four stress-related genes remained unchanged. Additionally, they concluded that SK enhances the immune system because it upregulates genes that inhibit cell death. To Study the Effect of the Sequence of Seven Pranayama by Swami Ramdev on Gene Expression in Leukemia Patients and Rapid Interpretation of Gene Expression Kumar and Balkrishna (31) conducted a study on the effects of seven breathing patterns developed by a popular Indian yoga teacher, Swami Ramdev. The sample consisted of eight patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, some of whom practiced breathing techniques, while others served as control. The exact number of participants per group is not reported, neither is the practice frequency. Surprisingly, the results showed that 4,428 genes (out of 28,000 analyzed) were upregulated up to twofold in leukemia patients who practiced breathing techniques. However, the published report lacks further details about used methods and procedures and it was not externally peer reviewed. Of 4,428 differentially expressed genes, only a set of upregulated stress-related genes is reported, along with upregulated pair of genes that delays cell death, which suggests improved immune regulation. Longitudinal Designs Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Training Reduces Loneliness and Pro-inflammatory Gene Expression in Older Adults: A Small Randomized Controlled Trial Creswell and colleagues (32) attempted to reduce loneliness in older adults as this is one of the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Forty healthy older adults (age 55–85) were randomly assigned either to an 8-week MBSR course or to a wait-list control group. The MBSR course is a standardized program that consists of eight weekly 2-h meetings and one day-long retreat. Additionally, participants are expected to practice mindfulness every day at home for 30 min during the 8-week period. MBSR cannot be delivered effectively in large groups, so they formed three groups, each with a different teacher. They tested if increased inflammation is a mechanism by which loneliness promotes disease in older adults. Inflammation was measured through changes in transcriptome and in protein markers of inflammation [C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6]. Blood samples were taken at baseline and after completion of MBSR. There also were self-report measures of loneliness and mindfulness. MBSR class attendances and minutes of daily home practice were measured as control variables. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling was done from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) controlling for sex, age, ethnicity, BMI, as well as the contribution of sleep quality and exercise. Effect size cutoff of 25% was used in statistical analysis, which was followed with bioinformatics analysis of differentially expressed genes to see how many of them are targeted with NF-κB transcription factors (TELiS transcription factor search). They were interested in NF-κB because previous studies found that genes targeted with this transcription factor are more expressed in people who are lonely (46), which promotes inflammation. At baseline, older adults who reported more loneliness showed higher expression of pro-inflammatory genes targeted with NF-κB transcription factor. After MBSR participants reported reduced loneliness and gene analysis showed a reversal of pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern. Further analysis showed that genes that changed expression originated mostly from monocytes and B lymphocytes. Regarding protein biomarkers of inflammation, there were no significant changes in CRP and IL-6 after MBSR. Yogic Meditation Reverses NF-κB and IRF-Related Transcriptome Dynamics in Leukocytes of Family Dementia Caregivers in a Randomized Controlled Trial Black and colleagues (33) did a study on a sample of people who were caring for a frail or demented family member. Caregivers tend to have worse mental and physical health than matched controls, probably due to stress-induced upregulation of inflammation-related genes and downregulation of innate antiviral genes. Previous studies found that interventions aimed at stress reduction improve immune functioning among caregivers, so Black and colleagues (33) wanted to explore molecular mechanisms by which inflammation is reduced. Twenty-three caregivers did a 12-min Kirtan Kriya Meditation (KKM) practice guided by an audio recording every day for 8 weeks. The practice starts with 1 min of mind and body awareness followed by chanting “birth, life, death, rebirth” in Sanskrit with accompanying hand gestures, and it ends with breathing deeply and visualizing light. The effects of KKM were actively controlled: 20 caregivers were listening to relaxing music with eyes closed for 12 min, every day for 8 weeks. The levels of depression and mental health were measured with questionnaires before and after the intervention and blood samples were taken to obtain PBMCs for transcriptional profiling. Gender, illness burden, and BMI were controlled for. There was a significantly greater reduction of depressive symptoms and an improvement in mental health in the meditation group. Furthermore, 49 genes were downregulated and 19 upregulated in the KKM group in relation to the relaxation group. These differentially expressed genes were further analyzed with TELiS, which confirmed the hypothesis that there is a decrease in pro-inflammatory gene expression (related to NF-κB) and an increase in antiviral gene expression (IRF-1). This suggests that KKM improved the immune system in terms of inflammation reduction and creating better defense against viruses. Transcript origin analysis (TOA) found that most of the observed gene expression changes stem from B lymphocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Tai Chi, Cellular Inflammation, and Transcriptome Dynamics in Breast Cancer Survivors with Insomnia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Irwin and colleagues (34) explored the effects of Tai Chi, a Chinese practice that combines moderate exercise, deep breathing, and meditation, on inflammation and sleep in breast cancer survivors in comparison with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia [cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-I]. Both breast cancer and sleep deprivation are associated with inflammation, thus this sample had high levels of inflammation at baseline. The study adopted a multi-level approach to measuring effects of Tai Chi on inflammation that included systemic (circulating levels of CRP), cellular [toll-like receptor (TLR)-4-activated production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF], and genome-wide gene expression followed by bioinformatics analyses. Both Tai Chi and CBT groups had 40 participants who attended 2-h meetings once a week for 3 months. BMI and physical activity changes during interventions were controlled for, as they usually are associated with inflammation. While CRP did not change after either of the interventions, IL-6 was marginally reduced and TNF was significantly reduced after Tai Chi, indicating that it can reduce cellular inflammatory responses. Similarly, gene expression analysis found a 9% reduction in expression of 19 pro-inflammatory genes and a 3.3% increase in expression of 34 genes involved in the production of proteins that regulate anti-viral response and tumor activity in the Tai Chi group relative to CBT-I. In total, 68 genes were downregulated and 19 upregulated after Tai Chi. The downregulated genes are involved in the generation of white blood cells and inflammation. Similar to previous studies, TELiS bioinformatics analysis found a significant reduction of activity of pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. Yoga Reduces Inflammatory Signaling in Fatigued Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial Bower et al. (35) explored the effects of 3 months of Iyengar yoga on inflammatory processes in breast cancer survivors with fatigue. There were 16 people in the yoga group and 15 in the health education control group. Inflammation is associated with cancer and previous studies have found that breast cancer survivors with fatigue have higher levels of inflammation than non-fatigued breast cancer survivors (47). The hypothesis was that Iyengar yoga (a form of Hatha yoga with emphasis on precise alignment and breath control in each posture) would reduce inflammation-related gene expression, as well as decrease levels of circulating markers of inflammation. Instead of measuring cytokines directly, Bower and colleagues chose downstream markers of pro-inflammatory cytokine activity, which are easier to detect as they are produced in a greater amount. The downstream markers are also considered a more accurate and stable measure of inflammation than the cytokines that produce them. Downstream markers included were as follows: sTNF-RII (a marker of TNF activity), IL-1ra, and CRP (markers of IL activity). These markers were measured from blood, while cortisol was measured from saliva (samples collected by participants themselves) immediately after waking, 30 min and 8 h after waking, and before bedtime. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling identified 282 genes that were upregulated and 153 downregulated genes after 3 months of yoga. A 15% gene expression change was considered statistically significant, unlike other studies that set 20% as a cutoff point. The majority of downregulated genes were related to type I interferon responses (i.e., cytokines that are released when a virus infects a cell), which has previously been associated with fatigue in cancer patients. Similarly, behavioral measures of fatigue were significantly reduced after months of yoga and remained reduced at a 3-month follow-up. Transcription Element Listening System showed that yoga reduced the activity of NF-κB, which is suggestive of lower inflammation, as this is a key regulator of pro-inflammatory gene expression. CREB is another transcription factor whose activity was reduced with yoga, suggesting a downregulation of the SNS. Finally, TELiS found that yoga increased the activity of anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which indicates a change in HPA axis in terms of responding better to cortisol and stopping the stress response more quickly. However, such change in the HPA axis should lead to reduced levels of cortisol, which was not verified with the cortisol analysis from saliva. Regarding downstream markers of inflammation, sTNF-RII increased in the control group, but remained at the same level in the yoga group. There were no significant changes for IL-1ra and CRP. Mindfulness Meditation for Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial Bower and colleagues (36) conducted another study, this time to assess cost-effectiveness of mindfulness intervention for women who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (from stage 0 to stage 3) before the age of 50 and had finished treatment from 3 months to 10 years ago. Mindful awareness practices (MAP) is a program similar to MBSR, but tailored for cancer survivors. It consists of six weekly 2-h group meetings and daily practice increasing from 5 to 20 min. Thirty-nine participants were assigned to MAP and 32 were assigned to a wait list. Unlike previous studies, Bower and colleagues used several psychological measures (stress
idle” savings and puts them to use. There are many ways it can do this. The least promising is the policy of tax cuts for the rich advocated by the political right. The reason is that the rich save more of their money than the poor, so the stimulating effect may be quite small; and the non-saved part of the tax windfall is quite likely to go into the kind of financial and real-estate speculation that precipitated the last crash. Tax reductions for the poor, though, in the form of temporary relief from National Insurance contributions, would be helpful. In the present situation there are two quick ways for the government to boost total spending. It could supply all households with timelimited spending vouchers – a Christmas present of, say, £100 for each family in the land. Some of the extra spending power would be used to buy imported goods or repay debt, but there would still be some net increase in domestic spending. On the investment side, the easiest thing that the government could do would be to reinstate capital spending programmes cancelled in the drive for deficit reduction, with social housing and school-building given priority. Easing planning regulations (a favourite supply-side measure) to stimulate construction will help, but the private sector will not construct buildings if there is no effective demand for them. The government should also set up a national investment bank with its own portfolio of investment projects focused on infrastructure and cutting-edge technology. A firm, long-term commitment by the investment bank would not only give the country new roads and energy sources but spread jobs to small and mediumsized suppliers. The crucial difference between the National Investment Bank and the government’s plan to guarantee £40bn of private infrastructure projects is that the investment bank would be an active investor with its own funds, whereas the government’s plan leaves the initiative to the private sector. Even Vince Cable’s so-called small business bank is not expected to do more than “shake up the market in business finance”. This is based on the fallacious doctrine that the private sector will always be better at “picking winners” than any public authority, however shielded an authority may be from political interference. This largely reflects the failed experiments of the 1960s, such as British Leyland. The experience of many European and Asian countries gives the lie to the notion that state-led investment is bound to fail. And the recent catastrophic performance of the financial services industry should guard us from the belief that the private sector always knows best. The important requirement, as our success in the Olympics showed, is the identification of potential winners and sticking with them long enough to show results. The bane of British “industrial policy” has been not the inability of public authorities to pick winners, but the chopping and changing of policy in response to temporary financial exigencies. The cancellation of public capital projects after 2008 is a good example of this unsteadiness of aim. This is where the economic debate rests. It is high time to move it from academic discussion to the political arena. This will be necessary in any case if, as I believe, the prospect under present policy is for semi-permanent continuation of conditions of semi-slump. Robert Skidelsky’s most recent book – written with Edward Skidelsky – is “How Much Is Enough? The Love of Money and the Case for the Good Life” (Allen Lane, £20).According to the recall, a conductor on the pump motor can become exposed and electrify the aquarium water, posing a shock hazard to consumers. This recall involves five models of Top Fin Power Filters. The models included in this recall are Top Fin Power Filters 10, 20, 30, 40 and 75. The filters are black with a trapezoid shaped top. The words “TOP FIN” are molded into the top of the filter. The filters were also sold as part of Top Fin 5.5 and 10 gallon LED aquarium kits. About 155,000 filters (in addition, about 3,300 filters were sold in Canada) are affected by this recall. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled filters, unplug them from the power supply, remove from the aquarium, and contact United Pet Group for a free replacement power filter. 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Buck Stove Glass Upgrade After becoming familiar with my buck stove through my first winter in the house, learning to peer through certain peekaboo cracks, and listening to the expanding and contracting of the iron stove, I knew by replacing the vision impairing steel door inserts for glass ones, I would be able to...Read More » Stainless Steel Chimney Cap I had a sense from the “advice” of the housing inspector that a chimney cap might be necessary. It wasn’t until I experienced a few smokey blow backs, and had a couple fires snubbed out that I knew I couldn’t go another heating season without addressing the issue....Read More » Growing a Woodshop Almost a year after settling into my new home, the garage is slowly becoming less of a storage space and more of a place where the magic will happen. Starting with this empty wall – my goal with this half of the garage is to create a safe, productive, and...Read More » Two Step Handrail A project I recently worked on, was to build this handrail to provide support for two steps entering a customers home. After cutting up a few pieces of steel tubing and flat bar, I got to work drilling the mounting holes for where the handrail will mount to the brick...Read More » One-of-a-kind Folding Bar/Dining/Kitchen Table A buddy of mine came to me for some help in making his dreams come true. He had recently lost his kitchen table, and just could not find the right replacement. Enter SuperDave….. I went down to my favorite hardwoods store and found a pile of discounted 3/4″ MDF...Read More » A Cedar Fence Renaissance A customer contacted me to repair their fence which their new dog was finding all the ways to escape from. After an assessment, it appeared the slats were in the worst shape while the pressure treated posts were still in good condition with the cement still secure holding...Read More » Easy Bucket Handle Repair Distributing my harvest from the rain barrels has really revived my love for the bucket. Most buckets come with a small plastic grip which really is not much better than the wire handle. One such puny handle belonged to this bucket and was broken, making it a...Read More » Speaker System Upgrade in the MPV TT With a healthy dose of bass in the PeeVee, I finally decided it was time for some extra power to my component speakers to keep them from being out played by the subwoofer. Planning on moving my Alpine components currently in the front doors to the back, I...Read More » Rain Drain Repair After installing my rain barrel system at my parents home, and once it was full to the brim, I went out to see how well the overflow works. I discovered a puddle around the downspout and water percolating from the cement rain drain it fed into. After some excavating...Read More » Rain Harvesting Living in the Pacific Northwest means seeing lots of rain throughout the year. With the notion of being able to capture some of the rain that would normally hit the roof, flow through the gutters, out the downspout, then into the drain, I set out to build a rain...Read More » Cleaning Rollerblade Bearings Over the last four years, these Red Star Rocket wheels seen seen all types of surfaces, and terrain. With many miles of abuse on them, they had sat in storage for almost a year up until a week ago… I dusted off the boots and head out for a few hours...Read More » Car Stereo Cable Adapters With the goal of learning about my milling machines mass production capabilities I set out not only to decrease the size of my scrap pile, but also to fabricate something which could be a marketable product. Beginning with this ‘sliver’ from a 1″x12″ piece of aluminum flat...Read More » Giant Aluminum Spoiler Brackets A customer with a Nissan 350Z inquired if I could use my CNC Plasma to make him some new brackets for his carbon fiber spoiler. I met up with him, took some measurements, and found that the stock height for his wing was 45″. I asked how high...Read More » Contour Dash Cam Starting with a scrap piece of 1/4″ aluminum flat bar, I first thinned the width to fit perfectly behind the sun visor clip. Making some nice curls. The perfect shape after massaging it with a little heat and a big hammer. Read More » Distribution Blocks I ran out of room to run my power cables and wanted to make something that would accommodate all my accessories and leave room for future add-ons. This is what I am looking to improve upon… I begin with a chunk of aluminum I had in my scrap pile. After...Read More » Custom Bracket A customer presented this to me and asked if I could turn this piece of paper into some 3/8 steel. I started by taking some measurements of my own, and confirming the customers specifications then creating it in TurboCAD. Just the combination of electricity and air allow me to...Read More » Headrest Coat Hanger With the wet season always upon us in Seattle, I was unhappy throwing my wet coat on the floor of my van. So I searched around my house for some pieces to make a hanger that would mount to the posts on my headrest. Found some 3/4″ aluminum rod...Read More » Amplifier Wire Terminal Adapters My Audiobahn amplifier only accepted 4 gauge power wire, and had 8 gauge speaker wire terminals. With some 303 stainless steel flatbar and my trusty Grizzly G0619 with power feed I aimed to change that. Starting with some rough chunks…… ……the first thing I did was even out the...Read More » The GoPro Clamp One problem I have run into while GoPro-ing is the lack of a device to easily secure my camera to any round object like a pole, railing, and roll cage. Originally designed to improve my times around the local Go Kart track, I have found many other uses for...Read More » Custom Casting Deck for a Bayliner Ski Boat In my family, we love our water sports. We also love to fish. So how do you turn your bow rider into a competent fishing boat capable of out fishing purpose built machines??? A casting deck! This was the first casting deck we made for our boat....Read More » Flower Bed Revitalization I began work on this garden by ripping out the old rotted garden border and enlarging the trench surrounding the garden in preparation for some pretreated 4×6 pieces of lumber. Since there was a slope to the yard, special care was taken to ensure the new border...Read More » GoPro Suction Cups The following pictures and screenshots are all taken using the very versatile suction cup specifically designed for the GoPro. On a family road trip I fastened the suction cup inside the window of the backseat on the drivers side. I had it take a picture every 2 seconds and...Read More » LED Fluorescent Housing Fixture Continuing with making hi-end lights on a budget, my customer brought me a fluorescent tube housing to retrofit with as many LEDs as I could and include a dimmer switch. The plan for this light is that it would plug in, but I have left enough space in the housing...Read More » Twin Suction Cup GoPro Pole Mount I decided to create a rig to attempt to capture some awesome perspective shots of the MPV. I used some 7/8″ Aluminum 6063 T8.058 walled tube with some milled 5052 adapters to affix the suction cups to the rig. Here is a video of the milling done to create the mounts. Read More » K&N Air Filter Cleaning With 18,000+ miles over 5 years of some hard driving my MPG’s began to decrease and my filters seemed like a good place to start. The great thing about K&N air filters is their ability to be cleaned and re-oiled with one of their recharge kits for a fraction...Read More » 300ZX Front Brakes With the prospect of upgrading my rear differential and the rear brakes, I knew a revamp of my front brakes was in order. After doing some research, I discovered that my RX-7 upgrade was not not an ideal option to be paired with my future rear brakes. It...Read More » Making The PhotoCopier When my grandfather Jack passed away, he left behind thousands of slides which captured moments dating back a few decades. There exist places which charge an arm and a leg to digitize these slides, and they won’t place them back in the carousels. There are also scanners and...Read More » Fun With The Chainsaw With super windy nights happening every-so-often in the Pacific Northwest, this is not an uncommon sight. I got the call to attend to this matter in which the branch had fallen on the roof of the garage. I grabbed my trusty 14″ STIHL chainsaw and KRAUSE ladder to...Read More » Custom Kayak Trailer A customer came to me with a problem – Create a simple low-dollar solution to haul a kayak in order to avoid strapping it to the roof of his wagon. After installing a hidden hitch, I began with a [i]Haul-Master 1195 Lb. Capacity 48″ x 96″ Heavy Duty Foldable Utility Trailer...Read More » The Wonders of a Toyota Previa Oil Change The Toyota Previa first appeared in 1990 with 2.4L inline 4. In 1994 they began attaching a supercharger to some models, producing 160hp with the help of 6psi of twin screw action. This was of course to compete with other minivans like the MPV which ran a V6. This...Read More » Rollerblading With The GoPro I had acquired a bunch of extra sticky mounts, so I decided to mount one to each of my skates. Here is my Bauer Vapor boot. I first cleaned off the area of application with some rubbing alcohol, let it dry, and then mounted the flat mount. The bolt holding...Read More » Refreshing Patio Furniture The weather of the Pacific Northwest is very tough on wooden patio furniture. Hot summers bombard the wood with harsh UV rays, and the notorious downpours are very conducive to mold and mildew. This thread will show you how to clean the wood in preparation for staining....Read More » Skiing Boat Mount for GoPro It is summer out here in Seattle, and there is no better weather to go skiing. I enjoy slalom skiing, and have always wanted to be able to tape my runs. This thread shows the process I took to mount my GoPro for such a recording. I used some...Read More »Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Nov. 7, 2016, 12:41 PM GMT / Updated Nov. 7, 2016, 12:41 PM GMT / Source: Reuters By Reuters Since the start of October, executives from more than 80 U.S. companies have made some mention of the U.S. election during quarterly conference calls with Wall Street analysts and investors, based on a Reuters analysis of call transcripts. Apparently, Americans are too distracted or distraught by this year's wild presidential campaign to think about getting a dishwasher, buying an RV, or opening a doughnut shop. And the topsy-turvy race could be crimping furniture sales, hotel bookings and even temporary help hiring. Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the conclusion of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, U.S., September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo - RTX2S3QH At least that is the word from a clutch of corporate executives in recent weeks who have laid at least some blame for their companies' rocky performances or uneven consumer demand at the feet of constantly bickering White House contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In many cases, their remarks have come in response to specific questions from call participants about whether the long campaign season has had an impact on results. Some, though, have specifically pointed to the election as a factor in their earnings, including by damping consumer or business spending. For example, appliances maker Whirlpool and coffee and doughnuts chain Dunkin' Brands have directly blamed the elections as a drag on their business. Shares of both companies fell after their reports. In Whirlpool's case, CEO Jeff Fettig pointed to apparent "temporary softness in industry demand" in the United States in explaining why sales dipped around 0.5 percent from a year earlier, undershooting Wall Street's forecasts. "We believe this is due to consumer confidence weakening, primarily due to the focus around the U.S. elections," he told analysts on the appliance maker's conference call last month. At Dunkin' Brands, CEO Nigel Travis cited a hesitance by franchise operators to open new stores until they get a grip on how the election outcome will affect regulations and minimum wage laws. Executives at other companies, such as furniture chain Ethan Allen, staffing firm Robert Half International and hotel operator Hilton Worldwide, have cited the election as a pressure point as they discussed the business climate. The election "really has impacted customers and clients. It's taken a tremendous amount of attention from especially discretionary budgets," said Farooq Kathwari, chairman, president and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors. Dose of Skepticism But just as voters often take campaign promises with a healthy dose of skepticism, some investors and even a few executives themselves are not taking the talk of risks from the election season seriously. "I think companies with underwhelming results are looking for convenient excuses, and the attention being paid by the American public to this election is certainly a timely and readily available excuse," said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles. "Whether or not that's true is debatable. I'd be taking it with a grain of salt." The vitriolic race between Republican Trump and Democrat Clinton has been tight, and some executives said consumers appeared to be waiting on decisions until Tuesday's Election Day passes. "As we near an election date in early November, there's no doubt that I think consumers are, certainly with all discretionary purchases, maybe just taking a look at what's going to happen here in the next couple of months," said Winnebago Industries CEO Michael Happe on the company's conference call last month. His observation came even as motorhome maker Winnebago's sales and earnings for the quarter ended in late August topped Wall Street estimates. Hilton, meanwhile, cut its outlook for a key revenue metric, citing weak business travel. "This cycle of election... I think it's been an unusual cycle and as a consequence I think it has slowed down the economy probably more dramatically than I've seen certainly in my adult life," Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said on a conference call last month. Evercore ISI analyst Rich Hightower, who covers lodging companies including Hilton, said the election was a "relevant" point for executives to bring up, but he was not factoring any election impact into his financial forecasts. U.S. consumer spending did fall in both August and September, the latest government data showed, and a key gauge of retail sales has posted a decline of around 0.1 percent on average over the three months through September. Not Everyone Agrees Still, Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago, questioned whether the campaign was having an effect on consumer behavior. "I can't imagine it's created a kind of catatonic state for consumers to stop buying," said Nolte. And some C-suite denizens have no patience for such excuses. Patrick McHale, CEO of pumps and spray equipment maker Graco, told his conference call listeners he had not heard of "a single customer" holding off on an investment because of the election. McHale continued: "In fact, if I heard somebody at Graco tell me that they were going to make an investment in something but they weren't because they want to see what was going to happen with the election, I'd probably fire them."DUTCH midfielder Siem de Jong has admitted Newcastle United have been in contact about his availability. The Ajax man has been linked with the Magpies in the past, as they look for a replacement for Yohan Cabaye. The 25-year-old, whose younger brother Luuk was on loan at St James’s Park last season, says he isn’t sure if he will stay at Ajax next term. “I really do not know what I’ll do next season,” he said. I have spoken with the club but nothing is sorted. “Also with Newcastle United, where my brother played last time, they have had a little contact with my agent. “There was contact before, but it’s nothing concrete. Newcastle is a great club and it would be super to work with my brother and play football.” “I do not know if he’ll be there. He is employed by Borussia Mönchengladbach, and has not received a contract offer from Newcastle. “I’m going next week to talk to Ajax and then I’ll see.”Den senaste tiden har svensk offentlighet ägnat mycket utrymme åt individer som Adam Tensta, Ametist Azordegan och Zara Larsson. Gemensamt för dessa är en specifik attityd, en övertygelse om att vara förfördelade trots uppenbara framgångar. Hur förklarar vi bäst denna attityd? En värdefull pusselbit erbjuder Gilad Atzmon, mest känd som antisionist men även en givande samhälls- och kulturkritiker. Marginell identitet Thus, being a lesbian is not enough to turn one into a ‘marginal lesbian’. While being a ‘lesbian’ is a state of being, being a ‘marginal lesbian’ is a form of identification. – Atzmon Atzmon har myntat termen marginell identitet, ett värdefullt redskap när vi ska förstå individer som Tensta och Larsson. Atzmon menar att samhällen har ett centrum, och en marginal. De som lever i marginalen tas inte på allvar av centrum, deras röster blir inte hörda. Exempel på marginella grupper kan vara resande under tidigt 1900-tal, eller slavar under andra epoker. Det talades om dem, men sällan med dem. Men när centrum upptäcker marginalen och tar den på allvar övergår den till att vara en minoritet. Det Atzmon sätter fingret på är att steget från marginell till minoritet inte enbart innebär en vinst. Det innebär i själva verket också en förlust och ett hot. Atzmon skriver: Once assimilated, the margin may face a severe ‘identity crisis’. To a certain extent, the marginal subject is asked to renounce his particularity and singularity. Following integration, the heroic ‘pre-revolutionary’ days of the righteous struggle for civil rights are replaced by a nostalgic narrative. In its post-revolutionary phase, what had once been the margin becomes an unnoticeable entity, an ordinary crowd. Thus, we should deduce that, at least at the level of identity, the demand for equality is in itself a self-defeating mechanism. Once equal, one is no different from anyone else. Det finns goda skäl att stanna kvar i marginalen, att slippa den assimilering som gör att man inte längre kan uppleva sig unik. I valet mellan att vara en vanlig ”svensson” och att tillhöra en illa behandlad grupp som kämpar mot förtryck är det inte alla som väljer det förstnämnda (även om Atzmon tycks luta åt att människor i gemen gärna gör det, oavsett om de sedan är judar, invandrare eller homosexuella). Men hur förevigar man den marginella identiteten i en situation där centrum faktiskt tar en på allvar och lyssnar på en? Atzmon talar här om skapandet av negationer, motsatser och binärt tänkande (svarta/vita, HBTq/hetero, et cetera). Särskilt effektivt blir detta om man kan provocera fram fientliga reaktioner från centrum, eftersom man då kan hålla illusionen av marginalitet vid liv. Detta förklarar mycket av tonen hos en Tensta och en Larsson. Ingen av dem är förtryckt eller marginell, men de riskerar delvis sin självbild om de erkänner detta för sig själva. I själva verket är ju den uppriktighet med vilken majoriteten och i synnerhet offentligheten lyssnar på beskyllningarna om ”förtryck” och ”kränkningar”, det allvar de tas på, ett tecken på att det inte längre handlar om marginella grupper. Detta i synnerhet med tanke på att beskyllningarna är just påståenden snarare än något vetenskapligt bekräftat eller ens särskilt övertygande. Hade det varit verkligt marginella grupper som fört fram dessa beskyllningar hade svaret snarare varit ”nej, du är inte förtryckt, du har andra problem, sluta störa mig”. Atzmon tar också upp marginella politikers fokus på språket och kontrollen över det. Det skapas flitigt nya begrepp (HBTq, cis-normativ, people of color, andrafiering et cetera), samtidigt som andra ord påstås vara så kränkande att de måste förbjudas. Intressant är hans insikt vad gäller en sådan språkpolitiks framgångar: Thus, the domination of a marginal single narrative should be understood as an outcome of a symbiotic partnership between the margin and some key elements within the centre. It usually happens when the marginal narrative is made to suit the mainstream narrative. En viktig fråga man bör ställa sig är därför på vilket sätt marginella politiker som Tensta och Larsson upplevs gynnsamma för makthavarna. Man kan misstänka att det delvis rör sig om en ren kortslutning, ”PK syntax error” eller en massneuros ingen enskild aktör kan bryta, men delvis torde det också handla om att när fokus hamnar på smågrupper som ”HBTq” och ”rasifierade kroppar” så försvinner intresset i motsvarande mån från betydligt större grupper (arbetarklass i bred mening, etniska svenskar). Atzmon är, i likhet med Alain Soral, inne på denna förklaring, han skriver: In the last six decades the working people have been plundered repeatedly. The people who used to be called the working class are now the workless class, and many of them are underclass by now. But why? Unlike the (imaginary) ”old good labor-oriented Left” that promised to unite us all against capital and the Empire, the neo-Marxists and the Frankfurt Yeshiva enthusiasts invested a huge effort breaking the cohesiveness of the working people and Western society in general. Instead of bringing people together, which was the old Left ideal, we are now split into tribal sectors. We are transformed into a matrix of a manifold of Jew-like tribal groupings defined largely by biology (color, gender, sexual preferences, race, etc). Vanliga svenskar framstår dels som ointressanta, dels som suspekta och ansvariga för smågruppernas lidanden. Vilket dels får deras legitima intressen att framstå som ointressanta och illegitima, dels får smågrupperna att blunda för de gemensamma intressen de ofta har med den massiva majoriteten (fred i Europa, ändrad invandringspolitik, en suverän ekonomisk politik et cetera). Samtidigt som växande delar av den massiva majoriteten förleds att ta den marginella politiken på allvar (trots att den snart sagt alltid är en symbolpolitik), kanske rentav själva utveckla marginella tendenser. Det senare är något Atzmon varnar för, oavsett om det är en Tensta eller en Svensson som ägnar sig åt det: But here is the problem: those who indulge in a victimhood narrative end up in a state of paralysis – they learn to blame others yet vindicate themselves. Those who succumb to victimhood never look in the mirror; they never take responsibility for their fate. Sammantaget erbjuder Atzmons begrepp en värdefull pusselbit för att förstå samtiden. Detta betyder inte att man alltid håller med honom (bland annat har han en väl kritisk inställning till autenticitet och identitet), men det är ett fruktbart perspektiv man kan använda sig av. Mer Atzmon Zionism and other Marginal Thoughts by Gilad Atzmon Intervju Likartat (Sadé rör sig med ”söndringsideologin” nära Atzmons ”marginell identitet”, men den senare ger en bättre psykologisk förklaring) Ilan Sadé – Söndringsideologin, kulturkampen och Allmänna arvsfondenI've been making a list of moments in the past century when the [United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and its predecessors] has shown itself to be an alien, enemy force in this country. Many of these items apply also to individual bishops, of course. 1. Defied the Pope and supported the draft and U.S. entry into WWI. 2. Campaigned for high taxes, steep progressive taxes. (Anti-family.) 3. Supported national socialist health care. 4. Supported ethnic cleansing ("urban renewal"). 5. Refused to teach Humanae Vitae. 6. Took the Soviet line in Central America. 7. Took the Soviet line on nuclear weapons. 8. Silent about (or condemned) the Rescue [pro-life] Movement. Refused to teach police that removing obstacles (animate or inanimate) from clinic doorways makes one a direct accomplice to abortions. 9. Abuse scandal. Sixty-six percent of bishops hid crimes. 10. Refuse to obey Canon 915 [forbidding Holy Communion to those in mortal sin, most notably, Catholic politicians who favor abortion]. In 2004, asserted non-existent authority for bishops to command their priests to violate Canon 915. 11. Support increased immigration, when 70% of immigrants vote pro-abortion. 12. Has never seemed conscious of the Principle of Subsidiarity [which says that societal problems are best handled the closest local political authority]. Have I forgotten any? Given the insane support among American Catholic bishops, I offer the following note from a friend who is a Catholic priest.(Links added). To that question, another knowledgeable participant in our email chain reminded the good priest that the bishops also backed American entry into World War II, and did little or nothing to oppose The Bush Crusade in Mesopotamia, despite clear statements from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI against it. The "National Catholic War Council," the priest observed, was "founded to help Wilson get us into the war, because most Catholics were German or Irish." Most of the episcopal war-mongering occurred because bishops feared that opposing American imperial ambitions would invite a charge of disloyalty. Irony is, almost everything the bishops have done the past century has ended in something bad not just for Catholics but all American Christians. To put it bluntly, the bishops are disloyal; they are harming the country with their advocacy of treason. While I am, as Westbrook Pegler wrote of himself, a member of the rabble in good standing, I am also a Catholic. I try, often without success, to be a good one. And so here I fraternally correct the princes of the Church, as is my duty, and remind them of the admonition from their predecessors: The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.Editor’s Note: Morality is a very timely topic as the percentage of secularists grows in the US and as Americans weigh their choices in the presidential primary elections. While Republican candidates tout their Christian bona fides, Democrats defer discussion of religion unless asked, and then stress the importance of being moral. Just this past Sunday, well-known author and freethinker Susan Jacoby wrote an excellent editorial in the New York Times, titled Sick and Tired of “God Bless America” that I think you all should read – along with the following blog post. It’s an essay written by a TCP member who tackled the subject last October. It is reprinted with permission. =========================== By Jim Mulholland Sometimes I’m surprised by the incongruities in what I once believed, by inconsistencies I was unable to previously see. For example, a Christian friend recently posted a meme with these words, “The true test of character is what you do when no one is watching.” I remember liking that statement when I was Christian, but reading those words as a post-religious person made me laugh. It suddenly occurred to me that – if those are words are true – no Christian has ever had their character tested. Think about it. One of the central tenets of Christianity is that God is all seeing and all knowing. There is no place where a human can act without God watching and judging. Indeed, the purpose of God’s watchfulness is to determine whether our actions should be rewarded or punished. Growing up, I was encouraged to behave because God was watching and I didn’t want to disappoint. I was told that one day – when I arrived at the judgment seat of God – the angels would roll the film of my life and every misdeed would be replayed on some heavenly screen for all to see. Since this understanding permeates Christianity, it is difficult to see how any Christian could ever know what they’d do if no one was watching. For that matter, what would they do without the expectation of reward or the threat of punishment? How could they truly know if their morality was a veneer intended to impress or a deeply held conviction? For the Christian, the true test of character is what they would do if God doesn’t exist. Ironically, the common Christian judgment of atheists and agnostics tells us much about the answer to that question. Often, I’ve been asked if – as an atheist – I’ve abandoned my morality. I understand the source of this suspicion. I was taught that morality had its source in God and those who were without God were inherently immoral. The Bible warned that without God, “every man would do what he thought right in his own eyes.” Of course, all of this implies that Christians are only moral because of the threat of divine punishment and the promise of divine reward, that Christians assume the immorality of an atheist because they secretly worry about how they would act if not for the watchfulness of God. Their suspicion of the atheist is simply the projection of their own fears. Looking back, I once shared that anxiety Years ago, long before I left religion, my oldest son came home from college and asked to talk with me. He told me he’d become an atheist, that he loved and respected me, but could no longer ascribe to a belief in god. At the time, I was concerned. I responded, “Well, I hope this doesn’t change how you live and act in the world.” He responded, “Dad, what is more admirable? That you do good in expectation of God’s reward, or that I do good without any expectation?” That conversation was one of the many contributing factors to my eventual departure from religion. As a post-religious person, I’ve revised my understanding of morality. I’ve realized there is a significant difference between religiosity and morality. Religiosity is that which you do because your religious community says it will please God. Religiosity often includes many of the great moral convictions of humanity, but it can also contain the trivial and even the immoral. The religious sometimes do the heinous because their ultimate question is not whether an action is moral, but whether or not that action is sanctioned by God. Religious codes and moral dictates are
interest. otherwise the status quo piracy of the industry content as is will do fine. jjeffeory jjeffeory join:2002-12-04 Las Vegas, NV 1 edit jjeffeory Member Ha! This is laughable! Wow! What they're really doing is putting a value on that content. That is what they think it is worth to be put on your home TV versus you going to a theater. The theater price is higher than I would like as it is and this is just ridiculous. pnh102 Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium Member join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD pnh102 Premium Member Hah $60 bucks for movie? What is this, the 1980s? cowboyro Premium Member join:2000-10-11 Shelton, CT cowboyro Premium Member Whatever these guys are smoking......I WANT SOME OF IT!!! ExitWound Porsche Snob join:2001-12-13 Boalsburg, PA ExitWound Member $30 was too high $60 is a steal for Zookeeper II: Zookeepier. pstewart Premium Member join:2005-10-12 Peterborough, ON pstewart Premium Member Wow.. ummm.. dumb! I have spent a fair amount of time travelling which of course includes hotels - (yes for business, before someone wonders what my wife thinks about this lol) Just this week I watched a movie that is still in theatres or just came out on Bluray - either way it was $13.99 to watch it in the comfort of my hotel room. This is roughly $5 more than going to the theatre to watch it. I would gladly pay $14/movie at the most to watch it at home... if the hotels can do it then why can't someone do it in residental masses? I would highly doubt there is any subsidy in place by the hotels to reduce the price - I would think they are making a fair margin via LodgeNet and other providers.... MSauk MSauk Premium Member join:2002-01-17 Sandy, UT MSauk Premium Member Re: Wow.. ummm.. dumb! For 20 dollars I would do it. That is basically the price of two tickets, candy. 60 dollars? Man these people are on straight crackThe idol group Momoiro Clover Z, publisher Kodansha, and creator Naoko Takeuchi announced on Friday that a new anime adaptation of Takeuchi's Sailor Moon manga is being produced. The new anime series is aimed for release next summer, and Momoiro Clover Z will perform a theme song. Momoiro Clover Z made the announcement during a live event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the manga. Momoiro Clover Z sang the first Sailor Moon anime's theme song "Moonlight Densetsu" at the event via a live video feed from France, where they are guests of Japan Expo. Update: More background information added. Although Kotono Mitsuishi and Tohru Furuya, the voices of Sailor Moon /Usagi Tsukino and Tuxedo Mask/Mamoru Chiba in the first Sailor Moon anime, were present at the live event, the event did not specify that they will reprise their roles in the new series. The event also did not specify which song Momoiro Clover Z will perform as a theme song of the new anime. Update 2: Kodansha editor Fumio Osano confirmed that the new anime project is not a film project. [Via Tadashi Sudo] Update 3: Osano also emphasized that no details have been set for a hypothetical broadcast. However, the staff intends to release the new anime worldwide simultaneously. Source: Oricon Update 4: During the event, Mitsuishi mused aloud if she will appear in the new anime. In a blog post after the event, she said that she is eager to play a role in it. Thanks, Ford Prefect.There has been an increase in HIV positive cases despite implementation of Targeted Intervention (TI) programme at a cost of over ₹43 crores. In a span of just 5 years, there has been a massive increase of over 15,000 HIV positive cases in Manipur from 25,919 in March 2007 to 40,855 in March 2012, a new report by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. The increase that averages out at over 3,000 cases per year – a shocking 8 cases per day on an average – has been noticed despite the implementation of Targeted Intervention (TI) programme that cost the exchequer ₹43 crores. CAG notes in the report that the new figures reflect the poor performance and unsatisfactory results in curbing new infections in high-risk individuals. Looking at the overall numbers of HIV positive cases in India, the country has the third largest number of people living with HIV out of a group of six countries that includes China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam – a whopping 2.1 million at the end of 2013. The CAG report noted that because of the increase in the number of cases, a doubt has been cast whether the TI programme was effectively undertaken as required under National AIDS Control Programme-III (NACP-III). The report further noted that because of the inability to track the number of deaths due of infection of HIV and Tuberculosis, the overall goal of reducing TB related morbidity in people with HIV and AIDS remained unascertainable.Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance is the sequel to both Star Wars: TIE Fighter and the multiplayer-focused Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. X-Wing Alliance presents the story of the Azzameen family, a family of space traders. The player assumes the role of Ace Azzameen, the youngest of the Azzameen children, juggling military duty as a fighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance, and allegiance to his family, flying larger heavily armed freighters for the family business, amid a bloody family feud and in the larger context of a galactic civil war. Features [ edit ] Apart from the usual badges and medals for winning missions – a feature shared by the other games of the X-Wing computer game series – progress is also indicated by the number of souvenirs collected in Ace's room. There is also a "mail" delivery between missions that helps to evolve Ace's background story while also providing a deeper look into his personal relationships and his family's whereabouts. XWA is the first game of the series to offer a full voiceover soundtrack and full in-flight dialogue. Flight control is marginally updated from the previous games of the series, allowing the player to link his or her different energy weapons to fire together, as well as the addition of rudder support. Graphics are also overhauled in this game; high resolution textures, more complex models, and full three dimensional cockpits were added. However, the cockpits are not faithful to the other games; indicators and screens are separated from the cockpit, depicted as floating windows as part of the in-flight heads-up display. The player also has three "mission skips" that allow him or her to proceed through the linear storyline without having to complete a particular mission. "Family missions," however, cannot be skipped. The physics of starflight were made more realistic for this game; turning at speed was slow whereas is the previous games inertia was not present.[vague] The ability to fly multi-crew craft like the Millennium Falcon was a major new feature because the player could freely choose to be the pilot or operate one of the turrets. The AI would take over any position not controlled by the player, but could be given orders by the player. X-Wing Alliance also introduced multi-part missions that involved making hyperjumps from one region to the next; in previous games, any hyperjumps the player experienced were either to start or end the mission.[2] Additionally, players could now enter a starship's hangar bay to rearm and/or receive repairs before rejoining the fight. They could even witness the battle continuing to unfold outside the hangar. Finally, X-Wing Alliance added a much-desired custom mission builder feature. This allowed players to quickly set up a variety of battle scenarios involving almost every vessel in the game, including dozens of fighters and combat transports that had been fought against in the single-player game and were now flyable in this mode. Story [ edit ] The game's prologue (and tutorial) concerns Ace's "family missions" in which his elder family members and Emkay instruct him in the flying of Corellian transports so that he can begin working for the family. These missions reveal that the Azzameen family are in heated competition with the Viraxo and are generally sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance. Due to their sympathies, the patriarch of the family, Tomaas Azzameen, smuggles bacta for the Alliance in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth. This causes them to pay dearly as the Galactic Empire raids their home station for running bacta to an Alliance outpost. The family subsequently seeks asylum with a Rebel task force. As a Rebel pilot, Ace participates in a variety of missions for the Rebellion while also helping his family fight the Viraxo. During his tour with the Rebel Alliance, he proves himself to be a significant pilot as he participates in missions that uncover new Imperial projects, such as experimental TIE fighters and the second Death Star. Some events connect the game to the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, such as sequences that track the Rebellion's situation after the Battle of Hoth,[2] as well as the theft of the shuttle Tydirium. The game also concludes with the climactic Battle of Endor.[2] Several events connect to the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire story, such as a mission to assist Dash Rendar in the capture of the Imperial freighter Suprosa, which carries the plans to the second Death Star. Release [ edit ] Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance was released on 28 February 1999,[1] and it was released on Steam and GOG.com in 2015 along with other games in the series.[3] Reception [ edit ] In the United States alone, Alliance's sales reached 143,371 copies during 1999.[8] Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance was well received from critics, with a score of 84% on GameRankings based on 10 reviews.[4] Tal Blevins of IGN praised the ability to hyperjump from area to area and the space battles for being much larger than the game's predecessors, with up to 96 ships in space. He also praised the game's graphics and called the game "the best-looking Star Wars title from Totally Games", but criticized its software mode when 3D hardware mode is set off. Blevins felt that the game's improved details added cinematic elements that make players feel as if they are Rebels fighting in a never-to-be-released movie.[2] X-Wing Alliance was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 1999 "Simulation Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000.[9] It was also nominated for CNET Gamecenter's "Best Sci-Fi Simulation" award, but lost it to MechWarrior 3.[10]This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Dec. 4 Fans, Family, Food, Football Issue. Subscribe today! THERE WAS A PAUSE. It was Aug. 9, inside Roger Goodell's sixth-floor office at the NFL's Park Avenue headquarters in New York City -- down the hall, past the executives' offices and his assistant's desk, and through a large, thick wooden door that is both imposing and usually left open to serve as a welcome. Goodell huddled over a speakerphone with general counsel Jeff Pash. On the other end was Jerry Jones. Adhering to the protocol of giving owners a 48-hour heads-up before a major disciplinary issue involving their team is announced, Goodell and Pash informed Jones that after a 13-month domestic violence inquiry, the Dallas Cowboys' star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, would face punishment -- a six-game suspension. The line went quiet. Seconds passed. Goodell's decision was an unconscionable violation of trust, Jones later told associates, because he believed that the commissioner had assured him this past spring that there would be no suspension. Jones saw in Elliott a genuine opportunity, a player so good that he had made Jones believe that this year he just might win a Super Bowl for the first time since 1996. His anger was palpable. Finally, according to sources with direct knowledge of the call, Jones broke the silence. He aimed his words not only at Goodell's decision but also at his role as judge, jury and executioner in the case. "I'm gonna come after you with everything I have," Jones said. Then he mentioned Deflategate. "If you think Bob Kraft came after you hard, Bob Kraft is a p---y compared to what I'm going to do." Nobody knows what Jones is going to do. But at the age of 58, Goodell is fighting to keep his job. In public, he looks fresh and energetic, and he is more resolute than ever to leave with a legacy of having come close to fixing football's long-standing issues. Up close, though, his face has changed due to relentless stress; it is now sallow and lined and tired. Roger Goodell is in a battle few saw coming, with the league's membership teetering on an all-out, unprecedented civil war. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is in a bitter battle few saw coming, led by Jerry Jones, the league's most-opinionated and powerful owner. Nobody knows how this will end. Matt Dunham/AP Photo A LITTLE LESS than a week before that contentious conference call, Goodell and Jones seemed as close as ever at Glenmoor Country Club in Canton, Ohio, even as friction burned beneath the surface. Goodell was among the guests at Jones' multimillion-dollar Hall of Fame celebration inside a white tent big enough to accommodate a pair of Boeing 767 jets. Goodell knew that Elliott would be suspended, but he held off on the league announcement of it so that Jones could enjoy his moment. Goodell hugged Jones and offered his hearty congratulations as Justin Timberlake delivered a two-hour set, telling the crowd: "The greatest owner in the history of sports is being honored tonight!" For years, America's most powerful sports owner has heaped praise on America's most powerful commissioner for being a visionary, a "grow-the-pie thinker." Jones, now 75, uses a cost-benefit analysis to measure the value of many relationships, and as the NFL grew from a $6 billion-a-year to a $14 billion-a-year enterprise under Goodell, their relationship seemed strong. But then Goodell suspended Elliott, and it's only gotten nastier since, with that decision clarifying Jones' long-standing worries about Goodell's leadership, his current total annual compensation of $42 million, and the approval process for a contract extension expected to pay even more, according to documents and nearly two dozen interviews by Outside the Lines with owners, league and team executives and lawyers, and union leaders. Trust among owners and among senior executives inside the league office has all but evaporated. In early November, when Jones threatened to sue his fellow owners and the league to stop progress on Goodell's next contract, Falcons owner and compensation committee chairman Arthur Blank told Jones, "This is not how we do things in the NFL." As the league's TV ratings and favorability polls have drifted downward this autumn, a growing number of owners have expressed their dissatisfaction with Goodell's stewardship: He has not held many executives accountable despite a long line of mishandled crises; even with tens of millions of dollars invested in new executives and consultants, Goodell still has not managed to resolve high-profile cases of player discipline without embarrassing legal battles; behind closed doors, even perfunctory policy decisions, like the posting of game highlights on Twitter, have become bitter showdowns among owners and executives. At the same time, the league has been exposed to unprecedented pressure over player protests during the national anthem that have polarized fans and players while angering sponsors and TV network partners. Even more, throughout the past few months, the war for the future of the NFL has played out uncomfortably and publicly, often through competing leaks between owners, all of which has distracted fans from the actual games. It is a turmoil that seems new but actually began years ago in a shadow war waged inside the cloistered world of NFL offices, owners' suites, private meetings and conference calls, rooted in very different visions, mostly by Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell, about what the NFL's future should be. "I'm gonna come after you with everything I have." Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell BEFORE ENVISIONING AN NFL without Goodell, Jones needed him in it. More than a decade ago in a league meeting, Jones stood before his fellow owners and, in the words of an executive in the room, "all but begged" for a loan. The price tag had skyrocketed on his $1.3 billion AT&T Stadium, and he needed more cash from the league's G3 loan program. Jones also knew that many owners were angry with him; years earlier, he had disposed of thousands of seats at Texas Stadium and replaced them with club suites, trading revenue shareable with visiting teams' owners for money that went straight into his own pocket. So on this day, he told owners that he realized what he had done was unfair -- but that he was building a stadium that would be a great showplace for the NFL and needed tens of millions in additional loans. Goodell was silent during the meeting. Back then, he was the NFL's chief operating officer, commissioner Paul Tagliabue's No. 2 and the favorite of a clique of powerful owners to succeed Tagliabue. But after Jones' speech, owners approved the loan, in no small part because Goodell helped muscle the proposal through in private conversations with owners, selling them on Jones' vision of a football palace. In August 2006, Jones returned the favor. Goodell was elected commissioner, aided in part by Jones, who, along with others, twisted arms to put Goodell over his closest challenger, league attorney Gregg Levy. After Goodell won, the owners were deeply divided. Owners of the smaller-market clubs who had supported Levy worried that Goodell would leave them behind. Goodell had to find concepts that everyone could support, setting up the fight playing out today: To fulfill the vision of Jones and others, Goodell promised to increase revenue. To fulfill his own vision, Goodell promised to defend the brand, in his words "to protect the shield." AT THE TIME, nobody saw those two agendas at odds. But almost as soon as Goodell took over, the NFL plunged into crisis, from Michael Vick's dogfighting scandal to Spygate and Bountygate. The league's flat-footed, obfuscating response to head injuries lingered over it all. Many called for Goodell to step down, but Jones was among the owners who always publicly backed Goodell -- even when he was upset with him. Jones threatened to sue the league in 2012 after being penalized $10 million in salary cap room for manipulating a contract. But in 2014, Jones publicly supported Goodell after the Ray Rice domestic violence mismanagement, Goodell's low point as commissioner. "He's acknowledged that he's mishandled this," Jones said on his Dallas radio show at the time, "and he said that he'll do better in the future." What troubled Jones more than the crises was the way Goodell had responded. In most cases, Goodell expanded the power of the league office and broadened its scope, adding executives, many of whom are paid seven-figure salaries and given generous operating budgets. Among others, Goodell named former lobbyist Jeff Miller to oversee the league's health and safety policy in response to head injuries; former Manhattan prosecutor Lisa Friel to investigate criminal allegations in the wake of Rice; longtime sports executive Tod Leiweke in 2015 as chief operating officer to manage the new cabinet; and in 2016, former White House spokesman and league consultant Joe Lockhart to run public relations and attempt to rehabilitate Goodell's image. Some owners, most notably Jones, quietly questioned the wisdom of such moves -- especially the hiring of Friel. Before her position was established, Jones argued to owners in a closed-door meeting that creating its own law enforcement arm might not solve the problems of the NFL and would, more likely, create a new set of them. As Steelers owner Art Rooney II says, "We've expanded staff in areas that 10 or 20 years ago I probably would have never dreamt." "Roger was trying to solve two things," former NFL attorney Jodi Balsam says. "One, cosmetic: Get people in there with the right credentials and diversity with experience to show that we are serious. It was also deeply substantive. The league needed to refresh its talent in some areas." Jones, though, was conditioned in the spirit of Raiders owner and mentor Al Davis to never allow the league office to amass too much power. And in recent years, Jones felt that owners were being relegated to the role of mere "suggesters." One of the first times his anger over that power shift spilled out into plain view came during a league meeting in October 2015 in Manhattan. The owners were frustrated. The movie "Concussion" was about to be released, and they conceded that years of inaction and denials about football-related brain injuries had damaged the league. But more recently, owners had approved rule changes that they believed made the game safer. Some owners complained, "Why aren't we perceived as being part of the solution?" In his deep Arkansas drawl, Jones argued that everyone was overreacting, both about the film and the fallout over head injuries. "This is a pimple on a baby's ass," Jones said, drawing an awkward silence from the room. The frustration of Jones and other owners continued over issues big and small. Last year, TV ratings declined and anxiety mounted. Many owners concluded that former Pepsi executive Dawn Hudson, whom Goodell hired as the league's chief marketing officer, was providing analysis that was too optimistic. At an October 2016 league meeting in Houston, Hudson and Lockhart presented a slide that showed different variables measuring the popularity of the major sports leagues. At the top was the NFL. Various others, including Major League Soccer, were labeled "up-and-coming." At the bottom, under the category of "eroding," was the NBA, which had just signed a $24 billion TV deal with ESPN and TNT and was coming off its most watched Finals since 1998. "Do you buy this bulls--t?" one owner said to another. Owners wanted to hear an insider's state of the union, as the league's future depended on whether the slide reflected a temporary blip or the beginning of an alarming long-term trend. Instead, they felt they were being spun. Jones, in particular, seemed eager for a fight. And the next day, an argument erupted between Jones and other owners and league executives over the league's in-game video and social media policy. At the time, the league tightly controlled the posting of video highlights on social media and team sites. Jones blasted the policy. "Why are you restricting this?" Jones asked. "We're best suited to handle our content." Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, who co-chairs the digital media committee, walked to the front of the room and defended the policy, then returned to his seat. Jones dug in again, saying, "If the league can post highlights, we should be able to post highlights." Kraft stood up again to explain the policy. Several owners concluded that Jones didn't understand the policy's details, but it didn't matter. He was hot. Kraft left the room. Jones turned to Brian Rolapp, now the NFL's chief media and business officer, and said, "I don't know why it has to be that difficult, Brian." The committee eventually amended the policy. But Jones now had league executives in his crosshairs, and, as he would tell associates, such matters ultimately reflected poorly on Goodell. Jones wasn't alone. Bob Kraft told associates that the league office had become "bloated." Says another owner: "Nobody knows what to expect from the league office. Who's really making decisions?" Suspicions ran high. League officials who visited teams used to be given the red carpet treatment; now they often were left to wait in team lobbies and quickly ushered in and out of meetings. That tension flowed into the league's Park Avenue headquarters. Despite Leiweke's efforts to play peacemaker, many of the top executives didn't, and don't, trust one another. They felt they were in an impossible position, taking bullets for owners, who would turn around and complain about their performances and salaries. But owners also feel that Goodell hasn't been served well, especially by Miller on player health, Lockhart on the league's overall image and Pash on player discipline. Sensing that many of his executives are afraid of him and seem unwilling to offer objective counsel on vital issues, Goodell has become exhausted and distrusting -- yet more determined to succeed. Owners grumble that, as a result, Goodell has marginalized many executive vice presidents, including Leiweke -- and that they have even marginalized themselves, often leaving Goodell unsupported. "The executives want to protect themselves by isolating Roger," one owner says. "They don't care if they burn the league down to keep their jobs." More than a decade ago, Jones stood before his fellow owners and, in the words of an executive in the room, "all but begged" for a loan from the league to complete AT&T Stadium. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez Another owner, though, pointed out that for as sincere as Goodell seemed in his 2006 speech to owners pitching himself for commissioner -- that he would "hire a great team" and "make people accountable" -- he has been too loyal to most top executives, no matter how badly an issue has been handled. "His strengths and his weaknesses are kind of the same," Rooney says of Goodell. "He can be very firm in his positions, and at times that frustrates people who want to have somebody with more of an open mind." And so Jones and other owners began to quietly ask: Are we getting the right people for what we're paying? At the October 2016 meetings in Houston, the league was, as usual, enduring crisis. The NFL had recently suspended Giants kicker Josh Brown for only one game after domestic assault allegations, which made it appear that Goodell had not learned the hard lessons from the Ray Rice debacle. "The New York Daily News" had obtained incriminating evidence from Washington state law enforcement authorities that Friel, with her multimillion-dollar budget, had failed to gather. It all came to a head at the meetings. (The NFL would retroactively suspend Brown for six games the following season; the entire public relations mess was exactly what Jones and other owners and executives feared and predicted could occur from the beginning.) On the first night of the meetings, Jones and a few other executives walked into the hotel bar shortly before midnight. Friel was there. In February and July 2016, Elliott's former girlfriend had claimed that he assaulted her on six separate days in Ohio and Florida; he had been neither arrested nor charged with any wrongdoing by the authorities in both states. Jones believed there was no case. At the bar, Friel explained to Jones that the Elliott investigation was open and would be indefinitely as she finished her job. Jones' eyes widened, his brow furrowed. He raised his finger and wagged it in her face. "I'm saying this as an owner!" he yelled. "Your bread and butter is going to get both of us thrown out on the street!" The bar got quiet. Everyone stared. After a minute or so, a Cowboys executive ushered Jones up to his room. "If you think Bob Kraft came after you hard, Bob Kraft is a p---y compared to what I'm going to do." Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, at the Arizona Biltmore, during the owners' winter meetings this past March, Jones looked cocky, carrying a cocktail in the lobby -- and for good reason. His power and influence were never greater. He had just helped engineer the second team relocation in 14 months, first the Rams to Los Angeles and now the Raiders to Las Vegas -- two months after being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "He's the shadow commissioner -- or Roger is a puppet one," an owner said at the hotel bar. During one meeting, Jones reminded Goodell of his impatience with the ongoing Elliott inquiry. Behind closed doors, Jones repeated to other owners that the NFL shouldn't be in the "investigative business." Jones knew many owners agreed; Bob Kraft, for example, has complained for years that the league "wastes" money on seemingly endless player discipline investigations, including a reported $22.5 million on Deflategate. Jones also challenged Goodell's practice of punishing players who are not charged with crimes, let alone convicted. Jones didn't mention Elliott by name, but he didn't need to. During an executive session, Goodell left the conference room, and the topic turned to his contract, which expires in March 2019. An extension seemed like a formality; even owners who weren't pleased with Goodell's performance wanted him to lead negotiations against the union when the collective bargaining agreement expires in 2021. Jones, though, complained to fellow owners about the power vested in the six-member compensation committee that would negotiate the terms of Goodell's contract with him. Jones, who was not a committee member, said that for Goodell's next contract, all 32 owners should be kept apprised of all the negotiations' key developments and be given the opportunity to approve the contract's final terms. The unspoken issue, again, was Elliott. When Goodell returned to New York from the Biltmore, he told his deputies that he wanted the Elliott case closed by June to avoid having yet another disciplinary case against one of the NFL's stars hanging over the start of the season. Elliott's accuser and ex-girlfriend was interviewed by Kia Roberts, the NFL's newly hired director of investigations, a total of six times -- twice in person and four more times on the phone. By the spring, Roberts had concluded that the accuser was not a credible witness, an opinion she conveyed to Friel. In May, Jones asked Goodell by phone for a status update on the Elliott investigation. Jones later told several people that he came away from their conversation with an assurance that there would be no suspension for Elliott and that Goodell felt the running back should enter counseling and perhaps issue a statement showing contrition for his behavior. Jones replied that Elliott wouldn't be contrite about domestic violence because he hadn't committed it. "[Jones] told me, 'Roger told me there was nothing to worry about -- the evidence just isn't there,'" says a high-level source briefed on the call. "Jerry... was damn sure that Zeke was free and clear." Lockhart, the NFL spokesman, disputes that account: "Absolutely no assurances were given to Jerry by the commissioner that there would be no discipline, at any point in the process." Later that month, the owners were set to vote on granting the six-member compensation committee, led by Arthur Blank, authority to begin negotiating Goodell's extension. To get the requisite 21 votes to move forward, Blank felt he needed the powerful Jones behind him. "I want you on the committee," Blank said. "I won't go on the committee," Jones replied. "I want to be an ombudsman. I want to literally represent the owners who are not on the committee." That position was approved. At the NFL's spring meetings in Chicago, owners -- including Jones -- voted unanimously to extend Goodell's contract, giving Blank, and Goodell, enormous leverage. Jones railed later that he and owners didn't spend a single minute reviewing Goodell's job performance. Back at the league office, the Elliott investigation dragged on despite Goodell's directive to have the case wrapped up by June. Friel's 160-page report, listing Roberts as a co-author, was dated June 6. In a highly unusual move, Friel did not include a punishment recommendation for Goodell. The NFL's chief investigator always concludes an investigative report with a recommendation for the commissioner. It left some league executives and others close to the case baffled; some agreed with Roberts' conclusion that there were credibility questions around the accuser, while others wondered whether Friel and other league executives sought a makeup call for the mishandled Josh Brown case. AFTER THE REPORT was written, Goodell met with Friel, Pash and several other league executives. Roberts, however, did not attend. At Friel's recommendation, Goodell convened a four-person panel of advisers to consider the evidence collected in the Elliott matter, hear from Elliott himself and make recommendations -- proof, a league source says, that Goodell never had assured Jones that Elliott was in the clear. And so, on June 26 in the NFL offices, the advisory group reviewed witness statements, medical records and text messages exchanged by Elliott, his accuser and others. The panel questioned Friel, but again, Roberts was not invited and didn't have a chance to express her opinion. Friel later testified that she did not know whose decision it was not to invite Roberts. "I've never seen a situation when a league office takes an official position in federal court that they are willfully blind to key facts in their own process and owners tolerate it," says Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney for the players. "Everybody now knows that they suppressed the findings of their own investigation -- and kept their chief investigator on the sidelines -- to get the result that they wanted." During the session, former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White asked Friel what she had concluded about the credibility of Elliott's accuser. Friel said she found the accuser not credible on one occasion but credible overall; however, Friel did not bring up the credibility concerns raised by her investigator, Roberts. Under questioning by Kessler, Friel described Roberts' concerns about the accuser's credibility. For her part, Friel has privately told colleagues that despite the resources at her disposal -- the Elliott case has cost an estimated $2 million and counting -- she was hamstrung without subpoena power. Her worst fears, and Jones', were coming true. Still, Goodell gave considerable weight to the opinions of the panelists, who unanimously concluded that Elliott deserved to be punished. Jones didn't know that Goodell was changing his mind. And he didn't know that Goodell was facing pressure, both from a handful of league executives who felt Elliott should be suspended and from owners wanting Jones to be humbled. Kraft had called Goodell in the summer and, referring to the Elliott case, told the commissioner, "My guy got four games for footballs and there's still nothing on this?" Just before the Cowboys' training camp opened in Oxnard, California, Jones told reporters on July 23 there was "absolutely nothing" to the domestic violence accusations against Elliott, a refrain he repeated several days later during Hall of Fame activities. And on Aug. 9, Blank's compensation committee convened a dinner meeting in Manhattan to discuss Goodell's contract; Jones attended via phone. During the session, Jones did not raise any concerns about Goodell's contract extension, sources say. The next day, Blank called Goodell, telling the commissioner that Jones had participated in the meeting. That's when Goodell told Blank, "He's not going to be too happy with me tomorrow," explaining that Elliott's suspension was coming. On Aug. 11, Goodell announced the six-game suspension of Elliott. Jones saw it as a "complete betrayal," a source now says. "An overcorrection" by Goodell, Jones later called it publicly. Privately, Jones seethed to confidants that Goodell hadn't studied the case's many details, and he considered suing the NFL to get the suspension overturned. "Roger blew off his own investigator's conclusion -- it's just patently unfair," Jones told a confidant, a charge that a league source denies. Jones had turned on Goodell, perhaps for good. An ESPN report in mid-September detailed that Jones was impeding progress on Goodell's contract extension. And then, at league meetings a month later, Jones took over a meeting about Goodell's contract, irritating his colleagues by calling himself, more than once, the "ranking owner" and adding, "I'm going to be a pain in the ass" to committee members. Lockhart has insisted that Roberts' recommendation that she did not believe Elliott should be suspended had been communicated to Goodell. But on Oct. 30, at another hearing over Elliott's suspension before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, NFL lawyer Paul Clement suggested that it didn't matter because of the broad authority Goodell has over player discipline. Failla asked, "Would it not have assisted [Goodell] in determining whether punishment were appropriate to hear from the very person that had been tasked with interviewing this very key witness?" "I don't know that it would," Clement replied. To Jones and to Elliott's lawyers, Clement's position was proof that Goodell had failed to obtain a critical fact before handing down punishment -- permissible under the CBA but fundamentally unfair to Elliott. It didn't matter: On Nov. 9, Elliott's six-game suspension was upheld by a federal appeals court, sending him to the sideline, after more than two months of appeals, and escalating the anger and determination of the league's most powerful owner. "Jerry's message to Roger was 'I run this league, you better get with it.' This is about power and control, not the contract -- that's all white noise." NFL senior league executive A LONG-HELD assumption has been that Goodell wants another long-term deal. Those who have discussed the contract situation with him have described him as "furious" and "emboldened" at the notion of accepting a deep pay cut after making the owners a lot of money over the years, watching their teams' valuations skyrocket and taking many bullets for them. ESPN has reported that he asked in August for a compensation package of about $49 million a year, if every incentive is met, plus use of a private jet for life and health care for life for his family. But most owners expect him to land in the range of $40 million a year. If owners decide to squeeze him too hard, he might walk away. He knows that there's no clear successor, which is both a failing on his part and a source of leverage. The owners, though, have considered other successors. A confidant of one owner reached out to gauge whether Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, would be interested in running the NFL, to which Silver immediately said no. Owners have also considered looking to the International Olympic Committee for someone
2013/05/27/mccain-syria/2363911/ These men are widely outspoken proponents of violent U.S. military intervention in the Middle East. They are also widely outspoken proponents of military intervention WITHIN the United States against American citizens. Politicians like McCain and Graham are middle-management power addicts with ideological ties to globalization. Sending them to Egypt to offer American assistance is like sending a pair of cloven hoofed demons to watch over a daycare center. The Egyptian public will not be amused, and maybe that’s the plan… The latest news indicates that the Obama Administration will be moving forward with joint U.S./Egyptian military exercises despite the coup which occurred only weeks ago. That is to say, it does not seem to matter to Obama who is actually in power in Egypt, we are going to give them money, weapons, and even military training regardless. If this is not a message to the Egyptian people that the West is never going away, I don’t know what is. In the meantime, protests continue to escalate, and the current military regime has responded with violence. Officially, the White House has condemned such oppression, but U.S. money and military assistance still flows into the Sisi government, just as it always has: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/29/us-egypt-usa-obama-idUSBRE96S10O20130729 The Muslim Brotherhood, which is the largest and most effectively organized political movement in the country, has just had their democratically elected representative deposed. The West is rushing to support the military junta. Egypt’s interim government is in deadlock, and the Brotherhood refuses to recognize their authority: “It’s an illegitimate government, an illegitimate prime minister, an illegitimate cabinet,” said Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad. “We don’t recognize anyone in it. We don’t even recognize their authority as representatives of the government.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/16/us-egypt-protests-idUSBRE96E01E20130716 Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, once the Egyptian military envoy to Saudi Arabia, has now conveniently accrued Saudi monetary support in the form of $12 billion dollars in cash, loans, and fuel. Yet another signal that could be construed by the Egyptian citizenry that Sisi is in the pocket of the West. In August 2012, the newspaper al-Tahrir also reported that Gen Sisi had “strong ties with US officials on both diplomatic and military levels”. He had studied in Washington, attended several military conferences there, and engaged in “co-operation with regard to war games and intelligence operations in recent years”: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19256730 Mursi supporters and Muslim Brotherhood activists have responded with large scale protests. The military has reacted with force, killing several protestors and galvanizing opposition even further towards a violent methodology: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/20/us-egypt-protests-idUSBRE96H16820130720 The U.S. government does not necessarily need to actively engineer a crisis as they did in Libya, or Syria; all they need to do is throw money at whoever ends up in charge, and let insurgency take its natural course. But where is all of this headed? What does Egyptian chaos and civil war mean for the rest of the world? And why would the U.S. knowingly irritate an already explosive situation? A similar event occurred in 1952, when a hot revolution in Egypt overtook the pro-western monarchy of King Farouk. At that time, Great Britain dominated the Middle East as well as the global oil market. The pound sterling was considered the “world reserve currency” of the day (at least, the currency with the largest share of global trade), and was required in most global transactions when petroleum purchases were made. Sound familiar? That’s because the United States is in the exact same economic condition today. American hegemony over Middle Eastern oil markets is undeniable. The dollar is not only the petrodollar, but also the world reserve currency. Like Britain in the 1940s and 1950s, we too are embroiled in quagmire after quagmire in the cradle of civilization. And like Britain, we too are seeking to prop up power structures in Egypt which are destined to end in collapse and conflagration. Britain’s defeat in the Suez was not just a military one, but also a financial one. American and French bond holders (central banks) threatened to dump British treasuries and the pound sterling in the wake of the Egyptian revolution of 1952, which was, coincidentally, led by the Muslim Brotherhood. The sterling lost its petrodollar status over the course of several years, quickly replaced by the U.S. Greenback. Inflation of the sterling struck in the late 1960s, and from that point on, Britain remained a second tier economy. When one understands how the central banking cabal operates, the cycle of history becomes clear. The pound sterling’s day was done. International bankers sought to introduce the age of the U.S. dollar. Britain (either knowingly or foolishly) set the stage for its own currency debasement. Central banks took advantage, and changed the very structure of the world with the rise of the Federal Reserve Note. Oil prices have been rising steadily ever since, and general inflation in goods and services has been slowly boiling the population alive. I believe the dollar, like the pound sterling, is being set up for a grand fall similar in nature but far more devastating, and that Egypt may yet again play a major role in this disaster. Before being overthrown, President Mursi was openly building closer ties with Iran, as well as staging possible deals with Russia to build nuclear power plants. Mursi wanted energy independence and likely mutual defense treaties. Iran (as well as Turkey) was enraged by the latest military coup. Political signals indicate that a civil war in Egypt would probably result not only in a shut down of oil shipping through the Suez Canal, but also the Straight of Hormuz if the U.S. was seen as an instigator in the event. At least 30% of the worlds oil supply would be delayed or halted as war erupted. Gasoline prices would in turn skyrocket. The U.S. dollar, already on thin ice with foreign investors (China has been dumping the dollar in bilateral trade with multiple countries since at least 2010), would come under intense scrutiny as the petro-currency, not to mention the world reserve. Enter the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), already waiting in the wings today to overtake the dollar as the reserve mechanism, thus clearing the way for a global economic system under the control of an unelected corporate banking bureaucracy. The signs are all present. With the Egyptian military shutting out the entirety of the Muslim Brotherhood and related political groups from all government participation, and the atmosphere of the streets growing more vicious everyday, it is only a matter of time before the real shooting begins. If this does not occur before or during the U.S. joint exercises set for September of this year, I will be pleasantly surprised. When one examines the impending disaster in Egypt, it is important to avoid using a narrow lens and take into account the bigger picture. An Egyptian civil war will not ultimately be about Egypt. Rather, it will be about catalyzing the whole of the Middle East towards breakdown and drawing in larger nations in the process, including the United States. It will also be about triggering energy price increases designed to give cover to the collapse of the dollar’s world reserve status. If globalists within our government and within central banks allow the dollar to die today, THEY will be blamed for the collapse that follows. THEY will be painted as the villains. But, if they can create a crisis large enough, that crisis becomes the scapegoat for all other tragedies, including dollar debasement. Egypt is just one of many regions in the world where such a crisis can be fabricated. Right now, it seems to be the most opportune choice for the elites. You can contact Brandon Smith at: [email protected] Alt-Market is an organization designed to help you find like-minded activists and preppers in your local area so that you can network and construct communities for mutual aid and defense. Join Alt-Market.com today and learn what it means to step away from the system and build something better.Finding Dory Finding Dory is a perfectly enjoyable film that doesn’t quite live up to the ridiculously high expectations Pixar fans have come to expect. Finding Dory continues on from 2004’s Finding Nemo with the friendly amnesiac blue tang fish Dory (Ellen Degeneres), who begins to recall memories of her parents and sets off to search for them along with Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Nemo (Hayden Rolance). It’s testament to Pixar remarkable standard that Finding Dory comes across as slightly disappointing, and the incredibly high bar that their films have set. The consistency in the quality of Pixar releases between 1995 and 2010 is purely staggering. Finding Dory is far from a subpar film, yet worryingly for another sequel by the animation giants, it isn’t up to their usual excellence, obviously not counting any of the Toy Story sequels yet released, but considering the future slate contains another feature installment of our favourite sentient toys, then perhaps there is cause for concern, seeing as Toy Story currently represents as close to a perfect trilogy as there is, Lord of the Rings aside. Ellen Degeneres is as affable as expected, reviving her forgetful character Dory from 2004’s Finding Nemo. Albert Brooks returns as Marlin in a somewhat muted, supporting role that feels like a series of cameo appearances. That’s where Finding Dory falls a bit flat. The role reversal of Finding Nemo’s protagonists doesn’t really work. By the end of first film, Marlin’s transformation from a frantic, uptight worrier is complete as he learns from Dory’s carefreeness. In Finding Dory, he appears to have learnt nothing, and essentially goes through the same character arc as he is encouraged by Nemo to think “what would Dory do?” quite regularly. As for Dory herself, there is very little transformation in her character from the start of the film to the end – which isn’t awful, but if animation is to be considered as something more than “for kids”, which it should, and frankly we should be encouraging films to challenge kids anyway, then this lack of a compelling character arc becomes an issue. The film leans on the charm of Ellen Degeneres, and Finding Dory is funny, and not just enjoyable funny – there are some belly rumbling laughs. Credit for this must be shared between Ellen’s delivery and the writing/directing of Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, who had produced some of the finest of Pixar’s film including the wondrous Wall-E. The supporting cast, and voice work in general, is strong with a couple of stand outs from Ed O’Neill as the seven legged Octopus Hank, Kaitlin Olson as the near sighted Destiny, and Ty Burrell as Beluga whale, Bailey. Most glaringly for Finding Dory, there is a sincerely missed opportunity and a greater justification for the film’s production regarding theme. The main one in Finding Dory is family, and the real meaning of – not exactly a new concept for an animated film. Considering the environmental devastation of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in the last decade, the de facto setting of the Finding Nemo, perhaps environmentalism would’ve made a greater message. We need to take better care of our oceans. Of course, Pixar have touched on it before in Wall-E, Finding Nemo (both directed by Andrew Stanton), and there are elements of it on show here as our characters venture through the murky debris of sunken ship, they end up in a marine life sanctuary as Sigourney Weaver, playing herself, informs them of humanity’s conservation efforts, but the filmmakers have missed the chance to really drive home the message. As far as parenting goes, introducing your children to the films of Pixar, as well as Studio Ghibli, and Disney, remains highly recommended. Judging by the trailers on show before Finding Dory, you could do so much worse. The market for family friendly films is inundated with trash, only having to cast your mind back to last year’s Minions to realise that. Despite the criticism of it, which admittedly is slightly harsh, Finding Dory is actually pretty good and still remains better than the vast majority of animated films out there. Written by Callum Mackenzie. AdvertisementsM-Net Movies (South Africa) is set to launch its special “shaken not stirred” James Bond pop-up channel on Thursday, 23rd February, 2017 from 10:10 AM (SAST), on DStv Premium (Channel 109). Screened in chronological order, DStv customers can watch every Bond film – from ‘Dr. No’ to ‘SPECTRE’ – on DStv Premium, DStv Catch Up Plus or live stream them on DStv Now, until Sunday, 5th March, 2017 at 1:30 PM (SAST). Also featured on the channel will be four bonus documentaries, ‘Now Pay Attention 007: A Tribute to the Actor Desman Llewellyn’ (2000); ‘Best Ever Bond’ (2002); ‘Bond Girls Are Forever’ (2012) and ‘Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007’ (2012), that will take viewers behind the scenes of the long running film franchise. Thursday, 23 February: 10:10 AM – ‘Dr No’ (1963) 12:03 PM – ‘From Russia with Love’ (1964) 2:03 PM – ‘Goldfinger’ (1965) 3:53 PM – ‘Thunderball’ (1965) 6:03 PM – ‘You Only Live Twice’ (1967) 8:00 PM – ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969) 10:21 PM – ‘Diamonds are Forever’ (1971) Friday, 24 February: 9:35 AM – ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973) 11:37 AM – ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ (1974) 1:42 PM – ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977) 3:47 PM – ‘Moonraker’ (1979) 5:53 PM – ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981) 8:00 PM – ‘Octopussy’ (1983) 10:10 PM – ‘Never Say Never Again’ (1983) Saturday, 25 February: 12:23 AM – ‘A View to a Kill’ (1985) 10:35 AM – ‘Casino Royale’ (1967) 11:30 AM – ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987) 1:40 PM – ‘Licence to Kill’ (1989) 3:52 PM – ‘GoldenEye’ (1995) 6:01 PM – ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997) 8:00 PM – ‘The World is Not Enough’ (1999) 10:08 PM – ‘Die Another Day’ (2012) Sunday, 26 February: 8:20 AM – ‘Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007’ 10:00 AM – ‘Bond Girls are Forever’ 10:50 AM – ‘Now Pay Attention 007!’ 11:45 AM – ‘Best Ever Bond’ 1:23 PM – ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) 3:52 PM – ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008) 5:38 PM – ‘Skyfall’ (2012) 8:00 PM – ‘Spectre ‘(2015) 9:27 PM – ‘Casino Royale’ (1967)As summer break gets underway for children, Operation Broken Heart aims to keep kids safe from online child predators.Police said summer break means children have more free time and less supervision when they're online. It makes sharing the results of a two-month sweep of suspected online child predators much more important and urgent."This operation resulted in the arrest of over 186 child predators. The arrests and subsequent charges include possession, manufacturing and distributing of child pornography," LAPD Capt. Julian Melendez said.The monthslong joint task force effort was dubbed Operation Broken Heart. One investigation led police to a Los Angeles man who they said used an online video game to lure his young victims."In exchange for passcodes to this video game, he would ask them to send him child pornography - pictures of themselves," Melendez said.Dennis Chambers, the president of the Buena Park School District board, was one of those arrested during the operation. He is suspected of trafficking child pornography. Investigators believe he may be attached to as many as six online cells nationwide."These groups that get together on certain social sites and would meet together on private forums, private chatrooms, where they would collaborate and exchange various images, videos consistent with child pornography," Fontana police Cpl. Jeremy Hale said.An Orange County high school teacher was also arrested in the sting. In all, authorities served more than 387 search warrants and worked on 1,370 investigations.Authorities said it's ultimately on the parents to monitor their children's activity online."We can't arrest our way out of this problem. If we're going to prevail, we have to practice prevention," said Jennifer Reyes, with Homeland Security.Police said the number of arrests and prosecutions are expected to grow.A critical part of the Signal protocol, used by Google Allo, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Signal, among others) is a public key infrastructure. Public keys are needed to set up sessions. As far as I can see, it doesn't specify a way to authenticate the keys. Ie, when Alice sets up a session with Bob, how can she be sure she receives his public key and nobody else's? Secondly, assuming the above question has a satisfying answer, can we check what happens on the wire? Ie, can Alice (having access to her private keys) examine the protocol on the wire, extract Bob's public key and authenticate it by hand (fingerprint it, call Bob and ask him to compare)? This probably differs per implementation, I guess. As a start, I don't see an answer in the WhatsApp encryption overview whitepaper. So how is this implemented? In a broader context the real question is of course: to what extent do we need to trust the implementations, i.e. the service providers? Honestly, it's strange to me that there's so much fuss over these services being end-to-end encrypted; it seems to me (NOT an expert on the protocol!) that it's easy enough for the service providers to eavesdrop, if they'd want to. They may not want or intent to, but for whomever privacy is important enough, it's still a liability.LOS ANGELES — The body of a man slumped over patio furniture on his balcony in Marina del Rey was mistaken for Halloween décor last week and remained undisturbed for five days. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the complex Thursday evening and found the man, Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed, 75, dead. He had been shot through the eye. “He looked fake,” said Austin Raishbrook, 33, who lives nearby. “It looked like somebody had thrown a dummy over the back of a chair.” Sheriff’s deputies believe that Mr. Zayed committed suicide, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “Our investigators don’t think there was any foul play here,” he said. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Raishbrook said he had just returned home from work at the news-gathering agency he owns when sirens began to wail along Bora Bora Way, a residential street overlooking boat slips and a main waterway.Officially, the "Great Recession" ended in 2009, but the recovery that followed has been slow and uneven. Workers across the Commonwealthand the U.S.still confront a relatively weak labor market, and low-wage workers have been particularly affected by growing inequality and the declining value of the minimum wage. Even as the Massachusetts economy grows more productive, workers continue to find that their wages don't reflect these productivity gains. The charts that follow provide a snapshot of the economic situation for workers on this labor day, including information on wages, job growth, and inequality. 1) Rising Productivity and Stagnant Wages Since 1979, productivity in Massachusettsmeasured as the output of goods and services per hour worked has more than doubled (even after adjusting for inflation), growing by 112 percent over this period. For the U.S. as a whole, productivity has grown by an inflation-adjusted 69 percent over this same period. In the four decades following the end of WW II, wage growth in the U.S. generally kept pace with productivity growth, meaning that workers' incomes and standards of living rose along with productivity (details from EPI). That trend continued through much of the 1980s in Massachusetts, but by the end of that decade the two measures began to diverge. Since 1979, the median wage for Massachusetts workers has grown by just 18 percent, and the minimum wage has actually lost nearly 13 percent of its value. 2) Job Growth by Sector Despite an overall, net job gain, job losses and gains in Massachusetts have not been spread evenly across all employment sectors during the long, slow recovery from the Great Recession. Sectors that historically have provided higher-wage job opportunities for workers with limited formal educationthe Manufacturing and the Construction sectorstogether have gained only 1,300 net jobs.. By contrast, sectors that offer low-wage jobs to these workersthe Leisure & Hospitality, the Retail Sales and the Other Services sectorshave added close to 60,000 jobs. The highest-wage Professional and Business sector also has seen robust growth. 3) Inequality While the economy has begun to grow again, low-wage workers continue to struggle. Between 1985 and 2012 (in each case three years after the official end of a recession), the gap in hourly pay between high and low wage earners grew by about $9.00, adjusted for inflation, from more than $15 an hour to more than $24 an hour (see chart below). Moreover, while all wage earning groups saw declines in hourly wages over the last few years, the drop for lower-wage earners has been steeper and the gap remains wide. 4) Declining Value of the Minimum Wage Over the past forty-five years the value of the minimum wage has lost a quarter of its value. A minimum wage earner working full time in Massachusetts will earn about $16,000 this year, higher than the poverty threshold for a an individual (a little over $11,700 in 2011), but lower than the threshold for a family of three (around $18,000). That same worker would have earned about $21,160 back in 1968 (measured in real, inflation-adjusted dollars). 5) Minimum Wage Lags Other Indicators Increasing the minimum wage could help restore the value it has lost over time. In order to restore the value lost due to increases in the cost of living, the minimum wage would need to rise to about $10.72 in 2013. Assuming the cost of living continues to grow modestly, it would need to be about $11.00 per hour by 2015. Narrowing the gap between minimum wage and high wage workers back to where it was in 1979 would require an increase to $13.67 in 2013. And if the minimum wage had kept pace with gains in productivity since 1979, it would be $19.77or about $39,000 a year for a full-time workertoday. Information on this website provides nonpartisan research and analysis on the minimum wage and is not intended to promote or oppose particular proposals on this issue.Italy U21 coach Luigi Di Biagio has selected 27 players for a training camp ahead of the European U21 Championships at the end of June. The current Azzurini squad will then be whittled down to the official 23 following a training match with Inter Berretti on June 7. The tournament runs from June 17-30 and the Azzurrini are in a group with Sweden, Portugal and England. Those called up for the training camp are as follows: Goalkeepers: Bardi (Chievo), Leali (Cesena), Sportiello (Atalanta). Defenders: Barba (Empoli), Bianchetti (Spezia), Biraghi (Chievo Verona), Izzo (Genoa), Murru (Cagliari), Romagnoli (Sampdoria), Rugani (Empoli), Sabelli (Bari), Zappacosta (Atalanta). Midfielders: Baselli (Atalanta), Battocchio (Virtus Entella), Benassi (Torino), Cataldi (Lazio), Crisetig (Cagliari), Dezi (Crotone), Sturaro (Juventus), Verre (Perugia), Viviani (Latina). Forwards: Belotti (Palermo), Berardi (Sassuolo), Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Longo (Cagliari), Trotta (Avellino), Verdi (Empoli).*Update: I think I’ve located the school in question but I am awaiting confirmation that this is their quiz. Update: It’s Blue Ridge Christian Academy. … On Reddit and the atheist blogosphere, this image was circulating last week: It’s supposedly a fourth grade science test from a private school a South Carolina. But we don’t exactly know which school because the submitter wouldn’t say. He said he got the quiz from his friend whose daughter attends the school and they’d like to keep that information under wraps (for the sake of the daughter) until the year ends. Well, the people at Snopes tried to get to the bottom of this. They heard from the “friend” with the daughter. He wouldn’t tell them the name of the school, so we can’t technically verify that this is real (Snopes says this story is “Undetermined”), but we do get a little more information, including the full second page of the test: Here’s the father: … It’s a great school for Reading, Writing and Math. She is ahead of most of her peers and also is taking Latin there. But I now know to be vigilant for the rest of the year about her science teachings. She will not be attending the school next year … Perhaps the scarier moment is when he realized she was being brainwashed by Ken-Ham-like material: I didn’t know that this was being taught to her until we heard a radio commercial together about the Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit was coming to the TD Convention Center [in Greenville, South Carolina]. The Commercial starts out, “After 65 million years, the dinosaurs have returned …” She commented immediately that it was only four thousand years ago. When I corrected her, she snapped back, “Were you there?” face palm* At least she won’t be going to that school after this year… but, even if it’s legal, no school should be brainwashing kids like this in the name of science, and the father and the Reddit submitter have a duty to name the school when the time comes so we can expose them. (I’ll stay on top of that.)Bootlegging Salinger When I was 14, I started reading J.D. Salinger. Empathizing with Holden's confusion and simultaneous sense of wonder about the world, I remember becoming fascinated by. When I was 16, I startedJ.D. Salinger. After finding the Glass family stories, which I still consider to be his best work, I subscribed to the Bananafish list-serv. There, amidst conversations about deconstruction and the role it should play in literary theory which confused the hell out of me at the time, I found references to stories that Salinger had written which had never been collected. I read on the list about the so-called "under-published Salinger stories," pieces he had published in magazines like Harper's and Collier's from 1940-1948. The real treasure I was looking for was "Hapworth 16, 1924" from 1965, Salinger's last published story before he began a 43 year silence. After delving into literary criticism of Salinger, I was fascinated by these stories, published in World War 2-era magazines and decided to seek them out. But I was met with a roadblock: Salinger had tried to sue anyone publishing the stories in the past. Even Ian Hamilton's biography In Search of J.D. Salinger had to be rewritten due to what Salinger thought was an overly large use of material from these stories, among other issues. But with advice from the listserv, I traveled to the main branch of the Denver Public Library to photocopy of all of the under-published stories. I knew from online research that they had an extensive periodical collection, and they did, but a number of the stories had been torn out of the magazines by eager collectors. I was able to locate about 14 of the stories and read them over the weekend. But I was still missing some. About a year later, after searching interlibrary loan (which is an incredible tool), I found 22 Stories, a bootleg volume of Salinger's work published in 1998 in a run of 1,000 copies by Train Bridge Recluse. I read the stories and was fascinated. The search for the books was the most rewarding part about the experience, the feeling of flipping through the same pages that the past generation did to seek out these forgotten pieces. It made me think that if teachers made learning more of a treasure hunt than a quest to see how much unwanted knowledge they could throw at you, the American educational system would be in a much better state. The stories are now available online here. Each story is a fascinating glimpse into another era, and they exhibit Salinger's stylistic and narrative evolution into one of America's most highly-acclaimed writers of the 20th century. Salinger's first mass-published story was "The Young Folks," published in Story Magazine when he had just turned 21, and it was a look inside a 1940s college party. Naturally, since he began his publishing career during the war, Salinger was drawn towards writing many stories regarding soldiers' stories and the environment in the nation during the time. The rest of the stories in the collection focus on this strongly, but "The Young Folks" operates as a prelude, the beginning before the beginning, which makes it one of my favorite of his works. In "The Young Folks," a college party hostess named Lucille observes Edna Phillips' boredom and tries to liven up the party by setting Edna up with another student, Bill Jameson. During the course of the awkward conversation that follows, Jameson uses the excuse of writing a paper on a John Ruskin essay about "a cathedral in Europe" (very specifically) to explain why he shouldn't stay late at the party. The conversation shifts to romance and sex, with Edna recalling two past relationships, the first with a painter and the second with a Princeton graduate. In her recollections of the events, the painter refers deprecatingly to Edna as being "not beautiful according to conventional standards," and she trails off after mentioning she "only posed for him this once." She also directly refers to being pressured sexually by the Princeton graduate. Throughout this section, there are a few mentions of a blonde girl named Doris seated on the floor around three male Rutgers students laughing uproariously. At this point, there is a shift in the discussion to the girl. Edna has a negative opinion about her based on information from a trusted friend who was romantically involved with her, but acknowledges that men do find her attractive. Meanwhile, Jameson subtly but obviously expresses interest in Doris. The most telling line of the conversation is at the end: Edna said, "It isn't that I can't appreciate how a boy feels after he dates you all summer and spends money he hasn't any right to spend on theater tickets and night spots and all. I mean, I can understand. He feels you owe him something. Well, I'm not that way. I guess I'm just not built that way. It's gotta be the real thing with me. Before, you know. I mean, love and all." "Yeah. Look, uh. I really oughtta get goin'. I got this theme for Monday. Hell, I shoulda been home hours ago. So I think I'll go in and get a drink and get goin'. After the conversation, Lucille comes to ask how things went between Edna and Jameson. Edna explains that Jameson had to leave early to finish his paper but is surprised when Lucille replies that Jameson is "in there on the floor with Dottie [Doris] Leggett." Salinger then paints her reaction: "Edna fish-lipped her mouth and tapped her cigarette ashes." After sarcastically referring to Jameson as "quite a guy" and "a trifle warm-blooded," Edna regains her seat on the big red chair, obviously upset about the situation. Although everyone in the room -- even the delivery boys -- are dancing to the song on the radio, Edna requests, "See if you can't get something better on the radio! I mean who can dance to that stuff?" The way Salinger presents his story is affecting for many reasons. It captures a small but significant interpersonal interaction between two characters in a realistic way, and we see two human beings attempting to meet each other on some plane. They stumblingly try to find some way to come to a greater understanding of themselves and each other and ultimately fail. Both seem to be drawn to shallow and insignificant pursuits, not unlike many of Fitzgerald's characters, as the United States comes out of the Depression and is drawing closer to the war that devastated a generation. These characters also point to what Salinger did later in his writing career with his 1955 story "Franny." Jameson, a student who is reminiscent of Lane Coutell in "Franny," pretends to be too busy with his pretentious college essays about cathedrals he's never read about or seen while another college girl's hopes for a more sincere interaction are dashed. However, Franny is much different from Edna. Edna's interactions seem shallow and unfulfilled, while the reader has more sympathy for Franny, a spiritual seeker. Furthermore, we see an accurate (even linguistically) record of what college life was perceived like at the time as a record of Salinger's own generation. But what gives these stories the most depth is Salinger's sense of style and vision, already extremely well-developed at his young age. Through his language, we are able to dream by the book, and we see his attentiveness to dialogue as expression of inner experience as well as the knowledge that he wanted us to have regarding this moment in these characters' lives. The rest of the collection becomes even more interesting, as we see the war's impact on these characters wax and wane while relationships build and crumble. Salinger writes shorts that are later turned into episodes in Catcher, and we see models for D.B., Holden, and Phoebe, among other completely seperate characters who are fascinating to read about to any fan of Salinger. But in the spirit of forbidden knowledge, I'm not going to ruin the rest for you. Everything's there, from "The Young Folks" to "Hapworth." Search them out here and take a look.Former NAACP President Ben Jealous has indicated that he will compete for Maryland's Democratic gubernatorial nomination and the right to square off against Larry Hogan in next year's general election. Mr. Jealous faces a daunting task. In order to take on the "deeply popular" Republican, he'll have to beat a slate of other Democrats while likely facing staunch opposition from Maryland's Democratic Party. Mr. Jealous' decision to campaign for Bernie Sandersduring the Democratic primaries and serving as one of the candidate's surrogates cannot sit well with Maryland's Democratic leaders. When Maryland's current Interim Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Matthews ran in the 8th Congressional District's Democratic primary last year, she received financial support from many of the same donors who contributed heavily to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. After Ms. Matthews lost to Rep. Jamie Raskin, heavy-hitters Rep. Steny Hoyer, Sen. Ben Cardin and Sen. Chris Van Hollen tapped her to head up the Maryland Democratic Party. All three men enthusiastically backed Secretary Clinton over Senator Sanders. Last July, Mr. Jealous tried to mend fences with centrists at the Democratic National Convention by endorsing Hillary in a vigorous speech. For Mr. Jealous to win, however, he must re-embrace fully his former identity as an anti-establishment progressive and challenge Maryland's comfortable Democrats no less than the Republican governor. Bernie Sanders is easily America's most popular politician. Surveys show him with an approval rating in the 60 percent range. Senator Sanders is beloved because most Americans share his populist economic views and agree that the system is rigged against average people. His call for universal single-payer health coverage received boisterous applause at a town hall recently in McDowell County, W.Va., where voters preferred Donald Trump by a large margin over Hillary Clinton. Mr. Jealous can win if he follows Bernie's script. He must forswear corporate contributions and fund his campaign on contributions of under $100 each. He should criss-cross the state with a focus on economically downtrodden communities. Inner-city Baltimore, hardscrabble Allegheny County and hard-hit neighborhoods in Prince George's County near the district line would all embrace a Sanders-style call for government to guarantee health care, to provide tuition-free public colleges and universities, to take a much greater role in creating jobs and to improve public transportation. Mr. Jealous must insist that the truly affluent pay higher taxes to pay for these essential government services. He should point out that increases in top marginal tax rates might not be necessary but for the fact that Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and Democratic legislators approved annual hikes in the amount of each estate that is exempt from state taxes. These hikes led directly to large cuts in the taxes paid by heirs to large estates while forcing local jurisdictions to raise assessments against middle-class property owners to cover the shortfall. Mr. Jealous must also be willing to call out Democratic executives who have vetoed minimum wage hikes —including Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. To the extent that Mr. Jealous is the only true economic populist in the Democratic race, he will have a significant advantage over party-approved candidates. Working-class independents, millennials and progressive Democrats — all of whom favor a government fully invested in the fight against economic injustice — will rally to his cause. Conversely, more mainstream Democrats who have demonstrated
Jay and the rest extracted roughly 3,000 songs from him via satellites and in the process "robbed [him] for hundreds of millions, even billions, in the satellite organization." But this isn't exactly new behavior. In fact this suit is just another in a long line of cases Dupree has filed against various celebrities. The Daily Dot points out that nearly three years ago, he filed a lawsuit against the US Copyright Office: In June 2011, he sued the United States Copyright Office for "price discrimination," claiming that his prisoner status left him unable to copyright his lyrics and, "as a result, plaintiff's lyrics have been stolen by established music artists, effectively "block[ing] [plaintiff] out of the 'free trade' market." Also in 2011, Dupree filed a lawsuit against Jim Scott, a Kern County television anchor for "extracting" sexual favors from a meteorologist who Dupree claimed to be his future wife. In 2012, Dupree filed a suit alleging Magic Johnson violated his First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Dupree has filed suits against, Julie Chen, CBS, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, and Chilean TV personality Don Francisco, among others. Advertisement Dupree may have struck a pop culture chord by going after the definitely real New World Order, but at the same time, his extensive legal adventures clearly indicate mental illness, a huge vulnerability in the prison system. And while I wouldn't exactly put this shit past Jay and the notorious cover-er of one eye (real Illuminati shit) Bey, I also really hope someone with the proper resources can connect Dupree with the help he needs.California drought: Beer helps tiny Wine Country town The Bear Republic brewery is noted for its Racer 5 IPA, and it wants to expand production of it and other craft beers. The Bear Republic brewery is noted for its Racer 5 IPA, and it wants to expand production of it and other craft beers. Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 22 Caption Close California drought: Beer helps tiny Wine Country town 1 / 22 Back to Gallery If Cloverdale manages to dodge the drought disaster descending on it, it will be because of beer. And some conservation. But largely because of beer. In November, when it seemed clear that tough, dry times were setting in, the Bear Republic craft brewery gave $466,143 to the tiny Wine Country town to start drilling two new wells, which in turn would help the company expand beer operations. Without that money, the city wouldn't have been able to dig. And without those new wells, the town's taps could run dry. State officials on Wednesday placed it on a list of 17 communities that are in danger of running out of water in 100 days. "The whole water situation doesn't look good at all, no matter how you look at it anyway," said Cloverdale Vice Mayor Robert Cox, standing downtown Thursday in the unseasonably warm January sunshine. "The Russian River is where we get our water, and it's just about dry. There's no rain. About the only good news on the horizon is those new wells. "We'd be in really bad shape without them." Slaking thirst At 8 million gallons a year, the craft brewery is one of the biggest water consumers in the area, but it's also ahead of the curve when it comes to conservation. It uses 3 1/2 gallons of water to make a gallon of beer, compared with the industry average of 6 to 1, and it's testing a recycling system that could cut usage by 10 percent. Still, if it wants to expand beyond the 1 million cases of Racer 5 IPA and other beers it ships internationally every year, it needs more water. Hence, the wells. "Everyone wins in this one," said Bear Republic co-owner Richard Norgrove Sr. "When we first went to the city and said we'd like to expand, they said they didn't have enough water to support that. So I said, 'What would it take?' And this is what we came up with." Conservation order By themselves, however, those wells won't see Cloverdale through what's shaping up as a dirt-dry year. City planners reckon that in May the water system could start falling short of supplying the 1.5 million gallons that Cloverdale's businesses and 8,500 residents soak up every day. So last week, the City Council declared a mandatory 25 percent water conservation order for everyone and everything in town. The idea is to carry Cloverdale to July 1, when the wells will start supplying about 600,000 gallons a day. Bear Republic will use about 1.5 percent of that. Even then, conservation will be necessary, unless the rains that have stubbornly avoided California suddenly materialize. "Contrary to what the state says, I really don't believe we will entirely run out of water," said City Manager Paul Cayler. "Our focus right now is not panicking. It's telling people to conserve." Dying lawns Under the cutback order, watering lawns is "strongly discouraged." Many residents such as Vice Mayor Cox have already had the sprinklers turned off so long their lawns are brown or near to it. Hosing down driveways and walkways is prohibited, and restaurants can provide drinking water only upon request. Penalties for those who don't cut back 25 percent will escalate from nasty letters from the city to disconnection of water service. The downtown Eagles Nest Deli and Grill has taken the mandate one step further. It's offering only bottled water - nothing from the tap. "It's hard for us, because we didn't use much water as it was," said waitress Denise Benner. "We only gave out 5 gallons a week to customers, and we use all recycled water in the dishwasher. "I don't know what else we can do - tell people they can't flush the toilet? I sure don't want to smell that." Importing hay Stroll the charming downtown, with its hip new sculptures of abstracts and nudes, and there is little that immediately evokes a drought. For that, you have to go to the edges of the city. There, the hills are a parched tan normally seen in August, the sheep and other farm critters are munching on trucked-in hay instead of homegrown grass, and many grape growers are cutting back buds on their vines to reduce crops. The typically surging Russian River is a wide strip of rocks with a trickle running down the middle. Lake Mendocino, which sits 37 miles north and feeds the river, is at only 35 percent of average for this time of year. Rain was little help "It hasn't been this bad around here since 1976, '77, and probably even before that," said Jack Hiatt, taking his daily stroll across the First Street Bridge spanning the Russian, the river that doesn't really look like a river anymore. "That little bit of rain we had this week just brushed the dust off the weeds, so now they're even more of a fire danger than before." Hiatt, a 67-year-old volunteer firefighter and retired vineyard owner, is a sixth-generation Cloverdale resident. He doesn't see much dribble at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. "This kind of drought has never happened here before, as near as any of us can tell," he said. "It's all new. I don't know what's ahead, but it doesn't look good."Thousands of patients may be forced to switch hospitals after regulator says administrators will take over troubled trust Thousands of patients could be forced to switch hospitals for treatment after the health regulator confirmed that the troubled Mid Staffs foundation trust was bankrupt and announced that independent administrators would take over. The health regulator Monitor said it had appointed two special administrators – the clinician Hugo Mascie-Taylor and Alan Bloom of Ernst and Young – to "safeguard the future of health services" at the trust, before producing a plan to "reorganise" services in 45 days. Last year South London Healthcare NHS trust became the first to be put into administration after it began losing about £1.3m a week. In January Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, announced that each of its three hospitals would be taken over by a neighbouring institution, sparking local protests when it emerged that Lewisham hospital – not part of the failing trust – would have its A&E and maternity services downgraded. Mid Staffordshire is the first foundation trust – a supposed marker of financial excellence in the NHS – to face the same fate. In reality the trust has been under the microscope ever since evidence of poor care emerged five years ago. An inquiry by Robert Francis QC into hundreds of "excess" deaths at the hospital between 2005 and 2009 concluded in February this year that there had been failure at every level of the health service. As head of the contingency planning team, sent in by the regulator to assess the trust's plight last year, Mascie-Taylor is well-versed in what lies at the heart of its troubles. While current patient services were given a clean bill of health by the Care Quality Commission, Mascie-Taylor's team said in January that Mid Staffs was "not clinically or financially sustainable in the longer term in its current form". The contingency planning team's report noted that the Department of Health provided £20m to prop up the trust's finances last year, with a similar amount needed again this year. It warned in March that the current range of services provided by Mid Staffs was not "clinically sustainable because the number of patients and the level of staffing are insufficient to meet required standards of emergency surgery and critical care in the long term". The trust was too small in its current form, with a patient population "significantly below guidelines" for an acute general hospital providing a full range of elective and emergency services. It was also pointed out that nearly a fifth of consultant posts at Mid Staffordshire were not filled by "substantive employees" of the trust. The team's proposed options would shrink the trust's hospitals at Stafford and Cannock, with roughly 20% of the trust's 200,000 patients – those needing specialised and serious care – potentially facing trips to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, the Royal Wolverhampton hospitals and Walsall Healthcare NHS trust. Sources at Monitor stressed that the two administrators would not be bound by previous reports and would be "independent" from the regulator. David Bennett, chief executive of Monitor, said: "We have taken this decision to make sure that patients in the Mid Staffordshire area have the services they need in the future. It is now the role of the trust special administrators to work with the local community to decide the best way of delivering these services. There will be a full public consultation on any proposals for change." Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health service management, said there was "no denying that changes to services can be controversial". He added: "We need to do more to support troubled trusts at the earliest possible stage to maintain high standards of care, rather than getting to the point where trusts find themselves facing administration. This requires better integration of services and a focus on people's care needs, rather than the location of buildings." The health minister Lord Howe said: "Despite improvements, Mid Staffordshire is still facing serious financial challenges. This puts its work on improving services for patients at risk. It is essential that local services will last and provide high-quality care for patients now and in the future. "That is why Monitor has appointed trust special administrators [who] will be responsible for making sure patients get high-quality care during this time. They will also look at how the services should be provided in the future. They will now work with clinicians, staff, commissioners, patients and the public, and other stakeholders to prepare recommendations for a sustainable and a high-quality NHS for local people."The breakthrough is good news for nearly 2.5million people in Britain who have this type of diabetes Even people who have suffered from the condition for years found the drastic diet could jump-start their body’s production of insulin. The breakthrough is good news for the nearly 2.5million people in Britain who have this type of diabetes, which is caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to break down glucose in the blood. It could revolutionise the treatment of what has always been seen as a lifelong problem. Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University, who led the research, said: “To have people free of diabetes after years with the condition is remarkable – and all because of an eight-week diet. For many years it has been assumed that Type 2 diabetes is a life sentence. It’s chronic, it’s progressive, people need more and more tablets, and eventually they need insulin. It’s a downhill slope. However, we have been able to show that it is in fact reversible. To have people free of diabetes after years with the condition is remarkable Professor Roy Taylor, of Newcastle University “We have been able to put diabetes into reverse by a very low-calorie diet over a short period of time. “What is really important and very new is the changes in the body that go along with this. Specifically, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas have gone to sleep in Type 2 diabetes, they are not really doing very much. “As the level of fat in the pancreas has reduced, we have seen these insulin-producing cells come com- pletely back to normal, and that is truly remarkable.” He added: “This represents a radical change in our understanding of the condition. Insulin cells, if they are exposed to fat, don’t work. If they are protected from the fat they perform normally. It is quite possible that we may be able to devise medicines that block the effect of fat and allow normal function.” He warned patients, however, not to try the new wonder cure without close medical supervision. Patients in the clinical trial had their food intake cut to just 600 calories a day for two months. Professor Taylor said: “People ought to think about cutting down what they eat by perhaps a half. On average, someone with a Body Mass Index of 30 will get diabetes. If they got down to a BMI of 19-25, which is the healthy range, it would dramatically improve or even reverse their diabetes. “A diet of 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day would achieve weight loss in most people.” Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, also urged caution. “We welcome the results of this research because it shows that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, on a par with successful surgery without the side-effects,” he said. “However, this diet is not an easy fix and Diabetes UK strongly recommends that such a drastic diet should only be undertaken under medical supervision.” Type 2 diabetes, which can cause strokes, heart attacks and blindness, normally develops during middle age as a result of obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle. The Type 1 version is genetic. In the trial, 11 patients ate a “meal-replacement” milkshake of 150 calories three times a day. This was supplemented with three portions of non-starchy vegetables including cabbage, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce. After just one week, their pre-breakfast blood sugar levels had returned to normal and an MRI scan revealed that the fat levels in the pancreas were also normal, down from around eight per cent to six per cent. The pancreas also regained the normal ability to make insulin and as a result, blood sugar levels after meals steadily improved. The volunteers returned to eating normally but received advice on portion size and healthy eating. Three months later, seven remained free of diabetes. The research, published in the journal Diabetologia, suggests a dramatic drop in calories has a direct effect on reducing fat accumulated in the pancreas, which in turn prompts insulin cells to “wake up”. The findings are consistent with the belief that a lack of insulin secretion, which is vital for blood sugar control, is due to accumulation of fat in the liver and pancreas.City police chief has encouraged residents to arm themselves as stark racial disparities in ‘shoot first’ laws become clear Detroit police chief James Craig – nicknamed “Hollywood” for his years spent in the LAPD and his seeming love of being in front of the camera – has repeatedly called on “good” and “law-abiding” Detroiters to arm themselves against criminals in the city. His words have not fallen on deaf ears. Patricia Champion, a 63-year-old lifelong Detroiter, a grandmother and retired educator, decided to get her concealed pistol license - a CPL - two years ago after her son said he was increasingly worried for her safety. Champion, a resident of northwest Detroit, mostly keeps her gun, a 9mm Glock 19 that set her back $600, in her house. “That’s why I got it: because I’m going to be in the house. Now, if somebody chooses to come in and I didn’t invite you, between the Glock and the dog, you’re gone. If one doesn’t get you, the other one will.” “The police are not going to protect you when something is being perpetrated on you. They may turn up after the fact and run after that person, but you have to protect yourself,” Champion says. Champion’s fears of facing a threat in her home are not ill-founded. Besides having the worst homicide rate among large American cities, Detroit experienced 12,935 burglaries last year. With around 250,000 households, that means Detroiters have roughly a 1 in 20 chance of being burgled. To residents who have been victims of crime, being allowed to carry a weapon, whether openly or concealed, is not just reassuring, it’s part of the pragmatic reality of living in the Motor City. Wayne County, which encapsulates Detroit and its metro area, counted 83,950 active concealed-pistol permits as of 1 August 2014 – meaning one permit for every 21 households. The city, strapped for cash, has only 2,300 police officers – unchanged from a year ago, before the bankruptcy, but still not enough. Many Detroiters feel they have to rely on themselves first for their own security and survival. For Rick Ector, a Detroit-based NRA firearms instructor and former Chrysler systems analyst, it is quite simple: “You are your own first line of defense.” A crime map of Detroit over the last week, as tracked by the city’s police department. The offenses the department tracks include larceny, vandalism, assault, robbery, vehicle break-ins and sex crimes. Photograph: /City of Detroit police department But that’s not without conflict. This week, police chased and shot two men after allegedly seeing them illegally purchasing a gun. Coincident with the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, it added another layer of tension to a city already high-strung about guns and crime. An additional cost of living in Detroit: firearms In a city where houses sometimes sell for $500, buying and maintaining a gun is a significant expense. For those who choose to earn concealed pistol licenses, like Champion, the application fee is $105 and courses might set you back anywhere between $100 and $250. Purchased guns cost interviewees of this story between $450 and $700, with accessories; including ammunition, add another possible $200-$300. “A good investment,”the retired grandmother says. “There’s a lot of stuff going on around here. We watch the news, and every day it’s something,” says 37-year-old Tanisha Moner, a former hospital administrator. When Moner was 17, she was raped and robbed at gunpoint at a pay phone in Detroit. Four years later, 21-year-old Moner was attending Wayne State University in the city and working as a manager at a Burger King on the side. One morning, while she was counting money in her Burger King office, she was once again robbed at gunpoint and left in the fast-food restaurant’s freezer. After that, Moner says she became petrified of guns and loud noises. “Finally, two years ago I said, I’m either going to let my fear overcome me, or I am going to beat my fear. So I got my [concealed pistol license] in the event that something else should ever happen.” Moner carries her $650 fourth-generation Glock 19 most places she goes. The ‘shoot-first’ law And if, as in the case of Patricia Champion, Detroit residents plan on resisting criminals, the law is theoretically on their side. Michigan passed a self-defense act in 2006, referred to nationally as a “stand-your-ground-law”. The law removes an individual’s duty, when acting in self-defense, to retreat. Instead, it allows individuals who have an “honest and reasonable belief” that they are in imminent fear for their life, serious bodily harm or sexual assault to use deadly force. Skeptics have called this a “shoot-first” law. As in the case of Florida’s “stand your ground” law, Michigan’s no-duty-to-retreat law takes the age-old “castle doctrine”, originally conceived to be applicable to people in their own homes, to the next level: people can shoot and “stand their ground” anywhere they have the “legal right to be” – from a car parking lot, to a supermarket, to a home. Detroit police chief James Craig advised the city’s residents to carry guns. Photograph: AP/Detroit Free Press More to the point perhaps, in Detroit where citizens are constantly on-guard, the self-defense act also allows for the use of deadly force when an individual “reasonably and honestly” believes the “unlawful use of force” is about to be used on them or another individual. Last November, Renisha McBride, a 19-year-old, unarmed black teenager from Detroit, was wordlessly shot dead by white Theodore Wafer on the porch of his home in the nearby suburb of Dearborn Heights, as she was apparently seeking help after being in a car accident in the early hours of the morning. And although Wafer was recently found guilty of second-degree murder, intrinsic to his defense and the justification of his acts was the notion that being close to Detroit warranted being armed and fearful. He was, like many Detroit residents, ready to expect the worst when someone came banging at his door. In her concluding remarks to the jury, Wafer’s defense attorney Cheryl Carpenter quoted police chief Craig encouraging Detroiters to bear arms. While anyone over 18 who legally purchases a gun can openly carry it in Michigan – meaning the gun should be visible at all times – the process is lengthier to get a permit for conceal-and-carry, or keeping a gun without it being visible. You must get your concealed pistol license, or CPL, which involves an eight-hour mandatory training class and an application with the Wayne County Clerk. But motivations to own and learn how to use guns are not just tied to a high crime rate in Detroit, which made international headlines last year for being the largest American city to ever file for bankruptcy. Legally armed in Detroit: guns and racial bias At annual NRA national meetings, Detroiter Rick Ector finds himself to be an exception: among thousands of participants, he is one of the only black people in the room. In 2006, Ector, a self-described family man who was ambivalent about guns and saw no need to own one, was carjacked at gunpoint in his driveway in the North Rosedale Park area of Detroit. Today, his belief in the importance of carrying has reached such a degree he teaches classes, leads a volunteer effort to empower women to use guns and writes a blog called LAID, or Legally Armed In Detroit. Indeed, if it is an anomaly for a police chief to go on record and speak in favor of his citizens arming themselves against criminals, what might strike some as more noteworthy within the current national climate of racially tense shootings is that Detroit is 82% black. The police-sanctioned arms race stacking so-called “good” Detroiters against presumably bad ones may be fulfilling a stigma of armed black people, rather than trying to dismantle it. The potential legal consequences of the city’s racial makeup should not be underestimated, says Mark Fancher, a racial justice staff attorney at Michigan’s ACLU. Nineteen-year-old Renisha McBride was shot dead by a suburban Detroit homeowner. Photograph: AP While Craig likes to cite an armed populace as being a deterrent to crime, Fancher says it is worth considering how stand-your-ground laws statistically tend to help protect white shooters over black ones. Implicit in Craig’s statements and residents’ understanding of those statements is that should good Detroiters shoot, they would be in the right, protected by the law. But in a 2013 study analyzing FBI data and stand-your-ground laws across the United States, John Roman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, found that stand-your-ground laws in practice disproportionately protected white shooters, and held black shooters – regardless of race of the person they’ve shot – more likely to be found guilty. The starkest of differences was found between cross-racial shootings. A white shooter of a black victim is 10 times more likely to have his or her homicide ruled justified compared to the homicide of a black shooter on a white victim. These differences are so strong that it is almost impossible to conclude racial bias does not play a role, says Roman the author of the study, who is also executive director at the District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute. Despite numerous reports in the local media of residents shooting home invaders and carjackers since the beginning of the year, only eight homicides have so far been ruled justified, says sergeant Michael Woody, a Detroit Police Department spokesperson. One of those reported shootings involved Divana Webb’s son, 15-year-old Damontae Moorer, who was shot four times this April while allegedly breaking into a man’s house with a 19-year-old woman. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Detroit’s urban renewal is at stark odds with the city’s struggle with crime and poverty. Photograph: Julie Dermansky/Corbis Moorer, whose mother says he was unarmed at the time and was brought up away from guns, died at the scene. The prosecutor’s office has not yet ruled whether the homicide was justified. “The idea of putting deadly force into the hands of untrained citizens as a strategy to reduce violence strikes me as something that can only be counter-productive,” says Roman, referring to this unique kind of policing as an “arm yourself and fire-at-will model”. From an economic development perspective, the ramifications of this kind of policy are mixed, once more with potential differences along racial lines. Police proactively patrol the whiter areas of Detroit – downtown, midtown, Corktown and Eastern Market – with their presence felt to a much lesser degree in other neighborhoods of the city predominately lived in by African Americans. Moreover, downtown peacekeeping is supplemented by private security financed by downtown’s businesses – notably Rock Ventures and Quicken Loans, both owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert. Midtown peacekeeping is heavily supplemented by Wayne State University Police, whose response time is famously just 90 seconds. Residents of Midtown do not feel the same urgency to arm themselves as residents in other, less central parts of the city. Regarding economic consequences for the city, Roman’s words are unforgiving. “I think it’s a disaster. How do you grow a city when you say to people who are thinking about moving there: ‘When you move here, bring a weapon.’ Who’s going to want to move there?” What residents are finding, in Detroit, is that the cost of owning a gun is far more than the money it takes to buy one.Alexander Naje Fattouche (left) and Matthew Sloan Hill (right) were arrested after police found over $170,000 worth of drugs in an Annapolis home. (Photo, Anne Arundel County Police) Police have arrested two men and recovered an estimated value of more than $170,000 worth of drugs, including $52,600 of cocaine, $7,600 worth of LSD and $104,654 worth of high grade marijuana. Anne Arundel County Police arrested both Alexander Naje Fattouche, 23, of Annapolis and Matthew Sloan Hill, 25, of Severna Park on Friday after they got a warrant to search Fattouche's home at 1522 Lodge Pole Court in Annapolis. Police also found Ketamine and some heroin in addition to the other drugs. Below is a full list of what police found in the home: -5,232.7 grams of high grade marijuana (estimated street value of $104,654.00) - 526 grams of cocaine (estimated street value $52,600.00) - 79.9 grams of Ketamine (estimated street value $3,000) - Two blotter sheets containing 1,800 dosage units of suspected LSD (estimated street value $7,600) - Six mason jars of hash oil and 68 grams of oil on paper (estimated street value $5,000.00) -16 glass vials containing liquid Ketamine (estimated street value $1,680) - 1.6 grams of heroin (estimated street value $160.00) Fattouche has been charged with possession of LSD, possession of LSD with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possess a large amount, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of Ketamine and possession of Ketamine with intent to distribute. Hill was charged with possession of heroin and possession of Ketamine.PALO ALTO – You own your data. And the government needs to start respecting that. This was the assertion made today by Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith at a Silicon Valley panel discussion on NSA surveillance. Until the US recognizes and restores the fundamental right of ownership you have in your data, he continued, the U.S. cannot hope to rebuild trust lost through the NSA’s widespread surveillance programs. This stance flies in the face of what we expect from internet companies these days, many of whom tend to act as if they own the content we create. “If you're a consumer or a company, you own your email, your text messages, your photos and all the content that you create,” he said. “Even when you put your content in our data centers or on devices that we make, you still own it and you are entitled to the legal protection under our Constitution and our laws. We will not rebuild trust until our government recognizes that fundamental principle.” The room erupted in applause. The panel discussion was organized by Senator Ron Wyden (D – Oregon) to address the effects the NSA surveillance programs have had on the tech industry. It included Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, and the top legal counsels for several tech companies—Colin Stretch of Facebook, Ramsey Homsany of Dropbox and Smith from Microsoft. Also participating was John Lilly, a partner with Greylock Partners an investment firm. Wyden is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and has served on the Select Committee on Intelligence for more than a decade. He was one of the few lawmakers privy to the NSA's programs before they were disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The panel was held before an audience of about 200 adults and students on Wyden's home court: the gymnasium of his alma mater, Palo Alto High School. "We're Going to End up Breaking the Internet” Wyden opened the panel by noting that until the Snowden revelations he never once heard a US official express concern about the potential impact of the government's mass surveillance programs on the digital economy. "When the actions of a foreign government threaten red-white-and-blue jobs, Washington gets up at arms," he said. "But, even today, almost no one in Washington is talking about how overly broad surveillance is hurting the US economy.” The panelists all agreed that the surveillance has had detrimental affects on the industry, not only in terms of the erosion of trust from consumers but also in terms of the potential economic, social and educational impacts that would occur if countries follow through on their threats to keep data local. Some twenty countries have already proposed or stated intentions to propose domestic laws requiring local data to remain local as a result of the spying revelations. If this occurs, Google's Schmidt warned, “the simplest outcome is we're going to end up breaking the internet.” Governments, he said, will eventually just say, “we want our own internet...and we don't want other people in it.” The cost will be huge in terms of shared knowledge, discoveries, and science. It will also be expensive, since the cost of running data centers in every country where they have customers may be too much for some firms to handle. "We're screwing around with those kinds of concepts without understanding that that is a national industry," Schmidt said. Data localization also makes data potentially more accessible to foreign regimes that don’t respect the rule of law or even have a rule of law governing how or if they can access data. “More access points around the world make your network hard to secure [and] in a practical matter it makes us more vulnerable,” said Facebook's Colin Stretch. Homsany noted that the burden of regaining trust shouldn’t lay just with companies; the government needs to lead and repair the trust that's been damaged “to show the world that we are a country that respects these values,” he said. “We have built this incredible economic engine in this region of the country... and trust is the one thing that starts to rot it from the inside out. I think it is really that serious. We need to see the government also starting to do its part." Silicon Valley vs. the Government In a year of profoundly disturbing disclosures, Schmidt said the one that struck companies the hardest were reports about the tapping of undersea cables used to transmit data between the overseas data centers of U.S. companies. To put it in simple terms, Schmidt said, this was essentially hacking—the same kind of state-sponsored hacking the US has condemned in other countries, and it rallied companies to take action. “I think that put the relationship between the industry and the government on profoundly different footing,” he said. “The disclosure brought to light that there was this effort outside of what we all thought of as the appropriate legal process to obtain user data." The effect has led companies to play essentially a game of whack-a-mole with the government, working to find technological solutions that “force the government to come to us through the legal means [that are] the product of a democratic process,” he said. By “investing as heavily as we are through security, we're forcing that access through those laws to be the only way in.” Senator Ron Wyden, July 14, 2014. Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images Wyden addressed the battle that’s currently taking place between the government and technology companies over this, referencing specifically Apple's move to make encryption default on the iPhone 6 and government claims that this will erode the ability of law enforcement agencies to do their job. Wyden said lawmakers need to find laws that ensure that liberty and security are not mutually exclusive “so that companies aren’t forced to duke it out with the government in the technology lab.” Schmidt had little sympathy for the government’s cries that the move to secure data thwarts law enforcement. “The people criticizing this should have expected this,” he noted, adding that law enforcement still has “many, many ways to get that information they need without having to do this.” The government should get used to it, because these kinds of technological solutions are here to stay. “I'd be shocked if anyone takes the foot off the pedal in terms of building security and encryption into their products," Facebook's Stretch said. "[But] I think that would be true even if the NSA didn't exist.” The Snowden disclosures, however, created an additional imperative to do it “and I think we’re all working harder and faster on the process than maybe we were doing before." >Companies had no choice but to take the steps that Apple and others were taking to strengthen the security of customer data, and the government should get used to it. Homsany noted that the burden of regaining trust shouldn’t lay just with companies; the government needs to lead and repair the trust that's been damaged “to show the world that we are a country that respects these values,” he said. “We have built this incredible economic engine in this region of the country... and trust is the one thing that starts to rot it from the inside out. I think it is really that serious. We need to see the government also starting to do its part." This led to a discussion about the inadequacy of current legislation to protect consumers. There are two ways to protect privacy, either through stronger technology or better laws, Smith said. “And in the absence of better laws, we're all being asked to invest in stronger technology. We need better laws.” Current laws are way too antiquated to address present-day technologies and circumstances. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, he said, is almost 30 years old. "If this law were a technology product, it would be in a museum.”Right now, there are two names at the forefront of standardizing the connected home: ZigBee and Z-Wave. Both are composed of similar wireless networking technologies, and both include languages that allow devices to share select information — such as temperature or whether a light is turned on or off — over their wireless networks. But while each technology has hundreds of products already supporting it, few of those are from major appliance manufacturers, and the modern smart home won't get much smarter until the biggest names all agree on speaking the same language. Unfortunately, there's no sign that that will happen anytime soon, and some of the industry's top figures don't believe one standard will ever come to dominate. "I don't," Mark Walters says, "I really don't." Walters is chairman of the Z-Wave Alliance, the organization that oversees the Z-Wave protocol. Z-Wave’s product is a great option for the home — it's supposed to let every local Z-Wave device talk to each other — but it isn't great for every manufacturer: devices aren’t interoperable worldwide, and it's not truly open to everyone. "I think … you will see a coalescence around one standard." Unlike Wi-Fi, Z-Wave is a proprietary system made and licensed by one company. Right now, that means Z-Wave has been able to tightly control how its devices talk to each other — vetting each one to ensure that it can actually speak with the products it’s supposed to — but it could eventually give Z-Wave the necessary weight to keep prices high and control what products can and can't do. Walters argues that being proprietary doesn't really matter. "It's irrelevant in every possible term of the word'relevant,'" he says. Of course, Z-Wave's biggest competitor disagrees all around. The marketing director for ZigBee Alliance, the organization that oversees the open standard ZigBee, discounts Z-Wave as even being a true competitor to his system on the grounds that it's proprietary. And ZigBee's CEO, Tobin Richardson, does see one smart home standard eventually winning out. "You had a number of different approaches and protocols," Richardson says, suggesting that, like how accessories found Bluetooth and computing devices found Wi-Fi, home automation will eventually consolidate too. "I think …
of fewer side effects and more vulnerable tumours is that cancer cells do not do what the rest of the body would like them to. In thin times, normal cells switch their attention away from reproduction and towards preservation, beefing up their repair mechanisms, and hunker down to wait for better days. Not so cancer cells which, after all, are distinguished by their reckless proliferation. So while ordinary cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs following a fast, cancer cells do not. In fact, in Dr Longo's study, tumour cells seemed to boost their activity levels during times of famine. That, in turn, boosted the quantity of free radicals, highly oxidising and damaging chemicals produced as a side-effect of metabolism, inside them. Thus stressed, the tumour cells found it much harder to cope with the added battering from chemotherapy drugs. The usual caveats apply, as they do to all studies of lab animals; mice and yeast cells are not human. But if fasting shows similar effects in humans with cancer—and early-stage clinical trials are already under way—then the attractions are obvious. Fasting is cheap, safe and, in theory, should work against a wide variety of cancer types. Not quite a magic bullet, then, but not far off. Correction: The original post listed Lizzia Raffaghello as the lead author of the 2008 paper. In fact, Dr Longo was the lead author on both papers, while Dr Raffaghello was a contributing author. Our apologies to both.Pin Share Reddit Email 0 Shares ——— FREE STUFF: We give out 100s of $$$ in free tickets every week including to many of the top events in Portland. Join our email list if you like free stuff ——————————- From our sponsors: Portland Baconfest September 8, 2012 \| Noon-10PM East Burn \| 1800 E Burnside \| Portland, OR 97214 \| 503-236-2876 Admission: $5 + suggested 2 can food donation for Oregon Food Bank More info: theeastburn.com/baconfest \| Pictures and video here It’s back for the 4th year! Bigger, Better, Baconier! On Saturday September 8th, it’s time to get your Bacon on! Live Music featuring Left Coast Country, Hot Tea Cold and more! Vendors will be selling everything you could imagine having to do with the meat candy we know as BACON! This year’s Baconfest features: Live Music from Pagan Jug Band, Left Coast Country, Hot Tea Cold and more! Ultimate Bacon Eating Contest – Each round you will be asked to consume a crazy bacon concoction such as marsmellow Peeps coated in Bacon Salt and ranch, then wrapped in bacon. Bacon Dance Off – Dance your behind off to some fast paced beats as you consume a slice of bacon every thirty seconds. Greasy Slip N Slide – Yup. A giant sliding mat coated in bacon grease. Farthest ungraceful glider wins. Triathlon De Pig – Our mini Triathlon will consist of pig consumption combined with stationary swimming, jogging, and exercise biking. Best time wins. Prizes include iPods, grills, swag, and more. Skate Competition Not only will Bacon Skateboards have a table setup where you can buy boards, hats, shirts, stickers, etc…but they will be holding a skate competition as well with quarter pipes, grind rails, and mini ramps. Be sure to catch Benji Galloway, Thomas Nichols, Brendan Garcia, Mike Barnes, and many more! EastBurn will be roasting a whole pig! As well as a photo booth, contests, beer, food, vendors, shopping, and more. The event will be held at EastBurn. 18th street will be closed off between Burnside and Ankeny. The event starts at Noon and goes until 9pm. There will be plenty of beer and all of the delicious bacony foods you can eat! Admission is $5 admisson plus a suggested two can food donation to benefit the Oregon Food Bank. ——————————– Our new Portland Events App for PDX Pipeline is now available for iPhones, Android phones and iPads! Now, you can have all of the great Portland Events from our website in the palm of your hand when you’re out on the town. We have also added live happy hours, concert schedules and movies times to help you plan a fun night out in Portland! Download the App for iPhone here Download the App for Android here ——————————————————–CNN invites Users to join the Social Conversation Surrounding CNN Films’ Blackfish CNN Films presents “Blackfish,” one of the hottest films out of the Sundance Film Festival at 9:00 p.m ET on CNN. Beginning at 1:00 p.m., CNN is inviting viewers to weigh-in and join the conversation surrounding Blackfish on the CNN Facebook page. Join Blackfish filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite and SeaWorld trainer Kim Ashdown in a live chat about their thoughts about the film. While you watch the premiere, viewers can experience Blackfish on their second-screen at CNN.com/blackfishlive. Once there, users can interact with the film’s producer, director and wildlife experts wile you watch the film. Twitter users can follow @CNNFilms, @BlackfishMovie and are encouraged to tweet using #blackfish. Additionally, Get Glue users can check-in to Blackfish to unlock a limited-edition CNN Films Blackfish sticker. For more info about Blackfish visit : CNN.com/blackfishThis new release makes Lotus a complete web framework for Ruby. It ships with the last important set of features that we planned: assets. We have now everything we need to build web applications with Lotus. Features Assets As of Lotus v0.6.0, we now have a full set of features for assets management, such as: Thanks to Leigh Halliday, Gonzalo Rodríguez-Baltanás Díaz, deepj, Michael Deol, Benjamin Klotz, Kleber Correia for their contributions and help. [Read the guides and the announcement] Custom Initializers For each application under apps/, now we can optionally have a special directory (eg. apps/web/config/initializers ) where to put Ruby source files to initialize that specific application. Starting from v0.6.0, new projects and applications will be generated with that directory. Thanks to Lucas Allan for this new feature. [Read the guides] Default Rake Tasks Lotus projects now ship with two default Rake tasks: :preload and :environment. The first is a lightweight way to load only the configurations of a project, while the latter loads the entire application. We can use them as requirement for our Rake tasks: # Rakefile #... task print_info: :preload do puts ENV [ 'LOTUS_ENV' ] puts defined? ( UserRepository ) end task clear_users: :environment do UserRepository. clear end We can invoke these new taks with: bundle exec rake print_info # => "development" # => nil bundle exec rake clear_users [Read the guides] Destroy Command We have introduced a new CLI command lotus destroy. It has the role of destroy applications ( apps/ ), actions, entities, repositories, migrations, mailers and their related testing code. bundle exec lotus destroy action web home#index Thanks to Tadeu Valentt and Lucas Allan for this feature. Minor Changes & Improvements Pluralizations can be customized by adding exceptions to default inflections. Action generator is now smarter and it can generate a route with the right HTTP verb, according to our REST conventions. Thanks to Sean Collins. Special thanks goes to Tadeu Valentt, Pascal Betz, Andrey Deryabin, Anton Davydov, Caius Durling, Jason Charnes, Sean Collins, and Ken Gullaksen for their work to make our CLI stronger than ever. Thanks to Neil Matatall to prevent timing attacks for CSRF tokens comparision, David Strauß for making body parsing compatible with JSON API, Karim Tarek and Liam Dawson for exception normalization across all our gems, Vladislav Zarakovsky for making Force SSL compliant with Rack SPEC, while Bernardo Farah fixed chunked responses, to Karim Kiatlottiavi for fixing HTML escape encoding, to Rodrigo Panachi for fixing CSRF form, to Hélio Costa and Pascal Betz for fixing how validations treat blank strings, to Cẩm Huỳnh for making #html helper to accept blocks. We're thankful for the help that Hiếu Nguyễn, Taylor Finnell, Andrey Deryabin, Cainã Costa, Shin-ichi Ueda, Martin Rubi offered for other minor improvement and fixes. Deprecations Ruby 2.0 & 2.1 Ruby 2.0 and 2.1 are now deprecated. We took this decision because MRI 2.0 will reach End Of Life (EOL) next month and because keeping 2.1 around would mean to leave our internals complex because of "safe indifferent access". Prior to MRI 2.2, Symbol instances weren't garbage collected. This has caused security problems for Ruby applications. If not properly filtered, untrusted input could've been lead to attacks where the server memory is entirely consumed by Ruby VM due to Symbol abuse. To prevent this kind of attack, we always used strings for incoming HTTP parameters. At the same time, we wanted to offer convenient access to these params via symbols (eg params[:id] ). To make this possible we had to carefully filter and convert data over and over. By dropping 2.1, we can simplify our internal code because we don't have to worry about GC and symbols security threats. At the same time we can provide minor perf improvements due to the lack of these conversions. Breaking Changes There are several breaking changes due to assets features. If you're upgrading from an earlier version, please make sure to read the detailed upgrade guide that we prepared. It will take a few minutes to get up and running again. Our focus for the next release ( v0.7.0 ) will be about Lotus::Model and Lotus::Validations. We want to make stronger and flexible the way we validate and persist data. We recognized it's too verbose to always require database mapping even if it can be avoided (eg with SQL databases). It's not necessary to instantiate an entity to write a record, repositories can directly accept data and persist it. We want to simplify our day to day life with Lotus.Author and documentary filmmaker Mike Cernovich took to Twitter yesterday and waged war against Salon.com – exposing their disgusting protection and promotion of pedophilia. A topic on Salon.com is literally titled “virtuous pedophiles.” Salon literally has a category called "virtuous pedophiles." pic.twitter.com/vWiZtNlSCZ — Mike Cernovich?? (@Cernovich) December 12, 2016 What are the people at Salon.com thinking?! “Virtuous Pedophiles”? I am not sure what the hell is virtuous about pedophiles, but let’s try to wade through this dark subject with a light heart. Honestly, this topic is so sickening it makes me want to find Salon’s editors and the writers of these disgusting articles and strap them down to a chair Clockwork Orange style and show them the heart wrenching stuff I found hunting pedophiles. I helped run the @ReportAPedo account on twitter before we got suspended, and from my experience I got to see things that to this day I can’t get out of my head that makes me sick to my stomach. Salon you really want to tell me you think pedophilia should be normalized and there are actually “Pedophiles Who Mean Well?” When you advocate no-platforming, as mainstream media does, it's rational to conclude giving a platform to pedophiles is an endorsement. pic.twitter.com/YEGtbXwdt2 — Mike Cernovich?? (@Cernovich) December 12, 2016 Let me tell you how much pedophiles mean well. I infiltrated into large pedophile communities on the dark web and clear web as we hacked into various email accounts, exposing pedophiles and online pedophile rings on Tor – sick, demented horrible people. Some of these pedophiles were taking pictures of their own kids and sharing it online with other pedophiles. Salon’s headline “I am a Pedophile but not a monster” is normalizing absolute monsters. Anyone who tries to make sexual advancements on children or gets sexually aroused by children is by definition monstrous. .@oliverdarcy You support this? I sure don't. Why is Salon a platform for pedophiles? pic.twitter.com/MajLh5ykfG — Mike Cernovich?? (@Cernovich) December 12, 2016 In another case we exposed a pedophile in Argentina who was also a priest! He was trying to arrange a meeting with someone who said “they had access to children.” Now to kill the stigma that every priest is a pedophile, we found that surprisingly pedophiles were literally all over in various establishments and institutions and more commonly it was someone close to that child like a parent or a relative. Mike Cernovich has the right idea – screencapping pictures of companies advertising with Salon.com and asking those companies why they support pedophilia is the right way to bring justice to Salon’s disgusting pro-pedophile campaign. Here is more of @Salon supporting pedophilia, incest and sexual assault. pic.twitter.com/CP3zBG0e3B — Grimm Bastard? (@BastardGrimm) December 12, 2016 Reading Salon’s headlines is frankly disturbing, let alone knowing that you have a section entitled “virtuous pedophiles.” As Cernovich said, you are “giving a platform to pedophiles and that is an endorsement.” Why is Salon trying to normalize pedophilia? Are they trying to shift the Overton window for pedophile politicians like Patricia Hewitt did in the U.K.? Hewitt, the former Labour cabinet minister, was caught trying to push a pedophile’s agenda to make incest legal and lower the age of consent to the age of 10, as we detailed in our groundbreaking expose on “elite” pedophilia. An entire ring of “elite” pedophiles exists – is Salon their public relations outlet? There is nothing, I repeat nothing “virtuous” about pedophiles who want to rape and molest children and in many cases hurt or kill children. There is no virtue in pedophiles who look at random kids on the internet and get off on it. Then there are those that steal children off the streets, kidnapping them from their parents. Pedophilia sadly is an epidemic globally – it’s the devolution of our society. One website we were hunting on of clothed children or non nudes had a total of 500,000 accounts – and that was on the clear web or www, and not onion Tor addresses. We would also take cases from law enforcement who sent us tons of pedophiles and encouraged us to look into them and watch them. Salon why don’t you spend a day on the anti-trafficking unit or online on the dark web and see pedophilia for what it really is – horrifying and disturbing child abuse. Again, the “elite” child abuse scandals have been documented for decades, and frankly I am disgusted by the mainstream media for making it into a joke and wild conspiracy theory about tunnels under DC and focusing solely on that theory. Quite simply, FOCUS ON THE REAL EVIDENCE like the declassified FBI pedophile symbols and then tell me how places like Comet Ping Pong Pizza were not possible pedophile meeting places or places to network given their symbols for pedophiles? How about mentioning Jeffrey Epstein and his light sentence for child trafficking and Dyncorp’s constant trafficking of kids for decades, or the DuPont heir Robert Richards who raped his own three year old daughter and got no jail time? No, instead the mainstream media wants to whitewash a serious subject that deserves critical attention and investigation why? Because as John Decamp said “if you control the media, if you control the Justice Department if you control the police you own the system.” Are the two from a New Jersey halal slaughterhouse charged for human trafficking involved in selling child sex slaves? With the amount of cover pedophiles have been given by the law, its difficult to determine which of the many human traffickers in the U.S. are selling children to pedophiles. Anyone who doubts elite pedophilia can watch “An Open Secret” and see the pedophilia in Hollywood that is “normal” in their own words. See the child talent agent Marty Weiss, who is a convicted pedophile now working as the person who oversees these talent agencies and is supposed to protect the children. Listen to Corey Feldman talk about how he and Corey Haim were raped. Find the charges of pedophilia against X-Men director Bryan Singer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eeGX4SlF1s Another 1980’s documentary “Boys For Sale” goes into the various documented cases. You can also read the articles I have written on elite pedophilia- how the current New York Times boss protected pedophile Jimmy Savile and the big expose of documented cases of elite pedophilia including the Franklin Cover Up and many more I haven’t detailed here. Mike Cernovich’s screen capping all of Salon’s disgusting pro-pedophilia articles and asking people to call and write their advertisers and investors to let them know they are supporting a site that supports pedophilia – or at the very least gives pedophiles an outlet to express why they aren’t evil and they are the victims here – is courageous and much needed. Salon published pro-pedophile articles, it is platform for pedophiles. Time to write "investors." Why do they fund a money-losing "company"? — Mike Cernovich?? (@Cernovich) December 12, 2016 In a statement given to We Are Change, Mike Cernovich had this to say – “Pedophilia is not investigated properly as many in the media are pedophiles. Salon itself has attempted to normalize pedophilia. So too has the New York Times. Citizens must unite against evil in the world.” I couldn’t agree more. The world won’t be silent anymore. Since Cernovich’s statement, researchers have already found instances of New York Times hiding pedophilia evidence from their website.WARNING: Graphic photos below TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A man has told The Associated Press he survived a massacre by Moammar Gadhafi loyalists who opened fire on about 130 civilian detainees. On Sunday, an AP reporter saw at least 50 charred bodies at the site near a military camp held by Gadhafi supporters until rebels took Tripoli. Mabrouk Abdullah, who was at the site Sunday, says he and other prisoners were told by a guard they would be released Tuesday. Instead, guards threw hand grenades and opened fire at detainees huddling in a hangar. Abdullah says he had been crouching along a wall and was shot in his side. He says that as survivors of the initial attack tried to flee, they came under fire again. Human rights groups accuse both sides in Libya of abuses against detainees. WARNING: This slideshow contains graphic imagesI’m a drummer from Washington, D.C., who has earned a reputation for being in a million bands at once. Often bands would ask me to join after I filled in, and by 2011 I was in twelve original groups. I was performing all the time, but I was missing the creative process, as we seldom wrote new material. After playing “for the song” on a four-piece kit for years, I got this crazy idea to record an album of all drumming music. Now I’m more satisfied playing with three groups—Bellflur, We Were Kings, and Justin Jones—than I was playing with twelve. Here’s how it all happened: After graduating with a masters in jazz studies, studying with Steve Fidyk, and spending time on the freelance circuit, I decided to only join groups that played original music. I then proceeded to join groups left and right, and left and left! (Paradiddle joke.) This pace lasted for five years and kept my playing sharp, as I’d go from a morning session to teaching lessons and then right to a gig. During that time I performed with Low Stars, featuring members of Counting Crows, and my drumming was heard on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, the WB’s The Lake, and NPR’s Deskless Concert Series. My groups opened for Ray LaMontagne, Charlie Daniels Band, Lucinda Williams, Gary Clark Jr., Josh Ritter, and many others. My role in these bands was to play the songs—not just drums. I aim to support the vibe and lyrics and to write drum parts with hooks that move the song forward. However, as I played mostly older original material with these groups, the allure to try something other than “song playing” was growing, and I imagined improvising on a big kit backed by a massive drumming ensemble. While figuring out how to cultivate this idea, I heard a drummer that I admire say, “You create your own inner sanctum when you push yourself forward. You create a level of compassion and expectation around yourself, so when you walk into each new situation you have enough self worth, and have carried yourself with enough musical dignity, that it becomes applicable again.” This idea stuck with me, and I challenged myself to write and perform an album of drumming music. By combining elements like Stravinsky’s asymmetry, Dudu N’Diaye Rose’s visceral power, and Sergio Mendes’ sheer charm, I recorded Photovoltaic. The album is composed of episodic pieces. I performed ostinato-based solos, improvised over a massive drum ensemble, and recorded spontaneous inventions. While this process tested my playing capabilities and strengthened my sense of self, producing the record helped me see music from the other side of the glass and refocused my song playing. Check out this free download from the record. It’s a piece called “Ensemble #2.” These days I’m playing most often with Justin Jones, a songwriter on 930 Records. Late last year we opened for k. d. lang as part of our first international tour. Watching Fred Eltringham play every night was thrilling! Justin’s new record, Fading Light, just came out, and we’re playing all over the East Coast. You can hear Jones’ song “My Father’s Gun” as the theme to NBC’s Gun It With Benny Spies. I’m also featured this year on This Winter Room’s Losing the Paper Moon (written/performed by Chip Johnson), Adrian Krygowski’s Hope for Us, the forthcoming Twelve Vagrant Monologues From the Last Living Star by Bellflur, and Spiritia Animalia by Spirit Animal. When I’m home, I teach lessons at Victor Litz Music in Gaithersburg, Maryland, an independent music store that’s really supportive of my playing. Visit my website, and say hello. See you out there! For more on Mike Smirnoff, go to mikesmirnoff.com.Iranian police clashed with protesters demonstrating against government corruption on Friday, in a rare public show of discontent in the Islamic republic. About 300 people gathered in the western city of Kermanshah on Friday calling for a "revolution", shouting "where's my paycheck?", "the people are begging, the clerics act like God" and “death to the dictator”. It followed a day after similar protests in the northeastern city of Mashhad, where more than 50 were arrested. President Hassan Rouhani's government has been unable to control spiralling prices - the costs of basics such as milk and eggs has doubled in a week. And despite the loosening of international sanctions in 2015, the country has seen little economic growth and few ordinary residents feel they have benefitted. There have been calls on social media for protests up and down the country, despite warnings from the government against illegal gatherings.A pound (0.45 kg) of dimes and a pound (0.45 kg) of quarters are worth the same amount. The value of 1 pound (0.45 kg) of each type of coin is $20 US Dollars (USD). According to the US Mint, the weight of a dime is 2.268 grams, and the weight of a quarter is 5.670 grams. Therefore, the weight of five dimes is about the same weight as two quarters, and they are each worth $0.50 USD. Using the US Mint coin weights, 200 dimes weigh 1 pound (0.45 kg), and 80 quarters weigh 1 pound (0.45 kg). The reason that 1 pound (0.45 kg) of dimes and quarters are worth the same is because the coins' values were originally based on the amount of silver each one contained. More about the weight of US currency: A pound (0.45 kg) of half-dollar US coins is also worth the same amount as a pound (0.45) of dimes or quarters. A $1 USD bill weighs 1 gram, or about the same as a paper clip. The number of pennies in 178 pounds (180.7 kg), the average weight of adults in North America, would be worth about $323 USD. Follow wiseGEEK: More Info: usmint.gov Discuss this Article Post your comments Post Anonymously Please enter the code: Login username password forgot password? Register username password confirm emailNews Nigel Owens calls for FIFA to tidy up its act ESPN Staff Nigel Owens... words of advice for football's authorities © Getty Images Enlarge Referee Nigel Owens has said that football could be made much better if it adopted a rugby-style citing system where incidents could be reviewed retrospectively. Writing in his column in the Western Mail, Owens reflected on the first week of the FIFA World Cup. "Imagine how much even more beautiful the game would be if FIFA stamped out the play-acting, the diving, the conning, the running around to surround referees. "This is not, let me emphasise, an attempt to get on a rugby high horse and have a pop at football. I fully accept there are things we can improve upon in rugby, too. But when you look at a few incidents … you do realise that a citing panel could be of great benefit. "Ban players who have clearly dived for a penalty and you would quickly get them taking a different course of action. In other words, cutting it out. "People talk about gamesmanship, but there is a difference between bending the rules and breaking them." He said that while rugby is more difficult to referee, the one advantage is that generally action is happening much closer to the official. "[In football] the ball is inside the penalty area and whereas the referee can see contact, because he is so far away it can be difficult sometimes to tell how hard that contact has actually been. "Was it really a penalty? Could the offensive player have kept on his feet? Was it a dive? This is where referees need help and that has to come from FIFA. The result would still stand, but if there is a particularly controversial incident let a citing officer make a judgement. "It's part of the culture in football for some players to dive, but their actions put too much unfair pressure on the referee. Ban the player involved for a game, put the onus on them, and I reckon they would soon sort themselves out." Owens said that TV pundits were not helping. "[They] have the benefit of watching an incident three or four times in slow motion. The referee has to make a snap judgement. Even then, the letter of the law means the referee he has made the correct call. But because a TV pundit tells everyone he has got it wrong, people assume that's the case." © ESPN Sports Media LtdSeeing The Fault In Our Stars last month had to be a highlight of this year, especially since I saw it before a ton of people. Yasssss, I felt so boss. Continue to read and you’ll understand why. Also be sure to look out for our review which will be posted closer to the release date. The Fault In Our Stars is not a movie for the light-hearted, but for those with the heart of a warrior! Just look at all the people who read the books! True survivors, who experienced the pain of being in a fandom such as this one. But like so many other tfios-stans, I was lined up to watch this film, accepting the emotional scarring, even before I knew it was being made into a movie! Rocking up to the cinema, I was already crying tears of joy. And I continued to cry as the opening credits began, starting with Hazel’s voice-over. It was everything I hoped it would be. It made me go… then I was… and then I was… I kid you not, that was me in the cinema. You can’t judge me, because I know for fact that you will be a sobbing mess the exact same way that I was! And despite the bucketload of tears that were shed that night, (and the morning after) I loved it so much and couldn’t have wished for anything more. The world is not a wish-granting factory but this movie made all my wishes come true. I saw my strong, beautiful and amazing Hazel Grace. I saw my loving one and only, Augustus Waters. And everything was okay.Mars — The National Geographic Mini-Series One Word — Engaging Corsair's Publishing Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 16, 2016 No Worries — No Spoilers The first episode of National Geographic’s new mini-series Mars aired on Monday night. If you are looking for a critique of the writing or acting, this article may disappoint. What I found most compelling in this first installment was how naturally a fictional story line played along side a compelling (if a little science-lite) documentary. In one word — it was Engaging. If you are a scientist, analyst, or teacher — you need to experience at least one episode of this show. If you are futurist, a space junkie, or a sci-fi fan — I think you will enjoy it. More On Engagement As promised, I won’t be giving away the plot in this article. But a real theme emerged in this first hour of content — struggle. Both the fictional and documentary sections detailed numerous examples of human struggle in reaching Mars. For its part — the documentary delivered facts and examples of recent failures. The fictional story line delivered drama and cliff hangers to keep you in your seat. Adding to the engagement was suitable CGI, special effects, and strong visuals. There were your expected panoramas of Mars, but also cameos by computer displays and futuristic schematics. The documentary also featured appearances by Elon Musk and Neil Degrasse Tyson. But Was It Educational? At the most basic levels — yes. I will also caveat that this was part one of a six part series. It could go different directions from here. Episode one did not deliver great depth into the science of space travel. I think it could have… The first episode inspired. It informed. It developed elements of the struggle quite well. It even talked about financing! I was left wondering if the shows financing will bias the cameos and opinions we are exposed to? We will need to wait and see. Perhaps the creators didn’t realize how successful they would be at drawing their audience in? Perhaps they feared that a little too much actual science might turn some viewers off. I think it was a failed opportunity to deliver a bit more education, but I will give the series a few more episodes to deliver. Coming back to Engaging There are five more episodes to go. This series shows tremendous promise. Watch the first episode. It is inspirational, informative, and engaging. Watch it for enjoyment. Watch it for a little education. But watch it more to witness how skillfully they draw you in! Nat Geo’s Mars is an incredible example of how human experience and compelling storylines can connect with the viewer. See how easily you forget that you are also watching a documentary. Mars is a lesson in engagement on multiple levels. I hope the series continues to exceed expectations.A RAF Typhoon monitors Russian warships Pyotr Velikiy and the Admiral Kuznetsov (rear) as they pass close to UK territorial waters. Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright 2017/Handout via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday said the British government was staging a show by escorting a Russian aircraft carrier through the English Channel designed to distract attention away from the shortcomings of the British navy. Royal Air Force Typhoon jets and a Royal Navy frigate escorted the Admiral Kuznetsov on Wednesday as it returned from a mission off Syria to its base in northern Russia. British Defence Minister Michael Fallon described the Russian vessel as a “ship of shame” for its role in Moscow’s Syria operation and said his armed forces were watching it closely to protect British national security. “The aim of such statements, and the kind of show being played out with the escort of our ships, is to distract the attention of British tax payers from the real state of the British Royal Navy,” said Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry. “Firstly, Russian naval vessels don’t need senseless escort services. They know their navigating channel and heading,” Konashenkov said in a statement. “Secondly, I would advise Mr Fallon to devote more attention to the British navy, especially since, as the English press recently noted, there are grounds for doing that.” The Russian defence ministry’s statement referred to media reports that a test-firing of a missile from a British submarine off Florida last year had gone wrong, with the missile veering off course towards the United States.Hello everyone. Today we tackle an interesting issue that comes up quite often when we discuss our games with others. Have you had a wonderful game where you exhibit amazing positioning skills, outplay your opponent and win a close contest? Of course. But how do you convey what exactly happened in the absence of a replay? Indeed, how do you tell someone where your Dancing Blades is being played, in relation to the rest of the board? I think having a notation system is extremely important for a game that utilises a board like Duelyst. This is also rather useful for some writers like myself who illustrate actions on the board and sometimes actions get a little complicated in simple text. First: An empty board – partly true. I said empty, but it has markings! Zyx Notation System The basic foundation of the method is ‘Name Side of Board (number of tiles Horizontal, number of tiles Vertical)’ Player 1 General starts on Left (1, 3) abbreviated to L(1,3) Player 2 General starts on R(1,3) Player 1 Faie plays a 2 mana minion Crystal Cloaker diagonally up (Hexagon), a standard opening, is denoted as: 1. Faie L(3,3) Cloaker L(4,2) If the Cloaker was placed diagonally down on the Diamond mark, It would be 1. Faie L(3,3) Cloaker L(4,4) If a Mini-jax spawns on the Triangle mark, it will be Mini-jax L(1,1) From the Player 2 perspective, let’s say Argeon plays a defensive start after moving one tile diagonally up and deploys the Knight one tile diagonally up (This allows him to contest the mana orb next turn). This would be: … 1 Argeon R(3,3) Knight R(3,1) For any given turn, gaining a mana orb is ‘+1‘, Attacking something is ‘Attacker x Target‘ and buffs can be denoted by ‘Target + Buff‘. DW and OG refer to the obvious minion effects. Finally, the Middle row is its own notation – the top and bottom mana orbs are M1 and M5 respectively. The tile marked with the Circle is M3. Time for a dry run – can you understand what is happening below without seeing it? Use the empty board to make sense of the moves. Wings of Mechaz0r! R(4,3) +1 Heartseeker L(1,2) Kaleos L(3,3) Argeon R(3,3) Knight R(4,2) Argeon x Wings Wings of Mechaz0r on middle mana orb, using the extra mana to play a Heartseeker above starting tile and then moving Kaleos 2 forward, followed by Argeon moving forward 2, playing a Silverguard Knight above the Wings and then hitting Wings. All of this condensed into two short lines. That was not too bad, was it? We do not need to write comprehensive reports of the move-lists so often we don’t need more than two lines of descriptive notation to get our point across. The most common things will be Where and What happens next – and this notation will help us immensely in that situation. Why a system like this one? I think simplicity is key. This uses no numbers higher than 5, Left and Right are universally easy to comprehend, and (x,y) co-ordinates are also a fairly well-known way to denote squares on a grid that most of us learn at a young age. So if I now say, Argeon M3 Argeon x Reaper of the Nine Moons M2 DW Grandmaster Z’ir M2 you can feel Argeon’s pain. Through notation. Advertisements0 Trump immigration orders could deprive local high-tech companies of foreign workers Redmond-based Microsoft alone has more than 5,000 foreign workers allowed in this country on H1-B visas because of their specialized talent and skills. That’s according to documents filed in the Washington attorney general’s lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s travel ban. Attorney general’s brief says Amazon, Expedia and Starbucks employ thousands more. “There are plenty of studies that show that companies started by foreign nationals, companies that hire foreign nationals tend to be the most successful and hire the most U.S. workers,” said Seattle immigration attorney Davis Bae. Bae has seen a draft of Trump administration plans for sharp limits on such visas. “There's going to be a problem with talent” for local companies, Bae said. And he believes local jobs will be at risk. “I do think that what we'll see is companies will look at the geography and say, 'If we don't have the talent here, we need to have the talent work somewhere,' and that could result in unfortunately the wrong direction in terms of jobs -- it could actually cause export of jobs.” Today President Trump was focused on the judges of the 9th's Circuit Court of Appeals. And he didn't like the challenging questions he heard during yesterday's hearing on whether to allow the travel ban to resume. “I don't ever want to call a court biased, so I won't call it biased and we haven't had a decision yet, but courts seem to be so political,” the president said. Davis Bae has helped 15,000 people come
2, and then was traded to the Indianapolis Colts on August 21, 2013. He played in seven games with the Colts before being released November 26. Reed's primary work has been as a kick returner. He has 63 career returns over the last four years, averaging 27.6 yards per return. During that same span, he has six receptions for 68 yards. For those that don't know how a reserve/future contract works, it is an opportunity to lock up the rights to a player for the following season, before the new league year begins. A player is eligible for such a contract if he was not on a 53-man roster when the previous season ended. The player usually signs a league minimum deal that does not kick in until the start of the next league year. It locks up the player for OTAs and training camp, but with little to no bonus money, he is not guaranteed anything else. What to expect in 2014: Reed will get some wide receiver snaps in the preseason, and I'd imagine he'll get chances as a return man. He has no punt return experience, even in college, so we'll see if the team is willing to give him a look there as well. He has no practice squad eligibility, so it is easy to view him as no more than a camp body. Odds of making the roster: As a camp body, his odds are somewhere between slim and none. I suppose he could surprise us in the return game, but I think most of us would be pretty shocked if he made the roster. In reality, a guy like Devon Wylie probably has a better chance of hanging around. Wylie has both punt and kick return experience, and with two seasons under his belt, he retains practice squad eligibility. I see almost no reason Reed sticks around.It was inevitable. Just as Starbucks made overpriced coffee drinks a daily necessity for millions of Americans and consumers around the world, boba tea has started to gain its own loyal following. With a large Asian immigrant population, Houston has started to see a rise in the popularity of "bubble tea." Boba tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s at the small tea stands on every corner. The teas are flavored with different juices, milk and fruit. The addition of small marbles of tapioca creates bubbles when the drink is shaken vigorously. The novelty of the chewy tapioca balls and other " sinkers " has huge appeal to young people, especially teens and college students. I got hipped to this phenomenon by my own teen. After driving her and her friends back and forth to the tea shops, I decided to see what this trend is all about. Continue Reading We found five great places on Houston's north side to bubble up, some with better hangout potential than others. EXPAND "Captain Underpants" in Vietnamese photo by Lorretta Ruggiero 5. Heavenly Beverages Right off Tomball Parkway, this small tea shop shares real estate with a Mexican restaurant and a pho joint next door. The decor is simple — a few tables, ottomans and a sofa. We were greeted right as we walked in the door. Being new to this, I went for the Heavenly Cream Tea, a milky black tea that was, fortunately, not too sweet. I had the addition of coconut gels, but they didn't taste anything like coconut. They were just chewy little rectangles that I could have done without. photo by Lorretta Ruggiero The teen queen had the Berryheaven, a blended ice drink of fresh berries and juice. Heavenly Beverages calls these " snowies." She also added strawberry boba. These little bobas are small round gels that are filled with flavored juice. Once they're chewed, the juice pops out. A definite kid-pleaser. There were a number of regular customers, as evidenced by the employees who remembered their usual drinks. We liked the option of choosing the small or large size. Committing to one bubble tea can be daunting, so being able to choose a smaller version helps. Heavenly Beverages also offers a limited selection of sandwiches and dumplings. It has hangout potential, but the paint job needs some refreshing, as does some of the furniture. There are board games available if kids these days still do that sort of thing. The large servings of boba tea at DrinkabiliTea. photo by Lorretta Ruggiero 4. DrinkabiliTea This cozy tea room is hidden in a tree-filled strip center on College Park Drive in The Woodlands. We were the only ones in the restaurant, probably because the skies were turning supernaturally black the day we visited. I liked the low lighting of this elegant business, but the teen thought it too dark. The drinks at this establishment are a little pricier, but the whole feel of the place was more upscale than at most boba tea shops. DrinkabiliTea also offers a lot more in the way of actual teas and food, including a number of vegetarian options. The couple behind the counter were very friendly and our drinks came out quickly. I had the taro cream tea with tapioca. I liked the taste of my tea, which came in a larger size than at some of the other stores. I wasn't too crazy about the tapioca itself. I thought it had a coffee taste. I like coffee, but not in my tea. The daughter ordered the Orange Oasis, a smoothie that tasted just like an orange Dreamsicle. She liked her tapioca boba, which were a bit larger than those at some other places. For those who live in The Woodlands, this is a tranquil place in which to sit and have a pot of green tea and a veggie wrap. For teens, it might be a bit too zen. Bubble tea smoothies at Thu Thu Sandwich. photo by Lorretta Ruggiero 3. Thu Thu Sandwich Thu Thu Sandwich is within walking distance from our house and the teens have been wanting to try it out, not just for the boba tea, but also for the Vietnamese food. The restaurant was originally off of Antoine and Pinemont in the Oak Forest area. Its new location in Cypress, on Grant Road, has been open for just a few months. There has been a surge in immigrant families setting down roots in the communities of northwest Houston and the increase in multicultural restaurants reflects the diversity of the area. When it comes to boba tea, kids really prefer the boba smoothies. Facebook Twitter More shares reddit email The suburbanites no longer have to drive south for an hour to get their pho fix. And banh mi are becoming almost as popular in Houston as tacos. Okay, maybe not that popular. Still, ten years ago, if you said "bun-me" ( the correct pronunciation of banh mi), people would think you were asking for an unusual sexual favor. I had three teens with me on this occasion and I realized that when it comes to boba tea, kids really prefer the boba smoothies. They are going for the thick, milkshake-like textures of these creamy concoctions, and the addition of tapioca or flavored jellies is a fun bonus. One kid wanted the strawberry smoothie with whipped cream, so he was staying clear of the boba. It was delicious. One teen went for the piña colada with tapioca. She thought it was a bit too sweet, but had no trouble finishing it. The peach smoothie had a strange flavor that was tempered by strawberry "poppers." We snacked on a few treats with our drinks. The fried wontons with cream cheese ($3.95) were fine. The thit nuong cuon (char-grilled pork spring rolls) were two large rice paper rolls filled with shredded leaf lettuce, cucumber and grilled pork served with a tasty, mild peanut sauce on the side ($4.50). The banh mi thit nuong sandwich ($4.95) had the same addictively sweet chargrilled pork as the spring rolls. The bread was slightly crusty, but soft on the inside. There were huge stems of cilantro and we had to remove some of it. We also removed the jalapeño slices — cut lengthwise with stem and seeds intact — but there was just enough residual heat to remind you that they had been there. The food was brought to us in to-go bags. I wasn't sure if that was a hint or just how they serve it. The dining room was eat-off-the-floor clean and the decor was minimal, with some charming metal flower art on the walls. The teens agreed that Thu Thu Sandwich is more of a nice little place to grab some fresh Vietnamese grub than a bubble tea hangout. EXPAND The boba tea emojis at Kim's Tea House. photo by Lorretta Ruggiero 2. Kim's Tea House Kim's Tea House has been around since 2006, a decade before most other boba tea shops started to spring up in Houston. There are now five locations, including one in the Hong Kong City Mall food court. The newest location, off Highway 6 in the Bear Creek area, is pleasantly feminine. Not to scare the fellas away, but the iron scrollwork on the windows and the cutesy boba tea emojis on the wall are certainly perfect for a teen girl hangout destination. The young man behind the counter was extremely helpful in answering questions about the different options. With his recommendation, I went with the caramel cream tea with egg pudding. I was worried that the caramel might be too sweet, but it had a great balance with the tea. In fact, this was the first boba tea wherein I could actually taste the tea. There was a pretty strong undertone of Earl Grey. That helped to counter the sweetness of the caramel and I really liked the texture of the little bits of the egg pudding custard. One teen had the Oreo Cookies and Cream smoothie, which basically tasted like a less sweet milkshake. The daughter had a strawberry smoothie with tapioca. She liked this tapioca because it was smaller and chewier. We would have liked to hang around longer and taste the popcorn chicken and the squid balls that are on the menu, but a call from our home alarm company cut our visit short (probably the dog again). It is definitely on the list for a return trip. Everyone loves free samples! photo by Lorretta Ruggiero 1. Tapioca Master This boba tea shop is the favorite of the tea teens. Tapioca Master is in a tight corner of a not-so-hot-looking strip center, and parking spots are limited. However, once you enter the store, it's a welcoming room with plenty of tables for laptops and the people who love them. Behind a glass display case of teapots and porcelain pretties, there is an area with leather sofas in a dimly lit corner, perfect for small groups of teenage girls who want to escape their embarrassing mothers who ask too many questions. This family-owned business stands out from the others because of its smartly done sample selection. There are bowls filled with various flavors of milk teas, smoothies and coffees. The numbers on the lids of the samples correspond with the numbers on the menu, so there are varying combinations and flavors to choose from, according to what drinks had been made that day. Tapioca Master is a popular teen hangout. photo by Lorretta Ruggiero Tapioca Master has the largest variety that we have seen and the samples help to winnow the decision-making process. I sampled the avocado/coconut smoothie and was amazed that both flavors came shining through rather than muddying each other. I also tasted the Thai milk tea, but found it very bitter. In the end, the sample I liked most was the taro coconut smoothie and that's what I ordered. That was also a popular flavor with the teens, though one went with lychee gels and the other with tapioca. The teen biologically related to me had the strawberry/blueberry smoothie and was highly satisfied with the fresh fruit flavor. The young employees here exude warmth and positive energy, which makes this a great place for young people to hang out. There are a few snacks such as cookies, muffins and sandwiches available, and a large selection of games. As the teen squad settled into the sofas with their boba smoothies and their sketch pads, I made my exit. Boba tea restaurants have become popular spots for teens and college students to hang out with their pals. And that's a good thing. Lord knows it's a lot safer than hanging around empty playgrounds at 1 a.m. drinking Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers. At least, that's what I heard kids did in the eighties. I wouldn't know.Thirty years after he took down the Deadites, Ash Williams is back in the Ash vs Evil Dead TV Series. After accidentally unleashing Deadites, our square jawed hero must once again face the evil that took his friends and his love so long ago. With new recruits Kelly and Pablo, “El Jefe” and the Ghostbeaters team sets out on a road trip to end all road trips, all while being pursued by the mysterious Ruby and police officer Amanda Fisher. They look to put the Evil Dead back in hell for good. Just ahead of the Season 2 premier, NECA will be releasing their first series of 7″ scale figures based on Ash vs Evil Dead. The introductory wave includes Value Stop Ash, Hero Ash and the demon Eligos. They will also have a box set featuring a bloody Hero Ash and two Demon Spawn from the season 1 finale, which is due out later. NECA sent along the Ash vs Evil Dead Series 1 figures, and we have the first look at the final production version. Read on to check out over 135 photos and a full review! Ash vs Evil Dead Series 1 by NECA Pros Some of NECA’s best head sculpts Both Ash figures features great articulation Eligos sculpt is excellent and creepy Articulated jaw on Eligos Paint apps are spot on Hero Ash’s modular arm attachment All four Ash heads can be swapped across the 2 figures Chainsaw hand can be used on either Ash Cons Hips on Eligos are a bit hard to position Overall The first assortment of Ash vs Evil Dead figures come packaged is great window boxes. These collector friendly packages feature character specific portraits and a very blood red color scheme using key art from the TV show. Each of the figures comes on a plastic tray, held in by a twist tie. Also includes is a blood red forest dio backdrop with each figure. Value Stop Ash In the series, Ash has ditched S-Mart for the easy life as a stock boy at Value Stop. This figure comes with Ash in his work uniform, complete with name tag. In the show, he’s attacked by a Deadite possessed Lil-Lori Ballerina Doll, and one of this little murder dolls is included here. Value Stop Ash also includes a wooden hand and an extra interchangeable head. The two portraits here are “Shocked” and “Screaming” head sculpts. The head sculpts are very easy to swap out, as is the wooden hand if you want to attach the chainsaw or modular attachment from Hero Ash. This version of Ash looks good and has some excellent sculpting. Double jointed elbows are most welcome and are hidden well within the arms sculpts. This was the first of the figures I opened and I was immediately impressed by the head sculpts here. The fine details and the subtle skin paint work are outstanding. Across all four heads, these may be some of the best final production heads I’ve seen from them. They eye painting is equally noteworthy here. No cross-eyed or misaligned paints here. The likeness to the current age of Bruce Campbell is spot on. Eligos The Demon of the Mind; Eligos had a multi-episode story arc in the show. Ash, along with occult fanatic Lionel Hawkins, summons Eligos to get answers on how to end the Deadite plague. Eligos gets loose and torments the team in numerous ways over the next few episodes. The character design for Eligos is far different than anything we’ve seen from the Evil Dead series. Visually, the character looks like something designed by Guillermo Del Toro. The figure here includes no accessories, but does have an articulated lower jaw. Eligos has a great overall sculpt. In the show, you never get a look at the lower leg design, so it’s odd to see such a unique design. It adds to the overall creepy look Eligos has. For this figure, since it’s essentially a naked demon, NECA went for a more streamlined sculpt, forgoing any waist articulation. I was fine with it, though it may bother some fans. The elbows here are also double jointed, giving Eligos a great range of arm motion. The mid-section is a very hard plastic, which actually hinders the hip movement a bit. I used a hair dryer to loosen that area up, allowing for much more dynamic leg poses. The lower legs, being essentially long arms and hands, help to keep the figure sturdy while posing. the paint work here is again outstanding. the running blood matches up perfectly as it runs over limbs. I have to wonder if there was some digital paint work in play here, as the lines across all the figures are extremely clean. Nothing feels “brushed” on and it has a very naturalistic look to the paint. The delicate handling of the sculpt, the well hidden jaw articulation and fantastic sculpt and design make me hope we get more demons and Deadites in this line. Hero Ash Faced with the demons from his past, Ash is once again forced to don his iconic outfit (with a little help from his trusty girdle). This Ash figure includes two head sculpts, a chainsaw hand, a modular arm attachment, a new power glove hand, a shotgun and a shotgun holster. The head sculpts included here are the standard, I’ll call it “Stoic” head sculpts, as well as an “Angry” head sculpt. Everything here is very easy to swap out. Hero Ash is the unquestionable best figure of a very good series 1. With the number of accessories and the ability to use both heads from Value Stop Ash, this may well be an Ultimate figure. Another terrific sculpt capped off by two more stellar head sculpts. The body sculpt has some nice touches, such as it clearly looking like Ash is either wearing that girdle, or sucking in his gut. Hero Ash also has great double jointed elbows, again hidden will within the folds of his sleeves. The best part of this figure, though, is the new modular right hand pieces. In the later episodes, Pablo and Kelly create a new power glove hand for Ash. This comes with the added ability to swap his hand out with the chainsaw. So, not only does Ash include the direct connect forearm for the early episodes with the chainsaw, but also another forearm piece for the gloved hand, and the modular arm attachment, than the chainsaw can also connect to. ——————————– Bottom line is that this is a stellar introduction to Ash vs Evil Dead figures from NECA. The figures have the look and quality sculpting of their hand painted prototypes we always see at cons. The Ash head sculpts are pretty much perfect and having them be swappable between both figures is an added bonus. If you’re a fan of the show, or of the Evil Dead franchise at all, then you’re going to enjoy these figures. Check out some highlight photos below and over 135 photos in the full gallery after that.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lashed out at Donald Trump on Wednesday morning, saying during a press conference about Tuesday's deadly attack in New York City that the president's morning tweets 'play[ed] into the hands of the terrorists' by dividing Americans. Both Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said Trump hasn't called them to offer his assistance or encouragement following the killing of eight people on a lower Manhattan street. Trump complained hours earlier on Twitter that Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbek national who plowed a rented truck through a bike lane full of cyclists and pedestrians, entered the U.S. through a program that uses a lottery to award immigration visas. 'The terrorist came into our country through what is called the "Diversity Visa Lottery Program," a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based [immigration],' Trump tweeted. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is going to war against Donald Trump, saying his morning tweets about immigration in the wake of Tuesday's terror attack 'play ingo the hands of terrorists' New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said he hasn't received a call from Trump since the terror attack, and Cuomo confirmed the same thing The State Department's Diversity Immigrant Visa Program awards visas mainly to people from countries that are under-represented in the U.S. More than 4,000 Uzbeks won the right to apply for immigrant visas that way in 2015 alone. Cuomo was outraged at Trump. 'The president's tweets, I think, were not helpful. I think they were not factual. I think they tended to point fingers and politicize the situation,' he said. Cuomo correctly pointed out that the legislation creating the visa lottery 'was a bipartisan law' – backed by both then-Democratic Congressman Chuck Schumer and former Republican Rep. Al D'Amato, both New Yorkers. Schumer is now the Senate minority leader, the most powerful Democrat in Congress. 'You play into the hands of the terrorists to the extent you disrupt and divide and frighten people in this society. And the tone now should be the exact opposite,' Cuomo insisted, 'by all officials on all levels.' 'This is about unification, this is about solidarity, this is about normalization, this is about protection, and the last thing it's about is politics – period.' President Trump lashed out at the immigration visa lottery program, which awards visas mainly to people from countries that are under-represented in the U.S. Sayfullo Saipov, the Uzbek national who plowed a rented truck through a bike lane full of cyclists and pedestrians on Tuesday, was admitted to the U.S. in 2010 under the State Department's Diversity Immigrant Visa Program Hours after Saipov struck, Trump tweeted that he had asked the Homeland Security department for a heightened vetting program. 'I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!' Trump tweeted Tuesday night. An agitated De Blasio declared on Wednesday that Trump's approach is wrong-headed. 'We support vetting of individuals. We support very thorough vetting, [but] not of groups of people just because they belong to a group,' he said. 'There should be very, very careful vetting of anyone where there's an indication of concern. But not because of their religion. Not because of their country of origin.' Shattered bicycles are seen here on the West Side Highway bike path where eight people were killed and 12 more injured De Blasio didn't say how he would propose deciding which applicants for immigrant visas should be examined more closely than others. Both De Blasio and Cuomo said that while Trump administration officials have been in touch with them, the president himself hasn't picked up the phone. 'I received no call from the president,' Cuomo told reporters. 'Not from the president directly, no,' De Blasi added. Both men were contacted by Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, they said, who asked what federal government resources they needed. De Blasio said he also took a call from White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert. 'Both offered any and all help to New York City in this moment, and said they would be 100 per cent available to us in any way going forward,' he said.Sharpen your beard and groom your axe! Side-scrolling strategy at its finest! Sharpen your beard and groom your Axe! The 2D strategy hit is back, exclusively for Wii U™! The all-new Swords & Soldiers II is filled to the brim with gorgeous hand-animated artwork, endless replayability and heaps of good old fun! Command the rowdy Vikings, ingenious Persians and infernal Demons as you conquer the epic campaign or face off with your friends in local multiplayer! Join Chief Redbeard as he explores a beautiful new world and gets dragged into a globe-spanning evil plot involving a mysterious lamp, lots of roasted sheep and some delicious hot sauce. Every skirmish along the way will present a fresh challenge. So if you want to win this war you'll have to devise devious tactics using an ever-growing arsenal of powerful units and earth-shaking spells. Master the chill of the army-freezing Snowstorm, the dread of the skeleton-raising Crypt and the surprise of the invisible Desert Stalker to rule the world, in Swords & Soldiers II!The lawyer for alleged government secrets leaker Bradley Manning is accusing military authorities of using punitive measures against Manning at the Marine Corps jail in Quantico, Va. Manning, a 23-year-old Army private suspected of passing thousands of classified documents to the online site WikiLeaks, was placed on suicide watch for two days this week - against the recommendation of the jail's forensic psychiatrist, attorney David E. Coombs said. During this time, Manning was forced to stay in his cell around the clock, stripped to his underwear, the lawyer said. His prescription eyeglasses were taken from him, except for the hour of television he is allowed to watch or when he was reading, Coombs added. The circumstances of Manning's confinement have drawn public attention. The United Nations special rapporteur on torture has said he submitted to the State Department a formal inquiry about Manning's treatment. The liberal Web site Firedoglake.com says a petition urging that Manning be treated humanely will be delivered this weekend to Quantico; its site founder says that the petition has drawn more than 30,000 signatures. On Wednesday, Coombs filed a complaint with Marine Corps Base Quantico, alleging that the commander of the brig, or detention facility, abused his discretion by placing Manning on suicide watch. Brig commander James Averhart had determined the 23-year-old was a suicide risk, Coombs said. But after the Army Staff Judge Advocate's office urged him to reconsider the designation, Averhart removed the suicide watch Thursday and restored Manning to "prevention of injury" watch. Manning is also being held under maximum custody, which has its own set of rules. A Quantico spokesman, First Lt. Scott Villiard, said that he did not know why Averhart recommended the suicide watch, but that the determination was "based on input from more than one person." That included medical professionals, mental health professionals and the Marine guards who watch detainees, he said. Averhart "has a responsibility to make sure that these detainees are safe, secure and make it to trial," Villiard said. Coombs responded that the forensic psychiatrist has consistently recommended - with the exception of one week in December - that there was "no medical reason" for Manning to be even on a prevention-of-injury watch, let alone a suicide watch. He said he pressed for a reason behind the status change this week, but was given none. "The fact that they won't articulate any basis for it leaves you with no other conclusion than it must be punitive," he said.Robert Snodgrass has cast fresh doubt over his Leeds United future – and admits he is unsure whether the club’s ambitions match his own. The United skipper is mulling over whether to accept United’s offer of a contract extension, which would make him the highest-paid player at Elland Road, and is expected to reveal his decision next month. The Scottish international’s current deal runs out next summer, with the club keen to secure his long-term future. But with so much to consider in the light of United’s failure to win promotion and the possibility of renewed Premiership interest, the 24-year-old isn’t rushing into things and has reiterated he will put his family first when he arrives at his decision. He said: “The next decision for me is vital. But it’s not about me, it’s about my family and making the right decision for them. I have a wife and daughter now, plus there’s my mum and dad who have always stood by me when times were tough. “The chairman is trying to put a bit of pressure on me. He’s telling me what planshe has got for the club. But they told me the same type of plans the season before and it didn’t work out. So it’s hard to buy into these things again. “I’m captain now, so I should be able to just sit back and let everything else happen. But it’s a wee bit unfortunate that I’m in this situation. I’ll make the right decision when the time comes.” Snodgrass added that his desire to become a Scotland international regular would also be an influence in his final decision, while admitting he would not rely on manager Neil Warnock to orchestrate a dream move for him into the Premiership – if he commits to Leeds, but the club find themselves out of the promotion picture next season. Snodgrass, capped five times by his country, said: “The Scotland manager has told me a few times that there is a window of opportunity for progress. I need to think about that as well. “It’s hard for an international manager to throw a Championship player in at the deep end for some of these big World Cup or European Championship qualifiers. He’s got a job to do and needs to pick his best possible eleven. If you are playing with better players in the Premier League, then it only helps Scotland as well. Challenge “I’d love to get into the Premier League. I would love it to happen with Leeds United. I’m captain now, which is something new to me and a different challenge. “To lead Leeds United back into the Premier League would be a dream come true. The full place would be absolutely buzzing. “But who knows whether he (Warnock) has got one or two years left at Leeds? If it’s one year and I don’t sign the contract, then I’ll be free next year. If I do sign, I’d have another year left and be in the same situation I am in now. “So it’s all right for him to say he could get me a move, but if he leaves, then the people up above him in the football club are not going to worry about what he said. My future doesn’t lie in the hands of Neil Warnock, it’s in the hands of Robert Snodgrass. “I just need to take each step as it comes, I’m sure the manager has the best interests of the club at heart. If I move on, the club keeps rolling on. It’s a business and he’ll know he can bring in new players to replace me.”Share this Article Facebook Twitter Email You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. University Rutgers University A drug used to treat bipolar disorder and other forms of depression may help preserve brain function and prevent nerve cells from dying in people with a traumatic brain injury. Scientists discovered that lithium and rapamycin, a treatment for some forms of cancer, protect nerve cells in the brain and stop the chemical glutamate from sending signals to other cells and creating further brain cell damage. “Many medications now used for those suffering with traumatic brain injury focus on treating the symptoms and stopping the pain instead of protecting any further damage from occurring,” says lead author Bonnie Firestein, professor of cell biology and neuroscience at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “We wanted to find a drug that could protect the cells and keep them from dying.” Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States with an estimated 1.7 million people sustaining an injury every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 30 percent of all deaths due to injury are due, in part, to a TBI. TBI symptoms can include impaired thinking or memory, personality changes, and depression, as well as vision and hearing problems. The CDC reports that every day 153 people in the US die from injuries that include a TBI, with children and older adults at the highest risk. When a TBI occurs, a violent blow to the head can result in the release of abnormally high concentrations of glutamate, which under normal circumstances is an important chemical for learning and memory. But an overproduction of glutamate, Firestein says, causes toxicity which leads to cell damage and death. The research, reported in Scientific Reports, shows that when these two FDA-approved medications were added to damaged cell cultures in the laboratory, the glutamate was not able to send messages between nerve cells—which stopped cell damage and death. Further research needs to be done, in animals and humans, to determine if these drugs could help prevent brain damage and nerve cell death in humans after a traumatic brain injury. “The most common traumatic brain injury that people deal with every day is concussion which affects thousands of children each year,” Firestein says. “Concussions are often hard to diagnose in children because they are not as vocal, which is why it is critical to find drugs that work to prevent long-term damage.” The New Jersey Commission on Brain Injury Research funded the work. The commission is funded, in part, by traffic tickets for moving violations like speeding, using a cell phone, or driving without a license, and provides $1 to the fund from every ticket issued. Source: Rutgers UniversityWhen “they” say good teams are supposed to dominate bad teams, the Cowboys’ recent win over the Cleveland Browns is what “they” are talking about. One of our favorite measures of a team’s performance (outside of outscoring opponents) is the Toxic Differential — the sum of turnover differential and big play differential. More simply put, it is the measure of getting more takeaways and giving fewer giveaways combined with the ability to make and prevent big plays (pass plays of 25-plus yards and runs of 10-plus yards). The Cowboys are five points above the closest competitor heading into Week 10. To put this in perspective, the team that has led the league in Toxic Differential has represented the NFC in the last four Super Bowls. Carolina did it in 2015, Seattle in both 2013 and 2014 and San Francisco in 2012. The Cowboys went into the Cleveland Dawg Pound as 7.5-point favorites, and after a shaky first couple of plays proceeded to spay the Browns’ defense and neuter their offense. The Browns opened with a 16-yard completion and followed it with the game’s first Toxic Event, a 44-yard pass over the top to RB Isaiah Crowell that quickly got them in scoring range. They never threatened again. A Toxic Event is a term developed by former Ravens coach Brian Billick that is a pass play of over 25 yards, a run over 10 yards or a turnover. His theory, which has been proven valid over the years, is that teams with the best Toxic Differential throughout a season will end up as the best of the best by year’s end. What we do here at Cowboys Wire is attempt to use Toxic Events to tell the story of each game, and over the past three seasons, time and time again the Toxic Differential has done just that. For our ledger, we alter the formula a bit. We subscribe the the NFL’s definition of a big passing play being 20 yards or more. We also count special teams scores as well as fourth down attempts as Toxic Events. The story it told of the Cowboys domination over the Browns, though, was uncanny. Dallas won the Toxic Differential by a +10 margin. Having 10 points more than an opponent, even against the team with the worst record, is insane. Here are the Toxic Event plays from the game: ______Toxic Event Ledger_______ TEAM QTR TOXIC EVENT LEDGER TYPE CLE 1 1-10-CLV 41 (14:27) (No Huddle, Shotgun) C.Kessler pass deep middle to I.Crowell to DAL 15 for 44 yards CLE +1 PASS > 20 DAL 1 1-10-CLV 38 (8:14) E.Elliott right tackle to CLV 28 for 10 yards EVEN RUN > 10 DAL 1 2-8-CLV 26 (6:53) (Shotgun) D.Prescott pass deep right to J.Witten for 26 yards, TOUCHDOWN DAL +1 PASS > 20 CLE 1 4-1-DAL 45 (1:17) C.Kessler up the middle to DAL 42 for 3 yards EVEN 4 DOWN DAL 2 2-5-CLV 49 (13:29) A.Morris right tackle to CLV 36 for 13 yards DAL +1 RUN > 10 DAL 2 1-10-CLV 10 (10:09) E.Elliott right tackle for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN DAL +2 RUN > 10 DAL 2 1-10-DAL 33 (6:29) E.Elliott left tackle ran ob at DAL 45 for 12 yards DAL +3 RUN > 10 DAL 2 1-10-CLV 25 (3:05) E.Elliott left end to CLV 10 for 15 yards DAL +4 RUN > 10 DAL 3 1-10-DAL 25 (15:00) D.Prescott pass short right to J.Witten to CLV 40 for 35 yards DAL +5 PASS > 20 DAL 3 2-9-DAL 37 (6:32) (Shotgun) D.Prescott scrambles left guard to 50 for 13 yards DAL +6 RUN > 10 DAL 3 2-11-CLV 41 (4:04) (Shotgun) D.Prescott pass short left to J.Witten to CLV 14 for 27 yards DAL +7 PASS > 20 DAL 3 2-10-CLV 14 (3:16) (Shotgun) E.Elliott left end to CLV 4 for 10 yards DAL +8 RUN > 10 DAL 4 4-1-CLV 34 (3:53) A.Morris right guard to CLV 33 for 1 yard (D.Davis) DAL +9 4 DOWN DAL 4 4-1-CLV 24 (1:13) M.Sanchez pass short right to G.Swaim to CLV 16 for 8 yard DAL +10 4 DOWN Dallas had an unbelievable seven plays of 10 yards or more on the ground, and added insult to injury by converting two fourth downs when running out the clock. When the Cowboys were heading to play San Francisco in Week 4, they ranked just 22nd in the league in Toxic Differential. They were +2 in turnover differential, but -5 in big plays. That’s laughable considering where the Cowboys are now. The Steelers, Dallas’s Week 10 opponents, are -1 in this category, or, right around the same level the Browns were before Week 9. The Cowboys have a chance to dominate another opponent weak in this area.
ask, but the reward was even bigger: my freedom. Life had come to feel like a gilded cage. Once a passionate activist, I had become another pale-faced greenocrat, saying the right words but with a hollow voice. While secure, my life of partner, friends and community was also stifling, another demand on my diminishing energy. It was just the busyness of it all. The relentless onwardsness of life in the city. I fulfilled one round of societal obligations and a new round began. I ticked something off my to-do list and another entry took its place. The life that was once a consuming passion was now consuming me. I longed to stop. I daydreamed of kicking off my shoes, walking out the office door and not stopping until the city streets turned to leaf litter under my feet. Moth to a flame: Dunn enjoys the warmth of a fire in her shelter. Photo: Ben Ey Then an email popped into my inbox – a year-long "Independent Wilderness Studies Program" was being run on the north coast of NSW. My heart did a cartwheel. Imagine that. No emails, no buzzing phone, no 5am media releases. To qualify, I had to study the basics over two week-long courses, and prove that my motivations weren't madness or law evasion. But madness was a word that regularly sprang to mind when I attempted to marry "shelter" and "waterproof" with paperbark and grass. Building a humpy was just the first challenge. The caveman curriculum also included fire-making with sticks, hunting and trapping, tanning hides, bush food, basketry, animal tracking, rope and pottery making. In the absence of rules, I invented some of my own. While I predicted my matchless fire-making commitment might put a dampener on my tea addiction, I didn't foresee the painful blisters the size of 20¢ coins it would leave on both palms. My wild-meat-only rule initially threatened anaemia, and later extreme nausea when I was up to my elbows in wallaby entrails. Tanning its hide with brains and sewing it into a top, I was at least starting to look the part. A raw-food diet looked appealing. Negotiating the wilds within proved my biggest challenge. Solitude was a harsh companion. Lists continued to pile up in my journal and my desire to slow down was hampered by an inner accelerator pinned to the metal. Rather than become a bush ninja, I realised the true task of my year was to break my addiction to doing, and learn how to just be. My new furred and feathered friends were my greatest teachers. I sat for hours watching and listening to birds. The feeding frenzies, territorial skirmishes, family fights and courtships were better than anything seen on TV. By the end of the year I'd begun craving cafes and an occasion to wear a dress, but overall I was surprised at how little about modern life I missed. Adjusting to life back in the city has been tougher than I anticipated. I ache for nights by my fire in my shelter. Sometimes I imagine the walls around me vanishing, the neighbours looking at each other from their couches, gathering together to build a circle of shelters, to cook over a fire and tell stories. How much more fun we'd have. Since my return, friends tell me I'm softer, more present. Although I am less certain, groundless almost, since my year in the bush, in a fundamental way I feel stronger. When life threatens to suck me into the whirlpool, I retreat to the city's parks and pockets of green. It's enough, I've found, to bring me back down to earth and remind me that less is more. I'm realising that wilderness is everywhere, that it is less of a place and more a state of being. The forest modelled this to me and I remain its aspiring apprentice, these days with cup of tea in my hand and a pillow under my head. Claire Dunn is the author of My Year Without Matches: Escaping the City in Search of the Wild (Black Inc), in bookshops this week.Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET Edward Snowden, the former government contractor who leaked information about the National Security Agency's sweeping surveillance programs, said Monday that the U.S. government "immediately and predictably" destroyed any chance that he'd receive a fair trial by declaring him guilty of treason. "The US Government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal, and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime," Snowden said in an online Q&A hosted by the Guardian, the British publication that published the information that Snowden leaked. "That's not justice, and it would be foolish to volunteer yourself to it if you can do more good outside of prison than in it," he said in response to a question as to why he fled to Hong Kong after leaking information. Snowden has yet to be charged with anything for leaking information revealing the NSA's bulk collection of U.S. phone records from Verizon, as well as the NSA's surveillance of internet content from foreigners outside of the U.S. (which may easily lead to the inadvertent collection of U.S. information). That, however, hasn't stopped several lawmakers from weighing in on the nature of Snowden's actions, with one senator accusing him of treason and both House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and former Vice President Dick Cheney calling him a traitor. White House chief on privacy concerns, trust Schieffer: Edward Snowden "is no hero" Snowden said Monday, "Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American," slamming Cheney for the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping and for "deceitfully engineering" the Iraq war. Snowden said he decided to leak the information after witnessing "a continuing litany of lies from senior officials to Congress - and therefore the American people." He specifically cited Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's March congressional testimony, in which Clapper said unequivocally that the NSA does not collect data on American communications. The White House has defended Clapper's testimony, even though it's proven to be false and Clapper himself said he gave "the most truthful, or least untruthful manner" answer possible. "Seeing someone in the position of James Clapper - the Director of National Intelligence - baldly lying to the public without repercussion is the evidence of a subverted democracy," Snowden said. "The consent of the governed is not consent if it is not informed." Multiple government officials on Sunday said that Snowden has been exaggerating the level of access he had to information collected by the government. Retired Gen. Michael Hayden said on NBC's Meet the Press, "He could not possibly have done the things he claimed he was able to do in terms of tapping communications." Snowden, however, said in Monday's Q&A that he stands by his assertion that he could have wiretapped anyone. Snowden said that the restrictions against direct access to culled data "are policy based, not technically based, and can change at any time."ROBOTS - including sex bots - could win rights currently enjoyed by their human creators under EU plans. A European Parliament committee has voted to endorse a draft report proposing to grant legal status to ALL robots. PA:Press Association 3 Robots could end up being sensitive types who care Alamy 3 Sex robots are becoming a reality and relationships with humans are on the cards In the spirit of political correctness, the robots are to be called as “electronic persons” - so as not to offend them. The draft report was approved by 17 votes to two this week with only two abstentions by the committee on legal affairs. It states: “The most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights." The report was written by Luxembourg MEP Mady Delvaux who wants to fight for robots rights. She says: “A growing number of areas of our daily lives are increasingly affected by robotics. “In order to address this reality and to ensure that robots are and will remain in the service of humans, we urgently need to create a robust European legal framework”. Getty Images 3 A Russian humanoid robot named FEDOR Related stories Revealed TECH IT EASY We reveal the best tech from the 50th Consumer Electronics Show, from robots that read to kids to beds that stop you rowing and self-driving cars SILICONE CELEBS Sex robots modelled on your favourite celebs set to take over the market, experts warn UP FOR THE ROBOCHOP As robots come to take your jobs we reveal the droids that can cook meals, pour pints, perform operations and even HAVE SEX CYBER CEREMONIES Robot marriages will become law a LOT sooner than you think ROBOTIC REVOLUTION Robots set to become even smarter in 2017 and begin to teach themselves clever new tricks SILICONE SALLY Pimps and madams to buy up sex robots in bid to offer clients 'love free' thrills Sex robots will enjoy the same right as their more cleaning living domestic versions. MEPs are also calling on designers to make all robots with kill switches that could shut down functions if they posed a risk to humans. The rules would enable humans to use robots “without fear of physical or psychological harm,” a draft report stated. While significant advances in technology will have a positive effect on the world as we know it, MEPs warned that they could outsmart humans within decades. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368A group of seven female former staffers for Sen. Al Franken Alan (Al) Stuart FrankenVirginia can be better than this Harris off to best start among Dems in race, say strategists, donors Virginia scandals pit Democrats against themselves and their message MORE (D-Minn.) are defending their ex-boss in a statement as he tries to weather the backlash the day after a woman accused him of sexual misconduct. "Many of us spent years working for Senator Franken in Minnesota and Washington. In our time working for the senator, he treated us with the utmost respect," the group said in a Friday statement. "He valued our work and our opinions and was a champion for women in both the legislation he supported and in promoting women to leadership roles in our offices," they continued. ADVERTISEMENT The statement was signed Katherine Blauvelt, Alexandra Fetissoff, Jessi Held, Natalie Violin Lehr, Karen Saxe, Charlotte Slaiman and Bethany Snider. The statement comes a day after radio host Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of aggressively kissing her and of groping her without her consent while she was asleep, providing a photo as evidence. Franken called for an ethics investigation into his own behavior, and apologized for the incident. “I understand why we need to listen to and believe women’s experiences,” Franken said. “I am asking that an ethics investigation be undertaken, and I will gladly cooperate.” The revelation comes as alleged victims across the country have come forward to accuse men in prominent positions in various industries of sexual misconduct. The accused include movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Kevin Spacey. Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has also been accused by numerous women of sexual misconduct, including one who says she was 14 years old at the time of the alleged incident.Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967),[2] known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician. Angel began his career in New York City, before moving his base of operations to the Las Vegas Valley. He is known for starring in the television and stage show Criss Angel Mindfreak and his previous live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas. The show generated $150 million in tourist revenue to Las Vegas in 2010, but has since been replaced by Mindfreak LIVE on 11 May 2016 (the show is partly produced by Cirque, however the directive rights are entirely with Criss Angel).[3] He also starred in the television series Criss Angel BeLIEve on Spike TV, the reality-competition television show Phenomenon on NBC, and the 2014 stage show Criss Angel Magicjam. Angel has been on primetime television for more hours than any other magician in history, between his television series and various specials on cable and network television. He also holds multiple world-records made during his magic performances, and was named Magician of the Decade in 2009[4] and Magician of the Century in 2010[5] by the International Magicians Society. In addition to his career as an illusionist, Angel was the lead singer for his industrial band Angeldust, which released five albums between 1998 and 2003. He also authored the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations. Early life Criss Angel was born on December 19, 1967,[6] at Hempstead General Hospital in Hempstead, on Long Island, New York. He is of Greek descent.[7][8] Angel was raised in Elmont until fourth grade, when his family moved to East Meadow, New York.[9] His father, John Sarantakos, owned a restaurant and doughnut shop.[10] He developed an interest in magic at age seven and performed his first show at the age of twelve, for which he was paid $10. His main early influence was Harry Houdini. By fourteen, Angel was performing throughout high school at restaurants in East Meadow, including the Wine Gallery. Angel's first major illusion was making his mother float in their family den.[6][10] Early in his career he was helped by animal breeder and reality-television host Marc Morrone, who helped Angel find and train a set of doves for his act.[11] By the time he graduated from East Meadow High School, he had decided to pursue a career as a professional magician instead of attending college as his parents wanted.[2] According to Biography Channel, "Angel hit the road and began touring with other traveling performance acts. Between traveling and performing, he attempted to further his education in his own by studying the history of magic in public libraries. He also studied the art of mysticism, music, martial arts and even dance."[6] Early career Angel has said that, "I stayed away from magicians when I was younger because I didn't want to think like them and wanted to create my own style."[12] His first television appearance was in 1994, where he performed as a part of a one-hour ABC primetime special entitled Secrets.[6] One of the early supporters of Angel was horror director Clive Barker. In 1995, Barker asked Angel to work with him on his film Lord of Illusions. He also later recorded the intro to Angel's album World of Illusion: System One. Barker said of Angel in the mid-1990s that, "Criss Angel is extraordinary, a spectacular mix of visionary magic. This is the future, and it can't come quickly enough."[13] During that year, he collaborated with musician Klayton to form Angeldust, a show that combined magic with music. They released their first album Musical Conjurings from the World of Conjuring in 1998. Also that year, Angel performed a ten-minute show over the course of the "World of Illusion" conference in Madison Square Garden, performing sixty shows per day.[10] However, by 2000, Klayton's name was removed from Angel's website. Angel also starred in the 1997 television movie The Science of Magic and its 2003 sequel The Science of Magic II.[14] Criss Angel Mindfreak, which would later become Angel's first television series, was originally an off-Broadway show by Angel, which in 2001 was picked up by the World Underground Theatre. When not performing the show, Angel worked the streets promoting the show to pedestrians.[10] Criss Angel Mindfreak ran for more than 600 performances between 2001 and 2003 at the World Underground Theater in Times Square.[6] His twenty-four hours in a tank of water set a world record for the longest amount of time for a human to be completely submerged under water.[15] This performance would also become a part of his first television special. Angel has also been known to actively discourage a belief in mediumship, stating that there is no way for mediums to speak with people beyond the dead. He has said, "If somebody's doing that for entertainment purposes, that's one thing. But if they claim to be communicating with the dead, I don't care if they're from my hometown, I don't care if they're my family members: I'll expose them and tell them what they really are."[16] Water torture cell in Times Square, 2002 In August 2002, Angel spent 24 hours shackled underwater in a phone booth-sized water torture cell near the WWE entertainment store in New York's Times Square, WWE corporation being the owners of the World Underground Theatre where Angel had been performing his stage show. To prepare for the trick, he practiced in a neighbor's backyard swimming pool next to his mother's house in East Meadow, New York. Prior to the performance he had only managed to spend 12 consecutive hours in the water. He fasted for 24 hours before the performance to make it through the period without need to exit and use the washroom. During the trick he went through 16 oxygen tanks. After the trick he was required to remove his own shackles and chains before exiting the water. Within an hour, his skin began to react substantially to the water.[17] At the end of the performance, according to Ted Shaffrey, "Before he emerged from the phone-booth sized contraption of clear plastic and steel, Angel yanked out the air hose that allowed him to breathe. Then assistants pulled a black curtain over the 220-gallon (832-liter) chamber to block the view of television cameras and about 100 people gathered outside the window in which he was displayed. Under cover, Angel apparently escaped from the shackles that bound his arms, legs and neck, before pulling himself from the watery chamber with a celebratory scream." Upon successfully completing the trick, he was described as having "skin crinkled and his eyes bloodshot", and upon emerging from the tank he was taken to St. Clare's Hospital and treated for severe dehydration. He reported afterwards that he had suffered from overheating, jaw fatigue, and semi-consciousness while in the tank.[18] Television specials and promotional appearances (2002-2005) On October 20, 2002, Angel performed in the ABC Family television special named Criss Angel Mindfreak: Postmodern illusionist, an hour-long performance and tribute to Harry Houdini.[19][20] The special aired again on December 24, 2002 on Channel 4 in the UK. The Birmingham Evening Mail reviewed the show, writing, "Criss Angel is currently making a name for himself as a more provocative, darker alternative to [other illusionists]. He walks the streets of New York, hypnotising passers-by, turning cups of take-away coffee into cockroaches and suspending himself from the ceiling by inserting hooks into his back. The piece de resistance of all these mind games is an update of the Houdini underwater trick - an attempt to stay in a (cell) tank of water for 24 hours, padlocked and restrained. All seems to be going well, until the filter system breaks down and the water begins to heat up."[21] On October 31, 2003 SciFi Channel aired the one-hour special Supernatural starring Angel. Kate O'Hare said of the special that, "Filmed in part at Universal Theme Park in Orlando, Fla., "Supernatural" finds Angel crawling up buildings, passing a quarter through his skin, spontaneously combusting and having otherworldly creatures burst from his chest." When asked about his process in creating television specials, Angel said that, "I like to have my hand in everything on my TV specials. I'm the executive producer; I direct it; I create it. I write all the music for my TV specials and my live performances. It's on my label. I write it; I produce it."[22] During the special Angel performed stunts including lighting himself on fire and making a tarantula emerge from a pedestrian's soda can.[23] In 2003, Angel was also featured in the two-hour TBS special Made in Japan.[24] In early 2003, Angel performed at the release of the new branding for Miller Lite beer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 80th anniversary of Houdini's last performance in that city. For the performance, he was suspended ten stories in the air and bound in a straitjacket, from which he escaped.[25] He also performed an illusion at Ozzfest in 2005.[26] During this period Angel also earned money selling signed merchandise, making up to $50,000 a day.[27] Criss Angel Mindfreak television series In 2005, Criss Angel became the creator, director, and executive producer of the A&E Network show Criss Angel Mindfreak, and had entered production in January.[28] Seasons 1 and 2 were filmed at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, with Season 3 at the Luxor Las Vegas. Premiering on July 20, 2005, the show's illusions included walking on water, levitating, walking up the side of Luxor Hotel (in the light of 39 focused lamps that can be seen from space[29]), floating between two buildings, causing a Lamborghini to disappear, surviving in an exploding C4 Crate, cutting himself in half in full view of an audience and getting run over by a steamroller while lying on a bed of broken glass. The first season of the show was released on DVD after it completed its on-screen run.[30] The show also released its Halloween special, along with two special episodes, on an additional one-disc DVD offering.[31] The show returned for a second season in May 2006,[32] and was named one of the best shows of the summer by the Tulsa World newspaper.[33] The show was renewed for a third season in July 2006;[34] as of that third season the show was A&E's number one rated show, with more than 1.5 million viewers.[35] That year he promoted the show with a performance where he was suspended within a cube encased in concrete above Times Square, escaping from the block before it was set to crash to the ground.[36] Magic effects creator Sean Field stated of Angel this year that, "Criss Angel is the biggest name in magic since Houdini... No other magician has invaded pop culture to the degree that Criss Angel has. He has changed the image of magic and made it cool."[37] The show became one of the most popular foreign television shows in parts of Asia, including China.[38] The television show was noted as a part of the mid-2000s films, television, and books that drove a resurgence of the public popularity of magic.[39] Criss Angel Mindfreak was the first weekly magic television show to air in forty years.[40] Daily Variety reviewed the premiere writing, "The stunts alone are impressive. But what makes the show fascinating are the down-home touches in which we see the kid from New York, who first honed his magic skills at the age of 6. Keenly aware of the camera at all times, Angel manages to offer some personality, especially where family is involved. Viewers follow the illusionist as he contemplates new and more dangerous stunts, while his crew, including his often-fretful brothers, offer insight as to what, other than ego, drives someone in this profession."[40] The show ran from 2005 until 2010,[6] at which point he had been featured for more hours on primetime television than any other magician in history.[41][42] Other tricks performed in the show included making an elephant disappear[43] and the performance of séances as well as other tricks in order to teach his audience about con men and how to avoid scams intended to manipulate money out of people.[44] In July 2008, Angel escaped from a beachside hotel before its demolition in front of a crowd of about 50,000 people, an illusion that also aired on the television program. After the illusion, Angel showed the audience step by step how he achieved the escape. He first picked open a set of handcuffs that had him shackled to a balcony railing. He then smashed the window of the room in order to enter the hotel, and picked padlocks on both the room's internal door and the door to the stairwell. The escape was initially supposed to occur via a ladder that dangled above the hotel's roof 30 seconds before collapse, after picking through five locks on the roof's door. Instead, Angel emerged from the rubble after the collapse, claiming that the initial plan was always to escape via the helicopter. The total time allotted for the entire illusion was 4 minutes, with dynamite located on the first, second, and fourth floors of the building.[45] Criss Angel Believe Stage show Criss Angel before a live crowd In 2006, Angel partnered with Cirque du Soleil to produce the stage show Criss Angel Believe (stylized as "Criss Angel BeLIEve"),[10] premiering the show at the Luxor Las Vegas on September 26, 2008. It became the bestselling live magic show in the world. The name of the show was taken from Harry Houdini, for the mythology of Houdini choosing the word "believe" as the codeword for communicating with Houdini after his death.[46][47] Luxor's parent company, MGM Mirage, financed the show with $100 million.[48] After several delays, the show was set for a gala opening on October 31, 2008, with preview shows in late September on the 82nd anniversary of Harry Houdini's death.[10][49][50][51] The initial preview received mixed reactions[52][53] and reviews. Reporters for the Las Vegas Sun, Los Angeles Times, and Las Vegas Review Journal cited a lack of the magic Angel is known for, as well as a confusing and uninteresting theme. They also opined that neither Angel nor Cirque du Soleil were able to perform to their capabilities during these initial performances.[54][55][56][57] On the positive side, the Las Vegas Sun later quoted Star Pulse, stating, "He has created a live show that is everything a perfect magic performance should be — and then some. It's not just remarkable magic — it's transcendent art that won't just blow your mind; it will quite possibly change your life."[58] In April 2009, Angel ended a performance of Believe by "hurling obscene insults" at blogger Perez Hilton, an audience member. Hilton reportedly had texted to his fans during the performance that the show was "unbelievably BAD" and that he'd "rather be getting a root canal", and word had gotten back to Angel by the end of the performance.[59][60] Cirque du Soleil later apologized to Hilton for Angel's remarks.[61] In 2010, the Las Vegas Sun critic John Katsilometes, after being unimpressed by the initial show, said Believe had improved by reducing the narrative elements and focusing on the magic.[62] In 2011, the Toronto Star wrote: "The show is easily the most exciting thing now on stage in Vegas!"[63] That year the show attracted an estimated $150 million in ticket sales.[64] The show currently has a ten-year performance contract that runs through 2019,[65] and was the best selling magic show in Las Vegas as of 2013.[65] Television series The stage show celebrated its fifth anniversary of appearing on stage in October 2013. That month a cable television series based upon the show entitled Criss Angel BeLIEve was broadcast on Spike TV. The first season included eleven one-hour episodes, including 118 different illusions. Guests on the show include Ludacris, Ice-T, Randy Couture and Shaquille O'Neal. When asked about the three years between the last episode of Mindfreak and his return to television, Angel stated that, "I didn't take long at all to go back to television. It was my choice to work on the live Cirque show and to get that where I wanted it to be. "Now that that show is just humming and doing amazing business — it's the #1 bestselling magic show in the world as far as ticket sales and the perception that people are experiencing and coming back to see it multiple times — I felt it was in a great place and I could think about television again. Obviously, "Believe" will continue to evolve until its last performance because I always want to add new magic, I'm always tweaking and transforming it. I missed being on television, I had something new creatively to say, and Spike became the perfect home to do it."[58] Endemol purchased the foreign distribution rights for the show, and was the "most-watched new original series [on Spike TV] in more than 18 months" according to The Hollywood Reporter.[66] In the episode "Lord of Illusions — Death Premonition", Angel paid homage to Clive Barker, the director of the horror movie of the same name. In the episode, Angel performed the closing stunt from the film, in which he laid beneath a circle of suspended swords, and predicted the correct order of six falling swords to avoid becoming stabbed through his body after their release. The swords were selected by the audience with the help of a randomly bouncing ball. According to the Las Vegas Sun, "Criss is the only, and first, magician in the world granted permission from the inventor and filmmaker to re-create the film's death-defying stunt."[13] For another episode for the series filmed in New York City he was asked by the NYPD not to pre-announce the performance, as crowd control for some Angel performances had become a concern for the police.[58] This trick saw Angel hanging his feet, while bound with two straitjackets and a noose around his neck which were attached to metal weights. While he was successful in the trick, Angel tore his shoulder muscles and this required surgery in January 2014. This resulted in the temporary closing of the Believe stage show between January and April 2014, while he was recovering from the surgery and returning to performance shape. He did however host a new stage show featuring other magicians between February and March 2014 in lieu of performing in his own show.[67] Clips from the show also became the most watched YouTube magic clips in the history of the site, with more than 15 million views.[65] In the show, Angel revealed the secrets behind some of his illusions to the audience.[68] This included the Lord of Illusions trick, where he revealed that he had the swords in a preset order so that he could avoid them. The episode featuring this illusion also includes a meeting between Angel and his team discussing a problem with the trick and how to ensure it doesn't happen again.[69] Phenomenon Starting in October 2007, he appeared as a judge on Phenomenon with Uri Geller. In a CNN interview about the show, he told Larry King "no one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust [him] live and on television."[70] On the October 31, 2007 episode of the reality show Phenomenon, Paranormalist Jim Callahan performed a summoning, purportedly of author Raymond Hill, to help discover the contents of a locked box.[71] Although fellow judge Uri Geller praised the performance, Angel called it "comical" and subsequently challenged both Callahan and Geller to guess the contents of two envelopes he pulled out of his pocket, offering a million dollars of his own money to whoever could do so. This led to an argument between Callahan and Angel, during which Callahan walked toward Angel and called him an "ideological bigot", with the two pulled apart as the show promptly went to a commercial break. Angel has since revealed the contents of one envelope and at the unveiling he challenged Geller one more time. Geller responded, "Although we were born one day apart - I was born on the 20th of December and you on the 19th - a lot of years between us - 40 years, you were one year old when I came out with my spoon bending..." Criss Angel cut him off at this point, saying, "I guess this is a 'no,'" and proceeded to open the envelope. The envelope contained an index card with the numbers "911" printed on it for September 11, 2001. Angel's explanation was this: "If on 9-10 somebody could have predicted that 9-11 was going to happen, they could have saved thousands of lives". The other envelope's contents were scheduled to be revealed on the first episode of Season 4 of Criss Angel: Mindfreak.[10] Stage shows Criss Angel Magicjam The temporary replacement show for Believe was entitled Criss Angel Magicjam, which was performed in the same Luxor theatre. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the show included, "Longtime Las Vegas comedy-illusionist Nathan Burton; Banachek, the world's premiere mentalist; and new female magician Krystyn Lambert, who has been prominently featured in the Spike series... joined by grandmaster manipulators Jason Byrne and Tony Clarke, supreme close-up artist Armando Vera and the magic comedy of Russ Merlin." The production was written and directed by Criss Angel.[65] In January 2014, Angel announced that he planned on taking Criss Angel Magicjam on a North American tour during the summer of 2014.[72] The show also featured Angel's own illusions, which he performed for about 40 minutes of the show. Robin Leach said of the show that, "Magicjam is great fun and a high-energy show packed with mind-blowing magic."[73] Mindfreak Live! In 2014, Angel premiered the stage show Mindfreak LIVE! The touring show features illusions from Angel himself, which received positive reviews.[74][75] The demonstrations used in the show were developed in Angel's illusion laboratory in Las Vegas, located in a 60,000 square foot warehouse.[76] His international touring with the show marked the first time that Angel had travelled with his show in about six years. The premiere show of the performance occurred at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut during November 2014.[77][78] The Supernaturalists The Supernaturalists premiered in June 2015 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino's The Fox Theater, with Criss Angel serving as creator, director and executive producer. Performers for the show include illusionist Landon Swank, magician Krystyn Lambert, escape artist Spencer Horsman, mentalist Banachek, dog conjuror Johnny Dominguez, magician Stefan, and close up magician Adrian Vega.[79] Robin Leach reviewed the show as having "overwhelming positive reactions" and wrote that it contained "the most mind-blowing magic spectacle that's playing anywhere".[80] Angel has stated that the show is a culmination of ten years of development, which he began in 2005, and is intended as a global touring show and as a premiering venue for several new illusions from each magician.[81] Variety show appearances and guest spots Angel has made numerous special television guest appearances on WWE Raw,[82] including acting as guest star on March 8, 2010.[83][84] He also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, including the premiere episode of its 24th season.[85][86] During a 2007 episode of the show, he successfully guessed the number between 1 and 100 he asked Winfrey to think of without telling him.[87] Angel has appeared on other talk shows including The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show,[88] The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[89] AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live on CNN.[88] He was also a guest on The Tonight Show,[90] Late Show with David Letterman,[91] America's Got Talent,[92] and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.[93] He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY,[94] Las Vegas and Rules of Engagement.[95] In 2011, Angel also appeared in an Orville Redenbacher Pop-Up Bowl popcorn commercial.[96] In May 2005, Angel introduced honoree Ozzy Osbourne at the VH1 Rock Honors awards, biting the head off a bat as a part of the introduction in homage to Osbourne's early career onstage antics.[97] At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Criss Angel performed an illusion as a part of the musical performance by Britney Spears and helped to plan her stage show, which opened the television broadcast.[98][99] He was also hired as the illusionist for the planned 2009 Michael Jackson O2 arena concerts before Jackson's death.[100] In 2013, Angel had a cameo in the feature film The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,[101] and Jim Carrey's character in the movie "Steve Gray" has been said to be modeled after Angel.[102][103] There is a wax statue of Angel in the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas.[104] Other projects Music Angel was the frontman for the heavy metal band Angel and collaborated with industrial rock musician Klay Scott for Angeldust.[105][106] Angeldust released its debut album Musical Conjurings From the World of Illusion in 1998. He later released the albums System 1, System 2, and System 3. In 2003, he released the album Supernatural. His musical style continues to be in the heavy metal style, though when describing his musical style he has said, "There are elements where it's more electronic, and there are orchestrated sections. I decided to take it in different places because I'm inspired by emotion and by giving people a connection, a sense of a feeling — whether it's excitement or crying or being happy." He also produced soundtracks for his television series Mindfreak, including collaborations with members of Korn and Godsmack.[105] Books Angel is the author of the book Mindfreak: Secret Revelations, published by HarperEntertainment in 2007. Mindfreak: Secret Revelations appeared on the Los Angeles Times bestseller list that year.[6] According to the Las Vegas Sun, "The
defaming Morocco's sacred values” by posting unflattering pictures and videos on Facebook that poked fun at King Mohammed VI. Authorities also convicted another student, Abdelsamad Haydour, 24, earlier in the month for criticizing the ruler in a video posted on YouTube. These developments have taken place in a country largely praised for its response to citizen discontent over the past year. In November, Morocco held peaceful parliamentary elections as part of a governmental reform process initiated by the king that also included a new constitution. In Saudi Arabia, 23-year-old journalist Hamza Kashgari faces charges of blasphemy, an offence that carries the death sentence, for tweeting an imaginary conversation he was having with the Prophet Muhammad. The uproar over Kashgari’s comments prompted the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh, to issue a fatwa against Twitter, which he told “real Muslims” to avoid as a “platform for trading accusations and for promoting lies,” according to an article in The National. More from GlobalPost: Saudi Arabia: The Road Beyond 9-11 And in Jordan, a masked assailant on Feb. 20 stabbed university student Enass Musallam after he published a blog post that criticized a member of the Jordanian royal family. Authorities in the region are now also turning to old laws — such as emergency laws, anti-terrorism laws and press laws — to justify the arrest, fines and incarceration of individuals for online expression. “When the internet and social media blogs were just starting to become popular, press laws were only applied to the mainstream media. But that’s no longer the case as these media platforms continue to converge,” said Courtney Radsch, program manager for the Global Freedom of Expression Campaign at Freedom House in New York. Earlier this month, for instance, authorities in the United Arab Emirates arrested pro-democracy activist Saleh al-Dhufairi for tweets criticizing the UAE’s decision to deport Syrian expatriates who demonstrated outside their consulate in Dubai without a permit. “Saleh al-Dhufairi has been arrested on accusation of spreading ideas by speech, writing and any other means that provoke strife, hurt national unity, and social peace,” a spokesman for Dubai police said in a statement. Al-Dhufairi’s arrest is a scare tactic by a government that is itself scared of any significant dissent, CPJ’s Abdel Dayem. “Events are occurring that are of monumental political weight and have very far reaching implications. So what happens in Tunisia matters in the Gulf and what happens in Syria matters in the Gulf,” Abdel Dayem said. “These are obviously separate political entities and separate states but there is a Pan-Arab media consumed across borders, so journalists, bloggers, regular citizens and everyone else is exploring these new found venues for expression.” More from GlobalPost: ‘The Army, The People...’ Egypt’s Continuing Revolution “They are testing government tolerance for criticism, not just in Libya, Egypt and Yemen where there was an actual change in the political arrangement, but also in countries where there hasn’t been change.” And these governments in turn are testing their responses, said popular UAE commentator Sultan Al Qassemi, who has more than 100,000 followers on Twitter. “What we are seeing today is part of the teething process of accepting social media as an avenue of communication and criticism of society and government in the Gulf,” Qassemi said. “As the adoption of social media tools grows in the Gulf there will naturally be a larger output of opinions, some less agreeable to the authorities than others.” Citizen journalists, bloggers and average citizens who run afoul of the law for expressing their opinions online must also contend with inadequate legal representation. “This is a new realm for many lawyers in these countries. It requires training and requires a level of experience with the technology and that’s lacking in many countries if not all,” Radsch said. “Certainly, in the US where you’ve had a longer history with internet-based content you have some more sophistication there. But in many of these countries, blogging really just got going in 2004 and 2005.” “With the advent of TV, you saw fewer cases against broadcasters at the beginning because it was still new and they were figuring things out, but you’re going to continue to see this battle between governments and citizens play out,” she said. This time, however, the very nature of the internet and social networking might be enough to break the cycle. “One thing is different,” Radsch said. “There are a lot more stakeholders and users of social media. The mainstream media is owned by a few and provides jobs for a few more but the vested interest across the broad swath of the public using social media could mean far more stakeholders could fight for the right to keep this space open.”Apparently fed up with their Republican colleagues' policy priorities, a group of Democratic congresswomen sent a scathing memo to the GOP on Friday to express their frustration. "We know you are receptive to memos and have expressed an interest in learning about how to better communicate with women on the issues important to them," the memo begins, linking to applicable articles. "To that end, this memo is in the spirit of moving past partisan politics and working together to ensure America’s women and their families have the economic security and opportunities they need to succeed." The memo, penned by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and sent to the House Republican Caucus, notes that an all-male panel of congressmen on a House Judiciary Subcommittee discussed a "dead-end bill" on Thursday that would raise taxes on women and small businesses whose insurance plans include abortion coverage. The GOP's own witness in that hearing, law professor Helen Alvaré, criticized Congress for focusing on abortion legislation instead of an economic agenda that actually benefits women and families. "Regular squabbles over federal funding for abortion across myriad pieces of legislation seem to have taken the place of an actual legislative agenda for women’s actual needs," Alvaré said in her testimony. "Instead of debating policies supporting women’s care work, or work/family balance, policies addressing paid leave or social security benefits -- instead of debating ideas about enabling poor women especially to break the cycle of poverty and nonmarital childbearing -- Congress continually debates abortion funding. It is time once and for all to settle the matter of federal funding for abortion, and move on to a real women’s agenda." One of the pro-woman policies Alvaré suggested was paid family leave -- an issue Democrats are currently fighting for in both chambers of Congress as part of their comprehensive women's economic agenda. They are also working to raise the minimum wage and to promote paycheck fairness, paid sick leave and affordable preschool and child care. Meanwhile, House Republicans are maintaining their focus on abortion and contraception. In addition to the abortion bill the House debated on Thursday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is trying to attach a "conscience clause" into the new omnibus spending bill that would allow employers to refuse to cover birth control in their health plans.Half a century ago, when Los Angeles Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax chose not to pitch Game 1 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins because it fell on Yom Kippur, Elliot Strom was a 15-year-old baseball fan in Toronto. After attending services that morning, Strom, who acknowledges that at the time he "wasn't the best synagogue attender in the world," told his father he planned to stay home that afternoon and watch the World Series on TV rather than return for late services. This did not go over well. "My father was very unhappy with me,'' Strom recalls. "He said, 'The star pitcher for the Dodgers is not going to pitch in the game. This is the kind of commitment he's showing. Where is your commitment?'" So Strom did not watch the game at home. Instead, he spent the holiest day in the Jewish calendar in synagogue. And he, like countless other Jewish fans, never forgot the significance of Koufax's decision. "For kids growing up then, there was a sense of, 'Here is someone on the world stage,'" Strom says. "You could think of a million good arguments why he should go and pitch that day. But if not pitching was that important and the right thing to do, that ought to tell the rest of us something. "He was important for all of us from then on because he made that commitment.'' Strom, now 65, is the rabbi emeritus at Congregation Shir Ami in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He says it would be a great story if he became a rabbi because of Koufax, but it took him several more years to find his way into a more observant life. Still, what Koufax did on Yom Kippur 50 years ago was always in the back of Strom's mind. "He became the great hero,'' he says. "For American Jews, what Koufax did was huge.'' Of course, for many Dodgers fans, what the legendary left-hander would go on to do in Game 7 of that series looms as equally large as what he didn't do in Game 1. But that's getting ahead of the story. While it stretched to the full seven games, the 1965 World Series was not an autumn classic in the sense that it featured tight, close games. Only one game was decided by fewer than four runs, and only once did a team rally from a deficit -- and that was simply a one-run hole that lasted just half an inning. In addition to Koufax's Game 1 decision, what also made the '65 Series significant was who was playing... and who was not. The Dodgers had been in -- and won -- the World Series as recently as 1963, but it was an entirely new experience for the Twins and their fans. The team had played in Minnesota for only five summers; owner Calvin Griffith moved the Washington Senators there in 1961. Prior to that relocation, the franchise hadn't reached the World Series since 1932. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees spent October at home for the first time in six years. New York had played in 14 of the 16 previous World Series, winning nine of them. Then along came the Twins, who had finished tied for sixth the previous season but won the 1965 pennant by seven games behind a hard-hitting lineup that included future Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, three-time American League batting champ Tony Oliva and shortstop/sparkplug Zoilo Versalles as well as a rotation led by ace Jim Kaat and 21-game-winner Mudcat Grant. New York, to the relief -- and delight -- of many, would not reach the World Series for another 11 years. Even down 2-0 in the series, Don Drysdale and Koufax (right) seemed unfazed. On the plane back to L.A., says teammate Jim Lefebvre, "Don looked at Sandy and said, 'Boy we got ourselves in a hell of a mess.' And then they laughed, like it was a big joke." Sporting News/Getty Images "In those days it was always the Yankees in the World Series,'' Oliva says. "We won [the pennant] in 1965 and changed that in the American League. After that, the Yankees didn't win again for a long time. We showed that the Yankees can be beat. I think that was good for baseball.'' The Dodgers had a much more challenging time winning the National League pennant that season. They battled the rival San Francisco Giants all season -- including, literally, the infamous Juan Marichal-John Roseboro incident in late August -- and were 4½ games back with just 16 left. The Dodgers won 15 of those remaining 16 games -- a stretch preceded by Koufax's perfect game against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 9 -- and won the pennant by two games. They did so almost entirely on the shoulders of their pitchers because their offense was among the worst of any team that ever reached the World Series. Los Angeles scored just 608 runs and hit only 78 home runs during the 1965 regular season. Its offense was so anemic, a pitcher was one of the most potent sluggers on the team: right-hander Don Drysdale belted seven home runs and led the entire roster with an.839 OPS. The Dodgers' offense was so poor, in fact -- or perhaps Drysdale, like 2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, was that good -- that Los Angeles manager Walter Alston used Drysdale as a pinch hitter in Game 2 of the series with runners on second and third. The World Series opened in Minnesota. Back then, the Twins played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, where the Mall of America now stands. Minnesotans, who had also hosted the All-Star Game that summer, were thrilled to see their team in the World Series -- as were many other baseball fans in the Upper Midwest. New Yorker writer Roger Angell noted seeing license plates from many surrounding states at the ballpark. "The infection seemed absolute,'' he wrote. "Perhaps not the loudest case of baseball fever I've ever experienced but one of the happiest.'' The ceremonial first pitch of the series was thrown out by then-U.S. vice president Hubert H. Humphrey, a proud Minnesotan for whom the Twins' next home -- the Metrodome -- would be named. But again, of much more significance was who wasn't pitching that game. The famously reclusive Koufax, now 79, who declined to be interviewed for this story, is not regarded as a particularly devout Jew, but he never pitched during Yom Kippur in his career. In 1961, he did pitch a night game after the day of atonement officially ended at sundown. He threw 205 pitches over 13 innings while striking out 15 to beat the Cubs that game. Koufax later said he did not agonize over whether to pitch Game 1 of the '65 World Series. "Most people admired Koufax for putting his religion before his job. I'm sure there were others who were furious, saying that he wasn't that religious -- and I don't think he really was -- but that didn't make any difference. It was his decision and everyone respected it. They understood." Longtime Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully "There was no hard decision for me," Koufax told ESPN in 2000. "It was just a thing of respect. I wasn't trying to make a statement, and I had no idea that it would impact that many people." Nor was it an issue with his Dodgers teammates. "Nobody said a word. Nobody thought a bad thing about him,'' says Wes Parker, the first baseman on that 1965 L.A. team. "We respected him because he was doing it because of his religion. He was being true to himself.'' Second baseman and 1965 rookie of the year Jim Lefebvre agrees, saying while the media might have made a fuss about Koufax's decision, the Dodgers simply didn't care. "Whatever Sandy wanted to do, we were all on board,'' he says. "Most people admired Koufax for putting his religion before his job,'' longtime Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully says. "I'm sure there were others who were furious, saying that he wasn't that religious -- and I don't think he really was -- but that didn't make any difference. It was his decision, and everyone respected it. They understood.'' John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian, was born to two Holocaust survivors in a displaced persons camp in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1947. The family immigrated to America in 1949, and Thorn fell in love with baseball. Thorn was in college when Koufax chose not to pitch on Yom Kippur. "What struck me [about his decision], as an 18-year-old, was that America must be a very great place,'' Thorn says. "That a Jew cannot only profess his faith openly but take a stance for his religion in opposition to the national religion -- and baseball is America's national religion.'' Plus, it wasn't like the Dodgers were reduced to starting, say, Mat Latos in Koufax's place. As Thorn says, there wasn't much of a drop-off with Drysdale, a future Hall of Famer who was 23-12 with a 2.77 ERA in 1965 (not to mention those seven homers). Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Drysdale did not fare well against Minnesota in Game 1. The Twins scored seven runs off him in less than three innings in their eventual 8-2 victory, as both Versalles and Don Mincher homered. Minnesota roughed up the big right-hander so badly that when manager Walter Alston came out to the mound to relieve him, Drysdale quipped, "I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too.'' Koufax, the Dodgers' ace, soon-to-be Cy Young winner and newly minted Jewish hero, started Game 2. And he lost 5-1. He didn't pitch badly. Twins Game 2 starter Jim Kaat recalls seeing Koufax warm up close to him and telling pitching coach Johnny Sain, "If I give up a run, this game is over. I don't see anyone hitting this guy.'' Koufax held the Twins scoreless until the sixth inning, when Oliva doubled in the game's first run and scored the second (the first was unearned). Alston had Drysdale pinch hit for Koufax in the seventh inning, and the Twins went on to score three runs off reliever Ron Perranoski and take a 2-0 lead in the series as it shifted to Los Angeles. "Koufax did something to me that no other pitcher did before: He threw me five fastballs in a row that I didn't touch," says Tony Oliva, who struck out twice in Game 5. "I swung and I missed completely. The bat never touched the ball." AP Photo "We got on the plane to come back,'' Lefebvre says. "I was sitting up in the front, and Don looked at Sandy and said, 'Boy we got ourselves in a hell of a mess.' And then they just laughed, like it was a big joke. I'm sitting there thinking, 'Wow, they're almost having fun with it.' For me, losing the first two games of the World Series was devastating. But they were simply like, 'Where do we go from here?' "That's just the way they were, guys who knew how to win. They knew we would come back and make it into a series.'' Back at Dodger Stadium for Game 3, left-hander Claude Osteen shut out the Twins 4-0. Drysdale beat them the next day 7-2 to even the series. And then Koufax shut out Minnesota, allowing four hits in a 7-0 win in Game 5 to move the Dodgers one victory away from winning the series. "When I faced Sandy in Los Angeles, he did something to me that no other pitcher did to me before: He threw me five fastballs in a row that I didn't touch," says Oliva, who struck out twice in Game 5. "I swung and I missed completely. The bat never touched the ball. It looked like the ball saw the bat and moved. Really, that's what it looked like. "After the game, I told my wife, 'Honey, I have to go see the eye doctor. I think something is wrong with my eyes because I never swing at five fastballs in a row and never touch the ball.' But I did against Sandy. He was great." The Twins recovered, though -- as they usually do when the World Series returns to Minnesota. They have played 12 World Series home games in their history and lost only once. (Of course, they also have never won a World Series road game.) The Twins beat Osteen and the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 6 to send the series to a climactic, winner-take-all final game. The question was, who would start for Los Angeles: Drysdale on full rest or Koufax on just two days' rest? This time religion had nothing to do with the decision. Parker was so distraught over the Game 6 loss he cried in the clubhouse bathroom. "I felt like we were going to lose Game 7. I thought we were dead," he says. "We really took the Twins to task in Los Angeles and beat them up. And then to lose that type of momentum just because we went back to Minnesota? We had lost three straight in Minnesota. I didn't think Drysdale could shut them down. I think they would have beaten Drysdale.'' Scully recalls both Koufax and Drysdale warming up in the bullpen before Game 7 while Alston pondered whom to start. "[Alston] opted for Koufax only because if Drysdale started and he got in trouble, Koufax took a long time to warm up,'' Scully says. "So he decided to go with Koufax. If needed, Drysdale would warm up in a hurry. That was the big decision of the whole series.'' "What Madison Bumgarner did in last year's World Series [a shutout in Game 5 and five scoreless innings of relief in Game 7] was certainly terrific and unusual in today's game. But think about Sandy pitching a shutout in Game 5 and another shutout in Game 7 [of the 1965 World Series] on two days' rest -- both complete games." Twins starter Jim Kaat, Koufax's opponent in both games Kaat was likewise starting on two days' rest. "I just knew that if I gave up a run, there was a pretty good chance we weren't going to win,'' he says. "And I gave up two runs on three consecutive pitches.'' That was in the fourth inning, when Dodgers outfielder Lou Johnson hooked a home run around the left-field foul pole. Right fielder Ron Fairly followed up with a double, and Parker added a run-scoring single. The Dodgers led 2-0, and Koufax ensured it held up. "After the first or second inning, he got better and better and better,'' Oliva says. "He couldn't be touched.'' Koufax did so even though he didn't have his curveball working at all and barely threw it after the first couple of innings. The Twins had their final scoring chance in the fifth inning, when Frank Quilici doubled with one out and Rich Rollins walked to put runners at first and second. That brought up Versalles, the league MVP, who drilled a shot down the third-base line. Third baseman Junior Gilliam was able to backhand the ball behind the bag, then step on third to force out Quilici. Koufax then retired Joe Nossek on a grounder, and the Twins never threatened again, reaching base only once in the final four innings. Koufax struck out Bob Allison to end the game. Not surprisingly, Koufax was named series MVP. "What Bumgarner did in last year's World Series [a shutout in Game 5 and five scoreless innings of relief in Game 7] was certainly terrific and unusual in today's game,'' Kaat says, "but think about Sandy pitching a shutout in Game 5 and another shutout in Game 7 on two days' rest -- both complete games.'' "Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax." -- Walter Sobchak, talking about his Jewish faith, in "The Big Lebowski" This summer, Koufax was voted -- along with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Johnny Bench -- one of MLB's "Franchise Four" Greatest Living Players. Koufax received a thundering ovation when introduced at the All-Star Game in Cincinnati.Get the biggest Aston Villa FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Tim Sherwood has revealed that he was forced into taking Christian Benteke off as his hip was a constant source of pain, despite the Belgian taking medication midway through the match. Benteke was replaced by Andreas Weimann with 15 minutes to play, and Sherwood has rued his lack of luck with injuries across the board since his arrival at the club last month. Sherwood stated: “Benteke took a painkiller. He’s had a problem with his hip. In the end he had to come off because it was too sore. “I don’t know how bad it is. He’s being assessed by the physios. “Our concern is in the defensive areas. “We’ve got two fit defenders in the whole club, so hopefully this international break gets the opportunity for the physio to work a bit of magic on them. “I’ve done all what I can do. “I’d just like a few more fit players, please!” After the elation of the victory at the Stadium of Light, this was a sobering weekend for the Villa faithful, but former Spurs manager Sherwood says he knows the players will come again. “We still know there’s a lot of hard work to be done. “We won 4-0 last week and everyone was jumping up and down but we knew there was still a lot of hard work to be done. “It’s a reality check, not for us because we knew there’s a lot of work to be done, but perhaps for people looking in from the outside. “Every point’s vital and we need as many as we can to be safe. It’s a set-back, but we’ll pick ourselves up and we’ll be alright.”The latest casting of Ed Skrein in the upcoming Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen has raised a lot of eyebrows — specifically in the Asian American community. The British actor is set to play the role of Ben Daimio, who, in the Mike Mignola comic books, is a Japanese American whose heritage has a heavy influence on his character. Skrein took to Twitter to express his excitement in the role in the Hellboy reboot of an Asian character, whose grandmother was a Japanese Imperial assassin in World War II. True to Internet form, a backlash ignited and it wasn’t long until a flood of comments filled his feed. One commenter said, “You’re a talented actor; why would you take away a role from an Asian colleague?” Asian actor Simu Liu (Taken, Kim’s Convenience) chimed in saying “Hey Hollywood, how many box office flops does it take for you to learn how to cast properly? #hellboy #whitewashedout” while Stephanie Sheh, an actress who does voiceover work in anime, said “Here we go again. Why Hollywood do you keep forcing me to boycott your films. #whitewash #hellboy.” Amidst the backlash, Hellboy creator Mignola chimed in saying, “Thanks and happy you’ve signed on.” Lionsgate declined to comment about the casting when contacted by Deadline. Excited to join the #Hellboy cast as Ben Daimio. All praise due to the creator @artofmmignola 🙏🏼 #BPRD pic.twitter.com/Ev0JDS03H5 — Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 21, 2017 There was less of a concern of dragging Skrein and more of focus on why something like this would happen again after Hollywood’s recent track record of casting white actors as Asian and Asian American characters — which hasn’t gone over to well. Most recently Netflix’s adaptation of the manga Death Note was under fire for whitewashing, using white actors as a replacement for characters of color. The original source material follows a Japanese teen named Light Yagami, but in the reboot, he is played by a white teen in Seattle named Light Turner, played by Nat Wolff. In addition, his love interest is named Mia Sutton who is played by Margaret Qualley. In the manga, her name is Misa Amane — who is also portrayed as Japanese. Netflix Previous to Death Note, there has been numerous amount of “whitewashing” of Asian roles that have lit a fire under the Asian American community. Emma Stone portrayed Allison Ng in Cameron Crowe’s Aloha. With a last name like “Ng” it is obvious that the character is Asian. Her heritage in the movie is revealed as one-quarter Hawaiian, with a half-Asian father. The casting of Tilda Swinton as “The Ancient One” in Doctor Strange was appreciated for its gender-swapping but was frowned upon because the character is traditionally Asian. Other “whitewashing” controversies that have been hovering over Hollywood include Scarlett Johansson in the starring role in the live-adaptation of Ghost in the Shell as the Major, who, in the original source material has the Japanese name Major Motoko Kusanagi. Matt Damon in The Great Wall was another source of controversy as well as the announcement of Black Sails actor Zach McGowan as the star of Ni’ihau, a film based on a true story set during WWII when Shigenori Nishikaichi, an Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot, crash-landed his Zero on the eponymous Hawaiian island after participating in the attack on Pearl Harbor. McGowan will play Ben Kanahele, an island leader who saves Nishikaichi before learning his part in the attack. Kanahele is Pacific Islander and McGowan is of Jewish and Irish descent.I’m growing tired of filmmakers attempting zombie movies because “The Walking Dead” is a monster success. As a horror fan it’s exciting how popular the subgenre is, but it’s also resulting in directors and production companies who don’t care about horror to dabble in our genre. We’ve seen more than a handful of terrible zombie movies, but thankfully the following seems to approach is from a different perspective. ScreenDaily is reporting out of Cannes that Hard Candy, An American Crime and Inception‘s Ellen Page has signed to star in psychological horror film The Third Wave, set in a post-Zombie epidemic era Europe. David Freyne will direct from his own screenplay. “Set in the aftermath of a devastating virus that has gripped the continent for six years, transforming humans into zombie-like monsters. A cure has been found but society is divided into those who were once infected, and committed terrible violent acts, and those who never contracted the virus. In the backdrop, the rise of a terrorist movement, fuelled by the deep divisions, threatens to plunge the region into chaos again.” ”The Third Wave brings an entire new perspective to the zombie genre, which I love,” said Page. “David Freyne truly shifts his lens on society’s role in the apocalyptic world. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share his thoughtful approach to horror with audiences.” “Ellen Page is simply one of the best actors of her generation and we cannot wait to collaborate with her in bringing this truly original and exciting genre film to life,” said Tilted Pictures’Rory Dungan. Oscar-nominated Page, whose recent credits include Freeheld and Into The Forest, will co-star opposite rising Irish star Sam Keeley, who recently appeared in Burnt and In The Heart Of The Sea. Rachael O’Kane and Rory Dungan at Dublin-based Tilted Pictures produce alongside Page. The UK’s Bounder & Cad’s Mark Huffam and Aidan Elliot and French Bac Films are co-producing. Financiers include Irish Film Board (IFB), Northern Ireland Screen and Bac Films. PREQUEL This project marks the Irish director’s feature debut, following a series of successful genre short films, notably The Tree, Passing and a proof of concept prequel short The First Wave, which set the scene for The Third Wave. Filming will commence on location in Ireland later this year. “We are thrilled to be working on David’s first film,” said Bac Films general manager Mathieu Robinet. “The script is such a fresh and compelling take on the genre. “We know that the production team will craft an exceptional elevated horror movie in the vein of Let The Right One In or It Follows that will resonate with a broad audience.”Country is officially leprosy free, meaning the disease afflicts fewer than one in 10,000 people, but specialists say true infection rate is far higher The first lesions appeared on teenager Rammurat’s feet. To those in his village near Gorakhpur, in the vast Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the cause of the pale sores was clear. “Some said it was black magic. Some said it was the spirit of the dead catching us,” he recalls. “What will people think? What will the neighbours think?” he wondered when finally diagnosed at a nearby mission hospital – too late to entirely save his feet. “People used to hate looking at a leprosy patient. You see a lady [with symptoms] coming into the village, they will run away.” India is officially leprosy free, meaning the disease afflicts fewer than one in 10,000 people. But specialists understand the true infection rate to be far higher, and the disease is still endemic in some of the country’s poorest districts. Rainwater-harvesting billboards offer lifeline to India's drought-hit farmers Read more Today India accounts for more than 60% of the world’s new leprosy cases and health officials have quietly moved to a “war footing” against it, one senior researcher says. This week the government announced a major step: the world’s first leprosy vaccine, developed in-country but tied up for years in testing, will be rolled out in Gujarat and Bihar, two states where the problem is sharpest. Among the oldest recorded references to leprosy – the ulcers, the gnawing away of a fingers, eyes and noses – appear in 4,000-year-old Hindu epics, the disease christened kustha, Sanksrit for “eating away”. Long associated with sin and contagion, one Vedic legend holds that even a king was banished after developing the telltale sores. Rammurat, a 14-year-old when his symptoms appeared, sought treatment, but stood no chance against the stigma. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The government has provided residents of Tahir Pur who have leprosy with hand-operated rickshaws. Some have lost tissue in their feet due to leprosy-related injuries. Photograph: Michael Safi for the Guardian Older now, Rammurat lives in a 30-hectare slum on Delhi’s north-eastern fringes. Rubbish collects in open sewers along the tight lanes of the neighbourhood and children mingle with tethered goats and chickens in the midday heat. It could be any poor community in the capital, but for the preponderance of wounds: missing toes, fingers, or entire limbs wrapped in white gauze. Allotted to people with the disease a half-century ago, these blocks in Tahir Pur have grown into Asia’s largest leprosy colonies, home to 2,000 patients and their families, and a remnant of centuries of official policy to segregate them from the world. Rammurat arrived 25 years ago, seeking acceptance and access to treatment. “I moved here to save myself,” he says. A few hundred metres away is the Leprosy Mission’s Delhi hospital, one of 14 specialist care centres the Christian group runs in India. Inside, hundreds crowd around waiting rooms and dispensary windows awaiting medicine, among them up to 150 leprosy patients each day. It diagnoses on average one new case of the disease per day. “That’s alarming,” says Stephen Levi, the hospital’s superintendent. “And when we ask them to bring their other family members in, they don’t.” Beside psalms and lists of symptoms on the hospital’s tiled walls there are, less congruously, pictures of the nine-banded armadillo: the north American mammal the only other species to naturally host leprosy, and a boon for researchers, who are still unable to grow the disease in labs. For all the fear it conjures, leprosy, caused by the pathogen Mycobacterium leprae, has been effectively treatable since the 1940s. It isn’t particularly contagious either, its spread requiring regular contact with an untreated sufferer, and an immune system already compromised by genetics or poverty. Nor is it “flesh-eating” – limbs more likely to rot away because of injuries sustained by repeated use after the sensation of pain is lost. “The real problem is the level of stigma,” says Dr Sunil Anand, the executive director of the Leprosy Mission. “Those who get leprosy tend to be ostracised and stigmatised by the community, they tend to hide away.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Children work packing balloons in Tahir Pur, home to the largest leprosy colonies in Asia Photograph: Michael Safi for the Guardian That makes containing the disease, or treating it before disfigurement sets in, harder. “Discriminatory practices then come into play. Like schools not giving admission to children with leprosy, or from a leprosy family. It’s the same in jobs, even healthcare,” he says. About 16 national Indian laws still discriminate against people with leprosy, he says, a legacy of the ancient aversion to the disease, but also an 1898 colonial law that segregated patients and prevented them having children, passed in response to British panic an epidemic would spread back home. A eight-year treatment drive by the Indian government shrunk the number of new cases four-fold by 2005. That year the government celebrated the official elimination of the disease, meaning a rate of fewer than one in 10,000 new cases a year. “Maybe that’s possible,” Levi, the hospital superintendent, says of the official rate. “But only because India has such a huge population.” One of India’s leading leprosy researchers, Dr Utpal Sengupta, is more sceptical. The elimination figure trumpeted by the government and World Health Organisation was produced “in a hurry”, the 75-year-old says from his office, a bobble-headed armadillo on the desk. More recent leprosy surveys produced by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have a much greater prevalence, he says, but the Indian government has declined to release the exact estimate. (A source with access to the research told the Guardian the research showed a national rate of “roughly five to six cases per 10,000”.) Battling high rates, health officials are also racing against time: leprosy strains are slowly becoming resistant to the multi-drug therapy that so successfully brought the Indian infection rate crashing down. “When there was a monotherapy, it took only 30 years for the disease to develop resistance,” Sengupta says. “And we are already seeing resistance cases [for the multi-drug therapy].” Facebook Twitter Pinterest An aerial view of one of Tahir Pur’s 29 leprosy colonies in east Delhi. Spanning 74 acres, the colonies make up the largest leprosy complex in the world
they fear that a future Republican president will face more pressure from allies and trading partners to address climate change now that everyone else in the world has already committed to do so. So over the next five years, until the world comes together again in 2020 to hopefully negotiate a stronger set of national targets, congressional Republicans will be working to destroy the agreement and its future potential by preventing the US from keeping its word. Their game plan will be to undo the Clean Power Plan and revoke US pledges of financing to assist developing nations with expanding clean energy and adapting to climate change. How this plays out will depend on the outcome of the next presidential election. All of the leading Republican presidential candidates are climate science deniers who oppose the Clean Power Plan. On the campaign trail this week, most of them have avoided any discussion of the Paris Agreement. All but one of the top nine GOP campaigns did not respond to a query on the subject from The New York Times. Republicans have settled on the talking point that the Paris Agreement will harm our economy without bothering to produce any evidence of that. The one Republican candidate who responded, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, via a spokesman, had a perverse take: “While the governor believes that climate change is real and that human activity contributes to it, he has serious concerns with an agreement that the Obama administration deliberately crafted to avoid having to submit it to the Senate for approval. That’s an obvious indicator that they expect it to result in significant job loss and inflict further damage to our already sluggish economy.” But Senate Republicans have always made it clear that they wouldn’t approve any kind of climate treaty, no matter what the expected economic impacts. That’s why Obama pushed the world to adopt a more flexible agreement that doesn’t require Senate approval. Kasich is blaming Obama for a condition of his own party’s making. In the GOP presidential debate on Tuesday night, Kasich briefly mentioned the Paris negotiations, only to ridicule the idea of discussing climate change instead of how to combat ISIS. That was the only mention of climate change in the entire two-hour debate on foreign policy. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), another presidential contender, weighed in on the Paris Agreement from the campaign trail, calling it “ridiculous,” and adding, “unilateral disarmament in our economy is reckless, and it is hurting the American Dream.” Republicans, it seems, have settled on the talking point that the Paris Agreement will harm our economy without bothering to produce any evidence of that. Their claim seems to rest on the premise that the Clean Power Plan will raise electricity costs. But in fact, studies have found that the CPP will actually lower electricity bills for the average American family, thanks to the energy-efficiency provisions. Other studies have found that the jobs lost in the coal industry under the CPP will be vastly outweighed by jobs created in renewable energy and productivity gains across the economy from lower electricity costs. And certainly there is nothing “unilateral” about our “disarmament.” The European Union, for example, is cutting emissions more drastically than the US And while developing countries aren’t pledging bigger cuts than the US, they already have much lower emissions per capita and smaller economies, so they are offering more significant limits in relative terms. If a Republican wins the White House, he will get cooperation from the Republican House to repeal the Clean Power Plan. We don’t need to wait for the other Republican candidates to talk about the Paris Agreement to know what they think of it. The League of Conservation Voters compiled a fact sheet with the comments they made about the COP21 negotiations before the deal was inked. All were critical, with many saying that Obama shouldn’t even have gone to Paris to work for an agreement, and that they wouldn’t have were they in the White House. If a Democrat wins the presidency next year, the fight over following through on Paris and ramping up for the next agreement will be between her and Congress. If there is a Republican in the White House, he will get cooperation from the reliably Republican House to repeal the Clean Power Plan and end climate funding for developing nations, and those efforts may or may not be aided by the Senate, depending on whether Democrats take control of it in 2016, or at least have enough votes to mount a filibuster. No matter who becomes the next president, the third branch of government will also have a say. Conservative state attorneys general and corporate fossil fuel interests are challenging the Clean Power Plan in federal court. The presidential election probably won’t determine the court case’s outcome—only a vacancy on the Supreme Court before the case is heard might lead to that—but it will determine how the EPA responds if the rule is overturned. The Supreme Court has already held that EPA has the legal authority to regulate carbon pollution, so if the CPP is overturned, it would mean that the agency could promulgate new regulations on power plants that are more likely to be deemed compliant with the Clean Air Act. But whether their boss wants them to or not will depend on who sits in the White House. The bottom line: The domestic political fight over the Paris Agreement has just begun.This article is over 5 years old Mayor sends pop star a clean-up kit to erase cartoon faces in fluorescent paint drawn on a wall at Surfers Paradise hotel Justin Bieber's'really silly' graffiti: hotel ordered to paint over it The offending graffiti on Justin Bieber's Instagram account. Photograph: Supplied The Gold Coast City Council will order a hotel to paint over a prized piece of graffiti by Justin Bieber. News of the order came minutes after the QT Hotel gushed about the pop star's decision to deface one of its walls when he stayed there earlier this week. The hotel said it was a coup to have the star paint "a piece of art in appreciation of his stay" but wouldn't say if Bieber was asked to do it. "This piece of art is now available to be viewed by fans of the artist and we believe that it is a wonderful addition to the colourful Gold Coast arts scene," the hotel said. But it won't be for long. Mayor Tom Tait says the council will be ordering the hotel to get rid of the fluorescent cartoon characters the singer and his entourage painted on an external wall. "It might be on private land but it's in prominent public view," a council spokesman told AAP. "The mayor will be contacting our compliance officers today to have a notice issued to the hotel to clean it up." Earlier, the mayor said the singer should return from Sydney to clean up his mess. He even suggested Bieber should perform free at an upcoming Christmas carols event to show the community he's truly sorry. Tait said the singer risked undermining the good work of the council to combat the scourge of graffiti. "The last thing we want is to have graffiti glorified and more young people thinking its a cool thing to do," he told AAP. The mayor promised Bieber's best assets would be well protected if he did come back and use one of the council's clean-up kits to get rid of his mess. "I know he's got beautiful eyes. I've got some goggles for him, and some gloves because I know he doesn't want to get his hands dirty," he said. "Just come and clean it up and we'll be happy with you. Alternatively come and sing at our mayoral Christmas carols on the 7th of December for an hour and I'll let you go." Even the Queensland attorney-general has weighed in. "Justin Bieber is a role model to many young people so, if the claims are correct, it is disappointing that he did this without permission," Jarrod Bleijie told the paper. He said it was up to the hotel to lodge an official complaint. The hotel says it has been inundated with media calls. Tate said the star's behaviour set a pretty poor example. "He's admitted to it. He's gone onto his Twitter site and uploaded the shots," he said. "It's disrespectful to be doing graffiti, but to boast about it on social media is just taking it to another level." He said Bieber's best assets would be well protected if he did return and used one of the council's clean-up kits to fix his mess. "I know he's got beautiful eyes. I've got some goggles for him, and some gloves because I know he doesn't want to get his hands dirty," he said. "Do your business in Sydney and come on back and I'll give you a chance to clean it up."KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Christian Laettner won two national titles, an Olympic gold and played 12 seasons in the NBA. To this day, all anyone wants to talk about is The Shot. March 28, 1992, NCAA East Regional final at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Laettner catches a long inbounds pass with the clock nearly expired, turns and shoots, and sends Duke to a win over Kentucky and on to a national championship. "People always approach me and ask about that game, every day of the year, especially when it comes tournament time," Laettner said. "It's crazy, but I don't mind it. It's better than 'how's the weather up there?'" Laettner joined UCLA star Sidney Wicks, West Virginia sharpshooter Jerry West and high-flying North Carolina State All-American David Thompson among the eight members of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame's 2010 class announced on Wednesday. Triangle offense innovator Tex Winter, Alcorn State coach Davey Whitney, NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt and former Big Eight and Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke also will be inducted on Nov. 21 in Kansas City. "What an amazing class," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, chair the National Association of Basketball Coaches. West and Thompson are the marquee names. They'll be recognized as founding members of the collegiate hall after being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Previous founding members of the collegiate hall include Larry Bird and Magic Johnson last year, Charles Barkley the year before and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2007. Before he became the figure in the NBA logo, West was a three-time All-American at West Virginia, where he led the Mountaineers to three straight NCAA tournament berths, including a trip to the 1959 title game. He averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds as a senior and went on to co-captain the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team before 14 All-Star seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson was one of the best college players of all time, a superb leaper and shooter who was twice the national player of the year and a three-time All-American. He helped the Wolfpack beat John Wooden's dynastic UCLA Bruins in the national semifinals on the way to the 1974 NCAA championship and was the Naismith player of the year as a senior after turning down an offer to play professionally. "There's an argument that he may be the best college player ever," Krzyzewski said. "Certainly, in our conference, many, many people would give him that vote." Laettner led the Blue Devils to four straight Final Four berths and won national championships his final two seasons, in 1991 and 1992. He was the most outstanding player of the Final Four as a junior and the national player of the year as a senior, when he hit that shot against Kentucky. Wicks played on three of Wooden's national championship teams at UCLA (1969-71) and was named most outstanding player of the Final Four as a junior. The 6-foot-8 forward led the Bruins in scoring and rebounding each of his final two years and went on to play 10 seasons in the NBA. Winter is credited with creating the triangle offense that has helped Phil Jackson win 10 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Before that, Winter coached five college programs, including a 15-year stint at Kansas State, where he was named the national coach of the year in 1959. Whitney, a former Negro Leagues baseball player, won 711 games in 35 years as a coach, including 27 at Alcorn State. He led the school to a berth in the 1979 NIT, making it one of the first historically black colleges to receive an invite, and took the Braves to the NCAA tournament four times. "In Dave Whitney and Tex Winter, you have two coaches who have contributed so much to the game," Krzyzewski said. Duke was the first employee hired by NCAA executive director Walter Byers in 1952 and wrote the first manuals for the basketball tournament and College World Series. He also began compilation of the NCAA record books and served as a member of the NCAA men's basketball committee from 1975-81, when the tournament expanded twice. Jernstedt joined the NCAA 38 years ago, first as director of special events, later as chief operating officer and currently serves as the executive vice president. He was instrumental in the NCAA tournament expanding its field, size and scope of venues and revenues from marketing and broadcast rights.When I bought my waterbed last month, I thought I did everything right. I checked out all the reviews online, I tried one out in the store, and I made sure I was getting the best bed for the best price. On the day my brand-new waterbed finally arrived, I was ecstatic. Then I discovered the drowned body of former chess world champion Bobby Fischer inside. From the first night I slept on my bed, I knew something was wrong. It certainly didn’t feel like the waterbed in the store, and there was a noticeable lump on one side of the mattress. I was going to just let it go, but eventually my curiosity got the best of me. It was my bed, and I needed to know what was inside. Advertisement As I started draining the bed out, I realized that this was no small lump I was dealing with. Without the water to hide its outline, the problem was as clear as day: There was a large, bloated corpse in my bed. I cut the mattress open to look at it, and although prolonged exposure to water had really done a number on him, I immediately recognized the face I saw. Staring back at me was one-time chess legend Bobby Fischer. The Fischer estate came by to identify the body, and they told me, yep, that’s the guy. It’s the kind of thing you never think will happen to you. This bed had four and a half stars online and dozens of positive write-ups. When you pay $300 for a bed, you expect a certain level of quality, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a bed without a deceased superstar of the chess world inside. I tried calling the waterbed company to see what they could do about it, but they said that since I didn’t buy a warranty, I’m stuck with it. Advertisement The Fischer estate came by to identify the body, and they told me, yep, that’s the guy. Now, I have to figure out what to do with both a torn-up bed and the waterlogged body of arguably the greatest chess player of all time. What a nightmare. Has this sort of thing happened to anybody else? I didn’t see anyone mention finding the body of a chess grandmaster inside their beds in the reviews I read, so maybe this is a one-time thing. If the company makes a habit of this, though, they need to take a serious look at their business practices, because this is totally unacceptable. Finding the lifeless body of Bobby Fischer inside an important purchase like a waterbed is something no consumer should ever have to go through.Karl Rove’s involvement hasn’t helped appeal to Silicon Valley programmers. Silicon Valley not buying GOP plan A California investor — with help from Karl Rove — won the highly competitive contest to help build the Republican National Committee’s data platform. But he’s having trouble winning over Silicon Valley. Story Continued Below Dick Boyce, once a partner at Bain & Co. and the former CEO of J.Crew, launched Liberty Works with the goal of helping Republicans catch up to Democrats in the digital data world. ( PHOTOS: Republicans on how to fix the GOP) Liberty Works was hired to create an open-source voter data platform, meaning outside groups and campaigns would have access to the information for outreach and fundraising and also be able to build on it with their own applications. The RNC describes the goal for the shared data as “iPhone-like.” Since the RNC announcement on May 1, Liberty Works has gotten off to a shaky start. Top engineers in Silicon Valley who have been looking for ways to help Republican campaigns question Boyce’s vision and say the company’s outreach is underwhelming — as are its salary offers. “At a minimum, they should buy a round or two of drinks before they ask the tech community to get into bed,” said Garrett Johnson, the chief executive of SendHub, an Internet communications firm in Menlo Park. Liberty Works is also discussing plans to outsource the voter data platform it was charged with building to another company called Originate, POLITICO has learned, further upsetting the GOP tech community. “You’re not going to get great quality if you keep passing the responsibility down the line,” said Chris Abrams, a Bay Area engineer, who said he met with Boyce and members of his team, including Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. The big risk for the RNC is that any delay or failure to keep up with the Democrats’ vaunted data operation could hurt their already uphill efforts to win the Senate next year and further cement the GOP’s reputation as behind the times in the digital data world. Complicating things for Liberty Works is competition from other conservative quarters, including the Koch brothers, whose network has also been in the Valley looking for GOP-friendly tech talent to build on its voter data outfit called Themis, which cost at least $18 million to build in 2010 and 2011. The Charles Koch Institute will co-host a hackathon, a collaborative coding event bringing together programmers and designers to work on a proposed problem in partnership with some of the top engineers in the Silicon Valley, POLITICO has learned. ( PHOTOS: Republicans, 2016 contenders) The proposed problem for this event is “How do you engage voters on economic liberty issues that matter to them?” according to an engineer organizing the event set for June 21-22 in San Francisco. “A lot of groups are in early stages for the same idea,” Abrams said. “Are they going to work together, or are they going to compete?”I’m Steve Gustafson and thanks for stopping by. Don’t forget to check out 411mania’s Comic Book Review Roundtable, every Thursday! Read up on the best reviews and let us know what you’re reading as well. Click to read the latest Comic Book Review Roundtable! Infamous Iron Man #1, Mockingbird #8, and more! Now, on with the show! Last week we discussed, “Comic Books that Give You Nightmares!” Here’s what you all had to say: Mike Riley: “30 Days of Night is a brilliant comic & the colors just look so vibrant & crisp. I loved it, read it twice.” Peter Milano Whosoever: “No Outcast?” Nick Maro: “Afterlife with Archie and (Chilling Adventures of) Sabrina. I never thought I’d ever recommend any series from the Archie Family of books. But wow, both of these series are up there with some of the best on the market. They’re dark, violent, very well written and illustrated. Afterlife with Archie has some of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever read. Sabrina is a wonderful throwback to horror comics from pre-comic code authority and EC Comics. Both titles are slow to come out, but they’re worth the wait.” Ken Wood: “There’s an older comic from Jae Lee called Hellshock that might fit this list. There was a four or five issue miniseries, then four or five issues into an ongoing series he ended up putting it on the shelf. It’s an amazing read, and the art is beautiful.” As always, thanks for the comments! This week we ask… Are We Becoming Too Harsh on Comic Book Artists? It seems like we can’t go more than a month without some sort of drama involving comic book artists. Frank Cho is well known as a pinup artist and has become a controversial figure in the comic book industry for his sexualized renditions of the female figure. Comic artist Milo Manara illustrated a cover of Spider-Woman, which depicted the character from above, with her backside in prominent display. J. Scott Campbell recently drew a variant cover that showed Riri Williams in a revealing crop top, prompting people to protest until Marvel cancelled the cover. Cho has been vocal in calling for the celebration of creative freedom over political correctness. And artists like Campbell and Rob Liefeld support that. “As a life-long liberal Democrat and advocate for free speech and equal rights, it fascinates me to see when ultra-liberals become ultra-conservatives where they see injustices everywhere and cease to see reason, and start oppressing people who they disagree with,” Cho said. “Thanks to the social media, we have entered into a dangerous era of Salem witch trials where no one is safe. Everything is being attacked everywhere in this hypersensitive atmosphere: The movie Grease (Sexualizes teenagers), Road Runner cartoons (Violence against animals), Game of Thrones. (Promotes rape and injustices against women.) The list goes on.” Concerning Campbell, Marvel pulled his forthcoming comic cover after it was deemed “sexualising” the 15-year-old girl who is the new Iron Man. The variant cover showed Riri Williams, a science genius who reverse engineers one of Iron Man’s suits in her dorm room at MIT, in a revealing crop top, and drew sharp criticism online. Marvel took quick action, replacing the cover with a different version of the character and another variant cover by Campbell, in which the character is wearing the Iron Man armor, is still on sale and out in November. Campbell called the decision “unfortunate” and said that he “simply attempted to draw a sassy, coming-of-age young woman”. “I greatly appreciate the noticeable uptick of support today in the wake of the fallout of this faux controversy,” he wrote on Twitter. “I gave her a sassy ‘attitude’ … ‘sexualising’ was not intended. This reaction is odd.” Campbell revealed a bit more of his thinking when replying to one reader: “I’ll admit, you have too many comments here for me to read them all. Perhaps given this feedback I could’ve drawn Riri younger but I can assure you, “sexual” was not what I was going for. I was going for “sassy attitude” if that didn’t. One across then I’m disappointed, but that’s the extent of it. Sometimes these covers, like this one, are drawn in haste to meet a deadline and you have fly by the seat of your pants and fall back a bit on instinct rather than ultra-careful thought. Perhaps with more time, I could’ve contemplated another more nuanced approach. I have young daughters and I would not be embarrassed for them to see this cover.” Writer Brian Michael Bendis, the writer of the series, said he was “very glad they are not going forward with the cover”. In response to a question from a fan, Bendis said he had not seen the cover until it was made public on Twitter on Thursday, and while he had “liked” the face drawn by Campbell as part of his work in progress, he did not like the final version. “Specialty covers are not in my purview and it was being produced separately from the work of the people involved in making the comic. Not to pass the buck but that’s the fact. If I had seen a sketch or something I would have voiced similar concerns,” Bendis wrote. “I am certain the next version will be amazing.” It’s a strange time for comics. For decades it carried the “comics are for boys” stigma and relished in the sexy pinup poses and tight costumes for females characters, heroes, and villains. In today’s world, images that worked at one point are no longer acceptable. It’s a fine line that’s getting more and more blurry. With comics going more mainstream, the scales seemed to change and comic books in pop culture have been fighting to adjust. Sometimes with disastrous results. The ones taking the brunt of it seem to be the artists. While trying to appeal to the masses, they find themselves in a “damned if they do, damned if they don’t” scenario. As the magnifying glass of public opinion keeps pressure on to appease everyone, are they being too judgmental? What do you think? Is the public too harsh on artists? Or is this simply the comic book industry going through growing pains while adapting to a changing demographic? That’s all the time I have. Check out our Comic Book Reviews tomorrow and see you next week!Fire service officials in Cork City have praised the "outstanding heroism" of a passer-by who rescued a three-year-old boy from the River Lee. It is believed that while walking with his minder on Patrick’s Quay in the city centre near Brian Boru bridge, the three-year-old boy went under one of the railings and fell into the water. Seeing the incident, passer-by Maria Foley from Cobh, who is in her 30s, leaped into the water in a bid the rescue the child. Ms Foley then held the child above water until the Fire and Ambulance services arrived. An image from a video of the rescue operation today. Picture: Cut from a video by Ciara O'Dwyer An official from the Cork fire service said Ms Foley’s actions were “extremely brave”. “Being low tide, it was about a five metre (16.4ft) drop into the water,” said the official. “This is outstanding act of heroism on her part.” If you can’t see the Facebook post, you can view it here. Five units of the Anglesea Street and Ballyvolane Fire service attended the scene after receiving the call at 12.05pm, along with two units from the Ambulance service. The railings on Patricks Quay where today's incident took place. The road on Patrick’s Quay was closed, as well as one lane of the Brian Boru bridge. The child and Maria were winched to safety, as can be seen in the video sent to Cork's 96FM, and taken to Cork University Hospital. Both are said to be in good health despite their ordeal.Not to go all Freudian right off the bat, but I admit that the giant digital vulva throws me off a little bit. I get the idea at the core of OMGYes, the website introduced late last year that promises to teach women techniques to improve their orgasms. Data, information, and hands-on instruction (plus feedback!) is the best way to teach new tools to women and their partners. Well, not tools, because this is all about digital manipulation, with nothing so far about things like vibrators. Digital as in fingers, not digital as in virtual. Except for the big vulva. That’s virtual. Sorry. I’ll start again. The fact is, I don’t usually talk about sex in public—which in a way makes me an ideal target for OMGYes, since another core tenet of the site, predictably, is "communicate better." Also, stipulated, I do not have a vulva, but I am in a relationship with a person who does, and when this person is happy, I am happy. So, yup: I aspire to be a lifelong learner. Nevertheless, the idea of using the screen of my phone to push around a photorealistic clitoral hood, labia majora and minora, and (as warranted) clitoris while the OMGYes voice coos words of encouragement is, well, weird. I get it—it’s modeling how to communicate with a partner. And yet... it was even harder to do on my laptop. Let’s just say I will never look at my trackball the same way again. The ideas behind OMGYes, though, are not weird at all. The folks who made the site—a “lesbian and a straight guy,” as they put it, named Lydia Daniller and Rob Perkins—combined a start-up approach to funding and investment with a dedication to qualitative research unusual outside academia. After 1,000 one-on-one interviews1 with women about their sexual preferences and styles of masturbation (among other things), the OMGYes team compiled a dozen or so demonstrable practices for having good or better or more orgasms. OMGYes uses infographics, videos, and statistics to do what even the best how-to books rarely do: give data on how to get off. Their site now sometimes goes by the unfortunate nickname “Khan Academy of the clit,” which gives you the idea. Tastefully designed and well-produced, OMGYes uses infographics, videos, and statistics to do what even the best how-to books rarely do: give data on how to get off. “It’s this epidemic where women’s pleasure is taboo, partners aren’t asking and women aren’t telling, it’s omitted from sex education, and there’s a lot of misinformation,” Perkins says. “When we put a call out to women to share and set the record straight, we had an outpouring of support.” Most striking, though, is the part of the pitch that says nobody else is working on the science of pleasure, of what actually helps and doesn’t help women have orgasms. Depending on the survey you read, only about a third of women have orgasms from penetrative vaginal sex alone (though a vastly higher number do when you add in clitoral stimulation). And about 10 percent of women don’t have orgasms at all. If you ask OMGYes, nobody’s really studying how to optimize all that and bring those numbers up. If clitoral stimulation is the key, what kind of clitoral stimulation? What patterns? What rhythms? The people demand answers. The Information Gap Now, at this point in a WIRED story, we usually go all science on you. But when it comes to coming, that’s no easy move. “When we went to experts and academics and asked why this hasn’t been researched, we got different and opposing answers,” Perkins says. “One was, everyone is different, there’s no rhyme or reason. Others would say that some things shouldn’t be researched. It’s private.” Excuse the use of the phrase, but that’s quite a gap. “What’s missing is experience,” Perkins says. “Practical stuff. Ways of touching a clitoris that are pleasurable, there are literally no words for it in medicine.” Sex research does tend to focus on dysfunction rather than optimization. “There’s real difficulty, I can say confidently, in getting funding for basic research on sexual function,” says Cynthia Graham, a sex researcher at the University of Southampton in England and editor in chief of the Journal of Sex Research. “But if you frame it as a problem, as ‘this is going to help preserve heterosexual relationships,’ it’s easier.” Argh, right? Some of that science is out there, but the connection to your own sex life isn't obvious. OMGYes consulted with sex researchers2 during the company's ramping-up phase, and one of them gave Perkins and Daniller a journal article titled “Self-assessment of genital anatomy, sexual sensitivity and function in women: implications for genitoplasty,” from the British urology journal BJU International. It’s fascinating—basically, it uses a survey called the Self-Assessment of Genital Anatomy and Sexual Function, Female version, designed to study how women perceived their genitalia both visually and tactilely, and to assess if anything changed after surgery. The researchers administered the survey to 50 women who hadn't had any kind of surgery on their genitalia, and then uses their answers to provide guidance to doctors about which parts to leave alone and which parts they can operate on during genital construction surgery. So it's like function hidden beneath medicalization. Studies of the neuroanatomy of the clitourethrovaginal complex have come a long way since Grey’s Anatomy couldn’t even find the clitoris in 1948. Sex research has plenty of work on the physiological mechanics of orgasm, sure—like in the first season of Masters of Sex. But that’s descriptive, not prescriptive. Surveys of specific behaviors—Have you in the past year masturbated? Did you receive oral sex? And so on—go all the way back to Alfred Kinsey’s groundbreaking (and sometimes earthmoving) work. Again, descriptive. But after more careful study, it’s hard to argue that you couldn’t get anything helpful out of that body of research. In terms of what Perkins sees as mere physiology, well, let’s just say that studies of the neuroanatomy of the clitourethrovaginal complex have come a long way since 1948 when Grays Anatomy couldn’t even find the clitoris. (The textbook, not the show; the show finds the clitoris three times an episode.) Maybe it’s just my style of learning, but maps of the innervation of the vulvar region seem super-useful to me. (You guys! Pudendal nerve leads to the clitoris, inner lips, and anus; posterior femoral cutaneous nerve is outer lips, clitoral region, and inner thigh. It's all connected! Seriously, this is great stuff.) The survey instrument that gave the data in that surgery paper—the SAGAS-F—appears to be a respected way to get women to talk about exactly what OMGYes wants to: What specific things feel good and lead to orgasm? That kind of work has developed over the decades, into research like the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior out of Indiana University (home, yes, of the Kinsey Institute) or the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles in Great Britain. That latter one, Natsal, comprises more than 15,000 face-to-face interviews, statistically validated to be a nationally representative sample. It generates a lot of papers. But does it get down to specific behaviors, in the way OMGYes hopes to? “Yeah, they get at things like that as well,” Graham says. “I don’t think those questions are that unusual. I think the sampling is key, as is the analysis.” She suggests that OMGYes’ work might be, as scientists say, little-q qualitative, not big-q. “That’s not to trash what they’ve found,” Graham says. “Just to be aware of the limitations.” Perkins says OMGYes' survey approach, while working with a smaller sample size and without the kind of coding you might expect in some qualitative methodologies, asks questions those big research groups do not. The SAGAS-F, for example, maps regions around the clitoris and asks which ones would produce orgasm given stimulation, and then asks for ratings of both the orgasm's intensity and the effort required to achieve it, on a scale of one to five. OMGYes' survey asks things like, for women who touch their clitoris indirectly, do they touch it through the skin above the hood, through the skin on the left side, through the skin on the right, or through both lips pushed together like a sandwich? That's subtlety other research doesn't get at. (For the record: 69.1 percent above the hood, 19.2 percent left, 20.2 percent right, 28.8 percent sandwich.) An Education Perkins' experience in qualitative research comes from his days in marketing and public health. Daniller isn't a researcher either. Still, the messaging on OMGYes is, indeed, great—more magazine-y than textbook-like. The design is state-of-the-art and the infographics are smart and easy to read. “By filling something with jargon and line drawings, abstracting it, you make materials that preach to the choir, to the coasts and the Good Vibrations book section,” he says. “What actually changes behavior is real people that you relate to, sharing their stories.” That might be the most remarkable achievement in how OMGYes delivers its data. The women in the videos range across ages, ethnicities, and sexual practices. Even when they're naked and touching themselves, the videos don't look like pornography; the women have agency and are the subjects rather than objects. The lighting is soft, the women are charming, apparently honest, and often funny, and there's no actual video of orgasms. Perkins says the shoots took hours,3 and often started with everyone there, from talent to grip, playing two-truths-and-a-lie or some other intimacy-making icebreaker. Way better than a journal article. The videos aren't at all porny. The women in them have agency and are the subjects rather than objects. As for the actual information, the team organized what they heard into groups, gave them easy-to-grasp names like “hinting” and “layering,” and wrote copy that’d fit comfortably into a magazine. “The visible part of the clit is the tip of an iceberg. It’s beneath the entire surrounding area, so you can be touching it when you’re not directly on what anatomy diagrams call ‘the clit.’ And the exact spots where touch can generate the most pleasure aren’t necessarily dead center or even symmetrical.” But... that’s what I just said about the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve. Were you not even listening? “They created an incredibly safe space for people. They hit on stuff I just adore,” says Sandra Daugherty, a sex educator and host of the Sex Nerd Sandra podcast. (Disclosures: Daugherty consulted a bit with OMGYes in its early days, and she’s also a friend of mine.) “One of the most important things is to expand the awareness of what’s possible, especially when it comes to our own bodies. If you’re told, as a person with a penis, that you’re supposed to masturbate up and down and you masturbate by holding the base without moving much, that might feel a little lonely. We don’t have language around our pleasure. For me, this is a fun way to get more experience.” It’s true: Some science is better than no science. Perkins says OMGYes is going to present its results at an upcoming conference on women’s sexual health, and they’re working on a paper to submit to a journal.4 That’ll be a test of the size of the Q in front of that qualitativeness—whether it can pass peer review. But meanwhile paying $29.99 for collated knowledge on different approaches to a woman’s orgasm, presented smartly, seems like a pretty good deal. Yes, bookshelves and Amazon are full of this kind of advice, and if you’re in a big enough town you can probably find someone giving a workshop, but spreading knowledge is what the Internet was always supposed to be for. OMGYes isn’t therapy; it’s not about dysfunction. Like Daugherty says, it’s more like going to the batting cage to tune up some skills. If that means getting some practice time in with a computerized vulva, well then, so be it. 1 UPDATE 2/12/16 9:30 AM I initially said it was 2,000 interviews, but only half those were one-on-one; the other half were survey-based. 2 UPDATE
-seidman [29] Oaxaca 2006: https://libcom.org/history/looking-back-oaxaca-rebellion [30] Workers’ Control: http://www.workerscontrol.net [31] WorkersWildWest: www.workerswildwest.wordpress.com10 points · 10 comments Top Mind posts a video of a "crisis actor" is being interviewed at three different shootings. Most comments call it out at being stupid and obviously not true. +143 karma on the OP's post. · 4 comments TIL that a quickly extinguished single apartment fire is the same as a fully fuelled 767 slamming into the side of a building. Thanks /r/911truth! 6 points · 4 comments Totally not an alt account praises a fellow Reddit "9/11 researcher" because of his beautiful formatting and amount of links. Doesn't matter if he's wrong or what the truth is, I guess, it just LOOKS good, and that's enough. · 2 comments "I'm just waiting for "'/r/TopMindsofReddit celebrate their hate filled subreddit now has 10,000 Nazi scum'" 12 points · 23 comments "Only 6 firms control all 'peer-reviewed' papers and are for-profit businesses." 5 points · 9 comments Lunar module doesn't real because...I said so. · 1 comment Top mind says /r/European is exactly what free speech is in response to it being considered a hate subreddit. Continues on to talk about how the subreddit is justified in hating Muslims and makes a holocaust reference for how to deal with them. 10 points · 16 comments Top Mind accuses Eglin Airforce Base of downvoting submission. Flytape isn't having it. Tells Top Mind "You turned your own post into a shilltastrophy". 8 points "Even the analysis from Wikileaks said that the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists got their death sentences for their unfocused commitment to slandering Islam while propagating the goals of Jewish expansionism." 11 points · 16 comments Top Mind makes a list of 9/11 "Truth Heroes". It's mostly celebrities and scam artists.From months to one week: How IIJ is shipping OpenStack Clouds quicker with MAAS and Juju Technologies that enable companies to move quickly in the cloud are continuing to gain traction. When we heard that the Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) were using OpenStack, MAAS, and Juju to develop quick-to-deploy entire datacentres in shipping containers, we asked if they would share their experience with the rest of the community. Jorge Castro sat down with Cloud R&D team at Internet Initiative Japan Inc. to find out how they were doing this. (Translation by Takeshi Nakajima). Quick introductions, please tell us about yourselves: Katsumi Kaneda, Cloud Architect at IIJ: His main area of concern is the cloud underlayer that can maximise the utilisation efficiency of the computer resources in the data centre, and the cloud networking which can federate various cloud services. Masanari Nishiyama, Facility Engineer at IIJ: His main area is developing container data centres with an outside-air cooling system. He is also trying to optimise power efficiency in cooperation with each computer resource and data center facility. Takashi Sogabe, Software Engineer at IIJ: Currently he is focused on developing turn-key solutions for hybrid clouds based on OpenStack. His main areas of expertise lie in OpenStack, embedded systems and designing ISP-grade networks. Most Western Ubuntu users have probably not heard of your company, what do you specialise in? IIJ provides a variety of reliable and highly value-added solution services, including Internet access, outsourcing, and systems integration as a comprehensive corporate group for all network usage requirements. IIJ also runs comprehensive cloud services provided on all service layers, from IaaS to SaaS. IIJ has been developing low cost and energy-efficient container-unit data centres that are most appropriate for cloud environments. Tell us more about these container datacentres. What kind of companies use container data centres instead of traditional data centres? Currently, most of the Japanese operators use traditional datacentres. In terms of Capex/Opex, large enterprises and telcos are going to be concerned about power efficiency and stock of facilities in the future. Containerised data centres might be a right way to address these kind of challenges. Developing countries such as Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) are focusing on building their own facilities for providing IT resources on their countries. IIJ was selected to implement a feasibility study for high efficiency container data centres. How do you provision so many servers? We know you use MAAS and Juju to deploy HA Openstack, can you give us the general steps that you go through to deploy this software? As the first step, we prepare KVM hypervisor hosts for accommodating management servers such as MAAS. Next, we configure the BIOS parameters such as boot sequence and RAID arrays, which is a pain point for large deployments. As a final step, we enlist bare-metal servers inside of MAAS. What advantages does using Juju and MAAS give you that you didn’t have before? The advantage is that we don’t need to manage an individual server any more. Servers are literally a bunch of computing resources. The brand-new style of management is ideal for deploying all kinds of cloud workloads. How much time do you save by doing it this way? Starting from scratch, it used to take us two to three months to deploy a full container that is ready to be used by a customer. By using MAAS and Juju we’ve managed to cut that time down to about a week. How many of these datacentres are deployed? There are currently dozens of containers in one location. And how many do you expect to deploy over the next few years? In the future we plan on deploying at least twice this amount, depending on market demand. Why OpenStack? What advantages does deploying an OpenStack cloud in a data centre provide you that you couldn’t do before? From the developers’ perspective, OpenStack improved the agility of IT development. We can evaluate a variety of environments at any time. All operations can be controlled by software. That is a nirvana for developers. Are you using the stock HA charms for OpenStack? Have you made any customizations to these charms that are noteworthy? We use almost stock versions of HA charms for OpenStack so far. We would like to replace Horizon’s theme. How are you using Open Compute Project (OCP) components in your facilities, what can you tell us about them? What advantages do you see in using OCP components vs. traditional components? OCP components can offer a benefit in terms of operational efficiency and simplicity. Common form factors reduce both cost of deployment and cost of maintenance. Simplicity is important because complexity tends to complicate automation with software. And of course, the burning question, are you utilising Linux containers in your real-life containers? We are utilising Linux Containers (LXC) in our services. In 2013, we released the production version of IIJ GIO MOGOK Service (MOGOK), an environment for cloud based web application development and execution. MOGOK uses the open-source framework such as Ruby on Rails, node.js and PHP. We use LXC to segregate a number of different environments. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, where can people find you to find out more? Have more questions? You can meet the team behind this technology at OpenStack Days Tokyo 2015.In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the economies of North America and Europe remain fragile while those of Asia continue to grow. This is especially true in the cases of China and India, which both boast near double-digit rates of growth and have therefore inspired confidence around the region. But too many commentators discuss China and India with breathless admiration -- extrapolating, for example, that growth will continue at a breakneck pace for decades. In doing so, they treat emerging economies as if they were already world powers, echoing the hubris that preceded the Asian currency crisis of 1997-98. Pranab Bardhan's Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India is a welcome corrective to that view. It succinctly summarizes the challenges facing China and India, including environmental degradation, unfavorable demographics, poor infrastructure, and social inequality -- threats that the leaders of China and India understand. Even as others have lavished praise on China, and Chinese citizens have grown stridently nationalistic, Chinese President Hu Jintao and others in the current leadership have been cautionary. As Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in 2007, the country's development is "unsteady, unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable." In India, meanwhile, although the government has orchestrated campaigns to highlight the country's growth and reform, its plans to develop roads and other infrastructure are a prominent and expensive recognition of the country's enduring gaps. A more contentious claim offered by Bardhan is that internal reform -- not the global market -- has been the key driver of both countries' growth. Rather than focusing on India's information technology sector or China's export-led industrialization, Bardhan highlights less glamorous domestic sectors. Examining the rural economy -- in which a majority of Chinese and Indians work -- he concludes that growth is driven from below. He shows, for example, how China's steepest reductions in poverty had already happened by the mid-1980s, before the country began attracting sizable foreign trade and investment. The main causes of China's declineDecember 1, 2016 A Texas federal judge’s recent order — that the attorneys general of Massachusetts and New York must submit to questioning by lawyers for ExxonMobil about why they are investigating the company — is highly unusual and unwarranted, as is the underlying lawsuit brought by ExxonMobil against the prosecutors. If upheld, this approach could turn the legal system upside down, allowing wrongdoers possessing sufficient resources to file lawsuits that paralyze law enforcement efforts aimed at protecting the public. Although the Texas judge stated that he found sufficient grounds for ExxonMobil to investigate whether the two AGs had acted in bad faith, in fact the AGs have been engaged in activities that are commonplace and entirely appropriate for state prosecutors: (1) cooperating with AGs from other states, (2) consulting with experts about possible unlawful activity, (3) seeking documents to investigate that activity, and (4) speaking in public about the matters under review. Summary Dallas-based United States District Judge Ed Kinkeade has granted permission to oil and gas giant ExxonMobil to question under oath Massachusetts’ attorney general, Maura Healey, and New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, as to their motivations for investigations of the company. Issuing orders in a lawsuit filed by ExxonMobil, a case aimed at stopping Healey from going forward with her investigation, Judge Kinkeade has directed the two AGs to come to Dallas on December 13 to face depositions from ExxonMobil’s high-powered legal team. Buoyed by the judge’s ruling, and possessing seemingly-limitless resources to engage in litigation, ExxonMobil also now has issued subpoenas in the case to non-profit environmental groups and private lawyers that provided advice and information to the two attorneys general. Healey has said she will “vigorously oppose” Judge Kinkeade’s order for her to come to Texas and be deposed. “Our position in this ligation is that the authorities in Texas, and specifically the federal court down there, has no jurisdiction over state attorneys general and the work of their offices,” Healey told reporters in Boston on November 21. “It’s been disappointing to see Exxon fight the request for basic information. Our job as attorneys general is to be able to ask questions.” Healey has filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider his ruling, and has indicated that, if necessary, she will seek to appeal the judge’s order to the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Schneiderman, as well as the outside groups and lawyers, are also opposing Exxon’s efforts to take discovery in the Texas case. (Disclosure: I have advised some of the groups.) The AGs and outside groups are on firm legal ground objecting to Judge Kinkeade’s highly unusual and unwarranted rulings. ExxonMobil’s lawsuit is a virtually unprecedented effort by a corporation to sue and investigate state prosecutors who are conducting an investigation of that corporation. If the case goes forward, it would give a green light to wealthy corporations of all kinds to seek out sympathetic federal judges and pursue expensive legal proceedings aimed at derailing state law enforcement investigations. Such a development would create new layers of lawsuits surrounding every dispute, force taxpayers to spend more to sustain state prosecutors’ offices, and make it much more difficult for attorneys general to protect the public against investor and consumer fraud, unsafe products, environmental harms, and other abuses. To the extent that ExxonMobil has substantive and procedural objections to the attorneys general demands for information, it has every right to raise those objections in the Massachusetts and New York state courts, and indeed ExxonMobil is already doing just that. Douglas Gansler, who was the attorney general of Maryland from 2007 to 2015, told Bloomberg that “he’s never heard of an instance where a company under investigation by a state sues and wins permission to question law-enforcement officers.” Gansler said: “Not only is it unusual, it’s unprecedented… It’s completely inconsistent with the law and the functioning of our government.” Gansler expanded on that point in remarks yesterday at an event at the Center for American Progress. At the same event, entitled “The Battle for Climate Change Accountability,” Georgia State University law professor Neil Kinkopf said that there was nothing unusual or unwarranted about the Massachusetts and New York probes, that forcing depositions of the AGs would violate the Constitution, and that “I cannot even begin to fathom” the consequences of allowing such depositions to go forward. Background of the dispute The Texas suit by ExxonMobil is part of an aggressive legal strategy to block investigations by the attorneys general, investigations that focus on whether Exxon misled consumers and investors about the dangers of global warming and the potential impact of those dangers on the company’s bottom line. Investigative reporting in the past year showed that Exxon scientists have known and told Exxon management for decades that burning fossil fuels was heating up the planet, but rather than educate the public on the dangers and change its business strategy, Exxon instead spent millions supporting efforts to question and deny the science of climate change. The state AGs are also investigating whether ExxonMobil has properly accounted for its oil reserves in the wake of global price drops and evidence of global warming. ExxonMobil contends there is no legitimate basis for the AG probes, and that the First Amendment shields the company from scrutiny for its public statements, a claim that leading constitutional law experts sharply dispute, because it is a settled legal principle that the First Amendment doesn’t protect fraud. ExxonMobil, headquartered in Irving, Texas, filed its lawsuit in nearby Dallas against Healey alone, but after Kinkeade ruled on October 13 that ExxonMobil could pursue discovery against the Massachusetts AG, ExxonMobil added Schneiderman as a defendant in the case. Schneiderman issued a subpoena to ExxonMobil in November 2015, and Healey issued a civil investigative demand (CID) to the company in April 2016. Exxon already has produced more than 700,000 pages of documents to Schneiderman in response to his subpoena; on October 26, a New York judge ordered ExxonMobil and its auditor, PwC, to comply with a subpoena issued by Schneiderman seeking additional information regarding PwC’s auditing of the oil company. ExxonMobil now also faces an investigation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, initiated in August 2016, examining a similar set of issues. In addition, in March 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice, responding to a congressional request to investigate ExxonMobil, referred the matter to the FBI. Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Science Committee, has subpoenaed documents from Healey, Schneiderman, and other state attorneys general. lawyers, and outside groups connected to the ExxonMobil matter. Over the summer, Smith held a committee hearing regarding his demands. For the most part, the AGs, groups, and lawyers have declined to comply. ExxonMobil’s claims and Judge Kinkeade’s order Judge Kinkeade’s order that the state attorneys general must face discovery is possibly unprecedented, and that’s because federal law, as established in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Younger v. Harris, generally prohibits a federal court from interfering in a criminal, civil, or administrative investigation or proceeding brought by state officials; instead legal complaints about such matters belong in the state courts where the state officials are located. ExxonMobil argued to Judge Kinkeade that Healey’s conduct — meeting with non-profit groups and other attorneys general, speaking out publicly regarding ExxonMobil’s conduct, and issuing a CID to the company — fell within the Supreme Court’s exception to the general rule of Younger: A federal court does not have to abstain from hearing such a case where a prosecutor is acting in bad faith or with the purpose of harassing the target. As evidence of such bad faith, Exxon cited Healey’s participation in a March 29, 2016, press conference in New York with the so-called “Green 20” group of attorneys general, following a meeting that included attorneys general and outside experts from non-profit groups and law firms. Speakers at their press conference, under the banner “AGs United for Clean Power,” were attorneys general Healey, Schneiderman, William Sorrell of Vermont, George Jepsen of Connecticut, Brian Frosh of Maryland, Mark Herring of Virginia, and Claude Walker of the US Virgin Islands, along with former Vice President Al Gore. In its September 8, 2016, filing with the court, ExxonMobil complained that at the New York press conference: Attorney General Healey declared that “certain companies” needed to be “held accountable” for expressing a viewpoint on climate change that she disfavored. After acknowledging that “public perception” was her principal concern, she condemned her targets for not sharing her beliefs on “the catastrophic nature of” climate change. Attorney General Healey then pledged to take “quick, aggressive action” to “address climate change” by investigating ExxonMobil. Prejudging the investigation’s results, she told the public she had already found a “troubling disconnect between what Exxon knew, what industry folks knew, and what the company and industry chose to share with investors and with the American public.” (Healey’s full statement is here.) ExxonMobil in its court papers also attacked the motivation behind Healey’s CID to the company, which sought communications between Exxon and non-profit groups engaging in denying or questioning the science of climate change: “The focus of the CID on entities the Attorney General perceives to be antagonistic to her policy preferences underscores the improper motivation for issuing the CID in the first place—namely, to silence perceived political opponents.” ExxonMobil’s papers also note that in April and May 2016, seventeen attorneys general, including Healey and Schneiderman, signed a “Common Interest Agreement” to share information and expressing as a goal “limiting climate change and ensuring the dissemination of accurate information about climate change.” Exxon Mobil contended that the existence of such an agreement “shows that the purpose of the Attorney General’s investigation is entirely political, pertaining to the promotion of preferred climate change policies.” ExxonMobil told the court that this course of conduct by Healey proves that she “is engaging in unapologetic viewpoint discrimination, conducting an unlawful fishing expedition, directing a biased investigation with preordained results, and she is seeking to regulate speech and conduct occurring well beyond the borders of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Judge Kinkeade has not ruled that Exxon is entitled to the injunction it seeks stopping Healey’s investigation. But he did, on October 13, issue an order permitting Exxon to take limited discovery regarding whether he should dismiss the case under the Younger abstention doctrine. He ruled that ExxonMobil can examine “Attorney General Healey’s comments and actions before she issued the CID,” and whether AG Healey served the CID in bad faith. In a written opinion, Judge Kinkeade cited, as cause for deposing Healey, all the factors raised by ExxonMobil: the New York AGs United for Clean Power meeting and press conference, the presence of outside experts and lawyers at the meeting, Healey’s remarks at the press conference, and Healey’s issuance of the CID to the company. Kinkeade declared “the allegations about Attorney General Healey and the anticipatory nature of Attorney General Healey’s remarks about the outcome of the Exxon investigation to be concerning to this Court.” The allegations, he wrote, “if true, may constitute bad faith in issuing the CID which would preclude Younger abstention.” Armed with this ruling, ExxonMobil, on October 24, served on attorney general Healey more than a hundred discovery requests. On November 4, ExxonMobil sought depositions of Healey, Schneiderman, and two assistant attorneys general in each of their offices. On November 10, Exxon filed an amended complaint adding Schneiderman as a defendant; the complaint charged that Schneiderman had given “unprecedented briefings to the press on the status of his ‘investigation’ of ExxonMobil and announced his expectation that a ‘massive securities fraud’ will be uncovered.” The company further charged that the demands for documents by Healey and Schneiderman “were issued in bad faith to deter ExxonMobil from participating in ongoing public deliberations about climate change and to fish through decades of ExxonMobil’s documents in the hope of finding some ammunition to enhance the coalition’s, and its climate activist confederates’, position in the policy debate over climate change.” On November 17, Judge Kinkeade ordered Healey to appear in Dallas for a deposition on December 13 and also directed Schneiderman to be available in Dallas that day.(ExxonMobil itself actually had noticed Healey to appear for a deposition in Boston, where her offices are located.) Judge Kinkeade also ordered Healey to fulfill ExxonMobil’s written discovery requests within 10 days of receiving them. On November 26, Healey filed a motion with Judge Kinkeade to set aside his order for a deposition and to stay the discovery against her. Why the Judge’s order is unwarranted Such written discovery and depositions are an unwarranted intrusion on the legitimate work of a state attorney general. Healey’s and Schneiderman’s actions were entirely consistent with the kinds of actions taken regularly by attorneys general and other prosecutors in the course of their work: consulting with outside experts, collaborating with attorneys general from other states, demanding information, and speaking out to educate the public on matters of concern, often prior to filing a formal enforcement action. Judge Kinkeade’s finding of possible bad faith and bias is misguided. Attorneys general are not judges, charged with remaining impartial as a case proceeds. Attorneys general are advocates for the public. As public officials, state AGs have a duty to gather relevant information — and to educate the public about potential wrongdoing. They are not obligated to wait for a jury verdict, or even the filing of a lawsuit, before publicly addressing possible misconduct. As Healey argues in an October 31 filing with the Texas court, her statements at the March 29 press conference, which Exxon claims prove that Healey has prejudged the outcome of her investigation, are entirely consistent with her duty to investigate violations of law. The statements, her legal team writes, “merely show that Attorney General Healey holds a belief that Exxon has or is engaged in conduct prohibited by the Massachusetts consumer protection statute… This is not an ‘unconstitutional prejudg[ment],’ as Exxon suggests…. Rather, it is a state law directive. Specifically, Massachusetts law requires the Attorney General to believe there has been a violation of Massachusetts law prior to issuing a CID.” (Healey additionally argues that the Texas federal court lacks personal jurisdiction over her, that the circumstances do not warrant the unusual step of deposing a top executive branch official, and that the matter, under federal law, is not yet ripe for decision.) An amicus brief filed with Judge Kinkeade in August by the attorneys general of twelve states explains that it is standard procedure for state attorneys general, including Texas’s own attorney general, in seeking to protect their own citizens, to issue investigative demands to companies headquartered in other states, and for attorneys general in multiple states to coordinate efforts to investigate unlawful activities, for example with respect to tobacco companies, mortgage foreclosure abuses, sham cancer charities, and Volkswagen’s deceptions about vehicle emissions. There are, in fact, numerous examples of attorneys general collaborating on investigations and speaking out against targets in advance of filing a case. Here are a few: In 1988, a coalition of attorneys general from Alabama, Arizona, California, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and West Virginia sued major insurance companies for allegedly conspiring to sell stripped-down liability policies to municipalities and schools. In 1991, Michigan attorney general Frank Kelley issued a notice of intended action against Nu Skin International, a Utah based personal-care products business. Kelley issued a public statement charging that the company was ”operating an illegal pyramid marketing scheme.” He added, “Such practices are defined as pyramid schemes and are in clear violation of Michigan law.” In 1994, Maryland’s attorney general office issued three dozen subpoenas as part of an investigation of an alleged pyramid scheme. An assistant attorney general told a reporter, “What we have is a lot of people who have been pressured. That’s exactly why this is open to fraud. (“Maryland Officials Are Trying to Find Out Who Is Running Game,” Washington Post, Dec. 13, 1994. A group of eighteen state attorneys general and the Department of Justice pursued a case against Microsoft, which resulted in a 2001 settlement. In 2007, the attorneys general of 28 states sent a letter to the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau warning of potentially fraudulent marketing of “energy drinks” that combined alcohol and caffeine. In connection with the initiative, Oregon attorney general Hardy Myers said, “Nonalcoholic energy drinks are very popular with today’s youth…Beverage companies are unconscionably appealing to young drinkers with claims about the stimulating properties of alcoholic energy drinks.” Maine attorney general Steven Rowe added, “I am deeply concerned that alcoholic energy drinks will lead to even more aggressive binge drinking than we are already seeing.” In 2008, New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed United HealthGroup, the nation’s largest health care insurer and other large insurers, along with a notification of intent to sue the companies over assertions that they used “rigged data to manipulate the reimbursement rate to their customers who filed claims.” In a statement, Cuomo said, “When insurers like United create convoluted and dishonest systems for determining the rate of reimbursement, real people get stuck with excessive bills and are less likely to seek the care they need.” In 2010, the attorneys general of all 50 states and the District of Columbia joined together to investigate mortgage foreclosure practices and determine whether some banks had illegally forced borrowers from their homes. Patrick Madigan, an Iowa assistant attorney general, told a reporter, “‘We’ll contact the loan servicers, hear their stories, and then let the facts lead us where they will… We’d already been working with 13 other states on loan-servicing issues, but this new coalition is a law-enforcement action. This isn’t just policy review anymore; this is about lenders breaking the law.’ (“Foreclosure Crisis: Officials in 50 states, D.C. Launch Probe,” San Jose Mercury News, Oct. 13, 2010) Following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, five state attorneys general formed the Gulf State Coalition in order to coordinate their legal efforts with respect to the oil spill. Attorneys general from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida met in Mobile, Ala., to plan to jointly to protect their states’ natural resources and coastal businesses. In recent years, 37 state attorneys general formed a national working group to aimed at, as stated by the office of then-attorney general of Kentucky Jack Conway, “reviewing the troubling practices of some for-profit colleges.” Numerous state attorneys general have issued demands for information and filed lawsuits against for-profit colleges allegedly engaged in fraud or deceptive business practices. The attorneys general engaged in these efforts have spoken out publicly on numerous occasions about abuses in the for-profit college industry. In a 2015 press release, Conway praised efforts by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to protect students and added, “It is time that the Department of Education publicly recognizes the serious threat for-profit colleges pose to all students and work toward protecting students against future harm.” In 2012, Conway and attorneys General Lisa Madigan (IL) and Beau Biden (DE) appeared at a Washington press conference alongside Durbin and three other senators to announce a settlement between 20 state AGs and an online lead generation company, QuinStreet, that was luring veterans to for-profit colleges through a website, GIBill.com, which looked to many like an official government site. The senators and attorneys general criticized QuinStreet but also addressed critical comments at the for-profit college industry with, for example, Conway saying, “These are public companies taking tax dollars, and they are, in many instances, not doing what we need them to do.” Nor is an attorney general consulting with, or pursuing the same targets as, outside organizations and lawyers, any indication of misconduct; rather it is a common practice. Interest groups regularly petition prosecutors to take action and provide information that assists prosecutors in determining whether such action is in the public interest, and outside lawyers and experts regularly provide advice and support. A few examples: Months of pressure from members of the public, elected representatives, and advocates led to federal intervention in the investigation of a slaying of a rabbinical student in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 1991. By the time that the attorneys general of 46 states reached a landmark 1998 settlement agreement with four of the largest tobacco companies over smoking and health issues, various state AGs had been advised and assisted by a number of private law firms in the matter. In October 2011, a coalition of businesses and groups asked state attorneys general to investigate Google for possible antitrust violations. This past summer, after a string of high-profile police killings of unarmed African-Americans, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) sought meetings with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey, and stood in front of the Department of Justice and demanded that Lynch initiate civil rights investigations. Without attorneys general working together, and consulting with outside experts, lawyers, and elected officials, it would be more difficult to detect, deter, and punish violations of law, especially those by politically powerful interests. If other judges issued rulings like Judge Kinkeade’s, corporate targets of investigations could tie down state law enforcement agencies in endless legal proceedings where prosecutors would be required to defend themselves. Imagine if the tobacco companies could have spent years deposing the attorneys general investigating deceptions in the marketing of cigarettes, simply because AGs had declared tobacco harmful or accused the tobacco companies of deceptive acts, or because the AGs consulted with experts on smoking and health, or because the AGs worked together. Imagine if each of the dozens of for-profit college companies now under investigation by state AGs sued those officials in federal courts, asking numerous federal judges to oversee discovery into whether the state AGs were biased against them or had prejudged their cases. Perhaps drug lords and organized crime syndicates could attempt similar efforts to sue and depose state AGs in order to block investigations of their offenses. Or perhaps Judge Kinkeade’s decision could be used by citizens groups to sue, say, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton for joining a lawsuit to stop federal environmental regulations. Should attorneys for such groups be able to depose the Texas AG regarding his motives for bringing the case, to see if he acted in bad faith? After all, it’s documented that the Texas AG and other Republican attorneys general opposed to the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan and other climate change regulations have banded together, publicly spoken out against Obama environmental policies, and met behind closed doors with oil and gas industry lobbyists. There is, in fact, nothing unusual or oppressive about the actions of the Massachusetts and New York attorneys general in the ExxonMobil matter. Judge Kinkeade’s ruling threatens to open a Pandora’s box of efforts by corporations and others to evade responsibility for misconduct. A world in which targets of law enforcement probes can engage in court-approved investigations of their investigators is unsustainable. UPDATE 12/12/16: A Wall Street Journal story today added this perspective: Typically, the “bad faith standard” is reserved for a situation in which a judge observes “a level of personal aggrandizement,” said James Tierney, program director of the National State Attorneys General Program and the former attorney general of Maine. He cited as an example a hypothetical scenario in which a prosecutor is seen as pursuing a probe of someone who dated the prosecutor’s sister, and had a bad break-up. “The implications of this are really, really serious,” said Mr. Tierney, a Democrat who has worked with attorneys general of both political parties, noting that he believes the effect is that it “chills all legitimate investigations. This isn’t about Exxon. This is about an attempt to chill government’s ability to investigate malfeasance.” This article also appears on Huffington Post.Review: HP Elite X3: part 1 - intro and hardware Score: 83% When most people think of'smartphones', or even just 'phones', they picture sexily-advertised shiny high-tech in High Street manufacturer/carrier/network stores. The focus is on social activities, on imaging, on music, and so on. Even though it can handle most of that, the HP Elite X3 is a totally different beast - it's a three-in-one (hence the name), transforming mobile computer for professionals and the companies for which they work. And no, this isn't me drinking the HP marketing kool-aid. Well perhaps a little, since we just don't know how much the Elite X3 system will take off in the real world, so any future success is conjectured at this point. The interesting point for me though, and probably for you as a Windows 10 Mobile enthusiast and reader of AAWP, is the overlap between the two worlds mentioned above, and I'll be addressing that specifically in some of the review parts here. The three-in-one mobile computer But we have to start with the X3's core raison d'être. Although it's tempting to compare the Elite X3, blow for blow, against other flagship smartphones, this isn't really what HP would like, since the real competition for the Elite X3 (system) is a professional-grade laptop. In other words, equipping a mobile staffer with laptop/smartphone/desktop computing facilities with greater flexibility than having to buy or carry all three separately. There's a huge potential elegance here, in knowing that the 'phone' in your pocket is also your main computer, adapting to different screens around you as needed. It's a vision that many of us have had for years, a smartphone tech nirvana, and with Microsoft Continuum and HP's hardware it has become a reality. There are caveats, of course. Although all the main Office and productivity applications scale onto the laptop form factor and then the large desktop monitor, not all Windows 10 Mobile titles do the same, while legacy Win32 company applications and heavyweights like PhotoShop, Publisher, Access (etc.) can't run on the ARM-based phone at all. The latter are handled on Continuum screens via a virtualised remote solution, with HP Workspace (I'll come to this in part 2 of the review) being the way this will work for small and medium-sized businesses. Plus there's the pricing, which is unashamedly high, at 'business' levels. The Elite X3's most common bundle (with the Desk Dock) is £589 ex-VAT, while the full three-way solution that includes the Lap Dock is currently estimated at £999 ex-VAT. And then there's the extra cost of getting HP to manage your virtualised Win32/legacy applications - HP Workspace starts at £19 per user per month (plus a premium tier at £25 per user per month), which works out at almost £700 per user per year, and that's with time limits online per month. (More on this, again, in part 2, though I'd flag up at this stage that the first 60 days for each user are free and at the premium tier until the end of January 2017 - this is a great way for people to 'try before they buy' in terms of getting their heads around how well HP Workspace will work for their use case.) For a business, £1000 or thereabouts to kit a mobile user with all the gear they need and with roughly the same for IT services and support per year, isn't out of the question. After all, a traditional high end smartphone plus business-quality laptop is quite a bit more and then you have to factor in some time from an ad-hoc or permanent IT department/person and their salaries. So the costs aren't at all outrageous in this environment. As an AAWP reader, it's possible that you're researching road warrior solutions for your company, but more likely you're eyeing up the Elite X3 as a high end phablet that has some really cool productivity tricks up its sleeve. And providing you're of the opinion that if something's good enough then it's worth paying for (remember to add VAT to the prices above as an individual!) then you may well be pleasantly surprised by the X3 and its accessories. Much has been said about Microsoft producing a 'transformative' or 'paradigm-shifting' Surface Phone in 2017, but it occurs to me that HP might well have stolen some of that thunder, since the X3 is many of the things that we'd been hoping for in such a Microsoft first party device. It's high end, it changes the way you think about your 'phone', and it runs Windows 10. Given this week's Microsoft New York event and the announcement of the 'Creator's Update' and various extra Surface accessories, I wouldn't be surprised if a 'Surface Phone' also incorporated a stylus, but in other respects HP's Elite X3 has achieved quite a bit of what anyone might have hoped. Body Certainly the Elite X3 impresses from the moment you hold it - it's so much more solid than the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL, which is the other current Windows 10 Mobile device that it's closest to. Admittedly, you can't take the back off here and replace the battery, but the benefit is that the X3 is very, very sturdy. It's rated at MIL-STD-810G and IP67 in terms of durability, meaning that it'll take drops onto concrete from waist height without much worry (unless it happens to land squarely on the glass front) and
the teeth, ready to meet him, seeking alliance with France and seeking alliance with America.” and we would have been ready and prepared to meet him and to defeat him. But what, to my mind, was insane was to give the guarantee to Poland which we couldn’t possibly implement. We had no means of doing it, and yet we encouraged the Poles to take that line. And then, when Hitler was driving east in an inevitable collision with Soviet Russia, we jumped on his back — the whole Western world jumped on his back — to save Communist Russia, with the results which we now can see. MR. BUCKLEY: Now, wait a minute. You don’t say we jumped on his back in order to save Communist Russia; you say that this, surely, was a historical by-product of jumping on his back because we feared his turning west. Is that not correct? SIR OSWALD: Well, there you have to consider — MR. BUCKLEY: After all, he was sitting all over France at that moment. SIR OSWALD: You have to consider in politics the effects of your actions, and the effect of that action was, obviously, to save Communist Russia. At that time, the collision became inevitable. If we hadn’t intervened, Communist Russia would, evidently, have been defeated. MR. BUCKLEY: But, it was not necessarily a motivation. If you’re talking about the integrity of Europe, at the moment that he attacked Russia, he had already sat in Paris and controlled it for one year. SIR OSWALD: Well, because we declared war on him, of course. And that’s often — Crossman put that point to me in a debate here last summer. He said, “Why, they were already — he was attacking us in the west.” But it was we who declared war. Hitler didn’t declare war. Naturally, if you declare war on a man, he attacks you. He was going to Poland. We then declared war. No soldier is going to leave his rear unprotected if he can possibly avoid it. He then turned around and attacked us. The point is this: if we hadn’t declared war and had let him drive east to the collision with Communist Russia, he would have defeated the Communists. And the real question, that is, the vital question, is what would have happened then? Would he have turned around and attacked us? My answer to that is that it’s better to fight tomorrow with arms than to fight today without arms. We took the enormous risk of entering unarmed into that war. It’s better to arm and be prepared. If he had fought the Russians, we should have had ample time to mobilize French opinion and American opinion. I knew Roosevelt, at that time, very well and his whole attitude. It would have been perfectly easy to get a setup in the West to meet Hitler and defeat Hitler, because we had greater productive power and everything else, if he had ever turned against us. What was insane was to go into a war unarmed, risk our complete defeat, and save Communist Russia, who, afterwards, became the whole world’s menace. MR. BUCKLEY: When you founded your second party, why did you call it a Fascist party? What was the attraction of that term for you? SIR OSWALD: I very much wanted to avoid it, but if you are taking a certain line — I mean if you’re obviously a liberal — liberalism in England was completely different than liberalism in France. I mean liberalism under Lord Gray, the Reform Bill and all of the rest of it, was something different than the liberalism in France under Danton and Robespierre. But it does seem dishonest if you say, “I am not a Fascist,” when there’s a certain genetic similarity realizing how we all began. A genetic similarity — what I mean by that is ex-servicemen coming back from the war on each side were promised the world: the end of slums, the end of unemployment, and the rest of it, a land fit for heroes to live in and all that old guff of Lloyd-George’s — and then complete betrayal, the survivors of my generation completely betrayed. And you had the same thing happening in each country — this explosion of the ex-servicemen, which it was primarily, in order to do something as a memorial to the fallen and to build a land which they thought worthy of their sacrifice. That was the origin of the whole thing. MR. BUCKLEY: In other words, when you considered the word “fascism,” among all the alternatives — you had, after all, a party called the “New party” — SIR OSWALD: Yes, indeed. MR. BUCKLEY: – you were attracted to the term because you understood it to mean, in the early Thirties, a group of highly mobilized people who were reacting against the dissipations, that came after the war, of national and human resources. SIR OSWALD: Quite right. MR. BUCKLEY: Do you now consider this to have been a mistake? SIR OSWALD: Well, of course, the question is very often put to me. If I’d stayed in the Labour party and gone on and, as people are Kind enough to have said, I might have led the Labour party and become prime minister, anyhow, at the end of the war, if not before, or something of that sort — that’s a question which is often put to me. Well, see what it means. If the devil offered you that deal, are you going to acquiesce, feeling as I did, about the death, the unnecessary death as I believe it to be, of 50 million men, in order, after the war, to remould the world nearer to the heart’s desire? Should you do that deal or not? But, in fact, I decided to go flat out to stop the war, and with a revolutionary movement — because it’s all nonsense to believe that fascism was ever a conservative movement or a movement of the right — with a revolutionary movement to try to do the things which the ex-servicemen had been promised and which, for 12 years within Parliament, I had tried to do, both as an M.P. and as a minister. I had been utterly and completely frustrated, with every pledge to us broken. Then came this tremendous explosion, an effort at any cost to get things done, and following that, the effort to stop the war. That is the origin of the whole thing, which is easy to understand. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, now, what were the similarities between the fascism that you advocated during the Thirties, the fascism that had been instituted 10 years earlier by Mussolini, and the fascism that was being instituted by Adolf Hitler? SIR OSWALD: Well, the similarity was that they were ultra-national movements, interested in their — MR. BUCKLEY: Now, what does “ultra-national” mean? Did you have any designs on other countries? SIR OSWALD: Oh, none whatever, because we had everything we wanted. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, then, what does “ultra-national” mean? SIR OSWALD: National meant the development — MR. BUCKLEY: No, “ultra-national.” SIR OSWALD: – of the British Empire. MR. BUCKLEY: Oh – the development of the British Empire? SIR OSWALD: The development of the British Empire at that time, for the benefit — MR. BUCKLEY: So, it was a part of fascism, under no circumstances, to give up any of the Empire? SIR OSWALD: Oh, no, to development the Empire. MR. BUCKLEY: Was it a part of fascism to increase the size of the Empire? SIR OSWALD: Not to increase, because we had a quarter of the globe, very nearly, already. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, why wouldn’t you be better off with a third of the globe? SIR OSWALD: Well, now, I think anyone who’s sane at all never takes on more than he can manage, and we had grossly mismanaged what we had already undertaken. We hadn’t even completed the geological survey of the Empire when the Second World War began. MR. BUCKLEY: But the ultra-nationalism of Mussolini caused him to go into Ethiopia and, subsequently, into Albania. The ultra-nationalism of Hitler caused him to move east and west. What would ultra-nationalism for England have signified in terms of complementary movements? SIR OSWALD: Well, that is precisely the difference. We had everything we wanted, every conceivable thing, and to have tried to get more would have been simply idiotic. The Italians, on the other hand, were living in a confined space, hence their explosion into North Africa. The Germans had a much bigger consideration of being divided from their own people. Supposing, for instance, in this country, England, Lancashire and Yorkshire had been divided by a corridor or occupied by a foreign power who threatened a war on us if we ever tried to get rid of it. We might have felt a little rough at that time. Our situations were completely different and, for that reason, our policies were completely different. That really is the whole point. Ours was an imperial policy — mind Britain’s business, Britons fight for Britain only, all those old slogans were devoted to that end. MR. BUCKLEY: What else did ultra-nationalism mean? SIR OSWALD: Ultra-nationalism meant concentrating on our own affairs — and here, this is a big point against me — and letting, in a way, the rest of the world go hang. MR. BUCKLEY: And in what sense was that different from non-ultra-nationalist movements in England? SIR OSWALD: In that we were, of course, far more dynamic in our policies; : that is, we — MR. BUCKLEY: Now, what does dynamic consist of? SIR OSWALD: Dynamic meant taking far more power to the state, just as in — MR. BUCKLEY: Aha, which is a distinctively left — SIR OSWALD: Yes, distinctively left. That, of course, is another basic thing to understand, that fascism was neither of the right nor the left. It cuts clean across, or did cut clean across, through the whole spectrum of politics. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, now, did you desire to take as much power into the state as Mussolini took into the state — SIR OSWALD: No, because I – MR. BUCKLEY: – in effect, constituting – SIR OSWALD: I was always against the ultra-bureaucratic concept and I am — today, I’ll develop that far further. I mean, what I call now the “wage-price mechanism,” have called ever since 1955, is, in my view, a far, far more advanced and more flexible instrument than the corporate state which people were talking about in the Thirties. I was happy to see the wage-price mechanism discussed in your journal, Time, last October 18, a phrase I first used in 1955. America’s moving toward that kind of policy. MR. BUCKLEY: What did you mean by the “wage-price mechanism”? SIR OSWALD: Well, now, what I mean by that is the power of the state to intervene — not the controls of socialism or the controls of communism — but the power of the state to intervene to decide the main reward differential and, when necessary, in the case of monopoly, to control prices, not more. I deal with it in that book. My Life. I dealt with it before in Europe: Faith and Plan, published in 1958, in extenso, and that is one of my main economic policies today. MR. BUCKLEY: What the economists call “dirigism.” SIR OSWALD: Yes, dirigism, yes. MR. BUCKLEY: Now, this met, primarily, opposition from conservatives rather than from Socialists. SIR OSWALD: Yes, exactly. MR. BUCKLEY: So, we have ultra-nationalism. We have the wage-price mechanism. To what extent did you feel in the Thirties that your movement, which you called fascism, could accommodate personal liberty? SIR OSWALD: Well, I have said, and I think it is basic — we have got to learn lessons from the past. Anybody who doesn’t learn lessons from the past is a fool; he’s lived without learning anything. And, therefore, the basic error of fascism was the disregard for liberty. I don’t plead as guilty on that as other people should and must plead guilty, because I always stood against imprisonment without trial, even before I suffered it myself. But, I think the basic error of fascism was that in its drive for action at all cost, it overrode liberty; and the great problem of this present-day age is to synthesize the drive for action, which is completely necessary, with the preservation of individual liberty. And if we can achieve that, we’ve made some contribution to the thought of our age, and that has been my whole effort since the war. MR. BUCKLEY: So that you concede that, during the Thirties, your movement was not one that made much room for individual liberty? SIR OSWALD: Well, I think we disregarded it more than we should have; that is, the power of the state was exaggerated, the whole concept was too bureaucratic. I learned those lessons and then, after the war, for that reason, the far more flexible instrument of the wage-price mechanism, the direction of the state’s activity to certain central things, like differential rewards, that of protecting, for instance, scientists, technicians, doctors, nurses, people like that, from being crushed out by the great organized trade union power; miners, dustmen, and others at the other end who do unpleasant jobs; all those sort of things, the state has to intervene and lay down the main differentials but not in order to destroy private enterprise, in order to make private enterprise possible. Because while you’ve got, on the one hand, trade union power and on the other, monopoly and finance power, there’s no such thing as private enterprise. And the state has got to hold the rein for the consumer and for the really valuable people — MR. BUCKLEY: Are you talking about your views now or your views then? SIR OSWALD: This is my view now based upon the lessons of the past which were too bureaucratic; because, whereas I think we were right to strive for action to remedy unemployment, to remedy the slums and all the horrors of that day and the suffering of people, our methods were wrong in that we exaggerated the power of the state and we had too little regard for individual liberty at that time. That is the lesson I draw from that period. MR BUCKLEY: And what about the paraphernalia of fascism? To what extent is the posture of the military, the uniforms, the salute, the marching – do you think that’s sort of a necessary temperamental expression of fascist movements? SIR OSWALD: No, not at all. You see, it arose — and that’s the only similarity, purely superficial, but it’s my great drawback today, because they can associate me with German or Italian fascism simply for that reason. My first answer is: wearing a uniform no more turned us into German or Italian Fascists than wearing a uniform turns an English soldier into a French soldier or a German soldier. The origin of the thing was very simple. Our meetings were attacked; I mean, that’s on record, there’s no disputing it. Olympia was attacked like a military operation – organized for three weeks, openly and publicly, without any intervention by the state whatever. And, at that time, I was organized, being a professional soldier in origin myself, in a military fashion to meet it and defeat it, and we did defeat it. As I said in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, only this week, the only time order has ever been maintained in England and free speech was preserved was when we had completely broken the Red terror in the Thirties by those military measures which meant wearing uniforms and the rest of it. We did maintain order at our meetings, and we had meetings which were perfectly peaceful. They could not stop our free speech like they stopped Churchill and everybody else with whom they disagreed. That was the origin of the uniform and the military. But I’ll admit this: I went too far. It was my main mistake. If I’d stopped at the simple black shirt — 90 percent of our members were working class, and their wives made them in their own homes. They were very poor people. If I’d stopped there, that would have been all right. As soldiers — and they were soldiers in the end, because they had to fight — they liked smart uniforms and I, as an old soldier, made the mistake of pandering to that taste and allowing them to wear very elaborate uniforms, which has been thrown at me ever since. A great mistake. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, now, Sir Oswald, you’ve given us, with some taxonomical precision, what it is that fascism consisted of during the Thirties; now let’s jump 25-30 years, and let me ask you a couple of questions about states that are currently considered to be Fascist. The list that you gave — for instance, take Spain. Would you consider that Spain is a Fascist state in the sense in which you understood yourself to be a Fascist in the Thirties? SIR OSWALD: No. MR. BUCKLEY: Why? SIR OSWALD: I should say that fascism in Spain died with an old friend of mine, who came to see me in London in the Thirties, Premier de Rivera, the son of the famous old Premier de Rivera, who was murdered by the Communists in prison just before the civil war broke out. And Franco, of course, was a soldier. It was a military coup d’etat, and so he won in the civil war and established a military system. He is a great equilibrist — a man who balances among the army, the church, the agriculture interest — very powerful — the industrialists, and the — MR. BUCKLEY: Falangistes. SIR OSWALD: Falange, yes, which was founded by Primo and carried on, very largely, by his sister and other people. But Franco, no, nobody could possibly call him, I think, a Fascist. MR. BUCKLEY: Well, there’s not much -well, there is not individual liberty in Spain of a political character at all, but you would not say that the fact that there is nonesuch classifies his society as a Fascist society because there are too many other ingredients missing? SIR OSWALD: No, you see, I agree and I’ve admitted that the other Fascist states — I don’t think it would have been so true, if I had won here —did ignore liberty and they did great damage. Mussolini had his Lipari Islands and people interned. They did then, in time of peace, what was done to me — I was put in prison, rather — in time of war. You probably know the story of when he let Malaparte out and asked him to come to see him. Malaparte, according to the tale, went in and Mussolini said, “Well, now, you’ve got liberty, what are you going to do with it?” Now, Malaparte, who was a very witty and brilliant fellow, said, “I’m promptly going to abuse it.” Mussolini, I understand, didn’t rearrest him. Well, you should put up with that. I never want to put anyone in jail, not merely because I’ve been there myself — without charge, without trial — but because I’m absolutely confident of being able to answer them. If I had power in this country, if it was handed to me by any freak of fate, then certainly they could have equal time on TV, press conference, press or anything else. MR. BUCKLEY: In your current disposition? SIR OSWALD: Yeah, I’m absolutely confident of being able to answer them. Now, I wouldn’t have minded that in the Thirties, because I’d met these men in Parliament and I knew how jolly easy it was to answer them. MR. BUCKLEY: Now, what about the Greek Colonels? Would you say that that’s a Fascist society? SIR OSWALD: No, again, I shouldn’t. You see, that’s in the Franco category; that is a military, rather than a Fascist, movement. MR. BUCKLEY: Is there a Fascist state – is there an incumbent Fascist state? SIR OSWALD: There is no Fascist state, and fascism does not exist. It was a national creed which died in the Thirties, and the main reason for its non-revival is that any dynamic person who was drawn to that kind of thing would now be a European. You see, we were, obviously, national as I said before, but that was when we had a great Empire. And it was the thing to do. This was our task, our immediate task. I was always, myself, a passionate European in feeling and psychology, as my early Parliament speeches will show. I spent every moment I could in France and in Europe generally, in my spare time. But my political task was to develop the Empire. Now, the Empire after the war was gone; that is one of the things I complain about. We needn’t go into that. And I then implemented my passionate Europeanism by declaring in 1940 — in October I think it was, no, May 1940 — for a European nation. By this term, I meant Europe as much an integrated state as Britain, France, Germany, or, indeed. America is today. America is rather the model in that respect, because you are united states – MR. BUCKLEY: Well, that’s hardly considered a Fascist position SIR OSWALD: It has nothing to do with fascism — MR. BUCKLEY: No. SIR OSWALD: In fact, the country – MR. BUCKLEY: I don’t understand why fascism died if fascism is defined as a society which is ultra-nationalistic, which seeks to avoid wars, which seeks to harness a state in human resources, and is prepared to suppress individual liberty in order to do so. Why wouldn’t it be proper to call the Chinese state a Fascist state? SIR OSWALD: Well, of course, I can define, I think, the differences between even fascism and communism. Though, of course, as H. G. Wells in his book. The Brothers, and other people pointed out, there was a certain relationship in the view of many people, and I say that relationship stopped at this point — they were both dynamic creeds. They both wanted to do something; but the results were very different. Communism established this universal bureaucracy and was far more brutal, anyhow, in time of peace. There were obviously far more people killed in the Communist countries in time of peace than there were in the Fascist countries. But there was, perhaps, too much resemblance. And we have, again, learned from the lessons of the past, as everybody should. After the war, I declared for Europe — and in Europe, there’s no question of having a totalitarian party or a totalitarian figure. The other European countries would never tolerate for a moment one man from one country being put over the lot of them. You have to have, as I’ve always said, an equipe, equals, a Round Table, King Arthur, or the old archon-type round table concept, and then the man with the best ideas wins. And I find no difficulty with international conferences, European conferences, a Frenchman on one side and a German on the other. You usually have an advantage if you can talk the two languages because they never can talk to each other as a rule and you get through more of your policies probably than you deserve to do, but it’s a matter of persuasion. Something so huge as Europe and so diverse can never be unified in a Fascist or totalitarian fashion. The most we can hope is to get a three-tier government in Europe: central government dealing with defence, foreign policy, the main economic questions — same rate for the same job, possibly, throughout Europe; then you have the national parliaments and national governments exactly as they are today and elected, I would add, in the same way as’ they are today; and then devolution to the regions — which is now a very strong movement in Europe — so that we’d have our Welsh and our Scotch and there would be the Briton and other local parliaments. That, obviously, has no relation to the highly centralized, rather bureaucratic, control of a Fascist state in one individual nation before the war. So, at that point, we launch out into the future and leave the past behind us. MR. BUCKLEY: Mr. Riddell. MR. RIDDELL: There is one aspect of fascism, Sir Oswald, that does interest me, now, and it’s the role of the leader. It seems to be characteristic of all the Fascist parties you talked of that there’s been a very dominant leader. You are opposed to bureaucracy — the leader can sum up the feelings — and you talk about yourself as almost a personification of the ex-serviceman coming back from the war, that you could sum up their feelings. You could express it by exercising your authority. SIR OSWALD: Yes, yes. Well, of course, it is a tremendous force in favour of action. It does arouse enthusiasm. It is not peculiar to fascism. It is a way to get things done. I think we have gotten beyond it now, altogether, but we can take Mao in China. He obviously has aroused enormous enthusiasm by the leader cult and all the rest of it. I think it can lead to disaster. That’s one of the reasons we don’t want it anymore. Hitler went mad. Stalin went mad. And that’s why I affirm always now that you must be subject to the control of Parliament. MR. RIDDELL: What about De Gaulle? SIR OSWALD: Well, he was under a very wide measure of control. I don’t think anyone suggests those elections were faked and all the rest of it. In fact, finally, the electorate virtually sacked him. But, the leader figure was combined with a wider measure of liberty. I don’t agree, by any means, with everything he did or stood for, but it was a very different thing from fascism before the war. And I think now we’ve got to combine the absolute control of Parliament, so that Parliament at any time, or Congress with you, can get rid of some man who goes mad; but, at the same time, while he’s there and while he’s trusted, give him — well not him, but the government as a whole – in the European case, a very widely based government — the power to act; otherwise, in this menacing situation, we’ll never get anywhere. MR. RIDDELL: Therefore, do you see -this is sort of an interesting point. De Gaulle was in the wilderness between the late Forties and ’58 in France. Do you see yourself in the wilderness in Paris waiting for the crisis in Britain, for parties to speak out and you to be called back to do the De Gaulle role? SIR OSWALD: The press has asked that very often, that suggestion, and I said — MR. RIDDELL: I’m a journalist. SIR OSWALD: — a very simple and very clear answer: no. If the fairy came in with two hands, offering me two quite different things: one, to be prime minister of Britain today, which obviously I wanted to be for a long time, and many people are kind enough to say I might have been, and with the other hand gave me the power to appear in Britain, France, Germany, and America on television, as I am appearing now, arguing with intelligent people, and to write syndicated articles throughout the world, like, say, old Lippman did — I’m talking of a dream or an ambition — I’d choose the latter every time. Because I want to do two things while I’m still in this world: to maintain peace, if I can make any little contribution to it, stop a war, and I want to see the complete unity of Europe. I’d rather persuade men over a great field than run one country. On the other hand, they say, “Well, if England got into serious trouble, would you do nothing about it — turn your back on your country?” The answer always is, of course, “Well, if mother falls in the ditch, everybody has got to come back from all over the world. Any Englishman would do what he could to pull her out.” But that’s not what I want to do. MR. BUCKLEY: Miss Middleweek. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: Aren’t you always looking for “mother” and looking for the person you can define as whose interests coincide with yours — just as fascism was ultra-nationalism and then you had the Empire as well, which was “as much as we needed”? If we had needed some more Empire, you know, if we hadn’t got enough rubber or something, maybe some more black men would have needed to be subjugated to our rule in order to get it. I can see that you draw an intellectual distinction now between Europeanism and fascism, but to me, you’re saying Western Europe, as a bloc, now has interest in the way that it didn’t in the Thirties and it didn’t when Hitler was in France. Our interests were not with Western Europe then and Frenchmen then, because somehow you seem to think that he would have gone east to Europe and stopped at Dunkirk because we were minding our own business, which is something that amazes me. SIR OSWALD: No, we’ve always defined Europe as part of our interest; that is, it is classical English policy never to have a hostile power which can threaten us overrunning Western Europe. That’s why, always, not only did I want Britain rearmed, but I’d always have fought with France for the defence of France. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: But you’re too intelligent to tell me that you couldn’t see that Hitler in the Thirties was a threat, not just to Jews in Germany, not just to minority groups in Germany, but a threat to Europe. SIR OSWALD: Well, I’ll answer that very briefly. I think it’s a complete misunderstanding. I don’t think, for reasons deep in Nazi psychology — anybody who knew anything about the Nazis or German psychology would agree that he had no designs, I think, on Western Europe at all. But that doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be so idiotic as to rest the life of my country on a hunch. That is why I wanted Britain armed to the teeth in case he ever turned against us, why I wanted.France and I wanted America alerted. Now, what I call absolutely imbecilic is to rest the life of your country on a hunch. And if I may, for one second, I’ll give an example. When President Roosevelt was warned by Mr. Bullitt against Stalin, he replied, “I just have a hunch that Stalin is not that kind of man. I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask nothing from him in return, noblesse oblige, he will not try to annex anything and will work with me for a world of democracy and peace,” quoted by one of the heads of the English intelligence. Montgomery Hyde, in a very brilliant book just published. Take another hunch. “And so, looking at Marshal Stalin, we feel that we have a friend whom we can trust — Churchill at Yalta; at Potsdam – “So I filled a small claret glass of brandy and another for him. We both drained our glasses at a stroke and gazed approvingly at one another.” Then take the morning after, at the conservative conference a few years later — Blackburn in ’54, “Our principal object of dread is now Stalin. He’s carried away by his dream of world domination; he has actually reduced a third of Europe to a Soviet satellite condition under compulsion.” MR. RIDDELL: But, Sir Oswald, there’s a distinction between those two quotes. SIR OSWALD: Now that was idiotic, idiotic. MR. RIDDELL: I mean, the first Churchill quote you gave about Yalta. It was necessary, then, because we were fighting the Nazis, for Churchill — he was very reluctant at the time — to cooperate with Stalin. He was aware, as I think is quite clear, far more than the Americans were, of the threat from Stalin. SIR OSWALD: Do you really think that flowery speeches like that, or trusting him or not trusting him, had any effect on a man who had gone the long and dusty road from Siberia to the Kremlin or that he could be won over by Mr. Churchill drinking his toast? The whole concept was ridiculous, and no wonder clever and able and shrewd American conservatives like Mr. Buckley are alarmed when Mr. Nixon goes to China and has feasts and all the rest of it. But I maintain this: the soft sell to communism occurred with Roosevelt and Churchill, and naturally you suspect, you’re afraid, the same thing will happen again. And well you may, because when they talk about trading with China and with Russia, what they mean is long-term credits which have almost broken some of the great German friends already. You equip the Communist countries and, at the end of it, they tell you to go to blazes, and having been equipped, they turn around and face you exactly like Stalin did in ’45. And, of course, you are right, therefore, to suspect it. But there’s another line which I suggest — the hard line, neither frozen nor soft, a line in which you say, “We’ll see these people; we’ll measure our opponents; and we’ll get as far as we can in private negotiations; but if we can’t get anywhere, we’ll stand them up in public and show the world where they’re wrong and where we’re right.” And you’ve got to produce people in all these great states who can do it. And if I might just conclude that – if you can do that, communism will retreat, just as they did after Hungary and after Czechoslovakia. Because the Communist parties in every country in the world begin to wither when they’re shown up in their brutal tactics in public. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: They were shown up in Czechoslovakia for all their brutal tactics, and they haven’t withered and died. SIR OSWALD: Well, they withered a great deal, and if we had kept it up with intensive propaganda, instead of running off to lick their boots again — by all means, negotiate, see where you can get with them, but when you can get nowhere, then show up their policies and demonstrate your own in public debate. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: You seem to me to take a view of morality in politics — SIR OSWALD: There is none. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: – regarding your enemies because Communist — you know, it’s a moral question — but regarding who you should be friends with, it’s realpolitik, it’s nationalism, it’s the people whose interest you’re in, and this to me is ridiculous. And I just can’t see how you can justify it in any way. I think, intellectually, in exactly the same way, you produce arguments for saying you weren’t anti-Semitic, that you were a pacifist in the 1930’s, that aren’t worthy of an intellect like yours. SIR OSWALD: Well, may I put a question to you? Should Churchill then, have refused to be allied with communism in order to defeat Russia? Because on your argument, they had no right to use communism to defeat Germany; they had no right to ally themselves with communism; and, of course, you must, in real policy, accept help where you can get it, in a desperate situation. But do not deceive yourself that at the end of it a Communist is going to work with you for democracy and peace, which these men appeared genuinely to believe. MR RIDDELL: No, Churchill didn’t. MISS MIDDLEWEEK: No, no, Churchill didn’t think they were — SIR OSWALD: Do you think they were just telling lies? MR. EVANS: But, Sir Oswald, isn’t there a more serious fallacy in your argument? You see the heart and revolutionary nature of Communist regimes; you see that there’s nothing there which can be dealt with except by a hard line; I agree with you. But the difficulty in your analysis, and this is what really frightens me about it — SIR OSWALD: Yes, indeed. MR. EVANS: — is that as a conservative, there seems to me to be none of the Burkean sense of how the social structure operates in your analysis. And what I mean by that is you don’t realize that, for instance, the social conflicts in Germany in the 1930″s were so vicious, so extreme, and so polarized, that given the nationalist setup in Germany, this was a revolutionary situation like the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution, in its own particular Germanic fashion. It was going to overspill; it was going to be expansionary. Now, I’m suggesting that your understanding of the social structure, then, didn’t allow for it. SIR OSWALD: Yeah. MR. EVANS: But what was more frightful to your own position was that you assumed that the same sort of social conflicts were happening in England in the 1930’s, when they weren’t. SIR OSWALD: Shall I tell you when it happened? MR. EVANS: England was very much more socially cohesive than you allowed for. But at the same time, there was an English political structure that was much stronger then than — SIR OSWALD: Would you like to hear a very simple answer to that? MR. EVANS: I would. SIR OSWALD: When I began, in the following six years, right until Roosevelt’s doubling of the price of gold and many other things of that sort, unemployment in Britain was halved. Those six years before Hitler came to power, unemployment in Germany was quadrupled. Now, all those things, and
Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Support Group, which provides mentoring and practical support to individuals. A GCHQ spokesman said some of their most talented code-breakers were affected: “They are very creative but may need support, including adjustments in the workplace, such as IT tools and computer software, or [reductions] in their working hours.” In a speech last year, Sir Iain Lobban, the director of GCHQ, said: “Part of my job is to attract the very best people and harness their talents, and not allow preconceptions and stereotypes to stifle innovation and agility.” Adrian Culley, a cyber expert and former Scotland Yard computer crime detective, said: “Dyslexic people have the ability of seeing codes with patterns, repetitions and omissions. “Dyslexia may in other circumstances be regarded as negative but most people only get to see the full jigsaw picture when it’s nearly finished while dyslexic cryptographists can see what the jigsaw puzzle looks like with just two pieces.” Some of the world’s greatest thinkers suffered from dyslexia, including Albert Einstein.It was an outrage when a group of 20 scientists published a letter to President Obama and AG Lynch demanding RICO prosecution of those who question the theory of global warming, based as it is on models that have failed to accurately predict the Earth’s climate for the last 19 years. Not only is criminalizing scientific investigation a bad idea, but the underlying contention that skeptics are funded by greedy polluters is false, a myth deliberately spread by the gang that profits from hysteria, as Russell Cook demonstrated on these pages yesterday. Finally, we may be getting some cosmic justice for the gang of warmists who have spread hysteria over their shaky theory of global warming. Owing to an outrageous act of witch-hunting dissenters, a congressional investigation has begun, and who knows what it will uncover? The letter was published on the website of the Institute for Global Environment and Society (IGES), a nonprofit funded almost exclusively by government grants. The first sign that something was amiss was when IGES disappeared the RICO letter from its website. A bit later, the “404 not found” page was replaced by this: The letter that was inadvertently posted on this web site has been removed. It was decided more than two years ago that the Institute of Global Environment and Society (IGES) would be dissolved when the projects then undertaken by IGES would be completed. All research projects by IGES were completed in July 2015, and the IGES web site is in the process of being decommissioned. Inadvertently? Somebody is trying to cover his posterior, aware that misconduct has taken place. It is bad enough that the entire website is about to be taken down. Perhaps they got an inkling of what was headed their way. Lachlan Markay of the Free Beacon delivers the news: A congressman is asking a taxpayer-funded environmental group to preserve records related to its president’s campaign to bring federal racketeering charges against climate change skeptics. Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, revealed the committee will be investigating calls from George Mason University meteorologist Jagadish Shukla and nineteen other scientists to bring civil racketeering charges against companies and organizations that pay for scientific research that questions catastrophic human-induced climate change. (snip) “IGES’s recent decision to remove documents from its website raises concerns that additional information vital to the Committee’s investigation may not be preserved,” Smith wrote in a Thursday letter to Shukla. Smith asked Shukla to preserve all internal documents and communications that could be relevant to the committee’s investigation, and to ask all current and former employees and contractors to do the same. The investigation will likely focus on taxpayers’ extensive support for IGES through grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Shukla’s letter to Obama and Lynch “raises serious concerns because IGES appears to be almost fully funded by taxpayer money while simultaneously participating in partisan political activity by requesting a RICO investigation of companies and organizations that disagree with the Obama Administration on climate change,” Smith wrote. Smith’s letter cited prior reporting by the Washington Free Beacon revealing that IGES has received $63 million in government funds since 2001, which comprised 98 percent of its total revenue in that time according to annual tax filings. In addition, Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute made a request to the Virginia governor’s office for materials related to Shukla. The governor’s office has promptly responded, as reported by Anthony Watts of the invaluable Watts Up With That website: Watts is exploring a suspicious contradiction involving grants to IGES and its affiliate COLA (Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies): WUWT reader Dean P. writes in comments on the WUWT story from earlier today: The updated website says that they’ve been planning to shut down IGES for over two years now. That makes no sense since in October 2013 they were awarded NSF Grant #1338427, which started in May 2014 and is expected to continue into 2017. Does that mean they were planning to shutter the doors while they were still applying for grants? Did they tell the NSF that they planned on shutting down? As others have said – something smells fishy… I say let the sun shine in. Expose these people and their multimillion-dollar enterprises.Mayors and councillors in Saskatchewan's two largest urban centres won't be getting wage increases this year. Last week, Premier Brad Wall announced a freeze on the salaries of provincial cabinet members as well as certain Crown corporation executives and government employees. Since the earnings of municipal politicians in Saskatoon and Regina are indexed to those of provincial ministers, the freeze also affects some city officials. According to the City of Saskatoon, the mayor's salary is 85 per cent of a cabinet minister's total salary and councillors make 45 per cent of what the mayor earns. In Regina, the city's 2013 operating budget states the mayor's salary is 77.3 per cent of a cabinet minister's and councillors earn a third, or approximately 33 per cent, of what the mayor earns. Ministers made a total salary of $142,866 in 2014.1 of 5 View Caption Rick Egan \| The Salt Lake Tribune New owners of a former state trust section have locked this gate to a county road crossing th Rick Egan \| The Salt Lake Tribune New owners of a former state trust section have locked this gate to a county road crossing th Rick Egan \| The Salt Lake Tribune New owners of a former state trust section have locked this gate to a county road crossing th Rick Egan \| The Salt Lake Tribune New owners of a former state trust section have locked this gate to a county road crossing th Rick Egan \| The Salt Lake Tribune New owners of a former state trust section have locked this gate to a county road crossing thMaine’s junior Senator, the Republican Susan Collins, has the power to end the military’s ban on openly gay soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen today — or the ability to crush the hopes of those hoping to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year, according to a Democratic aide. It’s her choice, says the Senate Democratic aide, who has direct knowledge of the talks leading up to today’s planned cloture vote on the defense spending bill that contains the repeal language. The aide says supporters of repeal have all the votes they need to move the bill to a final vote, save for Collins, who has been the focus of a coordinated campaign to shift her position by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and President Obama, who the aide said called Collins yesterday to lobby her on DADT. All three have attempted to get Collins to budge from her position that a cloture vote on the defense bill must be preceded by unlimited debate, which in Senate parlance means any Senator — including the many vocal opponents of DADT repeal — could offer a “non-germane amendment” (the aide suggested repeal of the health care law as an example) that would shut down debate and prevent a final vote on DADT. The aide said that an unlimited debate process would be all but unprecedented on a defense spending bill, and amounts to an “unreasonable demand” on Collins’ part. Now, with the hours ticking down until Reid announces a cloture vote on the defense bill, Democrats are waiting for Collins’ counteroffer to their proposal to offer ten amendments before the final vote, which the aide says is a good faith effort to give Collins what she has professed to need all along.Negotiations are ongoing, the aide told TPM, with Lieberman and Reid continuing to reach out to Collins with the hope that she’ll take something less than unlimited debate to secure her cloture vote and, with it, the likely end to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The Democratic aide did not say if a cloture vote fail tonight would mean Reid and others would strip out DADT from the defense bill for a final vote on military funding, as some have predicted. Collins’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.By Election Day, ambitious Democrats had already resigned themselves to an eight-year wait for their chance in the national spotlight. Hillary Clinton was an overwhelming favorite against Donald Trump and, assuming she won, running a primary challenge against her in four years would be a fool’s errand. Then Clinton lost. Although this most stunning upset in modern presidential history has produced (and will produce) a thousand aftershocks, one of the most unlikely and important is that the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 is now open. That opening is made all the more remarkable by the fact that there is simply no logical heir (or even heirs) to President Obama or Clinton — no obvious candidate waiting in the wings to step forward and rebuild the party. Vice President Biden appears to have decided that he is done running for office. As a two-time loser, Clinton is done, too. And after that, the bench is, well, pretty thin. Politics, of course, abhors a vacuum. So candidates will run. Here is a look at who they might be: Sen. Cory Booker: Booker has been a national figure since the mid-2000s, when he was elected mayor of Newark. His résumé — football at Stanford University, a Rhodes scholarship — is impressive, and many Democrats see the young (he’s 47), charismatic, African American U.S. senator from New Jersey as the second coming of Obama. But the campaign that Booker ran for the Senate in 2013 was more competitive than it should have been largely because of his shaky performance. He may start the 2020 race as the front-runner, but he still has lots of questions that need answering. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Gillibrand may be the most logical heir to Clinton in the 2020 field, but it remains to be seen whether that is a good thing. When Obama chose Clinton to be secretary of state, Gillibrand was appointed to her Senate seat in New York and then won two subsequent elections to hold the seat, thanks to rock-star-level fundraising. Gillibrand, according to the New York Post, is already feeling out some of Clinton’s major donors about what comes next for the party. At 49, Gillibrand is one of a handful of women primed to be the next generation of female leaders for Democrats. Sen.-elect Kamala Harris: Harris will not officially become a U.S. senator from California for more than a month, but she is already regarded as national-candidate material in four years. It is not hard to see why. She is the first African American woman elected to the Senate since Carol Moseley Braun in 1992. Harris also represents the largest and most Democratic state in the country, a huge financial launchpad to a presidential bid. (Through mid-October, Harris had raised more than $13 million for her Senate candidacy.) Her law-and-order background — she was elected and reelected attorney general in California — also will appeal to many Democrats. Whether Harris wants to — or will be ready to — run for national office so soon after being elected to the Senate remains to be seen. Gov. John Hickenlooper: The Colorado governor was almost Clinton’s vice-presidential pick this time around. And in a field filled with Washington types, the governor of a swing state in the West could have real appeal. Hickenlooper also has a terrific life story — a Denver brewery owner who became mayor and governor — and a down-home demeanor that screams, “I am not a politician.” Hickenlooper’s biggest problem as a candidate may be that he is viewed as too moderate for the current Democratic Party. But some governor (Missouri’s Jay Nixon? Delaware’s Jack Markell?) will run for president, and, at the moment, Hickenlooper seems first among equals for that role. Sen. Amy Klobuchar: Like Gillibrand, Klobuchar is an accomplished and ambitious senator who cuts the sort of profile that should put her in the mix for 2020. Unlike Gillibrand, however, Klobuchar represents Minnesota — not exactly a fundraising hotbed for a national candidate. But she has a very interesting legislative background — she worked with Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) on ensuring veterans got the leave benefits they were promised before deploying, and she is a leading voice on adoption in the Senate. First lady Michelle Obama: Let’s say this first: The soon-to-be-former first lady has never run for elected office and, to date, has shown absolutely no interest in doing so. But let’s also say this: She gave the two best political speeches of the past two years — the first at the Democratic National Convention in July, the second in New Hampshire in the fall, an emotional condemnation of Trump’s America. Obama has one thing — with the possible exception of Booker — that the rest of the people on this list lack: true star power. She would start the race not only totally known by base Democrats but also absolutely beloved. The issue for Obama is that being a candidate in your own right is very different from being a surrogate for a candidate.Haruki Murakami holds the titles of both the most popular novelist in Japan and the most popular Japanese novelist in the wider world. After publishing Norwegian Wood in 1987, a book often called "the Japanese Catcher in the Rye," Murakami's notoriety exploded to such an extent that he felt forced out of his homeland, a country whose traditional ways and — to his mind — conformist mindset never sat right with him in the first place. Though he returned to Japan in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake and the Tokyo underground gas attacks, he remained an author shaped by his favorite foreign cultures — especially America's. This, combined with his yearning to break from established Japanese literary norms, has generated enough international demand for his work to sell briskly in almost every language in which people read novels. I myself once spent a month doing nothing but reading Murakami's work, and this BBC documentary Haruki Murakami: In Search of this Elusive Writer makes a valiant attempt to capture what about it could raise such a compulsion. Rupert Edwards’ camera follows veteran presenter Alan Yentob through Japan, from the midnight Tokyo of After Hours to the snowed-in Hokkaido of A Wild Sheep Chase, in a quest to find artifacts of the supremely famous yet media-shy novelist’s imaginary world. Built around interviews with fans and translators but thick with such Murakamiana as laid-back jazz standards, grim school hallways, sixties pop hits, women’s ears, vinyl records, marathon runners, and talking cats, the broadcast strives less to explain Murakami’s substance than to simply reflect it. If you find your curiosity piqued by all the fuss over 1Q84, Murakami’s latest, you might watch it as something of an aesthetic primer. Related content: An Introduction to the World of Haruki Murakami Through Documentaries, Stories, Animation, Music Playlists & More A 96-Song Playlist of Music in Haruki Murakami’s Novels: Miles Davis, Glenn Gould, the Beach Boys & More Read 5 Stories By Haruki Murakami Free Online (For a Limited Time) A Photographic Tour of Haruki Murakami’s Tokyo, Where Dream, Memory, and Reality Meet Colin Marshall hosts and produces Notebook on Cities and Culture. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall.ROCK HILL, South Carolina – Hillary Clinton spoke passionately about criminal justice reform at the First in the South Democratic Presidential Forum moderated by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Friday night, even as she defended the death penalty in some instances. The former secretary of state recently met with the mothers of black people killed by police and gun violence, and spoke movingly of the stories they told her. “I mean, why? It makes no sense why that happened,” Clinton said of the shooting of Walter Scott, who was shot and killed as he was running away from police in North Charleston. RELATED: Sanders shows his softer side At the same time, she defended being the only Democratic presidential candidate to support the death penalty. While she said she wants to dramatically restrict its use, she said it would appropriate in some extreme cases, like terrorism like the Boston Marathon bombing or the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. Clinton said gun violence in general is a problem, but that it’s especially distributing when it comes from someone in authority, like police officers, who should be held to a higher standard. Pressed by Maddow on her past ties to Wall Street, Clinton insisted she would not be influenced and called the revolving door between government and corporations “an American problem.” “Anybody who thinks they can influence what I am going to do doesn’t know me very well,” she said, calling for legislation that would prevent people from immediately joining some companies after leaving the government. RELATED: Underdog candidate finds his stride She also defended against the notion that she would be a more hawkish president than Obama, saying she would pursue diplomacy while also not ruling out using military force. In the lightning round, Clinton said she would learn Spanish if she had to learn any language – because more people speak it. And she called herself an “intro-extrovert” who likes to be around people but also needs alone time. Meanwhile, she admittedly dodged a question on which Republican presidential candidate she would pick as her running mate. “I could pick a Republican, but none of them,” she said.Transcripts Of Combatant Status Review Trials Essential To Accountability For Torture, Says ACLU FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (212) 549-2689 or 2666; [email protected] WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court today ruled that the government can continue suppressing transcripts in which former CIA prisoners now held at Guantánamo Bay describe abuse and torture they suffered in CIA custody. The ruling came in an ACLU Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit to obtain uncensored transcripts from Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) used to determine if Guantánamo detainees qualify as "enemy combatants." “The American people have a right to know what the government has done in their name, and these transcripts, which include the direct testimony of the victims themselves, are essential to a full understanding of the Bush administration’s torture program,” said Ben Wizner, Litigation Director of the ACLU National Security Project, who argued the appeal for the ACLU. “The court’s decision undermines the Freedom of Information Act and condones a cover-up. These transcripts are being suppressed not to protect national security, but to shield former government officials from accountability.” The ACLU lawsuit sought transcripts of statements made by Guantánamo prisoners concerning the abuse they allegedly suffered while in U.S. custody. While the CIA released heavily-redacted versions of the documents in June 2009, it continues to suppress major portions of the documents, including detainees' allegations of torture. Since the ACLU first filed its FOIA request for release of the transcripts, several developments have undermined the government’s claims that it can continue to withhold the documents: in January 2009, President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting the coercive interrogation techniques described in the suppressed transcripts and ordered the closure of the CIA’s overseas prisons; in April 2009, the government declassified four Justice Department memos that purported to authorize the brutal interrogation techniques to which the detainees were subjected; also in April 2009, the New York Review of Books published a detailed report by the International Committee of the Red Cross based on firsthand accounts of these detainees about their abuse in CIA custody; and in August 2009, the government declassified large portions of a report by the CIA’s Inspector General and other CIA and Justice Department documents that provide additional details about the interrogation methods to which the detainees were subjected. Despite these developments, in October 2009 the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the government's motion to dismiss the case without even reviewing the documents in question in order to determine if they were properly withheld. Today’s appellate court ruling allows the government to continue withholding the documents. “The notion that the CIA can classify torture victims’ descriptions of their own first-hand experiences is dangerous and far-reaching,” said Wizner. “No court has ever held that unconfirmed allegations offered by detainees concerning the treatment to which they themselves were subjected could be classified and suppressed.” Attorneys on the case, ACLU, et al. v. DOD, et al., are Wizner and Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU National Security Project, Lee Gelernt of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project and Arthur B. Spitzer of the ACLU of the National Capital Area. Today's ruling is available online at: www.aclu.org/national-security/american-civil-liberties-union-et-al-v-department-defense-et-al-dc-circuit-court-0 More about the ACLU's CSRT FOIA is at: www.aclu.org/safefree/torture/csrtfoia.htmlHere’s something you might not expect to hear from me: The Loudness War is your friend Why? Because it offers an easy opportunity to let your music stand out from the crowd. Here’s how Turn it down If that sounds like nonsense to you, keep reading. I’ve set up a very simple Spotify playlist. It features a selection of songs, some very “loud”, some very “dynamic”. (If you don’t have Spotify, take a look at this video, which demonstrates exactly what I’m talking about here.) First, make sure that Spotify’s “Set the same volume level for all tracks” function is ON, in the preferences. This is the default, and means that all the tunes will be played at a similar average level, so you don’t have to keep adjusting your volume control when you’re listening on shuffle. Like I say it’s on by default, so you’ll probably already know if you’ve changed it. Next, take a listen to the playlist, by clicking this link – and turn it up fairly loud. Notice anything? Some of the songs sound better than others – MUCH better in some cases. Some have more impact, more space, more clarity, more punch. Others sound blunted, squashed, restricted and constricted – distorted, fuzzy and mushy. Like Kanye’s “All Of The Lights”, for example, or “Broken Beat and Scarred” by Metallica. Listen to the first version of “Rage Against The Machine” from 1’45” building up to 2 minutes. Listen to the power, the thrill, the buzz – I challenge you not to start nodding your head when the main riff kicks in! Now listen to the second version – the feeble 2012 remaster – at the same point. It just doesn’t work, in comparison, does it? It starts out OK, but the build just doesn’t have the same intensity, overall it doesn’t have the bite or the snap, and when it reaches 2 minutes it’s just… a damp squib. So, what’s the difference? The Loudness Wars are the difference – over the last 20 years or so, the average levels on CDs have been pushed higher and higher against the “brick wall” ceiling that all digital recording formats share. And the only way to achieve this was to squash the music into a smaller and smaller “dynamic range” – roughly speaking, the difference between the loudest and softest parts of the sound. As a result, measured using the TT Dynamic Range Meter, Metallica’s “Black Album” from 1991 has a very healthy dynamic range of DR11 – whereas “Death Magnetic” has less than one third that – it measures only DR3! (To get an idea of how those numbers stack up, click to check out this infographic. To find out how to measure the dynamic range of your own music, click here.) But what does that mean? It means “All Of The Lights” has less than half the ‘crest factor’ of “Slim Shady”. Less than half the space for the drums to punch, for the vocals to bite, for the chorus to lift. But wait – it’s louder, right? Didn’t I say the levels were being pushed up? Well yes – but Spotify’s “normalise” function evens those levels out. So does the radio – to hear the proof, click here – and so do we, when we listen. The first thing you do when you put a CD on is adjust the level, right? Or even more likely, your mp3 player does it without you realising. So why are people pushing the levels up? Good question. Maybe it’s label managers and A&R people’s fear of not being “competitive”, maybe it’s the eternal desire to “go up to 11“,or maybe it’s just a simple pissing match – “my CD must be higher level than so-and-so’s”. Whatever the reasons, I’ve got news for you – they’re all bullshit. How do I know? Well for one thing, there’s research to support it. But also, just in the last few days, I saw an article in the excellent “Sound On Sound” magazine testing exactly this question. You should read the article for yourself, but here’s a summary. SOS took three songs, and made three versions of each. One “full level”, one 3dB quieter and another 6dB quieter. No other changes – they all had the same degree of Loudness War “squash” as the originals, the only difference was the overall volume. They then submitted the songs to SoundOut and asked people to review the tracks – blind, amongst a host of other songs, and in random order. You can read the full details in the original article, but here’s the headline: The “Overall Track Ratings” calculated by SoundOut were the same at all levels (Strictly speaking, there was no statistically significant difference.) That means – listeners didn’t care that some versions of the tunes were nearly half the apparent level of the others! Other ratings did come up with statistically significant results, but they varied by genre, and were very unexpected. For example, the highest-level version of the jazz tune got a higher rating for “Market Potential”, but in the electronica genre, the lowest level (-6dB) track came out with a convincing 13% lead! What does that tell us? Listeners don’t care about “loudness” Either they don’t notice the level differences at all, or even when they do they don’t necessarily prefer the highest levels – in fact in some cases they like the quieter ones! And this flies completely in the face of the “perceived wisdom”. (Although it matches that research I mentioned very closely) I can’t wait for Sound On Sound to do a similar test, but next time allowing extra dynamics for the lower-level songs. Based on the songs in the playlist at the start of this post, I think we can all predict which version people will prefer… So, where’s the opportunity? Remember how much better the original master of “Rage Against The Machine” sounds, in comparison to the un-necessarily crushed re-master? You can have that advantage for your music, too. Just turn it down and let some dynamics back in! Ease off the compression and limiting, reduce the level a little, and allow your music the same room to punch, thump, lift and breathe. In every situation the extra dynamics will give your music’s sound a competitive advantage. It’ll sound better in Spotify, it’ll sound better on the radio and it’ll sound better on your mp3 player. Everyone else is chasing shadows, believing the hype, and holding their music back, for the sake of an urban myth. Listeners don’t prefer loud music at all – but they will notice that dynamic music sounds better, just like you did. So learn to love the Loudness Wars, and use them to your music’s advantage! Oh, and – tell your friends. On Dynamic Range Day, if you like 🙂 That’s a hint – click here to find out more! Image by Orin ZebestOver its 50 years, Doctor Who has had plenty of mortifying incidents here and there. But things could have been way, way worse. Here are 10 occasions where Doctor Who narrowly avoided a shattering disaster. Advertisement 1. Sydney Newman's Instructions One of the main creators of Doctor Who was Sydney Newman, a brash Canadian executive who pushed for a science fiction TV show. Newman helped the show avoid one major pitfall — at one point, there was a proposal for the Doctor to be an anti-science crusader who fights to prevent any cultures from developing science or technology — but Newman wanted to impose his own problematic idea on the show: no bug-eyed monsters. That would have meant no Daleks, and basically none of the scary creatures that are the show's hallmark. Thank goodness producer Verity Lambert went against Newman's wishes. Advertisement 2. The Son of Doctor Who As we've covered before, the show's original star, William Hartnell, had an idea that he was pushing pretty hard in 1964: What if the Doctor had a son, who looked just like him? And the Doctor's son had his own TARDIS, and was evil? Advertisement Basically, it would have meant Hartnell playing two roles, confronting his wicked "son" in a series of adventures... that might well have brought the show to an early end. (Although now we're picturing the Doctor regenerating into Patrick Troughton, but the Doctor's son still looking like Hartnell.) There was also a story idea being batted around, in which Hartnell's Doctor would meet God. Which brings us to... Advertisement 3. Doctor Who Meets Scratchman This was the film project that Tom Baker was trying to get off the ground in the mid-1970s, in which the Doctor basically meets the Devil, played by Vincent Price. And British supermodel Twiggy would have been in it. There would have been scarecrows coming to life and terrorizing a small community, and the "Cybors," cybernetic goblins, coming out of the ocean. And they meet the Greek god Pan at one point. Also, the Doctor winds up playing a gigantic pinball machine, with huge flippers bouncing balls around, and the fate of the world at stake. You can read a ton about this project here. You never know, it might have been lovely — but it had a lot of potential to be dreadful. Tom Baker also famously pitched having the Doctor's next companion be a talking cabbage. Advertisement 4. The Unaired Season 23 When Doctor Who was put on hiatus in the mid-1980s, there were a number of scripts in production which never got made. And based on the novelizations and audio adaptations that have been put out, this is a very good thing. In particular, Philip Martin's "Mission to Magnus" would have been one of the worst stories in the history of the program, with a particularly sexist take on the common SF trope of the "dystopia where men and women live on different planets," ending with the independent women having to accept male domination once more. Also, Robert Holmes — who had written the Asian stereotype-laden "Talons of Weng-Chiang" — was working on a story set in Singapore, with the not-terribly-promising title of "Yellow Fever and How to Cure It." Also, there was "The Nightmare Fair," where the Celestial Toymaker makes video games come to life. All in all, probably for the best that this season was scrapped. Image via Stephen Reynolds. Advertisement 5. The Cartmel Master Plan This one will be a bit controversial, because a lot of fans have been curious about Andrew Cartmel's "master plan" for Doctor Who — which was cut short when the show was canceled in 1989. And to the extent that Andrew Cartmel was bringing back the Doctor's mystery and also making the Doctor more of a dark, manipulative figure again, this was a very, very good thing. But if we had ever actually gotten the answers that Cartmel and the show's writers were dangling in front of viewers? That probably wouldn't have been as good of a thing. Especially the notion that the Doctor was "More than just another Time Lord," which could have gone very wrong. Advertisement Based on the novelization of "Remembrance of the Daleks" and the novel Lungbarrow, we would have found out that the Doctor was somehow a new form of "the Other," a mystery figure who was part of a triumvirate with Rassilon and Omega at the dawn of the Time Lords. Which sort of puts an end to the notion that the Doctor was just a Time Lord who decided to steal a TARDIS and have adventures, because he was curious to see the universe. Anyway, by all accounts, the "Master Plan" was left extremely vague, which is probably for the best. 6. The Dark Dimension In 1993, for the show's 30th anniversary, BBC Worldwide commissioned a special direct-to-video movie (which was going to be broadcast at one point, as well), starring Tom Baker — with cameos from the other surviving Doctors. The basic storyline, in which Tom Baker's Doctor failed to regenerate and is slowly falling apart, isn't necessarily a terrible idea. But by all accounts, the actual script is pretty terrible, and it includes so many elements (including every past monster, and four Doctors popping up) that it probably would have been an epic mess. Advertisement 7. The Donald Sutherland Movie If you ever want to feel hideously depressed, sit down and read the book The Nth Doctor by Jean-Marc and Randy L'Officier. It's a pretty quick read, and it'll make you want to shoot yourself — basically, it covers the long years between the show being canceled and the 1996 TV movie, and all the different versions of a Doctor Who movie or TV series that were floated during that time. Advertisement Including the movie which would have starred Donald Sutherland and Caroline Munro, in which the Doctor fights Jack the Ripper and teams up with Amelia Earhart. I read a detailed synopsis years ago in DWB, and it seemed like it might have destroyed Doctor Who forever. There was also the abortive TV version where Rassilon is the Doctor's grandfather who lives inside the TARDIS console, and the Doctor is searching for his father. Advertisement 8. Paul McGann's TV Series There's a lot to like about the 1996 TV movie — in particular, McGann is lovely, and the production design is fantastic. But let's all be glad it didn't get made into a TV show, particularly on Fox in the mid-1990s. It would have lasted one season at most, and instead of a footnote in Doctor Who's history, it might well have been the final chapter. 9. The Young Doctor Adventures This may just be a rumor — but it was reported that the reason Russell T. Davies pitched The Sarah Jane Adventures to the children's channel CBBC was to head this idea off at the pass. Supposedly, the CBBC wanted to make a kid-friendly show about the Doctor as a teenager on Gallifrey, inventing the sonic screwdriver and getting into wacky scrapes with his teenage friends. Including, one presumes, a teen Master. So RTD offered to develop a show around Sarah Jane Smith instead. If this story is true, RTD deserves a knighthood. Advertisement 10. Rose Tyler: Earth Defence There was just this moment where Doctor Who was spawning a million spin-offs, including Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures, plus that Australian K9 show. In any case, this Rose Tyler spin-off, showing her defending the alternate-universe Earth from alien invaders, got pretty far before being scrapped, and Russell T. Davies said canceling it "cost [him] a fortune." It reportedly would have included alternate-universe versions of Captain Jack, Adam Mitchell, Gwen Cooper and some dinosaurs and Slitheen. And it would have been a series of TV movies, rather than a weekly TV show. Davies called it "a spin-off too far," and he was right. Advertisement Additional reporting by Alasdair Wilkins.Agent: ‘Mario Rui a Roma player’ By Football Italia staff Mario Rui’s agent confirms the left-back is joining Roma on loan with an obligation to buy. The Empoli defender has been linked with the Giallorossi for some time, but the move has not yet been made official. While neither club has officially announced the transfer, the 25-year-old’s representative makes it clear that the deal is done. “When you want the team, the deal is done quickly, ditto when the team wants the player,” Mario Giuffredi told ForzaRoma. “So it was done quickly enough. Anyone who doesn’t want to come to Roma is a fool. We had a couple of offers abroad in Spain and Germany, and also three other important offers in Italy. “He’s coming on loan with a compulsory redemption, it’s the same as an outright transfer.”Vitória lives in a small two-room house with her baby son Lucas and mother Laura in Jardim Guarani, on the northern periphery of São Paulo, Brazil. She welcomes us for a coffee in her small kitchen that also serves as a lounge. The family store their belongings next to a bunk bed in the only bedroom, where they all sleep and which is often flooded by overflowing water from the bathroom. It is a long way from the luxurious mansions where some of the defendants in Operation Car Wash, the vast anti-corruption investigation that has ensnared many of Brazil’s powerful politicians and businessmen, live under house arrest. One overlooks the ocean; others have manicured lawns, swimming pools and gyms, according to a report this year on the current affairs television show Fantástico. Video (in Spanish) by EFE, showing the Women’s Penitenciary, São Paulo Vitória (not her real name), a Venezuelan, was arrested travelling with cocaine at the international airport in São Paulo. She was taken to the Women’s Penitentiary of the Capital (PFC),
opposition grouping – was excluded by Mr Kuchciński when he tried to use a debate on the annual budget to raise the media rules issue by brandishing a card saying ‘Free media in the Sejm’ and ignored the speaker’s instructions to leave the rostrum. A number of Civic Platform deputies then occupied the area around the podium and conducted a sit-in holding up similar signs, demanding that Mr Szczerba be re-instated and blocking work on legislation. Following a recess lasting several hours, the Sejm session was re-convened in an ancillary hall outside the main chamber and deputies from Law and Justice, which holds an outright parliamentary majority, alongside a handful of opposition members, approved the 2017 budget together with a bill reducing the pensions of former communist-era security service functionaries. However, the opposition refused to recognise the legality of the session and called for Mr Kuchciński to re-run it, arguing that, with the votes counted on a show of hands instead of the usual electronic system, it was impossible to confirm that the required quorum of 231 lawmakers were present. They also questioned the fact that amendments were voted en bloc rather than individually, and claimed some opposition deputies were prevented from accessing the hall and not allowed to speak and raise procedural motions. Some journalists, they said, were also denied access and not permitted to record the votes, only being able to observe proceedings via an official camera feed, while other persons who were not deputies may have taken part in the vote. For his part, Mr Kuchciński denied there was any wrongdoing and said that the vote was conducted in line with Sejm regulations. Plenary sessions have been held in rooms other than the main chamber before, all measures were taken to inform deputies of the change of venue, and any of them could have participated. Voting by a show of hands is permitted and, government supporters said, a total of 236 deputies were present. They argue that the media had access to the transmitted proceedings and could anyway have filmed them from the end of the room. Defending democracy or paralysing parliament? Nonetheless, thousands of people rallied outside the parliament building in support of the opposition’s claims that Law and Justice had caused a constitutional crisis. Anti-government protesters blocked all the parliamentary exits and police had to clear the streets to allow government ministers and Law and Justice deputies to be escorted out of the building in the middle of the night. Protests in Warsaw and other cities organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD), an anti-Law and Justice civic movement who accused the ruling party of allegedly undemocratic practices, continued over the subsequent weekend. More broadly, the opposition tried to bundle up the parliamentary crisis with its argument that the sweeping changes introduced by Law and Justice to the country’s legal framework, judiciary, public administration and the media since it came to office have undermined democracy and the rule of law. This narrative has been picked up by both the Western opinion-forming media, with whom the government’s opponents enjoy strong links, with many of them sharing a mutual dislike of Law and Justice, and the EU political establishment. For example, last January the European Commission initiated an unprecedented investigation under an EU monitoring mechanism to establish whether the rule of law in Poland was under ‘systemic threat’ following controversy over the membership and competencies of the country’s constitutional tribunal. For its part, Law and Justice fiercely rejected such accusations and strongly opposed Commission interference in what it insisted was a domestic political matter. It argued that, far from being spontaneous civic actions, the anti-government protests were pre-planned and the result of Law and Justice’s opponents’ inability to come to terms with the fact that they had lost power. Even if the government had not proposed the new media regulations, nor Mr Szczerba been excluded from parliament, the opposition would, they argued, have found another pretext to cause social unrest. While the protests may have involved many politically non-aligned citizens, Law and Justice argued that they were orchestrated by vested interests hostile to the government’s sweeping socio-economic policy reforms and moves to radically reconstruct the Polish state, many of whose institutions, the party claims, have been expropriated by an extremely well-entrenched, and often deeply corrupt, post-communist elite. Indeed, some government supporters even accused the opposition of trying to foster disruption and chaos on the streets in order to paralyse parliament so that they could remove Law and Justice from office. Too abstract for ordinary Poles? Nonetheless, sensing that it had little to gain from continuing its conflict with an influential group who were the public’s main channel of political information, Law and Justice backed down and agreed to keep the current parliamentary media access rules in place until new ones could be agreed with journalists. However, the fall-out from these events continued as deputies from Civic Platform and the liberal ‘Modern’ (Nowoczesna) party, which has many fewer parliamentarians but is currently running narrowly ahead of the former in the polls, demanded that the key vote on the 2017 budget be repeated and vowed to continue their sit-in protest until at least 11 January when the Christmas recess ends. The crisis does not, however, appear to have affected patterns of support among Poland’s main parties. As the ‘Pooling the Poles’ micro-blog that aggregates voting intention surveys shows, Law and Justice still enjoys a clear lead averaging around 37% support compared with 20% for ‘Modern’, 19% for Civic Platform (PO) and 9% for the anti-establishment Kukiz ‘15, the third largest parliamentary grouping. Arguably, the opposition simply mobilised people who opposed the government anyway around questions that are too abstract for ordinary Poles who are concerned primarily with socio-economic issues – where Law and Justice is more in tune with public opinion. For its part, Law and Justice tried to project the image of a government that is continuing to introduce reforms that benefit the many Poles who feel frustrated not to have shared in the country’s recent economic growth, especially low income households who live beyond the large urban centres. Although critics argue that its reforms have placed a strain on the public finances, the ruling party has delivered on many of the social spending pledges which were the key to its 2015 election victory. In April, for example, the government introduced its extremely popular flagship ‘500 plus’ subsidy programme for the first children of poorer households and every second and subsequent child in all families, which has provided a significant financial boost to many low income families. Only last month, Law and Justice-backed President Andrzej Duda approved a law reversing the Civic Platform government’s deeply unpopular 2012 decision to increase the retirement age to 67 (from 60 for women and 65 for men); although critics argue that the reduced value of pensions for those taking early retirement will discourage many from taking advantage of the new provisions. Rival parliamentary sittings? Moreover, although the liberal and centrist opposition wrong-footed Law and Justice with their parliamentary occupation, they arguably missed the opportunity to end the protest on a high note when the proposed media regulations were withdrawn. While smaller parliamentary opposition groupings also opposed the new media rules, Kukiz ’15 never supported the occupation tactic while the agrarian Polish Peasant Party (PSL), Civic Platform’s one-time junior coalition partner, withdrew its backing once Law and Justice shelved its proposals. There were also suggestions that Civic Platform leader Grzegorz Schetyna was uneasy about the sit-in, fearing that many Poles viewed it as self-indulgent. Indeed, a survey conducted by the TNS Polska agency just before Christmas found that only 26% of respondents supported the opposition’s tactics while 47% were against. In fact, the impetus for the occupation came from mainly younger deputies who were close to Mr Schetyna’s predecessor, former prime minister Ewa Kopacz, but who have been marginalised by the new leader. However, Mr Schetyna was obliged to (at least publicly) support the occupation as he did not want to be outflanked by ‘Modern’ leader Ryszard Petru, his bitter rival for the leadership of the Polish opposition. Attempting to de-escalate the crisis, Law and Justice offered the opposition an ‘outstretched hand’ saying that they were willing to give it more rights and privileges: creating the institution of ‘leader of the opposition’ and allowing it to run every fifth parliamentary sitting. On the other hand, there are no indications that the ruling party will back down in the face of what it argues is blackmail and re-hold the budget vote, concerned this will create a dangerous precedent and encourage the opposition to disrupt parliamentary proceedings as an effective tactic in subsequent disputes. Law and Justice has, therefore, indicated that it is only willing to hold discussions with the opposition on condition that they allow parliament to return to its normal operations. At the same time, the opposition has boxed itself in and does not appear to have an exit strategy for ending its sit-in protest without losing face. If Law and Justice’s opponents continue to prevent parliament from sitting in January there is a danger that they could be held responsible for any ensuing disruption and instability. However, if they end the protest without extracting any concessions from the government the occupation will be seen as a pointless exercise. The crisis has, therefore, reached an impasse and there is a risk that when the Sejm returns in mid-January it could escalate with a possibility of rival parliamentary sittings: most of the government’s opponents continuing to occupy the main plenary chamber, while the ruling party and other opposition deputies try to conduct normal legislative business in an another venue. Please read our comments policy before commenting. Note: A version of this article appears at Aleks Szczerbiak’s personal blog. The article gives the views of the author, and not the position of EUROPP – European Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics. _________________________________ About the author Aleks Szczerbiak – University of Sussex Aleks Szczerbiak is Professor of Politics and Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex. He is author of Poland Within the European Union? New Awkward Partner or New Heart of Europe?(Routledge, 2012) and blogs regularly about developments on the Polish political scene at http://polishpoliticsblog.wordpress.com/Uber is making moves to expand the scope of its flying car experiment – the company just hired NASA engineer Mark Moore, who worked at the federal agency as an advanced aircraft engineer and basically kickstarted the current interest in vertical take-off and landing craft for short-haul urban flight with a 2010 paper on the feasibility of the helicopter-like vehicles. Moore will act as Director of Engineering at Uber Elevate, which is what the ride-hailing company calls its exploration of airborne on-demand drives. Hiring Moore on came after the NASA veteran consulted on Uber’s recent white paper on VTOL craft, according to Bloomberg. The engineer was impressed by Uber’s work on the subject, and saw a chance to make the vision he’d originally articulated years ago into something real, in a reasonable time scale. Moore said that key to his decision to join Uber was that the company seemed to have a practical business case for making a flying commuter transit service real – and nothing would ever get done without market motivation behind the vision. Uber has articulated its vision for “on-demand aviation” as networks of small vehicles that can take off and land vertically, are powered by electric sources, and have ranges of between 50 and 100 miles on a single charge. The ultimate goal is to have these operate autonomously, summoned via an app on a passenger’s phone, but in the near-term Moore tells Bloomberg that we’ll probably see a bunch of competing designs hit the field that operate well but with human pilots for now. VTOL are a pursuit of other companies, too, including two startup funded by Google’s Larry Page, and commercial aviation giant Airbus, which is exploring similar territory to Uber with its own Vahana project. The appeal of the service is not only the ability to ease congestion and bypass ground traffic, but also to eventually achieve cost efficiencies that could make VTOL taxis more profitable over the long-term. Uber’s Elevate is far from offering us actual on-demand airborne taxis service, but Uber is serious about pursuing the tech, and will look to host a summit of those interested in the field to help coordinate efforts to achieve practical VTOL transit sometime early this year. Uber Head of Product for Advanced Programs Nikhil Goel provided the following comment to TechCrunch regarding Moore’s hiring:Get the biggest daily news stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email The annual CES tech trade show is where the world's TV manufacturers show off their latest developments to the planet - and this year there are plenty. We've got a 2.57mm-thin OLED from LG, a TV that uses its glass panel as a speaker from Sony, and a new type of screen dubbed QLED from Samsung. And that's just the start. Read on for the best TV of CES 2017. LG Signature OLED W7 LG has taken the CES tech trade show by storm with its 2.57mm-thin OLED TV that's been referred to as a "wallpaper television". It's so thin that it comes with special magnets to mount it on the wall, leaving the screen looking almost flush with the wall as if it were drawn on. Despite its size, the LG Signature OLED W7 also features a 25% brighter screen than previous models while still offering 4K resolution and HDR. On top of that LG has integrated HLG playback, which the BBC recently showed off as the future of high dynamic range 4K broadcasting. There's also Dolby Vision, HDR-10 and Technicolour's Advanced HDR, making this beauty future-proof too. Sony Bravia A1 OLED Sony has taken the wraps off its new Bravia A1 OLED TV which uses the space left by the super-slim OLED to turn the glass front into a speaker. Yup, the actual screen – or as Sony calls it the Acoustic Surface - can vibrate to create audio. That also means there's no need for a traditional stand. Instead it features a pop-out lean stand, much like you might see on a tablet such as the Surface Pro. The Sony A1 will come in 65-inch and 77-inch 4K and HDR variants, with what it says are “unprecedented blacks and authentic colour”. Samsung QLED Q9 Samsung has continued down its path away from OLED, instead taking its SUHD quantum dot tech to the next level - which it calls QLED. The result is a screen that's got a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, near double that of last year's, plus better blacks and enhanced colours. The 4K and HDR QLED TV series will come in two flat sizes and one curved. The flagship Q9 series is expected to have a seriously high price tag, as you'd expect with Samsung's latest top-end television. Panasonic EZ1002 OLED When it comes to OLED flagship TVs, the Panasonic EZ1002 does it all. It claims to offer double the peak brightness of traditional OLEDs plus the full DCI colour gamut, an Absolute Black Filter, HDR and HLG. This also comes with Panasonic's Dynamic Blade Speaker with a whopping 14-drivers for great sound to match the looks. Hisense HD10 The 2017 flagship TV for affordable-yet-quality brand Hisense is a quantum dot TV called HD10. Sporting a 4K resolution and HDR support, this TV lives up to all the needs of the Ultra HD Premium certification, meaning high peak brightness, deep blacks and a broad colour range. The TV also has a built-in upscaler meaning older content and regular Full HD 1080p feeds will be upscaled to 4K UHD glory. Expect it to be surprisingly affordable too.Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics. Grief: Coping with reminders after a loss Grief doesn't magically end at a certain point after a loved one's death. Reminders often bring back the pain of loss. Here's help coping — and healing. By Mayo Clinic Staff When a loved one dies, you might be faced with grief over your loss again and again — sometimes even years later. Feelings of grief might return on the anniversary of your loved one's death or other special days throughout the year. These feelings, sometimes called an anniversary reaction, aren't necessarily a setback in the grieving process. They're a reflection that your loved one's life was important to you. To continue on the path toward healing, know what to expect — and how to cope with reminders of your loss. Reminders can be anywhere Certain reminders of your loved one might be inevitable, such as a visit to the loved one's grave, the anniversary of the person's death, holidays, birthdays or new events you know he or she would have enjoyed. Even memorial celebrations for others can trigger the pain of your own loss. Reminders can also be tied to sights, sounds and smells — and they can be unexpected. You might suddenly be flooded with emotions when you drive by the restaurant your partner loved or when you hear your child's favorite song. What to expect when grief returns The course of grief is unpredictable. Anniversary reactions can last for days at a time or — in more extreme cases — much longer. During an anniversary reaction you might experience the intense emotions and reactions that you first experienced when you lost your loved one, including: Anger Anxiety Crying spells Depression Fatigue, or lack of energy Guilt Loneliness Pain Sadness Trouble sleeping Anniversary reactions can also evoke powerful memories of the feelings and events surrounding your loved one's death. For example, you might remember in great detail where you were and what you were doing when your loved one died. Tips to cope with reawakened grief Even years after a loss, you might continue to feel sadness when you're confronted with reminders of your loved one's death. As you continue healing, take steps to cope with reminders of your loss. For example: Be prepared. Anniversary reactions are normal. Knowing that you're likely to experience anniversary reactions can help you understand them and even turn them into opportunities for healing. Anniversary reactions are normal. Knowing that you're likely to experience anniversary reactions can help you understand them and even turn them into opportunities for healing. Plan a distraction. Schedule a gathering or a visit with friends or loved ones during times when you're likely to feel alone or be reminded of your loved one's death. Schedule a gathering or a visit with friends or loved ones during times when you're likely to feel alone or be reminded of your loved one's death. Reminisce about your relationship. Focus on the good things about your relationship with your loved one and the time you had together, rather than the loss. Write a letter to your loved one or a note about some of your good memories. You can add to this note anytime. Focus on the good things about your relationship with your loved one and the time you had together, rather than the loss. Write a letter to your loved one or a note about some of your good memories. You can add to this note anytime. Start a new tradition. Make a donation to a charitable organization in your loved one's name on birthdays or holidays, or plant a tree in honor of your loved one. Make a donation to a charitable organization in your loved one's name on birthdays or holidays, or plant a tree in honor of your loved one. Connect with others. Draw friends and loved ones close to you, including people who were special to your loved one. Find someone who'll encourage you to talk about your loss. Stay connected to your usual support systems, such as spiritual leaders and social groups. Consider joining a bereavement support group. Draw friends and loved ones close to you, including people who were special to your loved one. Find someone who'll encourage you to talk about your loss. Stay connected to your usual support systems, such as spiritual leaders and social groups. Consider joining a bereavement support group. Allow yourself to feel a range of emotions. It's OK to be sad and feel a sense of loss, but also allow yourself to experience joy and happiness. As you celebrate special times, you might find yourself both laughing and crying. When grief becomes overly intense There's no time limit for grief, and anniversary reactions can leave you reeling. Still, the intensity of grief tends to lessen with time. If your grief gets worse over time instead of better or interferes with your ability to function in daily life, consult a grief counselor or other mental health provider. Unresolved or complicated grief can lead to depression, other mental health problems and other medical conditions. With professional help, however, you can re-establish a sense of control and direction in your life — and return to the path toward healing.I was standing in line at a local electronics store the other day when I struck up a conversation with the guy ahead of me who had a basket full of battery chargers and AA rechargeable batteries. It turns out he had decided to replace all of the batteries in his house with the rechargeable kind. Between the batteries and the chargers this guy plunked down over a hundred bucks! He was so proud, telling me about all the money he was going to save. I didn’t have the heart to ask him if he had the same typical electronic devices found in most homes, because if he did then he probably ended up spending a lot more money than he should have. Rechargeable Batteries Aren’t Always Cost Effective! I realize many people want to convert to rechargeable batteries for environmental reasons, which is fair enough. But the truth of the matter is this: when cost is the primary discriminator, low current-draw devices simply don’t warrant the extra expense of rechargeable batteries. That’s because the batteries of low current-draw devices are typically changed so infrequently that the payback period for equivalent rechargeable batteries would be too far long to justify the investment! For example, it makes much more sense to use traditional alkaline batteries for low-draw devices like your wall clocks, radios, smoke detectors, programmable thermostats, and remote controls because they lose power at a much slower rate than rechargeable batteries. And because traditional alkaline batteries can hold a charge for years when not in use, they are also the better choice for items that may sit unused for long period of time, like your alarm clock back-up battery and emergency flashlights. When it comes right down to it, these low current-draw and/or low-use devices make up the great majority of battery-driven products in the typical home. Okay. So When Do Rechargeable Batteries Make Sense? Rechargeable batteries are really intended for moderate to high current-draw devices that get at least moderate use. Typically, these are devices that require a battery change every 30 to 60 days. In my house the only item that clearly met that criteria and, therefore, justified the added up-front costs of rechargeable batteries, was the kids’ Wii gaming system. That is a perfect example of a high-use device where rechargeable batteries will save you a lot of money in the long run. But for my household those are the only items where rechargeable batteries make sense. “But, Len, what about my wireless keyboards and mice? Those get a lot of use!” Well, as my article on the practicality of wireless mice and keyboards noted, rechargeable batteries didn’t even make financial sense for those devices, based upon my battery usage over an 18-month period — I only spent a little over $18 on replacement batteries during that period. But a set of eight good rechargeable AA batteries (five for the mouse and keyboard plus three spares) would set me back roughly $24. Add in the cost of the charger (a good one can run upwards of $40) and you can see that the payback period on the rechargeable batteries becomes a real issue. Remember, rechargeable batteries eventually go bad too, so you’ll need your batteries and charger to last at least until the payback period is reached if you want to recoup your costs in a reasonable amount of time. How Do I Know Which Type of Rechargeable Battery to Buy? If and when you decide you want to buy rechargeable batteries, you’ll need to know that there are essentially four types to choose from: nickel metal-hydride (NiMH), nickel cadmium (NiCad), rechargeable alkaline, and lithium ion. NiMH rechargeable batteries typically perform better than NiCads and are free of toxic heavy metals. Generally speaking, NiMH is the best all-around choice for most rechargeable battery applications. As an added bonus, most NiMH battery charger systems can accommodate NiCad batteries too (although the opposite is not true). NiCads are being phased out in favor of NiMHs not only because they are losing the performance war, but also because of their inconvenience; the heavy metals used within the NiCad are toxic and require special disposal needs. Rechargeable alkaline batteries have only two real advantages over NiMHs and NiCads: low cost and no need for special recycling. Otherwise, their long-term performance and recharge characteristics make these batteries a poor choice. Rechargeable alkaline batteries also require a special charger, which reminds me: don’t ever confuse rechargeable alkalines with the typical disposable alkaline batteries that are sold everywhere from 99-cent stores to the local grocery market — although some people do it, those batteries cannot be safely charged. Lithium Ion batteries have great performance and can go unused for long periods without losing their charge. The big drawback is their price; not only are lithium ion batteries much more expensive than other types of rechargeable batteries, but they also require a special charger. Use them for rarely-used or high-drain devices like laptop computers, digital cameras, cell phones or portable televisions. To help you decide which rechargeable battery is right for you, here is a trade summary I put together of the four basic options: Some Final Thoughts and Recommendations A bad battery charger will prematurely age and greatly shorten the lifespan of your rechargeable batteries. Cheap chargers work too quickly, thereby heating the batteries, which damages them over time. Good chargers will keep your your batteries from getting too warm. Batteries should always be removed from their chargers after recharging. More expensive battery chargers extend the life of your rechargeable batteries by properly monitoring and controlling the charging process; many also shut off when charging is complete. If you do use rechargeable batteries, be sure to keep several spare batteries ready to go at all times so you can swap them out when needed. If you do choose to swap out all of your devices with rechargeable batteries, you can spread out your initial costs by replacing only the moderate-use devices first. You can then buy rechargeable batteries for the low-draw devices as needed. For info on NiMH rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, check out this article from MetaEfficient. To Summarize… Rechargeable batteries are great for moderate to high use devices that drain batteries quickly, but they are not cost effective for low current-draw and/or low-use devices — and it is the low current-draw devices that tend to make up the great majority of battery-driven products in the typical home. Hopefully, the gentleman I met at the hardware store has a lot of high current-draw, frequent-use devices at his house — otherwise, he probably made a big mistake. Photo Credit: emrankTo the three people on the waiting list behind me for Park Lane Whole Foods' last six-pack of Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 10 in hopes that I wouldn't show up to claim it, sorry. I hope you were able to find it elsewhere. And now I understand why the Houston brewery's limited-edition Divine Reserve releases are so eagerly awaited that drinkers are willing to line up hours ahead of time and take the day off work. My first experience with a Saint Arnold Divine Reserve has me kicking myself for not being more aggressive about seeking out earlier DR releases. Starting with No. 1 in the series, a barleywine bottled in August 2005, Saint Arnold Divine Reserve beers are special single-batch releases brewed sporadically at an average of two a year, and so far have all been high-ABV beers, with the weakest weighing in at 8.4 percent. Prior to this year's English-style barleywine was last fall's pumpkin stout, a beer I'll admit I did little to pursue given my general disdain for beers brewed with gourds. According to a Saint Arnold newsletter, DR 10 is based on Chris Landis' entry in Houston's Big Batch Brew Bash homebrew competition. The newsletter also advised against drinking the beer before voting, as it was released on Election Day. Good advice, given its 11-percent ABV. Indeed, it's more the kind of beer you'd want to sip while celebrating the wisdom of Dallas voters for bringing us this much closer to fitting into the post-Prohibition 20th century. Or, as Saint Arnold actually recommends cellaring it to let the hops and alcohol mellow, you could wait until an election that gets us fully wet -- with liquor stores in formerly dry areas, even, and allowing not just restaurants but bars to sell alcohol without memberships. Hell, strong as it is, you could probably age it until Texas eyes the 21st century and votes on its own version of California's Prop 19.How a person tells a story could be interpreted in a multitude of ways — telling your friend about your awesome new car can come across as excitement or a brag, depending on the listener. To help detect the sentiment behind speech, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology built a wearable app that can parse conversation to identify the emotion behind each part of the story. The app, built into a fitness tracker for this research, collects physical and speech data to analyze the overall tone of the story in real time. Using artificial intelligence, the app can also figure out which part of the conversation was happy or sad, and tracks emotional changes in five-second intervals. In the research, participants were asked to wear a Samsung Simband with the app installed and tell a story. The band also monitored the participants’ physical changes, such as increased skin temperature, heart rate, or movements such as waving their arms around or fidgeting. Overall, the neural networks were able to determine tone with 83 percent accuracy — though it is unclear whether the research has been peer-reviewed. Generally, the AI associated parts of speech that had long pauses or used monotonous vocal tones as sad, while varied speech patterns were categorized as happy. The team hopes to label more complex emotions soon. “Imagine if, at the end of a conversation, you could rewind it and see the moments when the people around you felt the most anxious,” said graduate student Tuka Alhanai, who is part of the research team. The product could be used to help those with anxiety or conditions like Asperger’s or autism. “Our work is a step in this direction, suggesting that we may not be that far away from a world where people can have an AI social coach right in their pocket.” The research is an ongoing effort from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to study emotion detection. Last fall, the team built a device to identify human emotions using wireless signals.CHENNAI: After being shut out of FM auctions on security grounds, Kalanithi Maran-controlled Sun TV Network, which owns the largest number of radio stations in the country, has accused the Union government of favouritism by pointing out that other players including the Anil Ambani Group were cleared despite similar charges in the 2G case.In a letter to home minister Rajnath Singh, Maran has said, “There are several TV and FM radio companies, including some controlled by large business conglomerates, which among them have pending cases involving 2G spectrum, corporate espionage at ministry of petroleum, corruption involving disproportionate assets and extortions. The security clearances for these companies have not been revoked.”Elaborating on the reference to Anil Ambani’s Reliance Broadcast Media, which runs Big TV and Big FM, a separate letter from Sun TV CEO K Shanmugam to Singh provides details of cases where ADAG officials have been booked.Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the tough stance at a meeting of the BJP parliamentary executive later in the day when he said the party does not need to be apologetic and that the government has been working for welfare of the poor with dedication and honesty.Congress leader in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad set out his party's demands, stating that the public clamour for action over the favours done to fallen IPL chief Lalit Modi and the Vyapam recruitment scam could not be ignored. He pointed out that an entire session of Parliament was lost during the UPA tenure over allegations that led to the resignation of then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury also said UPA ministers had quit over the 2G scam and similar action was needed to run Parliament.Significantly, leaders of Samajwadi Party, BSP, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (U) and RJD did not echo the threat to stall Parliament though they said the government should not brush aside Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues and should be ready for a thorough discussion.The lack of convergence in the opposition benches presents an opening to the government if it can convince regional parties to remain at arms length from the Congress's aggressive intent to disrupt Parliament. While Trinamool and AIADMK did not attend the meeting, both parties have so far not shared Congress's bid for an all-out showdown with the government.The Congress's numbers in Rajya Sabha and Left's support can still stall Parliament, but government managers are hoping that lack of support will make the main opposition amenable to a middle ground after an initial round of disruptions.SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, while dwelling on the display of Islamic State flags in Jammu and Kashmir and farmer issues, suggested that the government sort out matters with "those who have differences with it". BJD leader Bhartruhari Mahtab highlighted South Korean steel giant Posco withdrawing from Odisha to stress that PM Modi's pro-FDI stand was not translating into action. He also said no bill be rushed through Parliament.Your browser does not support JavaScript or Javascript is turned off. The features, such as printing, pop-up menu and font size customization will not be available. To go to other section or page, please press the "SITE MAP" button. Dutiable Commodities HKSAR is a free port and does not levy any Customs tariff on imports and exports. Excise duties are levied only on four types of dutiable commodities, namely: Quantities of Alcoholic Liquor and Tobacco for Incoming Passengers (effective from 1 August 2010) Alcoholic Liquor A passenger aged 18 or above is allowed to bring into Hong Kong, for his own use, 1 litre of alcoholic liquor with an alcoholic strength above 30% by volume measured at a temperature of 20℃ exempted from duty. If the passenger holds a Hong Kong Identity Card, he must have spent 24 hours or longer outside Hong Kong. Tobacco A passenger aged 18 or above is allowed to bring into Hong Kong, for his own use, the following quantity of tobacco products exempted from duty: 19 cigarettes; or 1 cigar or 25 grams of cigars; or 25 grams of other manufactured tobacco. Not for trade, business or commercial purposes There are no duty-free concessions for dutiable goods for trade, business or commercial purposes. When carrying such goods, passengers are required to: use the Red Channel; declare to the Customs officer the purpose of carrying such goods; and lodge import declarations to the Commissioner of Customs and Excise in this connection. Passengers are liable to prosecution or payment of penalty if they fail to comply with the respective provisions of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, Chapter 109, Laws of Hong Kong (Opens a new window). Prosecution / Payment of Penalty Incoming passengers, who fail to declare or make a false or incomplete declaration to a Customs officer on the quantity of dutiable goods in their possession which are in excess of the duty-free concessions are liable to prosecution. The Department may consider imposing penalty on offences compoundable under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, Chapter 109, Laws of Hong Kong (Opens a new window). Types of Compounding Offence The penalty for passengers carrying prohibited / controlled item depends on the respective legislation governing its importation and exportation. Duty-free ConcessionsDonald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE should step away from his Twitter account and quit sending tweets out at 3 a.m., one of his top advisers said Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT "I think he ought to quit tweeting by himself, period," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said in an interview with WYNY. "I don't think you want a president of the United States who randomly tweets. You want somebody who thinks it through, has staff check it out. I mean — I very much am opposed to this 3 a.m. baloney." In a series of recent late-night tweets, Trump encouraged his followers to "check out sex tape" of a former Miss Universe who has criticized him for sexist behavior. His political opponents, including Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE and Vice President Biden, have used the incident as evidence of Trump's poor temperament. But it doesn't appear Trump, the Republican nominee, will quit shooting off tweets anytime soon. On Tuesday, he used the social media platform to hit back at Republicans who have criticized him, including Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainGOP lobbyists worry Trump lags in K Street fundraising Mark Kelly kicks off Senate bid: ‘A mission to lift up hardworking Arizonans’ Gabbard hits back at Meghan McCain after fight over Assad MORE (R-Ariz.) and Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.).The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past[a] is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It is the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe. The plot of A Link to the Past focuses on Link as he travels on a journey to save Hyrule, defeat Ganon and rescue maidens related to the Sages. A Link to the Past uses a 3/4 top-down perspective similar to that of the original The Legend of Zelda, dropping the side scrolling elements of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past introduced elements to the series that are still commonplace today, such as the concept of an alternate or parallel world, the Master Sword and other new weapons and items
housed. Doner stressed to Williams he is being charged as an adult. "This is not a juvenile court proceeding," Doner told him. Williams' father, Edward Williams, appeared at the hearing and told the judge his son needs a court-appointed attorney. Borushko appeared at the arraignment and asked Doner deny bond for Williams, a request the magistrate granted. Doner described the alleged crime to be "a heinous, brutal, and senseless act." Numerous spectators attended both arraignments. Many attendees were not related to Bouza, but knew of his generosity to children and were curious about the case. Jackson's older sister, Shanterra Givens, attended the arraignments. "I'm sorry for their loss," she told MLive, speaking softly and tearing up. "I just want to ask Marcus why he did it. They know right from wrong. (Bouza) was a nice man." She added Jackson is dating Williams' sister, who is six-months' pregnant with his child. Lucy Moskal, 52, said she knows Jackson through the Williams family. "He was a good kid," Moskal said. "He thought very highly of Steve. He stayed at Steve's for a while. Steve took him in and took care of him. He gave him everything that he needed." She said she has driven Jackson to Bouza's house on occasion. She added Bouza's kindness toward kids was well-known. He would have cookouts and play games with neighborhood children in Rexer-Jablonski Park, near his home at 205 18th St. Records indicate Jackson on Sept. 17 pleaded guilty to unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle. That charge stems from a motor vehicle theft reported March 8 in Hampton Township. On Oct 31, Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran sentenced Jackson to one year of probation under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act Status. The act allows a judge to place a defendant between the ages of 17 and 24 in jail or on probation without a conviction. If the defendant successfully completes the terms of the judge's sentence, he or she avoids having a criminal record. Sheeran on Thursday, Dec. 1, arraigned Jackson on a charge of violating his probation and ordered he be held without bond. Firefighters at about 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24, found Bouza's body inside his home. The fire was discovered at about 7 a.m. by McLaren Bay Ambulance personnel, who had smelled smoke and were driving around looking for its source. Investigators thought the fire was suspicious, as both of Bouza's vehicles were missing. A Michigan State Police K-9 unit responded to the scene and the dog hit on spots in the house where fire accelerants had been used, Bay City Public Safety Director Michael J. Cecchini has said. Police recovered one of the vehicles the same day and recovered the second one Tuesday, Nov. 29. An autopsy performed Saturday indicated Bouza had been stabbed multiple times. The fire was then set to cover up the slaying, Cecchini said. Police late on Wednesday, Nov. 30, arrested Williams in connection with the killing. The next morning, they arrested Jackson. Cecchini has said the crime was not random, the suspects having been acquaintances of Bouza. Investigators do not believe the suspects' primary motive was to kill Bouza. Bouza's funeral is to take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish-St. Hyacinth Church, 1515 Cass Ave. in Bay City. Interment is to follow at St. Patrick Cemetery. A visitation takes place from 4-8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, at Ambrose Funeral Home, 1200 Garfield Ave., and at the church on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until the funeral service. In his obituary, Bouza is described as "a gentle man, with a heart of gold and always found a way to help anyone in need." Bouza, who graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1975 and later worked for Consumers Energy, where he retired in June after more than 30 years of service, was described as a go-to guy for vehicle maintenance. He enjoyed polka music, "Three Stooges" movies, "and most importantly, being there to always love and support his family." He is survived by his mother, a younger brother, two younger sisters, and four nieces. Jackson and Williams to appear for a preliminary examination before District Judge Mark E. Janer at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15.Pentagon officials have been making clear for weeks that they are eager to directly join Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and have excitedly laid out plans for deeper involvement in the conflict to the rest of the administration, centering on joining the invasion of Hodeidah, a Red Sea port which is where most humanitarian aid enters the country. Hodeidah’s vitalness to the already shaky aid supply to northern Yemen isn’t sitting well with aid workers, or even with State Department and USAID officials, who were quick to note that cutting off Hodeidah to the northern Yemenis would lead directly to a full-blown famine. Officially, the Pentagon is just denying the famine risk out of hand, claiming that the invasion would be “clean,” and that they could deliver the port to the Saudis in just a few weeks. The assumption is that the aid would resume immediately, though in practice the reason Hodeidah is the only port for the rebel north is that the Saudis have prevented aid from moving through their ports into the north, and with Hodeidah would be able to do so even more. Mass starvation in Yemen’s Shi’ite dominated north is likely the point from Saudi Arabia’s perspective of being so interested in attack Hodeidah, as they’ve been bombing port infrastructure there throughout the war to limit food deliveries. The reason for the Pentagon’s interest in joining this particular offensive is unknown. Last 5 posts by Jason DitzPhotographed by Olivia Malone; styled by J. Errico. What’s it like being with Kristen Stewart in public? Imagine walking around with a jaguar that everyone wants to stare at and pet, even though they know they’re supposed to be cool—even when a big, rare cat is all up in their coffee spot. Problem is, no one can be totally chill around the actress. Not even Stewart herself. Excruciatingly aware of her fame, Stewart the Global Movie Star orders an almond milk latte at her favorite Echo Park café in a manner best described as awkward-charm offense. She chats with the barista about the café’s latest expansion, yadda yadda yadda, while nervously raking her hands through her choppy bob. Stewart’s chatter isn’t the most natural thing in the world, but its tacit message is clear: See, I’m a nice, regular person. Tell all your friends! Walking through the outside patio is hardly better. Anyone who isn’t buried in her laptop recognizes That Girl From Twilight. A few whisper or drink her in greedily before looking away, but it hardly matters. The charge is in the air. Stewart’s body is tense, her eyes cast down until she flops into a seat in the most remote corner, an amused, near-exasperated expression on her face. “I really wish I could not be fucking recognizable,” she says in a low voice. “It’s so annoying. I fucking hate people looking at me when all I want to do is look back at them.” Stewart swears exuberantly and often, fueled by something closer to joy than aggression, in a way that acknowledges the fizzing Roman candle that is life. She’s also direct in what she says, sometimes blunt, but it never feels mean, even when she says, “That’s not something I would ever talk to the fucking public about—that’s crazy,” regarding whether she’s still in contact with her ex-boyfriend/Twilight franchise co-star Robert Pattinson. Instead, she comes across as honest—bridge-burningly, disarmingly honest—which is why her friends, fans, and the tabloids love her. Her uncompromising sense of authenticity is also why Stewart is repeatedly cast in roles that require her to say what others can’t or won’t say (see: the sensitive daughter who won’t promise college to her dying mother in Still Alice, or the assistant who calls out the snobbery of her charge, Juliette Binoche’s grand dame of the theater, in Clouds of Sils Maria). She’ll occupy another such role in Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, out next year, as the titular character’s sister who opposes the Iraq War: “He comes back a changed person and she doesn’t recognize her brother. I’m the one thing trying to keep him home, the one clear perspective on the other side in the whole movie.” In American Ultra, out now, her character is less contrarian, but just as emotionally explicit. “I’m always fucking terrified before every role,” she says. “Even if it’s fun and stupid or whatever. American Ultra is a stoner comedy, but it was physically strenuous, and to try and tell such an absurd story but keep it grounded so people will believe it is really hard.” Riley Keough, who first met Stewart when they were in The Runaways together, breaks down Stewart’s fiery allure this way: “She just doesn’t give a fuck. She courageously exposes herself because she loves the art. And I think she understands what comes along with that. There’s not one part of that girl that’s caught up in Hollywood or cares about the opinions of others or whatever else, and I’ve probably met three people like that in my life.” Stewart’s not about to let fame turn her into a weirdo who can’t connect anymore, who only speaks in PR-approved statements—especially when it comes to her sexuality and relationships. But what Stewart, now 25, will share and won’t share is a fascinating algorithm she’s honed over time. She refuses to offer up her life for tabloid sport, but she’s also not afraid to be raw and open. Take the beginning of our day, for instance. For several hours, all I know is that Stewart is coming to pick me up at 2 p.m. We have no set plans because she rejected all previously offered suggestions: roller derby, guitar lessons, etc. Around 2:15, she calls from an unblocked number to say she’s outside. In today’s PR-choke-hold era, a star of Stewart’s wattage would usually be delivered to a neutral meeting place, no contact info exchanged, but aside from her longtime publicist setting the date and time, Stewart skipped those formalities. Instead, she lets me crawl into her rough-and-tumble SUV, which is loaded up with trash bags filled with swag, earmarked for Goodwill. “I get sent a lot of stuff,” says Stewart, alluding to the fact that she can boost a fashion career by wearing something once in front of the cameras. Peeking out of one bag is a pair of wedge sneakers with a graphic pattern that seems too, um, much for Stewart. Dressed in faded Levi’s, white Vans, and a vintage skateboarding T-shirt, her style is more skate-shop employee with a medical marijuana card. A chunky silver link chain with a miniature padlock adorns her neck. Flecks of navy eyeliner rim her hazel eyes, giving her a sexy slept-in look. “I’m a skater,” says Stewart, citing her preferred mode of transport to school while growing up in the San Fernando Valley. “I’m not a hard-core skater chick—I can skate on the street, but I don’t like to trick shit out. Skating around downtown might be my happy place.” But for our interview, she’s not up for what she teasingly calls “activities.” She wants to talk, so we set off for her favorite coffee shop, some 10 minutes away from her home east of Hollywood. On her own time, Stewart’s got nothing against a lazy Sunday—as long as it has a touch of aggression. Growing up with three brothers gave her a fierce competitive edge. As the lone female, “I wasn’t treated better and I wasn’t treated worse,” she says. “I really was one of the boys. I think there’s an ambition that’s probably innately drilled into me.” In short: “I like to win shit,” she says, flashing a rare full smile. “I love games of all kinds,” but billiards, Frisbee, and playing with her two dogs rank high. Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson, who acted with Stewart in Zathura when he was just 12 years old, says Stewart’s never lost her sense of fun: “She’s been faced with a lot of big things in her life, but she hasn’t changed. She’s still the same carefree, cool girl.” Her tomboy spirit is why she clicks with like-minded musicians such as Patti Smith, who once came up to Stewart at an On the Road party to offer support with the words, “Your people are here for you,” and Joan Jett, whom Stewart portrayed in The Runaways. Stewart still laughs thinking of Jett’s primal guitar lessons: “If I wasn’t fully feeling it, she’d walk to the end of whatever set or stage I was on and be like, ‘Kristen, pussy to the wood!’” Stewart also cleans up nicely, which is how she came to be Chanel’s unlikely muse. “I really like tapping into unexplored aspects of myself; obviously, that’s what I do,” she says. “Clothes can seriously do that, but you don’t want your clothes to wear you. So often I’m like, ‘Oh man, that is going to own my ass.’” Luckily, Karl Lagerfeld gives his muse full license to play: “He lets me chop dresses, he lets me steal a belt from that dress and wrap it around another.... I’m really into the performance aspect of it, but I still have to make it my own. I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing a costume.” At the café, once the patrons have forgotten Stewart’s here, talk inevitably turns to the latest tabloid storm brewing in the star’s life. A few days ago, Kristen’s mother, Jules Stewart, confirmed to the Sunday Mirror that her daughter is in a relationship with Alicia Cargile, a visual effects producer often mistakenly referred to as Stewart's former assistant. In the interview, ostensibly about Jules’s charity work with wolves, she said: “I’ve met Kristen’s new girlfriend, I like her,” and “I feel like people need to be free to love whoever they want. I accept my daughter loves women and men.” Enter a parade of think pieces, photo galleries parsing Stewart’s androgynous wardrobe, and the re-emergence of the unfortunate portmanteau “Krisbian,” designated for fans who’d “go lesbian” just for their beloved. Perhaps more than any other star of her generation, Stewart’s relationship to the gossip machine is tempestuous, to put it lightly, and it underscores the monstrosity of the 24-hour news cycle. “It’s funny when older actors are like, ‘Just give them a smile.’ I’m like, ‘You have no idea what you’re talking about, but thanks!’ It must’ve been awesome without the Internet.” She’s fully aware that every twist in her love life is feverishly documented whether she cooperates or not: “It’s like I’m involved in a weekly comic book. I have this assigned personality...which I helped create, I suppose. People stand to make a lot of money on people like me—it’s this booming industry, so why would you go and change the character that people are paying for?” But her character is changing, because, after all, she’s 25. Is she ready right now to make any big pronouncements about her sexuality? Yes... “Google me, I’m not hiding.” ...And no: “If you feel like you really want to define yourself, and you have the ability to articulate those parameters and that in itself defines you, then do it. But I am an actress, man. I live in the fucking ambiguity of this life and I love it. I don’t feel like it would be true for me to be like, ‘I’m coming out!’ No, I do a job. Until I decide that I’m starting a foundation or that I have some perspective or opinion that other people should be receiving…I don’t. I’m just a kid making movies.” That’s not all there is, though, to Stewart’s reluctance to categorize her sexuality. She also believes in fluidity, the kind that prompted Miley Cyrus to say to Paper magazine recently that she’s “literally open to every single thing that is consenting.” Stewart adds, “I think in three or four years, there are going to be a whole lot more people who don’t think it’s necessary to figure out if you’re gay or straight. It’s like, just do your thing.” She’s the first to admit that during her early Twilight years, she didn’t have her boundaries figured out—not sexually, but with the press. “There must’ve been so many reporters who would sit in front of me and think, ‘This kid is going to break down.’ I’m sure that I’ve made people so uncomfortable.” Back then, when faced with a tough question, Stewart would “either get pissed off or all of a sudden be thrown.” Now she’s found her own way of responding fully but enigmatically: “I’ve worked really hard at feeling free and open while not selling it, or helping someone else sell it.” Above all the chatter and feedback, Stewart focuses on her work. That’s what sustains her, and she’s planted her roots deep in the industry. “I’m sure that I can keep working,” she says. “Positive. There’s really not a whole lot that I could do right now to fuck it up for myself.” Her American Ultra co-star and good friend Jesse Eisenberg backs up her confidence: “She’s one of the actors consistently working who you know will make things good. Out of all of the attributes that she has—her sense of humor, her willingness to embrace the tone of the project—there’s also this healthy form of self-awareness, to understand what the story needs, what the big picture is, and the value of your place in it. It’s rare for someone as well known as her to be so humble. She’s not overshadowing the story; she’d prefer to hide in the role than show off.” For any doubters who remain, Stewart’s full slate of coming attractions should prove her range. She can’t say much about her role in a new Woody Allen project, also with Eisenberg, but she promises that “it’s a stretch, to say the least.” As an actress, she gets to indulge her curiosity—unlike at the café, where she stays hidden until we leave, not daring to lock eyes with anyone. Afterwards, we walk to an artsy curio shop and boutique grocery store, where once again she keeps her head down and chats self-consciously with the cashier while buying some ghee. Trailed by whispers everywhere we go, Stewart transforms into a protective animal, subtly checking her territory for interlopers until we’re safely ensconced in her car again. “This is why I barely ever go shopping,” she says with a sigh as she starts the engine. On screen, there is an escape: She gets to stare at and into whatever person she chooses. “In order for me to feel compelled to step off the ledge into a role, it needs to feel like it predates me.... I have to be like, ‘If I don’t do this right, I could potentially eliminate it from existing, and I’d be doing it a disservice.’” That said, she’s not scared to fuck up. “Mistakes are cool, even if they’re hard,” she says. “I’m down to make myself uncomfortable. I’m OK with that.” NYLON's September issue hits newsstands August 25. Buy it now (and receive a 15% discount off your next order!) Better yet, subscribe!Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Tomas Plekanec Czech Extraliga Kladno Last Week 2 2 2 4 Total 24 18 19 37 Ho hum, just another week of Tomas Plekanec putting up 2 points a game. I guess he's good or something. Plekanec is 3rd in the Czech league in scoring, although Jaromir Jagr passed him this week so he's now only second in Kladno. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Lars Eller SM Liiga Jyvaskyla Last Week 3 2 5 7 Total 6 4 6 10 Hey guys, I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Lars Eller is awesome. After a season where Eller missed training camp and couldn't bulk up in the summer due to a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery, Eller went at it like crazy this summer and seems to be in the best shape of his life. This has shown up in a big way with his start in the notoriously low scoring Finnish SM Liiga. He's outpacing the Bruins' Rich Peverley by a wide margin, and Peverley is an established NHL second liner. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Raphael Diaz National League EV Zug Last Week 3 2 2 4 Total 24 7 19 26 Diaz just keeps lighting it up in Switzerland. I wasn't too enthused with him overall last season as he was kind of forced to play above his weight, but he's really making a case for himself as an NHL caliber defenseman. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Yannick Weber National League Geneva Last Week 3 0 0 0 Total 21 3 11 14 Zeroes across the board for Weber this week, and it may be a bit concerning that the defenseman with the rocket shot hasn't scored in 19 games. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points David Desharnais National League Fribourg Last Week 3 1 2 3 Total 6 1 3 4 After a slow start without a point in two games, Desharnais is now riding a 4 game point streak. Considering the level of play, I think there's a lot more Desharnais can show here. He's starting to heat up, but we're going to see a lot more points soon. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Andrei Markov KHL Vityaz Chekhov Last Week 2 0 0 0 Total 11 0 1 1 Hey! Guess who's back! Markov finally returned to game action this week with two games where he played heavy minutes but didn't notch any points. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Alexei Emelin KHL Ak Bars Kazan Last Week 3 1 0 1 Total 17 2 3 5 Another goal for Emelin as he pushes the offense a bit further the last two weeks. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Scott Gomez ECHL Alaska Aces Last Week 1 0 0 0 Total 5 2 3 5 Gomez missed a game this week for the Aces and didn't do much of note in the game that he did play. Prospects Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Sebastian Collberg Elitserien Frölunda Last Week 0 0 0 0 Total 16 0 2 2 Allsvenskan Örebro HK Last Week 2 0 0 0 Total 10 4 1 5 Nothing to report for Collberg this week, two games and no points.. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Magnus Nygren Elitserien Färjestads Last Week 3 0 1 1 Total 28 6 11 17 A slower week for Nygren, but he still registered a point and continues to log huge minutes. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Erik Nystrom Super Elit U20 Modo U20 Last Week 0 0 0 0 Total 22 8 16 24 Allsvenskan Karlskrona HK Last Week 2 0 0 0 Total 2 0 0 0 No points in Nystrom's first two Allsvenskan games, which is to be expected. It may be a rough transition for Nystrom but for a sixth round pick to be making this kind of headway is pretty nice. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Daniel Pribyl Czech Extraliga Sparta Praha Last Week 2 0 1 1 Total 15 2 5 7 He's not scoring like he was early in the season, but Pribyl is at least putting points on the board every week. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Alex Galchenyuk OHL Sarnia Sting Last Week 2 2 5 7 Total 26 16 28 44 Galchenyuk failed to record a point in just two games in November. He recorded a whopping 8 goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 11 November games. He's tied for 4th in league scoring with Mark Scheifele and Boone Jenner, who are both older than him and have been receiving rave reviews as potential Team Canada stars in the upcoming World Junior Championships. Both players have also played more games than Goalchenyuk. Galchenyuk should be playing a starring role for Team USA this December, unless an NHL season begins and the Habs decide he's good to go. Over an 82 game season, NHL equivalency would predict a 42 point season for Galchenyuk at this pace. Interestingly, he's on a similar pace to what Tyler Seguin produced as a 17 year old. I have an extremely high opinion of Seguin as a hockey player, so this is very good in my opinion. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Brady Vail OHL Windsor Spitfires Last Week 3 1 1 2 Total 28 11 16 27 Vail snapped a 4 game pointless streak with a goal and an assist in Thursday's game against the Barrie Colts, keeping him near a point per game pace. He's not at the lofty heights he achieved offensively to start the season, but it's important to remember that Vail was drafted as a defense first hockey player. The point production is a bonus. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Olivier Archambault QMJHL Drumm. Volitgeurs Last Week 3 0 1 1 Total 28 12 15 27 Consistency is not a word to be associated with Archambault, but I guess he's still floating around a point per game, which is good. I'm still expecting some more impressive stats from him as a 19 year old, and the QMJHL tracking shot statistics doesn't help his case. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Charles Hudon QMJHL Chicoutimi Last Week 3 1 2 3 Total 23 15 16 31 Only a point per game week from Hudon? I've come to expect grander things from you, Charles. I'm pretty excited to see what Hudon can do on Team Canada. Hopefully he's still in line for a top 6 spot. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Darren Dietz WHL Saskatoon Blades Last Week 3 1 1 2 Total 26 7 8 15 Solid week from Dietz. I'm still not sure what to make of Dietz as a hockey player, but after kind of ignoring him last year, Corey Pronman called him an interesting prospect this week, so I'd say that's a good thing. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Dalton Thrower WHL Saskatoon Blades Last Week 0 0 0 0 Total 13 2 4 6 Still out with an injury, but hopefully Thrower is back in game action soon. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Tim Bozon WHL Kamloops Blazers Last Week 2 0 1 1 Total 28 16 22 38 Another slow week for Bozon and he let everyone know on twitter that he does not intend to produce this little next month, and that he's a little miffed about how November went. Just 2 goals and 7 points for Bozon in 11 November games. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Mac Bennett NCAA Michigan Last Week 2 1 0 1 Total 14 4 7 11 Scoring his 4th goal in just 14 games, Bennett has matched his career high from last year in 27 fewer appearances. Bennett is on pace to score as many points this year as his last two NCAA seasons combined. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Danny Kristo NCAA North Dakota Last Week 2 0 1 1 Total 11 5 9 14 Way slower week for Kristo with only one point. Hopefully he picks it up this weekend and keeps his numbers looking impressive. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Mark MacMillan NCAA North Dakota Last Week 2 1 0 1 Total 13 6 4 10 Also just one point this week from MacMIllan, but his goal puts him in the scoring lead for North Dakota in this early season. MacMillan is a long term project but Trevor Timmins is very confident in the young kid, so maybe we should be too. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Mike Cichy NCAA Western Mich. Last Week 1 0 0 0 Total 11 2 6 8 Out of action for 13 days, Cichy didn't manage to net a point in his return last night. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Josiah Didier NCAA Denver Last Week 1 0 1 1 Total 12 0 2 2 Didier finally starts getting some points and he's injured and out 3-6 weeks. Ouch. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Colin Sullivan NCAA Boston College Last Week 2 0 0 0 Total 12 0 0 0 2 games, nothing to report on. Sullivan and Didier may get the Trunev treatment soon. Name League Team Timeline Games Goals Assists Points Dustin Walsh NCAA Dartmouth Last Week 1 0 1 1 Total 7 1 3 4 Another one game week, another one point week. Walsh was far more dominant in his 8 games played last year than he has been in 7 in 2012.About a year ago, Google said it would pay $3.2 billion for Nest, a company that had sold fewer than a million connected thermostats and fewer than 440,000 connected smoke detectors — which it would later have to stop selling because its most innovative feature might also prove deadly in a fire. That was a lot of money for a company that had a lot of potential, but was still facing a lawsuit from a giant in the thermostat world, and was trying to sell a pricey product that the mainstream market wasn’t quite sure it understood. Now, as it reorganizes in the wake of what looks to be the surprise departure of two executives, the company is doing what it has to do to prove that $3.2 billion price tag. Google didn’t buy Nest for its beautiful thermostat — it bought into Tony Fadell’s vision of a connected home full of better products that would learn from users and improve their lives. Along the way, if it helped Google get into hardware and collect vast amounts of data that might one day help solve energy crises or improve computer vision, that’s all to the good. Advertisement But to do that, Nest has to get big — moving beyond thermostats, smoke detectors and cameras. That requires a lot of discipline. So when I saw reports of a culture clash leading to the departure of Greg Duffy, the former CEO of Dropcam on Friday evening, it didn’t surprise me. The report alleged a “culture of meetings,” and Duffy appeared to confirm his departure via a tweet. Duffy wasn’t the only one who left: Nest’s VP of Technology Yoky Matsuoka also left, reportedly heading for a role at Twitter. This did surprise me, as a Nest employee and official spokeswoman offered to have Matsuoka come to my house to fix my Nest as part of a joke, on a call with me on Thursday. I doubt they would have offered that in jest if her departure was common knowledge at that time. In an article about memos acquired by Tech Crunch after the loss of the two executives, several issues stand out, but all of them point to a company trying to scale up to become a multi-billion-dollar business relatively quickly. The first thing that jumps out is the crazy work schedule — employees were being asked to work Saturdays until April or May, tied to an ambitious product release schedule for Project Quartz and Black Quartz, which TechCrunch says are two camera updates. Nest’s competition in the smart home space is offering not just cameras, but security systems with embedded sensors and learning systems that can learn who is in your home and react accordingly. I don’t know what Project Quartz and Black Quartz are at this time, but I can look at the market and say that while easy to use, Dropcam’s products aren’t particularly noteworthy compared to other Wi-Fi cameras out there, and bigger names are getting in the game every day. The work schedule is one thing, and something that I would imagine would prompt a lot of angst, but the second element of the memos was a reorganization dividing the hardware side of the business and the software and services side of the business. Other roles are getting reorganized as well, with what appear to be clearer reporting lines and a definitive “management” layer. So will this help Nest build the products it needs to sell tens of millions of connected gadgets, and design dozens of devices over the years?Since the Cavaliers won their first NBA title back on June 19, NBA teams have undergone a number of changes over the long summer offseason. NBA.com's Shaun Powell will evaluate the state of each franchise -- from the team with the worst regular-season record in 2015-16 to the team with the best regular-season record -- during the month of September as we look at 30 Teams in 30 Days. \| Complete schedule Today's team: Detroit Pistons 2015-16 record: 44-38 Who's gone: G Spencer Dinwiddie, G Jodie Meeks, F Anthony Tolliver Who's new: PF Henry Ellenson, SG Michael Gbinije (via Draft); F Jon Leuer, CBoban Marjanovic, G Ray McCallum Jr., G Ish Smith (via free agency); F-CCameron Bairstow (via trades) The lowdown: After seven straight losing seasons, the Pistons made the playoffs and appear to be on the up and up. For two straight seasons, the Pistons used the trade deadline, not the summer, to fortify the club for the better. First they added 26-year-old Reggie Jackson in 2015 from the Oklahoma City Thunder and then last summer gave him a contract extension that looks very team-friendly now. Before the 2016 trade deadline, the Pistons gave the Orlando Magic a used Vinnie Johnson jersey for 24-year-old Tobias Harris, who looked surprisingly comfortable upon arrival. Both players are just touching their prime and were terrific, low-cost moves by Stan Van Gundy, who's juggling both coaching and team president duties. This summer? Well, Van Gundy didn't need to be a genius to extend his All-Star center Andre Drummond, who is just 22. Van Gundy also signed Marjanovic and Leuer and drafted Ellenson to give Detroit a surplus of big men. While many others league-wide are playing small ball, Van Gundy dares to be different and it could pay off positively for the Pistons both now and the near future. There are only a handful of coaches who have personnel power, and that dual role can be tricky for some (Los Angeles Clippers coach/team president Doc Rivers has a sketchy history, for example). Following his messy exit from the Orlando Magic, Van Gundy wanted power in his next job and the Pistons, after a series of missteps in ex-GM Joe Dumars' last few years, were willing to give Van Gundy that clout. It wasn't merely about showing his skills as a talent evaluator -- GM Jeff Bower does most of the legwork -- Van Gundy didn't want anyone telling him whom to play or trade, and he wanted to build a team in his vision, not someone else's. The Pistons are now all about his vision. Only Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope remain from the Dumars era and Drummond is the team's most important player. Van Gundy is now trying to build around his franchise center much in the same way the Magic did for Dwight Howard. Van Gundy took the Howard-led Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals and for a half-dozen years they were
off on the basis that you were so off your head on drugs you allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked … and yes I believe every word they have said." The court also heard that Saatchi had made a further statement, which was taken on Monday, part of which the judge read out. In this, Saatchi said: "At the time of sending the email I was completely astonished by the alleged scale of the drug use set out in the statements. Nevertheless I did believe the allegations. I have been asked whether it referred to a belief that Nigella permitted the Grillos to spend whatever they liked. On reflection I was simply speculating the sisters would use this material to defend themselves." The Grillos are accused of "grossly abusing their position of trust" by committing fraud using company credit cards, spending over £300,000 on luxuries including designer clothes and first-class air travel. Lawson and Saatchi broke up very publicly in the summer, ending their 10-year marriage. That came after a photographer caught the two in a public row at an outside table at Scott's restaurant in Mayfair, in which he was snapped with his hands around her throat. During Tuesday's hearing, in which the defence sought to have the case dropped because of "abuse of process", Anthony Metzer, representing Elisabetta Grillo, made fresh claims about a row in which Saatchi also appeared to tweak her nose, in photographs splashed across national newspapers. Saatchi accepted a police caution for assault in June. "It is our submission the row that happened, resulting in Mr Saatchi assaulting Nigella, may well have had something to do with Nigella taking drugs and may well have had something to do with the issue before this court [of whether Lawson had given the Grillos permission to use the credit cards]," Metzer told the court. The drug claims first emerged in court at a pre-trial hearing on 15 November when Anthony Metzer, representing Elisabetta Grillo, took the unusual step of lodging a "bad character application" in order to place a question mark over Lawson's reliability as a witness for the prosecution. He told the court the application "relates to Miss Lawson's alleged taking of class A and class B drugs and her unauthorised use of prescription drugs". He added: "This is a matter highly relative to the defence because, in a nutshell, we respectfully submit she had a guilty secret from her husband." Metzer added that Lawson "did not want him to know about her use, particularly of cocaine. Because the defendants were fully aware of her illicit drug use, she consented to their expenditure on the understanding there would be no disclosure to her husband of her drug usage." The drug claim was called "totally scurrilous" by the prosecuting counsel, Jane Carpenter QC, who said the Grillos had made the allegation more than a year after submitting their original witness statement in the case after they were arrested. "The defendants were arrested on 2 August [2012] and the supplementary statement was not made until September of this year," Carpenter said at the 15 November hearing. "By this time the defendants had already admitted their responsibility to the allegations – not least in a letter the sisters sent to Miss Lawson and Mr Saatchi," she added. Reading the letter out in court, she said: "Dear Charles and Nigella, we are at our utmost despair and we are reaching out to you in the sincere hope that somewhere in your hearts you can find a way to forgive us. We truly believe we had a bond like a family, you were like, as you said to us, like our English family. We saw you like a mother and father figure. There is not a worse feeling than that. "All we want to do is put this right and make amends. We plead with you to find a way in your hearts to stop the fighting that's destroying us. From the bottom of our hearts we extend an olive branch in the hope that you understand that we never meant to hurt you in anyway. Please forgive us and help us to put this right." Summing up the application, Johnson said: "The defence asserts that Miss Lawson habitually took cocaine and did so on a daily basis – in addition to her abuse of prescription drugs – throughout the defendants' time in the household." Lawson has been filming a new Channel 4 cooking competition show, The Taste, based on a US format, in which she acts as a judge along with chefs Anthony Bourdain and Ludo Lefebvre. A second series of the US version, featuring the three, is due to air in January. ABC said in a statement that it had no plans to cancel The Taste, in which Lawson features as a judge: "We have already wrapped production on 'The Taste' and it will air as planned beginning January 2nd." A spokesman for Lawson declined to comment on the drug allegations "as the proceedings are still live". The hearing continues.A series of internal polls conducted by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA found that voters in key swing states hold sharply negative views of Paul Ryan’s budget -- which is to say, the budget to which Mitt Romney irrevocably lashed his presidential aspirations when he picked Ryan as his vice-presidential nominee. Priorities USA asked between 600 and 800 respondents in the states: “Based on what you have seen, read or heard about it, do you support or oppose the budget plan proposed by Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, also known as ‘the Ryan Budget’?” In all cases, the polls, shared with Salon before their public release, found the budget plan's popularity to be underwater by close to 10 points. In Florida, just 33 percent supported the budget while 41 percent opposed it. In Colorado, 30 percent supported it while 41 percent opposed it. In Wisconsin, the margin was slightly tighter with 38 percent supporting the budget and 43 percent opposing it. In Ohio, where Obama has pulled away from Romney in the past few weeks, the margin was a full 12 points, with just 27 percent supporting the budget and 39 percent opposing it. And in Iowa, the margin was even bigger, at 23 supporting and 37 opposed. Advertisement: The data reflect national polling on Ryan’s budget, which would replace Medicare’s guaranteed benefits with a voucher system, but offer a rare view of how the plan is playing in key battleground states. The number of people aware of the budget plan appears to have grown as Ryan has been elevated, but it’s getting no more popular, suggesting that the more exposure it gets between here and Election Day, the worse it is for Romney and Ryan. Democratic pollster Garin-Hart-Yang Research conducted the surveys in Florida and Iowa between Sept. 20-23 and Sept. 13-15, respectively, while the Global Strategy Group conducted the polls in Colorado and Wisconsin between Sept. 19-23, and in Ohio between the 13th and 17th.The city of Atlanta knows all too well about heartbreak, and that heartbreak was only exacerbated by a number of unbelievably crushing losses in 2012. It began with the Braves‘ infamous “infield fly” loss to the Cardinals in the 2012 Wildcard Playoff Game, and ended with the Falcons blowing a 17-point lead to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Even the Georgia Bulldogs were a gut-wrenching 5 yards away from playing Notre Dame in the BCS Championship Game. It seems as if all the Atlanta sports teams are stuck in some sort of championship “curse”. The dictionary defines a curse as “the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group”, and with only one major championship over the past twenty years, Atlanta has had its fair share of playoff misfortunes. The overwhelming sentiment in the city of Atlanta has been that their teams are pretty good, but they just aren’t good enough – and that sentiment only grew after the disappointments of 2012. However, 2013 is a new year, and with it comes new championship dreams and fears. With only 18 days until the first Spring Training game, many are wondering if the 2013 Braves will be the first team in Atlanta to dispel those fears and end the so-called “curse”. On paper, the 2013 Atlanta Braves look like one of the best teams in baseball. That is due, in large part, to the hard work put in during the off-season by Braves’ General Manager Frank Wren. With a budget that many Major League teams would laugh at, Wren still found a way to bolster Atlanta’s lineup by signing free agent center fielder B.J. Upton, while also acquiring his brother Justin Upton in a blockbuster trade. However, that trade didn’t go down without sacrifice, as the Braves were forced to give up fan favorite Martin Prado in the deal. Many fans were upset with the departure of Prado, and while Prado was a great player for the Braves, Justin Upton could be the type of superstar the Braves organization has not seen in years. Upton is one of the few players in the league who possesses the ability to accumulate double digit home runs and steals, and that addition of power and speed could make the Braves’ offense one of the most formidable in all of baseball. This Braves’ lineup could potentially have six players with 20+ HR (the Uptons, Heyward, Freeman, McCann, Uggla). A third base platoon of Juan Francisco and Chris Johnson could easily combine for 20+ HR as well. A powerful offense is not the only thing opposing teams will have to prepare for in 2013, as the Braves will also show off a very talented defense. Shortstop Adrelton Simmons already proved a season ago that it is tough to get anything by him, but if a ball does happen to squeeze through the infield, it will be met by what may prove to be the best outfield in the Majors. Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, and Jason Heyward all bring the type of blazing speed and spectacular glove work that will have opposing hitters angrily breaking bats in droves. That same spectacular glove work has been highlighted over the past couple of seasons, as Justin Upton and Jason Heyward have won the last two NL Fielding Bible Awards – an honor that is given to the best fielders at each position. It’s not hard to imagine all three outfielders getting Gold Glove recognition at the end of the season. The offensive power and spectacular athleticism in the outfield are just two examples of what make the Braves a potential championship contender in 2013. The other is a top tier pitching staff. The starting rotation will once again be led by veteran Tim Hudson in what may be one of his final years in the league. Following him are a number of young standouts that include southpaws Paul Maholm and Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, and Kris Medlen – who posted an eye popping 10-1 record with a 1.57 ERA a season ago. The rotation could get even better late in the season with the addition of Brandon Beachy – who led the MLB in ERA before his mid-season injury in 2012. The Braves’ bullpen is once again expected to be one of the best in baseball, with Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel leading the group. If Venters can regain his 2011 form, and Kimbrel can build on a silly 2012 campaign that saw him accumulate 42 saves and 116 strikeouts, with a 1.01 ERA, the Braves’ bullpen may treat Atlanta fans to a number of swings and misses in 2013. So can these Atlanta Braves break Atlanta’s championship “curse”? Despite an amazing team on paper, many fans think that it will be more of the same. That is understandable since they have dealt with so much disappointment in the past. However, I believe that we shouldn’t count these Braves out just yet. They definitely have the potential to be one of the best teams – if not the best team – in baseball this season. Only time will tell if that potential will turn into a championship.Police said Tuesday that a "suspicious device" found on the roof of a business after a fire earlier this month was a rocket. Authorities are attempting to determine whether the case is connected to a series of attacks on the Hemet Gang Task Force. The fire was reported June 3 at Los Altos Market in Hemet. Police said the nine-pound, inert training rocket malfunctioned and landed on the roof of the building, where firefighters found it after the blaze was extinguished. Authorities said the M29A2 rocket was pointed in the general direction of the Hemet Police Department, according to Southwest Riverside News Network. The discovery came amid an investigation into attacks against the city's Gang Task Force and City of Hemet property. Hemet Police Department Targeted Again, This Time With a Rocket Mary Parks reports on the latest attack on Hemet Police. It's been going on for months, and this time it looks like the attackers tried to use a very serious weapon. (Published Tuesday, June 8, 2010) When the blaze was first reported June 3, Lt. Duane Wisehart said, "Based on the type of device, time of occurrence and close proximity to the police facility, the investigation is being handled by the same task force as the prior attacks on police and city buildings and vehicles." The attacks began in December when a gas line of the roof of the Gang Task Force building was directed into the building. In February, a device described as a "home-made zip-gun" was discovered as a task force officer opened a gate at the building. In March, an explosive device was attached to an unmarked patrol car. Later than month, four city code enforcement trucks were torched in the Hemet City Hall parking lot. In April, a fire damaged a mobile home used for police training. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which burned pallets at the market.Democrat Phil Murphy is projected to win the New Jersey governor’s race, according to multiple networks. Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and U.S. ambassador to Germany, defeated Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R), who struggled to gain traction in the race. Murphy's victory will also help Democrats maintain control of Sen. Bob Menendez Robert (Bob) MenendezActing Defense chief calls Graham an 'ally' after tense exchange William Barr is right man for the times This week: Trump delivers State of the Union amid wall fight MORE's (D-N.J.) seat if he's convicted in his trial. If Menendez resigns from office, New Jersey's governor will be tasked with appointing his replacement. Murphy had long been the favorite in the race, thanks to a Democratic electorate and New Jersey backing Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE in 2016. ADVERTISEMENT Guadagno faced headwinds from President Trump's unpopularity in the state, while also being saddled with outgoing Gov. Chris Christie's (R) historically low approval ratings. Murphy maintained a consistent double-digit lead throughout the entire general election. Enjoying a comfortable lead, Murphy campaigned on liberal issues instead of pivoting to the center to court more moderate voters. Murphy never won the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernard (Bernie) SandersSenate Dems seek to turn tables on GOP in climate change fight Bernie Sanders Town Hall finishes third in cable news race, draws 1.4 million viewers Woman to undecided Biden: 'Just say yes' to 2020 bid MORE (I-Vt.), but the New Jersey Democrat supported similar issues that Sanders touted during his 2016 presidential campaign. Murphy campaigned on a single-payer health-care system, a minimum wage hike to $15 and free tuition to public college and trade schools Guadagno focused heavily on lowering New Jersey's high property taxes, but her campaign didn't appear to catch fire with voters. In the final month of the campaign, Guadagno veered more to the right to rally conservative base voters and seized on Murphy's comments that he'd be open to making New Jersey a "sanctuary state." Even with Murphy's solid lead in the polls, Democrats didn't take any chances and brought out political heavy-hitters to the campaign trail. The star-studded roster included former Presidents Obama and Clinton and former Vice Presidents Joe Biden Joseph (Joe) Robinette BidenWoman to undecided Biden: 'Just say yes' to 2020 bid Poll shows Biden leads Democrats vying for 2020 nomination The Hill's Morning Report - Dems appear to have votes to counter Trump on emergency MORE and Al Gore Albert (Al) Arnold GoreOvernight Energy: Trump ends talks with California on car emissions \| Dems face tough vote on Green New Deal \| Climate PAC backing Inslee in possible 2020 run New climate PAC will back Inslee for president Howard Schultz must run as a Democrat for chance in 2020 MORE. Given New Jersey's blue electorate, Democrats likely won't see the race as proof of a building wave for the 2018 midterms. Still, Murphy's victory helps Democrats start to chip away at the GOP's strong grip on the majority of governor's mansions across the U.S.Changing an ostomy appliance doesn’t have to be complicated, but there are a few things you’ll want to do in order to do it right. Intro to Changing Your Ostomy Appliance The following steps assume that you have an uncomplicated stoma and use a regular one or two-piece appliance. This guide should be helpful to all ostomates (urostomates, ileostomates, colostomates), although some steps may need to be tweaked/omitted depending on the stoma type. The most common optional steps have been listed, although there are many more special steps that some ostomates may need due to a complication or difficult stoma. Disclaimer: As always, I suggest speaking to a stoma nurse if you are having problems with your stoma or ostomy appliance. If you’re a new ostomate you may not know when to change your appliance. You’ll get better with experience, but I do have a guide to help HERE. Video (recommended) Supplies used in this video include: Preparation Preparation is an important step that helps to keep stress levels down and provides you with a clean and organized workspace. This includes gathering any supplies you’ll be needing as well as making sure that you don’t have anything urgent to get to during the next hour or so. Here are supplies I tend to always have on hand when doing an appliance change: Stoma bag and wafer (or just a bag if it’s a one-piece appliance ). Obviously, this will be required! and (or just a bag if it’s a ). Obviously, this will be required! Adhesive remover spray and/or wipes. Absolutely necessary if you find that your appliance or other supplies are difficult to remove from your skin. spray and/or wipes. Absolutely necessary if you find that your appliance or other supplies are difficult to remove from your skin. Ostomy scissors. These are only necessary if you are cutting your wafer, so there’s no need for them if you use a pre-cut or moldable wafer. I recommend this pair from Coloplast (Amazon.com affiliate link) . These are only necessary if you are cutting your wafer, so there’s no need for them if you use a pre-cut or moldable wafer. I recommend this pair from Coloplast (Amazon.com affiliate link) Small bag to dispose of soiled supplies and to catch any output that comes out while I’ve got my appliance off. “Kitchen catcher” bags tend to be perfect for this. to dispose of soiled supplies and to catch any output that comes out while I’ve got my appliance off. “Kitchen catcher” bags tend to be perfect for this. Mirror. This can either be a small, pocket mirror or one that sits on the bathroom sink. Make sure to use one that stands on its own, preferably one that can be adjusted. . This can either be a small, pocket mirror or one that sits on the bathroom sink. Make sure to use one that stands on its own, preferably one that can be adjusted. Gauze or paper towels. I use gauze to clean around my stoma, to make sure my stoma is dry before putting my appliance on. I prefer using gauze over toilet paper or paper towel because it doesn’t stick or break apart easily (my insurance covers gauze, so that helps). . I use gauze to clean around my stoma, to make sure my stoma is dry before putting my appliance on. I prefer using gauze over toilet paper or paper towel because it doesn’t stick or break apart easily (my insurance covers gauze, so that helps). Pen or marker. If you are cutting your own wafer then this will be handy, although not absolutely necessary. . If you are cutting your own wafer then this will be handy, although not absolutely necessary. (optional) Stoma measuring guide. Makes measuring your stoma easier if you use cut-to-fit wafers. . Makes measuring your stoma easier if you use cut-to-fit wafers. (optional) Tampons(!). I’ve had more than a few people (with either a urostomy or ileostomy) tell me that they use tampons to absorb urine/output while cleaning around their stoma. This can be an alternative to using gauze. . I’ve had more than a few people (with either a urostomy or ileostomy) tell me that they use tampons to absorb urine/output while cleaning around their stoma. This can be an alternative to using gauze. (optional) Barrier rings, barrier wipes, stoma paste, adhesive, protective sheets, etc. Not everyone needs these, but if your nurse has told you to use them then you’ll want these easily accessible during your appliance change. ,,,,, etc. Not everyone needs these, but if your nurse has told you to use them then you’ll want these easily accessible during your appliance change. (optional) Gelling products, pouch deodorants, wafer extenders. Steps to Changing Your Appliance Get supplies ready. It’s important to get everything ready before you start because it’ll help things to go smoothly and it’ll keep the stress down. If you don’t have a lot of counter space in your bathroom, invest in a hanging toiletry bag to keep your supplies in for easy access. It’s important to get everything ready before you start because it’ll help things to go smoothly and it’ll keep the stress down. If you don’t have a lot of counter space in your bathroom, invest in a hanging toiletry bag to keep your supplies in for easy access. (Optional, but highly recommended). I hang a bag under my stoma to catch any output during my change. It also makes it easier to dispose of soiled supplies. You can use plain “kitchen catcher” bags or you can even find similar bags that are scented to help mask any odors during your appliance change. . I hang a bag under my stoma to catch any output during my change. It also makes it easier to dispose of soiled supplies. You can use plain “kitchen catcher” bags or you can even find similar bags that are scented to help mask any odors during your appliance change. Gently remove your old appliance. Be careful not to pull your wafer off too fast or you may damage your skin. If you find that you often have a lot of adhesive residues left on your skin or the wafer doesn’t come off very easily, try using an adhesive remover. Be careful not to pull your wafer off too fast or you may damage your skin. If you find that you often have a lot of adhesive residues left on your skin or the wafer doesn’t come off very easily, try using an. Clean and dry the area around your stoma. You can do this with just plain water, but avoid using soaps with moisturizer if you do use soap. If there’s any residue on your skin use an adhesive remover wipe to gently get rid of it, then rinse with water and dry. It’s really important that your skin is dry before applying any other products, including your wafer. You can do this with just plain water, but avoid using soaps with moisturizer if you do use soap. If there’s any residue on your skin use an adhesive remover wipe to gently get rid of it, then rinse with water and dry. It’s really important that your skin is dry before applying any other products, including your wafer. Shave if needed. Allowing hair to grow under your wafer can cause leaks, irritation, ingrown hairs, and can itch. Guys with hairy stomachs may need to do this with every appliance change, and some women may find that shaving any fine hairs makes removing the wafer easier. For a guide to shaving around your stoma please check out THIS guide. Allowing hair to grow under your wafer can cause, irritation, ingrown hairs, and can itch. Guys with hairy stomachs may need to do this with every appliance change, and some women may find that shaving any fine hairs makes removing the wafer easier. For a guide to shaving around your stoma please check out guide. Measure your stoma and cut a hole in the wafer. Since stomas can change their size and shape, this step is something to consider. You can skip this step if you use a moldable or pre-cut appliance. It’s important to make sure that you do this properly and if you’re having trouble then I have a separate guide you can read HERE. Since stomas can, this step is something to consider. You can skip this step if you use a moldable or pre-cut appliance. It’s important to make sure that you do this properly and if you’re having trouble then I have a separate guide you can read. (Optional) Apply barrier products, stoma powder, etc. If you use any other supplies, you can apply them to your skin now. As a side note, don’t use extra supplies just because you can – more often than not, less is better! If you use any other supplies, you can apply them to your skin now. As a side note, don’t use extra supplies just because you can – more often than not, less is better! Do a “Dry run” to make sure the appliance is cut right. To do this, place your wafer over your stoma without removing the back liner. Check to make sure that everything has been cut properly and it fits around your stoma with enough of a gap. Adjust the hole that you’ve cut in your wafer if you need to. To do this, place your wafer over your stoma without removing the back liner. Check to make sure that everything has been cut properly and it fits around your stoma with enough of a gap. Adjust the hole that you’ve cut in your wafer if you need to. Remove the liner from the wafer and apply the new wafer to your skin. If you’ve got a two-piece then attach your bag after applying your wafer. One suggestion that I would make during this step is to dry your stoma with some gauze so that it’s not really wet or leaking; any moisture that comes in contact with your wafer will cause it not to stick. If you’ve got a two-piece then attach your bag after applying your wafer. One suggestion that I would make during this step is to dry your stoma with some gauze so that it’s not really wet or leaking; any moisture that comes in contact with your wafer will cause it not to stick. Use your hand and apply gentle but firm pressure over your appliance for about a minute. The heat and pressure will help the adhesive to work better. I often find that having a hot shower AFTER putting on my appliance causes the adhesive to bond even better with my skin (resulting in longer wear times). The heat and pressure will help the adhesive to work better. I often find that having a hot shower AFTER putting on my appliance causes the adhesive to bond even better with my skin (resulting in longer wear times). (Optional) Add pouch deodorant and/or gelling products to the bag. If you’re using a one-piece or a two-piece with a closed-ended bag, you’re going to want to do this step before applying your wafer or bag. Add and/or to the bag. If you’re using a one-piece or a two-piece with a closed-ended bag, you’re going to want to do this step before applying your wafer or bag. Clean up. And you are done! This entire process can take five minutes or an hour. Go at your own pace – the goal is to wear an appliance that’s reliable, not set any land speed records! Tips for Active stomas (ileostomy/colostomy) One of the biggest challenges you might face when it comes time to change your appliance is an active stoma. Having a stoma that’s constantly outputting will make pretty much all appliance changes more difficult. Here are a few suggestions to help with that: Time your appliance changes. You may notice that your stoma is less active during certain parts of the day. Try to schedule your appliance changes during those times. You may notice that your stoma is less active during certain parts of the day. Try to schedule your appliance changes during those times. Don’t eat/drink before an appliance change. Eating and drinking stimulate the peristalsis in your gut (it gets things moving!), so you’ll want to avoid eating/drinking a few hours before changing your appliance. Eating and drinking stimulate the peristalsis in your gut (it gets things moving!), so you’ll want to avoid eating/drinking a few hours before changing your appliance. Imodium. Some ostomates will use Imodium, or something similar, to slow down their bowels before an appliance change. Some ostomates will use Imodium, or something similar, to slow down their bowels before an appliance change. Marshmallows. Many ostomates swear by this, but eating marshmallows can slow down your bowel movements. You can find vegan marshmallows on Amazon.com (Affiliate link). Many ostomates swear by this, but eating marshmallows can slow down your bowel movements. You can find vegan marshmallows on Amazon.com (Affiliate link). Laying down. I don’t recommend this, as it creates some other challenges during your appliance change, but some people might find that their stoma is less active when they are laying on their back. If you’re having a problem with liquid output then you may find THIS guide to be helpful. Conclusion I hope this guide has given you some direction on how to change an ostomy appliance. Each person, stoma, and situation are different, so adjust these steps as you see fit. I encourage you to also visit a stoma nurse so they can see how you’re changing your appliance and possibly offer ways to improve upon it. Good luck! Remember, if you’re having difficulty with your appliance, you should speak with an ET Nurse, who can guide you through specific techniques for your skin and body shape. QUESTION: Do you have any tips to share for pouch and wafer changes?on • A wise man like me makes tea his pleasure, Beverage of nectar the colour of saffron, Camphor its only rival in fragrance, Delicate porcelain its vessel of choice; Drink tea, a friend to those seeking wisdom. Everyone wishing to sing melodious songs of Fabulous verse into all the directions, Gorge yourself first on the drink of sages; Have a few cups of tea, and then like the famed Hermit Luipa, you will quickly gain siddhi. In the quest to accomplish the wisdom tradition As taught by the mighty Tathagata himself, Keep inner vision as your peerless guide; Launch into meditation on the nature of voidness, Legacy of Nagarjuna, and accomplish his state. Mastering the essence of the profound scriptures Numerous beyond count, and accomplishing the Ocean of practices, like the six perfections, Place all sentient beings, blind as cattle, on the Path leading to knowledge, freedom, and joy. Quench the thirst of living beings’ needs, Regardless of the personal sacrifice required. Strive to generate the confidence necessary To meet with wisdom the challenges that arise, and To overcome the fox-like distractions of fools. Until stability in practice has been gained, Value the life of simplicity and contentment. Wear jewels of learning, reflection, and meditation With the wish to become a gem to this world; Wondrous indeed will be the results. Worthless are all things ephemeral, yet Worldly people see them as supreme; like Xanthic metal, or gold, as it’s called. Yes, they waste their lives seeking peace in them, Zealously clutching at what always slips away. O hark! Such is my alphabetical song, And if you really care for yourself, you should Be just like me, unequalled on this earth. Ha ha. There I go again, making too much noise; But it’s just a song voiced in fun, A few idle verses from the pen of the poet Yangchen Shepai Dorje, the Melodious Laughing Vajra. The Second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso here signed himself as Yangchen Shepai Dorje (the Melodious Laughing Vajra). From: The Second Dalai Lama: His Life and Teachings, Glenn H. Mullin, Snow Lion Publications, Reproduced here with their kind permission. © Snow Lion Publications Categories: Books, Buddhism, TibetanI went and played paintball at Breakout Paintball to try out their new turf field and give people a chance to check the goggles out. Several people tried the goggles on before I played and got them too sweaty to loan to anyone in good faith. I honestly didn't hear a single negative thing from anyone and everyone was blown away by either the weight or the magnetic chinstrap. I have a minor confession. I've never played paintball wearing a chinstrap until this weekend. I just haven't played any tournaments this year and they weren't ever required until 2017. The PUSH Unite made me actually want to try one out. It is padded and incredibly easy to fasten and unfasten one handed due to the magnet. It is near impossible to fasten incorrectly and can easily clip together due to the excellent magnetic design. It's also easy to detach by hand but I can't see any way the strap would release accidentally. It's a genius design and a truly comfortable chinstrap. However, if you don't want to wear the chin strap, you can simply remove it by unfastening the Velcro without cutting it. I noticed a couple people mention that the mask must be hard to clean, so for the sake of doing a full review, I got myself shot right in the face a couple times playing this weekend. I didn't get a mouth full of paint and none of the hits hurt (but I didn't get bunkered either). It wiped down easily but I did throw it in the sink when I got home and sprayed it off to get all of the paint out of the front holes and vents. There wasn't much in there but it did have some that wouldn't have ever wiped out. I've had some reflective goggle lenses that were very difficult to clean. No matter how many times I wiped them, they always seemed to have some oil or film on them. These cleaned easily without residue. The sound acoustics wearing the mask were great and I didn't feel like my voice echoed back at me. Bryon Benini, the designer of the goggle and one of the founders of PUSH, says they designed the mask specifically with this in mind, so I tried to pay attention to it while playing. The mask easily survived my heat torture test with flying colors. The lens was crystal clear and I didn't experience any glare. Bryon says this is due to design of the top bridge. "It helps cast a shadow over the top venting. We also put a chamfer on the top of the lens with a heavy texture to also help reduce glare on the inside." The foam stayed comfortable even in the heat. I didn't experience any fogging at all even with the switch between my very air conditioned car and the oppressive heat. The mask was also very breathable, even in the ridiculous heat. I don't have much to say that's negative about the mask, but to be fair I'll make an honest effort. I admit I am slightly concerned with how securely the ears connect to the mask. The ears are very lightweight and the connection to the mask does not look rugged. I asked Bryon Benini about it specifically and he said none of them failed during any of their testing and if they ever did, they'd address it. However, he was comfortable with the design and had faith they would hold up to regular use. Here's Bryon's explanation of why they went with that design, "the ear piece is not actually too thin, it is just injected with a different material. The feel and flexibility may make it seem thinner. The connection point for the ear is part of the mask design and one of the features I believe help set it apart. Most of the other goggles use a secondary piece such as a snap or glue Velcro onto the mask which never fully adheres and falls off. Having the attachment point incorporated into the mask helps solve this problem while keeping it clean and simple. The tab is actually in the front grill inserts, which normally would be made of a harder and more brittle material in most dual injected masks and I could see your concern of it breaking away easy. However, the front grill is yet again a different material and is more flexible than the current systems as you noticed. This allows for the tab to also flex and not just break away. The lower mask (not including ears) actually has 3 different material mixtures and hardnesses. The upper part that connects to the goggle being the hardest while everything below is much softer and flexible." The PUSH United goggle also doesn't come with a visor and there's not one currently available aftermarket. I like having a visor just in case of rain but not having one isn't a deal breaker. There's either a visor or a rain guard in development, but no promises on how long until that hits the market. And a visor obviously won't fit in the case attached and might even have problems wedging in the case behind the mask. The back of the strap has silicone screen printing to help grip, but the strap has a different feel than the more traditional silicone beading found on older straps like the OG JT Flex. I was worried it wasn't going to be grippy enough, but I never noticed it slipping once when playing. Paintball masks are an intensely personal piece of gear and every mask fits everyone a little different, so I always recommend people try before they buy. There is no one mask for everyone. All in
gets hired to redecorate the Oval Office for the new president. This job was recommended to her by a Trump supporter and Melania’s friend. Meanwhile, Will set out to Washington D.C. to meet with an anti-EPA Republican Senator. This senator was a total babe, of course. Jack decides to come along with Will for an Amtrak ride. Also, to hit on an old friend who works in Secret Services. What Worked, What Didn’t It was not shocking at all to see that Will & Grace would take a step further and add political material to their show. Considering that is what got us here in the first place. The basic purpose behind bringing back the comedy that has a gay man and his hetero best girlfriend along with their amazing closest pals came out of a short “get out the vote” video. This video was made by Will & Grace during last year’s elections. Now, exactly after a year, It is back on the TV and Donald Trump is in the White House. And a cherry on top, Grace Adler keeps putting the term “fake news” out there. There was a thing which seems a bit off about the 1st episode of the season which was conveniently called “Eleven Years Later”. It is the fact that dialogues are molded into an unnatural pattern to adjust to today’s political situation. Will & Grace was definitely ahead of its times by depicting lives of gay characters. But this show was never political. Though, there were times when it supported stereotypical and aback gay jokes at the expense of Karen’s housekeeper Rosario. We understand the current commander-in-chief must be on the character’s mind. But to see Karen holding a curtain swatch in the Oval office and Grace pairing it with a Cheeto was a little weird. The thing which remains the same is the comic chemistry between the four leads of the show. It feels like they haven’t missed a beat in their years away from each other’s orbit. We were glad to see episode 2 and 3 bringing back the show to the norm. Which includes dating issues, whining about work and a very fast paced comedy which worked like a charm on the audiences. What we loved We love an extended scene in episode 2 which involves Karen and Grace along with a malfunctioning voice-activated shower. in this scene, the two women argue over the fact that whether or not Karen who was sounding like an angry doll on helium should get a raise as she floats in a steady filling which is like a human fishbowl. It is the kind of comedy we love and expect from the classic Will & Grace There is no doubt that Will and Grace is a very cleverly written show by James Burrows, who has also been the director of the show since the beginning. The new touch given to the classic Will & Grace is very fascinating. The trump talk is to ensure that the show is happening in 2017. But it also takes you back to early 2000s. Because the stars are the same and the humor is also the same. The twinkly piano space hasn’t changed either. It highlights the point in the first episode that everything that happened in what seemed as the finale of the season never really occurred. They didn’t end up with different partners but they are divorced now. They also didn’t have kids who would end up in the same college. This was all that the finale from 2006 implied. After quickly explaining all of this, Karen ironically says “That tracks.” We don’t think it tracks at all. As if it was any other season who suddenly defied its finale, would have been considered ridiculous. But with Will & Grace, it doesn’t matter. The fact is that this Rom-com has nothing to do with what is going on in the lives of gay and straight New Yorkers. It has been about passing days in this ridiculous corner of Manhattan. Along with these silly gay and straight people. They might not need to add Trump jokes into their conversations, they just have to be our sweet escape from reality. We are more than happy to have them back.Israeli PM will demand release of Jonathan Pollard, convicted of spying for Israel against US in 1987, reports say The Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will link the release of former US naval intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard, convicted of spying against the US for Israel, to progress in the US-sponsored peace talks with the Palestinians, Israeli media reported on Tuesday. The reports said Netanyahu would either demand Pollard's release when Israel signed a framework agreement, or as part of a prisoner exchange involving Arab citizens of Israel held for terrorist offences, who have always been excluded from previous agreements. Netanyahu's office declined to confirm or deny the story, which was reported by most of Israel's most well-informed diplomatic correspondents – a favoured method of leaking sensitive information. Netanyahu appeared to be responding to mounting pressure following revelations that Britain's GCHQ and America's National Security Agency had targeted then Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, his defence minister, Ehud Barak, and Barak's chief of staff. Pollard was imprisoned in 1987 and has served longer than any other spy captured in the US. Repeated Israeli requests for his release have been ignored, although they have lately been joined by top US officials responsible for his prosecution, including Lawrence Kolb, deputy to then US defence secretary Caspar Weinberger. "We ask that you seriously consider the requests that there have been from top current and former American officials and release Pollard on humanitarian grounds," said a letter to The US president, Barack Obama, signed by more than 100 Israeli MPs and ministers ahead of a special session in the Knesset on Wednesday. "It's a matter of justice," said the deputy defence minister, Danny Danon. "The Americans can't come to us asking for more and more while Pollard remains in prison." Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier released in a prisoner swap in 2011 after being held for five years by Hamas, added his moral weight to the campaign and called on "our American friends" to release him. "After Israel released terrorists with blood on their hands as a gesture to the Palestinians – this is an appropriate reciprocal gesture," Shalit wrote in a national newspaper column. However, some close observers of the tangled web of US-Israeli relations warned that the latest leaks might be designed more for domestic consumption as Netanyahu grapples with the fractious right wing of his party ahead of next week's planned prisoner release against a background of scattered but increasing Palestinian violence. "There are so many difficult issues right now on the agenda between Obama and Netanyahu that to add Pollard to that with all of the baggage that it carries is not likely," said Professor Gerald Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University.There were extensive power cuts across India in late July and early August. This created the opportunity for celebrity historian and recent Reith lecturer Professor Niall Ferguson to go on the attack. Ferguson opens his article in Newsweek with a reminder of how India used to be: The British—slightly less than a thousand of them—used to govern India. Without air-conditioning....There was a reason the British moved their capital to the cool Himalayan hill station of Simla every summer. Maybe today’s Indian government should consider following their example. He quotes Kipling approvingly, before going on to argue that it's all socialism's fault anyway: India’s electricity grid has missed every capacity addition target since 1951. The system is so dilapidated that 27 percent of the power it carries is lost as a result of leakage and theft. Even today, 300 million people—a quarter of the population—don’t have access to the grid. That’s one reason the blackout didn’t spark more public ire. The root of the problem is one of many leftovers of India’s post-independence experiment with socialism. Half of India’s power stations are coal-fired. Indian coal is produced by a state monopoly (Coal India). The price is controlled by the state, as is the price of electricity itself. The private firms running power stations are trapped between a lump of coal and a hard place. They cannot even trust the regional distributors to order the right amount of power. Ah yes, if only Britain were still in charge, everyone in India would have aircon and iced tea on tap.... Oddly for a historian, though, Ferguson doesn't appear to have taken much notice of history. Britain governed India for 50 years beyond the first electricity supplies in the 1890s. In that 50 years to independence in 1947, a total of 1,500 of India's 640,000 villages were connected to the grid. During that time, pretty well all of Britain was electrified, along with the rest of Europe and America. After independence, this is what happened: In other words, under the seven five year plans from 1947 to 1991, the Indian government brought electricity to roughly 320 times as many villages as British colonialism managed in a similar time span. This is not to say that India does not face major challenges in ensuring secure power supplies in face of its burgeoning demand from its cities, and the ongoing need of the rural areas not yet reached. But for Ferguson to insinuate that Indians are in some way less capable than their colonial masters betrays a startling ignorance of what colonialism did to India in the first place. Put simply, the British colonial powers had no interest in the Indian people. India was what Acemoglu and Robinson refer to in Why Nations Fail as an "extractive colony". As a result, the formation of the Indian state and its institutions was so severly stunted that, even today, India can no longer be seen as anything like a 'complete state' of the type that developed organically, over several centuries, in Europe and then America (see here for a fuller analysis of the case of India, based on Charles Tilly's groundbreaking work). For Ferguson simply to set the long term consequences of colonialism to one side, in favour of a simplistic view of why India is where it is now - a paradox not of its own making - confirms his fall from decent historian to celebrity charlatan, interested more in soundbite opportunity than in real economics and history.Paul Joseph Watson Infowars.com December 7, 2010 Americans have reacted with outrage to Big Sis Janet Napolitano’s announcement that Homeland Security messages encouraging shoppers to spy on each other will play at Wal-Mart checkouts, but the announcement is part of a wider takeover of America that will see the DHS invade virtually every aspect of public life in the United States as the country sinks into a decrepit banana republic. The Department of Homeland Security’s official You Tube channel has been bombarded with complaints, many of them littered with furious profanity, after the announcement yesterday that the DHS would team up with 588 Wal-Mart stores in 27 states to place monitors at checkout locations that would play a video message by Janet Napolitano encouraging Americans to spy on each other and report “suspicious activity” to law enforcement and Wal-Mart employees. The announcement leaves no room for doubt that America has officially entered the realm of Orwell’s 1984 as the federal government moves to entrench an onerous surveillance society where ordinary members of the public are enlisted as spies for the state to create a constant sense of distrust and fear. From VIPR teams that now patrol Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and Los Angeles rail lines; ferries in Washington state; bus stations in Houston; and mass transit systems in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore, to invasive pat downs at bus and train terminals and on street corners across the country, to radiation-emitting naked body scanners that roam the highways scanning vehicles and homes, to interrogation checkpoints at sporting and other public events, Big Sis is engaged in a total takeover of society, turning America into a giant prison grid where everyone is guilty until proven innocent and treated as a potential terrorist. Alex Jones Rant: DHS & TSA Invading America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_nN2n4jz4A Openly encouraging Americans to become informants for the government as they purchase their weekly groceries represents a new low in America’s total collapse into a dictatorial banana republic. It’s a sad and pathetic reminder that this once great beacon of freedom, strength and prosperity has now been hijacked by people who hate everything about what America once represented. Given the fact that Homeland Security is mimicking British authorities in its Orwellian approach, we can expect “suspicious activity” to include such behavior as paying for Wal-Mart’s Chinese slave goods with cash, or merely daring looking back at the surveillance cameras spying on Americans in the shopping mall. A d v e r t i s e m e n t {openx:49} As America sinks deeper into a militarized police state, society begins to parallel more and more aspects of Nazi Germany and other historical dictatorships, especially in the context of citizens being turned against each other, which in turn creates a climate of fear and the constraining sense that one is always being watched. One common misconception about Nazi Germany was that the police state was solely a creation of the authorities and that the citizens were merely victims. On the contrary, Gestapo files show that 80% of all Gestapo investigations were started in response to information provided by denunciations by “ordinary” Germans. “There were relatively few secret police, and most were just processing the information coming in. I had found a shocking fact. It wasn’t the secret police who were doing this wide-scale surveillance and hiding on every street corner. It was the ordinary German people who were informing on their neighbors,” wrote Robert Gellately of Florida State University. Now the federal government is urging Americans to “denounce” each other at Wal-Mart. Are we seeing the beginnings of President Barack Obama’s promised “civilian national security force” that would be just as powerful and well funded as the US military? Gellately discovered that the people who informed on their neighbors were motivated primarily by banal factors – “greed, jealousy, and petty differences,” and not by a genuine concern about crime or insecurity. Indeed, history tells us that any Stasi-like society does nothing to increase genuine security and only turns the host population against each other while decaying the country from within. Gellately “found cases of partners in business turning in associates to gain full ownership; jealous boyfriends informing on rival suitors; neighbors betraying entire families who chronically left shared bathrooms unclean or who occupied desirable apartments.” “And then there were those who informed because for the first time in their lives someone in authority would listen to them and value what they said.” Gellately emphasizes the fact that the Germans who sicked the authorities on their neighbors knew very well what the consequences for the victims would be – families torn apart, torture and internment in concentration camps, and ultimately in many cases death – but they still did it with few qualms because the rewards of financial bounties and mere convenience were deemed more important to them. This strikes at the root of the selfish and childish urges the government is trying to manipulate in getting people to report on their fellow Americans. The self-important feeling of being listened to, ascribed some temporary sense of authority, and the cult-like pavlovian reward of being metaphorically patted on the head by someone in a uniform, are all tendencies such campaigns play on. However, if we don’t want to end up in a society that exists in a constant state of tyranny and fear as in Stasi East Germany or Stalinist Russia, we must learn that our neighbors and friends are not our enemies, and that the only real threat against which we need to unite is an oppressive state that tries to destroy us by turning us against each other. Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad) This role has now been undertaken by Big Sis and the Department of Homeland Security, which is actively finalizing the invasion and total takeover of American society, using tools and programs that every single odorous dictatorship in modern history has resorted to – checkpoints, interrogations, strip-searches, training the people to spy on each other, guilty until proven innocent. Each and every facet betrays a country in terminal decline and one that will end up as a decrepit, lifeless, authoritarian cesspit, forever confined to the slagheap of history as just another example of how a civilized, cultured and prosperous society allowed itself to be destroyed from within by fear at the hands of a gaggle of jackbooted thugs. — Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show. Watson has been interviewed by many publications and radio shows, including Vanity Fair and Coast to Coast AM, America’s most listened to late night talk show.Stem cells used to heal damaged hearts for the first time BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Damaged hearts of laboratory monkeys have been successfully repaired for the first time with human stem cells in a study that could lead to the first clinical trials on patients with heart disease within the next four years, scientists said. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/stem-cells-used-to-heal-damaged-hearts-for-the-first-time-30234901.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article30173077.ece/26b16/AUTOCROP/h342/PANews%20BT_P-2e861698-de52-49e9-aacd-86adafa54b24_I1.jpg Email Damaged hearts of laboratory monkeys have been successfully repaired for the first time with human stem cells in a study that could lead to the first clinical trials on patients with heart disease within the next four years, scientists said. The study, published in the journal Nature, demonstrates that human stem cells can be grown in large enough quantities to form beating cardiac muscle tissue which can be stored in frozen form until needed for a transplant operation, the researchers said. Experiments involving the injection of human stem cells into the damaged hearts of mice, rats and guinea pigs have already shown the potential for treating heart disease but the latest study is the first to prove its potential in a non-human primate species, the pintail macaque monkey. “The main significance of this study is that it shows for the first time that we can do heart regeneration at a scale that the world has never seen before,” said Charles Murry, professor of pathology and bioengineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. “We’re able to grow large amounts of human heart muscle cells in a dish. We can grow them in the billions, we can freeze them and keep them in cold storage until we can use them and then we can transplant them into the heart of a large animal that really mimics the human condition well,” Professor Murry said. Stem cells, sometimes known as the “master cells” of the body, are seen as offering new kinds of treatments for incurable or progressive illnesses, from heart disease to Parkinson’s, but there are still immense practical and safety issues before they can be widely introduced. For treating human heart disease, for instance, it will be necessary to grow billions of cardiac muscle cells in the laboratory from stem cells and to freeze them without impairing their ability to regenerate damaged cardiac muscle once they have been implanted into a patient, Professor Murry said. “The principal focus is to understand stem cells to the point where we can grow large amounts of beating human heart muscle in a dish, to learn the science of how they differentiate and then to harness them in such a way that we can cure human heart disease ultimately,” he said. “Before this study, it was not known if it is possible to produce sufficient numbers of these cells and successfully use them to re-muscularise damaged hearts in a large animal whose heart size and physiology is similar to that of the human heart,” he explained. The study was carried out on just seven macaque monkeys suffering from a condition that simulated human heart disease. In each case, the animal showed an improvement with the implanted human stem cells leading to an average 40 per cent repair of the damaged tissue. After three months, the implanted cells appeared to have fully integrated with the monkey’s own cardiac tissue, beating in synchrony and with the primate’s blood vessels growing into and nurturing the replacement cells. “Once in the heart we’ve shown they survive, that they are able to organise themselves into new heart muscle and they will connect with the surrounding cardiac muscle cells and beat in synchrony,” Professor Murry said. “The long-term goal is to get the heart to heal by muscle regeneration instead of forming scar tissue after a patient has a heart attack,” he said. Although the monkeys showed no adverse symptoms relating to the transplant, the scientists did detect an irregular heartbeat within two to three weeks following the transplant, which later disappeared as the transplanted cells became more electrically stable, they said. Despite this, the results open the way for human clinical trials within the next few years, said Michael Laflamme, professor of pathology at Washington University. “The results show we can now produce the number of cells needed for human therapy and get formation of new heart muscle on a scale that is relevant to improving the function of the human heart,” Professor Laflamme said. Source: Independent 3D printer bid to build human heart Belfast Telegraph DigitalPatrick Beverley: Defensive Player of the Year Award is ‘my biggest goal’ Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley has his eyes on what he believes to be a very attainable prize. In a recent interview with Sean Deveney of Sporting News, Beverley was clear that his goal for the season is to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award and expressed confidence in his ability to do so. “That is one of my biggest goals,” Beverley said of DPOY honors. “I feel like I am the best defensive player in the league right now. I hope the whole world sees it. If we win games, more and more people see it. “But the last guard to get the Defensive Player of the Year award was Gary Payton. Why not me?” he continued. “I have the same type of killer mindset that he had, the lateral quickness and quick hands. The swagger also. That’s one of my goals, my biggest goal. If I can get a goal like that, I will put my team in a position to win a lot of games.” The 28-year-old Beverley doesn’t just talk the talk, but he walks the walk as well. Beverley missed the first 11 games of the season with the Rockets posting a defensive rating of 105.4 over that stretch (19th in the league). But in the 15 games since Beverley’s return, that number has fallen to 104.3 (13th in that span). He’s also allowing his man to shoot 5.8 percent worse than average when defending him (ninth in the NBA amongst qualified players) and notably held Stephen Curry (9-for-22), Damian Lillard (7-for-20), and Russell Westbrook (8-for-25) to poor shooting nights in a trio of victories for Houston over the last month. Beverley will face some stiff competition for the award from rim-protecting condors like Rudy Gobert and all-around earth destroyers like Draymond Green. But with the added oomph he’s playing with this year, Beverley should be more than able to hold his own as he attempts to scale the DPOY summit. Image Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Stats courtesy of NBA.comSaturn's moon Dione may have an ocean, according to new data from the Cassini mission to Saturn. Two of the planet's other moons - Titan and Enceladus - have already been revealed to harbour global oceans under their icy crusts. New gravity data from recent Cassini flybys of the giant planet suggest that Dione's crust floats on an ocean 62 miles (100km) below the surface, according to researchers at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. Dione (near) is thought to harbour a global ocean under its icy crust like fellow moon Enceladus (far), though much further under the surface OCEAN ON EUROPA Hubble spotted giant plumes of water 125 miles high erupting from the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, raising hopes it could hold life in a vast underground ocean engulfing the moon, NASA revealed last week. The new images 'indicate a global saline liquid water ocean engulfs the moon at the present time hidden under miles of ice,' NASA said. It increases the possibility that missions to Europa may be able to sample Europa's ocean without having to drill through miles of ice. The galactic ocean is thought to be tens of kilometers deep, surrounding the moon's rocky core. The Cassini spacecraft, operated by Nasa, first launched in 1997 and first reached Saturn in 2004. Dione is very similar to its smaller but more well-known sibling moon Enceladus, says the study. Encaladus has previously been shown to spurt massive jets of water vapour into space from its south polar region. While Dione is currently quiet, the researchers suggest that its surface shows signs of a more active past. Previous modelling based on the available data had predicted that Dione had no ocean at all. The new study says that Enceladus' ocean is much closer to the surface than that of Dione. The findings back up a Cassini's discovery last year that Enceladus experiences large back-and-forth oscillations - known as libration - during its orbit. Enceladus' libration would be much smaller if its crust was thicker, says the study, while Dione hides a deep ocean between its crust and core. 'Like Enceladus, Dione librates but below the detection level of Cassini,' said Antony Trinh, co-author of the new study. 'A future orbiter hopping around Saturn's moons could test this prediction.' Dione could potentially offer a habitable environment for microbial life, suggest the researchers. This illustration shows the interior of Saturn's moon Enceladus with a global liquid water ocean between its rocky core and icy crust 'The contact between the ocean and the rocky core is crucial', said Attilio Rivoldini, co-author of the study. 'Rock-water interactions provide key nutrients and a source of energy, both being essential ingredients for life.' While Dione's ocean is too deep to be easy accessible, both Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa regularly eject water into space, which can be gathered by passing space probes for analysis. 'Ocean worlds' - moons or planet with subsurface oceans - have been discovered around Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto, but the researchers say that there may be more. They say that these could be identified using a similar modelling approach with data from space probes. 'Future missions will visit Jupiter's moons, but we should also explore Uranus' and Neptune's systems', said Mikael Beuthe.by “I’ll let you have the $10,000 for three points. That’s only because I know you.” I’m listening to Tony yak, my Shylock. Yak, yak has earned the moniker. He never gives his mouth a rest. Yak’s giving me the loan at street price: $30 for every $1,000. That’s “juice.” Every week I’ll pay $300, but nothing comes off the top. Usury’s a felony. The Yak did a three-and-a -half year stretch for it. That’s the way it was back in the day. Now, credit card companies make cash loans at 28 percent with Congress’ blessing. Many Credit card companies call Delaware home. Corporate-media-labeled “liberal progressive,” Joe Biden, championed these thieves for 36 years. Bankers contributed mightily to keep him in office and advance his career. Our vice president’s no liberal progressive, anymore than our president’s a socialist. If they are, they’re piss poor examples of both. In America, money doesn’t talk, but screams to a comatose public, a criminal government and a corrupt media. You don’t have to listen hard to hear it. * * * After Bush’s “reign of error,” our “socialist” received more money from Wall Street, Big Pharm and the insurance companies than McCain. Corporations knew Obama would win. The $1 billion the president spent on his campaign didn’t come from the poor, the unions, or the N.A.A.C.P. In this era of doublespeak, bribery’s commonplace, and referred to, euphemistically, as campaign donations. Once elected, our venal legislators forget campaign promises and become baptized pragmatists. Law enforcement locks up the occasional campaign donor but rarely locks up congressmen who solicit the bribes. Lock up the prostitutes but wink at the Johns. Of the $2 billion spent on the last presidential election, 65 percent of it was “donated” by less than 250 powerbrokers. This shrieks campaign finance reform. Over 90 percent of incumbents outspent their opponents. America holds auctions, not elections. When George Soros or the Koch Brother’s vote mean more than yours, the Republic is broken. Our legislators are millionaires, and people in power make laws to benefit themselves. The status quo ensures that the cries of the poor will go unheard over the whispers of the rich. * * * Our investment bankers and financial systems have gamed the system. In the last decade, Wall Street donated almost $12 billion to both corporate parties. Major corporations hire the best accountants to avoid taxes. G.E. throws some poor schmuck working for the IRS a 72,000-page tax return form. “Go ahead. Find something wrong. I dare you.” Our Congress has neither the resources, nor the inclination to prevent corporate tax dodgers. Indeed, many congressmen would be grateful for access. Who hires an honest accountant? Our legislators did agree to repeal the law that prohibits its members from insider trading. A Congress that couldn’t pass a fart through cotton comes together finally to screw its citizens. Hear the cash howling yet? * * * When banks go broke, they borrow money from the Fed at near zero interest. Students don’t contribute to congressmen’s coffers, so our nation’s future will pay back loans at a six times higher rate than the Wall Street thieves who robbed us. Even more egregious, Federal student loan rates are set to double on July 1. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation to ensure students receive the same loan rates the Fed gives big banks on Wall Street: 0.75 percent. Senate Republicans blocked the bill – so much for investing in America’s future. The same righteous pricks who will run to the barricades to ensure not one dollar trickles down to public education, yet insist our inequitable tax code remains the same, say that students must pay 6.8 percent. Congress must keep the populous uninformed and uneducated. If citizens analyze what they receive for their 35 percent tax burden, the ruling class, who pay only 15 percent, will only get richer buying futures in pitchforks and torches. * * * Investment bankers steal $3 trillion, and not one act of jurisprudence against any of them: zero, zilch, yet, Republicans scream, “Deregulate Wall Street.” We’re told bankers are honorable men. Imagine a bank robber screaming, “We have too many cops.” Our bankers tell us regulations hinder growth. Trust us. Prosperity will trickle down. Trickle down economics? In my neighborhood, we called that piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. Regulators are too fucking far between as it is. An old adage states the best way to rob a bank is to own one, and every child knows that more money can be stolen with a pen than a gun. * * * Years after the largest heist in history, no one has done shit to the Wall Street shysters who robbed us in plain sight. No investment banker has gone to jail. No new regulations put in place. Nothing’s changed. Indeed, the nation watched stunned as our Congress apologized to the well-heeled felons on national T.V. Government’s not the noose around the thieves’ neck but the stool beneath their feet. Yet, the narcoleptics who pass for voters say nothing. Watching the NFL and American Idol has become the American equivalent of Nero’s fiddling. As Lord Acton reminds us, “Where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that.” * * * Back in the ‘60s, my Bronx buddy, Vinny, did three years for a mob boss. After his “bit,” he was rewarded with a $300,000 house, and, so he could earn, six number shops: not on Park Avenue, not on Sutton Place, but in Harlem. Illegal numbers is a poor man’s game. Our State Governments know that. Although lotteries are sold in bodegas and newspaper stores across the states, they’re most successful in poor neighborhoods, where the hopeless line up with $2 dreams. The State doles out welfare with one hand, and then tugs a bit back with the other — to the tune of $50 billion a year. Mob number shops caused less harm than today’s government sponsored lotteries. Black markets couldn’t advertise on television or erect kiosks in grocery stores. The wise guys never took in anywhere near what state-run lotteries do. * * * When the mob owned Vegas, I could count cards and make a buck: no more. Corporations made a subtle, yet substantial, blackjack rule change. No longer must the dealer stand on all 17s. Now the dealer must hit soft 17 – an ace and a six. This swings the edge back to the casinos at an astonishing five percent. Count all the cards you want. You can’t win anymore. The MIT boys changed the game. Corporations sign the checks and pay for the bottom line. Vegas gamblers received better odds from the mob than the corporations. The same could be said about America’s taxpayers. CEOs are the new Dons. Only these vampires want to drink your blood, not dip their beak. American Airlines CEO Tom Horton wants a $20 million payout after he bankrupted the airline, cut jobs and froze pensions. According to Forbes, McKesson’s CEO, John H. Hammergren, “earned” $131 million last year. That number rolls easily off the tongue, yet it breaks down to over $2.5 million a week. No one “earns” that kind of money. No amount of labor justifies it. That’s theft not compensation. A capitalist creates wealth, a socialist distributes it, but whatever the euphemism, a thief is a thief. When the world’s top 400 people earn more than the other 4.5 billion, that’s not economic capitalism, but economic cannibalism. Under communism, man exploits his fellow man, and under capitalism it is EXACTLY the opposite. We need financial oversight and fast. * * * Gorilla advertising sells just about anything. I’ve a Jack Russell Terrier. Oliver eats anything: vegetables, potato chips, even canine feces. On a long car trip, I forgot to eat breakfast. Worse, I hadn’t fed Oliver. I decided to suck it up and buy two fast food burgers. Despite his hunger, Oliver sniffed and twisted his head. I peeled the excess and offered the patty alone. Still adamant, he’d rather starve. Google the ingredients used to make this worldwide conglomerate’s ribs. It’s not even food. Their legendary boneless pork sandwich, famously molded to resemble a rack of ribs, is both a feat of modern engineering and shrewd marketing. A Nebraska professor, Richard Mandigo, developed the “restructured meat product.” He says it contains a mixture of tripe, heart, and scalded stomach, mixed with salt and water. It’s then re-molded into any specific shape — in this case, a fake slab of ribs. Is it any wonder America lead the world in obesity and cancer and our health care costs spiral? Budget cuts and shrewd lobbying have defanged the FDA, and to attract our innocents, colorful sliding ponds and clowns help peddle “happy” meals. Mothers who take children through the golden arches should be arrested for child abuse, and the infamous clown should be led away in handcuffs. But in my America, fast food means money, and currency speaks louder than common sense. * * * If a citizen throws a candy wrapper on the street, he receives a fine for littering. When big oil pollutes our air and oceans they receive kickbacks disguised as tax breaks. Only 35 government inspectors patrol over 56,000 oil wells in the Gulf. Like Wall Street, they’ll police themselves. Exxon and British Petroleum run ads over our airways about their company’s clean energy and clean environment policies. If the once proud fourth estate exposes the gangsters, they’ll lose their advertising. Big money’s din deafens the media as well. * * * Our government spends millions to keep marijuana users incarcerated. Cigarettes kill. Alcohol kills. Pills kill. How about a war against a worthy adversary? Who has ever died from pot? Big Pharm donated twice as much as big oil to political parties last year. They don’t want marijauna legal. Go to an A.A. meeting in any American suburban town. I guarantee there are more attendees under 25 than over. Most of these kids are hooked on Percocet and Oxycodone. Many graduated to a cheaper habit: heroin. Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of New England Journal of Medicine, published an article damning the over-prescription of psychoactive drugs. Since the launch of Prozac in 1987, the number of people treated for depression has tripled. Ten percent of Americans over age six are taking antidepressants. Antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal, Zyprexa and Seroquel are replacing cholesterol-lowering agents as the top-sellers in the U.S., largely because they are being prescribed to children. The business insider informs us that painkillers kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined. Imagine a heroin dealer advertising on television? Yet pharmaceutical companies advertise freely over the public airwaves with Congress’ blessing. When big money talks, even little children listen. * * * The word Privilege is derived from the Latin meaning private law. When Wall Streeters sniff coke, law enforcers treat it fairly benignly but treat crack smokers like malignant growths that must be removed. They’re both addictive forms of cocaine, yet one’s snorted through silver straws. When a wise guy broke the mob’s code, he had to answer for it, egalitarian punishment. Business was business. He couldn’t buy his way out. When’s the last time a rich man in America received the death penalty? Money makes an eloquent case for innocence. * * * The IRS got Capone for tax evasion. How the mighty has fallen. If the Feds dare question the legitimacy of political write offs (501s), the corporate media attacks them. Recently we had a candidate for the presidency that took the political hit rather than release more than his last two-years-tax returns. According to the Wall Street Journal, an estimated $23 trillion – more
not ever been about superstars, individuals. There have been, and hopefully there will continue to be, incredibly talented individuals pass through Crew Stadium, but it has never been about them. There are no capos here, and while the supporters groups all have leadership, it is still communal. Anyone can start a chant. Anyone can cheer. It is not about any one person. There are no superstars. This is not to say that there aren't some parts of Crew fandom that shine a little brighter. The group known as #TIFOSWEAT burst to national prominence with their HOME banner made for the U.S. Men's National Team's September 2013 match against Mexico at Crew Stadium. They then went on to make several impressive displays over the course of the 2014 Season. They are, in this writer's humble opinion, a treasure. And Morgan was one of the founding members of the group. I asked who all could "join" #TIFOSWEAT? "#TIFOSWEAT is open to anyone and everyone," he told me. "When the two or three of us started #TIFOSWEAT there is a very specific reason we kept it a hashtag, and it never became an ‘official' supporters group. I don't think that it would have served the greater purpose well enough, as a group, no matter how inclusive you make it. The beauty of a hashtag is that anyone can use it. Nobody needs to pay a membership fee. Literally anyone and everyone can help paint banners. If you want to get involved just come out, hang out, paint banners, see if you like it. If you do, there are plenty of places you can go from there." #TIFOSWEAT is a project that is obviously near and dear to his heart. You can hear it in his voice when he describes it. But none of his stories about #TIFOSWEAT are "Look what I facilitated". Most of them aren't even about the projects themselves. It's about the people involved. He repeatedly refers to his comrades as, "some of my best friends." The hours spent working, the stories from the road, are what seem to matter most to Morgan. But what does all this have to do with the point of this series? "You're supposed to be writing about casual fans." You could point out, not unfairly. I want to use this column to start conversations, different, but possibly linked. Morgan is quite obviously passionate about "filling the fortress," and part of this is reaching out and engaging with "casual" fans. But, is it reasonable to expect all fans to do this? SHOULD all fans do this? The simple answer is "not if you don't want to." Like I said, well, like Morgan said, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to support. Not everyone is interested in "reaching out" to casual fans, trying to "engage" them, or "get them hooked". No one should be taken to task for not really feeling like doing that. At the end of the day it's not their job. I, personally, agree with Morgan, and that's why he is the first voice from "within the community" that I interviewed. Later this season, assuming there IS a season, I'll be talking with other Crew fans, including one who, "Is just there to drink beer with my friends and watch the game". But to those of you, of us, who ARE interested in helping put butts in seats, what can we do? Now, with a work stoppage possibly looming, is the time to be talking about this. So my last question, to you, Massive Nation, is this: Who else should I be talking to? Whose perspective would YOU be interested in hearing from? Do you, yourself, have something interesting to share? If you do, don't hesitate to reach out. My email is [email protected] or you can find me on twitter @krislandis. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading, and Stay Massive.Functional. Minimal. Single purpose – even if that purpose is bizarre. Let’s explore the Marmite of web design. As part of one of our articles on UI design trends, we mentioned brutalist UI as being at the extreme end of current graphical user interface (GUI) design. Rob Whiting, Head of Product Design at The Spencer Group, believes the future of UI is in “subdued colours, large, easy-to-read typography and simple, task-focused interactions.” Brutalist websites take this design theory to the very limits. You’ve likely already heard of brutalism before in the architectural world, but it’s a wildly misinterpreted term. According to Dezeen, “Brutalism’s etymology actually lies in the French term ‘béton-brut’ – literally ‘raw concrete’ – the movement’s signature material. But Brutalism was concerned with far more than materials.” From the 1950s onwards, designers grew tired of a watered down version of modernist architecture, which was intended to replace traditional, neo-classical styles with something entirely functional – created from brand new building materials, such as concrete and steel. Brutalist architects developed a style that didn’t care for comfort or easy-on-the eye aesthetics – instead these buildings are stark and minimalist, and perhaps more importantly – you can see exactly what materials they’re made from and often the inner workings are exposed. Their ‘confrontational’ appearance is a byproduct of these materials and their form. Which brings back round to brutalist websites… On the comprehensive Brutalist Websites directory, the ‘about us’ is basically adapted from the Wikipedia description of brutalism… “In its ruggedness and lack of concern to look comfortable or easy, Brutalism can be seen as a reaction by a younger generation to the lightness, optimism, and frivolity of today’s web design.” However many of the examples (of which they apparently receive hundreds of every day) fall more into the modern, skewed example of brutalism: displeasing to the eye, unpopular and purposefully antagonistic. But that’s not what we’re looking for here, I’m more interested in the original definition of brutalism: functional, transparent and minimal. Sites that won’t appear on Awwwards any time soon, but do offer something close to what we mentioned earlier in terms of “large, easy-to-read typography and simple, task-focused interactions.” And much like their architectural counterparts, it’s an incidental byproduct that these may appear so unwelcoming. Let’s take a look at a few examples from BrutalistWebsites.com and a few others I’ve found along the way… Pierre Buttin’s brutalist reworks of existing apps and their swipable-pinchable-zoomable interfaces is an effective and immediate way to get the message of brutalism across. A single webpage payment service that allows any artist who has been promised the currency of ‘exposure’ in exchange for their work, to generate an invoice for their generous client. The exchange rate is 1 Exposure = 1 unit of your chosen PayPal currency. Nathaniel Smith of tilde.town (itself a stripped-down experience marooned in a lost age) stated in the Washington Post that brutalist websites are more common than you think. “Look at Craigslist. This is totally a brutalist website… and commercially, very successful.” Similar to Craigslist, but with remarkably even fewer bells and whistles. The Trust Issues podcast, which tackles the wildest conspiracy theories, has a gloriously minimalist, purple-lined online home, replete with a draggable, easy to use media player/contact form. W.A.S.T.E. is Radiohead’s online home, and it’s a world away from the complex melancholia and multi-textured artistry of their last couple of albums. Instead this is perfunctory, stark and wilfully antagonistic towards modern ‘acceptable’ website design. When the world has moved on from the internet to a new plain of existence and/or time-wastery beyond our imagination, this will be the definitive document of our current time. Light a fire beneath your working week (or in fact any period of time you wish to set) with this helpful tool. Are you eating dinner with your father? Delivers a simple message that bears repeating once in a while… with hammers. Update: This website is sadly no longer live Part angry screed of spleen venting, part satirical joke. There are plenty of piss-taking one-page websites (some of them are in this list) but this one seems to have more longevity then the rest. Plus it’s responsive. It’s a juice bar, what else do you need to know? Also check out the very satisfying ‘divider’ style navigation. Potentially the most idiot-proof ecommerce site ever built. Click here to save the world… 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 And perhaps the ultimate brutalist webpage. You even have to go offline to see it… Well, I think we’ve all learnt something here today. Personally, I’ll be making all my text light purple, swearing more and turning the mouse pointer into a hammer. For an in-depth and entertaining guide to getting started with user research, read our brand new comprehensive e-book: User Experience Research 101. Main image by Coleen PaladIn response to Rod, Conor Friedersdorf weighs in on the the matter of Carlos Romero, lover of animals, and Doodle the miniature donkey. Recalling Justice Scalia’s dissent in Lawrence v. Texas, Rod asks: Now, why does the state have the right to tell young Romero that he may not pleasure himself in the presence of his miniature donkey? It appears that he never actually violated Doodle’s, uh, person…The stable swain never laid a hand on that donkey, yet the state is prosecuting him for his amour impropre. According to liberal and libertarian ideas of sexual autonomy and the law, why should Romero and Doodle’s outlaw love be illegal? Friedersdorf responds: The defendant’s own attorney all but provided the answer. “If the statute were to require sexual conduct with animals to be nonconsensual or to cause injury in order to be a crime,” he noted, “then perhaps the State would have a rational basis and legitimate state interest in enforcement.” I’d insist, along with a lot of libertarians, that any sex with animals is in fact nonconsensual, and that outlawing it should be entirely unobjectionable to right-thinking liberals and libertarians. (I’d add that if self-pleasure in the mere presence of animals is a crime, we’d better start building prisons to house all the dog and cat owners whose pets witness their otherwise private moments.) This doesn’t answer Rod’s question. Or if it does, it’s by demonstrating his suggestion that libertarians can offer no principled defense of laws prohibiting bestiality–or any other practice whose risks are born by the human individuals that engage in them. (I exempt “liberals” from this discussion because the term is too vague to identify a specific philosophical position.) First, Friedersdorf acknowledges that he regards prosecution for Romero’s actual offense as absurd. We don’t punish people who keep more conventional pets from having sex (with themselves or others) around animals. So why should Romero face harsh penalties, including registration as a sex offender? The real reason Romero faces punishment for masturbating in Doodle’s presence, as his attorneys point out, is that this act is “considered deviant or downright ‘disgusting'”, while engaging in the same act in the presence of one’s cat might be merely embarrassing. According to Friedersdorf, however, that’s not good enough: there has to be a “rational argument” for outlawing bestiality, or any other sexual practice. But what if Romero actually had sex with Doodle? Here, Friedersdorf think he’s on stronger ground. Animals cannot consent. Since it is legitimate to punish non-consensual acts, “outlawing [sex with animals] should be entirely unobjectionable to right-thinking liberals and libertarians.” Yet this argument isn’t very powerful either. To begin with, it’s not self-evident that animals can’t consent. At the very least, we’d need empirical reasons to believe that this is the case, particularly when it comes to higher animals such as great apes. All we have here, however, is Friedersdorf’s insistence that “any sex with animals is in fact nonconsensual.” That’s a stipulated premise, not an argument. But even if we grant that animals can’t consent to have sex with human beings, human beings have the legal right to do lots of things to unconsenting animals. In the extreme case, we can kill and eat them. In a more relevant example, we can subject them to forced insemination for purposes of breeding and dairy production. So what distinguishes legal non-consensual sexual contact with animals that’s necessary to animal husbandry from the illegal non-consensual sexual contact with animals that Romero could be said to enjoy? Primarily this: the former has traditionally been regarded as a normal and indeed useful activity; the latter as deviant and disgusting. But Friedersdorf has already indicated that moral disapproval, by itself, is not a sufficient basis for regulating sexual activity. So he needs another argument to sustain his approval for anti-bestiality laws. Romero’s attorney offers a final possible justification: that sex with animals causes injury. He doesn’t say whose injury he has in mind: injury to Romero or injury to Doodle. An argument based on injury to Doodle probably won’t work. There are laws against cruelty to animals. But animals are routinely killed and injured in the normal activities of breeding and meat and dairy production. In order to justify anti-bestiality laws on the basis of harm to the “victim”, then, Friedersdorf would have to argue either that the harm inflicted by recreational sex with animals is worse than that associated with legitimate domestic purposes, or that the recreational purpose for which the harm is inflicted is itself illegitimate. The latter option isn’t available to him, because he’s ruled out mere moral disapproval as a basis for legislation. And reports about conditions in the industrial meat and dairy industries make me very skeptical about the former alternative. So it seems like the only basis for outlawing bestiality available to the libertarian is harm to the “zoophile” himself. This is, again, an empirical question, whose resolution would require extensive research. Bestiality might turn out to be a pretty risky behavior. But libertarians are generally willing to allow normal adults to engage in all kinds of risky behavior, such as the use of hard drugs. At this point, it’s worth recalling the famous words of John Stuart Mill: “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others [emphasis added].” Does Friedersdorf want to argue that individuals’ practice of bestiality causes enough harm to others to justify its legal prohibition? He’s welcome to do so. I suspect, however, that such an argument would not be very compelling. Readers who have borne with me so far may wonder about the point of offering such an elaborate critique of Friedersdorf. The answer is that I find no basis for his claim to be “capable of making persuasive arguments against sex with animals and all manner of other practices I regard as properly prohibited”, in contradistinction to social conservatives like Rod who ostensibly assert subjective intuitions or merely defer to traditional authority. Like Friedersdorf, I doubt “that human-animal trysts and marriages are at the end of a slippery slope onto which we’ve stepped.” If we avoid that destination, however, it will be because human nature revolts against the implications of libertarianism rather than due to any argument offered by libertarians themselves.It's cleaner and more produced than any of their records, which is one reason why many Hüsker Dü fans have never fully embraced their second double album, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. Granted, Warehouse boasts a fuller production -- complete with multi-tracked guitars and vocal, various percussion techniques, and endless studio effects -- that would have seemed out of place a mere two years before its release. However, Flip Your Wig and Candy Apple Grey both suggested this full-fledged pop production, and it's to Hüsker Dü's credit that they never sound like they are selling out with Warehouse. What they do sound like is breaking up. Although there was a schism apparent between Bob Mould and Grant Hart on Candy Apple Grey, they don't even sound like they are writing for the same band on Warehouse. But the individual songs on the album are powerhouses in their own right, as both songwriters exhibit a continuing sense of experimentation -- Hart writes a sea shanty with "She Floated Away" and uses bubbling percussion on "Charity, Chastity, Prudence, and Hope," while Mould nearly arrives at power pop with "Could You Be the One?" and touches on singer/songwriter-styled folk-rock with "No Reservations." Warehouse doesn't have the single-minded sense of purpose or eccentric sprawl of Zen Arcade, but as a collection of songs, it's of the first order. Furthermore, its stylish production -- which makes pop concessions without abandoning a punk ethos -- pointed the way to the kind of "alternative" rock that dominated the mainstream in the early '90s. In all, it was a fine way for one of the most important bands of the '80s to call it a day.For the South African patrol vessel, see Sarah Baartman (ship) Sara Baartman ( Afrikaans: [ˈsɑːrɐ ˈbɑːrtman]; also spelled Sarah, sometimes in the diminutive form Saartje ( [ˈsɑːrtʃi]), or Saartjie and Bartman, Bartmann; 1770s – 29 December 1815)[1]:184 was the most well known of at least two[2] South African Khoikhoi women who, due to their large buttocks, were exhibited as freak show attractions in 19th-century Europe under the name Hottentot Venus—"Hottentot" was the name for the Khoi people, now considered an offensive term,[3] and "Venus" referred to the Roman goddess of love. Life [ edit ] Sara Baartman, called "Saartjie" (the diminutive form), was born in the 1770s likely in the Camdeboo valley in the eastern part of the Cape Colony. It is commonly thought she was born in the Gamtoos valley, but she only moved there with her family years after her birth.[1] In 1810, she went to England with her employer, a free black man (a Cape designation for someone of slave descent) called Hendrik Cesars, and William Dunlop, an English doctor who worked at the Cape slave lodge.[1] They sought to show her for money on the London stage. Sara Baartman spent four years on stage in England and Ireland. Early on, her treatment on the Piccadilly stage caught the attention of British abolitionists, who argued that her performance was indecent and that she was being forced to perform against her will. Ultimately, the court ruled in favour of her exhibition after Dunlop produced a contract made between himself and Baartman. It is doubtful that this contract was valid: it was probably produced for the purposes of the trial.[1][4] Cesars left the show and Dunlop continued to display Baartman in country fairs. Baartman also moved to Manchester, where she was baptized as Sarah Bartmann. In 1814, after Dunlop's death, a man called Henry Taylor brought Baartman to Paris. He sold her to an animal trainer, S. Reaux, who made her amuse onlookers who frequented the Palais-Royal. Georges Cuvier, founder and professor of comparative anatomy at the Museum of Natural History, examined Baartman as he searched for proof of a so-called missing link between animals and human beings. Baartman lived in poverty, and died in Paris of an undetermined inflammatory disease in December 1815. After her death, Cuvier dissected her body, and displayed her remains. For more than a century and a half, visitors to the Museum of Man in Paris could view her brain, skeleton and genitalia as well as a plaster cast of her body. Her remains were returned to South Africa in 2002 and she was buried in the Eastern Cape on South Africa's National Women's Day.[1][4] Early life in South Africa [ edit ] Sara Baartman was born to a Khoikhoi family in the vicinity of the Camdeboo in what is now the Eastern Cape of South Africa, on land taken over by Dutch farmers.[1][3] Her father was killed by Bushmen while driving cattle.[5] Saartjie is the diminutive form of Sara; in Cape Dutch the use of the diminutive form commonly indicated familiarity, endearment or contempt. Her birth name is unknown.[4] Baartman spent her childhood and teenage years on settler farms. She went through puberty rites, and kept the small tortoise shell necklace, probably given to her by her mother, until her death in France. In the 1790s, a free black (the Cape designation for individuals of enslaved descent) trader named Peter Cesars met her and encouraged her to move to Cape Town, which had recently come under British control. Records do not show whether she was made to leave, or went willingly, or was sent by her family to Cesars. She lived in Cape Town for at least two years working in households as a washerwoman and a nursemaid, first for Peter Cesars, then in the house of a Dutch man in Cape Town. She moved finally to be a wet-nurse in the household of Peter Cesars' brother, Hendrik Cesars, outside of Cape Town in present day Woodstock.[1][6] Baartman lived alongside slaves in the Cesars' household. As someone of Khoisan descent she could not be formally enslaved[citation needed], but probably lived in conditions similar to slaves in Cape Town. There is evidence that she had two children, though both died as babies.[1] She had a relationship with a poor European military man, Hendrik Van Jong, who lived in Hout Bay near Cape Town, but the relationship ended when his regiment left the Cape.[1] William Dunlop, a Scottish military surgeon in the Cape slave lodge, with a sideline in supplying showmen in Britain with animal specimens, suggested she travel to England to make money by exhibition. Baartman refused. Dunlop persisted and Sara Baartman said she would only go if Hendrik Cesars came too. He also refused, but became ever more in debt in part because of unfavorable lending terms because of his status as free black. Finally, in 1810 he agreed to go to England to make money through putting Baartman on stage. The party left for London in 1810. It is unknown if Baartman went willingly or was forced, but she was in no position to refuse even if she chose to do so.[1] Dunlop was the frontman and conspirator behind the plan to exhibit Baartman: According to an English law report of 26 November 1810, an affidavit supplied to the Court of King's Bench from a "Mr. Bullock of Liverpool Museum" stated: "some months since a Mr. Alexander Dunlop, who, he believed, was a surgeon in the army, came to him sell the skin of a Camelopard, which he had brought from the Cape of Good Hope.... Some time after, Mr. Dunlop again called on Mr. Bullock, and told him, that he had then on her way from the Cape, a female Hottentot, of very singular appearance; that she would make the fortune of any person who shewed her in London, and that he (Dunlop) was under an engagement to send her back in two years..."[7] Lord Caledon, governor of the Cape, gave permission for the trip, but later said regretted it after he fully learned the purpose of the trip.[8] On show in Great Britain [ edit ] A caricature of Baartman drawn in the early 19th century Baartman's exhibition poster in London Hendrik Cesars and Alexander Dunlop brought Baartman to London in 1810.[4] The group lived together in Duke Street, St. James, the most expensive part of London. In the household were Sara Baartman, Hendrik Cesars, Alexander Dunlop, and two African boys, probably brought illegally by Dunlop from the slave lodge in Cape Town.[1] Dunlop schemed to have Baartman exhibited and Cesars was the showman. Dunlop exhibited Baartman in the Egyptian Hall of Piccadilly Circus on 24 November 1810.[9] Dunlop thought he could make money because of Londoners' lack of familiarity with Africans and because of Baartman's pejoratively perceived large bottom. Crais and Scully say: "People came to see her because they saw her not as a person but as a pure example of this one part of the natural world".[1] A handwritten note made on an exhibition flyer by someone who saw Baartman in London in January 1811 indicates curiosity about her origins and probably reproduced some of the language from the exhibition, thus the origin story should be treated with skepticism: "Sartjee is 22 Years old is 4 feet 10 Ins high, and has (for an Hottentot) a good capacity. She lived in the occupation of a Cook at the Cape of Good Hope. Her Country is situated not less than 600 Miles from the Cape the Inhabitants of which are rich in Cattle and sell them by barter for a mere trifle, A Bottle of Brandy, or small roll of Tobacco will purchase several Sheep – Their principal trade is in Cattle Skins or Tallow. – Beyond this Nation is an other, of small stature, very subtle & fierce; the Dutch could not bring them under subjection, and shot them whenever they found them. 9th Jany. 1811. [H.C.?]"[10] The tradition of freak shows was longstanding in Britain at this time, and historians have argued that this is at first how Baartman was displayed.[1] Baartman never allowed herself to be exhibited nude [11] and an account of her appearance in London in 1810 makes it clear that she was wearing a garment, albeit a tight-fitting one.[12] Her exhibition in London just a few years after the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807 created a scandal. This is in part because British audiences misread Hendrik Cesars, thinking he was a Dutch farmer, boer, from the frontier. Scholars have tended to reproduce that error, but tax rolls at the Cape show he was free black.[13] Violence was part of the show. An abolitionist benevolent society called the African Association conducted a newspaper campaign for her release. Zachary Macaulay led the protest. Hendrik Cesars protested that Baartman was entitled to earn her living, stating: "has she not as good a right to exhibit herself as an Irish Giant or a Dwarf?"[4] Cesars was comparing Baartman to the contemporary Irish giants Charles Byrne and Patrick Cotter O'Brien.[9] Macaulay and The African Association took the matter to court and on 24 November 1810 at the Court of King's Bench the Attorney-General began the attempt "to give her liberty to say whether she was exhibited by her own consent." In support he produced two affidavits in court. The first, from a Mr Bullock of Liverpool Museum, was intended to show that Baartman had been brought to Britain by persons who referred to her as if she were property. The second, by the Secretary of the African Association, described the degrading conditions under which she was exhibited and also gave evidence of coercion.[12] Baartman was then questioned before an attorney in Dutch, in which she was fluent, via interpreters. However the conditions of the interview were stacked against her, in part again because the court saw Hendrik Cesars as the boer exploiter, rather than seeing Alexander Dunlop as the organizer. They thus ensured that Cesars was not in the room when Baartman made her statement, but Dunlop was allowed to remain. Historians have stated that this therefore casts great doubt on the veracity and independence of the statement that Baartman then made.[13] She stated that she in fact was not under restraint, did not get sexually abused, and that she came to London on her own free will.[9] She also did not wish to return to her family and understood perfectly that she was guaranteed half of the profits. The case was therefore dismissed.[13] She was questioned for three hours. The statements directly contradict accounts of her exhibitions made by Zachary Macaulay of the African Institution and other eyewitnesses.[11] A written contract was produced,[14] which is considered by some modern commentators to be a legal subterfuge.[1][4] The publicity given by the court case increased Baartman's popularity as an exhibit.[4] She later toured other parts of England and was exhibited at a fair in Limerick, Ireland in 1812. She also was exhibited at a fair at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.[1] On 1 December 1811 Baartman was baptized at Manchester Cathedral and there is evidence that she was married on the same day.[15][16] Later life in France [ edit ] A man called Henry Taylor took Sara Baartman to France, from around September 1814. Taylor then sold her to an animal trainer, S. Réaux, who exhibited her under more pressured conditions for 15 months at the Palais Royal. In France she was in effect enslaved. In Paris, her exhibition became more clearly entangled with scientific racism. French scientists were curious about whether she had the elongated labia which earlier naturalists such as François Levaillant had purportedly observed in Khoisan at the Cape.[17] French naturalists, among them Georges Cuvier, head keeper of the menagerie at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and founder of the discipline of comparative anatomy visited her. She was the subject of several scientific paintings at the Jardin du Roi, where she was examined in March 1815: as Saint-Hilaire[18] and Frédéric Cuvier, a younger brother of Georges, reported: "she was obliging enough to undress and to allow herself to be painted in the nude." This was not literally true: although by his standards she appeared to be naked, in accordance with her own cultural norms of modesty[19] throughout these sessions she wore a small apron-like garment which concealed her genitalia. She steadfastly refused to remove this even when offered money by one of the attending scientists.[4][1]:131–134 In Paris, Baartman's promoters didn't need to concern themselves with slavery charges. Crais and Scully state: "By the time she got to Paris, her existence was really quite miserable and extraordinarily poor. Sara was literally treated like an animal. There is some evidence to suggest that at one point a collar was placed around her neck."[1] Death and legacy [ edit ] Baartman died on 29 December 1815 aged 26, of an undetermined[20] inflammatory ailment, possibly smallpox,[21][22] while other sources suggest she contracted syphilis,[3] or pneumonia. Cuvier conducted a dissection, but did not do an autopsy to inquire into the reasons for Baartman's death.[1] French anatomist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville published notes on the dissection in 1816, which were republished by Georges Cuvier in the Memoires du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in 1817. Cuvier, who had met Baartman, notes in his monograph that its subject was an intelligent woman with an excellent memory, particularly for faces. In addition to her native tongue, she spoke fluent Dutch, passable English, and a smattering of French. He describes her shoulders and back as "graceful", arms "slender", hands and feet as "charming" and "pretty". He adds she was adept at playing the jew's harp,[23] could dance according to the traditions of her country, and had a lively personality.[24] Despite this, Cuvier interpreted her remains, in accordance with his theories on racial evolution, as evidencing ape-like traits. He thought her small ears were similar to those of an orangutan and also compared her vivacity, when alive, to the quickness of a monkey.[4] Sarah Baartman's grave, on a hill overlooking Hankey in the Gamtoos River Valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa From the 1940s, there were sporadic calls for the return of her remains. A poem written in 1978 by Diana Ferrus, herself of Khoisan descent, entitled "I've come to take you home", played a pivotal role in spurring the movement to bring Baartman's remains back to her birth soil.[3] The case gained world-wide prominence only after Stephen Jay Gould wrote The Mismeasure of Man in the 1980s. Mansell Upham, a researcher and jurist specializing in South African colonial history also helped spur the movement to bring Baartman's remains back to South Africa.[1] After the victory of the African National Congress in the South African general election, 1994, President Nelson Mandela formally requested that France return the remains. After much legal wrangling and debates in the French National Assembly, France acceded to the request on 6 March 2002. Her remains were repatriated to her homeland, the Gamtoos Valley, on 6 May 2002,[25] and they were buried on 9 August 2002 on Vergaderingskop, a hill in the town of Hankey over 200 years after her birth.[26] Baartman became an icon in South Africa as representative of many aspects of the nation's history. The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children,[27] a refuge for survivors of domestic violence, opened in Cape Town in 1999. South Africa's first offshore environmental protection vessel, the Sarah Baartman, is also named after her.[28] On December 8th, 2018, the University of Cape Town made the historic decision to rename Memorial Hall, at the centre of the campus, to Sarah Baartman Hall.[29] This follows the earlier removing of 'Jameson' from the former name of the hall. Symbolism [ edit ] Sarah Baartman was not the only Khoikhoi to be taken from her homeland. Her story is always used as a symbol to illustrate various social and political strains, and through these applications, her true story has been lost among the discussions. Dr. Yvette Abraham, professor of women and gender studies at the University of the Western Cape says, "we lack academic studies that view Sarah Baartman as anything other than a symbol. Her story becomes marginalized, as it is always used to illustrate some other topic…." For some reason, Baartman is always employed to represent African discrimination and suffering in the West, even though there were many other Khoekhoe people who were taken to Europe. For example, historian Neil Parsons writes about two Khoekhoe children of 13 and six who were taken from South Africa and displayed at a holiday fair in Elberfeld, Germany, 1845. Secondly, a traveling show called the Bosjemans traveled around Britain, Ireland, and France, consisting of two men, women, and one baby. The circus was in business from 1846 to 1855. Thirdly, P. T. Barnum's show, called "Little People", advertised a 16-year-old girl by the name of Flora as the "missing link" and acquired six more Khoekhoe children after her. These are just some of the cases of Khoekhoe Africans who were enslaved and put on display in the West. There may be some reason Baartman's tale is so famous. She was the first Khoekhoe to be taken from her homeland. However, instead of being the first, it is most likely that her fame is due to the extensive exploitation of her body by the general public and scientists such as Georges Cuvier, as well as the horrible mistreatment she received during her life and after her death. She was brought to the West solely on the premise of her exaggerated female form, and the European public found a sickening obsession with her reproductive organs. Her body parts were on display at the Musée de l'Homme for 150 years, and her story as a symbol may be due to the awareness and sympathy it has evoked in the public eye. Even though Baartman was the first Khoekhoe to land in Europe, much of her story has been lost, and she is instead defined by her tragic utilization and exploitation in the West.[30] Her body as a foundation for scientific racism [ edit ] Julien-Joseph Virey used Sarah Baartman's published image to validate racial typologies. In his essay "Dictionnaire des sciences medicales" (Dictionary of medical sciences), he summarizes the true nature of the black female within the framework of accepted medical discourse. Virey focused on identifying her sexual organs as more developed and distinct in comparison to white female organs. All of his theories regarding sexual primitivism are influenced and supported by the anatomical studies and illustrations of Sarah Baartman which were created by Georges Cuvier.[31] In cartoons and drawings Baartman's features were often exaggerated to highlight her difference from European females. This social construction of visual imagery likely amplified and reinforced racist perspectives. Little of this knowledge can be considered completely factual as most knowledge of Baartman is not extrapolated from diverse sources of documentation.[citation needed] Sexism [ edit ] During 1814–70, there were at least seven scientific descriptions of the bodies of women of color done in comparative anatomy. Cuvier's dissection of Baartman helped shape European science. Baartman, along with several other African women who were dissected, were referred to as Hottentots, or sometimes Bushwomen. The "savage woman" was seen as very distinct from the "civilised female" of Europe, thus 19th-century scientists were fascinated by "the Hottentot Venus". In the 1800s, people in London were able to pay two shillings apiece to gaze upon her body in wonder. Baartman was considered a freak of nature. For extra pay, one could even poke her with a stick or finger. Sara Baartman's organs, genitalia, and buttocks were thought to be evidence of her sexual primitivism and intellectual equality with that of an orangutan. Colonialism
exchange. “ The governor said the only acceptable remedy to the president’s health care law is to replace Obama in the fall. “We’re going to do everything we can to elect Mitt Romney; to repeal this bad law and then replace it a more patient-centered health care reform that puts patients, not the government, in control — not the government,” he said.Community was within hours of being truly dead, its actor contracts expiring without another distribution option when Sony Pictures TV and Yahoo cut a deal for a sixth season. And now, with the quirky comedy relaunched on Yahoo earlier this month, creator Dan Harmon said he couldn’t be happier, even if he was “relieved” when NBC first cancelled the show. “What are the dark days that are coming?” Harmon said semi-seriously during a panel with Yahoo and Sony executives at the Content Industry Connect LA conference today. “Now that we’re rid of that horrible Nielsen metric, what horrible things are coming?” Harmon said he used to have to deal with the oppressions of both a network stuck in a long-established process of managing and structuring shows and of ratings numbers. Now, not so much. “I’m one back injury away from being David Milch (giving orders while lying down on the set because of his back),” Harmon joked. “I’m so close to that because of the amount of rope Yahoo has given me.” Yahoo has kept the reins on Harmon loose, said Ian Moffitt, Yahoo’s sr. director of programming, strategy and acquisitions, to allow the show room to go where Harmon will take it. Sony is taking a similar approach. “From Sony’s standpoint and mine you embrace the chaos,” said Sony VP of Development Max Aronson. “It would be a waste of all of our time to try to make it that” traditional network show while distributing it online. “One of the things that’s going to change, I hope, is this enmity will end between people in the bureaucracies of the networks and the people making the content,” Harmon said. “It seems those days have ended, but maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part.” Harmon, who was fired from the show at one point, then returned for the fifth season, had plenty of fights with network executives. So when NBC finally canceled the show, “I was very relieved,” Harmon said. “I just had so much exhaling to do and was so happy that Community was done. I just needed to celebrate.” Then a Sony executive asked if he’d be up for having the show revived, on Hulu, which had been running the show in re-runs, and making Harmon a lot of money. After some initial reluctance, and stories that he was the only holdup, Harmon said he decided, “Hulu makes sense. Hulu bought my house. They were paying a lot of money for a Community package. We thought it would be Hulu. Then the Hulu clock ran out. Then I was relieved again.” Attention turned to Yahoo, but time was very short. And once again, Harmon said he wasn’t enthusiastic, until Yahoo’s Chief of Media and CMO Kathy Savitt called. “I got the impression from talking to Kathy Savitt that I was on the wrong side of history if I don’t cooperate,” Harmon said. “I thought, ‘These people are going to be in charge of the base on the moon one day and will be in charge of whether I get oxygen or not.'” Aronson said Sony initially “needed some selling too” on doing a deal with Yahoo. But, “We were incredibly impressed. We thought it was going to be Hulu too and when that fell apart, I thought it was over.” Yahoo was interested in Community because it always had a very young-skewing audience, and a vocal one,” Moffitt said. “That younger audience is coming to us in droves, largely in part because of Community and other shows we’re doing,” Moffitt said. “It was about finding the perfect show to demonstrate what we’re trying to do, and it was perfect.” Harmon said Yahoo was “ahead of the game,” thanks to its deep trove of data about what people are searching for. “You have numbers beyond numbers beyond numbers, cubes of them and tesseracts of them,” Harmon said. “You are looking at things you looked at before you bought the show. I don’t have to look at anything.” Moffitt said that the initial couple of episodes are showing that people don’t watch long-form video during work hours, but “evenings are good.” The key is the user experience with the Screen App and whether it makes it easy and attractive for visitors. No longer having to worry about that weekly number, Harmon said, “That part’s a relief, but I just fill it with other (sources of) anxiety.” Oh, and regarding rumors about a Community movie, Harmon said, “I have been told not to talk about that (a movie), so that’s an exciting answer. I actually don’t know. (But) that’s not just something that’s been made up and floated out there. It keeps coming up.”If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member. If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further. The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket July 14 with more than 70 satellites was captured in multiple views from a sharp-eyed orbiting nanosatellite and cameras positioned around the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos, released a video clip containing imagery of last week’s blastoff from several cameras placed around Launch Pad No. 31 at Baikonur, where the Soyuz rocket soared into space at 0636 GMT (2:36 a.m. EDT; 12:36 p.m. Baikonur time) July 14. The rocket deployed 73 spacecraft into a range of orbits several hundred miles above Earth, including 48 Dove satellites to grow Planet’s commercial fleet of Earth-imaging CubeSats to nearly 200 members. One of the Dove satellites already in space — about the size of a toaster oven — happened to be flying over Kazakhstan at the time of launch. Planet’s ground controllers pointed the telescopic camera on the spacecraft toward the launch pad at Baikonur. “To create this animation, we pointed a Dove approximately 50 degrees off-nadir towards the pad, capturing one still image per second of the fixed target as the Dove traveled overhead at an approximate speed of seven kilometers per second (or 15,658 mph),” a Planet employee wrote in a post on the company’s website. “Then our imaging team cropped and stitched the stills together. All in all, this short clip covers about two and a half minutes in real-time including liftoff and flight.” The U.S. company operates the world’s largest fleet of commercial satellites, most of which are about the size of a shoebox and built in-house at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. The Soyuz booster launched last week also sent a Russian satellite into orbit to locate forest fires, eight commercial weather satellites for Spire Global, another San Francisco-based company, and spacecraft owned by institutions and operators in Germany, Norway and Japan. More photos of the July 14 launch are posted below. Email the author. Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.Note: By submitting this form, you agree to Third Door Media's terms. We respect your privacy. Sign up for our NEW daily brief, your #1 source for need-to-know search marketing news. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has quite famously been on record many times talking about how the web is full of garbage. It’s a cesspool out there, he’s said. Today, a short fast look at how his own company pollutes the web. Right now, one of the “trending topics” on Google is the word “chocomize,” as you can see here: A term like “chocomize” will “trend” on Google when there’s a sudden, out-of-the-ordinary spike in searches using it. That’s certainly the case with chocomize, which Google Trends reports as having “volcanic” activity: What’s going on? Brent Payne wondered and tweeted about it. That caught my eye, so I went exploring. Chocomize is a web site that lets you create custom chocolate bars. Cool! But why’s it suddenly a popular term today? Fortunately, Google Trends is set to give me the answer. On the page that Google Trends makes about Chocomize, there are news results: Awesome. Now I can discover what’s happening. The first result gives me this: Not so awesome. That page explains what Chocomize is but not why it suddenly became popular. And, um, what’s a horror movies site doing reporting about chocolate bars? Answer? That little arrow, pointing at the Google ads. Chocomize is a popular term, so if you can draw traffic to your page, then you’ll increase the chances of getting clicks on your ads. That page isn’t adding any value to the web. If it didn’t exist, we wouldn’t be the less savvy about Chocomize. But thanks to Google Trends, we’ve got a big red flag up in front of publishers that wish to pollute Google’s results with this type of garbage. How about the number two news site listed: Worse. Now we’ve got ads even more in our face — Google ads, no less — and still no idea why Chocomize is trending. Remember, these are results from Google News. There’s supposed to be some actual “news” to why these pages should be listed. But again, the only reason this page exists is probably because the publisher saw Chocomize trending and wanted to ride it for some traffic, regardless if chocolate falls outside the typical scope of “TV and Anime Buzz” site that this page is hosted on. After drilling further into Google News: And then selecting the “all 16 news articles” link under the first “cluster” of stories to drill further: The news articles that do appear (5 rather than the 16 promised) reveal what’s behind the term spiking in popularity. The top story on the list is a CNN article about the company that appeared today, probably in conjunction with CNN airing a report. That television presence got people doing searches to find our more about the company. The pollution within Google News is ridiculous. This is Google, where we’re supposed to have the gold standard of search quality. Instead, we get “news” sites that have been admitted — after meeting specific editorial criteria — just jumping on the Google Trends bandwagon, outranking the actual article causing the term “chocomize” to be popular, polluting the news results and along the way, earning Google some cash. The situation is worse within the Google Blog Search results that Google also features via Google Trends: On the one hand, I love Google Trends. It’s fun seeing what the top terms are that are sparking interest. It’s also smart publishers that tap into this type of data. On the other hand, it’s clear how much garbage that Google has caused to be generated, simply by publishing the trends. But that garbage wouldn’t happen, if it didn’t know it was going to be rewarded. It is, both with traffic from Google and from revenue from Google for those carrying its ads. It shouldn’t be that hard for Google to police what shows up in response to what it publishes on Google Trends. Spam sites ought to be nabbed. AdSense sites ought to be shut down. News publishers abusing the very lucky position they have of being in Google News, by routinely tapping into Google Trends topics that aren’t relevant to their publications, should get the boot. How about that as a start to dealing with Schmidt’s web garbage problem? Seems like Google itself has plenty it can do. Now I’m going to sit back and watch this article rise to the top of Google News. After all, if everyone else is doing it…. Postscript: Here’s some irony. As I expected, Google Trends now shows this story as a news item for Chocomize, as the lower arrow highlights: But what’s that the top arrow points at? It’s a “news” story about my news story! Here it is: The arrows point to some of the content that’s been “scraped,” or automatically copied from my post, along with other content gathered from across the web. All of this is to make yet another quality page for “New York News Today” to rank for this term in Google News.This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows: Wii U Retail How to Train Your Dragon 2 (available 6/10) Wii U Virtual Console The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Wii U Download 1001 Spikes Chubbins I’ve Got to Run! 3DS Retail Tomodachi Life (available 6/6) How to Train Your Dragon 2 (available 6/10) 3DS Download 1001 Spikes Color Zen eShop sales Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars – For a limited time, Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars is available at the discounted price of $29.99 in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Select downloadable content from the game is also available at a discounted price. This offer ends at 9 a.m. PT on June 9. Just Dance Game Sale – For a limited time, save 50 percent on select Just Dance games in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U, including Just Dance® 2014. This offer ends at 9 a.m. PT on June 9. Bit Boy!! ARCADE – Help Kubi and Bernd through this action-focused time-traveling adventure. Starting today through 9 a.m. PT on June 26, Bit Boy!! ARCADE is 40 percent off in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Treva Entertainment Game Sale – For a limited time, Treva Entertainment is discounting select games in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS, including Riding Stables 3D and Riding Stables 3D: Jumping For the Team. This offer ends at 9 a.m. PT on June 25. Source: Nintendo PR Share this: Twitter Facebook Reddit Tumblr Google More Email Print LinkedIn Pinterest PocketMosab Hassan Yousef, also known as the 'Son of Hamas,' spoke with Knesset members Monday as the guest of Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara. Mosab Hassan Yousef spoke with Knesset members Monday as the guest of Deputy Minister Ayoub Kara, commenting that in Arab nations, and “especially in the Palestinian Authority residents need freedom and human rights more than they need a state.” Yousef, the son of one of the founders of the Hamas terrorist organization and author of the book, “Son of Hamas,” has spent a number of years abroad following a decade in which he risked his life working undercover as an agent for the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). His code name during that time was 'The Green Prince.' “Hamas murders not only Israelis, but also Palestinians whose political stance is different from that which its group promotes,” he told MKs, “that is, its radical religious outlook in which Islam is the solution to the world's problems.” Kara, who also met with the Knesset members, added, “Those who claim that what you see from there is not what you see from here in Israel, are mistaken, and Yousef is an authentic witness to it, with his own original words. It seems that it will take generations until the other side in the Arab world and the Palestinian street will internalize the need for human rights, freedom of speech and mutual acceptance and respect.” Mosab Hassan Yousef left his father and Hamas and the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. He converted to Christianity and has lived for the past few years in the United States. It is his intention to fight to change the political world views of religious Islamists in any way possible.LARGO, Fla. — Police arrested a 62-year-old Florida woman in the violent death of a newborn girl — allegedly at the hands of the woman’s 6-year-old son. Kathleen Marie Steele faces charges of aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 13-day-old daughter, also named Kathleen Steele. Steele gave birth to the little girl after being artificially inseminated with preserved sperm from her husband, who died of cancer in 2011. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri spoke for more than 30 minutes Thursday, calling the case “one of the worst things” he’d ever seen. On Monday afternoon, Steele went to get her cracked cellphone fixed and left little Kathleen and her two boys, ages 3 and 6, inside the car — with the windows rolled up and doors locked, Gualteri said. Surveillance video showed Steele didn’t leave the business for more than 30 minutes. When Kathleen began screaming and crying inside the car, “the 6-year-old removed (her) from the car seat and began flipping her multiple times back and forth, dropping her on the floor, slamming her head against the ceiling, striking her in the face.” The boy put Kathleen back into the car seat, and when her mother returned to the car, the boy told Steele, “It’s serious,” Gualtieri said. Instead of going to the hospital, however, Steele went to a car rental business to extend the contract for the van she was renting. Roughly two hours later, after returning to the hotel where the family was staying, Steele called a neighbor who works as a nurse for help, according to the sheriff’s office. At that point, the baby was blue and cold to the touch. “The skull was cracked in numerous places, described as probably mush … one of the worst things that I’ve ever seen,” Gaultieri said. Kathleen was rushed to St. Petersburg General Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The 6-year-old later admitted to pummeling the little girl, according to Gualtieri, but he won’t be charged because of his age. The boy is now in the custody of Florida’s Department of Children and Families. Gualtieri said Steele was “ill-equipped to have a baby” and said police had been called numerous times by people concerned for her children. “By numerous witness accounts, Kathleen Steel was an inattentive parent and (the two boys) were largely unsupervised and had very serious behavior injuries.”Image by victor_nuno via Flickr While science, logic and reason are on the side of the nonreligious, the cold, hard facts are just so cold and hard. Yes, the evidence for evolution is irrefutable. Yes, there is a plethora of Biblical contradictions. Yes, there is mounting evidence from neuroscientists that suggests that God may be a product of the mind. Yes, yes, yes. But when is the choir going to sing? And when is the picnic? And is my child going to get a part in the holiday play? As the nonreligious movement picks up steam, it needs do a better job of appealing to the ethereal part of our human exceptionalism — that wondrous, precious part where logic and reason hold little purchase, where love and compassion reign. It’s the part that fears loneliness, craves companionship and needs affirmation and fellowship. After challenging the conventional wisdom that the maintenance of religious belief requires early indoctrination, Mr. Blow notes that the most common reason given by people who come to faith later in life are "because their spiritual needs were not being met." He also reports that people are most likely to choose their religion because "they simply enjoyed the services and style of worship." He bases these statements on the recent Pew survey The part of Mr. Blow's brief op-ed that caught my attention, however, was the following:Essentially, Mr. Blow is suggesting that "science, logic and reason" are simply not enough for most people. They do not speak to the daily concerns of the average person. I do not necessarily disagree with this. In fact, I have seen countless atheist bloggers making precisely this point over the past couple years.However, I am not sure about Mr. Blow's suggestion for the atheist movement:I agree with this up to a point. Science, logic, and reason alone certainly do not speak to much of what makes us human. Moreover, I think that most atheists recognize that we have not done a particularly good job of creating fostering a secular sense of community. As Mr. Blow suggests, we do need to do a better job in many of these areas.Where I am not willing to go along with Mr. Blow is the implication that we need to go outside the natural realm (i.e., into fantasy and delusion ) to meet these needs. Nature itself is an astounding source of beauty, awe, and even transcendence. It speaks directly to our emotional side and is an ideal alternative to shared superstitions. Science too often provides this experience to those who understand it.The challenge facing the reality-based community is not one of learning lessons from religion, as Mr. Blow believes. The challenge is one of building effective secular communities, educating people about the unacceptably high costs of religious belief, and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with nature. Tags:Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has threatened to sue the NFL and individual team owners to prevent commissioner Roger Goodell from getting a contract extension, league sources told The New York Times. According to the report, Jones informed the six owners on the NFL’s compensation committee—which is charged with negotiating Goodell’s contract—that he would take legal action by Friday unless the committee canceled its plans for an extension. Jones has reportedly hired David Boies, a high-profile lawyer currently under pressure after a New Yorker report detailed how his firm tried to suppress negative stories about Harvey Weinstein. Jones and Goodell have been at odds since Goodell levied a six-game suspension against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott in August after a league investigation found evidence that Elliott was violent toward Tiffany Thompson on multiple occasions in July 2016. The suspension, which Jones said was an “overcorrection” following the league’s past handling of domestic violence cases, has gone back and forth in courts around the country, and Elliott has yet to serve one game of it. Jones interjected himself into the compensation committee as an unofficial, nonvoting member, and has served as the chief opposition toward a Goodell extension even while the commissioner was deciding Elliott’s discipline. But the committee revoked Jones’s involvement after he made his legal threats last week. “If not for Jerry, this deal would be done,” a person familiar with the situation told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen in September. Jones has acknowledged the perceived conflict of interest between his involvement and Elliott’s discipline, but said in September that his concerns are related to Goodell’s salary, saying that the commissioner is overcompensated. Goodell’s contract is set to expire after the 2018-19 season. He has made more than $200 million since becoming commissioner in 2006, and in 2015 he made $44 million. While deeply unpopular among many NFL fans, Goodell has overseen record revenue growth. The league’s 2017 revenue was projected to hit $14 billion this year, and ousting Goodell during a historic financial windfall would be surprising for a league often perceived as having bottom-line tunnel vision. But Jones may not share the belief that Goodell is responsible for the league’s profits. In an ESPN deep dive into a league owners’ meeting in mid-October—the same meeting where Texans owner Bob McNair made his “inmates” comment—Jones took a shot at the league office and said the owners, not league executives, had built the league into the business it is today. Boies, who was involved in Supreme Court cases like Bush v. Gore and the case that legalized gay marriage, has made headlines recently for representing Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of women. According to a New Yorker report, Boies executed a contract between Weinstein and a private investigation firm that set out to “suppress allegations that [Weinstein] had sexually harassed or assaulted numerous women” by hiring former spies to assume false identities and mislead Weinstein’s accusers and journalists. Owners have sued the league before. Raiders owner Al Davis successfully sued the NFL in the 1980s as he sought to move his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles, but Jones’s willingness to individually sue team owners in addition to the league raises the stakes. While Jones has said he has stalled Goodell’s extension for financial reasons, the two have also clashed over the biggest the story of the season—player protests against racial inequality during the national anthem. Jones said Cowboys players who kneel during the national anthem would be benched, but Goodell has resisted any sort of leaguewide mandate. Goodell also chose not to invite Jones to a meeting between select owners and players to discuss the protests during the owners’ meetings in October, and Jones was described as having “palpable urgency” during a separate meeting later in the day discussing what owners should do about the protests, according to the ESPN report: “It seemed to a few owners as if only Jones could see that an opportunity to regain control of the league was slipping away.” Now, if he follows through on his threat to sue, the lawsuit could determine who runs America’s most popular sport. Jones, famous for his talking, may soon be taking action.The government of Yemen recently issued a proclamation that all Jews in the country must leave or convert to Islam, Israeli Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation, Likud MK Ayoob Kara told The Algemeiner on Sunday. According to Kara, failure to exercise one of the two options would spell grave danger for the country’s estimated 80 remaining Jews, whom the government said it would “not be able to protect.” Kara, a member of Israel’s Druze community, revealed that he received this information in a meeting today with a Yemenite Jew, who was able to come to Israel by disguising himself as a Muslim. According to Kara, the man left Yemen a few days ago, traveling via Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel. Kara said he was contacted because of his appearances in Arabic media outlets, and his efforts to aid minorities – including Jews, Christians, Druze and others – living in fear in Muslim countries. Kara said he will be meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow — and with Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver shortly thereafter – to discuss rescuing the Jews of Yemen. When contacted by the Jerusalem Post about the matter, both the Jewish Agency and Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on their efforts, due to the sensitivity of the issue. Yemen’s Jewish community numbered around 50,000 in the 1940s, but the vast majority fled to Israel shortly after the founding of the Jewish state in 1948.An Australian IT consultant has cast doubt about whether the country's Census is as secure as the Australian Bureau of Statistics thinks it is. The technical infrastructure for the Census is being delivered by IBM using its SoftLayer cloud in Australia. While the online Census completion process uses transport layer security (TLS) – and is therefore kept from preying eyes – the tunnel terminates not at the ABS, but at IBM's end, claims Justin Warren, chief analyst and managing director of consultancy PivotNine. Exploring the behaviour of the JavaScript code that implements the form, Warren demonstrated that if a user is interrupted, the saved data that pre-populates the form when the user resumes isn't decrypted at the user's browser. In other words, he says, it's been saved as clear text in the SoftLayer infrastructure – and would therefore be accessible at the server end. The resume function sends back your answers so far to populate the form. #CensusFail — Justin Warren (@jpwarren) August 7, 2016 So IBM can absolutely look at your partially completed answers. #CensusFail — Justin Warren (@jpwarren) August 7, 2016 Warren posted his data grab to Pastebin here. His work comes as the Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has called on the government to assure Australians that IBM's involvement in the Census doesn't expose Australians to America's notorious PATRIOT Act. In this letter, the APF also seeks confirmation that Census data will remain onshore; whether user telecommunications metadata such as IP address is being collected; and whether the JavaScript has been subject to independent verification. Public resistance to the retention of names in Australia's 2016 census has sparked a long-running #CensusFail hashtag on Twitter, and has demographers concerned at the risk of a boycott resulting in a less-than-optimal data set. ®Share the News Heavy Seas were reported on the Senate floor this week, as a Maryland Senator finally took up an issue we all care about: beer. Ben Cardin proposed a bill that would cut excise taxes for craft brewers, and change the classification of small breweries to include more operations. The Small BREW Act would cut per-barrel excise taxes on brewers’ first 60,000 barrels from $7 to $3.50. It would also allow raise the production threshold for a brewery to be considered “small” from 2 million to 6 million barrels. Best of all, Cardin used Baltimore breweries like Heavy Seas, Raven Beer and Union Brewing as prime examples of businesses that would benefit. And, he brought a placard to show them off. It all seems primed to go down easy, but Cardin has competition. According to The Hill, a separate group of 23 lawmakers is supporting the Fair BEER Act. The bill would eliminate all excise taxes for brewers who make less than 7,143 barrels. But it’s backed by a lobbying group that represents macrobreweries like Anheuser Busch InBev and MillerCoors, so something tells us it’s watered down. The only logical solution is a beer summit.Share 0 SHARES A DUBLIN city bus driver was hailed as a hero yesterday for breaking a 20 euro note for a passenger who forgot to bring the exact fare. Mark Donovan arrived at the bus stop shortly after 3pm, but realised very quickly that he may be in trouble with the driver as he had no change. After numerous failed change inquiries with fellow commuters, Mark decided to brave-face the pilot of the 46A into town. Purposely waiting last in the queue, the 24-year-old brother of none stepped foot onto the vehicle’s main entrance, already anxious about the scenario that lay ahead. “I seen a young fella in a t-shirt and jeans getting on with sheeps eyes.” recalled one eyewitness, who was sitting up at the front. “When he opened his mouth, I knew I was in for a treat.” Several sources confirm that Donovan made his way to the cockpit area of the bus, and apologised with the words ‘sorry, I have nothing smaller’, before handing the driver a crisp twenty euro not. “I turned to look at another passenger who had her hand over her mouth in shock.” said one man. “It was a very tense moment for everyone. “What happened next will stay with me for the rest of my life.” Witnesses claim the driver, without question, reached for what looked like an aluminum money container which was situated on the dashboard area. “He didn’t even flinch,” reported Derek Casey, who stood up from his seat to get a better look at what was unfolding. “The driver was so nice and never gave out about the enormous sum of money paper. It was like there was no such thing as an ‘exact change rule’. “He started popping out two euro and one euro coins from the machine. The poor lad got it all back in change, but beggars can’t be choosers.” It is understood Mr. Donovan responded to the change with a thank you, before walking down the isle of the bus. “Everyone was quite emotional at this stage.” said another female passenger. “One man halfway down the bus stood up and started doing this really slow clap. Then another man stood up and joined him. By the time the young fella sat down everyone was applauding the actions of the bus driver. It was a beautiful moment.” Bus driver Thomas Egan, who was later hailed a hero by passengers, told WWN that he was overwhelmed at the response he received, and vowed to continue giving out change no matter how big the note may be. “It’s just nice to be appreciated for absolutely every little thing I do.” he said.”Maybe now people will respect drivers more.”Twitter accounts linked to Russian agents sought to draw attention away from President Trump's crude comments to "Access Hollywood" late in last year's campaign and focus criticism on the mainstream media and 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, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. After The Washington Post released a 2005 recording of Trump boasting about groping and kissing women without their permission, Russian-backed Twitter accounts promoted the release of hacked emails from Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, and criticized the media for reporting on the so-called "Access Hollywood" tapes, the analysis shows. “MSM (the mainstream media) is at it again with Billy Bush recording... What about telling Americans how Hillary defended a rapist and later laughed at his victim?" one account, "America_1st—," tweeted at the time, according to the AP. ADVERTISEMENT According to the AP, Russian accounts were active earlier in the campaign, as well. Some echoed Trump's false claim that then-President Obama was not born in the United States. After Trump reversed course on that claim, some of the Russian-linked accounts repeated the real estate mogul's claim that it was Clinton who first made the allegations about Obama's birthplace. Russia's role in the 2016 election — including how social media accounts were used to sway public opinion against Clinton — has been the subject of ongoing congressional investigations and a criminal probe by special counsel Robert Mueller. Those investigations are also examining possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion or improper contacts between his campaign and Russia, and has called the investigations into the matter a "witch hunt." Twitter turned over 382 Russian-backed accounts to lawmakers last week. Those accounts have since been deactivated and their tweets have been deleted. Russia's efforts to use social media to meddle in the 2016 presidential election went beyond Twitter. Facebook revealed earlier this year that Russian operatives purchased some 3,000 advertisements on Facebook. Those ads sought to play to social and political divisions in the U.S., targeting issues such as race, religion and immigration.The New York Knicks have the No. 4 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, but they will take a strong look at a player projected to be taken in the middle of the first round. New York will work out Murray State’s Cameron Payne during the week of June 15, a league source confirmed. League sources with knowledge of the team's thinking say the Knicks are doing more than their due diligence by working out Payne; they are “serious” about considering him in the draft, those sources say. Payne is widely viewed as a player who will be taken in the middle-to-late first round. So the Knicks’ interest in Payne and, to a lesser degree, their interest in Willie Cauley-Stein, is a sign that they are at least considering trading down from No. 4. Both Knicks president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills have said that the organization would consider all of its options with the pick, including the possibility of trading down. New York has four trade exceptions worth between $5.9 million and $1.8 million. Those exceptions can be used in a trade to obtain a player with a commensurate salary. So the Knicks could potentially take back a player making as much as $5.9 million in a trade. Their interest in Payne makes sense because of the guard's exceptional sophomore season at Murray State in 2014-15. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton notes, Payne was one of three players in the country -- and the only underclassman -- to average at least 20 points (20.1) and five assists (6.0) per game. Payne has a strong pull-up jumper and has shown an ability to create in the pick-and-roll. As ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla points out, Payne is a stellar passer. He was responsible for 40 percent of his team’s assists when he was on the floor. ESPN’s Chad Ford has the Pacers selecting Payne with the 11th pick in his latest mock draft. The Knicks will get a first-hand look at Payne in two weeks and will get a closer look at other top players in the draft starting on Monday. New York will work out Duke forward Justise Winslow on Monday and top point guard Emmanuel Mudiay on Tuesday. They will work out Cauley-Stein, a center whom league sources insist is “in the conversation” when it comes to players the Knicks may draft, on June 16. The Knicks' workout with Payne was first reported by Yahoo.Protests have been staged in Parliament Square against the 1% pay cap The Government has avoided embarrassing Commons defeats by allowing two opposition motions to pass - after the DUP said it would side with Labour. The first motion called for the pay cap for NHS staff to be lifted immediately; the second was on blocking a rise in tuition fees. Both non-binding motions went through on the nod, with the Government abstaining. The Conservatives had faced the prospect of losing both votes as the Democratic Unionist Party, which props up Theresa May's minority government, had announced it would vote with Labour. It would have meant the first defeat for the Government since it took over after the General Election - a symbolic defeat that would have nonetheless highlighted Mrs May's vulnerability. Public sector pay is currently dominating the political debate - and was the main issue at the TUC conference. :: Even Brexit overshadowed by pay cap row at TUC Public sector pay cap to be lifted Following the election in June, Mrs May agreed a £1bn "confidence-and-supply" deal with the DUP after the Conservatives failed to win a Commons majority. DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds MP said the pay cap vote was in line with the party's policy and was not part of the deal. "Lifting the cap on nurses' pay and in the public sector generally is our party policy," he told Sky News. "We had no difficulty voting that way, and the Government understood that is how we were going to vote. "It's not part of our confidence-and-supply arrangement. So we will make our decisions on a case-by-case basis in those cases that aren't covered by the confidence-and-supply agreement." Conservative sources said they were "pretty relaxed" about the outcome of the debate as it does not require the Government to change policy. On Tuesday, Downing Street signalled that the 1% limit on public sector pay rises - a controversial policy first adopted seven years ago - is to be scrapped. Number 10 said prison officers and police would receive
to NASA anyone has identified is a general research grant NASA gave to Professor Kalnay’s department. If the original blog post had made that clear, the study wouldn’t have attracted much attention – as the headlines show, it was the supposed NASA connection that drew media interest. Normally I’d ignore a paper like this: many graduate students write papers, some get published, and most are quickly forgotten. But this one has been widely publicized, so it requires review, if only to understand its argument. After all, if the authors really have proved that western civilization is on the brink of collapse that only greater equality and a shift to renewables can prevent, ecosocialists should be eager to publicize it! Unfortunately, far from being “a highly credible wake-up call,” this much-hyped article adds nothing to our understanding of the causes and solutions of the global environmental crisis. The inclusion of egalitarian proposals should not blind environmental activists to its fundamental flaws. We’re told that the paper has been accepted by an academic journal, but it hasn’t been published yet. Two somewhat different drafts have been circulated on the net: my comments refer to the more recent version, dated March 19, 2014. I’ll refer to it as “the paper” or by the abbreviated title “Human and Nature Dynamics.”[3] A universal model of social collapse The paper’s ambitious goal is to propose a mathematical model that explains why societies in general collapse. After listing several dozen complex societies that no longer exist – from the ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese empires to the Mayan civilization in Central America and Cahokia in the Mississippi valley – they write that “although many different causes have been offered to explain individual collapses, it is still necessary to develop a more general explanation.” Others have tried to do that. Arnold Toynbee’s A Study of History, a massive 12-volume work published between 1934 and 1961, claimed to have identified common factors in the fall of 26 major world civilizations. Others have focused on fewer cases: Edward Gibbon filled six large volumes in an effort to explain just one, in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. So the authors of “Human and Nature Dynamics” can only be termed ambitious for attempting to identify “a mechanism that is not specific to a particular time period of human history, nor a particular culture, technology, or natural disaster” – and even more ambitious for claiming not just that they have succeeded, but that they can express that mechanism in just four equations: two for population, one for “nature,” and one for accumulated wealth. They accomplish that astonishing feat by accepting, without reservation, the Malthusian claim that the decline of past societies – which they call “collapse,” a term they don’t define – was caused by population growth and/or mass consumption of limited resources. They identify several sources for that view, most notably Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail (Viking 2005) and William Catton’s Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change (University of Illinois Press, 1980). They seem unaware that the views of their preferred authors are, to say the least, controversial. Jared Diamond’s arguments, for example, were thoroughly debunked by experts on each of the societies he described, in the excellent anthology Questioning Collapse.[4] The authors call their four equation model “HANDY,” short for “Human and Nature DYnamics.” It is based on the so-called predator-prey model, created by mathematicians Alfred Lotka and Vito Volterra in the 1920s to show how interaction between competing species can affect population. It says, for example, that if there are many rabbits but only a few wolves in an area, the wolf population will rise because food is plentiful, and the rabbit population will fall because they are being eaten. Eventually there will be too many wolves and too few rabbits, so most of the wolves will starve to death. With fewer predators remaining, the rabbit population will increase, and the cycle repeats – lots of rabbits, then lots of wolves, then …. That sounds reasonable, but, as population ecologist Daniel Botkin writes, both laboratory experiments and real world observations have shown that “predator and prey do not oscillate as would a Lotka-Volterra set.”[5] That suggests Motesharrei and his co-authors are trying to explain 50 centuries of history using formulas that don’t accurately describe a closed system containing just two kinds of animals. Botkin’s book is not listed in the bibliography, and there is no indication that the authors are aware that their fundamental formula may not be valid. They simply adopt it and declare: “We can think of the human population as the ‘predator,’ while nature (the natural resources of the surrounding environment) can be taken as the ‘prey,’ depleted by humans,” and proceed. But nature isn’t a thing you can count, so how do you put it into an equation? The authors finesse that problem by replacing it with an imaginary currency they call eco-Dollars, undifferentiated units that somehow reduce nature’s variety and complexity to a single number. They don’t explain how that could conceivably be done in the real world. To their credit, the authors recognize that human societies are more complex than the simplistic predator-prey equations allow, so they have modified them to incorporate accumulated wealth (saved eco-Dollars) and social inequality. These additions make the model more complex, but they don’t fundamentally change it. With humans as “predators” and eco-Dollars as “prey,” the formulas produce an oscillation: when lots of eco-Dollars are available, the human population rises; when the eco-Dollars are depleted, the human population falls. Accumulated wealth can delay the population decline and elite overconsumption can accelerate it, but the pattern remains. Thought experiments Having reduced the complexity of human-nature interaction to four equations, the authors devote most of their paper to “thought experiments” about scenarios that they say represent “three distinct types of societies.” In the Egalitarian scenario, everyone consumes and works equally. In the Equitable scenario, everyone consumes equally, but some do not work, so workers must work harder. In the Unequal scenario, non-working Elites consume 10 to 100 times as much as Commoners, who do all the work. For each case they calculate a “carrying capacity” – the maximum number of people that a given number of “eco-Dollars” can support indefinitely. Although they list Joel Cohen’s authoritative work on this subject in their bibliography, they don’t mention his conclusion that “the question ‘How many people can the earth support?’ has no single numerical answer, now or ever.”[6] In each case, depending on how the variables are set, a graph shows whether the carrying capacity will never be exceeded, or will be exceeded intermittently in boom-and-bust cycles, or will be permanently exceeded, leading to total collapse. Although the authors don’t say so, it turns out that in the long run the only variables that really matter are total population and total consumption – because that’s how the formulas are defined. Their much quoted statement, that for an unequal society, “collapse is very difficult to avoid and requires major policy changes, including major reductions in inequality and population growth rates,” isn’t a political or sociological judgment, it’s a mathematical abstraction. Although the model purports to include all of nature as humanity’s “prey,” it becomes clear that by “nature” the authors mean “food,” because each case of collapse is caused by hunger – either everyone starves because food production declines, or Commoners starve because the Elite eat more than their share. As economist Christopher Freeman said of an earlier attempt to predict the future with computer models, this is a case of “Malthus in, Malthus out.”[7] Where’s the beef? One of the most surprising features of the “Human and Nature Dynamics” paper is the absence of empirical data. That’s right – a paper that some say proves the imminent collapse of western civilization contains no evidence at all. It fails to show that any past society collapsed from overpopulation and mass or elite consumption, let alone that those are the causes of the environmental crises of the 21st century. In fact, very little such evidence exists. In 2006, noted anthropologist Joseph A. Tainter, author of The Collapse of Complex Societies (Cambridge University Press, 1988) surveyed the subject for the peer-reviewed Annual Review of Archaeology (ARA). After summarizing and evaluating all the studies he could find, Tainter wrote: “When the ARA Editorial Committee invited me to address the topic ‘Archaeology of Overshoot and Collapse,’ I assumed I could review only part of a voluminous literature. Although I have extensively read the collapse literature … I was surprised to realize that the literature has produced few cases that postulate overshoot of population and/or mass consumption, followed by degradation and collapse. … Within the small overshoot literature, many of the most ardent proponents are outside archaeology…. “There does not presently appear to be a confirmed archaeological case of overshoot, resource degradation, and collapse brought on by overpopulation and/or mass consumption.”[8] [emphasis added] Those few sentences fatally undermine the fundamental basis of all the equations and graphs in “Human and Nature Dynamics.” Tainter’s article is not listed in the paper’s bibliography. Back to the real world There is massive evidence that the existing social order is inflicting massive harm on humanity and the rest of nature, and the case for radical social change as the only permanent solution is very strong. The authors of the HANDY Model deserve respect and commendation for focusing on that, and for including social inequality as an important factor. My criticism of their work has nothing in common with the reactionaries and science-deniers who have loudly condemned them as dangerous radicals. The problem is not that “Human and Nature Dynamics” is radical, but that it is not. Radical means going to the root, but this analysis remains on the surface, dealing with appearances, with things that can be counted and plugged into formulas. Not society but population; not nature but eco-Dollars; not history and class struggle, but graphs. Ahistorical formulas substitute for investigation of the specific social, economic, cultural and technological processes that have brought our particular society to this time of crisis. As the British environmentalist and poet Paul Kingsnorth has written, this is a common failing of mainstream greens: “They offer up remarkably confident predictions of what will happen if we do or don’t do this or that, all based on mind-numbing numbers cherry-picked from this or that ‘study’ as if the world were a giant spreadsheet which only needs to be balanced correctly.”[9] I’m reminded of a letter that Friedrich Engels wrote in 1890, criticizing self-proclaimed Marxists for whom historical materialism “serves as an excuse for not studying history.” “But our conception of history is above all a guide to study, not a lever for construction after the manner of the Hegelian. All history must be studied afresh, the conditions of existence of the different formations of society must be examined individually before the attempt is made to deduce them from the political, civil law, aesthetic, philosophic, religious, etc., views corresponding to them.”[10] Engels could have been addressing our modern Malthusians: abstract formulas and assumptions about population and consumption in general cannot substitute for thorough examination of the concrete issues facing specific societies. Academic economic theory has been described as pure mathematics based on unproven axioms. That’s a pretty good description of this paper. Every one of the thought experiments should be preceded by a disclaimer like this: IF the factors we have identified are the right ones, and IF there are no countervailing factors, and IF the formulas we have produced are valid and sufficient to explain the process, THEN the these graphs may be worthy of consideration. But if the assumptions aren’t true, then it doesn’t matter how good the math is or how many graphs are produced, because the entire process is irrelevant to the real world – and that is the world we need to understand and change. ————— FootnotesThe wife of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Thursday said that her husband and sons had not joined the U.S. military but had found “different ways of serving” by going on religious missions in France, England, Australia and Chile as part of their obligation to the Mormon church. During an interview on ABC’s The View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg asked Ann Romney how she would explain to the families of fallen soldiers why her husband and sons had not served their country. “When I read about your husband, what I had read — and maybe you can correct this — is that the reason he didn’t serve in Vietnam was because it was against the religion,” Goldberg said. “That’s not correct,” Ann Romney insisted. “He was serving his mission, and my five sons have also served missions. None served in the military, but I do have one son that feels that he’s giving back to his country in a significant way where he is now a doctor and he is taking care of veterans.” “So, you know, we find different ways of serving,” she added. “And my husband and my five boys did serve missions, did not serve in the military.” The candidate’s wife explained that Mormon missions were like military service in that “you’re going outside of yourself, you’re working and you’re helping others. And it changes you. And are we so grateful in this country for those people — men and women — that are volunteering, they’re sacrificing their life for us, and we cannot forget that or we have to acknowledge that always.” “So, when you’re facing these mothers whose children have not come back, how will you explain to them that your sons haven’t gone?” Goldberg pressed. “Will you talk about the missions they’ve gone on?” “I would say it’s probably the hardest thing that a president and a first lady probably do is to comfort those that have lost a love one and have gone in harm’s way,” Ann Romney replied, not directly answering the question. “It is an amazing country, we have the most extraordinary fighting men and women, and we have to be so grateful for them. Of course, it’s hard, and I don’t think that any of us can understand the sacrifice [sic] that are being made by families.” Mitt Romney announced earlier this week that he had canceled his Thursday appearance on The View due to “scheduling problems.” In a secretly-recorded video released by Mother Jones last month, the former Massachusetts governor told wealthy donors that going on The View was a “high-risk” proposition because the “sharp-tongued” co-hosts were not conservative enough. “Apparently the idea of sitting next to Whoopi Goldberg was just a little too intimidating,” media critic Howard Kurtz told Daily Download founder Lauren Ashburn. “Doesn’t this make Romney look like he’s avoiding a confrontation with the ladies of The View? He said he would go.” “It opens him up to the argument that, how is he going to negotiate with Vladimir Putin if he’s afraid of sitting down with Whoopi Goldberg?” Kurtz continued. “When he agreed to go on, he was down in the polls. And now: Bye, bye, Barbara.” Watch this video from ABC’s The View via Mediaite, broadcast Oct. 18, 2012.A legendary name might be accompanying the redesigned, 2015 Mustang when it finally makes its world debut - Mach 1. Stumbled upon by the team at Ford Authority, the Mach 1 title was found in a trademark filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and would revive a name last used on the fourth-generation, 2003 Mustang While the the 2003 vintage was well and good, the Mach 1 is really remembered for a three-year run from 1969 to 1971 - it's best to just forget the emissions-choked 1972 to 1978 Mach 1s - when power output ranged from a modest 250 horsepower with the two-barrel, 351-cubic-inch Windsor V8 to "375 hp" (actual output was rumored to be well north of 400 horsepower) with the righteous, 429-cubic-inch Super Cobra Jet V8.What does the title hold for the sixth-generation Mustang? It's tough to say. The fanatics at Ford Authority seem to think Mach 1 could take the place of the Shelby GT500 at the top of the Mustang hierarchy, which sounds like a valid argument. At the same time, we could see the SVT Cobra moniker returning for the flagship model, and the Mach 1 doing battle with the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 (unless the Boss 302 were to return). Confounding things is the historical precedent - the Mach 1 was responsible for the death of the Mustang GT in 1969, so it might make sense as a volume performance model.While we can speculate until we're blue in the face, the only thing we know for certain is that all should be revealed when the Mustang finally debuts in December. Until then, let us know where the Mach 1 would be of the most use in the Mustang lineup by having your say in Comments.When patients are given what they perceive to be a medical treatment, many of them will still show signs of improvement; this subsequent improvement is known as the placebo effect. The reason why people report feeling better after a false treatment is thought to be because they have an expectation that treatment will work. As a result, the mind convinces the body it is better and healing takes place. During World War II, an Army nurse was caring for a wounded soldier; however, the medical ward had run out of morphine, a powerful painkiller. Undaunted by the lack of medication, the nurse reassured the soldier he was receiving morphine, but instead she injected him with saline. Remarkably, the soldier began feeling better and did not go into shock as was expected. Henry Beecher, a doctor who witnessed this event, came home from the war effort and began testing the placebo effect in private practice. The following 3 minute-video was created by Daniel Keogh, aka @professorfunk and it nicely lays out the "Strange Powers of the Placebo Effect". more cartoons below Video Transcription Now you've all heard of the placebo effect before, when something with no known therapeutic value can actually make people feel better. It's a great trick our minds play on us, that by believing and expecting something to work, it actually does. But what's weird is that the strength of the effect can differ for some really strange reasons. For example, the same placebo can treat pain half as well as aspirin, while at the same time treating pain half as well as morphine. Morphine's a much more powerful pain killer, but a placebo is half as effective as both? Saying a placebo will reduce pain, reduces pain. But saying that the same placebo will increase pain, increases pain. Believing that a placebo will make you feel better, will make you feel better. Believing that it won't has the opposite effect. Now, placebos aren't just pills. They can be creams, injections, surgeries, or drinks. You can even get placebo buttons. They don't actually do anything, but they sure as hell make you feel like you're in control. But not all placebos are equal. The effect of the placebo is bigger when the pill itself is bigger, or if you have two instead of one, or two once a day instead of one twice a day. And a capsule will usually beat a pill, and a syringe will usually beat a capsule. And anything with a big ass science machine can outperform any of them. A plain pill works worse than a branded one. A discounted pill works worse than a pricey one, and even a pill in a plain box does worse than one that's all shiny and shit. Placebos that are blue work best as downers, and placebos that are red are better as uppers. Studies have shown that people who take their meds on a regular basis are less likely to die than those that don't, even if those meds are all placebos. You can even get addicted to placebos. In one study, a group of women took placebos for more than five years. Forty percent of them suffered withdrawals afterwards. In fact, the effect of placebos can be so strong that some people want them banned from sports. But, I mean, how would you even test for that? Placebos don't even seem to work from place to place. For example, in Germany, using a placebo to treat ulcers works better than anywhere else in Europe. But using a placebo that treats hypertension doesn't work nearly as well as it does for its neighbors. Now, remember that all of this is about comparing things that both have nothing medically effective in them, which goes to show that a placebo isn't about what's in it but about the beliefs that we load onto it. Our minds create the medicine, and that is pretty freaking weird. Side Effects In clinical studies, patients who are testing new medications are normally placed into two separate groups: those receiving the actual medication, and those who are given a placebo. None of the participants knows whether they are actually being given the actual drug or a sugar pill. Even so, some of the people who are given a placebo pill report experiencing side effects similar to the ones felt by patients taking actual medication. This suggests that people who worry about side effects could actually convince themselves that they feel certain symptoms even when they have not actually taken any medication. Surgery The placebo effect can also be felt whenever patients believe they have undergone surgery. In a study conducted by the University of Harvard, several people were led to believe that they had received surgery to treat chest pain. Some of these individuals were simply given anesthesia and then the doctor made a small incision, while others had the entire procedure performed. Of those who only had an incision, 80% reported improvement, while only 40% of those who actually had the surgery performed claimed better health. Pharmaceutical Companies It seems the placebo effect has increased in recent years. In many instances, patients in clinical studies who are taking placebo medications show higher levels of improvement than those who are taking the actual drugs. This has caused pharmaceutical companies to discontinue their development of many new drugs because they do not seem to be any more effective than placebos. Some of the medicines that have had production halted include drugs for depression, schizophrenia, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and pain medication, to name a few. Scientists are just beginning to tap into the healing power of the mind. Much more research needs to be done in order to determine how this tool can be used to heal people of major health disorders.Week of Six-Year Dodd-Frank Anniversary, Clinton Highlights Trump Would Repeal Law NEVADA–(ENEWSPF)–July 19, 2016. In remarks at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton reiterated her commitment to fighting for working families as president and defending labor unions from Republican attacks. The week of the six-year anniversary of passing historic Dodd-Frank, Clinton highlighted Trump’s plan to repeal Wall Street reform. She said, “I predict that Donald will try to con you with tough talk about Wall Street. Don’t believe him.” She continued, “Donald Trump wants to tear up Dodd-Frank and let Wall Street run wild again.” Clinton also highlighted his hiring of a union-busting firm, his consistent practice of shortchanging contractors – driving some out of business, and a consensus among economists that Trump’s policies would plunge us back into a recession. Clinton will stand with workers in both the public and private sector to protect their fundamental rights to organize and collectively bargain. Clinton’s remarks, as transcribed, are below: “Thank you! Wow, thank you and hello, AFSCME! It’s great to be in the same place with all of you and I have to start by thanking my longtime friend, someone I have worked with on behalf of the causes that are near and dear to your hearts, thank you Lee for that introduction, for being a stalwart friend and partner over so many years, and now he and I are both grandparents, so we have even more in common. You know, all of you, AFSCME helped to make our 2016 Democratic platform a strong vision. Now this is a convention! It’s wonderful to be with people who want to build America up, not tear Americans down. The Republicans up in Cleveland could learn a thing or two from AFSCME. And I also want to acknowledge someone special, your Secretary-Treasurer, the first woman to hold that position, Laura Reyes, congratulations! And I heard Lee thanking a whole group of states, every single one of you and all whom you represent, from that first caucus in Iowa to the last primary in Washington D.C., AFSCME and the green machine was everywhere. And I particularly want to thank my AFSCME brothers and sisters from New York who are here today. I know and I won’t forget, you had my back from the very beginning when I first ran for the Senate, and I am so grateful to you. And I want to thank your leadership and each and every one of your members for your support in this election. And I was just told that someone I know pretty well came and addressed this convention in 1992, right Gerry? I consider that a good omen because he went on to be President of the United States, Bill Clinton! And just like me, he loved seeing the Green Machine out on the trail, putting boots on the ground in every state – you see what I’m wearing, right? It was a little too hot with hundred-degree weather to wear my AFSCME green jacket or my AFSCME green scarf, so I figured I’d get in the spirit and be here with all of you, because I know how much you’ve done, and I’m counting on all of you to do it again. To work hard to register voters and get folks out to the polls. And I really like the theme of this conference: ‘Never Quit.’ We all know a little something about that, don’t we? AFSCME, you’ve had my back—and as President, I will have yours. Because you represent hard-working, middle-class families, people striving for a better life. You represent the American Dream. I wish we could say the same about the other party and their nominee. Last night in Cleveland was surreal. I kept thinking, what’s this like? And then I thought, you know when I was a little girl, I went to see when they reissued it, the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ And there were similarities that appeared to me. Lots of sound and fury, even a fog machine, but when you pulled back the curtain it was just Donald Trump, with nothing to offer to the American people. Now, they had about eight hours of speeches yesterday. They spent most of their time attacking me and President Obama rather than making any kind of argument about the future we want to build for our country. We can do a lot better than that. Because together we’re going to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. Not just for the rich or the well connected, but for everyone, and that means working families who get up and do their jobs every day but haven’t seen a real raise in years. It means public employees who serve our communities and deserve to be supported, not scapegoated. You see, I have this old fashioned idea that our economy should deliver for you the way you deliver for all of us—and we should stand with you the way you stand with us. Because supporting and respecting public employees means supporting and respecting police officers and firefighters and all the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. And I want to be really clear about this: if you take aim at them – you take aim at all of us. There can be no justification for killing a police officer. Not at all. It’s a terrible crime – and it’s got to stop. We also need to be partners in making law enforcement as secure and effective as we need it to be. And that means investing in the training that our police need on the proper use of force. And how to build trust with the communities they serve. And we need to do more to support all our public servants. Because we want young people to aspire to pursue careers in our public schools, our city halls, our public works departments. These are jobs that provide dignity and a sense of purpose. Jobs that are about giving back and making us stronger. I can’t imagine how we could run our country if we didn’t have people like you, and the members you represent, working on our behalf every day. That’s why it’s so outrageous when Republican governors steamroll public employees and stomp on workers’ rights. In Wisconsin, the cradle of the labor movement, Scott Walker has ripped the heart, he’s ripped the heart, out of public-sectors workers’ right to bargain collectively for better wages and benefits. In Illinois, Bruce Rauner has been holding the budget hostage for months, endangering public colleges and universities, hurting families, and demanding outrageous concessions from public-sector unions. And even though workers’ rights won the day in the Supreme Court in the Friedrichs case, make no mistake—we haven’t seen the last of efforts to use the courts to undermine your rights. So I promise you this: I will be by your side in this fight every step of the way. When I am President, working people will always have a seat at the table and a champion in the White House. Because I believe that when unions are strong, America is strong. Unions helped build the strongest middle class in the history of the world. You pioneered the basic bargain that made our country great. You know what it is: if you work hard and do your part, you should be able to get ahead and stay ahead. And you’ve been on the frontlines of the fight for affordable health care, safe working conditions, fair schedules and fair wages. And I know you’re not just fighting for your members, as important as that is – you’re fighting for all working families. That’s why it is so important that unions like AFSCME stay strong and stay on the front lines of the fight for economic justice and opportunity. And congratulations – you’ve already added nearly 340,000 new members and fee-payers to your ranks. The AFSCME Strong campaign is producing results. Let’s keep that effort going and growing. Because I’m proud to be in the trenches fighting alongside you to raise wages, protect pensions, and keep the public in public sector. That includes ending private prisons and detention centers that profit off our criminal justice and immigration system. And we have to send a loud, clear message: ‘right to work’ is wrong for workers and wrong for America. That’s why together, we will pursue a bold, progressive agenda that lifts our country up. So that no one is left out or left behind. I have a plan to drive growth that’s strong, fair, and long-lasting. Growth that reduces inequality, increases upward mobility, and reaches into every corner of our country. First, let’s break through the dysfunction in Washington to make the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. Second, let’s make college debt-free for all and help millions of Americans save money by refinancing their student debt. Third, let’s rewrite the rules so more companies share profits with their employees on top of paying a good wage, and fewer ship their profits and their jobs overseas. Fourth, let’s make sure Wall Street, corporations, and the super rich finally pay their fair share of taxes. And by the way, if you happen to know anybody, or run across anybody, who is thinking about, even contemplating voting for the other guy, ask that person why they think he won’t release his tax returns. Just asking. I think it’s a question he should have to answer, everybody else running for president has. Put that in the back of your head. And finally, let’s put families first and make sure our policies match how you actually work and live in the 21st century. That means expanding Social Security, not cutting it. It means supporting working parents and finally guaranteeing equal pay for women. Now you know, Donald Trump can accuse me of playing the ‘woman card’ all he wants. But if fighting for paid family leave and affordable childcare is playing the ‘woman card,’ then deal me in! And what better place to do that than Vegas? Yesterday at the Republican convention in Cleveland, we heard a lot, we heard a lot about me and Donald Trump. We heard a lot of anger and division, but we did not hear a single solution that would help working families get ahead. Donald Trump may claim he’s on the side of working people, but his actions say otherwise. Just look at the destruction his Atlantic City bankruptcies caused. One small businessman, someone who sold pianos to Trump’s hotels, nearly lost everything when Trump refused to pay what he owed. And that’s par for the course. As the New York Times reported recently, and I quote, ‘It is hard to find a project he touched that did not produce allegations, broken promises, blatant lies, or outright fraud.’ Or what about here in Las Vegas, where he personally hired a union-busting firm to try to stop UNITE HERE from organizing at his hotel. I was proud to join those workers on the picket line twice in the last year—and even prouder when they overcame Donald Trump’s intimidation campaign and were officially certified as a union. Donald Trump stood on a debate stage and actually said wages are ‘too high’ in this country. Then he proposed getting rid of the federal minimum wage altogether. Now, I predict that Donald will try to con people with tough talk about Wall Street. But like everything else he says, don’t buy it. Remember when he promised to make hedge fund managers pay more in taxes? Well, when his actual plan came out, it turns out he lowered their taxes further. It’s the same with the banks. This week marks the six-year anniversary of the tough new Wall Street reforms President Obama put in place after the crash. If Donald Trump actually wants to be tough on Wall Street, he’ll stand with me in defending these rules and taking steps to build on them. But I don’t think it’ll surprise you to hear he’s doing exactly the opposite. Donald Trump wants to tear up Dodd-Frank and let Wall Street run wild again. He would scrap the rules that prevent future taxpayer-funded bailouts. He’d eliminate the new agency created to protect consumers from financial fraud and abuse, even though it’s already returned $11 billion back to consumers who were ripped off. I guess that shouldn’t surprise anyone, since Donald Trump’s business model is basically fraud and abuse. He talks a lot about ‘America First,’ but his own products are made in a lot of countries that aren’t named ‘America.’ Trump ties come from China, not North Carolina. Trump suits were made in Mexico, not Ohio. Trump furniture from Turkey, Trump picture frames from India, Trump barware from Slovenia — And I could go on and on. If Donald Trump wants to make America great again, he should start actually making things in America again. So the bottom line is this: Putting Donald Trump in charge of our economy would be devastating. Economists left, right, center all agree that his policies would throw us back into a recession. Would wipe out three and a half million jobs. Now, I don’t know about you, but we can’t take that. Wipe out three and a half million jobs? And add more than $30 trillion to the debt? More giveaways to the super-rich? That’s not what we need in this country. We need to write a new chapter in the American Dream and it can’t be Chapter 11. I don’t think a lot of his supporters even understand what he’s actually offering — sure doesn’t answer the mail. We can disagree about what we need to do, but I believe, just like anyone else, the voters supporting Donald Trump are trying to make a good living, give their kids better futures and opportunities, trying to figure out their place in a fast changing America. That’s why I want to reclaim the promise of America for everybody, no matter who they vote for. We need to be on the American team, not the Republican or the Democratic or the red or the blue team, or the business or the labor team. Let’s get back on the America Team! Now, that is especially important because in recent days we’ve had tragedy and turmoil. The President has to speak on behalf of all the American people. Has to try to pull us together, not drive us apart. Can you imagine Donald Trump in that position? A man who plays coy with white supremacists and mocks disabled people. Who demeans women and denigrates immigrants. Who talked about banning an entire religion from entering our country. We in America are better than that. And America is better than Donald Trump. So my friends, let’s resolve, we don’t tear each other down, we lift each other up. We don’t build walls, we break down barriers and build bridges. We know we’re stronger when the economy works for everybody, not just those at the top. So let’s protect worker’s rights and women’s rights, and civil rights and gay rights, and voter rights. Let’s reject violence and bigotry, and do the hard work of building a more perfect union. Please join me in this campaign. Knock on doors, register people to vote. Let’s work hard because we’ve got to have a big win in November. We’ve got five national labor mobilization weekends starting August 6th. We need the AFSCME Green Machine to be front and center. Talk to your friends, your neighbors about what this election means for the country we love. Let’s elect strong, progressive leaders who will get results. And let’s never forget our birthright as Americans – we’re going into the future with confidence and optimism together. Thank you, AFSCME!” Source: http://www.hillaryclinton.comLead MEPs from the European Parliament's inquiry committee investigating the Panama Papers said they have had a more difficult job than the committee responsible for probing Dieselgate. “You cannot compare us with the Dieselgate probe, because we needed to do worldwide research as well as internally in the European Union,” said Werner Langen, chairman of the Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion. Chairman Werner Langen (l) with key witness Jean-Claude Juncker, EU commission chief and former prime minister of Luxembourg (Photo: European Parliament) He spoke at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday (8 June), held to mark the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the committee, which is known in the EU bubble as the Pana committee – short for Panama Papers. The Panama Papers is the name of an April 2016 leak of several millions of documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. Dieselgate is the popular label for the car emissions scandal that began in September 2015 with Volkswagen's emissions fraud, which EUobserver investigated extensively. Both scandals were the subject to EU parliamentary probes, with the Dieselgate committee, established in December 2015 – the first EU committee of inquiry in ten years. While the Dieselgate committee
16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A demonstrator marches in New York on December 13 during the "Justice for All" rally. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests The protest moves down Sixth Avenue in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests A woman marches down 14th Street in New York on December 13. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests From left, Samaira Rice, the mother of Tamir Rice; Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown Jr.; the Rev. Al Sharpton and Michael Brown Sr., the father of Michael Brown Jr, raise their hands in the air during the "Justice For All" march and rally through Washington on December 13. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: 'Black lives matter' protests Protesters fill the street as they gather for a march on December 13 in Washington. Hide Caption 16 of 16 "The use of extralegal brutal violence and terrorism against black people seems to be a key part of the American experience," she says. "It didn't end with the Civil War, World I, or Vietnam. I'm not surprised that it hasn't ended now." Though they made a big splash, is it fair to say that the Panthers failed? The group all but disbanded in 1977. Newton was killed by a young gang member in 1989 during a dispute over drugs, not far from where the first Black Panther chapter was founded. "The Panthers were torpedoed, arrested and they were murdered," says Cleaver, now a law professor at Emory University in Georgia. "We didn't have a chance to fail." Yet somehow their example lives on. There are offshoots of the Panthers today in places like Israel, India and New Zealand, Woodard says. "It's amazing that they went as far as they did." And the Panthers can still claim at least one victory, suggests Nelson, director of the PBS film. "The Panthers started off with nothing," Nelson says, "but are still being talked about 50 years later." The revolution the Panthers fought for never came. But they changed America in ways that are still being felt. They made new rules in the world of politics and pop culture. And in some ways, they are still the kings, and queens, of their domain.From Arsenal to Yeovil, we assess the contenders and likely strugglers for the maiden winter campaign – as Manchester City look to maintain their supremacy Arsenal Once the dominant force in women’s football, Arsenal have slipped behind Chelsea and Manchester City in recent years and have not lifted the title since 2012. Not that they should be taken lightly – they were the only team to remain unbeaten in the Spring Series. However, finishing third highlighted the need for greater efficiency. Coach Pedro Martínez Losa. Key player Vivianne Miedema is an important signing from Bayern Munich. Two of the 21-year-old striker’s four goals for the victorious Dutch at Euro 2017 came in the final against Denmark. Last season Third. Target this season Mount a strong title challenge. Winter wonderland? Women’s Super League prepares for 2017-18 kick-off \| Suzanne Wrack Read more Birmingham Birmingham have a reputation for being tough to break down, an approach that helped them to reach last season’s FA Cup final. However, they were outplayed by Manchester City at Wembley and their Cup run distracted focus from the Spring Series. Finishing seventh in that was disappointing for a team more accustomed to challenging at the top end of the table. Coach Marc Skinner. Key player Jess Carter was named PFA young player of the year last season and the versatile defender is only going to get better. Last season Fourth. Target this season Break into the top three. Bristol City Relegated to WSL2 in 2015, Bristol City bounced straight back into the top division at the first time of asking, missing out on the title to Yeovil Town only on goal difference. However, they found it difficult in the Spring Series, picking up one win in eight matches, and have already steeled themselves for a battle against relegation. Losing the striker Claire Emslie, who scored 12 goals in 10 games last season, to Manchester City was a blow. Coach Willie Kirk. Key player Yana Daniëls, a Belgian striker signed from Anderlecht, needs to fill the void left by Emslie. Last season Second in WSL2. Target this season Survival. Chelsea Having won the double in 2015, Chelsea allowed their level to drop slightly last season, finishing second in the league and losing their FA Cup semi-final against Birmingham. However, they got back to winning ways in the Spring Series, finishing top on goal difference, and a squad containing Katie Chapman, Gilly Flaherty, Fran Kirby, Eni Aluko and Ji So-yun boasts enviable talent. Finish above them and you will probably win the league. Coach Emma Hayes. Key player Ji, nicknamed the Korean Messi, provides goals and creativity in her role as a deep-lying forward. Last season Second. Target this season Win back the title. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chelsea’s Ji So-yun, right, is nicknamed the Korean Messi. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images Everton Although Everton missed out on promotion to WSL1 last season, they ended up returning to the top tier for the first time since 2014 when the Football Association accepted their bid to fill the spot left vacant by Notts County. Doncaster Belles were unhappy with the FA’s decision but Everton believe that winning the WSL2 Spring Series proves they have been elevated on merit. Coach Andy Spence. Key player Courtney Sweetman-Kirk was prolific for Doncaster and the striker is expected to flourish after joining Everton. Last season Third in WSL2. Target this season Survival. Yeovil know they will be up against it after finishing bottom with one point in the Spring Series Liverpool The 2013 and 2014 champions have struggled to compete with Chelsea, City and Arsenal in the past two seasons, finishing 17 points off the pace in 2016. For Liverpool, who begin their campaign with a Merseyside derby against Everton on Friday night, it is about finding a way to respond to the rising demands of women’s football in England. That may not be easy after the sale of Shanice van de Sanden to Lyon. Coach Scott Rogers. Key player Caroline Weir demonstrated her goalscoring threat by grabbing Scotland’s winner against Spain at Euro 2017. Last season Fifth. Target this season Get closer to the top sides. Manchester City There is no doubt that the champions, Continental Cup holders and FA Cup winners are the team to beat. They are a fearsome proposition and are setting new standards. Their wealth has allowed them to accelerate away from the majority of the competition. However, City know they will face a determined fight from Chelsea, who increased the intensity of their rivalry by winning the Spring Series. Coach Nick Cushing. Key player Jill Scott is a marauding presence in midfield for City. Last season Champions. Target this season Retain the title and the FA Cup. Reading Reading’s target last season was simple: survival was their goal after winning promotion and in the end they did enough to stay up at the expense of Doncaster. However, they were not particularly convincing, winning only one of their 16 games, and they need to be prepared for a possible relegation battle before aiming any higher. That said, they can take encouragement from finishing sixth in the Spring Series. Coach Kelly Chambers. Key player Fara Williams’s experience could be vital after the midfielder’s arrival from Arsenal. Last season Eighth. Target this season Mid-table. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reading signed the England midfielder Fara Williams from Arsenal on a two-year deal this summer. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian Sunderland While Sunderland were disappointing in the WSL1 last season, finishing a point above Reading, they improved in the Spring Series, finishing fifth after winning two and drawing three of their eight matches. It is unlikely that they possess the depth or the resources to rise higher than mid‑table but there is a belief within the club that this can be a comfortable campaign. However, will Melanie Reay’s inexperience be a problem in her first full season as manager? Coach Melanie Reay. Key player Stephanie Roche, runner-up in the 2014 Puskás Award, is known for her habit of scoring stunning goals. Last season Seventh. Target this season Mid-table. Yeovil Town They are young and energetic, and no team scored more than them in WSL2 last season. They will be fearless and enterprising, and will hope to bloody a few noses along the way. Ultimately, though, Yeovil know they will be up against it after finishing bottom with one point in the Spring Series. However, they have spent pre-season concentrating on eradicating their weaknesses. That work ethic could prove invaluable. Coach Jamie Sherwood. Key player How will Kayleigh Green slot back into the side after returning from a loan spell in Italy? Last season First in WSL2. Target this season Survival.A Conservative MP who attended a party where friends allegedly chanted Nazi slogans and dressed up in SS uniforms, has apologised for "any offence that was caused" at the event. Aidan Burley used the social networking site, Twitter, to say he did "deeply regret inappropriate behaviour by some guests at a stag party" he attended and was "extremely sorry for any offence that was caused". The apology, posted at 12.30pm on Sunday, was sent to the MP's 385 followers but was picked up by the Twitter community and passed around to many others. It failed, however, to assuage those outraged by his behaviour, with many continuing to call for his sacking and resignation. The 32-year-old Cannock Chase MP was dining at a restaurant in the ski resort of Val Thorens, at Savoie, in the French Alps. Some of his 12 friends in the restaurant chanted "Hitler, Hitler, Hitler", according to the Mail on Sunday. The paper claimed that the MP, who was elected in 2010, sipped wine while at least one man sitting near him goaded a French waiter, asking: "You are from Germany? No, you must be from Austria, then?" and "Are you insulting his Reich?" Burley was filmed raising his glass in a toast before, the paper claimed, another guest beside him made a speech, in which he said: "Let's raise a toast to Tom for organising the stag do, and if we're perfectly honest, to the ideology and thought process of the Third Reich." The party was said to have moved on to a British-themed pub, where partygoers adopted thick German accents and chanted: "Mein Fuhrer! Mein Fuhrer! Mein Fuhrer!", "Himmler! Himmler! Himmler!" and "Eichmann! Eichmann! Eichmann!" The paper quoted a French police spokesman who said that Burley's friends could face prosecution: under the French penal code it is a crime to wear or exhibit in public anything reminiscent of what was worn or used by the Nazis, unless required for the purposes of a film, play or historical exhibition. The spokesman added: "Anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi crimes are taken extremely seriously in France. Anyone suspected of breaking the law in this respect can and will be prosecuted." Burley, a rising star in the Conservative party and senior aide to the transport secretary, Justine Greening, was thought to be close friends with the man who wore the SS uniform – Mark Fournier, 34, an accountant and graduate of Queen's College, Oxford University, for whom the stag party was held. Fournier, the paper added, was frequently addressed by the others as "Himmler". His brother, John Fournier, 37, a businessman, gave the toast. Later, the elder brother gave another speech, saying of Burley: "This man is a Tory MP. He went to Oxford as well. A Tory boy. He was the candidate for Berlin East." Burley, who was said to be standing a few feet away, was not seen to object to any of the speeches or the actions of his friends, the paper claimed.Sterilization What is tubal ligation? Want to make sure pregnancy is not in your future? Tubal ligation (sometimes called sterilization, female sterilization, or “getting your tubes tied”) is a safe and effective surgical procedure that permanently prevents pregnancy. X in a circle Thinking about sterilization? Find a Health Center A right arrow in a circle Zip, City, or State We couldn't access your location, please search for a location. Search Please fill out this field. Sorry, we could not find any Health Center for your search. How does tubal sterilization work? Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure that permanently closes or blocks your fallopian tubes. Every month, an egg leaves one of your ovaries (called ovulation). The egg moves through one of your fallopian tubes for a few days, waiting for sperm to come fertilize it. Pregnancy happens if a sperm cell meets up with one of your eggs, and the fertilized egg implants in your uterus. When the fallopian tubes are blocked after a tubal ligation, sperm can't get to an egg and cause pregnancy. Tubal ligation is sometimes known as sterilization, female sterilization or “getting your tubes tied.” There are a few different types of sterilization procedures. You still get your period after tubal ligation — you just can’t get pregnant. Is sterilization right for me? Most people who have ovaries and fallopian tubes can safely get sterilized. Your doctor will talk with you about your health to make sure sterilization is right for you. You should only get sterilized if you’re totally sure you don’t want to be able to have kids for the rest of your life. Sterilization may not be a good choice for you if: There’s any chance you’ll want to get pregnant in the future. You’re being pressured by your partner, friends, or family. You hope sterilization will solve problems that may be temporary — like marriage or sexual issues, short-term mental or physical illnesses, or money problems. Does sterilization protect against STDs? Nope. Tubal ligation won’t protect you or your partners from sexually transmitted infections. Use condoms to help lower your chances of getting or spreading STDs.Gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang on Thursday accused two Cabinet officials and several retired military generals of plotting to kill him over gambling operations in areas where his company operates. Ang, who operates the virtual jai-alai numbers game through Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. based at the Cagayan Freeport, appealed to President Duterte to save him from Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon and some members of Philippine Military Academy Class (PMA) ’82. ADVERTISEMENT Ang, a former gambling buddy of former President Joseph Estrada, is Meridien’s consultant and general manager. “Mr. President, I am not asking for any business concessions. I’m asking for [protection for] my life,” Ang said in an interview with reporters. He claimed that he and Mr. Duterte were friends. “Before Digong (Mr. Duterte) became President, I said there were threats to my life. The people should know this because I may not be able to say it if I’m dead,” said Ang, a business partner of Chinese gambling tycoon Jack Lam, who had operated an online gaming casino at Clark Freeport in Pampanga province. Third attempt Ang said this would be the third attempt on his life. He said he received similar threats from illegal gambling operators and government officials during the Estrada and Arroyo administrations. According to Ang, he was tipped off by some agents of the National Bureau of Investigation about the plan to neutralize him and his gambling operation, which was granted a license by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority. Ang said Aguirre was taking part in Small Time Lottery (STL) operation through his brother, Engineer Ogie Aguirre. He said Ogie had been bringing investors to the Batangas STL and also operated STL in Laguna and the Bicol region. STL is a numbers game that the Duterte administration is promoting to stamp out the illegal numbers game jueteng. ADVERTISEMENT Ang also claimed that a congressman, whom he did not identify yet, was Aguirre’s bagman in Quezon. “I will name the congressman in a legislative investigation,” he said. He said Aguirre was using the NBI to neutralize him. As for Esperon, Ang said the national security adviser went to Pangasinan province asking local government officials not to patronize Ang’s operation. Demanding cut Citing information relayed by local officials, Ang said Esperon also demanded a cut from STL collections in the province. Ang named some PMA Class ’82 retired generals involved in STL as Jose Jorge Corpuz, chair of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); Alexander Balutan, PCSO general manager, and Generals Francisco Uyami and Isidro Lapeña. He said several members of this class were protectors of illegal gambling in the north, and were even issued STL franchises and later sold these to other individuals. Reached for comment, Esperon just laughed off Ang’s accusation. “When did I become a killer? When I was a lieutenant I killed terrorists—Abu Sayyaf members. That’s all,” he told the Inquirer. Esperon disputed Ang’s claim about a conspiracy among PMA Class ’82 retired generals. He said he belonged to PMA Class ’74, Corpuz was from Class ’82, and Balutan from Class ’83. “I don’t know Atong Ang, so why would I have him killed? “ Esperon asked. “I think you should call Corpuz and Balutan because they are the ones who introduced STL to eradicate illegal gambling,” he said. Ang said he was convinced that the threat to his life was serious when he went to Cagayan de Oro City last Sunday for a cockfight. While there, he said some PMA Class ’82 members, whom he described as his friends, frantically called him on the phone and warned him to immediately leave the area, as some of their mistah (classmates) were out to kill him that day. “I was told, ‘Boss go home immediately. Our mistahs want you killed,’” he quoted the caller as saying. Fearing for his life, Ang said he chartered a King Air flight reserved for emergency situations just to get him out of the area. He also said he had been receiving tips from concerned friends in the NBI and the same PMA class. “Last Saturday, friends phoned me and said ‘Sir, take care as you are a target,” he quoted them as saying. Ang said those who were planning to kill him wanted STL to thrive in areas where his virtual jai alai was strong. “It’s OK if STL and virtual jai alai compete with each other. But they want to have me killed,” he said. Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READReview by Matt S. Editor-in-Chief Find me on Twitter: @digitallydownld Panzer Tactics was a remarkably obscure tactical-level strategy game on the Nintendo DS. Heavily inspired by the classic Panzer General franchise, Panzer Tactics quickly fell into obscurity as a sad consequence of being on a console where strategy fans don't generally go. But now Panzer Tactics is on the iPad, a platform where we have seen success. Slitherine's Panzer Corps is brilliant on iPad, and other games such as Battle Academy have proven that there's an appetite for such games. The downside for Panzer Tactics is that in going from being a fish in a pond all to itself, making the move from DS to iPad is more akin to being a fish in a small ocean filled with sharks.Panzer Tactics does what it sets out to do, without necessarily doing enough to stand out.But let's start on the "HD" that's been added into the title to (I assume) attempt to justify the game's re-release so many years after it landed on the DS. Panzer Tactics does indeed look the part on the iPad's retina screen. There's not much animation (units simply slide around the map), but the map itself looks glorious, and the units are all highly detailed. Unlike the DS game, where I at times struggled to tell one unit from the next, Panzer Tactics does look better than its immediate rivals. I also appreciated the ability to pull the camera right back to see the whole battlefield at a glance.In terms of the mechanics, anyone who has played a game such as Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, or Panzer General or Panzer corps will know how this game works. Combat plays out in a turn based fashion, with each unit having a range of statistics that determine how it performs when coming into contact with enemy units. Tanks do well against infantry in the open, but infantry in cities are tougher to take down. Artillery provides ranged support, while planes bomb everything underneath.There's a couple of more advanced strategies at play in Panzer Tactics. It's possible to hide units in forests in order to create ambush situations, and it's possible to make use of paratroopers to drop units behind enemy lines. There's some fairly generous supply rules that can bite your strategy in the backside if you happen to forget about it for a few turns. It's a more advanced game than some of the really casual strategy games out there, while never being as demanding as a full 4X strategy game like Civilization.The game itself takes players through a couple of different conflicts during World War II, and gives players the opportunity of playing as either the Axis, Soviet, or Allies. I found it a little disappointing that after paying a relative premium for the base game, the only campaign available up-front is the Axis one. The other two are locked behind a DLC paywall. They are worth their price in terms of raw content, but I would have rather had everything in an honest, up-front cost.One of the things I do like about strategy games is the ability to rewrite history. I prefer playing games like Europa Universalis IV because I like taking historically weak nations and turning them into superpowers. Games that sit at the more tactical level, such as Panzer Tactics, don't allow that kind of reworking of history; for instance, you'll never be able to have Poland end World War 2 before it starts by holding back Germany's first advance.On the other hand, the effort that has gone into recreating the history of the period is impressive. Forces are obviously abstracted, but their relative strengths are all represented well - the Germans really do have an impressive set of tanks, for instance. Unfortunately, Panzer Tactics' biggest failing is that the AI just isn't up to scratch against a seasoned strategy veteran. I floated through the campaigns without ever feeling too taxed. An online multiplayer mode would have helped mitigate this by allowing people to pit wits against other armchair generals, but alas Panzer Tactics is one of the rare strategy games that forgot the importance of online multiplayer.It's that last fact that really hurts the game. I don't know if the developer has a future update planned to patch in multiplayer, but until it's there this game simply isn't as worthwhile as some of Slitherine's strategy games on iOS, which do include comprehensive multiplayer options.The Trovan team chartered a jet, flew to Kano, an ancient Nigerian city of 2 million on the edge of the Sahara, commandeered the overcrowded compound of crumbling cinder-block bunkers that passed for a hospital, ran the test, and flew out two weeks later with their data. When all but five of the 100-child Trovan cohort survived (six on the control drug died)--the death rate of untreated meningitis in Kano had been 20 percent--Pfizer trumpeted to Wall Street that the drug's success spelled blockbuster. That Trovan could be portrayed as having saved African children might even lend a priceless "halo" effect to the drug's launch. The company's predictions turned out to be inflated, to say the least. Though U.S. guidelines say that meningitis experiments should include long-term follow-ups, Pfizer called for no such checks. When less than half of the tested children returned to the clinic, Pfizer said that this minority was sufficient to prove the experiment showed no side effects. The trial data were so sloppy that the FDA refused to even consider approval of Trovan for children or for meningitis. Although the antibiotic hit the market in 1998, it quickly resulted in a rash of complications due to liver toxicity, including six deaths. Less than two years after its launch, the drug itself was finished. A Pfizer infectious-disease specialist who later analyzed the test procedures was fired after protesting to Pfizer executives that the study was a violation not only of medical ethics but of federal and international laws. In Kano, a groundbreaking Washington Post investigative series found that parents had not knows that their children were part of an experiment, nor were they informed that an adjacent clinic administered by Medicines San Frontieres could have given their children a proven antibiotic. As an injectable, unlike the oral Trovan, that faster-acting antibiotic offered a critical advantage against meningitis, which can kill in hours. In 2000, following the Post revelations, a cry for justice in the Nigerian media triggered street protests and an investigation by Nigeria's health ministry, whose report on the incident went missing until 2006, when a leaked version revealed that the health officials had reached more or less the same verdict as the fired Pfizer expert: The experiment was "an illegal trial of an unregistered drug," a "clear case of exploitation of the ignorant," and a violation of Nigerian and international law. These disclosures prompted a raft of civil and criminal lawsuits in Kano State Court on behalf of the families and in Federal High Court on behalf of the nation itself, as it were. But Pfizer kept the suits tangled up in proceedings to postpone any settlement. A State Department cable dated April 20, 2009 and released by WikiLeaks, however, suggests that Pfizer's legal strategy was not simply to delay--it was also to blackmail. Written by an economic counselor at the US embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, the cable reports minutes of meetings during which Pfizer representatives informed the U.S. ambassador that the firm had agreed to settle the Kano State suit for $75 million, mere pocket change for the pharma giant. The ambassador was told that Pfizer "was not happy settling the case, but had come to the conclusion that the $75 million figure was reasonable because the suits had been ongoing for many years costing Pfizer more than $15 million a year in legal and investigative fees."This article is from the archive of our partner. Speaking with workers injured in a dust explosion last December at a Chinese factory where Apple products are manufactured, NPR uncovers the careless way these companies dealt with the problem. Dust explosions have hit two separate Chinese factories where Apple products are manufactured in the last 12 months, one at Foxconn last May and another in Shanghai owned by another company. These types of explosions can happen in any manufacturing plant, NPR notes, but these situations played out in particularly unfortunate ways, mostly due to the way it was handled from above. This plant didn't go out of its way to prevent this type of accident from happening. Neither the facilities nor the workers were prepared at all. "When we first got here, they never told us this could explode," Zhang Qing told NPR's Morning Edition. But, dust was a clear issue. Zhang describes the air as "a bit like fog" and told NPR that the vacuuming system the factory had in place didn't work very well. Explosions like that happen because dust build-up reacts with materials in the plant, in this case, the aluminum casing of Apple's iPad. The Chinese overlords aren't the only ones to blame, Apple had done a shoddy inspection job at the plant before the blast. Beforehand, workers were told to clean up the dust. And, when the iPad maker came through to ensure safe working conditions, workers could not talk to the inspectors. These inspections organizations apparently know that factories put on shows for these kinds of walk through check-ins. Guess Apple's people aren't too perceptive, or perhaps ignore, the real issues beneath the factory's veneer of order? Either way, they missed this real issue.KENILWORTH, NJ – A North Plainfield police offer was arrested and charged with a sexual assault that occurred last March, according to Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park. Mike Jean-Baptiste, 29, encountered an adult woman while on duty and sexually assaulted her later that night at The Kenilworth, according to the prosecutor’s office. He was taken into custody without incident on Monday and placed in Union County Jail with a first appearance in court scheduled for today, the prosecutor’s office said. According to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Scott Peterson, who is prosecuting the case, the Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit investigation was initiated by a referral from the Kenilworth Police Department. Sign Up for E-News "We cooperated with the prosecutor’s office anf the North Plainfield Police Department," Kenilworth Police Chief John Zimmerman said. "They really took the lead on it. We took the first call and transferred it over to them." The Prosecutor’s Office thanks the Kenilworth Police Department and urges anyone with information about this matter or other occurrences with Jean-Baptiste to contact Special Victims Unit Sgt. Patricia Gusmano at 908-965-387, according to the prosecutor’s office. According to the prosecutor’s office, convictions on second-degree crimes are typically punishable by five to 10 years in state prison.If you’ve got a hankering to sink your teeth into a handful of insects, UC Davis’ Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science has just the event for you. Tickets are now on sale for a unique afternoon in November called “Bugs and Beer: Why Crickets and Kölsch Might be Matches Made in Heaven.” Attendees will have an opportunity to sample eight different combinations of bugs and suds, expertly guided by Professor of Malting & Brewing Sciences Dr. Charlie Bamforth, author of Beer is Proof God Loves Us; and David George Gordon, “The Bug Chef,” author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook. The event, which costs $50 per person, occurs on Saturday, Nov. 1, and a portion of the proceeds from the event will support the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. For more information visit the event website.When I was four years old, my mother taught me how to read the Quran. We started with the Arabic alphabet. I remember learning how to sound out “alif,” the first letter in the word “Allah,” and “sheen,” the first letter of my own name. As I grew up, my mother taught me how to hold my hands in prayer, my father told me about the bravery and devotion of the first Muslims, my parents took me to the small mosque which would become like a second home to me. I know my experiences are different. I cover my hair with a scarf. My holy scripture reads right to left. And I attend a mosque, not a church. But I also know that there is nothing extremist about this. My faith, too, has taught me the same basic morals: be kind, honest, and respectful. It wasn’t until I grew older that I realized that, for some, my childhood and my identity are not just different but dangerous. In a post-9/11 world, the language I learned alongside English is associated with terrorism, my headscarf is just another symbol of my otherness, and the mosque where I made friends and played on swing sets is a sign of unwelcome Muslim infringement on American society. This was also when I realized that being Muslim was not enough―I had to brand myself as a “Moderate Muslim.” I began to laugh my way out of terrorist jokes and remain calm through offensive accusations. I became overly apologetic and worried about how my mistakes could lead to generalization of negative Muslim stereotypes. At the time, this made sense. I could hear America call for “moderate Muslim” voices everywhere. It seemed like the clearest way to distinguish my peaceful beliefs from the warped ideology of those I saw on television. Even my knowledge of Islam was impacted by my attempts to be moderate. Instead of pursuing my natural religious curiosity, I learned how to be on the defensive. Today, I can deliver speeches on the Islamic history of women’s rights and the meaning of the word jihad. I can explain how Islam values moderation in religious deeds. I can tell you that the Quran never prescribes the punishment of stoning, that the first university in the world was founded by a Muslim woman, and that the word “infidel” has no root in Muslim tradition. Advertisement However, in my vain attempts to be moderate I learned that a moderate Muslim is much more than “a Muslim who isn’t a terrorist.” A moderate Muslim is more “secular”―less overtly religious. A moderate Muslim must show blind patriotism and gratefulness to the United States despite bipartisan domestic and foreign policies that hurt Muslims around the world every single day. A moderate Muslim must constantly fit into the stereotype of “liberal, secular Muslim,” which is just as devoid of nuance as the stereotype of “dangerous, terrorist Muslim.” A moderate Muslim is allowed a limited amount of space by the media and by America. A moderate Muslim is small. I am not a moderate Muslim. And I have no desire to be. The qualifier of “moderate” suggests that there is something innately violent about Islam. It leads to the false conclusion that a small group of “moderates” is standing in opposition to a large swath of violent, ISIS-supporting radicals. This is simply not true because the reality is the complete opposite. When the media talks about “moderate Muslims”, they are perpetuating a dangerous narrative of Islam as a violent religion that is at odds with American society. The term “moderate Muslim” assumes that being Muslim isn’t enough. That being Muslim is threatening. It teaches Muslims to shrink from fighting for human rights and basic respect. It teaches us to associate our own faith and our own selves with violence, however false we may know the myth to be. It leaves us constantly condemning terrorism and places the burden of proof on us to reaffirm that we are peaceful, liberal, and good. It’s exhausting, and limiting, and I’m done with it. I do not believe that it is my individual responsibility to constantly reaffirm my humanity. I do not believe it is my responsibility to reaffirm the humanity of billions of Muslims across the world. My identity, like the identity of every single Muslim, is varied. Yes, I pray five times a day and Ramadan is my favorite time of year. But I also have an undying love for Beyoncé and a propensity for Netflix binging. I should not have to compromise either part of myself to deserve your respect. Shireen Younus ’20 is a Crimson editorial writer living in Greenough.New York Times bestselling author Ed Klein is about to publish his fourth book about the Clintons since 2005, Guilty as Sin. On Sunday, DailyMail.com described one chapter in which Klein tells how Bill Clinton enjoyed foot rubs, massages and romps in his presidential library with female interns. Below, Klein reveals exclusive new information about Hillary Clinton’s health – information that he has learned since the book went to press - as well as an exclusive excerpt from Guilty as Sin describing shocking new details about the Democratic presidential candidate’s medical crises. Guilty as Sin is available in bookstores October 4 and for order from Amazon. EXCLUSIVE NEW INFORMATION REGARDING CLINTON'S HEALTH: President Obama is so concerned about Hillary Clinton's health that he recently offered to arrange a secret medical checkup for her at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Hillary declined the offer because she feared the media would find out about her Walter Reed visit and learn the truth about her medical condition—that she is suffering from arrhythmia (an abnormal heart beat), a leaking heart valve, chronic low blood pressure, insufficient blood flow, a tendency to form life-threatening blood clots, and troubling side effects from her medications. Ed Klein - one of Hillary Clinton's fiercest critics - revealed new details about the presidential candidate’s health exclusively with DailyMail.com Klein shared details about Clinton's heath on the day before his fourth critical book against her, Guilty as Sin, hits bookstores Klein claims that President Barack Obama was so concerned about Clinton's health that he offered to set up secret medical checkups for her, but she declined his offer in hopes of keeping her health issues out of the public sight Hillary has arranged her own secret medical visits to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where she arrives through a private entrance out of public sight and where she can rely on her doctors' discretion not to speak to the media. Her doctors have prescribed Coumadin (a blood thinner) and a beta blocker to treat her arrhythmia and heart-valve problem. However, these medications have the side effects of making her drowsy and tired, and lowering her blood pressure, leading to frequent bouts of light-headedness and fainting spells. Concerns over over Clinton's health have taken the forefront in the upcoming presidential election Clinton collapsed at a memorial ceremony at the World Trade Center on September 11, and later revealed that she was suffering from pneumonia Over the past several years, best-selling author Klein has led the way reporting on Hillary's health problems. In his latest book Guilty as Sin, which will be published Tuesday, he devotes an entire chapter to Hillary's health and raises the question of whether she is fit to become president and commander in chief. EXCERPT FROM KLEIN'S GUILTY AS SIN Chapter 25: Fit to Lead? The greatest fear among senior members of Hillary's staff was that if the 'Comey primary' (shorthand for the FBI email investigation) didn't get her, her health would. But no one in her campaign dared discuss the question of whether Hillary was medically fit to be commander in chief. Speaking about her health was the ultimate taboo. Conveniently (at least for Hillary), the liberal mainstream media cooperated and chose to ignore the topic—even when a photo of Hillary, taken in February 2016, surfaced during the campaign showing her being assisted by two men as she stumbled up a short flight of stairs. On the other hand, when Donald Trump, his surrogates, or conservative commentators like Sean Hannity raised the subject of Hillary's health, they were vilified and accused of trafficking in unsubstantiated rumors. Journalists were treated even worse; those who dared explore Hillary's health issues were accused of being dishonest, dishonorable, and discredited. Clinton has suffered multiple coughing fits throughout her campaign, including one in New York City in February (pictured above) As a result, the public was left in the dark about Hillary
They argued unsuccessfully that the phone should be turned over to help them hunt for text messages between Christie and his chief of staff, which were erased from the chief of staff’s own phone. Christie’s office eventually confirmed that the device was being held by Wray. But former FBI agents played down the significance of Wray’s link to a Trump associate. “If he was trying to keep evidence out of court, that’s what a defense attorney does,” said Louis J Caprino, who served as an FBI agent for 29 years and now runs a public safety program at Vincennes University in Indiana. Ringel agreed that Wray’s history of defending Christie was not “really a consideration” as “lawyers have a duty to protect their client as best they can”. Is Comey's dismissal a cover-up? Donald Trump, the first US president since Richard Nixon to fire the person leading an investigation that bears on him, is certainly acting like a man with something to hide. The White House claims Comey was fired for mishandling an inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails and that Trump had been losing confidence in him since the election. But few find this explanation credible, given that Trump previously praised Comey for showing “guts” in his scrutiny of Clinton. Critics say the true motive was Comey’s refusal to drop the FBI's inquiry into possible links between Trump’s associates and Russia during last year’s election campaign. Matters had come to a head: the president’s growing anger and frustration at Comey’s focus on Russia and his failure to stop leaks from the FBI; the identification of Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn as a blackmail risk; and reports, denied by the justice department, that Comey was asking for more resources to accelerate his work. Numerous Democrats have accused Trump of a cover-up, drawn comparisons with Nixon and Watergate, and demanded the appointment of a special prosecutor. Republican leaders have resisted this call and stood by the president, although others have dissented. Further questions about Wray’s suitability for the FBI job may arise because a partner at the law firm he is poised to depart, King & Spalding, currently serves as an ethics counsel to the trust that holds Trump’s business assets. An Obama rule renewed by Trump in January bars presidential appointees for two years from working on any matters related to his or her former employer or clients. The FBI is reviewing Trump’s business interests as part of its investigations into ties between his presidential campaign and Russia. But Norman Eisen, a former ethics counsel to Barack Obama, said the rule should not present a problem to Wray “if Wray did not do work on the Trump matter” himself while at his law firm. Democratic senators may also be keen to ask Wray about the “energy company president” defended by Wray “in a criminal investigation by Russian authorities” who is listed among his past clients on Wray’s biography at King & Spalding, which has been taken down from the company’s website. FBI agents were outraged by the manner of Trump’s dismissal of Comey, which many viewed as disrespectful. Comey found out that the president had fired him from news reports as he was giving a speech to agents in Los Angeles. The following day, Trump reportedly called Comey a “nut job” in a conversation with Russian officials in the Oval Office. Even former FBI agents who disapproved of Comey’s handling of the Clinton email investigation considered the way Trump fired Comey “disgraceful” and a slap in the face to the bureau. Whatever their personal opinions of Comey, former agents said, he had done honorable public service. Former FBI agents voice anger and humiliation over James Comey firing Read more The White House and the president gave multiple, contradictory reasons for why Comey was fired. The administration reportedly backed away from having the president visit FBI headquarters after Comey’s dismissal, amid reports of fury and frustration within the FBI at the president’s actions, as well as the way White House officials publicly disparaged Comey’s character after he was fired. In congressional testimony, the acting FBI director, Andrew McCabe, flatly denied the White House’s assertion that Comey had lost the confidence of FBI agents. Trump had considered a parade of possible candidates for FBI director, including some overtly political choices, such as the former senator Joe Lieberman, who later publicly withdrew himself from consideration. As the search for Comey’s replacement kicked off, one former FBI official, Ron Hosko, said: “What some reasonable people might fear is that this might become a game of FBI Apprentice.” In a statement on Wednesday, Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, said America was “fortunate” that Wray had decided “he is willing to make this personal commitment to serve”. Sessions called Wray “an extraordinary person, possessing all the gifts necessary to be a great director of the FBI”. Former agents said that a nominee who had served in the FBI himself, such as the former TSA chief John Pistole or the former congressman Mike Rogers, might have been more popular choices for the position of FBI director, an appointee who typically serves a 10-year term, and might have had an advantage in restoring some of the FBI’s battered morale. But Wray was also a much better choice than Lieberman or another politician, former agents said. “I think most rank-and-file employees are going to have an open mind about this guy,” said one recently retired FBI agent, who served for 26 years, most recently in Philadelphia. The former agent, who had called Comey’s firing “unprecedented and very, very suspicious”, said Wray was “certainly qualified” and a “decent choice” and that he expected Wray would be easily confirmed by the Senate. It’s fantastic news for our country... I wish I had as steady a moral compass as his Jake Poinier, writer and high school friend Wray “hasn’t been a person on the forefront either for or against the current administration”, which was a positive, said Ringel, who is now the director of the Soufan Group, a security consultancy. FBI agents do not expect directors to have experience working within the bureau itself, but they do value justice department experience – and having a director who understands the nuts and bolts of how to conduct an investigation. Wray worked as an assistant US attorney in Georgia and spent two years as the assistant attorney general in charge of the justice department’s criminal division, before returning to private practice. He “has been in the trenches” and worked directly with federal law enforcement agents, “which will win him credit with the rank and file”, Ringel said. Wray’s choice to leave public service for a much more lucrative job as a criminal defense attorney will probably be viewed as a typical decision for many federal prosecutors, the former FBI agent who served in Philadelphia said. But the question of what Wray will do after his tenure as FBI director may prompt some skepticism, the former agent said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Christopher Wray, who was then assistant attorney general, sits behind James Comey at a news conference in 2004. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images “He’s only 50 years old. Let’s presume he serves his full 10 years, and then he leaves the government at 60. Where does he go? He’s going back to criminal defense.” After serving as FBI director, he said, Wray would be “worth even more”. Wray was raised in New York and attended Phillips Academy, the same posh New England boarding school as the former presidents George Bush and George W Bush. He graduated from Yale University in 1989 and promptly married his classmate Helen Howell that summer, beforegraduating from Yale Law School in 1992. The couple own a house in Atlanta and have a son and a daughter. Jake Poinier, Wray’s high school friend, college roommate and best man, said Wray was a serious-minded student who was conservative but not politically active. Asked for a standout memory of their youth, Poinier said that at both Phillips and Yale, “our lives revolved around rowing”. The pair were team-mates on the university’s lightweight crew. The White House's greatest threat ahead of Comey testimony? Trump, of course Read more “It’s fantastic news for our country – I can’t think of anybody I’ve known in my life who would do a better job on all this,” Poinier, now a Phoenix-based writer and editor, said of Wray’s nomination, adding: “I wish I had as steady a moral compass as his.” The White House on Wednesday emailed out a series of statements hailing Wray’s credentials from a list of former senior officials, including Mary Jo White, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Obama. White called Wray “smart, independent” and “widely regarded as a strong leader”. Kent Alexander, the Clinton administration US attorney who hired Wray as an assistant US attorney, was quoted as saying that Wray “always put justice before politics”. Wray oversaw the inquiry into the scandal-ridden collapse of Enron, which the FBI called the “largest and most complex white-collar investigation” in the bureau’s history. The case led to the convictions of several executives at the energy giant. Civil liberties campaigners voiced concerns about Wray’s involvement in the legal oversight of the Bush administration’s detention, rendition and torture of terrorism suspects after the 9/11 attacks. Faiz Shakir, the national political director of the ACLU, said senators “should press Wray to come clean about his role” in the Bush-era programs. The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), which represents about 13,000 active and former FBI agents, had endorsed a different candidate for FBI director, Rogers, the former Republican congressman who once served as an FBI agent himself. In a statement Wednesday morning, Thomas O’Connor, the association’s president, did not endorse or oppose Wray’s nomination, but said the group “looks forward to meeting with Mr Wray” and that it was “critically important that the FBIAA understands his views on the FBI, special agents, and the criminal and national security threats that agents combat daily”. “I just want to hear him say he’s not going to be giving many press conferences,” Caprino, the former FBI agent, said.(The Real Agenda) Europe first went through a political and economic conquest. Then, came the establishment of an interconnected surveillance state; and now, it is time to establish a continental police force. Many cities in the world make George Orwell’s 1984 look like a walk in the park. A veil of almost total surveillance and police state measures have been imposed on societies by the bureaucrats and its corporate cohorts. The invasion of privacy and the elimination of constitutional rights -in the name of security- have been gladly accepted by most people, who despite recent events, continue to see their governments as the only option to manage their own lives. The United States, Australia, Singapore and even some Latin American countries have caved in, in the face of the fear of ‘Islamic terror’, and adopted invasive policies, which leaders say, are necessary to protect us all from the threat of terrorism. Although the United States has been at the forefront of the rising police state by way of militarizing its police force, establishing illegal blacklists and secret databases that archive people’s phone calls, emails and internet usage, Europe has begun to compete with the U.S. in becoming the greatest Orwellian society in the western world. While Germany has been dutifully collaborating with the American-led surveillance apparatus, France has introduced constitution-violating measures excused by its politicians as preventive measures to combat terrorism. In the same line of thought, Britain has increased its own surveillance activity through GHCQ, which has been cooperating with the Americans and the Germans in sharing illegally gathered intelligence on its own citizens. Under the pretense of having to deal with a terrorist threat, European member- States have voluntarily surrendered their power to a dominant EU political body, which has eroded countries’ national sovereignty to the point it now wants to have a continent-wide police force to ‘ defend everyone’ from incoming terrorists. EU leaders agreed to form what they called a European Border Guard Force before June 2016. The proposal envisages giving this body the ability to deploy to a country if “serious and persistent deficiencies in border controls” are found. This decision is indeed ironic because the same European Union has allowed the entry of tens of thousands of immigrants, whose origins and intentions cannot be verified, and who, in many cases, have already committed acts of violence against the population of Europe. The Heads of State and Government of the European Union pledged Thursday to agree on the creation of a European corps of border guard before the end of next June, although there is a political agreement whose details must be negotiated in the coming months. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, announced through his profile on a social network, the adoption of a text of conclusions on immigration at the European summit held in Brussels, but has not given details on its contents. European sources have told the press that the text reflects the “agreement” of the twenty-eight nations to form this body “before the end of the rotating EU presidency from the Netherlands”, which will be taken over by Luxembourg on 1 January. The idea of forming a body of European borders and coastguard was formally presented by the European Commission on Tuesday. The proposal seeks to give this body the ability to deploy to a country as a last resort if a “serious and persistent deficiency” is found in control its borders. Such a decision will be made by European kleptocrats, not the national representatives, and the criteria for such a deployment will also be at the discretion of European, un-elected con men who continue to push forward for the dissolution of nation-States. The project has been welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande. Both have expressed their support for the project, which, however, arouses the suspicion of several Member States who see a threat to their sovereignty. In the discussion of European leaders, a “broad majority” has welcomed the proposal and expressed the willingness to take a decision “as soon as possible”, although it has become clear that there is “concern” over the sovereignty of the Member States and that this issue should be addressed in depth. Should Europe approve the creation of a continent-wide police force that can invade nation-States at the behest of kleptocratic interests, the EU would have their dreamed trifecta, since they have already conquered the political and geographic arenas. The only component missing from the European Orwellian State may soon come to fruition. As it was in George Orwell’s 1984, European people will be under the careful watch of a thug force that will not be present at the borders to prevent the entry of potential terrorists, but to help keep citizens in line. Luis R. Miranda is an award-winning journalist and the founder and editor-in-chief at The Real Agenda. His career spans over 18 years and almost every form of news media. His articles include subjects such as environmentalism, Agenda 21, climate change, geopolitics, globalisation, health, vaccines, food safety, corporate control of governments, immigration and banking cartels, among others. Luis has worked as a news reporter, on-air personality for Live and Live-to-tape news programs. He has also worked as a script writer, producer and co-producer on broadcast news. Read more about Luis.U.N. Human Rights Chief: Aung San Suu Kyi Could Be Culpable For Genocide Enlarge this image toggle caption Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and head of the armed forces Gen. Aung Min Hlaing could potentially face genocide charges in the future, said the United Nations human rights chief. "Given the scale of the military operation, clearly these would have to be decisions taken at a high enough level," High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein told the BBC. "And then there's the crime of omission. That if it came to your knowledge that this was being committed, and you did nothing to stop it, then you could be culpable as well for that." In September, Zeid called the treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing." He said the situation could not yet be properly assessed because Myanmar had denied human rights investigators access. Whether genocide has been committed would eventually be determined by a court, not Zeid. And the commissioner told the broadcaster that it would be a difficult case: "For obvious reasons, if you're planning to commit genocide you don't commit it to paper and you don't provide instructions." "The thresholds for proof are high," he continued. "But it wouldn't surprise me in the future if a court were to make such a finding on the basis of what we see." It is hard to think of a sharper fall from grace than Aung San Suu Kyi's, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and was under house arrest for nearly 15 years. "Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, she opposed all use of violence and called on the military leaders to hand over power to a civilian government," the Nobel Prize official site noted. "The aim was to establish a democratic society in which the country's ethnic groups could cooperate in harmony." Just last year, Myanmar elected Suu Kyi's party to power, after decades of military rule. She is barred from the presidency because her sons are foreign citizens, but she is seen as the country's de facto leader. She does not control the military, though, which as the Economist has reported, "controls the home, defence and border-affairs ministries, as well as the country's security forces and civil service." Still, the U.N. human rights chief is frustrated by a lack of action from Suu Kyi. Zeid told the BBC that he called her in February and urged her to protect the Rohingya. "I appealed to her to bring these military operations to an end," he told the broadcaster. "I appealed to her emotional standing... to do whatever she could to bring this to a close, and to my great regret it did not seem to happen." He also criticized Suu Kyi for not using the term "Rohingya." Suu Kyi has also been criticized by other Nobel laureates, including Malala Yousafzai. "Over the last several years, I have repeatedly condemned this tragic and shameful treatment," Malala wrote on Twitter. "I am still waiting for my fellow Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to do the same. The world is waiting and the Rohingya Muslims are waiting." The U.N. says that more than 600,000 Rohingya have been driven out of Myanmar since August. Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson labeled the "horrendous atrocities" in Myanmar as ethnic cleansing, and said the U.S. would pursue targeted sanctions. Suu Kyi has rarely addressed the Rohingya subject directly. The New York Times reports that she has upheld the military's stance: that the Rohingya are illegally squatting in Myanmar. "No, it's not ethnic cleansing," she said in a 2013 interview, according to the Times. Though it remains unclear how much power she has to stop the violence being carried out by the military, security forces and vigilantes, many in the international community are stunned by her apparent silence. Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan told the Times, "We created a saint and the saint has become a politician, and we don't like that."STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - In a shocking incident reminiscent of the hatred in parts of the south in the 1960s, the NYPD has launched an investigation after vandals scratched the phrase "n----- get out" into the hood of the car of a black family on the South Shore of Staten Island. In addition to the disgusting phrase, "move b---h" was written on the trunk of a 2012 Volkswagen 4-door sedan, which was parked on the street in front of a home on Sneden Avenue near Seguine Place in Annadale, according to an NYPD spokesman. The vehicle also was scratched in other places and the headlights were damaged, the police spokesman said. Police were called at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday to the location and talked to the the 42-year-old male victim whose car apparently was vandalized sometime overnight, the spokesman said. The NYPD's Hate Crimes task force is investigating. No arrests have been made at this time, the police spokesman said. A GoFundMe page has been started to pay for repairs for the victim by neighbor Annette Siewert. "How naive I felt this morning when we woke up to quite possibly the most heinous act we've witnessed together as neighbors," Siewert wrote on GoFundMe. "Something that catapulted us back decades of progress. Our neighbor, whose name he's asked me to keep private, was victim of a hate crime." "The vandal scratched his hatred all over his vehicle. From bumper to bumper," she wrote on the GoFundMe page. The victim has rented on the block for more than a year, according to Siewert. "He's a stand up guy who takes care of his family," Siewert wrote. "This hard working father of 4 (who ages range from 3 months to 16 years old) is involved and dedicated to his family. He had to borrow someone else's car this morning to avoid having to explain to his 9 year old what happened." While insurance likely will pay for the repairs, the victim will have to pay a deductible, Siewert said. Donations will go toward the deductible and any additional funds will pay for a family vacation, Siewert told the Advance. "This expense is not only unexpected but it shouldn't be his responsibility," Siewert wrote. "I'm asking for monetary help in any way you can. No donation is too small. There has to be more good than evil in this world. Let's restore his faith in humanity, together!"Mel Kiper Jr. is the biggest name in the mock draft game. He mocks and most people listen, even if it's for entertainment purposes only. Maybe it's because of that hair. Or maybe it's the pronounced enunciations or his longevity in the business. Whatever the reason, Kiper's the main attractive. So when he came out with his first mock draft earlier this week and gave the Giants Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff with the ninth pick, it inevitably garnered a lot of attention. And a lot of cheers from offensive linemen hungry Giants fans. But while Kiper is the marquee name, he may not be the most credible or have the best credentials. NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah is a former NFL scout who has worked in quality personnel departments in Baltimore and Philadelphia. He knows a thing or two or three about the scouting process and the NFL Draft. So it should open eyes who he has slotted for the Giants, and where he has Scherff slotted (as the 25th pick). It's quite a difference of opinion. Here's Jeremiah's mock draft pick for the Giants and other selections from around the web in this week's Giants mock draft roundup. Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com Danny Shelton, NT, Washington "The Giants need to get stronger up front and Shelton is a force against the run. He would slow down the rushing attacks in Dallas and Philadelphia." CBS Sports Dane Brugler Shane Ray, DE, Missouri "The Giants need to address the pass rush position on the edges, especially if Jason Pierre-Paul tests free agency as expected. Ray has terrific first step quickness to beat tackles off the snap and finish in the backfield." Rob Rang Landon Collins, S, Alabama "There is plenty of blame to go around in Gotham as the Giants struggled in 2014 despite an overhaul of the roster last offseason. GM Jerry Reese has won before gambling on the upside of talented pass rushers and given the exciting talent at the position this year he could roll the dice again, especially if free agent Jason Pierre-Paul leaves. Adding an intimidating presence for the secondary, however, should also be a priority." SI.com, Chris Burke Shaq Thompson, LB, Washington "NFL offenses continue to diversify, spreading the field to get more athletes involved. The transition has put even more of a premium on defenders who can handle a multitude of roles. Enter Thompson, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound talent with three-down potential, be it as a linebacker or safety. New York needs all the energy it can get on defense." Dan Kadar, SB Nation's Mocking the Draft La'el Collins, OT, LSU "The Giants have put together a decent offensive line, but could still use one more piece to bolster the overall unit. Collins could be brought in to play any number of positions, other than center." Walter Football Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford "The Giants will consider taking a left tackle with this selection. There's no telling how much longer William Beatty will be around, given his contract status (due about $19 million over the next three years). In the meantime, Andrus Peat can start at right tackle, which would allow Justin Pugh to move inside to upgrade one of the guard spots. Peat, who changed his mind about returning to Stanford, would then ultimate move into the blind-side spot once Beatty moves on." Jordan Raanan may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.Alyssa Elsman was named as the 18-year-old woman who died after suspected drug-driver, New Yorker Richard Rojas, ploughed into pedestrians in New York's Times Square. Scenes of carnage unfolded at the famous landmark after Rojas careered onto the pavement into crowds. People were left lying on the pavement covered in blood, with shoes and personal effects scattered in the road. Horrific images showed people laying on the ground, including the girl with her face covered by a blanket. His victims were left with fractures, multiple traumas, cuts and bruises after they were hit by the Honda as it tore through the heart of New York. Driver Rojas is feared to been high and under the influence of mind-altering drugs while behind the wheel. New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed 22 people are injured, including four people who remain in a critical condition. The dead woman's 13-year-old sister is among the wounded. GETTY • EPA • REUTERS At least 20 people have been injured after a car hit pedestrians in Times Square One injured pedestrian told Reuters the driver’s actions appeared to be “intentional” and he was seen driving in the wrong direction before smashing into pedestrians. Rojas, 26, a former member of the armed forces, was arrested at the scene and was being tested for intoxication. Initial tests have reportedly come back negative for alcohol but positive for drugs. It is thought he was under the influence of drugs, and was high on synthetic cannabis K2 at the time of the incident. Ken Bradix, who works at Planet Hollywood, told Associated Press: "He began screaming, no particular words but just utter screaming. “He was swinging his arms at the same time. There was something wrong with him." Speeding car ploughs into pedestrians in Times Square Thu, May 18, 2017 A driver has driven a vehicle into crowds in New York's Times Square, leaving at least one person dead Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 11 Emergency services tend to the injured Rojas is said to have been arrested earlier this month after threatening a man with a knife, and was also arrested in 2015 and 2008 for drink-driving. It is also reported he spent two months in a military prison in 2013, but it is unclear what the charges were. Harrison Ramos, who lives in Mr Rojas's building in the Bronx, said: "He went through a real tough time. “Don't make him out to be a terrorist or something. He served his country and when he came back, nobody helped him. "That's my friend. I care about him, and it hurts." REUTERS A woman is surrounded on the ground in Times Square as she is cared for by others Rojas was surrounded by officers and marched across the road, appearing to be injured. Officers then forced him into the back of the car. As Rojas was arrested he told police "I wanted to kill them all", according to the New York Post. Sources told the newspaper Rojas shouted at police: "You were supposed to shoot me. I wanted to kill them." TWITTER Terror in New York as car hits pedestrians: Emergency services on scene Rojas drove up Seventh Avenue before performing a U-turn and driving the wrong way for three blocks, before crashing into a into a pole before coming to rest at 45th Street and Broadway. He left a trail of destruction in his path as he knocked pedestrians over like skittles. The car, a red Honda Accord, then burst into flames as firefighters rushed to put it out and prevent more people being injured. FBI officers have been called in to investigate but said the incident did not appear to be terrorist related. REUTERS New York in terror as victims lay injured on the ground REUTERS Terror in New York: Pedestrians stop to help those hit by the car New York mayor Bill de Blasio said: "Based on the information we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism. "This is a tough day for New York City, but I want to thank our first responders who got here so quickly. "We feel deeply for those injured and particularly for the family of the young woman who was lost. Our prayers are with all of them." The New York Fire Department said that four people were in a critical condition, three were seriously hurt and 15 were "less serious". President Donald Trump was "made aware of the situation in Times Square and will continue to receive updates", his spokesman Sean Spicer said. REUTERS New York terror as police rush to understand how car ended up hitting pedestrians A witness told Sky News: “I was on my way to a business meeting and I came up on the gruesome scene - victims on the sidewalk and the street. “I saw head injuries and blood and a victim not moving then I knew it was much more serious.” He claimed the NYPD were on the scene quickly and the area was swiftly evacuated. Witnesses have described their own narrow misses with the vehicle. Josh Duboff, an employee at the adjacent Thomson Reuters headquarters said: ”People were being hit and rolling off the car.” Among the 23 victims was tourist Ms Elsman who tragically died while on holiday in the Big Apple with her family. Her boyfriend, Trevor West, paid tribute to his girlfriend. He said: “She would always text me back as quick as she could and when I didn’t hear from her or her friend I knew something horrible happened." The crash took place near the headquarters of the Reuters news agency, 3 Times Square. Building foreman Rodney Muir said he heard what sounded like a big bang and crunching metal. He said he looked out and saw what appeared to be a body lying on the street in front of the building. TWITTER Car pictured in Times Square after hitting pedestrians in Times Square Cheryl Howard and her daughter were out shopping when the car sped down the sidewalk. Her daughter said: ”I’m so freaked out!They mowed everyone down." Mrs Howard had blood dripping down her right arm and a swollen bruise above her left eye. One injured woman nearby had a large open wound on her leg. More than 300,000 people, many of them tourists, pass through Times Square every day, according to its official website. GETTY Witnesses have said people were'screaming and running' away from Times SquareTake the latest Dungeons & Dragons tabletop roleplaying game survey and read about the feedback from the last survey on kits. New Survey In this week’s survey, we start with some general questions about D&D, and then cover the material released in the Awakened Mystic Unearthed Arcana article. Take the Survey Now D&D Survey Results: Kits of Old A couple of months back, we published a set of new character options based on character kits from AD&D. It turns out that overall, you’re really excited to see some of those classic options make a comeback. Let’s take a look at what you had to say. The College of Swords for the bard received very high ratings, enough across the board that I’d say it needs only a few tweaks to be ready for addition to the game. The warrior-bard has long been a key character in D&D, but it looks like folks prefer a more swashbuckling take on it. The College of Satire and the cavalier and scout fighter archetypes all scored at about the same level. There are individual elements that need some attention, but nothing scored negatively and comments indicate that each piece needs a review and tweaks based on playtesting. In some ways, while this survey update might be fairly dull it is good news for me as a game designer. As I write this it’s been about 20 months since the launch of fifth edition D&D. I feel that at this point, we’ve learned a good deal about what works from a design standpoint and what gaps exist in the game. UA has expanded every class except the druid, and we’ve collected a lot of information on what you like, what you hate, and what you’re looking forward to. At this stage, we’ve begun considering what the first, major mechanical expansion to the game might look like. As we consider this project, we’re taking a number of factors into consideration. To start with, we want to make sure that any content we add to the game fills in a gap. If you want to play a type of character and the rules don’t support that, we want to fill it in. Sometimes, a gap might not exist until we try to fill it. We might see a concept that we want to take a chance on, like presenting a new, artificer-based character class. In that case, we rely on playtesting to tell us if the new concept fills a genuine need. DMs and the difficulty in running a game comes next. When we add new material, we have to keep in mind how much harder it is to run the game. Fifth edition has been very successful so far, and in part I think that’s because the typical DM feels comfortable with the variety and volume of character options to manage. A major new expansion must be sure to avoid upsetting that situation. How do we do that? It starts by keeping mechanics simple, direct, and evocative. It also means developing some guidelines DMs can use to manage options in their campaigns. As an example, in various interviews we’ve talked about how we expect a single campaign should use the PHB and one other book as resources for players. Beginning DMs should stick to only the PHB. As you add more material, it becomes much harder for the DM to keep a handle on everything. When we do a major mechanical expansion, the product will be designed to integrate seamlessly with the Player’s Handbook and to remain manageable for a DM with a campaign or two under her belt. Finally, any new expansion must undergo rigorous playtesting and validation by the community of players and DMs. That approach worked out well of the core rulebooks, so there’s no reason to stray from it. With all that in mind, this month’s survey focuses on how and where you’d like us to expand the game. Give us a piece of your mind as we begin to consider the next few years for D&D.Some 22 suspected gang members were arbitrarily executed in a confrontation with police in western Mexico last year, Mexico's National Human Rights Commission said on Thursday, the latest grim example of rights abuses by security forces. In May last year, federal police launched a raid against suspected members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) holed up in a ranch near the small town of Tanhuato in the violent western state of Michoacan. At least 42 suspected gang members were killed and one police officer died in an incident that raised questions due to the one-sided death toll, one of the highest since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in 2012, pledging to put an end to years of gangland violence. "As a result of the investigation done by this organization, based on technical and scientific tests... we established facts that imply grave human rights violations attributable to public servants of the federal police," Raul Gonzalez, the president of the CNDH, told a news conference. Gonzalez said police lied about their role during the incident at the ranch, where they moved seven bodies and shifted weapons to manipulate the crime scene. Police also tortured two people they arrested, and burned two bodies, Gonzalez added. The CNDH was unable to clarify how 15 of the victims were killed, he said. The mother of a man who died on May 22, 2015, in a police raid lights a candle at the warehouse where her son was killed in a ranch in Tanhuato. An investigation by a human rights omission alleges police tortured some of the suspects that day and murdered others. (Frank Jack Daniel/Reuters) The CNDH report is a fresh blow to Pena Nieto, whose approval rating has fallen to an all-time low over perceptions he has failed to tackle rampant crime and corruption. Rights groups say that although Mexico's security forces face grave dangers in their fight against often brutal cartels, it is vital they hold themselves to higher standards. "We knew this was what happened right from the start, we knew our sons were victims of abuse by the authorities," said Margarito Romero, father of one man who died that day. "They should have been arrested, not murdered...even if some of them were members of the cartel, that is no excuse." In a news conference, Renato Sales, Mexico's national security commissioner, did not accept police carried out executions. He said the investigation was continuing, and urged Congress to pass laws on when security forces can fire their weapons. "In our view, the use of arms was necessary and proportional to the very real, imminent and lawless aggression," he said. "They acted in legitimate defence." Lack of rules on use of force Unlike the army, Mexican police do not have clear rules of engagement. Mexico's security forces — the federal police, the army and the navy, and others — have long been implicated in rights abuses during their decade-long battle with drug cartels that has claimed more than 100,000 lives. "It's systematic and hopefully this will put a brake on the excesses and abuses by the federal police," said a senior Mexican law enforcement official who declined to be named. "This is very serious, and a massive blow to the government." As recently as June, at least eight people died in confrontations between rebellious teachers and police in southern Mexico. Most notoriously, 43 trainees from the Ayotzinapa teaching college in south-western Mexico were apparently massacred in 2014 after being taken away by police. Also in 2014, 22 suspected gang members were killed by army officers who were later accused of murder. The army argued they acted in self-defence and three soldiers were acquitted. Police tape is seen at the entrance of the ranch in Tanhuato, state of Michoacan, Mexico, June 28, 2016. (Frank Jack Daniel/Reuters)
-graduate schooling and $150k in debt or b) you to work 365 days a year to get it]. This is what people mean when they talk about something that looks too good to be true. There is a reason so many lawyers leave the legal field: Being a lawyer -- especially a lawyer at the type of big corporate firm that seemingly pays so well -- SUCKS. Perhaps the most important thing for you to understand, there are NOT an unlimited number of jobs out there that start at $140,000/year. In fact, there aren't many at all, and pretty much ALL of them go to kids who come from the Top 15 law schools. Beyond that, the overall legal job market has dried up, even the low paying jobs. They aren't going to tell you any of this at law school recruitment receptions; in fact schools continue to tell prospective students the opposite, which is why more and more of them are being sued for fraud. I cannot be any clearer about this: You are not guaranteed a job out of any law school, much less a job that pays six figures. Now, ask yourself the question again: "Why do I want to go Law School?" If ANY of the 6 above reasons describe why you want to go to law school, stop now. Seriously. No qualifiers on this statement, just stop. DO NOT GO. You will regret it. If you think you have one of the good reasons to go to law school you're still not out of the woods: The Problem of Debt There are many perfectly valid reasons to go to law school. You may very well have one of them. But even if your reason for going to law school is rock solid, you still need to consider one major thing: Debt. I've mentioned this multiple times above, because it is so crucially important to making the right decision about law school. Debt is the elephant in the room that law schools never tell you about, but ends up dominating your life. Law school is three years long. If you go to an average law school and don't get any tuition help or scholarships, you are going to spend ~$150,000 all-in, at least. That's three years of tuition, assorted fees, books and living expenses. Unless you are one of the few whose parents set up a tuition fund for BOTH your undergrad AND your grad school, that means you are going to be taking loans. This means you are going to start your law job already 150k in the hole -- and that's not counting any undergrad debt you may be carrying. This means you are going be making a $1,700/month payment for about a decade. On just your grad school debt. And make no mistake about it: Once you are in debt, they own you. In a straight-forward approximation, a starting salary of $140,000/year would put our intrepid new lawyer in the 28 percent tax bracket. Loan payments will take another 14.57 percent of his per-unit-time income. To a first-degree approximation then, it is accurate to say 42.5 percent of our INL's income dissipates before being touched by him/her. It'd be funny if it wasn't so sad. Even if you started off law school with the best of non-profit save-the-world intentions, when you are staring a $1,700 per MONTH payment in the face, you WILL end up scurrying to work for a white collar sweatshop. And you will hate it, like everyone does, and you WILL want to leave, like everyone does, but you won't be able to -- like everyone else can't -- because you will have too much debt to pay off. So you're going to spend a decade toiling 12 hours a day for what? To pay off the debt you incurred to get that job!? HOW CRAZY IS THAT!?! Well guess what -- THAT IS THE LAW SCHOOL RACKET. But Don't Just Believe Me I asked some friends who are lawyers to read a preliminary version of this post and give me their feedback. I'll leave you with their quotes: I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone who is thinking of law school spend a year as a paralegal or as some sort of staff at a law firm before going to law school. Enough so that you can see 1) what young attorneys have to do 2) hear how much they bitch about hating it and 3) dispel any notions about ANY law firm caring about their associates or being "family friendly". Because that is a damn expensive mistake to make if you find out you don't like the practice of law. I went to a very good, very expensive law school and started out at a big firm. I hated it. I have since moved on to a smaller firm, which I do like more. But in all honesty, if I could do it all over, I would not go at all. And if I wasn't staring 100k in student loans in the face, I would probably quit firm practice altogether. I have worked as a paralegal in some form of legal (family, bond, litigation) for 14 years now. I have yet to meet an attorney who is satisfied with his lot in life. I am not saying everyone non-esquire is thrilled with theirs, just that on a whole, these are some of the saddest, most down-trodden people I have known in my life. Most of my best friends are attorneys so I hear first hand about the student loans they are STILL paying off at 38; the huge houses and Mercedes' they purchased well beyond their means to "keep up with the Joneses" (a.k.a. every other attorney in the firm); the misery that is their ongoing marriages; the ridiculous hours; ice cold dinners; the utter lack of originality in their conversations; etc., etc., etc. Listening to these woes sucks the energy out of me everytime they come up. The most common nugget I hear: "Why, God WHY did I choose this profession?" Nobody ever told me that I would be keeping time sheets that require me to divide my days into six-minute increments. Nobody told me I would have to choose between doing it right and doing it on a budget. The words "the client is cost-sensitive" burn my ears. But the marketing shit is the worst. The push to bring in business and schmooze potential clients and "cross-sell" within the firm. It's worse at some firms than others, but it is absolute misery to me no matter how much or how little marketing I may be doing. I've been practicing for 10 years, most of that time in big firms, and I have yet to get used to the business side of things. So I suppose that would be my take on things: even if you are going to law school for all of the "right reasons," odds are you will spend a significant portion of your day as the used-car salesman from Hell whose boss is nickle and diming you to an early grave. As I write this, it is 85 degrees, sunny, with a slight, cooling breeze coming from the West. The only reason I know this is that I took twenty minutes to run to get a sandwich to eat at my desk. I am sitting in a basement office which houses three of us, putting off research on state law fair debt collection vs. the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the definition of a creditor to write this post. If that paragraph alone doesn't deter someone from law school, then I don't know what will. And my personal favorite, from a friend of mine who is a partner at a huge multi-national firm: I am a partner in one of the largest law firms in the world (measured by either revenue or # of lawyers). I had two associates pull all-nighters last night. I doubt either of them has slept more than 3 or 4 hours any night this week. I wonder if they are regretting their decision to go to law school? I'd ask, but I don't really care. Tucker, I'd really prefer if you did not do anything to cut off the supply of drones. Fortunately, the ones who will actually be persuaded by your speech are not the ones we want working here. I actually agree with everything you said in your speech. However, whoever posted the job satisfaction stat about 76 percent being unsatisfied, that means 24 percent are satisfied. You may be in the 24 percent. Conclusion Here is the funny thing about this piece: Every bit of knowledge in this piece was conferred to me before I got to law school. Much of it was told to me BY LAWYERS who repeatedly stressed how much they HATED their jobs. At this point, even the ABA is telling college kids not to go to law school. You know what I did? I ignored it. I mean, sure all of those other assholes may be miserable and may hate the legal profession, but what do they know, they're only lawyers? If you're laughing at my ignorance, you're right to laugh. I was stupid.The early-morning surge of 500 people "ended with 140 immigrants of sub-Saharan origin entering national territory", according to a statement from Spanish officials in the city. Some who did not make it to Spanish soil were caught in the border zone, where they stayed for a number of hours shouting "Freedom!", before being arrested by Moroccan police, local media said. Six migrants and three police officers were injured, according to the statement, with some of those trying to jump the fence setting fire to their clothing "to throw at the agents". Another group of around 200 people made a further attempt to cross the border a few hours later but they were stopped by border guards. Moroccan authorities said 750 illegal immigrants had tried to make the crossing in two groups. They ignored warnings and hurled stones at Moroccan security forces, slightly wounding two of them, authorities in the northern province of Nador said, quoted by Morocco's MAP news agency. They said a total of 669 people were arrested and 20 others taken to hospital in Nador with injuries from the barbed wire fence. Melilla, on Morocco's northern coast, provides one of only two land borders between the European Union and Africa, along with another Spanish territory, Ceuta, to the west. Both have seen a flood of illegal border crossings by African migrants seeking a better life in Europe. In March, 1,000 people tried to jump the triple-layer fence separating the city from Morocco, with half of them getting through — the biggest such crossing in nearly a decade. In February, 15 migrants are believe to have drowned in Moroccan waters while trying to swim to Ceuta from a nearby beach. Rights groups and witnesses accused Spanish security forces of firing rubber bullets at the migrants in the water, although the government denied its forces had targeted the migrants directly. The territories, which sit across the Mediterranean from Spain, are a draw for migrants who do not want to make the treacherous journey to Europe by water. Depending on treaties with the immigrants' countries of origin, some migrants who make it to Spanish territory are repatriated. But the latest influx is putting pressure on Spain with a temporary immigration centre in Melilla, designed for 480 people, now holding 1,900 — many of them in tents. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has urged the European Union to provide more money and resources to help manage the border. Spain is also boosting security. In late April, the government agreed to spend €2.1 million ($2.9 million) to try to stem illegal border crossings.WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals are getting great goaltending and explosive offense. It's a combination no one has been able to stop. The Capitals' team-record winning streak stands at 13 games after a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Friday night. Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 39th goal and Michal Neuvirth made 43 saves to help keep alive the longest streak in the NHL in nearly nine years. "It's difficult to stay at a pace when every team you're playing is coming at you in waves because they're the ones who want to end it," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau said. "The reason winning streaks are tough is because you have to be at the top of your game all the time." The 13-game winning streak is the NHL's longest since the New Jersey Devils won 13 straight in 2001. The last time a team had a longer streak was when the Pittsburgh Penguins set the NHL record with 17 in a row from March 9 to April 10, 1993. "I think it doesn't matter if they're on a roll or not. They've been pretty good the last three years," Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec said. "They're just playing great." The Capitals also matched the franchise record of 10 consecutive home victories in a half-empty Verizon Center. The game was announced as a sellout, but many fans stayed home as a snowstorm hit the nation's capital. Tobias Enstrom and Rich Peverley scored for the Thrashers, playing a day after trading scoring star Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey. Neuvirth started in goal for Washington after being called up from AHL Hershey earlier in the day. He ran into trouble less than three minutes into the game when Peverley's shot bounced off Neuvirth's shoulder and Enstrom scored on the rebound. Neuvirth -- who has won four games for the Capitals during this streak -- made nearly every play the rest of the way. After Washington took a 2-1 lead on Nicklas Backstrom's goal 4½ minutes into the second period, Neuvirth faced a flurry of shots. Atlanta had 22 shots in the period and Neuvirth stopped all of them. The best was an acrobatic catch above his head as he fell to a sitting position on the ice late in the second period. "I was not that sharp in the first but I think I was getting better every minute," said Neuvirth, sent to Hershey on Jan. 31. Neuvirth's play set up Washington to take control in the third period. Goals by Alexander Semin and Jason Chimera 1:08 apart in the third period gave Washington a three-goal cushion. An empty-net goal by Mike Green iced the win for the Capitals, who haven't lost since Jan. 12 at Tampa Bay. "The guys want to win more than anything," Boudreau said. "That's why they come out in the third period and they're pretty well in control so far in the third period lately." Ovechkin tied it at 1 on a power play at 13:41 in the first period, after leaving the offensive zone to get a new stick from the bench. Backstrom found Ovechkin with a pass as soon as he skated back across the blue line, and Ovechkin fired a slap shot past Pavelec. Neuvirth could do little about Peverley's short-handed goal in the third period. The puck was knocked in by Semin, who slipped while trailing the play. The Capitals will attempt to win their 14th straight against the Penguins at home Sunday. "We want to win, but the most important thing is to win in the future," Ovechkin said. "Right now we keep winning, but we're thinking about the playoffs and what we have to do to be better in the playoffs."One Texas couple never imagined they’d find the answer to their wedding day prayers on Craigslist. Less than two weeks before his wedding, Raul Martinez, 26, was laid off from his job as a boilermaker in the chemical plant industry. “I knew I was going to be laid off, but not that soon,” Martinez told ABC News. Mom Fighting Cancer Gets Her ‘Happily Ever After’ Dream Wedding Shoot Stranger’s ‘Craigslist Kidney’ Answer to Woman’s Prayers Watch Touching Moment Firefighters Find Wedding Rings in Burned Down California House After paying bills, the couple only had a little bit of money left for last minute wedding expenses earlier this month. “We used our last $10 on something we had been needing for the wedding that we were missing,” Martinez’ wife, Savannah Martinez, told ABC News. Even after making and selling tamales and trying to find things to pawn, they still needed money for the groom’s shoes and the bride’s hair and nails, so they listed their bedroom furniture set and television on Craigslist for sale. They were able to sell their television, but couldn't find a buyer for their bedroom set. Judy Wehrman, 39, who lives in nearby Missouri City, Texas, said she saw Raul Martinez’ listing every day while shopping for furniture on the site. “I showed it to my husband and said, ‘Honey, take a look at this ad. I think this guy needs some help. He keeps dropping the price. He’s desperate,’” Wehrman told ABC News. On Sept. 12, the day before their wedding, Raul Martinez still wasn't sure how he was going to get the money they needed. “That Friday [my wife] was crying because her aunt and everybody was doing their nails, and I didn't have the money to pay for it,” Raul Martinez said. “I told her I would come up with the money, but I didn't know how I was going to come up with the money because no one was buying the furniture.” Wehrman said her husband wasn't interested in the furniture but told his wife that they could just give him the money. So the night before the Martinez’ Sept. 13 wedding, Wehrman sent Raul Martinez a text message. “I said, ‘It’s not really the furniture that we’re looking for, but I was wondering what you need the money for,'” Wehrman said. “I didn't know then that he had just lost his job.” When she found out that Martinez needed the money for his wedding, Wehrman offered to give him money as a wedding gift if he came to her house. Raul Martinez said he didn't respond to Wehrman's message until the next day because they were busy setting up the reception hall for their wedding. “I said, ‘If you still want the gift, you have to come to my house,’” Wehrman said. “I told my wife, ‘Let’s go!' She said, ‘What if they jack us?’ I said, ‘They know we don’t have money,’” laughed Raul Martinez. Savannah Martinez said she was scared when she saw the messages, but went along with her husband to wait for Wehrman near her home the morning of their wedding day. When Wehrman finally arrived, she gave the couple $200. “I took the money. I said, 'Thank you, we appreciate it,’” Raul Martinez said. “My wife started crying, and she said, ‘Thank you.’” With Wehrman's gift, Raul Martinez was able to pay for his shoes and for his wife to get her hair done. Wehrman declined an invitation to their wedding that evening. “Our goal was just to help out,” Wehrman said. “There’s a lot of people that’s blessed that can help others.” Martinez said he’s currently working little side jobs, and the couple is no longer selling their bedroom set. “God bless the people that helped us. This comes to show there are good people out there whenever somebody is in need,” Raul Martinez said. “It’s good to know there are good people out there to help.”Downloading Instructions America's Unfairest Taxes: Tariffs and Quotas by James Bovard NCPA Policy Report No. 171 May 1992 Executive Summary In 1790, the Tariff Code consisted of a single sheet of paper. Today, there are more than 8,757 tariffs - plus vast numbers of quotas, so-called voluntary import restraints and other import restrictions. All too often these barriers to trade impose their greatest burdens on low-income families. Consider that: While children's polyester sweaters are hit with a 34.6 percent import tax, mink coats can be imported duty free. Tariffs increase the price of domestic orange juice by 40 percent, but French Perrier water faces a minuscule 0.8 percent tax. Mothers who buy imported infant formula must pay 17.2 percent more, but those who can afford it buy lobster duty free. Each American is allowed to consume only one teaspoon of foreign ice cream, one teaspoon of foreign butter, one ounce of foreign dried milk, one pound of foreign cheese and four pounds of foreign beef. Even though families with incomes below $10,000 spend three times as much of their disposable income on milk as families with incomes of $35,000, U.S. quotas raise the price of dried milk by 161 percent. Even though families in the bottom fifth of the income distribution spend almost four times as much of their income on clothes as do those in the top fifth, clothing quotas and tariffs increase retail prices by as much as $40 billion per year. Restrictions on imports of foreign automobiles are purported to have saved 22,000 auto workers' jobs but the higher auto prices these restrictions produced cut demand by one million cars per year and resulted in 54,000 layoffs. Introduction 1 2 According to the Institute for International Economics, trade barriers are costing American consumers $80 billion a year. This burden is equal to $800 for every American family. In 1790, the Tariff Code consisted of a single sheet of rates posted at U.S. Customs Houses. Now, our tariff code occupies two hefty volumes with 8,753 different rates, a blizzard of arbitrary discriminations against and among products. "Trade barriers cost each American family $800 per year." This is equivalent to 8,753 different industrial policies or 8,753 different entitlement programs for protected domestic industries. 3 4 5 6 The United States has 193,000 fishermen, but only 1,000 people employed in manufacturing fishnets. Yet a 17 percent tariff on fishnets subsidizes the 1,000 people who make them while raising the costs for the 193,000 fishermen who use them to compete every day with foreign rivals. America's tariff makers perceive vast differences between similar products that ordinary mortals miss. The tariff on duck liver is sixteen times higher than the tariff on goose liver. The tariff on wine with low alcoholic content is six times higher than on wine with high alcoholic content. Every trade barrier undermines the productivity of capital and labor throughout the economy: "By one estimate, trade barriers cost consumers eight to ten times as much as they benefit producers." A 1979 Treasury Department study estimated that trade barriers routinely cost American consumers eight to ten times as much as they benefit American producers. 7 A 1984 Federal Trade Commission study estimated that tariffs cost the American economy $81.00 for every $1.00 saved. 8 By one estimate restrictions on clothing and textile imports cost consumers $l.00 for each 1 cent of increased earnings of American textile and clothing workers. 9 The International Trade Commission has concluded that eliminating U.S. trade barriers would create a net of 8,000 new jobs for U.S. workers and increase the gross national product by about $10 billion - even if other countries maintained theirs. 10 Tariffs: America's Taxes on the Poor 11 Higher Tariffs for Lower-Priced Goods. As Figure I shows, U.S. tariffs and quotas are much less burdensome for families who buy higher-priced products: A family that buys an imported plastic school satchel pays a 20 percent duty, but those who buy satchels of reptile leather pay only 4.7 percent. Footwear with outer soles of rubber or plastic, valued at not over $3 a pair, is tariffed at 48 percent, but on footwear valued at more than $12, the tariff is only 20 percent. Soda lime drinking glasses valued at less than 30 cents carry a 38 percent tariff, but on glassware valued at more than $5, the tariff is only 7.2 percent. Cheap jewelry, imported in lots worth less than $18 a dozen, is tariffed at 27.5 percent, while the tariff on gold necklaces is only 6.5 percent. Mink coats are duty free, and with the money a mother saves on her mink, she can buy her baby a polyester sweater - which carries a 34.6 percent tariff. Lobster is duty free, and with the savings, struggling parents may be able to afford infant food preparations, which carry a 17.2 percent tariff. Orange juice carries a 40 percent tariff, but the tariff on Perrier water is only 0.8 percent. Mushroom imports pay 11 cents a kilogram plus 25 percent ad valorem, but truffles are delightfully duty free. Cheap brandy - valued at less than $2.38 a liter - is tariffed at 41.9 percent, brandy valued between $2.38 and $3.43 a liter is tariffed at 9.6 percent, and the highest quality brandy is tariffed at just 1.2 percent. 12 The tariff on vodka worth more than $2.05 a liter is thirteen times higher than the tariff on cheap vodka. "Tariff policy implicitly assumes that it is better to go hungry than to buy inexpensive foreign food." Clothing. William Cline of the Institute for International Economics estimates that: 13 The combined consumer costs of tariffs and other restrictions on textiles is $20.3 billion on the wholesale level and as much as $40 billion on the retail level. This amounts to a hidden tax of almost $400 a year for every American family for clothing quotas and tariffs. "Clothing quotas and tariffs amount to a hidden tax of almost $400 a year per family." According to a Consumer Expenditure Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, households in the lowest fifth of the income distribution spend almost four times as much of their income on clothing as do households in the highest fifth (15.1 percent versus 3.8 percent). 14 Because they spend a higher percentage of their incomes on clothing, the poor are taxed at a higher rate by textile and apparel protection - which costs them 8.8 percent of their disposable income every year. 15 Tariffs: Resisting the Desire for Health and Safety 16 Vitamins, Drugs and Medical Equipment. Congress apparently believes that not all the malnourished should be treated equally. Vitamin B12, which is necessary to prevent and treat anemia and is no longer produced in the United States, is hit with a 16.2 percent tariff, while vitamin B2, vital for avoiding stunted growth, is tariffed at only 7.8 percent. Vitamin C carries a 3 percent tariff, while vitamin E is hit with a 7 percent levy. Looking at tariffs on medicine and medical equipment, one might think that tariff policy is secretly controlled by Christian Scientists. Aspirin carries a 10.2 percent tariff, which encourages people not to get headaches. The tariff on antidepressants and tranquilizers is 16.6 percent, encouraging people to see therapists. And Congress deters the import of sulfathiazole, an anti-infective agent, with a 15 percent tariff. [See Figure II.] Death by Tariff. Higher prices caused by tariffs often result in fewer people using lifesaving drugs or equipment. In 1984, a West German company developed a lithotripter that destroys kidney stones with shock waves. This might have been seen as a blessing. More than 250,000 people a year enter hospitals for kidney stone treatment, 1,149 people died of complications resulting from kidney stones in 1985, 17 and the German machine was a vast improvement over the surgical removal of kidney stones. Although no American companies were producing competing machines, the U.S. levied a 7.9 percent tariff on the German product. The Saint Joseph Medical Center of Burbank, California, paid a $189,964.32 tariff on a single lithotripter. The high tariff strongly discouraged more American hospitals from purchasing the machine. As a result, thousands of Americans in the mid- to late-1980s had to undergo painful surgery and relatively long recuperation. 18 (The recuperation time for shock-wave treatment is less than half that for traditional kidney surgery.) Many deaths from kidney stones and kidney stone surgery could have been avoided if the U.S. tariff code had not discouraged the adoption of this new technology. "One hospital paid a $189,964.32 tariff on a single lithotripter." Safety. The tariff on a special wool blend fabric used to make firefighters' protective garments is 33 percent. 19 When Rep. Robert Roe (D-NJ) proposed in 1988 to reduce this tariff, the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) objected. Even though American companies did not produce the fabric, ATMI thought some might do so if the tariff were kept high. A few more singed firemen was apparently a small price to pay for the possibility that a domestic firm might deign to make a fabric already supplied by foreign companies. Tearing the Shirt Off Americans' Backs 20 Commerce Department officials could not tell the author the precise number of different items covered by import quotas. Some of the items listed as restricted in Commerce's guide to textile import quotas are shown in Table II. Even the plastic net in which oranges are sold is a textile product, subject to quota restrictions. 21 "Imports of mittens, socks and handerchiefs are more strictly controlled than imports of pistols, rifles and nuclear reactor parts." The MFA Agreement. In 1973 and 1974, the leading textile exporters and importers gathered in Geneva to hammer out new international rules for textile trade. The Multifiber Arrangement (MFA) was the result. The preamble announced that the MFA sought "the reduction of [textile] trade barriers and the liberalization of world trade." 22 Developing nations were enticed to sign the MFA because it promised that exports to developed countries would be allowed to increase "at least 6 percent per year for those imports subject to specified limits." 23 Clothing production requires little skill or capital; its main requirement is people who need to work. Since low-wage Third World nations have a natural competitive advantage in labor-intensive activities, the MFA was supposed to be a transitional arrangement to help richer countries phase out of an uncompetitive industry. Instead, the MFA allowed wealthy importing nations to shackle poorer exporting nations. The MFA was extended in 1978, in 1981 and again in 1986, and each extension further emaciated the 6 percent growth pledge. 24 The 1986 extension expanded the types of clothing covered by the arrangement to include silk, ramie and even glass fibers. "Sri Lanka was allowed to export only a dozen men's and boys' coats to the U.S. in seven months." Avoiding "Market Disruptions." The MFA allows nations to restrict textile imports if a threat of "market disruption" occurs. Market disruption is defined as a significant increase of imports of particular products from a particular country at prices below those prevailing in the importing nation's market. 25 If clothing prices decrease - or if there is any chance that prices could decrease - the market is "disrupted". But if clothing prices increase, the market is judged to be doing just fine. Imports are presumed guilty until proven innocent. Poor countries must prove that their exports are not disrupting the rich nation's economy, while rich nations need not prove the harm. U.S. Vigilance. In general, the MFA protects Americans only from low-price clothing. Those who purchase expensive clothes are usually permitted to buy duty free. While the MFA restricts the exports of poor nations (and Japan), the U.S. imposes no import textile quotas on Canada, western Europe or Australia. U.S. textile regulations shackle imports of cotton socks from Peru while permitting unlimited imports of Paris designer dresses. Foreign nations are routinely prohibited from sending more sweaters to the U.S. each year than are sold in a single New York department store. The U.S. government decreed on April 8, 1988, that Sri Lanka could ship only one dozen men's and boys' cotton coats to the U.S. in the following seven months. 26 Trinidad and Tobago is forced to restrict its exports even though it provides less than 0.05 percent of the U.S. clothing supply. Czechoslovakia may ship the U.S. only 96,000 men's and boys' wool coats and 82,020 women's and girls' wool coats a year. 27 Uruguay was permitted to ship the U.S. only 29,498 women's cotton coats in 1988. 28 Mexico was allowed to ship the U.S. only 35,292 bras in 1989 - not even enough to supply the neighboring city of El Paso. 29 30 31 32 Luggage and Handbags. In 1984, a U.S. government employee apparently awoke one morning with the realization that the U.S. should be restricting imports of luggage and handbags. Now, because a foreign handbag or piece of luggage has a small amount of cotton or polyester in its cover - perhaps only 10 percent of its total value - it can be banned in order to protect the U.S. textile industry. The United States has practically no companies producing low-priced, relatively low quality luggage and handbags - the types hit hardest by import quotas. Handbag quotas have been an effective recycling policy, encouraging the poor to carry their belongings around in grocery bags. Tennis Shoes. Importers have also been hammered by constant changes in the textile import classifications. For example, Customs Service officials worked overtime in late 1989 to protect America against foreign shoestrings. Customs prohibited the import of a shipment of 30,000 pairs of tennis shoes from Indonesia because each shoe box contained an extra pair of shoelaces. One Customs official decided the extra laces were a clothing product that required a separate quota license for importing, and his decision set a precedent for the entire Customs Service. 33 None of the tennis shoe importers were thinking of the extra laces as anything but part of the tennis shoe and thus were caught without quota rights for shoestrings. 34 (Some new tennis shoes have eyelets for more than one set of laces.) Customs proceeded to establish intricate rules for shoelace imports, and the U.S. government judiciously announced that an extra pair of laces would be permitted in a box of tennis shoes as long as they were laced into the shoes and were color-coordinated with the shoes. "30,000 pairs of tennis shoes from Indonesia were barred because each box had an extra pair of shoelaces." But Customs warned importers, "We note that where multiple pairs of laces of like colors and/or designs are imported,... a presumption is raised" that the shoelaces are not actually part of the shoe. 35 Detecting Evasions. MFA quotas force American retailers and importers to rely on island-hopping - jumping from ocean to ocean to stay ahead of U.S. government prohibitions against their suppliers' exports. The U.S. is currently importing trousers and shirts from more than 130 countries, including Oman, Laos and the Tokelau Islands. 36 As import sources have proliferated, so too have Customs Service investigations of possible transshipping of products from nations that have exhausted their quota to those which have not. When Customs sent a team to Kuwait in July 1990, it considered the operation a great success because inspectors found a small amount of transshipped clothing. It was regrettable that the U.S. team, "preoccupied with counting sweaters, failed to notice and warn of the impending Iraqi invasion, which occurred a few days later." 37 In 1990, Mozambique - a war-torn, dirt-poor southern African nation - made the list of Customs Service textile evasion suspects. One trade expert predicts, "The next thing you know, Customs will be investigating exports from Antarctica - you know you can't trust those penguins." 38 Promoting "Fair" Trade. The United States has peculiar notions of injury when it judges our imports from foreign nations and our exports to them. For example, the U.S. government perennially badgers the Thai government about the alleged harm that Thai cotton apparel is inflicting on the U.S. market, imposing one new restriction after another. At the same time, the United States Trade Representative was indignant when Thailand refused to allow U.S. cigarette exports. (The Thai government is running an extensive antismoking campaign and feared that a flood of advertising by American companies would counteract its efforts.) Apparently, a minuscule decrease in shirt prices can harm a nation, while an increase in lung cancer and emphysema cannot. Cost to Consumers. Quotas transfer money from American consumers to foreign producers and quota-holders and to American textile and clothing companies. They help American textile and clothing companies by restricting their competition and allowing them to charge higher prices. The 1989 Economic Report of the President concluded that tariffs and quota restrictions produce an average effective tariff charge of over 50 percent for apparel imports. 39 Tariffs for clothing items vary sharply, and some quota categories are far more restrictive than others. According to the International Trade Commission: 40 "Restrictions produce an average effective tariff charge of more than 50 percent for apparel imports." Although the tariff on imported cotton handkerchiefs is 23 percent, quota restraints produce a tariff equivalent of 42.2 percent. On women's, girls' and infants' polyester and acrylic coats, the tariff is 27.3 percent, but quotas impose a tariff equivalent of 51.9 percent. Quota restraints produce a tariff equivalent of 63 percent on cotton hats, ski suits, overalls, scarves and bow ties, although these items have widely differing tariffs. In 1988, the cost of buying a quota right to ship cotton trousers from Hong Kong to the United States was about $8, while the cost of producing the trousers was only $7. 41 The quota price for wool knit sweaters in 1984 was equal to 120 percent of the cost of the sweater. 42 Protecting Consumers From Foreign Food 43 Dairy Products. The United States allows only minuscule imports of most dairy products. [SeeFigure III.] For example: 44 U.S. dairy import quotas permit each American citizen to consume the equivalent of only one teaspoon of foreign ice cream and one pound of foreign cheese per year. Nonfat dry milk imports are limited to about one ounce per person per year, and only Canada and Australia are allowed to provide that meager amount. Dry milk is a key ingredient in bakery products, chocolate, cake mixes, dog biscuits and crackers. The dry milk shortage prevented many American companies from purchasing milk at any price, and food production workers were laid off as factories slashed production. The Chocolate Manufacturers Association, American Bakers Association and National Confectioners Association petitioned USDA Secretary Clayton Yeutter to temporarily waive dairy import quotas.
stealing your writing and analysis on Miley and fully know that I do not deserve credit for your work. I know it was foolish of me to attempt to compare your work to mine. You are far more determined and driven in your writing then have ever been in my whole life. I should have started the work sooner, I should have known that my decision was wrong, and I should have envisioned how it would feel to have someone take credit for something you have dedicated your life to doing. Needless to say there were a lot of should have done during this assignment, but didn't. From this point forward, I will no longer plagiarize anyone's writing and will start my work sooner so I have more time to complete it, instead of cheating or plagiarizing someone else material. I promise you will never be receiving this email from me again. Sincerely, [redacted] Honestly, I was not sure how to respond. Thoughts?News in Science Fossil reveals hippos related to whales Hippo heritage An ancient relative of the hippopotamus likely swam from Asia to Africa some 35 million years ago, long before the arrival of the lion, rhino, zebra and giraffe, suggests a new study. Analysis of the previously unknown, long-extinct animal also confirms that cetaceans -- the group to which whales, dolphins and porpoises belong -- are in fact the hippo's closest living cousins. "The origins of the hippopotamus have been a mystery until now," says study co-author Fabrice Lihoreau, a palaeontologist at France's University of Montpellier. "Now we can say that hippos came from anthracotheres" -- an extinct group of plant-eating, semi-aquatic mammals with even-toed hooves. Until now, the oldest known fossil of a hippo ancestor dated from about 20 million years ago, while cetacean remains aged 53 million years have been found. Scientists had long lumped hippos with the Suidae family of pigs based on palaeontological finds, but DNA later suggested they were the kin of whales instead. Yet the huge age gap between hippos and cetaceans in the fossil record left experts stumped. "It meant that either we have never found ancestors of hippos, or we didn't recognise them among the mammal fossils we already had," says Lihoreau. Now the remains of a 28-million-year-old animal discovered in Kenya has provided an important piece of the puzzle, according to a study in the journal Nature Communications. Named Epirigenys lokonensis ('epiri' means hippo in the Turkana language and Lokone after the discovery site), it was about the size of a sheep, weighing in at 100 kilograms, which is about a twentieth the size of today's 'common hippopotamus', a sub-Saharan giant. It may have spent much of its time immersed in water. E. lokonensis was not a direct forefather of today's hippo, belonging instead to a side branch. But it lived much closer in time to the ancestor from which they both branched off, thus allowing for inferences to be drawn about the ancient animal. Dental analysis led the team to conclude that E. lokonensis and the hippo both came from an anthracothere forefather, which migrated from Asia to Africa about 35 million years ago. As Africa was then an island surrounded by water, it likely swam there. All this means the ancestors of hippos "were among the first large mammals to colonise the African continent, long before those of any of the large carnivores, giraffes or bovines," all of which arrived only about 18 million years ago, say the researchers. They suggest the modern-day hippo evolved independently in Africa, and is a creature truly endemic to the continent. "We filled a gap in the evolutionary history of the hippo, bringing us closer to the point of divergence from their modern-day sister group of cetaceans," and thus a more accurate reconstruction, says Lihoreau.Internet forum(commonly referred to as DC) recently shared a post concerning TWICE that has been garnering much attention. The post talks about an 'uncle fan' that goes by '' on aserver and it gained traction for its content, showing pictures of expensive brand name goods that he supposedly gifted TWICE members at a fan signing event.� Though the brand names aren't specifically mentioned and are only denoted by the first letters of the brands such as 'L' and 'C,' you can see through the pictures that the purses are from the luxury brand 'Louis Vuitton.' Perhaps the 'C' stands for 'Chanel'?� The post has then since spread like wildfire through the internet, popping on various other online communities under the title of 'TWICE fan makes an offering to rookie girl group.' As the news of the fan's expensive gifts to TWICE spread online, some of the information was misrepresented. As the time of the gifts overlapped with Sana's birthday, it was falsely reported that 'Hoing~' spent 10 million KRW (~$8,400 USD) on Sana alone.� 'Hoing~' cleared up the misunderstandings and false rumors, saying, "I didn't give the gifts just to Sana nor did I give them for her birthday. Considering the members' ages, I gifted them with the least expensive brand name goods. I didn't only give them expensive presents."� Regardless of who he meant the gifts for, $8,400 is no small amount. What's certain is that 'Hoing~' must be a really, really really big�fan of TWICE.�There are many reasons why it is terribly irritating when bright people seek to divine the intentions of the executors of terroristic mass violence through their ethnicity. One of those reasons is that this instinct is regularly indulged by people who consider themselves academicians. What is at its core a reactionary and undiscerning philosophy of drawing conclusions about terroristic violence based on the racial makeup of the accused (often before the perpetrators are even identified) is made more galling because it is regularly couched in the guise of intellectualism. But the impulse to convict or absolve violent criminals based on their race exhibits none of the deliberative characteristics of either academia or journalism. It is just lazy – and it is a laziness coddled and praised by both of those institutions’ elites. RELATED: Harris-Perry: Bombers’ Muslim Faith As Relevant To Bombing As Ben Affleck Movies About Violence In Boston In the wake of the attack on Boston, many within the nation’s commentary class let themselves speculate on the racial makeup of the attackers – this factor’s self-evident irrelevance to the events in Boston notwithstanding. Chris Matthews, whose analysis is often a leading indicator of the impulse on the left to ascribe racial and political motives to the violent compulsions of sociopaths, took the opportunity of an erroneous report about an attack on the JFK presidential library on the day of the bombings to speculate about the conservative political beliefs of the yet-unidentified perpetrators. Matthews’ speculation proved to be prescient — his reaction foreshadowed a shameful spree of baseless conjecture by other journalists, commentators, and professors. The following day, Salon’s David Sirota penned an opinion piece as honest as it was intellectually bankrupt admitting that he hoped the bomber was a “white guy.” This eventuality, Sirota reasoned, would serve to force average Americans to view white people with the suspicion he feels they deserve. To further this narrative, MSNBC host Alex Wagner invited Southern Poverty Law Center fellow Mark Potok on her program on Wednesday to speculate about the “culture of extremism” on the rise in American culture. Disregard the fact that Potok himself had already said that it was unlikely that a domestic militia was behind this attack. Regardless, he was invited onto a cable news network to expound on his most base fantasies about the domestic terrorists who may have perpetrated this attack and the racial animus toward President Barack Obama that may have motivated them. Later that day, MSNBC invited Harvard University fellow Jessica Stern who speculated on the “leaderless movement” that may have perpetrated this attack. This, she said, is typical of “the far-right, neo-Nazi patriot movement,” a stratagem which was adopted by terror organizations like Al Qaeda. The date, Patriots’ Day, was significant enough for her to pronounce the attack the work of “neo-Nazis” or “anti-government patriot groups.” White supremacist instincts, this respected academician insisted, is behind this madness. On Thursday, award-winning counterterrorism correspondent for National Public Radio, Dina Temple-Raston, said on her radio network that officials were fairly convinced that the timing of the attack indicated that domestic groups were behind it. “April is a big month for anti-government and right-wing individuals,” Temple-Raston asserted. “There’s the Columbine anniversary. There’s Hitler’s birthday. There’s the Oklahoma City bombing. The assault on the Branch Dividian compound in Waco.” In a segment on The Young Turks, I argued that the ethnicity of the attackers was irrelevant but their nationality and foreign ties were not. The hosts, displaying a moment of admirable honesty, admitted that they were hoping the suspects in the bombing case would end up being white Americans. They said that this would decrease the likelihood that aggrieved US citizens would flail violently at their dark-skinned neighbors in retaliation. And then, like magic, all these concerns disappeared when the suspects were identified as radical Chechens steeped in jihadist philosophy. It was then that the faux academic sputtering about domestic terror groups and neo-Nazis evolved from an obsessive desire to identify the philosophical impetus behind the Boston attack to shunning the very notion that anything motivated the bombing suspects beyond their own delusions. In “The Insanity of Blaming Islam,” Atlantic contributing editor Marc Ambinder writing in The Week went off on how facile ascribing radical Islamist motives to the bombers was to explain what was likely a complex intellectual reasoning behind their calculated attack on civilians. “But when a white kid murders dozens of children, we don’t ask whether the predominant Christian religion in America somehow radicalized him, or whether his upbringing was somehow less American than anyone else’s,” Ambinder wrote. “Stupid questions! Glad we don’t ask them.” But we do. That he chooses not to hear the questions when they are repeatedly asked by the nation’s commentators and intellectuals probably leads to a more pleasant existence than the one afforded this humble writer. But those questions are most certainly asked. Ambinder goes on to identify a series of things about the United States that frustrate him and insist that they are also the motivations behind alienated young Muslim men crafting bombs from pressure cookers, carpenter nails, and zippers with the intention of dismembering as many people as possible: It is far more plausible that American gun culture, the way that Americans are uncomfortable with people who are different, the gaps in the mental heath [sic] system, and a hundred other things, some of which cannot ever be controlled, pushed these two men over the edge. If it was Islam, or a hidden network of radical jihadists, then these types of events would not be rare in America. That they are is the answer to whether Islamic radicalization is a problem that Americans can and must contend with by stigmatizing Muslims. “What is it about America that so alienates young men?” Ambinder asks dishonestly. “Here’s the thing: We won’t really ever know.” It is just so unfortunate that the culprits were radicalized Islamic militants — we will never truly know what motivated them. Were they right-leaning militia members, however, surely their motives would be less complex, far more comprehensible, and should motivate a national conversation about why conservatism is a gateway to violence. A Sunday morning roundtable of political science professors on MSNBC joined in the chorus of exculpation for the radical young men who bombed the Boston Marathon. “We don’t really know,” quipped Tulane University political science professor Melissa Harris-Perry of the Tsarnaev brothers’ motivation. “I keep wondering: is it possible that there would ever be a discussion like, ‘oh, this is because of Ben Affleck and the connection between Boston and movies about violence?’” Because it is as absurd, in Harris-Perry’s mind, to ascribe radical Islamist motivations to violence as it is to link incidents of violence to art, she simply disregards the reality that radical Islam has a track record of being linked to violent episodes while fiction and film do not. “The point is that it’s important to say, ‘that is not us,” agreed Georgetown University Professor Michael Eric Dyson. “We want to demonize the other. We have to distance it from the dominant culture.” This pattern of absolving the violent of responsibility for their crimes while seeking to link violence to those individuals or groups with political leanings foreign to ones’ own is the polar opposite of the mission of academia. And yet, this manner of obscurant and purely ideological discourse is embraced by the nation’s lettered classes. Surely, in the days that come, the horrors endured by Chechens during the two wars fought by rebels against Moscow’s rule will be invoked to acquit the Tsarnaev brothers of their crimes. A true academician views as suspect any claim that is not supported by mounds of evidence. But, when it comes to absolution for radicalized Islamic terrorism while stoking fears of nonexistent right-wing violence, the nation’s left-wing professors and journalists seek only the assurance of their own peers to confirm their preconceived notions. This condition is a cancer within academia and the media. It cheapens both practices and poisons the institutions in which the capable minds who engage in this disreputable practice work. They seek not to add to the culmination of generations of knowledge assembled by their scholarly predecessors, but to buttress their own prejudices and untenable assertions with impressive language and scores of agreeable colleagues. Grasping at the race of a disturbed individual as a way to partially explain their acts of violence is lazy shorthand. Our media and academic elites can do better than this, but they have become comfortable and complacent — an easy trap to fall into when they are not likely to receive much in the way of criticism from their peers for their lethargic scholarship. > >Follow Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) on Twitter Have a tip we should know? [email protected] headed back to London, Ont., today to keep digging on our story about the two Canadian high school friends who were among militants responsible for the deadly attack at a natural gas plant in Algeria. The handle 'CSIS VAN #926' can be seen in the Wi-Fi list spotted by CBC reporter Adrienne Arsenault while she logged in to the internet Tuesday morning en route to London, Ont. (CBC) After I connected to the internet while en route to London, I spotted an interesting handle among nearby Wi-Fi users. Logging on in the car, as you do, checking the Wi-Fi connections around the car, and look what pops up. Check the list, and midway through... CSIS VAN #926. Please tell me that's not how CSIS, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, labels its Wi-Fi handles. UPDATE: It's worth noting that the handle could very well be someone's idea of a prank, based on examples from the United States, which list "Police Surveillance Van" among the top favourite Wi-Fi network names.DETROIT -- The Lions have done all kinds of great things to Ford Field this offseason, from hanging giant video boards in both end zones to installing a bumpin' sound system overhead. Not to mention stripping those much-derided playoff appearance banners from the rafters. Sitting in one end zone for Detroit's annual mock game on Saturday morning, it wasn't hard to see where the Fords' $100 million went. The upgrades are real, and they're spectacular. But there was a more subtle change as well, this one overseen by Matthew Stafford himself -- installing new play clocks. "It was pretty cool," Stafford said. "I actually had the opportunity to kind of walk the field this morning, kind of pick where we wanted to place them. I guess they could move them around a little bit, and settled on a spot. They turned them yellow, doing a bunch of different stuff that's really awesome, helping me out." Stafford got his first chance to work in the new digs during the mock game, and already looked comfortable. He completed 11 of 14 passes and connected with Marvin Jones on a 10-yard touchdown pass. He also was picked off by Darius Slay when he underthrew Jones deep, although later said he thought he had a free play after the defense jumped offsides. "Apparently not," Stafford said with a laugh. "Refs are still waking up I guess. I don't know. "But it's all good, man. It's cool. It's a lot of fun to be out here, see some of the young guys play for the first time in this atmosphere. Everybody's juices get going a little bit. Some guys a little too much and start hitting each other a little too hard. But it's good. It's good work." Stafford was in good spirits after the sharp performance, although had less to say about his ongoing contract negotiations, which are progressing slowly. "I'm not talking about all that kind of stuff," Stafford said. "That's for those guys behind closed doors to figure out. I'm out here enjoying this new beautiful stadium and having fun playing ball."By Johnny Green From Weed News Marijuana has been proven to be an effective medicine for all types of ailments. Any patient who may benefit from the use of medical marijuana should be allowed to discuss the matter with their doctor, and military veterans are no exception. Military veterans have served (or are currently serving) our country proudly, and as such they should be given the highest level of medical care and attention possible. That includes having constructive conversations with any and all of their doctors about medical cannabis, including those at VA facilities. An amendment was introduced in the fiscal year 2018 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which would lift the current gag order at VA facilities that bars doctors from even mentioning medical marijuana to patients. Below is more information about the bill, via a press release from Friday, as highlighted in the Marijuana Moment: U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) successfully included an amendment in the FY 2018 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that protects veterans’ ability to discuss with VA physicians the use of medical marijuana in states where it is legal. The amendment would allow for parity between VA and non-VA facilities in states like Montana and Oregon that have medical marijuana programs. It does not change current laws preventing the possession or dispensing of marijuana on VA property, but simply allows veterans to discuss all options that are legally available in their state with their VA doctor. “When a veteran walks into a VA facility and speaks with their doctor they should be able to discuss all options available to them,” Daines stated. “Many in the Capitol say that we should stand up for veterans because they have stood up for us. This amendment provided a real opportunity to stand up for veterans by allowing them to discuss the full range of legal treatment options with their VA providers,” said Merkley. “An overwhelming bipartisan majority of Senators on the committee took that opportunity, so I hope this amendment isn’t stripped out in back room negotiations as it has been in the past.” Daines and Merkley previously secured this amendment during the mark up of the FY 2017 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. On June 28, 2016, Daines, Merkley and nine members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives urged Congressional leadership to include a provision in the final funding bill sent to the president that protects veterans’ ability to discuss the use of medical marijuana with VA physicians in states where it is legal. Although, the provision passed both chambers of Congress, the provision was removed in the conferenced appropriations for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. Original article from weednews.co here. © 2017 Weed News. All rights reserved. Syndicated by special permission.There was no mention of when Altice's service will be available, and Sprint didn't say how soon it would piggyback on Altice's cables. As with Comcast's Verizon-based Xfinity Mobile, Altice isn't likely hoping to become a major force in the American wireless industry. Rather, it's a way of sweetening the pot for cable subscribers: you can get your internet, TV and cellphone service through one company (no doubt with a bundle discount). It shows how cellular is quickly becoming a must-have for companies that were once content to stick to landlines. For Sprint, this deal is more urgent. Although its finances are improving, it's still struggling to compete with T-Mobile and other big carriers -- and network performance plays a role in that. If it can accelerate its coverage improvements, it may keep more customers and lure people frustrated with its competitors. This doesn't mean that Sprint's network will receive a dramatic speed boost, but you may see fewer overcrowded cell sites and coverage gaps.If you have little ones, you have most likely read the books and snuggled through several episodes. You may have loved them yourself as a child. Now is your chance to delight your favorite nugget by taking them to see Max & Ruby live, on stage: Your child will light up while watching the brother-sister duo plan for a surprise party. They sing and dance in exquisite costumes across rich color sets that will captivate your child and make them feel they've stepped right into the story. Here's your chance to do it all for FREE. To register to win a 4 pack of tickets to Max & Rudy Sunday, October 9th at 4:00 The Louisville Palace Theatre all you have to do is become a Follower of my blog by Sunday, September 30th no later than 7:00 pm. If you are already a Follower, please post comment to this blog by then if you wish to be entered. Unfortunately, following by email doesn't count because I have no way to track it, so you have to sign up as a Follower next to the icons. Email me if you have questions on how to do this. For more information on the show, to find out additional tour dates and to order tickets (if by chance you are not the lucky winner) Currently I only have 36 followers so your chances to win are pretty good. Ticket prices range from $15-28.50 so we're talking about a steal here.For more information on the show, to find out additional tour dates and to order tickets (if by chance you are not the lucky winner) click here. Good luck, I hope you win!Online learning provider udemy offers thousands of courses. Courses are available on-demand 24/7 via web browser, iPhone, iPad and Android. Many offer lifetime access. udemy offers a number of courses that are interesting to homebrewers, including beer and brewing related courses (includes Brew Real Beer, Beer Making 101, Beer and Cellar Management, I brew-U brew and more), Wine (Become a Wine & Wine Pairing Expert, Becoming a Wine Connoisseur, Wine 101, Home Wine Making for Complete Beginners and More), Biology, and Chemistry udemy has a $10 New Year Course Sale with over 9,000 courses on sale. Several beer and wine courses are part of the sale. One example is.. I brew-U brew. That has been marked down to $10 from $29. That’s a 65% Savings. Check them out – Beer and Brewing Courses – Wine – Biology – Chemistry – Entire Sale More: Recent Great DealsIt may not have quite the same ring to it as a certain seven-digit phone number made famous by a 1980s pop hit, but 6,630,507 has become internet-famous since the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration opted not to reschedule marijuana, leaving it in the category of drugs with no legitimate medical uses. Since then, proponents of legalization have responded with a storm of social-media posts highlighting U.S. Patent No. 6,630,507, granted in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and covering the potential use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids to protect the brain from damage or degeneration caused by certain diseases, such as cirrhosis. They’re telling the DEA to “talk to the hand,” writing “6,630,507” on their palms, hashtagging the number and linking to past articles on the topic. The intent of the posts is symbolic, said Sam Mendez, an intellectual property and public policy lawyer who serves as the executive director of the University of Washington’s Cannabis Law & Policy Project. “Naturally, it shows that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy that there is ‘no accepted medical use’ for cannabis according to federal law,” Mendez said. “And yet here you have the very same government owning a patent for, ostensibly, a medical use for marijuana.” Mendez — like patent lawyers, the research arm of the HHS and the New York biopharmaceutical firm that’s working as an exclusive licensee under the patent — cautions that the existence of Patent No. 6,630,507 doesn’t signal that legalization is on the horizon. “The government is allowed to file and obtain patents, and that has no bearing on the Controlled Substances Act,” Mendez said. But it does indicate what could result if cannabis were rescheduled: an explosion of marijuana-related patents, Mendez said. No. 6,630,507’s inception The National Institutes of Health employs roughly 6,000 Ph.D.-level scientists, said NIH special adviser for technology transfer Mark Rohrbaugh, who holds doctorates in biochemistry and law. When one of those scientists invents a new technology or makes a new discovery, the NIH evaluates the result and determines whether to file for a patent. Over the years, the NIH has conducted and funded research involving cannabis — both as a drug of abuse and for its potential therapeutic properties, NIH spokeswoman Renate Myles said. In the case of No. 6,630,507, the researchers discovered that non-psychoactive compounds in cannabis may have antioxidant properties that could be beneficial in the treatment of certain neurological diseases, she said. “This patent describes the therapeutic potential for cannabinoid chemical compounds that are structurally similar to THC, but without its psychoactive properties, thereby treating specific conditions without the adverse side effects associated with smoked marijuana,” Myles said in an e-mail. The patent doesn’t prove the chemical compound is effective in the stated treatment, Rohrbaugh said. The compound would have to be purified, synthesized in a lab setting, subjected to extensive testing in animals and humans, and ultimately require U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to show that it’s safe and effective for the intended purpose. The intent behind patenting and licensing NIH discoveries is to keep technology that could potentially benefit the public from sitting idle, he said. This sometimes requires looping in the private sector, he said. Laws made in the 1980s help entities such as universities and the government to make their discoveries accessible to others who are in a position to further the research and potentially commercialize the developments. The entities behind the discoveries typically receive payments as part of the licensing agreement. NIH’s Technology Transfer Office advertises patents — including those related to cannabinoids — available for licensing on its website, and officials sometimes conduct outreach as well. The licenses often are packaged with some elements of exclusivity, Rohrbaugh said. “It’s like a piece of land,” he said. “You wouldn’t build a million-dollar house on a piece of land you wouldn’t have some title to.” Five years ago, the NIH granted New York-based Kannalife Sciences Inc. an exclusive license for the part of the technology outlined in the patent to develop cannabinoid- and cannabidiol-based drugs for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy — brain damage that could result from conditions such as cirrhosis. Kannalife also has a non-exclusive license to develop drugs to treat chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a rare and progressive degenerative brain condition likely caused by repeated head trauma, Myles said. “Other companies may also apply for licenses to use this patented technology to develop drugs to treat other neurological diseases where antioxidant properties of cannabinoid drugs may be beneficial,” she said. “The patent expires on April 21, 2019, after which anyone would be free to develop drugs based on these cannabinoids that, like all drugs, would require FDA approval to demonstrate safety and effectiveness in humans.” No other companies have licensed portions of the 6,630,507 patent, she said. Kannalife CEO Dean Petkanas did not disclose the specific terms of the licensing agreement, but he told The Cannabist that the deal includes milestone payments, a percentage of sales as well as royalties in “the six figures” to the government. The patent is valid in several jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and Australia, he said. Petkanas said his company “could not have gotten a better ruling” from the DEA. “We’ve been building our business from the pharmaceutical side from Day One,” said Petkanas, a former executive at the investment firm depicted in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” “We want to be on the pharmaceutical side; everything we do has to be by the book.” Kannalife, recently featured in a football-related Sports Illustrated report regarding its research into therapies for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is about to begin raising $15 million in private investments. The money would allow it to start clinical trials related to hepatic encephalopathy as soon as the first quarter of 2018. Petkanas said Kannalife anticipates eventually seeking orphan drug status — a special FDA designation for treating rare conditions. The company also contemplating conducting chronic traumatic encephalopathy-related trials in Europe. “Does marijuana have medicinal benefit? Well, yeah,” Petkanas said. “But it can’t be targeted and qualified for repetitive use (without the FDA-approved research).” That one arm of the federal government is poised to make money from cannabis-derived compounds, and another has approved synthetic cannabinoid drugs such as Marinol and Syndros, tells a story different from the one told by the DEA, which lumped together the hundreds of chemical compounds of cannabis as a Schedule I substance, said Gregory F. Wesner, a Seattle-based patent and trademark attorney for Lane Powell PC. “The interesting thing here is basically the government being two-faced,” Wesner said. If and when national legalization comes, it’ll trigger a swarm of new patent applications, said the UW Cannabis Law Project’s Mendez. “That’s massive growth that does not occur every day or every year That’s the kind of growth you’re talking about once in a generation,” he said of the potential sales growth in the industry. “As part of that, you’re going to see many people and many businesses research this far more intensely and file for patents.” An analysis conducted by Christopher Freerks, a Lane Powell patent administrator, shows that the PTO already has granted at least four dozen cannabis-related utility patents, including No. 6,630,507. The analysis does not include plant patents, which have been tougher to come by for some cultivators. San Diego patent attorney Dale C. Hunt, an Open Cannabis Project board member who has degrees in botany, genetics and biology, said one would need to develop a completely new strain in order to land a patent. If marijuana is rescheduled, it’s realistic to believe that the innovation could carry on in the laboratories of NIH scientists, he said. But for now, the federal government’s technology transfer and patenting actions around cannabis do not appear to be widespread. “(Tech transfer) happens all the time,” Hunt said. “It obviously doesn’t happen all the time in cannabis.”WASHINGTON ― Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) is facing an onslaught of criticism from both the left and the right over his shifting stance on health care, and there’s new evidence it’s affecting his standing with Nevada voters. A poll released Tuesday by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (PPP), which was sponsored by the pro-Obamacare group Save My Care, found that only 22 percent of Nevada voters approve of Heller’s job performance, compared with 55 percent who disapprove and 23 percent who are unsure. A similar survey fielded by the same group last week showed Heller at 29 percent approval. The polls were conducted last week over two days immediately preceding Heller’s vote in favor of the final Republican health care bill. That bill, a so-called “skinny” repeal of major parts of Obamacare, went down in flames on Friday. It would have left 16 million fewer Americans with health coverage and raised premiums by 20 percent over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Heller said he hoped to improve the measure after further negotiations with the House, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever get the chance now that GOP leaders have indicated they prefer to move on to tax reform. Before shifting tack in his final vote, Heller had opposed several prior Obamacare repeal efforts, citing in part cuts to Medicaid. Heller was widely seen as one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for re-election in 2018, even before his twisting path on health care. In June, an internal poll conducted by the respected Democratic firm Anzalone Liszt Grove found Heller in a dead heat with Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), who is said to be considering a Senate run to challenge him. A June PPP poll found him similarly matched with Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who has already jumped into the race. That survey also showed that 35 percent of Nevada voters approved of his performance, while 44 percent disapproved. Heller’s moves on health care seemed to have made matters worse. “People are real unhappy with Dean Heller,” Las Vegas conservative talk show host Kevin Wall told NBC Las Vegas on Tuesday. “I think people are tired of politicians like this who are all over the map. They want people to have basic, solid, core beliefs.” Chuck Muth, a conservative activist in Nevada and former executive director of the state GOP, said he thought that Heller had “completely botched it.” “I think the damage has been done,” Muth said in an interview with Politico. Heller’s dance on health care and his latest efforts to restart talks, including signing onto legislation drafted by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that has been billed as compromise legislation, won him little reprieve from Democrats and progressive groups. A blistering digital ad released Tuesday by Rosen accused Heller of betraying Nevada voters to gain favor with President Donald Trump. The 60-second spot featured clips of Heller coming out against an initial version of the GOP health care bill, as well as video of Heller sitting and laughing next to Trump at a meeting at the White House last month. Trump’s allies haven’t done Heller any favors, either. After he loudly denounced the Republican health care bill in late June, a super-PAC supporting the president ran ads in Nevada calling on Heller to stick to his promise of repealing Obamacare. The president later ribbed Heller over lunch as he sat by his side, asking, “Look, he wants to remain a senator doesn’t he?” Heller’s fate is far from certain. He’s an incumbent with more than three and a half million dollars in the bank, and is likely to receive major support from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his allies in Washington. Moreover, Heller also bears a reputation as somewhat of a political survivor ― few thought he would win re-election in 2012. That said, his handling of health care likely made a difficult task even more challenging. “The reality is that Heller has painted himself into a corner in this health care debacle,” a GOP strategist told HuffPost. “He hasn’t done anything right... you would have to search high and low to find a more unpopular person in Nevada.”Former Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley on Sunday called presumptive GOP 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 a racist and a bigot who appeals to the worst instincts in people. ADVERTISEMENT "Donald Trump is a bigot. Donald Trump is a racist. Donald Trump is in fact making fascist appeals," the former Maryland governor said in a heated panel appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." Since endorsing 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 earlier this month, O'Malley has campaigned for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee while slamming Trump as unfit for the presidency. "Donald Trump is an unstable charlatan who is appealing to the worst instincts in people, and I believe ultimately, the American people are going to reject that," O'Malley, who ended his own campaign in February, said on Sunday. "That's why many self respecting Republicans are not supporting Donald Trump for president." Panel member former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer shot back, saying "every time you disagree with [Democrats] you're a bigot or you're a racist." "Dang it, I get fed up that we hear over and over and over again from the president of the United States that every time someone wants to support the Constitution and the rule of law that we are out there because we are racists and bigots." Former Virgnia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli agreed, saying that's what happens when a president can't defend his or her policies and their outcomes. "He jumps immediately to the race card, the racist card, in particular," Cuccinelli said. "It's a common tactic for Democrats," he said, adding that he plans to vote for Trump in November.A new Rainbow Six Siege patch is reportedly corrupting players’ hard drives, with the PS4 version of the game currently experiencing a ton of issues. The new patch was distributed to the PS4, Xbox One and PC versions of the game, though only Sony’s console appears to have been affected by this problem. According to players, downloading the patch has caused their PS4 friends list to crash every time they attempt to access it, while others have reported that it has corrupted their save data altogether. Ubisoft has told players not to use the party feature on PS4 until the issue is resolved, though there has been no timeframe given as to when players should expect a fix. While the crashing issue is concerning in and of itself, the patch potentially bricking PS4 owners’ HDDs is a far more pressing problem, though there appears to be some confusion as to what is causing the trouble. While many players are reporting that the new Rainbow Six Siege patch has caused their hard drive issues, Community Developer Craig Robinson tweeted: “It looks like it is a firmware update issue. Not tied to Rainbow.” However,
was tapped by Obama to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House. Upon leaving government he joined the Citicorp Bank. There are many such examples. This incestuous relationship has served Wall Street extremely well. When three Jewish banks collapsed due to fraud and greed in the housing market (Lehman Brothers, Bear and Stearns, Goldman Sachs, and others), it was their former officers in government that bailed them out with close to one trillion dollars at a time when the American middle class was suffering the most. These officials not only did not provide regulatory oversight of these banks but more shocking is their refusal to investigate and make accountable the banking executives who led to the worst national recession since the great Depression in the 1930′s. Obama, like previous Presidents, received a majority of his campaign donations from Wall Street and thus is beholden to them; hence the lack of prosecution. In fact, these men got away with Economic murder. Matt Taibbi in his article, “ Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jai l?” discusses the corrupt lack of prosecution of Wall Street bankers and investors who cost this nation and the world losses in the trillions of dollars and degraded the world economy as well. The New York Times also has an excellent investigation on why the S.E.C. treads softly on Wall Street. The Washington Examiner’s Editorial “Obama’s TARP team helped banks, betrayed homeowners”, July 21, 2012, says that even the Jewish former Special Inspector General of the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” (TARP), Neil Barofsky, in his new book condemns the government’s spending of close to $1.5 Trillion under both the Bush and Obama administrations to save Wall Street from financial collapse. The title of his book says it all; “Bailout: An Inside Account of How Washington Abandoned Main Street While Rescuing Wall Street.” Other than power of the purse in donating enormously to political campaigns the Jewish tribal connection must not be ignored given that the governmental agencies with regulatory oversight and the power to refer these criminals to the Department of Justice are headed by, you guessed it-Jews. Mary L. Schapiro-Commissioner of the S.E.C. (Securities and Exchange Commission) the primary government agency with regulatory responsibility over Wall Street. Martin Gruenberg: Acting Chairman of the F.D.I.C. (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), another regulatory agency overseeing banks. His predecessor was Sheila C. Blair, also (Jewish. Gary Gensler-Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (C.F.T.C.) also has regulatory oversight of Wall Street. Mr. Gensler worked for Goldman Sachs, entered Government as top official in the Treasury Department. Ben Bernanke – Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank is. Timothy Geithner – Secretary of the Treasury. Jewish Government officials overseeing Jewish bankers, investors, financiers on Wall Street is the sweetest deal of all-go ahead steal, share the money with us, and we’ll protect and provide a cover up. In fact, we’ll send you Trillions of dollars to bail you out and make you profitable again. Why? Because we’re tribal brethren and could care less about the American people or the world. As for Jewish Wealth Vanity Fair magazine in its October 2007 issue published a list of “the world’s most powerful people”. A list of the 100 most influential wealthy men and women who span the business, financial, and banking sectors, the media, movie studios, publishers and so on. These powerful people have the influence to shape our world and our world view of each other. They can make or break governments, shape and influence world economies, launch wars and devastate nations. These are the few who can literally shape and mold our future. On the list of 100 most powerful men and women the Jerusalem Post in an article entitled, “ Jewish power dominates at ‘Vanity Fair’ ; (10/11/2007) says: “More than half of the members are Jewish.” Joseph Aaron, Jewish, proudly proclaims Jewish Power in his article,” Feel,October 10, 2007, In Jewish World Review, quoting from the article in Vanity Fair above writes: “What is absolutely amazing, stunning about the list is how many Jews there are on it….the list of the Vanity Fair 100 includes, get ready, 51, yes 51 Jews….Minimum….We are powerful, very powerful.” Peter Beinart (Jewish) in his book, “ The Crisis of Zionism ” (2012, Times Books) also attests to Jewish Power. On page four of the book he writes: “The shift from Jewish powerlessness to Jewish power has been so profound, and in historical terms so rapid, that it has outpaced the way many Jews think about themselves”. In 1978, Jewish American scholar Alfred M. Lilienthal wrote in his detailed study, “ The Zionist Connection ” (Open to see more eye popping quotes) “How has the Zionist will been imposed on the American people? It is the Jewish connection, the tribal solidarity among themselves and the amazing pull on non-Jews, that has molded this unprecedented power … The Jewish connection covers all areas and reaches every level. Most Americans may not even sense this gigantic effort, but there is scarcely a Jew who is not touched by its tentacles.” From the Israeli news site, Ynetnews, 10/26/2011, in an article titled: “How did American Jews get so rich? “Since the mass immigration some 100 years ago, Jews have become the richest religious group in American society. They make up only 2% of US population, but 25% of 400 wealthiest Americans.” (Others claim it’s actually 48%) The Victims of Israel and the Jewish American Oligarchy: First, let me say that the abused victims of such power are first and foremost the Palestinians who’ve lived under Israel’s military brutality and occupation for decades, yet, it is such Jewish Power that has hijacked and imprisoned any U.S. or International attempt to bring an end to the world’s longest cruelest brutality and illegal occupation of and entire people, the Palestinians. Second, the United States has similarly been politically and economically occupied, brutalized into wars, victimized, and enslaved by such Jewish Oligarchic Power. The U.S. has paid and died for Israel’s wars and interests and has been constantly humiliated on the international stage, most especially in the United Nations where it casts its forced vetoes to protect Israel. Thirdly, the Arab and Muslim world who despite comprising one quarter of the world’s population and possessing enormous wealth have submitted and surrendered their independence, national wealth, interests, and sovereignty to an Israeli American hegemony that dictates policies upon their world. Fourthly, the United Nations, Europe, and International Law which have been reduced to puppet status given Israel’s impunity and stature as a nation above all human and humanitarian Laws and its shackled colony, the United States. “The whole world is demanding that Israel withdraw [from occupied Palestinian territories]. I don’t think the whole world… can be wrong.” -U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan But the greatest victims of the power of the bastard Jewish Oligarchy and Israel are the innocent Palestinian children who’ve suffered deaths, injuries, burns, loss of limbs, psychological trauma, destroyed schools, demolished homes, the killing of their grandparents, parents, and siblings. They’ve even been deprived of food, water, and medicines. They are the victims of the Israeli military and evil murderous settlers who see these children as pure animals worthy of target practice. In all of history only Israel has ever dictated the number of calories it allows every Palestinian infant, child, adult, and elderly in Gaza to consume on a daily basis. Israel is the world’s shame and America’s stain upon its conscience. Zionism is a hate filled, racist, exclusivist ideology: Racism, hatred, and a disregard for the lives of Palestinian children (in fact all Gentile children) emanates from the most important Jewish Scripture, the Babylonian Talmud, where it is stated: Baba Kamma 37b. “The gentiles are outside the protection of the law and God has “exposed their money to Israel.” Baba Kamma 113a. “Jews may use lies (“subterfuges”) to circumvent a Gentile.” Yebamoth 98a. “All gentile children are animals”. To further expose Israeli racism and Apartheid practices a recent poll of Israeli Jews conducted by the public opinion firm Dialog finally exposes what the Palestinians and the entire world believe and have said repeatedly-that Israel is an Apartheid State. The poll appeared in the Guardian, October 23, 2012, in an article entitled (also reported here ): According to the article: - More than two-thirds of Israeli Jews say that 2.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank should be denied the right to vote if the area was annexed by Israel, in effect endorsing an APARTHEID STATE.. - Three out of four are in favor of segregated roads for Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank. - 58% believe Israel already practices apartheid against Palestinians. - A third want Arab citizens within Israel to be banned from voting in elections to the country’s parliament. - Almost 6 out of 10 say Jews should be given preference to Arabs in government jobs. - 49% say Jewish citizens should be treated better than Arabs, - 42% would not want to live in the same building as Arabs. - 42% do not want their children going to school with Arabs.” Such racism and hatred of Gentiles isn’t simply a scriptural teaching but exists today in the teaching of leading Rabbis in Israel who constantly urge “Wiping Palestinians Off the Map “After mentioning the traditional New Year’s wish of “may those who hate us be finished,” Yosef reportedly said that God should send a plague to Abbas and the Palestinians, and they should be finished….. Yosef also wished death on the Palestinian nation and prayed that “the Lord strike them down.” “The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle),” Friedman wrote in response to the question posed by Moment Magazine for its “Ask the Rabbis” feature.” Israel, a Rogue Racist Apartheid Killing Machine: Israel, the genocidal killer of children, especially in its murderous attack on Gaza 2008-2009, has no hesitation to use banned weapons such as White Phosphorus bombs, unknown chemical bombs, cluster bombs, and many others without a simple whimper from the western governments, beyond expressing their “concern” or “regret”. In fact every bomb, rocket, or bullet that shreds the body of a Palestinian child is immediately replaced by occupied America. Israel, you heartless evil bastards and your Zionist supporters in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia; sooner or later justice against you will be done on earth as it shall be done in the hereafter. If you do not repent and abandon your evil ways, your hate, and your passionate attachment to the killing of children and illegally occupying Palestinian lands while dictating every aspect of Palestinian lives, the future of the Jewish people and Israel itself is in dangerous jeopardy. There shall arise voices from every corner of the world shouting for “Freedom for the Palestine”, and on that day you will know the meaning of terror that Palestinian children live under every single day of their lives. To the cowardly spineless Israeli American Congress, you have made your bed with the Zionist Jewish Oligarchy that feeds your campaign coffers and scares you to death should you oppose them lest your career or even your life end. But Americans are gradually awakening to your Zionist occupied souls and thus will exact harsh electoral revenge upon you, if not prosecuting you as war criminals. An American song writer, Michael Heart, was so moved by the carnage of children in Gaza that he composed this most beautiful song for Gaza: “We will not go down in Gaza Tonight” Video link: http://blip.tv/sabbah-tv/anthem-for-gaza-1660893 You can also Watch this video here and Read the LYRICS While the Israeli American Congress is silent out of greed for Jewish money and abject fear, a Jewish Member of Britain’s Parliament, Sir Gerald Kaufman, member of the Labour Party arose to speak and condemn Israel’s genocidal unprovoked attack on Gaza 2008-2009. In his speech he stated that, “Israel was born out of Jewish Terrorism”. Please WATCH his Short Speech: Courage and Compassion absent in the U.S. Government. On Anti Semitism, the real weapon of mass destruction, and Holocaust Denial, this is what former Israeli Minister Shulamit Aloni said in an interview on Democracy Now: “Well, it’s a trick, we always use it. When from Europe somebody is criticizing Israel then we bring up the holocaust. When in this country (U.S.) people are criticizing Israel then they are anti-Semitic. And the organization ( Israel Lobby ) is very strong and has lot of money. And the ties between Israel and American estab- Jewish establishment are very strong – and they are strong in this country as you know. And they have power which is ok.” - Democracy Now Interview August 14, 2002, WATCH the Shulamit Aloni Interview. So how and to what use has the “Jewish Oligarchy” in the U.S. used this unparalleled power. Mainly for two purposes: A Tribal solidarity: for Mutual Enrichment. That ensures and promotes the wealth and power of fellow Jews in all Institutions from the government, to academia, to the media, Wall Street, and Hollywood. Hence the disproportionate presence and media exposure of Jews reinforcing their power to intimidate politicians and the public. Because of this Americans believe that Jews are a greater proportion of the population when in fact they are <1,7%. Support Israel at all: costs, even if it means Americans pay and die. The Jewish Oligarchy has been the driving force for America’s war, its economic recession, its Arab and Islamophobia, media complicity to pressure the U.S. Government to adopt Israel’s agenda, the cleansing of anyone from any institution who dares question America’s blind support of Israel. Ensuring that hundreds of billions of American tax dollars go to Israel even at times of high debt and deficits, even if it means stealing the very food and milk from America’s school children. In short, this Oligarchy is running and ruining America for the sake of a foreign nation, Israel, whose interests in the region usually run counter to America’s interests. Thus, not only Palestine is occupied by Jewish Zionists, but the United States itself. Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard, co-author of the book: “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy”, a must read for anyone interested in how American foreign policy is hijacked in the Middle East to serve Israel’s interests. In his article “ The Greatest Elected Body that Money Can Buy “ in Foreign Policy, he highlights how Congress submits to Israel rather than to the American people. In it he writes of how a large delegation of Congressmen and women flew to Israel to assure the Zionist state that they will not cut a dollar from aid to Israel while at home they are cutting programs to feed and educate American children. They would rather send money and weapons to kill Palestinian children then save America’s hungry, homeless, uninsured, and unschooled children. The question is not simply the power of the Jewish Oligarchy but is a question for all humanity. How long will the Gentile world of 7 Billion remain silent, subordinate, and submissive in the face of Israel’s genocidal wars against defenseless children in Palestine and Lebanon. Are we Gentiles created only to serve Jews as Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said? Forget the paralyzed governments, forget the U.N., forget the Arab League, forget the European Union, forget America’s superpower-it is WE THE PEOPLE—who should arise in an “International Spring” to free Palestine from the evil yolk of Israel and its “Jewish Oligarchy” in the U.S. and Europe. In our collective silence every one of us is complicit in such evil. NO MORE. Amen Sources to View: Very Important to Watch : A Danish Documentary on the “THE POWER OF THE ISRAELI LOBBY in the U.S.”; starts in Danish then English: : A Danish Documentary on the “THE POWER OF THE ISRAELI LOBBY in the U.S.”; starts in Danish then English: The Israel Lobby. Portrait of a Great Taboo Federal Agencies and Think Tanks Dominated by Jews. Important Jewish Led Federal Agencies: Providing Cover & Support to the “Jewish Oligarchy” SEC: Securities and Exchange Commission – Mary Schapiro, Chairman FDIC: Federal Deposit Insurance Commission – Martin J. Gruenberg, Acting Chairman FDA: Food Drug Administration – Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner CDC: Center for Disease Control – Director-Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, FTC: Federal Trade Commission – Chairman Jon Leibowitz, SBA: Small Business Administration – Karen Mills, Administrator IRS: Internal Revenue Service (tax collection) – Douglas Shulman, Commissioner Jewish Led Think Tanks: There are literally hundreds of think tanks in Washington D.C. alone. These thoughtless heartless think tanks are the primary source for domestic and foreign policies for the President, Cabinet Officers, and Congress. They provide position papers, talking points, sound bytes, and interview advice that ensures a staunch Pro Israel Agenda. - Council on Foreign Relations: Richard Hass, President - American Enterprise Institute – Arthur C. Brooks - Washington Institute for Near East Policy (formed by AIPAC) – Robert Satloff, President - Trilateral Commission – Joseph Nye - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Jessica Tuchman Matthews - Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs – David Ganz, President - Center for Security Policy – Frank Gaffney, PresidentOf all the surprises we expected to hear about in the WWDC keynote, a multitouch trackpad peripheral didn't exactly pop into our brains. But -- whoomp -- here it is. What we appear to be looking at is a brand new input device that Apple has dreamed up which connects to desktops (and laptops, if you like) via Bluetooth, much like the Apple Keyboard. If you take what you see in the photos at face value, it would seem that the folks in Cupertino are making a play for finger-based input in a big way -- taking the work they've done on Mac laptops and the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and translating it to the desktop realm. This weirdly lines up perfectly with rumors from earlier in the year, emanating from both John Gruber (of Daring Fireball fame), and MacRumors -- the former reporting that Apple was set to release a "Mentioned-Nowhere-Else-But-in-This-Very-Headline Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget for Desktop Macs," and the latter taking notice of an Apple trademark application for the "Magic Trackpad." It certainly all makes sense given that the company has made not-so-subtle moves away from standard input devices to finger-friendly options in many, many of its recent products. Whatever the case may be, we're potentially just hours away from the truth, so feast your eyes on the photos, and get ready for the big reveal.New images received with a claim that the device supports handwriting recognition in addition to "every feature you can find on a Magic Mouse (and possibly features of a MacBook Pro trackpad)." This, from a person who claims to be personally testing it. Something we hope to do for ourselves before the day is through Reader Dan Berte made a quick little cardboard mockup using his Apple keyboard and Magic Mouse for relative sizing and he's estimating the tracking area to be around six inches diagonal. Makes sense -- check his handiwork after the break.Jamie Heaslip could miss the rest of the Six Nations after suffering a suspected broken vertebrae in his lower back after France lock Pascal Pape drove a knee into him during the second half of Saturday’s Six Nations clash at the Aviva Stadium. The French player was yellow carded by English referee Wayne Barnes after the incident in the 52nd minute, while the Ireland No 8 struggled on until the hour mark before being replaced by Jordi Murphy. Coach Joe Schmidt reported Heaslip to be ‘very uncomfortable’ after the final whistle of the 18-11 Ireland win and the Leinster player was not at the team dinner on Saturday night. Although known as a good healer – he was back in the side after a shoulder injury against France – Heaslip could miss the closing three games of the Six Nations, while Leinster’s European Champions Cup quarter-final at home to Bath at Easter may also be in doubt. Pape will likely face further sanction with a citing expected to be made in the coming days. Heaslip wasn’t the only Ireland player in the wars with Johnny Sexton finishing the match bloodied but unbowed after a bruising encounter. The Irish outhalf may have left the pitch in the second half with blood dripping from his eye but Sexton was out and about after the match, while Heaslip was confined to sick bay with a sore back. Sexton is now expected to head back to France for a league match with his club Racing Metro at the weekend “We knew Johnny was okay when he collided with (Mathieu) Bastareaud. He had to be sutured. He’s a few stitches and a shiner. If that shiner blows up a bit its difficult to judge distance,” said Schmidt. “The doctors did a HIA (Head Injury Assessment) on him. They knew he was lucid. He’s fine, just frustrated. He missed one kick to touch but kicked incredibly well from his hand, one fantastic kick down to the right-hand corner.” “The concern I have with Johnny is that he’s not going to give any quarter. He got Bastareaud’s elbow a couple of times. He’s a great competitor and that spreads across the team. It showed today in our defending even though we were under a lot of pressure. And Johnny is part of that.” Sexton’s match for his Parisian club, however, is something the outhalf is looking forward to. Although he has eight stitches in his eye and it is swollen and partially closed, he feels that he needs to have more game time in his legs. “I think Johnny is really happy to play,” added Schmidt. “He wants to get back in the saddle, get some more play before we meet England. The game against England is the next one and that’s what we are planning on. Wales and Scotland going head to head, one of those teams will come back into the competition with a win and that’s what makes this competition so tight.” Schmidt was pleased at having more of his core players back after Cian Healy came on and Seán O’Brien came though most of the match without incident, but he felt Ireland’s accuracy was sometimes wanting. “Seán trained really well all week and Cian did extras out on the pitch after the game,” said Schmidt. “It’s great to get those guys back because it means there is more internal pressure, which makes it more competitive in the squad and we can do with that “I think England are a well balanced team, well organised and well coached. I hope we can get a bit of that killer instinct. We are going to have to be better again and if we can be a fraction more accurate maybe we can get a couple more scores.”WWE News WWE NEWS: The Case of Daniel Bryan - Bret Hart & Bryan discuss not being in WM31 main event, is IC Title match a better spot? Mar 16, 2015 - 12:09:43 PM PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO BOOKMARK US & VISIT US DAILY By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart says he thinks Roman Reigns is ready for the top spot in WWE, but he does not think the audience is ready, which is why he believes Daniel Bryan should have been in the WrestleMania 31 main event opposite Brock Lesnar. "I think he is a really great talent and has a lot of potential," Hart said of Roman Reigns during an interview on Live Audio Wrestling. "I can see why they want to push him but I really think the hearts and minds of the wrestling fans are with Daniel Bryan. His workrate in the ring and what he gives through the match just means so much more to the wrestling fans than anything else." Hart echoed what many people believe is WWE missing out on a better story of Bryan's road to redemption making it back to the Mania main event spot. "I think Daniel Bryan was a great champion and had his run was cut short and I think fans wanted to see him get that moment that he deserves. Even though he won the title and WrestleMania last year was such a big thing for him, the fans want to see him get his proper chance and I think the WWE put a line through that and I think that's probably a mistake," Hart said. Bryan offered his own perspective to The Advertiser newspaper in Adelaide, Australia promoting Mania: "For a year, I had this vision of me wrestling Brock Lesnar in the main event for the WWE Championship. Bryan continued with a sales pitch for the Intercontinental Title ladder match: "Sometimes, when you don’t get what you want, you end up getting something better - like this ladder match. I think with the guys we have in that match and the excitement we can generate, we have a real chance of stealing the show." Bryan, sounding like he recognizes he will not be the top guy for WWE, followed up on his recent sales pitch to be the center star on Smackdown by saying the IC Title could be the centerpiece title on the Thursday show. "One of the things that frustrates me - both as a performer and as a person who thinks the current crop of Superstars is really, really good - is the way people don’t get opportunities. It's well known that the people who are perceived to be 'the bigger Superstars' don’t show up often on SmackDown, they mostly feature on on Raw," Bryan said. “One of the things I’d like to do, as a kind of near-main event guy, is to do things that provide opportunities for guys to really stand out (with the IC Title)." At the end of the day, Bryan says if he's not going to be a top star for WWE, then he at least wants to have a positive impact on the audience, such as Connor the Crusher, and be creatively fulfilled. "The real answer as to who I’m performing for is I’m performing for myself - I’m doing something that makes me happy," Bryan said. "That’s the honest answer to the question: within the spectrum I’m given to do something, I want to do something that I enjoy and that I would enjoy watching." [ LINKS: Hart's Interview on LAW HERE & Bryan's interview with journalist Sean Fewster in Australia HERE ] [Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com] CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE PW.NET HEADLINESFrom an exclusive report by David Shuster at Huffington Post: According to sources close to the criminal investigation of Bachmann's presidential campaign, the FBI has now been given sworn testimony and documents alleging Bachmann approved secret payments to Iowa state Senator Kent Sorenson in exchange for his help and support in that state's 2012 Presidential caucuses. Ethics rules explicitly prohibit Iowa lawmakers from accepting payments from Presidential campaigns or PACs. Investigation sources tell Take Action News the FBI is examining money laundering allegations against Bachmann, as well as possible wire fraud and mail fraud. As we detailed on my nationally syndicated radio and YouTube show Take Action News this past Saturday, the key claims against Bachmann are coming from two of her former campaign insiders -- former Congressional chief of staff Andy Parrish and former national field coordinator Pete Waldron. Waldron has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, alleging the payments to State Senator Sorenson were improper. Parrish has provided an affidavit to investigators, confirming Bachmann knew of and approved the payments.Rep. Paul Ryan believes that charitable organizations should be a guiding light for the federal government — the anti-thesis of a Washington bureaucracy that he says is bloated and ineffective. “It is their intimate knowledge of the people they serve — as well as their ability to take the long view — that makes these groups so successful. They are more effective than distant federal bureaucracies for a simple reason: They don’t just relieve the pain of poverty; they give people the means to get out of poverty,” the Wisconsin Republican said in his new plan, which highlights the work of nonprofits like Catholic Charities USA. But the kind of intensive case management that he’s proposed for every recipient of major federal benefits — ranging from food stamps and heating aid to housing vouchers and child-care assistance — isn’t cheap. Ryan hasn’t accounted for the costs and suggested Wednesday that charitable organizations, state, and local governments should help foot the bill. “The wrong way to look at this is, take just the federal money and then assume some cost for casework management,” Ryan said. “The point is to do this in conjunction with the private sector, the public sector, and the charitable sector. Leverage other dollars that are already out there, that are working at odds with the federal government.” He added: “You can combine dollars from the charitable sector, from other local governments, with federal funding streams to achieve the goals we’re trying to achieve here. “ In other words, in addition to streamlining 11 separate federal programs into a single grant to states, Ryan’s plan would also streamline revenue sources by combining federal, state, local, and nonprofit dollars to fund the new system. The problem is that the dollars outside of Washington are already being stretched thin, in both the public and nonprofit sector. In addition, the federal government has a long history of underestimating the cost of services rendered by nonprofits — and overestimating the amount that state and local governments will contribute to federal initiatives. While charitable organizations across the country are already strapped for resources as demand for social services has increased, the government has increasingly relied on the nonprofit sector to fill in the gap. “Governments are offloading their responsibilities, expecting nonprofits to fill the void,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, the country’s largest network of nonprofit groups. And it’s a mistake to think that any charity can just rely on volunteerism and good will to support its activities. “Churches and faith-based groups — it’s not through magic they perform miracles either. They have to have the wherewithal to get things done. The notion that any organization or any individual can do it on a sustainable basis without required basic resources, it just doesn’t fly in the face of reality,” said Delaney. In fact, nonprofits rely heavily on government grants and contracts to keep afloat in the first place. About 33% of all U.S. nonprofit revenue comes from the government, according to 2011 data from the Urban Institute. By comparison, private charitable giving made up only 13% of all revenue. (Most of the remainder comes from fees for private goods and services like tuition, ticket sales, hospital fees, etc.) Even Catholic Charities USA, which Ryan celebrates as an alternative to the federal bureaucracy, relies heavily on federal dollars: More than half of Catholic Charities USA’s annual funding comes from the federal government, Manhattan Institute senior fellow James Piereson writes in The Wall Street Journal,. That totaled $554 million in 2010. (Catholic Charities USA did not respond a request for comment.) Oftentimes, those dollars don’t cover the full cost of administering social services, furthering exhausting nonprofit resources. More than 50% of nonprofits said that government payments don’t cover the full cost of contracted services, particularly in terms of administrative and overhead costs, according to a 2013 national survey conducted by the Urban Institute. “They still don’t pay the full cost and expect us to deliver miracles,” says Delaney. State and local governments have also been strapped for resources, which could make it challenging for them to pony up additional funds for a large-scale poverty case management plan like Ryan’s. Though their fiscal health has slowly been improving, they suffered from massive revenue losses during the recession, prompting many to make draconian budget cuts. State and local governments cut more than 500,000 jobs during the recession, and it’s during economic downturns that anti-poverty measures are often needed the most. What’s more, Ryan’s plan could prompt state and local governments to use federal dollars to supplant their own spending, rather than redirect or increase it, argues Bob Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). “When you combine various federal funding streams into a block grant that states can use for a broad array of services, the practice on the part of many states is to use portion as a substitute for state and local dollars,” Greenstein said. Ryan’s plan would forbid states from using federal funds for other purposes. But there are other tactics that states could use: CBPP points to welfare reform as one instance where states have used funds “to substitute for (or ‘supplant’) existing state spending and thereby help plug holes in state budgets or free up funds for purposes unrelated to low-income families or children.” Ryan stressed that his plan doesn’t force states to adopt a case management system. But the concept is central to Ryan’s proposal — and falls in line with other conservative exhortations to let charitable groups and the states to take up the slack, taking the emphasis off the role of the federal government. And the money for services — no matter whether they’re coming from the public or nonprofit sector—still has to come from somewhere.By Michael Becker Elizabeth Warren, Senator Elizabeth Warren, you remember Fauxcahontas, right? When she went to the US Senate her number one priority was the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau because she was sure that consumers were being ripped off by banks and we needed an enormous federal agency to protect us from bank fees. We’re not here today to debate that point, although we’re sure you’ve probably guessed we’d be happy to use the buildings housing the Bureau for artillery practice between 10am and 4pm on any given weekday. It seems the CFPB is going to protect us pretty much like the NSA protects us. By monitoring our every move. Yep, you read that right. As many as 227 million Americans may be compelled to disclose intimate details of their families and financial lives — including their Social Security numbers — in a new national database being assembled by two federal agencies. The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau posted an April 16 Federal Register notice of an expansion of their joint National Mortgage Database Program to include personally identifiable information that reveals actual users, a reversal of previously stated policy. […] The mortgage database is unprecedented and would collect personal mortgage information on every single-family residential first lien loan issued since 1998. Federal officials will continue updating the database into the indefinite future. 95% of all mortgages will be monitored. 95%. So, if you own your home, you’re now in a new federal database along with all of your financial information from your credit report. Your name, address, social security number, your entire credit history, all just sitting there waiting for the federal bureaucracy to decide they need your financial information for some reason or another. We can guarantee you the “reason” will be a convoluted interpretation of an obscure section of a federal law. Just like the rationale for this. The rationale for creating a database with personally identifiable information for 227 million Americans is a report to Congress. We smell a rat. It seems a panel from the House Financial Services Committee questioned Cordray about the database. Earlier this year, Cordray tried to assuage concerned lawmakers during a Jan. 28 hearing of Hensarling’s panel, saying repeatedly the database will only contain “aggregate” information with no personal identifiers. In January, the database was to contain aggregate information with no personal identifiers and in May it’s a comprehensive database with personal identifiers and the entire financial history of nearly every mortgage holder in the US. We’re going out on a limb and we’re going to accuse Cordray of lying to the committee. A database doesn’t grow in scope like that in less than four months. Then there’s the issue of aggregate information including not just your financial history (ALL of it), but this. The two agencies will also assemble “household demographic data,” including racial and ethnic data, gender, marital status, religion, education, employment history, military status, household composition, the number of wage earners and a family’s total wealth and assets. We wonder why a federal agency would want that information. The conspiracy theorist who lives in our left ear keeps whispering all sorts of ideas, we won’t repeat them, except to note that the terms “Eric Holder,” “Department of Justice,” and “disparate impact” keep coming up. There are questions about what Congress actually asked for in the report, and there is an open question about whether Congress authorized the agencies involved to create the database in the first place. We also know that the Executive Branch will ignore and stonewall those concerns and do whatever they want to do by executive decree and that Congress is essentially powerless to stop them. We’re not going to address the very real concerns about the lack of cyber security with government systems, you can read the linked article about that, and it’s a very real concern. We’ll leave you with this little gem, from a May 1 report from the White House – that would be the Obama administration – on federal databases. They issued a warning we’re going to agree with (just to prove that deep in our hard, cold, heart we’re bipartisan and not at all racist). A May 1 White House report on cybersecurity of federal databases also recently warned, “if unchecked, big data could be a tool that substantially expands government power over citizens.” Yep. Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Delivered by The Daily Sheeple We encourage you to share and republish our reports, analyses, breaking news and videos (Click for details). Contributed by Joe Wurzelbacher of Joe For America.A long-vacant auto body shop on East Colfax Avenue between Madison and Monroe streets is set to become a new brewery, restaurant and pie shop. The Galaxie project will remodel and renovate the former Galaxie Auto Body shop in the 3500 block of East Colfax and bring in three tenants: Cerebral Brewing Company, Humble Pie and Chow Down restaurant and bar. “I think it’ll be an asset to the community,” said Sean Mandel with Rosen Properties. Mandel owns most of the properties along Colfax between Monroe Street and Colorado Boulevard, excluding the Conoco gas station and National Jewish Health. In the past few years he’s helped bring in Sprouts Farmer’s Market and Chick Fil-A to the area, as well as other businesses. He said he’s glad to be able to keep the building in this case. “I’m proud of our rebuilds, but it’s a good opportunity to keep the building,” he said. The brewery
had some hope. The time had come for Qatar to receive the same critical treatment so often dished out to the West. Of course, I wasn’t too surprised to discover that the editorial was little more than a paean to the humane, just, and amazing foreign policy of Qatar. At that point, I decided that I had had enough with the hypocritical, selective progressivism of Al Jazeera’s editorial page. Therefore, I left an initial comment poking holes in the absurdity of the usual disclaimer that the views of editorial writers do not reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy: “Oh really? I must say, I am shocked that a paean to Qatar would appear in no less than Al Jazeera, which conveniently happens to be owned by the ruling family of Qatar. I guess Al Jazeera’s leftist editorials that consistently pathologize and critique Western societies are consistent with the progressive values of Qatar, bastion of human and workers’ rights that it is. What a joke.” Indeed, I find it highly laughable that the rulers of Qatar who fund Al Jazeera genuinely embrace universalist progressive values. I’m also fairly certain that they wouldn’t tolerate having the Arab Muslim character of Qatar pathologized or deconstructed in anti-Western fashion. One of the commenters even suggested that the U.S. should undermine Qatar from within in a similar manner to Al Jazeera’s ideological critiques of America. Here’s what I had to say in response: “It would be like if wealthy conservative Christians in the U.S. funded a publication that consistently ran editorials by far-left Arabs and others that critiqued and deconstructed Arab culture, Islam, and unrelentingly criticized various Gulf Arab monarchies. Something tells me that that the intrepid seekers of truth at Al Jazeera would not be too amused.” Just like many Jewish activists, the Arabs in charge of Al Jazeera only embrace left-wing thought when it serves their own interests, and primarily deploy progressivism as an ideological tool against the white West. While they embrace editorials from a variety of leftists that offer strong critiques of white Western culture, they exempt their own society and culture from such scathing criticism. Such hypocrisy from Arab Muslim nationalists, moderate or otherwise, is not the sole domain of Al Jazeera. In his excellent book From Plato to Nato, David Gress perfectly describes the duplicity of Islamic revivalists and reformists, which is essentially similar to Al Jazeera‘s: “The revivalists emphatically rejected “modernism” as applied to Islam, but for the same reasons they welcomed postmodernism in a particular sense. Islamic revivalists wanted Western postmodernism if it weakened the West, made Westerners feel insecure and guilty, and made it easier to enforce claims for political and economic concessions on the West. They absolutely did not want postmodernism if it meant that they themselves should question their own morality, their own Grand Narratives, and their own forms of knowledge. Postmodernism was fine, in their view, if it helped to undermine a Western culture that was anyway, in their opinion, immoral and heretical; as a general attitude of skepticism and epistemological doubt applied to any system of universal belief and morals, it was not…The Islamic revivalist insisted that the West be relativist but that his own religious knowledge remain exempt from postmodern deconstruction.” -Pages 533-534 In Dr. Jamal Abdullah’s editorial, there does indeed seem to be a significant dearth of skepticism and epistemological doubt as applied to Qatar. While he acts as a professional cheerleader for his home team, I wouldn’t be surprised if he later wrote an editorial denouncing Western cultural imperialism, Islamophobia, and various other real or imagined Western sins. As I pointed out in my last post, I sincerely believe that it is only whites who are foolish enough to embrace leftist beliefs. The Arabs of Qatar, like virtually all non-Western peoples, embrace nationalism and some measure of chauvinism. They would never embrace progressivism if it meant compromising the various comforts and advantages they enjoy within Qatar. Therefore, don’t expect any editorials denouncing “Gulf Arab privilege” to appear in Al Jazeera anytime soon. Given the platform enjoyed by Al Jazeera and the millions of people that their writing and broadcasts reach, I deem it necessary to expose their hypocrisy and warn my fellow white people not to be fooled by their progressive posturing. The time has at last come to deconstruct these professional deconstructors.A few weekends ago, if one had the misfortune of timing it so, it was possible to be reading a front-page story on how Nigel Farage feared for his life while listening to him on his two-hour weekly LBC radio show as he spoke about how he feared for his life, and watching a TV news bulletin reporting on how Nigel Farage feared for his life. It is sinister how ever-present Farage has become in the public domain. His constant appearances are uncorrelated to incident or relevance. Impervious to plane crashes, seven failed attempts at election to parliament, and even his own resignations, Farage bellows from every medium about how Britain is intolerant of his views and how he receives so little airtime compared with mainstream politicians who are constantly muzzling him and muscling him off his podium. And then there are his appearances on Question Time. Over the past decade, Farage has appeared on the show 31 times, placing him just out of its top 10 most frequent guests. His most recent appearance only last week was a testament to how Farage is now television’s default resident troll. The EU referendum is concluded, his party has elected a new leader, and his MEP role, never one he took that seriously in the first place, is now reduced to trolling Brussels with British flag gimmicks, metaphorically sticking two fingers up to the parliament, and securing about £85,000 a year for the privilege. In his grand capacity as ex-Ukip leader and current MEP, Farage appeared on Question Time under a new guise, Trumpsplainer to the British. Just when we thought Farage had reached the end of the line, Donald Trump gets elected and Nigel, as the panel of relevance swings shut, wedges his foot behind the door and forces it wide open, basking in the golden light of the Trump Tower lift. Opportunism abhors a vacuum and Farage will fill it. And the media will not only indulge him, they will confect and contort to position him in the spotlight. From the BBC to LBC, the future is Farage for ever, irrespective of his achievements or tangible relation to events. Farage’s inevitability is now as wearying as the excuses by those who give him a platform. His views need to be challenged; we need “balance”; he represents six million people who voted with legitimate concerns about immigration. And there’s also freedom of speech, as if Farage were some political dissident who dare not speak out for fear of imprisonment and torture. These justifications are now wearing thin under the footsteps of Farage stomping in and out of interviews. I am hoping that, one day, someone will give up the pretence, simply sigh and admit: “He’s just really good value.” And that he is. He has utility. He is accused of being racist without being an ethnic-cleansing eugenicist; he is belligerent and provocative without being particularly bad-tempered. He is a bigot whose edges are softened by his buffoonery and golf-club-bore bluster. If life were a comic, Farage would be the enthusiastic but inept right-hand man to the actual villain, never the main man. The mainstream’s tolerance of him is because his prejudice is leavened with an air of incompetence and lack of polish. Remember when Nick Griffin made his debut on Question Time? (And also, nostalgically, how scandalised we all were at the time, before fascism was a street style.) It didn’t quite work. He was too grotesque, too untelegenic, his views so unpalatable that he was banished, never to be seen again. He failed the dinner-party test. These people are not “controversial”; they are not “enlivening the debate”. They are people who have made extreme views mainstream, views that have contributed to the toxicity of public discourse. The false equivalence of the Farages of this world has inflicted a mortal wound on the concept of a public debate. They are the progenitors of Milo Yiannopoulos and Tomi Lahren. The point is now not to further public understanding of an issue by contrasting two different opinions that are still in the same dimension, but to inspire hate-watching, listening and reading. Since Brexit and the election of Trump, journalists have been trying to trace the origin of fake news, trying to figure out how we got here. But it is not the Breitbarts or Facebook feeds of the world that got us here. It is the respectable channels that have provided a platform and dictated the terms, all the while polishing a gloss of respectability over the lies, cants and manipulations of Farage and his ilk. Next time you see him on TV or hear him on the radio, don’t roll your eyes and switch the channel. Understand that, in the UK, Farage is the godfather of falsity and bigotry – and that the media appointed him.My oldest daughter Jessica send me a message last night “what’s going on with Ethereum?”. I told her it was a selloff. I said that people who had made a ton of money in the run up over the last six months were taking profits and I thought it could go on for a while. She said she was going to buy some more. I told her that was fine, but if I was going to buy, I would buy a little bit every week and not a whole bunch right now. As I have said on this blog so many times, I am a fan of dollar cost averaging and building a position over time, sometimes a long time. I have been buying Bitcoin since early 2013 and Ethereum since last year. I keep buying but never that much at one time. Just a little bit every week. You can build a pretty big position that way, but you have to be patient and you have to keep at it. Doing it that way takes a lot of the ups and downs out of the equation. I don’t try to time market bottoms and market tops, even though I can sense when they are happening. I don’t try to predict where these assets are going in the near term and I just believe they will be a lot more valuable in five or ten years than they are now. That’s good enough for me. The other thing I believe in is asset allocation. I’ve told a lot of young people, including my children, that having 10-20% of your net worth in crypto might make sense. But not 100%. The category is too volatile and you could lose a lot if you aren’t careful. Having a reasonable asset allocation across all asset categories; cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, venture capital, crypto, etc is what I recommend and what we do. It might not be as exciting but it lets you sleep at night. So, my gut says we are headed for a selloff in the crypto sector. But of course, I could be wrong about that. I am wrong a lot. But honestly, I don’t really care. I will keep buying into this correction or rally, whatever it turns out to be. Because the more important question is where these assets will be in five or ten years. And I have a lot more conviction about that one.Illinois dismissed junior guard Kendrick Nunn from the basketball team Tuesday after his guilty plea last week to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a domestic-violence arrest. "We have not reached this decision easily," athletic director Josh Whitman and coach John Groce said in a joint statement. "We care deeply about Kendrick and want him to be successful. But after extensive deliberation, we think it best for our program to reaffirm our core values of trust and respect, to send a strong message about what is acceptable behavior for our student-athletes... and to part ways with Kendrick." Nunn pleaded guilty Wednesday to the battery charge after being accused in March of hitting a woman in the head, pushing her to the ground and pouring water on her. Two counts of domestic battery were dropped as part of the plea deal. "As it is on college campuses across the country, relationship violence is of significant concern at our university, and we expect Fighting Illini student-athletes to be leaders in promoting healthy, respectful, caring relationships," the joint statement from Whitman and Groce said. "We wish Kendrick all the best as he prepares for the next chapter of his life." Nunn will avoid a conviction on his record if he completes 100 hours of public service, enrolls in a partner abuse prevention program and writes a letter of apology to the victim while under 18 months of court supervision. Nunn was one of three Illinois basketball players arrested since February and charged with violent offenses. Junior guard Jaylon Tate was reinstated to the team last week after prosecutors dropped a domestic-battery charge from a March arrest. Sophomore forward Leron Black will have to sit out the first four games of the 2016-17 season after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor aggravated assault for pulling a knife on a nightclub bouncer in February. Nunn, who played on four consecutive IHSA state championship teams at Simeon, played in 96 games during his three seasons with the Illini, averaging 10.6 points. He was second on the team in scoring and rebounding last season with 15.5 points and five rebounds per game. [email protected] Twitter @sryantribuneThe yet to be revealed HTC Butterfly 2 leaked out in a number of press images on Twitter. The high-end Android smartphone is a version of the Japan-only, latest generation HTC J Butterfly, made for Asia-Pacific markets. The alleged images confirm that the upcoming device will have the same design as the HTC J Butterfly. It looks like it will be offered in the same white, red, and blue color schemes too. Furthermore, the leaked press photos reveal that the HTC Butterfly 2 will sport IP57 dust and water resistance certification. Dual stereo speakers with JBL LiveStage will also be on board. HTC Butterfly 2 (click to enlarge) We can reasonably expect that HTC Butterfly 2 will have the exact same specs as the J Butterfly. They include 5-inch, 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 SoC, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with microSD card slot, 13MP main camera with dual-sensor setup, 5 megapixel front-facing camera, LTE and Android 4.4 KitKat. SourceLife isn’t always timed perfectly. The kids’ spring break falls two weeks before you run your first half-marathon—how are you going to survive five days of Universal Studios, hamburgers and late nights without losing ground? Or maybe your college buddies have a camping trip planned to southern Utah, but you know there’s no way you can stick to your diet and exercise regimen if you join them. Don’t fret. Exercise and running, whether it’s competitive or simply for your own satisfaction and personal fulfillment, should make our lives more enjoyable. That means that it shouldn’t also require us to skip a vacation—the most enjoyable weeks of our year! I trained for a 200-mile relay race on dusty roads in Uganda, and I’ve skied for days straight just before breaking a personal mileage record. It’s all about balance and attitude. If you’re in the midst of a training plan but about to go on vacation, here’s how to stay on track while having the time of your life: 1. Cross Train When training for a race or endurance run, it is possible to run too much! Sometimes, a vacation can be just the reminder you needed to cross train. If you’re on that family trip to Orlando, for example, you might not feel like running five miles on the treadmill after walking around a theme park all day. But when the kids go to the pool in the evening, it could be the perfect opportunity to swim laps or try out the fancy new rowing machine in the gym at your hotel. Pro Tip: Pack a travel-size foam roller in your bag and use it for stretching and core strengthening exercises before the kids wake up in the morning. 2. Vary Your Workouts If you’re getting up at sunrise to go snorkeling—or simply want to spend every waking hour with your family—there simply may not be time on your vacation to take off for an hour-and-a-half jog. Here’s your chance to focus on strength training. Megan Bonomini, a health and fitness specialist at the Charleston Kettlebell Club in Charleston, S.C., points out that any exercise can be modified for strength versus endurance training. “If you put a rowing machine on an easy setting and row for 30 minutes, you’re building endurance,” she explains. “But put it on a hard setting for 30 seconds and then back off for two minutes, and you’re doing more high intensity interval training. Put it on the hardest setting you can handle for 10 seconds and then stop for a minute, and you’re doing strength training. You can take any exercise and change the variables to make it a power exercise, including running.” 3. Find Ways to Push Yourself Just as exercises can be adapted, leisure activities like wakeboarding, surfing and skiing can be done at an easy or intense level, or anywhere in between. On a ski trip, for example, you probably don’t want to risk hurting yourself (especially before a running event) by pushing the limits of your ability. But you can take a day to cross-country ski, or find opportunities to exert yourself. On a recent vacation to Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, I found myself soaked in sweat not by the downhill skiing, but by the “Lemming Line” hike up to North Bowl. To access the best skiing, you have to be willing to walk from the top of the lift up and around the mountain. The effort is rewarded with breathtaking views, expansive bowls and powder stashes of perfect snow, with the added benefit of working muscles that might otherwise be overlooked on vacation. 4. Stay On the Wagon The toughest part of keeping up a training regimen while on vacation may be that although you can participate in the nightlife and eat out, you can’t over-indulge. But who wants to be even the slightest bit hungover when there is so much fun to have during the day, or fighting an upset stomach over too many “Lard Lad” donuts at Universal Studios? Limit your drinking and your junk food to keep your body and mind healthy and on track for success. 5. Keep Tracking Your Activity Just because you’re not cutting new 10-mile figure-eights around your city doesn’t mean there’s not a place for activity tracking on vacation. I kept RunKeeper on in my pocket while skiing at Revelstoke and loved seeing how many miles I could cover in a day, or exploring just how vast and far apart the varied runs are. I’ve got Bluetooth speakers in my helmet updating me as I go, while tunes keep me motivated when I’m traversing a long flat stretch or hiking up to a drop in. Although traveling 20 downhill miles on skis isn’t nearly the equivalent of running half-that-far, it’s fun to monitor your distance and altitude, and there’s a certain satisfaction in non-motorized, non-wheeled five-minute miles, however it is you accomplish them! Whether it’s a Runkeeper app on his iPhone or his favorite Bluetooth headphones, Stratton Lawrence writes for eBay about ways he uses electronics to enhance his adventures.Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says animals taste better when you’ve hunted them yourself. Zuckerberg revealed his love for hunting and showed off his grilling prowess in a Facebook Live video ahead of the presidential debate on Sunday night. The billionaire told his viewers he was smoking a brisket and some ribs for friends who were coming over to watch the debate with him. Sat in his Palo Alto backyard in front of a Big Green Egg cooker he called ‘The General’ and another grill, he interacted with his audience for just over half an hour. Scroll down for video Mark Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla and baby daughter Max made a cameo in the Facebook live video on Sunday, in which he said animals taste better when you've hunted them yourself In a video that has amassed almost 10 million views, he said he prefers to eat animals he has killed. He believes that if you’re going to eat meat, you should know its origins. ‘Things taste better when you make them yourself,' he said. 'And they taste doubly better when you’ve hunted the animal yourself.’ Zuckerberg said he has been hunting for around four or five years, saying it's a 'good way to feel connected to nature.' The Facebook found live streamed for 30 minutes from his Palo Alto backyard on Sunday ‘I feel like if you’re going to eat meat, then you should be a part of getting, you should get to know where it comes from and all that.' He added: 'It's pretty fun, that's why so many people enjoy it.' Zuckerberg's wife Priscilla and baby daughter Max made a cameo in the video later on before friends help him take the meat out of the cooker. In 2011, Zuckerberg revealed he had set himself a personal mission to eat only what he killed. He reportedly learned how to hunt with the aim of killing and eating a bison. He told Fortune magazine he aimed to kill and eat a bison after slaughtering a pig, goat and chicken. He spoke about smoking a brisket and some ribs to enjoy with family and friends while watching the presidential debate In Sunday's video, Zuckerberg also spent time answering questions from fans watching from around the world. In answer to one viewer’s question about what is new at the social network, he promoted Facebook the live streaming feature he was using for the video. ‘One of the new things that’s fun is Live,’ he said. ‘It’s been a new thing this year. A lot of people are using it from public figures or newscasters to get stuff out into the world.New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was reticent about the Democratic National Committee’s proposal to revoke White House adviserJared Kushner’s security clearance during a 28 May 2017 appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. The proposal came in response to reports that Kushner, who is also Trump’s son-in-law, had sought to open an unofficial “back channel” for communications with the Russian government. Booker’s lack of support for removing Kushner’s security clearance has prompted some commentators to draw a link to Kushner’s past donations to the New Jersey Senator’s political campaigns. For example, the day after his appearance on State of the Union, the International Business Times (IBT) printed Booker’s remarks about Kushner side by side with details about Kushner’s past donations: New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker — a potential 2020 White House contender and recipient of major campaign contributions from Jared Kushner and others in the Kushner family — declined to endorse his party’s call for the White House to revoke the security clearance of the president’s son-in-law. Later that day, the Democratize US web site ran with IBT’s report claiming that Booker “came to Kushner’s defense” on CNN, and adding that “progressives are livid.” The web site AlterNet republished IBT’s article with the headline “Democrat Cory Booker Defends Jared Kushner — After Receiving Loads of Campaign Cash.” First, here is exactly what Cory Booker said on CNN: Booker’s Stance on Kushner Host Dana Bash asked the Senator: “Are you with the DNC in wanting Jared’s security clearance to be suspended?” At first, Booker did not directly answer that question: Well I think this should really raise a lot of concern and I think the media around this is not overblown, in the sense that you have Republicans and Democrats coming out and saying “Hey, wait a minute, that’s very problematic.” And so we need to get to the bottom of what was going on, there needs to be an investigation, there needs to be an answering of the obvious questions that are arising. But again, to me, what’s worrying me are the patterns we’re seeing. So one is this administration’s not talking about our values, cozying up to authoritarian leaders, and the other pattern we have is just this continuous drumbeat of inappropriate contacts with the Russians. When Bash pressed him, Booker replied: Well, again, I think we need to first get to the bottom of it and he needs to answer for what was happening at the time. It raises very serious concerns for me. That [the removal of Kushner’s security clearance] could be a potential outcome that I seek, but I want to understand — at least hear from — Jared Kushner, as well as the administration, about what was exactly going on there. So Booker did not overtly oppose the removal of Kushner’s security clearance, but he did not support it either. In essence, he expressed a preference for an investigation, including the questioning of Kushner, but left open the possibility that he might subsequently support the removal of his security clearance. While these remarks fell short of the DNC’s explicit call for Kushner to be fired and have his security clearance revoked, they were roughly similar to those made by other leading Democrats. On 28 May 2017, Senator Dick Durbin declined to comment at all when asked about the allegations surrounding Jared Kushner, and the question of his keeping his security clearance, on Fox News Sunday. The following day, Representative Adam Schiff — the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee — appeared on ABC’s This Week and supported a “review” of Kushner’s clearance, but not its immediate removal, although he did say he would support revoking it if Kushner was found to have been untruthful. The day after that, Senator Al Franken appeared on CBS This Morning and also stopped short of supporting the proposal. Now for a look at Jared Kushner’s past contributions to Booker’s political campaigns. Donations Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Kushner gave $10,400 to Booker’s 2013 US Senate campaign, and $10,000 to the Booker Senate Victory committee, in 2014. Members of his immediate family also donated to Booker’s 2013 Senate campaign: Jared’s wife Ivanka Trump, mother Seryl Kushner, and sisters Dara Kushner Orbach and Nicole Kushner Meyer gave Booker $10,400 each; Jared’s brother Joshua donated $5,200 and a further $10,000 in 2014. Ivanka Trump also contributed $10,000 to the Booker Senate Victory committee in 2014. In 2009, Jared, Seryl, Joshua, Dara and Nicole contributed $20,000 each to Cory Booker’s Newark Mayor re-election campaign, according to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission records. As for whether the two have a personal relationship: Cory Booker attended the wedding of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in 2009, according to the New York Post. Ivanka Trump hosted a fundraiser for Cory Booker in 2013, according to Politico. Conclusion Jared Kushner has personally donated a total of $40,400 to Cory Booker, and members of his immediate family have contributed a further $166,800. The Kushner family and Ivanka Trump have long records of contributing tens of thousands of dollars to many political candidates, mostly Democrats, over the years. Their donations to Booker were far from unique or unusual, but rather part of a pattern of campaign contributions to New Jersey and New York politicians. Secondly, Cory Booker famously received $7 million in donations for his 2010 Newark Mayor re-election campaign, and the FEC website lists 17,758 separate individual donations to his 2013 US Senate campaign. However, even before Donald Trump’s election as President, the Kushner family and Ivanka Trump had a prominence and influence in New York and New Jersey business and politics beyond what is reflected in their donations to Booker. Does this mean Booker’s comments on CNN on 28 May were influenced by past donations from the Kushner family, and his connections to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump? It’s unclear. The Kushners have been prolific donors to many political candidates over the years, and Booker has received millions of dollars from thousands of contributors during his political career. And finally, what Booker actually said on CNN shouldn’t be exaggerated. He didn’t “defend” Kushner, as some commentators have claimed. The Senator said Kushner should “answer for what was happening at the time”, and called for an investigation, saying the reports of Kushner’s secret communications with Russia were “not overblown” and raise “very serious concerns.” However, these two separate facts are both accurate: First, Cory Booker has in the past received campaign donations from Jared Kushner and his family; second, while the DNC called for Kushner’s security clearance to be revoked, Booker — like other leading Democrats — declined to go that far.-- Brendan Fischer and Mary Bottari A majority of the Senate voted to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour recently, yet the bill failed to clear the 60 vote hurdle necessary for passage -- thanks in no small part to the political power of the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant industry's trade association. For years, the "Other NRA" has flexed its political muscle to keep wages low and to freeze the tipped minimum wage at just $2.13 per hour. Plus, thanks to non-stop NRA lobbying, the House last month passed a bill changing the threshold for employer-provided coverage under the Affordable Care Act to deny healthcare to employees who work 30 hours per week. This is thanks in no small part to the Other NRA’s super-sized political giving. According to an analysis by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROCUnited), the $683 billion industry's trade association itself has poured $12.6 million directly into federal politicians' campaign coffers since 1989. NRA member organizations have chipped-in around $51 million more: McDonald's, for example, has given $5.8 million to federal politicians, Darden (parent company of Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Capitol Grille) $5.6 million, and Wendy's $2.3 million. The biggest spender is NRA member Walt Disney; the creator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck disclosed $14.1 million in contributions since 1989. The NRA has also spent millions on the state level. It has worked with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to quash local efforts to enact paid sick leave ordinances -- in Oklahoma, for example, the state NRA affiliate worked with Governor Mary Fallin (an ALEC alum) to crush both paid sick leave ordinances and minimum wage ordinances in one fell swoop. Notably, as the restaurant industry pours tens of millions into politics and fights to keep wages low, it has seen five solid years of record-breaking profits and growth: the industry is expected to increase its profits by $24 billion in 2014, and hit $683 billion in sales. Super-Sized Political Giving For decades, the NRA's political spending has bought it mountains of influence. In the 1990s, it served up enough campaign contributions to persuade Congress to set the minimum wage for tipped workers at just $2.13 an hour. This archaic provision means that big restaurant chains have managed to shift responsibility for paying their workers onto us, the consumers. That's not the only avenue through which the NRA's political spending leads to a public dunning. Thanks to an abysmally low minimum wage for tipped workers at restaurants like Olive Garden and non-tipped workers at McDonald's and Wendy's, nearly 60 percent of the $600 billion restaurant industry's employees are low-wage workers -- meaning they are twice as likely to be on public assistance as the rest of the population. The National Employment Law Project estimates that the public assistance provided to fast-food workers costs taxpayers at least $3.8 billion a year. Taxpayers fund McDonald’s employees to the tune of $1.2 billion a year in public assistance. The majority of restaurant workers are adult women, many with kids to support. While moms and kids are struggling, restaurant CEOs are enjoying eye-popping salaries subsidized by the taxpayers. According to a report from the Institute for Policy Studies, big restaurants have exploited a tax loophole to write off more than $200 million in executive “performance pay” over just the past two years. In other words, we as consumers are not only stuck with paying restaurant workers' wages, but we as taxpayers are stuck subsidizing the industry's profits with public assistance programs for their underpaid employees and corporate welfare for their overpaid CEOs. A Side of Revolving-Door Lobbying and a Dash of Front Groups The NRA's political giving is served with a side of influence-peddling. Between 2008 and 2013, the NRA more than doubled its count of registered lobbyists, from 15 to 37. At least 27 of the NRA's lobbyists have come through the "revolving door," meaning they jumped from Congressional jobs to lobbying gigs, and then play off their contacts inside the government to advance the restaurant industry's interests. What's more, the NRA's top member companies -- Darden, YUM! Brands (parent of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut), Walt Disney, McDonald’s, Marriott, Sodexo, Aramark, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola -- added another 127 registered lobbyists last year. That’s a lot of lobbying power. In addition to its own paid lobbyists, the industry employs a crew of surrogates to do its dirty work in the public sphere. Salon just reported that the NRA is meticulously tracking the activities of fast food worker advocates and worker advocacy organizations. Salon reports that the Other NRA approved an “additional” $600K to attack ROCUnited. The Other NRA also appears to back groups like ROCexposed.org (a front group linked to notorious astroturf flak Richard Berman), as well as prominent economists like Douglas Holtz-Eakin who push anti-minimum wage rhetoric. Another example of restaurant industry astroturf is the Employment Policies Institute, which poses as a "think tank" and commissions reports and runs ads and op-eds opposing minimum wage hikes. But EPI is run out of the offices of Berman & Co., Berman’s PR firm, which represents the restaurant industry -- although over 80 percent of journalists fail to disclose those ties. Other Berman projects also advance the restaurant industry's agenda: front groups like the "Center for Consumer Freedom" have fought for years against indoor smoking bans and nutrition labeling requirements, which the industry has long opposed. NRA "Made a Huge Difference" In Blocking State Minimum Wage Increases And that's just on the federal level. The NRA and its state chapters have given millions more to state and local candidates, and spent countless millions more on state-level lobbying. And in recent years, the NRA has been at the forefront of the push back against state and municipal efforts to enact their own minimum wage increases and paid sick day requirements. Last June, the NRA boasted that its state chapters "made a huge difference" and "played an active role" in blocking higher wage laws in over a dozen states. And, it has been the biggest opponent of paid sick day laws in states across the country -- it has even pushed a bill at ALEC to prohibit local governments from requiring employers provide paid sick days to their workers, which has since spread across the country. Most recently, the Oklahoma NRA affiliate helped push SB 1023 to crush local efforts to guarantee a fair wage and paid sick days in that state; it was signed into law in April by Governor Mary Fallin, an ALEC alumni who gave the keynote at ALEC’s spring meeting last year. Despite broad popular support for an increase in the minimum wage among both Democrats and Republicans, the Other NRA has managed to stick a fork in the measure in the U.S. Senate for now. Stay tuned, however. Advocates are planning more street heat this summer and during the fall election cycle to convince Congress that America needs a raise. ----- Tell Congress you can't stomach what the NRA is dishing out. Click here to take action!A road-rage driver was nailed by his own dashcam footage after he went to war with a cyclist on a narrow country road. The rural tranquillity of Dacre Banks, near Harrogate, was shattered when 54-year-old farmer Raymond Goodsell overtook a group of cyclists in his Cherokee Jeep on the B6451 near Darley. York Crown Court heard that Goodsell had honked his horn as he approached the cyclists from behind, to warn them that he was about to overtake on the narrow road. Prosecutor Richard Holland said the cyclists, who were riding two abreast and some of whom were straddling the middle of the tight road, felt that Goodsell had got too close to them and one of them “took umbrage”, breaking from the pack and chasing the Jeep. A video camera on Goodsell’s dashboard captured the moment the cyclist caught up with the Jeep when it stopped at a give-way line, prompting a furious, foul-mouthed row between the two men. Goodsell shouted “Do you want some?” as he put his hand on a large machete on the passenger seat, but didn’t pick it up or brandish it. Mr Holland said the Crown accepted that Goodsell had the 18-inch serrated Garza knife for work purposes. The farmer claimed he had put his hand on the knife because there were some pies on or next to the huge blade and he was trying to stop them falling off the seat. Following a ferocious exchange with the cyclist, Goodsell drove off, swearing and muttering to himself. He was arrested six hours later when police found the knife in his Jeep. The father-of-three, of New Street, Idle, near Bradford, was charged with a public-order offence and having an offensive weapon, but denied the allegations. He appeared for what was due to be a trial at the Crown Court on Monday, but admitted the public-order offence before a jury was sworn in. The charge of having a knife was dropped by the prosecution after it was agreed that Goodwell did not pick it up or wield it, and had it for legitimate reasons. The Crown agreed that Goodsell, a sometime gamekeeper, had overtaken correctly and was driving at a “sensible speed” before the fiery verbal exchange with the cyclist on the afternoon of November 19 last year, during which the cyclist allegedly lashed out at the Jeep’s wing mirror. Mr Holland said although Goodsell had not brandished the knife, “The Crown says it was certainly very frightening (for the cyclist)”, who must have seen the “frightening-looking” blade. The court heard that Goodsell, a father-of-three, had a previous conviction for causing bodily harm by furious driving in 1994. Defence barrister Taryn Turner said Goodsell’s behaviour during the row with the cyclist was “unpleasant” but claimed her client had reacted after the cyclist was aggressive to him. Goodsell had handed police the dashcam footage “to prove his point”. Judge Paul Worlsey QC told Goodsell: “Your behaviour was not forgivable. Your reaction (to the cyclist) was a very unattractive one and it’s (reactions) like that which can lead to violence.” Goodsell was ordered to carry out 120 hours’ unpaid work and pay £250 costs. Mr Worsley QC entered a formal not-guilty verdict on the knife charge.
sure "affiliated" is the right word....) with a personality who regularly engages in what many would consider hate speech. It appears so. I asked if he was familiar with Beck. Yes,he is. I asked if he'd like me to read from the facebook page Restore Honor: At the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial - he declined. I told him that was what his charity would be associating with. His reply: "It will attract lots of different people" He said we need to write letters ("They will all be read" to the "higher powers" that make the decisions. angelajean has them posted in the diary - the president and CEO of the charity. They do not mind being associated with hate monger Glenn Beck. They do not mind letting Beck use their good name to wrap himself in the American flag and bask in the reflected glow of the heroism of others. Truly, I am disgusted now. They are doing this with their eys wide open it seems. I am horrified. PLEASE KEEP CALLING AND SENDING EMAILS - We are making a difference!Maycon Fez um golaço de falta, como o corintiano não via há mais de 20 meses. Com a bola no chão, mostrou a disposição de sempre para a marcação e conseguiu ajudar na saída de bola. No segundo tempo, deixou a função de segundo volante para meia ponta aberto pelo lado. Vai se consolidando na equipe titular. Nota: 7 Pedrinho Mostrou personalidade em seu primeiro jogo como titular. Deu duas bonitas enfiadas no jogo, uma para Léo Príncipe e outra para Jô. Destacou-se no um contra um, dando drible desconcertante em Thallyson. Saiu de campo ovacionado. Nota: 7 Léo Príncipe Substituto de Fagner, apareceu pouco no apoio e foi mal no lance do gol de empate, não conseguindo cortar um passe de Luan e permitindo o gol de empate. Nota: 4,5 Timão vacila e cede empate ao RB Brasil Veja as notas dos jogadores do Timão: Cássio [GOL]: 6 Léo Príncipe [LAD]: 4,5 Pedro Henrique [ZAG]: 5,5 Pablo [ZAG]: 6 Guilherme Arana [LAE]: 6 Gabriel [VOL]: 6 Maycon [VOL]: 7 (Marciel [MEC]): sem nota Pedrinho [MEC]: 7 (Guilherme [MEC]): sem nota Rodriguinho [MEC]: 5,5 Léo Jabá [MEC]: 4,5 (Fellipe Bastos [VOL]): 6 Jô [ATA]: 5,5When Sen. Ted Cruz took questions at a campaign town hall in Huntsville, Ala., on his bus tour of SEC country last week, a boy scout from the area raised his hand. But the Texas Republican called for the last question before his staff could get the presidential candidate's attention. So CQ Roll Call approached the young man and his parents later that evening to ask what was on his mind. Nine-year-old Paul Byrd wanted to know what Cruz thought about the future of manned spaceflight. It was a good question, particularly in the northern Alabama city that is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Cruz, as it turns out, is chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness. That panel held a hearing in February on goals for human exploration. "Some 50 years after President John F. Kennedy’s clarion call for the exploration of space for the betterment of all mankind, we’ve unfortunately lost sight of that vision. Now is the time to refocus our investment in NASA toward the hard sciences, on getting men and women into space, on exploring low-Earth orbit and beyond," Cruz said in a statement to CQ Roll Call. "There's no question that manned spaceflight — whether it be back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond — is a critical and vital component of NASA's mission, and we must not lose sight of that in pursuit of political agendas." Cruz, who makes his home in Houston, which is home to the Johnson Space Center, has previously expressed concern about the current arrangement that requires use of Russian Soyuz vehicles to get American astronauts to and from the International Space Station (a necessity since the end of NASA's shuttle program). "Russia’s status as the current gatekeeper of the International Space Station could threaten our capability to explore and learn, stunting our capacity to reach new heights and share innovations with free people everywhere. The United States should work alongside our international partners, but not be dependent on them," Cruz said in January. "We should once again lead the way for the world in space exploration." NASA Administrator Charles Bolden informed Congress earlier this month the space agency would need to extend the contract with the Russians for seats on the Soyuz vehicles, at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of about $490 million. "Across the United States, aerospace engineers are building a new generation of spacecraft and rockets that will define modern American spaceflight. The safe, reliable, and cost-effective solutions being developed here at home will allow for more astronauts to conduct research aboard the space station, enable new jobs, and ensure U.S. leadership in spaceflight this century," Bolden wrote. "The fastest path to bringing these new systems online, launching from America, and ending our sole reliance on Russia is fully funding NASA's Commercial Crew Program in FY 2016." Cruz has said he wants federal dollars focused on exploration, rather than "on political distractions that are extraneous to NASA’s mandate." He has criticized Bolden for the agency's involvement in climate change research. "Texas has a major stake in space exploration," Cruz said in an official statement on taking the gavel of the space subcommittee. "Our space program marks the frontier of future technologies for defense, communications, transportation and more, and our mindset should be focused on NASA’s primary mission: exploring space and developing the wealth of new technologies that stem from its exploration." See photos, follies, HOH Hits and Misses and more at Roll Call's new video site. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellhas come under criticism from all sides after he was forced to scuttle the GOP repeal-and-replace bill. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing mounting criticism from politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle after the collapse of his chamber’s Republican health care legislation. Before the bill was pulled Monday night, Sen. Ron Johnson told a local newspaper that McConnell’s conflicting statements to different members of his caucus were a “significant breach of trust.” The Wisconsin Republican was referring to alleged remarks by McConnell to some GOP moderates that Medicaid cuts wouldn’t happen under the overhaul bill. Other Republican senators are calling for a new way forward on replacing the 2010 health care law. Sen. Jerry Moran, one of four GOP senators whose decision to oppose the health care legislation contributed to its dismantling, criticized the “closed-door process” that McConnell used to draft the bill. “We must now start fresh with an open legislative process,” the Kansas Republican said in a statement Monday night. Sen. John McCain, who is home in Arizona recovering from surgery, said the Senate should “return to regular order” following the collapse of the bill. The longtime GOP senator warned his colleagues not to repeat the mistakes Democrats made during the passage of the 2010 law. “One of the major problems with Obamacare was that it was written on a strict party-line basis and driven through Congress without a single Republican vote,” McCain said in a statement. He added that Congress must now “hold hearings, receive input from members of both parties, and heed the recommendations of our nation’s governors.” Conservative pundits took their swings at McConnell in more direct terms. Erick Erickson, who runs the blog The Resurgent, suggested that it it might be time for President Donald Trump to “send McConnell to the pasture.” “McConnell, again and again, stacks the deck against conservatives, setting them up to be the fall guy for his own failures,” Erickson wrote Tuesday morning. The Kentucky Republican repeatedly faced difficulty bridging the gap between the conservative and moderate factions of his conference. Amanda Carpenter, a CNN contributor and former communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, mocked McConnell on Twitter, saying he has accomplished “nothing at all,” while maintaining a reputation as a “legislative mastermind.” Meanwhile, House Democrats dismissed Trump’s claim that they would join efforts to start from a clean slate. California Rep. Adam B. Schiff said Democrats would not “bail” Republicans out of their health care crisis. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, however, struck a different tone. “The door to bipartisanship is open right now,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Republicans only need to walk through it.” Adam Jentleson, a onetime deputy chief of staff to retired Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, slammed McConnell for his leadership style. In a series of tweets Monday night, he suggested Republicans were launching a “coordinated rebellion” against the majority leader. Jentleson, now a strategic adviser at the Center for American Progress, said this was the result of McConnell’s “scorched-Earth tactics.” He contrasted the leadership style of his former boss with the current majority leader’s, saying Reid’s status was “based on a mixture of love & respect,” but McConnell’s was “only on respect.” He added that Reid used “dramatic tactics” but also empowered senators and produced results. Jentleson said this is where McConnell has failed to strike a balance. For all of his critics, McConnell has several allies on his side. Vice President Mike Pence said he and the president “fully support” McConnell’s plan to focus on repealing the 2010 health care law first. “Inaction is not an option,” Pence added in a speech Tuesday morning. “Congress needs to step up. Congress needs to do their job, and Congress needs to do their job now.” House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said he’d like to see the Senate pass something, adding that House Republicans “are proud of the [health care] bill that we passed” in May. “The Senate’s got to pass a bill for us to even move the process forward,” Ryan said. “That’s the next step. So, we’re hoping that they can achieve that next step so that we can bring real relief.” The conservative Club for Growth applauded McConnell’s plan to vote again on a repeal-only bill that the Senate passed in 2015 and President Barack Obama vetoed. “While short of perfection — the 2015 legislation leaves several Obamacare regulations in place — it is the best option Republicans currently have to begin to repeal Obamacare,” David McIntosh, the club’s president, said in a statement. “And this should be a slam dunk. After all, Senate Republicans already passed this legislation once.”Aleš Hemský[1] ( Czech pronunciation: [ˈalɛʃ ˈɦɛmskiː], born 13 August 1983) is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally a member of the Edmonton Oilers, who selected him in the first round, 13th overall, of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played over ten seasons with Edmonton before being traded to the Senators in 2014. He has represented the Czech Republic at two Winter Olympics. Personal life [ edit ] Aleš Hemský is married to Julie Hemský,[2] and they have one son together.[3] On 13 December 2017, Hemský, along with teammates Jordie Benn, Andrew Shaw, Karl Alzner, Jeff Petry, Charles Hudon, and Artturi Lehkonen, all went bald as part of the Leucan Shaved Head Challenge, as well as raised $33,000 for children battling cancer.[4] Playing career [ edit ] HC Pardubice [ edit ] Hemský entered pro hockey as a 16-year-old, playing for HC Moeller Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga, in his hometown of Pardubice. He split the 1999–2000 season between Moeller and their junior club, HC Moeller Pardubice Jr. Hemský decided he had a better chance to be scouted if he played Canadian Junior hockey than if he tried to make the jump to the Czech Extraleague, and he subsequently became the first selection of the Hull Olympiques in the 2000 CHL Import Draft.[5] Hull Olympiques [ edit ] In 2000, Hemský moved to North America to play for the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The following season, 2000–01, Hemský led all rookies in scoring with 36 goals and 100 points. He was named to the All-Rookie team, was selected to play in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game, and was awarded the Mike Bossy Trophy as the QMJHL's top pro prospect.[6] Hemský continued his success in Hull during the 2001–02 season, with 27 goals and 97 points in 53 games, and finished 19th in the QMJHL scoring race. Edmonton Oilers [ edit ] On 12 October 2002, Hemský recorded his first career assist against the Nashville Predators. On 4 January 2003, Hemský scored his first career goal against the Montreal Canadiens, in his 26th game of his rookie season. During his rookie NHL season, he scored six goals and 30 points in 59 games, and was a healthy scratch for 23. He also went pointless in all six of Edmonton's playoff games. Hemský returned to the Czech Republic to play 47 games for HC Moeller Pardubice during the 2004–05 NHL Lockout. During that time, he scored 13 goals and 31 points, fifth on the club. Pardubice won the Extraleague championship for the first time in 16 years, and Hemský was named playoff MVP for his efforts. During the 2005–06 season, Hemský had a career year, setting personal bests in every major statistical category. He scored 19 goals, 58 assists and 77 points, while playing in all but one game for the Oilers during the regular season. The Oilers captured the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Oilers went on to eliminate the Detroit Red Wings in six games in round one, then beat the San Jose Sharks in games as well in round two. In the Conference finals, the Oilers knocked off the Anaheim Ducks in five games. The Oilers, however, lost the Stanley Cup Finals in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes. Hemský was an important part to the Oilers run to the Finals. Among his opportune goals were two he scored in the third period of game six against the Detroit Red Wings, including the series-winner.[7] Hemský underwent a biopsy on an inflamed lymph node on the right side of his neck during the playoffs.[8] Results have not been made public. Also that season, Hemský was selected to represent the Czech Republic in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Czech hockey icon Jaromír Jágr had a large influence on Hemský's selection, to the point where he insisted that Hemský skate on his line.[9] The two had previously played together on the Czech team that won the 2005 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships during the NHL's 2004–05 lockout season. Hemský scored twice in the Olympic tournament, and the Czech Republic defeated Russia in the bronze-medal game. Hemský in 2009. Edmonton re-signed Hemský in the summer of 2006 to a six-year contract worth US$24.60 million. The 2006–07 campaign saw Hemský notch 53 points in 64 games, missing 18 games due to shoulder injuries. The 2007–08 season was a short one, as the Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention. Hemský finished first on the team overall in points scoring with 71, and was first in assists with 51. He sat in third place for goals with 20, a career high. The 2008–09 campaign was another that saw injuries for Hemský, who played 72 out of the 82 regular season games and finished first on the team with 23 goals and 43 assists for 66 points. Hemský recorded seven goals and 15 assists during the first 22 games of the 2009–10 season before suffering a left shoulder injury following a check from behind by Los Angeles Kings forward Michal Handzuš. The injury required surgery and Hemský missed the remainder of the regular season.[10] In the 2010–11 season, Hemský was named to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, but did not participate due to a concussion. Hemský missed the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury. Hemský, Taylor Hall, and Sam Gagner, led the Oilers with 42 points for the majority of the season, until the trio of injured players were surpassed by Jordan Eberle. Hemský recorded his 400th career point scoring a goal, in a 9–2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. After missing the first part of the 2011–12 season due to injury, Hemský struggled, posting just 11 points in his first 25 games, including a nine-game pointless streak. He picked up the pace thereafter, scoring 15 points in his next 22 games, leading the Oilers to sign him to a two-year, $10 million deal on 24 February 2012. On 21 March 2012, Hemský recorded his first career NHL hat trick, finishing with four points in a 6–3 victory over the Nashville Predators. After coming back from two shoulder surgeries, Hemský had a disappointing start to the season, and finished the year with 36 points in 69 games. Ottawa Senators [ edit ] In the final year of his contract and with the Oilers again out of playoff contention, on 5 March 2014, Hemský was traded to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and a third round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He quickly found success on Ottawa's top line alongside center Jason Spezza,[11] recording six points in his first three games.[12] He finished the season with 17 points in 20 games as the Senators fell short of the playoffs. Dallas Stars [ edit ] Unable to agree to a new contract with the Senators, Hemský signed as a free agent on a three-year, $12 million contract with the Dallas Stars on 1 July 2014. In signing with the Stars, he was joined by Senators linemate Jason Spezza, who was coincidently traded to the Stars earlier in the day.[13] Montreal Canadiens [ edit ] Going to free agency, Hemsky signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on 3 July 2017.[14] A severe concussion suffered during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on 20 October ended his season after only 7 games. By September of 2018, the Canadiens had not renewed his contract and no other team had yet shown interest, although symptoms from the concussion were gone.[15][16] International play [ edit ] Hemský was a member of the bronze medal-winning Czech team at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He missed the 2010 Winter Olympics, but was selected for 2014 Olympic ice hockey tournament at Sochi in 2014 and became the highest scorer for the Czech team during the 2014 games, with three goals and four points.[17][18] Hemský has also represented his country in three International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) world ice hockey tournaments, winning a gold medal with the team in 2005 and bronze in 2012. He made his first appearance in a Czech uniform for the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In addition to representing Czech Republic in ice hockey, Hemský represented his country in the IIHF inline hockey World Championship tournaments in 2008 and 2012.[19] In the 2008 tournament, Hemský tied for fourth place in scoring with six goals and five assists while leading the Czech Republic to a fifth-place finish. Career statistics [ edit ] Regular season and playoffs [ edit ] International [ edit ] Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2002 Czech Republic WJC 7th 7 3 6 9 6 2005 Czech Republic WC 7 2 1 3 2 2006 Czech Republic OG 8 1 2 3 2 2009 Czech Republic WC 6th 7 2 4 6 4 2012 Czech Republic WC 9 5 3 8 8 2014 Czech Republic OG 6th 5 3 1 4 0 2016 Czech Republic WCH 6th 3 0 2 2 2 Junior totals 7 3 6 9 6 Senior totals 39 13 12 25 18 Awards and honours [ edit ] Individual [ edit ] Hemský was to also represent the QMJHL in the 2001 CHL Top Prospects Game, but an injury forced him to withdraw.[20] 2001 QMJHL Rookie of the Month (January) 2002 QMJHL 2nd All-Star Team 2002 CHL 3rd All-Star Team 2005 Czech Extraliga Playoff MVP Selected to play in 2011 NHL All-Star Game (did not play due to injury) Team [ edit ]A transgender student in New Mexico is being forced to make a difficult choice for graduation by his school — either wear the gown worn by female students, despite his male gender identity, or bow out of “walking” at graduation. Senior at Saint Pius in Albuquerque Damian Garcia legally changed his name last year from Brandi, and his parents are very supportive of his transgender identity. But at school, Damian’s transgender status is at issue for the much awaited culmination of a student’s educational life — graduation. At Saint Pius, females wear a white gown while males don black for the ceremony. Although the attire is not gendered as such, Damian Garcia will be forced to display a visibly female identity despite his stated gender identity — and the school refuses to budge on allowing Garcia to wear a male gown. It’s heartbreaking to hear Garcia explain the hard choice now ahead of him as he prepares for a ceremony millions of American teens themselves are planning as graduation rolls around. Damian says that being forced to either not participate or be humiliated doing so is a blemish on what should be a happy memory for the Garcia family. The transgender high school senior says: “I just want to walk in my black robe, nice and proud and have that memory to look back on with my family and friends… I would rather not walk than to embarrass myself by wearing a female robe.” Damian is lucky to have support for use of the name and gender pronouns with which he identifies both at home as well as in school among students and faculty. Dad Luis spoke about the problem faced by the transgender student and explains how the family sees Damian’s transition: “I look at him and I call him my son. That’s how he wishes to be acknowledged is as a male.” All transgender students would probably feel lucky to have Luis Garcia as a dad, and he adds of his son’s graduation woes: “All you want in life is to see your kids happy and healthy. You never want to see them suffer or being ridiculed or be made fun of.” When asked about the transgender student’s gown issue, the Saint Pius Superintendent told local news station KRQE News 13 that a student’s birth certificate determines gendered dress and that they are unwilling to consider allowing Damian to wear a male gown. Graduation gown a problem for transgender studentImage copyright Thinkstock Image caption Small businesses are frustrated by lack of good broadband UK broadband is not fit for purpose and a major government rethink is needed, according to a business lobby group. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says that the UK's broadband target is simply not ambitious enough when compared to other nations. It is calling on the government to commit to delivering a minimum of 10Mbps (megabits per second) for all homes and businesses by 2018/19. It would like to see this rise to 100Mbps by 2030. "If small businesses are to thrive and prosper and contribute to a growing economy, they need universal access to what is now considered the fourth utility," concludes an FSB report on the current state of broadband. However, the government and BT have said that the FSB's findings do not match reality. Slow speeds The report indicated that: •94% of small business owners consider a reliable internet connection to be critical to the success of their business •45,000 UK small businesses are still on dial-up speeds •Only 15% of firms say they are very satisfied with their broadband provision. Other recommendations include: prioritising the delivery of fibre-optic broadband to new and existing business parks a new ambitious national broadband strategy reform of the broadband market "The fact that we have around 45,000 businesses still on dial-up is unacceptable and many more throughout the country, even in London, are receiving poor service," said John Allan, chairman of the FSB. "Evidence from our members shows this clearly is a problem affecting all corners of the UK, rural areas and cities alike. While progress has been made with the residential market, businesses have not enjoyed the same benefits, which is holding back their growth." But BT suggested the picture was not as bad as the FSB had suggested. "73% of UK premises can access fibre - including some businesses who say they can't in this report - and that should rise to 90% in under two years," said a spokeswoman. "Having said that, we know that many businesses are waiting for fibre and it may be they're prominent among the 4% of FSB members that replied to this survey. "The good news is that fibre should reach the vast majority of that 4% in the coming months or next couple of years under existing plans." The Department for Culture, Media and Sport added that the report "doesn't reflect the real picture, but rightly highlights the growing importance of broadband to businesses in the digital age". "In rural areas, more than 600,000 businesses and homes across the nation are already reaping the benefits of superfast access, and we're reaching 30,000 more every single week. "In our cities, more than 1,000 SME's (small and medium-sized businesses) have already made use of our vouchers to boost their connectivity and free public wi-fi is being rolled out in city centres and on public transport across the UK." It said that the government would publish a digital communications infrastructure strategy by the end of 2014. to consider broadband infrastructure plans over the next 10-15 years." Harsh criticism Finland plans to have a baseline speed of 100Mbps by 2015 while South Korea wants to see citizens equipped with 1Gbps connections by 2017. By contrast the UK government's ambition is to provide 95% of the UK with speeds of 24Mbps or higher by 2017, with the rest having a minimum speed of 2Mbps. "This is not sufficiently ambitious," says the report. It also questions the way broadband has been rolled out in the UK. BDUK, the group set up to spend £530m of government money allocated for rural broadband, has come in for criticism for delays in distributing funds to councils and for awarding every contract to former monopoly BT. The harshest criticism was delivered by a Commons Public Accounts Committee report that concluded the government had "ripped off" taxpayers. The FSB report found that coverage in rural areas was "either very poor or non-existent". "Small firms located in these areas are at a competitive disadvantage," it says. Higher prices Image copyright BT Image caption BT is busy putting fibre in street cabinets but it doesn't always reach business parks Although the problem is worse in rural areas, businesses in towns and cities can also struggle with low broadband speeds, the report finds. It highlighted a business park in Greater Manchester which is located a four-minute walk from a cabinet enabled with fibre-optic broadband. While residents enjoy good speeds, the park is not part of current broadband rollout plans. Furthermore, the businesses based there have to pay a lot more for their leased lines than consumers pay - a typical installation charge of £500 and an annual rental of £5,200 plus VAT. Andrew Ferguson, founder of broadband news site ThinkBroadband, explains: "In terms of the failure to get superfast broadband to the many industrial estates around the UK, with the original Openreach commercial rollout the issue was often that the cabinet serving the 40 to 50 businesses was likely to bring in less revenue than a residential cabinet serving 200 to 300 homes. "There is the option of leased lines, which you can get practically anywhere in the UK if you are willing to pay the price but for many small businesses this cost is far too high. "The best advice if no faster option is available to businesses is to pester their local authority, particularly if the BDUK project for the area has some EU funding too, since a condition of the EU funding is that it is used to help businesses."Image copyright AFP Image caption The joint UN-OPCW mission removed or destroyed all 1,300 tonnes of Syria's declared toxic agents The UN Security Council has been told that Syria has revealed for the first time the existence of four more chemical weapons facilities. Three of the sites are for research and another is for production. Correspondents say the announcement heightens concerns that the Syrian government has not been fully open about its chemical weapons programme. A mission to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal was set up after a deadly attack outside Damascus in August 2013. The joint operation by the UN and Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) declared last week that it had completed its mandate, after removing or destroying all 1,180 tonnes of declared toxic agents and precursor chemicals. However, it said it would continue to deal with the destruction of chemical weapon production facilities inside Syria and "the clarification of certain aspects of the Syrian initial declaration" made when it signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) last October. 'Keep pressure on' The dismantling of Syria's 12 declared chemical weapons facilities is expected to begin this month, and the first should be destroyed by the end of November. Briefing the Security Council on Tuesday, the joint UN-OPCW mission's special co-ordinator Sigrid Kaag revealed that no chemical agents had been found at the newly-declared research and production facilities. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen on the deadly chemical weapons attack on the outskirts of Damascus, a year on US special representative to the UN Samantha Power tweeted: "Must keep pressure on regime so it doesn't hide CW capability." US officials have said they are worried that the jihadist group Islamic State, which has seized large swathes of Syria, could get hold of undeclared chemical weapons. Ms Kaag also noted the OPCW had found that chlorine had been used "systematically and repeatedly" in attacks in Syria, Ms Power said. In each case, barrel bombs were allegedly dropped from helicopters on rebel-held areas. After they exploded, casualties displayed symptoms typical of chlorine poisoning, including sore eyes, irritated skin, breathing difficulties and bloody foaming from the mouth. Several people died. Chlorine is a "dual-use chemical". It has many legitimate industrial functions, but its use as a weapon is banned by the CWC.Since 2005, there's been a 119 percent increase in the number of Puerto Ricans who have left the island for Texas. (Published Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015) More Puerto Ricans Moving to Texas Than Ever Before On a hot autumn day, dozens of construction workers are finishing a new bridge for expanded traffic in Coppell. "It was two lanes, now it's four lanes," said Ismael Carrasquillo, owner of CD Builders, Inc. The promise of economic prosperity brought Carrasquillo to the Dallas-Fort Worth area from Puerto Rico two years ago. Now he has more than 100 workers and several construction projects throughout the state. "It's growing so fast," said Carrasquillo, about the growth of North Texas. "It's something else I've never seen. It's crazy. It's crazy!" A better future for his family is what brought Yesef Cordero to North Texas a year ago. The former Secretary of Housing of Puerto Rico left the island to start his own law practice in Grapevine. His family said they waited too long to make the move. "The only regret they [Cordero's family] have basically is that we should have done this [move] earlier," Cordero said. An economic crisis means Puerto Ricans are becoming disenchanted with la isla del encanto -- a Spanish nickname that refers to the enchanting beauty of the island. "It's a combination of factors," said Cordero. "You have the economy. It hasn't been growing for nine years. Some people call it recession. I personally call it 'depression'." According the Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Puerto Rico is 12.6 percent, compared to 4.1 percent in Texas. The U.S. Census Bureau reported the median income is $19,624 on the island. It is $51,900 here in Texas. From 1990 to 2000, the Pew Research Center reported nearly 11,000 Puerto Ricans left the island for the U.S. mainland annually to seek better opportunities. Between 2010-2013, that number spiked to 48,000 people leaving every year. Cities in New York and Florida have historically appealed to Puerto Ricans. But with Hispanics projected to be the majority population in Texas by 2014, there's a need for U.S. citizens who speak English and Spanish fluently. Both languages are taught in Puerto Rican schools. The Dallas Police Department and the Dallas Independent School District regularly recruit from Puerto Rico. "We don't carry VISA's," Cordero said. "We don't even need passports." A study by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York said there's been a 119 percent increase in Puerto Ricans who've migrated to Texas between 2005-2013. Ismael Carrasquillo said his mother and one daughter remain in Puerto Rico and he misses them a lot. However, moving the Texas was the right move. "When I first got here I thought I was going to be here for a couple of years and go back because I miss it so much," said Carrasquillo. "But at this point, I think I will stay." Cordero agreed. "Puerto Rico will always be Puerto Rico and it will have a special place in my heart," said Cordero. "But this is home now. Texas is home now and we're proud to call it home."Six years after President Felipe Calderón first declared war on the country’s drug cartels, U.S. and Mexican media are heralding the alleged killing of Heriberto “El Lazca” Lazcano by Mexican marines as an important triumph for the country's government. The AP called it, “one of the most significant victories in Mexico's militarized battle with organized crime.” Lazcano was a leader in Los Zetas, one of Mexico's most powerful and brutal cartels. Zetas pioneered the now-standard cartel practice of displaying their beheaded victims’ bodies in public, and Lazcano is personally credited with expanding the cartel’s influence, as well as with orchestrating the 2004 murder of Tijuana newspaper editor Francisco Ortiz Franco, who reported on the drug war. But the narrative of "victory" was immediately undercut when armed paramilitaries stole Lazcano’s corpse from a funeral parlor. And though the U.S. now says it identified the body as that of Lazcano before it was taken, marines maintain they had no knowledge of the body's identity, the Mexican people remain unconvinced Lazcano is gone for good. "In Mexico, we can believe in chupacabras, in UFOs and even in Saint Death. But we will never believe what the authorities tell us,” Mexican Maria Olmos told the Los Angeles Times. The theft illustrates yet again the government's inability to rein in the cartels, despite millions spent on the drug war. President Calderón took credit for the killing at a speech in Guanajuato state, as President Obama was quick to do after the assassination of U.S. Public Enemy No. 1, Osama bin Laden. Calderón praised marines for their role in the takedown and added, "With this, Mexico has neutralized, during my government, 25 out of 37 of the most wanted criminals in the country." While the Mexican government’s strategy of targeting drug “kingpins” has indeed seen some success, it is unclear whether the strategy slows drug commerce, especially in decentralized cartels such as the Zetas, an organization split into small semi-autonomous cells able to continue operations under lower-level leaders. Even if Zetas is weakened by Lazcano’s death, some argue the shift will simply allow the rival Sinaloa cartel to expand its influence, rather than stemming narcotraffic. But President Calderón’s battle against the cartels has seen results, if not always the desired ones. There have been over 50,000 deaths since Calderón took office in 2006. The Calderón administration, widely accused of deemphasizing “collateral damage” in the war on drugs, militarized the country's drug war by granting Mexico's armed forces policing powers, which may have upped the violence levels. Some credit these drug war casualties with bringing Mexico’s long-ruling PRI back to power, as PRI was perceived as more effective at keeping cartels' violence in check. When PRI's Enrique Peña Nieto takes office in December, the president-elect says his administration will carry on an altered version of Calderón's drug policies. Peña Nieto already hired ex-chief of the Colombian National Police, Gen. Oscar Naranjo, as top security adviser for the administration. Despite Peña Nieto's insistence his PRI administration will not negotiate with organized crime, the party's ability to control the cartels in the past has been largely chalked up to deals and truces with narcotraficantes. Combined, the U.S. and Mexico were offering roughly $
. Darren Sproles runs at full speed into his kitchen, jogging in place in front of his wife. "Hey what do we have for lunch?" She looks in the fridge. "Leftovers, I guess?" Sproles shakes his head too quickly somehow, "Leftovers are for losers!" He sprints through the screen door. L. "Hey buddy, you want me to kick that pumpkin over the house?!" Caleb Sturgis asks a small child. The kid looks up him and shuffles his feet. "Ah, uh, that’s okay mister," he says, "but have you seen Mr. Jones around?" Caleb deflates, angrily grumbling and walking away. LI. Cedric Thornton punches in the ingredients on the Wawa hoagie screen carefully. He heard from someone that you used to be able to talk to the people behind the counter, but now they wouldn’t. He wonders if he should try. He realizes, with some surprise, that he’s already done with his order; time to get a Tastykake. LII. Walter Thurmond is almost sure he has some opinions about millenials. But he’s not entirely sure what participation trophies or selfies are. They sound bad, of course, but he just can’t quite wrap his head around what they are. They should talk about that more, for people like him. He hefts the axe and splits yet another log. LIII. "IOWA!!!!" Matt Tobin exclaims to a group of tourists speaking confused French in Center City. "IOWA BABYYYYYYY" he yells over top of his Gingerbread Latte. "GOOOOOO HAWKEYES!" LIV. Julian Vandervelde stares at his TV. There is football on, he’s sure. But he’s just so tired. Is it wrong to go to bed a couple hours after waking up? Didn’t Ben Franklin say that was bad? Ben Franklin also died a long time ago, he reasoned, and probably didn’t know what a germ was. He closes his eyes. LV. Andrew Gardner is, yes, gardening. Indoor, of course, it’s too cold to do it outside. And nothing weird like bonsai trees or weed or whatever. He just likes to grow fresh herbs under a sun-lamp. He doesn’t see why this would be ironic, and whenever anyone suggests as much, he distances himself a little more. Plants, he reminds himself, never say the wrong thing. LVI. Jordan Hicks googles himself for the fifth time today. It used to be more fun when he was able to see his weird facebook-related results or some old clipping from high school. Now he has to jump to page ten to get anything interesting. Still, a routine is a routine. LVII. "The only thing you have to lose is your fear!" Travis Long says to the four people who showed up to his motivational seminar on how to make money on short-selling futures stock at the Airport Ramada. As they mill out of the room, no one stopping by the merch table, he reminds himself that failure only happens when you allow it. He sits and checks his stock portfolio. LVIII. "Is this the newest one?" David Molk asks the salesperson. "Because my nephew wants the newest one and I gotta be honest, I don’t know anything about these things, haha." The salesperson at the Home Depot looks a little confused. "Sir," she says, "lawnmowers don’t really work that way." David Molk smiles, nods, and waits. LIX. Cody Parkey stares out the window at the pumpkins across the street. He narrows his eyes as he continues his rehab routine. "Soon," he mutters. "Soon." LX. "JaCorey Shepherd rejects your demands," JaCorey Shepherd says. "Please insert a disc or choose another option," the TV continues to read. "JaCorey Shepherd is made of sterner stuff," he says again, "try your worst." LXI. "I’m Brett Boyko," Brett Boyko says to the camera, "And I’m here to buy your car!" The ad execs look at each other, confused. Outside, a bird calls briefly, and Brett Boyko considers the fleeting nature of song. LXII. Malcolm Bunche wonders if he’s a real adult if he doesn’t like coffee. Of course, he reasons, it’s not about what you like or not. It’s about who you are. Still, he thinks, sipping his Kid’s Moo ChocoRiffic Milk, there was something there. LXIII. Randall Evans clicks the mouse twice. "You know," his dad says, "I read that you don’t need to do that anymore. Usually single click is fine." Randall sighs and counts to ten silently. "That’s interesting, dad," he says, instead of "You will never understand computers the way I will you fossil." His dad beams. LXIV. "Throw me the rock!" Jonathan Krause yells from the side of a basketball court in South Philly. The players just kind of look at him, confounded, and continue to play. "Hmm," Jonathan says, walking away. "Hmm." LXV. Freddie Martino sits at the bar, enjoying a beer. Sometimes he wonders if there’s a superfan somewhere who’ll know him. Probably not, he knows that. But it’s extra lonely somehow. This can’t be how normal people feel, right? Like they barely exist? And wait, isn’t he a normal person? The bartender smiles and asks if he wants another. He nods. LXVI. Stephen Morris has never truly existed, outside of theory. We only can understand Stephen Morris in terms of horizons. The ideal vision of Stephen Morris is dialectically impossible. LXVII. "You guys could call me ‘Chris Pants’ like ‘Joey Pants’" Chris Pantale says to his group of friends. "It doesn’t really work that way," one friend chimes in. "Yeah sorry dude," another says, "but you’re Tiny Dancer forever." LXVIII. Travis Raciti finishes his fifth chicken wing. "Is that the record, dude? Check the record book?" The bartender sighs and looks. "Nope, not yet." "Well, you know what that means," Travis says, "one more wing, my man!" LXIX. Deontae Skinner stops, feeling like something has ended somewhere. He gets this feeling sometimes, and searches his whole mind to try and find the bit that’s troubling him. But most times, he comes up empty. Today’s no different: just a feeling. Nothing’s changed, and maybe nothing ever does. A car honks behind him, knocking him out of his reverie, and he starts to jog again, still a bit unnerved, but less and less by the second. -Fin-The difference between escitalopram and citalopram in their effect on DA neuronal activity may be explained by the higher efficacy of escitalopram as a 5-HT reuptake inhibitor. Since the inhibitory effect of escitalopram on DA neuronal activity is mediated via 5-HT 2C receptors, antagonists of these receptors might be effective adjuncts in SSRI-resistant depression. Our experiments were carried out with the rats under general anesthesia. Therefore, under such conditions the absolute changes produced by SSRIs may heve been different from those occurring in freely moving rats. The exact location of the 5-HT 2C receptors mediating the inhibitory effects of the SSRIs could not be determined in these studies. Sustained administration of escitalopram robustly decreased the firing rate and burst activity of DA neurons. There was no difference in the mean number of spontaneously active DA neurons per tract among the 3 groups (citalopram, escitalopram, control). This inhibition was reversed by the selective 5-HT 2C receptor antagonist SB 242084. Citalopram, however, did not alter the overall firing rate but inhibited the burst activity of DA neurons. Selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are efficacious in depression because of their ability to increase 5-HT neurotransmission. However, owing to a purported inhibitory effect of 5-HT on dopamine (DA) neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), this increase in 5-HT transmission might result in a suppression of the firing activity of DA neurons. Since the mesolimbic DA system plays an important role in motivation and reward, a potential decrease in the firing of DA neurons may lead, in some patients, to a lack of adequate response to SSRIs. In the present study, we examined the effects of sustained administration of the SSRIs citalopram and escitalopram on the firing activity of DA neurons in the VTA. We chose these SSRIs because they are potent and have negligible affinity to other transporters and receptors. 13 Citalopram is a racemic compound that contains equal parts of the R and S enantiomers. It has been previously reported that only S-citalopram (escitalopram) acts as a 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, whereas R-citalopram antagonizes this action of escitalopram. As a result, escitalopram has higher efficacy as a reuptake inhibitor than citalopram. 14 The comparison between the effects of citalopram and escitalopram on DA neuronal activity in the VTA was of special interest because of the differential effectiveness of these drugs to inhibit 5-HT reuptake in vivo. 4, 5, 14 It has been previously reported that acute administration of various SSRIs produces a small inhibition or no effect on the firing activity of DA neurons in the VTA. 9 – 11 However, these observations have little clinical relevance, since the therapeutic effect of SSRIs in depressed patients is observed only after prolonged administration. Only one study assessed the effect of long-term administration of fluoxetine on the firing activity of DA neurons. 9 It showed no significant effect on DA neuronal firing activity in the VTA. Fluoxetine, however, is not entirely selective for the 5-HT transporters. 12 Dopamine (DA) neurons have received little attention as a possible target of augmentation strategies in treatment-resistant depression. Since the lesion of 5-HT neurons results in an increase of DA neuronal activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), it has been proposed that enhanced 5-HT levels inhibit DA neurons. 7 Thus, an increase in the availability of 5-HT owing to SSRIs might result in attenuation of the firing of DA neurons. Because of the critical role of DA neuronal activity in the VTA in motivation, hedonia and reward, 8 the inhibition of this firing might contribute to SSRI resistance in some patients. Selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used as first-line drugs in the treatment of depression. However, only about one-third of depressed patients achieve remission within the first medication trial with an SSRI. 1 Different possibilities have been proposed to explain this lack of adequate response to SSRIs. Sustained administration of SSRIs elevates extracellular 5-HT levels, which leads to activation of 5-HT 1A receptors on 5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus and 5-HT 2A receptors on postsynaptic neurons. The activation of these receptors suppresses the firing of 5-HT and norepinephrine (NE) neurons of the locus coeruleus, respectively. 2, 3 Although 5-HT neurons regain their firing rate with treatment prolongation, because of the desensitization of 5-HT 1A autoreceptors, the firing rate of NE neurons does not recover over time. This persistent suppression of NE neuronal firing activity may contribute to the incomplete or lack of response to SSRIs in some patients. 4, 5 Atypical anti-psychotics, which are all 5-HT 2A receptor antagonists, are effective adjuncts in SSRI-resistant depression. 6 The DA neurons in the VTA demonstrate 2 different types of firing activity: single-spike firing and burst firing. It has been previously shown that burst firing of DA neurons leads to significantly greater DA release than single spikes. 20 Therefore, we analyzed the firing activity of DA neurons in terms of their basal firing rate and their burst activity. We assessed burst firing using interspike interval analysis. We defined the onset of a burst as the concurrence of 2 spikes with an interspike interval shorter than 0.08 seconds. We defined the termination of burst as an interspike interval of 0.16 seconds or longer. 18 We used Spike2 software (Cambridge Electronic Design) for the analysis of burst activity. We anesthetized the rats with chloral hydrate (Sigma-Aldrich; 400 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and mounted them in a stereotaxic apparatus (David Kopf Instuments). We administered supplemental doses to prevent any nociceptive reaction to pinching of the hind paw. We maintained body temperature at 37°C throughout the experiments using a water heating pad. We drilled a 2-mm burr hole, 3.2 mm anterior to the interaural line and 0.8 mm lateral to the midline for recordings of DA neurons in the VTA. We stopped any bleeding from disruption of the sagittal sinus immediately using bone wax. We conducted extracellular unitary recordings with single-barrelled glass electrodes filled with a 2-M NaCl solution. Their impedance range was between 4 and 6 M. We identified spontaneously active DA neurons of the VTA using the following criteria: a typical triphasic action potential with a marked negative deflection, a characteristic long duration (> 2.5 ms) often with an inflection or “notch” on the initial rising phase and a slow spontaneous firing rate (1–7 Hz) with an irregular single spiking pattern with slow bursting activity (characterized by spike amplitude decrement). In addition, we used a criterion of duration (> 1.1 ms from the start of the action potential to the negative trough). These electrophysiological properties reliably distinguish DA from non-DA neurons. 7, 18, 19 We dissolved the selective antagonist of 5-HT 2C receptors 6-chloro-5-methyl-1[(2-[2-methylpyrid-3-yloxy] pyrid-5yl) carbamoyl] indoline (SB 242084; Sigma-Aldrich) in 20% of (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (Acros Organics) and administered it subcutaneously at 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg/d for 2 days, alone or in combination with escitalopram (administered via osmotic minipumps). We administered the first injection of SB 242084 after the minipump implantation, the second 24 hours afterward and the last 1 hour before the recording. The doses of citalopram, escitalopram and SB 242084 were based on those reported in previous studies. 2, 4, 17 We dissolved the citalopram and escitalopram (Lundbeck) in distilled water and administered the drugs via osmotic minipumps (Alza) for 2 and 14 days at the daily doses of 20 and 10 mg/kg/d, respectively. We implanted control rats with a minipump containing water. We implanted the pumps subcutaneously with the animals under isoflurane (Abbott) anesthesia; the pumps remained in the rats during the electrophysiological recordings. We injected escitalopram acutely via a lateral tail vein at cumulative doses of 0.5–5.0 mg/kg. We chose these doses and time courses based on the results of previous studies. Since citalopram and escitalopram have a half-life about 10 times shorter in rats than in humans, these drugs reach a steady state brain concentration in rats much faster than in humans. 13 Thus, a 2-day administration period in rats likely corresponds to about a 1-week course of therapy in humans, and a 2-week regimen in rats probably corresponds to a 3- or 4-week course of therapy in humans, a time at which an improvement of the symptoms of depression in humans can be observed. 15, 16 The continuous release of the drug from the minipumps therefore more accurately mimics the treatment in humans than do subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injections. We carried out the experiments in male Sprague–Dawley rats (Charles River, St. Constant, Que.) weighing 300–350 g at the time of the recording. We kept the rats under standard laboratory conditions (12:12 light–dark cycle with free access to food and water). The Ottawa Health Research Institute Animal Care Committee approved all animal procedures, and we carried out the procedures in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. The selective 5-HT 2C receptor SB 242084 did not alter the firing rate of DA neurons by itself (0.5 mg/kg/d: 15 recordings from 5 animals; 2.0 mg/kg/d: 13 recordings from 4 animals). When it was coadministered with escitalopram for 2 days at 0.5 mg/kg/d (27 recordings from 6 animals), SB 242084 partially antagonized the escitalopram-induced inhibition of DA neuronal firing activity. Administered at the dose of 2 mg/kg/d (11 recordings from 4 animals), SB 242084 completely reversed the escitalopram-induced suppression of the firing rate and of the burst activity of DA neurons ( ). Acute, intravenous administration of 0.5–5.0 mg/kg of escitalopram did not alter the firing activity of DA neurons in the VTA ( ). When escitalopram was administered for 2 (22 recordings from 5 animals) or 14 days (18 recordings from 6 animals), it decreased the firing rate and the burst activity of DA neurons by about 50% ( ). The 2-day citalopram regimen did not alter the firing rate of DA neurons (11 recordings from 4 animals), but decreased the mean number of spikes per burst. After 14 days (15 recordings from 5 animals), citalopram decreased the mean number of bursts per 10 seconds, but not the firing rate of DA neurons ( ). The mean firing rate of DA neurons was 4.5 Hz in the control group. We lowered the electrode through the VTA of each animal 4 or 5 times. There was no difference in the mean number of spontaneously active DA neurons per tract between the groups (control: 0.76, SEM 0.24; escitalopram: 0.77, SEM 0.24; p = 0.99). There were on average 6 bursts per 10 seconds, each burst contained about 4 spikes, and about a half of the spikes occurred within the bursts. The pattern of the firing ( ) was typical for DA neurons, as previously described. 18, 19 Discussion Our results did not show a significant effect of acute administration of escitalopram on the firing activity of DA neurons in the VTA. In contrast, sustained administration of escitalopram (for 2 and 14 days), but not of citalopram, decreased the mean firing rate of DA neurons. Citalopram administration for 2 days decreased the number of spikes per burst, whereas after a 14-day regimen it attenuated the occurrence of burst activity. The selective 5-HT 2C receptor antagonist SB 242084 did not alter the firing activity of DA neurons by itself, but reversed the escitalopram-induced inhibition of DA neuronal firing activity. Serotonin exerts an inhibitory action on DA neuronal firing since, in rats with lesioned 5-HT neurons, the overall firing of DA neurons and their burst activity were increased.7 It has been previously reported that acute administration of 1–4 mg/kg of escitalopram dose-dependently increases extracellular 5-HT levels in the prefrontal cortex in rats.14 We therefore expected that such acute doses of escitalopram would produce a dose-dependent inhibition of the firing of DA neurons in the VTA. However, we observed no effect of acute administration of 0.5–5.0 mg/kg of escitalopram on DA neuronal firing activity ( ). Thus, it is possible that the escitalopram-induced elevation of extracellular 5-HT levels in the VTA is smaller than in the prefrontal cortex. Results of previous studies9,10 have shown that the acute administration of various SSRIs produces small inhibitions of DA neuronal firing activity in the VTA (paroxetine: mean inhibitory effect 10, standard error [SE] 11%; sertraline: 10, SE 7%; citalopram: 14, SE 7%; fluvoxamine: 17, SE 12). The acute administration of fluoxetine significantly inhibited the firing of DA neurons to a greater extent (mean inhibitory effect 34, SE 7%).9 However, another study reported no effect of acute administration of fluoxetine on DA neuronal firing activity.11 Thus, it appears paradoxical that the SSRI with the greatest potency, escitalopram, was ineffective in dampening the firing of DA neurons whereas the relatively weaker SSRIs did so.21,22 Therefore, it is conceivable that the ability of these SSRIs to acutely inhibit DA neuronal firing activity may result from the additional properties of these drugs at a variety of other receptors.23 In sharp contrast to the lack of effect of acute escitalopram on the firing of DA neurons, sustained administration over 2 days produced a mean inhibitory effect of 66 (SE 7%), also attenuating their burst firing activity ( ). Thus it is possible that only an elevated steady state brain concentration of escitalopram achieved by its sustained administration was necessary. This possibility would be consistent with the observation that SSRIs are eliminated from the brain more slowly than from the plasma.24,25 The time necessary to reach steady state and time of elimination of any given drug are essentially similar. Presumably, escitalopram did not achieve an optimal level in the brain until 2 days of sustained administration. In an attempt to determine the 5-HT receptor subtype involved in mediating the decrease in firing of DA neurons by escitalopram, we used the 5-HT antagonist SB 242084. Only 5-HT 2C receptors had an inhibitory effect on DA tone, whereas an activation of other receptors led to an increase in DA release in the nucleus accumbens.26 We initially co-administered SB 242084 with escitalopram at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/d because the same dose of this compound, administered in a single injection, was previously reported to potentiate the citalopram-induced increase in 5-HT levels in the hippocampus in rats.27 This dose of SB 242084 partially antagonized the inhibitory effect of escitalopram. When we increased the dose of SB 242084 to 2 mg/kg/d, it completely reversed escitalopram-induced suppression of firing of DA neurons in the VTA ( ). These results indicate that the effect of escitalopram on DA neuronal firing activity in the VTA is mediated via 5-HT 2C receptors. These receptors, in fact, are probably excitatory and located on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons innervating the DA neurons in the VTA. Thus, their activation leads to the suppression of firing of DA neurons. We did not examine other 5-HT receptors since 5-HT 1A, 5-HT 1B, 5-HT 2A, 5-HT 3 and 5-HT 4 receptors facilitate DA release in postsynaptic regions, whereas only 5-HT 2C receptor mediates an inhibitory effect on terminal DA release.26 We observed that sustained solo administration of SB 242084 for 2 days did not alter the firing rate of DA neurons in the VTA. The results of previous studies showed that acute administration of various agents with 5-HT 2C antagonistic properties increased the firing rate of DA neurons in the VTA.26 Since in our study we started recording from the DA neurons 1 hour after the last injection of SB 242084, it is possible that the activation of DA neuronal firing activity by SB 242084 observed in other studies was transient. However, the ability of SB 242084 to antagonize the inhibitory effect of escitalopram on DA neuronal firing activity appeared sustained. It is noteworthy that the regimen of escitalopram used in our study produces a robust decrease of the firing rate of 5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus and of NE neurons in the locus coeruleus.2,4,5 However, whereas 5-HT neurons regain their normal firing after 14 days of sustained administration,2 we observed no recovery of the firing rate of DA neurons with the same escitalopram regimen ( ). Similarly, no recovery of initial inhibition of firing by the same regimen of escitalopram was previously observed for NE neurons.4,5 The recovery of the normal firing rate of 5-HT neurons is explained by desensitization of 5-HT 1A autoreceptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus.28 It therefore can be suggested that the 5-HT 2C receptors regulating the firing activity of DA neurons in the VTA do not desensitize after long-term administration of escitalopram. Similarly, 5-HT 2A receptors regulating NE neuronal firing activity in the locus coeruleus do not desensitize.4 Unlike escitalopram, sustained administration of citalopram did not alter the firing rate of DA neurons. However, it attenuated certain characteristics of their burst activity: after 2 days, the mean number of spikes per burst was decreased, and after 14 days, the occurrence of the bursts was suppressed ( ). These alterations of the firing pattern of DA neurons could still lead to a decrease in DA transmission, since the burst firing contributes to a significant increase in DA release.20 However, we expected the escitalopram-induced inhibition of DA transmission to be much higher than that of citalopram because escitalopram attenuated both the firing rate and burst activity of DA neurons, whereas citalopram attenuated only the burst activity. It was recently reported that the chronic administration of citalopram decreased the mean number of spontaneously active DA neurons in the VTA in rats.29 Unfortunately, firing rates were not reported. Merely reporting the number of neurons per tract is not a clear indication of their activity. In addition, the citalopram regimen used (1 mg/kg/d) was extremely low and did not mimic the levels achieved in humans.13 It was also recently observed that the long-term administration of monoamine oxidase inhibitors doubles the number of neurons per tract, but decreases the mean firing rate by 30% and the number of bursts per minute by 80%.30 These results indicate that to reliably estimate the effect of a treatment on DA neuronal firing, all the above-mentioned parameters must be taken into consideration. The other difference between escitalopram and citalopram is that escitalopram attenuates the firing activity of both DA and NE neurons with a brief delay. Citalopram, however, has a time-independent effect on DA, but a time-dependent effect on NE neuronal firing activity. Thus a 2-day regimen of citalopram did not alter the firing of NE neurons even if it was given at a dose 4 times higher than that of escitalopram.4,17 A significant inhibition of NE neurons becomes apparent only after 14 days of citalopram administration, and it increases over the next 7 days.17 These differences between the effects of citalopram and escitalopram on DA and NE neuronal firing activity can be explained by higher efficacy of escitalopram as a reuptake inhibitor, as previously suggested.4 It was observed in microdialysis studies that escitalopram produces greater elevations in extracellular 5-HT levels than those achievable with racemic citalopram.14 Consistently, escitalopram was 5 times more potent in suppressing the firing of 5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus than racemic citalopram, an effect taking place as a result of the inhibition of 5-HT reuptake.2The far-right group Britain First today threatened the Mayor of London and other elected Muslim politicians with “militant direct action”. But will the police take their threats seriously? In a newsletter sent to their subscribers today, the far-right group said they specialised in “militant direct action” and saw all Muslim politicians as “occupiers”. They added that they planned to “oppose their strategy of entryism and take-over of our political system” by Muslims in public life. The email named Sadiq Khan – Mayor of London, Sajid Javid – cabinet minister, Mohammed Altaf-Khan – Lord Mayor of Oxford) and others. Political Scrapbook has contacted the Metropolitan Police for a comment. ———– Britain First is about to launch a direct action campaign against Muslim elected officials, at all levels of politics. Figures such as Sadiq Khan (mayor of London), Sajid Javid (cabinet minister), MOHAMMED Altaf-Khan (mayor of Oxford), Hussain Akhtar (mayor of Blackburn), Shafique Shah (mayor of Birmingham) and so on. This campaign was prompted by the election of Islamic extremist Sadiq Khan as mayor of London. Britain First leader Paul Golding said: “Britain First specialises in militant direct action and has tracked down and confronted numerous hate preachers and terrorists.” “Britain First now considers all Muslim elected officials as “occupiers” and will start to oppose their strategy of entryism and take-over of our political system.” “Our intelligence led operations will focus on all aspects of their day-to-day lives and official functions, including where they live, work, pray and so on.” “Britain First has an official policy of banning Islam in the UK and will not stop until all Islamist occupiers are driven out of politics completely.” “Stand by for a flurry of direct operations, similar to those we have launched numerous times against Islamists such as hate preacher Anjem Choudary.” ———– Britain First has over 1 million Likes on Facebook and frequently share hoax stories to rile up their supporters. The far-right group has also held numerous protests outside East London mosque, even berating police officers for not being proper Christians. Will the Met take this seriously as a potential threat to Muslims in public life?Well this one came out of nowhere: Amazon is building a speaker that's controlled with your voice. It's called Echo, and Amazon tells The Verge it will be "shipping in the coming weeks." Available on an invite-only basis to start, Echo is regularly priced at $199. But for a limited time, Amazon will offer Echo for $99 to Prime members who receive an invite. Amazon says the black, cylindrical speaker is always connected to the cloud and will provide information, music, news, weather, and more whenever you ask for it. It's the sort of thing you'd expect from Google — only it's an Amazon product. The built-in voice recognition can hear users from across the room, according to Amazon, essentially acting as a Siri-like personal assistant crammed inside a speaker. It listens to user requests using seven microphones and can understand your voice even while playing music. "These sensors use beam-forming technology to hear you from any direction," reads the product's page. The speaker also produces 360-degree audio to fill an entire room. It'll play music from Amazon Prime Music, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn Plus. And it's fully Bluetooth compatible, making playback from Spotify, Pandora, and other audio apps possible. Companion smartphone apps on Android and Fire OS will launch upon availability to help buyers set up and get started with the speaker, but everyone else (including iOS users) will need to access it via a web app. Amazon tells The Verge that a dedicated iOS app is in the works. Echo, easily one of Amazon's most ambitious products to date, is designed to make life easier for users, instantly playing music from your cloud library or telling you the local weather. You can quiz it with general questions and get answers from Wikipedia. Of course, Siri, Google Now, and Cortana can accomplish similar tasks on your smartphone — but Amazon seems to think there's a place in the living room for something like this (and separate from the TV). Amazon's assistant has a name too: Alexa. That's the phrase you'll use to wake up the always-on speaker. Echo won't run on batteries, which is another hint that Amazon wants this in your home all the time.Image copyright Glasgow City Council Image caption A number of teams have been set up to respond to reports of problems like fly tipping and dog fouling Glasgow City Council has promised to "revolutionise" the way the city is maintained with a new environmental task force. Thirty "rapid response teams" will act on reports fed to a "state-of-the-art command centre" about issues like fly tipping, littering and dog fouling. The council is setting up new Twitter and Facebook channels so the public can report problems directly. A major recruitment drive for task force officers is also planned. Council leader and chairman of the new task force Frank McAveety said it was a service "fit for delivery in the digital age". "Through Twitter and Facebook the public can directly communicate with us and identify what needs to be done across Glasgow," he said. "I am determined to make this work. The environmental task force will deliver - the people of Glasgow deserve that." Image copyright Glasgow City Council Image caption The task force is being co-ordinated from a "command centre" in Bridgeton The task force has divided the city into 21 wards, grouped into four cycles. A team will arrive in a ward each week and work on that area before starting the whole process again in a new ward the following week. There will be specialist units that focus on graffiti removal, public health issues, noise and community payback among others, the authority said. The task force will not be replacing the council's cleansing department, which empties 23 million bins a year.If the major political parties had some trick up their sleeves to get more voters registered ahead of the Iowa caucus, it hasn’t happened yet. With under a week left until people vote for the first time in 2016, the number of registered Democrats and Republicans has remained fairly static in the last six months. So the big crowds at rallies for Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump—where they boast of attracting new caucus goers in droves—hasn’t translated into big gains when it comes to registered support. At least not yet. According to statistics from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, the number of registered Republicans has decreased from January 2015 until January 2016. The same can be said for Democrats. The number can typically fluctuate as registered members of either party do not participate in a given cycle and the actual number of participants who register on the actual caucus night will not be finally tallied until months later, after auditors extensively pour over the numbers. What can be said about this cycle is that there is a surprisingly small change in the number of registered voters in the latter half of 2015. For instance, compared to the lead-up to 2008’s Iowa Caucus, where Barack Obama pulled off a surprise win against Hillary Clinton, the number of registered Democrats skyrocketed. In June 2007, there were 596,259 registered Democrats in the state, according to statistics from the Iowa Secretary of State. By the time that number was tallied in January 2008, it was 606,209. Looking at the same window for Democrats, this cycle, the number has gone from 584,737 to 584,111, essentially flatlining. “It’s a little surprising,” University of Iowa political science professor Timothy Hagle told The Daily Beast. He said that sometimes the assumption among campaigns is “If you’re showing up at their events, you’re showing up to vote.” “That’s not always the case,” Hagle added. This could explain why Bernie Sanders is hedging his bets slightly even as he has drawn closer to, and in some cases, overtaken Clinton’s lead in the state. Sanders told reporters in Iowa on Tuesday that he doesn’t anticipate the campaign being able to get the monstrous turnout Obama’s 2008 bid elicited. “The turnout was so extraordinary, nobody expected it,” Sanders said. “Do I think in this campaign that we are going to match that? I would love to see us do that, I hope we can.” “Frankly, I don’t think we can,” he added. “What Obama did in 2008 is extraordinary.” This of course remains to be seen until caucus night but that doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence. The Sanders campaign did not respond to a question about their analysis of registered voters. Clinton’s camp, which has experience on their side, for whatever that’s worth, did not comment on the state of their outreach efforts. However, on Tuesday the campaign announced a Digital Commitment Cards initiative allowing “voters to build a personalized, digital card expressing their commitment to vote for Hillary Clinton in their state’s primary or caucus,” according to the press release. The information, accessible in a Commit to Caucus app, also gives prospective voters information on polling locations and the caucusing process. On the Republican side, also a neck and neck race at this point between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, the spectre of doubt has been raised about the latter’s ability to win because of an ill-organized ground game. Despite that, Trump has gained all the momentum in recent weeks leading to Cruz’s campaign trying to pivot to “underdog” status. While the big unknown for Trump is whether his rabid fan base will actually understand and participate in the caucus process—his website recently included an added link to Iowa caucus locations—Cruz’s camp continues to rely on its strong organizational structure as an indicator of likely victory. “If Trump is truly attracting new voters as the establishment in Washington is now claiming, you would expect to see it in Iowa voter registration, but the number[s] are just not there,” Rick Tyler, Cruz’s communications director told The Daily Beast. “Perhaps reality is about to hit the reality star. We will see on Monday.” Republicans overall have seen only a marginal increase in registered voters between June 2015 and January of this year, rising from 609,020 to 612,112. When asked if the campaign had taken into account this small rise when considering its own ground game, Tyler said that the religious base in the state would help Cruz pull out a win. “Iowa evangelicals have a good turnout record
War Powers Act — the very same thing he’s doing now. In fact, while speaking at DePaul University in October of 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama said the following: “After Vietnam, Congress swore it would never again be duped into war, and even wrote a new law — the War Powers Act — to ensure it would not repeat its mistakes. But no law can force a Congress to stand up to the president. No law can make senators read the intelligence that showed the president was overstating the case for war. No law can give Congress a backbone if it refuses to stand up as the co-equal branch the Constitution made it.” We are now taking Barack Obama’s past advice and standing up to the executive branch. Of course, the War Powers Act is hardly an improvement on the U.S. Constitution because it does allow the president to go to war without the approval of Congress. But President Obama refuses to follow this law. If a president does go to war unilaterally, the War Powers Act requires him to seek Congressional approval within 60 days. The president can get an extension of up to 90 days if he asks for more time — but President Obama did not do this. His time is up. The Obama administration recently issued a 38-page paper stating that Obama is not in violation of the War Powers Act because “U.S. operations do not involve sustained fighting or active exchanges of fire with hostile forces, nor do they involve U.S. ground troops.” Under this argument, President Obama could preemptively launch nuclear weapons against any country in the world without Congressional approval. Obviously, this is not what the Founders intended! But even aside from violating the Constitution, it makes no economic sense for us to be engaged in yet another war overseas — especially during such tough economic times. For years now, we’ve been sending foreign aid to the very same Libyan government we’re now spending $10 million a day to fight. And it has been recently discovered that the Federal Reserve’s bank bailouts even benefited the Libyan National Bank. Now, we’re taxing the American people to bomb the very nation that we taxed them to prop up. This makes no sense at all. The Founding Fathers did not intend for the president to have the power to take our nation to war unilaterally without the approval of Congress. It’s time for the president to obey the Constitution and put the American people’s national interest first. —————————————————————— Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.net, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham in England. This article was posted: Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:30 am Print this page. Infowars.com Videos: Comment on this articleAbout The Alt-right refers to a loosely defined segment of right-wing conservative principles, as well as the faction of politicians and constituents, often characterized as being centered around white nationalism and a vehement opposition to multiculturalism, feminism, socialism and identity politics in the United States. Presented as an alternative to mainstream American conservatism, the alt-right is known for its vocal support for 2016 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, and use of internet memes on political discussion boards like 4chan's /pol/ and Reddit's /r/The_Donald. History One of the earliest known uses of the term "alternative right" in the context of anti-establishment conservatism was in an address delivered by American political philosopher Paul Gottfried to the H.L. Mencken Club's Annual Meeting titled "The Decline and Rise of the Alternative Right." In April 2010, the blog Alternative Right was launched by white nationalists Richard Spencer and Colin Liddell, which ran for several years until it was shutdown in 2013. Hillary Clinton's Speech On August 25th, 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton delivered a speech criticizing Donald Trump for embracing radical segments of the right-wing, while blasting the alt-right as an "emerging racist ideology." "The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right. A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party." During Clinton's address, a /pol/ user posted a thread revealing that he is a member of the audience at the event, to which another user suggested the OP to yell "Pepe" as to interrupt her speech. In the YouTube livestream (shown above), a man off the screen can be heard yelling "Pepe!" at approximately 56 minutes in. Online Reactions That day, the hashtag #AltRightMeans began trending on Twitter, initially circulated by critics of the political movement (shown below, left). Hours later, the hashtag was largely taken over by alt-right sympathizers (shown below, right). On August 31st, The Rubin Report posted a video responding to the speech titled "What is the Alt Right?", which described the alt-right as an "amorphous" group who use internet memes to troll the political establishment (shown below, left). On September 8th, the CNBC YouTube channel uploaded an interview in which Milo Yiannopoulos criticized Clinton's speech, arguing that the alt-right was not a bigoted movement but rather a backlash against identity politics (shown below, right). Online Presence On March 2nd, 2010, the /r/altright subreddit was launched for discussions about alt-right politics. On September 4th, 2015, YouTuber Walt Bismarck posted a parody music video of the song "Under the Sea" from the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid titled "On the Alt Right" (shown below, left). On October 31st, YouTuber ramzpaul posted a video titled "We are the Alt Right" (shown below, right). On March 23rd, 2016, YouTuber Sargon of Akkad posted a video titled "An Honest Look at the Alt Right" (shown below). Reception On December 27th, 2015, BuzzFeed published an article which identified the alt-right as a "white nationalist" movement. On January 21st, 2016, manosphere blogger Roosh V published an article on his blog Return of Kings titled "5 Serious Problems With The Alt Right Movement." On March 29th, Breitbart published an article by staff writers Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos titled "An Establishment Conservative's Guide to the Alt-Right," which described different segments within the alt-right subculture. Glenn Beck Interview On November 15th, 2016, CNN aired a segment on the alt-right, in which anchor Anderson Cooper discussed the movement with political commentator Glenn Beck (shown below). During the interview, Beck described the alt-right as "terrifying." Twitter Crackdown On November 15th, 2016, Twitter suspended several accounts, including the white nationalist National Policy Institute founder Richard Spencer, WeSearchr co-founder Pax Dicksinon and anonymous internet personalities Ricky Vaughn and John Rivers. Additionally, the accounts for the National Policy Institute, its online magazine Radix Journal and Spencer's book publishing Washington Summit Publishers were suspended from the site as well. That day, the NPI / Radix YouTube channel uploaded a video in which Spencer defended himself, claiming he did not break the site's rules and was "purged" from the site for his beliefs an "act of corporate Stalinism" (shown below). The following day, several posts about the crackdown reached the front page of the /r/The_Donald, /r/technology and /r/news subreddits. Also on November 16th, The Atlantic published an op-ed by senior editor David Frum titled "Suspending Alt-Right Twitter Accounts Doesn't Fix Anything," which criticized the bans as biased form of censorship. In the coming days, other news sites published articles about the Twitter suspensions, including USA Today, Reuters, and The Daily Caller. Reddit Crackdown On November 28th, 2016, the news site GotNews posted screenshots of a leaked conversation between Reddit admin Chtorrr and /r/altright moderator MarcusCamillius, in which the admin warned the community could face removal for "hate speech" but did not provide examples (shown below). On February 1st, 2017, Reddit shutdown the /r/altright and /r/alternativeright subreddits. In a statement to The Independent, Reddit suggested that the communities were suspended for posting "content that harasses or invites harassment": "We are very clear in our site terms of service that posting of personal information can get users banned from Reddit and we ask our communities not to post content that harasses or invites harassment." That same day, The Verge reported on speculation that the subreddits were banned for doxing the man who was recorded punching Richard Spencer. Additionally, the article noted that many /r/altright subscribers had moved to the Reddit clone site Voat. In the coming days, several other sites published articles about the controversial ban, including HeatStreet, Cnet, Wired, Next Web and The Daily Dot. Associated Press Rules On August 16th, 2017, the Associated Press added "anti-Semitism" to their definition of "alt-right," along with a rule to avoid using the term "because it is meant as a euphemism to disguise racist aims." The updates were added to provide rules for describing extremist demonstrators who attended the 2017 United the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Notable Figures Donald Trump 2016 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is often praised by the alt-right for being an anti-establishment conservative politician or "Washington outsider." Milo Yiannopoulos British journalist Milo Yiannopoulos is often grouped with the alt right, mostly for his support of Donald Trump's presidency and for being an outspoken critic of third-wave feminism. On July 19th, 2016, Twitter suspended Yiannopoulos’ account following a campaign that Twitter alleges he led to tweet racist and sexist things towards Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones. Steve Bannon Executive chairman of Breitbart News Steve Bannon has been accused of courting white supremacists within the alt-right by former Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro. On August 17th, 2016, he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive in Donald Trump’s 2016 United States Presidential Election campaign. On November 13th, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump announced Breitbart executive chairman Steve Bannon would be serving as his Chief Strategist and senior adviser Richard Spencer American white nationalist Richard Spencer is the founder of the think tank National Policy Institute who describes himself as an "identitarian," and has been labeled "a leader of white supremacist circles" by the Anti-Defamation League. According to its website, the National Policy Institute is "dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States." Related Memes Cuckservative Cuckservative, a portmanteau of cuck (or cuckold) and conservative, is a pejorative political ephitet often used by the alt-right when referring to mainstream conservatives that they accuse of being tolerant or open-minded towards some or all aspects of liberal values. Search Interest External ReferencesRafael dos Anjos’ dominant win over Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 26 was yet another reminder to the Co-Main Event Podcast (or, at least, one half of it) to stop sleeping on dos Anjos. At this point, your boy RDA shapes up as the consensus pick as No. 1 contender to Tyron Woodley’s UFC welterweight title. That actually tees Ben and Chad up nicely for this week’s show, wherein they discuss both dos Anjos’ win as well as the current awesome status of the welterweight “wilderness” (Ben’s word) and ask whether 170 pounds is the best thing MMA has going right now–even if Woodley doesn’t seem to notice. Oh, yeah, due to the impending Christmas holiday, this will be the last traditional CME of the year, so the guys talk about Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s upcoming fight against Holly Holm for the women’s featherweight title at UFC 219. Don’t fret, however, because the fabulous CME Christmas Special will still drop next week. What is that, exactly? That’s for Ben, Chad and Sir Nigel to know and you to find out. All that, plus, AYFKM and Just Sayin’ Stuff. Direct downloaders can hear Chad’s poorly thought out analogy about a desert island, net neutrality and the 170-pound division right here.With “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man” and a sequel to “Guardians of the Galaxy” already announced, it was Marvel newcomer Elizabeth Olsen who put it best on Marvel’s Comic-Con panel: “It feels like the beginning; it feels like we’re taking it to another place.” The Marvel Studios chief was quick to start out the company’s hour-long panel, packed to capacity with over 6,500 people, thanking fans for its success so far on the bigscreen. “It still blows my mind that ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is our tenth Marvel Studios movie,” he said. “It always starts in this room with you guys. I love the notion that you are just as excited about part two or part three as something new.” The focus on the panel wasn’t on Marvel’s next phase of movies — “Doctor Strange,” etc. — but what’s being released in 2015, although it did announce “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” for July 28, 2017. That includes “Ant-Man,” which has Peyton Reed taking over from Edgar Wright. The switch didn’t sit well with Marvel’s fanbase at first, and the director received tepid applause when taking the stage. But Marvel tried to win the room over with fanboy friendly factoids like Peyton making his 20th trip to Comic-Con and having played in a punk band called Jonny Quest. Related Marvel's Kevin Feige Gives Credit to Ryan Coogler for 'Black Panther's' 'Personal Story' How Kevin Feige Defied Naysayers to Build a Lucrative Universe New test footage was also screened for the film that starts production in August, revealing an energetic action sequence in which star Paul Rudd’s character escapes on the back of a flying ant. During the panel, Evangeline Lilly was confirmed as Hope Pym, the daughter of Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas). She had been avoiding the press when it came to the role for days while at Comic-Con. And it was revealed Corey Stoll will play Darren Cross, the villain Yellow Jacket. Rudd was making his first trip to San Diego, “and it is as advertised,” he said. He finds the chance to be in a superhero film thrilling “but tough to wrap my brain around.” Michael Douglas, who is also a first timer at the Con, said he “always looked at Marvel films from afar with envy,” given their scale and massive fanbase. But it was “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” panel that had the crowd on their feet multiple times, especially at the start as Robert Downey Jr. took the stage, throwing red roses at his screaming fans. He was soon joined by Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Olsen. “It just keeps getting better,” Downey said. “This is the longest bench of talent I’ve ever been involved with. I become less significant each time, which is fine.” A montage of scenes from the film was shown that featured a significant amount of finished visual effects and action sequences that significantly elevates it above the first installment. But it was the humor and camaraderie of the onscreen heroes that stood out the most. Spader, who plays the robot villain Ultron, said “I’ve always thought life couldn’t get weirder or crazy enough for me, but this place may be the weirdest, craziest place ever,” he said of Comic-Con. “It is really fantastically crazy here. It’s nuts.” But the film puts him in a new position too. “I play an eight-foot robot,” he said. “I’ve always played humans up until now. Everything was so entirely new — the process of making (the film), playing this character, the world it was entering and even the world these movies inhabit.” Watch the “Ant-Man” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” panels below, without the footage that was screened.Money Talks: Don't leave free money on the table. Get your bursary! Welcome back to Money Talks, a monthly series focusing on financial issues that, as a student, you probably have on your mind. Previously, we talked about repaying student loans. But there are methods of plugging financial holes that don’t require repayment. Scholarships are one, and you’d be surprised at how many you probably qualify for, something I’ve written about in a previous scholarship blog post. But there’s another, more direct method of gaining what amounts to free money, and a number of students are leaving that money on the table: Bursaries, monetary awards paid directly by Centennial College to students who demonstrate financial need. The school makes it quite easy to get them, but there's a few steps you need to take to make sure you qualify. It's worth taking the time to do so, because, again, this is free money in your pocket with no catches. Getting bursaries at Centennial College is easy. The first step is to fill out the questionnaire The first important element of claiming your bursaries is completing and submitting the Scholarship and Bursary Questionnaire. As soon as you get a fee statement, you’ll be emailed an invitation and information about the questionnaire. It’s online, it’s about 14-16 questions long, and it takes less than five minutes to complete. Yet, for some reason, many Centennial College students don’t ever complete it, or fill it out and don’t hit the “submit” button. Here’s how it works Once you get your invitation to complete the questionnaire, sign into myCentennial to access it. The purpose of the questionnaire is to identify your needs based on the responses to the questions, and from that determine what bursaries you’re eligible for. Don’t see yourself in any of the questions? Fill it out anyway, because there’s still things like general bursaries and book bursaries that you can apply for once it’s completed and submitted. Once the questionnaire is submitted, and a bursary comes up that matches with the survey, you’ll be sent emails in advance of a bursary becoming available, inviting you to apply. All the information you need will be sent to your myCentennial email address, so be sure to check it often to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities. All bursaries are first-come, first-serve based on financial need, with most full-time bursaries opening at 7pm, so it’s important to apply while the money is still available, otherwise someone else will grab it, more reason to check your myCentennial account regularly. Don’t ignore it, especially if you’re a new student It’s easy to see why a new student might let it slide. After all, if you’re just starting school, you’re probably rushing to get your books, your timetable and your schedule, and you could easily miss an email about a bursary form in the massive list of emails you’ll be getting from the school. But at the start of your first semester is when money is most valuable, and it’s when most bursaries are available. So read the email, even if you have a million things on your mind. It may quite literally pay off later. It’s never too late, though you may miss out on some bursaries The good news: If you’re only reading about this questionnaire now, and have never filled it out, don’t panic. It’s not too late to submit it, as there’s no deadline date, provided there are more bursaries or scholarships being offered in the same academic year. Some bursaries go unclaimed every year, so there is support waiting for you, and the survey is your doorway in. The more popular bursaries with a broader audience can be gone by the morning after they are released online, so receiving and paying attention to those email alerts is essential. A few extra notes First, a note on the “Pay Tuition First” policy: If you get a bursary and you still owe outstanding fees, then that money will automatically be applied to pay any tuition debt first. This doesn’t happen on all bursaries, though, and specifically-targeted ones, like the Business Attire Graduation Support Bursary, or the Child Maintenance Bursary, don’t have this rule, though. Secondly, while you’ll be alerted to most bursaries, there’s a few that you need to manually apply for. The previously mentioned Business Attire Graduation Support Bursary, for example, as well as the Sports Journalism Bursary both require specific applications. While you still need to fill out the questionnaire, these specific applications are administered directly through Career Services or the School. The bottom line: Don’t idle, or you could be losing cash Students come to Student Financial Services needing additional financial support, but bursaries can help alleviate your financial stress, if you take the time to apply. They don’t have to be paid back and easier to get than a scholarship, so there’s really no reason not to try for them. Managing your money may be a challenge in college, but taking the time to fill out and submit your Scholarship and Bursary Questionnaire, and completing and applying for any and all scholarships and bursaries that you can will optimize your chances of reducing that burden by putting some extra cash in your pocket. All scholarships and bursaries are listed on Centennial College's website for information purposes, so have a look, and see what you could be earning. By Anthony GeremiaBreaking: FOUR TOP HOUSE JEWISH DEMOCRATS Announce Opposition to Obama’s Nuclear Deal with Iran Jewish Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY) announced tonight that he will not support Obama’s nuclear deal with the Iranian regime. Engel went so far to say the deal may in fact strengthen Iran’s position as a destabilizing and destructive influence across the Middle East. Rep Engel says Iran deal "may in fact strengthen Iran's position as a destabilizing and destructive influence across the Middle East.” — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) August 7, 2015 Rep. Engel is the second major Jewish Democrat to oppose the deal. Rep Engel is 2nd major Jewish Democrat to announce opposition to Iran deal during #GOPDebate, following Schumer opposition. — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) August 7, 2015 UPDATE: Three more top Jewish Democrats announce opposition to deal including Rep. Steve Israel from New York. Three top Jewish Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives came out in opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. Reps. Nita Lowey and Steve Israel, both of New York, and Ted Deutch of Florida announced their opposition on Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Steve Israel announces opposition to Iran deal http://t.co/6lZcOW8uFA \| AP Photo pic.twitter.com/R0iVd7Zm6h — POLITICO (@politico) August 4, 2015Carol Doda, who was widely credited with triggering a nationwide topless revolution as a 26-year-old go-go dancer in 1964, died on Monday in San Francisco. She was 78. Her death was confirmed by the St. Luke’s campus of California Pacific Medical Center. Friends said the cause was complications of kidney failure. To understand the scandalousness of Ms. Doda’s precedent-setting impromptu performance in San Francisco, on June 19, 1964, consider that it was followed less than a month later in that same city by the Republican National Convention that nominated the conservative Barry Goldwater. Delegates flocked from the Cow Palace convention hall to the Condor Club in the North Beach neighborhood to see her act. As word spread, toplessness became a sensation in clubs and bars across the country.Thorium Reactors: Back to the Dream Factory by Gordon Edwards, July 13, 2011 The Nuclear Dream Factory Every time a nuclear power reactor idea doesn't work out, and ordinary people get down-hearted and start to doubt the magnificence and benificence of nuclear energy, nuclear proponents rush back to their well-stocked dream factory to fetch another idea -- one that is sufficiently unfamiliar and sufficiently untested that ordinary people have no idea whether it is good or bad, safe or dangerous, feasible or foolish, or whether the almost miraculous claims made about it are true or false. Just a few years ago, nuclear proponents were pushing Generation 3 reactors -- enormous plants that would generate huge amounts of electricity, yet be cheaper and faster to build than earlier models, as well as being safer and longer-lived. Then Areva ran into a blizzard of problems trying to build one of these behemoths in Finland -- the cost soaring by billions, the construction time stretched by years, and fundamental safety-related design problems surfacing late in the game. Check and mate. Undaunted, nuclear proponents quickly executed a 180-degree turn and are now promoting small reactors which can be mass-produced by the thousands and sprinkled on the landscape like cinnamon on toast. Pebble-bed reactors, molten-salt reactors, thorium reactors, have been paraded before the public with as many bells and whistles as the nuclear industry can muster, to distract people's gaze away from the construction fiascos, the litany of broken promises from the past, the still-unsolved problems of nuclear waste and nuclear weapons proliferation, and the horror that is Fukushima. The following paragraphs are written to dispel some of the mystique surrounding the idea of "thorium reactors" -- a very old idea that is now being dressed up in modern clothes and made to seem like a major scientific breakthrough, which it is not. Thorium is not a nuclear fuel The fundamental fact about thorium is that it is NOT a nuclear fuel, because thorium is not a fissile material, meaning that it cannot sustain a nuclear fission chain reaction. In fact the ONLY naturally occurring fissile material is uranium-235, and so -- of necessity -- that is the material that fuels all of the first-generation reactors in the entire world. Thorium cannot replace uranium-235 in this regard. Not at all. Thorium is a "fertile" material But thorium-232, which is a naturally occurring radioactive material, is about three times as abundant as uranium-238, which is also a naturally occurring radioactive material. Neither of these materials can be used directly as a nuclear fuel, because they are not "fissile" materials. However, both uranium-238 and thorium-232 are "fertile" materials, which means that IF they are placed in the core of a nuclear reactor (one that is of necessity fuelled by some other material -- a fissile material), some fraction of those fertile atoms will be transmuted into man-made fissile atoms.Charlie Brown makes a run at the football, and only after throwing all of his might into the kick, does Lucy yank the ball out of the way, leaving Charlie Brown to careen through the air and onto his back. It seems the 2015 CrossFit Games Open has done its fair share of this this season. Something tells me we’ll see more. Pulling the Rug Out From Under Teens When the teen division was first announced, the general consensus was that this was a really cool step forward, giving teens their own division to benchmark against others in their peer group. The initial announcement from CFHQ made it seem as though the teen division was limited to the Open, meaning, there was no advancement after this. So, would you rather be 150th in the adult division of your region or first in your teen division and crowned the winner? Neither go any further. Only one holds a title. The announcement said this: The winners of the teenage division will be crowned after the fifth and final week of the Open. And then went on to say the following: All athletes between 14 and 17 will automatically be entered into the teenage division. Teens who want to be in the running for regionals - as a team or individual competitor - must change their division by emailing [email protected] before the end of score submissions for Open Workout 15.1. In other words, if you are a teen who thinks you have a shot at regionals and want to be in a division that has a second stage, you must take action and notify CFHQ. So, a good number of teen athletes did just that. They emailed CFHQ and asked to be re-categorized into the adult division, effectively removing them from the presumed no-advancement teen division. Take the case of sixteen-year-old Kaela Zeitler, from Vancouver, British Columbia. Based on what the initial teen announcement said, she opted to take a run at the adult division because the teen division clearly had no advancement round. Zeitler performed well - placing 144th in the Canada West region. She did all of the workouts prescribed and, while I suspect she didn’t expect to make it to regionals, I can only surmise what she must have been thinking: “I have two choices. One, go teen, which is highly scaled, and not advance, or two, go adult, do everything prescribed, and see how I perform.” It’s a natural choice for someone who is an up-and-comer and who will be making a move into the adult division in a year anyway. Kaela did a serviceable job on the workouts: 128 on 15.2 (overhead squats and chest-to-bar), 207 on 15.3 (muscle ups, wall balls, double unders), and a very solid 9:45 on 15.5 (row calories and thrusters). Goalposts Moved On April 4, CrossFit announced that the top ten teens in each division would advance to the CrossFit Games in July. Wait - what? Where was this information before? I scoured the rulebook, which is silent on this new development. It has a single section devoted to the teen competition entitled The Open: Teenage Division. And the initial announcement did not address this possibility for advancement. In fact, everything in the announcement and all supporting documentation suggested that teens would not advance. "Long story short, CrossFit is changing the rules mid-competition. As a result, a lot of athletes will not be moving on." This leaves Kaela, who most certainly would have qualified for the Games as a teen, standing by with nowhere to go. And before you are tempted to say, “But she chose the adult division,” I would remind you that she, and all of those teen athletes who opted to go adult, did so under false pretenses - that there were no CrossFit Games for teens. Masters Goalposts All of this comes on the heels of a huge tectonic shift in the masters. Masters athletes who were targeting the masters qualifier were able to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw someone in their age division choose to do an Open workout scaled, because it meant that person was out of the running. This belief was based on the rulebook, which stated: Athletes who select a scaled workout in the Open will not be eligible for advancement to the next stage of the competition as Individual competitors. Seems simple enough, and fair. Going scaled means you’re not moving on. This means a lot to those athletes whose sole goal is to advance to the masters qualifying round who would rather not have a bunch of scaled athletes bunched up in front of them. Then, right in the middle of the Open, CrossFit announced this: Athletes in all Masters categories who choose to perform the scaled version of Workout 15.4, or previously chose to scale Workout 15.3, will still be eligible to advance to the Masters Qualifier. Why the change? Was there some masters-level outrage at having to do handstand push ups? I didn’t see it. Were they afraid they wouldn’t have 200 from each division to backfill the slots? Either way, it’s a sham, because those athletes who had a fantastic engine for 15.1, 15.2, and 15.5, but who couldn’t do a muscle up and went scaled should not be eligible to advance ahead of someone who may have done marginally well on all of the workouts but did them prescribed. It leads CrossFit back to the same problem they were trying to avoid in the first place by placing muscle ups first: athletes at regionals or at the games with great engines but low skill and strength. Make Up Your Minds So, we have a bunch of teens who were led to believe one thing and made choices based on that thing and CrossFit going Lucy Van Pelt with the football. Then, we have a bunch of masters who were told one thing and made decisions based on that thing, and CrossFit gaslights them as well. "It leads CrossFit back to the same problem they were trying to avoid in the first place by placing muscle ups first: athletes at regionals or at the games with great engines but low skill and strength." Long story short, CrossFit is changing the rules mid-competition. As a result, a lot of athletes will not be moving on. Perhaps, at the very least, CrossFit could provide some explanation as to why these type of shuffle-ball changes occur. And don’t forget about the “full effort expected” fiasco on 15.1. Does the team that designs the competition think any of this through? Or are they more a “ready-fire-aim” squad? Either way - good grief. Check out these related articles: Photos: ©2015 CrossFit, Inc. Used with permission from CrossFit, Inc.This is a post is in response to a recent Men’s Fitness article “12 Most Inspiring Hollywood Fitness Transformations.” Out of the 12 actors selected by Men’s Fitness, Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, stands out: Next Level Shape: There is no doubt Jackman was ripped for all the X-Men movies. However, in Wolverine he bulked up his skinny 6’2″ frame to 215. Anyone who is naturally thin, understands how difficult putting on muscle can be. Not to mention he was already trimmed down considerably after his previous movie Les Misérables. That might explain why Jackman had to consume around 6,000 calories a day on top of his training. Weight Room: According to the Men’s Fitness article, “Jackman used to work in a gym before he got famous but never touched a weight.” For someone who does body weight exercises only, Jackman put in work, reaching over a 500 pound max for dead lift. Men’s fitness shared his leg day in the article: “Dead lift (4 sets of 5, 4, 3, and 10 reps) Romanian Dead lift (4 sets of 10 reps) Zercher Squat (4 sets of 12 reps) Weighted Incline Sit-up (4 sets of 10 reps) Barbell Landmine (4 sets of 20 reps)” Men’s Fitness lays out the ‘Wolverine Workout‘ in another article. The article advocates a descending rep and increasing weight format on each exercise. Jackman’s trainer David Kingsbury advocates this format as “a system you can trust to continue to improve your gains.” The article has great recommendations for anyone looking to bulk up and improve their maximum strength threshold. Sources: Ambrosino, Kristin, Mark Barrosso, and Brittany Smith. “12 Most Inspiring Hollywood Fitness Transformations.” Men’s Fitness. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Sept. 2013. Related articles AdvertisementsVijay Mallya speaks with the media in New Delhi March 20, 2012. REUTERS/Parivartan Sharma/Files NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government has rejected the re-appointment of liquor baron Vijay Mallya as managing director of Kingfisher Airlines KING.NS, as pressure mounts on the tycoon to help his company repay its debts. Kingfisher, which has not flown since 2012, said in a statement on Monday that the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had rejected an application for Mallya’s re-appointment, without detailing why. Indian banks want Mallya, once known as “The King of Good Times” for his flamboyant lifestyle, to help repay more than $1 billion of loans Kingfisher owes to a consortium of largely state-run banks. The airline founded by Mallya failed to make a profit during the eight years from launch to the grounding of its fleet in October 2012, and has been unsuccessful in efforts to find new investors to revive its operations. United Bank of India (UBOI.NS), among more than a dozen banks owed money by Kingfisher, has already declared Mallya a “wilful defaulter”, which in Indian law would mean that he could be forced to stand down from any corporate posts and could damage the fundraising prospects of businesses with which he is associated. Besides positions at Kingfisher and his UB Group, Mallya is chairman of United Breweries (UBBW.NS), the Kingfisher beer maker now 38 percent owned by Heineken (HEIN.AS), and United Spirits (UNSP.NS), which is majority owned by Diageo (DGE.L).AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster No. 1: The Fixer Patty Murray may be the dullest, most unremarkable member of the United States Senate. Two decades in, she lacks any major legislation to her name, isn’t associated with an issue, rarely appears on television, almost always speaks in gray generalities, and seems to have spent the bulk of her time focused on sending earmarks back to Washington state. As one staffer puts it, the most interesting thing about Murray is how uninteresting she is. She’s also the most important politician you’ve never heard of. As conference secretary, she’s the fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate, which makes her the highest-ranking woman in the chamber. Last year, she chaired the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), spearheading the party’s surprising string of victories in the November elections. Thanks to her efforts, the Senate now has 20 women, the most ever. And as chair of the powerful Budget Committee, she is going up against Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman whose budget has shaped the political conversation for two years and counting. Without many noticing, she’s become the party’s fixer. No. 2: A Children’s Story One afternoon in late March, a few days after she had remained on the Senate floor until 5 a.m. marshaling Democratic colleagues to pass her budget, Murray perched on a preschooler-size chair at the Denise Louie Education Center in Seattle’s International District. A picture book, King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub, lay in her lap, and more than a dozen
the girl just got there, Murphy’s Law promises that her boyfriend will show up right when your drink gets delivered. Godwin’s Law promises that her boyfriend is Hitler. If the girl isn’t sitting at the bar, find a cocktail waitress to order from. The bartender isn’t looking to leap over the bar to play FedEx Man for your booze delivery. Have the cocktail waitress deliver it. Do not deliver it yourself, or you’ll look like a big scary weirdo trying to deliver a big bucket of roofies. Be clear who you want the drink to go to. Be clearer than you might think you need to be, even. “The blonde girl in the red shirt sitting at the table over there” works far better than saying “That girl.” Look when it’s delivered. Don’t try to pretend you’re in a deep conversation and not paying attention 30 seconds after you just ordered the drink. If you’re staring at your buddies when the waitress points out who it came from, you’ve probably just made it tough as hell to explain who it came from. If she looks over, smile and give a small wave. She might think its creepy – but if that’s the case, she was going to think you’re creepy anyway. Next time, try it without the dog collar necklace and the eye liner. 7. Pick a bartender: This one’s easy. If you’re at a bar or club with multiple bars/bartenders, pick a bartender and stick with them. Tip them well right off the bat. It’s usually pretty tough to buy a bartender’s love and attention through tips – but if you want to have any chance at all, you’ll want to pick one and stick with’em. 8. Picking the right bar: When you’re 21, everyone tends to think that the busier the bar, the better it will be. Would you go to a certain grocery store just because the parking lot is packed? Nope. Same idea here. It’s a bell curve, with the best bar times generally being had at the places right in the middle: not too many people, but no where near empty. There should be just enough people to fill every seat in the house, plus a few people standing. Too many more than that, and it’ll take too long to get your drink. If you’re a single guy or gal, there’s really no chance of striking up a conversation when everyone is fighting to make it through a sea of people. 9. Know what type of bar it is: If they do not have bottles of hard alcohol on the wall behind the bar, it’s probably a beer bar/pub. Don’t try to order a cocktail here. It’s like trying to order a bowl of chow mein at a Mexican restaurant. 10. Don’t open a tab – and if you do, keep an eye on it: Back up in step 1, we explained what a “Tab” is. It’s where you leave your credit card with the bar, and they just run up your drinks throughout the night. Don’t do it. If you have to (for example, if you didn’t bring cash and the bar has a minimum charge for cards), really keep an eye on it. If you forget it overnight, most bars will tack on a 10-20 percent “service charge”. Even if you don’t forget it, you might get ripped off. See, people don’t like to pay for booze. Your friends will say “Oh, just put it on _____’s tab”, thinking that you still owe them for that one time which you actually paid them back for months ago. Shady people who happen to over hear your name will do the same, because, well, they’re shady people. Yeah, it happens – and at the end of the night, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Even if you’re the only one using your tab, you’ll probably end up spending more money than you intended. Bars don’t usually tell you how much drinks cost until the end or unless you ask, and the simplicity of not having to take anything out of your wallet makes ordering 10 drinks seem like ordering three. Cash makes everything easier. It just works out for everyone. The bar doesn’t get charged fees, and you don’t forget your card or buy drinks for others unknowingly. Plus, starting out with a certain amount of cash is an easy way to keep yourself from accidentally spending way too much. Enjoy and, most importantly, Drink responsibly!CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Prosecutors continued to pin a tail of multiple identities to accused veterans charity swindler Bobby Thompson during testimony Wednesday morning in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Authorities say Thompson is a stolen identity used by John Cody, who is charged with bilking contributors to his U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA) out of more than $100 million (including an estimated $3 million from Ohio donors) from 2002-10. The first witness was Tampa dentist Gary Steen, who matched the photos used on nine sets of identity cards from several different states to the Bobby Thompson of the USNVA, whom he knew as a patient and identified in court. Next up was Tim Curtis, owner of a UPS store in Tampa where Thompson set up a mail box for the USNVA. Curtis identified a photo used by Thompson to supposedly show a USNVA office, as actually the site of his own UPS store. A third witness was Mark Gelvan, head of the professional fundraising and telemarketing firm in New Jersey hired by Thompson to solicit funds for the USNVA in 2003 and 2004. Gelvan, who ran the All Pro Telemarketing Associates Corp. at that time, said he was instructed by Thompson to limit the amount of money collected in states where a certain amount of donations raised would trigger a mandatory audit, "which gets costly." Trial testimony continues this afternoon.“Make friends first, make sales second, make love third. In no particular order.” These words defined Michael’s Scott and they also defined The Office, the comedy with a largely unknown ensemble cast about a company that sells paper products in Scranton, Pennsylvania. A takeoff on a high successful British series of the same name, shot in mockumentary style, ran for nine seasons between 2005 and 2013. 46. Photo Creds to Jim John Krazinski shot the footage of Scranton that appears in the show’s opening credits from his jeep when he and a few friends cased the city before he began shooting. 45. Meant to be Jenna Fischer and John Krasinsi met for the first time during casting and there was almost immediate chemistry. The producers held a series of casting sessions with different combinations of actors playing Pam and Jim. Jenna Fischer said John Krasinski was her favourite Jim, while Krasinski responded that she was his favourite Pam. When each was offered the part, the first thing they asked was if the other got the part. 44. Phyllis Phyllis Smith started on The Office as the casting associate, but impressed producers so much they created the role of Phyllis Vance on the show. Before that? She was a burlesque dancer and an NFL cheerleader. 43. Impressive excuse A writer himself, Steve Carrell refused to cross the picket line during the writer’s strike in 2007. He even went so far as to call in sick, claiming “enlarged balls” were keeping him from coming in. Impressive excuse. 42. That hair John Krasinski wowed viewers with Jim’s great hair but at one time it wasn’t even his. John Krasinski wore a wig for half of season three after shaving his head for his role in Leatherheads, a football film set in the 1920’s. 41. Improv 101 – The Kiss In the “Gay Witch Hunt” episode, Michael Scott calls a meeting in the conference room in which he was scripted to hug Oscar. When Steve Carrell improvised by kissing Oscar Nunez, Oscar’s shock is genuine and if you look closely you can see B.J. Novak trying to hold in a laugh in the background. 40. Improv 101 – The Laugh Sometimes the byplay between the actors was so hilarious even they couldn’t hold back a laugh. When Michael flashed Toby with his finger penis and accused him of being the flasher, you can see John Krasinski trying not to break our laughing in the background. And when Michael was dressed at Santa and made Kevin sit on his lap, you can see Mindy Kalingand and Ed Helms trying not to laugh. And finally after several shots in which the exercise ball Rainn Wilson was sitting on deflated slowly, John Krasinski stabbed a seam causing Wilson to hit the floor hard. You can see Krasinski jump out of the shot because he was cry-laughing. 39. Improv 101 – The Consolation The Office casting team actively sought actors with improv experience, but the actors weren’t the only improv experts. In Season 4, Episode 7, titled “Money” Jim consoles a crying Dwight on the staircase only to make a break and disappear just as Dwight reaches out for him. The moment is entirely unscripted and was an improvisation by the director who motioned to Krasinski in the midst of the scene. 38. The sigh In Season Five, Episode 1 “Weight Loss”, Jim goes to visit Pam in her dorm room and tricks the cameraman into looking the other way. The cameraman lets out an audible, unscripted and totally believable sigh just as Pam closes the door on him. 37. Improv 101 – The Quarrels Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski often gave each other lines during Jim and Dwight’s verbal battles and many of their best character’s best lines came from each other. 36. Actors, Writers, Directors oh my! The producers of The Office thought it was important to hire actors who could also write. B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein and Michael Schur (Dwight’s cousin Moses) all wrote and produced for the series. Steve Carrell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, and Brian Baumgartner also wrote episodes. Carrell, Wilson, Krasinski, Fischer, Novak and Helms also directed episodes. 35. High School Reunion B.J. Novak and John Krasinski attended the same high school in Massachusetts and Ed Helms (Andy) and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) went to high school together in Georgia. 34. BFFs They seemed to barely tolerate each other on the show but during their nine years together, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kingsly became best friends. Fischer is godmother to Kingsly’s child. Check out their Instagram photos which frequently document their current adventures together and the occasional throwback to their times together on the show. 33. More BFFs John Krasinski and Brian Baumgartner played Madden Football together every lunch during taping. They, along with Rainn Wilson and other crew members also participated in a fantasy football league together for six seasons. Paul Lieberstein vacationed with castmate B.J. Novak in Costa Rica where he said Novak tried to kill him with a surfboard. 32. BF(F)s B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling were best friends and dated on and off in real life and on the set. As Novak put it to New York magazine, “Is this dating? Is this not dating?” We were never really dating, we were never really not dating. We didn’t know. No one knew.” Sound familiar? 31. The Right Stuff Producers originally wanted John Krasinski for the role of Dwight Shrute but he refused to even read for the part insisting he’d make a much better Jim Halpert. And the rest is history… 30. The Wrong Stuff The casting directors were initially annoyed that Krasinski refused to read for the part of Dwight but even when he finally convinced them to let him read for the part of Jim. A man in the waiting room eating a salad asked him if he was nervous for the addition and Krasinski replied, “You know, not really. You either get these things or you don’t. But what I’m really nervous about is this show. It’s just I love the British how so much and Americans have a tendency to just really screw these opportunities up. I just don’t know how I’ll live with myself if they screw this show up and ruin it for me.” The man with the salad was Executive Producer, Greg Daniels. When he went into the room they were all still laughing at his faux pas. 29. Wired Props The computers on the set were real and connected to the internet. Cast members confessed that they often surfed the web or answered emails while they were at their desks in the background. 28. Proud Member The Office’s fictional company, Dunder Mifflin, is a very real member of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. 27. More Meant to Be Angela mentions several times during the series that her favourite song is Little Drummer Boy. Is it coincidence that Dwight can be seen singing the song at his desk at the beginning of the pilot episode for the series? 26. Product Placement In a nod to local Scranton soda maker, Crystal Club, characters are frequently seen drinking different varieties of Crystal Club soda. Jim’s favourite appears to be the cola. 25. What’s in a name? Four of the main characters share the first names of the actors who play them: Phyllis (Phyllis Smith), Angela (Angela Kinsey), Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) and Oscar (Oscar Nunez). 24. Froggy 101 Froggy 101, is the #1 radio station in Scranton and it’s all over The Office. Dwight has a bumper sticker for the station on his filing cabinet, it’s on the warehouse elevator, the tattoo parlour where Andy gets his tattoo, and in the bar in a scene from Michael’s movie. The Froggy 101 bumper sticker also makes an appearance as an Easter egg in the office of the boss of the telemarketing firm where Michael briefly works. 23. Dwight Revealed Dwight appears pantless several times during the series and every time (except twice) he is wearing the same pair of green underwear. During “The Client” (Season 2, Episode 7) he has blue underwear on and in “The Baby Shower” (Season 5, Episode 4) he is wearing red. 22. What happened to Michael’s fish? Michael keeps a fish bowl on his desk for part of Season 5 but the fish change each episode. The first fish we see is a goldfish, then in episode 2 the fish is a calico and finally in episode 3 it becomes a black fish. 21. Degrees of Toby Paul Lieberstein is probably the most connected actor on the show. His brother, Warren, was married to Angela Kinsey for four years during the show. When Toby speaks to his brother Rory Flenderson on videochat, Rory is played by Paul’s brother Warren who is also a producer on the show. Leiberstein’s sister Suzanne is actually married to The Office creator and executive producer, Greg Daniels. 20. Dunder Mifflin Paper (By Staples) Just as production of The Office was wrapping up, Staples, in a marketing ploy aimed at young professionals, began selling Dunder Mifflin brand paper and office supplies. The product line was guided by a single philosophy “What Would Dunder Mifflin do?” It included multicoloured sticky notes which were called, per Michael Scott, “Diversity Notes.” They also included storage boxes that adapt to a game of bean bag toss for Office Olympics and legal pads with checkboxes to record if your coworkers are alert, asleep or doing crosswords during meetings. The product launch was one of the most successful ever for Staples subsidiary Quill.com. 19. Who’s Watching NBC executives originally believed their audience would be white collar professionals but after the series took four of the five top spots on iTumes, they realized their demographic was actually a lot younger. The series lives on in countless memes on social media and via streaming servies like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu. In fact, it’s so popular that when rumour abounded in the spring that Netflix might lose the show, they faced a huge backlash and had to take to twitter to put an end to the rumors. 18. True Believers There were a few actors who believed right from the start that the series would last. Steve Carrell went out for lunch with John Kraskinski, Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson shortly after they received the call and predicted that the show would last for eight years. They were close, it lasted nine. 17. #1 Steve Carrell left the show after 7 seasons but was still so beloved by the cast and crew that they “retired” his number on the actor’s call sheet. Carrell was always number one on the call sheet and they never used the number again. 16. The Big Lie Steve Carrell confessed that he lied for months – to the press, to executives, to everyone – about his participation in the final episode of The Office. The showrunners even kept the secret from NBC executives, going so far as to have Creed read Michael Scott’s lines at table script readings. Carrell’s “That’s what she said”, response to Dwight’s “I didn’t think you would come” in the wedding scene is one of the best uses off his go to phrase. 15. Who said? “That’s what she said” is said 58 times during the course of the series, mostly by Michael Scott. It’s a bad joke but it is a hilarious caricature of all the awkward bosses we’ve had who tell bad jokes. The series spawned countless YouTube compilations of the phrase and even dozens of sites dedicated to the origin of the joke first delivered in a 1975 Saturday Night Live weekend update by Chevy Chase. Etymologists (dedicated to ruining the fun we’re having with a joke we already know is lame and love anyways) link it to the bawdy Edwardian joke “said the actress to the bishop”. 14. Too rational and smart? Andy became the next manager because he, like Michael Scott, put people and relationships ahead of everything else. The writers originally considered promoting Darrell, but decided he was too “rational and smart” to be a manager and wouldn’t cause enough disasters. 12. Shy Guy Actor Paul Lieberstein who played Toby and actually wrote and directed for The Office, was very shy and actually disliked being on screen. In the shows he wrote or directed, Toby is given very few or no lines to speak. 11. Poor Richard’s Poor Richards, often visited by The Office workers, is an actual bar in Scranton. It’s inside a bowling alley and is known as the South Side Lanes Bar by locals. 10. Beet farmers in the family Dwight became a beet farmer in a nod to The Office writer/producer Greg Daniels’ grandparents who were beet farmers in Poland. 9. All in the family The character Carol Stills who appears in several episodes and sells Michael Scott his condominium is actually Steve Carrell’s real-life wife, Nancy Carrell. 8. More all in the family When Pam gives birth, her lactation consultant is played by her real-life husband, Lee Kirk. Jim and Pam’s daughter Cecilia (Cece) is actually named after Pam’s real-life niece. 7. Something fishy When Michael fell into a koi pond in Season 6, Episode 7 appropriately entitled “Koi Pond”, all of the office actors changed their onset computer screensavers to fish. 6. What’s in a name? In “Launch Party” (Season 4, Episode 3), John Krasinski signs his own name rather than Jim Halpert’s on Phyllis’ pelvic cast. Oops. 5. Baby makes three Writers had already written Pam’s pregnancy into Season 8 when Jenna Fischer learned that she was actually pregnant. 4. Mementos When the series ended, Jenna Fischer kept the engagement ring that Jim Halpert gave her character Pam. 3. Dwight the Blogger Actor Rainn Wilson actually created a blog called Shrute Farm Beets for his character Dwight. 2. Real men wear pink Writers decided they needed a gay character in The Office for the episode Gay Witch Hunt and settled on Oscar Nunez because he happened to wear a pink shirt to the table read. 1. Bizzaro-Michael In the episode, “Moving On”, when Pam interviews for a new job her potential new boss is played by Bob Odenkirk. He was considered for the role of Michael Scott when Steve Carrell was almost prevented from taking the role by other commitments.BERNARD Foley shattered England’s Rugby World Cup dream as Australia triumphed 33-13 to make England the first tournament hosts to drop out in the first round. Foley scored two brilliant tries and kicked 18 points on a historic night when a late yellow card for Owen Farrell completed England’s humiliation at Twickenham. Australia and Wales are now guaranted the top two places in Pool A, and tickets to the quarter-finals. They play next weekend to decide the top dogs in the pool. Australia coach Michael Cheika punched the air with delight as the final whistle went. His England counterpart Stuart Lancaster cast a forlorn figure, his future now in doubt after losses to Wales and now the Wallabies. England captain Chris Robshaw said the team was “gutted” and apologised to the nation for the defeat. “We were not good enough,” he said. Bernard Foley of Australia goes over to score their second try. Source: Getty Images England were all but out of the World Cup at half-time. Foley scored a try after 20 minutes and Australia, The Rugby Championship holders, led 17-3 at half time as they imposed their class. England fought back after the break but left themselves too much to do. England stuck with goalkicking fly-half Farrell and recalled Jonathan Joseph after the centre missed the Wales match with a chest injury. Australia may have lost their last two Tests against England but Cheika chose his strongest side with a back-line of Israel Folau and Matt Giteau and a pack including turnover specialists David Pocock and Michael Hooper. Foley’s well-judged grubber kick was taken into touch by Mike Brown to set up an Australia attacking line-out five metres from the England line. Australia won possession but Brown’s thumping tackle on opposing fullback Folau prevented a try. The Wallabies continued to play the game deep inside England’s 22 and went ahead when Foley kicked a seventh-minute penalty for offside awarded by French referee Romain Poite. Joseph showed his class with a rare break which in turn led to a scrum from which Farrell kicked a penalty to make it 3-3. But Australia then scored 17 unanswered points, despite wing Rob Horne going off with an arm injury. Foley scored the opening try when, following a sustained spell of Australia possession, England’s defence cracked after the stand-off sold a dummy from 10 metres out. He converted his own score and Australia led 10-3. There was no denying England’s commitment but they were struggling to win quick ball as Pocock, well supported by Hooper and Scott Fardy, bossed the breakdown. Australia then won a penalty off a scrum — England’s supposed area of strength. CIPRIANI MADNESS: NO WALLABIES WOULD MAKE ENGLAND XV NUMBERS GAME: WHAT AN ENGLAND LOSS WOULD DO TO THE ECONOMY Fox Rugby Podcast #8 has landed as Dave Dennis, Sean Maloney and Sam Worthington talk Wallabies v England and the ‘other’ Sam Worthington This led to a second Australia try in the 35th minute when, after a line-out win, Foley’s well-weighted inside ball to Kurtley Beale was returned to the No 10 and he went over. Wales had three times come from 10 points down to beat England last week but overturning a 14-point gap against the Wallabies in 40 minutes would have been an unprecedented feat. It was not made easier when England started the second half without wing Jonny May. Replacement George Ford came on in his favoured fly-half position, with Farrell moving into the centres. Wallaby prop Scott Sio won a scrum penalty on the edge of England’s 22 which Foley kicked to make it 20-3. Australia's Israel Folau and England's Anthony Watson battle for the ball. Source: AP England had a lifeline in the 55th minute when wing Anthony Watson, after a fine pass by Ford, reached out out for a try greeted by a huge roar from a crowd of over 81,000. Farrell landed the awkward conversion and, with 15 minutes left, his penalty cut Australia’s lead to 20-13. England’s glimmer of hope disappeared when they had to play the final nine minutes a man down after Farrell was sin-binned for a ‘no-arm’ tackle on Matt Giteau. What should have been an England line-out inside Australia’s 22 became a Wallaby penalty 25 metres in front of their own posts. Foley kicked the chance to restore Australia’s 10-point lead at 23-13. Another scrum penalty and another succesful goal-kick by Foley hammered the nail into England’s World Cup coffin. Matt Giteau scored the third try in the dying seconds with Foley appropriately adding a last magisterial kick. RE-LIVE ALL THE ACTION ON OUR BLOG BELOW!Account Manager We are looking for a passionate Account Manager who will partner with and ensure the long-term success of our customers. Your account management responsibilities include developing long-term relationships with your portfolio of assigned customers, connecting with key business executives and stakeholders. You will liaise between customers and cross-functional internal teams to ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs. Responsibilities: Operate as the lead point of contact for any and all matters specific to your customers Collaborate with our Partners in delivering the best solution to our customers Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships Ensure the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to customer needs and objectives Communicate clearly the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives internally Forecast and track key account metrics negotiating tender and contract terms and conditions to meet both client and company needs Identify and grow opportunities within territory and collaborate with sales teams to ensure growth attainment Assist with high severity requests or issue escalations as needed Required skills: Proven account management or other relevant experience Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the organization, including executive and C-level Experience in delivering client-focused solutions based on customer needs Proven ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying strict attention to prioritize Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation skills Excellent verbal and written communications skills Problem solving skills Writing and speaking German and/or French language What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Promoting and selling a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. Sales Representative We are looking for a passionate Sales Representative to work with prospective customers to determine if Nextcloud is a good fit for them. Your responsibilities include building relationships with prospective customers and connecting with key business executives and stakeholders. You will research and develop market segments, work with Marketing to generate and classify leads, develop them to opportunities and work as part of our internal cross-functional internal teams to ensure the customers get timely information and fitting solutions to their problems. Responsibilities: Work with marketing on outreach, lead generation and classification of opportunities Research, develop and maintain communication within and for specific market segments Collaborate with your team and our Partners in determining the best solution for our customers Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships Communicate clearly the progress of monthly/quarterly initiatives internally Forecast and track key account metrics negotiating tender and contract terms and conditions to meet both client and company needs Identify and grow opportunities within territory and collaborate with sales teams to ensure growth attainment Assist with high severity requests or issue escalations as needed Required skills: Proven sales/account management or other relevant experience Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the organization, including executive and C-level Experience in delivering client-focused solutions based on customer needs Proven ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying strict attention to prioritize Excellent listening, negotiation and presentation skills Excellent verbal and written communications skills Problem solving skills Writing and speaking German and/or French language What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Promoting and selling a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. Javascript Developer We're looking for developers with experience in Javascript/front-end development to join our server team! You would work with the engineering team to bring new features and improvements to the server user interface like our File management app or one of the many other applications like Calendar and Contacts, Announcements and more. You ideally have open source experience, know your way around git and Github and you live in the CET timezone. Responsibilities: Front end development (JS, PHP) Cross platform testing Quality assurance Required skills: Deep technical experience with Javascript and perhaps a bit of PHP WebRTC experience a plus Teamworking capabilities Independence and self-reliance. Knowledge around open source technology What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Developing a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. Sales Engineer/ Consultant Technical sales engineers use their technical knowledge along with sales skills to provide advice and support on a range of products, for which a certain level of expertise is needed. You work close together with sales and engineering and assist colleagues with bids and tenders for new clients from a technical perspective, working on proof of concept deployments and answering questions. You like to work independently and self responsible on dedicated projects but like to also to exchange your knowledge with your colleagues. Responsibilities: persuading clients that a product or service best satisfies their needs in terms of quality, price and delivery working closely together with sales on customer projects calculating client quotations providing pre-sales technical assistance and product education working on after-sales support services and providing technical backup as required arranging and carrying out product training support POC and Pilots at the customers together with support and engineering supporting sales and marketing activities by attending trade shows, conferences and other marketing events making technical presentations and demonstrating how a product meets client needs liaising with other members of the sales team and other technical experts helping in the design of custom-made products providing training and producing support material for other members of the sales team Required skills: Solid technical background for infrastructure set-ups in medium and large organizations Sales skills Sound judgement and good business sense Organizational skills Teamworking capabilities Analytical and problem-solving skills Independence and self-reliance. Problem solving Product knowledge around open source technology General programming skills in PHP, HTML, CSS Writing and speaking German and/or French language What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Promoting and selling a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. PHP back-end developer We're looking for developers with experience in PHP back-end development to join our server team! You would work with the engineering team to bring new features and improvements to the server back-end like new authentication or storage mechanisms, audio/video chat and more. You ideally have open source experience, know your way around git and Github and you live in the CET timezone. Responsibilities: Back end development (PHP) Database design Systems design Quality assurance Required skills: Technical experience with PHP and bit of HTML, CSS, Javascript Teamworking capabilities Independence and self-reliance. Knowledge around open source technology What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Developing a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. QA engineer We're looking for an engineer who can help us test and make Nextcloud rock stable! You would work with the engineering team to make sure Nextcloud is stable and well tested, developing and maintaining test plans, executing them and working with others to improve the automated and manual testing processes. You ideally have open source experience, know your way around git and Github and you live in the CET timezone. Responsibilities: Taking ownership of the Nextcloud testing/QA process Working with the Engineering team on testing and guiding community testing Proactively identifying areas that need more/better testing Testing, improving automated and manual testing infrastructure Required skills: Experience managing and executing QA plans Knowledge about Linux and basic PHP knowledge Experience with the LAMP stack Teamworking capabilities Independence and self-reliance. Knowledge around open source technology What we offer: A distributed, open team with a passion for working on and within the open source community Working on a product which pushes the boundaries of technology and with a global user and contributor community A competitive salary Flexibility for a healthy work-life balance Time for personal growth and education We are looking for somebody with ambition and drive, who would like to grow and learn. That means if you do not yet fulfill the requirements but want to learn, apply! Contact us at [email protected] with your resume if you are interested in this role. And moreEditor's note: This story has been updated as of 11:53 a.m. ANN ARBOR, MI - Police are investigating a bomb threat at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor. A staff member called police about 9:20 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27 to report the threat at the Hebrew Day School at 2937 Birch Hollow Drive, said Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Matthew Lige. The staff member told police that a male caller called the school, located at the center, and said there was a bomb in a backpack and that it would be detonated, Lige said. The center was evacuated and the about 200 students and staff members were taken to an off-site location, Lige said. Police are working with the FBI and Michigan State Police, and bomb-sniffing dogs were searching the premises as of 11:15 a.m. Shortly before noon Lt. Lige said the search has been completed and no explosives or suspicious packages were found. Students are being allowed back into the building. Because of the specific nature of the threat, Lige said the approach was different than a typical bomb threat. Now that the school has been swept and no explosives were found, AAPD will begin working with the FBI to determine who made the call. Birch Hollow Drive is closed at Stone School Road and the surrounding neighborhood has been blocked off. Lige said similar threats were called in across the country Monday, but it was not immediately known if there was a direct connection. The Indy Star reports that a similar threat was made the Indianapolis JCC. The JCC centers in Harrisburg and York, Pennsylvania have also been evacuated today for bomb threats, according to a report from Pennlive.comGENEVA — A senior Iranian emissary hinted on Friday that Iranian authorities might be prepared to free a Washington Post correspondent who has been inexplicably imprisoned and kept virtually incommunicado since July 22. The emissary, Mohammad Javad Larijani, who was attending a United Nations Human Rights Council session, said that security service officials had prepared charges against the correspondent, Jason Rezaian, for activities “entering the area of the security of the state.” But he added that he hoped the charges would be dropped during court proceedings that he expected to start “soon.” Mr. Larijani, a member of a politically powerful Iranian family and secretary general of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, declined to elaborate on the charges. Nor did he further specify the status of Mr. Rezaian’s case in the opaque Iranian judicial process. Mr. Rezaian has not been able to hire a lawyer because no charges have been formally made. But Mr. Larijani’s suggestion that the charges — whatever they may be — could be dismissed went beyond what other top Iranian officials have said about the mysterious case.Super-sharp observations with the telescope Alma have revealed what seems to be a gigantic flare on the surface of Mira, one of the closest and most famous red giant stars in the sky. Activity like this in red giants -- similar to what we see in the Sun -- comes as a surprise to astronomers. The discovery could help explain how winds from giant stars make their contribution to our galaxy's ecosystem. New observations with Alma have given astronomers their sharpest ever view of the famous double star Mira. The images clearly show the two stars in the system, Mira A and Mira B, but that's not all. For the first time ever at millimetre wavelengths, they reveal details on the surface of Mira A. "Alma's vision is so sharp that we can begin to see details on the surface of the star. Part of the stellar surface is not just extremely bright, it also varies in brightness. This must be
We didn’t like most of them, either. But he won the election,” McConnell said. “So all of these little procedural complaints are related to their frustration at having not only lost the White House, but having lost the Senate. I understand that. But we need to, sort of, grow up here and get past that.” McConnell was responding to concerns expressed by Walter M. Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics, who said in a letter released Friday that the current confirmation calendar is putting “undue pressure” on his office to “rush through these important reviews.” (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) Shaub, appointed in 2013 to lead the executive branch’s ethics office, warned that there are some unresolved ethics issues for nominees set to appear on Capitol Hill this week, adding that he was unaware of any Cabinet pick sitting for a confirmation hearing before completing an OGE review. [Ethics official warns against confirmations before reviews are complete] But Senate Republicans strongly disputed Shaub, noting that at least some hearings have been held before the OGE completed reviewing a nominee’s past. Take the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, for example. The panel requires a nominee to complete a questionnaire — part of which is released publicly, while a portion containing personal information remains private. The committee also requires that a nominee undergo an ethics review by the OGE and an FBI criminal background check. In January 2001, the committee held a confirmation hearing for Roderick Paige, George W. Bush’s choice to lead the Education Department, eight days before the OGE completed its review, aides said. That month, the committee met with Elaine Chao, tapped to serve as Bush’s labor secretary, five days before the OGE sent its findings to Capitol Hill. [Trump’s nominees] This year, Chao, who is also McConnell’s wife, is nominated to serve as Trump’s transportation secretary, and her ethics and FBI background checks have been completed ahead of her hearing, scheduled for Wednesday with the Senate Commerce Committee, aides said. Her hearing will occur amid a flurry of other televised meetings with Trump nominees, including attorney general pick Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), set to meet with the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, and secretary of state pick Rex Tillerson, set to appear before the Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. Elaine Chao, Trump’s choice to serve as transportation secretary, photographed on Nov. 21, 2016, at Trump Tower in New York. (Carolyn Kaster/AP) All of Sessions’s paperwork is completed, including the FBI background check, according to Senate aides. Tillerson turned in his ethics report a few days after being nominated but is awaiting the results of an FBI check, said those aides, who are not authorized to speak publicly about the reviews. Betsy DeVos, Trump’s choice for education secretary, has yet to submit her ethics report, but her FBI check is completed ahead of her Wednesday hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, aides said. Paperwork for retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, also has been completed ahead of his Wednesday hearing. On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will meet with Ben Carson, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while the Senate Commerce Committee will meet with Wilbur Ross, Trump’s choice to lead the Commerce Department. Both nominees are still undergoing ethics and FBI reviews, aides said. [Everything you want to know about the Trump Cabinet confirmation hearings] Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday again faulted Republicans for the confirmation schedule. “No administration, Republican or Democrat, has tried to do what these Republicans are trying to do with their nominees,” Schumer said in a statement. “Rather than ensuring that nominees are thoroughly vetted and will remove themselves from conflicts of interests, Senate Republicans are trying to ram them through as quickly as possible.” He added: “Until these nominees have fully cooperated with the ethics review process, the hearings and confirmation schedule should not be rushed.” A former general counsel and acting director of the Office of Government Ethics, Don W. Fox, said his former agency should not be faulted for slowing down the confirmation of Trump’s Cabinet. “I would not fault OGE at all” for this circumstance, he said. “There is no lack of sophistication there among the staff on complex financial arrangements. But it is a small agency, and the laws are exacting.” As a result, cooperation and communication with the agency are required, Fox said. Given the number of wealthy nominees and reports of a lack of communication between the ethics office and Trump’s team, “it’s not surprising that this is where we are,” he added. Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.BALTIMORE, MD - NOVEMBER 6: Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell (C) waves as Maryland Governor Parris Glendening (L) and Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke (R) look on during a press conference 06 November in Baltimore, Maryland. During the press conference held at the site of a planned 70,000-seat football stadium, Modell, who has owned the Browns for 35 years, formally announced that the team plans to move to Baltimore for the 1996 season. (Photo credit should read RICHARD ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) File photo: Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell (C) waves as Maryland Governor Parris Glendening (L) and Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke (R) look on during a press conference 06 November in Baltimore, Maryland. During the press conference held at the site of a planned 70,000-seat football stadium, Modell, who has owned the Browns for 35 years, formally announced that the team plans to move to Baltimore for the 1996 season. (Photo credit: RICHARD ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) Former Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens owner Art Modell will not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Modell, who passed away in Sept. 2012 at the age of 87, was not among the 25 semifinalists for the class of 2014 which were announced Wednesday night. Modell was was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and 2013, a semifinalist for the classes of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 but has not been elected. While Modell was an NFL pioneer and renowned philanthropist, his legacy is forever tainted for moving the Browns to Baltimore in 1996. Modell’s relocation of the Browns spurred a stadium and arena boom across the country as taxpayers agreed to pay for new ballparks, stadiums and arena’s for fear that their teams would suffer the same fate as the Browns. The move wasn’t Modell’s first controversy as an owner. He fired legendary coach Paul Brown, who had won 7 league championships before Modell bought the Browns, in 1963 and hired Blanton Collier. Modell was instrumental in the emergence of the NFL through television – most notably Monday Night Football. The Browns were the first telecast at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium on Sept. 21, 1970 and they beat Joe Namath and the NY Jets 31-21. Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, Broncos running back Terrell Davis, 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr., coach Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson as well as former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue headline the semifinalists. Morten Andersen, Steve Atwater, Derrick Brooks, Tim Brown, Don Coryell, Roger Craig, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Marvin Harrison, Joe Jacoby, Walter Jones, John Lynch, Karl Mecklenburg, Andre Reed, Will Shields, Michael Strahan, Aeneas Williams, Steve Wisniewski, and George Young also made the cut. The group of 25 semifinalists will be trimmed to 15 in early January and the class of 2014 will be picked on Feb. 1. The 2 senior nominees this year, who were selected in August by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Selection Committee, are punter Ray Guy and defensive end Claude Humphrey. Sports Stories You May Also Be Interested In Follow @RuiterWrongFANEric Goodman and Les Shapiro pose the question "what would you do if you were Brock?" on The Afternoon Drive on Wednesday. It's a fun mental exercise, but the bottom line is that Brock Osweiler is the one who must decided to go for the big money in free agency or give John Elway a hometown discount. We all have a specific number in our heads (mine is hovering between ten to twelve million), but if Osweiler is thinking sixteen million then it just comes down to how much do the Denver Broncos really believe in Osweiler for the next four to five years? The most troubling fact is that the Broncos do not appear to be worried about contract negotiations with Osweiler until Peyton Manning makes his decision. With free agency rapidly approaching, that should be a huge red flag for all of us. Contract talks take time and time is running out. With each passing day, it feels more and more like the Broncos are going to let Osweiler walk. What do you think? Bonus ListenThe incidence of food hypersensitivity and food allergies is on the rise and new treatment approaches are needed. We investigated whether N. sativa, one of its components, thymoquinone, or synthetic opioid receptor (OR)-agonists can alleviate food allergy. Hence, ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c-mice were pre-treated either with a hexanic N. sativa seed extract, thymoquinone, kappa-(U50'4889) or mu-OR-agonists (DAMGO) and subsequently challenged intra-gastrically with OVA. All 4 treatments significantly decreased clinical scores of OVA-induced diarrhea. N. sativa seed extract, thymoquinone, and U50'488 also decreased intestinal mast cell numbers and plasma mouse mast cell protease-1 (MMCP-1). DAMGO, in contrast, had no effect on mast cell parameters but decreased IFNγ, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 concentration after ex vivo re-stimulation of mesenteric lymphocytes. The effects on allergy symptoms were reversible by OR-antagonist pre-treatment, whereas most of the effects on immunological parameter were not. We demonstrate that N. sativa seed extract significantly improves symptoms and immune parameters in murine OVA-induced allergic diarrhea; this effect is at least partially mediated by thymoquinone. ORs may also be involved and could be a new target for intestinal allergy symptom alleviation. N. sativa seed extract seems to be a promising candidate for nutritional interventions in humans with food allergy.California may have the world’s sixth-largest economy, but that’s cold comfort for young adults confronting a dismal summer job market. Once known for its beautiful beaches, moderate climate and stunning vistas, California today is better known for being inhospitable to the middle class — a net importer of better educated, higher-earning employees, and a net exporter of almost everyone else. For those who remain — young adults in particular — there’s little to celebrate. In 2017, the overall state youth unemployment rate ticked up from 18 to 20 percent. In the metropolitan areas of Bakersfield, Modesto, Salinas and Stockton, youth unemployment lies north of 30 percent; on average, just one in five teens in these cities is employed. Even in more economically robust parts of the state such as Los Angeles and the Bay Area, youth unemployment rates still hover around 20 percent. Not surprisingly, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didn’t run for re-election on the fact that fewer than one in five teens in Los Angeles County has a job. These struggling jobseekers are California’s forgotten class, overlooked or ignored by state and city legislators more concerned with new wage mandates rather than new job opportunities for young people. The Golden State prides itself on moving opposite the national trend, no more so than in politics. But the state is also moving opposite the national trend on youth employment, missing the improving conditions seen in much of the country. No conversation about the youth jobs crisis would be complete without mentioning the state’s incoming $15 minimum wage, which provides an additional barrier to employment. A state known for its technological prowess has helped enable iPad-style ordering devices and burger-flipping robots to replace the jobs once held by young adults. Not all businesses can embrace automation to offset higher labor costs, and many have closed their doors. This includes closures and cutbacks in the same markets when teens are now most in need of work. Swiggs Burgers and Wings in Fresno closed their doors partially because of a minimum wage increase; same story with the nearby Corner Café. Digger’s Deli in Vacaville was forced to lay off three employees because of a state wage hike. R-N Market in Hanford closed last year, laying off roughly 50 employees in the process. And Tri Tipps restaurant in Valencia also closed because of the minimum wage and other regulations. (More stories can be found at Facesof15.com) The inability for young people to find work has consequences beyond just a lost paycheck. A study by economists at University of Virginia and Middle Tennessee State University found that part-time work experience in students’ senior year of high school is associated with a 20 percent earnings premium over their counterparts later in their careers. In addition, a recent Federal Reserve study found that millennials with early work experience recovered better from the Great Recession than those without. Researchers often cite the so-called soft skills learned at starter jobs as the reason for their lasting benefits. These soft skills include socialization, teamwork and customer service that help nearly all employees throughout their careers. Learning the art of handling an angry customer at a young age, for instance, is a priceless education that no starter wage could buy. Labor activists tend to diminish the value of starter jobs at restaurants and retailers. But this rhetoric doesn’t match the reality faced by a young adult in a city like Bakersfield, where just one in 10 teens is employed. If California legislators are serious about putting these young residents to work, they first need to have a serious conversation about the workforce barriers that prevent it from happening. Michael Saltsman is research director at the Employment Policies Institute, which receives support from businesses, foundations and individuals.utility poles Utility poles are divided into ten classes, from 1 to 10. The classes' definition specifies a minimum circumference that depends on the species of tree and the length of the pole. This circumference is measured 6 feet from the butt of the pole. There is also a minimum top circumference that is the same for all species and lengths. For example, a class 1 pole has a minimum top circumference of 27 inches. If it is 25 feet long and cedar (most utility poles are cedar), the circumference measured 6 feet from the bottom must be at least 43.5 inches. The higher the class number, the skinnier the pole. Pole lengths start at 16 feet and increase by 2-foot steps to 22 feet, then by fives from 25 feet to 90 feet. A 90-foot class 1 western red cedar pole weighs about 6,600 pounds. A 16-foot pole weighs only about 700. Standards (from ANSI) severely limit or exclude various types of damage, including bird holes and insect boring, and describe ways of specifying the pole's straightness. On curves, hillsides, or other locations where there's an unbalanced pull on the pole, standard practice calls for increasing the portion of the pole that is buried. For example, for poles being set along a straight line, 6 feet of a 35-foot pole would be buried, but if the pole were on a curve, 6.5 feet. A 35-foot pole is a typical length used in cities to carry one or two crossarms. Poles are spaced about 100 feet to 150 feet apart, with 125 feet being typical. American Standards Assn. American Standard Specifications and Dimensions for Wood Poles. Sponsored by ASA Telephone Group. O 5.1-1963, revision of O 5.1-1948. New York: American Standards Association,. X Sorry. No information on contributors is available for this page. Copyright © 2000-2014 Sizes, Inc. All rights reserved. Last revised: 6 June 2014.SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A winner of the TV talent show “Latin American Idol” who was once loved by thousands in her native Dominican Republic was charged with drug smuggling after police found heroin stuffed in the heels of her platform shoes, authorities said Thursday. Martha Heredia was arrested late Wednesday as she was about to board a plane to New York, said Frank Duran, the National Drug Control Agency’s director for the city of Santiago. He said police found 2.9 pounds of heroin in the heels of three pairs of shoes packed in her suitcase. Police also ordered Heredia to undergo X-ray tests to determine whether she had any drugs hidden inside her body, but none were found. Duran said police are interrogating Heredia to determine whether she was working as a mule for a drug-trafficking organization. Prosecutor Luisa Liranzo said Heredia does not yet have an attorney. If found guilty, she could face more than 10 years in prison. The 22-year-old had become a star in the Dominican Republic after she won the final “Latin American Idol” contest in 2009. The show, which ran for three years, was a Spanish-language version of the popular British “Idols” franchise. On the night Heredia vied for the title, thousands of Dominicans gathered in public plazas to watch her sing on huge TV screens, and then-President Leonel Fernandez urged Dominicans to vote for her. The country was paralyzed as Dominicans watched the show, prompting Fernandez to quip, “It was said the country came under curfew without the need of a presidential decree.” Miguel Vargas, president of the main opposition party at the time, had donated thousands of prepaid phone cards the night of the final contest so citizens could vote for their compatriot. “Martha’s tenacity and creative capacity are an example, and the least we can do is support her efforts,” Vargas said at the time. Dozens of fans greeted Heredia when she returned to the Dominican Republic after her win, and Fernandez invited her to the National Palace. In February 2010, he gave her the National Youth Award. “The politicians are lucky you’re not running for president because you would beat them all,” he said at the time. But Heredia, nicknamed “La Baby” because of her penchant for calling people “baby”, disappeared shortly after all the fanfare, drawing speculations including that she was pregnant. Then her name was back in the news for different reasons. In December 2010, Heredia hit and killed a teenage Haitian boy with her car as he tried to cross a highway by foot. She was later ordered to pay his family some $275,000 as part of a lawsuit. The boy’s relatives were angered that she did not meet with them to offer her condolences. “That’s not right,” Elvys Vandredi, the victim’s father, told a local TV station in a 2011 interview for a feature on Martha Heredia called “What happened to Martha Heredia?” The TV station also featured an interview with Heredia, who said she granted the interview because she was tired of the rumors surrounding her disappearance from the local show business industry. Heredia blamed her manager at the time for not scheduling concerts or public appearances. “I need a person who barely sleeps, someone who is constantly connected to social media,” she said. In late 2011, she produced her first album titled “Lose or Win,” which she recorded in Mexico under the Sony Music label. The first single did not do well. Heredia’s name disappeared once again and resurfaced last month when she filed a domestic violence complaint against her husband, Manuel Varet Marte, a hip-hop singer known as Vakero. He was ordered held in prison for three months as police investigate the case. General Prosecutor Francisco Dominguez issued a statement saying Heredia’s situation was unfortunate. “It’s very sad that young people who have so much promise, who were bestowed by life with all the grace in the world and an unquestionable talent, because of ambition, bad advice or simply to obtain money see themselves in situations like this,” he said.What constitutes good gut bacteria? What's their benchmark? We have no clue. Economics of gene sequencing technology means fecal microbiome sequencing costs (1) a fraction of what it did just a few years back. Predictably, companies offering to sequence them have mushroomed, for a price of course. Anyone with a handful of disposable US dollars can get their poop bacteria sequenced but what do those results even mean? Should poop contain ~55% Firmicutes, apparently the same as Michael Pollan 2 , apparently the same as What's the value of a one-time poop bacteria sequencing? Isn't that just a snapshot? Studies show poop bacterial composition changes rapidly not just with diet ( 3 seasonally ( 4 ( ( What does poop bacteria even represent? Isn't poop bacteria sequenced so much just because it's easier to access? ? Doesn't it really only represent distal colon bacteria supported by current diet? colon bacteria supported by current diet? What about what's in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and proximal and transverse colon, and how they relate to gut and overall health? Don't we need invasive biopsies to accurately access bacteria in other GI tract compartments? What can we extrapolate from what's in poop to what should be in other parts of the GI tract? Anything? Nothing? All this to say a lot of data on poop microbiome's being generated simply because it can be, not because anyone has a clue what any of it means nor a clue what constitutes good gut bacteria. To top this litany of shortcomings and dubious value of current attempts to benchmark gut bacteria using fecal microbiome sequencing, at least one randomized placebo-controlled study (5, 6) not only reveals novel, incalculable curative powers of Placebo but also casts doubt on currently accepted notions of 'good' and 'bad' gut bacteria. A study across two US academic medical centers, Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York and the Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, both well-known for their expertise in Fecal microbiota transplant 6 and the, both well-known for their expertise in 46 patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection randomly assigned to receive either donor or autologous (their own) poop microbiota, i.e., Placebo assigned to receive either donor or autologous (their own) poop microbiota, i.e., 91% (20/22) of those who got donor poop were durably cured based on a standard definition. Expected so no surprise. The absolute shocker? 63% (15/24) who got their own poop microbiota transplanted back also had durable cure. Rub eyes and read again. What? Patients with a serious GI tract infection were given back their own presumably disease-associated gut bacteria and they got cured? . Rub eyes and read again. What? Patients with a serious GI tract infection were given back their own presumably disease-associated gut bacteria and they got cured? Though there were striking inter-center differences in this Placebo C.diff patients. Thus, even so-called 'bad' gut bacteria turn out to be not so cut and dry, a result that only underlines how little we currently know about gut bacteria, good, bad or anything in between. Best one could then say is absence of persistent and serious health problems, especially gastrointestinal, is evidence of having good gut bacteria. Absence of skin problems, no autoimmunities or mental health issues would be icing on the cake. Bibliography 1. 16S rRNA sequencing 2. Newsweek, Roxane Khamsi, July 17, 2014. Gut Check 3. David, Lawrence A., et al. "Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome." Nature 505.7484 (2014): 559-563. Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome 4. Davenport, Emily R., et al. "Seasonal variation in human gut microbiome composition." PloS one 9.3 (2014): e90731. http://www.plosone.org/article/f... 5. Kelly, Colleen R., et al. "Effect of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrence in Multiply Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Trial." Annals of Internal Medicine (2016). 6. Fecal Transplant for Relapsing C. Difficile Infection Thanks for the R2A, Jonathan Brill.Randel (left) and I between interrogations at the police station. At this point we still thought the ordeal would be over pretty quickly and were treating it as more of an adventure than a living nightmare. (All photos by Sebastian Backhaus) It's a relief, realising that you're not going to burn to death in the back of an Egyptian prison van. However, witnessing an attempted rape moments later brings you straight back to the immediate reality of the situation, which – for me – was being held prisoner in Cairo during the bloodiest fighting in Egypt's recent history. When we'd first arrived, the guy showing us to our apartment had greeted us with, "Welcome to Cairo". He'd quickly followed this up with the kind of sarcastic smile you'd expect from someone welcoming two foreigners to a city on the day the army decided to massacre 600 of its own people. Not all Egyptians hate the police, but because of their brutal methods they are constantly criticised. Here, a policeman is paraded triumphantly in Tahrir Square one day before the military coup. Despite the day's events, my friend Randel – who was travelling with me – desperately wanted to take a walk to Tahrir Square before calling it a night. We actually made it to Cairo's de facto mass protest point without a hitch, but weren't quite so lucky on our way home. Just before we were about to reach our beds we were picked up by the police for violating the curfew imposed that day and being in possession of a flak jacket, gas mask and helmet, as well as lacking the requisite press credentials you apparently need to walk the streets of Egypt without being arrested. On our way to the police station I got a call from someone at the German embassy who assured me that they would check on us the next morning. That's when I realised we probably wouldn't be returning to our flat before the night was over. At the station our phones were taken from us and I managed to negotiate bottled water instead of tap. Then, we were given our rations for the next 20 hours: a minuscule piece of cheese with a side of marmalade. We stayed awake all night chain-smoking, plotting elaborate escape plans and listening to the screams coming from the basement. Disappointingly, the next morning a representative from the German embassy was nowhere to be seen. After realising that we wouldn't be getting the assistance we'd been promised, Randel asked to go to the bathroom and I was told to join him. However, it quickly transpired that we weren't being led to the toilets, but pushed down some stairs towards the basement and the screams we'd been forced to listen to all night. We were made to stand in an anteroom, surrounded by four doors that acted as a pretty ineffective barrier between us and the ferocious stench of sweat, rubbish and excrement fusing together in the air. Suddenly three of the doors opened and we were able to glimpse into the 15-square metre cells beyond them, each full of countless prisoners in absolute darkness – none of the cells had any windows. Prisoners were called upon one by one and shoved into the anteroom, most having great difficulty opening their eyes as they were exposed to the light. Some had large bruises on both their eyes, while others nursed open and festering wounds on their feet and legs. The police aggressively handcuffed us and threw us to our knees, before doing the same to the other 30 people they'd ushered through. We were then extensively screamed at and beaten, before the guards shoved us back up the stairs. On the way, I caught a glimpse into the fourth cell through a little slit in the door; behind it was a woman cradling a baby in her arms. After being herded outside we were crammed into a prison transport vehicle, where I had a brief chat with a Syrian prisoner. He'd been locked up for 20 days, hadn't been given any food for the first three and was unable to get in touch with his family to inform them of his whereabouts. He told me that, before he'd been arrested by the Egyptian police, he'd travelled to Cairo with his wife and son to shelter them from the war devastating his own country. At some point our van got stuck in traffic and rocks started banging against its metal sides. Suddenly there was the sound of shots being fired and we threw ourselves onto the floor of our mobile prison, the elderly man next to me beginning to sob and chant the shahada – the confession of faith to Allah. But religion didn't factor into the situation for me; the only thing racing through my mind was that, if somebody managed to hit the van with a Molotov cocktail, we would probably all burn alive. In a bid to escape the mob, our driver slammed the van into parked cars, and drove over curbstones. The floor began to shake aggressively and we were hurled from one corner to the other while the handcuffs started to penetrate our wrists. I wasn't sure what exactly was happening outside at this point, but we somehow got back onto a smooth surface and managed to slip through the turmoil and head onto another police station. We were later told by the German embassy that it was a group of Muslim Brotherhood supporters who had attacked the transporter. They had stormed the van from a nearby morgue, where the bodies of some of their fellow protesters – who'd lost their lives in the eviction – were laid out in rows. We weren't to stay in the second police station for too long. Randel and I, along with nine others, were quickly loaded into a different prison transporter. Before I was shoved into the back I managed to take a brief look at the attacked vehicle; the front windows were completely smashed in and I saw a policeman tending to a gaping wound in the middle of his face. A Muslim Brotherhood supporter being thrashed by the mob. After being thrown on top of each other in the new vehicle, I noticed that a young woman was also among us. As soon as we began to move the young man sitting across from her started trying to grab at her body. Randel and I, still handcuffed, protested loudly, but to no avail. As the time passed he became increasingly aggressive. He groped her legs and breasts, held her face firmly, pressed her against the wall and tried to pull off her burqa, before eventually just starting to hit her in frustration. I'd half noticed this guy during our first ride; he was wearing bandages on his arms and legs, but he wasn't handcuffed and was the only person allowed to speak to the policemen without being punished afterwards. Another man sitting next to the woman tried to fend off the groping hands, but the bandaged man pulled a small knife he'd been hiding under the gauze on his leg and stabbed the helper right through his hand. Streams of blood started to flow out onto the floor and, understandably, the victim began screaming in distress. This continued until an elderly prisoner begged him to try to relax. Finally, the car stopped in front of a court building and Randel and I were dragged out. I spotted two friends of ours waiting outside, who yelled out that German diplomats were already in the building. After numerous hearings by the prosecution service our accusations were cleared. The intervention by the German embassy was definitely a crucial factor for our release. None of the other prisoners were German. I have no idea what happened to them. More on the crisis in Egypt: Protests Continued in War-Torn Cairo Is Egypt Doomed to a Civil War? Video from the Muslim Brotherhood's "Day of Anger"Family Christian Stores (FCS) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Yet the ministry assured customers yesterday that it "does not expect" to close any of its more than 250 stores or lay off any of its approximately 4,000 employees. “We strive to serve God in all that we do and trust His guidance in all our decisions, especially this very important one,” stated FCS president and CEO Chuck Bengochea. “We have carefully and prayerfully considered every option. This action allows us to stay in business and continue to serve our customers, our associates, our vendors and charities around the world.” [Full announcement below.] With 266 stores in 36 states, FCS is the nation's largest chain of Christian stores as measured by locations, not sales. (For comparison, LifeWay Christian Resources has 185 stores in 29 states.) In 2014, FCS generated $216 million in gross revenues, notes Randall G. Reese at Chapter 11 Cases. FCS bought itself... 1Please enable Javascript to watch this video An agitated great white shark fighting off a fisherman bit a swimmer's upper torso area near the Manhattan Beach Pier (map) Saturday morning, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division's spokesman Rick Flores. A fisherman had hooked the shark and been attempting to reel in the animal for 30 to 40 minutes when a group of long-distance swimmers swam by the scene around 9:20 a.m., Flores said. The fisherman, who asked not to be identified, recounted the incident in an interview. "The rules and regulations are, when a great white is hooked, as soon as you can identify it you're supposed to cut your line," he said. "There was the long-distance swimmers coming from Hermosa [Beach]. At the wrong place, at the wrong time, they swam right into him, unknowingly." The shark bit the 40-year-old swimmer's upper torso area then released him. The man began screaming loudly after he was bit and people quickly attempted to swim out of the water as fisherman and onlookers shouted "get out of the water. Shark," cellphone video of the incident showed. "I knew how to paddle out there and rescue someone … so we got him on a soft-top surfboard [and] started paddling him in," said a man who assisted in the rescue. The injured swimmer was taken to the trauma center at UCLA Medical Center where he was said to be in stable condition, according to other LAFD officials. He was awake and able to breathe the entire time on his own, Flores said. Sheriff's deputies in a helicopter later assisted a lifeguard boat and Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol boat in coaxing the shark into deeper waters and away from the pier. The efforts took about 30 minutes, according to a L.A. County Sheriff's Department news release. About one mile from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach was temporarily closed off to swimmers following the attack, authorities said. The stretch had been reopened as of 2:30 p.m., according to the Manhattan Beach Fire Department. "We cast our bait out, that's what we have to do. But chumming — no," the fisherman said, referring to the practice of tossing fish parts into the water to attract sharks. He said he had a message for the injured swimmer: "We are highly concerned about you — deeply, deeply concerned, deeply saddened, and hoping that you make a full recovery as soon as possible." Flores said the shark was 7 feet, the LASD later stated it was 10 feet. On Saturday evening, an electronic sign near the beach stated that fishing from the pier was prohibited until Tuesday. LAFD offered the following safety tips after the incident: Check-in with a lifeguard before going into water Swim near an open lifeguard station Be aware of the marine environment and the wildlife that lives there Swim with a buddy KTLA's John A. Moreno contributed to this report.This article is over 5 years old Chancellor's announcement paves way for Chinese companies to take stake in or own 100% of new nuclear power stations China will be allowed to buy UK nuclear power stations, George Osborne says China could play an instrumental role in Britain's future nuclear power generation after George Osborne said companies in the world's second largest economy would be allowed to buy into the sector. The decision would pave the way for Chinese companies to take a stake in or own 100% of new British nuclear power stations. The chancellor made the announcement at the Taishan nuclear power plant on the final day of his trade visit to China, which was aimed at strengthening the UK's business ties with the country. Chinese investment would likely begin with a minority stake in a power project, but majority ownership of subsequent new power stations was a possibility, the government said. Osborne said it would pave the way for lower energy costs for British consumers. "Today is another demonstration of the next big step in the relationship between Britain and China – the world's oldest civil nuclear power and the world's fastest growing civil nuclear power," he said on Thursday. "It means the potential of more investment and jobs in Britain, and lower long-term energy costs for consumers." The move followed an agreement reached earlier in the week which would see civil nuclear collaboration between the UK and China on investment, technology, construction and expertise. The government said that as well as supporting Chinese investment in the UK, the agreement would make sure that British companies including Rolls-Royce, International Nuclear Services, and engineering companies such as Mott MacDonald would be part of China's multibillion-pound new nuclear programme. The energy minister, Ed Davey, said over the weekend that Britain was "extremely close" to agreeing a deal with France's EDF Energy to build a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, with a Chinese company also expected to take part in the project. During his trip to China, Osborne also unveiled a new visa system to make it easier for Chinese business leaders and rich tourists to visit the UK. He also made a surprise decision to allow Chinese banks to set up more easily in the UK, which raised eyebrows among the cross-party Treasury select committee of MPs. Led by its chairman, Andrew Tyrie, the committee is seeking assurances that the chancellor consulted the City's regulatory bodies over the proposal to relax rules, and that they are satisfied with the plans.Abstract This paper1 examines current debates on the fate of Moroccan Jews under the Vichy regime and the attitude of the sultan towards his Jewish subjects. Due to wide-ranging contributions by the media and via the
=.07), which remained significant in the moderator analysis (mean [95% CI], WBH, 14.85 [13.62 to 16.08]; sham, 19.58 [18.15 to 21.01]; P <.001). Safety of Study Interventions A full listing of PRISE-assessed adverse events is provided in eTable 3 in Supplement 2. No significant difference in overall adverse events was observed between treatment groups across the postintervention study period. The most common adverse effects immediately following both study interventions were headache, fatigue, and dry mouth, with no statistical difference between groups. Numerically, participants who received WBH reported more sweating and nausea. Discussion To our knowledge, this is the first randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study of WBH for the treatment of MDD. Consistent with results from a prior small open trial,6 the current study found that WBH was associated with a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms that was apparent within 1 week of treatment. Moreover, the use of a credible sham condition increases confidence that the effect of WBH on depressive symptoms is not solely the result of placebo factors related to nonspecific aspects of the procedure. Indeed, recognizing the modest effect of sham treatment is important for not “overselling” the therapeutic effects of WBH. Although a single session of WBH produced a clear antidepressant signal, rates of response and remission at each postintervention assessment were lower than are typically observed in antidepressant trials in which the intervention is delivered on a daily basis throughout the study period (eTable 4 in Supplement 2). That a single treatment of WBH might produce long-term symptomatic improvement is consistent with results from other novel antidepressant interventions, such as ketamine and scopolamine, which have also demonstrated therapeutic effects that outlast their immediate biological actions.14,15 Based on results from most studies of ketamine for MDD, we anticipated that the magnitude of the antidepressant response to WBH would diminish between postintervention weeks 1 and 6 as participants experienced a relapse in their depressive symptoms, as is common following a single exposure to ketamine.14 However, 2 points require consideration prior to concluding that WBH may have a longer duration of effect than is typical for ketamine or scopolamine. First, as is apparent from Figure 2 and Table 2, active improvement in mean HDRS scores in the WBH group only occurred during the first 2 weeks after treatment, after which scores were maintained but not further reduced. This suggests a timeframe of biologic effect more in line with the assumed effects of ketamine and scopolamine. Second, the lack of relapse across the 2-week postintervention period was seen in both the WBH and sham groups and may reflect to an important degree the fact that the study sample—although had chronic depression—was not formally treatment resistant. Had a treatment-resistant population been recruited, relapse rates following WBH may have more closely approximated those seen with ketamine in treatment-resistant populations. In general, the adverse effect profiles of both WBH and the sham comparator were mild and time limited. Adverse effects obviously induced by WBH, such as sweating or thirst, had already resolved when posttreatment adverse effects were assessed approximately 1 hour after treatment. No serious adverse events occurred during the study. Although we did not attempt to measure the patients’ subjective response, most participants randomized to WBH found the experience to be pleasant rather than stressful or aversive. Several limitations warrant discussion. The study sample was of modest size, which constrained the number of tests that could be run on the data without risking type I errors and which limited the ability to test the moderating effects of baseline covariates not balanced by randomization. In addition, although a large proportion of people randomized to the sham (71.4%) guessed incorrectly that they had received active WBH, it does not change the fact that the experience of the sham and WBH treatments was different in terms of the degree of heat experienced. Because this key aspect of the 2 interventions was significantly different, the possibility that functional unblinding contributed to differences between the 2 interventions cannot be dismissed. This is highlighted by the fact that almost all participants who received WBH correctly guessed they had received the active intervention. Although most participants had experienced continuous depression for an extended period, we did not specifically enroll participants with treatment-resistant depression. Thus, we do not know how effective WBH would be in this specific subpopulation of individuals for whom a new treatment might be of most value. Specifically evaluating the effectiveness of WBH in treatment-resistant depression will be an important next step in determining where the intervention will fit in relation to current treatment algorithms. Nonetheless, we note that with its sustained antidepressant effect and mild effect profile, WBH might be an attractive alternative to antidepressant treatment in the large percentage of individuals with depression who might respond adequately to an antidepressant trial, but who harbor negative beliefs/feelings about antidepressant medications that have been shown to reduce adherence and worsen therapeutic outcomes.16,17 Finally, our selection of mild hyperthermia was based on the fact that the same temperature had produced an antidepressant signal in an earlier open trial and the fact that higher temperatures might be more likely to activate sensory pathways that respond to noxious levels of heat and that activate brain areas thought to already be hyperactive in MDD.6,18 In addition, the risks and adverse effect burden of higher levels of WBH (ie, >38.5°C) are significantly greater,7 which would reduce the attractiveness of the intervention for prospective patients. However, we do not know whether either higher or lower levels of heat might produce more robust antidepressant responses. Conclusions Results from the current study suggest that WBH holds promise as a safe, rapid-acting, antidepressant modality with a prolonged therapeutic benefit. Future studies will be required to identify both the optimal temperature and number and timing of treatments likely to produce the largest and longest-lasting clinical response in most patients. Back to top Article Information Corresponding Author: Charles L. Raison, MD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1300 Linden Dr, Room 4174, Madison, WI 53706 ([email protected]). Submitted for Publication: December 8, 2015; final revision received April 7, 2016; accepted April 9, 2016. Correction: This article was corrected on July 13, 2016, to fix errors in the Methods section and Figure 2. Published Online: May 12, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1031. Author Contributions: Dr Raison had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Janssen, Lowry, Mehl, Begay, Hanusch, Raison. Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Janssen, Lowry, Mehl, Allen, Kelly, Gartner, Medrano, Begay, Rentscher, White, Fridman, Roberts, Robbins, Cole, Raison. Drafting of the manuscript: Janssen, Begay, Cole, Raison. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Lowry, Mehl, Allen, Kelly, Gartner, Medrano, Begay, Rentscher, White, Fridman, Roberts, Robbins, Hanusch, Cole, Raison. Statistical analysis: Janssen, Mehl, Allen, Cole, Raison. Obtained funding: Janssen, Gartner, Raison. Administrative, technical, or material support: Janssen, Mehl, Allen, Kelly, Gartner, Begay, White, Fridman, Roberts, Hanusch, Raison. Study supervision: Janssen, Kelly, Medrano, Rentscher, White, Robbins, Hanusch, Raison. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: In the previous 12 months, Dr Raison served on the speakers’ bureau for Merck. None of the investigators has a financial interest in the companies that manufacture the Heckel HT300 hyperthermia device used in this study. No other disclosures were reported. Funding/Support: Funding for this study was provided by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (Independent Investigator Award), the Depressive and Bipolar Disorder Alternative Treatment Foundation, the Institute for Mental Health Research, the Braun Foundation, and from Barry and Janet Lang and Arch and Laura Brown. Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Previous Presentation: This article was presented at the Society of Biological Psychiatry 71st Annual Meeting; May 12, 2016; Atlanta, Georgia.An International Man lives and does business wherever he finds conditions most advantageous, regardless of arbitrary borders. He’s diversified globally, with passports from multiple countries, assets in several jurisdictions, and his residence in yet another. He doesn’t depend absolutely on any country and regards all of them as competitors for his capital and expertise. Living as an international man has always been an interesting possibility. But few Americans opted for it, since the U.S. used to reward those who settled in and put down roots. In fact, it rewarded them better than any other country in the world, so there was no pressing reason to become an international man. Things change, however, and being rooted like a plant – at least if you have a choice – is a suboptimal strategy if you wish to not only survive, but prosper. Throughout history, almost every place has at some point become dangerous for those who were stuck there. It may be America’s turn. For those who can take up the life of an international man, it’s no longer just an interesting lifestyle decision. It has become, at a minimum, an asset saver, and it could be a lifesaver. That said, I understand the hesitation you may feel about taking action; pulling up one’s roots (or at least grafting some of them to a new location) can be almost as traumatic to a man as to a vegetable. As any intelligent observer surveys the world’s economic and political landscape, he has to be disturbed – even dismayed and a bit frightened – by the gravity and number of problems that mark the horizon. We’re confronted by economic depression, looming financial chaos, serious currency inflation, onerous taxation, crippling regulation, a developing police state, and, worst of all, the prospect of a major war. It seems almost unbelievable that all these things could affect the U.S., which historically has been the land of the free. How did we get here? An argument can be made that things went bad because of miscalculation, accident, inattention, and the like. Those elements have had a role, but it is minor. Potential catastrophe across the board can’t be the result of happenstance. When things go wrong on a grand scale, it’s not just bad luck or inadvertence. It’s because of serious character flaws in one or many – or even all – of the players. So is there a root cause of all the problems I’ve cited? If we can find it, it may tell us how we personally can best respond to the problems. In this article, I’m going to argue that the U.S. government, in particular, has been overrun by the wrong kind of person. It’s a trend that’s been in motion for many years but has now reached a point of no return. In other words, a type of moral rot has become so prevalent that it’s institutional in nature. There is not going to be, therefore, any serious change in the direction in which the U.S. is headed until a genuine crisis topples the existing order. Until then, the trend will accelerate. The reason is that a certain class of people – sociopaths – are now fully in control of major American institutions. Their beliefs and attitudes are insinuated throughout the economic, political, intellectual, and psychological/spiritual fabric of the U.S. What does this mean to you, as an individual? It depends on your character. Are you the kind of person who supports “my country, right or wrong,” as did most Germans in the 1930s and 1940s? Or the kind who dodges the duty to be a helpmate to murderers? The type of passenger who goes down with the ship? Or the type who puts on his vest and looks for a lifeboat? The type of individual who supports the merchants who offer the fairest deal? Or the type who is gulled by splashy TV commercials? What the ascendancy of sociopaths means isn’t an academic question. Throughout history, the question has been a matter of life and death. That’s one reason America grew; every American (or any ex-colonial) has forebears who confronted the issue and decided to uproot themselves to go somewhere with better prospects. The losers were those who delayed thinking about the question until the last minute. I have often described myself, and those I prefer to associate with, as gamma rats. You may recall the ethologist’s characterization of the social interaction of rats as being between a few alpha rats and many beta rats, the alpha rats being dominant and the beta rats submissive. In addition, a small percentage are gamma rats that stake out prime territory and mates, like the alphas, but are not interested in dominating the betas. The people most inclined to leave for the wide world outside and seek fortune elsewhere are typically gamma personalities. You may be thinking that what happened in places like Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Mao’s China, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, and scores of other countries in recent history could not, for some reason, happen in the U.S.. Actually, there’s no reason it won’t at this point. All the institutions that made America exceptional – including a belief in capitalism, individualism, self-reliance, and the restraints of the Constitution – are now only historical artifacts. On the other hand, the distribution of sociopaths is completely uniform across both space and time. Per capita, there were no more evil people in Stalin’s Russia, Hitler’s Germany, Mao’s China, Amin’s Uganda, Ceausescu’s Romania, or Pol Pot’s Cambodia than there are today in the U.S. All you need is favorable conditions for them to bloom, much as mushrooms do after a rainstorm. Conditions for them in the U.S. are becoming quite favorable. Have you ever wondered where the 50,000 people employed by the TSA to inspect and degrade you came from? Most of them are middle-aged. Did they have jobs before they started doing something that any normal person would consider demeaning? Most did, but they were attracted to – not repelled by – a job where they wear a costume and abuse their fellow citizens all day. Few of them can imagine that they’re shepherding in a police state as they play their roles in security theater. (A reinforced door on the pilots’ cabin is probably all that’s actually needed, although the most effective solution would be to hold each airline responsible for its own security and for the harm done if it fails to protect passengers and third parties.) But the 50,000 newly employed are exactly the same type of people who joined the Gestapo – eager to help in the project of controlling everyone. Nobody was drafted into the Gestapo. What’s going on here is an instance of Pareto’s Law. That’s the 80-20 rule that tells us, for example, that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your salesmen or that 20% of the population are responsible for 80% of the crime. As I see it, 80% of people are basically decent; their basic instincts are to live by the Boy Scout virtues. 20% of people, however, are what you might call potential trouble sources, inclined toward doing the wrong thing when the opportunity presents itself. They might now be shoe clerks, mailmen, or waitresses – they seem perfectly benign in normal times. They play baseball on weekends and pet the family dog. However, given the chance, they will sign up for the Gestapo, the Stasi, the KGB, the TSA, Homeland Security, or whatever. Many seem well intentioned, but are likely to favor force as the solution to any problem. But it doesn’t end there, because 20% of that 20% are really bad actors. They are drawn to government and other positions where they can work their will on other people and, because they’re enthusiastic about government, they rise to leadership positions. They remake the culture of the organizations they run in their own image. Gradually, non-sociopaths can no longer stand being there. They leave. Soon the whole barrel is full of bad apples. That’s what’s happening today in the U.S. It’s a pity that Bush, when he was in office, made such a big deal of evil. He discredited the concept. He made Boobus americanus think it only existed in a distant axis, in places like North Korea, Iraq and Iran, which were and still are irrelevant backwaters and arbitrarily chosen enemies. Bush trivialized the concept of evil and made it seem banal because he was such a fool. All the while, real evil, very immediate and powerful, was growing right around him, and he lacked the awareness to see he was fertilizing it by turning the U.S. into a national security state after 9/11. Now, I believe, it’s out of control. The U.S. is already in a truly major depression and on the edge of financial chaos and a currency meltdown. The sociopaths in government will react by redoubling the pace toward a police state domestically and starting a major war abroad. To me, this is completely predictable. It’s what sociopaths do. Editor’s Note: A big part of any strategy to reduce your political risk is to place some of your savings outside the immediate reach of the thieving bureaucrats in your home country. Obtaining a foreign bank account is a convenient way to do just that. That way, your savings cannot be easily confiscated, frozen, or devalued at the drop of a hat or with a couple of taps on the keyboard. In the event capital controls are imposed, a foreign bank account will help ensure that you have access to your money when you need it the most. In short, your savings in a foreign bank will largely be safe from any madness in your home country. Despite what you may hear, having a foreign bank account is completely legal and is not about tax evasion or other illegal activities. It’s simply about legally diversifying your political risk by putting your liquid savings in sound, well-capitalized institutions where they’re treated best. We recently released a comprehensive free guide where we discuss our favorite foreign banks and jurisdictions, including, crucially, those that still accept Americans as clients and allow them to open accounts remotely for small minimums. New York Times best-selling author Doug Casey and his team describe how you can do it all from home. And there’s still time to get it done without extraordinary cost or effort. Click here to download the PDF now.The Hermione, which carried the Marquis de Lafayette to the US colonies, sailed into Yorktown, Virginia, to kick off a series of events along the east coast Sails unfurled and greeted by a cheering crowd, the ship that brought the Marquis de Lafayette and bad news for Britain returned to America on Friday – or at least its three-masted twin did, arriving to a hero’s welcome in Virginia. A replica of the Hermione, the 18th-century frigate that carried Lafayette to the rebellious colonies with the French king’s promise to send an army and a fleet, sailed into Yorktown, Virginia, 235 years after the original docked on American shores. A crowd of several hundred people cheered its arrival at the port, and fireworks shot into the morning sky from docked ships nearby. The Hermione in turn fired its unarmed cannons as it traveled up the river. Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe was among the crowd who met the ship, and alongside the French ambassador to the US he hailed more than two centuries of Franco-American friendship. In 1780 the ship brought the marquis, Gilbert du Motier, back to America from a diplomatic mission to the court of Louis XVI. Lafayette had led American forces as a general in the early years of the revolution, and traveled back to Paris to lobby the king to support the rebels. Facebook Twitter Pinterest People dressed like George Washington, left, and French general Lafayette, center, reenact events from 235 years ago. Photograph: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images The king’s views on war for democracy notwithstanding, Lafayette played to a naturally French predilection: waging war against the English. The marquis landed in Boston with material support and good tidings: a fleet of warships would arrive to help break the British blockade, as would an expeditionary land force. He took off south to New Jersey to inform general George Washington that his armies would be bolstered by an additional 5,000 men. Perhaps buoyed by his good news, Lafayette praised the ship during the journey, saying: “She sails like a bird.” The combined forces of the French navy and American armies eventually cornered British general Charles Cornwallis in Virginia and staved off the enemy fleet in New York, sealing the independence of the United States from the British empire. The Yorktown celebration is only the first of a tour set to last several weeks, as the Hermione travels up the east coast and makes a dozen stops at the hubs of the American revolution, including Philadelphia and Boston. On Independence Day, the Hermione will dock in New York and participate in the annual People’s Parade of Ships with hundreds of other sail boats. The ship is an extremely detailed replica of the original, and will be open to visitors throughout the journey. Although the original was constructed in six months and hailed as an advanced class of speedy frigate, the joint American and French project took nearly two decades to complete the replica using techniques of the era. They had to find thousands of suitable oaks and conifer trees for the hull, and commissioned 26 cast-iron cannons from a foundry. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sailors sing songs on board of the replica of the French navy frigate Hermione at her arrival at Yorktown, Virginia. Photograph: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images The ship also has modern generators, engines, and synthetic sails, mostly to ensure the safety of its 70 or so crew members. The original L’Hermione saw combat during the revolution, said Alan Hoffman, president of the American Friends of Lafayette, but the frigate survived the war and returned to France in 1782. It ultimately foundered on the rocks near Le Croisic, France, during a fight against the British in 1793. Hoffman said “we like to think that Lafayette is still everywhere” in America, noting the impact that the marquis made during his 1824 “farewell tour” through the young United States, of which there were only 24 at the time. “He was the last surviving major general of the revolution, and his reputation was significantly enhanced,” Hoffman said. “So now there are 80 cities, towns, counties or townships named for Lafayette,” he said. “He’s actually ahead of most of our founders like Hamilton and Adams, which is quite unusual considering he’s a citizen of a foreign nation. He’s behind Washington and Jefferson but about tied with James Madison. Then there’re colleges, streets and so on.” The project was organized by the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America, and the National Park Service is helping to coordinate events in the US. Paid for by various sponsors, it cost in total about $32m. Cognac on board the ship (provided by one of its main sponsors) will be auctioned off for charity. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher, right, welcomes the French tall ship replica the Hermione in the vicinity of the Battle of Virginia Capes. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters “Being admirers of general Lafayette, our hope of course is to keep his memory alive,” Hoffman said. “And also to bring to the fore the Franco-American relationship and friendship, and how important these two countries have been to each other.” When the ship returns to France in August, its owners hope it will help boost tourism in Rochefort. At the Virginia ceremony, Miles Young, president of the Friends of Hermione-Lafayette in America, said that the Hermione’s resurrection makes history alive again, and in part explained its voyage by harking back to the family motto of Lafayette himself: “Why not?”Former President William J. Clinton was presented with the United Negro College Fund's Frederick D. Patterson Award from Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation during UNCF's 63rd Annual Awards Dinner in New York. ExxonMobil was the presenting sponsor of the UNCF dinner. (Photo: Business Wire) Former President William J. Clinton was presented with the United Negro College Fund's Frederick D. Patterson Award from Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation during UNCF's 63rd Annual Awards Dinner in New York. ExxonMobil was the presenting sponsor of the UNCF dinner. (Photo: Business Wire) IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Exxon Mobil Foundation donated $1 million to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in support of the organization’s efforts to increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. The company made the contribution at the UNCF’s 63rd Annual Awards Dinner in New York on March 9, where it was the presenting sponsor. This year’s Annual Awards Dinner raised $2.6 million in support of the organization. The Annual Awards Dinner brings together 1,400 friends and supporters of UNCF, including board members, college presidents, corporate partners, students and alumni. This year, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton were presented with UNCF’s highest honor, The Frederick D. Patterson Award. The award is given to individuals and corporations who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the expansion of educational opportunities to deserving young men and women. “ExxonMobil has been a long time supporter of UNCF, and we are proud to recognize their ongoing commitment to breaking barriers and improving opportunities for young men and women to obtain their education,” said Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation. “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and a wonderful thing to save. UNCF has helped save minds, and it is because of this dedication that we are pleased to present this gift of $1 million to UNCF, so that they may continue aiding deserving minority students in the quest to achieve their goals.” ExxonMobil believes that education is the key to opportunity and achievement and is committed to programs and organizations that focus on math and science education, with a particular emphasis on increasing opportunities for women and minorities. UNCF is one of many outreach programs that ExxonMobil promotes in an overall effort to increase levels of education excellence. “On behalf of the thousands of young men and women who will be able to go to college because of ExxonMobil’s support, I want to express our gratitude,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF’s president and CEO. “ExxonMobil’s commitment is not only a generous donation but a wise investment,” he added. “Thanks to ExxonMobil, thousands of students will get their college degrees and launch the kinds of careers—as doctors, scientists, computer software designers and medical researchers—that every community and the national economy need many more of.” ExxonMobil is committed to supporting programs and organizations, such as UNCF, that focus on the improvement of education from pre-school through higher educational levels. ExxonMobil is making a concentrated effort to help build a diverse future workforce that is equipped with the necessary math and science skills to meet the needs and expectations of a growing population. About UNCF As the nation’s oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund’s mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25 percent of African-American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 300 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship programs, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 65,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. For more information about UNCF, please visit www.uncf.org. About ExxonMobil Foundation ExxonMobil Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of the Exxon Mobil Corporation in the United States. The Foundation and the Corporation engage in a range of philanthropic activities that advance education, health and science in the communities where ExxonMobil has significant operations. In the United States, ExxonMobil supports initiatives to improve math and science education at the K-12 and higher education levels. Globally, ExxonMobil provides funding to improve basic education and combat malaria and other infectious diseases in developing countries. In 2006, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and ExxonMobil Foundation provided $139 million in contributions worldwide, with $54 million dedicated to education. Additional information on ExxonMobil’s community partnerships and contributions programs is available at http://www.exxonmobil.com/community.Alaska Airlines and Virgin America share vision for the future Brand will be defined as warm and welcoming, with a modern, West Coast-inspired vibe SEATTLE, March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and Virgin America today shared their vision for the future of the combined carrier, as the company solidifies its status as the West Coast's premier airline. After careful consideration, the combined company will adopt Alaska's name and logo, retiring the Virgin America name likely sometime in 2019. However, the combined airline will adopt many of the brand elements that Virgin America enthusiasts love about their favorite airline, including enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, music and the relentless desire to make flying a different experience for guests. The goal is to create a warm and welcoming West Coast-inspired vibe. "Our goal from the very beginning of this merger was to become the go-to airline for people on the West Coast, with low fares, convenient flights, a premium product and genuine, caring service," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group. "Three months in, we've dramatically grown our presence in California and are united behind a new purpose: Creating an airline people love." Alaska has been actively growing the airlines' newly combined networks since closing the merger in December. Earlier this month, the airline announced 21 new markets with 25 new daily departures out of San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose, California – marking the largest addition of routes in the company's history. "We spent the last 10 months conducting extensive research and listening carefully to what fliers on the West Coast want most," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "While the Virgin America name is beloved to many, we concluded that to be successful on the West Coast we had to do so under one name - for consistency and efficiency, and to allow us to continue to deliver low fares." In addition to low fares, network growth and award-winning service, Alaska will spend the next few years making major enhancements to its already award-winning guest experience and incorporating favorite elements of the Virgin America experience. Enhancements include: Modern, warm and welcoming vibe – Guests will start to see some of the new Alaska brand personality come to life throughout 2017, to create a warm and welcoming West Coast vibe throughout the guest journey. Music from fresh new artists will be featured on planes, in airport lobbies and at gates. In 2018, Alaska will debut an entirely redesigned cabin with new seats and amenities, and has already started to retrofit select Boeing aircraft with expressive blue mood lighting. Modern, stylish uniforms by fashion designer Luly Yang will roll out in mid-2019 for flight attendants, customer service agents, pilots, mechanics and ground crew. – Guests will start to see some of the new Alaska brand personality come to life throughout 2017, to create a warm and welcoming West Coast vibe throughout the guest journey. Music from fresh new artists will be featured on planes, in airport lobbies and at gates. In 2018, will debut an entirely redesigned cabin with new seats and amenities, and has already started to retrofit select Boeing aircraft with expressive blue mood lighting. Modern, stylish uniforms by fashion designer will roll out in mid-2019 for flight attendants, customer service agents, pilots, mechanics and ground crew. Satellite connectivity – Alaska's entire fleet of Boeing 737 passenger aircraft will be equipped with high-speed satellite Wi-Fi beginning in fall 2018, with the remainder of the Airbus fleet to follow. Both fleets are expected to be fully satellite-equipped by the end of 2019. – entire fleet of Boeing 737 passenger aircraft will be equipped with high-speed satellite Wi-Fi beginning in fall 2018, with the remainder of the Airbus fleet to follow. Both fleets are expected to be fully satellite-equipped by the end of 2019. More premium seats – Building on Alaska's new First Class and Premium Class seating sections that debuted earlier this year, premium seating will be expanded across the Airbus fleet beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018. The number of First Class seats will increase by 50 percent (going from eight seats in the Airbus First Class cabin to 12) and are customized for enhanced comfort, featuring 41 inches of pitch, improved seatback storage pockets, cup holders, footrests and personal power outlets throughout the cabin. The redesigned Airbus cabins will also feature 18 new Premium Class seats with 35 inches of pitch and complimentary beer, wine and cocktails. – Building on new First Class and Premium Class seating sections that debuted earlier this year, premium seating will be expanded across the Airbus fleet beginning in the fourth quarter of 2018. The number of First Class seats will increase by 50 percent (going from eight seats in the Airbus First Class cabin to 12) and are customized for enhanced comfort, featuring 41 inches of pitch, improved seatback storage pockets, cup holders, footrests and personal power outlets throughout the cabin. The redesigned Airbus cabins will also feature 18 new Premium Class seats with 35 inches of pitch and complimentary beer, wine and cocktails. The country's top-ranked frequent flier program – In 2018, Alaska Mileage Plan will become the sole loyalty program for both airlines, offering guests more rewards, an expansive global partner network and the only major airline loyalty program that still rewards a mile flown with a mile earned on Alaska and Virgin America flights. Members of Alaska Mileage Plan enjoy some of the most generous benefits in the industry including complimentary upgrades, award travel starting at 5,000 miles one-way (plus taxes and fees) and a faster path to elite status compared to other airlines. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, members can earn and redeem miles to more than 900 destinations worldwide. – In 2018, Alaska Mileage Plan will become the sole loyalty program for both airlines, offering guests more rewards, an expansive global partner network and the only major airline loyalty program that still rewards a mile flown with a mile earned on and Virgin America flights. Members of Alaska Mileage Plan enjoy some of the most generous benefits in the industry including complimentary upgrades, award travel starting at 5,000 miles one-way (plus taxes and fees) and a faster path to elite status compared to other airlines. With and Alaska Global Partners, members can earn and redeem miles to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Complimentary upgrades – With 50 percent more premium seats being introduced to the Airbus fleet, elite loyalty members will enjoy the most generous complimentary upgrades in the industry. Mileage Plan MVP Golds and above are upgraded to First Class or Premium Class 75 percent of the time (based on average historic system wide rates of upgrade) on Alaska Airlines flights. Complimentary upgrades on Airbus aircraft will debut for the first time ever in late 2018. – With 50 percent more premium seats being introduced to the Airbus fleet, elite loyalty members will enjoy the most generous complimentary upgrades in the industry. Mileage Plan MVP Golds and above are upgraded to First Class or Premium Class 75 percent of the time (based on average historic system wide rates of upgrade) on Alaska Airlines flights. Complimentary upgrades on Airbus aircraft will debut for the first time ever in late 2018. Free movies – In January, Alaska launched a temporary promotion offering its entire catalog of more than 200 movies and TV shows for free. Starting now, free entertainment on guests' own devices will be a permanent feature on its Boeing fleet and the same free library of movies and TV shows will expand to Airbus aircraft via Red entertainment system in August 2017. Guests on Airbus aircraft will continue to enjoy access to early release movies for purchase. – In January, launched a temporary promotion offering its entire catalog of more than 200 movies and TV shows for free. Starting now, free entertainment on guests' own devices will be a permanent feature on its Boeing fleet and the same free library of movies and TV shows will expand to Airbus aircraft via Red entertainment system in. Guests on Airbus aircraft will continue to enjoy access to early release movies for purchase. Free Chat™ – In January 2017, Alaska became the first and only U.S. airline to offer Free Chat onboard and will expand Free Chat to Airbus-operated flights in August 2017. Guests can stay connected to friends and family on the ground via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and iMessage. – In, became the first and only U.S. airline to offer Free Chat onboard and will expand Free Chat to Airbus-operated flights in. Guests can stay connected to friends and family on the ground via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and iMessage. West Coast-inspired food and beverage – Alaska and Virgin America continue to enhance their fresh, healthy, West Coast-inspired onboard food and beverage menus. Guests of both airlines enjoy craft brews, premium wines and delicious food options. By June 2017, Alaska First Class passengers will be able to pre-select meals before they fly, and by early 2018, Alaska's Main Cabin passengers will be able to pre-pay for their meals before they fly. Food pre-ordering will be extended to Airbus flights sometime in the future. – and Virgin America continue to enhance their fresh, healthy, West Coast-inspired onboard food and beverage menus. Guests of both airlines enjoy craft brews, premium wines and delicious food options. By, Alaska First Class passengers will be able to pre-select meals before they fly, and by early 2018, Main Cabin passengers will be able to pre-pay for their meals before they fly. Food pre-ordering will be extended to Airbus flights sometime in the future. Lounge expansion – By early 2019, guests will be able to relax in refreshed and expanded airport lounges in Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles, as well as new lounges in San Francisco and at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The expansion plans will double the square footage of Alaska's airport lounges. Members also currently enjoy access
IP address could have originated from a person in a shared household, an individual visiting a household which has open WiFi, or a school, or an Internet cafe. Because Australian courts have not tested these cases, any threat by rights holders, premised on the outcome of a successful copyright infringement action, would be speculative. We've written a number of times about the strong, principled stand of Australian ISP iiNet for the rights of its consumers. iiNet was the ISP that was handpicked by Hollywood and the US State Departmenet to be the target of a "test" legal attack, trying to force ISPs to spy on users and become copyright cops. iiNet was targeted because Hollywood felt that the company wasn't large enough to fight back, but was big enough to get noticed. Hollywood miscalculated on one-half of that equation: iiNet fought back. And it fought back hard. And it won. And then it won again. And then it won again, in a fight that Hollywood is still licking its wounds over (and trying to undermine with new laws). iiNet has also fought back against data retention rules.And now it's standing up again -- this time against copyright trolling. In particular, against copyright trolling from Voltage Pictures over the film Dallas Buyers Club -- which has been used in questionable copyright trolling efforts in the US for a while now. Apparently, the folks behind that effort are dipping their toes in the water in Australia, and iiNet put its foot down, refusing to roll over and hand over information. It's not -- as some people assume -- because iiNet supports copyright infringement:Rather, it's because iiNet's executives aren't idiots, and they know exactly what's going on here. It's not about stopping infringement, it's about, which iiNet uses the more polite term for: "speculative invoicing."iiNet fully admits that it may eventually lose and have to hand over the names, but that it worries that a broad ruling will "open the floodgates" to further copyright trolling in Australia, and that it believes this will lead to Australians "being intimidated to pay exorbitant amounts in an attempt to avoid improbable litigation." This looks like it should be another iiNet legal case to pay close attention to. Filed Under: australia, copyright, copyright trolling, dallas buyers club, privacy, speculative invoicing Companies: iinetI am afraid of heights. Now you know. That is one reason I was helplessly engrossed in "Man on Wire," the story of how Philippe Petit crossed eight times on a tight-wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center on Aug. 7, 1974. Another reason is that the documentary, a hybrid of actual and restaged footage, is constructed like a first-rate thriller. Early in the film, we see what we think is sadly familiar footage: Construction workers and huge trucks and cranes, at work in the footprint of one of the WTC towers. At first I thought this was film of the clean-up after 9/11. As the scene develops, I realized I was watching an early stage in the construction of the towers. The film shows the towers growing, huge steel beams being lifted, the puzzle being put together. As it happens, 9/11 is not even mentioned in the film, which is the right decision, I think. "Man on Wire" is about the vanquishing of the towers by bravery and joy, not by terrorism. Advertisement We meet Philippe Petit, a French wire-walker, magician, unicyclist and street performer, who tells us he was sitting in a dentist's office when he saw a drawing of the proposed towers and knew he was destined to conquer them. He drew a pencil line between them. His wire. The film will follow his campaign, as he enlists an unlikely cadre of helpers, draws inspiration from his girlfriend Annie and becomes obsessed with those two magnets acting on his personality. "Man on Wire," directed by James Marsh ("Wisconsin Death Trip"), has access to all of Petit's film, video and photographs of the assault on the towers. But there is more than that. Ingeniously using actors and restaging events, Marsh fleshes out the story with scenes that could never have been filmed, such as the episode when Petit and a partner crouched motionless under tarps on a beam near the top floor as a security guard nosed around. Petit has gathered a motley crew, including a pot-addled musician and an executive who actually works in an office in one tower. He trains these amateurs on how to rig a high wire. Properly, he hopes. This new footage is integrated seamlessly into the old; I gave up trying to decide which was which by the look of the picture, although a few sequences (shadows climbing a staircase) are obviously CGI. Marsh is dealing with an event almost 30 years old, and when he shows the same people at two stages of their lives, I assume either the younger or the older one is the actor, but I couldn't always be sure which. Philippe Petit is himself, both now and then, speaking fluent English, excited, passionate, voluble. Even as a child, he liked to climb things. No telling why. He taught himself to walk on a wire, practiced endlessly, dreamed of conquering the clouds. He rehearsed on wire strung up in country fields. His first great feat was to walk on a wire between the two bell towers of Notre Dame. Then he walked between the towers of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia. As the World Trade Center was growing, so were his ambitions. He never just "walked" on a wire. He lay down, knelt, juggled, ran. Every wire presented its own problems, and in rehearsing for the WTC, he built a wire the same distance in France. To simulate the winds, the movements of the buildings and the torsion of the wire, he had friends jiggle his wire, trying to toss him off. His balance was flawless. He explains how a wire can move: Up and down, sideways, laterally, and it also can sometimes twist. Advertisement The installation of a wire between the two towers was as complicated as a bank heist. He and his friends scouted the terrain, obtained false ID cards, talked their way into a freight elevator reaching to the top -- above the level of the finished floors. Incredibly, they had to haul nearly a ton of equipment up there. You may have heard how they got the wire across, and how they guy-wired it, but if you don't know, I won't tell you. They did it, anyway. Their plan worked. And on the morning of that Aug. 7, Petit took the first crucial step that shifted his weight from the building to the wire, and stood above a drop of 1,350 feet. Many people know he crossed successfully. I had no idea he went back and forth eight times, the police waiting on both sides. His friends shed tears as they remember it happening. It was dangerous, foolhardy, glorious. His assistants feared they could be arrested for trespassing, manslaughter or assisting a suicide. Philippe Petit was arrested and eventually found guilty. The charge: Disturbing the peace. "Man on Wire" won the Audience Award and was named best documentary at Sundance 2008.Originally Posted by DriftinARift Originally Posted by People don't want to watch a podcast about certain people getting special treatment by devs as they talk about what the minority want in rift. No one wants to watch circle jerk people bragging about getting the devs to produce hardcore end game content all 60 people are doing. Also the last time you had devs on it was just peeps asking for special treatment and not many good answers being giving, All real important questions were avoided. Quality of the pod cast has gone down by a large margin. Used to be neat back in the day had more variety of discussion and had more passion into it. The only people who watch it are your own guild members asking dumb questions about fluff ect. Again Watching circle jerk squad aint of any interest to anyone but your friends.Valve has revealed how many Steam Controllers have been sold since it launched last year. In the June update, Valve confirmed that 500,000 Steam Controllers have been sold since its November 15, 2015 launch. Valve also highlighted many of the changes they have implemented since launch. More new games support the Steam Controller out of the box, the Force Reactors can be used to reproduce rumble effects from different games, and the controller can be tuned once to play across all your games. Finally, Valve added full support in VR Game Theatre mode, ensuring that the Steam Controller is future-proofed for the HTC Vive. Valve is committed to adding more more features and functionality to the Steam Controller. An upcoming update will allow users to use Activators to assign actions to press-and-hold, double click, toggle, and more. An example of this feature in action is in Doom where players can cycle throw their weapons by pressing a button. The new Activators would allow a Doom player to bring up the BFG just by double tapping the same button. As always, Valve is looking for user input and suggestions on features you’d like to see in the Steam Controller. Be sure to let them know on the Steam Community page. If you’re in the market for a Steam Controller, both it and the Steam Link are on sale at GameStop.After a great panel and sing-along, I got the chance to sit down with the Sound Director of Final Fantasy XIV, Masayoshi Soken. Gamer Escape: In A Realm Reborn, the music in the zones would play in parts as you traveled through the zones. In Heavensward however, the music plays constantly. Why did you make that change? Soken: We did try to cut the tracks into smaller pieces for 2.0, but we didn’t feel it was very successful. To give more context, in A Realm Reborn, there are a lot of quests that involved different zones and so you’d travel to other areas throughout the quest process. In Heavensward however, there are more and more quests are within one area and so there’s more of an opportunity to listen to the music as one solid chunk so we decided to keep it as a loop rather than have it in pieces. I’m sure you’ve played the game and experienced when you encounter an enemy it would cut out in the middle of the song and switch to the battle music. What’s your impression of it if the song gets interrupted? GE: Because the song is always playing in the zone, it doesn’t bother me as much. S: That’s good to know! Japanese players sometimes get annoyed with the interruption of it switching to the battle music so some have complained because they want to listen to the field music. GE: I agree with that for the ARR field music because you’re traveling and you get that little snippet of music that starts playing but then it gets interrupted by the battle music. S: That’s good to know! I’m glad it doesn’t bother you as much in Heavensward. GE: The Gaius battle track was changed in Heavensward and I was wondering what made you want to go back and make those adjustments? S: You have a really good ear! In the background of that track is a violin and we actually changed that to a live violin. During A Realm Reborn there wasn’t enough time to go into details and so we utilized DTM (Desktop music) but with that it’s difficult to bring out the nuance of an actual person playing the instrument. For Heavensward we needed to test the song and they used it during the development process. You may not normally notice something with a lot of sound effects, but the scene we tested it in didn’t have a lot of environmental sound and so the battle team noticed that there was something wrong if we used just the DTM. So we scrambled a bit, we wanted to have a live violin actually play for that track. But it’s amazing you noticed that! GE: I remember you tweeted something about it so I had to go and check it out. It sounds nice now. I like it. S: Thank you! GE: I really liked the From Astral to Umbral album and I was wondering if you had plans to do another album with The Primals? S: We would love to make a new album. Before that though we want to do live performances as The Primals. In Heavensward there are more Primals, but those tracks aren’t all rock songs. We’d love to perform live, but that would require arranging more songs into rock… so it takes a lot of time. Question for you! Which would you rather hear? Another Primals rock band live concert? Or an orchestral arrangement. GE: That’s a hard question! I Like both. For me I think of Primals and a fast paced fight and for me the rock music makes more sense. But I’d also like the orchestrated stuff at the same time. S: I’m torn about it too. GE: I’ve gone to many Distant Worlds concerts and I really enjoy the orchestrated music and the Piano on From Astral to Umbral was great too. Whatever you make I’ll listen to it! S: Thank you very much! GE: I was wondering, there are a lot of different types of music in Final Fantasy XIV. Is there a genre of music you’d like to try out that hasn’t been included yet? S: I put in a song that’s close to what I want to do, but I wanna do like the bossa nova genre, or jazz in general. GE: I was wondering if you could talk about what it’s like to arrange some of the classic themes from previous Final Fantasy games such as the Crystal Tower or Matoya’s Cave? S: For Heavensward we have Matoya’s Cave from the first Final Fantasy. It’s used in a very important part of the game so I made sure to keep the integrity of it. The development team also felt it was very important and they ranked the priority of it as high as some of the primal tracks in Heavensward. Of course there’s not too much time I can spend on it so I rushed though it a bit. GE: Are there any more tracks from the series that you would like to arrange for Final Fantasy XIV? S: Of course there are tracks that I’d love to take on the challenge of arranging, but I would rather the tracks are influenced by what the fans want. My personal policy is that the music has to match the gameplay experience. There’s no point in creating a track that would break that experience. If the narrative leads itself to using a previous track than I’d love to use a track from a game to fit that experience. GE: There are some music tracks like the Crystal Tower and Frontlines where it will change depending on if you’re in battle and I was wondering how hard it is to create those tracks where they swap in and out? S: Yes, it is pretty difficult. It’s not just two tracks playing simultaneously going back and forth between walking music and battle music. Sometimes, when you switch over there’s another track to interject between the different experiences so it’s very complicated and complex. It’s a very interesting system. In Japan I made a presentation explaining how that method is being used in the game at a conference kind of like a GDC in Japan. It’s not just two tracks playing simultaneously. In actuality there are up to 6 tracks. Not two streams, but six streams. GE: Wow, I always thought it was just two! S: By doing so, that’s what gives it that kind of natural transition between the different tracks. GE: What is your process for creating a new track for the game? S: First, the scenario team provides me with the narrative and I determine how many songs I’ll need for Heavensward. Because we create the narrative first for Final Fantasy XIV, that’s what dictates how the rest of the elements are created. In terms of the number of songs and the requests by the scenario team, for Heavensward it was an insane amount. So among that wishlist, I go back to the team to discus which tracks are higher priority to see “OK we definitely want to have a dedicated theme to this narrative but maybe we can cut on those” and we can figure out which tracks are required for the narrative of Heavensward. We get it down to as few tracks as possible and then I’ll think “OK maybe we should add something else here” so then I’ll adjust in areas that are maybe missing music where I want to add more. For one song, I’ll recompose sometimes 15-20 times. When a song is created, I submit it to the scenario team and 1 out of 5 times, the scenario team will come back and want it changed a bit. After that I do the same process 15-20 times and it’s just rinse and repeat from there. The scenario team and myself work together and we decide on one song, and we deliver it to Yoshida and then he’ll go “no, I want it changed” and so we’ll start from scratch once again. GE: The Ravana and Bismarck tracks were moved to Alexander as you told us in the panel. Did something like that happen with any other music? S: For Heavensward it was pretty much just Alexander where that happened. GE: The voice acting in Heavensward… I noticed a lot of NPCs have different voices now and I was wondering why those changes were made? S: It’s a tough question to answer. When we’re thinking of the business of an MMORPG we would love to use the same voice actor throughout the series, but there are contractual obligations and sometimes it doesn’t allow for us to buy the rights to their voice for a perpetual amount of times. Sometimes there are other reasons that might come up and so we would have to sometimes recast the actors that are voicing our NPCs. Our intent is that we want to avoid having to recast them. This might be because it’s a long running game, it might be out of the ordinary, but if a voice actor decides to leave the industry, it would be inevitable that we would have to recast them. There are instances where within the development process that we would have to recast and have new actors record voices for certain NPCs. Our stance however is that we’d love to keep as many of them as possible from 2.0 moving forward, continuing to reprise their roles in upcoming expansions and the updates throughout. Sometimes due to business reasons we have to change the voice actors. From the creative side of things however we want to keep them, it’s not a situation where we don’t like them or anything like that. GE: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans in North America? S: There are so many venues in North America that have great sound and acoustics. My dream is to do both an orchestra and Primals rock band and so any sort of support, feedback or encouragement is greatly appreciated. There are great venues in Japan too, but we can’t book them very often. In America there are just so many different venues and great places to perform so we could probably squeeze in much easier than the venues in Japan, so again, your support would be greatly appreciated. GE: I’d love to see you guys come to Chicago sometime! S: We’d love to go! If there’s a great demand for it and a lot of fans voicing a desire for a performance to be done in that area I’m sure it’ll grab the attention of who needs to make that decision. Or you can plan the event yourself and host us! GE: I’ll send you an invite (laughs) S: I’m a business man so if my work calls for me to go, I’ll go! We also managed to get a Before the Fall Blu-ray OST signed by both Soken and Koji during our time at PAX! We’ll be looking to announce a giveaway for it and some other FFXIV swag soon. Please look forward to it!It’s 1965 and you’re a 26-year-old white guy. You have a factory job, or maybe you work for an insurance broker. Either way, you’re married, probably have been for a few years now; you met your wife in high school, where she was in your sister’s class. You’ve already got one kid, with another on the way. For now, you’re renting an apartment in your parents’ two-family house, but you’re saving up for a three-bedroom ranch house in the next town. Yup, you’re an adult! Now meet the twenty-first-century you, also 26. You’ve finished college and work in a cubicle in a large Chicago financial-services firm. You live in an apartment with a few single guy friends. In your spare time, you play basketball with your buddies, download the latest indie songs from iTunes, have some fun with the Xbox 360, take a leisurely shower, massage some product into your hair and face—and then it’s off to bars and parties, where you meet, and often bed, girls of widely varied hues and sizes. They come from everywhere: California, Tokyo, Alaska, Australia. Wife? Kids? House? Are you kidding? Not so long ago, the average mid-twentysomething had achieved most of adulthood’s milestones—high school degree, financial independence, marriage, and children. These days, he lingers—happily—in a new hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. Decades in unfolding, this limbo may not seem like news to many, but in fact it is to the early twenty-first century what adolescence was to the early twentieth: a momentous sociological development of profound economic and cultural import. Some call this new period “emerging adulthood,” others “extended adolescence”; David Brooks recently took a stab with the “Odyssey Years,” a “decade of wandering.” But while we grapple with the name, it’s time to state what is now obvious to legions of frustrated young women: the limbo doesn’t bring out the best in young men. With women, you could argue that adulthood is in fact emergent. Single women in their twenties and early thirties are joining an international New Girl Order, hyperachieving in both school and an increasingly female-friendly workplace, while packing leisure hours with shopping, traveling, and dining with friends [see “The New Girl Order,” Autumn 2007]. Single Young Males, or SYMs, by contrast, often seem to hang out in a playground of drinking, hooking up, playing Halo 3, and, in many cases, underachieving. With them, adulthood looks as though it’s receding. Freud famously asked: “What do women want?” Notice that he didn’t ask what men wanted—perhaps he thought that he’d figured that one out. But that’s a question that ad people, media execs, and cultural entrepreneurs have pondered a lot in recent years. They’re particularly interested in single young men, for two reasons: there are a lot more of them than before; and they tend to have some extra change. Consider: in 1970, 69 percent of 25-year-old and 85 percent of 30-year-old white men were married; in 2000, only 33 percent and 58 percent were, respectively. And the percentage of young guys tying the knot is declining as you read this. Census Bureau data show that the median age of marriage among men rose from 26.8 in 2000 to 27.5 in 2006—a dramatic demographic shift for such a short time period. That adds up to tens of millions more young men blissfully free of mortgages, wives, and child-care bills. Historically, marketers have found this group an “elusive audience”—the phrase is permanently affixed to “men between 18 and 34” in adspeak—largely immune to the pleasures of magazines and television, as well as to shopping expeditions for the products advertised there. But by the mid-1990s, as SYM ranks swelled, marketers began to get their number. One signal moment came in April 1997, when Maxim, a popular British “lad magazine,” hit American shores. Maxim strove to be the anti-Playboy-and-Esquire; bad-boy owner Felix Dennis sniffed at celebrity publishers with their tired formulas. Instead, he later observed, the magazine’s creators adopted the “astonishing methodology of asking our readers what they wanted... and then supplying it.” And what did those readers—male, unmarried, median age 26, median household income $60,000 or so—want? As the philosophers would say, duh. Maxim plastered covers and features with pouty-lipped, tousled-haired pinups in lacy underwear and, in case that didn’t do the trick, block-lettered promises of sex! lust! naughty! And it worked. More than any men’s magazine before or since, Maxim grabbed that elusive 18- to 34-year-old single-college-educated-guy market, and soon boasted about 2.5 million readers—more than GQ, Esquire, and Men’s Journal combined. Victoria’s Secret cover art doesn’t fully explain the SYM’s attraction to Maxim. After all, plenty of down-market venues had the sort of bodacious covers bound to trigger the young male’s reptilian brain. No, what set Maxim apart from other men’s mags was its voice. It was the sound of guys hanging around the Animal House living room—where put-downs are high-fived; gadgets are cool; rock stars, sports heroes, and cyborg battles are awesome; jobs and Joni Mitchell suck; and babes are simply hot—or not. “Are there any cool jobs related to beer?” a reader’s letter asks in a recent issue. Answer: brand manager, beer tester, and brewmaster. Maxim asked the SYM what he wanted and learned that he didn’t want to grow up. Whatever else you might say about Playboy or Esquire, they tried to project the image of a cultured and au courant fellow; as Hefner famously—and from today’s cultural vantage point, risibly—wrote in an early Playboy, his ideal reader enjoyed “inviting a female acquaintance in for a quiet discussion of Picasso, Nietzsche, jazz, sex.” Hearing this, the Maxim dude would want to hurl. He’d like to forget that he ever went to school. Maxim happily obliges. The editors try to keep readers’ minds from wandering with articles like “Confessions of a Strip Club Bouncer.” But they rely heavily on picture-laden features promoting the latest skateboards, video games, camcorders, and other tech products, along with an occasional Q-and-A with, say, Kid Rock—all with the bare minimum of print required to distinguish a magazine from a shopping catalog or pinup calendar. Playboy’s philosophy may not have been Aristotle, but it was an attempt, of sorts, to define the good life. The Maxim reader prefers lists, which make up in brevity what they lose in thought: “Ten Greatest Video Game Heroes of All Time,” “The Five Unsexiest Women Alive,” “Sixteen People Who Look Like They Absolutely Reek,” and so on. Still, Maxim is far from dumb, as its self-mockery proves. The Maxim child-man prides himself on his lack of pretense, his unapologetic guyness. The magazine’s subtext seems to be: “We’re just a bunch of horny, insensitive guys—so what?” What else to make of an article entitled “How to Make Your Girlfriend Think Her Cat’s Death Was an Accident”? “The only thing worse than a show about doctors is a show about sappy chick doctors we’re forced to watch or else our girlfriends won’t have sex with us,” the editors grumble about the popular (with women) Grey’s Anatomy. The Maxim child-man voice has gone mainstream, which may explain why the magazine’s sales were flat enough for Dennis to sell it last summer. You’re that 26-year-old who wants sophomoric fun and macho action? Now the culture has a groaning table of entertainment with your name on it. Start with the many movies available in every guy-friendly genre: sci-fi flicks like Transformers, action and crime movies like American Gangster, comedies like Superbad, and the seemingly endless line of films starring Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and the “Frat Pack,” as USA Today dubbed the group of young male comedians that includes Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen and Luke Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Carell. With a talent for crude physical comedy, gleeful juvenility, and self-humiliation, the Frat Packers are the child-man counterparts to the more conventional leads, like George Clooney and Brad Pitt, whom women and Esquire editors love. In Old School (2003), three guys in their thirties decide to start a college fraternity. Frank the Tank (the moniker refers to his capacity for alcohol), played by Ferrell, flashes his saggy white derriere streaking through the college town; the scene is a child-man classic. In 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Carell plays a middle-aged nerd with a large action-figure collection but no action. In one guy-favorite scene, a beautician painfully waxes Carell’s hirsute chest; as Carell pointed out later, this was a “guy thing, this sadistic nature that men have to see other men in non-life-threatening pain.” Even though the networks must be more restrained, television also has plenty of “stupid fun” (as Maxim calls a regular feature), gross-out humor, and even low-level sadism for child-man viewers. This state of affairs is newer than you might think. Apart from sports programming and The Simpsons, which came along in the early 1990s, there wasn’t a lot to make young men pick up the remote. Most prime-time television appealed to women and families, whose sensibilities were as alien to dudes as finger bowls. Today, the child-man can find entire networks devoted to his interests: Spike TV runs wrestling matches, Star Trek reruns, and the high-tech detective drama CSI; Blackbelt TV broadcasts martial arts around the clock; sci-fi is everywhere. Several years ago, the Cartoon Network spied the potential in the child-man market, too, and introduced Adult Swim, late-night programming with “adult” cartoons like Family Guy and Futurama, a cult favorite co-created by Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame. Adult Swim has cut into the male Letterman and Leno audience, luring gold-plated advertisers Saab, Apple, and Taco Bell; child-men, it should come as no surprise, eat lots of fast food. One can also lay the success of cable giant Comedy Central at the child-man’s sneakered foot. In its early-nineties infancy, Comedy Central had old movie comedies, some stand-up acts, and few viewers. The next several years brought some buzz with shows like Politically Incorrect. But it was in 1997—the same year that Maxim arrived in America—that the network struck gold with a cartoon series starring a group of foul-mouthed eight-year-old boys. With its cutting subversion of all that’s sacred and polite, South Park was like a dog whistle that only SYMs could hear; the show became the highest-rated cable series in that age group. In 1999, the network followed up with The Man Show, famous for its “Juggies” (half-naked women with exceptionally large, well, juggies), interviews with porn stars, drinking songs, and a jingle that advised, “Quit your job and light a fart / Yank your favorite private part.” It was “like Maxim for TV,” one network executive told Media Life. Comedy Central’s viewers, almost two-thirds of them male, have made both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report cultural touchstones and launched the careers of stars like Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Dave Chapelle, and, most notably, Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart—who has already hosted the Academy Awards and is set to do so again, a perfect symbol of the mainstreaming of the SYM sensibility. Nothing attests more to the SYM’s growing economic and cultural might than video games do. Once upon a time, video games were for little boys and girls—well, mostly little boys—who loved their Nintendos so much, the lament went, that they no longer played ball outside. Those boys have grown up to become child-man gamers, turning a niche industry into a $12 billion powerhouse. Men between the ages of 18 and 34 are now the biggest gamers; according to Nielsen Media, almost half—48.2 percent—of American males in that age bracket had used a console during the last quarter of 2006, and did so, on average, two hours and 43 minutes per day. (That’s 13 minutes longer than 12- to 17-year-olds, who evidently have more responsibilities than today’s twentysomethings.) Gaming—online games, as well as news and information about games—often registers as the top category in monthly surveys of Internet usage. And the child-man’s home sweet media home is the Internet, where no meddling censors or nervous advertisers deflect his desires. Some sites, like MensNewsDaily.com, are edgy news providers. Others, like AskMen.com, which claims 5 million visitors a month, post articles like “How to Score a Green Chick” in the best spirit of Maxim-style self-parody. “How is an SUV-driving, to-go-cup-using, walking environmental catastrophe like yourself supposed to hook up with them?” the article asks. Answer: Go to environmental meetings, yoga, or progressive bookstores (“but watch out for lesbians”). Other sites, like MenAreBetterThanWomen.com, TuckerMax.com, TheBestPageInTheUniverse.com, and DrunkasaurusRex.com, walk Maxim’s goofiness and good-natured woman-teasing over the line into nastiness. The men hanging out on these sites take pride in being “badasses” and view the other half bitterly. A misogynist is a “man who hates women as much as women hate each other,” writes one poster at MenAreBetterThanWomen. Another rails about “classic woman ‘trap’ questions— Does this make me look fat? Which one of my friends would you sleep with if you had to? Do you really enjoy strip clubs?” The Fifth Amendment was created because its architects’ wives “drove them ape-shit asking questions that they’d be better off simply refusing to answer.” That sound you hear is women not laughing. Oh, some women get a kick out of child-men and their frat/fart jokes; about 20 percent of Maxim readers are female, for instance, and presumably not all are doing research for the dating scene. But for many of the fairer sex, the child-man is either an irritating mystery or a source of heartbreak. In Internet chat rooms, in advice columns, at female water-cooler confabs, and in the pages of chick lit, the words “immature” and “men” seem united in perpetuity. Women complain about the “Peter Pan syndrome”—the phrase has been around since the early 1980s but it is resurgent—the “Mr. Not Readys,” and the “Mr. Maybes.” Sex and the City chronicled the frustrations of four thirtysomething women with immature, loutish, and uncommitted men for six popular seasons. Naturally, women wonder: How did this perverse creature come to be? The most prevalent theory comes from feminist-influenced academics and cultural critics, who view dude media as symptoms of backlash, a masculinity crisis. Men feel threatened by female empowerment, these thinkers argue, and in their anxiety, they cling to outdated roles. The hyper-masculinity of Maxim et al. doesn’t reflect any genuine male proclivities; rather, retrograde media “construct” it. The fact that guys cheer on female heroines like Buffy the Vampire Slayer as much as they do Chuck Norris tells against this theory somewhat. But there’s an ounce of truth to it. The men of the new media are in backlash mode, largely because they believe that feminists have stood in their way as media gatekeepers—that is, agents, editors, producers, and the like—who don’t understand or accept “men acting like men.” They gleefully stick their thumbs in the eyes of politically correct tsk-tskers. In one South Park episode, the Sexual Harassment Panda, a mascot who teaches schoolkids the evils of sexual harassment, is fired after his little talks provoke a flood of inane lawsuits. In Maxim, readers can find articles like “How to Cure a Feminist,” one of whose recommendations is to “pretend you share her beliefs” by asking questions like, “Has Gloria Steinem’s marriage hurt the feminist agenda?” Insofar as the new guy media reflect a backlash against feminism, they’re part of the much larger story of men’s long, uneasy relationship with bourgeois order. The SYM with a taste for Maxim or South Park may not like Gloria Steinem, but neither does he care for anyone who tells him to behave—teachers, nutritionists, prohibitionists, vegetarians, librarians, church ladies, counselors, and moralists of all stripes. In fact, men have always sought out an antisocial, even anarchic, edge in their popular culture. In a renowned essay, the critic Barbara Ehrenreich argued that the arrival of Playboy in 1953 represented the beginning of a male rebellion against the conformity of mid-century family life and of middle-class virtues like duty and self-discipline. “All woman wants is security,” she quotes an early Playboy article complaining. “And she is perfectly willing to crush man’s adventurous freedom-loving spirit to get it.” Even the name of the magazine, Ehrenreich observed, “defied the convention of hard-won maturity.” Ehrenreich was right about the seditious impulse behind Playboy, but wrong about its novelty. Male resistance to bourgeois domesticity had been going on since the bourgeoisie went domestic. In A Man’s Place, historian John Tosh locates the rebellion’s roots in the early nineteenth century, when middle-class expectations for men began to shift away from the patriarchal aloofness of the bad old days. Under the newer bourgeois regime, the home was to be a haven in a heartless world, in which affection and intimacy were guiding virtues. But in Tosh’s telling, it didn’t take long before men vented frustrations with bourgeois domestication: they went looking for excitement and male camaraderie in empire building, in adventure novels by authors like Robert Louis Stevenson, and in going to “the club.” By the early twentieth century, the emerging mass market in the U.S. offered new outlets for the virile urges that sat awkwardly in the bourgeois parlor; hence titles like Field and Stream and Man’s Adventure, as well as steamier fare like Escapade and Caper. When television sets came on the market in the late 1940s, it was the airing of heavyweight fights and football games that led Dad
Vincent. So, the CIA was founded by this high Roman Catholic, the first head, to solidify the Catholic or the Vatican control of it. I’m not against the Catholic people; I’m against Rome’s hierarchy. The American Catholic people know NOTHING of what’s going on. And if they did, there would be a march on St. Patrick’s tomorrow morning. So, as I’m against the hierarchy, I’m showing that Kennedy was against the Vietnam War, and he was going to do away with the CIA. Well, the Jesuits had brought in all of their top Nazi SS soldiers into the CIA because the Jesuits were using the SS to kill the Jews in Europe. When the Einsatzgruppen went into Russia, the Jesuits followed with the SS and purged Western Russia of all its Jews. That’s why Stalin deliberately killed 40,000 of his best officers. That’s why he kicked out his best generals, purged them, because he wanted to make sure that the Red Army would lose with the advance of the German army, because following that would come the SS and purge Russia of the Jews that Stalin so hated. And by the way, justice is often poetic because Stalin’s daughter married a Jew. Now, the CIA was composed of the SS. The CIA now was an arm—and the intelligence arm—of the Vatican. The Knights of Malta were throughout. Casey was a Knight of Malta. Angleton was a Knight of Malta. The Knights were through and through. Angleton manned the “Vatican desk”, and that is a desk within the CIA that has a direct link to the Vatican. So, Kennedy wanted to end this “intelligence community”. That was the end of him. Thus for anyone attempting to end the CIA, and attempting to end the Vietnam War, and also because he attacked the Jesuits’ Federal Reserve Bank by printing United States Notes, they got rid of him. They killed our only Roman Catholic president. And it’s another piece of poetic justice that a Roman Catholic—not Protestants, like Harry Truman, FDR, and others—it’s a Roman Catholic who truly sought to resist the temporal power of the Pope in this country. And in many ways, even though Kennedy was, in fact, a socialist and communist, at least he resisted the temporal power of the Pope. And for that we should be thankful and remember his name. But what have they done to his name? They’ve slammed it. They drag it into the dirt. Every time you see it on TV, they parade before you his womanizing, which I don’t deny, but my goodness, can’t we give him some credit where credit is due? That’s why they got rid of John F. Kennedy. And then, of course, as soon as he’s assassinated, John McCone, the head of the CIA, the following day goes to the White House and they reverse Kennedy’s Memorandum of reversing the Vietnam War and make a full-scale, carte blache war. The CIA then is tremendously and heavily funded, because it was a CIA war. And there they tried all of their new technology, their anti-gravity machines, their men who they’re trying to make like the “million-dollar man”. They tried out all their new technology in Vietnam. It was a great experimental theater, and Kennedy knew this. He knew it, and he knew that the American people had no idea what was going down, and he still tried to resist it, against his father’s warnings. Because his father was the most powerful Knight of Malta in the Empire. Martin: Any theories on why they took out junior? Phelps: Yes. According to Tom Kuncle, in his publication, John F. Kennedy, Jr. wanted to find his father’s real killers, and he had the power to publish the conclusion. So, they took him out right away. They would not allow that to happen. Martin: Why haven’t you been taken out? Phelps: Because I am immortal—until the Lord is done with me. I am a Calvinist and a Baptist, and we believe in the sovereignty of God. And as long as we are operating in His Will, they cannot touch us, regardless of their power. Martin: Which is why we’re having this conversation. Phelps: Which is why we’re having the conversation. Don’t think for one moment they’re not tapping this phone. They know this. The issue is here. We’re talking about a providential, sovereign God who wishes to move, using second causes, men, just as the Devil does. The Devil always uses second causes, men. So, it’s one group of men vs. another group of men, and one path leads to evil, and the true, almighty God leads to goodness. The problem is, with us, there are very few men who want to believe God anymore. Nobody believes He can deliver anymore. It’s just a handful of us who say: “Well, we’re going to do His Will; we’re going to trust Him in His Power.” And like the Hebrews getting ready to be thrown into the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar, our God is able to deliver us. We’re going to tell the truth! Martin: Let’s see here. I can throw away a lot of these questions. So much of it seems, in a way, irrelevant to our current times because there’s so much going on now. But, good grief! I was just stunned to read in your book of all the historical things that have happened as a result of these evil people. You dedicated the book to four Roman Catholics who, I’m sure, no one has ever heard of: Charles Chiniquy, Jeremiah Crowley, Emmett McLaughlin, and Alberto Rivera. Why them? Phelps: Because those Roman Catholic men were priests; they left the priesthood and told the truth about what was really happening. And all four of them, except one, I think Emmett McLaughlin, paid with their life. Chiniquy was the great exposer of the Jesuit assassination of President Lincoln, when he wrote his masterpiece Fifty Years In The Church Of Rome in 1886. He proves that Lincoln was assassinated by the Jesuits, and that it was covered-up by our government at the time. Jeremiah Crowley: that priest was a great Irishman who came here and, seeing the corruption of the Archdiocese in Chicago, that it was so corrupt, he left it and exposed it. And, of course, he later came to Christ and became a Bible-believer, which they would call a Protestant. Protestants today don’t believe the Bible. Protestantism of today is an empty shell, it’s nothing. But, back then, in 1912, they believed theBible. Crowley, then, exposed many things, and one of the things he exposed, that helped me with this, was that he warned that the Jesuits, with their Knights of Columbus—which, he says, the Knights of Columbus, named after Columbus, who he tells us was a Spanish Jew and a pirate and a deflowerer of young girls—that Columbus was no Christian. He has a tremendous section in his book on Columbus. That the purpose of the Knights of Columbus was to fulfill Jesuitical politics, and part of those politics was to restore the temporal power of the Pope because, you remember, the Pope had lost that in 1870 and they wanted to get it back. And they got it back with Mussolini in 1929. Well, in the book that Crowley wrote in 1912, he says that Taft and Teddy Roosevelt were all cow-towing to the Pope and the Cardinals of New York. And he said they’re going to use our military to restore the Pope’s temporal power around the world. And THAT was absolutely correct. That is American foreign policy. And the Council of Trent is the American foreign policy of today. That’s what’s going on in Serbia and Bosnia. It’s the Council of Trent—the Jesuits using the American Air Force to bomb those orthodox people to smithereens. But, that was Crowley’s great contribution. Next, Emmett McLaughlin wrote several books. He wrote The People’s Padre; he wrote Crime And Immorality In The Catholic Church, showing that Catholic nations are more lawless and more criminal than Protestant nations, and he proved it with statistics from the jails. Emmett McLaughlin also wrote another book called The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln, where he, again, shows that Lincoln was assassinated by the Jesuits. So, Emmett McLaughlin came out of the Catholic Church. To my knowledge, he never was born again. He never was saved, but he did tell the truth. He married a nun, and lived a virtuous and honorable life after he left. The last one was, of course, Alberto Rivera, who was greatly hated by the Vatican because he was a very high Jesuit who came out and, in the late ’60s, about 1969, exposed the power of Rome in the ecumenical movement, that Rome controlled Kathryn Kuhlman; that Rome controlled Billy Graham; that Rome controlled, virtually, our government—Ronald Reagan. Reagan, when he took the Oath of Office, faced the obelisk, indicating that this country will ultimately have a concordat. So, Alberto Rivera converted to Christ, wonderfully, and he started a ministry called The Anti-Christ Information Center, out of Los Angeles. They tried to kill him five times. A dentist jammed a needle up between his teeth, trying to give him an infection in the brain. When he passed out, about a year or so later, they couldn’t figure it out. Everybody was praying for him. And this was discovered when he went to another dentist. He had it removed. He was pushed in front of a subway train. They tried five times to kill the man, and finally he died, I believe, of cancer, in a hospital, about three years ago. But these four wonderful, great, Catholic priests did their best to expose the power of Rome and its attempts to destroy our sovereign, Protestant, Bible-believing nation. And so, to them, I dedicate it. Martin: What compelled you to write this book? What started it for you? Phelps: I was always taught to be a patriot, a patriot first and foremost—America first, and everybody else second. Later, when I came to know the Lord, at 17, I realized the Bible taught the same thing—that the Lord had instituted nations. The Lord never instituted world governments; that’s always the result of the Devil’s working. So, being a patriot and a nationalist—believing in national sovereignty—I was saved at 17, went into the Air Force, was garrisoned in a nuclear weapons area for three years in Germany, came back and started to go to Bible college. When I went to Bible college, the issue of the King James came up, as far as it being an archaic version. And that’s what I used and I had never given it a thought. Well, some were using NIV, some NASB, and I thought: “Well, maybe it’s just a modern version of what I have here.” And I thought: “Well, if they want to use that, that’s fine, but I’ll use the King James.” I found that the underlying Greek text for the King James, the Textus Receptus, was the Greek text of the Reformation. It represents 95% of the existing manuscripts that we have today. The Greek text that underlies all these other versions—there’s a Westcott and Hort Greek text, which I then discovered was really a conspiracy to adulterate the Textus Receptus in England, led by Brooke Foss Westcott and Anthony Hort, who were Maryolitors, Mary-worshippers. Later, I found out that they had invited Cardinal Newman to sit in on the revision committee. Well, Cardinal Newman was a traitor to the Anglican Church, with his Track 90, which blew-off the Anglican Church. He then left England and he was then a Cardinal by Pius IX. So, here we have Cardinal Newman, and E. B. Pusey, had been invited to sit on this revision committee, the end result being a Greek text that had been produced that was pro-Jerome’s Latin Vulgate. Jerome’s LatinVulgate is the basis for the Jesuit’s Reheims-Douay text, that was put out in 1582, that was attempting to rival William Tyndale’s English text, which later became the King James Version of 1611. So now I see this awful Jesuit hand in my Bible college, attempting to deprive me of the Word of God, the authorized version of 1611, in it’s present edition of 1769. Now I thought “Well, here the Jesuits are, what else have they done?” And the next thing I was led to was the Lincoln assassination. And I can remember reading Burke McCarty’s The Suppressed Truth About The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln, and weeping in the back room, when I was in college. Martin: For me, one of the most compelling portions of your book was the series of revelations about Lincoln. I was stunned by that. Phelps: That’s what they did. Remember, Lincoln was not going to go along with the 14th Amendment. He wanted those Southern states to re-enter the Union on the same footing that they had left, which would have left us with a federal Republic as Washington had established it. This the Jesuits would not allow. It would be converted into an Empire. The states would be subordinate provinces to Washington. And the14th Amendment would accomplish this with the reversion of citizenship. And Lincoln was re-elected, and he was ready to end this, and that’s why they killed him. Kennedy was ready to implement his things; they would not let him be re-elected. Martin: This is a total aside. Have you ever come across The Jefferson Bible? Phelps: The Jefferson Bible—and maybe you know this—is Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And Thomas Jefferson, being the Deist, being the pagan that he was, cut out all the supernatural from those three gospels. Jefferson was a Deist; he was involved with the French Freemasons who were involved in the French Revolution, and he was not here at the writing of our Protestant Constitution. So, the Lord put him out of the picture. Jefferson was just used to help with the Revolution—because the Lord does use the unGodly for good things. But Jefferson copied much of the Declaration Of Independence from theMechlenburg Declaration, written by Calvinistic Presbyterians of North Carolina, when they seceded, when that county of Mechlenburg seceded from the Colonies. Martin: Never heard of it. Phelps: Yes, you’ll find it in Presbyterian writings. You can find it from D. James Kennedy; he has a thing on it. And Jefferson copied, at the end: “…and to this end we devote our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” That was copied directly from the Mechlenburg Declaration. Jefferson was a plagiarist; he was a high Freemason; and he was out of here at the time of the writing of our Constitution. And the reason why the people of Virginia did elect him to office was because he was a State’s Rights man. He wanted limited powers in Washington, and that was a good thing. And when Jefferson was elected, he undid everything the king-president John Adams did, with his Alien & Sedition Laws, because John Adams wanted to be a king, and Jefferson undid it, and Jefferson got two terms for that. Martin: I’m looking at some things that are a little further back now. The Secreta Monita. What’s the significance of that? Phelps: The Secret Instructions [excerpts at the end of this interview] are the handbooks that are given to the professed Jesuits, those under extreme oath. [The oath is presented in full at the end of this interview.] And it tells them how to conduct their plans, subjugating peoples and nations to the Jesuit General, and thus, to the temporal power of the Pope. It tells how they are to deceive. It shows how they are to swindle rich widows out of their fortunes, like they did with Astor’s second wife who survived the Titanic catastrophe. It shows their general approach on how to do things. This particular book cannot be known, and if it’s ever published, they will deny it’s existence. But when you see the works that the Jesuits have done, it’s in complete agreement with the Secreta Monita. There is a very interesting section in Edwin R. Sherwin’s book The Engineer Core Of Hell, written in 1886 I believe—another suppressed work. It’s usually in the archives of all the older libraries back here. And he shows how this Secreta Monita was discovered in South America by a Mason, and the Mason managed to escape to a lodge after being shot. He turned the Secreta Monita over to the lodge, and then these certain Freemasons saw the Secreta Monita. There are certain low-level Freemasons who believe that the Jesuit Order is their enemy, so that’s why it was taken to the lodge and then published. But the high-level Masons, of course, work with them. The Secreta Monita was discovered once that way. It was published in Holland. Then, in 1857, reprinted by England. Martin: Pascal’s Provincial Letters had a devastating impact on exposing the Jesuits. Why? Phelps: Blaise Pascal was a Huguenot, a French Calvinist. So here we have another fearless man. He doesn’t fear death; he’s going to tell the truth. So Blaise Pascal wrote a series of letters that were written to and from provincials, and he wrote them in a satirical manner, that of course excited that wonderful French mind. The French, of course, came to the conclusion that this was absolutely the truth, and then they moved to suppress the Jesuits again. But his Provincial Letters are considered a classic. Blaise Pascal also wrote some other great works, too. Martin: Pope Ganganelli-Clement XIV abolished the Order entirely in 1773, and was murdered as a result. Phelps: Correct; he was poisoned. Martin: The Order was similarly abolished 39 times from different kingdoms throughout Europe. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that something was terribly wrong with this group! Phelps: Right. Are all those people bigots? Are all those people brainwashed bigots and fanatical Protestants who abolished the Jesuit Order? You find the greatest resistance to the Jesuits in Catholic countries, by Catholic monarchs. And that’s why the Roman Catholic monarchs and nobility of today don’t dare resist them. The Kennedys won’t touch them. The monarchs of Europe won’t touch them. The Hapsburgs won’t touch them, because the Jesuits have vindicated their power in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars—well, then they went to suppress the Jesuits again in Europe and they were, for the most part, kicked-out of Europe in the 1800s. All the nations of Europe banned them. Germany banned them in 1872. And so, World War I and II, the second Thirty Years War, was pay-back for this. And ever since then, nobody touches them. Pope Ganganelli abolished the Jesuits with a Papal Bull; the Jesuits call it a “brief”. It is not a brief; it is in the Library of the Bulls, and it is called Dominic Ac Redemptor Nostor. That is the name of a bull. And when he abolished them, he abolished them forever—that they were not to talk about their abolition, that they were not to teach. He confiscated all of their wealth and land and property. For the most part, the Dominicans took it over, which is why the Dominicans had their penis cut off during the French Revolution. That’s what the Jacobins did to them. It was payback by the Jesuits: “You don’t dare take our property from us, boy. And you don’t dare take Inquisition from us.” Jacobins killed nearly every Dominican in France. Martin: Why was the assassination of William of Orange so significant? Phelps: Williams of Orange was the father of religious liberty. William of Orange is the man who gave the Jews the freedom to come to Amsterdam. And the Jews called Amsterdam, “the new Jerusalem”. William of Orange was a Catholic to begin with. Remember when he was in the forest, hunting with the king of France, and the king of France lay bare to him their plans to destroy all the Protestants in Holland, William kept silent. And that’s why he was called “William the taciturn” or “William the silent”. So, he harbored all of this in his heart, and he went back to Holland determined that he would deliver the Calvinists and the Protestants from this annihilation. William went to Germany with his German wife, and he, according to Motley in his The Dutch Republic, raised an army of Germans and they did not succeed in liberating Holland. And so, it was the Dutch themselves who joined William of Orange in an attempt to liberate the country, which they ultimately did as the “wild beggars of the sea”. So, William was a great inspiration. He delivered flight from the seige of the fanatical Roman Catholic Spanish, lead by the Jesuits, when the Lord providentially delivered and sent a strong wind over the dikes, and flooded the whole area, and flooded the Spanish soldiers. And then, after that happened, He sent another strong West wind and blew the water back over the dikes. This is a historical fact! Why don’t we hear this in history? For the same reason we don’t hear when Louis XIV brought his army across the river into Holland to kill all those Dutch, in 1672, right around there, that the river, right where the army was crossing, thawed out, and the whole French army went to the bottom of the river, as a result of the prayers of those Protestants of Holland. We’re not taught that either! The assassination of William of Orange was probably the second most significant act of Jesuit dominance, next to the murder of Coligny at St. Bartholomew’s Massacre. Because it was first St. Bartholomew’s massacre, and then the murder of William of Orange. And, of course, William of Orange was shot by a Jesuit-controlled assassin, Balthazar Girard, in his own house. And the last words of William, of course, were: “God be merciful to these poor people.” Martin: What is the Royal Institute of International Affairs? Phelps: The Royal Institute of International Affairs is the same as the American Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The Royal Institute runs England and the British Empire, what was once the extension of the British, just as the CFR runs our country. They’re sister organizations. Martin: Where are they based? Phelps: They’re based in London. Martin: And who is their head; do you know? Phelps: I don’t know right now. The John Birch Society wrote a lot about that, and they did expose the CFR and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Allan Stang has written a lot about that. Martin: What was the “Gunpowder Plot” of 1605? Phelps: The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was the Jesuits attempt to destroy what William Howitt—and Howitt was the great writer who wrote A Popular History Of Priestcraft, 1835—he said it was a Jesuit attempt to destroy our Great King Solomon, King James I, along with the entire Protestant Parliament. Because remember, Elizabeth I had expelled the Jesuits from her empire, and if they were ever caught they were to be drawn and quartered. After she died, the conspiracy went on there that went on with William Cecil. They named Mary Queen of Scott’s son as the King of England, rather than Elizabeth’s son, because Elizabeth had a son who was the Earl of South Hampton, Wriothesley, and that was the son of Edward Devere, who we know as William Shakespeare. There was no William Shakespeare. The man was Edward Devere. He ran the Globe Theater. He was the Lord Great Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth, and he secretly had a son who was the Third Earl of South Hampton. He was the rightful heir to the thrown, not King James VI of Scotland. You can find all this documented in two great works: the first is called Shakespeare Identified and the author is Looney. The explosion of that book is called This Star Of England, written by Carlton and Dorothy Ogborn, in 1952, and it’s a 1200-page work, and in it they explain all the plays of Shakespeare, and that they are, in the words of Hamlet: “A brief abstract and chronicle of the times.” Nothing but history. And then there’s another book, Wasn’t Shakespeare Someone Else?, written by Tweeny, and in that book he evaluates the 150 sonnets. In those sonnets Edward Devere put his name: Vere or Uvre or Vere—he puts his name in acrostics throughout all the sonnets. And the last couple sonnets he puts his name in double acrostics. It’s amazing, showing that he wrote the sonnets. Martin: Why were the Jesuits so upset about the Edict of Nantes, and what was it’s significance? Phelps: Ok, the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes—it can be spelled Nantes or Nantz. Anyway, the Edict of Nantes was put forward by King Henry IV. King Henry IV was a Roman Catholic, but he converted to Protestantism and he became a Huguenot. But he was not allowed to take the throne of France until he renounced his Protestantism. So, for the sake of the kingdom, he renounced his Protestantism, and in 1610, I believe, issued forth the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes guaranteed religious freedom to all the French. That included the Protestant, Calvinist, Huguenots, which of course included those who would have followed Admiral Coligny, who the Jesuits murdered with that she-wolf, Catherine de Medici. With the Edict of Nantes we have religious liberty in France. This cannot be. France is a cornerstone of Jesuit power, so it cannot allow this to be in place. The Council of Trent condemns it, because it’s freedom of conscience. So, after they murder Henry IV with Ravaillac, when they stabbed him through his heart, according to Sully in his memoirs, they murdered Henry IV for this, and also for attempting to reinforce the Dutch. They then, in 1685—when the Beatles are singing about the “Sun King” in their “white” album, they’re singing about Louis XIV. And that’s telling you that the Beatles are Jesuit-controlled. The Sun King, Louis XIV who reigned, who rules over France for, I believe, 60 years, he, because of his Jesuit confessor, Pere La Chaise, revokes the Edict of Nantes, and with that, no more religious freedom in France. And then they sent their French dragons out and beheaded and killed every Huguenot they could find, driving 500,000 Frenchmen out of the country, the wealth of France, the manhood of France, all left for Holland and England. That destroyed France. From then on, France became a nothing nation. The French Revolution could never have happened had not the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes taken place. Because now, there’s no Bible in France. And to this day, the French have never published a French version of the Textus Receptus. Number one, all French Bibles have been produced in foreign countries, when they’ve been translated from the Greek Textus Receptus into French; France has never done it. That shows the Jesuit power over France to this day. And the French have probably been the most manly, the strongest, the most gracious, the most determined in kicking the Jesuits out of their country. They’ve kicked them out, to my knowledge, three times—and again, they come back, foment wars, kill off the rulers, etc. Drive Eugene Sue into exile; he dies of a broken heart. Drive Calvin into exile; he can never return to France. All the great Frenchmen are driven into exile. So we have, as American patriots, we have a great camaraderie for the French. They helped us in our American Revolution. And why did they help us? Because they’ve been expelled from France. Why did Spain help us? Why did they help finance our Revolution? The Jesuits had been expelled from Spain. So payback came for Spain and France, for helping this heretic, Protestant nation come into existence, with the Napoleonic Wars, when they killed Louis XVI and drove the Bubons from the Spanish thrown. That was payback. Martin: For 30 years of war, from 1618-1648, you state that the Jesuits, through Ferdinand II, killed-off 10 million people. That’s quite a statement. Phelps: That statement comes from Ridpath’s History Of The World, published in 1899. And that is his encyclopedia of his history of the world. That was common knowledge in 1899. The 30 Years War was hell on Earth for Europe. Two-thirds of Germany was brought back to Rome. It was leveled, plundered, and destroyed. Wallenstein and Tilly were the fanatical Roman Catholic generals who raped, pillaged, and plundered everything in their path. But the Lord raised up certain great generals like Gustavus Adolphus from Sweden. He was called the “Snow King” and he was the one who ultimately, he paved the way for the victory of the 30 Years War. But without that Protestant victory of the 30 Years War, the peace of Westphalia, which the Pope was not invited to, there would have been no modern era as we know it today. According to any historian, the modern era begins in 1648. That is when the 80 Year War in Holland ended with Spain. That is when the 30 Years War ended with Ferdinand II and the Protestants of Germany, and Sweden, and so-on. 1648 is the wonderful year in which the Modern Era began, when inventors could go to Germany and say: “Well, you know, maybe the Earth isn’t flat.” And maybe Leeuwenhoek could invent the microscope in Holland, and now, later on, James Clerk Maxwell, who was a Bible-believing, Protestant Presbyterian, he can write his treatise called Electricity And Magnetism, the father of what we know today about electricity and magnetism. Now, science can blossom and bloom. Now we can have literature. Now we can have great writers, like Sir Walter Scott, who writes great works like Ivanhoe and Peveril Of The Peak. Now we can have Charles Dickens, another Protestant, who writes A Tale Of Two Cities, one of London and the other of Rome. We have great literature surfacing as a result of the Modern Era. But the Jesuits, in their determination to destroy the Reformation and the Modern Era and bring us back to the Dark Ages, seek to reverse the effects of the Modern Era, and thus, what was brought about by the 30 Years War. And to know the 30 Years War is to understand the second 30 Years War, which started in 1914 and ended in 1945. Martin: In 1639, the Jesuits were also expelled from Japan. Apparently the Jesuits never forgot that. Phelps: They never forgot it. For over 200 years they have been expelled. And remember the words of Lincoln: “The Jesuits never forget nor forsake.” So, payback time was coming for Japan. The Emperor had expelled them, so that dynasty was targeted. Ultimately, the Emperor would be destroyed or his dynasty would end. And so payback time was the mass fire-bombings by the American Air Force, financed by the Jesuits, as the Jesuits own Lockheed, Boeing, McDonald-Douglas, and Grumman, and they used their B-29 to firebomb Japan to smithereens. You can get the fact that the Jesuits control these aircraft companies from Avro Manhattan’s The Vatican Billions. Martin: I’m trying to get a little more current here, but some of this older stuff is also so fascinating, I’m going back and forth here. Our readers are just going to have to be a little flexible in their reading. (laughter) Phelps: Right. Martin: In 1649 there was the Irish Massacre. What was it, and let’s discuss the hatred between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, as a result of the Irish Massacre. Phelps: Ok. Of course, we believe in freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of the press. That is an outgrowth of Protestantism, because all Protestants were defending their right to believe theBible in the face of Rome’s expectations to believe the priests and the decrees of the Popes. Many of the Irish were born-again. They came to know the Lord. Much preaching was done up there. In fact, Patrick, of St. Patrick’s Day, was no Catholic. He was a Protestant. And so, he was a great Protestant preacher of Ireland, and many, many Irish came to know the Lord. And their point of location was primarily in the North, in Northern Ireland, which today is Ulster, Belfast, etc. Well, the Jesuits, in fulfilling their Bloody Oath that we are making and waging relentless war on all Protestants, and all political liberals, they hatched-out the plot to kill all the Irish Protestants in Ireland with the O’Neil family. And I wonder if that O’Neil family was related to Tip O’Neil? In 1641, the massacre began, carried out by Roman Catholic nobles and the mobs in Ireland. When they started that massacre, it continued from 1641 to 1649. The massacre ended when they killed 150,000, but they still taught the Catholic children to kill the Protestant children. So, Irish Protestants were being massacred, enmasse, for 8 years. This is NEVER told whenever anybody is ever talking about Oliver Cromwell, when Cromwell came up with his Puritan Army and ended that, when he took Drogheda, and killed every living thing in Drogheda—men, women, children, animal, everything. Ones say: “Oh, the beast Oliver Cromwell. Look what he did to Drogheda!” What about those beasts killing those Irish Protestants for 8 years, bashing out the brains of the little babies, smashing them up against the walls like they did, led by the priests? This was just like they did in Croatia with the Serbs in World War II, when they gouged-out the eyes of all the Serbians, where one particular priest had 23 kilos worth of eyes. They were doing the same thing to the Irish Protestants. So, when Cromwell came up, and it was vengeance for the Irish Massacre, and the Irish Massacre was NOT started by the Protestants, it was started by the Jesuits according to Fox’s Book Of Martyrs. And you can find the whole narration there, which was a classic that all Englishmen used to read with the King James Bible. Martin: Do you believe that Great Britain is truly Protestant-controlled, Jewish-controlled, or Jesuit-controlled? Phelps: Jesuit-controlled. Martin: Why? Phelps: Well, let’s go back. To understand today we have to go back to the Napoleonic Wars. When Napoleon came to power, he was brought to power in Corsica. When the Jesuits were suppressed, one of their main outposts during their suppression was the Isle of Corsica. The Jesuits, remember, had finished the High Rites of Freemasonry with Frederick the Great, and then used their French Freemason Napoleon to execute their vengeance. However, the Jesuits were also protected during their suppression in England. A very wealthy landowner—and you can find this in Ridpath’s History Of The World—gave his wonderful, beautiful estate Stonyhurst to the Jesuit Order. And from then on, the Jesuits received protection by King George III, and you will find that in Mitchell’s The Jesuits. Mitchell is an English historian. Ok, so the Jesuits are now protected by King George III. Well, they’re going to uphold his throne. The Jesuits use the English army and navy in the resistance of Napoleon, as both sides are controlled, so that the Jesuits can control the outcome. The end result is that, after Napoleon accomplishes everything that the Jesuits want him to do—the expulsion of the Knights of Malta, the driving of the Roman Catholics from their throne, imprisoning the Pope for 5 years, etc.—Napoleon is then ordered to abandon his army in the snows of Russia, killing all of those French and German patriots, so that there are very few patriots left in Europe to resist the tyranny coming in France with Louis XVIII, who the Jesuits will put back on the throne. Louis XVIII was in exile, in England, in King George’s own parlor, waiting for the end of the Napoleonic Wars. So, the Jesuits put Louis XVIII back on the throne. He readmitted the Jesuits, started the Inquisition, just like they did with Ferdinand VII when they restored him to power in Spain after the Napoleonic Wars. And where do these monarchs get their protection? From King George III. King George was used by the Jesuits to restore their power in Europe, after the Napoleonic Wars, after they punished the Pope and the monarchs. So, it’s been, really, from 1795, right around there, that the Jesuits have controlled England. They’ve controlled the Knights, they’ve controlled the King. All throughout the 18th century, now, England will never go to war with France again. England will side with the French during the Crimean War. England will be on the side of the French during World Wars I & II. England and France are together, both controlled by the Jesuits—even though France is predominantly a Catholic country, and when England was, at least on it’s face, a Protestant country. Why should both be working together, both having the same foreign policy. Why? Because the Jesuits control both countries. When Rothschild sent that note, via Roost, into London, saying that Napolean had won the Battle of Waterloo, that’s when the stocks plummeted, and all the Jesuits bought all the stocks up, there in London, and got control of the Bank of England. The Jesuits then made London their commercial center of the world, and Rome their religious center, aiming that one day
didn’t receive tickets were refunded their purchase price. Attempts to reach Jones were referred to a New York attorney, Mark Heller, who said Jones had not received his full ticket order from suppliers. Heller denied Jones had sold his restricted inventory to those paying the most. “Mr. Jones at all times worked in good faith,’’ Heller said. “He honestly sought to fulfill the orders and when he was unable to, he let everybody know immediately. He literally worked around the clock to make sure everyone got their refunds.’’ But both lawsuits say the refunds didn’t go far enough, given that customers endured hefty additional costs getting to Arizona. The suits demand compensation for those costs — an idea Heller dismissed. “I don’t see that as being recoverable,’’ he said. “You purchase something, you don’t get it, you get your money back. That’s the extent of it.” The Keller Rohrback suit, filed in Arizona, mentions SBTickets customers who had flown in not only from Seattle but Brazil, The Netherlands, Australia and even Papua, New Guinea, and were now out thousands of dollars. Seattle resident Lisa Sterritt, 51, whose husband, Brent, is one of five named plaintiffs in the class-action suit, said they had picked SBTickets over other brokers because of its guarantees. She says it wasn’t until the day before the game that they learned their two tickets — costing $4,000 — might not be delivered. They got final word while driving to the University of Phoenix Stadium the morning of the game. “I was completely flabbergasted,’’ Sterritt said. “Both of us were. Everywhere we looked on the website … there was a guarantee, no matter what, that you were going to get your tickets.” Sterritt said she was fortunate in that they stayed with family in Phoenix and didn’t incur hotel costs in addition to airfare. Staying with family, she said, was the only way they could afford to attend the Super Bowl, meaning they might never again get that chance. “This was really ‘bucket list’ for us,’’ she said. “That’s what makes this so disappointing.’’ The AG’s lawsuit said buyers should have been told at the point of purchase that SBTickets was short-selling seats it didn’t yet have. “It is an unfair and deceptive practice to misrepresent that persons are guaranteed to get a ticket when that was not true,” the lawsuit states. “It is an unfair and deceptive act or practice to sell a futures contract without clearly and conspicuously disclosing that the tickets or other items purchased may not be available.” Ferguson said his office continues to investigate short-selling cases involving other brokers and that consumers who believe they were wronged shouldn’t hesitate to file complaints. To file a complaint about a ticket broker, visit www.atg.wa.gov and click the “Consumer Complaint” button, or call 1-800-551-4636 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. “The Super Bowl is a game; we get that,’’ Ferguson said. “But the experience is an experience that’s once in a lifetime … and that’s what they were cheating those folks out of in addition to the money. And in my view, that makes it especially egregious.’’We first learned about Intel's Skull Canyon NUC at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but Intel is now ready to give this bodacious mini-PC its official debut. The Skull Canyon NUC manages to cram plenty of high-end Intel silicon within an enclosure that measures just 8.5” x 4.6” x 0.9” and has a volume of just 0.69 liters. Inside, you’ll find a sixth-generation Intel Core i7-6770HQ processor with a 45W TDP and integrated Iris Pro Graphics 580. On the memory front, up to 32GB of 2133MHz DDR4 is supported, while storage duties are covered by two M.2 slots that support all of the latest NVMe SSDs. Networking duties are handled by Intel-supplied (of course) 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and GbE controllers. Intel has even thrown in a consumer infrared sensor for those of you that want to use Skull Canyon as a media box. When it comes to external ports and IO, don’t let the small size of the Skull Canyon NUC deceive you. You’ll find a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, Mini DisplayPort 1.2, four USB 3.0 ports, an SD card slot which can accommodate up to 512GB, and support for Thunderbolt 3 (40GBps) and USB 3.1 using a USB Type-C connector. Skull Canyon NUC Playing Just Cause 3 That last point should come in handy for the emerging trend of using external graphics enclosures to give “graphically-challenged” PCs access to the most potent desktop-class graphics cards around. As we’ve seen with the release of AMD’s Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.2.2 complete with XConnect technology, adding an external graphics enclosure to a PC equipped with a Thunderbolt 3 port is a straightforward affair thanks to the work put into the Thunderbolt 3 spec and Windows 10. A Couple Of Skull Canyon NUCs Gaming So, if that Iris Pro Graphics 580 integrated GPU isn’t really putting a fire in your belly, rest assured that you can always connect a device like the Razer Core to your free Thunderbolt 3 connector and enjoy some Radeon R9 Fury gaming goodness to really show off that Core i7-6770HQ processor. Skull Canyon Connected to Razer Core over Thunderbolt 3 Running Just Cause 3 at 1440p In terms of pricing, Intel says that a barebones Skull Canyon NUC (model NUC6i7KYK) has an estimated street price of $650. Adding 16GB of memory, a 256GB SSD and Windows 10 will push the price to roughly $999. Pre-orders for the NUC6i7KYK SKU will begin next month at Newegg, and shipments will commence in May.On the 36th floor of a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper, the actors Ice Cube and Kevin Hart joshed with fans inside a glass-walled radio studio one afternoon last month. They were in the broadcast headquarters of SiriusXM, and across the lobby, near Howard Stern’s dedicated wing, Brooke Shields posed for selfies with three “Sesame Street” puppets, while Senator Rand Paul — at that point, still a candidate for president — hovered with a small entourage. Overhead, a screen announced the imminent arrival of the thrash-metal band Anthrax. By any measure, it was an odd cross section of pop culture. Surveying the scene, Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s chief content officer, smiled and declared, “This is how I like it — just this diverse.” At SiriusXM, the satellite-radio network, executives use terms like “mosaic,” “bundle” and, inevitably, “curated” to describe the company’s mix of programming. With more than 175 channels, SiriusXM has much more variety than typical AM/FM radio but a small fraction of the ads. It has channels dedicated to the Grateful Dead and the Metropolitan Opera; five feeds of thumping electronic dance music; every pro baseball, football and basketball game; and, of course, Mr. Stern’s blend of raunchy humor and celebrity interviews. Around the Super Bowl, it had 162 hours of live programming related to the game that ran across 22 shows on 10 channels. Once flirting with bankruptcy, SiriusXM has quietly become a financial powerhouse at a time when other radio and digital music outlets are struggling to make a profit, and also as the behavior of so-called cord cutters — who cancel their cable TV subscriptions to pick and choose their entertainment online (and to save money) — has made Wall Street nervous about the future of bundled media. SiriusXM last year earned $510 million on $4.6 billion in revenue, and renewed major deals with Mr. Stern and the National Football League.During his second UFC heavyweight title run that began in 2012, Cain Velasquez was forced to the sidelines due to injury in October 2013. After defending his title for the second time against Junior dos Santos at UFC 166, Velasquez did not return to action until June 2015. Velasquez ended up dropping the belt to Fabricio Werdum upon his return, and has not been able to get back to title contention since. Last December Velasquez was once again sidelined after being deemed “unfit to fight” by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. In his absence, a former opponent of his is adamant about settling the score. During a recent appearance on BJ Penn Radio, veteran heavyweight Ben Rothwell, expressed his strong feelings towards Velasquez, particularly during that year and a half when the UFC heavyweight belt remained in the shelves with him. “I’ve had ten losses and I’ve never been able to get one of those back. Cain and Junior [Dos Santos] are two guys ranked in front that I’ve lost to and the two guys I could make that up with, it’s one of them,” Rothwell said (via BJPenn.com). “If I only could fight one of them I think it would have to be Cain because that one really pisses me off.” “It pissed me off what he did with the title, where he sat on it for a couple years and really messed up the heavyweight division. I think he learned how to milk it. For him and his family and his finances, it was great for him, but it screwed everything up for the rest of us.” Rothwell feels he has unfinished business with Velasquez and hopes that the former champion would be able to come back strong. But at the same time, he holds some doubts of his own. “It’s really tough to say [what the future holds for Velasquez] but based on what we hear circulating, it doesn’t sound good. I don’t want him to leave because that’s a guy I’ve always thought I’d cross paths with again. He’s a big name and I’ve never got to fight any of the guys that I’ve lost to,” Rothwell said. “I heard he has to have back-to-back surgeries in under a year, it just sounds rough. I wish the guy the best and I hope he can come back. He’s obviously a warrior but I hear that it’s really bad and I don’t know what he’s got left. Only he knows that I guess.”So, yes, plenty of sex is going on in Israel — especially among religious Jews. The Post interviewed Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who explained: People misunderstand Orthodox Jews, in that they believe that they have sex through a sheet with a hole in the middle, that Orthodoxy is profoundly prudish. Nothing can be further from the truth [...] Orthodoxy is profoundly passionate. Orthodox couples have great sex lives, they’re encouraged to.... Anyone who portrays Orthodoxy in a different light and... believes that Orthodoxy encourages sexual repression really knows nothing about the Jewish religion. Recall, also, that in 2011, Tel Aviv was named the world's best gay city. And Wet happens to be a popular product in the gay community, having been ranked by various publications as some of the best, safest and most popular among gay men. Kosher certification could be a plus for gay Jewish men and perhaps foster brand loyalty among those who already use it. Finally, in case you're wondering about the dietary aspect: there is a line of flavored Wet lubricants, though it's unclear if the 95% of the line certified kosher includes these lubes. Photo by Olga Danylenko via Shutterstock This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.The NBA Association helped fund a newly refurbished basketball court at the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre. Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail As the NBA all-star weekend madness descends on Toronto, there is no shortage of theories to explain why the the NBA gave Loserville its due. It now boasts the league’s fourth-highest attendance, ahead of Golden State, New York and Miami. Already a veteran host of TIFF, the Six can deftly stage-manage three days of private planes, entourages and paparazzi. It also has the luxury hotels, high-end restaurants and low-down lifestyle opportunities that big-time athletes require. And for the sports fans taking more democratic means of transportation, the failed Pearson Express is free this weekend, which means that new arrivals can have an empty car all to themselves. But the most poignant reason could be found last Thursday, at an event in a west-end Toronto gym. A low-key group of local politicians, athletes and the head of the NBA Players Association gathered with schoolchildren to celebrate a joint project: the refurbishing of a court surface at the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre. There were no NBA stars in sight. Neither Drake nor an Owl emblem, either. But there was a lot of wisdom in the room, people who represent what the Raptors have already accomplished, and where the league wants to go. Diversity isn’t just a virtue. It’s also a business plan. For the past two decades, the Raptors haven’t gone far in the playoffs, but they still have made huge inroads to new Canadians. “We have the most diverse audience in the NBA,” said Nav Bhatia, the team’s so-called superfan, standing at court’s edge. “You go to the Raptors games, you see Asians, Indians, everyone in the city. Hockey crowds mostly have your colour,” he said jokingly, gesturing to this reporter’s pallor. Mr. Bhatia isn’t just the auto-dealer magnate who organizes the Raptors annual Sikh New Year celebrations at Air Canada Centre, which historically has included a baby elephant. Going back decades, he has also been a key architect of the Raptor identity, a team which from the start had to find an audience in a hockey-mad (or deluded) city – and faced the additional challenge of a baseball team that had won two World Series championships. As perhaps the former prime minister might have put it, hoops was competing with “old-stock” sports. Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail The Raptors then, like the NBA now, had to find new audiences. One strategy is matchmaking athletes to local demographics, Europeans mostly. Franchise players such as Vince Carter or Chris Bosh would have shared the key with Andrea Bargnani, popular among Italian-Canadians, Hedo Turkoglu among Toronto’s Turks or Lithuanian Jonas Valanciunas with the local Baltic crowds. But when the Raptors got started in the mid-90s, Mr. Bhatia explained, the crowds were largely Caucasian, so much so that around a dozen years ago, a banker type mistook this small, turbaned man for a cabbie. For the frenetic Mr. Bhatia, the error was a call to arms. As an early show of support for his team or an act of rebellion, he offered to buy 3,000 tickets from Raptors management, which he described as a difficult sell, even though he himself was assuming the risk. They were worried he couldn’t fill the seats. “I told them it was their opportunity to showcase the team, but they didn’t think it would work out,” said Mr. Bhatia, whose white Bentley was parked – illegally – right in front of the centre. He gave out the tickets to temple members, school groups, underprivileged children. The seats were filled. The program continues. The business case for multiculturalism hasn’t been lost on the Brooklyn Nets, whose borough boasts the same kind of diversity as Toronto’s. Mr. Bhatia said that the franchise approached him recently to advise them on diversity. He hasn’t decided yet if he will talk to them. Sikhs aren’t the only group that are rabidly Raptor. Chinese- and Filipino-Canadians are perhaps the biggest followers. “I had no idea how important basketball was to these communities until I went to a tournament a few months ago in Downsview,” said Mayor John Tory, who was also present at the event. “There were hundreds of talented Filipino kids playing for trophies. It was a revelation. It was serious business.” Raptors 905 player Sim Bhullar, who hails from the GTA, is the first NBA player of Indian descent. Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail For ambitious, visible-minority athletes such as the GTA’s Sim Bhullar – the NBA’s first player of Indian descent – the Raptors are a team within reach. For the NBA, shows of diversity are good business. The 7-foot-5 athlete appeared on the Late Late Show and was the subject of a Newsweek profile. Last May, the league flew him to India. “Eight cities in eight days or something like that,” said Mr. Bhullar, who now plays for the Raptors 905 in the NBA’s developmental league. “Everywhere I went there were big billboards with my picture on it. It was unbelievable.” At the opening of this season, there were a record-tying 12 NBA players from Canada on opening-night rosters, more than any other country outside the United States for the second consecutive year. “We’re just now seeing a whole generation that’s grown up with the Raptors,” Dan MacKenzie, vice-president and managing director of NBA Canada, said in his office. Torontonian Clement Chu, 41, grew up with the Raptors. The early days were strange. Chinese players faced quizzical looks during pickup games. Even the Chinese vocabulary wasn’t fully developed yet. “Rather than saying left forward, it was something closer to left wing,” said Mr. Chu, founder of the Chinese Canadian Youth Athletic Association. Compounding the difficulty, Chinese parents also generally discouraged hockey. “They didn’t want their children walking around with broken teeth.” But the Raptors organization made huge efforts to embrace the community, sending in teams of volunteers and ambassadors. In the early days, Mr. Chu said he oversaw eight or 10 Chinese-Canadian basketball teams. Now there are 200 or so. Mr. Chu also took a risk like Mr. Bhatia, buying 6,000 tickets from the team, which he then either gave away or sold at cost, just to make sure community members had access to the games. “A lot of people then didn’t even know how to use Ticketmaster.” Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail The Chinese have had a long history with the game, cheering on stars such as Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin of “Linsanity” fame. They also have a home team that has recognized the Chinese New Year by dressing their athletes in symbolic gold and yellow warmup suits. (Similarly, the Golden State Warriors wore Chinese New Year uniforms). Standing in the corner of the high-end basketball store Mitchell and Ness on Queen West Wednesday night, Mr. Chu was playing host to an NBA all-star-related party for the Chinese community. The average age looks to be mid-20s, and everyone is decked out, the seriousness of their outfits undermined by backward, albeit designer, baseball caps. The house music is pounding through everyone’s pant legs. Mr. Chu looks proud. “I’ve coached almost everyone in the room,” he said. “I can’t tell you how great it is to see them taking it forward.”Get the biggest Manchester United FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Manchester United will hope for a better performance at Goodison Park than they have been able to muster in recent years. The Reds can put defeat at Arsenal behind them with an improved display against Roberto Martinez's men on Saturday. With United then flying to Moscow to take on CSKA in the Champions League in midweek, it promises to be a test for Louis van Gaal and his team. Ahead of the games, our writers sat down to discuss how United are shaping up. Talking points included how to get the best out of David de Gea, whether Phil Jones should return to the back four, the importance of Chris Smalling and the dangermen to watch out for. Click below to listen to the podcast.ICO Business Be Like SPAM All Over The Place 4 Nov 2017 Do you wonder why there are some Bitcointalk ICO announcement threads with a lot of activity, even though the user posts seem crappy, pointless or weird or why you get emails promoting new ICOs for no apparent reason? Well, it is all because somebody paid to get their forum thread boosted with fake comments or paid for email promotion (pure SPAM) to crypto users. Now, it is questionable what is the effect of such efforts to promote an ICO project, but it is happening, so some people are apparently paying for this. Here is an email from one such offer to get an idea on what the prices for such kind of “promotions” go and this is one of the reasons why Initial Coin Offerings opt out for large marketing budgets and if you don’t have one the less likely you are to succeed. With all that said we are not fans of methods like that and there are much better ways to utilize your marketing budget to promote your project…I FIRST met Larraine when we both lived in a trailer park on the far South Side of Milwaukee. Fifty-four, with silvering brown hair, Larraine loved mystery novels, “So You Think You Can Dance” and doting on her grandson. Even though she lived in a mobile home park with so many code violations that city inspectors called it an “environmental biohazard,” she kept a tidy trailer and used a hand steamer on the curtains. But Larraine spent more than 70 percent of her income on housing — just as one in four of all renting families who live below the poverty line do. After paying the rent, she was left with $5 a day. Under conditions like these, evictions have become routine. Larraine (whose name has been changed to protect her privacy) was evicted after she borrowed from her rent money to cover part of her gas bill. The eviction movers took her stuff to their storage unit; after Larraine was unable to make payments, they took it to the dump. Those of us who don’t live in trailer parks or inner cities might think low-income families typically benefit from public housing or some other kind of government assistance. But the opposite is true. Three-quarters of families who qualify for housing assistance don’t get it because there simply isn’t enough to go around. This arrangement would be unthinkable with other social services that cover basic needs. What if food stamps only covered one in four families? America stands alone among wealthy democracies in the depth and expanse of its poverty. Ask most politicians what we should do about this, and they will answer by calling for more and better jobs. Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House, thinks we need to do more to “incentivize work.” Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, thinks we should raise the minimum wage. But jobs are only part of the solution because poverty is not just a product of joblessness and low wages. It is also a product of exploitation.Streetwise Directed by Martin Bell Produced by Cheryl McCall Written by Cheryl McCall Distributed by Angelika Films Release date 1984 ( ) Running time 91 minutes Country United States Language English Streetwise is a 1984 documentary film by director Martin Bell.[1] It followed in the wake of a July 1983 Life magazine article, "Streets of the Lost", by writer Cheryl McCall and photographer Mary Ellen Mark[2][3](Bell's wife).[4] According to Mark's accompanying 1988 book, eponymously titled Streetwise,[5] McCall and Mark traveled to Seattle Washington specifically to reveal that even in a town that billed itself as America's most livable city, there still existed rampant homelessness and desperation. After making connections with several homeless youth during the writing of the article, Mark convinced Bell that the youth were worthy of his making a documentary based on their lives. McCall and Mark were also instrumental in making the film. Streetwise follows the lives of several homeless teenagers, although it focuses most on 14-year-old Erin Blackwell, a young prostitute who goes by the name of Tiny. Much of the time, Tiny stays at the home of her alcoholic mother, Pat, who seems unfazed by her daughter's prostitution, calling it a "phase". Bell's follow-up documentary, named Streetwise: Tiny Revisited, was released in 2016. Plot summary [ edit ] Streetwise portrays the lives of nine desperate teenagers. Thrown too young into a seedy, grown-up world, these runaways and castaways survive, but just barely. Rat, the dumpster diver; Tiny, the teenage prostitute; Shellie, the baby-faced one; and DeWayne, the hustler, are all old beyond their years. All are underage survivors fighting for life and love on the streets of downtown Seattle, Washington. Reception [ edit ] Streetwise was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and received a score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.[6] DVD [ edit ] At the premiere of the sequel in Seattle in 2016 Bell announced that a DVD release of the first film is being planned. Currently only VHS copies are available at Vidiots in Santa Monica and Scarecrow in Seattle. Scarecrow also has a PAL copy. Book [ edit ] Mark photographed many of the teens throughout the filming of Streetwise and published a book of the same name in 1988. The photographs are captioned with quotations from the film. The transcript of Bell's film appears at the end of the book, with only minor differences. What became of the teenagers [ edit ] (Corresponds to the order of the cast list) Dewayne Pomeroy : As shown in the film, he hanged himself in July 1984, the day before his 17th birthday. Some of the street kids held a balloon release and planted a tree in Freeway Park in his memory. Plaque 21394 on the ground at the Pike Place Market says "Dewayne Pomeroy 1984". [7] [8] His story and relationship with his felon father was the inspiration for the 1992 film American Heart with starring Jeff Bridges, with Edward Furlong playing Dewayne's part. : As shown in the film, he hanged himself in July 1984, the day before his 17th birthday. Some of the street kids held a balloon release and planted a tree in Freeway Park in his memory. Plaque 21394 on the ground at the Pike Place Market says "Dewayne Pomeroy 1984". His story and relationship with his felon father was the inspiration for the 1992 film with starring Jeff Bridges, with Edward Furlong playing Dewayne's part. "Little Justin" Reed Early authored a book, Street Child: A Memoir, based on his experience as a homeless child and now works as an advocate for homeless youths. [9] authored a book,, based on his experience as a homeless child and now works as an advocate for homeless youths. Lou Ellen "Lulu" Couch was fatally stabbed by a man at an arcade on 1st and Pike Street in December 1985 at age 22 while trying to defend a girl who was being assaulted. [8] Her last words were, "Tell Martin and Mary Ellen, Lulu died". Plaque 21393 on the ground at the Pike Place Market says "Lulu Couch 1985". [7] Approximately 319 people attended her funeral. [10] was fatally stabbed by a man at an arcade on 1st and Pike Street in December 1985 at age 22 while trying to defend a girl who was being assaulted. Her last words were, "Tell Martin and Mary Ellen, Lulu died". Plaque 21393 on the ground at the Pike Place Market says "Lulu Couch 1985". Approximately 319 people attended her funeral. Patti died of HIV/AIDS [11] in 1993 at age 27. [12] died of HIV/AIDS in 1993 at age 27. Rat is married with children and has grandchildren. is married with children and has grandchildren. Shadow has worked as a carpenter and a security guard. [11] has worked as a carpenter and a security guard. Erin Blackwell ("Tiny") : When Streetwise was nominated for a 1984 Academy Award for documentary, [1] Tiny attended the Oscar ceremony with Bell and Mark. However, despite her celebrity, Tiny’s life did not radically change tracks. Mark returned to Seattle to photograph Tiny many times since 1983, and photographs of Tiny have appeared in Mark's later books, which reveal that in the years after the Streetwise projects, Tiny continued her prostitution, became a drug addict, and gave birth to ten children fathered by several different men. In 1993, 10 years after the making of the film, she was featured in an ABC news program called Tiny's Story. In the mid-2000s, however, Mark and Bell's 23-minute film Erin revealed that Tiny had cleaned up and settled down with a husband and her minor children. [4] As of 2005, the Mary Ellen Mark Films web page devoted to the Erin films indicated Erin had ten children. [11] [13] : When was nominated for a 1984 Academy Award for documentary, Tiny attended the Oscar ceremony with Bell and Mark. However, despite her celebrity, Tiny’s life did not radically change tracks. Mark returned to Seattle to photograph Tiny many times since 1983, and photographs of Tiny have appeared in Mark's later books, which reveal that in the years after the projects, Tiny continued her prostitution, became a drug addict, and gave birth to ten children fathered by several different men. In 1993, 10 years after the making of the film, she was featured in an ABC news program called. In the mid-2000s, however, Mark and Bell's 23-minute film revealed that Tiny had cleaned up and settled down with a husband and her minor children. As of 2005, the Mary Ellen Mark Films web page devoted to the films indicated Erin had ten children. Patrice Pitts: Pitts - known best in the film for his argument with the street preacher - remained homeless after the filming and battled severe drug addiction. On January 29, 2017, Pitts was shot and killed in front of the St. Charles Hotel. Two individuals were later arrested for the murder of the 52-year-old Pitts.[14] In March 2013 a Streetwise Facebook group was opened up in hopes of finding the children from the documentary. Almost all the main characters (and some minor characters) were found. The group has recent pictures of Rat, Munchkin, Tiny, Justin, Lillie and many others. There are also memorials set up for the kids who are deceased. Old videos and pictures of the kids were found and posted. As of 2015, over 1,700 fans and Streetwise alumni participate and post in the group. Both Martin Bell and Mary Ellen Mark (posthumously) commented that they greatly enjoyed seeing all the kids they filmed over 30 years ago. Sequel [ edit ] On November 20, 2013, Mary Ellen Mark and Martin Bell launched the Streetwise: Tiny Revisited project on Kickstarter. The project exceeded the funding goal of US$60,000 (equivalent to about $64,500 in 2018) by the time funding closed on December 20, 2013.[15] The film, titled Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell, had its premiere at the 2016 Seattle International Film Festival. It focuses on the life of Tiny and her family over the 30+ years since Streetwise.[16] A new book was published in conjunction with the film.[17] Streetwise: Tiny Revisited was published in the fall of 2015 by Aperture, and includes photos taken by Mark over 30 years of friendship with Tiny Blackwell.[18][19] In popular culture [ edit ] The character Rat's line "I love to fly. It's just, you're alone with peace and quiet, nothing around you but clear, blue sky. No one to hassle you. No one to tell you where to go or what to do. The only bad part about flying is having to come back down to the fucking world" is sampled in the song "Zap!" by The Avalanches (2016),[20] as well as the songs "Say My Name or Say Whatever" by How to Dress Well (2012)[21] and "In 1983 He Loved to Fly" by 1 Mile North (2003). See Also [ edit ]CTV Atlantic A pair of wind energy projects worth an estimated $120 million could be up and running in New Brunswick by the end of 2020. Ryan Mitchell of Saint John Power said all three utilities responded to a call put out by NB Power earlier in the year, inviting municipalities, co-operatives and not-for-profit groups to add renewable energy to provincial power grid. The three utilities agreed wind presented best opportunity. “Each project is five turbines of approximately four megawatts in size,” says Mitchell. “Perth-Andoiver, Edmundston and Saint John are the remaining three municipal electrical utilities in the province, so we're coming together and forming a partnership.” Two areas have been identified as being ideal for element are near Perth-Andover and in Charlotte County. “What we'd be looking for is a long-term power purchase agreement with NB Power for the output of this wind generation sites. It is a very completive process. We know there's a great deal of interest,” says Mitchell. New Brunswick Green Party Leader says wind is an opportunity largely being squandered. “As has been said in the past we have the potential to be the Saudia Arabia for wind and NB Power, well in fact the government needs to bold in allowing NB Power to purchase far more renewable electricity,” Coon says. The provincial government has made a goal of generating 40 per cent of energy from renewables by 2020. If approved, this project could be up and running by around the same time. With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.Looking for news you can trust? Subscribe to our free newsletters. In Massachusetts, Matthew Israel’s critics have been trying to put him out of business for more than two decades. The first major battle took place in 1985—before Israel even started using shocks—after a 22-year-old student named Vincent Milletich died while in restraints at one of Israel’s homes. The state Office for Children tried to close down Israel’s facility, but he fought back with a lawsuit and a PR blitz. (For example, much as he does with journalists today, Israel showed videos of his methods to pioneering behaviorist B.F. Skinner, who was famously opposed to the use of painful punishments known as “aversives.” Skinner then issued a statement saying that such extreme patients might require aversive therapy.) In the end, Judge Ernest Rotenberg, for whom the facility is now named, decreed that the program could stay open, though Israel would have to obtain court approval every time he wanted to use aversive therapy on a student. In the mid-1990s, Massachusetts again tried to close down Israel’s program—which by then had started to use electric shocks—and again he prevailed. This time, a judge declared that the state Department of Mental Retardation had waged a “war of harassment” against Israel, accused its commissioner of lying on the witness stand, stripped the agency of its power to regulate Israel’s facility, and ordered the state to pay the $1.5 million in legal fees and other costs that Israel had racked up. The commissioner was forced to resign, a cautionary tale for any other state official thinking of taking on Israel. Meanwhile, a parallel battle over Israel’s use of aversives has been fought in the Massachusetts state Legislature. Since the late 1980s, a bill to ban their use has been introduced in every legislative session—and every time it has failed to become law. Emotional hearings on the pros and cons of aversives have become a regular ritual. Critics (professors, disability activists, mental-health experts) testify against the use of aversive therapy, while parents plead with lawmakers not to pass the bill, insisting that without aversives their children’s self-abusive behavior will escalate. In this battle, Israel has the perfect ally: state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, whose nephew Brandon has been in Israel’s care since age 12; Brandon, now 27, is one of Israel’s most challenging cases, with a long record of extremely self-injurious behavior. This is the same Brandon who Israel once shocked more than 5,000 times, prompting him to make a new device that could deliver much more pain. Nevertheless, Brandon’s parents credit Israel with saving their son’s life, and his uncle has helped ensure that no bill banning aversives becomes law. So in a bird-in-hand strategy, state Senator Brian A. Joyce, whose district includes the Rotenberg Center, has introduced two new bills that—while not proposing an outright ban on aversives—would regulate their use much more strictly. “The harsh reality is we’re doing this to innocent children in Canton, Massachusetts,” he says. “If this treatment were used on terrorist prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, there would be worldwide outrage.”With the possible exception of the "AIDS" label that's covering half of Africa, some of these American stereotypes of the rest of world are surprisingly lacking in wickedness. I would have expected less superficial ignorance, and more low blows from the country that claims to be the best at everything. I mean, even my grandma had an arsenal of colorful words to describe Japan, and all of them were way better than "Toyota". Alaska is "Hockey Moms," not "Evolution Stopped Here"? India is just "Curry," instead of "Curry-Scented American Jobs"? Greece is "Democracy," over "Please enter at rear"? Could we maybe get a Trey Parker and Matt Stone revision of this map? The World According to Americans is part of visual artist Yanko Tsvetkov's Mapping Stereotypes project. The collection spans a series of 30+ satirical--and often thought-provoking, introspective, and inflammatory--views of the world as seen through the eyes of its various constituent factions. Tsvetkov spares no one. The World According to Americans shares his gallery of Swiftian cartographs with the likes of Europe According to Russia, The World According to Israel, The Flat Earth According to US Republicans, and Europe According to Gay Men. Check out a all of Tsvetkov's maps condensed for the coffee table in his book Atlas of Prejudice: Mapping Stereotypes.The amendment propels the growing single payer health care movement at the state level. There are at least ten states which have active single payer efforts in their legislatures. They are California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio
between‐subjects experiment. The study employed an all‐male sample ( N = 96). The participants were students at a large West Coast public university in the U.S. Male participants were between 18 and 32 years old ( M = 21.25, SD = 2.35). Fifty‐one percent were Asian, 19.8 % were Hispanic, 17.7% were Caucasian, 3.1% African‐Americans, 2.1% Pacific Islanders, and 6.3% who reported belonging to other ethnicities. Participants had been using computers for a long time ( M = 11.07 years, SD = 3.44 years). Most participants used computers every day ( M = 6.95, SD =.27; where 1 = never, 7 = every day). Participants had been playing video games for about 10 years ( M = 9.91, SD = 4.88). 91.7% participants had played Nintendo Wii games in the past. Overall, the results confirmed the effects reported above. Participants using the obese avatar showed reduced wrist activity compared to those that used the normal weight avatar ( b = ‐279.75, SE = 95.04, t (94) = ‐2.94, p =.004). As predicted, perceiving one's avatar as one standard deviation more obese than the opponent character was also a significant moderator that decreased wrist physical activity ( b = ‐340.58, SE = 131.44, t (94) = ‐2.59, p =.01). This finding confirmed H4 and is discussed below. In addition, mean perceived avatar and opponent agent body‐size difference was a significant moderator that decreased wrist physical activity ( b = ‐272.72, SE = 95.37, t (94) = ‐2.85, p =.005). This result was unexpected and is further discussed below. H4 predicted that social comparisons between avatar vs. opponent agent body size would moderate the direct effect of avatar appearance on physical activity. To address this question, a model 1 moderation analysis was performed with PROCESS (Hayes, 2013 ). The full results of the analysis appear in Table 1. In this model, avatar body size was the predictor variable and wrist activity was the outcome variable based on the results of H1. In the model, the difference between perceived avatar and opponent body‐size scores was employed as the moderator because this metric reflects the difference between the perceived body size of the virtual characters. To test for moderation effects, PROCESS created three values for the difference between perceived avatar and opponent body‐size scores based on the mean of this moderator variable +/‐1 standard deviation from the mean (Hayes, 2013 ). The ‐1 standard deviation moderator value was negative (‐1.57), and it represented participants perceiving their avatar as thinner than the opponent character. The +1 standard deviation moderator value was positive (1.27), and it denoted participants perceiving their avatar as more obese than the opponent character. In addition, the mean perceived avatar and opponent agent body‐size difference was negative and quite small (‐.15), indicating that on average, participants perceived the opponent agent to be just slightly more obese than their avatar. The data was initially examined with a 2 (avatar: normal weight, obese) by 2 (opponent agent: normal weight, obese) ANCOVA. Male participants' BMI was entered as a covariate in order to control for the effect of participant body size. BMI was insignificant thus it was dropped from the analysis. The final analysis was carried out with a 2 (avatar: normal weight, obese) by 2 (opponent agent: normal weight, obese) ANOVA. H1 reasoned that male participants using normal weight avatars would show increased wrist and waist activity. Male participants assigned to the normal weight avatar showed more wrist activity ( M = 1364.73, SD = 513.27) than those assigned to the obese avatar ( M = 1095.26, SD = 340.60), F (1, 94) = 9.21, p =.003, partial η 2 =.09. However, avatar body size did not affect participants' waist activity, F < 1. Thus, H1 was partially supported. H2‐H3 were disconfirmed as there were no avatar/opponent agent interaction effects on participants' physical activity ( F wrist (1, 94) = 2.04, ns, and F waist < 1). Discussion This study tested perception‐behavior assumptions by examining how avatar body size affected participants' concurrent physical activity while playing an exergame. The study also investigated social comparison effects by examining how opponent character body size influenced participants' physical activity outcomes. We also attempted to document possible gender differences regarding how virtual characters' body size affected physical activity outcomes by replicating with an all‐male sample a previous study that had an all‐female sample. Overall, participants using normal weight avatars showed higher wrist activity in comparison to those operating obese avatars. This finding expands on the Proteus effect by showing how avatar appearance influenced physical activity outcomes among men playing exergames. Consider that exergames require users to use motion controllers to interact with the game, while previous studies had examined the Proteus effects using desktop computers and virtual reality systems (Peña et al., 2009; Yee & Bailenson, 2007). In particular, this finding is congruent with the perception‐behavior link, which states that perceiving a person, stereotype, or behavior increases people's tendency to behave similarly oneself (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999). Additionally, perceived avatar and opponent character body‐size differences moderated the direct effect of avatar body size on wrist activity at high avatar/opponent character body‐size difference. In particular, perceiving the avatar as more obese than the opponent character was a significant moderator that decreased wrist physical activity. It is possible that participants felt at a disadvantage and thus showed decreased wrist physical activity when their avatar was perceived as more obese than their opponent. This finding confirmed the predictions of social comparison theory, particularly in regards to upward social comparisons. Upward social comparison refers to comparing oneself with someone perceived as more accomplished (Nabi & Keblusek, 2014). From this standpoint, participants may have estimated that they lacked the features of skilled tennis players when using a more obese avatar in comparison to a virtual opponent of a normal body size, and thus displayed less physical effort because they were discouraged by the comparison (e.g., Bandura & Jourden, 1991). Future studies should continue investigating how upward social comparisons affect player performance. Though previous studies have documented that users' cognition and behavior is affected by avatar appearance (i.e., the Proteus effect, Peña et al., 2009; Yee & Bailenson, 2007), the present results imply that social outcomes in exergames are affected by the appearance of one's virtual self in conjunction with the appearance of virtual others (see also Peña & Kim, 2014). This is a critical theoretical distinction that has not been sufficiently explored as there are few studies documenting the effects of parallel exposure to conflicting primes (i.e., normal or obese virtual characters, see Bargh, 2006). Perhaps the most important contribution of this study is broadening the palette of theories that explain social outcomes in exergames. While the Proteus effect explains behavioral effects at the individual level (i.e., avatar appearance affects the behavior of people operating avatars), social comparison processes can moderate the influence of the Proteus effect when people play exergames competitively with other virtual characters. Overall, behavioral outcomes in exergames may not only stem from the appearance and attributes implied by one's virtual character (the Proteus effect) but are also regulated by how we perceive our avatar in comparison to other characters (social comparison processes). In addition to the moderation effects described above, perceived avatar and opponent character body‐size differences also moderated the direct effect of avatar body size on wrist activity at average avatar/opponent character body‐size difference. On average, participants perceived the opponent character to be slightly more obese than their avatar, and such difference moderated and decreased wrist physical activity. This moderation effect was not predicted, but it may imply a downward social comparison effect in that participants showed less physical effort when their opponent was just slightly more overweight in comparison to their avatar. Downward social comparisons refer to comparing oneself to someone perceived as less proficient (Nabi & Keblusek, 2014). In other words, participants using normal weight avatars may have exerted less wrist activity because they disregarded their obese virtual opponent. This effect is congruent with how downward social comparison may increase complacency and decrease performance (Bandura & Jourden, 1991). This study contributes to the literature by documenting how perceived avatar and opponent agent body‐size differences moderated wrist physical activity based on downward social comparison mechanisms. This improves on previous studies that had hypothesized such a theoretical relationship but did not provide empirical evidence that participants compared the physical traits of their avatar against the physical traits of their virtual opponent (see Peña & Kim, 2014). Though moderation effects were observed, there were no statistical interaction effects of avatar and opponent character body size on physical activity outcomes among male participants. However, Peña and Kim (2014) observed such effects among female participants as female participants showed increased physical activity when both avatar and opponent character had a normal weight. Additionally, female participants had decreased physical activity when using a normal weight avatar playing against an obese opponent character. This difference is perhaps connected to social comparisons among women and men entailing different motivational processes. In the US and the Netherlands, women were more likely to engage in social comparisons relative to men (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999). Women were also more likely to internalize thin‐ideal images in the media (Levine & Murnen, 2009). For example, female TV audience members exposed to thin models showed more motivation to be thin and less body satisfaction (Harrison & Cantor, 1997). Finally, women comparing themselves to fashion magazine ads featuring thin and attractive models showed more positive reactions when comparing themselves on the basis of intelligence than when engaging in physical appearance comparisons (Tiggemann & Polivy, 2010). By replicating Peña and Kim's (2014) study, we can conclude that male participants were less responsive to social comparison effects when playing with normal or obese avatars and opponent characters, and that this is congruent with studies showing stronger social comparison processes among women as a result of exposure to media information linked to physical appearance. Overall, why was perceived body‐size difference a significant moderator but the expected interaction effects were insignificant? This is especially puzzling when considering that the expected moderation and interaction effects were equivalent to each other. For example, reduced physical activity when using obese avatars playing against normal weight virtual opponents was not confirmed as an interaction effect (H2) but received support as a moderator when using the perceived body size difference measure (H4). Though this may seemingly be a limitation of our social comparison assumptions, one possibility is that the explicit and implicit nature of these predictions influenced the results. H4 relied on participants being explicitly asked to rate their avatar and virtual opponent's body size, while H2 was tested as an implicit effect based on mere exposure to the avatars. It is possible that the implicit or explicit nature of social comparisons may underlie why the overt measure was a significant moderator but a similar prediction that was tested more implicitly was not. Note that Peña and Kim (2014) confirmed a similar prediction with an all‐female sample. Considering the present results, one avenue for future research is examining whether women are influenced by implicit virtual social comparisons (e.g., mere exposure to normal weight and obese avatars and opponents), while men show similar effects only when explicitly comparing avatars and opponents. Limitations and Future Research This research had several limitations. First, avatar body size affected male participants' wrist activity but, in Peña and Kim's (2014) study, avatar body size manipulations affected female participants' waist activity. One explanation to this discrepancy is that male and female participants reacted differently to the exergame task. When aggregating and comparing the two samples, female participants showed increased physical activity while playing the exergame (M Wrist Females = 1835.07, SD Wrist Females = 493.70; M Waist Females = 263.44, SD Waist Females = 103.30) compared to male participants (M Wrist Males = 1229.99, SD Wrist Males = 453.91; M Waist Males = 157.42, SD Waist Males = 69.23), F Wrist (1, 188) = 76.52, p <.001, partialη2 =.29, and F Waist (1, 188) = 68.34, p <.001, partial η2 =.27. This implies that female participants moved around more while playing the game. However, according to the experimenters' notes, male participants remained more static but hit the virtual tennis ball harder with the controller instead of moving around more. Future studies should examine how gender affects the way in which players approach exergames (e.g., overall movement vs. forcefulness of specific movements). Second, game camera positioning might have affected the results. The avatar was positioned up close to the player on the screen and the opponent agent was positioned farther away on the other end of the tennis court and appeared to be smaller on the screen by default. Though this may be perceived as a limitation, game camera positioning was consistent across all conditions. Thus, if there was error induced by the game camera's position, then such error was a constant across all conditions. In addition, camera positioning had the benefit of allowing players to be exposed to both characters. Third, the study did not account for how using avatars of the same weight as the participant could influence physical movement. For instance, avatars that physically resemble the user can be more persuasive (Fox et al., 2013). This is important given that there is a range of customization options in the Virtua Tennis game. Future research should examine the effects of virtual characters that have the same weight as the user. Finally, the effect sizes of the manipulations were small. These effects nonetheless matter given that the manipulation of the independent variable (avatar and opponent agent body size) was minimal and did not raise participants' awareness, whereas the dependent variable (physical activity) is difficult to influence given the range of factors that determine physical activity. For example, motivations to engage in physical activity include appearance concerns, increasing strength and endurance, stress management, weight management, and increasing health and/or avoiding illness (Kilpatrick, Hebert, & Bartholomew, 2005). Indeed, extrinsic factors such as the appearance of virtual characters in exergames had not been previously connected to physical activity outcomes (see Kilpatrick et al., 2005). Also of importance, given the vast scale of people's exposure to video games, even small effects can have large aggregated consequences. Consider that 59% of Americans play video games (Entertainment Software Association, 2014), and that repeated exposure to video game content should reinforce specific cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns on gamers given time (Anderson, Gentile, & Dill, 2012). In addition, the documented link between avatar appearance manipulations and cognitive and behavioral outcomes (i.e., the Proteus effect) reinforces the importance of these findings for public health, especially when considering that the present results replicated a previous study (Peña & Kim, 2014).View 3 Photos The Koenigsegg Agera R is about to become more insane than ever. The Swedish supercar-maker is teasing the hot new Koenigsegg Agera One: 1 ahead of its Geneva debut, and Koenigsegg promises big power, and even more impressive performance from its ultra-rare exotic. The Koenigsegg Agera One:1 is named after its power to weight ratio: one metric horsepower for every kilogram of weight. That means the 1340 kilogram (2954 pound) Swedish sensation will pack 1340 metric horsepower - 1321 hp to you and I - under its mid-mounted carbon-fiber engine cover. That's 187 hp more than what the regular Agera R's twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 makes. To put that in perspective, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport 'only' makes 1184 hp using a quad-turbo 8.0-liter W-16 engine, and it weighs in at around 4100 pounds. I'll pause for a second to allow you to pick your jaw up off the floor. View 3 Photos Not only does Koenigsegg promise that the Agera One:1 beats Bugatti in power and curb weight, but claimed performance, too. The automaker told the Wall Street Journal that the Agera One:1 will accelerate from 0-249 mph in less than 20 seconds. Koenigsegg then says that its hypercar will be able to come to a standstill from 249 mph in less than 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the Veyron Super Sport needs 25.6 seconds to accelerate from zero to just 200 mph and then back to zero again. Though a Koenigsegg rep wouldn't tell us what the Agera One:1's top speed was, we wouldn't be surprised to see it go for the Veyron Super Sport's 268 mph world record. While speed seems to be Koenigsegg's priority with the Agera One:1, the latest Agera also promises to be a handler. A rep tells us that the Agera One:1's big rear wing is good for over 1300 pounds of downforce, and that the car is capable of pulling 2 g on the skidpad. The Agera One:1 also has fully active aerodynamics, as well as an active, self-leveling suspension. The same rep also tells us that the Agera One:1 will have "a lot of new technical features that will really surprise people."by Don Cooper, LewRockwell.com When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one to dissolve the political bonds which have connected him with his government, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature entitle him, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that he should declare the causes which impel him to the separation. I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is oneâ€™s right to alter or to abolish oneâ€™s allegiance, in the hopes of instituting a new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is the right of the individual, it is his duty, to oppose such government, and to do whatâ€™s necessary to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of citizens of these United states; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of most recent past and present presidents and legislators of the United States of America is a history of repeated civil rights violations, constitutional travesties, usurpations of stateâ€™s rights, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute political control over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. The unconstitutional regulation by at least one federal agency, office, commission, bureau, or department of all goods and services traded domestically and internationally. Establishment, in direct violation of the constitution, of a privately governed central bank whose sole purpose is to manipulate the monetary markets and which is not subject to public scrutiny and whose actions undermine the value of the American dollar to the detriment of the welfare of these United states. Unconstitutional invasion, overthrow and occupation of sovereign foreign countries which pose no threat to the security of these United states based on political ideology to the detriment of the foreign nation and the welfare of the citizens of these United states. Unconstitutional presence in allied foreign countries which pose no threat to the security of these United states and which levies unconscionable debt on the current and future citizens of these United states. The implementation of an electoral system intended to marginalize third parties thereby limiting the choices presented to the electorate and giving an unfair advantage to the incumbents and leading to one party and/or one family or members of previous administrations also holding high-ranking offices in successive administrations, effectively creating an unconstitutional monarchy. Unconstitutional manipulation of the tax laws to serve political agendas to the detriment of the welfare of these United states. Unconstitutional alliances with special interests and big businesses to the detriment of the welfare of these United states. Severe unconstitutional civil rights violations to include: Restrictions on the freedom of speech. Restrictions on our rights to bear arms. Restrictions of use of private property. Unconstitutional wire tapping on the citizens of these United states. Torture. Suspension of habeas corpus. Furthermore, the consistently irresponsible behavior on the part of the elected congress in passing, without fully reading or understanding, legislation which violates the civil rights of these United states and levies unconscionable debt on the current and future citizens of these United states. The impractical and logistically impossible size of the federal government makes it, by definition, an inefficient leviathan to the detriment of the welfare of these United states. In every stage of these digressions citizens of these United states have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A president or legislator, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. I, therefore, a citizen of the United states of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of my intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority given to me by nature and the constitution of these United states, solemnly publish and declare, that I am, and of right ought to be free and independent from the federal government; that I am absolved from all allegiance to the federal government, and that all political connection between myself and the federal government, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a free and independent citizen of these United states, I have full power to bear arms and defend myself against the federal government, conclude peace with the federal government, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent citizens may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the human spirit and the American spirit, I pledge to these United states my life, my fortune and my sacred honor. Don Cooper [send him mail] is an economist living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. Copyright Â© 2009 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.From quadrocopter deliveries to rumors of a 3D Kindle smartphone coming in 2014, Amazon has been on the cutting edge of tech for quite some time now. The company’s latest update for its iOS app, however, might be among the most fun new developments we’ve seen. Along with the ubiquitous bug fixes seen in practically every iOS app update, version 3.2.1 of Amazon’s retail app includes a feature called “Flow” which lets users quickly and easily search for products using their iOS camera. Unlike the previous addition of a barcode scanner in October 2010, Flow lets users identify products by simply pointing their iPhone in the right direction, and then letting the image recognition tools do the rest of the work. Both as a technical feat and an effort-saving feature, it’s massively impressive stuff — although the addition hasn’t yet been rolled out to every country’s Amazon store. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a go if you live in, say, the UK, though — simply hit the “More” tab on the app, and change your country to United States, after which Flow becomes an available option on the search menu. Source: iTunesEveryone who follows Intel as it makes the case for low-power, ultramobile x86 knows that the company has two code phrases that it employs in varying forms in its pitch: Intel processors support the "full Internet experience," and they support the complete "IA installed base." The first of these (the full Internet experience) is code for "Adobe Flash," and the second (IA installed base) is code for "Windows." However, recent news out of Computex challenges the relevance of both of these pro-x86 arguments. First up is the joint announcement by Adobe and NVIDIA that Adobe is optimizing Flash to run on Tegra and take advantage of NVIDIA's mobile GPUs. The previously announced Flash port to ARM, along with the related open screen project, had already put Intel on notice that their "full Internet experience" talking point has a very limited shelf life, and the fact that Adobe is optimizing for GPU acceleration on Tegra further seals its fate. But the Flash announcement isn't all roses for NVIDIA. Flash probably needs to be optimized for GPU acceleration, given that Tegra's ARM11 core looks pretty weak compared to Atom for regular, general-purpose workloads (this includes browsing Flash-enabled sites). This weakness also means that, while Tegra can be put into a netbook, it's not quite ideal, and even with the GPU optimization Atom-based netbooks may still boast a better Flash experience than the Tegra-based competition. ARM/Android vs. Wintel in the netbook market Also coming out of COMPUTEX this year is a growing chorus of buzz around Android as a netbook OS, buzz that's mostly stoked by Qualcomm's display of a very thin, Snapdragon-based ASUS EeePC prototype running android, and by Acer's announcement that it will release an Android-based netbook (allegedly based on Atom) in the third quarter of this year. It seems likely that a number of vendors will be jumping on the Android/netbook bandwagon, and if that happens, this will almost certainly eat into Windows XP's netbook marketshare. By extension, this would weaken the usefulness of the "it runs Windows" part of Intel's case for Atom. But that doesn't mean that Atom's netbook appeal is eliminated entirely. I pointed out above that Tegra doesn't look so hot vs. Atom as a general-purpose computing processor, and I suspect this is true of Snapdragon as well (though I can't find a block diagram of the latter's core). ARM's Cortex A9 will be a different story altogether, and will compete directly with Atom in raw performance on general-purpose code. But until A9 comes out, ARM-based netbook makers are going to be forced to run OSes designed to maximize the scarce execution resources of mobile phones. This is why Android is being floated as a netbook OS, despite the fact that, as we previously�explained in some detail, it's pretty unsuited for this purpose. But if Android netbooks (or "smartbooks," as the ARM coalition is calling them) gain traction with users as a bare-bones, all-day-battery-life alternative to Windows/Atom-based netbooks, OEMs can later transition to a more robust distro like Ubuntu, which will eventually run Android apps, and which has an ARM port. As I said in the previous article on Tegra, Intel's Atom and its successors will remain the hardware of choice for the very sizable number of people who need a low-cost Windows netbook. But for everyone who doesn't need to run Windows, or for customers in developing countries who don't want to pay the Microsoft tax, Flash-enabled, ARM may be the netbook CPU architecture of choice.Last week, I responded to a 4am text and went down to the Occupy Oakland site to support the encampment during yet another raid. I saw the sunrise over various police agencies dismantling Occupy Oakland tents. That evening, I marched back at sunset with other protesters to take back the plaza. The night before, Denver and Portland authorities moved in to take down local occupy encampments, and a swat team stormed an Occupy group’s takeover of an abandoned building in Chapel Hill. The next day, I watched a livestream of the destruction of Occupy Wall Street’s tents. But protesters have not given up on tents. On the day of a strike at, the University of California-Berkeley in response to police brutality, the Occupy Cal and Occupy Oakland movements converged with a full-sized tent on a large stick as the symbol of the union, and the movement. Soon after, the joint (largest ever) General Assemblies voted to re-encamp the UC Berkeley campus. At this point, thousands of people were spilling out of Sproul plaza, and activists came in and ceremoniously placed five tents in the middle of the crowd to cheers. By this point, the crowd had swelled with a perimeter of people, many of whom were alumni of the famous 1964 free speech movement at the exact same spot, as the annual Mario Savio awards were about to be handed out. 10,000 people encircled, and in effect, revered a few camping tents. Why? Aside from their symbolism, tents matter. Many in our Occupy Oakland movement question the focus and energy on tents, especially on public property. Why does camping matter? Why not focus on big banks rather than further bankrupting cities? Why can’t we do something rather than waste time and energy on camping? What is missing from these debates is how place matters. Clearly, the orchestration of the police raids on Occupy camps shows that place does matter for the 1%. I first visited the Occupy Oakland site and the myriad tents in front of city hall with my son Liam, 8, in the afternoon during its first week. We soon found the kid zone, where he practiced capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, with new friends. I chatted with other parents and caregivers about how we all need more collective childcare support. Then, we wandered over to the food tent, where local businesses donate food which is prepared and handed out freely. But Liam was particularly fascinated with the bicycle operated generator which was giving power to the camp. The Occupy Oakland camp has been about many things, not the least of which is to build the type of society in which supporters envision. Activists are often portrayed in the media as “angry” or “against something” – which, well, people are given systematic inequality and the vast income gap, but the Occupy movement is much more than that. It is about creating what protesters often chant, “This is what democracy looks like.” It is about creating a more egalitarian and collective society. And it is this Occupy optimism from, well, the occupation that is spreading like wildfire across the country. This institution building in a communal space is what many liberation movements have done around the world – from the communal villages of health clinics and schools with the FMLN in El Salvador to the childcare and breakfast programs with the Black Panthers here in Oakland. This organizing of local institutions is not just about providing basic services that the state or private sector is not – it provides a central and safe way around which people can begin to get involved in activism, as well as anchoring the organizing. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts The occupation tents do not just have a political history, they are also tied to a more cultural phenomenon – from communal living from the 1970s to Burning Man over the past two decades. The occupy camps, then, are at least attempting to create the inclusive and shared society they envision for the future, rather than waiting for it to happen after some political shift from the individualistic and privatized society that the occupy movement opposes. Similarly, native political movements often fight against development projects that take over sacred spaces which leave these communities without a common place for sacred rituals. The occupy camps provide a site for ritual, as well. When UC Berkeley students had their tents demolished a second time, they continued to use the same space for even more creative embodiment of tents. First, they brought hundreds of books to Sproul Plaza and turned them over on the ground as symbolic tents. Then, they put tents up on helium balloons and floated them in the air. An occupied public space also invites a broad, inclusive group of people, not just people who feel allegiance to one group’s physical space. In my documentary filmmaking days, I tried to have film screenings in public venues, such as an art house theater, rather than only in churches or union halls, which will attract one type of audience. Similarly, by having Occupy Oakland, Occupy Wall Street or Occupy Anywhere in an open public space, the movement is more welcoming to people who just want to stop by to check it out. This happened recently at an Occupy Chapel Hill, when a woman who had just seen Jesse Jackson talk about the importance of the movement, came by to check it out. As with me, this can lead to more and more involvement over time. This public space for General Assemblies and direct democracy is also critical. These are when proposals are discussed, debated and voted on among hundreds, sometimes thousands, as to what Occupy Oakland, in this case, should do next. It is mesmerizing to participate in such mass democracy in action in which anyone can speak and make proposals, rather than backroom deals and decision-making by the highest paid lobbyists. More broadly, though, the message that the “occupy” in the Occupy movement sends to the strong believers in individual property rights, who, by the way, also tend to be the 1% who owns most of the property, is that we are taking back that which we have labored – whether a park in Manhattan, in front of city hall in Oakland or an abandoned car dealership in Chapel Hill, NC. Theorist Antonio Gramsci wrote over 80 years ago that these “wars of position” are a way not only to anchor political organizing but help inspire and mobilize the general public. Tents are not just about camping or even squatting. They are about the significance of place and questioning private ownership. The 99% recognizes this, which is why the Occupy movement and the encampment tactic have spread like wildfire. Wall Street and the Department of Homeland Security recognize this, which is why they have reportedly orchestrated raids of the encampments. What the 1% does not understand is that dismantling the tents will not put out our fire. Our longing for collective place – and action – are much deeper than camping out. Pass the collective s’mores, please.If you have ever spent much time inside of a modern VR headset then chances are you’ve had your fair share of “Wow!” moments. But not many people have actually had a WoW (World of Warcraft) moment in VR because Blizzard’s actual game doesn’t have VR support. As the most popular Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) on the planet, it was only a matter of time before fans took the mission of solving that feature’s absence into their own hands. Originally created by user Puffycheeks in Unity, the video shows YouTube user Ultra (a friend/colleague of the creator) exploring the city of Dalaran from inside an HTC Vive headset. You can even see models of the Vive wands floating in place of his hands. Check it out (we hosted it on our channel with permission from Ultra): The video is very long because he flies around and explores every inch of the city. When stationed on the street-level he looks up and marvels at the sheer sense of scale. Perhaps more so than anything else, that is what is missing from most modern non-VR MMOs that release these days. It’s very difficult to capture a feeling of awe and wonder with modern flat games. This is a far cry from a playable mod or anything like that. Essentially, it looks like the city’s 3D model was transplanted into Unity and is simply explored as you would if it were an actual game world. Jason Trenkoski (aka Ultra) describes it to us as a “walking experience” for now. In order for something like this to ever work in the game itself Blizzard would have to enable it. There has been zero indication that they’d ever be interested in doing something like that, at least not in the short term. “As for now, we’re continuing to work on more maps, we’ve got molten core coming soon (perhaps a week or 2) but the aim is to try and get as many cities and experiences put into virtual reality and really recapture that nostalgia,” writes Trenkoski over email. “Turning this into a game isn’t the aim for this, but after its all completed (which will take some time) we will look into doing a co-op experience or something of the sort.” But still: it makes you wonder. With games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4 both getting full VR support, is a fully-fledged VR MMO closer than we might think? The prospect of playing a game like World of Warcraft, EverQuest, The Elder Scrolls Online, or Guild Wars 2 inside of a VR headset makes my mouth water. Here’s another video of World of Warcraft VR that Trenkoski uploaded, this time exploring the city of Stormwind. What do you think of the footage in the videos above? Let us know down in the comments below! Tagged with: mmo, MMORPG, world of warcraftMy husband is a pioneer, traveling through uncharted and sometimes hostile territory. He is one of a select group of brave men who are upending stale notions and offensive stereotypes about gender and how we raise our children. My husband is a stay-at-home father. Rich is one of an increasing number of fathers who chose to quit their job and raise kids full time. His choice has benefited our entire family: Our kids have the time and attention of a fully devoted parent. I have been able freely pursue my career with a lot less distraction and stress. And Rich gets to have what he calls a “dream job.” “If I could make this choice 100 times, I’d do it every time,” Rich said. “It’s a privilege that’s changed everything. I’m a better person now, a better citizen, I’m much more interested in service and community.” We’ve been raising our two kids like this for six years, but it wasn’t until I started

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